MARS
The truck, containing Alan, Paul, Kayo and Racheal, made its way towards SQ Base. It approached it just under an hour after they had hijacked the vehicle.
As they reached the entrance, two heavily armed guards stepped out from side doors. They stood in the way and raised their hands to stop, which the truck did. One of them walked alongside the driver's cabin, where two youngish guys sat in GDF uniforms (which Alan and Paul had changed into on the way).
"What brings you here?" the guard called.
"We're bringing ammo and stuff for the Pleiades invasion," Paul replied.
"Really?" the other guard asked. He headed round the back. "Open it, will you?"
Alan pressed a button, and the back hatch raised. The soldier stepped up into the back and took a look at the crates and boxes. "Yep. Appears so." He got down, went to the front and told them, "You can pass."
Alan pressed the button to close the rear hatch. With a wave to the guards, he and Paul drove into the base. Paul pressed a button, sending out an untraceable signal. "We're in."
Once inside, the airlock doors closed again behind them. Going by the holographic map provided them by Hackenbacker, Alan drove the vehicle to the ammunition and weapons storage room.
Seeing their approach, the two soldiers who manned it opened the sliding doors, closing them behind the vehicle. The soldiers went to the back of the truck to unload the ammo. Alan pressed the button, and the hatch opened. But before they could unload anything, Kayo and Racheal jumped up from behind two of the crates and fired two laser stun guns, knocking out the two soldiers, whom they dragged behind some crates. They wouldn't wake up for hours.
Kayo went over to the keypad that opened the doors. She attached an electronic device to the keypad, and pressed a button on the device. The code for the door was soon displayed, and Kayo keyed it. The doors slid open. Everybody exited (except Kayo), and she then keyed in the same code, slipping out just before the doors closed.
The prison cells were two stories underground. And there was high security in between. The elevator and stairs leading underground were very close to the base's main computer bank.
The trio headed straight there.
/
Racheal, leading the way, rounded the last corner before the main computer bank. She immediately stopped and doubled back around the corner.
"What is it?" Kayo asked.
"I recognised one of the soldiers guarding the computer bank," Racheal replied. "A guy I briefly dated a few years ago. We quickly split to do our staunchly different ideologies – he was a staunch globalist commie. He hated me for my views, simply because they were different to his. We haven't seen each other in a couple of years."
Paul sighed. "Oh, him? I thought we'd seen the last of him."
"Is there anyone else in the hall?" Alan asked.
Kayo looked. "No." She then whispered an idea to the others.
/
Jonathan Grayson was doing his regular guard shift. A group of four came walking down the hall, the only ones in the room. Jonathan glanced disinterestedly at them. Then he became interested. His brief girlfriend from a few years ago – Racheal, that's her name – was among them. And they were walking towards him! Jonathan knew that Racheal, despite the uniform she was wearing, was no GDF officer. She despised everything globalist and totalitarian. Something was wrong. "Halt!" he said, raising the gun straight at Racheal. "I know you. You are no GDF soldier. You're under arrest!"
Jonathan failed to notice the small, silenced pistol that Kayo pulled out. Until it was too late, and he was dying. The other guard – who had raised his gun as well – was shot by Paul.
As quick as she could – who knew when someone would come? - Kayo pulled the key out of Jonathan's pocket, and opened the door. Inside, they stunned the technicians and dragged the guards' bodies inside. Then they locked the doors.
Kayo went straight to the main console. She pulled out a device which she plugged in, and began the process of inserting a virus into the main computer system. "Just like Independence Day," she muttered.
TEN MINUTES LATER...
"It's complete," Kayo quietly announced. They saw the computer screens flicker as the virus took over. Alarms began blaring, but a second later, the system completely crashed. All electronics shut down. All sliding doors slid open. The path to the prisoners lay open.
Outside the control room, in the rest of the base, chaos ruled. Technicians struggled to bring their systems back online.
UP IN THE MAIN CONTROL ROOM
Emperor Edward was equally shocked and furious. The whole system had been overriden by a virus and pretty much completely shut down. His "experts" were helpless as they failed to bring the system online. The doors were wide open, allowing reptilians to attack. He would see to it that someone was executed for this.
One minute, he was overseeing the torture of President de Jersey: whipped with an electronic whip. Extremely painful. But very mild compared with the other methods he had planned to use. Now utter chaos ensued.
He did not want to risk de Jersey or ben Gurion being killed by reptilians – or being rescued, as he began to suspect the virus might be. It would be much easier to gain their cooperation – Agent 79 would then be free for other missions. He turned to the operator of the base. "Have Reptilian II ready to take off immediately, with or without your computer systems. I'm heading back to earth with him" – he pointed at de Jersey – "and the Israeli."
"What about their families?" the operator asked, immediately getting de Jersey's attention.
"Forget about them," Edward replied. "We'll leave them. If reptilians do attack, then they might get killed."
De Jersey was horrified. They had HIS FAMILY here, along with ben Gurion's, and they were basically being left for dead! Oh, God, he prayed. Please save them.
The operator gave an order over his radio – which was still working. Edward and some guards left for the spaceship, dragging de Jersey along with them.
ON THE FIRST FLOOR
Alan, Paul, Racheal and Kayo quickly left the computer bank, looking just like any other soldiers in the confusion. They made their way down the nearby stairs (the elevators were out of order). After descending two stories, they were on the very lowest level of the base. Now they just had to find the prison cells.
Paul quickly checked the holomap. "Straight ahead, then right."
They rounded the corner. Just ahead, they could see Prime Minister ben Gurion being escorted out the other end of the hall. They could hear the door being locked – with keys. Then with bolts. "Drat," Paul muttered.
They went up to the door, and tested it. Sure enough, it was locked tight. They couldn't budge it. "A pity we didn't think to bring any dynamite," Alan said.
"Hey, let's help the prisoners here," Racheal said.
They looked around at the cells – but they were mostly empty. Apart from 2 at the end they had entered. They looked in them – and gaped in shock. Inside one was President de Jersey's wife Catherine and son James. Inside the opposite was Prime Minister ben Gurion's wife Hannah and his children Ruth, Joseph and Jacob.
Alan rushed to the ring of keys hanging on the wall near the door, and opened both cells. "What's going on?" Catherine de Jersey asked suspiciously.
"We're International Rescue," Alan replied. "You're being saved."
Catherine broke down in tears.
/
Emperor Edward was already on board the Reptilian II with de Jersey – and soldiers, of course. Ben Gurion had just been escorted on board. "Right," he called to the pilot. "Let's go."
The Reptilian II took off for earth.
/
ON TRACY ISLAND, SEVERAL HOURS LATER
The family was in a rush. They were moving the last of their things, and they could hear the GDF planes coming!
Kyrano had just teleported the last of his luggage, when the planes landed! GDF soldiers began pouring out, searching the island. Kyrano put Grandma Tracy's last suitcase in the teleporter and pressed the button. Then he made Grandma go next in one, while he stepped in the other. They were about to press their buttons when soldiers burst into the room, calling on them to halt. Grandma and Kyrano quickly teleported themselves. Jeff was trapped.
ON A GDF FLYER, TRACY ISLAND
Colonel Casey watched as the soldiers escorted Jeff Tracy from the building onto her ship, as she had instructed. A few minutes later, an officer entered. "Colonel, there is no-one else on the island. They apparently evacuated. With all the Thunderbirds."
Colonel Casey didn't know whether to be relieved or angry. At least the rest of her family would not be arrested. "Well, there's no point in staying here. Have this ship take off, while the others stay and see what they can learn."
"Yes, Colonel," the officer replied, before turning and leaving.
A FEW MINUTES LATER
Colonel Casey's flyer was over the Pacific, heading back to Australia. She went into the prisoner's holding. There he was, handcuffed, watched by two guards. Recognition and pain shot through his eyes at the sight of her.
Colonel Casey stood in front of him. "Well, hello, Jeff."
Jeff looked his ex-wife straight in the eye. "Hello, Lucy."