Thunderbirds Fail (short story)

Thunderbirds Fail was a short story printed in TV Century 21 that contained elements from the Doctor Who universe. Framed as the front page of an in-universe periodical, the titular article instead made reference to the Thunderbirds content in the issue with a smaller piece tying-in to the Captain Scarlet comic story We Will Destroy Unity City, which was a crossover with the DWU.

Summary
The runaway ZV7 spaceship continues to plummet out of control towards New York. The city is deserted and it seems that Thunderbirds have failed. Government leaflets which warned of the forthcoming disaster flutter along the gutters, warning stray animals of their impending deaths. Thunderbird 1 and Thunderbird 2 also plunge earthwards, attempting to stop ZV7. Although thus far failing to divert the ship from its current path, they do not give up. It is not long, however, before they will need to retreat and leave New York to die.

Meanwhile, the news that Captain Scarlet is alive comes out of Cloudbase. Captain Black contacts Colonel White by radio and in just a few words spurs Spectrum into frantic action. Giving a position in the Fijian group of islands in the Pacific, Black asks for help and claims to have Scarlet with him, allegedly alive and well.

Characters

 * Captain Scarlet
 * Captain Black
 * Colonel White

Worldbuilding

 * The last refugee sped down Broadway, leaving New York City for New Jersey "an hour ago".
 * There is nobody present at Kennedy Spaceport to watch the approach of Thunderbird 1, Thunderbird 2 and ZV7 on its radars.
 * The report on International Rescue is from the World Television Corporation.

Story notes

 * This story is another crossover with Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Thunderbirds.

Continuity

 * According to unoffical reports, Captain Scarlet is alive. Previous rumours had suggested he was dead. (PROSE: Is Scarlet Dead?, COMIC: We Will Destroy Unity City)