Thunderbirds Blast Off
By Lee Homer
Disclaimer: A collection of short adventures based on the comic strips from the Thunderbirds Annuals of the '60s and '70s. All rights reserved. I don't own Thunderbirds.
Houston's Inferno
The Trans U.S. Oil company refinery, a vast sprawling complex of storage tanks, gleamed in the Texan sun at it's sight near Houston. Joe Simpson, a foreman who worked there, found trouble at the start of his shift. He drove his vehicle towards the faulty tank to investigate it. His colleague, Luke, was already there.
"The pressure valve has jammed," He said as he pointed towards a network of pipe lines behind him. "Frank. Check it out, will you?"
Luke smiled with a nod. "I'm on my way!"
As Luke took the inspection elevator, Joe moved on to another area of the installation. He climbed inside the cabin of his vehicle headed deeper into the sprawling complex. A short while later, he arrived at his destination, pulling up alongside a large, green tractor which resembled the shape of a Millipede. The tractor was comprised of three detachable cargo holds, pulled by a control cabin. Each compartment had six large wheels underneath. A series of tubes, pumped fuel into each compartment. Joe huffed as he watched the driver climb into the advanced cabin.
!Hey! Get that tanker train moving, will ya! You're behind schedule!" He grunted.
Driver looked down at him from the cabin. "Sorry, Joe!" He replied apologetically. "I was running a big behind anyway. We had a pump jam here and it needed to be cleaned out."
Hurriedly, the driver started up his tractor and pulled out of the lot He sped down the concourse, confident that he would make the deadline on time. He grinned, completely oblivious to the inflammable cargo he was carrying. However, he did account for his increased rate of speed. He turned sharply around a bed, losing control of his vehicle. Hearing the commotion below, Luke rushed to the side of the storage tank. The whole structure shook under the impact. The rear trailer skidded out of control. The force from the collision hurled them through the air, smacking them into the side of the tank. Disaster struck as tractor exploded beneath Luke's feet. The blast ignited the huge storage tanks, each one erupted in a chain reaction which swept throughout the complex. Luke was trapped in the centre of it all, forced back by the searing heat. A few minutes later, the sirens sounded as the refinery emergency units charged from their station. They thundered towards the scene of devastation, guided by the flickering glow from the flames.
Before they could reach the scene, two other storage tanks caught fire, each one billowed in smoke and flame. The automatic pumps and jets sprang into operations, dumping gallons of water on the inferno. As more tanks exploded, Joe arrived at the confusion. He spotted Luke up on on the tank above them, flames engulfed he ground around him, blocking his only means of escape. He grabbed the fire chief by his shoulder. Fear flooded his body and he started to panic.
"There's a man trapped on top of that tank! We've got to save him!"
The Fire chief stared up at storage tank in disbelief.
"It's impossible!" He said in despair. "We can't get anything near enough. That other tank will blow at any time. We'll have to evacuate the area. We'll never control the inferno now."
Joe couldn't believe his ears. He glanced over at the helpless Fire Chief.
"But we can't leave Luke up there to die! We've got attempt a rescue somehow!"
Fire chief tried to think as the heat muddled his train of thought.
"The only outfit that could stand any chance in that ring of fire is International Rescue," He said. "A normal air rescue crew couldn't stand up to the heat."
Joe snapped into action. He had heard of International Rescue and the most incredible rescues they had pulled off all around the world.
"I'll make the call," He said as he raced towards the nearest radio booth. "I hope they can get here in time?"
Fortunately, Joe's call didn't go unheard. News of the explosion made it onto the TV screens across the world. Major news networks picked up on the story and on Tracy Island. Jeff and his sons watched the blaze in horror. After assessing the situation through the broadcast. Scott was the first to speak with tremendous optimism.
"We've got the equipment that can save that man, Father."
Alan Tracy, the youngest of his brothers, also stood. "Yeah. It's been a while since we've seen some action and that tank could explode at any time."
Jeff nodded in agreement. "Right. We don't have time to sit and wait for a call. A man's life is in danger. Away you go Scott. Take Thunderbird One and proceed to the danger zone. Virgil and Alan will join you in Thunderbird Two with the fire fighting gear. Speed is essential.
With a swift and brash FAB, Scott made his way towards the wall brackets which were mounted to the side of a hollow wall. Scott put his back up against them and grabbed the lamps. Suddenly, the wall swivelled him round until he faced the nose of his Silver rocket-plane. As he climbed into the cockpit of Thunderbird One, Virgil and Alan made their way towards the large underground hangar which housed Thunderbird Two. Precious minutes race by when finally. Thunderbirds One and Two were airborne. They screamed across the sky towards the danger zone at impressive speeds. As Alan had mentioned earlier, this was the first time in a while that he got to be part of the action. He sat behind his brother and mused in deep thought.
"Gee, I hope Brains' latest experiment holds up in the heat," He said. "I can't wait to try it out."
Virgil nodded. "I know. We should get a survey report from Scott in a couple of minutes. Then maybe we'll get an idea of what we're dealing with."
Meanwhile, racing up ahead, Scott arrived at the carnage in Thunderbird One. He radioed the fire chief below and informed him of his plan. Then, he proceeded to make a few aerial passes over the fire, snapping photos with his automatic camera. The data was transmitted to Thunderbird Two where they appeared on the screen in front of Alan.
"Gee, this is going to be tricky," He frowned. "That guy is completely surrounded in a ring of flame."
Virgil sighed heavily as he brought Thunderbird Two in closer.
"We'll have to work fast if we're going to get him out of there. You better get ready, Alan," He replied. "We'll be touching down in a few minutes. I can see the smoke from here."
By the time Virgil touched down, they saw Thunderbird One on the ground below. Scott issued their instructions as soon as they touched the ground.
"Okay, Virgil," He began. "You'll operate the elevator cage. Alan will cover you in the Firefly."
The pair acknowledged him in unison. "FAB, Scott."
A few seconds later, Thunderbird Two raised skywards on it's four hydraulic legs, revealing the Pod beneath. The flap lowered with a thud and the first of the two pod vehicles emerged. The Firefly, International Rescue's ace firefighting vehicle crawled down the ramp with it's blast shield held high. Operating the vehicle in his heat resistant suit, Alan steered the twin tracked vehicle towards the inferno. Virgil emerged from the Pod shortly afterwards, driving the brand new pod vehicle. It was a metallic blue, twin tracked vehicle that house a transparent control dome on top. It was the latest vehicle in their arsenal of fantastic machines designed by their resident inventor, Brains. Virgil steered it from within it's reinforced cabin as he lined it up alongside the Firefly.
"Okay, Alan. You know what to do." He said as he clumsily operated the controls in his thick safety suit.
"FAB, Virgil. Let's move in." Replied an eager Alan.
The two machines moved into the heart of the inferno. Alan positioned the Firefly behind the Virgil's vehicle. He lowered the heat shield and fired a concentrated charge at the flaming rubble, clearing a path for Virgil. The Elevator vehicle traversed the narrow path until arrived at the tank. As soon as it pulled up outside the central tank, Virgil climbed out of the cabin, climbing into the elevator dome.
Virgil briefed Scott at his Mobile Control centre. "Moving into the cage now, Scott."
Scott observed the action from Thunderbird One, accompanied by Joe and the fire chief.
"FAB, Virgil. Hurry it up!" He replied. "If that other tank explodes, you and Alan will be blown to kingdom come!"
Flipping a switch, Virgil climbed into the air, scaling the side of the tank. The elevator cage moved skywards on its single telescopic leg. Virgil felt the heat pierce the cage when he reached the top. His eyes widened at the sate of the tank. His fire safety suit struggled under the intense heat that lashed out at him.
"The roof is red hot! I can see Luke! He's passed out from the heat!" He groaned. "I'm going to retrieve him!"
Scott and Joe shared a look of concern. They couldn't see Virgil through the thick black smoke. Scott gripped the microphone tightly at his mobile console.
"Move fast, Virgil. The temperature gauges are jumping. That tanks won't hold out much longer!"
As Virgil moved towards Luke, Alan reversed the Firefly to safety and then raced on foot back into the inferno. Gripping the to controls of his vehicle, Alan feared that his brother wouldn't make it out in time. As the flames intensified, Virgil scrambled Luke into cage. He pulled back on the control switch, lowering the cage back towards the ground. He looked down to see Alan climb into the control cabin. Relieved to see them, Alan called out over the radio.
"Hang tight folks. She's gonna go up any moment."
The elevator vehicle's tacks skidded along the charred ground. As they reached the established safe zone. Seconds later, the tank burst into flames, peppering the surrounding area with flaming debris. Stunned, the Tracy brothers couldn't believe how close they had come to disaster. Luke was in a bad way. He had inhaled a lot of smoke, and received severe burns. He was immediately whisked to the hospital by ambulance. Despite Joe's dismayed expression, International Rescue had triumphed again. Their amazing machines had overcame the odds. He graciously shook Virgil's hand, while Scott and Alan watched the ambulance vanish over the horizon.
"Guess Frank will be okay in a week or so." Alan said. "He sure was in a bad state."
Relieved yet saddened by the man's well being, Scott's eyes stared down at the ground. "I know, Alan. We did all we could do. We got him clear."
Virgil stepped towards his older brother and placed an assuring hand on his shoulder.
"Sure, Scott," He said softly. "I think it's best we get back to base and let the fire authorities wrap up here. Mission accomplished."
A few minutes later, the two Thunderbird machines took off and headed for home. The new Elevator Cage had completed it's first official mission. Luke recovered in hospital a few days later. Joe had the pleasure of explaining how International Rescue saved his life. He felt grateful to be alive, but he wished he could have thanked them himself. The Oil Refinery itself continued to operate after extensive repairs were made. The World Government passed a bill to add new safety features to the roads that ran amongst the gas tanks and pipelines. They regarded the fire as a cautionary tale and were keen to do something about it. They had learnt their lessons and thanks to International Rescue.
END