June 29th 2066 - 18:57 NZST
Brains and Borender's new Zero-X is almost complete. A few weeks ago, when International Rescue was helping out Dr Furnier in the Amazon, around the same time, Penelope and Parker got the help of Professor Moffat to deliver some of the fuel that had been needed to power the T-Drive engine. It was to their horror that one of Moffat's workers had stolen the fuel, the Centrurium-21, as they had been offered a lot of money to sell it to an unknown buyer, who turned out to be Havoc. Penelope and Parker had managed to fully recover the Centrurium-21 but also recruit Moffat to join International Rescue. Moffat agreed to this, partly because it would mean that she will see Brains more often, and she is now doing some final preparations in London before moving to Mateo Island on a permanent basis.
In the Tracy Island lounge, all the brothers and girls, apart from John and Ridley, had gathered as Brains displayed a large hologram that displays the new Zero-X. Alongside the main body of the new ship, there were also holograms of Thunderbirds 1 to 9 and indicators of where they would slot into the large machine. Thunderbirds 1, 2, 3 and 7 would be used as scouting vehicles to scan the large area of the Oort Cloud they would be looking, in order to find Jeff Tracy. Thunderbird 4 would be kept inside Module 6 and used to get into any tight spaces. Thunderbird 5 would act as Mission Control and dealing with all the communications. Thunderbird 6 would hold onto Brains' tools in case any repairs needed to be made. Thunderbird 8 would be used as a medical centre in case Jeff required any medical attention once he had been found. Finally, Thunderbird 9 would hold any heavy lifting equipment that might be required. Only Thunderbirds 10 and Shadow would remain, where Ridley would be diverting any emergency calls to the local emergency services as urgent and it had been decided that there is no need for Thunderbird S as there isn't any need to be covert.
Scott and Virgil share a look as Brains paces back and forth, pressing down of his tablet ever so often.
"Ah," Scott winces, "He looks worried. Don't you think he looks worried?"
"I can't tell," Virgil whispers back, "He always looks like that."
"My review of the new Zero-X is c-complete," Brains announces, "We're now calling it the Zero-XL.
"And?" Marion inquires.
"Oh," Brains notes, realising he hadn't fully explained himself, "And we'll be ready to l-launch on the July 15th date as discussed. The official search for Jeff Tracy begins now."
"Are you serious, Brains?" Nina gasps and smiles.
"Oh, yes," Brains nods, "All of the simulations c-check out. First, we'll need to load in the Thunderbirds, then we'll..."
"Thank you!" Virgil cries and leaps out of his seat to run over to Brains to give him one of his bear hugs.
"Virgil let him breathe," Gordon chuckles from the balcony.
"Oh, sorry," Virgil awkwardly coughs, releasing Brains. Suddenly, before anything else could be said, the emergency alarm goes off and the hologram of the Zero-XL disappears and is replaced by a hologram of John.
"Sorry to interrupt, Brains," John announces, "But we have a mission report from Thunderbird 10. We have a situation."
5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Thunderbirds are Go!
"Lay it through, Thunderbird 5," Kayo says. John nods and his hologram disappears and is replaced by a fireman.
"This is Chief Carter, of the Anasta Forest patrol," the woman states, "We have an outbreak of fires on the ground."
"Chief Carter, this is International Rescue," Scott introduces, "Do you need assistance?"
"My squad can handle the fires near town, but we need help with the rescue on the ground. Listen to this," Carter replies and forwards an audio message.
"We are in Rescue Scout Troop 216 and there are fires nearby," a kid calls, "Can anyone hear me?"
"There are signals coming from an old Crablogger," Ridley explains as her hologram appears next to John's reappearing hologram, but it's clear that she is rushing around busy, "Thunderbird 10's scans show two Scouts trapped inside."
"All right," Marion nods, "Gordon, Nina, meet Virgil in Thunderbird 2. Scott, take Thunderbird 1, we're going after those Scouts."
"Alan and Kayo can help prepare the Zero-XL while we're gone," Scott informs.
"You need to hurry," John orders, "Those Crabloggers will have sealed oxygen tanks, once they run out the Scouts won't be able to breath.
"Try not to wreak the Thunderbirds," Brains adds, "If we don't launch the Zero-XL soon, we can't attempt another r-rescue for years."
"FAB," everyone agrees.
"I w-won't have t-time to build new ones," Brains calls.
"Brains don't look so worried," Virgil shouts as he walks away.
"I always look like this!" Brains deadpans.
8
Thunderbird 8 awaits in a small hanger, separate to the modules.
7
Thunderbird 7 pulls out from a hanger underneath Thunderbird 1 to allow Marion to get inside.
6
A crane lifts Thunderbird 7 onto a platform as Nina drives Thunderbird 8 down to the modules.
5
Virgil's rocket painting tilts backwards and Scott, Nina and Gordon descend to get suited up.
4
The pod equipment and Thunderbird 8 are loaded into Module 2.
3
Nina and Gordon board Thunderbird 2 via the passenger elevator.
2
Thunderbird 2 taxis down the main runway and comes to a halt allowing the ramp to raise.
1
Thunderbird 1 comes to a stop as the swimming pool above starts to retract.
Thunderbirds are Go!
June 29th 2066 - 10:11 SAST
As International Rescue approached the Eastern Coast of South Africa, they connect to Thunderbird 5's call channels. John has been talking to the Fire Chief for almost an hour now, taking about the logistics of the fire; the possible causes and evacuations. As John got an update on Thunderbird 7's location he decided to inform the Chief.
"Chief Carter, four Thunderbirds are headed your way," John informs.
"Be careful," Carter responds, "Fire conditions are extreme. A single spark can burn through an acre in minutes."
"Did you catch that Thunderbirds 1 and 7?" John asks.
"FAB, John," Marion replies, "Tell Chief Carter to focus on the town and I'll meet up with her to set up Mission Control."
"We'll handle the rescue," Scott continues, "What's the condition of the Crablogger? Can we drive it out?"
"Negative," John states, "The battery and defences appear to be intact, but the engine and propulsion are down. From what I can tell, it's been parked in that forest for a very long time."
"Alright, Thunderbird 2?" Scott calls, "I'll head in and rescue those, Scouts. But we'll need a cleared path on the ground for back-up. Can you make a firebreak for us?"
"Are land pods green?" Nina smirks.
"Does Parker need breath mints?" Gordon jokes.
"We're on it, Scott," Virgil smiles.
"FAB," Scott smiles and watches as Thunderbird 7 races ahead towards the town. He changes frequencies to the one provided by Thunderbird 10 to contact the Crablogger, "Thunderbird 1 to Crablogger vehicle. I'm almost at your location."
"Did he say Thunderbird one?" he hears one of the kids, a boy, mutter.
"Sure did," Scott replies and sees the burning forest in front of him. He flies directly into the thick black smoke and searches for the vehicle. After a moment or two, he sees a small breaking in the smoke and sure enough, in the centre of it is the Crablogger. Scott breathes a sigh of relief as he sees that the vehicle is undamaged by the smoke. "Sit tight, I'll airlift you out of there," Scott calls. As he prepares his grapple line, he hears a warning alarm over the coms unit, "What's happening?"
"The Crablogger," the second Scout, a girl replies, "I think it senses there's a fire."
Not a moment later, there's a hissing sound that appears to be coming out of a series of vents that go all the way around the Crablogger. A plume of white gas erupts around the Crablogger causing Thunderbird 1's engines to start cutting out. Scott struggles at the controls as he tries to keep Thunderbird 1 in the air and not come crashing down into the fire instead.
"What's happening?" the boy asks.
"The Crablogger's sending out fire suppressant gas, but it's jamming my engines," Scott states as Thunderbird 1 starts to spin around and head towards the forest floor, "Aw, come on!" The spin of Thunderbird 1 somewhat helps Scott, in that it takes him away from the Crablogger, removing the effects of the gas. Once the Thunderbird 1 is back under Scott's control, Scott fires up the main engines and flies away from the scene in defeat knowing that the first attempt at rescue has failed.
"Mission Control," Scott calls, "I can't get close enough for an airlift with the fire suppressant gas flowing. It's clogging my engines. I'm gonna have to jet pack in."
"FAB. Thunderbird 2 is almost to the ground," Marion replies, "Did you get that Virgil?"
"FAB," Virgil responds, "Configuring land pods now. We'll come get you."
Inside Module 2, Gordon is assembling one of the Fire-Fighting Pods. These were a new design that Brains has come up with. It is essentially a smaller version of Module 1, where two sound cannons are attached to the back of a traditional Gecko Pod. Meanwhile, on the other side of the module, Nina is assembling her fire equipment into the back of Thunderbird 8 and has the crane at the back of the Thunderbird free to remove any fallen trees that might be blocking the way.
"Standby for launch Thunderbird 8," Virgil calls.
"Systems check complete. Brakes are on," Nina says, "We are go for module deployment." Module 2 is then released from the main body onto the forest floor and Nina waits for the hatch to open for her before pressing the button to start the engine up.
"Thunderbird 8 is go!" Nina says and starts to move Thunderbird 8 out of the module.
"Land pod is go," Gordon announces, not long afterwards. Once the pair are clear from the module, Virgil then collects the module back with the main body before firing up the VTOL engines and getting away from the burning forest. Gordon looks up at the retreating Thunderbird 2 before looking across to Thunderbird 8, "Come on, let's clear a path."
"Okay, try using your sound cannons," Nina calls as she presses a button in front of her that brings up a turret up in the roof of the 4x4.
"Ready... aim... blast it!" Gordon calls. He turns on the sound cannons while Thunderbird 8 starts firing large quantities of foam at the fire. The small area of fire is quickly put out by the combination of the foam and sound wave blast, but they soon run into a problem. The fires around them are still raging on and a falling tree only lights up the area that they just put out.
"Erm... this may take a while," Nina sighs.
"Keep at it. I'm getting to the Crablogger now," Scott responds over the coms. He then changes frequencies to Thunderbird 7, "Mission Control, I'm switching Thunderbird 1 to autopilot. Please can you keep an eye on her."
"FAB," Marion responds, "Good luck."
Scot then gets on his helmet and attaches his jetpack to his back before walking to the cargo hold. On the nearside wall is a switch and he pulls it down to open the bay doors and takes a look at the inferno below. The fire seems to be getting bigger as the dense black smoke obscures Scott's view of the Crablogger more. He takes a deep breathe before jumping out of Thunderbird 1 and slowly lowers himself towards the white mist in the centre. As he goes into the gas, he sees the entrance door to the Crablogger control room and goes to open the door but finds it locked.
"Can you let me in?" Scott requests.
"We don't know how," the girl says, "The door's locked."
"I think the gas just ran out," the boy states as another alarm goes off.
"I think you're right," Scott muses as he notices the white gas start to dissipate rapidly and the fire around the Crablogger once again rolls in to surround the vehicle. Scott turns around but immediately ducks as a large fireball blows up in his face as several trees tumble to the floor.
"Mission Control, it's about to get toasty down here," Scott calls.
"The Crablogger's designed to automatically lock down when it senses fire," Marion states as she helps a family out of their house, "I'm patching in John."
"Okay," Scott nods, "And how do we unlock it?"
"Top front section," John indicates, sending the information to Scott's wrist communicator, "The sensor's up there."
"Not for long," Scott grunts. He makes his way up to the top of the Crablogger and to the control unit that John had indicated for him to access.
"Hurry, Scott," John calls, "Exposure to that radiant heat will soon be deadly."
Scott growls and fires a laser into the control unit as he tries to disable it.
"The door just opened!" the girls cries in delight.
"Stand clear," Scott replies as he closes the unit back up again and flies back down to the door, "I'm coming in. A-ah!"
Scott manages to peel the door open slightly and shimmies himself inside. He sees the Scouts immediately taken aback by the extreme heat coming from the outside. Using his strength, once Scott steps inside, he pulls at the door again in order to close it and prevent any injury to the children from the extreme heat.
"Thanks," Scott smiles and turns around to face the Scouts, "I'm Scott by the way."
"My name is Beatrice, Bee for short," the girl introduces, "I'm a Condor Scout. And that's Henry, he's a Buzzard."
"Did you see that fire?!" Henry exclaims, "Now we're REALLY going to cook."
"Nah. We'll stay cool in here as long as we have battery power," Scott replies and indicates to the battery power indicator on the controls, "My brothers'll have the fire contained soon. We just need to wait."
"See Henry, remember the oath arrest," Bee states, "A Rescue Scout is..."
"Is calm," Scott takes over, "A rescue scout is brave, never scared, always prepared to help, to guide, to save. I was a Rescue Scout, too. Made it all the way to Falcon."
"No... way!" Henry cries in amazement.
"Way!" Scott chuckles and removes his helmet, placing on the stood next to him, "So, what badges are you working on?"
June 29th 2066 - 10:26 SAST
Outside in Thunderbird 8, Nina does her best using all her 6 years of experience as a firefighter to try and put out this forest fire. She remained close to Gordon in the Fire-Fighting Pod as that would be their best chance of tackling the fire, but it is no use. Gordon sends out another blast of the sound waves before sighing in defeat.
"We're barely making a dent," Gordon says.
"I'll take over," Virgil calls as he flies over their location, "Fall back you two." Thunderbird 8 retreats along with Pod A back towards the open area where Thunderbird 2 had landed earlier. They watch as Thunderbird 2 circles back and heads towards the area that they were tackling the blaze. "Mission Control," Virgil states over the coms, "Be aware I'm launching suppressive grenades."
"FAB," Marion acknowledges.
Thunderbird 2's turret lowers beneath the cockpit and starts to launch a series of grenades. He spreads them over a large area and starts to put out some of the smaller fires, where the intensity of the flames is less concentrated. It works a treat as the smoke starts to clear and a little bit of sunlight starts to show through the blanket.
"Oops, missed the spot," Virgil shouts as he deploys some more grenades towards the small patches of fires that had been isolated from the main blaze.
"Yes!" Nina celebrates, "You gotta get Thunderbird 8 some of those."
"Nicely done," Gordon comments.
"Remember," Virgil states, "This firebreak might be our only path out once we reach Scott and extract the scouts. Do you think you can keep it clear?"
"Does a Gecko Pod climb?" Gordon jokes.
"Do Grandma Tracy's waffles taste like...?" Nina adds with a giggle.
"Guys!" Virgil complains.
"Sorry. We're on it," Nina laughs and starts moving back out.
"Yeah, on it," Gordon says and stays close to Thunderbird 8 as they move back in to maintain the path out to the launching area for Thunderbird 2.
"Mission Control," Virgil calls, "We've completed the firebreak."
"Excellent work, guys," Marion smiles "I'll inform Chief Carter. We're maintaining the fire at the edge of town. However, I'm reading two new fires, spreading near your path."
"Eurgh! I'm out of suppressing grenades," Virgil groans and contacts Thunderbird 5, "John, where can I fill the module for a water drop?"
"There's a reservoir up the ridge," John informs but better make sure with the chief that that's alright to do."
"Permission granted," Carter says, using Marion's com link, "Use as much as you want."
"What about the Crablogger?" Virgil asks.
"Finish the water drop first," John orders.
"Yeah," Marion adds, "Scott says they're safe... for the moment."
June 29th 2066 - 10:33 SAST
Inside the Crablogger, Scott is now sitting down on the floor with Bee to his left and Henry to his right. He is teaching them some of the stuff that he learnt when he was a Rescue Scout back in the late-2040s, early-2050s.
"And now the last part," Scott explains, "Go through the loop, around the top. And there. That's how you tie a triple fisherman's knot. It's the strongest one in the handbook. How did yours turn out?" Bee display's her knot to Scott and Scott beams at her, "It perfect!" He then looks over to Henry, who isn't looking so happy. He lifts up his knot to present to Scott and it clearly hadn't worked at all and is a jumbled mess. "Er... let's... let's keep practising," Scott smiles encouragingly.
"How do you tie them so fast?" Bee inquires.
"I used to practise with my dad. He taught me everything I know about being a Rescue Scout," Scott replies. An alarm goes off coursing Scott to stand up again and walk over to the control panel and winces at what he sees. The Scouts follow him and Bee points over to the monitor.
"We're down to half hour," Bee indicates.
"Uh," Scott sighs and presses down on his satchel, "Scott to Mission Control. We'll need a way out soon."
"FAB," Marion replies, "Virgil's just finished filling up the module for water drop. However, we have a situation of our own, the fire is spreading fast. At this rate the fire department won't be able to hold it back."
"Stand by, Mission Control," Virgil replies, "I've got a module full of water on the way to you now."
June 29th 2066 - 10:38 SAST
Thunderbird 8 releases another load of foam out of her cannons and into the blaze. Gordon has kept the sound wave blast on the whole time and both he and Nina had put ear defenders on to protect them from the long exposure.
"Steady..." Nina calls across to Gordon, "Keep holding the line."
"Heads up, guys, here comes the drop," Virgil announces.
"Huh?" Gordon questions before a huge splash of water covers the Fire-Fighting Pod, almost throwing the pod off balance.
"Ha-ha-ha!" Nina laughs, "Nice one, Virgil. That's Gordon's first bath in weeks."
"Oh, it's been two days!" Gordon grumbles.
"What would Lady Penelope say?" Nina giggles.
"Ugh!" Gordon groans.
"Virgil," John informs, "I'm reading multiple new outbreaks on my screen. That dry ground is spreading new fires by the second."
"Scott needs my help," Virgil fires back, "I don't have time to put these fires out one by one."
"We need a way to flood a wider area," Nina states, "That dam at the end of that reservoir. What if we open it?"
"That would cool things down," Virgil agrees, "Mission Control, is it possible?"
"Here's the Chief," Marion replies.
"The flood doors have rusted shut," Carter explains, "That old dam should have been demolished years ago."
"No better time than now," Virgil states, "Gordon, I'll need you to plant demolition charges. Nina, use Thunderbird 8 to dig a barrier to keep the town from flooding."
"I'll need the module to reassemble the pod," Gordon informs.
"You got it," Virgil replies as he looks for the same spot as earlier to land, "Mission Control, how's the town?"
"If we pull this off, it'll be just fine," Marion smiles.
"Once the module's down, I'll head for the Crablogger," Virgil replies.
"Er, Virgil, the power is draining fast," Scott notes as a fan above him starts fluttering, "We're down to 10%."
"FAB," Virgil responds, "We'll move as quickly as we can. Module deployed."
Gordon makes his way over to the module as the door opens up to allow him to back inside. However, before he could get back to it a large flaming tree falls over directly in front of the module, preventing Gordon from re-entering.
"Guys, I've got a roadblock," Gordon calls.
"I'll take care of it," Nina shouts and makes her way over to Gordon's position and approaches the tree in Thunderbird 8. The rear-end of the 4x4 opens up and a large crane comes out of the back, extending outwards. Nina's seat turns around and goes in front of a control panel, where one of the back seats would be and starts to manoeuvre the crane arm. She places it over the tree before lowering the crane to grab onto it. Once it is secure, Nina lifts the tree up and moves it to the side. "You're clear," Nina announces.
"Cheers, future sis," Gordon jokes and makes his way over an into the module where Gordon de-configures the Fire-Fighting Pod and configures a traditional Gecko Pod to head over to the dam in order to plant the explosive charges.
"Thunderbird 2 to Crablogger," Virgil calls, "I'm on my way."
"Hurry, Thunderbird 2," Scott replies, "The battery's nearly drained."
"Is this where we make a run for?" Henry asks nervously.
"No, the flames are too intense outside. It's safer to wait for Thunderbird 2," Scott dismisses and presses on his satchel to contact the incoming 'bird, "Virgil, sending a dam full of water will flood the Crablogger. You'll need to lift us clear first."
"FAB," Virgil acknowledges.
"We better strap in, Henry," Bee says to Henry, who rushes over to the box of supplies that they found, "Do you need help with the knot?"
"Thanks, but I can do it," Henry smiles and makes his way over to a couple of metal pipes and sits down in front of them, "Through the loop, round the top and... there we're ready."
"Yes, you are," Scott smiles like a proud father.
June 29th 2066 - 10:49 SAST
Outside the Crablogger, Thunderbird 2 arrives on the scene and hovers directly above the large vehicle. Virgil works at the controls of the cables as he tries to get a good lock so he will be able to lift the vehicle out of harm's way.
"Firing cables," Virgil says. Thunderbird 2's cables all hit their target and Virgil puts the VTOL engines to work. However, the huge Crablogger only groans as the sound of metal tenses. It lifts a few inches off the ground but that is it. Virgil strains at his control pad as he tries to lift the Crablogger further, but to no avail. "This thing is beyond heavy!" Virgil mutters, "I can't lift an inch further without straining my engines.
"Gecko Pod checking in," Gordon calls, "I'm ready to take out the reservoir."
"Hang on, Gordon," Marion replies interrupting the coms, "Not until Scott and the Scouts are cleared."
"Oh, we can't wait any longer," Scott cries as he finishes securing himself, "This room will be hotter than an oven once the battery goes."
"Remember the oath..." Bee says, "A Rescue Scout...
"Is calm," Scott finishes, "Thank you. Sometimes even WE need to be reminded." Everyone, listen up. We only get one shot at this. Let's make a count."
Gordon quickly makes his way off the dam and onto one of the hill sides, out of the way of the coming water flow. Meanwhile, Nina moves the last of the dirt in creating a small dam that will prevent water from reaching Thunderbird 7 and the town. She makes her way over to the town once the wall is completed in case any water does make it over and to help Thunderbird 7 with the continuing evacuation of the town. From inside the Crablogger, Scott brings out his autopilot controller and starts to move Thunderbird 1 over the Crablogger. When it arrives next to Thunderbird 2, Scott actives the grappling cables controls and looks for a lock on the vehicle that would be fairly central. Once the lock indicator goes green, he fires the cable, and it attaches to the roof.
"Thunderbird 1's in position," Scott announces. He then opens up the undercarriage of Thunderbird 1 using his fingertips on the small hologram of Thunderbird 1 on his wrist controller, "Launching drones." The two drones that are stored inside Thunderbird 1 are launched and one approaches the front of the Crablogger and the other from behind. Then, the drones themselves fire two cables of their own and they make a lock. A loud alarm then goes off inside and Scott knew what that meant, "The battery's gone. It's now or never."
"Gordon," Virgil orders as the Crablogger begins to lift higher into the sky, "Take it down."
Gordon presses the remote detonator and watches as the dam crumbles after two large explosions cause the aging structure to shatter into pieces. He is high enough so that the rushing water that streams past him misses the Gecko Pod completely.
"Now!" Virgil calls and there is a huge lift in the Crablogger, bringing it several metres into the air and above the tree line. He hears the sound of rushing water that is followed by steam hissing. A large turret of water flows through the forest putting out the large fires and washing away any fallen trees. The thick black smoke that covers the area starts to disappear and bright sunlight is now seen from above. Thunderbirds 1 and 2 suspends the Crablogger in the air for a few more moments as they wait for the rush of water to pass them. However, the weight is now becoming too much for the remote drones and one fails and goes crashing into the river below.
"No!" "Argh!" "Whoa!" everyone inside the Crablogger cries as they are pushed into their rope holders.
"Henry!" Bee yells fearing that his rope would fail but swiftly sighs in relief as she sees that he remains secure in his seat.
"The water's gone," John says to Virgil, "Set it down."
The two Thunderbirds starts to gently lower the Crablogger and Virgil breathes a huge sigh of relief as it lands safely back down on the ground, leaning back in his seat and realising his control pad.
"Woohoo, yeah!" Nina celebrates as she sees that her dirt dam does its job correctly and prevents all the water from reaching the town.
"Oh!" Scott grunts, "This is Crablogger. I'd say these two Scouts eared some badges today."
"All fires have been extinguished," Marion announces, "And I'm glad to report there is no damage to the town."
"Great news, Mission Control," Scott smiles, "We'll make sure Henry and Bee get home safe."
"Thank you, Scott," Bee says.
"And can you thank your dad for us too?" Henry inquires, "I mean, if it wasn't for him, you might still be a Buzzard like me."
"I hope I can tell him that soon," Scott smiles in return, "But I don't think you'll be a Buzzard much longer, Henry. You're both going to be Falcons, I know it."
June 29th 2066 - 22:03 NZST
Inside the lounge, everyone has gathered once again as Brains goes over the damage report from Thunderbird 2 after Virgil put the VTOL engines under too much stress. Everyone is looking around nervously as Thunderbird 2 would be important for keeping Thunderbird 4 under control and its storage space in Module 6.
"Well, this feels familiar," Virgil says nervously.
"It appears the strain on Thunderbird 2's engines wasn't too s-severe," Brains reports as Max beeps in agreement in the background, "Every Thunderbird can still be used in your f-father's search."
"Brains, I could hug you," Virgil beams as he gets up out of his seat.
"Please don't," Brains winces, knowing how that felt earlier.
"The report came back on the fire," Ridley informs as her hologram appears on screen, "Turns out it was natural causes, not the Chaos Crew."
"Does it seem odd that they haven't made a peep in weeks?" Nina queries.
"It does," Kayo nods, "No news may be very bad news."
"Scott... are you okay?" Marion asks as she watches her fiancé walk sadly over to Jeff Tracy's desk.
"Yeah," Scott says, taking a deep breathe before turning around to face everyone, who are now looking over at him expectantly, "Yeah, I am. In two weeks, we assemble the Thunderbirds..."
"...Let's go get Dad."