May 10th, 2061 - 21:19 NZST
5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Thunderbirds are Go!
"'Hello, my name is Robert Williams. I'm the warden of Dunsley Fields and I've just discovered an illegal hydro-methane extractor. Yeah, I'll hold,'" Robert's voice says. John is in hologram form in the main lounge with Virgil, Gordon and Brains sitting down listening in.
"That's all there is, guys," John says, "Kinda weird."
"That's setting the bar a little low for weird, John," Gordon says, "This Williams guy found some shady things goings-on. Got put on hold, lost his nerve and hung up."
"The call came on an ID blank com from Dunsley Fields right before we detected an earthquake," John says.
"So, the com belonged to the bad guys?" Virgil asks.
"Okay, it's a little weird," Gordon says.
"Check out these satellite pics. What do you make of it, Brains?" John asks.
"It appears to be a sonic ejection p-platform," Brains says getting up and looking at the images John is displaying, "And not a particularly well engineered one at that."
"Right Brains. But just a minute later it looked like this," John says and shows an updated hologram.
"The control section's sheered c-clean off," Brains says.
"So, some greedy crooks left a machine to suck hydro-methane and now it's trashed. Looks like the problem took care of itself," Virgil says.
"Not necessarily, Virgil." Brains says.
"The call most likely came from inside the control section," John says.
"And if Mr. Williams was inside...?" Virgil asks.
"Exactly. We may have a situation," John explains, "I've run through dozens of reports about these machines. Turns out the hydro methane gas energy poachers extract with them is worth a fortune on the black market. Scans show that ocean water has started flooding into the caverns below. Any more of this, and Dunsley Fields could become a huge sinkhole. That wasn't an earthquake we detected. It was a cave-in."
"Okay, I'll fly over with Gordon and see what we can see," Virgil says. The pair get up ready to go with Max entering the room to try to follow them.
"And where do you think you're going, Max?" Brains asks, "You're on cleaning duty, remember?" Max beeps in sadness.
5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Thunderbirds are Go!
May 10th, 2061 - 11:43 BST
"...and remember, hydro methane is extremely f-flammable at any concentration," Brains says.
"Understood. We'll be careful," Gordon says.
"Approaching now. Let's get a closer look at this thing," Virgil says as they arrive in the fields of Lincolnshire, UK.
"Would you look at that," Gordon whistles.
"Brains are you getting this?" Virgil asks.
"Seismic readings b-below ground show that the actuator is still active," Brains says, "You need to shut it down."
"Agreed." Virgil says, "But first things first. We need to look for survivors. Wherever that control section is, it's buried now."
"The area's full of flooded caverns," John says, "If you can find a way in, the most direct route would be to go underwater."
"Hear that, Virg? This is gonna be mine job," Gordon says.
"Virg?" Virgil asks as Gordon heads down into Module 4. Virgil the proceeds to fly over the British East Coast and prepares to drop the module.
"Systems check complete. Docking clamp released," Gordon says, "We are go for module deployment." Module 4 is then dropped into the water and Gordon waits for the hatch to open for him before pressing the button to go at a 45° angle. After Thunderbird 4 is released, Virgil heads back over to the platform.
The sonar beeps as Gordon heads into a cavern. "Okay, if this is the most direct way in then that control section must be on the other side of the world," Gordon says as he hits a dead end. Just when he's turning Thunderbird 4, the area begins to shake. "Hey! We got seismic activity. It's another cave-in," Gordon updates and starts to dodge the falling rocks. "Whoopsie." He exists the cave system and decides to go down another route that he found, "Guys, the cave-ins are shifting some ferrous rock around and it's scrambling my scanners. I'll eyeball our way in as far as I can."
"FAB, Thunderbird 4. Nothing too risky till I disable the actuator," Virgil says, "We don't know for sure that Williams was even in the control section when it broke off."
"Hold on. I've got a signal. Switching frequencies," Gordon says.
"Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!" a voice says as Gordon switches channel.
"This is International Rescue, we copy. We're trying to reach you through an underground waterway," Gordon says.
"Underwater Rescue? So, you're in Thunderbird 4!" the voice says.
"To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?" Gordon asks.
"I'm Aidan Williams! I'm here with my dad!" the voice says, "A cave in is crushing the room."
"Your dad? Robert Williams?" Gordon asks.
"Tell him I can't walk," another voice says, presumably Robert Williams.
"Uh-huh. His leg is broken, and the com was broken and... everything was broken," Aidan says, "So, I made a radio, and I treated my dad for shock."
"Good man," Gordon says.
"Hey, the shaking stopped," Aidan says.
"Copy that. How old are you Aidan?" Gordon asks.
"11 next August," Aidan explains.
"Standby Aidan, switching frequencies," Gordon explains before switching back to the International Rescue frequency, "Thunderbird 2, I'm in contact with Robert Williams. He's in the control section with his son."
"That certainly complicates things." Virgil says, "Any chance of stopping another round of cave-ins?"
"Not from the control section," Gordon says, "Virg, you'll have to shut down that machine from up top."
"FAB... Gordo," Virgil says with a smirk.
May 10th, 2061 - 12:06 BST
"Alright Brains, I'm linking you in," Virgil says, "Take a look at this fly-by footage."
"Oh my! What a t-terrible design," Brains says.
"Is it... sitting on top of the hydro methane tanks?" Virgil asks.
"Correct," Brains confirms, "A failed attempt to disable the actuator could v-vaporize the whole area."
May 10th, 2061 - 12:07 BST
"Okay, Aidan, we're on our way," Gordon says, "Can you tell me anything about where you are?"
"I can hear water below us," Aidan says.
"Good. That helps," Gordon says, "Now, how mobile is your father?"
"I'll try," Robert says and tries to stand up with the help of Aiden, but he can't and so quickly sits backdown with a yell of pain, "I'm sorry, it's too..."
"He can't stand up!" Aidan says.
"FAB, Aidan. Hold on. I'm using sonar to get through these caverns to you," Gordon says.
"Hurry! Save us!" Aidan wails.
"Hey, Aidan!" Gordon interrupts, "Hey! Let's take a deep breath. I need you to stay calm. That's the first rule of any emergency."
"He's my dad, you know?" Aidan says.
"Yeah, I really do." Gordon says, "He may be slipping into shock. Keep him still and comfortable till we get there... Urgh! Dead end." Gordon sighs as he turns Thunderbird 4 around again and heads back in the direction he came, "So, Aidan, why don't you tell me how you put together this radio of yours."
"Science camp. Me and Damon, he's my best friend, we're crazy about aerospace! We even found a picture of Thunderbird 3 on the net. And I built a scale model," Aidan explains.
"So much for keeping that one secret," Gordon jokes.
"So, the telemetry relay of my Thunderbird is what I made the radio out of," Aidan says.
"Nice one." Gordon says then sees a further dead end ahead, "Argh!"
"Are you almost here?" Aidan asks.
"Yes! Well, I'll be straight with you. It's slow going," Gordon says.
"It's going to be alright, Aidan," Robert says.
"Okay. Standing by," Aidan says.
May 10th, 2061 - 12:18 BST
"Great! The actuator runs on solar power," Virgil says, "It's covered front to back with energy collective panels."
"That means there isn't any way to shut it down," Brains says, "It could start another cave-in at any moment."
"Can't cut the power, can't blow it up." Virgil says, "Looks like we'll have to move it."
"Move the whole sonic injection platform?" Brains asks, "Why of course! Why didn't I think of that?"
"Cause nobody but me can do it," Virgil says with a smile, "That's the beauty of flying the big bird."
May 10th, 2061 - 12:20 BST
"Easy, easy..." Gordon says as the sonar in Thunderbird 4 continues to beep.
"Thunderbird 4, have you reached them yet?" Brains asks.
"Not yet. I'm having trouble navigating the caverns," Gordon says, "Something in the rocks is scrambling our sonar signal."
"If only you could get them to ping you remotely," Brains says.
"You know, that might be doable," Gordon says, and diverts Aiden's frequency to the IR one, "Aidan, meet Brains."
"Hello?" Aidan asks.
"Brains, this is Aidan. He's pretty handy. He built a radio from a model rocket's telemetry relay," Gordon explains.
"What a resourceful boy," Brains says, "Aidan, do you know what sonar is?"
"Sure. Want me to ping you?" Aidan asks.
"Yes. That would be quite helpful," Brains says surprised.
"I think my rocket's locator transponder still works. Standby," Aidan says and begins pinging his location.
"Excellent. P-Processing the signal now, Thunderbird 4," Brains says.
"Got him." Oriana says.
"Setting my new course and locking the nav," Gordon says, following the new course. The sonar beep gets stronger until Gordon finds and area where he can surface, which so happens to be below the ledge the platform is sat upon. "Ok, that's as far as I can go by water," Gordon states as he puts his helmet on, "I'll have to beach and go by foot from here." Gordon then exists Thunderbird 4 from the rear.
"Be careful down there," Brains says, "The cave-ins have probably released a lot of hydro methane."
"FAB," Gordon replies. He walks along the rock at the bottom, before looking up, "Thunderbird 2, how's everything top-side?"
"Not so great. I may have a little problem with my brilliant plan," Virgil says, "The platform is a little too big for Thunderbird 2 to move." Virgil then lands Thunderbird 2 a safe distance away from the platform before getting out, "I'm going to have to cut this thing to size." He puts his heavy lifting gear on and heads towards the platform just as the ground above becomes unstable again and begins to shake, knocking boulder and rubble down into the cave below. Gordon has to run and then jump out of the way as the rocks tumble down to avoid being hit.
Eventually, the rock fall stops again which allows Gordon to safely climb the cliff face up to the ledge and is standing on a rock a short way up from the ground. "It's like being inside a rock crusher," Gordon comments.
"Has it stopped?" Brains asks.
"Feels like it," Gordon says, "You were right about the hydro methane. It's everywhere."
"T-Try not to ignite it. If it blows up—" Brains starts.
"It will be like the 4th of July?" Gordon questions.
"More like doomsday," Brains offers.
"Good to know," Gordon says as he looks up again, "Looks like I've got some climbing to do." Gordon then fires his grapple up to the top before clipping it to his belt and starting to climb, "Almost there."
"Good. My dad's looking bad," Aidan says.
"Just hang on," Gordon responds and continues to climb as he tries to avoid any loose rocks that could crush him at any moment from above. " Virgil, that rigs gotta move soon. The control section can't take another cave in," Gordon says over the coms as Virgil continues to remove sections of the drill in order to lift it away.
"FAB," Virgil arrives. After a few more minutes, Gordon manages to get the entrance hatch and after a couple of tries, opens it.
"Aidan!" Gordon says.
"International Rescue!" Aidan says.
"Hi. It's Gordon," Gordon introduces, "Time to get you out of here."
"It's good to see you," Robert groans in pain.
"Take it easy," Gordon states, "Okay, we're gonna need to lower him on my cable. I need to lengths of ropes."
"One 3m and the other 4m for an improvised rescue harness," Aidan catches on.
"Nice!" Gordon says impressed.
"I already found some stuff over there," Aidan directs over to the rope.
"I'll get it on him. Keep him comfortable and hydrated," Gordon says and hands Aidan a flask, "Small sips." Aidan then hand the flask to his dad while Gordon goes to grab the rope.
"Gordo, you better be gone!" Virgil says cutting the last bit of the drill. By this point, Gordon has starting to lower Robert down when the cave begins to shake again.
"No! It's another earthquake!" Aidan yells.
"Aidan, first rule in any emergency?" Gordon asks.
"Stay calm," Aidan says and watches as Gordon manages to get Robert safely to the bottom, unclipping the harness and bringing it back up. Once it has reached the top again, Gordon connects it to Aidan and prepares to lower him down.
"Don't worry Aidan, just take it steady," Gordon says as he starts to lower him down.
"The actuator's clear. Let's move this thing," Virgil says over the coms to let Gordon know what he is doing as he takes off in Thunderbird 2. At this point, Gordon himself is scaling down the wall with small pieces of rocks and debris falling. Suddenly, the platform tips suddenly which disconnects the cable causing Gordon to free fall. Luckily, thanks to his quick reflexes, he manages to reload his fire his grapple cable and fire it to connect to a piece of stable rock which stops his descent just before he hits the ground.
"Gordon!" Aidan yells from the bottom.
"That last quake weakened the rock. Move!" Gordon orders and runs over and helps Aidan with getting Robert into Thunderbird 4. Rocks start to come down quite fast as Virgil begins to pick up the platform with the magnetic cable. He strains with the weight of it, but then manages to secure it.
"Perfect timing," Virgil says but the victory is short lived as the green warning levels of hydro methane gas registering on the holo-screen suddenly turn up to the maximum of seven bars, all red with alarms beeping, "Maybe not so perfect. Thunderbird 4, that actuator must have regulated the pressure in the hydro methane tank. It's gonna blow!"
"Belts on," Gordon says.
"Cool," Aidan says, sitting down as Gordon navigates Thunderbird 4 out of the cave, carefully avoiding the rocks. He pulls Thunderbird 4 back into Module 4 but is still in danger of the rocks that are falling from the above sea level cliff side.
"We're not out of it yet," Gordon says, "Virgil, no need to cut it close or anything." He then hears the jets of Thunderbird 2 approaching from the west.
"I've got you. Brace yourselves," Virgil says as he picks Module 4 back up with the cables. He then takes Thunderbird 2 away just in time to see the cliff giving way and accelerates away from the area just as it explodes.
Everyone inside Thunderbird 4 makes it up to the cockpit of Thunderbird 2, with Gordon helping Robert to sit down in the passenger seat behind Virgil.
"You're going to be alright dad," Aidan says.
"Yeah. Well done son," Roberts say watching as Gordon sits down himself in the co-pilots chair.
"There's a hospital just ten minutes away," Virgil explains, "We'll get that leg set for you."
"Thunderbird 4, this is Thunderbird 5. Great rescue," John says appearing.
"We made it, but whoever's behind this got away clean," Gordon says.
"Not quite," John explains, "I've been monitoring the frequency that Mr. Williams' call came in on and found a crew of hydro methane poachers trying to transmit new instructions to that injection platform. The local authorities are rounding them up now."
"Johnny! Did you just bust a crime organization from orbit?" Gordon asks.
"Well, Brains helped. And don't call me Johnny," John says.
"Damon is going to be so jealous that I got to meet you guys!" Aidan says, "To bad it's because I needed saving. You never want something bad to happen to your dad."
"No," Virgil says, looking across to Gordon.
"You sure don't." Gordon says, looking back at Virgil.
"If our guests would prefer, we have very good m-medical facilities on Tracy Island. Perhaps this brilliant young man would like a tour of my lab?" Brains asks.
"FAB!" Aidan squeals.
"FAB! What does it mean?" Robert asks and the group laughs, "I'd really like to know."
"Dad!" Aidan moans.
"Always wondered," Robert asks.