Chapter Twenty Five
Thunderbird One
A Few Minutes Earlier
Alan Tracy was nervous as Thunderbird One crossed the British coast and headed for London at maximum speed. He knew that in a few minutes he could once more find himself face to face with the Hood and he was nervous at the prospect of facing him again.
The Hood was a powerful, ruthless and dangerous opponent without conscience or pity. And while Alan had his own powers to help him and the advantage that telepathic part of the Hoods abilities didn't seem to have any effect on him he was weary of the prospect of a full head on fight with the Hood. Hopefully we won't have to fight with the Hood. Maybe we'll get to London to find that Static has dealt with the Hood for us, he thought.
London came into view through the cockpit windows and Alan reached forward and switched on the ground scan sensors. They would need them to locate Thunderbird Two. The Hood probably had Thunderbird Two's stealth system active but that would not be a problem to Thunderbird One's sensors. Even with stealth active at full power the Thunderbirds could always see each other.
As they approached London he scanned the city looking for Thunderbird Two and found her almost immediately.
"I've found Thunderbird Two," Alan said reading the scan and inwardly cursing. Thunderbird Two was down on the ground and her primary pod bay was open.
"Where is she," Peter asked as he guided Thunderbird One into London and reduced their airspeed to subsonic.
"She's on the ground in Jubilee Gardens," Alan answered. "Her primary pod bay is open."
"Which vehicle has been deployed," Peter asked though he already had a pretty good idea which one the Hood would use to get into the vault of the Bank of England.
"The Mole," Alan replied punching in some commands changing the scanners to the mode needed to track the Mole while it was underground. "I'm tracking it. The Hood is making a beeline for the Bank of England vault. Oh no."
"What is it," Gear asked from behind.
"The underground support for the mid-river support pylon of the London Monorail is directly in the Moles path. And the Hood is not changing course."
For a moment there was a horrified silence as everyone in the cockpit realised what was about to happen, the disaster the Hood was about to cause.
Alan's eye's were glued to the sensor display screen as the small image of the Mole drew closer and closer to the large blue block representing the underground support for the mid-river pylon. And then strike it and bore right through in seconds its cutting heads slicing through the reinforced concrete as if it were mere tissue paper, before carrying on towards the Bank of England not caring about the havoc that would be erupting on the surface.
"The Mole has hit the monorail support and torn right through it. The whole pylon is starting to break apart from the base up," Alan reported and surprised even himself with the calm professionalism of his report when he shouldn't have really been. Keeping a cool head in a crisis was something he like all his brothers had inherited from dad. Alan changed the scan setting to surface scan and checked the monorail. "A fully loaded monorail car is trapped mid-river on the eastbound rail. The support pylon and tracks are coming apart. The westbound track has already collapsed. The entire mid-river span will collapse in minutes," he continued.
"We've got to do something to help those people," Tin-Tin said.
"And we will," Peter replied. Though the mission to stop the Hood was important there were innocent people in immediate danger first. As Thunderbirds it was their duty to do whatever they had to do to try and save them. "Stand by for landing." He flicked a control as Thunderbird One came upon Jubilee Gardens.
"Landing sequence iniated," Thunderbird One's computer said.
While his uncle guided Thunderbird One into a landing following the precise three stage landing sequence programmed into the computer Alan looked out the window at the monorail. Though it couldn't be seen that well from here because both trees and the London Eye were in the way he could faintly see that something was wrong with the monorail though not quiet what. He could also see a human figure standing on what looked like a disc of silver-white light directing an energy beam at the mid-river pylon – obviously trying to hold it together somehow. Though he couldn't see any distinguishing features from here – he was too far away, he knew who it was. It could only be one person. Hang in there Static, Alan thought, we're coming. Just hold that pylon together a little while longer.
They landed with a noticeable jolt. While an accomplished pilot Peter had never flown Thunderbird One outside of a simulator so the landing was more noticeable than it would have been if Scott were at the controls. Of all the Tracy's Scott and Jeff were the best pilots though they could all fly a plane – even Alan knew how to fly a plane not that he'd done it much. Usually only when dad picked him and Fermat up from school and let him take the controls of the family jet for a little while providing the weather was good.
Alan was brought back to the here and now by a crackle from the communications speakers.
"Fab One to Thunderbird One we have just crossed the southern coast and are heading for London. What is the situation?" Penelope's voice said from the speakers as her face appeared on the communications screen.
"Penny we've just landed in Jubilee Gardens," Peter responded. "The Hood's in the Mole and making a beeline for the Bank of England. But he's caused a disaster with the monorail that we're going to have to attend to first. Can you head straight for the Bank of England."
"F.A.B," Penelope replied.
"Lady Penelope," Gear said speaking up. "I will join you at the bank with Static as soon as we can." While he didn't doubt that Penelope was a capable fighter she and Parker might need his and Static's help to deal with both Mullion and the Hood.
"Understood." Peter flicked channels and Brains appeared on the communications screen in place of Penelope.
"Brains are you aware of the situation here," Peter asked.
"Y…y…yes," Brains answered.
"Good. We're heading into the danger zone now."
"F.A.B and good luck." Peter broke the link.
"Come on," he said undoing his seat restraint and getting up to leave Thunderbird One. Alan undid his own restraint, as did Tin-Tin, Fermat and Gear. Peter opened the side hatch and climbed down the ladder that had automatically deployed from the side of Thunderbird One. In succession they all followed with Alan going first and Gear being the last.
"I'm going to go join Static and see how things are going," Gear said as soon as he was out of Thunderbird One and on the ground. Peter nodded. Gear smiled behind his helmet then activated the antigrav jets in his boots and took to the air.
"Come on," Peter said heading towards Thunderbird Two.
It took only a few moments to reach the control deck of Thunderbird Two since Peter had parked Thunderbird One as close to her as he dared. In a sign of overconfidence the Hood had not left anyone behind to guard Thunderbird Two. And why should he, Peter thought as he sat down in the pilots seat, as far as he's aware we're all still trapped in the main fridge back on Tracy Island slowly freezing to death. He doesn't know that Alan got us out with his phasing abilities. Still it's a bit overconfident of him to leave Thunderbird Two unguarded if it had been me I would have left a man behind to guard her.
Alan sat down in the copilots seat while Tin-Tin sat in the third bridge station where her uncle had been sat barely ten minutes earlier. Fermat sat in the passenger seat at the back.
"Return the primary pod bay to its normal docked position," Peter instructed to Alan.
"F.A.B," Alan replied even as he manipulated the controls and with a whirr of powerful motors Thunderbird Two returned to her flight configuration with the primary pod bay fully docked with the main body of Thunderbird Two. "Primary pod bay docked."
"Bringing VTOL jets on line," Peter said as he brought Thunderbird Two to life and used the VTOL engines to get her up into the air before bringing the main drive on line and guiding the mighty aircraft towards the disintegrating monorail. The pylon was still breaking apart despite Static's best efforts to hold it together with a force field.
"Alan try to get the magnetic grapples on that monorail car," Peter instructed. "We'll then use our lasers to get it free and take it to safety."
"F.A.B."
However before Alan could carry out his uncles instructions the eastbound rail twisted and snapped in half and the carriage dropped hitting the Thames with an almighty splash. Amazingly it stayed afloat bobbing around on the surface like a cork. At least it stayed afloat for a few seconds. Debris from the broken rail slammed into one side tipping the carriage so one end started to go under the water. Had it been the other end the monorail carriage would have stayed afloat but the toilet compartment was located on the side that was tipping beneath the surface of the Thames. Water surged in through an air vent just above floor level.
Slowly the carriage began to sink as the water flooding into the toilet compartment increased the weight on one side. But worse was to come. Before their horrified eyes the pylon snapped in half, Static's force field flashed brighter struggling to hold the pylon together and for a few seconds it seemed to work but then the force field pulsed a final time and dissolved and the pylon came crashing down into the river one part striking the carriage and dragging it down beneath the surface of the Thames as well.
Alan stood up from the copilot's station.
"I can go underwater in Thunderbird Four and try to bring them back to the surface," he said. Peter looked at Alan for a moment considering if he should let his youngest nephew go or if he should be the one to pilot Thunderbird Four after all Alan had never really piloted a Thunderbird before. Part of him wanted to keep Alan here until he could be properly trained in how to operate the Thunderbirds but another part of him said he should let Alan go.
"Go on," he said after a moment.
"F.A.B," Alan replied. Then before his uncle could change his mind he left the bridge heading for the secondary pod bay where Thunderbird Four was kept on permanent stand by.
Static swore when he saw the monorail track twist one final time then snap in half sending the stranded monorail car plummeting into the Thames and beginning to be dragged down by debris from the disintegrating track. He intensified his efforts to hold the support pylon together but it was a tough task even for him. Come on just hold together a little longer, he thought at the pylon.
It was a futile effort as he felt the steel reinforcement rods inside the pylon twist one final time then give up the ghost and snap. Each snap sounding like a small explosion. The pylon shuddered and cracked one final time before snapping in half.
Focusing all his power he tried to hold the broken pylon upright fighting the pull of gravity which wanted to pull it to the bottom of the Thames. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and a grimace of effort appeared on his face as he fought to keep the broken pylon from falling. For a moment it looked like he was going to succeed but he just didn't have enough power, the exertion was too great and he had already expended a considerable amount of his power in attempting to stop the Mole and hold the pylon together this long. He couldn't keep the field together. The focused field of electrostatic energy flashed and dissolved into nothing. As soon as the field vanished the pylon fell, slamming into the carriage, both disappearing from the surface immediately.
"Now what," Static panted his legs feeling a bit like jelly from the exertion and he was only just staying in the air. He would recover in a few minutes but the people trapped in the now submerged carriage didn't have a few minutes, he had to help them but how. Water and him didn't exactly get along after all when he was powered up.
"Its up to the Thunderbirds now bro," Gear replied looking at his best friend in concern seeing how much holding the pylon up had taken out of him. I hope he's still strong enough to deal with the Hood, he thought.
"Is their anything on Thunderbird Two that can save the people trapped in before they drown? And speaking of the Thunderbirds how do you know them bro?"
"First it's a long story and now is not the time or place to tell it. Second I don't know what's on Thunderbird Two altogether so I can't say if they can save those people for sure. But I know they'll give it their best shot," Gear answered. "And there they go."
Before their eyes Thunderbird Two moved closer to the surface of the water coming to a stop only about ten meters from the surface, so close that the downdraft of the mighty machines VTOL jets created ripples in the surface of Thames. Static and Gear both moved down to just below the level of Thunderbird Two to see exactly what was going on.
The secondary pod bay lowered from the underside of the huge green transport and sitting on an angled track with its nose pointed at the river was literally a yellow submarine, its markings identifying it as Thunderbird Four. Peering closely at it Gear was sure he saw Alan Tracy at the controls of the powerful and versatile minisub through the windows at the front.
Then the locking clamps holding Thunderbird Four in place released and its engines powered up with a whirr of sound right before magnets on the rail catapulted the small submarine forward into the Thames the submarine submerging immediately.
"Do you think that little submarine can save the people in that carriage," Static asked Gear.
"They've got a good chance," Gear answered. "But we can't stay here to find out bro. We need to get over to the Bank of England the guy responsible for this should be there by now."
Before Static could answer Backpack's sensors picked up a sudden powerful electromagnetic pulse from the location of the Bank of England. The pulse not only affected the Bank of England but everything in its immediate facility. Every electronic system in the area along with that part of the cities power grid went dead immediately including the security systems in the Bank of England. Clever, he thought, use an EMP pulse to cripple the banks security systems that way you can rob the bank without any interference from the banks defences or worry about police interference.
Static also sensed the EMP pulse as a sudden sharp spike in a localised area of the cities electromagnetic field though he was only aware of it in general he couldn't pinpoint the source.
"What was that?" he said frowning.
"EMP pulse. Epicentre the Bank of England. The Hood must have used it to disable the banks security systems and alarms."
"Clever," Static commented. "Come on we need to get over there." He started to move forward then he paused remembering he had absolutely no idea where the Bank of England was located. When he'd come here to London it had been for business purposes not pleasure in the four days of the business fair he hadn't had any time for any real site seeing. "Ah which way?"
Gear chuckled as he pulled up a map of London from Backpacks memory. Granted it was only a tourist information map but it would be enough to get them to where they were going.
"This way bro," he said taking the lead. Static smiled as he followed his best friend away from the river. Trust Gear to have a map of London handy. Then his smile faded and he mentally began preparing himself for the upcoming confrontation with the Hood. He didn't know much about the villain but one thing he was sure of was that the Hood was going to go down.
He would make sure of it.