This is another missing scene from the 2004 live-action movie version of Thunderbirds. It starts just a few minutes before Thunderbirds 1, 2, and 3 leave London to return to Tracy Island.
Jeff, his youngest son Alan, and friends Fermat
Hackenbacker and Tin-Tin Beleghant all joined the other Tracy brothers
(Scott, Virgil, Gordon, and John) at Thunderbirds 1, 2, and
3,
still sitting idle next to the Thames River in London.
Scott said, “Everything’s secure here, Dad.
We’re ready to go home.”
“Great, son. Now, who wants to take
which Thunderbird?”
Alan said, “I’d like to ride in Thunderbird
1 again, if Scott won’t mind me riding.”
“If you don’t mind, Mr. Tracy,” said Tin-Tin,
“I’d like to ride in Thunderbird 3 with you and John.”
Virgil looked at Fermat. “Well, buddy,
that leaves you, Gordon, and me in Thunderbird 2. Want to
go for the ride?”
“Y-Y-You’d let me go with you?” the bespectacled
young man asked excitedly.
Gordon smiled. “Of course, Fermat.
You deserve it after the great flying job you did with it.”
“Wait, how d-d-did you know I-I-I was the
p-p-p—one who flew it?”
“That’s easy. Alan knew all the controls
in Thunderbird 4, and we saw Tin-Tin dive into the river to attach
the grappling line. By process of elimination, we knew it was you
at the controls during the rescue.”
“B-B-But Alan flew it first, not me.”
Virgil said, “We’ll talk while flying home,
okay? Now hop in. We have a home to return to, you know.”
The two brothers and Fermat all boarded Thunderbird
2.
Gordon looked at the lights, all flashing
green. “All systems are go, ready for lift off.”
“F-A-B, Gordon,” said Virgil as he pulled
back on the main lever, allowing the green carrier to lift off the ground.
“Next stop, home sweet home.”
As soon as Thunderbird 2 started crossing
the Atlantic Ocean, Virgil and Gordon looked at Fermat, who sat shyly and
quietly.
“Fermat?” said Virgil. “Hey, buddy,
are you all right?”
“Uh, y-y-yeah, I’m fine.”
“Why so quiet?”
“T-T-To be honest, Virgil, I thought y-y-you
two would be mad at m-m-me for being at the c-c-controls.”
Both Tracy brothers said, “What?”
“W-W-Well, me being so y-y-young, I expected
you two wouldn’t w-w-want me to touch any of the c-c-controls again.”
Gordon shook his head. “Fermat, this
was an emergency situation. We…well, we weren’t available at the
given moment, since we were just getting off Thunderbird 5.
After all, you saved all of us when we just about had no chance left.
You were able to hack into the control systems and get control back to
us, and then you got into the mainframe at the control center and helped
us at least get the space station back online. Of course, your dad
really came through with the shouting he did to jolt us out of our sleep.”
“That’s d-d-definitely not like D-D-Dad.”
Fermat had to chuckle.
Virgil said, “And you also need to consider
how serious the situation was. With Alan having to take Thunderbird
4 down to that monorail car, he knew he could trust you to handle the
controls here. We both know you’re usually high-strung and very nervous.
You see, there’s this old saying Dad taught us: ‘Sometimes the worst of
situations can bring out the best in people.’ In your case you were
terrified you had to literally fly Thunderbird 2 on your own, but
both Alan and Tin-Tin gave you the confidence you needed to take control.
One thing about being in International Rescue: It’s okay to be afraid.
Real courage means you don’t let your fear stop you from doing what needs
to be done.”
“He’s right, Fermat,” Gordon complemented.
“Sometimes we’re afraid because we don’t always know what we’re getting
ourselves into. Dad is always concerned something bad may happen
to any one of us at any given time during a rescue operation. A lot
of the time, we have to be prepared for that possibility, yet our strengths
at tackling our fears head on give us all the more reason to continue with
International Rescue.”
Fermat nodded with a new sense of understanding.
“I g-g-guess when you put it that w-w-way, you’re right. Alan and
Tin-Tin t-t-trusted me enough, but I also h-h-had to trust m-m-myself.”
“Exactly,” said Virgil. “Who knows?
One day we just might need…another pilot for Thunderbird 2.”
“Well, I—” Fermat stopped his sentence
when he realized exactly what Virgil was saying. “M-M-Me!?”
Gordon chuckled. “Yes, Fermat, you.
You’ve definitely got the courage and at least a general idea of the controls.
With a little help from us, though, you could be a co-pilot alongside us
within the next four years, maybe even sooner than that with your yearn
to learn.”
Fermat blushed, his face turning a bright
red. “Y-Y-You’d really do that f-f-for me?”
“Of course,” Virgil said happily. “You,
Alan, and Tin-Tin all deserve to at least get a shot at the controls of
each of the Thunderbirds. All those times you and Alan snuck into
each of the holding bays are going to pay off.”
“Th-Th-Thanks, guys,” said Fermat. “I’m
already f-f-feeling like a member of I-I-International Rescue.”
“Fermat, my friend, I suspect before the day
is over, you’ll probably become a member of International Rescue.”
Gordon smiled back at Fermat. “I wouldn’t
be surprised if Alan and Tin-Tin also become part of the team.”
“W-W-What would those two do without m-m-me?”
Fermat asked jokingly.
The two brothers looked at each other and
said, “They’d argue, what else?”
That comment caused Fermat’s nerves to calm
down as he laughed hard with Gordon and Virgil. He felt more at ease
about the situation and realized that Alan and Tin-Tin could trust him
but not before he could trust himself first.
The End