Thunderbirds/Stingray: Skirmish Of The Seas

Scene 1 - Arctica

5...4...3...2...1!

THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!

(THUNDERBIRDS OPENING TITLES)

Late January 2069. We open up facing the exterior of an underwater complex. The grey compound is a long, thick square designed base made from a strong metallic substance with lights inside for the windows and along the ocean floor so it can be seen from submarines. Various parts from the various submarine bases seen in earlier episodes can be reused in the background. The caption for the episode will be revealed as "Skirmish Of The Seas" in the Thunderbirds font. We carefully zoom in towards the building, and we are revealed to the power plant control room of Arctica. To the back of the room, we can see that there is a window that displays the aquatic life outside, and then we zoom around the room coloured in blue paint. To the right, we have the entrance that rises up and down to allow access for personnel among the base. The left-hand side is files, books, instruction manuals, fire extinguishers, etc (all necessary equipment for emergencies) against the wall. The back is a control console with computer screens of the drilling processing, depth, speed, other details of the drilling, and the schematics, life support systems, approaching vessels to name a few examples. The console is extended out a little from the wall, containing levers, buttons, and flashing lights to control the plant. Two men are controlling it in white scientific jackets. Professor Dimplex is the assistant to the doctor who supervises the operation, whereas Professor Bagby is a more nervous and quieter man who doesn't like to speak up. We see the gentlemen working the controls.

Dimplex:

Well, we're nearly through.

Bagby:

Hmph? Oh, err, what was that Professor?

Dimplex:

I said we're nearly through.

Bagby:

Oh, yes. Yes. We aren't going to be the ones who will get the credit for it. It will be Dr Moxax.

Dimplex:

We're not doing it just for the fame or the money, we're doing this because of the cause of science and discovery. There are whole worlds under the sea that haven't even been explored yet.

Bagby:

But we are just mining, not doing the stuff like exploring undersea life forms at Marineville.

Dimplex:

The substance cahelium has never been discovered in such excess quantities as this before. This is a breakthrough! You know how rare that material is, and how few ships are made of this kind of substance. Now we can build crafts and ships in vast quantities from Cahelium. You wouldn't want the Doctor hearing those kinds of words you're saying. She's dedicated her life to this project.

Bagby:

Arctica isn't exactly as militaristic and epic as Atlantica. They're an entirely self-sufficient support for the World Navy, equipped with a fully automated underwater missile system and patrolled by a fleet of killer submarines. What do we get? A rusty old drilling camp mining up some rocks.

Dimplex:

Why don't you go and tell the Doctor that if you're bored here?

Bagby:

Would you want to go and tell her that?

The entrance opens, and we are revealed to Dr Moxax. She enters. Moxax is a confident, cool, and sly woman roughly in her late 20s, early 30s who can easily fend for herself in a situation.

Moxax:

Good morning gentlemen.

Dimplex/Bagby:

Morning.

Moxax:

Any new developments?

Dimplex:

Negative. Everything is running satisfactorily. We are on course for penetration to cahelium minerals tomorrow.

Moxax:

Good. Well Professor Bagby, Professor Dimplex, you are relieved of your duty for an hour. I personally will keep watch here.

Dimplex:

Very well Doctor. But I still think that you should have two people in here at all times, even during the night.

Moxax:

Professor Dimplex, you know full well that this entire operation is practically self-reliant and self-automatic. We are here to ensure that nothing goes wrong with the process, and so far nothing has, and hopefully nothing will, right?

Dimplex:

Yes, Doctor.

Moxax:

I am a very capable and experienced woman, Professor. I know And how would you expect the three of us to get any kind of rest when two of us would always be up watching a programed system effectively do all the work for us?

Dimplex:

Yeah. It would get kind of dull around here, wouldn't it, Professor Bagby?

Bagby is silent.

Moxax:

Well, at least we will have some more company joining us soon. Besides, I can take over until the evening in here until I prepare to leave for the gathering at Marineville tonight.

Dimplex:

Yes, and thank you Doctor.

Bagby:

Thank you, Doctor.

The two men leave, and the door closes. Now, Moxax is alone, and nobody is watching her. First, she cautiously looks around, before activating the control panel by selecting one of the white buttons to present an image on one of the screens of CCTV footage of the two men heading away from the control room through a white corridor. They are well away now, and the footage continues filming live to her, ensuring that she is safe to make a secret call. On a red portable communicator, she takes out of her pocket, the Doctor opens up the antennas where she begins to call...

Moxax:

Doctor Moxax calling Titanica... Doctor Moxax calling Titanica...