20th Century Bomber Stolen! (short story)

20th Century Bomber Stolen! was a Universal News short story printed in TV Century 21 that contained elements from the Doctor Who universe.

Framed as the front page of the in-universe periodical of the same name, the story partly focused on the planet Astra, first mentioned in the Doctor Who television story The Rescue, and its inhabitants, who were introduced in The Daleks comic story Duel of the Daleks.

Summary
At the Unity Air Museum, masked gunmen quickly breach its security by overpowering the museum's two guards in a midnight raid. The bandits then tow the 1960 B52 bomber they were after onto the demonstration airfield and take off, all before troops from the nearby army camp can attend the scene. An immediate red alert is flashed to World Air Force bases, heralding the launch of Sentor jets within minutes, which desperately search for the stolen bomber.

Elsewhere, in outer space, deep probe bounce wave cameras aboard the Thunderfour rocket bound for the Mexican Hat Galaxy pick up the existence of a new planet at their intended destination. The scientists who picked up the hyper-frequency radio picture soon communicate their discovery to Earth, stating that the planet had remained undetected due to its constant orbit behind another planet on a parallel course. Those aboard decide to name the new planet Honvarallan, a compound of the surnames of two senior members of the joint Astra-Earth mission.

Meanwhile, Central Headquarters, Atomic Research Liaison for Industrial Experiment (C.H.A.R.L.I.E. for short) are once again forced to make excuses for their new inventor Professor Wright. Due to arrive at the offices of TV Century 21, Wright decides to invent his own train to get there, reasoning that "you just can't trust the monorails these days". Making a "spectacular" run for three yards along his specially formulated viaductal line, the train then disappears in a cloud of steam. TV Century 21 promptly issues a request to be contacted if anyone finds Wright. Later, he is seen at a height of twenty thousand feet, having operated his reversing heli-hat to pull him away from his exploding train. He shouts "I couldn't turn it off" at the passing pilot who located him and news soon comes in that he should be down in time for the following week's TV 21.

Characters

 * Professor Wright
 * Pilot

Story notes

 * 20th Century Bomber Stolen! was a crossover with the TV Century 21 comic series Wright (C.H.A.R.L.I.E.), which properly began two instalments after the issue of this story's printing, as alluded to in its narrative.

Continuity

 * The twenty-five year mission of the Thunderfour Mach 56 rocket, bound for the Mexican Hat Galaxy in order to discover the nature of its planets, was reported upon by TV 21 when it started in 2066. (PROSE: Beatty Trial Sensation)