The Dark Side

by Polly Amber

Thunderbirds is a Gerry Anderson production licenced by Carlton International media Limited. Other characters featured in this story are my own fictitious creations.

Chapter 1

The Moon hung low in the sky like a glowing golden orb. It seemed to be particularly bright tonight. Jeff Tracy, Head of International Rescue remarked upon this to his eldest son Scott. There was always a kind of magical feel about a full Moon, and Jeff Tracy was one of the few men privileged to have stepped on it. Before he founded International Rescue, Jeff had been a lunarnaut.

He lived on the Moon for two months while helping to set up Moonbase Alpha. The Moonbase was to be an important staging post for explorations further afield. Having conquered the Moon, man now had his sights set upon Mars. Flights to and from the Moon were now routine. Astronauts and Lunarnauts were just people who had a job to do, and they went about their duties as anonymously as a soldier, research scientist or airline pilot. The first men to establish the Moonbase were hailed as heroes of their time. As were the first men to have walked on the Moon.

Jeff was one of those first colonists. As a young, newly-wedded man of twenty-eight, he found it hard to leave his young wife. She understood that his career was important to him, and never once voiced any negative fears. Lucille Tracy was as brave as her husband in her own quiet unselfish way. She had a promising career ahead of her as a concert pianist, but had put this on hold to raise their sons. She had loved the full Moon. Feeling that she could almost reach out and touch it brought Jeff closer to her. On those nights while Jeff was away on the Moonbase, she would tuck her young sons, Scott, Virgil and John up in their beds, and leave the curtains undrawn so that they could wave to their dad. John Tracy had been certain of his chosen profession since the age of two.

Now he joined his father and older brother, on the veranda of their villa, overlooking a calm Pacific ocean. It had been a stifling day, and John had been asleep for most of it, in preparation for his journey back to Thunderbird Five. Now the searing sun had dipped below the horizon. It was a still, warm night, with just the slightest of balmy breezes, rustling the row of palm trees that fringed the islands runway. The sea reflected ripples of moonlight. John poured himself a drink, and handed one to Scott and another to his father.

"Well here's to two more hours on terra firma, before I blast off to relieve Alan."

Jeff raised his glass towards the sky, as he indicated a star directly overhead, which seemed to be shining far brighter than any of the others.

"There's Thunderbird Five shinning away up there. I wonder if Alan's looking out on us. On a night like this he doesn't seem so far away," mused Jeff.

"Yeah, Mum used to say that to us about you, when we were kids," recalled John.

"How do you stand being up there for a whole month John. I'd go stir crazy, and I know it gets to Alan sometimes too," said Scott.

"Well, I know I can come back whenever I want. I can never be lonely when I am in constant link with the whole wide world. I have friends all over the world, and my family to talk to. On top of that I get the most amazing views. I must have looked out over the Earth more than a thousand times, but it never fails to give me a thrill."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, Son. It got to me too. I still miss those days. We were the equivalent of the old pioneers of the west, conquering and taming a hostile environment and we did it too. The Moonbase is now well established."

"But don't you find it a bit claustrophobic up there John?" asked Scott.

"Claustrophobic? No not really. Agoraphobic maybe. There's just me alone in a vast wide open space. I guess if you were pre-disposed to any kind of paranoia, it would soon get to you. But I can deal with it. I enjoy the solitude, I can study in peace. The stars never loose their fascination. There are so many new worlds just waiting to be explored. I hope that one day I will be able to set foot on Mars."

"Well I must admit that I find it all just a little scary," admitted Scott. "On the odd occasions when I have had to stay on Thunderbird Five. I felt very small and humble when faced with the vastness of the universe out there."

"Well I suppose we are small and humble compared to whoever created all of this," interjected Jeff.

"Or whatever," added John.

"Well now it looks as though you are going to get all philosophical with us John," smiled Jeff. "I'm afraid you'll have to save your theories on the creation of the universe for another time."

"Must be all those boffins you have long rambling discussions with," chided Scott. " I don't mind accompanying you and Alan in Thunderbird Three, but I'm pretty sure that within two weeks I'd be climbing the walls."

"That's because you are a man of action Scott, not to mention something of a control freak." John laughed, and just managed to duck out of the way to avoid an ice cube that Scott lobbed at him.

"The Moon is becoming a pretty busy place these days," continued Jeff. "What with all the Research Scientists, Geologists and not to mention the Chemical companies moving in."

"Yeah, it's a regular highway up there with ships going back and forth," voiced John.

"Why the sudden interest?" asked Scott

John explained, "With the discovery of an underground water supply, and the now well established Moon bases, the next logical step is to create a refuelling plant. The Moon is rich in type 3 helium - a source of rocket fuel."

"Yes," agreed Jeff. "It's generated a lot of interest. Several companies wish to set up extraction plants. There is also the titanium, there's a pretty penny to be made in that as well."

"Isn't that the stuff Brains uses as a base for his top secret metal?" asked Scott.

"He can't get enough of it," replied Jeff.

"So Brains might be tempted to establish a laboratory on the Moon one day," mused Scott.

"I'm sure he'd jump at the chance if he were not so indispensable here."

"Guess he could do a little moonlighting," quipped Gordon, who up until now had been relaxing in a garden chair. He was listening to some music with his headphones on, and was so uncharacteristically quiet, that the others had forgotten he was there. Now the music had ended, Gordon was able to catch the tail end of the conversation, and felt inclined to chip in. The others chided him in a good natured way.

"Aw, go back to sleep Gordon," laughed John.

However Gordon was determined to have his two cents worth. "But how are they going to allocate mining rights? I mean no-one actually owns the Moon do they?" He continued "So who will sanction the right to mine on it? What's to stop there being a disastrous free for all? Like the gold rush We don't want every Tom, Dick or Harry who can get their hands on a space ship to go rushing up there. It's a recipe for disaster. And guess who will be called upon if anything goes wrong?"

"Well there aren't any valuable minerals like gold or silver. So it won't be like the Klondike up there, but I can understand your concern Gordon. Those were exactly my thoughts when I first got wind of it," explained Jeff. " And I can tell you at first I was against the idea. There are a lot of greedy folk out to make a quick buck, some of them so consumed by their own greed that they will place themselves and others in danger without a thought."

"So are you still against it?" asked Scott.

"I'm still a little cagey, but not quite so much now. Not since the meeting I had with the World President."

Scott looked surprised. "You met the World President! When Dad?"

"About three months ago. It was on a top secret mission, and I didn't even tell you boys about it. Nothing had been finalised. Several companies had expressed a desire to mine the Moon and the President felt the same as I did. He voiced the same concerns, the viability of such a project and the safety aspects. Like you said Gordon. Nobody owns the Moon it belongs to us all. The United States would like to claim a chunk, because it has invested the most in its exploration. We put the first man on the Moon. We put the Stars and Stripes on alien soil, but that doesn't mean that we own it. Throughout the years the Russians, Chinese, Japanese and the British have all played key roles in conquering the Moon. But we can't go carving it up in portions like a cake."

"Or a ripe Dutch cheese," quipped Gordon.

"There's a lot of competition for the helium extraction rights," continued Jeff. "There is pure grade stuff up there. Geologists have also found minerals that could be processed to make the toughest, most durable metals. It would be a viable proposition, if there was a reliable company to set up a processing plant right there on the Moon."

"Well if all extractions were strictly controlled by the World Government," put in John. "If we only took what we really needed perhaps there would be no harm in it. It would be a pity to let a rich source go to waste."

"That's what the World President has decided. He will grant rights to the first company who can extract the raw ingredients and set up a processing plant. The companies will be thoroughly vetted to weed out any cowboy outfits. He will allow only one area to be mined at any one time. This will be monitored by scientists who will be able to predetermine whether this will have any adverse effect on the Moon's surface. The fuel will not be available for commercial use back on Earth. The costs of transportation would cancel out any profit."

"Yeah they would be astronomical," said Gordon, who despite being the joker of the family, was unaware of the pun he had just made.

Jeff gave him a wry smile. "Establishing a refuelling plant on the Moon will make exploration of Mars a probability and the Moons of Jupiter the next possibility. There have been several companies bidding for the right to mine on the Moon. "

"Whoever secures the contract will make a fortune," stated John.

"Who's in the running Dad? Anyone we know?" inquired Scott.

"Well, at the moment, it's a race between Harvey Daniels and Will Carmichael. I've heard both of them are chasing the same contract. They have both invested all they possess in their companies. One of them is going to be mighty disappointed."

"Couldn't they amalgamate and share the mining rights?"

"Well Scott, if it had been anyone other than Harvey and Will that would have been possible."

"And the most logical solution," cut in John.

"Ah, but I happen to know there is no love lost between those two," explained Jeff. " I have had dealings with them from time to time. They have both commissioned equipment from Tracy Engineering. I happen to know they are bitter rivals - absolutely hate each other."

"Why is that?" asked Scott.

"Harvey and Will were colleagues of mine at NASA. They engineered and erected radio telescopes. They went with us to Moonbase, to help set up a huge radio telescope on the far side of the Moon. The far side is shielded from the Earth's radio waves and electromagnetic radiation. So it was the perfect place to situate a telescope. When Daniels and Carmichael had chosen the best site for the telescope, they had tests done on the rocks. These tests showed the area to be rich in Helium 3. I remember them getting quite excited about it. They asked me to go into business with them at one time, with a view to mining the stuff. But I found Harvey a bit of a hot head. There was a dark side to him. The two men were friends who became partners in business, but Harvey's wife left him for Will. The two men have been bitter enemies ever since. Harvey's wife took his five year old son with her and the divorce was so acrimonious that Harvey did not seen his son for nigh on fifteen years. Harvey became a mean embittered man. He would like nothing better than to get those mining rights just so as he can push Will's face in the dirt. "

"It seems a pity," remarked John, looking up at the sky. "Man has just set up a colony on the moon, and already they are fighting over the right to plunder it. "

"I know what you mean Son. I sometimes wonder if we have done the right thing. We haven't done so good with our own planet and now we could be about to ruin another."

"There will always be ruthless opportunists," said Scott. " The most horrifying thing is the thought that someone could manufacture nuclear weapons to train at the Earth. Money makes men evil. Oh, present company excepted of course"

Jeff smiled. He was one of the worlds richest men. He earned a good salary working with Nasa and had invested it wisely in forming his own company Tracy Engineering. The company had gone from strength to strength, when Jeff employed a young genius inventor named Hiram Hackenbaker.

Orphaned at the age of twelve, Hiram, or 'Brains' as he was now known, had been noticed by Jeff as he was nervously delivering a speech to a bunch of very impressed University Professors. The young man spoke hesitantly and suffered a stammer made worse by his apparent nervousness. But once he was in full flow regaling all of his ideas, the stutter all but disappeared, and Jeff knew he had found a very remarkable man. Brains was responsible for the design of the Thunderbird machines and most of the rescue equipment. He was obsessional about his work and holed up in his laboratory at this very moment working on his latest project. He could have become a rich man in his own right, but for all his genius he displayed a child like naivety. Jeff saw that many unscrupulous people were out to manipulate him for their own ends. So he persuaded Brains to join him to help establish International Rescue. Never the social animal. Life on a secluded tropical island suited Brains down to a T. His stutter became less pronounced and with fewer pressures on him, his creative genius flowed copiously. The problem now was getting him to take a rest!

Jeff became aware of a beeping noise coming from the living room. Scott stiffened and replaced his glass on the table, then followed his father. He noticed the eyes on Alan's portrait were flashing in time with the bleeps. Scott steeled himself to leap into action. As the pilot of Thunderbird One he was needed on every rescue. Virgil, pilot of Thunderbird Two, was enjoying a rare night off to attend a concert. Scott hoped that he would not be need to be recalled. Although things were quiet on the rescue front, Virgil had been hard at work with routine maintenance on Thunderbird Two. All day he had toiled and sweated, lifting heavy components in the searing heat. If anyone deserved a night off it was Virgil. Gordon and John now stood at their father's side as he pressed a button on his desk, which upturned a crystal ashtray concealing a microphone.

"Go ahead Alan," instructed Jeff. "Any problems?"

"No." Alan's boyish face grinned down from his portrait frame.

Scott felt the tension leave his body and he walked back on to the veranda to relax and finish the rest of his drink.

"Why the call?”

"Just to say that my bags are packed, and I'm ready to go. I wanted to make sure that John hadn't forgotten me, and was living it up in some nightclub on the mainland."

"Well I asked Tin Tin if she was interested, but she turned me down," teased John. Alan pouted, not knowing whether to take John seriously or not. "So Virgil took her instead."

"Take no notice of him, Alan," said Grandma looking up from her sewing"He's just winding you up."

"See you later, kid," laughed John.

Alan was the youngest in the family and jealously guarded his relationship with Tin Tin, the beautiful daughter of Jeff's personal assistant Kyrano.

Chapter 2

At the NASA launch pad in Cape Canaveral, last minute routine checks were being undertaken to the space shuttle Argos. It had been commissioned by the Carmichael Mining Company, to take it's founder and director Will Carmichael, plus a team of expert miners and geologists on a mission which, if it was successful, could secure them a place in history. Will's team were certain that the best sources of helium and titanium were to be found on the Moon's far side. Many years of research had gone into this project and millions had been spent organising robot probes to analyse the soil samples. When at last, they were reasonably sure of their location, Will Carmichael had commissioned special drilling equipment made of the hardest and most durable metal known to man. There was only one company able to match his specifications, and that was Tracy Engineering. Their top scientist Professor Hackenbaker, had designed drilling equipment similar to the Mole, which was used by International Rescue. The special drill tip would make short work of the rocky surface of the Moon. Designed to be operated by a two man crew it was to be used to burrow into the Moon to open shafts, so that mining could begin on a commercial basis. So, with this precious equipment secured in the transporter hold. Will Carmichael took his place at the front of the ship in preparation for the take off in twenty minutes time.

"All set?" he enquired of the young man sitting nervously beside him.

"You bet, Dad."

Tom Carmichael fastened his seatbelt. He could hardly contain his excitement. He was going to the Moon. He had just turned twenty, and by way of a birthday treat, his Stepfather was allowing him to come along for the ride. His stepfather was no stranger to the Moon. He went there on regular business trips, but this time he had wangled a trip for Tom.

"I figure it's time for you to get some real experience. All that training at astronaut college will be nothing compared to experiencing the real thing."

Tom smiled at the silver haired man sitting next to him. This man had been a father to him for the last fifteen years. His real father hadn't wanted to know him after the messy divorce from his mom. Tom could not remember his father having time for him or his mother even when they were together. But he could remember his dad's real nasty temper. When things were going well, his dad was one of the most charming and generous folk around. But when things were bad you had to keep out of his way. Tom was four years old when he first saw his father hit his mother. It was in front of company too. Will Carmichael had been horrified to discover that his friend and partner had such a Jekyll and Hyde character. Jeanie Daniels turned to him for comfort at first, but then found in Will, the love she had always craved. She walked out on Harvey when Tom was just five. Harvey had taken this badly and during drunken rages he even threatened to kill her, but he did not have to. Jeanie died five years later. She and Will never had children of their own, so he took on Tom and cared for him as if he were his own..

As the astronauts were running through their preliminary checks, Tom could hear the rockets firing up. He held his breath as he listened to Mission Control begin the countdown. It got to ten, then nine... eight... seven... six... five... four… three... two... one... We have lift off. Tom could feel himself being flattened against his seat, as if restrained by invisible hands. His face felt distorted, like it was being pressed against a sheet of glass. He was aware of a sound emitting from his lips, midway between a whoop and a scream. He felt as if someone was sitting on his chest, and he found it hard to draw breath. One of his eyes was watering copiously, but he could not lift either of his arms to wipe the tears away. He was gripping the armrests of his seat for dear life! He jumped as an ear splitting roar, signalled the firing of the giant rocket boosters thrusting them skywards. Moments later they fell away ,as the second stage rockets took over. When these were spent, they too were discarded. The stage three rockets gave them the final boost, to lift them out of the Earth's atmosphere and into space. Tom could feel the pressure on his chest lighten.

"Well what did you think of that for an adrenaline buzz?" asked Will.

Tom's mouth was moving, but no sound came out. He could find no words to describe the feeling he was experiencing . After a few seconds he uttered one word. "WOW!"

The Earth was framed by the portside window, and the spectacle of it took Tom's breath away again. It hung like a giant blue/green jewel with swirls of cloud drifting by. He could see the oceans the deserts and forests. Like pages of an Atlas springing to life.

Will pointed. "Look we're just passing over Texas. Say howdy to the folk back home. Look at those clouds over Mexico bay. Could be they're building up for a storm."

"It's just awesome!" exclaimed Tom.

"It gets better. Just wait 'till you see the Moon and stars at close quarters, and the Sun too. You will be able to view the Sun without damaging your eyes. The windows have specially tinted shutters to protect against the glare and radiation. There's nothing quite like the sight of the Moon and just behind it - the sun with it's flaming corona. The Earth becomes like our Moon only four times bigger and sixty times brighter. I tell you boy there's no experience that can ever top that."

In the centre of the Tracy's living room stood an uncomfortable, but functional couch. However, this one was not designed for lounging in front of the TV set. It had another purpose.

"All set?" asked Jeff Tracy

"F.A.B," replied his two sons.

Jeff reached under his desk and pulled a lever. A section of floor disappeared into a hole, taking the couch with it. Moments later an identical couch was substituted and the section of floor locked into place. It looked like a normal living room again. The couch carrying John and Scott, descended into a shaft which lead to a secret railway. At the bottom of the shaft the couch was transferred to a trolley. It trundled along rails underneath the villa, through a maze of tunnels, until it reached a silo beneath the Round House. The Round House was perched on top of a cliff and housed laboratories and surveillance equipment. The couch was transferred to a hydraulic hoist which lifted it up into the tail section of the huge two hundred foot high red space rocket Thunderbird Three. When the couch had locked into position, John and Scott rose and entered a glass elevator which carried them up to the main controls in the cabin. They took their seats with John at the controls. He carried out a series of preliminary checks and then fired up the mighty engines. Scott clenched his fists, his jaw tightened and his whole body tensed.

"You have never liked this bit have you?" remarked John to Scott, as they strapped themselves in their seats.

John was right. Although he had taken off in Thunderbird One many times, Scott was always a little nervous about the take off in Thunderbird Three. He didn't make a very good passenger. He preferred to be at the controls.

"Sixty seconds and counting," announced John.

Scott felt his stomach lurch as he waited for take off. His dark brows knitted together anxiously.

John continued the countdown while checking the dials, "Fifty-nine... fifty-eight... fifty-seven... fifty-six... fifty-five... fifty-four... fifty-three... fifty-two... fifty-one… fifty..."

To Scott the ten seconds had felt more like ten minutes. He wondered if John felt the same underneath his ice cool exterior. John had often confided to Alan that he did feel apprehensive on take off. It was a natural human reaction.

"Eleven... ten... nine... eight... seven... six… five…

"Clear for blast off," sanctioned their father.

"Four... three... two.... one ... blasting off now."

The rocket's nose cone thrust out of the Round House, followed by the rest of the craft. It was thanks to the special fire retardant material Brains had developed, that the Round House was still standing, in spite of it's close proximity to the searing heat emitted by the rockets powerful boosters. They trailed ribbons of flame across the dusky evening sky. The resulting backdraft shook the foundations of the Round House and vibrated its windows.

Scott grimaced as he was flattened against his seat by the g forces. He could feel a great weight pressing on his chest, like an elephant had just jumped on to his lap. He held his breath, unable for a few second to breathe out. When at last the pressure eased he exhaled, and began to feel a bit dizzy. He shook his head and held the bridge of his nose. John appeared as unruffled as if it was nothing more than a stroll in the park. Below them, their island home had shrunk to a small green dot in a vast ocean, peppered with other small green dots. The sky was becoming darker. Soon they were on the edge of the Earth's atmosphere. Scott felt a little more comfortable and began to relax. When they were halfway there, John opened a radio channel to Alan on Thunderbird Five,

"We should be with you in about a couple of hours. Just time for you to tidy the place up a bit. You left it like a tip the last time."

"You'll make someone a good housewife one day," retorted Alan.

"Anything interesting I should keep an ear out for?"

"Not really John. There's a rocket carrying the Carmichael Mining Company approaching the Moon. It came closer to me than I thought it would, but nothing to get excited about. Thunderbird Five is well screened so we shouldn't be detected."

"Seems we've all had too quiet a time recently. Probably all hell will break loose when I'm back on duty."

John's estimation of the time was correct to the minute, two hours from his last broadcast he proceeded to dock with Thunderbird Five. Using the sensors located in the black ring around the nose cone of Thunderbird Three, he skilfully angled the large red space rocket in to position. Electro-magnetic clamps locked it into place inside the boarding tube, forming an air tight seal. It took a few minutes for air to be pumped into the hangar. When the correct air pressure was reached, a green light shone on John's control panel.

"Docking procedure complete," he reported to Alan.

"F.A.B. Opening airlock."

John and Scott left the space rocket and walked through the airlock, to where Alan stood with a big beaming smile on his face, obviously relieved to be going back home after a rather boring term of duty. Alan, unlike John was more of a sociable animal and not content to be on his own for very long. He stood with his brown leather holdall packed and parked by the door. He welcomed John, and then Scott with a bear hug.

"Well let's go," he said to Scott. "I'm going take Tin Tin shopping to buy a new dress, and then I'm going take her out on the town tomorrow night."

"Oh yeah. Tomorrow’s a special day, isn't it?"

"Sure is," replied Alan. "And I've also got to scour the shops to find a birthday card rude enough for Gordon."

Scott was secretly envious of his youngest brother's boundless energy. Space flight left him feeling drained and he was looking forward to an early night! John was prowling up and down in front of the console checking that everything was okay.

"Have you been listening in to Moonbase, Al?" he called.

"Yes, most of the time. They are about to conduct trial boreholes with a view to mining the uranium. They are going over to the dark side tomorrow. That's where the scientists figure they stand the best chance of success."

"Can we still monitor them from there?" asked Scott. "Won't they be out of contact? No radio waves can penetrate that atmosphere. They will be completely on their own. It's risky."

"Yeah, there will always be risks, but if we don't take them then we never advance," argued John. "Whoever reaches the source first...well he'll have the world at his feet."

Scott was still unsure. He shared his Father's reserve and secretly hoped that it would be Carmichael rather than Daniels who won the contract. From what he had heard about Daniels, Scott figured that he wouldn't be able to handle the responsibility that riches and power would bring him.

"I figure that Daniels character could be a bit of a maverick."

"Well the Moon's big enough for the both of them to keep out of each others way," replied John. "They're both professionals with only one goal - the mining rights. They won't have time for feuding. Shares in both companies have taken a hike recently, and I've put my money on Carmichael. So if he comes up trumps, it will be good for my pension fund."

John shared his father's entrepreneurial skills and with a sharp brain, he took a keen interest in the business side of Tracy Engineering. As Scott was being groomed to take over the running of International Rescue, so John the second born son was poised to take the helm of his father's successful Engineering business.

Alan butted in, "I hate to interrupt you guys but I have a prior engagement, so I'm off, and if you're not ready Scott, you'll just have to hitch a lift from one of those passing mining ships."

"See you Alan," said John, settling back into his routine again. "Bye Scott."

Alan detached Thunderbird Three's nose cone from the docking tube and slammed the rocket into reverse. Scott who had not yet fastened his safety belt was nearly jolted out of his seat.

"Hey, take it steady, Alan."

Alan just grinned, "Boy am I glad to get away from here and back to the action."

"We've not had much of that lately," said Scott. "Not that I'm complaining though. It's good to know that no-one is in trouble. If things are still quiet when we get back I will take you up for a few burns in TB1, just to keep your hand in."

"Great," enthused Alan who relished every opportunity he had to get behind the controls of Thunderbird One "And what say I return the compliment by letting you drive us home."

"What, now?" asked Scott.

"Yep, I'll catch up on some sleep so I can stay the pace with Tin Tin tomorrow night."

Scott eagerly took the controls, unlike Alan he was never content to be a passenger. He even hated anyone else driving his car. He was positively on the edge of his seat when he had to take Gordon up for practise at the controls of Thunderbird One Their father had insisted that they each learned to pilot each others craft. This had proved harder for Gordon being an aquanaut with only basic flight training. Gordon had mastered the controls of Thunderbird One, but Scott knew he lacked the confidence to really make that bird fly. Scott likened him to the nervous driver sitting in the slow lane on a motorway. Gordon had made several flights to Thunderbird Five to help with repairs, but had yet to take the controls of the space rocket. It was not that Thunderbird Three was difficult to fly . All the hard work was done by computers. it was so simple a child could do it. Poor Gordon had never been able to keep his head out of the sickness bag long enough to take charge. All the Tracy brothers had undergone astronaut training at their father's insistence. The training simulators had been sheer torture for Gordon. Being strapped to a seat, and revolved round and round at high speed for ten minutes sent him reeling. He was able to withstand the rolling of the roughest oceans, but in space, the effects of zero gravity brought him weakly to his knees. He knew that he was never going to cut it as an astronaut.

Alan stirred in his bunk and began to snore. It was a testament to the faith he had in his elder brother's capabilities that he could sleep so soundly while Scott, or on occasion Virgil brought him home. Soon they would be re-entering Earth's atmosphere and see welcoming blue waters of the Pacific lapping languidly below them.

"This is your wake up call," came Scott's voice over the intercom. He sounded his usual calm, controlled self. Alan knew that John liked to wind Scott up, particularly on take off. There was a certain amount of rivalry between the two. John had followed in his father's footsteps with his astronaut training , while Scott had joined the military and become a fighter pilot. Both were handsome men who were successful in their own right. Which often lead to a clash of egos.

Alan swung his legs over the side of his bunk and joined Scott to strap himself down for re-entry. This was another process Scott hated. He gritted his teeth as the space craft juddered violently for what seemed like an eternity, but which was actually four minutes. Scott could see the flames dancing around Thunderbird Three as they re-entered the Earth's gravitational pull. He had to hand it to Brains, the fire retardant materials used in the construction of this, and all other space rockets built by the Tracy Engineering Company, were worthy of the Nobel prize that had been awarded to the shy genius. Scott breathed a sigh of relief when he heard his father's voice.

"We have visual. Welcome home boys. You're clear to land."

Chapter 3

"This is Moonbase Alpha You're clear to land."

Will Carmichael sat by the porthole window with his stepson Tom as they drew nearer to the Moon. Tom was silent as he took in the bleak, barren landscape spreading before him. In that instant he made a major career decision. He was going to be an astronaut. No he was going to be a lunarnaut."

"Moonbase Alpha this is Argos requesting permission to land."

"Permission granted."

The space ship wheeled around and touched down silently on the grey powdery surface of the Moon. From his porthole window Tom had his first glimpse of the Moonbase. It glowed with an eerie artificial light emitting from dome like structures, connected by a tangle of snake like arms. The three Moonbase structures sat in the windless, colourless landscape like giant octopus.

"Is this where you and my dad were stationed?"

"Yes this is it. My first visit in twenty years. It's grown a bit since I was here last. There are two more domes now. There was only the one back then and it was home to me, your dad, Jim Ross, Ivan Kovak, Vladimir Kolskey, Lee Chuan, Nils Petersen and Jefferson Tracy."

"I guess Dad was a different person back then," added Tom sadly.

"It's not all your dad's fault that things turned out the way they did. We all came back from the Moon to a hero's welcome and when you've been to the Moon you know nothing can top that experience. Your dad basked in that glory at first, but then others went to the Moon and pretty soon it was routine stuff. I guess your dad found it hard to handle being yesterday's news."

"But it happened to you and you didn't hit the bottle. "

"No, I didn't. But I won't judge a man until I've walked a mile in his shoes. He's still your father Tom - your real father."

"No," said Tom adamantly "He forfeited that right the first time he raised his hand to Mom."

"Bitterness destroyed him Tom. Don't let it destroy you."

Tom put his troubled childhood behind him, and under Will's guidance he had grown into a strong, responsible young man. He couldn't wait to get out there and explore the Moon.

"We will have to wait for a few minutes. They are sending a boarding tube out to us. It will take us directly into the main communications centre," explained Will.

Tom watched the snake like tube extend towards their space ship's airlock, and lock into place. Above the door a red light turned to amber, paused for a minute and then turned to green. An automated voice informed them that it was now safe to proceed. Tom was a little disappointed to be walking through a plastic tunnel rather than the surface of the Moon. He harboured a childish dream of jumping out of the space ship and planting both footprints on the powdery surface. As an adult he realised that jumping out of a space ship in zero gravity was not a good idea, weighing a sixth of what he would weigh back on Earth he would rebound several feet into the air!

They entered the control centre and found it a hive of activity. The rooms were maintained at a comfortable 65 degrees and the Moonbase employees were comfortably attired in jump suits. A dark haired man extended his right arm and gripped Will in a firm handshake. The Commander of Moonbase and Will were old acquaintances.

"Good to see you again, Will," said Commander Jim Steel "Your first time on Moonbase?" he enquired of Tom.

"Yes Sir."

"Well, Maria here will show you to your quarters. When you've had the chance for a shower and a bite to eat, I'll be happy to give you a guided tour."

"Wow, things sure have changed. Showers, satellite TV, a proper restaurant. You'll soon be opening the place as a hotel and letting the tourists in," quipped Will.

"It will come one day," laughed the Commander "There are plenty with the money to pay for the ultimate in holiday one-upmanship."

"Sir, will I get the chance to go out and explore the Moon?" asked Tom eagerly

"I'm sure you will. You will be helping out on the drilling sites, and you've have had the required training?"

"Oh yes, I've trained on the simulators and on location in Iceland."

"Good, good. Then you'll know what's expected of you. You've got a first rate instructor in Will Carmichael. I've put you and your team in the beta dome. Harvey Daniels and his crew arrived two days ago and they are in Gamma"

"Well hopefully our paths shouldn't cross all that often. I say let the best man win," said Will.

"I of course must remain strictly neutral in all of this, but I agree with you... and I wish you luck."

"Thanks."

The next day saw Harvey Daniels and Jim Weaver out on the Moon's surface preparing to dig out a mine shaft. Weaver was checking his computer equipment. As a geologist he was well aware of the volatilities of the Moon's crust. This particular area was rich in the minerals they were seeking, but there was a major drawback. The black magma crust was thin in places and concealed a bubbling cauldron of lava. Dangerous gasses naturally vented out from time to time. Weaver had set up a device for predicting such eruptions by measuring the pressure under the Moon's surface. The pressure gauge was rising steadily.

"Hold it Harvey!" he instructed. "We've got a vent out building up."

Harvey Daniels stopped what he was doing and made his way laboriously back to the safety of the Moonrover, where he was joined by his partner and another colleague. When all were strapped securely inside, Harvey reversed the Moonrover to a safe distance and then sat back to watch the show.

"How long?" asked Harvey. He was an impatient man who realised that time was money.

"Could take another ten maybe fifteen minutes."

"Well, we could have hung out a little longer. I'm almost ready to sink that shaft."

"Too risky. I can't predict the exact time a vent out will occur. So I aim to leave a good margin. We need time to move to safety. That could take at least ten minutes in these bulky suits."

Daniels drummed his fingers impatiently.

"Blow, damn you," he cursed. "Just get it over with."

As if on cue a jet of steam and molten rock shot twelve metres into the atmosphere. The vent out was an awesome sight, like a giant roman candle. It lasted for three minutes. Flaming debris spewed out of the ground and floated away into space.

"Whew, that was a little too close for comfort," remarked Harvey.

"Now you see what I mean. That's the force we've come to harness. Just imagine if we had been sitting on top of that. We would be on our way to Jupiter by now!"

"Is it safe to go back and check the instruments? Or are we likely to get another one like that?"

"We might get a few spits, but the big one is over. They usually come at intervals. It will probably take another two to three hours for the pressure to build up again. So I figure we should get a clear run."

"Lets go ahead and sink that shaft. We can't waste anymore time." Harvey started up the Moonrover and hastened back to the drilling site. In his eagerness to get back to work he tumbled from the Moonrover and bounced several feet along the ground.

"Whoa! Damn zero gravity." He clumsily hauled himself to his feet and adjusted his stride to the loping gait needed to compensate for the lack of gravity. He had no desire to go catapulting off into space.

"Where are Reeves and Jackson? They should be here by now," he demanded, angrily looking around.

Weaver pointed to another Moon buggy way back in the distance.

"Looks like they're coming."

"And about time!" snapped Harvey.

Harvey Daniels gave his two engineers short shrift when they arrived some forty minutes behind schedule. The two engineers did not like Daniels very much but he was paying their wages.

"Now lets get started," barked Daniels "We've got to be able to steal a march on Carmichael. His company arrived yesterday and my sources inform me that he has superior drilling machinery. We've got the advantage of a head start. We are here now and ready to drill so let's jump to it."

"Carmichael's Moonrover was behind us," informed Reeves.

"What, here? Already?"

"Yep. They've set up just behind that ridge."

Daniels swore. "He's muscling in. Well he's taken every thing else from me. I'm sure as hell not going to let him take this."

"He's got some pretty hot machinery. Designed by the top man at Tracy Engineering," added Jackson, which prompted Daniels to swear even more.

"Tracy Engineering," he spat. "Might have known Tracy would take his side in all this. As if the man isn't rich enough already."

"Do you think Carmichael has got funding from Jeff Tracy? I heard he turned you down when you asked for sponsorship."

He did - the no-good hypocrite! and now I know why. He was funding Carmichael. He told me his company would be happy to sell us his fancy machines but he was not willing to finance either venture. Said he doesn't really agree with all this. Seems he's changed his tune."

I always thought that he was a man of principle."

"Principle, my ass! A man doesn't get that rich with principles. You've got to be ruthless, you've got to let nothing or no-one stand in your way. Now I want this deal for me and for my company. We stand to make a fortune every bit as big as Tracy’s."

The two rivals had picked the same prime spot, where the raw material for Helium 3 was in plentiful supply. Will thought it was a ridiculous situation. He had the best drilling equipment money could buy, but Harvey had got there first. The two of them were preparing to mine within two miles of each other. It didn't make any sense. If ever there was a time to let bygones be bygones this was it. He decided he would go over and try to make Harvey see sense. They could share the mining rights. It made sense to work together. Jeanie the woman they had both fallen out over, had been dead for five years now. Will could see the widening rift between Tom and his natural father and it concerned him. Harvey Daniels had not touched a drop of drink since Jeanie died. He managed to pull himself back from the brink to build up his company and his fortunes again. Will did not want to be the one to push him right back again.

Will put his suggestion to Tom, who was dismissive. "It won't work."

"I could at least try. I've decided to take the Moonrover and pay your father a visit. I'm going to try to make him see sense."

"Don't bet on it," replied Tom icily, "He's not a man you can reason with."

"Then I'll try to contact him by radio first, and see if I can get him to talk to me. It's been too long, Tom. It's time to heal old wounds. Harvey was once the best friend I ever had. You don't remember him when he was a good man. You were just a toddler. But he was a good man. As brave as the rest of us. I know he treated your mother bad, and I can't defend him for that. but that wasn't your father Tom. It was the drink that did that to him. The night Jeanie left him, she turned up on my doorstep because she had nowhere else to go. When he had sobered up the next day, your dad was horrified to learn what he had done. He came round and begged her to give him another chance. He swore he would never touch another drop. He made the same promises to her that he always did. But she had had enough. She told him she wouldn't comeback until he admitted his alcohol addiction, and took steps to get help. I didn't expect to fall in love with your mother, Tom."

Tom shrugged. He feigned indifference but Will knew this was an act. Tom, like his father was a proud man, and his Mother's death had hit him hard.

"I wish you would speak to him, Tom," pleaded Will.

Tom's jaw was set rigid. "No. Never."

Will sat in the Moonrover and activated the two way radio receiver built into his Space helmet. W