The Worlds Of Gerry Anderson: Skydance

Scene 25 - Leakage

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The radiation has begun to leak further into the sea. Another stream from the river that Thunderbird 4 and Stingray follow along leads directly to a sheer drop hundreds of miles into the sea. Fast gushing water pours out of this stream. However, Thunderbird 4 and Stingray see where the radiation leakage from the power plant is being gushed out into the river.

Gordon:

There it is.

Troy:

We gotta stop that leak. If that gets into the drinking supply. Or further beyond into the sea, we will never be able to stop the decay.

Phones:

And you know the longer-lasting impacts of nuclear radiation on land and on sea.

Troy:

We don't wanna get too close to that stuff. Blocking it up therefore isn't an answer.

Phones:

Troy, we can disperse more of the water to it. That will help to distil it.

Troy:

Great idea, Phones.

Gordon:

I'll see what I can do here. I reckon your fins at Rate 6 should be able to do the trick.

Troy:

P.W.O.R.

Stingray then proceeds a little way down the stream to where the other path begins. Thunderbird 4 maintains where it is. Stingray faces the other way.

Keep her fixed where she is but allow the swirl of the fin to generate the current.

The fins of Stingray quickly begin to accelerate.

Increasing power, Phones.

The fins keep getting faster. The swirl of the current drastically builds up.

Take her up to Rate 6.

The fins spin quickly, and the current continues building. Gordon watches the activity of radiation on his monitor. The rate drastically goes down.

Gordon:

Troy, it's working. It's working.

Troy:

Great.

The radioactive material continues dissipating. However, the dramatic swirl of water begins pulling Stingray.

Phones:

Troy, our position is moving.

Troy:

Doesn't matter too much. As long as the radiation goes down, we've got ourselves a good swirl.

The river drags Stingray faster and faster.

Gordon:

Hey, Troy, where are you headed?

Phones:

Troy, we're getting further away. And fast.

Stingray is beginning to be pulled uncontrollably by the stream, hindered worse by the spinning fins pushing the craft further away without the aquanaut's total control.

Troy:

Switch her back to manual control.

Phones:

Troy, we're still picking up speed.

Stingray drifts uncontrollably through the waves.

Troy:

Dive, Phones. Blow one.

Phones:

We can't! The stream is too shallow.

Gordon looks on the monitor to see where the stream is headed for – a deep drop!

Gordon:

Virgil! Stingray is in trouble. They've lost control, and are headed for the edge of a ravine!

Thunderbird 4 quickly accelerates to try and help. Troy and Phones wrestle with the controls as Stingray is dragged to certain doom – the deep drop was in sight!

Troy:

We've got to pull her around, Phones. We're fighting mother nature, and she's pulling us to the edge of a cliff.

Thunderbird 4 stops at the junction, powerless to help.

Gordon:

Virgil, you gotta help them! I can't go in or I'll be sucked in with them.

Stingray continues to be thrashed about by the waves. SPLASH! CRASH! SPLASH! Troy and Phones try regaining control but are still being swept away. Thunderbird 2 carrying the pod quickly arrives overhead.

Virgil:

Hang in there, Gordon. I'm coming to get them.

The grey steel grabs from Thunderbird 2 extends from the front of the craft. Stingray reaches closer towards the edge! Marina hangs on tightly in the back.

Troy:

Hold onto something. We're about to go!

Stingray is then thrusted down! But suddenly, we don't see it go down. Stingray is held up in the air. Troy, Marina, and Phones are confused at what has happened. The window shows them levitating, looking down to the eternal abyss beneath them.

Phones:

Well what happened?

Troy:

I know. Gordon Tracy, you old son of a gun.

We then see the clamp from Thunderbird 2 holding Stingray up. Thunderbird 2 hovers above, clinging onto the sub.

Virgil:

Well fellas, looks like I caught a fish. A pretty big one too.

Troy:

Thanks, Virgil. If you wouldn't mind putting us down somewhere safe away from the running stream, that would be great.

Virgil:

F.A.B.

Thunderbird 2 slowly begins to take Stingray away.

Phones:

Phew. Safe and sound.

Troy:

Yeah. You ok there, Marina?

She nods yes.

Gordon:

Well Troy, you'd be glad to know the leakage has been distilled. Good work.

Virgil:

For now it has been. There's still more work to do on it. More will still be running out. But we have a solution that will deal with that.

Thunderbird 2 continues taking Stingray away.

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