February 24th, 2061 - 03:01 NZDT
Brains, Alan, Kayo, Scott and Marion stand on the roof to watch a meteor shower in the clear night sky. Sally comes out with a tray and makes her way to Scott and Marion who are stood on the very edge of the roof with Scott staring intently at the sky, whilst Alan, Kayo and Brains talk amongst themselves.
"Wow, great idea coming out here, Brains," Alan states.
"It's a r-rare opportunity, Alan," Brains explains, "The Leonid Meteor Shower is only this strong every thirty-three years. And seeing those tiny carbonaceous deposits vaporize in the atmosphere always give me a warm, happy glow."
"Yeah, you said it... I think," Alan mutters confused causing Kayo to giggle at his reaction.
"You've been awfully quiet tonight, Scott," Sally notes walking over to him, "Something on your mind?"
"Oh, just admiring the view Grandma," Scott says turning to face her, "Helps when you have someone to share that experience with." He turns to face Marion, who blushes in response and smack his arm.
"A full-on meteor shower and here you are staring at the moon. Not that I'm surprised," Sally chuckles, "Your father was the same way before he became an astronaut."
"Sometimes I wonder what it would've been like for Neil Armstrong to land there almost a hundred years ago," Scott muses.
"Don't look at me, I'm not that old," Sally says with a kind smile and the trio let out a light chuckle.
"Boy, it's really coming down," Scott notes and presses his finger to his ear to activate the communicator, "Base to Thunderbird 5. Everything all right up there, John?"
"I'm fine, but we may have a situation developing. According to my readings, this meteor shower's about to become a perfect storm," John explains, "I'm showing multiple debris fields projected to hit the far side of the moon, right on top of Shadow Alpha One."
"Dad's old moon base?" Scott questions, "I thought it was abandoned?"
"I checked the crew manifest. Captain Taylor is still up there," John says, "And he's not responding to my calls."
"Has the base been hit?" Scott asks.
"Not yet," John informs, "But if we don't get up there soon, Dad's best friend is history."
5...4... 3... 2... 1... Thunderbirds are Go!
Inside the lounge, Scott, Marion, Alan and Kayo have gathered and are observing at large hologram that John is displaying on the table. John's hologram appears above it and he shows the approximate impact zones of the meteors.
"Thunderbird 5 how long before the first meteor wave makes contact?" Scott asks.
"Less than thirty minutes," John replies, "And the strikes will only get worse as the moon orbits deeper into the debris field."
"Keep trying to make contact," Scott orders, "Alan, Kayo, M and I will fly Thunderbird 3 up to the station and see if the captain needs a lift."
"Sweet. Thunderbirds are go!" Alan says as him and Kayo sit down on their chairs. He quickly turns to Scott as he walks out the room, "Sorry did you want to say that?"
"Forget it," Scott yells and disappears from view as the chairs start to head down.
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 once Alan and Kayo have been lifted inside.
2
Alan and Kayo's chairs roll up to the controls with Scott and Marion already in the passenger seats behind Alan.
1
The rockets start up.
Thunderbirds are Go!
February 24th, 2061 - 03:24 NZDT
The ascent is swift and unforgiving, the horizon line blurring as Thunderbird 3 punches through the atmosphere. The pressure mounts, the roar of the engines a constant companion to the crew on board as the horizon becomes a memory as the ship breaks free of Earth's embrace, leaving behind a trail of fiery plasma that arced like a neon ribbon against the velvet sky.
The stars grew closer, the moon a steadfast sentinel in the distance. The ship's instruments beep and whirr, a symphony of reassurance that all is as it should be. The vastness of space stretches out before them, a canvas of infinite potential, as the moon grows larger in the cockpit window.
"Thunderbird 5, any word from Captain Taylor?" Scott asks.
"Still quiet. I went through the station's logbook while you guys were gearing up. Turns out Shadow Alpha One was decommissioned six months ago," John explains.
"So why would the captain still be up there?" Scott asks, "And when has Lee Taylor been quiet about anything?"
"I... Can we just go back a step? What's this guy's story?" Alan asks.
"Well, he and dad were part of the original team that built the base," Scott answers, "You and Kayo may be too young to remember, but Captain Taylor used to assist International Rescue when we were first starting out."
"And the stories he could tell about life in space were pretty wild. Even by Dad's standards," John explains, "Taylor literally wrote the book on lunar survival."
"Sounds like an interesting guy if you as me," Marion smiles.
"He sure was. The problem is that book was written a long time ago," Scott says.
They arrive over the moon with the meteors are fast approaching the surface of the moon. Thunderbird 3 heads down towards the surface of the Earth's satellite that is pockmarked the ancient craters that have coursed by former meteors. Alan levels out Thunderbird 3 and flies parallel to the surface. Marion marvels at one particularly large round crater that is littered with ragged edges. In the distance, Kayo could finally see the station.
"I have visual on the station," Kayo says.
"Well, no time for a landing. Open the outer hatch and M and I will drop down to the surface. Once we're out, move clear of the strike zone," Scott says as he, along with Marion, unstrap from their seats, "We can't risk our ride home getting damaged." Everyone puts their helmet on as Alan prepares to open the outer hatch. Scott puts on his space jetpack and sets up a harness to connect with Marion on their way down.
"I can't believe this is my first space mission," Marion mutters.
"Well, you've gotta start somewhere," Scott shrugs, "At least you didn't throw up like Alan did on his first time."
"Come on Scott, stop the teasing," Kayo giggles.
"Hey! Just remember, the gravity of the moon is a lot less than back on Earth, "Alan interjects.
"It's just a simple landing, Alan," Scott scoffs, "Don't try and scare Marion."
"Don't say I didn't warn ya," Alan mumbles.
"Commencing drop in three, two, one," Scott says and the two launch themselves from the cockpit hatch. They drop down towards the base, with Scott turning on his jetpack and keeping a good grip on Marion's waist.
"Scott, you're coming in too wide," Kayo warns.
"Don't worry, Thunderbird 3, adjusting the angle now," Scott says. However, when he does, the couple zoom haphazardly away from the base. As they pass over the base, they're close enough for the jet blast from the jetpack to disturb some barrels on a loading bay. Scott attempts to land outside but flies off again away from the station. "We don't have time for this. I'm cutting the pack," Scott calls, "Prepare for a bumps landing." With that, he cuts the pack off and falls to the surface of the moon, causing both him and Marion to roll several times before coming to a stop, covered in lunar dust.
"Tell me again how simple the landing will be," Alan smirks over the comms.
"Oh, I miss Earth," Scott groans, "John, what's our time?"
"Meteor impact in five minutes," John informs, and they head inside. They walk along a six-sided tunnel. Singing can be heard in the background and the pair walk around before Scott brings a hologram of the oxygen readouts on his wrist communicator. They are showing as green.
"Hmm, air seems breathable," Scott notes and the couple take off their helmets and place them on a shelf next to another one.
"Looks like we're not the only ones who know it," Marion indicates to the spare helmet and they enter the main control room, which has a large glass circular window.
"Hello?" Scott calls, "Anyone home?" Banging comes from in front of where they stand and Scott cautiously walks to the control panel and looks around, the then turns around to try and find his father's old friend. "Captain Taylor?"
"Fuck!" Marion calls as Taylor suddenly appears in front of her from behind the control panel.
"Well, as I live and breathe! One of Jeff's boys, aren't you?" Taylor queries looking over Marion's shoulder at Scott and then looks directly at Marion, "Who are you?"
"Marion, Sir," Marion replies.
"You must be... don't tell me. Spencer, Cecil?" Captain Taylor guesses and looks at Scott.
"Uh, it's Scott, Sir," Scott says.
"That's the one!" Taylor smiles and turns back to Marion, "So you're Scotty's wife, is it?"
"Actually, we're just friends," Marion blushes along with Scott, both avoiding looking in each other's faces.
"I'll put in under complicated," Taylor notes, "Why you must have grown two feet since the last time I saw you, Scott." He walks over to the other control panels on the opposite side of the room. "Sorry about the mess. Been having some equipment problems. I knew I shouldn't have taken that vacation on the WSS."
"Yeah... I can tell," Scott mumbles finding his voice again.
"Half my day's been spent patching up Alfie's central power relays," Taylor says as he walks back towards the main control desk.
"Alfie?" Marion asks.
"Excuse me. Shadow Alpha Base. My old home away from home," Taylor explains.
"Captain Taylor, we came to warn you. There's a massive filed of meteors coming this way," Scott explains as Taylor whacks the desk which then comes back to life.
"There. I can get this bucket of bolts running again," Taylor says as the holo-screen starts to display a warning of meteors, "Leonid's again. I figured they'd be back one of these days."
"We've got Thunderbird 3 standing by. If we hurry, we can make it out," Scott responds.
"Son, by the proximity of that storm we're not going anywhere," Taylor states.
"Sir we gotta get out of here," Scott cries.
"Woah, woah, slow your roll kid. This is the far side of the moon. I eat meteors like this for breakfast. Jeff and I used to sprinkle them in our coffee with some dehydrated cream on the side," Taylor says and sits down as yellow-shaped meteor targets appear on the circular window. Taylor presses a button on the side of the chair that activates the gun controls. The meteors impact positions are then displayed on the screen. The laser on the roof of the base primed to strike. "Meet the ODDM. Orbiting Debris Defence Module. Your father and I came up with it back in '27," Taylor explains, "With this baby at full power those meteors don't stand a chance." Before he can start however, the screen turns off.
"And what, do you make of our chances Captain?" Marion asks.
"Hmmm... 70/30," Taylor muses.
"Oh, seventy, thir— which way?" Scott asks as the meteors approach.
Taylor whacks the desk again with a metal wrench and the holographic screen turns on again. "False alarm. We're back in business."
"Phew," Scott breathes.
"At least that's one problem solved," Marion says as Scott's comms starts to beep.
"Thunderbird 3 to Shadow Alpha Base. Need a lift?" Alan asks as he and Kayo watch the meteors close in on the base.
"Negative Thunderbird 3," Scott says, "Maintain your position outside the strike zone."
"Captain Taylor thinks we can take out the meteors from our current location, "Marion explains, "And for the moment it looks like the only option we've got."
"Cheer up kids. Your dad and I used to get in scrapes like this all the time," Taylor says and sits down and starts the system up again, activating the holo-controls, "Didn't have this fancy set up in the early days either. Back then we had to clear the skies with flashlights and good old-fashioned dynamite. Nowadays the laser response system automatically tracks my movements. Pretty cool huh?" Marion motions to Scott to sit down and help.
"They're two seats Scott," Marion explains. Scott nods and activates his side of the holo-screen and copies Taylor's moves of rotating his seat backwards, hooking up to the virtual controls. The meteor warning is flashing.
"Here we go Alfie. Setting power to maximum. Targeting system initiated," Taylor says. They take the images of the twelve meteors on the holo-screen, both selecting one. "Ready. Aim," Taylor continues and leans his seatback. The laser system outside points up. "Fire!" He pulls his hand back. The laser fires, destroying an incoming meteor.
"Ugh," Scott cries, struggling to learn the new controls, but manages to hit one.
"That's it," Taylor encourages and hits a second shortly followed by Scott's second, then third. They are now targeting the last few meteors. "See ya! Incoming."
"Uh-oh," Marion says but Scott fires and hits the last two successfully.
"Boom! He gone," Taylor celebrates.
"That's it?" Scott asks.
"That's it. Easy peasy, light and breezy," Taylor says.
"Yeah, but that was only the first wave. The strikes are gonna get worse," Scott voices and watches Taylor get up.
"We can take 'em. Alfie's gotten me through countless meteors, solar flares and lunar storms in the past," Taylor explains, "I just can't give up on him."
"Look around you Captain. Don't you think Alfie's given up on you? The station was decommissioned," Scott cries, "Why are you still trying to keep it running?"
"Because it's my home, Scott. Shadow Alpha One may be old but that doesn't make her worthless. This base is a part of me and I'm not ready to say goodbye just yet," Taylor reveals as the meteor warning flashes up behind them again.
"We may not have a choice. The next wave is approaching," Marion says looking up and the two guys head back and sit down again.
"Standby for round two," Taylor says but the system starts to turn off," Not again you crusty old console!" He gets up and starts whacking it again.
"Did we just lose the ODDM?" Scott asks.
"It's worse than that. Take the control. We're looking at another system wide power failure," Taylor explains and runs over to the control wirings on the other side, "I gotta crawl back into the main frame and patch up those relays."
"This is like me with my family's mine all over again," Marion says to Scott causing both to break into a smile.
"That wave is coming in fast," Scott explains, "I can't move quickly enough to blast every meteor."
"You don't have to. Just concentrate on the ones heading for the base," Taylor says.
"That doesn't sound much easier," Scott mumbles as more meteors spin towards the base but Marion gets an idea.
"Base to Thunderbird 5, could sure use some help down here. Is there any way you can show Scott only the meteors that will hit the base?" Marion requests.
"I've been programming an algorithm to track the Leonid's debris field. If it works, we'll be able to predict where the meteors are going to land," John explains, "I just need a signal from the surface to help triangulate the strike patterns."
"Try establishing a link with the ODDM," Taylor interrupts, "That should give you a fixed tracking point."
"Great idea, Captain," John says.
"Don't mention it. Er... which brother are you again?" Taylor asks.
"Ur, let's save the introductions to later, ok?" Scott responds as Taylor punches the console with display the ODDM with John's algorithm.
"Gotya! Coordinates are locked in," John states.
"Thanks Thunderbird 5," Scott says and looks at the screen which shows some of the meteor displayed to green and red to show which ones are danger. "We've got incoming!" Scott starts firing at the meteors and some of them land beside the base forming clouds of grey lunar dust, but he manages to destroy the ones which would have collided directly with it. "It worked."
"What did I tell ya? There's nothing this base can't handle," Taylor says walking back over just as the system shuts down again, "No, no, no." He starts whacking the console again. "Come on you rusty old hunk of junk." As he continues to try and restart the systems, more meteors come in and start to hit the base.
"They got the oxygen tanks!" Marion says before there's another it, "And the life support."
"Alfie's breaking apart!" Taylor cries.
"We've got to go now," Scott says as he notices the base begins to crack.
"I can't argue with that," Taylor sighs in defeat, "The whole base is in danger of decompression. Go, move and unless you want your lungs to burst don't hold your breath." A meteor flies through the glass causing Marion to fall to the floor as air begins to be sucked out. Scott struggles to reach her but manages to grab her arm around and help her up. They quickly leave the room in the direction Taylor had gone and Scott inhales deeply and they lean against the door.
"Thunderbird 5 to base. Are you guys okay?" John asks.
"Still kicking Jim. Er... John. But in a few minutes, there won't be any breathable air lift," Taylor explains as the three of them manage to put their helmets back on.
"I'm sorry Captain, but it looks like Alfie's had all he can take," Scott says.
"At least he's going out in a blaze of glory. I knew I'd have to retire on day, but I never thought it'd be like this," Taylor sighs as they start walking through the base.
"We need to evacuate, but we can't risk Thunderbird 3 flying into the strike zone whilst those meteors are still falling," Marion says.
"There isn't time to wait around either. Our suits will be out of oxygen soon," Scott says.
"We'll have to take the LT," Taylor explains as he plays with his wrist controls.
"The what?" Scott and Marion both ask as Taylor brings an image up on the holo-screen.
"Lunar Transport. It's parked in a hangar on the south side of the base. If we reach it, we can drive wherever we want," Taylor explains.
"Including a rendezvous point with Alan and Kayo outside the strike zone," Scott releases.
"Exactly! Which one is Alan?" Taylor asks and they start moving towards the hangar.
"When this is over, I'll write you a list," Scott says and opens his comm, "Shadow Alpha Base to Thunderbird 3. Are you there?"
"Good to hear from you," Kayo says, "We were starting to think everyone forgot about us."
"John's transmitting new landing coordinates. We need you ready to jet the moment our transport reaches your location," Scott explains.
"F-A-B," Alan acknowledges as he prepares to launch Thunderbird 3, "One amazing rescue coming up."
"Thunderbird 5 to base," John says suddenly calling.
"Let me guess, more meteors?" Scott asks.
"This field is bigger than the last two waves combined," John explains, "The strikes zone's expanding. We can expect some tiny ones to arrive before the main event."
"You call that tiny Thunderbird 5?" Marion cries as large meteors start to hit the base, shaking it with massive bangs.
"Sounds like it came from up ahead," Taylor calls and the group come to a stop as the tunnel ahead of them has ruptured with short circuits and a damaged structure.
"Ah. Can we go through a different tunnel?" Scott asks with a sigh.
"There are no more tunnels, and we wouldn't have time if there were. There's only one thing left to do," Taylor explains and climbs out over the wreckage with Scott and Marion following, "We'll have to run for it!"
"Wait for us," Marion calls. They emerge from the smoking ruins of the base and start to run across the top of the base tunnel. Meteors are landing around them.
"Guys, you're both extremely vulnerable to micro-meteor strikes out there. A single hit could tear your suits apart," John cries.
"Oh, we'll try not to get hit!" Scott calls as he stops by a tower. He spots his discarded jetpack lying out in the dust. Next to the tower, is a large pipe and Scott makes a beeline for it, using it as a slide to land on the surface of the moon. Scott makes a dash over to his jetpack to picks it up and looks at it. What he doesn't notice is that the tower behind him has been hit by a meteor and begins to collapse.
"Lookout!" Marion yells and Scott turns only to have Marion shove him out of the way, causing him to drop the jetpack but avoid getting hit by the falling tower. They get up, hop over the collapsed tower and Marion hadn't Scott his jetpack. They start moving again to meet up with Taylor who is only a couple hundred yards ahead of them.
"Loose something?" Marion smirks.
"Thanks Marion," Scott says.
"Don't mention it," Marion shrugs as they walk up to Taylor, "You did the same for me once."
"Nice jetpack by the way," Taylor comments to the pair, "You know I designed that model."
"Oh really?" Scott questions, "Does it come in blue?"
Taylor opens the hangar doors and enters walking over to the buggy. "There she is. Finest little buggy this side of the milky way," Taylor comments and rests his arm against the tyre of the buggy. It has flames stuck on the sides of it.
"Woah, that's big," Marion gasps.
"That's what she said," Scott chuckles and faces the buggy in admiration.
"Your dad always thought the flames were a little too much," Taylor states.
"I like them. I like them a lot," Scott says and opens his comm channel, "What's Thunderbird 3's position, Thunderbird 5?
"Alan's standing by and the tracking system's up and running. You've got just under a minute before the final wave arrives," John confirms.
"Thanks Thunderbird 5," Scott nods and climbs into the buggy, "I'll drive." Taylor folds his arms and stands next to Marion as they both watch Scott trying all the controls. "Let's see. Um... I don't know what any of this does," he mutters to himself before looking back at Taylor, "You know what on second thought, it's your ride Captain."
"I couldn't agree more," Taylor says as he and Marion climb into the buggy, Scott moving across into the passenger seat on the right and Marion in the middle. Taylor starts it up and manoeuvres the buggy to an outer door the door but the alarm beeps as it stubbornly remains closed. "Ah, door won't open. The power must be down again."
"Does this mean we're trapped?" Marion winces.
"I never said that," Taylor smirks and engages a turbo engine at the back of the buggy and they speed forwards, breaking the door. The buggy comes flying out of the moon base, weightlessly flying for a few seconds before the large wheels come crashing back down onto the lunar surface. It scuffs the ground causing small plumes of grey lunar dust to fly up off the ground.
"Alright!" Scott shouts as he and Marion hold on tightly as they drive along, small meteors starting to land all around them.
"Ha-ha! They don't make them like this anymore," Taylor explains.
"I'm not surprised!" Marion says as she holds onto Scott tightly, who in turn is holding onto the chassis.
"Impact in ten metres. Get ready to turn left," Scott orders.
"Tracy boy back in command. It's just like old times," Taylor jokes as the meteors crash around them with Scott trying to direct them safely.
"Turn right. Turn left," Scott says.
"Make up your mind, kid," Taylor exclaims as the buggy swerves all over the place.
"Multiple fragments incoming. There's no way to turn," Marion points out.
"Straight ahead it is then," Taylor states and meteors narrowly avoid them as they approach a crater which they manage to jump over, landing with a bump on the other side, "WOO! That never gets old." However, they suddenly approach another crater, though this one is larger.
"Captain, look out!" Scott yells and Taylor applies the breaks, and the buggy slides sideways. It is too late, they go up the crater wall and fall down into the crater itself. Taylor tries to go up the opposite wall, but the buggy only slides back down, not having enough momentum to get over the other side. He tries again but with no success. They come to a halt in the bottom, the buggy to not having enough traction to get them over the top.
"Eh, it's too steep. We need more power," Taylor explains as he revs the engine.
"F-A-B," Scott smirks as a plan forms in his head.
"What does that stand for again?" Taylor asks.
"Time for one heck of a kick," Scott replies and climbs form his seat and hangs on the side as Taylor starts up the buggy again. With Scott now underneath, holding onto the bottom securely, he turns on his jet pack. "Now Captain!" They manage to make it out of the crater and into the air. Scott dangles underneath, only holding on with one hand. He grabs back onto the side and pulls himself up into the buggy as they return to the ground, with the help of Marion.
"Whoa!" Taylor says.
"Alright!" Marion comments.
"Yeah!" Scott yells as he sees Thunderbird 3 is now just ahead of them, "There's are stop Captain."
"Scott, the field is expanding. One of the meteors is heading straight for Thunderbird3!" Kayo shouts.
"Impact in ten... nine..." Alan starts.
"It's gonna be a close one," Marion says.
"Hold on kids. We've got one more move left," Taylor says as they advance closer towards Thunderbird 3, meteors falling dangerously close to it, "Activating the ejector seats."
"Ejector—"Scott cries but is cut off by the ejector seats leaving the buggy and landing in the cargo bay of Thunderbird 3 which then shuts, and Thunderbird 3 takes off just the meteors hit.
"So long, Alfie. Thanks for the memories," Taylor says.
Thunderbird 3 takes a sharp turn and the bright red rocket starts its journey back towards the blue-green marble that is Earth.
February 24th, 2061 - 05:12 NZDT
In the lounge on Tracy Island, Captain Taylor stands in the middle of the room with everyone gathered on the sofas.
"...So, there we were. Lee Taylor and Jeff Tracy facing down a solar flare two hundred meters wide when all of a sudden, your father gets the idea to head for a nearby asteroid belt. I said 'Jeff, what are you crazy? You're nuts!' He says 'don't worry about it. We'll hide behind the buckle.' Every asteroid belt has a buckle. A lot of people don't know that," Taylor says finishing one of his stories.
"Could you tell me the part about p-powering with the flare's ionic energy? Max hasn't heard it before," Brains asks as Max whirs beside him.
"Not tonight, Brains," Sally says, "It's getting late, and you should all be resting up for your next mission."
"Ah, but we haven't even told you about our rescue yet!" Alan says from his seat next to Kayo.
"It can wait until morning. Come on, off to bed. Shoo!" Sally says and everyone leaves except for Taylor, Scott and Marion.
"I never got a chance to thank ya guys," Taylor says before looking at Scott, "Your father would have been proud."
"Couldn't have done it without you," Marion says and Scott nods in agreement.
"Shadow Alpha One may be gone, but you'll always have a place here at International Rescue," Scott says.
"Thanks for the offer, but I haven't had a day off in forty years," Taylor declines, "Maybe it's time to slow down for a while. Get back to me in a month."
"Sure, thing Captain. Take all the time you need," Scott says.
"Remind me again, which one was Max?" Taylor asks.
"You didn't read the list, did you?" Marion questions.
"I'm not much of a reader," Taylor defends.
"It's ten names on a piece of paper," Scott deadpans.