Thunderbirds Blast Off! Chapter 7: The Maverick (The Renegade Rocket), a thunderbirds fanfic

Thunderbirds Blast Off

By Lee Homer

The Maverick

(The Renegade Rocket)

After weeks of isolation aboard International Rescue's space monitor satellite, Thunderbird Five, John Tracy prepared to end his spell of duty up in space. Alan had arrived in Thunderbird Three to relieve him for the next six months, taking up the duty of monitoring calls from across the globe. John smiled as he grabbed his travel bag from his cabin. Once Thunderbird Three completed her docking, Alan stepped into the main control room carrying a travel bag of his own. He greeted his elder brother with a smile.

"Hi Alan," John grinned. "Boy am I glad to see you. I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

Alan chuckled. "What's the matter, John? Getting a bit homesick for Mother Earth eh?"

John looked at him as his youngest brother climbed into the monitoring chair which provided him with a panoramic view of the Earth below.

"Take a look at the log," He said. "Nothing exciting has happened for days."

Alan peered through the long telescope. He glanced back at John.

"Good. I can catch up on my Astronomy." He said. "Thunderbird Three's all ready to go. Scott's waiting for you. Have a safe trip back."

Alan waved off his brother as the circular airlock door closed behind him. Scott greeted him in the control cabin and the two brothers exited the station. Alan observed from the observation window as he watched Thunderbird Three bank for the Earth's atmosphere and home.

Meanwhile, at a top-secret rocket base in Woomera, Australia, the TY-6 rocket was on the pad ready for its first test flight into space. It was the sixth rocket of its kind that could be launched and operated by the ground control team. It was designed to carry cargo to Mars and back so man could advance their exploration of space. Despite the base's top-level security, it didn't manage to keep away prying eyes. At the main checkpoint, A young boy gazed at the TY-6 through the metal fence. His name was Billy Simms, a young lad who became infatuated with space ships and launchings. He just had to see the TY-6 for himself, sneaking out of his house to do it. As he marvelled at the rocket from his hiding place, his mind wandered. Oh, how he wished he could be aboard it when it took off. He's give anything for a trip into space. Maybe then he'd be the talk of the playground. The desire took hold of him, as Billy left the bushes. Silently, he crept towards the main gate and slipped past the guards that were on watch. As he passed the main checkpoint, he ducked behind a vent. He watched as a truck appeared at the gate. The Guard checked the driver's itinerary.

"I have protective suits for the reactor section."

"Okay. You're cleared. Drive on."

Billy crept over towards the back of the truck and climbed on inside just as the barrier raised. From there on he had a free trip towards the main launch bay. After minutes of sitting in the dark, he felt the truck jerk to a stop. He opened the door to see the rocket ship tower over him. He slipped out of the truck, sneaked across toward the lower cargo hold and climbed on inside. There, he patiently waited for the technicians to leave. He could hear their voices through the thick metal hull as the technicians finished their checks.

"That's it, Zack. She's ready to go."

"Let's get over to the control centre for blast off."

Billy smiled. He had made it, but he knew he wasn't in the clear just yet. He decided to hide before the pilots arrived. It was 0700 hours when the TY-6's engines roared to life. 3.5 million pounds of thrust hit the launch pad, propelling the rocket into the sky. The launch had gotten off to a satisfactory start, but it wasn't long before things when wrong. As the rocket penetrated the Earth's upper atmosphere, warning lights began to sound. Billy could hear them flood the compartments above him. He had no idea of the danger that awaited him. At the Ground Control building, the technicians struggled to rectify the situation. One operative presented the base Commander with a printout slip.

"Sir! TY-6 is not responding!" He said. "She's off course and is now a Maverick. We must destroy immediately!"

The Commander approved the request and the order was given. To their horror, however, the firing mechanism aboard the TY-6 failed to respond. The Operative jabbed the self destruct button repeatedly but to no avail. They no longer had control of the rocket. Aboard the rocket, Billy felt the first pangs of fear. A sudden realisation hit him as the intense vibrations tossed him around like a sardine.

"Gee. Nobody's flying this rocket!" He cried. "I'm alone!"

In Thunderbird Five, Alan received an urgent message from the rocket base. His stomach tightened at the grim details of the TY-6.

"Red Alert! To All air-craft in zone 57… Woomera has lost control of robot ship TY-6. Present course...3800-017. Keep well clear."

Alan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The course sounded familiar to him. Then suddenly, he made the startling connection. Zone 57 along with the course bearing was the one Thunderbird Three used to reach the Space Satellite. The TY-6 was heading straight for him. Without a moment to waste, Alan reported the situation to his father on Tracy Island. The rest of the family gathered in the main lounge as Alan played back the message through his portrait monitor. The odds of such a threat was too much for Jeff to contemplate.

"It's fantastic!" He gasped. "It's a billion to one chance that Thunderbird Five would become a target!

"Yes it's incredible alright," Brains agreed. "Unfortunately, there's only one thing we can do. We'll h-have to destroy the rocket."

Scott and John looked at each other. Both of them had thought the same thing. Brains had recently installed a missile launcher aboard Thunderbird Three, capable of destroying asteroids and debris that may threaten space activity. All they had to do was load it up. Jeff turned to them with their instructions.

"Scott, John. Launch Thunderbird Three and intercept that rocket before it can strike the space satellite. Time is against you, so get that Thunderbird flying!"

Suddenly, the couch they were sitting on, lowered them down towards a waiting trolley car. As it began its swift journey, an identical couch slid onto the lift and quickly rose to the lounge as a replacement. Once the hydraulic jack secured the couch in place, the car whisked Scott and John towards the silo of Thunderbird Three. Once in position, the hydraulic arm winched them into the lower passenger cabin. With minutes to spare, the two brothers changed into their uniforms and prepared to launch. Thunderbird Three's atomic fusion reactor roared to life and emerged from within the island's roundhouse. Her three chemical rockets carried her high into the sky until the stars appeared in front of them. As soon as they left orbit, Scott put them on an intercept course with the TY-6.

"Interception in Five minutes," He said. "You better prepare the missile cannon, John."

"FAB," John replied.

As Thunderbird Three streaked through space, aboard the runaway rocket, Billy traversed the craft until he stumbled into the control cabin. He fumbled away at the controls in a blind panic, hoping he could call someone for help. His cries didn't go unnoticed. Alan's jaw dropped at the sound of Billy's petrified voice.

"Help! Somebody, please help!"

"Oh no!" Alan gasped in horror. "There's someone aboard that ship! It sounded like...a boy! I've got to stop Thunderbird Three!"

At that moment, John had taken his station at controls of the missile launcher. The TY-6 drifted into the cross-hairs of his targeting scope. Before he could stab the firing button, He was caught off guard by Alan's shrill tone.

"John! Don't fire! Repeat… don't fire! There's a boy aboard!"

John sat back in his seat and tensed. "What?"

"There's a child aboard that ship, John. You can't blast it!"

John didn't know what to do. Time was against them and every moment brought the TY-6 closer towards the defenceless space satellite. He sat there and contemplated their predicament.

"If I destroy the rocket, the boy dies and if I don't, it will destroy Thunderbird Five and the boy! What am I going to do?"

Fortunately, Scott also heard the transmission and formulated a plan. He summoned John back to the control cabin with haste. John returned and took his station next to Scott. Scott's furrowed brow didn't deter him from his idea. They had one chance to save the boy and the station.

"There is a way out that might just work," He began. "If we can bring Thunderbird Three around level with the rocket then we can divert her away from the station."

"Then let's do it!" snapped John. "We're running out of time!"

Pushing the thrusters to maximum, Scott and John raced after the relentless TY-6. Trying to match its speed was a struggle in itself, but after a few desperate minutes, they managed to pull alongside the renegade. They held their breath as they gently rammed the Thunderbird into the rocket. They could feel the hull shake around them with each hit. Metal grind against metal as they successfully nudged the TY-6 off course. Aboard Thunderbird Five, Alan dived for cover as he heard the rocket hiss above him. He looked up seconds later to see it pass over him on its new heading. As he picked himself up off the ground, he thanked his brothers for adverting disaster. If they had just been seconds too late, he would have been the of him and the boy. Still, their mission was far from over. John wiped the sweat from his face and breathed.

"Phew! That was close," He sighed. "I honestly thought we weren't going to make it."

"I know," Scott replied. "Come on. We've got to get that boy!"

Altering their course yet again, they picked up their pursuit of the TY-6. By this time, Jeff had contacted the base at Woomera and managed to obtain a code that would fire the TY-6's retro rockets. As soon as he relayed the information to Scott, the two Tracy boys got to work. After entering the coded sequence, Scott stabbed a button and the TY-6's retros roared to life.

"Well, at least we know they work although I don't understand why Ground Control could have done that in the first place?" Scott pondered.

"Probably because we're at a closer range than they are." John theorised. "I guess they'll need to upgrade their equipment. We're closing in now."

As Thunderbird Three rolled up alongside the TY-6, John climbed into a spacesuit and put on a power pack. He then grabbed a spare suit and drifted out of the airlock towards the rocket. The moment he arrived, he tapped on the fuselage, hoping the boy could hear him. Billy peered out of a porthole to see John floating there with a spacesuit under his arm. He stayed in the main cabin until John could get to him. A few minutes later, the door opened and John, now in a pressurised compartment, stepped towards him.

"Take it easy, fella," he said warmly as he greeted the frightened boy with a handshake. "I'm from International Rescue. I've come to get you out of here."

Terrified, Billy stepped towards John and took the spare space suit from him. He put it on and fastened the helmet correctly. John took his hand and together, they floated across the vacuum of space towards Thunderbird Three. Now that they were safely aboard, Scott took over the rest of the trip. He secured the TY-6 with a remote control beam, allowing him to tow it back to Earth. He fired the Thunderbird's retro-rockets, bringing them about once again. With an overwhelming sense of victory, International Rescue towed their prisoner back to Earth. John escorted Billy up to the main cabin and handed him a cup of water. Scott turned to greet him. Billy had been badly shaken, but fortunately, he wasn't hurt. Still, Scott needed an explanation.

"Well, buddy. What have you got to say for yourself?" He asked him. "I don't know how you managed to sneak aboard the TY-6, but I have to know why you did it?"

Billy looked up at him apologetically. "I'm sorry. I just...I love space so much and I wanted to travel up there just to see what it was like. My Dad was an astronaut just like you. I just wanted to be like him. I never meant to cause any trouble. Honest!"

Scott wanted to teach the boy a lesson about safety, but instead, he just smiled at him. Hearing Billy's explanation made him think back to his childhood and how he wanted to do the same growing up. He was a child once. He knew the excitement very well. He placed an assuring hand on the boy's shoulder and said;

"It's okay. I was like you once when I was your age. My brothers were too. We all loved space as much as you and look at us now. You'll make a good astronaut someday, but for now, I think you should keep your feet on the ground and knuckle down on your schoolwork. I hope you've learnt your lesson?"

Billy looked at him with a cheeky smile. At least now, he was out of danger and couldn't get up to any more mischief. The Earth welcomed them back with its emerald glow as the two spacecraft headed for home.

END