THUNDERBIRD 3 came out from where it had been concealed and landed in the open area near the cave that had led to the cavern where the colonists had been imprisoned. Scott, John and the ones they'd rescued from the launch site soon joined them and they all boarded the giant red rocket to make the journey back to Colony-1.
"You sure gave us a scare when that explosion took place," Kayo remarked.
"It was colossal, wasn't it?" agreed Scott.
"So, John?" said Alan. "Is Mars what you thought it'd be?"
John gave a chuckle. "It is nothing like I expected," he said. "I had hoped for a peaceful visit."
"Nothing's ever peaceful with International Rescue," said Scott.
"True story," agreed John.
"We'd better get back and check on your father and Captain Taylor," said Kayo. "Let's hope they've had it easy."
Alan launched Thunderbird 3 into the air whilst the colonists made themselves comfortable in the cargo bay. It was a bit of a squeeze for them all to fit in with the pod as well but they weren't fussed as they knew they were now in a much safer place than they'd been before.
"Thunderbird 3 to Colony-1," Alan said into the radio. "The colonists are safe and the launcher has been destroyed. All Subterrain resistance has been neutralised. We're coming back to base."
Jeff's answer was not what they expected. "Thunderbird 3, that's great, but get the hell off this planet!"
They all looked at each other, confused. "Say what?" said Alan.
"Dad, what's wrong?" demanded Scott.
"I already know of your success, the Subterrain Commander on the mothership has been kind enough to tell us," Jeff answered. "And now they're planting a bomb inside the colony complex. Do not come back here! Get everyone off the planet, now!"
"Dad, we're not leaving you!" Alan protested.
"Alan…do as I say!" Jeff snapped. "GO!" And with that, he cut the transmission.
Kayo and the three brothers stared at each other in shock.
"We're not leaving them there, right?" asked Kayo.
"Like hell weren't not!" snapped Scott.
"We lost him once," said Alan. "We're not losing him again! Hang on!" He pushed Thunderbird 3 up to full power to get them to the colony quicker.
Jeff and Taylor gritted their teeth as they watched the two Subterrains setting up the planetomic bomb in the base's power-room. Jeff began to walk away towards the door.
"Where the hell are you going, Jeff?" Taylor asked.
"To stop that bomb of course!" Jeff replied. "You think I'm gonna just sit here and let them get on with it?"
"There's two of them and one of you!" Taylor barked. "To face them alone would be suicide!"
"Then send your iron friend to help me!" Jeff snapped as he reached the door.
Taylor lowered his head and closed his eyes for a moment as thought processed in his head. "Jeff…?"
"Yes, Lee?"
"Can I just say…to have known and worked with you has been an honor and a privilege," Taylor said.
Jeff felt warmth through his body. It was good to hear that, but he also knew there wasn't a lot of time. "Thanks, pal," he said. "But let's save it until after we deal with that bomb." He turned to open the door.
Taylor let out a sad sigh. "I'm sorry," he said.
Jeff turned back. "What for?" Just then the doors opened and Jeff turned yet again to find the way out was blocked by Iron Monger. Before he had a chance to say anything, the armoured suit hit him over the head, knocking him to the ground. "AARGH!"
Taylor winced at hearing his friend's cry of pain. He hated himself as the suit walked over Jeff laying on the floor and over to where Taylor was sitting.
Jeff was dazed and groggy but still just conscious. He heard heavy footsteps approaching and as he looked up, he saw Taylor standing over him, now inside the Iron Monger suit. "Lee…?"
Taylor bent down, lifted Jeff upwards and hugged him. Jeff couldn't be sure, but he felt certain he could see tears in Taylor's weary eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Jeff," Taylor said sadly. "But unlike me…you have a reason to still live." He then let Jeff back down and walked out of the room, the doors closing behind him.
"Lee…" Jeff wheezed. "No…" And then he passed out.
The Subterrains had just finished setting up the planetomic bomb in the power room. "Is it done?" one of them asked.
"Yes, Sub-58," replied the other. "In just ten minutes, Mars will cease to exist."
"And the rest of the Solar System will suffer as a consequence," said the first with glee. It then reached over and pressed a button on the device, starting the timer.
"Now, let's get out of here," said Sub-58.
Suddenly the hissing of an opening door made them both jump. They spun around to see the Iron Monger walk in. They tried to grab their side-arm laser-pistols but Iron Monger raised his hands and fired two powerful energy beams out of the palms at them. They shrieked as they were blasted across the room, slamming into the wall on the other side and falling down. Iron Monger used its boot jets to jump over and land by them.
"You dang cretins won't succeed whilst I'm around!" Taylor growled at them from inside the suit.
Sub-58 pressed a button on its belt and with a glowing light, it vanished into thin air.
"Gong-dang-shit!" Taylor said. "You freaks have teleporters?!"
The other Subterrain was now reaching for its own.
"No, you don't!" Taylor snapped and blasted it in the chest.
The snow had gotten really bad in the United Kingdom, especially England. Penelope had managed to carefully drive the Land-Rover into the centre of London, and it was safe to say that what she saw shook her to the core. The city was nothing like she remembered. So many buildings were either burnt out or completely destroyed. It seemed nothing had escaped the Rock Snakes' power. Tower Bridge was damaged. The Tower of London had some of its outer walls demolished. London Bridge was intact surprisingly, but Southwark, Blackfriars, Waterloo and Westminster Bridges had sections missing due to various attacks. Big Ben, St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey had all suffered damage as well. Nelson's Column lay across the streets by Trafalgar Square like a fallen tree. Most unsettling of all for Penelope was how deserted it was. Having driven around between all the abandoned and destroyed cars, vans and buses, she saw no people whatsoever. Almost every shop had had its windows smashed and all the contents had been taken by those desperate to try and survive.
Penelope had placed Pebbles on the passenger seat whilst Potts sat in the undercover section in the back of the vehicle. "Brrrrr!" Penelope shivered. Even inside the Land-Rover, she felt the bitter cold. "I hope we can find somewhere that has a radio," she told the animals. "Then maybe I can call my friends at International Rescue to come and get us."
She couldn't have known just how close some of them actually were. However, she soon had other things on her mind. The snow was still falling and it was starting to build up around the cars quite heavily. Even to try and steer the Land-Rover was proving a challenge for Penelope.
Then eventually, up around the Baker Street area, her fears came true. The Land-Rover's fuel tank became empty. It choked, coughed, spluttered, and then died. "Oh, poo!" Penelope groaned after trying the engine again and again. "Come on! Please work!" But it was no good. The Land-Rover refused to start again. Penelope looked out into the snow. It looked like the only option now was to walk and find shelter. "Come on, Pebbles," she said, picking up the cat who'd been sleeping on the passenger seat and wrapping it up in her coat. She then got out and opened the back. "Come on, Potts. We're walking."
Potts, rather reluctantly it seemed, exited the Land-Rover and trudged through the snow along with Penelope, trying to get his paws to adjust to treading on the snow. Penelope didn't like seeing Potts trying to walk in it, but knew the dog would be better in it than Pebbles would be. All she could hope for was that they'd find someone or somewhere to take shelter in.
Thunderbird 2 was now approaching London from the East. Despite the fierce blizzard, the cameras could show those inside just how bad the damage was.
"Jesus…" Virgil whispered as he looked at the remains of The O2 Arena which looked like a balloon had been deflated. "It's all a mess."
"I hope your parents are safe, Hayley?" Gordon asked.
"They are, thank God," Hayley replied. "I contacted them and they left before all hell broke loose."
"It's like the a-apocalypse," Brains remarked.
"I guess in a way it is," replied Virgil. "For the people that lived here anyway."
"Any sign of Rock Snakes?" asked Hayley.
Virgil turned on the heat scanner. "Several," he said. "All appear to be motionless. They must be sleeping."
Gordon looked out at the snow. "Is there snow on Mars?" he asked.
"N-No, Gordon," Brains answered. "Why?"
"Oh, nothing," Gordon said. "Just wondered. If I were a Rock Snake, I'd be confused as hell wondering what all the white stuff coming down was."
Virgil, Brains and Hayley looked at each other. Brains then began to look thoughtful. "If Rock Snakes can't stand water…I w-wonder."
Thunderbird 3 was now approaching the complex. Kayo and the brothers hadn't said a word. They were all too afraid of what might be happening with Jeff and Taylor. As Alan was about to bring the ship into land, they all exclaimed out loud as a beam of whitish-blue light shot upwards from within the complex and disappeared far above. Moments later, from where it was orbiting, the large Subterrain mothership fired its super-powerful lightspeed engines and rocketed away from Mars, leaving it to its fate.
"Looks like the last of the Subterrains have fled," Kayo said.
"Cowards!" said Scott angrily.
"I'm bringing her into land," said Alan. "What do we do with the colonists?"
"They stay here," said John. "I'll make sure Dr Travers knows."
"And we'll go in there and find them!" said Scott.
Once inside Colony-1, Kayo checked her scanners. "I'm picking up two life-signs," she said. "One in the control room, the other in the power room. But the latter's extremely weak."
"Extremely weak?" said Alan.
"That's got to be Taylor," said John. "But why's he gone there?"
"We can ask him later!" said Scott. "Kayo and John, go check the power room. Alan and I will check the control room."
With the plan agreed they split up, heading for their respective destinations.
Kayo and John reached theirs first and found the doors closed. They pulled out their stun weapons. "Are you ready?" Kayo asked.
"As I'll ever be," John replied.
Kayo punched the button to open the door and they dashed inside, ready to take on anyone who stood in the way.
Nobody could be seen. They looked around.
"Check over there," Kayo said.
John nodded and headed off. And it didn't take long for him to find something. "Oh, God!"
Kayo hurried around to see what he'd found and then froze. "Holy…" She found herself unable to even finish her sentence as she stared at the dying Subterrain lying on the floor.
John bent down and rolled it over where they saw the damage to its chest. It was mortally wounded. "Where's Captain Taylor and my Dad?" John demanded.
The Subterrain coughed up some green blood before hissing its final words. "Curse…you…all…" And then it died.
John and Kayo looked at each other. Then John spoke into his radio. "Scott, Alan, the weak contact was a dying Subterrain!"
"What?!" exclaimed Scott. "Does that mean-"
"Watch your step!" ordered John. "We're on our way to you!"
Scott and Alan had just reached the door. "I am not waiting!" said Alan with determination.
"Neither am I, little brother," Scott replied. They got their own weapons ready. "One, two, three!"
They opened the door and then gasped out loud. "DAD!"
Penelope had thought she knew where she was and where she was going. Her sense of direction due to being tired and freezing cold soon let her down as she found herself out in a large open area covered in a thick blanket of snow. Potts was running around, either trying to keep warm or was just investigating. Penelope was miserable. Her cheeks were stinging from the cold. Even the purring of Pebbles against her chest wasn't even registering to her anymore. "Oh…great…" she said. "Now where are we?" She looked around, trying to find a landmark, which wasn't easy in the heavy snowfall. Then she just about could make out the silhouette of a building in the distance. It looked like a mosque. And she was aware of only one it could be. "I'm in Regents Park!" she gasped. "If I can get to the mosque, perhaps."
It was at that moment that Potts suddenly started barking. He ran back past Penelope and continued to bark at something up in the sky. Penelope looked up and then stopped dead at the sight of a silhouette moving in the sky. It was an aircraft - and a bulky one at that. Her eyes widened. She recognised the shape. There was only one aircraft in the whole world that looked like it.
"Oh, my God…Oh, my God! OH, MY GOD!" she cried out loud. "THUNDERBIRD 2!" She forgot all about Pebbles inside her coat and began waving her arms, jumping up and down and causing the cat to grab on the inside of Penelope's coat with her claws to stop her from falling out. "BOYS! BOYS, I'M OVER HERE!" Penelope cried whilst Potts continued to bark.
Inside Thunderbird 2, Brains had been checking the positions of Rock Snakes throughout the city on the heat scanner. "N-No sign of any p-people," he said. "G-Guess everyone managed to leave."
"A dead city," said Virgil. "It's kind of unsettling."
Hayley then frowned. "Hold on, what's that?" she said, pointing to the screen. "Over to starboard."
Virgil, Gordon and Brains looked and saw a contact that was different to those of the Rock Snakes.
"Hold on a second," Virgil said, adjusting the controls. "That's not a Rock Snake. That's a person!"
"Out here in this weather?!" exclaimed Gordon. "We have to help them."
"They're in Regents Park," Hayley said. "You can land there, Virgil."
"F-A-B," said Virgil. "Gordon, you feel up to fetching that poor person and bringing them inside?"
"Of course," said Gordon, eager to help out.
Penelope had originally thought Thunderbird 2 was going to fly on by as it wasn't heading in her direction. But she became incredibly relieved when she saw it turning to head towards her. She managed to catch Pebbles from falling out of her coat and began to stumble towards Thunderbird 2 as the giant craft came in to land near to her.
The platform under the nose lowered and Gordon hurried out in his helmet. "HELLO?!" Gordon called out as he hurried over. "I'M COMING TO HELP YOU!"
He doesn't know it's me, Penelope realised. She mustered up all the strength she could. "GORDON!"
Gordon stopped dead in shock. He stared towards the figure who was only about twelve metres from him. He couldn't see the face due to the hood being up, but he could not mistake the voice. "P-P-PENELOPE?!"
Penelope pushed back part of the hood so he could see her face. "GORDON, IT'S ME!"
Gordon let out an exclamation of joy and together they ran towards each other, throwing their arms around themselves and then both breaking down in tears. For Gordon that turned out to be no issue as he was wearing his helmet. His face was warm. For Penelope, the tears instantly started to freeze which caused her some discomfort. Luckily Gordon was able to use some heat in his suit's gloves to melt them. A device that Brains had installed for them to melt ice at a touch if needed.
"I thought I'd lost you," Gordon said tearfully.
"M-M-Me, t-t-too," Penelope shivered.
"Meow!"
"What the?!" exclaimed Gordon.
"Oh, P-P-Pebbles, I f-f-f-forgot y-y-you!" Penelope gasped, unzipping the coat slightly so Gordon could see the cat.
"Oh…" Gordon said in surprise. Then he saw Potts who began rubbing himself against his arm. "I see you've made some friends."
Just then, Virgil's voice came over the radio. "Err, Gordon? What's going on out there?"
In his joy of realising he'd found Penelope, Gordon had forgotten to inform the others. "Virgil! Brains! Hayley! It's Penelope!"
Virgil, Hayley and Brains looked at each other in disbelief.
"Wait, are you serious?" Virgil asked.
"H-H-Hey, V-V-Virgil."
Hayley's hand flew over her mouth.
"G-Goodness!" exclaimed Brains. "It r-really is her!"
Virgil was speechless. He couldn't think of anything to say.
"She's got a cat and a dog with her as well," said Gordon.
"Well, get them inside before they freeze to death!" Hayley ordered.
"ULLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!"
The cry of a nearby Rock Snake made everyone's hearts leap. Potts began to growl in the direction of the London Mosque which was the direction the noise had come from.
Gordon pulled Penelope to her feet. "Come on, we have to get out of here!" he said.
As they hurried to Thunderbird 2, Hayley, Brains and Virgil soon caught sight of the Rock Snake moving out of the blizzard into the open area of the park.
"T-There it is!" stammered Brains nervously.
"Gordon, hurry up!" Virgil said urgently.
But Hayley was frowning. "Wait, something's not right," she said. "That howl sounded…different."
"ULLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!" the snake cried again.
This time the others noticed it as well. Something about the cry seemed very different. Gordon and Penelope had almost reached the ramp when Penelope looked back. "W-W-Wait!" she said to Gordon, making him stop.
"What is it?" Gordon asked.
Penelope was looking at the Rock Snake. It didn't just sound different. There was something about it that was different as well. The way it was moving was very strange. It was jerking. Twitching. It was like it was struggling to move properly.
"That h-howl," Brains said. "It s-sounded like…it was in pain."
The snow was starting to ease at that point and although visibility was poor, it allowed them to be able to see the snake a little more clearer. Something was indeed different about it. It looked to be covered in icicles which seemed to be impeding its movement. It was really struggling badly.
"ULLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!"
CRASH!
When the cloud of snow disappeared, everyone looked out in astonishment. The Rock Snake was no longer upright. It had collapsed across the ground, its eye was looking in their direction. For Penelope, it seemed to be looking right at them. Potts had even stopped growling.
"Errr…what just happened?" asked Gordon.
Brains, Virgil and Hayley looked at the heat-scanner. The heat signature was getting fainter.
"What's happened, Brains?" asked Virgil.
Brains stared at the instrument, and then out at the snake. "It's…d-dying!"
By the time John and Kayo arrived at the control room, they found Scott and Alan desperately trying to shake Jeff awake. "No…!" gasped John.
But before he could join them, Jeff let out a moan and started to come around. "Owww…" he groaned. "My head…"
"Dad!" gasped Scott with relief. "Are you okay?"
"S…Scott?" Jeff asked. He blinked and looked around at them all. "Alan? John? Kayo? I told you to leave!"
"We're not leaving you behind, Dad!" Alan said tearfully as he hugged his father. "We're not losing you again!"
Jeff had no response for that.
"Dad, what happened to you?" John asked.
Jeff tried to remember. And then he did. "Lee!"
"Wait, Captain Taylor did this?" Kayo asked. "Why?"
"I…I don't know…" replied Jeff. "Well he didn't hit me but…last thing I remember was he was in the Iron Monger armor. And he was heading for the power room! Quick, find him!"
"The power room?" repeated Kayo.
"But, Dad, we've just come from there," said John. "The other life contact we picked up was a lone Subterrain, and now it's dead from a blast to the chest."
Jeff was confused. "What about the bomb?" he asked.
"I didn't see one?" said John.
"Neither did I," added Kayo.
Jeff couldn't understand it. Then he scrambled to his feet, wobbled slightly due to having a sore head and stumbled across to the control console where he accessed the CCTV camera that showed the power room. He stared at it in disbelief. "It was there!" he said, pointing at a spot next to the main power generator. "The two Subterrains were putting it right there!"
"Well it's not there now," said Kayo.
"Then where the hell is it?" asked Jeff.
"And where's Captain Taylor?" finished Alan.
Having given Penelope an arctic-warmer suit and a helmet, Virgil, Brains, Hayley (also in a suit) and Gordon walked cautiously towards the Rock Snake. Pebbles and Potts had been put inside warming chambers in Thunderbird 2. As they approached the Rock Snake, it made no attempt to try and get up. Its rocky body was turning a dull grey colour and its eye was no longer bright red. It was turning pink. Wisps of steam kept emerging from its mouth as it took its final breaths. And then with one last sigh, the huge eye closed forever and it went silent.
Brains looked at a portable heat monitor in his hand. "It's gone," he said.
They then heard distant cries from all around. The sound of other Rock Snakes crying out for the last time.
"More of them?" asked Hayley.
Brains checked the scanner. Sure enough, the other heat signatures of the Rock Snakes were fading out one by one as they succumbed to the vicious weather.
"Their b-bodies can't handle the extreme cold," Brains said. "It's k-killing them all."
"Woah…" said Gordon. "All this destructive power. So many weapons and techniques and innocent lives taken…and the thing that defeated these things was…snow?!"
"I know right?" said Virgil. "It's almost beyond belief."
Penelope walked up to the snake and placed a head on its closed eyelid. Despite everything that had happened, she could help but feel sadness. "Poor things," she said.
"Wait, you're sympathising with it?" asked Gordon.
"Yes," Penelope replied. "They never asked to come here. They didn't want this any more than we did. They're victims as well."
"Would sure love to know who's behind this," said Hayley.
"And let's hope Dad and the others have found a way to neutralise them," finished Virgil.
The Subterrains' mothership finished its lightspeed sprint and slowed as it approached the dark grey and sinister-looking Planet-46. It dropped down to the surface and a large concealed underground hangar door opened from within the ground to allow it to land.
Following the capture of their leader by Alan, the Subterrains had appointed a new ruler. This was Queen Sub-1, dressed in a rather dashing orange and gold robe which made her stand out amongst the uninspiring black and purple that the other Subterrains wore. These all contrasted against the scaly green skins that they all had.
Queen Sub-1 stood with her four loyal bodyguards at a docking ramp as the mothership landed. She was eager to congratulate them on a job well done. But when the hatch opened and she walked inside followed by her guards, she was surprised to find only three Subterrains waiting for her, and they all were looking rather downcast. Seeing this told her that things hadn't gone to plan. "What happened?" she asked instead of greeting them.
The three Subterrains bowed to her, then the commander spoke. "Apologies, my Queen," he said. "The humans were far more resourceful than we gave them credit for. They wiped out the rest of our forces. They turned the Rock Snakes on us. One man in a robotic suit even took down one of us as we set Plan B into motion."
"Plan B?" said Queen Sub-1. "I thought you could handle the Earthmen? I am disappointed in you, Commander. I had hoped that the people of Earth would suffer at the hands of the vicious Rock Snakes. But if you've succeeded in setting Plan B into motion, your reward may still be allowed. How long until detonation?"
Sub-58, who had managed to return from the Colony by teleport, looked at the timer on his suit's controller. "About two minutes to go, my Queen," he said.
The Queen-Sub broke a smile. "Excellent," she said. She turned to one of her bodyguards. "Turn on the big screen," she said. "I wish to observe the destruction of Planet Mars, and watch how the rest of that pathetic Solar System falls apart."
Before any of the others could respond, a strange knocking sound caught everyone's attention. All of the Subterrains turned to face the direction it was coming from. It seemed to be originating from inside the cargo bay.
"What is that?" demanded Queen Sub-1.
"We shall check, my Queen," answered the lead bodyguard,
Together, the group including the Queen-Sub moved cautiously towards the door that led into the cargo bay from the troop section of the large ship. The bodyguards had their blasters ready to take on whoever was inside if it turned out not to be one of their own. One pressed a button and the doors opened. All eight of them reacted in shock when their reptilian eyes fell upon the rather unwell-looking bald man sitting in an armoured suit sitting on top of a large metal crate with a large grey sheet on his right covering another.
"Howdy, y'all," said Taylor.
"EARTHMAN!" shrieked the ship commander.
"THE ONE IN THE SUIT!" shouted Sub-58.
The four bodyguards charged up their weapons.
"WAIT!" shouted Queen Sub-1. She pushed past and glared at Taylor. "Hand me your weapon," she said to the lead bodyguard. "I want to kill this intruder myself."
"I wouldn't waste your time, lady-lizard," Taylor said.
The Sub-Queen was horrendously offended by his remark. She raised the weapon. "You will die for that insult, Earthman!" she fumed. "And for all the trouble you've caused my people!"
Taylor gave a weak chuckle. "I'm already dead," he said. "I just wanted to give back something that I believe belongs to you." He gave the sheet beside him a push and it fell away…revealing the planetomic bomb.
The eight Subterrains gasped in horror. The glow from the energy in the tube on the top was getting very bright. In an instant, all but the Sub-Queen screamed and ran out of the cargo bay. The Queen turned and watched them run, then looked back at Taylor with wide eyes. She tried to pull the trigger, but her fingers had frozen. They wouldn't move.
Taylor gave a triumphant smirk. "Boom!"
A huge blinding white light and a thunderous roar that would have shattered every single piece of glass on Earth erupted as the bomb ripped through everything around it, obliterating the whole of Planet-46 and taking Taylor and every single Subterrain with it. In less than three seconds, everything was gone as the explosive shockwave spread out for millions of miles before eventually fading out. Planet-46 was no more.
"Holy…!" the deep-space radar operator exclaimed when he saw the strange icon appear on the screen.
The commander hurried over. "What is it?" he asked.
"Explosion detected in deep space, sir," replied the operator.
"Whereabouts?" asked the commander.
The operator double-checked. Then he stared in disbelief. "Sir…it originated from Planet-46…"
A stunned silence filled the room.
Commander Straker marched out of his office on Base Endeavour on the Moon and over to the deep-space radar station where he spoke to Lieutenant Harrington. "You called me, Lieutenant?"
"Yes, sir!" replied Lieutenant Harrington. "There's been an explosion in very deep space."
"How far are we talking?" asked Straker.
"Right from the location of where Planet-46 was last recorded," said Harrington.
Straker looked at the screen. Right where Planet-46 had been showing was nothing. "My God…"
It wasn't just Earth and the Moon that had detected the explosion either. The instruments in the control room of Colony-1 had as well.
"That was one hell of an explosion," said John. "And the planet's not showing up anymore."
"What does that mean?" asked Dr Travers. She along with all the other survivors had returned to the Colony.
It took a few moments but it was soon Jeff who realised what had happened. "Lee…" he said in a hoarse voice. "He must have…used that Subterrain's teleporter to get him and the bomb back onto the mothership before it left! And then…he must have detonated it after they arrived."
A shocked silence filled the room as everyone looked at each other.
"But that means?" Alan started.
"Yes, son," said Jeff mournfully. "Captain Taylor is gone."
Alan saw how distraught his father was and gave him a hug.
Kayo, Scott, John and Sandra exchanged mournful looks as well. Captain Taylor had meant a lot to them as well. They already knew he hadn't gotten long left to live, but they hadn't expected him to go like this.
"He got his wish," said Sandra.
"How's that, Doctor?" asked Kayo.
"Taylor always said he wanted to go out in a blaze of glory rather than let the illness win," said Sandra. "Looks like his last act was a heroic one."
"If he's gone and the planet's gone, then all the Subterrains are as well," said Scott. "It's over."
"It's far from over, Scott," John replied. "The threat might be gone, but look at what they've left behind. Death and destruction on both Earth and Mars. It'll be a very long time before things go back to normal."
They all fell silent as they mourned the loss of Captain Taylor.
It was at least another day before Thunderbird 3 returned to Earth, leaving those behind on Mars to rebuild both their colony and their lives as best they could. Communications with the Space Agencies would ensure that a constant supply train of ships delivering equipment and food to the colonists was kept up.
Virgil, Gordon, Penelope, Brains, Grandma and The Mechanic waited for those aboard the red rocket to disembark. Penelope and Virgil were quick to note how uneasy Gordon was. He hadn't seen any of them since he had hidden himself away and was worried about what they would say when they saw him.
"Just apologise to Dad and the others will leave you be," Virgil whispered to his brother.
"I hope it's that simple," Gordon answered.
The doors opened and Jeff led Alan, Scott, Kayo and John out and hugs were exchanged. They'd already been informed of both Penelope's rescue and Taylor's sacrifice.
As Gordon predicted, he was greeted by frosty looks from Scott and Alan, but Jeff surprisingly showed no anger towards his son at all, instead being the one to start the hug with Gordon. "Dad…" Gordon began. "I am so sorry for what I said to you."
"All is forgiven, son," Jeff replied. "Not that I was even mad at you to begin with. I'm just glad to see you, that's all."
Gordon felt a little better after hearing that. But the reception he got from Alan and Scott wasn't so. Alan didn't even acknowledge Gordon and instead pushed right past him to greet Penelope and Virgil. Scott gave him a look. "Dad might not be mad at you…but you'll need to prove yourself big time to the rest of us," he said before heading off to see Grandma.
Gordon's heart sank, but Kayo and John were a lot more polite.
"Good to see you out again, Gordon," said Kayo, giving him a hug.
"Don't mind what Scott said," added John. "I think it's just him and Alan you need to win over."
Gordon managed a smile, but only a small one.
Once pleasantries were made, everyone gathered in the lounge. Here Penelope recounted her ordeal from witnessing the attack of the Rock Snakes and the battle against the Verulam to hiding out with the vicar and his wife and their demise as well as finding Potts and Pebbles, both of which had also been brought to Tracy Island for safe-keeping.
"Have you spoken to your parents?" Jeff asked.
"Yes, and they're safe in France," Penelope replied. "Virgil's going to take me to them tomorrow."
"What about Parker?" asked Scott. "Any news on him?"
"He's recovering so Hayley says," said Virgil. "And apparently he's taken a liking to one of the nurses there I believe she said."
The others weren't sure whether to believe this or not.
"No way! Parker with a girl?" laughed Alan. "Get outta here."
"Good on him if he has," said Kayo. "He might need all the recovery he can get given what he went through."
Scott then spoke up. "So, Brains? Are you seriously saying that all that was needed to stop the Rock Snakes was a blizzard?"
"And f-freezing cold temperatures, yes," Brains said. "It's c-crazy I know, Scott. But it happened. We s-saw it with our own eyes."
"Of course, no snow on Mars," said John. "They must have had some kind of allergic reaction or something."
"How it happened we shall probably never know," said The Mechanic. "But they caused a lot of damage and claimed many lives. I can't imagine even with thousands of resources and people that the people of England will be able to adjust to things quickly."
Penelope however had faith. "I believe in the people of Britain," she said. "In times of crisis, they will band together. Like you said, Juan, it'll take a long time. Years possibly. Maybe decades. But I feel sure that with the right help and the best people, England will rebuild and London will be as majestic as it used to be."
The others were silent, impressed by Penelope's optimism.
"Very well said, Penny," said Jeff. "I'll talk with my companies and I will ensure that we can help in any way that we can."
"I guess it's the least we can do after the mess we caused," said Virgil.
Everyone looked at him. "You didn't cause this, Virgil," said Grandma.
"No, but if we'd not blown up the snakes in that first cylinder, they wouldn't have reproduced," said Virgil. "And Penelope's village would still be intact, along with London."
"Nobody's the blame, Virgil," said Jeff. "Nobody could have known any of this would happen."
"Only one person is to blame," said Alan. "Me. If I hadn't taken the Subterrains' leader captive, they wouldn't have had reason to carry out any of what they did."
"Then they'd probably have done some other thing, Alan," said John. "Those creatures already wanted to destroy Earth. Even if you'd just left them behind, I doubt it would have stopped them from trying something else."
Alan understood what John was saying, but he still felt somewhat responsible for what had happened.
Scott then spoke to Jeff. "What do we do about Captain Taylor, Dad?" he asked. "For what he did, he deserves to be recognised."
"Would he even want that?" asked Gordon, who was still unsure of whether he should even be speaking or not.
"He probably wouldn't, Gordon," said Jeff. "However, I agree with you, Scott. I have already spoken to The World President about it, and he's going to see what he can do." He stood up and looked around at all of them. "Lee Taylor was the best man I've ever known. And so long as I'm around, he will NOT be forgotten!" He then went to the drinks cabinet and poured everyone a drink. Only a small amount in each glass and gave it to each of them. "In the meantime, we shall celebrate him right here and now," said Jeff. He raised his glass. "To Captain Lee Taylor - the man who ended the War of the Worlds!"
