THUNDERBIRD 2 was now approaching the area located at the surface of the Pacific Ocean directly above where the Kendrick Trench was. Virgil brought the green goliath down towards the surface and hovered a few feet above the water.

Scott was about to give instructions but Virgil ended up doing them instead. "Gordon, launch Thunderbird 4 and go check out the condition of the B-1. Alan and I will follow in the Pods and assist-"

"Woah, hang on, Virgil!" interrupted Scott. "I'm taking the other Pod. Your place is here in Thunderbird 2."

"I'm not staying up here!" Virgil snapped. "My girl's down-"

"Oh, for crying out loud, Virg!" Gordon burst out. "Stop letting Hayley's situations cloud your judgement!"

Virgil went red. "Excuse me?!"

"No, he's right!" agreed Alan. "Every time Hayley gets into danger, you panic and fear for her life!"

"Of course I do, she's my girl!" Virgil snapped.

"She ain't no damsel in distress, Virgil!" Scott cut in. "If anything she's more capable at being level-headed than we are! And that's saying something!"

Virgil opened his mouth to argue his case. But he closed it again as he realised that he had no response. Scott wasn't wrong. Hayley was never crying out for him whenever she got into difficulty. He began to feel angry with himself. "You're right," he said after a sigh. "I'm sorry."

Scott turned to Gordon and Alan. "Get Thunderbird 4 and a Pod ready," he said. "I'll join you in a mo."

"F-A-B!" the two youngest brothers answered as they left the cockpit.

Scott turned back to Virgil who was hanging his head in shame. "Virgil…"

"Yeah…?"

"Look at me."

Virgil looked at his elder brother.

"We'll get her out of there," Scott promised, holding his brother's arms. "Once the B-1 is within reach, use Thunderbird 2 to lift it out of the water and take it back to its mothership. Then you'll be the one to get her to safety for certain."

Virgil nodded. "Thanks, Scott," he said. "Sorry for being such an idiot."

Scott smiled as he began to head for the cockpit door. "Yes," he said. "But you're the best kind of idiot."

And even Virgil couldn't help but smile at that remark.

It wasn't long before Gordon had powered up Thunderbird 4's systems whilst Scott and Alan prepared to get the two Submarine-Pods set up for once the former had launched.

"Okay, Virgil, all systems are green," Gordon said. "I'm ready to deploy."

"F-A-B," said Virgil, who was feeling a lot better following the talk from Scott. "Alan and Scott, are you holding onto something?"

"We're in the pod-cabs, Virgil," answered Scott.

"Okay," said Virgil. "Hold it. I'm dropping the module…now!" He moved a lever.

The docking clamps were released and Module 4 dropped out from Thunderbird 2's main body. It hit the surface of the Pacific Ocean and moved about on the waves. The sea wasn't entirely calm but it wasn't rough enough to prevent a launch. The door opened and the ramp Thunderbird 4 was on tilted downwards. "We are go for launch!" said Gordon as he powered up the thrusters. "Thunderbird 4 is GO!" The small yellow submersible slid down the ramp and splashed into the water, disappearing from view.

The Module door closed up once Thunderbird 4 was gone to keep the wind out. "Okay, Alan," said Scott. "Let's set up these Pods."

"F-A-B!"

The next minute was spent with the robotic arms inside Module 4 moving the two yellow pods forward to start attaching the necessary attachments to them including manoeuvring thrusters and smaller robotic arms.

"All set," said Alan.

"Me too," added Scott. "Virgil, we're ready."

"F-A-B," said Virgil. "I'll open the hatch under the module. You can launch from there."

"F-A-B," said Scott and Alan together.

The hatch underneath the module opened. A crane arm moved Scott's Pod above it and then dropped it down with a splash that Alan saw come up from the gap in the floor. Then the arm picked up his Pod and then dropped it in as well. Scott had already gotten his underway by the time Alan dropped down. Then the hatch closed behind them and they began to drop down into the dark depths of the Pacific after Thunderbird 4 towards the Kendrick Trench.


Thunderbird 4 reached the seabed first and moved around the many mountainous rocks towards where the B-1 was located. "Thunderbird 5 from Thunderbird 4. Am nearing the danger zone now."

"Copy that, Thunderbird 4," acknowledged John. "The unidentified contact appears to be preoccupied. Hopefully you won't have any issues."

"Hopefully," Gordon agreed. Then the lights of Thunderbird 4 found what he was looking for. "I see it. It's on its side and surrounded by fallen rocks," he said. "This is gonna take some time to clear. Scott, how far away are you and Alan?"

"About five minutes behind you, Gordon."

"Okay, I'm gonna start clearing the rocks," Gordon said. "Will need your help when you arrive."

"What about the other craft?" Virgil asked over the radio.

"At the moment its away from the rescue site," said John. "I'll keep my eyes on it."

Gordon deployed Thunderbird 4's robotic arms and started to shift the rocks. He could see that the B-1 had damage on the hull, but scans showed that it wasn't flooded. "This is gonna take a while," he said to himself.


A short distance away, unaware that International Rescue were nearby, Techno's Crab was continuing to drill into the seabed of the Kendrick Trench. Techno was enjoying himself being in command of a powerful machine again, but Grafton was getting impatient.

"How much longer is this going to take?" Grafton grunted.

"As long as it takes," Techno replied. "It's only around 10% full at the moment."

"10%?!" rumbled Grafton. He looked at his watch. "In five minutes?!"

"You'd be wise not to put the boy under pressure, Mr Grafton," warned The Hood. "Ever heard of the phrase 'Patience is a Virtue'?"

Grafton snorted. "In case you hadn't noticed, Hood, I'm not a patient man," he said. "When I want something done. I want it done immediately!"

The Hood raised an eyebrow but didn't respond to Grafton's moodiness. "Take your time, Techno," he said.

Techno was more than happy to take encouraging instructions from The Hood and not from Grafton. It was then that his controls alerted him to something. "One of my Ray-Scouts has detected movement," he said. "I believe we're not alone down here."

"Show us," said The Hood.

Techno patched them into a camera feed from one of his Techno-Rays that had been launched to protect the Techno-Crab. All three men reacted at once when they saw the unmistakable yellow shape of Thunderbird 4 clearing the rocks away from the B-1.

"Thunderbirds!" rumbled Grafton, clenching his fists and turning red with anger.

Techno too was infuriated at the sight of them. "Why do they always show up whenever we try to do something?" he fumed.

"They're not interfering with us," The Hood pointed out. "Leave them be and they'll leave us alone." He then turned and left to use the restroom.

Techno and Grafton looked at each other. Unlike The Hood, they didn't wish for International Rescue to be anywhere near them. "I cannot take the risk of this operation being compromised," Grafton said to Techno. "Take them out!"

"With pleasure," growled Techno, who wasn't against this instruction. Clearly Grafton's hatred for International Rescue was as strong as his own. Rather than stop the mining and send the Techno-Crab after Thunderbird 4, he programmed the Techno-Rays to go and do the job instead.


The Pods had now arrived on the scene and Scott and Alan set to work using the grabs on the Pods to shift away the rocks surrounding the B-1 alongside Thunderbird 4.

"Even with all three of us, this could take a while," observed Scott.

"Yeah, and I'm not entirely comfortable knowing that other craft is nearby," agreed Gordon.

It was lucky for them that Alan happened to glance out of the left window of his Pod and caught sight of something. "Errrr…guys? I think we've got problems."

Gordon and Scott turned their respective craft around to look. A small group of five Ray-like objects were coming towards them.

"Wait…" said Scott, narrowing his eyes trying to get a better look. "Are those Ray-Meccas?"

Thunderbird 4's controls told Gordon that Scott's assumption was correct. "Yep…they are," he said with gritted teeth. "Get behind me." Scott and Alan moved their Pods behind Thunderbird 4. Gordon's eyes fixed upon the approaching Rays. "Hope you like fried fish, Techno!" He pushed a button on the console and an electromagnetic pulse was fired out from the front of Thunderbird 4. It fried all five of the Techno-Rays which exploded one after the other and their remains fell to the seabed.

Techno let out a roar of frustration when his controls told him that his Meccas had been destroyed. "DAMN IT!" he thundered. "NOT AGAIN!"

Grafton too was not impressed. "You said they'd take care of them!" he snapped.

"They SHOULD HAVE!" bellowed Techno.

"Then take them out another way," ordered Grafton.

Techno returned to his seat and stopped the mining of the seabed. He then began to set the Techno-Crab on a course towards where the rescue operation was taking place.

"Great!" grumbled Scott. "So that other craft must be The Cabal."

John then spoke up. "What was that? Cabal?" he asked.

"We've just had some Techno-Rays come at us, Thunderbird 5," said Gordon.

John swore under his breath. "Not to hurry you guys, but you need to get the hell out of there!"

"The B-1's still partially buried," said Scott. "We need time to dig it out."

"John?" EOS suddenly said. "We have a situation."

John looked at the holographic radar map. "No…No, no, no," he said.

"What's wrong?" asked Scott.

"The other ship is moving!" John said. "It's heading right for you!"

Gordon growled and retracted Thunderbird 4's arms before rising away from the B-1.

"Gordon, where are you going?" asked Scott.

"To lure it away," Gordon replied. "Keep digging. I'll be right back."

"Gordon, wait!" John barked. "That thing is huge! You can't take it on!"

"I'm not going to!" Gordon retorted. "I just need to distract it."

"John, I thought you said the W.A.S.P.s were supposed to be here to protect us?" said Scott.

"They were," replied John. "But I have no idea where they are."

"And until they get here, I'm the only one with a chance of luring that ship away," said Gordon. He then cut the communication before anyone else could protest.

Gordon brought Thunderbird 4 up over a ledge where he found himself almost face to face with the advancing Techno-Crab. "Woah…" he exclaimed, having not realised how big the enemy craft was.

Techno and Grafton could also see Thunderbird 4 on the Techno-Crab's monitor screen. Grafton could see that Techno was tightly gripping the controls whilst glaring at the yellow submersible with hate-filled eyes. "What the hell are you waiting for?" Grafton barked. "Destroy it!"

Techno didn't answer, but began operating the Techno-Crab's giant pincers. "Time to die!" he hissed and began to charge the craft at Thunderbird 4.

Gordon saw the giant crab grabs opening up. "You wanna play? Let's play!" he said and dived Thunderbird 4 down at full speed. Techno tried to close the grabs on Thunderbird 4 but missed. Thunderbird 4 zipped underneath the Techno-Crab and came up the other side.

John then managed to re-establish contact. "Gordon, have you lost your mind?"

"What am I supposed to do, John?" Gordon snapped. "We need time to get the B-1 out of here. I have to make sure Techno doesn't stop us."

"Then disable it rather than play games with it!" ordered John."

Thunderbird 4 made a sharp turn to the right as one of the claws tried to grab him again. "Not sure if my demolition missiles are powerful enough to destroy it," Gordon remarked, observing the Techno-Crab's tough armour. "But…those arms and legs look like weak-spots to me." He took aim at the Techno-Crab's three large hydraulic starboard legs. He used the targeting computer to lock onto two of them and fired a missile at each of them.

Techno was so busy trying to grab Thunderbird 4 that he failed to notice the missiles launch. "Grrrrrrr!" he said, frustrated. "Hold still, DAMN YOU!"

Grafton, on the other hand, had spotted them. "WATCH OUT, YOU FOOL!" he yelled.

Too late, the two missiles struck the legs and ripped them clean off from the side of the Techno-Crab.

Alarms blared as Techno battled to keep his creation under control. "Grrr! GRRRR! WHY ISN'T THIS WORKING?!" he roared.

It was at that moment that The Hood returned. "What is going on?" he demanded.

Unable to support its right side on only one leg, the Techno-Crab overbalanced and the remaining leg, which had been weakened by the shockwaves of the explosions, buckled and the entire craft toppled over before landing with a thundering CRASH on the seabed, finishing up upside-down with its remaining legs unable to do anything.

"That ought to do the trick," Gordon said with satisfaction before turning Thunderbird 4 and hurrying back to help recover the B-1.


Techno bellowed in a rage. "DAMN YOU!" he yelled at the screen which was still active and showing Thunderbird 4 disappearing from view.

"Let me repeat the question," The Hood said. "What…happened?!"

"They came out of nowhere and attacked us," Grafton said. He then rounded on Techno. "I thought your machines were supposed to be indestructible?"

"They are!" snapped Techno.

Grafton scoffed. "Then WHY IS YOUR CRAFT UPSIDE DOWN AND THE THUNDERBIRD ABLE TO ESCAPE?!"

The Hood stepped between the two. "Clearly, Grafton, you have yet to see the full potential of what my boy Techno can do," he said before turning to Techno. "Show him."

Techno calmed himself down and retook the controls. First he rebooted the systems and then pressed a button. A camera showed the outside of the hull where the three starboard legs had been. The damaged one was jettisoned and Grafton watched in surprise as three more began to emerge from the hull.

"As you can see, Mr Grafton," said The Hood. "Unlike real crabs, ours can regrow its limbs."

Grafton was impressed. "So can we still win?" he asked.

"Can?" repeated Techno. "We're gonna win. Just watch me."


Thunderbird 4 returned to find that the Sub-Pods had removed the majority of the rocks and that the B-1 was a lot more visible than before.

"Are you okay, Gordon?" Scott asked.

"Never better," Gordon replied. "How are we looking?"

"I think enough rocks have been cleared," said Scott. "Now we need to get it upright."

"One question," said Alan. "How exactly are we gonna get it to the surface?"

"Remote airbags?" said Gordon.

"I think that's our best option," agreed Scott. "Then when it gets within grabbing range, Thunderbird 2 can take over. Did you catch that, Virgil?"

"Sure did," Virgil answered over the radio. "I'll get into position."

"And I'll get it upright," said Gordon. He activated the robotic arms and grabbed hold of the B-1. Scott and Alan moved back to give him room. But Gordon found himself as well as his craft straining. The B-1 as it turned out was heavier than he thought. "Geez! This isn't…what I expected!" he said.

"Alan, let's give him a hand," said Scott.

"F-A-B," said Alan.

Together the Sub-Pods moved in, one either side of Thunderbird 4 and used their own arms to latch on the B-1. All three pushed their subs to full power and eventually with one almighty heave they were able to push the bathyscaphe upright onto its four support legs which weren't badly damaged much to their surprise.

"Woo," said Gordon. "That's stage two completed."

"Now for stage three," said Scott. "Deploy the Airbags."

"F-A-B," said Gordon.

Once all three had moved backwards away from the bathyscaphe, Gordon launched two thin pods from the sides of Thunderbird 4. One attached to the front of the B-1 and the other to the back. Then the large white airbag balloons deployed. Once fully inflated they took up the strain. Then, very slowly, the bathyscaphe began to lift up off the ground. Its sides were badly dented but fortunately the hull hadn't ruptured.

As the bathyscaphe started its ascent, Thunderbird 4 and the Sub-Pods slowly began to rise along with it to make sure nothing happened along the way. They figured it was going to take a little while before they got to the surface due to how deep they were.

"Going up," said Alan. "Next stop…the surface."

Gordon and Scott smiled at Alan's comment. But the relief was soon over.

A bright beam of light suddenly illuminated them and the B-1.

"What the?!" exclaimed Scott as the trio turned around to see what was shining the light.

"You gotta be kidding me!" exclaimed Gordon. It was the Techno-Crab, now with its missing legs rebuilt and it was rising up towards them, like it was looking for vengeance.

Techno cackled as he approached his most hated enemy. "Who shall I take out first?" he asked with glee.

"Take out the one that attacked you," said Grafton.

"Actually, no," said The Hood. "I expect there are innocent people in that bathyscaphe. Destroy that, my boy. Let International Rescue taste failure before their own demise."

Techno began to laugh with delight. "Ohhh, yeah!" he said and began to target the B-1.

A red targeting light appeared from the top of the Techno-Crab as a missile launch rose up from it.

Alan saw where the beam was aimed at. "They're targeting the bathyscaphe!" he said.

"Alan, help me push it up!" Scott ordered. "Gordon, I never thought I'd say this but distract the hell out of that thing!"

"F-A-B!" said Gordon.

Thunderbird 4 began to hurry back towards the Techno-Crab whilst Alan and Scott moved their Pods up underneath the B-1 and pushed their engines to full power to try and accelerate the ascent towards the surface.

"Three for one?" remarked Techno as his finger was about to press the firing button. "Works for me."

BOOM!

"Huh?!" exclaimed Gordon in surprise as a powerful explosion suddenly rocked the Techno-Crab. It swayed and lurched and then began to lean over as a load of bubbles emerged from a gaping hole in the side.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" exclaimed Techno as he struggled with the controls.

"HOW DID THEY DO THAT?!" demanded Grafton.

"They didn't," said The Hood. "Look." He pointed to the Techno-Crab's radar.

Scott and Alan turned their subs back to watch as the wounded Techno-Crab began to slowly sink away towards the seabed.

"What happened?" Alan asked.

"No idea," Gordon replied. "I think it got hit by a missile. I thought I saw a streak of something hit it."

"I don't know what you did, Thunderbird 2, but thank you," Scott said.

"What are you talking about, Scott?" Virgil answered. "I haven't done anything."

The four brothers exchanged puzzled looks with their holograms.

"If you didn't…" Scott began.

"Then who did?" asked Gordon.

Then John spoke up. "Guys, on your left," he said. "Looks like you got more company."

The brothers turned their attention to the left and looked out into the darkness of the deep ocean. At first they couldn't see anything. But then they saw a pair of glowing white lights that looked like eyes moving slowly through the water. Gordon turned Thunderbird 4 slightly to shine its powerful beams in the same direction.

Nothing could quite prepare the three Tracy brothers for the sight of what Thunderbird 4's lights were now showing them.

"What the hell is that?!" asked Scott.

"It's a fish!" said Alan.

"Yes, I can see that, Alan!" Scott retorted. "But have you ever seen one that size?!"

"Wait a moment," said Gordon, peering closer. "The fins aren't moving. It's mechanical!"

"Say, you're right!" Scott realised.


The strange fish-like vessel didn't seem to have noticed the International Rescue team. It was headed right towards the damaged Techno-Crab. Then a second fish appeared. Then a third. Then a fourth. And finally three more appeared making up a large formation. Their tails flicked slightly, propelling them through the water whilst their mouths began to open one by one.

Through the cameras on the Techno-Crab, Techno, The Hood and Grafton could also see the mysterious new arrivals and were equally as baffled by them as the Tracy brothers were.

"The heck are those supposed to be?" asked Grafton.

"I don't know," replied Techno. "But they're gonna pay for attacking me!" He tried to get his creation to right itself and get its weapon systems ready. But he never got the chance. One by one, the remaining six fish that had appeared each fired a sleek missile from their mouths. They zoomed through the water and struck the Techno-Crab, each detonating and ripping the craft to pieces. Water gushed in and fried the electronics. There then came a violent explosion that finished it off and completely destroyed it. Techno fell out of his control seat and let out a scream of anger. "NO! NO! NO!" he bellowed, pounding his fists on the floor. "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"

The Hood and Grafton said nothing as they both silently left to leave Techno to his tantrum.


The three brothers weren't sure what to make of these mysterious mechanical fish that had arrived on the scene.

"Where did they come from?" Alan asked.

"Let's not worry about them," said Scott. "We have a rescue to finish." He turned his Pod to head up after the rising B-1. Alan turned his Pod too and followed.

Gordon and Thunderbird 4 remained where they were with Gordon watching the fish in fascination. Curiosity getting the better of him, he cautiously moved Thunderbird 4 closer to try and get a better look.

"Don't get too close, Thunderbird 4," John warned over the radio.

"Relax, John, I'm only observing," Gordon replied.

"Those things are clearly dangerous," John said. "Don't let them spot you."

"John, if they were hostile, they wouldn't have targeted the Techno-Crab thing," said Gordon.

But Gordon had spoken too soon. As he turned his attention back to the Mechanical Fishes, he suddenly realised they were changing direction…towards him. He then got a better look at the large eyes and realised they weren't eyes at all. They were viewing ports, and inside he could see a pair of strange figures wearing green reptilian-like armour with spikes on their heads, teeth-like holes where the mouths would be and googly eyes that clearly weren't real as they didn't blink. One of them pointed at Thunderbird 4. The other then pointed upwards in the direction of the B-1.

Within moments, Gordon noticed six of the fish begin to rise up towards the B-1 and the Pods whilst the leader of the group, which had fired the first missile, opened its mouth and began to advance towards Thunderbird 4. He could see it still had three missiles aboard.

"Oh, sh-" Gordon began and pulled away just as the fish fired. The missile skimmed past Thunderbird 4 and struck a rock, exploding and ripping the rock to shreds. "Goddamnit!" Gordon cursed.

"What did I say?" asked John.

"Oh, leave it off!" Gordon snapped as he moved Thunderbird 4 around to outmanoeuvre the fish which was now pursuing him.

Alerted by the explosion below, Alan and Scott looked behind their subs and were alarmed when they saw the six other fish rising up towards them. "Oh…oh, man!" Alan said, fear flooding through his veins.

"Gordon, where the hell are you?!" Scott demanded.

Gordon looked up and saw the fish closing in on the bathyscaphe and pods. "Oh, no, you don't!" he said and began to rise up to confront them.

The other fish were starting to draw level with the B-1 and Pods despite Scott and Alan's desperate attempts to push it faster towards the surface, they didn't have enough power to do so. The fish's mouths began to open revealing their deadly missiles.

It was at that moment that John relayed to the others the disturbing communications that he'd picked up between the fishes. As they listened, the brothers could help but feel disturbed by the strange gurgling noises that the occupants of the fish were making when they spoke.

"Destroy the intruders!"

"Destroy! Destroy!"

"Gordon?!" Scott cried in desperation. "A little help?"

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Gordon said, pushing Thunderbird 4 as fast as it would go.

BOOM! The fish off to Scott's left-side suddenly exploded and sank back down towards the seabed to the surprise of everyone, including the strange occupants of the Mechanical Fishes.

"Sorry we're late, International Rescue! Let us take care of these guys."

Gordon was startled. He recognised the voice. "Troy?!"

All of a sudden, the magnificent shape of Stingray emerged from the darkness and charged towards them. All of the fish began to turn away from the Thunderbird machines and the B-1. It was clear to the brothers that this large streamlined super sub was a much larger threat to them than they were.

"Woah!" exclaimed Scott and Alan, gazing in awe at the sleek submarine streak past them.

"It's Stingray!"

"Take them out! Take them out!" was what they heard the occupants of the fish cry out in alarm.

Stingray then fired a missile out of its starboard forward nose launcher, striking a second fish and destroying that as well. The occupants were heard to let out a gargled scream as they were obliterated by the blast. Stingray then looped around behind Thunderbird 4 whilst the remaining five fish tried to get themselves into attack positions. But Gordon was quick to observe that their speed and manoeuvrability were no match for the W.A.S.P. flagship. He meanwhile was still trying to get over the recognition of the Captain's voice.

"Troy Tempest, is that you?"

The hologram of Troy appeared on the projector. He too was surprised to realise who he was talking to. "Well, I'll be damned! Gordon Tracy?! So this is where you ended up, eh?"

Scott was quick to interrupt. "Guys, please excuse me, but can you save your reunion until this is over?"

"Er, yes, sorry," Troy and Gordon said together.

Gordon brought Thunderbird 4 up to the B-1 in order to assist the Pods in getting it out of harm's way as one of the fish was trying to get a shot at them.

Phones had spotted the danger. "Troy!"

"I see it!" Troy replied. "Left-left - two degrees. Fire!"

A sting missile shot out of Stingray's port launch tube and destroyed the fish instantly.

"Thanks, Troy!" said Gordon after seeing the remains of the fish fall away.

"Don't mention it!" Troy replied. "You just get those guys to safety. Leave the Terror Fish to us."

"Terror Fish?" repeated Alan. "Apt for them."

"Guys, come on, focus!" barked Scott. "A few more minutes and we'll be in range of Thunderbird 2's grabs. PUSH!"

All three craft pushed their engines harder than before and B-1 rose more quickly towards the surface. They along with the airbag balloons did the trick as the surface gradually came closer.


With three of the Terror Fish destroyed and the International Rescue and B-1 out of danger, Stingray now had to face the remaining four fish alone. But that was of no concern to Troy and Phones. They'd taken on many of the Terror Fish in the past, and nine times out of ten had emerged victorious. Stingray was faster, more manoeuvrable and carried a greater complement of missiles - ten in each tube whereas the Terror Fish could only fit four into their mouths.

The four Terror Fish tried to surround the mighty Stingray, but it was a futile effort. The lead fish's controller issued an order for the others to attack. They did, but all their missiles missed for they weren't heat-seeking like Stingray's were. Troy put Stingray into a dive and all the missiles missed. One narrowly avoided hitting one of the other Terror Fish.

The lead Terror Fish saw Stingray banking around and tried to take a shot, but Stingray turned almost right on its side and got it in its own sights. "Fire!" ordered Troy.

Phones launched the missile from the starboard tube.

"EVASIVE ACTION! EVASIVE ACTION!" cried the leader inside the Terror Fish. Too late. The missile found its mark. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" they both cried as their fish was blown to pieces.

Troy and Phones watched as the remains of the fish sank towards the seabed.

"Four down, three to go," said Troy.

Phones checked the instruments. "Looks like the others are making a run for it," he said.

Troy looked through the front viewing shield of Stingray's cabin. Sure enough, they could see the three remaining Terror Fish trying to escape through the maze of underwater mountains.

"Get after them, Phones!" Troy ordered. "The more of Titan's assets we can take out, the better for us."

Phones agreed and together they guided Stingray to begin the pursuit.


Thunderbird 4 and the Pods along with the airbags had finally gotten the B-1 within reach of Thunderbird 2's grapples. "500 feet from the surface, Thunderbird 2," said Gordon.

"F-A-B, Thunderbird 4," Virgil acknowledged. "I'll take it from here." He used the targeting computer to lock onto the B-1 and fired the four grapple cables. Once they were attached, Thunderbird 4, the airbags and the Pods disengaged to allow Thunderbird 2 to lift the yellow bathyscaphe out of the water.

The FD-7 wasn't far away and so it took next to no time at all for Thunderbird 2 to take the B-1 over to it. After putting it safely down, Virgil had to attach a grapple to the ship so he could abseil down to the deck, to the surprise of the crew.

"Thanks for the assist, International Rescue," said the Captain. "We'll take it from here."

"Actually, Captain, two of the people in there are part of my crew…and family," Virgil said. "I need to make sure they're okay."

"Oh…I see," said the Captain, curious to know who the second person was. "Very well. Carry on."

Virgil went over to the B-1 and tried to open the hatch. But it was jammed due to the damage it had sustained after being thrown by the Techno-Crab. "Jammed hatch. No problem," he said and used his shoulder-mounted laser cutter to slice the door off. He then clambered inside, which wasn't easy with his bulky build and equipment. "Hayley?! Brains?! Can you hear me?" A soft groan answered. He soon found the control room and found Brains slowly regaining his senses. "Brains! Are you okay?"

"V-Virgil?" Brains said, surprised. "W-What the heck h-happened?"

"Long story," Virgil answered. Then he spotted the unconscious and badly injured Zoe nearby. "Oh, man!" he said in shock. He went to check on her. "WE NEED A MEDIC IN HERE!" he called outside the B-1. "Where's Hayley?" he then asked Brains.

"R-Round there, I think," said Brains, indicating to the control panel.

Virgil hurried round after checking to make sure Zoe was alive. She was thankfully and he cried out in alarm at seeing Hayley slumped against the wall, still out cold. "Oh, God! Hayley? Hayley?!" He put his hands on her and rubbed her arms in the hope of getting a response.

It took a few seconds, but Hayley's head slowly started to move. Her eyes opened and flickered. She looked up at him. "Virgil?" she asked. "Is…Is that you?"

Virgil grinned after sighing with relief. "Yes, it's me."


Chasing the Terror Fish through the maze of rocks wasn't quite so easy for Stingray and the Aquaphibians (the name given to the ancient lost tribe that operated them) knew it. They were able to zip in and out of the rocks that were too narrow for Stingray to follow. That didn't mean Stingray was beaten though. Phones had much better scanning equipment than they did so he was able to keep their movements in check whilst moving above the rocks.

Soon the three Terror Fish began passing through a canyon which was dominated by two tall peaks of rock at around the middle point. The Aquaphibian in charge of the lead fish, had an idea. "We'll double-back and attract Stingray's attention," he said in their gargling voice to the other two fish. "You two hide behind those peaks and we'll bring it to you."

"Then Tempest will finally be destroyed!" said one of the others.

The leading fish turned and began to head back towards where Stingray was. The other two made for the peaks to conceal themselves behind it.

Phones was quick to notice one of the fish was coming the other way. "We got one heading towards us, Troy," he said.

"Probably trying to distract us whilst the others escape," remarked Troy. "Get ready with more missiles to fire."

Before Phones could reply, the attention of the two men was momentarily distracted by the third member of Stingray's crew. The beautiful teal-dressed mute woman called Marina. She tapped Troy on the shoulder and pointed anxiously at something.

Troy looked and almost jumped out of his seat in alarm. The Terror Fish had fired a missile at them. "Green - Four-Zero!" he barked. He and Phones threw their helm wheels hard over to the right and Stingray just managed to avoid getting hit by the missile. Marina had to hold on tightly to Troy's seat to prevent herself from falling over.

"Phew!" gasped Troy once they'd levelled out again. "That was close. Thanks, Marina."

Phones checked his instruments. "Fish is making a run for it again!" he said.

Troy grimaced. "Then they've earned themselves a sting-missile!" he said. "Let's get after it!"

Stingray looped a complete circle and started the pursuit once more. They could see the Terror Fish ahead of them in the canyon and used their superior speed to close the gap.

"Got you in our sights," Troy said. "I wonder where your buddies went?"

Phones checked his instruments again. "Troy!" he exclaimed. "The other Terror Fish are hiding behind those peaks!"

Troy was almost impressed. "The sneaky little-" he said. "Well, Phones. I guess there's only one thing to do?"

"Are you thinking what I am, Troy?"

"I sure am. Target the peaks!"

Phones used Stingray's targeting computer to lock the missiles onto the twin peaks. "Targets locked."

"Fire!"

Two sting-missiles were launched simultaneously, one from each tube. At that exact moment, the Terror Fish they'd been chasing passed between the peaks where the other two were waiting to spring their trap on what they believed to be an unsuspecting Stingray.

"Any moment now," said one of the Aquaphibians.

"Ready to fire," said another.

Both fish had their mouths open with their missiles ready to launch as soon as Stingray passed through.

There came two thunderous explosions as a sting-missile hit each of the peaks. Their bases were blown apart and they began to crumble, toppling over right towards the Terror Fish.

Before any of the four Aquaphibians on the two vessels had a chance to realise what was happening, the peaks crashed on top of them and caused them to crash into the seabed. Their hulls were immediately ruptured and they exploded one after the other.

Stingray then passed over seconds after the peaks had collapsed. A huge cloud of dust floated about but they were able to pass by it.

The two remaining Aquaphibians in the one remaining Terror Fish quickly realised what had happened. Their plan had failed. Stingray had gotten the drop on them rather than the other way around.

"We have to avoid them!" said one.

"Quick! Get us out of here!" cried the other.

But it was no use. As they tried to climb out of the canyon, Stingray got them targeted and fired a final missile which found its mark and obliterated the Terror Fish and its crew.

"That's the last of them, Troy," said Phones.

"Good shooting, Phones," Troy replied. "Okay, take us up to the surface. Let's check on International Rescue and the bathyscaphe crews."


The groups gathered on the deck of the FB-7 with Thunderbird 4 and Stingray mooring alongside whilst the Pods had been returned to Module 4. Gordon and Troy had a proper reunion with strong handshakes and even Hayley, who only had a few cuts and bruises, was delighted to see him again.

"Hey, Gordo," said Alan, pointing to Stingray. "Isn't that the same sub as the model in your fish tank at home?"

"It sure is," Gordon replied.

"You have a model of Stingray at your home?" asked Troy.

"Of course," said Gordon. "She's the best vessel in the W.A.S.P. fleet." He gulped, suddenly noticing the look Hayley was giving him. "Along with the B-1…of course."

Troy laughed. "You're not wrong there, Squidward," he said.

Scott then felt the need to ask a question that had been bugging him for a while now. "Captain Tempest. Have you any idea what those weird fish were?"

"Terror Fish," said Troy. "They're-"

"Wait, Terror Fish?!" Hayley exclaimed. "Was it them that attacked us?"

"No, Hayley," said Gordon. "It was The Cabal that attacked you."

"There was some g-giant machine outside," said Brains.

"Techno-Crab," said Alan.

"But then the Terror Fish turned up and destroyed it," said Gordon. "Then they tried to attack us when Stingray came along."

Hayley and Brains were thunderstruck by this revelation.

Just then, the medics came past with the rolling stretcher with Zoe on. Zoe was badly hurt, but was just starting to regain consciousness. Hayley went over to her. "Zoe?"

Zoe stirred and turned her slightly blooded face to look at her. "H…Hayley?"

Hayley took Zoe's hand. "You're gonna be okay. They'll take care of you."

Zoe couldn't say much but she squeezed Hayley's hand before letting go and the medics took her away to await a Medical Helicopter to arrive.

"You were saying about these Terror Fish?" Virgil said to Troy.

"Ah, yes," Troy said. "They're the warcraft of an underwater city called Titanica. I can't reveal too much though as it's largely classified information. All you need to know is they're very territorial and I believe the B-1 and that other crab ship you mentioned were trespassing in what they call their area."

"So they're not peaceful?" said Scott. "Should we be worried about them?"

"Provided you stay clear of their area, no," said Phones.

"Leave us to worry about them," finished Troy.

"Thanks," said Scott. "With Grafton and The Cabal on our plates, another enemy is not what we need."

The others agreed.

Alan then turned to Brains. "What about you, Brains? Did you get what you came for?"

Brains had recovered the crate of plyton from the B-1. "We m-managed to get some," he said. "Although I do not know if it'll be enough. We can only h-hope."

"Then let's get you home to find out," said Scott.


As the Thunderbirds and Stingray left the FD-7 to return to their respective bases, several miles away and located deep beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean sat a vast underwater city. And in the large marble throne room, a sinister figure in a green cloak and purple crown watched as one of his advisors, wearing a similar green armour to the ones worn by the Terror Fish crews approached him. "Well?"

"We have lost contact with the Task Force, Lord Titan," said the advisor. "It would seem the intruders had some back-up in the form of…you can probably guess which W.A.S.P. vessel."

Titan gritted his teeth and clenched his fists before letting out a massive roar of anger which echoed across the throne room. "TEMPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEST!"


Stingray will return in "The Menace of Cyclops"