by Lee Homer
Disclaimer: All rights reserved. This is a continuation of my original Captain Scarlet and Thunderbirds crossover.
Chapter One
"This is the voice of The Mysterons. We know that you can hear us, Earthmen. We shall deal you another crippling blow. We shall destroy the headquarters of International Rescue. It will be secret no more. We shall be avenged!"
High above the clouds over the Atlantic Ocean, Spectrum's Cloudbase basked in the sunlight. Their routine day had changed dramatically when news of the latest Mysteron threat hit their airwaves. In the control room, Colonel White decided to deliver the news in person. He made his way down towards the lounge where his two best men were off duty. He couldn't stress enough the importance of International Rescue and how their destruction could inconsequently damage the world. Captain Scarlet and Captain Blue were enjoying their downtime when the Colonel entered the room.
"Ah, Gentlemen. Please don't get up," he said as he gestured his officers to sit. "We've just received the latest Mysteron threat and quite frankly it's a rather personal one."
"We heard it over Spectrum band transmitter, Colonel," Scarlet replied. "We were as stunned as you were. We're ready to leave immediately."
"Thank you, Captain. We have contacted the Jeff Tracy of the International Rescue organization and informed him of the situation," the colonel continued. "He has given us the flight plan and area reference to his Island in the South Pacific. I want you and Captain Blue to head there immediately and assess the situation. Captain Crimson will accompany you."
"Captain Crimson? The new guy?" Captain Blue enquired.
"That's right, Captain. He was assigned to Cloudbase just last night. This will be his first assignment," the colonel explained. "I don't have to remind just how personal this mission is. Spectrum owes a huge debt to International Rescue for everything they have done since the war started. This wasn't their fight and yet they have put their lives on the line to save others who were put in peril by The Mysterons."
Captain Scarlet reached for his cap. "S.I.G. Come on Captain Blue, let's go."
Colonel White soon returned to the control room when he was informed of another mysterious development. Lieutenant Green spun around in his seat with a message in his hand.
"Sir, I just received a call from Fort Williams. They report that they had just lost contact with one of their XD3 Bombers."
"I see. What else did the report say, Lieutenant?"
"They also said that the Bomber then reappeared on their tracking scanners, only that it had changed course and that is now on a heading over the South Pacific. They've tried making contact but the pilot won't respond."
The colonel pondered over a possible connection. It was far too coincidental. He wondered if he could scramble the Angels in hopes of intercepting the bomber in time, but the chances were slim. All he could do was put two and two together. Sitting behind the desk, he ordered the young Lieutenant to put him through to Tracy Island using the secure carrier wave that Jeff Tracy provided him with.
"Cloudbase calling International Rescue. This is a priority call. Are you receiving me?"
Meanwhile, on the carrier runway, Captains Scarlet, Blue and Crimson were preparing to launch. Captain Crimson kept his emotions to himself. He was excited about his first assignment, but he didn't want to let his fellow Captains or the Colonel down. Crimson had graduated from the Spectrum training center in London. He was the first cadet at the top of his class to earn the rank of Captaincy. He always wanted to be where the action was and had prepared to fly into this mission with high expectations.
Captain Blue looked over at him. "So Captain, this is your first assignment. How do you feel?"
"I feel fine, thanks," Crimson replied mildly. "I just don't want to let you down."
"You'll do fine. Just don't be so eager and keep your head," Blue said.
Scarlet put out the call. "Request launch clearance?"
"Spectrum Is Green."
Applying power to the thrusters, the Spectrum Passenger Jet rolled across the runway and took off into the clouds. Altering their flight path, they headed on course for Tracy Island. Unbeknownst to them though, trouble was already brewing.
Cruising high about the South Pacific ocean, Thunderbird Two made her way back to base. Virgil Tracy felt tired and dirty. His uniform was stained in mud, his hair felt thick and greasy and his eyes began to ache. He had completed a mission in Brazil after an oil refinery mysteriously caught ablaze. He wasn't phased by these bizarre rescue call-outs. The family had become accustomed to these situations since the War of Nerves started. Wherever Spectrum had dealt with a Mysteron threat, International Rescue was there to save lives and take care of the damage that was left behind. He let it get under his skin. How did they end up in such a position where they were the global equivalent of a cleaning service? The fire in Brazil was just another case. As he banked his Thunderbird towards the vicinity of Tracy Island, he received a call from his father.
"Base-calling Thunderbird Two. What is your position, Virgil?"
Letting out a yawn, Virgil swiftly replied: "Base from Thunderbird Two, I'm currently Twenty miles west of the Island, father. I took care of the fire. I should be home in Ten Minutes."
"Okay son, but I need you to be careful out there. We've received a call from Colonel White of Spectrum Cloudbase. The Mysterons have issued another threat."
"What already?" Virgil groaned. "They don't give us a break, do they! What is their target this time?"
Jeff paused for half a minute. His hesitant reply made Virgil uncomfortable.
"They've threatened to destroy International Rescue," he said. "An XD3 Bomber has gone mission off the radar at Fort Williams. It was soon discovered heading in this vicinity. We've all prepared down here. I've sent your brothers to the emergency shelter. As soon as you touch down, head there immediately yourself. The Colonel is sending over two Spectrum Agents immediately."
"FAB. Why not go to the bunker yourself. I'll be careful, don't worry," Virgil assured him, masking the anxiety that was eating away at him.
Now he was on his own and alert for any incoming aircraft. He wished that Scott was with him right now as Thunderbird One had recently been fitted with a blast cannon. All he had to defend himself with were a small armament of missiles. With only five miles to go, he could see the island appear on his radar scope. He could feel the tension in his body alleviate at this point as his confidence began to set in. Unfortunately, the serenity and relief were short-lived. Another target appeared on the radar screen. Virgil watched it close in on him while he tried to make visual contact through the window. He couldn't see anything at first, but he could hear a droning sound that grew louder on approach. He soon realized that it was a hypersonic jet engine like the ones the World Air force would use on their fighter jets. His fight or flight reflexes kicked in instantaneously as he veered off course narrowly avoiding a missile explosion. The whole cockpit shook violently. Virgil wrestled with the stabilizer controls for a second when his eyes eventually caught the mysterious bandit. It was the XD3 Bomber that his father had warned him about.
"Base from Thunderbird. I'm under attack!" he shouted, updating his father on the situation. "I'm receiving heavy missile fire."
"What's happening up there!?" cried Jeff's panicked voice.
"It's the XD3 Bomber. It's attacking me from behind. I'm going to try and outrun it," Virgil explained as his heart leaped in his chest.
"FAB. Please be careful! Keep the channel open. Landing Control is standing by."
"FAB. I'm not going to let it get anywhere near the Island."
Virgil sat there and watched on as the bomber made a series of impressive aerial manoeuvrers. His false sense of amazement began to cloud his instincts though. He needed to plan his next move. As the bomber flew towards him for another attack run, Virgil pushed down on the nose, diving towards the ocean. The Bomber quickly dived after him, matching his speed and rate of descent. He couldn't believe it. There was no way a person could dive after him so quickly. His eyes met with the shimmering ocean when the cockpit shook again. This time, a small explosion erupted in the aft section of the pod. He had to pull out of the dive soon otherwise he would hit the water. He pulled back had on the wheel, leveling his Thunderbird off just meters up from the ocean surface, He hoped that the Bomber wouldn't be so lucky, but once again it copied his manoeuvrer. The Bomber's missile canon rang again for the third time. This time the explosion hit Virgil's tail section. He couldn't take much more punishment. He had little time to knock the Bomber out of the sky. He didn't have much in the way of options. Thunderbird Two wasn't designed for dogfights.
Using his remaining power, Virgil reduced his speed allowing the bomber to catch up with him. Timing his move to the second, he waited for the bandit to catch up to him. Suddenly, he fired his thrusters and spun around. The Bomber was too fast to turn in time which gave Virgil the edge he needed. With the flick of a switch, Virgil opened the Pod's underside hatch. The missile launcher lowered into position. At this point, the Bomber had changed direction and was heading straight for him. He had once chance to knock his target out of the sky. He sure as hell wasn't going to miss. Targeting the Bomber, he fired the first missile. The Missile hissed through the air, striking the Bomber's port-side engine. The engine burst into flames, engulfing it in thick black smoke. The Bomber remained on course though. Virgil fired the second missile, eventually striking his target. He watched on in victory as it smacked the ocean with an almighty bang.
He sat there and gathered himself. The smell of electrical smoke filled was an insult to his sinuses. He had sustained a lot of damage to his craft. Thunderbird Two needed to make an emergency landing as soon as possible. Without a moment to lose, he made his approach towards the Island. As Tracy Island emerged on the horizon, he noticed that his stabilizers were damaged. He knew how to work around it though. He had no desire to make a water landing. He needed to warn the others of his situation. Fortunately, his transmitter wasn't damaged in the attack.
"Base from Thunderbird Two. I've just had a run-in with the Bomber. I'm badly hit. Coming in for the final approach." He said as he choked on the smoke which engulfed the cockpit.
He could feel heat singe his skin as the smoke stung his eyes. He could make out the slipway through the plume of smoke. Easing back on the throttle, he brought his Thunderbird in for a crash landing. He was relieved to see that his family had already prepared for his arrival. The foam injectors had been put in place. His wheels connected with the tarmac with a thud. The entire cockpit exploded around him. He could feel the intense heat on the back of his neck. He looked back in horror to see the cockpit on fire. The foam injectors sprang to life, coating his Thunderbird in white fire retardant foam. Fortunately for Virgil, lady luck had been there with him all along. His emergency brakes held out and his craft screeched to a halt. Thunderbird Two had survived the skirmish, but her damage would put her out of action for weeks. Grabbing the fire extinguishers, Virgil put out the flames around him. The emergency hatch opened above him. The sea air felt like heaven on his burnt skin. Scott's head peered in through the hatch.
"Quick Virgil! Give me your hand!" he said as he lowered his arm towards his brother.
Virgil grabbed his brother's hand and soon, he was out carried out onto the slipway. His body ached. The heat in the cockpit had dehydrated him. Throwing his arm around his neck, Scott carried Virgil towards the sick room. As soon as they arrived, Virgil was greeted by the rest of the family. Tin-Tin helped him over to a bed and asked him to lie down. He thought that the threat was over, but his false sense of security told him otherwise. As he looked around the room, he could see that the tension was there. It was written on his brother's faces. He could hear them discussing the current situation. It wasn't something he wanted to hear.
"Is he alright, Tin-Tin?" Alan asked. "I can't believe The Mysterons would attack him like that."
"He'll be fine, Alan. He just needs to rest," Tin-Tin assured him. "We need to hydrate him immediately."
Then, Jeff and Scott entered the room. Virgil could hear the anger in his brother's voice. He wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault, but he was too weak.
"I should have been up there with him, Father. I could have knocked that jet out of the sky in seconds!"
Jeff placed a firm hand on his son's shoulder. "Scott, you were needed here. This wasn't your fault. We had no way of knowing that The Mysterons would attack Virgil like that."
"Well, what about their threat? What do we do about it now?" Scott growled as he hammered the table with his fist.
"Scott, take it easy! We've got to keep our wits about us. As far as we know, the Mysteron threat is still on. Now I've just had an update from Colonel White. Three Spectrum Agents are on their way just like he said. They will arrive here in an hour. Until then, we need to remain on red alert. This base is on lock-down until the threat is over. I'm not prepared to lose any of my boys to the Mysterons."
"I don't know why we're even involved in the first place." Scott huffed. "This wasn't our fight in the first place! Look what it's done to Virgil!"
Jeff sighed and looked over at his injured son. "I know, Scott. I know."