by Lee Homer
Disclaimer: All rights reserved. This is a continuation of my original Captain Scarlet and Thunderbirds crossover. This story is an amalgamation of the Thunderbirds episode “Trapped In The Sky” and Captain Scarlet's “Flight 104”.
Chapter One
It was Christmas time at New York International airport. Travelers hurried to and from their flights as they headed home for the holidays.
It was the only time of the year when everybody would draw their attention off the War of Nerves. There was always a sense of collective power that would bring everyone together. Mankind would relish in the festivities, leaving Earth's defenses to monitor The Mysterons.
Amongst the bustling crowds of travelers, Paul Metcalfe kept his eye on the departure board. He was returning to London after attending a secret world security conference. He had been sent on behalf of Spectrum along with Adam Svenson. As a part of security, they were both ordered to drop their Spectrum Code names so they would avoid any attention. As far as they were concerned, Captains Scarlet and Blue were not in the city.
They weren't traveling alone, however. They were soon joined by Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, who also attended the conference as representatives of International Rescue. She was also heading home to London and happened to be booked on the same flight.
"Lady Penelope. I must say it's a pleasure to see you again." Adam welcomed her with a handshake. "Well, I must say, we didn't expect you to catch the same flight."
Penelope took a moment to recognize the men. "Ah, you must be Adam Svenson. I thought I recognized you at the conference. I apologize for my hesitance. I'm just very apprehensive about traveling in public. Especially in these dark, turbulent times."
"It's quite alright, my lady," Adam replied. "Spectrum ordered us to drop our Spectrum codenames so the Mysterons would not be alerted to our presence. The security conference was very important to our organization. May I congratulate you on your speech, though? It was very enlightening."
"Thank you. You're most kind." Penelope smiled. "I just hope that the World President will acknowledge International Rescue's part in this crisis. Their encounter with the Mysteron Complex could well change our understanding of their operations. For now, though, I just want to get home and enjoy my Christmas."
"I don't blame you. I know we could use vacation time. Unfortunately, Spectrum never sleeps."
Paul emerged from the crowd as their flight announcement was made.
"We better get going. Our flight is ready for boarding," he said. "Lady Penelope. It's a pleasure to see you again."
Grabbing their hand luggage, the trio made their way towards their gate. They soon boarded the Fireflash, the notorious Hyposonic airliner which had recently recovered from its negative reputation.
Unbeknownst to them, however, a sinister chain of events was happening up on the flight deck. Finishing his pre-flight checks, the pilot radioed into tower control, requesting clearance for take-off. However, he didn't receive a reply from the tower.
"Fireflash 5 to New York Tower. Are you receiving me? Request permission to take-off."
The co-pilot shot him a bizarre look. "It can't be a fault in the radio. I've just had the maintenance boys take a look at it."
"Well, something isn't right," the pilot complained. "I'll increase the bandwidth."
As he did that, they were both stunned by a loud droning sound that pulsated erratically. The flight crew tried to turn the radio off. They soon realized that they couldn't move. The droning sound persisted. Its intense vibrations flooded the flight deck. The pilot glanced over in terror at his co-pilot. He watched as the life drained from his body; he was dying. Was this sound responsible?
The effects soon hit him. He could feel his chest begin to tighten as his heart raced. Fumbling for his seatbelt, the pilot made one last attempt to escape, but it was too late. He collapsed and hit his head on the steel door handle. Then, the strange sound suddenly faded.
In the passenger lounge, Penelope, Paul, and Adam discussed their observations. Penelope explained how her chauffeur, Parker would meet her at the other end. As Adam recounted his last trip in public, Paul began to feel a familiar sense of unease. His demeanour distracted Adam from his story.
"Are you alright, Paul?" Adam said as he checked his watch.
"It's strange, something feels off about this flight, yet I can't put my finger on it," Paul responded.
"Why? Do you think there's something to be concerned about?" Penelope asked him.
"Not at the moment. I'm just curious if anything," Paul replied. "We better fasten our safety belts. I can hear the engines starting up."
A few minutes later, the Fireflash taxied away from the terminal. As soon as it approached the runway, its thrusters roared to life. At full speed, she roared into the sky at a staggering thousand miles per hour.
As soon as she levelled off at fifteen thousand feet, Paul took the opportunity to explore the aircraft.
"Right. I'm going to have a look around," he said as he climbed out of his seat.
"What's this all about?" Adam asked him.
"Stay here. Have a drink or something. I won't be long," Paul responded bizarrely.
"Is he always like this when it comes to flying?" Penelope asked Adam. "He's apprehensive about something?"
"I know. I think he knows that something is about to happen. He's always had this sixth sense about The Mysterons," Adam explained. “Since the war intensified, he's had more vivid premonitions."
Penelope rubbed her chin. "Should we be prepared?"
"No. I don't think it's anything to be concerned about. He does this just to settle his mind," assured Adam. "Now how about I get us a drink?"
*****
On Tracy Island, the Tracy family were enjoying themselves as they took advantage of their respite from duty. Gordon and Alan helped Tin-Tin decorate their enormous tree, Scott engaged Jeff in a game of chess while the mellow sound of Virgil's piano playing set the mood around them. Brains was outside applying Christmas lights around the villa with Kyrano's help. They made it their job to leave their anxieties at the door so they could enjoy the holiday.
Scott sat there waiting for his father to move his chess piece when he asked him: "Say, Dad, have you heard from Lady Penelope? I wonder how she got on in New York."
"She said she'd contact me with the full details as soon as she arrives in London," Jeff replied as he studied his chessboard. "From what her brief report says, though, it looks like we've been given the go-ahead to call in additional help should we need it."
Scott raised an eyebrow. "Additional help? What additional help?"
Jeff played his turn. "Scott, if this war with the Mysterons has told us one thing, it's that we can't keep straining our equipment. We've had more breakdowns than ever because of the multiple call-outs that we receive at once. I put forward the idea of asking for extra support from other organizations. If the emergency in question is Spectrum or WASP related, then they should have the resources to take care of it unless it's beyond their control."
"But Dad, that would mean sharing our secrets," Gordon added as he overheard their conversation. "We can't do that!"
"I know that," Jeff countered. "But we're in the middle of a war and sometimes, compromises have to be made. Our base will remain top secret along with our Thunderbird craft, but I feel that some of our old designs should be released to other world organizations."
"Like old pod vehicles?"
"Exactly. If we're going to keep operating, then we're going to need help to take the weight off our shoulders. We're here to save lives and we need to see to it that the right calls are heard. I think we all forget sometimes how innocent civilians get caught up in the chaos as well as the rest of us."
"You're right, Father," Scott muttered.
There was a brief moment of silence as the brothers thought about their father's words. Jeff looked at his sons with a smile. He was very proud of them, regardless of their views on the subject.
"Anyway, let's forget about this for now," he added. "It's Christmas. We should all be enjoying ourselves. You all deserve the best this year."
*****
Paul's instincts led him up towards the flight deck. The Fireflash continued on her path towards London Airport. On the surface, it seemed like everything was operating routinely as it always did, but he knew there was something wrong. His head started to pound heavily.
He gently tapped on the cockpit door and called out for the pilot. There was no response. He then tried to force the door open, but it had been locked from the inside. He realized that he had been in this situation before; he remembered back to when he was on board Flight 104 during a bodyguard mission to Switzerland. The Mysterons had taken over the privately arranged flight, turning it into a flying death trap that was intended to destroy a conference at Lake Toma. He was able to stop the threat and land the plane safely, but he never thought he would find himself in a similar situation.
He drew his pistol which he concealed in his jacket and applied a silencer to its barrel. He didn't want to alarm the passengers while he shot through the lock. He fired a few shots at the door until it swung open. He stepped into the cockpit to find the bodies of the Fireflash flight crew. Examining them, he then made a startling discovery that confirmed his thoughts: the plane was flying by itself. He watched on as the controls moved on their own accord.
He should have known from the start. The Mysterons had taken control of the Fireflash. How could this be happening? he asked himself as he quickly and calmly returned to the others.
Adam noted the look on his face as he sat down with his report.
"What is it?" Adam asked him. "What did you find?"
"The flight crew is dead," Paul replied. "I found their bodies on the flight deck. The Mysterons are behind it. They've taken control of the plane."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm certain of it, Adam. It's happened before. Send a coded message to Cloudbase and inform them of the situation. Then come and join me in the cockpit. We need to get this plane back in our control. Lady Penelope, we could use your help?"
"Of course, what can I do?" Penelope asked.
"Explain the situation to the cabin crew. Inform them that they need to keep the passengers unaware of what is going on. We don't want to cause panic or alarm."
Penelope agreed to his request. "Okay. You can count on me. Good luck, Gentlemen."
Making their way towards the flight deck, Adam made his call to Cloudbase. His message wasn't successful, however. There was a lot of electrical interference that screwed up his radio. Paul took his place in the pilot's chair, examining the controls.
"I can't reach Cloudbase," Adam said as he climbed into the co-pilot's seat. "Do you think you can fly this thing?"
"The controls appear to be frozen," Paul replied. "Hopefully the manual override computer is still working. Here goes."
Flicking the switch to the override computer, the two Spectrum men took cover as the computer consoles sparked around them. Alarms sounded in the cockpit as they tried to regain control of the aircraft. After a few moments, the alarms stopped. Paul had regained control of the craft. The problem was that half of the aircraft systems had been knocked out, including the landing gear. Sure, he could fly the craft, but he had no way of landing it. He felt that the Mysterons had succeeded in whatever it was they were trying to do.
"What is it, Paul?" Adam asked him as Paul examined the controls.
"We've regained control alright, but the reset fused most of the systems. We can't land this thing."
"What do you mean?"
"That explosion fried the landing gear. Also, according to this readout, our stabilizers have been damaged. I can keep the nose up, but we'll need to make a landing soon."
Adam grabbed the wheel. "How far are we from London?"
Paul checked the computer. "We should be there in an hour. I think we can make it, but we'll need help with landing."
"Have you tried the radio?"
"I did, but I think it's broken. I can't raise London Control. The radiation count on the atomic motors is climbing too. If we don't land soon, we'll all be exposed. We're going to need outside help."
Adam knew what to do. "I believe Lady Penelope can help with that."
After her word with the cabin crew, Lady Penelope pondered on what to do next. She didn't want to just sit there. Before she could return to her seat, Adam called out to her from behind.
"Lady Penelope, I need to have a word with you," he said as he gently pulled her to one side. "This aircraft is in trouble."
"How so?" she asked him.
Adam calmly explained the situation to her in detail. They no longer could keep the passengers in the dark from what was going on. Penelope told him to return to the flight deck while she made a call. Pulling out her compact radio, Penelope made her uninterrupted call to International Rescue.
"Lady Penelope calling International Rescue. Are you there, Jeff?"
Jeff's face appeared on the small concealed video screen. "Go ahead, Penny. What's wrong?"
"This is an emergency, Jeff. The Fireflash is in trouble. There has been an incident on the flight deck and the flight crew is presumed dead. It's not been confirmed, but we believe the Mysterons were involved. We're now an hour away from London. Our stabilizers are damaged and our landing gear is out of action. We need help urgently before we overheat our motors and crash. Two Spectrum agents are currently flying the plane. They've got everything under control for now, but they report that they can't reach London Tower."
"Okay, Penny. Stay calm and see to it that the passengers do the same. Scott and Virgil are on their way."
"FAB," Penelope acknowledged. Her faith in the Tracy boys always kept her in high spirits.
*****
On Tracy Island, the boys were rearing to go as Jeff briefed them of the situation.
"Right, boys. Penelope is in trouble. The Fireflash that's she traveling on has suffered internal damage which means she is unable to land. She's due to arrive at London International within the hour. Two Spectrum Agents are keeping her airborne but they can't keep up there for long. If we can't get them down soon, then they will all be subjected to radiation. We've dealt with emergency landings before. Scott, take Thunderbird One and proceed to London Airport."
"FAB," Scott replied as he hurried towards his launch station.
"Virgil, launch Thunderbird Two and take Pod 3. You'll need the Elevator Cars. If we want Penelope home safe for Christmas, then you better get those machines flying."
"FAB," Virgil responded as he rushed to his station.
Jeff looked over at his sons. "Good luck, boys. THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!"
A short while later, with their thrusters at full power, Thunderbirds One and Two took off for London. Racing against the clock, Scott and Virgil spent their time conducting a rescue plan. They were going to get that plane down safely for Christmas one way or the other.