January 5th, 2063 - 17:46 GMT
Parker kicks an old door in to an old warehouse near Scunthorpe.
"H'after you, m'lady," Parker says and steps aside.
"Thank you, Parker," Penelope says and walks into the room, turning her torch on. The only sound heard as they enter is Penelope's heels clicking on the floor and Sherbet suddenly sneezing due to the dust.
"H'afraid, it looks like h'another dead end," Parker says.
"A lot of dirt," Penelope says and shines a light on Sherbet rolling around on his back and barking at a pile of debris, "Hmm, but no sign of the Mechanic." She looks towards Parker who stares at the holographic map of the warehouse and not watching where he is going. Picking up her pace, she reaches over and grabs his shoulder before he could fall down a large hole in the ground, "Mind your step, Parker!" Parker stops just before he almost falls. Lady Penelope grabs him to stop him from falling and they step back, "Dead end indeed."
"Much obliged, m'lady," Parker says, "This h'explains h'all the dirt. Someone's been digging." Sherbet walks over to where Penelope is standing and starts barking down the hole.
"What is it, Sherbet?" Penelope asks, "Is something down there?" Sherbet whimpers and Penelope pulls out her scanner and picks up a signal.
"Not something, someone," Parker says as he listens to the beeping, "That's Morse Code for SOS."
"International Rescue, this is Lady Penelope. We may need some help," Penelope says.
"Thunderbird 5 responding, what's the situation?" John asks.
"A deep one. A very deep one," Penelope says.
5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Thunderbirds are Go!
January 6th, 2063 - 04:52 NZDT
A very tired Virgil and Gordon sit in the lounge with a hologram of Penelope, John and the warehouse in question displayed.
"We were looking through buildings once linked to The Hood, when we stumbled upon this," Penelope says and shows them the hole Parker almost fell down.
"Wow. That's what I call a big hole," Virgil says.
"So, we're dealing with an enormous rabbit or an enormous machine?" Gordon asks, "Either way, I don't like how this looks."
"There's more. It seems some poor soul is trapped down there," Penelope says.
"Thunderbird 5, have you alerted the GDF?" Virgil asks, "They should have someone nearby that can help."
"I was told all local squadrons had been called away. We're it," John explains.
"FAB. Gordon and I are on our way," Virgil says as he gets up along with Gordon.
5
Virgil runs over to the painting of a rocket and gets suited up.
4
The pod equipment is loaded into Module 2.
3
Gordon boards Thunderbird 2 via the passenger elevator.
2
Thunderbird 2 taxis down the main runway and comes to a halt allowing the ramp to raise.
1
The blast shield rises.
Thunderbirds are Go!
January 5th, 2063 - 18:57 GMT
"Whoever you are, help is on the way!" Penelope yells down the shaft and then looks at Parker, "Parker, bring the car around. I'm not waiting."
"Yes, m'lady," Parker says.
"Thunderbird 2, we're going in," Penelope says.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Gordon asks worriedly, "Shouldn't you wait for backup?"
"Have I ever before, Gordon?" Penelope muses.
"Come to think of it, no," Gordon sighs.
"I'll let you know what we find," Penelope says and hangs up, "Shall we?"
"Very good, m'lady," Parker says, and he takes the car into flight mode, "FAB 1 is h'off." He approaches the mouth of the tunnel before heading down.
"Hello!" a voice calls.
"Listen. He's still here," Parker says.
"Help! Hello!" the voice calls again. Parker continues to fly down the tunnel until he reaches a dead end and is forced to stop.
"John, are you seeing this?" Penelope asks, "Destruction on this scale could only be The Mechanic."
"Agreed." John says, "But where's he going? I might need to get Ridley up to help me re-task Thunderbird 5 to use its ground-penetrating radar, it might give us a clue. But that'll still take some time."
"Time we may not have." Lady Penelope says, "Can you lock in on my signal in the meantime?"
"I can. Good idea," John says.
"Hello? Hello?" the person says, "Is someone down there?"
"Yes! We can hear you! Don't worry, help is on the way!" Penelope calls down the tunnel and contacts Virgil, "Thunderbird 2, what's your ETA?"
"We're arriving now," Virgil says as he lands Thunderbird 2 outside the building. The pair leave their seats and head down into the module. Virgil pulls on his exo-suit while Gordon configures a pod.
"Explorer Pod is go," Gordon says. Virgil grabs onto the back of the pod as Gordon takes him down to Penelope and Parker's position.
"Thanks for dropping in on such short notice," Penelope says as she held Sherbet.
"Don't mention it. Where's our unlucky victim?" Virgil asks.
"Somewhere up there, I think," Penelope says looking over in the general direction, "He's a plumber who was working in the sub-basement when it collapsed into the tunnel. Rather colourful character. Says his name is Horse."
"Huh? Horse?" Virgil mumbles before raising his voice, "Uh, Horse? This is International Rescue. Are you alright?"
"Oh, yeah, can't complain," Horse replies, "Got mi' 'olidays coming up. You ever been to Spain? Oh, what am I saying? Of course, you have. Bet you boys have been everywhere."
"I mean, are you injured?" Virgil clarifies.
"Er, no, don't think so," Horse says, "But mi' legs are stuck. Good thing it's not my mouth, right? Ha-ha! People say I talk a lot..."
"This one's a talker!" Gordon chuckles, "Why the mess?"
"Looks like several levels pancaked together," Virgil states, "He's lucky he survived."
"Even luckier Penelope happened to find him," Gordon says, "Don't worry, erm... Horse. We'll have you outta there in a jiffy."
"Jiffy, funny word, innit?" Horse chuckles, "I wonder what it means, jiffy."
"My sensors are getting thrown off by the exposed electrical wiring," Virgil sighs, "He could be anywhere up there."
"We need to track where The Mechanic is going. That means getting through this debris," Penelope says.
"FAB," Gordon and Virgil say and Gordon jumps back into the explorer pod to help with the clear up. Virgil uses his exo-suit for some of the smaller debris that are nearby, but still pretty heavy. After a few minutes, a path is cleared wide enough for FAB 1 to get through.
"Doesn't seem to be bearing any weight, but we'll set up some braces just to be safe," Virgil notes and gets some pieces of a metal beam to stabilize the gap, "That should do it."
"Thanks, boys," Penelope says and gets back into FAB 1 along with Sherbet and Parker, "Drive on, Parker. We need to know why The Mechanic did this."
"And 'ope he doesn't do the same thing to us," Parker adds as he drives through the gap and continues down the tunnel.
"He's still talking!" Gordon says.
"Whatever keeps him occupied," Virgil says.
"This is going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack," Gordon says.
"Then we'll just have to be methodical," Virgil says as starts to climb the rubble, "Horse, we're going to start digging you out now."
"Yeah! Don't think I'm going anywhere," Horse replies.
January 5th, 2063 - 20:28 GMT
"John, are you still locked in on my signal?" Penelope asks.
"Yes, and based on your current heading, I'm calculating your probable path now," John says.
"That doesn't look good," Ridley yawns as she joins John, "Lady Penelope, you're heading straight for Parkmoor Scrubs Prison!"
"Parkmoor Scrubs? That's where they're holding The Hood," Penelope says, "This is a prison break." John hangs up on Penelope and gets Ridley to call Colonel Casey as quickly as possible.
"Well, that explains why my GDF forces in the area were called away on a false alarm," Casey says, "But breaking The Hood out of Parkmoor Scrubs Prison is impossible."
"But Colonel, we know The Mechanic has already made one attempt at the designs for the place," Ridley argues with her former boss, "Maybe he found something?"
"Not likely. The Hood is being held in a steel-reinforced maximum-security cell. In the centre of the prison. It would take hours for anyone, even The Mechanic to cut through that," Casey says naïvely.
"Still, to be on the safe side, I recommend that you move him to another location," Ridley says.
"You're certain this is a real threat?" Casey asks.
"Absolutely," Ridley responds.
"Very well. I'll have my team retrieve him immediately," Casey says and a few seconds later, she comes back to Ridley looking very worried, "Something's taken control of the electronic lock. How's he doing this?"
"I'm picking up an electronic signal from inside the cell," John announces and comes over to were Ridley stands.
"It's the same one we detected once before," John says, "Can we get a video feed?"
"Patching it through," Casey says.
"Running spectral analysis," John says and they hear The Hood's voice.
"I really must congratulate you, Colonel," The Hood smiles evilly, "You've done a splendid job of keeping me from getting out. Too bad you gave far less consideration to how you would be getting in."
"The signal is coming from his eye. It's cybernetic," Ridley gasps.
"If he's, had it the whole time he's been in there, this escape could have been planned from the start," Casey says.
January 5th, 2063 - 20:41 GMT
Virgil passes Gordon some more debris as he works his way through the destruction in front of him.
"It's like one big game of pickup sticks," Gordon says.
"Except this is no game," Virgil says sternly, "A man's life is at stake." He goes further inside the tunnel he's created only to be disappointed with another solid wall in front of him.
"Ugh! Great," Virgil sighs, "Horse, we're gonna need to double back. We've reached another dead end."
"Sit tight, pal. We just need to cut through a few more pipes," Gordon says.
"Wait, wait! What kind of pipes?" Horse asks.
"Some red ones, some blue ones. An orange one," Gordon explains.
"Orange?! Don't cut that one! It's a liquid fuel pipe!" Horse says, "Unless you wanna get blown to bits!"
"He's right, Gordon. Those pipes are all color-coded." Virgil says, "The red means hot water, the blue means cold, and the orange means—"
"Kaboom," Gordon notes, "I get it."
"Thanks for the heads-up, Horse!" Virgil says, "We'll be more careful. Horse, what kind of pipes are near you?"
"I was working on a green and white striped one," Horse says.
"Green and white... Green and white." Gordon says as he scans the wall in front of him, "There it is!"
"Good, we're going to follow the green and white pipe. It should lead us right to you!" Virgil says.
January 5th, 2063 - 20:48 GMT
"Any sign of The Mechanic yet?" Lady Penelope asks.
"There's something up h'ahead, but I can't get h'a clear look." Parker says and squints through the thick smoke ahead, "Blimey, it's thicker than my mum's pea soup." Suddenly, Parker makes out a solid face and slams on the breaks, "'Ang on m'lday! It can't 'ave vanished into thin h'air. Where did it go?"
Rubble then falls on top of FAB 1 and the pair look up. "It's heading to the surface," Penelope says.
January 5th, 2063 - 20:49 GMT
"Colonel get your team out of there," Ridley says as she gets a signal of where The Mechanics drill is located.
"All GDF forces, evacuate now," Casey says.
"But Colonel..." an officer says.
"That's an order. Move!" Casey yells. They evacuate just in time as The Mechanic's machine comes right up to the surface and takes hold of The Hood's cell, encasing it completely. It retreats back down in the direction it came from.
"I don't believe it. It's just swallowed The Hood's cell whole," Ridley mutters.
"The way that thing digs it looks like a giant mechanical antlion," John says, "And it's heading back your way."
"Perhaps we shouldn't linger," Penelope says.
"Very good, m'lady," Parker says, pushing his foot to the floor and takes off.
"They're retracing their steps," Penelope says.
"Good," Casey says, "We'll be there to meet them at the entrance."
"You best hurry, Colonel. They are moving fast," Penelope says.
"There's just one little problem," Virgil calls, "If we don't get Horse out, that thing is going to smash right through him."
"They seem to be in a bit of a rush," Penelope says, "I don't think they're going to stop for us or for you... or for anyone."
"Well then, I hate to pressure you, Virgil," Gordon grunts as he moves a piece of rubble with his hands, "But there's a giant mechanical antlion headed our way."
"Tell me something I don't know," Virgil sighs and moves a chuck of rock to reveal the green and white pipeline has been broke.
"Er... There's no more green and white pipe. Where'd it go?" Gordon questions.
"It must have sheared off during the cave-in," Virgil states.
"So much for following a path," Gordon says.
"The rest of it must be nearby," Virgil argues, "Keep looking."
"Hello!" Horse calls, "Erm... Is there a problem?"
"Er... Just a slight setback," Virgil says.
"Should I be worried?" Horse asks, "Cos I'm worried."
"It's okay, Horse. We're going to get you out," Virgil replies, "Just try and stay calm."
January 5th, 2063 - 20:56 GMT
"Er, we seem to be in their way, Parker," Penelope says as she holds onto Sherbet, who barks in her lap.
"Can't h'exactly pull h'over and let them pass," Parker says and Penelope sighs and contacts Gordon.
"Gordon, do you have an update?" Penelope asks.
"Still haven't located Horse. Is there anything you can do to slow that thing down?" Gordon asks.
"I'll see what we can do," Penelope says.
"Already on it, m'lady," Parker says, and fires two missiles out the back of FAB 1, which both strike the roof of the tunnel causing a cave in. However, this doesn't stop The Mechanic and the machines does through it like its dust. "I'm h'afraid we'll 'ave to try something h'else," Parker says and does a double take as the front of the machine opens up to reveal Mechas, "We've got more company, m'lady."
"Where's a good exterminator when you need one?" Penelope complains as Parker dodges one and forces in into The Mechanic's machine. Another one gets too close for comfort and Parker swerves into its path, also knocking it under.
"H'i just waxed that this morning!" Parker groans and watches a third land on the bonnet of the car, "'Ang on, m'lady!" Parker slams on the breaks again and the Mecha goes flying off and tumbles down on the ground in front. Parker then picks up speed again and runs over it, disabling it. Sherbet growls and looks out the back of the car before looking up and whining, Penelope does the same.
"Whoa! Parker!" Penelope cries as she sees the final Mecha on the roof. Acting quickly, Parker changes FAB 1 into flight mode and take the car to the roof of the tunnel and squashes it. The Mechanic then changes tactic, speeding up and tries to grab FAB 1. Parker is forced to do evasive manoeuvres in order to dodge these attacks.
"Gordon, we can't slow the antlion down," Penelope informs, "You'll have to hurry."
"FAB," Gordon sighs.
"You've finished talking to your girlfriend because Horse has stopped talking," Virgil says.
"She's not my— Wait he's stopped? I don't believe it," Gordon states, "He has an off switch."
"Horse?" Virgil calls, "Are you okay?"
"To be honest I am still a little worried," Horse admits, "Maybe I should stop blabbing and let you boys work. That's why they call me Horse, you know? Cos I can talk myself hoarse. Ha-ha!"
"Keep talking," Virgil calls, "It'll help us find you. If I patch into the computer on Thunderbird 5, I may be able to triangulate his location by the sound of his voice. Thunderbird 5?"
"Already on it," John says and does a scan of the rubble with the help of Ridley and sends the information to Virgil's wrist controller.
"This way!" Virgil declares and they run further into the tunnel.
"Look!" Gordon cries, bringing Virgil to a stop, "Green and white!"
"My favourite colours," Virgil smiles and they lift a bit of debris out the way and look down to see a man trapped in the rubble.
"Hi, Horse," Gordon calls down.
"It's good to see you," Horse smiles.
"Let's get outta here," Virgil says jumping down and freeing Horse, "Quick!"
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Horse smiles and shakes Virgil's hand.
"Thanks. Feel like I already know you," Gordon says as he helps Horse up. The tunnel starts to shake indicating that The Mechanic and The Hood are getting close. They run back out as fast as they could and make it back to the pod within a couple of minutes. Gordon jumps into the driver's seat with Horse getting in the back and Virgil on the outside.
"Gordon, step on it," Virgil orders.
"I stepped on a bug once. Big as your head, honest," Horse mutters as Gordon speeds off back out of the tunnel. The shaking of the tunnel had causes some of the rocks to become dislodged and they collapse in front of the exit that FAB 1 used previously.
"I'm h'afraid h'our exit's been blocked, m'lady," Parker informs, "H'and there's only one missile left."
"Then let's make it count," Penelope says and calls Gordon, "Gordon, are you clear yet? Please say yes."
"All clear," Gordon replies as the Pod Explorer leaves the warehouse where the hole entrance is.
"FAB," Penelope responds, "Parker, now." Parker nods and fires the missile at the debris. Without stopping, he speeds right through and gets to the other side before flying back out the entrance of the tunnel to the safety of Thunderbird 2. They turn and watch in amazement as the warehouse explodes and the antlion rockets out of where it once stood before falling onto its side.
"Surrender now!" Casey calls over the speaker, "There's no way out." She nods to her men who run over to the entrance and plant explosives to forcefully open the door.
"Clear!" a soldier shouts and the front is blown off.
"Find the control room and secure it," Casey orders, "The Hood and The Mechanic must not get away." They search the antlion but find nothing at all. When they get to the main control room a self-destruct timer appears and starts to count down. "Everyone out. Now!" Casey yells. The team make it to safety just in time before the whole thing blows up. "What a mess," Casey sighs and turns to a female officer, "Call in the clean-up and recovery units. No sign of The Hood or The Mechanic. It looks like they both got away."
"Now we have two master criminals on the loose?" Gordon asks.
"I have a feeling that it's about to get very busy for us all," Penelope sighs.
"And we'll be ready for them," Virgil nods.
"I'm actually speechless," Horse says, "Look at me. I got nothing to say. I got nothing to say at all. Ask me, I couldn't tell you."
January 6th, 2063 - 08:32 NZDT
"I'm sorry what?!" Kayo screams, "How the fuck did you manage to lose both of them?!"
"Look Kayo—" Casey starts.
"The GDF are fucking useless I tell you. Useless," Kayo growls.
"Kayo," Alan says placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "They'll find them. Or we will first..."
End of Part 3A
To be continued on September 24th, 2022