April 23rd, 2060 - 05:47 NZST
Kayo has just woken up after her first proper sleep since coming back to Tracy Island. The whole month of April was back to back missions and new leads on The Hood. It was only a few days ago when Alan had to go and save John from his old game code EOS, who is now John's assistant. She gets up and heads over to the restroom to have a shower and get ready for the day.
After her shower, Kayo finds herself standing at the edge of the cliff, the early morning air brushing against her cheeks with the gentleness of a mother's kiss. Her eyes are fixed on the horizon, where the sky meets the sea in a soft blend of blues and pinks that promises a serene day ahead. The quietude is broken only by the distant hum of the ocean and the occasional call of a seagull. Her long, black hair flutters in the breeze, and she can feel the salty scent of the sea wafting through the air. She takes a deep breath, filling her lungs with the briny perfume of the ocean before releasing it in a contented sigh.
Her bare feet are warm against the sun-kissed sand that had cooled overnight. She is dressed in a simple white t-shirt and navy shorts, the standard attire for her morning routines. The fabric clings to her slender frame, hinting at the strength and agility that lies beneath. As the first rays of the sun begins to peek over the horizon, she bends down and picks up a small, smooth stone, feeling its weight in her palm. It is one of the many treasures she has collected over the years, each one a silent witness to her thoughts and feelings during moments like these.
With the stone in hand, she turns and walks towards the Tracy Villa, nestled among the palm trees. The path is familiar, the grains of sand shifting beneath her feet as she moves with a grace that speaks of countless mornings spent navigating the same route. The trees cast playful shadows that dance in the growing light, and she can't help but feel a sense of belonging, a deep connection to the island that has been her home for the last couple of years.
Inside, the villa is already coming to life. The faint scent of coffee wafts from the kitchen, and she knows that Marion is already up, brewing the pot that would fuel their early morning conversations. The walls are adorned with photographs of the Tracy Family, a gentle reminder to her of the love and openness the family had for hers, which has lead her to begin where she is now. Each step she takes echoes through the hallway, a comforting rhythm that punctures the silence of the hour. She places the stone on a shelf filled with similar tokens from her past, a silent greeting to the day ahead.
The kitchen is a sanctuary of warmth and light, the window above the sink framing the view of the beach as it grows brighter with the dawn. Marion turns from the stove to greet her with a smile. "Morning, sleepyhead," she says, "You're just in time for breakfast." The sizzle of eggs and the aroma of toast fills the room. Kayo takes a seat at the table, the marble smooth and cool beneath her fingertips, and waits for the first taste of the day to break the fast of the night.
"Thanks, Marion," Kayo smiles and takes a seat at the breakfast bar.
5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Thunderbirds are Go!
The lounge of Tracy Island is a sanctuary, a place where the family often gathered for their downtime. However, as always it doubles up as the International Rescue command centre. The walls, typically adorned with family photos and souvenirs from their escapades, are now lined with monitors displaying satellite images and intel reports. In the middle of the plush couches is a large holographic projection table that hummed with urgent information. John appears in hologram form next the the data. The air thick with tension and the smell of freshly brewed coffee as Alan just makes out the weight of the situation as the tiredness evaporates from him and he takes in the scene.
"Alright so what's all..." Alan starts with a yawn but he pauses noticing Brains getting coffee from Max, "Brains? Is that a coffee maker?"
"I've engineered Max to produce 16 different types of hot beverages," Brains explains, "Still a little... over-extracted."
"You're looking at the Asteroid-21, Louticia, home of the Galvanna Mine," John informs, "Twenty minutes ago, an epic solar flare pretty much fried the station's electronics, just as it was drilling into the molten core. The resulting eruption pushed it into a collision course with the Sun."
"It's all so tragic. That's my favourite asteroid," Brains mutters, upset.
Alan gives Brains a confused look. "You have a favourite asteroid?"
"Of course, Alan. Asteroids are extremely entertaining," Brains replies.
Alan groans. "Hurrr... How many on board John?"
"Just one. It's a mostly automated operation. A computed response says that the miner is safe for now, but the next return transport won't get there in time," John explains, "We need to go pick him up. Are you cool with that?"
"Sure. With everyone else still helping with the tunnel fire in the Pyrenees, this'll be a solo mission," Alan replies.
"Not advisable. You'll need an extra set of hands if something goes wrong and that computed response sounds dodgy," Brains explains, "I'll gladly volunteer Max. He'll do great in the deserted, unforgiving, v-vacuum of space," he continues as Max starts to shake violently.
"Er... thanks Brains but I'll be fine solo," Alan shrugs as Kayo re-enters the room and walks over to the launch chair and jumps over them landing in front of Alan.
"I'll go with you," Kayo says.
"Kayo! You will..." Alan says a trails off.
"Yes..." replies Kayo, unsure of Alan's reaction.
"I mean that's cool," says Alan, seeing the confusion on Kayo's face.
5
Alan and Kayo descend and start to get suited up.
4
Alan and Kayo are lifted on a crane from the bottom of the hanger into Thunderbird 3.
3
Thunderbird 3's blast door closes.
2
Alan and Kayo's chairs roll up to the controls.
"Want me to go over the launch procedure with you?" Alan enquires.
"I've flown this before Alan. But if you want to give me your little presentation," Kayo replies.
"No, it's okay... we sure er... get going," Alan stutters, as his checks go red from embarrassment.
1
The rockets start up.
Thunderbirds are Go!
Thunderbird 3 sores high above Tracy Island as it rockets out of Earth's atmosphere. It doesn't take long for the fastest Thunderbird to leave the planet far behind and enter the edge of the orbital reach. The couple stare through the cockpit windows of the red rocket and put on their sunglasses as they prepare to head directly towards the Sun's direction
"Wow," Alan breathes.
"I know," Kayo deadpans.
"Oh. Oh, that? I see it all the time. No big deal," Alan shrugs.
John calls in. "Thunderbird 3, your precise trajectory and optimum velocity have been calculated and loaded into the navigational cluster."
"Thanks, Thunderbird 5," Alan replies.
"Have a good flight," John nods.
"You may have launched into orbit before but I'm pretty sure you've never done this," Alan says to Kayo, "3... 2... 1..." Alan pushes a large leave in the central control unit forwards which activates the ion fusion engine to 65%.
April 23rd, 2060 - 06:35 NZST
"Acceleration rate stable, intercept locked in," Alan says and he looks over at Kayo, "So, Zombie Apocalypse or Alien Storm?"
"Er... What are you talking about?" Kayo asks.
"Killing time," Alan shrugs, "It's going to be pretty much autopilot until we get there. Don't you like games?"
"I've got better thing to do," Kayo sighs.
"Better than fighting zombies?" Alan asks and Kayo brings up a large yellow hologram, "What is all that?"
"Technical readouts of the asteroid mine. We should be prepared if something goes wrong," Kayo explains.
"This is a taxi mission. What could go wrong? Did I mention we have zombies?" Alan states.
"Go ahead, conquer the undead," Kayo sighs.
"Serious as always," Alan says and Kayo shakes her head at him.
"Really, Alan?" Kayo asks.
"I'm just saying," Alan replies.
"You say that as if it was a bad thing. I'm just thinking ahead," Kayo fires back.
"Well everyone did say you were the serious one out of us three," Alan says.
"Three?" Kayo questions.
"Fermat," Alan adds shortly.
"True. I still believe we missed something," Kayo mutters and sighs, "He was exactly like his father."
"I know," Alan mumbles and looks down into his lap.
"To loose him then your father…" Kayo trails, trying to find the right words, "It's tough."
"Except we were there with Fermat," Alan states, "In my father's case Captain, well now Colonel, Casey showed us footage from the Zero X. We weren't there."
"I guess," Kayo nods.
April 23rd, 2060 - 07:12 NZST
Alan falls asleep while Kayo does some usual checks on Thunderbird 3. Then a beeping sound.
"Kayo, I'm t-transmitting the latest estimates. Even at your current speed, any delay would make rescue impossible," Brains explains.
"Hmm, that is cutting it close," Kayo says and reaches over to wake up Alan by, lifting one of her shoulder straps, "Alan, wake up. You need to see this."
"Ah, I'm not asleep," Alan says and clears his throat, "Ugh, gross. Space drool. I didn't get you did I?" Kayo shakes her head. "Latest telemetry?" he continues.
"Yeah, we're really cutting it close," Kayo informs.
"No problem. We're only using 65% of the ion fusion engine's power. We'll just speed up a little," Alan shrugs and goes to reach of the leaver.
"A word of caution, Alan," Brains warns, stopping him, "Increasing your velocity will get you there faster, but it will also g-greatly c-complicate your deceleration sequence. I'm worried you'll use up all your fuel."
"Brains, it's me. I can handle it," Alan smiles and turns to Kayo, "You better strap back in."
Alan pulls the leaver forward again and Thunderbird 3 accelerates again, rocketing towards the Sun. Kayo puts down a special visor over the cockpit windows. Even their sunglasses won't protect them from the Sun's glow now.
April 23rd, 2060 - 07:45 NZST
Finally, in the distance, the couple spot the silhouette of the asteroid.
"Time to slow down," Alan says and contacts John to let him know of their position, "This is Thunderbird 3. Preparing for deceleration sequence." However, John never gets the message because as soon as Alan finishes his sentence they get hit with the solar flare that rips them apart, sending Thunderbird 3 into an uncontrollable spin — towards the Sun.
"Proton storm," Kayo cries.
"Shit. Everything's going haywire. Now we've fucking lost main power," Alan manages to get out before losing connection to Thunderbird 5 and Tracy Island. "FUCK!" Alan yells and slams his fist against the control unit as the dials go haywire, "Navigation controls aren't responding. Ah, everything is fucking dead. We can live without comms, but without navigation and propulsion, there's no way we're stopping. What happened back there?"
"We were hit with a massive solar flare," Kayo states.
"Well, it's a good thing Brains designed the ship to withstand that amount of solar radiation," Alan says, "Otherwise, we would have just been microwaved."
"So, what now?" Kayo asks.
"I need to do a hard reset. We'll power back up and hope everything works," Alan says and works on it and then looks at his controls, "Let's see. And everything doesn't work. Kayo this is kinda bad. I need those engines to slow us down, otherwise we'll shoot right past the asteroid and into the Sun along with it."
"Can it be fixed?" Kayo enquires and Alan shrugs.
"I don't know," Alan says and he presses the comms button, "International Rescue, this is Thunderbird Three, do you copy?" Unfortunately, he only gets static and tries the comms button again. "John, are you there?" he tries again but with no success, he turns to Kayo, "Kayo I don't know what to do."
"We're gonna be okay, Alan. Let's take it slow and remember your training," Kayo says.
"Yeah..." Alan mutters and then remembers something, "Yeah!" He sits his chair back and floats over to a control panel, "Okay, we need to get these covers off."
Alan continues his attempt to repair the systems. Kayo holds a new module and looks out of the portal just to see them go flying past the asteroid. "Alan, we just flew past the asteroid."
"Okay, and me a new module," Alan orders and she passes it to him.
"It's getting hot out there," Kayo says.
"Here goes nothing," Alan says and he puts the new module in and attempts to restart them. He taps his wrist controller which comes to life with a hologram of Thunderbird 3. "Ha-ha!"
"Yes!" Kayo celebrates.
"We've got navigation and propulsion," Alan smirks, "Strap in, I'm turning this thing around." He activates the engines at just the right time. It stops the spin of the rocket and brings them back on course in the direction of the asteroid.
"Okay. We've matched speed with the asteroid. It's a whole lot bigger up close," Alan muses.
"We're still safe from the solar radiation. It's really the heat to worry about," Kayo winces, "We need to get inside the asteroid. It should protect us from the heat."
Thunderbird 3 zooms down towards the surface of the asteroid and heads inside to find the docking door also known as the front door due to the fact that it was the only was to get in, "Well, there's the front door. But we still don't have a working comm channel. We can't even let him know we're here," Alan says.
"We could always go out and knock," Kayo laughs at her own joke but Alan gasps.
"That's exactly what we're gonna do!" Alan says.
"I was joking," Kayo scowls.
"I'm not," Alan smiles and Kayo shakes her head, "Can you help me rig up some kind of electro-magnetic interference generator?"
"Sure, but what good will it do other than make their console squeal?" Kayo quieres.
"One word; Doorbell," Alan says and sends out the signal, "Remember when I was little and my dad would make us all practice Morse Code."
"You used to say it was the biggest waste of time in the universe," Kayo giggles.
"I never knew why his insisted we learn some ancient binary pulse code. Until now," Alan explains and as if on queue the door opens for them.
"How did you know he wou—?" Kayo asks.
"To work on Galvanna Mine you have to be space rated. Morse code is still a requirement," Alan says.
"And..." Kayo smirks knowingly.
"It was uh... in the readouts," Alan says, embarrassed and moves Thunderbird 3 down into the hanger.
"B-Boy, was I surprised to h-hear that M-M-Morse code, Alan and Kayo," a guy says.
"Who are you? And how do you know are names?" Kayo asks and gets ready for a fight.
"Yeah," Alan adds.
"Y-You probably f-f-forgotten me s-since my ac-accident," the person continues.
"Uh, you know we just risked our lives to come and save you and we need to know who you are," Kayo says.
"I th-th-thought you knew," the guy continues and starts to walk out of the shadows.
"Who do you thing this person is?" Kayo whispers.
"I know as much as you do at this point," Alan replies.
"More c-confident now Alan," the guy says and exits the shadows.
"FERMAT!" Alan and Kayo cry.
October 2nd, 2059 - 18:10 CET
The mission was simple in theory: extract a group of scientists who had gone missing during a top-secret research expedition. Alan, Kayo and Fermat's eyes scanned the information on the screens in front of them. Fermat leaned in closer, his eyes narrowing as he read through the intel. "T-T-This is g-g-going to be one for the b-b-books," he murmured, a hint of excitement in his voice. Alan nodded solemnly. They knew all too well that no mission was ever as straightforward as it seemed on paper. Yet, the three friends had faced challenges before, and they had always come out on top. They were a well-oiled machine, each playing their role to perfection.
Unfortunately, what awaited them on that isolated island was something none of them could have ever predicted. As they entered Module 2, they assembled the Heilpod that would carry them to their destination, Fermat slapped Alan on the back. "R-R-Ready for a-a-another chapter in our epic s-s-saga?" he asked, a broad smile playing on his lips. Little did they know that this chapter would be one none of them would ever forget, and for one of them, it might be their last.
Upon reaching the island, the friends found themselves in the heart of a raging storm. They drop out of the Module with Virgil's clearance. Their advanced navigation systems had detected a disturbance in the weather patterns, but nothing could have prepared them for the sheer ferocity of the tempest that greeted them. Rain lashed at the cockpit windows, and the winds howled like a pack of wild beasts. Alan's knuckles turned white as he gripped the controls, fighting against the tumultuous skies.
Their mission was simple: locate the missing scientists and bring them home. However, the moment they touched down, everything went haywire. An explosion rocked the ship, and Fermat was thrown from his seat. He vanished into the inky night, swallowed by the storm's rage. "Fermat!" Alan screamed over the din, his heart racing. But there was no response, only the echo of his own voice and the incessant wail of the wind.
Kayo, unflappable as ever, immediately sprang into action. "We must find him," she said through gritted teeth, her eyes scanning the monitors for any sign of their friend. The ground beneath them was treacherous, a mix of mud and debris. Visibility was almost zero, the rain blurring the landscape into a chaotic mess of shadows and lightning flashes. The urgency of the situation weighed heavily on them as they donned their waterproof gear and ventured out into the storm.
As they searched, the gravity of the situation began to settle in. The scientists were out there, somewhere, but so was Fermat, and with every passing second, hope dwindled. The wind tore at their clothes and the rain stung their skin, but they pushed on, driven by the unspoken bond that had held them together through so much.
They found the scientists. Fermat on the other hand, never came home that day.
April 23rd, 2060 - 08:03 NZST
"How'd you…" Alan trails as he tries to form the words.
"L-L-Let's do introductions l-l-later," Fermat says, "U-U-Unfortunately we need t-t-to find a-away off this r-r-rock. Have you n-n-noticed the temperature o-outside? W-W-We're done for. If we leave t-t-this rock now w-w-we'll melt!"
Kayo walks over to the holographic screen that is located behind Fermat and has a look at the red warning symbol which has gone blood red. It is called the blood warning for the fact that the chances of survival are so small that blood is almost guaranteed to be spilt.
"Fermat's right. We've run out of time," Kayo sighs, "There's no way Thunderbird 3 can survive out there now."
"Are you fucking with me right now?" Alan asks, "You except me to accept that we're just gonna sit here and accept our fate."
"Unless y-y-you believe in m-m-miracles," Fermat states.
Alan looks over to Kayo and stares at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Kayo asks as her cheeks turn slightly pink.
"I think I may just have one," Alan says.
"What do you mean?" Kayo asks.
"All we need is a big enough kick to move this asteroid a few degrees," Alan states, "We'll slingshot around the Sun. Instead of crashing into it."
"That would be i-i-impossible. We d-d-don't have e-engines," Fermat responds, "This is a rock in s-s-space."
"You do have explosives, don't you?" Kayo asks.
"E-E-Explosives? Oh, we d-d-do have those," Fermat says and leads them to another part of the asteroid which is filled with explosive canisters. Kayo and Alan enter led by Fermat who stops by a stack in the centre. Kayo looks at the stacks around the sides.
"They c-call th-these crackers. They'll s-s-split an asteroid in t-two if you put them in the w-wrong place," Fermat explains.
"But if we position them in the right place..." Kayo says.
"It'll give us the push we need," Alan smiles, as they push three carts to where they need.
April 23rd, 2060 - 08:26 NZST
In the mining station, Alan, Kayo and Fermat make a dash towards Thunderbird 3 in order to hide from the explosion and get ready to launch. From the storage room, they'd manage to move all by one of the explosives to an area on the opposite side of the asteroid to Thunderbird 3 that remained underground, so they didn't get cooked. They all buckle into their seats ready for take off back to Earth.
"Y-Y-You've certainly a-a-attended some classes s-s-since we last saw e-e-each other," Fermat directs towards Alan.
"We should be save here when those nukes go off," Alan muses.
"I hope this works," Kayo mutters.
"Here goes nothing," Alan states and begins a countdown before remotely activating the explosion. Despite being in the safe confines of Thunderbird 3, it is just as well they had all strapped in as the explosion rocks the large red rocket. The trio hold onto their seat straps tightly as they're all shook about like popcorn in a microwave. When the shaking stops, Kayo pulls up a hologram of the asteroid and the Sun.
"It's working!" Kayo cries, "We're changing course!"
"G-G-Get in!" Fermat smiles.
"Phew!" Alan sighs, "Now we just need to make it around the Sun without burning to a crisp."
April 23rd, 2060 - 08:54 NZST
It doesn't take too long for the asteroid to make it halfway around the Sun. While Alan keeps an eye on the navigation, Kayo has her watchful eye on the temperature readouts.
"Temperature readings are maxed out. If it wasn't for the asteroid protecting us we'd be done for," Kayo gulps.
"W-We j-just wait it out then," Fermat says and looks over to Alan," Take a n-n-nice trip around t-t-the Sun and b-back to h-home we go."
"Not exactly," Alan admits.
"W-What do you m-mean?" Fermat asks.
"We have a slight problem..." Alan trails off.
Kayo is continuing to monitor the temperature gauge which is on red and brings out a larger map of what Alan had been looking at which shows the current trajectory of Thunderbird 3.
"Oh. That's not good. We're low on fuel and this asteroid is going in the wrong direction. Away from Earth," Kayo explains.
"And we don't have a working comms channel," Alan adds.
"S-Shit," Fermat says.
April 23rd, 2060 - 09:01 NZST
Alan and Kayo work on the ship a bit to fix the comm channel. Kayo holds out a module for Alan.
"I'm an idiot," Alan says.
"Can you be more specific?" Kayo asks.
"My brothers always say I make it look so easy. Like I don't even try. I think I started to believe them," Alan replies.
"None of this is your fault, Alan. It's a mission. Things do go wrong," Kayo explains.
"But I wasn't ready. Now we're probably gonna die," Alan sighs and Kayo puts her hand on his shoulder.
"Oh, don't say that. You've been through worse," Kayo says and puts her other hand on Alan's opposite shoulder forcing him to look at her, "You've saved so many lives including mine. When was the last time we didn't put our lives in danger?"
"But that doesn't change the fact that I've never been this far away from everybody. We're all alone out here. Brains, my brothers... they can't help us," Alan says.
"Look, Alan, I known you long enough to be certain that you don't need anybody's help. Those 18 years of knowing each other has taught me a lot," Kayo says and then puts in the last module, "That's the last module. Fire it up."
"It works!" Alan shouts and as everything starts to work again. He celebrate by grabbing Kayo and pulling her into a tight hug, relieved that they've re-establish the communications channel on board Thunderbird 3. The couple rush back to their seats and make an attempt at contacting Tracy Island.
"Alan, Kayo, what a relief," John says as they appear in hologram form to find everyone in the lounge.
"In case you were wondering, back side of the Sun looks exactly the same as the front," Alan says trying to make a joke from the bad situation.
"We're monitoring your fuel situation," John notes.
"Yeah, it could be better. We'll report back as soon as we have a solution," Alan informs.
"F-A-B. Tracy Island out," John acknowledges.
"We've almost completed our orbit. Temperatures are dropping a little," Kayo says, "I think we made it through the worst, as far as the 'getting melted by the Sun' part goes."
"I c-can't believe t-that they d-didn't n-noice me," Fermat says.
"We still don't have enough fuel to get back to Earth, though. We'll be stranded," Alan says.
"Don't worry you'll think of something," Kayo nods.
"Just give me a minute," says Alan.
"If only we could get a little extra kick in the right direction," Kayo thinks, frustrated and looks over to Alan who was looking over to her with a weird expression on his face. "What?"
"A kick… A kick! Fermat did we use all the crackers?" Alan enquires.
"One left. F-F-For just in case," Fermat replies.
Alan calls Tracy Island to confirm their plan with them.
"Hey guys. I'm gonna try something, but it's a little crazy." Alan says.
"Alan Tracy crazy, or 'should I be worried' crazy?" Scott asks.
"R-Really S-S-Scott?" Fermat interjects.
"FERMAT!" everyone cries.
"Son!" Brains exclaims.
"Guys let's not get distracted," Alan says and explains the plan to them while Kayo positions that last cracker underneath Thunderbird 3. "We're sitting right on top of that last explosive charge. When it goes off it should shoot us from the asteroid like a cannonball. Along with our own engines that should give us enough velocity to get back to Earth."
"I've m-mapped your precise spin using telemetry data from Thunderbird 5," Brains explains, "I'm transmitting to you now the exact moment at which to launch. The margin of error will be less than one half second. You'll only get one shot at this."
"Otherwise we fly off in the wrong direction, I got it," Alan says.
When Kayo gets back they get strapped in and set the last explosive.
"Coming up on launch, we better strap in," Kayo says, "Here we go. Three... two... one..." At the exact moment needed, Alan pushes the Thrust Control lever to maximum. "Fire."
Thunderbird 3 is catapuled out of the asteroid and into space. With Alan's perfect timing, they're now on a course heading back towards Earth causing Alan to sigh in relief. "It worked," he says, "We're heading in the right direction. With just enough fuel to get us home."
"ETA to Earth three hours," says Kayo
April 24th, 2060 - 12:37 NZST
"We're all proud of you Alan," Scott says.
"No big deal. I wasn't worried at all," Alan says.
"That's a lie," Kayo says and Alan gives Kayo the look.
"Well I think I'm going to turn in," Kayo admits, "I need a break."
"What at 11:40 in the morning?" Gordon says.
"Let her," Virgil chuckles.
"What about Fermat?" Brains asks, only to receive a sad look from Alan.
"He didn't want to come back," Alan explains, "He just wants to have a private life away from International Rescue. A normal life."
Everyone looks at each other downcast but understood Fermat's reasoning. "I'll head back up," John says and walks away.
"I'm going to have a rest as well," Alan says and makes his way back to his room only to find Kayo sitting on his bed with a small smile on her face yet looking a little nervous.
"Do you mind?" Kayo asks.
Alan smiles. "Not at all."