The K/46 astroid comes into view, the more Zaynes anxieties play, thinking what they will find on that station, will they find the Anderson crew?
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
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K/46 was an astroid big to say the least, perfect for mining minerals from its core and perfect to collect other minerals from the surrounding astroids
Sat in its surface, in one of it's impact crator was the Green industries mining station
Lights illuminated the stations exterior
That was a good sign atleast
The bad news was Thunderbird 3 was too big to land in the mining platform landing pads, which meant a pod was going to be needed
All three got there helmets on, checking over the plan and gear
"I can only watch from here" John said through radio "my instruments are struggling a little with the working with the older tech"
"It's alright John" Zayne smiled turning on his camera on his shoulder "You got the Anderson cam"
Alan floated over Jeff's shoulder, who now was sat in the pilot seat
"You sure your going to be alright up here dad?" Alan questioned and Jeff raised a thumb
"Course I will be kid, keeping coms open and scanners live for yall too, keep everyone updated"
Alan nodded "FAB dad" before floating towards the bulkhead with Zayne
"Alan?"
He turned around from the bulkhead, looking at his father helmet "be safe okay?"
Alan blinked at the concern in his father tone and nodded "I have Zayne, we'll be okay"
Zayne strapped his EVA suit on, watching as the pod was made with extra carrying space
"Were all clear Jeff"
"FAB" came over the radios and the loading bay doors opened with a faint hiss
"Ready Alan?"
"Aye aye, commander Anderson"
Zayne half chuckled grabbing his controls for his suit, and flying out of the hanger, Alan following behind
Zaynes helmet lit up with flight data, following the path that it highlighted leading Alan behind him
The closer he got the louder his heart beating in his ear
"Ze?" Eos worried whispered in his ear, that mildly made him wobble with suprise
"EOS.."
"Its a private channel" the AI said quietly "Your vitals are through the roof..."
"Yeah...I..I know"
"I'm keeping them hidden from John...for now anyway"
He smiled slightly knowing well that John would stress more seeing his vitals, then actually watching the live video
"Thank you EOS"
A happy chirp in his ears "please take care down there"
Zayne exhaled nodding reducing his speed, letting his momentum carry him before reverse thrusts to slow down further before firing his wrist grapple to tether to the landing pad
The pod landed behind him as they looked at the mining facility
Feeling Alan's hand grip his shoulder to keep himself from floating away from Zayne
"Heading in now Mr Tracy"
"FAB boys, stay safe"
He retracted the grapple, using his boot thrusts to guide both over to the airlock, much to both suprise the door opened.
It closed behind them with a hiss before starting to cycle air
Both Alan's and Zaynes scanner beeping as oxygen was introduced into the air lock
A magnetic click and there boots thudded against the floor
"Huh...wasn't actually expecting that..." Zayne huffed, steadying Alan a little with the artificial gravity
"Neither..OW.. was I" the smaller astronaut lifted his feet wiggling them from the sudden jolt of being held down
Zayne chuckled slightly, as the door leading into the complex opened
He held his hand out
"Wait here" Zayne said "just incase alright?"
Zayne stepped out glancing around into the hanger
Empty, apart from some mining excavation pods, taken apart by the looks of things, his helmet lights picking out some details as he inched forwards
"Hello?" He called out
But was met by the almost silence of the complex
A faint hum and the lights above flickered on above him, casting the room in a pale yellow light
He paused just looking, taking in the enviroment, before giving his equipment a final check before taking off his helmet inhaling deep
Coughing suddenly
"Uh fuck that's dust-"
Alan walked out, taking off his helmet "dust is good right?'
"Ehhh..."
He waves his hand clipping his helmet to his belt eyes on the tracks
"They aren't though..."
Both astronauts look at eachother, following the tracks deeper into the complex
———
The facility corridors stretched wide, yet surprisingly clean too, apart from some dust in places but that could be ignored for now
Lights would flicker on above them as they moved through the facility
The steady creaking and a low hum of the life support system of the mostly silent base, passing a few closed rooms before coming to a wide room
Their boots clinking on the metal floor as they stepped in
Their flashlights picking out a wide window, overlooking the vast stretchs of space and the astroids surface, with what looks like makeshift militery cots, with blankets drapes over them, all tucked close together
Bags laying beside them
A main table, sat roughly in the middle of this room, likely was a bussiness desk, now with half finished projects, some mugs and note pads
Alan separated, walking a little away from the purple astronaut
Zayne crouched down, beside one of the beds
Hand hesitating over a bag, before delicately pulling out the the name tag of who maybe owned it
Anderson
He breathed out in a soft gasp
"Ze?"
He looked over, following Alan's voice and paused
Jaw dropping at the wall of photos, all these memorys, the crews families together on a wall
He recognised these faces, both people from the crew and the family's devastated by the disaster of loosing their loved ones
This wall was proof they survived
It was evidence
He glanced at his camera clipped onto his shoulder
"Getting all this Thunderbird 5?" He croaked
"Every last bit Zayne..."
Zayne stopped, as one photo catch his green eyes gaze
he remembered this one
His gloved fingers trembling took it off the wall
Tears bubbling at his eyes stroking the film of the picture
The photo, with a rocket in the background
ready for the trip to station
Mark anderson stood front and center, one hand around his wife's...his mother's waist, a smile stretched across his face, and just holding his other hand
a child
Dark hair just like his fathers with great big green eyes
Was little Zayne...
he must have been 6...
Pain blossomed up his chest as tears threatened to fall
"Ohh...fucking.." He wiped his eyes
Alan leant in hugging his side
"I'm...I'm alright Alan...just...oo...wasnt expecting..." He waved his hand around the photo wall
Alan nodded "we likely need to move...we can likely find something in the command deck right? Get a full station announcement out?"
Zayne wiped his eyes pinning the photo back
"Y-yeah" He breathed out steading himself "Yeah smart move kid"
Alan nodded "I'll lead, take your time"
He watched as Alan left, he followed, giving one last glance at the wall, feeling his heart being steady pulled a part at the sign of life before fallowing the young Tracy
———
The upper command deck, full 360 degree view above the base and the astroids surface
Its consels lights a steady pulse, some notes here and there and tools to keep the command center running
Zaynes eyes flickered outwards towards open space, just picking out Thunderbird 3 he glanced down eyes on the scanners seeing the steady beep when it did pass over Thunderbird 3 form
They likely saw us coming in...but where are they?
Zaynes glanced towards Alan, who pulled a perplexed face
"I recognise...nothing..."
"This is likely same age as you Alan"
Alam shot him a look
"What? 19 years old?"
"Give or take" He waves his hand
Eyes flickering over the layout and eyes falling in the microphone, that jolted out the table console, and below its base the push to talk button
He deep inhaled, finger hovering over it as he looked at Alan
"Ready?'
Alan nodded slightly
Zayne inhaled, gathering his himself before pressing the button down
———
"This is International rescue." He started "We found your SOS beacon, we are here to provide aid and get the hope crew off this Rock. We mean no harm." Zayne breathed out, trying to hide the croak as his voice carried though the base
Silence followed
"I repeat. We are here to rescue you."
Nothing
Zayne inhaled deep
Emotions bubbled up he staggered away from the console kicking a chair sharply, it clattered to the other side of the room
"They are-arent here." He snapped
"Ze"
"There's nothing here. Just photos and bags and beds, this was all a hoax to fucking get us out here"
His back hit the console and he slid down head in his heads
"I shouldn't have had believed they could be here...."
Alan sat beside him silently, steadily wrapping his arm around Zaynes own, his head resting on the emotional astronaut who was trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall
"Mark..." Jeff's voice cut through his grief
"Sometimes that's just how the dice have landed okay?" Zayne sniffle
"But this evidence what you've got on camera just provides that the crew didn't just disappear like we all thought, being stranded on a Green industries base? It'll be enough, to get that bastard"
Zayne listened to Jeff's words, breathing out slowly before wiping his eyes nodding slightly
"Yeah..." steadily standing Alan moved and hugged him Zayne, who hugging back
"There's nothing here...we..were heading back..."
They decended, Zayne walked after Alan who moved a little a head
His thoughts festering again
How long the crew did last out here, he dragged his gloved hand against the metal walls feeling the low buzz against his finger tips
He paused
That...didn't feel ri-
Jeff's voice cut through his thoughts, like a hot knife throigh butter
"Whao-WHOA-kids you gotta get out of there!-"
Zayne was already launching himself towards Alan
A blast rocked the station
Zayne grabbed him, tucking alan close to his chest, feeling Alan's squeak and latch on as they spun as the artificial gravity failed
Sending both spinning with Zayne tackle
Zayne corrected their spin and grabbed onto a wall, scrambling to get theirs helmets on
Alan panted eyes wide
"The hell?" Alan blinked at Zayne who shook his head
"I don't know kid-" He huffed holding Alan close "were heading to pod Jef-"
He felt something clinked to his back of his EVA suit
As he and Alan were yanked out of the corridor with a suprised yelp
The door seal in front of them, both panting
Zayne spun keeping Alan tucked behind him
He froze up mouth opening wide
"Oh-oh my fuckin god" Zayne gasped out
"Anderson?" Jeff's worried tone broke through The radio
The man who yanked Zayne and Alan to saftey
Raises an eyebrow, under his helmet
His gear a grey, likely formly white with purple trim faded with age, some places being held together with tape
An older Anderson tech emblem on his shoulder with the name
sirius black who gets sorted into slytherin, sneaks into the gryffindor dorms every night after making friends with the them. he sleeps in james’s bed up until end of fourth year, when he switches to remus’s. and then…at the end of 5th year, peters. he’s the only one who will take him. but then back to remus in 6th year.
