Chapter Text
Scott would one day look back and rue the day the Zero-X got approved.
He knew the designers and mechanics had poured everything into making it work, scientists working around the clock and making new discoveries as they went, but the craft they were building was approved by bigwigs who had simply focus grouped a result that was no better than a giant Lemon.
Modular engines, a deep space propulsion system, cutting edge facilities to support the astronauts hand picked to drive it into distant nebulas, a magnificent and much hyped Rocketship... which would lead to his whole world being turned upside down and shaken for good measure.
When he had first heard of it, he had been sitting in the living room, talking with his dad when a top secret message appeared on his desk. Many months later, he was watching the live feed of it’s pre flight assembly on hologram. The whole family had gathered around to watch, except for Scott’s father, who was an honoured guest at the ceremony.
As Jeff Tracy was the first man to walk on Mars’ surface, it had only been natural that he would be invited. He had been reluctant, but Scott had assured him he would be able to step in as temporary commander should anything happen during the hours where Jeff would be busy. He was just there to wave to the crowd, maybe offer a few comments to the news.... officially.
Unofficially, the secondary reason Jeff was there was because the GDF practically begged on hands and knees for him to be there. While Jeff’s position as the head of International Rescue was classified, the GDF were aware and hoped his presence would help everything go over smoothly. Jeff had half jokingly deflected at first, saying that International Rescue was just that, a Rescue organisation, and not hired security. But there was still the very real threat that a hydraulic fault or system jam would be discovered, so he was indeed there to be eyes on the ground, first to identify any potential accident and to summon his sons to swoop in and save the personnel.
Of course, what no one had thought to anticipate instead was not a mere accident or fault. No, just one greedy opportunist who had set out to sabotage the entire event and to make off with the treasured spacecraft.
The Hood.
The footage for the events that followed had been meticulously gathered over the months following, but the incomplete picture only reinforced what Scott suspected; The Hood’s failed attempt to steal the ship had resulted in the unfortunate crew found in a locked storage unit, Hood himself dragged off to jail from the Escape pod floating on the sea, but the Zero-X itself and Jeff had vanished without a trace. Only a vapour trail pointing vaguely into the sky offered an indication where the craft had shot into, but despite John’s best efforts no tracking could be found beyond Mars’ orbit.
The rest of the year had been unending chaos. The year after that was a bit less so.
International Rescue had been kept active, reasoning that if anything, this proved that they would continue to be needed. To make sure this wouldn’t happen to anyone else. They had made friends, a few ‘Problem Rescue-ees’, and it seemed the world had continued turning after all. At one point Colonel Casey had forwarded information to him, but it was just a new department the World Government had set up. Some kind of security organisation. It felt a bit late for that, but Scott was glad they might have a slightly reduced workload. He could dream, couldn’t he?
Indeed, it had felt a bit like a dream when Brains had called a meeting to discuss a thrilling new development. The combined efforts of the man with blue framed glasses, John in the quieter days and his new AI Partner, EOS, had uncovered a strange transmission from part of Mars that hadn’t been colonised. It wasn’t like anything they could match, but after another week of extensive unpicking at the code and figuring out the cypher, the message was clear:
FAB
There could be no doubt. Their dad was on Mars.
Alan had already bolted towards his sofa, intent of getting into 3 to warm up the ion thrusters. Not one of them wanted to wait another second, but eventually enough restraint was shown so that they could properly prepare. There was no question all 5 of them would be making the trip, so there were other strings to pull.
Just in case.
And they were off, cruising towards TB5 to rendezvous with John. And in TB3, Mars was practically a hop, skip and a jump away from their home. But with this convenience came gnawing anxiety, why had it taken so long for the code to appear? Why was it so hard to unravel? What might they find on the dark side of the red planet? But the overwhelming urge to bring their dad home meant these thoughts went unsaid. Perhaps it was because the news had turned them back into the kids who wanted a hug. But still, with Three gracefully landing in a shadowy cliff, it was 5 professional rescue workers who emerged and searched for the Zero-X.
It was there, all right. Crashed too badly to be flightworthy, but not so poorly that she was a blackened, crispy husk. Jeff had taken her in as carefully as he could have. But beyond the dull blue paint lay something even stranger, and Scott had to check it wasn’t just his eyes playing on him, but they all agreed.
A multicoloured city lay in the valley below the Zero-X crash. Too alien to be people from the colony, but difficult to see clearly, with a strange haze blurring the structures. Something about it seemed to steal the breath from inside him, and he could only stare, wide eyed and mouth agape, until the bubble burst and they turned back to the Zero-X. Their scanners were picking up a life sign from inside.
No further time for distractions. Even that Civilisation would have to wait.