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.
Deep-Sea Pirates
Traversing the depths of the Caribbean Sea, the giant undersea craft "Explorer II" began the third day of its geological survey of the sea bed. It was part of a fleet of submarines tasked with collecting valuable research for the scientific community. It was on this day that her team of scientists made the discovery of the century. The crew discovered a vast natural diamond field that had an estimated value of over three trillion dollars. They took the time to discuss their findings with their superiors and a unanimous vote was reached, On the fourth day, the team harvested the uncut diamonds, amassing over one million pounds worth. Naturally, their miraculous find was picked up by the world media who transmitted the story over every television set in the world. The reactions were mixed, to say the least. Some applauded them for their find while others cursed them out of jealousy.
Over in a seedy New York apartment, the story caught the attention of two scheming men. Chuck and Garth were two diamond thieves who once worked for an international piracy ring. Recently released from prison after serving a lengthy sentence, they were both out of work and desperate. They spent countless weeks trying to find a way of returning to their old career. When the story broke, they found their score.
Garth salivated at the story. "Boy, look at haul. That's a nice chunk of loot."
Chuck's eyes glistened with greed. "Yeah, and I think I know how we can carve a piece for ourselves."
"Really? Great!" Garth grinned. "This could be the score we need to get back on top. What are you going to?"
Chuck grabbed his telephone and began to dial.
"I know a guy who can lend us a Submarine," He added. "He owes me a favour and I'm going to cash it in."
A few days later, on a desolate stretch of coastline, the warm Caribbean sun beamed down on the shiny yellow hull of the 'Sea Raider.' It bobbed up and down at a small jetty as the water lapped up against the rocky shoreline. Sea Raider was a Navy attack submarine. Chuck's contact had stolen it from a Navy scrap yard where it had been refitted for Piracy missions. His contact greeted the two men as they boarded the Submarine.
Chuck raised an eyebrow in amazement. "Thanks for this, Charlie. We'll take t from here."
After inspecting the Submarine for a few minutes, Garth called out to Chuck from the main hatch.
"The diving gear's ready, Chuck. We're ready to go."
The Sea Raider silently cruised out into the ocean and dived towards the diamond field. Its silent motors churned the water behind it, and so the great undersea robbery began.
"We'll be there in about four hours," said Garth.
Chuck rubbed the palms of his hands together. "Boy are those scientists in for a big surprise!"
Four hours later, they sighted the unsuspecting Explorer II. They listened in for a moment, waiting for their moment to strike.
"They've just made their routine report," Chuck reported.
"That gives us four hours to complete the job," Chuck replied. "You know what to do."
Targeting the Explorer II's cargo hold, the Sea Rider fired two torpedoes. The missiles found their target, striking the Explorer with pinpoint accuracy. The stricken vessel plunged helplessly toward the sea bed, impacting on the surface. Chuck made sure to destroy the communications dish as well, stifling any call for help. It was all too easy. Aboard the Explorer II, the crew made a quick assessment of the damage. The Commander approached the on-duty Captain.
"What's the damage report, Captain?"
The Captain's fingers ran along the computer console.
"The escape hatches are jammed and our antennae show away!" He replied. "Whoever did this knew what to hit!"
The dazed and confused Commander tried to make sense of the situation.
"But, why were we attacked? Is there anything else?"
The Captain finished his report. "We've sealed off the cargo bulkheads and launched a sonic locator. I programmed a message into it. Hopefully, control will get a fix on our position."
Bobbing restlessly on the surface, a small sonic beacon transmitted its SOS message in rapid intervals. At that same moment, the two pirates left their craft in their Scuba Gear. Garth followed Chuck, carrying their cutting equipment. A deranged smile flashed across Chuck's face as the Explorer II sat helplessly before them.
Meanwhile, the SOS message beeped over the computer monitors aboard Thunderbird Five. As John Tracy listened to it, he deciphered the message by writing down the encrypted letters. When he was done, he read the message aloud with shock.
"Explorer II attacked. Trapped on the seabed in the Caribbean Sea. Fractured hull. Will break up in four hours. Explorer II? Explorer II! Oh no!"
After his urgent call relayed to Tracy Island, Jeff scrambled his boys to their Thunderbirds. In under ten minutes, Thunderbirds One and Two blasted off for the Danger Zone at top speed. Gordon and Alan accompanied Virgil in Thunderbird Two.
"Well, the Sea Jeep is ready to go," said Alan as he took his seat next to Gordon. "I can't wait to test her out. Jealous, Gordon?"
Gordon looked at him with a cheeky expression.
"What that Thunderbird Four isn't the only Submarine anymore? Not on your life, Alan!" He chuckled. "It's about time I had more help."
Virgil looked back at the pair of them. "Well, you did make a good point after that last rescue you were on. We needed to do something about it. Hopefully, the Sea Jeep will make deep-sea extraction missions a lot easier. We'll be there in thirty minutes, you both better get ready."
Alan stood up again, motioning Gordon to follow him. "FAB, Virgil. Come on, Gordon."
Thunderbird One hovered above the scene when Thunderbird Two arrived. Virgil brought his craft to a hover above the surface and dropped the Pod. The door lowered and Thunderbird Four screamed into the water. Operating from Thunderbird One, Scott issued Gordon with his instructions.
"Okay, Gordon. Get the grew out first, then we'll see what can be done about the ship."
"FAB, Scott," Gordon replied. "I'll use the inflatable life tube. Have Alan stand by in the Sea Jeep."
However, as Thunderbird Four dived beneath the waves, Gordon's radar alerted him of another craft in the area. Still, he wiped the concern from his mind, putting the rescue first before anything else. Unbeknownst to him though, the beam of his headlights alerted the two pirates below. Chuck snarled as the flashlight lit up their loot.
Garth's eyes narrowed. "Looks like someone's come calling!"
Chuck gritted his teeth. "No! We can't get caught. Not now! Come on! We better get back to the Sea Raider. We can finish the job when they've gone."
As the two pilots swam back towards their craft, empty-handed, Gordon reported in Scott.
"Scott, I'm about to attach the Inflatable life tube onto the hull," He said as his radar pinged. "There's another craft down here but I'll investigate afterwards."
At that moment, on the surface, Alan emerged from the Pod in the Sea Jeep. It was a much smaller vessel that shared a similar design with her sister submarine. Alan steered her out towards the extraction point when he received a call from Scott.
"Gordon reports another vessel in the area. Keep a listening watch, Alan."
"FAB, Scott." Alan acknowledged.
On the hull of the Explorer II, Gordon finished his task. He attached the inflatable life tube to the hull and sent it up towards the surface. When it reached the surface, a huge, orange life raft sprawled out from underneath, taking the form of a large square-shaped raft. Alan climbed aboard it, assembling the plastic elevator winch that sat inside the tube. It took him a matter of minutes to set the whole thing up. Once he was done, he radioed down to Gordon.
"I'm ready to go here, Gordon. Start sending them up."
Gordon calmly directed the crew into the tube and Alan winched them up in pairs. The whole operation took them an hour to complete without any interference. Gordon was so focussed on the mission that he had forgotten about the other vessel that lingered nearby, a mistake that he would later regret. When the last of the crew stumbled out into the raft, Alan updated Scott.
"All crew are here and safe, Scott. I'm going to help Gordon bring up the ship."
Climbing into the Sea Jeep, Alan descended beneath the waves, leaving the raft in the capable hands of Virgil. Gordon steered Thunderbird Four towards the Explorer, attaching tow cables to the top of its hull. He apprised Alan of his plan, and the pair decided to raise the craft together. However, hidden behind a rock in the Sea Raider, the pirates watched the International Craft, tow the Explorer away and their loot along with it. They listened in to Gordon's messages using a frequency scrambler.
"Alan, I'm going to try the ring tube to lift the explorer. These cables aren't going to hold. I'll need you to push her up from below."
"FAB, Gordon. I'll be there shortly."
However, Chuck's greed had taken over. He growled as he slammed his fist on the console.
Chuck spat his words in disgust. "He's robbing us of our fortune! He won't get away with it!"
Garth too aired his rage. "Start the motors, Chuck. I'll man the torpedo controls!"
Gordon and Alan neared success as the Explorer II arrived on the surface. The Sea Jeep appeared alongside it as Alan prepared to tow the vessel away. Suddenly, Thunderbird Four was hit by an explosion that tossed Gordon about. Warning alarms sounded around him as he lost power to his engines. He looked out of the window in a daze to see the Sea Raider close in on him. Unable to retaliate, he put out a call to Alan.
"Alan, I've been hit!" He yelled. "I forgot about the other vessel! It's an old navy attack sub. A Sea Raider! I'm sinking and out of control!"
Panicking, Alan roared into action. He grabbed the controls and took the Sea Jeep beneath the waves once again. He detected the Sea Raider on his radar and primed his torpedoes.
"Hang on Gordon!" He replied. "I'll take care of them. Firing missiles now!"
Alan pressed the firing button, striking the Sea Raider's engines with a single torpedo. The two pirates panicked as water began to flood the cabin. As they tried to steer away, Alan struck them with a second missile. An explosion fired their motors, draining them of power. Unable to escape, the pirates had no choice but to surrender. Alan smiled as the Sea Raider hit the sea bed hard. He knew that Scott would deal with them once he towed his brother to the surface. He steered the Sea Jeep towards the damaged Thunderbird Four and lined it up. Donning his scuba suit, Alan swam across towards her sister vessel and attached a tow line to it. Then, with a powerful burst from his motors, the Sea Jeep towed Thunderbird Four up to the surface. The rescue was over within minutes.
"Sea Jeep to Thunderbird Two. I'm bringing Gordon aboard, stand by to pick us up. He's a little shaken up but he'll be okay."
Virgil's voice crackled over the radio. "FAB, Alan. Scott will take care of the pirates while we ferry the Explorer II to the nearest port."
As soon as the two Subs were aboard, Thunderbird Two raised the pod with four cable jacks. Scott signalled them to fly away with the Explorer II, while he attended to the pirates. He had informed a nearby naval vessel of the situation and was instructed to deliver the Sea Raider to them. So he did just that. He grabbed onto the damaged Submarine with a series of magnetic cables and winched it into the air. A smug grin spread across Scott's face.
"Now, that's what I call fishing." He laughed.
After a short flight across the ocean, Thunderbird One made contact with the Navy Carrier. The crew had prepared the deck for his arrival. Scott brought his Thunderbird One in for a landing while Thunderbird Two remained in the air behind him. Unloading both the Explorer II and the Sea Raider, Scott instructed Virgil to head for home. The shaken crew all thanked him for their help and the way they saved their lives. Chuck and Garth were escorted towards an awaiting jail cell.
"I could murder those International Rescue guys!" He growled as he struggled against the guard's strength, "They ruined everything!"
The Navy Guard found the man's tantrums pathetic and childish. "Save your talk for the judge pal!"
Thunderbird One took off and headed for home. The crew of the Explorer agreed that the world would be a poorer place without them. Another rescue mission was completed.
END