February 24th, 2061 - 03:01 NZDT
Brains, Alan, Kayo, Scott and Marion stand on the roof to watch a meteor shower in the clear night sky. Sally comes out with a tray and makes her way to Scott and Marion who are stood on the very edge of the roof with Scott staring intently at the sky, whilst Alan, Kayo and Brains talk amongst themselves.
"Wow, great idea coming out here, Brains," Alan says.
"It's a r-rare opportunity, Alan," Brains says, "The Leonid Meteor Shower is only this strong every 33 years. And seeing those tiny carbonaceous deposits vaporize in the atmosphere always give me a warm, happy glow."
"Yeah, you said it... I think," Alan says confused causing Kayo to giggle at his reaction.
"You've been awfully quiet tonight, Scott," Sally says walking over to him, "Something on your mind?"
"Oh, just admiring the view Grandma," Scott says turning to face her. "Helps when you have someone to share that experience with," he continues causing Marion to blush and smack his arm.
"A full-on meteor shower and here you are staring at the moon. Not that I'm surprised," Sally says, "Your father was the same way before he became an astronaut."
"Sometimes I wonder what it would've been like for Neil Armstrong to land there almost a hundred years ago," Scott says.
"Don't look at me, I'm not that old," Sally says with a kind smile and the triolet out a light chuckle.
"Boy, it's really coming down." Scott says and presses his finger to his ear to activate the communicator, "Base to Thunderbird Five. Everything all right up there, John?"
"I'm fine, but we may have a situation developing. According to my readings, this meteor shower's about to become a perfect storm," John explains, "I'm showing multiple debris fields projected to hit the far side of the moon, right on top of Shadow Alpha One."
"Dad's old moon base?" Scott says, "I thought it was abandoned?"
"I checked the crew manifest. Captain Taylor is still up there," John says, "And he's not responding to my calls."
"Has the base been hit?" Scott asks.
"Not yet," John says, "But if we don't get up there soon, Dad's best friend is history."
5...4... 3... 2... 1... Thunderbirds are Go!
"Thunderbird 5 how long before the first meteor wave makes contact?" Scott asks.
"Less than thirty minutes," John says, "And the strikes will only get worse as the moon orbits deeper into the debris field."
"Keep trying to make contact. Alan, Kayo, M and I will fly Thunderbird 3 up to the station and see if the captain needs a lift." Scott says.
"Sweet. Thunderbirds are go!" Alan says as him and Kayo sit down on their chairs. He quickly turns to Scott as he walks out the room, "Sorry did you want to say that?"
"Forget it," Scott yells and disappears from view as the chairs start to head down...
5...4... 3... 2... 1... Thunderbirds are Go!
"Thunderbird3 is go!" Alan says.
February 24th, 2061 - 03:24 NZDT
"Thunderbird 5, any word from Captain Taylor?" Scott asks.
"Still quiet. I went through the station's logbook while you guys were gearing up. Turns out Shadow Alpha One was decommissioned six months ago," John explains.
"So... why would the captain still be up there?" Scott asks, "And when has Lee Taylor been quiet about anything?"
"I...Can we just go back a step? What's this guy's story?" Alan asks.
"Well, he and dad were part of the original team that built the base," Scott says, "You and Kayo may be too young to remember, but Captain Taylor used to assist International Rescue when we were first starting out."
"And the stories he could tell about life in space were pretty wild. Even by Dad's standards," John explains, "Taylor literally wrote the book on lunar survival."
"Sounds like an interesting guy if you as me," Marion says.
"He sure was. The problem is that book was written a long time ago," Scott says.
They arrive over the moon with the meteors are fast approaching the surface of the moon. In the distance, Kayo could finally see the station.
"I have visual on the station," Kayo says.
"Well, no time for a landing. Open the outer hatch and M and I will drop down to the surface. Once we're out, move clear of the strike zone," Scott says, "We can't risk our ride home getting damaged." Everyone puts their helmet on as Alan prepares to open the outer hatch. Scott puts on his space jetpack and sets up a harness to connect with Marion on their way down.
"I can't believe this is my first space mission," Marion says.
"Well, you've gotta start somewhere," Scott says, "At least you didn't throw up like Alan did on his first time."
"Come on Scott, stop the teasing," Kayo says with a laugh.
"Hey! Just remember, the gravity of the moon is a lot less than back on Earth, "Alan says.
"It's just a simple landing, Alan," Scott says, "Don't try and scare Marion."
"Don't say I didn't warn ya," Alan mumbles.
"Commencing drop in three, two, one," Scott says and the two jump. They head down, and Scott turns on his jetpack and keeps a good grip on Marion's waist.
"Scott, you're coming in too wide," Kayo says.
"Don't worry, Thunderbird 3, adjusting the angle now," Scott says. However, when he does, the two-go flying and end up speeding over towards the station. Scott struggles to land outside and flies off again away from the station. "We don't have time for this. I'm cutting the pack," Scott calls, "Prepare for a bumps landing." With that, he cuts the pack off and falls to the surface of the moon, causing both him and Marion to roll several times before coming to a stop.
"Tellme again how simple the landing will be," Alan says.
"Oh, I miss Earth. John, what's our time?" Scott asks.
"Meteor impact in five minutes," John says, and they head inside. Singing can be heard in the background and the pair walk around before Scott brings up the oxygen readouts. They are showing as green.
"Hmm, air seems breathable," Scott says and the pair take off their helmets and place them on a shelf next to another on.
"Looks like we're not the only ones who know it," Marion says and they enter the main control room.
"Hello?" Scott calls, "Anyone home?" Banging comes from in front of where he stands and Scott cautiously walks to the control panel and looks around, the then turns around to try and find his father's old friend. "Captain Taylor?"
"Ah!" Marion calls as Taylor suddenly appears in front of her from behind the control panel.
"Well, as I live and breathe! One of Jeff's boys, aren't you?" Taylor says looking over Marion's shoulder at Scott and then looks directly at Marion, "Who are you?"
"Marion, Sir," Marion says.
"You must be... don't tell me. Spencer, Cecil?" Captain Taylor says and looks at Scott.
"Uh, it's Scott, Sir," Scott says.
"That's the one!" Taylor says and turns back to Marion, "So you're Scotty's wife, is it?"
"Actually, we're just friends," Marion says blushing along with Scott, both avoiding looking in each other's faces.
"I'll put in under complicated," Taylor says, "Why you must have grown two feet since the last time I saw you, Scott." He walks over to the other control panels on the opposite side of the room, "Sorry about the mess. Been having some equipment problems."
"Yeah...I can tell," Scott mumbles finding his voice again.
"Half my day's been spent patching up Alfie's central power relays," Taylor says as he walks back towards the main control desk.
"Alfie?" Marion asks.
"Excuse me. Shadow Alpha Base. My old home away from home," Taylor explains.
"Captain Taylor, we came to warn you. There's a massive filed of meteors coming this way," Scott explains as Taylor whacks the desk which then comes back to life.
"There. I can get this bucket of bolts running again," Taylor says as the holo-screen starts to display a warning of meteors, "Leonid's again. I figured they'd be back one of these days."
"We've got Thunderbird 3 standing by. If we hurry, we can make it out," Scott responds.
"Son, by the proximity of that storm we're not going anywhere," Taylor states.
"Sir we gotta get out of here," Scott cries.
"Woah, woah, slow your roll kid. This is the far side of the moon. I eat meteors like this for breakfast. Jeff and I used to sprinkle them in our coffee with some dehydrated cream on the side," Taylor says and sits down and activates the holo-controls. The meteors appear on screen in their impact positions. The laser on the roof of the base is primed to strike, "Meet the ODDM. Orbiting Debris Defence Module. Your father and I came up with it back in '27. With this baby at full power those meteors don't stand a chance." Before he could start however, the screen turns off.
"And what, do you make of our chances Captain?" Marion asks.
"Hmmm...70/30," Taylor says.
"Oh70/thir— which way?" Scott asks as the meteors approach.
Taylor whacks the desk again and the holographic screen turns on again, "False alarm. We're back in business."
"At least that's one problem solved," Marion says as Scott's coms starts to beep.
"Thunderbird3 to Shadow Alpha Base. Need a lift?" Alan asks.
"Negative Thunderbird 3," Scott says, "Maintain your position outside the strike zone."
"Captain Taylor thinks we can take out the meteors from our current location, "Marion explains, "And for the moment it looks like the only option we've got."
"Cheer up kids. Your dad and I used to get in scrapes like this all the time," Taylor says and sits down and starts the system up again, activating the holo-controls, "Didn't have this fancy set up in the early days either. Back then we had to clear the skies with flashlights and good old-fashioned dynamite. Nowadays the laser response system automatically tracks my movements. Pretty cool huh?" Marion motions to Scott to sit down and help.
"They're two seats Scott," Marion explains. Scott nods and activates his side of the holo-screen and copies Taylor's moves of rotating his seat backwards. The meteor warning is flashing.
"Here we go Alfie. Setting power to maximum. Targeting system initiated," Taylor says. They take the images of the twelve meteors on the holo-screen, both selecting one. "Ready. Aim," Taylor continues and leans his seatback. The laser system outside points up, "Fire!" He pulls his hand back. The laser fires, destroying an incoming meteor.
"Ugh," Scott cries, struggling to learn the new controls, but manages to hit one.
"That's it," Taylor encourages and hits a second shortly followed by Scott's second, then third They are now targeting the last few meteors. "See ya! Incoming."
"Uh-oh," Marion says but Scott fires and hits the last two successfully.
"Boom! He gone," Taylor celebrates.
"That's it?" Scott asks.
"That's it. Easy peasy, light and breezy," Taylor says.
"Yeah, but that was only the first wave. The strikes are gonna get worse," Scott voices and watches Taylor get up.
"We can take 'em. Alfie's gotten me through countless meteors, solar flares and lunar storms in the past," Taylor says, "I just can't give up on him."
"Look around you Captain. Don't you think Alfie's given up on you? The station was decommissioned," Scott explains, "Why are you still trying to keep it running?"
"Because it's my home Scott. Shadow Alpha One may be old but that doesn't make her worthless. This base is a part of me and I'm not ready to say goodbye just yet," Taylor says as the meteor warning flashes up behind them again.
"We may not have a choice. The next wave is approaching," Marion says looking up and the two guys head back and sit down again.
"Standby for round two," Taylor says but the system starts to turn off," Not again you crusty old console!" He gets up and starts whacking it again.
"Did we just lose the ODDM?" Scott asks.
"It's worse than that. Take the control. We're looking at another system wide power failure," Taylor explains and runs over to the control wirings on the other side, "I gotta crawl back into the main frame and patch up those relays."
"This is like me with my family's mine all over again," Marion says to Scott causing both to break into a smile.
"That wave is coming in fast," Scott explains, "I can't move quickly enough to blast every meteor."
"You don't have to. Just concentrate on the ones heading for the base," Taylor says.
"That doesn't sound much easier," Scott mumbles but Marion gets an idea.
"Base to Thunderbird 5, could sure use some help down here. Is there any way you can show Scott only the meteors that will hit the base?"
"I've been programming an algorithm to track the Leonid's debris field. If it works, we'll be able to predict where the meteors are going to land," John explains, "I just need a signal from the surface to help triangulate the strike patterns."
"Try establishing a link with the ODDM," Taylor interrupts, "That should give you a fixed tracking point."
"Great idea Captain," John says.
"Don't mention it. Er... which brother are you again?" Taylor asks.
"Ur, let's save the introductions to later, ok?" Scott responds as Taylor punches the console with display the ODDM with John's algorithm.
"Gotya! Coordinates are locked in," John states.
"Thanks Thunderbird 5," Scott says and looks at the screen which shows some of the meteor displayed to green and red to show which ones are danger. "We've got incoming!" Scott starts firing at the meteors and some of them land beside the base, but he manages to destroy the ones which would have collided directly with it, "It worked."
"What did I tell ya? There's nothing this base can't handle," Taylor says walking back over just as the system shuts down again, "No, no, no." He starts whacking the console again "Come on you rusty old hunk of junk." As he continues to try and restart the systems, more meteors come in and start to hit the base.
"They got the oxygen tanks!" Marion says before there's another it, "And the life support."
"Alfie's breaking apart!" Taylor cries.
"We've got to go now," Scott says as he notices the base begins to crack.
"I can't argue with that," Taylor sighs in defeat, "The whole base is in danger of decompression. Go, move and unless you want your lungs to burst don't hold your breath." A meteor flies through the glass causing Marion to fall to the floor as air begins to be sucked out. Scott struggles to reach her but manages to grab her arm around and help her up. They quickly leave the room in the direction Taylor had gone and Scott inhales deeply and they lean against the door.
"Thunderbird 5 to base. Are you guys okay?" John asks.
"Still kicking Jim. Er... John. But in a few minutes, there won't be any breathable air lift," Taylor explains as the three of them manage to put their helmets back on.
"I'm sorry Captain, but it looks like Alfie's had all he can take," Scott says.
"At least he's going out in a blaze of glory. I knew I'd have to retire on day, but I never thought it'd be like this," Taylor sighs as they start walking through the base.
"We need to evacuate, but we can't risk Thunderbird 3 flying into the strike zone whilst those meteors are still falling," Marion says.
"There isn't time to wait around either. Our suits will be out of oxygen soon," Scott says.
"We'll have to take the LT," Taylor explains as he plays with his wrist controls.
"The what?" Scott and Marion both ask as Taylor brings an image up on the holo-screen.
"Lunar Transport. It's parked in a hangar on the south side of the base. If we reach it, we can drive wherever we want," Taylor explains.
"Including a rendezvous point with Alan and Kayo outside the strike zone," Scott releases.
"Exactly! Which one is Alan?" Taylor asks and they start moving towards the hangar.
"When this is over, I'll write you a list," Scott says and opens his com, "Shadow Alpha Base to Thunderbird 3. Are you there?"
"Good to hear from you," Kayo says, "We were starting to think everyone forgot about us."
"John's transmitting new landing coordinates. We need you ready to jet the moment our transport reaches your location," Scott explains.
"FAB," Alan says as he prepares to launch Thunderbird 3, "One amazing rescue coming up."
"Thunderbird5 to base," John says suddenly calling.
"Let me guess, more meteors?" Scott asks.
"This field is bigger than the last two waves combined," John explains, "The strikes zone's expanding. We can expect some tiny ones to arrive before the main event."
"You call that tiny Thunderbird 5?" Marion cries as large meteors start to hit the base with massive bangs.
"Sounds like it came from up ahead," Taylor calls and the group come to a stop as the way ahead of them is blocked with short circuits and damaged structure.
"Ah. Can we go through a different tunnel?" Scott asks with a sigh.
"There are no more tunnels, and we wouldn't have time if there were. There's only one thing left to do," Taylor explains and climbs out over the wreckage with Scott and Marion following, "We'll have to run for it!"
"Wait for us," Marion calls. They start to run across the top of the base tunnel. Meteors are landing around them.
"Guys, you're both extremely vulnerable to micro-meteor strikes out there. A single hit could tear your suits apart," John explains.
"Oh, we'll try not to get hit!" Scott calls as he stops by a tower and slides down the pipe to the base of the moon. He runs over to his jet pack to picks it up and looks at it. What he didn't notice was that the tower got hit by a meteor and begins to collapse.
"Lookout!" Marion yells and Scott turns only to have Marion push him out of the way before the tower falls. They get up and start moving again to meet up with Taylor who is only a couple hundred yards ahead of them. They jump over the fallen tower and stop on the other side of it.
"Thanks Marion," Scott says.
"Don't mention it," Marion says as they walk up to Taylor, "You did the same for me once."
"Nice jet back by the way," Taylor comments to the pair, "You know I designed that model."
"Oh really?" Scott questions, "Does it come in blue?" Taylor opens the hangar doors and enters walking over to the buggy.
"There she is. Finest little buggy this side of the milky way," Taylor comments and rests his arm against the tyre of the buggy. It has flames stuck on the sides of it.
"Woah, that's big," Marion says.
"That's what she said," Scott chuckles and faces the buggy in admiration.
"Your dad always thought the flames were a little too much," Taylor says.
"I like them. I like them a lot," Scott says and opens his com channel, "What's Thunderbird 3's position, Thunderbird 5?
"Alan's standing by and the tracking system's up and running. You've got just under a minute before the final wave arrives," John confirms.
"Thanks Thunderbird 5," Scott says and climbs into the buggy, "I'll drive." Taylor folds his arms and stands next to Marion as they both watch Scott trying all the controls. "Let's see. Um... I don't know what any of this does," Scott says to himself before looking back at Taylor, "You know what on second thought, it's your ride Captain."
"I couldn't agree more," Taylor says as he and Marion climb into the buggy. Taylor starts it up and they drive towards the door but the alarm beeps. "Ah, door won't open. The power must be down again."
"Does this mean we're trapped?" Marion asks.
"I never said that," Taylor smirks and engages a turbo engine at the back of the buggy and they speed forwards, breaking the door.
"Alright!" Scott shouts as he and Marion hold on tightly as they drive along.
"They don't make them like this anymore," Taylor explains.
"I'm not surprised!" Marion says as meteors continue to fall around them.
"Impact in ten metres. Get ready to turn left," Scott says.
"Tracy boy back in command. It's just like old times," Taylor jokes as the meteors hit around them with Scott trying to direct them safely.
"Turn right. Turn left," Scott says.
"Make up your mind, kid," Taylor exclaims.
"Multiple fragments incoming. There's no way to turn," Marion points out.
"Straight ahead it is then," Taylor states and meteors narrowly avoid them as they approach a crater which they manage to jump over, landing with a bump on the other side, "WOO! That never gets old." However, they suddenly approach another crater, though this one was larger.
"Captain, look out!" Scott yells and Taylor applies the breaks, but they fall down into it and cannot manage to drive back out. They come to a halt in the bottom and attempt again only to fall back down due to not having enough traction.
"Eh, it's too steep. We need more power," Taylor explains.
"FAB," says Scott.
"What does that stand for again?" Taylor asks.
"Time for one heck of a kick," Scott replies and climbs form his seat and hangs on the side as Taylor starts up the buggy again. With Scott now underneath, holding onto the bottom securely, he turns on his jet pack. "Now Captain!" They manage to make it out of the crater and into the air. Scott dangles underneath, only holding on with one hand. He grabs back onto the side and pulls himself up into the buggy as they return to the ground.
"Whoa!" Taylor says.
"Alright!" Marion comments.
"Yeah!" Scott yells as he sees Thunderbird 3 is now just ahead of them, "There's are stop Captain."
"Scott, the field is expanding. One of the meteors is heading straight for Thunderbird3!" Kayo shouts.
"Impact in ten... nine..." Alan starts.
"It's gonna be a close one," Marion says.
"Hold on kids. We've got one more move left," Taylor says as they advance closer towards Thunderbird3, "Activating the ejector seats."
"Ejector—"Scott cries but is cut off by the ejector seats leaving the buggy and landing in the cargo bay of Thunderbird 3 which then shuts, and Thunderbird 3 takes off as the meteors hit.
"So long, Alfie. Thanks for the memories," Taylor says.
February 24th, 2061 - 05:12 NZDT
In the lounge on Tracy Island, Captain Taylor stands in the middle of the room with everyone gathered on the sofas.
"...So, there we were. Lee Taylor and Jeff Tracy facing down a solar flare two hundred meters wide when all of a sudden, your father gets the idea to head for a nearby asteroid belt. I said 'Jeff, what are you crazy? You're nuts!' He says 'don't worry about it. We'll hide behind the buckle.' Every asteroid belt has a buckle. A lot of people don't know that" Taylor says finishing one of his stories.
"Could you tell me the part about p-powering with the flare's ionic energy? Max hasn't heard it before," Brains asks as Max whirs beside him.
"Not tonight, Brains," Sally says, "It's getting late, and you should all be resting up for your next mission."
"Ah, but we haven't even told you about our rescue yet!" Alan says from his seat next to Kayo.
"It can wait until morning. Come on, off to bed. Shoo!" Sally says and everyone leaves except for Taylor, Scott and Marion.
"I never got a chance to thank ya guys," Taylor says before looking at Scott, "Your father would have been proud."
"Couldn't have done it without you," Marion says and Scott nods in agreement.
"Shadow Alpha One may be gone, but you'll always have a place here at International Rescue," Scott says.
"Thanks for the offer, but I haven't had a day off in forty years," Taylor declines, "Maybe it's time to slow down for a while. Get back to me in a month."
"Sure, thing Captain. Take all the time you need," Scott says.
"Remind me again, which one was Max?" Taylor asks.
"You didn't read the list, did you?" Marion questions.
"I'm not much of a reader," Taylor defends.
"It's ten names on a piece of paper," Scott deadpans.