November 15th 2067 - 08:33 NZDT
The lush green landscape of Tracy Island is covered with the orange sky cascading a warm glow over the main villa. Unlike most of their mornings since the discovery of The Black Phantom, today the atmosphere is calm. On the deck of the pool, Alan and Kayo sit on lounge chairs, enjoying the cool breeze and sipping on their morning coffees that Alan had made for them. The couple have recently come back from the Tracy Industries Headquarters in Kansas City and are taking a well-deserved break.
As they begin to get comfortable, Marion rushes over to them with Walter in her arms. Walter is now eight-months old and everyone on the island have gotten used to the presence of a baby being around 24/7. Marion still hasn't returned to her IR duties yet except for saving Conrad's siblings a few months ago. Kayo looks over at Marion with concern in her eyes and gets up to see what's wrong.
"Everything okay, Marion?" Kayo asks.
Marion shakes her head and Kayo offers to take Walter off her which Marion greatly accepts. "I'm so sorry but I have a family emergency in South Africa," she explains, "My father has fallen ill. Could you look after Walter while I'm gone?"
Scott is still being forced by his father to take time off from his injuries that The Black Phantom gave to him. To keep him busy, Jeff sent him over to a World Council Meeting in his place so he could enjoy his retirement more. The political situation in his eyes had changed significantly since his return from the Oort Cloud and isn't prepared to put his toe back in those waters just yet.
"Of course," Kayo smiles, "I'm sure Alan won't mind. Right, Alan?"
Alan, who is now reading the International News Headlines looks up and nods. "Increases the chances of me being the favourite uncle," he jokes.
"Thank you so much," Marion breathes and gives Walter a kiss on the forehead before darting away once again.
Kayo sits down again beside Alan and Walter snuggles up into her side.
"He's so adorable!" Kayo exclaims and tickles Walter's tiny feet. This causes Walter to let out a giggle causing the hearts of Alan and Kayo to swell with love for their nephew.
"He's a lucky kid to have a family like us," Alan states as he brings his phone up and pulling up the camera app taking pictures, capturing this precious moment. Kayo notices this and starts playing peek-a-boo with Walter, cooing, and making funny faces to make Walter laugh. Alan can't help but be in complete awe of Kayo. While he has seen plenty of times the Kayo behind the serious and focused persona, there is something about seeing her with a baby that just made his heart melt.
Kayo notices that Alan has remained silent and the clicking of the camera has stopped, indicating that he isn't taking more photos. She looks up and sees Alan holding an expression that she has yet to see come from him and raises her eyebrow questioningly. This causes Alan to snap out of his daze and lets out a fake cough before looking down.
"What is it, Alan?" Kayo asks.
"Nothing," Alan responds and Kayo glares out at him causing Alan to rethink his answer, "Okay, okay, okay, I'm just thinking."
"About?" Kayo questions as she allows Walter to start playing with her fingers.
"You being an awesome mother," Alan mutters.
Kayo's eyes widen in surprise and a light pink blush captures her cheeks. She looks away from Alan shyly and instead decides to focus her attention back on Walter, who is loving the attention that she is giving him.
"Care to explain?" Kayo whispers.
"I mean, you have all the qualities of a great mother," Alan explains, "You're caring, strong, and always put others before yourself."
Kayo glances up slightly and see the sincerity in Alan's eyes and this causes her to blush a deep shade of red, unable to express what she is truly feeling inside. She never has considered herself as mother material, but Alan's compassionate words linger in her mind. Alan goes silent once again, watching Kayo intensely. No eye contact is made but Kayo eventually gets up from her lounger with Walter in her arms and turns to sit beside Alan on his before resting her head on his shoulder.
"Kayo?" Alan asks, worried slightly and adjusts his head slightly so he can look at Kayo's face and notices a couple of tears falling down her face, "What's wrong?"
"If our children turn out to be half the person you are, I'll be the proudest mother on Earth," Kayo murmurs.
"Well, I can't imagine anyone else being a better mother than you," Alan says and fixates his gaze on her.
Kayo feels her heart skip a beat at his words and her cheeks flush once more. While she has always been focused on her work this has caused her to never really think about starting a family. However, when she looks at Alan now, she starts to picture a certain future for herself.
The couple's gazes lock, and a sense of understanding passes between them. Without any words, they both lean in and share a passionate kiss, with Alan covering Walter's eyes causing Kayo to let out a small giggle at his stupidness. They eventually pull away from each other and turn to watch the last of the sun rise over the horizon.
Suddenly, Alan frowns for a moment before smirking and looking over at Kayo with a cheeky glint in his eye.
"Proudest mother only on Earth?" Alan questions.
"Oh, for fu–"
5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Thunderbirds are Go!
November 15th 2067 - 09:21 NZDT
Meanwhile on Thunderbird 10, John had arrived earlier in the morning from Thunderbird 5 as he had a meeting with Lieutenant Burroughs from the GDF. It had taken a couple of hours, but it has given him a lot to think about. Currently, he sits on the sofa inside the International Rescue Headquarters with a cup of coffee as he waits for Ridley to return from her own weekly board meeting with the heads of each department that operate on Thunderbird 10. John takes a look at his watch before he hears to doors slide open and a very frustrated Ridley walk in.
"Pussy's," Ridley grumbles as she beelines for the coffee machine.
"Tough meeting," John asks as he takes a sip of his own brew.
"Too fucking right," Ridley sighs, "How was yours?"
"There's a new GDF Space Exercise," John muses.
"Oh?" Ridley questions and raises an eyebrow, "What's it about?"
"It's a training exercise for new recruits," John explains as he leans back in his seat, "They will be simulating a rescue mission on a stranded space shuttle."
"Sounds promising," Ridley nods, "When will it take place?"
"Next week," John replies, "I've been asked to oversee the exercise and I was thinking if you wanted to join me."
"That sounds like a great idea," Ridley exclaims as her eyes light up with excitement, "It's been a while since we had a chance to properly work together like that."
"Yeah," John smiles, "It'll be just like old times."
However, before they have a chance to discuss anything further, the mission alarm goes off and EOS' camera appears on the holo-table.
"John, I'm picking up a call from Mars," EOS informs.
"Play it, EOS," John orders.
EOS's holo-image disappears and is replaced by Dr Travers. John remembers her from the Mars Colony mission from 2062. His eyes narrow with concern. If Dr Travers is calling it must be something important.
"Calling International Rescue, this is Mars Colony-1," Dr Travers states.
"Dr Travers," John replies, "This is Thunderbird 10 receiving you loud and clear, what's the situation?"
November 15th 2067 - 09:21 NZDT
"This is a tough one," John explains as he relays the information that Dr Travers had given him to Tracy Island, "Dr Travers has two different groups missing. One has Captain Taylor and two children. The other is a survey team looking at a proposed new colony site."
"Trust Taylor to get into some kind of scrape," Alan remarks but is silenced by a stern look from his father. Kayo is yet to join him in the lounge as she had gone in search of Nina to look after Walter.
"Both groups have the only long-range exploration vehicles," Ridley continues, "And they are both out of the colony's radio-range so she has no idea what could have happened to them."
"Then we'd better go prepared and with as many hands as we can spare," Jeff states, "Brains, how many Pods can we fit aboard Thunderbird 3."
"Only t-two, Mr Tracy," Brains replies, "But I'll have as m-many different attachments as I c-can be l-loaded with them. We ought to b-be prepared for anything out there."
"Agreed," Jeff nods, "And I suggest a crew of five go out there with two on each of the search parties and one acting as Mission Control."
"Sounds good to me," Virgil says, "Some heavy lifting might be required."
"Thank you, son," Jeff smiles.
"I'll go, too," Brains calls, "And I'll bring M-MAX as well. His sensors might c-come in handy."
"So that's two," said Alan. "And I'm the pilot, Kayo is the co-pilot, so that means one more has to come."
"Indeed, I am," Jeff confirms much to everyone's surprise.
"Jeff, you're not serious?" Sally inquires.
"Sure am," Jeff confirms firmly, "I've been so busy catching up that I've not even gotten round to sending a message to Lee. he probably doesn't even know that I've even been found."
"Well, whoever goes, we have to be quick," John announces, "We don't know what the situation of the missing personnel even is. We can't keep them waiting."
"You're right, John," Jeff agrees as Kayo finally enters the room, "It's time to gear up. Thunderbirds are go!"
5
Alan and Kayo descend and start to get suited up.
4
Two red pods are loaded into Thunderbird 3's cargo hold with Brains and Max inside one and Virgil in the other.
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 Jeff in the passenger seat behind Alan.
1
Thunderbird 3's rockets start up.
Thunderbirds are Go!
November 15th 2067 - 09:27 NZDT
As soon as they are clear of the Earth's atmosphere, Alan sets in the correct trajectory that will get them to Mars in the shortest space of time. "Course set," he informs, "Firing ion engines in three, two, one!" He pushes the throttle and Thunderbird 3 rockets away from the Earth.
From their position aboard Thunderbird 10, John, Ridley and EOS watch Thunderbird 3 disappear.
"You look worried, John," EOS observes, "They've been to Mars before, you know."
"It's not them I'm worried about," John says, "Well, I guess I'm worried about Dad. this is the first time he's been in space since we brought him back from the Oort Cloud and…well he's not exactly had the chance to contact Captain Taylor and tell him that he's alive. I'm worried what reaction the Captain's going to have when he realises his best friend's been back on Earth for over a year now and hasn't even called him. I just hope he'll be understanding."
Inside Thunderbird 3, Jeff too is thinking the exact same thoughts as John as they head across space.
"Everything okay, Dad?" Virgil asks, noticing how quiet his father is.
"I feel awful, Virgil," Jeff replies honestly, "I've been back on Earth for around a year now and yet I did not have the time to let my best friend know that I was home. Heaven knows how he'll react."
"Well, if I was him, I'd be over the Moon," Alan states, "Don't worry, Dad. I'll stick up for you."
"Thanks, Alan," Jeff responds as a small smile forms, "But I must confess all to Lee myself. It's a best friend's honour."
Alan, Kayo, Virgil and Brains say no more as they continue on their way towards the red planet.
November 15th 2067 - 11:19 NZDT
Thunderbird 3 is soon approaching Mars and Alan cuts the ion-engines. After entering orbit, they get in touch with Dr Travers to try and learn more about the situation.
"Mars Colony, this is Thunderbird 3," Alan says, "We're in orbit. Could you direct us to the locations of your missing crews, Dr Travers?"
"Glad to see you, Alan," Dr Travers smiles as she appears from the holo-projector, "Captain Taylor took my son Paul and his friend to Coil Valley which is out to the East of the colony. Evie Kahurangi and her team of surveyors went to examine the Test Site Delta which is off to the West. Both are just beyond the horizon, and we have no means of contacting them as we've not been able to set up long range transmitters yet."
"And them being absent for so long suggests they're in trouble, Doctor?" Jeff enquires.
"Yes," Dr Travers replies with a puzzled frown, "Er, I'm sorry, I don't think we've met? Which brother are you?"
"My apologies, Dr Travers," Jeff laughs, "I'm Jeff Tracy, the boys' father."
"J-Jeff Tracy?!" Dr Travers gasps and blinks, staring at him in disbelief as her hands flying over her mouth, "THE Jeff Tracy?! But how?! I thought-"
"Later, Doctor," Virgil interrupts, "Can you send us the locations of the areas they went to? They might not have much time."
"Oh, yes, of course," Dr Travers says, recovering and quickly sent the information to Thunderbird 3's computer, "There you go."
"Thanks, Doctor," Kayo replies, "We'll go find Captain Taylor and the kids first. Then the survey team. We'll keep you informed as soon as we can. Over and out."
"Good luck," Dr Travers responds. As Thunderbird 3 signs off, she sits back into her seat in a state of complete shock. "Jeff Tracy is alive?!" she mutters out loud to herself, "God, I wish I could see Taylor's reaction when he finds out."
November 15th 2067 - 11:24 NZDT
It doesn't take long for Thunderbird 3 to reach the area of Mars where Taylor's MEV is meant to be. However, after completing a full flypast of the area from above, they cannot see any sign of it.
"This doesn't look good," Alan, remarks, "Surely Taylor can't have gone any further than this?"
"We'd get a b-better look if we searched at g-ground level," Brains observes, "M-Might I suggest you drop myself, M-Max and Virgil down here to look for them? Then you and M-Mr Tracy can go and f-find the survey t-team."
"Actually, Brains, I'd better come with you," Jeff interjects, "I need to be the one to find Lee and reveal that I am still alive to him."
The others aren't sure about having Jeff do this but they also know that they aren't going to be able to change his mind so they agree. As Alan comes into land, Kayo sets up her Mission Control station and prepares the necessary equipment. Inside the cargo hold, Jeff flicks a switch turning on the lights, illuminating the red pods. Going over to the holo-pad in the corner, he selects one of the options which causes the machinery in the cargo hold to get to work. On the other side of the room, Virgil does the same ready for his and Alan's departure later. The pods have several pieces of equipment that attaches to them. When they are assembled, Jeff and Brains hop inside the pod and wait for the cargo doors to open, allowing them to exit Thunderbird 3 with Max in front. This is to allow him to scan for any potential hazards as well as find any potential clues about the mission MEV.
"Pod Explorer is go," Jeff announces as they drive away from Thunderbird 3.
"Be careful, Dad," Alan replies, anxiously.
"D-Don't worry, Alan," Brains answers, "I'll take g-good care of him. You just w-worry about that survey team."
"FAB," sighs Alan as he fires up Thunderbird 3's engines again and lifting off leaving Jeff, Brains and Max to explore alone.
Virgil looks at his youngest brother and can see the concern in his eyes. "It's okay to be worried, Alan, but I'm sure Dad will be fine," Virgil says.
"It's not Dad I'm worried about," Alan replies, "He spent eight years living alone in space. He's no stranger to this kind of danger. It's Taylor though. How's he going to react when he discovers that his best friend is not only alive but has been home for months and yet didn't even call to let him know? What if he attacks him?"
"Alan, Taylor is a professional," Kayo frowns, overhearing the conversation, "He knows the dangers of space better than anyone, other than Dad of course. He won't hurt Dad, intentional or not. Trust me."
Alan sighs again, internally this time. He wants to believe Kayo and Virgil but there is something niggling in the back of his mind that makes him fear the potential wrath his father is going to get from an angry best friend. Not that he'd ever known Taylor to be angry.
Outside with the Pod Explorer, Jeff looks around as he drives across the surface of Mars. It brings back some very fond memories. Even Brains, who'd never been to Mars before is admiring the beauty of its rustic red landscape.
"B-Beautiful, isn't it, Mr Tracy?" Brains remarks.
"Indeed it is, Brains," Jeff replies, "I still remember taking my first ever step on this planet after trying to get through a severe dust storm. I wonder if my footprint is still there after all this time?"
"From what Alan and S-Scott said after their first t-trip here it is preserved under a g-glass case just outside the c-colony," Brains explains, "That's why the s-site was originally c-chosen for it."
"Remind me to go see it before we leave," Jeff comments with a huge grin on his face.
Just then, Brains gets an alert from Max. "Hold up, Mr T-Tracy," he calls, "I t-think Max may have found s-something." Looking through the controller in front of him which shows a live video feed from Max, Brains can make out what looks like crawler-track marks in the dust on the ground. "Well done, M-Max!" he congratulates, "He's found v-vehicle tracks! Lead the way, Max!"
Max does so and Jeff follows him along the trail of tracks with the Pod.
November 15th 2067 - 11:38 NZDT
Finding the second missing MEV proves to be no challenge at all for Alan, Kayo and Virgil. As soon as they fly over the site, they spot the upturned vehicle at the bottom edge of one of the cliffs.
"There they are!" Kayo cries.
"I'll suit up," Virgil informs, "Alan, take us down close. I don't think we'll need a Pod for this one."
Alan complies and lands Thunderbird 3 in the crater a short distance from the crashed MEV. Virgil puts on his Jaws of Life and after exiting the space-rocket, hurries over towards it with Alan not far behind. Upon reaching the MEV they find that despite being upside down it still appears to be largely intact.
"No sign of visible damage," Virgil reports, after inspecting the exterior. "Hopefully that means it's still air-tight and the oxygen systems aren't damaged."
Alan looks along the side and found a door. "Hey, Virg? Is this the airlock?" he indicates.
"I believe so," Virgil confirms as he has a look at the door, "Open it up. Carefully, though!"
Alan is careful as he opens the door. It is indeed the airlock so they both climb inside before closing it behind them. They then go inside the MEV and find the crew still unconscious in their seats.
"They're still alive," Alan notes with relief after checking them all for pulses, "That's something at least. But how did they even end up like this?"
"I guess the best thing to do is ask once we wake them up," Virgil replies. He begins to unfasten one crew from her seat so he can place her down on what is the ceiling of the MEV's cockpit, so she is no longer upside down. Alan does the same with the other female crew member and Virgil then goes to tend to male once he had made first female comfortable.
As he props the second female up against the wall, she let out a moan as she starts to come around. "Ouch, my head," she groans, "What happened?"
"It's okay, ma'am, you're safe," Alan says and takes a small bottle of water out of his utility sash, "Here, have some of this."
The female appears to be still not quite with it so Alan helps her have a swig of it. She then opens her eyes a bit more before looking at him. "Who are you?" she asks, wearily.
"I'm Alan. I'm with International Rescue," Alan explains, "Your base said you'd not reported in so we came out to look for you."
"My crew?" she inquires, still struggling to keep her eyes open, "Are they okay?"
"They'll be fine," Virgil calls over as he props the male up beside the other female, "Are you Evie Kahurangi?"
"That's me," Evie nods.
Alan sits himself down beside her. "Evie, I know you're not fully with it right now, but can you remember what happened?"
Evie tries to remember what had gone on. "We had been checking the site out," she starts, "Then we went to…" She breaks off suddenly. Her eyes shoot open as she suddenly remembers. "Oh, God! The snacks! Where are the snakes?"
Virgil and Alan exchange puzzled looks.
"Snakes?" Virgil asks, "What kind of snacks?"
"Rocky ones!" Evie cries, "I saw it we were surveying the area and saw some strange rock-like structures and went over to investigate when they started moving and attacking us. We ran and then we fell over the cliff!"
Virgil and Alan are even more puzzled, and now concerned.
"We didn't see any snakes," Virgil comments.
"They must have moved on," Alan adds.
"We have to warn the colony," Evie demands, now looking terrified, "I fear that's where they could be going!"
Virgil and Alan look at each other again.
"Let's get you out of here first," Virgil states, "We'll get you back to Thunderbird 3. Then we'll go and look for these snakes."
November 15th 2067 - 11:42 NZDT
Meanwhile, Max's tracking had led him and the Pod to the mouth of a large cave.
"They must have gone in there," Jeff muses, "What do you think, Brains? Is it safe for us?"
"It seems s-structurally safe," Brains replies as he runs a scan of the cave and glances out the side of the Pod, "But we'd b-better proceed with caution. I'm f-feeling a little apprehensive about those c-coils, Mr Tracy. We went through the v-valley seeing only a few. But here there seems to be q-quite a lot now. Especially around the entrance of this c-cave."
"They're just rocks, Brains," Jeff waves off, "Mars is full of unexplained phenomena. Come on, let's go."
Max leads them inside the cave. The Pod's powerful spotlights illuminate the way. They go around a tight corner and come face-to-face with the missing MEV. As they come to a stop, they watch as a figure exits the MEV and Jeff and Brains decide to do them same. Jeff smiles as he immediately recognizes the man.
"Brian! Spencer! Good to see you both again!" Taylor cries.
"Still can't get the names of my sons right, huh, Lee?" laughs Jeff.
Taylor stops dead and stares at the source of the voice. He squints his eyes over the bright lights of the pod trying to get a good look of the man. He swore that the voice came from someone he hasn't heard in a very long time. His eyes grow wider as he slowly moves closer. Soon he sees a very familiar face in the helmet looking back at him. "It…it…can't be?!" he exclaims, "J-Jeff?! Is that you?!"
"Hello, old friend," Jeff smiles, "Surprise?"
Jeff is secretly on edge. So are Brains and Max. Like Alan they are a bit worried about how Taylor is going to react to the realisation his best friend is alive. What will he do? Would he jump for joy? Refuse to believe it's Jeff? Or even flip out and punch him in a fit of anger? Max is readying himself to jump at Taylor if he did the latter.
"JEEEEEEFFFF!" Taylor yells out in joy and lunges forward and grabs Jeff in a massive embrace, "MY BOY! YOU'RE ALIVE!"
Brains, Max and the children from inside the MEV watch in slight bemusement as the two old friends begin dancing around the cave.
"WHAT IS THIS SORCERY?!" Taylor roars with excitement, "I THOUGHT YOU WERE GONE?!"
"Long story, Lee," Jeff says, "First we need to get you all back to the colony. Where are the kids?"
"Kids?" Taylor question before remembering, "Ah, dang, the kids! They're in the MEV!"
"They are, Mr Tracy," Brains confirms, "I can s-see them."
The two children grabbed their helmets and came outside the MEV.
"Are you International Rescue?" one asks.
"We certainly are, kid," Jeff replies, "We're here to take you home."
"How did you get past the snakes?" asks the other.
Max lets out an alarmed beep.
"Snakes?" Brains questions, also sounding alarmed, "W-What snakes?"
"The snakes that breathed fire and chased us in here," the first child explains.
"We didn't see any snakes," Jeff comments.
"Did you see coils of rock?" Taylor asks.
"Oh yes," Jeff nods, "Plenty of those. There are several outside the cave."
The children quiver.
"Ack, that be them," Taylor grimaces, "They must have given up waiting for us and gone back to sleep."
"Those r-rock-coils outside are s-snakes?!" Brains enquires, "But how? I d-didn't think there was any k-kind of life on Mars?"
"Neither did we," Taylor admits and looks at the children and sighs, "Boy, have I let Dr Travers down. I promised to have these two back for supper."
"Then let's get moving," Jeff orders, "If we're quiet and careful enough we should be able to sneak past and not wake them up."
"After all this time, you're still giving the orders," Taylor chuckles, punching Jeff on the shoulder, "Boy, have I missed that!"
November 15th 2067 - 11:49 NZDT
Having transferred Evie and the other two crew into Thunderbird 3, Alan is now flying the ship over the Mars with Virgil keeping a sharp eye out for the mysterious snakes that Evie had described. Kayo uses the radar scan to follow some strange track markings she spotted in the ground; it doesn't take long for them to locate some strange moving rock forms.
"I have a visual," Kayo announces, "Several moving objects heading due East."
"And heading straight for the colony if they continue on course," Alan adds, "Do you reckon that's where they're headed?"
"Can't be anywhere else," Virgil mutters, "Miss Kahurangi? I presume those are the vehicles you saw?"
Evie comes over and looks on the monitor screen. "Yes, that's them," she confirms, "I hope your ship has better weapons than our MEV. I hit one and it didn't even scratch it."
"Thunderbird 3 doesn't have weapons," Alan states, "We're a rescue team, not an SAS team."
"But you must have something that can stop them?" Evie questions, blinking in disbelief.
"I wish," Kayo scoffs, "Given time we might be able to get Brains to come up with something, but we don't know who these guys are or where they've come from."
"We can get to the colony before they can," Alan says, "Let's hope Dad and Brains have found Taylor and the kids then maybe together we can come up with something."
"Better go pick them up first then," Virgil orders, "We're fast enough."
"FAB," Alan nods and turns Thunderbird 3 to port and hurries over towards Coil Valley.
It is going to be tight.
November 15th 2067 - 12:00 NZDT
Max trembles as he reaches the mouth of the cave and looks around at the coils of rock that he now knows are sleeping snakes. He needs to lead both the Pod and the MEV on a carefully plotted course to hopefully avoid waking them up. If they did, they would be in major trouble.
Jeff and Brains wait in the Pod just inside the entrance whilst Taylor and the kids wait behind. All they can do is hope that their plan would work.
"Lee, does your vehicle have weapons?" Jeff asks.
"Yeah," Taylor replies over the radio, "If I hadn't used it on one of them when they were sleeping then we wouldn't have been in this mess."
"Don't blame yourself, Captain," the first child and Dr Travers' son, Paul says, "You couldn't have known that those coils were creatures."
Taylor is thankful for Paul's kind words, but he still feels responsible for their situation, and he doesn't like to think what Dr Travers or Maddie's, the other child's parents, are going to say to him when they get back.
"We'll defend you," Maddie promises.
"It's t-time," Brains announces, "M-Max has mapped us a safe route. Just f-follow us, Captain. Slow speed and no r-revving the engines unless we see m-movement."
"And have your weapon on stand-by," Jeff advices, "Your cannons may be our best chance of defence if they do wake up."
Taylor isn't keen, but he knows Jeff is right, so he reactivates the cannon. "Cannon ready," he informs, "Lead the way."
Max moves slowly out of the cave followed by the Pod and then MEV. All eyes watch the sleeping snakes with unease. Taylor and the kids clearly note that there are a lot more outside the cave than there had been when they'd first gone inside.
"Easy does it, M-Max," Brains whispers in a hushed tone.
For the next few minutes, the small convoy made their way along Max's route which takes them back to the path that the MEV had been on earlier and then a left to head back towards the colony.
"So far, so good," Jeff remarks.
But their luck isn't to last. Max comes to a sudden stop and let out a series of alarmed beeps. Jeff has to stop the Pod suddenly and Taylor nearly crashes the MEV into the back of it.
"Easy there, Jeff!" Taylor cries.
"W-What's wrong, M-Max?" Brains asks.
Suddenly, the ground about twenty metres away bursts open and the head of a Rock Snake rises upwards. Its giant red eye glaring down at them.
"OH S-S-SHIT!" Brains exclaims in horror as Max squeals and runs behind the Pod in terror.
Paul and Maddie also cry out in alarm and cover their faces, so they don't have to see it.
"FUCK ME!" Jeff yells, "FIRE, LEE, FIRE!"
Taylor doesn't waste a second. He targets the snake and fires the cannon. The snake is obliterated. Within seconds they notice that the other snakes are starting to wake up.
"That's fuckin' torn it!" Taylor cries, "Jeff, we need to make a run for it!"
Jeff and Taylor slam their feet on their respective vehicle's accelerators and they begin to race along the path. Max is grabbed by the crane attached to the top of the Pod and is lifted up so he can be carried along. He isn't quick enough.
The Pod races ahead, and it soon becomes clear that the MEV isn't anywhere near as fast as it.
"We're l-leaving them behind, M-Mr Tracy!" Brains shouts.
"Son of a bitch!" Jeff curses, "Lee, can't you go any faster?"
"Negative!" Taylor replies, "Twenty miles per hour is the maximum she'll do!"
There comes an explosion close to the MEV as the snakes are now awake and shooting their fiery projectiles at the fleeing vehicles. Luckily the Pod is small, so it isn't so much of a target for them, but the MEV is quite a large target, so the majority are focusing their attention on it.
One of the blasts then strike the back of the MEV causing it to shudder and soon smoke is starting to billow out of the back.
"MOTHERFUCKER!" Taylor growls, "WE'RE HIT!"
Brains and Jeff could see the MEV via the Pod's rear-view camera.
"There's nothing we can do!" Brains cries in despair, "It is no use!"
Jeff's heart skips a beat. Their Pod has no weapons at all, but he knows he can't just let the MEV and its occupants be fried – especially as they are his best friend and the other two are children. "Hang on, Brains!" Jeff shouts and spins the Pod around. He then races back over the rough terrain and around past the MEV.
"JEFF, ARE YOU FUCKIN' NUTS?!" Taylor roars, "THEY'LL START FIRING ON YOU!"
"THAT'S THE IDEA!" Jeff shouts back, "WE'LL DISTRACT THE SNAKES WHILST YOU MAKE A RUN FOR IT! NOW GO!"
Gritting his teeth, Taylor gives the MEV's engine as much power as he can, and it hurries up the side of the valley towards the safety of the top. He knows there are no snakes beyond that point so they should be safe providing the snakes don't decide to follow them.
Jeff ignores Brains' frantic wails as he drives in and out between the attacking Rock Snakes as they turned their attention away from the MEV and fire upon the Pod instead. Fortunately, due to its small size it is a lot easier to dodge the fiery blasts.
It is at that moment that Thunderbird 3 appears overhead. Alan, Kayo and Virgil stare in shock at the sight below while Evie goes white as a sheet.
"There's more of them!" Evie whimpers.
"Is that Dad down there?" Alan questions.
"Mission Control to Pod," Kayo demands, "Mr Tracy, what are you doing?!"
"Kayo?" Jeff responds, "Am I glad to hear your voice. Where are you?"
"Right above you," Virgil says, jumping in, "Dad, what's going on down there?"
"Explanations later, son," Jeff orders, "Go get Taylor and the kids out of the MEV. It's damaged. Then we will come to you."
Alan moves Thunderbird 3 over to the damaged MEV which is slowing down after losing power. "Captain Taylor, it's Alan," he calls, "Do you read me?"
"Alan!" Taylor responds, "Glad to hear your voice. We're in a tight spot here."
"I'll set down at the top of the cliff," Alan informs, "Can you get as close as you can then board?"
"I'll do my best," Taylor states, "But she won't last much longer." He turns around to face the kids behind him. "Get your helmets on! We might have to make a run for it."
Maddie and Paul comply and put on their helmets and head for the airlock. Taylor gets the MEV out of the valley and heads towards Thunderbird 3 which is landing nearby. He gets to within thirty yards before the MEV finally conks out and stops.
Grabbing his helmet, Taylor joins the kids in the airlock. "Ready?" he starts, "Steady! GO!"
Together the three run from the MEV to Thunderbird 3. Moments later, the Pod comes flying out from the valley as well with Jeff, Brains and Max having escaped the attacking snakes. No sooner had they all gotten inside Thunderbird 3, Alan takes off again just as some of the snakes reached the top of the cliff and three used their fiery breath to completely destroy the MEV to avenge their fallen comrades. The rest of them then watch as Thunderbird 3 climbs away and disappears from their view.
November 15th 2067 - 12:17 NZDT
An emotional reunion is had back at Colony-1 as Dr Travers is reunited with Paul and Maddie the same with her parents.
"Thank you so much, International Rescue," Dr Travers sighs as she then shakes Jeff's hand, "So pleased to finally meet you, Jeff Tracy."
"Pleasure is mine, Doctor," Jeff responds.
Alan, Kayo and Taylor are last of the group to enter the control room. But as Taylor had predicted, not everyone is pleased to see him.
"You!" Maddie's father cries. He stands up from hugging his wife and daughter and storms over towards Taylor. He let out an angry bellow and swings his right fist to punch him, but before he can land his punch, he is grabbed from behind and yanked back by Jeff before he falls backwards onto the floor. He tries to stand up, but Jeff stands over and gives him a stern glare back.
"Don't you lay a finger on Captain Taylor," Jeff snarls.
"Get out of the way, Mr Tracy," Maddie's father orders as he picks himself up, "That man nearly got my kid killed! I need to give him what he deserves."
"Then you'll have to go through me," Jeff states firmly, "Your move, pal."
Maddie's father readies himself to take a strike at Jeff, but very quickly finds that he couldn't. Not just because this is the mighty Jeff Tracy, but because the hard look Jeff is giving him is making him feel very uncomfortable. "Fine!" he relents and points an angry finger at Taylor, "You've not heard the last of this!" He turns around going back to his family and marching his wife and daughter out of the control room.
"That's not fair!" Paul cries after they'd gone, "Captain Taylor saved us, Mum."
"No, he's right," Taylor says sadly, knowing that the statement isn't entirely true, "I should never have destroyed that first coil so they could collect rock samples. I'm sorry, Doctor Travers." He then turns and walks out of the other door of the control room.
"I'd better check on him," Jeff announces and he heads off after his friend, leaving Brains, Alan, Kayo and Virgil with Dr Travers, Paul and Evie. The two crew members with Evie still haven't regained consciousness strangely so are being taken to the medical bay for observation.
Dr Travers looks at the others who have grim looks on their faces. "Guys," she starts, "What's going on?"
November 15th 2067 - 12:21 NZDT
Jeff finds Taylor alone in his quarters. He is sitting on his bed, looking miserably at the floor. Jeff knocks on the door. "Lee? May I?"
Taylor had wanted initially to be left alone, but when he realises it's Jeff and he is alone he gives a grunt of approval. "Of course, Jeff."
Jeff comes in and closes the door to give them some privacy before sitting himself down in a chair. "I'm sorry," he says.
"What for?" Taylor asks, looking up, "You've nothing to be sorry for."
Jeff sighs. He knew he can't keep the truth hidden from him. "I'm sorry that I haven't been able to get in touch to tell you that I was back on Earth," Jeff explains, "I've been back for over a year now. I should have done it straight away and I didn't. I'm sorry."
He waits for the explosion of anger to come from Taylor, but to his surprise, Taylor isn't mad at all. "Please, Jeff, don't apologise," Taylor says, "Although I have to say, I do wonder if I'm dreaming. I thought you were gone."
"So did everyone," Jeff chuckles lightly, "The boys. My mother. The Global Defence Force. Even The Hood thought it, too."
"The Hood?" Taylor repeats, "Isn't he that guy who was behind your, er, supposed death?"
Jeff nods in confirmation. "I boarded the Zero-X to stop him. He escaped and I only just managed to get control of the ship before the T-Drive activated."
"It activated?" Taylor questions, "I thought it blew up?"
"Nope," Jeff responds, "The footage was deceiving. That was an aftershock following the engine firing. I got blasted off into deep space to an area called the Oort Cloud and I was there for eight years before the boys eventually found me after I managed to get off an SOS which luckily the robot on the Calypso picked up."
"The Calypso, eh?" Taylor ponders, "I heard that had come back to Earth. Two years early I believe. Must have been because the robot got your message and decided to come back to warn the boys."
"That robot was created by Brains, after all," Jeff smirks.
"Brains? Of course!" Taylor cries with a slight chuckle, "I must remember to stop calling him Brian."
"After all these years and you still struggle with my boys' names, Lee," Jeff laughs.
"I can only remember five names from this colony!" Taylor says, "Not that I'm probably going to be here for much longer."
"Why?" Jeff asks, frowning.
"Come on, Jeff, you saw why just now," Taylor exclaims, "I screwed up out there today! I put two young children in mortal peril because of a foolish action of mine. I could have gotten them killed for blowing up that darn Rock Snake! Maybe it's time I really did retire for good."
"Stop it, Lee!" Jeff orders sternly, "You weren't to know that those coils out there were living creatures so nobody can blame you for it."
"Tell that to Dr Travers and young Maddie's parents," Taylor sighs grimly.
November 15th 2067 - 12:25 NZDT
Dr Travers can hardly believe what she is hearing. "Giant snakes made out of rock?" she cries when Paul and Evie have finished, "I just can't believe it. We've been on this planet for a good few years now and we've never come across any other kind of life whatsoever. We've even sent probes up over the planet and they found nothing."
"From what I could t-tell of them, Dr Travers, they m-may only wake up if d-disturbed," Brains interjects, "That would be why your p-probes didn't detect them."
"And there seem to be so many of them," Evie adds, "You hit one with a blast from the MEV's cannon and two more appear."
"And you say they're coming this way?" Dr Travers asks.
"Certainly, looks like it," Virgil confirms.
"What happens if they do get here?" Alan asks.
"Mass devastation, Al," Kayo says simply, "The MEVs are the only vehicles here that are armed for protective purposes only. And as Dr Kahurangi has just stated we need hundreds of them if we're gonna stop them."
"Um, Mum?" Paul interrupts, "The radar."
Everyone looks over at the large radar map on the back of the control room wall. It covers the entire Northern hemisphere of Mars with the colony set in the middle. Now it is showing hundreds of small unidentified objects moving at a slow pace coming from the West.
"That's them," Evie trembles, "They're within the one-hundred-mile radius.
"Then we'd have to evacuate?" Alan exclaims.
"Impossible!" Dr Travers cries, who is now running her fingers through her short brown hair, "We have no ships to carry anyone off let alone everyone!"
"And Thunderbird 3 can't carry everyone either," Virgil muses, "It seems we have ourselves a situation that even International Rescue can't solve."
"Don't let your f-father hear you s-say that, Virgil," Brains remarks.
"What's that, Brains?"
Everyone jumps and turn to see Jeff and Taylor have returned.
"We have a situation, Mr Tracy," Kayo informs and indicates to the radar screen, "Those snacks have crossed the outer border and are heading this way."
"And I thought I'd seen it all," Taylor growls.
"Any ideas, Dad?" Virgil asks, "Cause we're out, I'm afraid."
Jeff watches the board and thinks hard. After a few moments and a tense moment where he looks around and sees everyone looking at him expectantly, an idea forms in his head. "What if we could try modifying the weapons on the MEV's to make them more powerful and try another attack."
"But that would be suicide!" Dr Travers cries, "If it failed, you'd be killed for sure!"
"I never said we had to send someone out with the MEV," Jeff retorts, "Don't you have remote-control up here on Mars?"
"Of c-course!" Brains gasps, realising Jeff's plan, "If we can reconfigure one of the M-MEV's weapons to make it more p-powerful and operate the vehicle b-by remote then if it fails then all we will l-lose is the MEV and n-no lives will be lost. It'll also give us t-time to come up with a P-Plan B if it doesn't."
"And what would Plan B be?" Dr Travers questions anxiously.
"W-Working on it," Brains says, "I'll focus on the MEV and the weapons. Hopefully the r-rest of you can come up with that. I'll also n-need someone with expertise on the MEVs and their systems to be able to w-work on them."
"I can help you," Evie states, "I admit I wanted to be the one to reveal the existence of these machines. But since they nearly killed me and my crew I feel I should help in repelling them from our planet."
"Thank you, D-Doctor," Brains nods, "S-Shall we?"
Evie smiles and leads Brains out of the control room.
Jeff turns to his two sons, Kayo, Taylor and the Travers. "Well," he announces, "I guess we have got some thinking to do."
It is lucky for the International Rescue team and the colony personnel that the snacks aren't fast. Ten miles an hour they are making which makes them half as slow as the MEVs are. This will grant them the time they need to hopefully come up with a solution to try and repel them. However, they are going to need a huge amount of luck if they are to succeed. None of them want to think of what might happen if they failed.
November 15th 2067 - 12:36 NZDT
Brains is glad Evie is there to assist him and Max. Even with the schematics, it's hard for even a genius like Brains to instantly know where the right wires and controls are located in something they'd not seen before.
"Tell me, Doctor," Brains starts as he works on the top-mounted cannon, "How did you end up working on M-Mars?"
"Please, call me, Evie, er, Brains, is it?" Evie replies from inside the MEV's control room as she works on installing the remote-control system, "I'm not actually a doctor."
"Oh, I s-see," Brains stammers, "My apologies. And yes, it's Brains."
"I was born and raised in New Zealand," Evie explains and clears her throat before continuing, "I always wanted to see the stars. It got me into astronomy and physics in High School. However, I failed the classes and afterwards studied building and structural engineering at university. I managed to work on some new skyscraper projects in Wellington and got high praise from clients. And when the surveyor in charge of landscaping and construction of this colony retired, I applied to become the replacement for building the next complex after three possible sites were found. The first two weren't usable. The last one which is where we were today would have been ideal. But then those horrible snake things showed up."
"Fascinating," Brains marvels, "How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Twenty-six," Evie replies.
"Wow!" Brains exclaims, "That's q-quite an achievement."
"Thank you," Evie replies, blushing slightly at the complement.
Brains picks up a spanner so he can adjust part of the cannon when he notices that it seems different to all the other spanners he'd seen in his life. "Strange," he remarks as he examines it closely, "I d-don't think this is m-mine, Max."
Evie climbs up through the open hatch in the roof through which they'd been talking. "Oh, sorry, that is mine," she informs, "I'm left-handed you see so I have a special set of tools tailor-made that I use. Makes it a lot easier for me, you see."
"Incredible!" Brains remarks with intrigue, "I've met m-many different s-scientists and engineers in my t-time. But you're q-quite unique if you d-don't mind me saying so."
Evie blushes even more. She isn't used to getting this level of compliment from anybody. "You're a charmer, Brains," she giggles with a teasing grin, "Although I'm nowhere near the level of genius that you are. I could never have dreamt up the machines you use in International Rescue."
Now it was Brains' turn to blush, which quickly turns into a scowl when he hears a beeping sound from Max which sounded like he is giggling. Max quickly stops when he realises Brains is looking at him and he goes back to working on the MEV's left-side track.
November 15th 2067 - 12:39 NZDT
Dr Travers takes Paul to their quarters and puts him to bed for he'd been awake for well over twenty-four hours. When she returns to the control room, she finds that Taylor and the IR Team are no closer to a solution than when she'd first left.
"I hate to say it," Taylor sighs, "But this could be one problem that even we cannot solve."
"There's always a way, Lee," Jeff dismisses, "Always!"
"Dr Travers," Kayo calls as she studies the radar map, "Tell me about the terrain. Could we use any of it to our advantage?"
"It's rocky and mountainous in some regions," Dr Travers replies, "That could slow them down more to give us more time. Other than that, I don't see what else we can do except pray that Mr Hackenbacker and Evie's modifications to the MEV can do the trick."
"One MEV against hundreds of snakes seems very bad odds," Alan muses, "Couldn't we use the Pods to distract them to allow the MEV to attack without being challenged?"
"Are you crazy, Alan?" Virgil cries, "The Pod's aren't even armed! They wouldn't stand a chance going up against those point-heads!"
"The Pod's are faster, Virg," Alan retorts, "I'm sure I could dodge anything they throw at me."
"Alan, that's enough!" Kayo barks, "Virgil's right. I won't allow you to risk your life like that."
"I'd listen to her, Alan," Jeff notes, "That's why the MEV must be remote-controlled, so nobody gets killed if it fails."
"The firepower must be unlike anything on Earth," Dr Travers muses.
"Say," Alan pipes up looking at the security footage of the snacks approaching, "These snacks are slightly different to the ones that attacked you, Captain."
"Whatcha mean, Alex?" Taylor asks.
"Look at their heads," Alan indicates, ignoring the fact that Taylor had gotten his name wrong, "The ones that attacked Taylor have rounded heads and these ones have pointed heads. What if they're from different tribes or something."
"What are you getting at, Alan?" Jeff enquires.
"Well, surely these are rival tribes being in close proximity?" Alan guesses, "So even if the MEV does get destroyed they would end up in a firefight between themselves?"
"It's an idea, Alan," Taylor agrees, "But this group are nowhere near to Coil Valley. The only way to get them to go there is to divert them around the colony and there's always a chance they could break up into separate groups."
"Alan," Jeff adds, "Your suggestion has potential, but as Lee said, the problem is controlling the battlefield which could go badly wrong. Also, we don't know if these are rival groups of rock snakes. No, I'm afraid remote-controlled MEV is our best option for the moment."
Alan throws his arms around in exasperation and walks the window to calm down slightly. He thought it had been a good idea. Brains then calls up over the radio.
"Mr T-Tracy, we're ready," Brains informs.
"Thanks, Brains," Jeff replies, "Who's going to pilot the MEV?"
"My pleasure, Mr Tracy," Evie's voice answers.
"Evie helped design the MEVs," Dr Travers explains, "She knows them better than any of us."
"She'd do better than I could right now," Taylor thinks to himself.
November 15th 2067 - 13:43 NZDT
MEV-3 heads away from Colony-1 on its dangerous and probably one-way journey across the Martian surface towards where the point-heads are coming from. Due to the distance and speed of the vehicles it will take a couple of hours before it gets within range. Evie knows of a good vantage spot to position the MEV so hopefully get the advantage over the snakes.
"Range to target, thirty miles," Evie announces, sitting at the control desk and operating the remote control for the MEV, "Will reach the position in about an hour."
Dr Travers, Taylor, Brains, Jeff, Virgil, Alan and Kayo stand in a semi-circle around Evie's chair and watch the monitor screen which shows a live feed from the MEV's forward-mounted camera. They do their best to stay quiet and let Evie concentrate on what she is doing. Any loss of concentration could scupper their hopes. It's then that Alan suddenly spotted something.
"Hold up," Alan calls and point to the screen, "What's that on the left?"
Evie turns the camera and zooms in to where Alan has pointed. Everyone's eyes widen slightly at the sight of the strange rock formation.
"It's a round headed coil!" Virgil exclaims.
"Just like the snakes when they were asleep!" Taylor agrees.
"And there's more in the distance," Kayo adds.
"They m-must've followed us h-here," Brains states, nervously.
"But that means my idea could work after all?" Alan asks, hopefully, "If they are another tribe snakes maybe we can wake them up and lure them over to the approaching ones instead!"
"Alan, calm yourself," Jeff orders, "Whilst I can now be more agreeable with your suggestion, let's see how this plan pays out first. However, I do believe we now have the beginnings of a Plan B."
"Those snakes look ancient," Taylor thinks aloud, "I'd say they've probably been on this planet for centuries. Leaving in peace and harmony, until we showed up."
"They didn't take a liking to us," Kayo mutters, "And I'll bet they won't take kindly to a rival tribe entering their territory if Alan is indeed correct."
"But if we destroy them, we could start a planetary war that could not only destroy them but us as well," Dr Travers says, "I'd very much like to stay alive here."
"Do you think an EMP could work on them?" Virgil asks as he scratches his stubble. "I'm picking up an electric signal from them, perhaps if we let one off it could disrupt their firing mechanism?"
"One plan at a time," Jeff mutters, "As much as I'd like to know what these things are and how they work, I have to say I agree with Dr Travers. I do not want to start a war that could prevent future colonies here being set up."
"I f-fitted a s-scanner to the front of the M-MEV," Brains informs "We c-could therefore s-scan the snacks properly and maybe try to u-understand what is going on inside them."
"Brains, you think of everything!" Virgil smiles, clapping the engineer on the shoulder.
November 15th 2067 - 14:51 NZDT
Having gotten past the sleeping snakes, MEV-3 continues for several more miles and another hour before it reaches a vantage point on a ledge overlooking a vast valley. It is much wider and more open than Coil Valley with hardly any rocks at all – for now.
"There they are!" Evie indicates after only a minute.
The others look, and as the camera zooms in, they sea of point-headed rock snacks entering the valley and across the open ground. For Evie, Alan, Kayo and Virgil this isn't anything to be alarmed at, for they had already set their eyes on the sea of snakes earlier on. But for Dr Travers, Brains, Jeff and Taylor, they are stunned at the sheer number of them.
"Good heavens!" Dr Travers gasps, "Those things look horrible!"
"These s-seem more menacing than the ones we d-dealt with," Brains stammers.
"Can you scan them?" Taylor asks.
"I'll give it a go," Evie answers, "Activating scanner."
A beam of blue light shins out from the MEV and covers the lead snacks.
Alan is getting a somewhat excitable tingle inside of him. "Could we be about to see what makes them tick?" he whispers to Kayo.
"This isn't some sci-fi movie, Al," Kayo deadpans, not sounding very excited at all.
"Scan complete!" Evie announces, "Now let's see what you are in there."
Sure enough, Brains' advanced scanning device allows them to scan and map out the rock snake completely. Not only did they find themselves looking at a biological scan of them but also, they're able to chemical reading from them as well. They are now able to see a dark red warning flash across the screen before a radiation symbol appears in its place.
"Radiation?!" almost everyone exclaims together. This is certainly not what they'd been expecting to see.
As they wait to see what type of radiation they notice that some one the snacks have turned their heads over in the direction of the MEV and start moving towards it.
"Evie, can you g-get any reading?" Brains asks, "We need to u-understand what we're dealing with."
Evie presses some buttons and sure enough they see something that sends a ripple of emotions through everyone. Gamma Radiation. And it's off the charts. This means that the material that the snakes fire out is more radioactive than uranium-238.
"Well that confirms it," Taylor murmurs, "These things aren't here to negotiate peace with us."
"Do they want to destroy us?" Dr Travers questions, "If so, why? We've never even heard of or even seen these things before!"
"And what of this weird DNA structure?" Virgil asks.
"Without examining o-one that's impossible to say, V-Virgil," Brains replies, "But judging by the w-way they are d-designed, I would say that this type of rock snake has extremely h-hostile intentions."
"Er, guys?" interrupts Kayo, "One of them is heading our way."
Everyone looks back at the main screen to see a group of the point-headed rock snacks have broken out of the formation and are heading straight for the MEV.
"Right," Brains says, "Let's s-see if our improved w-weapons have any effect."
Evie activates the cannon and locks onto one in the centre of the group. "Target acquired!" she calls, "Fire!"
The cannon on the MEV fires a demolition shell at the group. It hit the centre and explodes. Everyone waits with bated breath. But to their dismay, a significant amount of them emerges from the smoke, completely unscathed.
"Blast it!" Brains curses, "Try the l-laser blasters."
"Three, two, one, fire!" Evie shouts, pressing another button. Three bright pink laser blasts shoot out from under the nose of the MEV, ripping up the ground around underneath the snacks. One third are thrown up into the air. They watch as there is a red glow starts to emit from those that have gone flying as they start coming back down. As they hit the ground, there is an almost nuclear explosion that shakes the whole valley and almost causes the MEV to fall off its vantage point. When the smoke clears, they see the whole group had been destroyed. Everyone cheers with delight.
"You d-did it, Evie!" Kayo cries excitedly.
"All right!" Virgil and Alan say together.
"Well done!" Dr Travers finishes.
"Sorry to burst the balloon," Taylor interjects, quickly bring the mood back down, "But what about the other three?"
It is then that a warning alert sounding from the MEV's controls. The camera then darts round to the right to reveal the remaining snakes have changed their course and are now heading straight up the hill towards the MEV. Before Evie has a chance to reset the cannon, the front row of snakes open fire with their radioactive blasts. The MEV explodes and the feed cuts out resulting in a mass groan of dismay from everyone.
"DAMN IT!" Evie roars, throwing her control stick across the room and burying her head in her hands, "I'm sorry, everyone."
"It's okay, Evie," Dr Travers says as she places her hands on Evie's shoulders, "You did your best."
Jeff takes Taylor, the brothers, Kayo and Brains to the other side of the control room to give Evie and Dr Travers some space. "Well," he sighs, "I guess we got to Plan B after all."
"And I suggest we do Alan's suggestion," Kayo proposes, "These point-headed rock snakes must have some rivalry with the round-headed ones. If there's enough of them then hopefully, they can blast each other to pieces or at least distract them."
"Did we see how many potential round-headed snakes there were?" Virgil asks.
"No," Jeff sighs, "But I'm getting an idea. Dr Travers?" Dr Travers comes over to listen in on Jeff's plan. He then looks at the radar screen and sees what he wanted to see. "The point-heads are continuing this way," he indicates, "But they've are missing a chunk of their force now. That force Evie took out looked to be the older ones. So that leaves us with younger ones. We know what they are and their intention is probably to reclaim this land back for themselves. As they're radioactive, I'd say bushwhack them. We can't allow them to get within the safe zone of the colony. We'll go out, observe in safety and then lure them into the area of the roundheads and get them to fire upon each other. Maybe that'll give us the chance we need to succeed?"
The others look at each other. It sounds very dangerous, but they all agree that there doesn't seem to be any other options.
"I'm in," Taylor announces.
"Me too," Alan adds.
"And me," Virgil continues.
"Count me in," Kayo smirks.
"We're going to follow your lead, Mr Tracy," Dr Travers informs, "Just tell us what you need."
"All right then," Jeff smiles, "Here's what we'll do."
November 15th 2067 - 15:29 NZDT
Thirty minutes later, a small convoy of four vehicles head out from Colony-1. MEV-4 is being driven by Taylor with Jeff as a passenger, MEV-5 has Evie as its driver, Pod-A has Alan with Kayo in the back seat and Pod-B is driven by Virgil with Brains in the back seat. Pod-A has been given a bulldozer-blade which is still green as it is usually an implement for Thunderbird 2. Pod-B has been given a Mole-attachment to the front. Both are on tracks to give them better grip.
Jeff's plan is simple. They would first go and investigate the location where they had seen the coils of what they presumed are the round headed rock snakes and determine how many of them there are. They would then cause some distractions for the approaching point-headed snakes and lure them into the area where they hoped the snakes would wake up and retaliate. If there are enough and their firepower is as deadly as Taylor predicts, they might get distracted enough to leave the colony alone completely.
"Virgil, you and Brains go and check out the area where we saw the coils," Jeff says from MEV-4, "Alan, you and Kayo will go find the point-heads and observe from a distance. Lee, Evie and I, will go to the positions I've marked on the maps and wait for my signal."
"Roger," Evie answers from MEV-5.
"FAB," Virgil acknowledges from Pod-B.
"You've got it, Dad," Alan finishes from Pod-A.
The convoy then splits up with Pod-A racing on ahead, Pod-B going off to the left and the two MEVs following at a slower pace from behind.
November 15th 2067 - 15:32 NZDT
As they travelled along, Alan looks back at Kayo, who is currently looking down at her control pad pressing on several buttons with a small diagram of the point-headed rock snakes in the corner of her screen. Alan snorts causing Kayo to look up at him with a questioning gaze.
"What?" Kayo asks.
"I was just thinking at how strange today has been," Alan comments, "One moment we're enjoying the sunrise together, then we're suddenly on babysitting duty and before we know it, we're on Mars dealing with alien life."
"This is what we do at IR, Alan," Kayo laughs, "And hey, babysitting is what I've been doing since 2058."
"You bitch!" Alan laughs and remembers that conversation they had on Thunderbird 3 over seven years ago now in 2060. It was their first mission together with Alan being about to turn sixteen and Kayo would've been turning seventeen later that year. It was a joke that Kayo used constantly for the few months she was legally an adult and Alan was still a teen. Alan thinks back to these times and a smile forms on his face at the memories.
"We've certainly come a long way over these last few years for sure," Alan remarks, "Do you think we'll be doing this for the rest of our lives?"
"Who knows?" Kayo shrugs, "Maybe Marion will start popping out more children and in twenty years' time we can officially retire and allow them to take over."
Alan laughs. It's certainly a thought to consider. What will he do after International Rescue, if anything?
November 15th 2067 - 15:34 NZDT
Pod-B reaches its destination first, and sure enough they find many, many rock coils littered in all directions.
"Slow and steady, V-Virgil," Brains gulps, "Those t-things are dangerous."
"Yet they're more peaceful than the point-heads, Brains," Virgil reminds him, "I would not want to be caught in the crossfire when these two meet."
Virgil carefully drives the Pod around between the coils at a slow and steady pace making sure that they don't disturb the sleeping snakes. The shapes match the rest that were seen in Coil Valley, but they are covered in dust from past sandstorms.
"Gosh, l-look at them," Brains comments, "They m-must have been here for a v-very long time. They are all c-covered in Martian dust."
"Guess they only wake up if they're disturbed," Virgil shrugs, "Can't say I'd blame them. I mean, what else is there for them to do?"
Brains doesn't know, so he doesn't bother to try answering the question. "MEV-4 from P-Pod-B," Brains calls, "We can c-confirm they are R-Rock Snakes, M-Mr Tracy. Their p-profiles match p-perfectly."
"How many can you count?" Jeff asks.
"At least f-fifty," Brains notes, "M-Maybe more."
"Thanks, Brains," Jeff replies, "Get to your assigned position and wait there."
November 15th 2067 - 15:37 NZDT
Taylor and Jeff's MEV had split up from Evie's and have headed to two vantage points overlooking the area where the point-heads would be coming from. These are strategically chosen with the hope of them being able to use their MEV's firepower in a way that the rock snakes wouldn't be able to retaliate. From the footage they've seen, the rock snakes take a while to 'reload' between shots and are slow to turn their heads.
"MEV-4 in position," Taylor reports.
"MEV-5 standing-by," Evie adds once she is in position.
Pod-A has now reached its position overlooking another valley. Alan and Kayo watch and wait for the point-heads to appear. It seems like ages but in fact is no more than five minutes before they spotted the large group emerge from behind a large rock about three-quarters of a mile away.
"Pod-A to all vehicles, target in sight," Kayo reports, "Heading due East on course Zero-Nine-Zero. We will wait for them to pass our position and then shadow them. Get your weapons ready, MEVs. We'll shepherd them towards you."
They watched as the group of rock snakes move slowly along, close to their position. They do not seem to be aware of their presence as they don't change their course towards them and instead continue on their way.
"They've passed," Kayo informs.
"Good," Jeff calls, "Now follow them, but for God's sake, keep out of their sights in case they have rear-mounted weapons!"
"FAB," Alan acknowledges. He carefully turns the Pod around and keeps high above and behind the rocks as much as possible. From here, he is able to shadow the point-heads whilst Kayo observes their every move.
It isn't long before they came within sight of the MEVs.
"There they are!" Evie calls and readies her weapons.
"Metallic baskets in sight!" Taylor shouts as he does the same, "Locking onto targets."
"Remember, Lee," Jeff says, "Don't fire until they're within five-hundred yards of the target area."
Taylor grunts in agreement and puts his finger on the button ready to fire. The group gets closer and closer. With every inch they move, nervous sweat begins to form on the foreheads of Taylor, Jeff and Evie.
"FIRE!" Evie shouts once the rock snakes are in range. Four pink laser blasts shoot out from the front of MEV-5. They don't hit the point-heads, but then that isn't what Evie is aiming at. She's aiming at the high cliff on the opposite side just along from where Jeff and Taylor's MEV is located. The lasers rip the cliff apart and a big avalanche of rocks start to tumble down towards the snakes.
"FIRE!" Taylor roars. His MEV also fires four pink laser blasts which rip open the cliff on the other side along from Evie's MEV. A second rockslide starts, with the point-head rock snakes now caught between the two.
The rock snakes seem to come to a stop before going in different directions to get clear of the rockslides. Some manage to get clear but there are several large red glows that dot around the valley as a couple hundred point-heads are too slow to get to safety. For those that had survived now have a huge barrier of fallen rock which now lays strewn across the canyon, completely blocking the snakes' route.
"Ha!" Taylor laughs, "Try and get through that lot, you alien hunks of junk!"
The snakes then start to fire at the pile of rocks. They manage to destroy some, but it is soon apparent that even if they continue to try and blast their way through it would take them a very long time which wouldn't be worth the effort. They then turn around to the right and begin to head up the hill towards the top of the cliff where Evie's MEV is located.
"It worked!" Evie celebrates, "They're heading our way."
"Doctor, unless you want to become their next victim, I suggest you get moving!" Jeff orders from MEV-4.
"Oh, yes, of course, Mr Tracy!" Evie responds, "I'll try and lead them to the roundheads." She turns her MEV away from the cliff and hurries at top speed back towards the area where the roundheads were. As she heads along, the point-heads reach the top and see Evie's MEV in the distance. They open their mouths, and the red glow starts to emit from their throats before firing towards the MEV. Explosions shoot up in all different areas a short distance behind it. This proves to Evie that she is just beyond their range. She isn't unduly worried by this as she knows the MEV is twice as fast as the point-heads are and as she continues to race along, the distance between them continues to grow.
After a few more futile attempts, the point-heads cease firing as they realise their target is out of their range and instead continues to pursue at their top speed.
Alan and Kayo run parallel with the point-heads at a ninety-degree angle, keeping a good distance between them and the snakes. Jeff and Taylor observe from MEV-4, located on the opposite side of the canyon. They will soon reach a point where a large rocky-formed bridge crosses the canyon which Taylor will use to get the MEV back over to join Evie's. As he does so, a small group of point-heads suddenly peel off to the left and began to target the bridge.
"LEE, LOOK OUT!" Jeff shouts.
Taylor glances to his right and sees the small group heading in his direction. "Uh-oh!" he cries and tries to get some more speed out of the MEV.
The point-heads then fire several shots which strike the middle of the bridge just after MEV-4 has passed over it. It instantly starts breaking up and collapsing into the canyon. The MEV makes it to the edge before the entire section falls away, but the danger isn't over. Whilst it has managed to get a slight foothold on the ground, it is at a point that is right on the edge of the cliff. The MEV is now in a delicate balancing act with Taylor having his foot down to the floor on the accelerator and the tracks spinning wildly in an attempt to go forward, but it isn't enough, and there's a huge danger that the MEV would fall backwards into the canyon and take him and Jeff with it. Worse still, the point-heads are getting closer, ready to finish them off.
"Hang on!" Alan cries, "We're coming!"
"Alan, what are you doing?" Kayo demands as Alan spins the Pod around to head straight for the point-heads.
"We can't just leave them there!" Alan replies.
Alan races the Pod around the back of main group before charging at the smaller one. He slams the bulldozer-blade into the side and using all the power that he can muster from it, rolls over several of the point-heads and push the rest down the side of the canyon before they have a change to fire back at him. The ones that go crashing down eventually explode as the constant crashing around makes the radioactive material inside them dangerously unstable. Alan then races the Pod over to MEV-4 before firing a tow cable out of the back which attaches to the front of the MEV. It then takes the strain and pulls. This does the trick and soon the tracks of MEV-4 are able to fully grip on the ground taking both Jeff and Taylor out of danger from falling into the canyon.
"Gee! Thanks, Alan!" Taylor sighs, "I thought that was it for old me!"
"Well done, son," Jeff smiles, "Now let's get the heck out of here before they turn on us!"
The last remaining group of point-heads are starting to turn in their direction. Alan and Taylor put their feet down and hurry along the cliff-top to try and get some distance. The snakes get ready to fire only for them to get rocked by some explosions and two shells from MEV-5 land on them. Evie had realised Taylor had been in danger and had doubled-back to lend some assistance.
"Don't worry, guys, I've got your backs!" Evie shouts over the radio.
"Thanks, Evie," Alan answers, "To the roundheads, Dad?"
"To the roundheads, Alan," Jeff smirks, "Everyone, keep running. We'll pass right through the roundhead field and then let them do the rest."
November 15th 2067 - 15:50 NZDT
Within minutes the Pod and the two MEVs reached the area where the roundheads are. Brains and Virgil have estimated there are at least fifty of them located in this one large open area. They can only hope that will be enough especially after so many have already been destroyed by other means.
From inside, Pod-B locates a vantage point nearby, Virgil and Brains watch as their colleagues hurried through between the sleeping roundhead-coils. "There they go," Virgil mutters, "Let's hope this works."
Soon the point-heads appear. They seem to recognize their rounded counterparts and immediately start to destroy them. Two are destroyed instantly and as soon as a third is then movement begins to occur from the remaining ones.
Having reached the safety of the other side of the area, Alan, Kayo, Jeff, Taylor and Evie turn their vehicles around to join Brains and Virgil as they watch the large group of roundheads slowly wake up and lift their heads before opening their sinister glowing red eyes which quickly fixed onto the attacking point-heads.
The battle soon starts. The angry roundheads, who have been dormant for centuries completely undisturbed, begin shooting their powerful radioactive fire from their mouths at the enemy. The first few rounds miss their targets, but they soon hit them. Despite being less of them, the roundheads certainly seem to be the more powerful out of the two groups. The point-heads soon become overwhelmed and will they score the odd hit back, they are clearly fighting a losing battle.
"It's working!" Virgil says, excitedly, "The roundheads are forcing them back!"
Indeed, they are. Of the round two-to-three hundred that arrived in the field, less than thirty start to make a getaway. The roundheads remain rooted to their spots and continue to fire at the retreating point-heads.
"They're making a run for it!" Alan cries.
"Let them," Kayo states, "I don't think the point-heads will even think about interfering with the colony anymore."
"Magnificent work everyone," Jeff congratulates, "The Colony is safe again. Let's get back there and celebrate."
The four vehicles form up into a convoy and begin to journey back towards Colony-1, feeling very much relieved.
November 15th 2067 - 17:07 NZDT
Whilst celebrations are underway inside Colony-1, Jeff and Taylor go and stand on the hill overlooking Colony-1 looking down at the footprint left by Jeff's boot when he took his first step on Mars all those years ago. As he looks at it, preserved under the glass case, Jeff feels the same tingle of emotion that Taylor had felt after completing the Helios mission.
"Brings back memories, don't it?" Taylor remarks.
"It sure does," Jeff replies as the two men turn to face the Colony, "I always wondered whether Mars would eventually get populated, and now it has. It's enough to bring a tear to your eye."
Taylor claps his best friend on the shoulder. "You know, ever since I decided to stay here, I hoped that one day you may be revealed to be alive and then come to see this place for yourself. I never really believed in miracles, Jeff. But after finding you alive after all this time, I've decided there is such a thing."
Jeff's communicator beeps. "Dad," Alan calls, "I have a message from Dr Travers, could you tell Captain Taylor that there are two parents who want to apologise for their actions earlier?"
"Sure, Alan," Jeff replies as he and Taylor exchange surprised looks, "Tell them we'll be right there." Alan signs off and Jeff turns his attention back to Taylor. "Does that mean you'll be staying here, after all?"
"I guess so," Taylor replies, "As much as I love the Earth, Mars is home now. I don't think I could ever leave this place." Then he holds out his arms so the two men can embrace. "I missed you, buddy."
"I missed you too, old friend," Jeff smiles.
END OF SEASON 4A