January 14th, 2061 - 18:12 NZDT
It had been a quiet day for International Rescue. Everyone had gathered in the lounge having a normal family conversation. Gordon had been out since the New Year in Thunderbird 4, gathering data which had to be done every so often due to the rapidly changing climate that was the ocean. This evening is an important one as the was the grand opening of The Estrella Grand Hotel which Brains had designed in a new way of engineering. Lady Penelope and Parker then appear alongside John overlooking a holographic model of the hotel.
"Lady Penelope, how's the grand opening?" Marion asks.
"Oh, quite the scene, but it'd be better if the man who made it all possible could be here with me," Penelope says looking over at Brains.
"Oh, I'm not much for p-parties," Brains says, "Even this is more than I deserve."
"Taking a bow may not be your style Brains, but you gotta admit that your nano-construction technology is a game changer," Virgil sates, "The entire hotel auto assembled in a week."
"Well, you can't blame a girl for trying," Lady Penelope says, "I'll get you out of that workshop one of these days, Brains. Oh, got to go." Penelope sees to turn away as her hologram fades out with the quiet sound of what seems to be a reporter approaching her.
In the lounge, everyone witnesses an interview that the reporter had earlier with a man stating that; "This dangerous, unproven technology has no place in our world!" which causes Brains to give a few nervous glances at the others. John then decides to open the broadcast with Penelope.
"I've seen that press conference before. He sounds like a complete idiot," Penelope says causing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, you tell her," Alan says but his and the Tracy's excitement is short lived as a warning appears on the hologram of the hotel.
5... 4...3... 2... 1... Thunderbirds are Go!
"Thunderbird 5, what's going on up there?" Scott asks.
"Sounds like some kind of structural failure in the outer hull," John explains as he monitors the hotel's situation of on holo-screen in front of him.
"Structural failure? That can't be right," Brains says, "And even if it is, the nano-matrix should reassemble automatically... could I have done something wrong?"
"A bit of a wild ride here, but we're all okay," Penelope says over the coms.
"John, have you made any contact with the hotel?" Marion asks.
"They're reporting the manoeuvring thrusters were damaged in the blast. They can't control the spin," John explains.
"The force of the decompression has pushed the hotel out of orbit," Brains says changing the display of the holo-screen to show the hotel's trajectory, "Unless we can correct that, it's going to enter the atmosphere and crash."
"Wouldn't it burn up on re-entry?" Scott asks.
"No Scott, I'm afraid not. The nano-matrix is designed to withstand that kind of heat," Brains says, "Something this large hitting the ground... It would be c-catastrophic. What have I done?"
"Come on Brains, let's go down to that workshop of yours and think something up," Sally says, "What do you say?"
"Yes, good idea. We'll think of a solution," Brains says as the pair start to leave and make their way down to the lab.
"I'll join you," Kayo calls and follows Brains and Sally.
"Ugh. We need to get that hotel back into a stable orbit," Scott says, "John, let them know that International Rescue is on the way."
"They should prepare the escape capsules just in case," Virgil says.
"Good idea, Alan, as soon as Thunderbird 3 is fuelled up, I want you to launch," Scott says, "Let's try to use the manoeuvring thrusters to push the hotel back into position."
"I'm on it," Alan says.
"Lady Penelope, can you help reassure all the guests that we won't let anything happen?" Marion asks, worried about those onboard.
"FAB, Marion, consider it done," Lady Penelope says hanging up again.
"Virgil, let's get Thunderbird 2airborne and pick up Gordon, if those escape capsules start dropping into the ocean, we'll need someone to grab them," Scott says, "Take Marion with you."
"What about you?" Virgil asks.
"I'll ride up in the pod aboard Thunderbird 3 and take a look at the damage first hand," Scott says getting up, "If we can get enough data to Brains maybe he can figure out what went wrong."
"Does everyone agree?" Marion asks as Alan gets up and starts walking over to his chair.
"Yep," Alan says.
"Agreed," Virgil says.
"Sure," John says.
"Okay then. Thunderbirds are go," Scott says.
5... 4...3... 2... 1... Thunderbirds are Go!
January 14th, 2061 - 18:33 NZDT
"If this was somehow my fault, I could never live it down," Brains says, sitting down at his mobile engineering lab with Sally and Kayo in front of him, "People's lives are now in danger."
"Brains, I've never met a more cautious, thorough person than you. I'd be very surprised if this was because of something you did wrong," Sally says comfortingly, "What does your gut tell you?"
"I'm a man of science, Grandma Tracy. We don't typically consult with our guts," Brains says but pauses, "But I suppose I could give it a try. What do I do?"
"Close your eyes and listen to your feelings. What are your first instincts?" Sally asks.
"The hotel structure should be indestructible by normal means. The molecular bonds are just too tight," Brains explains, "For a hull breach of this m-magnitude someone must have tampered with it. It's the only explanation! But sabotage? How could that be possible?"
"We have one way to find out," Sally says turning to face Kayo.
"I'm on it," Kayo replies and runs off in the direction of the lounge so she can get changed
January 14th, 2061 - 18:37 NZDT
"Refuel complete. Starting countdown to launch," Alan says to Scott who's in the pod bay. He then suddenly gasps as Kayo enters Thunderbird 3 beside him, "Dah! Kayo!"
"I need a lift," Kayo says," Surely you didn't think that you'd launch without your co-pilot beside you?"
"Uh, definitely," Alan says, scratching the back of his head nervously, "Wouldn't dream of it."
"Brains thinks someone's up there poking holes in the hotel," Kayo says.
"Well, I'm glad you could join us," Alan states, "Not very often when I have to wait for you!"
"Very funny Alan," Kayo says as Thunderbird 3's blast door closes.
5... 4...3... 2... 1... Thunderbirds are Go!
"Thunderbird 3 is go!" Alan says as they rocket out of the Earth's atmosphere and towards the hotel that is currently heading over the American West Coast. As they make their final approach, the pod bay door on Thunderbird 3 opens and Scott leaves in a red pod.
"Thanks for the lift, Thunderbird 3," Scott says.
"Anytime," Alan says and watches as Scott head over for a close up on the hotel.
"Brains, I can see the damage now," Scott says as he gets a good look at it, "Starting a molecular scan."
January 14th, 2061 - 18:50 NZDT
"Oh, my," Brains says, waking Sally up from her nap.
"Find something?" she asks.
"I'll say! Even with this preliminary data, I can see that the molecular matrix has been unzipped," Brains says, "Something seems to have disrupted it."
"This is a pretty wild spin, I'm going to have to adjust it manually," Alan says.
"Sure, you can do that?" Kayo asks.
"Probably. How hard can it be?" Alan asks and loops Thunderbird 3 around deploying the grappling arms and fires the retros as he approaches the hotel. He manages to grab the hotel and stops the hotel's spin, "Preparing for retro burn in three... two...one..." and Alan pulls the control down from '100-80%' to '20-10%' which causes the hotel to be put back into place.
"Impressive Alan," Kayo says.
"Thanks," Alan says with a light blush on his cheeks.
"Looking good Thunderbird3," Scott says, and brings the pod towards the hull breech. As he approaches there is another explosion that causes the pod to be thrown away from the hotel. Its alarms start to blare as it turns over repeatedly, "We have another hole breach."
"Scott, I thought you had this under control?" Penelope asks is a low voice as she enters the call.
"Sorry, Lady Penelope, I thought I did, too," Scott says. The secondary breach meant that the hotel has started to move out of orbit again and Thunderbird 3 decides the best thing to do is disengage and circle around back to the front of the hotel where the airlock is located. "Thunderbird 5, you better get the hotel on the line. I think it's time to get the guests aboard the escape capsules," Scott says and immediately the escape pods start go flying, "Wow, that was fast."
"Yeah," John says with aweary voice, "Except I haven't called the hotel. I'm pretty sure those escape capsules were empty."
"This wasn't supposed to happen, right?" Alan asks.
"Someone triggered the manual override. All but one of them launched and that one shows a malfunction," John says.
"Thunderbird 3, how many people can we fit in your cargo bay?" Scott asks.
"I don't know... A lot," Alan says.
"Start docking with the hotel. I'll meet you at the airlock. We'll try to get everyone out in two trips," Scott says, "Virgil, as soon as you have Thunderbird 4, take Thunderbird 2as high as she'll go. We'll shuttle down the guests for a high-altitude hand-off."
January 14th, 2061 - 08:14 GMT
"FAB, picking Gordon up now," Virgil says as he drops Module 4 into the Atlantic Ocean. Thunderbird 4 is then picked up and is pulled into the module. Thunderbird 2grapples onto the module as the docking bay door closes and hoists the module back into place.
"Ah, what's shaking bacon?" Gordon asks as he enters Thunderbird 2's cockpit.
"Gordon, you smell," Virgil states and Marion moves out of the co-pilots chair to allow Gordon to sit down.
"You try spending two weeks at the bottom of the ocean in one of these suits," Gordon says, "You have it easy in here. At least now it smells like hard work."
"I'm just saying. There will be a certain VIP on this flight. Name starts with Lady, ends with Penelope," Virgil says.
"Now that you mention it, a three-minute shower and a clean uniform wouldn't hurt," Gordon says and walks back out of the cockpit into the shower.
"Computer, disable shower controls," Virgil says with a grin when he hears the shower start.
"What the fuck! What happened to the water?" Gordon asks.
"Sorry, must be broken," Virgil says, "Guess you'll have to smell like hard work."
"Virgil, you suck. Computer, enable shower controls," Marion says before yelling over to Gordon, "Try now!"
January 14th, 2061 - 19:19 NZDT
"Ok Thunderbird Three, the hatch is sealed," Scott says.
Thunderbird 3 had docked with the hotel and had started to receive guests into her pod bay. While this was going on, Kayo was on the hunt for a saboteur.
"You'll be careful right?" Alan asks.
"Of course, I'll be," Kayo says ruffing his hair.
"Hey! Watch my hair!" Alan exclaims as Kayo exists Thunderbird 3 giving Alan a smirk as she leaves.
"If they're still here I'll find them," Kayo calls as she continues to climb up the ladder. After a few seconds, she reaches the floor she is looking for on her hologram and jumps from the ladder. There is the sound of a door shutting which makes Kayo looks around before slowly making her way down the corridor.
"The hotel has two hulls. An outer and inner," Brains explains as Kayo calls him making him appear on her holo-screen as she walks through several doors, "You're walking through the b-bulkhead between them. The sealed compartments add an extra layer of safety."
"What happens if another crack formed while I'm here?" Kayo asks.
"Ordinarily in the event of ahull breach the nano-matrix would automatically repair itself," Brain explains.
Unbeknownst to Kayo, a man has climbed up the ladder behind her starts follows her as she goes through the door up ahead. "But that's not happening now, is it?" Kayo asks as she enters a compartment, "Okay, I'm entering Compartment A11."
"You'll be next to a compartment that's been breached," Brains explains, "It's still in vacuum, so I w-wouldn't advise proceeding any further."
"Thanks for the tip," Kayo responds as she looks over at the red beeping and flashing device on the wall, "Brains, I think I've found something. It's attached to the outer wall. I'm sending you a scan."
"Receiving," Brains says and there is a pause before a worried Brains responds, "Kayo, get out of there now!"
The device starts to beep faster. "This doesn't look good," Kayo remarks and kicks it off the wall. It bounces along the floor and stops just outside the compartment. Kayo smirks happy that she has removed the devices but turns around as she feels her hair being pulled. A new breech is forming where the device was. Alarmed, she starts running as everything is sucked towards it, like a vacuum. Kayo barely makes it out of their as she struggles to leave, grabbing the door frame and pulling herself around it before pressing the close button and breathing a sigh of relief.
"Kayo? Are you alright?" asks Brains.
"I'm fine. I didn't find who did this, but I think I found the how," Kayo says and looks up to see the man from earlier appearing in-front of her and picking up the device before taking off, "I take that back I think I found both." She closes the link and runs after him, but Alan appears on the holo-screen whilst she's running looking quite worried.
"Kayo! We're loading up the last group of hotel guests you better get up here," Alan says in a hurry.
"Kind of busy. Leave without me," Kayo calls as she continues her pursuit.
"Kayo, this hotel is about to crash and burn," Alan cries, "Get the fuck off that thing and return. We need you back in one piece."
"I don't have time to argue Alan. Comms off," Kayo says ending the call.
January 14th, 2061 - 19:27 NZDT
"She hung up on me!" Alan says turning to Scott who sat in Kayo's chair, "We need to go and get her."
"Look Alan, if we can't make it back in time, she still has the pod. Punch it out of here," Scott says firmly. Despite how much he didn't want to, Alan brings Thunderbird 3 back and away from the hotel before activating the thrusters and heading towards Thunderbird2 for a transfer.
January 14th, 2061 - 19:29 NZDT
Kayo chases the man up a ladder to the next level into the main control office. The man stops by the window and turns around to face Kayo who blokes the only exit.
"I won't let you keep that thing," Kayo says.
"So, you can prove all this is sabotage. Good plan," the man says indicating over to the window where the hotel continues to head towards Earth.
"You were the one that launched the escape capsules. Probably not the smartest move for you know," Kayo states in realisation.
"I'll be perfectly fine on the one that malfunctioned. Amazing what switching a few relays can-do," the man chuckles.
"Who are you?" Kayo demands as the man reveals a device and presses a button. His face changes to the man from the interview.
"'This dangerous unproven technology has no place in our world,'" he mocks the voice, "I'm merely a concerned citizen." He presses the button again to revels who he really was.
"The Hood," Kayo says.
"I do wish you would call me Uncle," The Hood says making Kayo scoff, "Don't worry. Your secret is still safe with me. For now."
January 14th, 2061 - 08:37 GMT
The hotel has almost entered Earth's atmosphere as Thunderbird 3 meets Thunderbird 2, dropping down to be just below it. The bottom of the pod opens to reveal Gordon standing waiting as the top of Thunderbird 3's cargo bay opens. Penelope looks up at Gordon who salutes to her with a smile dropping the rescue harness to pick her and the guests up. Once the transfer was complete, Thunderbird 3 heads back to the hotel.
"Fancy meeting you here, M'Lady," Gordon says with a smile walking over to her with Marion close behind.
"Gordon. What a surprise. Ooh! Glad you freshened up for the occasion," Penelope says with a smile.
"Thanks to me by the way," Marion says, "If I hadn't enabled the shower control again, you'd stink of horse shit." This causes the two and Parker to laugh while Gordon looks at Marion with a hard stare.
"At least I don't forget bags," Gordon says looking over at Parker whose mood suddenly changes to one of horror.
" Oh. I knew I forgot something," Parker says putting a hand to his head.
January 14th, 2061 - 19:48 NZDT
"International Rescue, this is Thunderbird Three. We got them all. Good work everyone," Scott says.
"We didn't get them all. Kayo's still on board," Alan exclaims worried for his co-pilot.
"She has the pod, Alan," Scott tries.
"That's not what I'm worried about," Alan explains, "She's not alone up there and still not picking up her com."
"Hum," Scott thinks and looks over to where the hotel is at it enters Earth's atmosphere.
January 14th, 2061 - 19:49 NZDT
The pair circle each other, with The Hood holding the device in his clenched right hand and Kayo with both fists clenched, ready for a fight.
"What's your game, Hood?" Kayo asks, "Crashing a Space Hotel's a new low, even for you."
"I have nothing against the hotel, it's what it represents. This new age in building things would mean a quick death to the industries I worked very hard to control," The Hood explains.
"This would put you out of the construction business," Kayo realises.
"All I needed to do was sow the seeds of doubt and the world would reject the nano-construction that built this hotel," The Hood rants.
"So, you posed as a scientist to shout the sky is falling, then use that thing to actually make it happen," Kayo continues.
"I only meant to cause a panic. The imminent crash is simply a bonus," The Hood smirks.
"With all the guests onboard?" Kayo cries.
"They had plenty of escape capsules waiting for them until International Rescue decided to show up," The Hood says angrily, "I wasn't going to make it easy for you. You gave me no choice! Now maybe your failure here as will mean the end of International Rescue as well!" The hotel shakes a little as it experiences turbulence entering the Earth's atmosphere which catches The Hood off guard allowing Kayo steals the device from him. "Go ahead, keep it. Jump into your little spaceship and show the world your proof. But leaving now wouldn't be very fitting of an agent of International Rescue, would it?" The Hood says.
"Hmm?" Kayo questions.
"I don't believe your job here is complete," The Hood smirks.
"Comms on," Kayo says, "Thunderbird 5, do you read me?"
"Kayo, we've been trying to reach you!" John exclaims, "Brains has calculated the re-entry vector. The hotel is gonna crash in Central Florida."
"Good luck saving the world," The Hood says and leave the control room. Kayo looks over to the holo-screen and then back to the door with a smile just before the last escape capsule is launched.
"Kayo, I want you to try something," Brains says after a few moments of silence, "I want you to unbuild the station."
"You want me to what?" Kayo questions.
"If we can amplify the destruction signal from the saboteur's device, theoretically we should be able to c-completely destroy the hotel b-before it hits the ground," Brains explains.
"Tell me where to start," Kayo replies.
"You'll need to connect the device to a main power conduit," Brains says and Kayo proceeds to connect the device to the conduit.
"Right, I've attached it to the conduit," Kayo says bringing Brains up on her holo-screen, "Are you sure this will work?"
"My gut says yes," Brains responds.
"Has your gut ever been wrong?" Kayo asks.
"So far no. But I only started going with it today," Brains answers.
"It's charging. Time to go," Kayo says and makes a run for the pod and seconds before the hotel breaks completely, Kayo escapes in the pod and heads over to Thunderbird 3.
"Kayo!" Alan yells in relief as he sees Kayo comes out of the smoke.
"Wanna let me on board?" Kayo asks.
January 14th, 2061 - 22:12 NZDT
"Good news. Word of The Hood's sabotage is spreading," Penelope says over the hologram, "Your technology still has a bright future, Brains."
"Stop that!" Parkers says appearing next to her as the sound of Sherbet barks in the background, "Got half a mind to send you into space, spoiled little runt!"
"That was some out-there thinking on your part Brains," Gordon says, "Nice work."
"Now that I know what The Hood was able to do, I can re-engineer the process to make sure it can never be c-compromised like that again," Brains says, "I never d-dreamed that some would do a thing like this. Guess I'll never understand people."
"It's because you always see the best in folks," Sally interjects, "Our world needs more people like you, Brains. You and your gut."
"But as long as The Hood is still out there, I'll need to be thinking three steps ahead," Brains says.
"And speaking of The Hood... any idea where that escape capsule took him?" Virgil asks, "You can't navigate those things from inside."
"True, he could have landed anywhere," Marion says.
"Maybe. It's amazing what switching a few relays can do," Kayo says.
"Huh? What?" everyone asks at once and Kayo laughs and explains what happened causing everyone else to join in with the laughter.