Curse of the Wolf

A “Captain Scarlet” story

By Chris Bishop and Ono

Part 3

When Scarlet awakened, he was lying on his back, on a rough and cold surface. The first thing that hit him was the smell; it was strong, very musky, and it was pervading everywhere around him; that was nearly overwhelming. He felt drowsy. Otherwise, he was fine, if somehow a little light-headed and hot; he didn’t feel hurt physically; it was just that he had trouble focusing. He remembered the knock he had received on the head, the terrible pain that had reverberated through his skull and down his spine, just before he lost consciousness, but he knew the discomfort he was presently feeling wasn’t due to that.

He took a deep breath. The air was cold, and the musky odour came even stronger, almost choking him. He moved to sit, and, as he did, he heard the sound of something metallic rattling the floor. Sitting fully, he blinked his eyes several times, raising his hand, which felt strangely heavy. His vision became clearer, and the first thing he saw was the shackle around his wrist. The end of a sturdy chain of about a foot and a half long was attached to it, with the other end fixed to another shackle around his other wrist. A longer chain was attached at the centre of the first one, with the other end bolted into the back wall.

Scarlet looked at the restraints with perplexity, before looking around, trying to assess his surroundings. It was dark, but not so much as he couldn’t see anything. He could feel a strong breeze coming into his face; that was a blessing as it was dispersing some of that awful smell. He looked up in the direction that breeze was coming.

He saw a wall of iron bars, beyond which, in the darkness, only lit by the pale glow of the moon, he could see the bushes of the mansion garden and some of the small cages forming Doctor Stein’s little zoo. He looked around him. The three other walls, the floor and the roof of his prison were made of concrete, with a narrow metal door at the bottom of one of the walls. Okay, now I know where I am… Scarlet thought grimly. They put me in one of the cages…

He heard a faint moan not far from him. Scarlet quickly turned in that direction. He saw a big hump on the floor, not far from him. He watched in concern as he saw it move. Then he realised, almost instantly, that it was somebody sprawled there, stirring a little. He moved toward his cell companion, and put a hand on his shoulder to turn him around. The moonlight came dancing on his face; it wasn’t a surprise for Captain Scarlet to recognise Lieutenant Green, apparently unconscious.

“Lieutenant? Can you hear me?”

A very faint mutter answered him. Green’s face remained set and his eyes, closed. Scarlet shook him gently, trying to get him out of his torpor. “Lieutenant Green, wake up!” he called with more insistence. “We’re in trouble!”

His efforts were in vain. He couldn’t reach his companion. Green produced only a groan and moved only by an inch. That’s not surprising, Scarlet thought gloomily. He must still be under the effect of those painkillers Stein gave him. He’s totally out. He noted how Green was free of any restraint. Of course, considering his state, that would be quite useless.

“You’re quite a fascinating man, Captain Scarlet.”

Scarlet raised his head hearing the calm voice suddenly addressing him. Beyond the bars, he saw a man standing in the middle of the garden alley, staring at him, his hands clasped behind his back. Scarlet scrambled to his feet and went more closely to the bars, grabbing them, and stared down with anger at the impassive face of Doctor Xander Stein.

“Fascinating, indeed,” the doctor continued, examining Scarlet squarely. “I fully expected Jaak to have cracked your skull when we captured you… But you seem to have recovered quite nicely.”

Scarlet moved his shackled hand to the back of his head. Evidently, considering his retro-metabolism, he had no wound, nor did he feel any bump. But the hair on the back of his head and the nap of his neck felt crusty and matted with dried blood that had certainly come from a very recent injury. That had healed, but the traces of it were still there.

“Furthermore,” Stein pursued, “we have given you enough drugs to keep an elephant sleeping for at least a week. And yet, there you are, standing in front of me. How did you manage it?”

Drugs. So, that’s why Scarlet felt so drowsy when he had first awakened. Now, however, the effects had worn off. Clearly, all those observations were intriguing Stein, but Scarlet had no intention of giving away any information about those strange phenomena.

“Where’s Rhapsody?” he asked bluntly. He was worried. Green and himself were prisoners in the cage, but there were no traces of Rhapsody. The last he remembered of her was that scream he heard, just before losing his senses. She was calling his name in worry and despair.

“Don’t worry about Rhapsody,” Stein answered very quietly. “She’s all right. We wouldn’t harm her, she’s much too valuable to us.” He sighed. “You, on the other hand, have become an inconvenience. You’re too much of a liability, so I’m afraid I’ll have to dispose of you.”

“Our commanding officer knows we’re here,” replied Scarlet. “When we fail to report, he’ll send someone to investigate.”

“Unfortunately, it will be too late for you. As for us… Do you honestly believe we’ll wait for any visitors?” He paused briefly, and approached the bars. Scarlet was not letting him out of his sight. “It’s a shame, really, that I don’t have more time to examine you properly. Your recuperative capacities are simply remarkable.”

“But I’m too dangerous for you to allow me to live, isn’t that right, doctor?” Scarlet asked very coldly. He shook his head. “What is it you’re doing on this island? You may as well tell me, since you’re planning to kill me, anyway. That research on canine species… That creature that roams this island and that attacked both Rhapsody and Lieutenant Green… That virus you claim it’s infected with… What’s all this about?”

Stein answered with a very cold smile. Scarlet could see he was considering whether he would tell him or not; then Stein seemed to decide and he shrugged, approaching a little more. He tilted his head to the side, still looking at Scarlet. “When earlier this morning, you said this… ‘creature’ looked like a werewolf, Captain… you didn’t know how right you were.”

Scarlet narrowed his eyes at the man. “I remember you saying that ‘werewolves’ were nothing but a folklore myth,” he noted.

“Yes, that’s what I said. Folklore myth. Legend. Fantasy. But all myths, Captain, are often based on facts. As strange as it seems, werewolves DID exist in the past, and still exist today. I spent years studying lycanthropy cases… I researched all historic reports on werewolves, all sightings, to this day. I came to believe that some lycanthropes – not all of them, but a small amount – may very well be, in fact, cases where a the genetic evolution from human to full werewolf failed. That’s what a werewolf is, Captain. That’s not a ‘curse’, as the folklore led us to believe. It’s a genetic mutation of the human DNA, a condition that appears once in a while, and where the carrier of the mutated gene takes the attributes of a wild wolf-like animal. Savage, strong, fierce, relying on his most bestial instincts, and superbly adapted for survival. A magnificent and extraordinary evolution between the man and the beast.”

“If a human being reverts to the state of animal,” Scarlet replied coldly, “I hardly call it evolution.” He shook his head, somehow doubtful. “You would expect me to believe that?”

“You SAW the creature, Captain. Can you believe otherwise?” Scarlet kept silent. Stein shrugged again. “The werewolf gene laid dormant far into the recess of the carrier’s mind. It could take years to awaken. Something it could be triggered by a sudden increase of stress, or during puberty, or even simply because of the ‘call of the moon’.” He smiled again and motioned to the moon up above their head, casting its feeble light into the night, half-hidden by passing dark clouds. “You surely know that the moon is responsible for some erratic behaviour in both human beings and animals, right? In the case of werewolves, the ‘changes’ that then occur are much more evident.”

“Changes,” Scarlet repeated, with incredulity. “You mean… the ‘metamorphosis?’ You’re saying that’s true too?”

“I witnessed it, Captain,” Stein answered coldly. “It’s rather impressive, believe me. I don’t know HOW this metamorphosis could be activated exactly, but I’ll find out eventually. I just have to pursue my research. I believe I’ll have plenty of subjects very soon.”

Scarlet felt rather nervous. “What do you mean by that?”

“Ah, Captain… Remember what they say about werewolves. ‘Whoever is bitten by one will also receive the curse.’ That’s not a ‘virus’ I was telling you about today. It seems the werewolf meta-gene is transmittable from the host to any person whose blood has been in direct contact with the werewolf’s saliva or own blood. A lot like a genetic disease, if you like.”

“My God,” murmured Scarlet, with horror fairly evident in his eyes. “Both Rhapsody and Green were attacked by that… creature. You mean they…”

“Yes, Captain. They’re carriers of the werewolf gene, now. That’s why they’ve been healing so quickly from the wounds they have received. Quick healing is one of the extraordinary attributes of the werewolves. That’s been passed on to your colleagues… as well as the other attributes.”

Scarlet paled. He looked over his shoulder towards Lieutenant Green. The young black man was still unconscious and still lying immobile on the floor. Scarlet’s heart felt sorrow and concern for his fellow officer, so quiet and apparently unaware of his dreadful situation. He couldn’t help but think with anxiety about Rhapsody, who, according to Stein, was in the same predicament.

“That’s what you meant when you said that you’d have ‘plenty of subjects’ to work on!” Scarlet went on, turning with anger in Stein’s direction. “I still fail to understand why you’re doing all this research, to begin with… And for whatever reason you could be ready to kill so people will not find out about them!”

“You remember me telling you about my sponsors, Captain?”

Scarlet scoffed derisively “You mean to say somebody actually took your research seriously?”

“Seriously enough to back me. They saw the potential behind my discoveries, and thought they could exploit them into a very interesting avenue. I’ve been contracted to continue my research in order to create a new race of soldiers – more precisely SUPER-soldiers – who would have the animal-like attributes and the unique healing ability of the werewolves.” Stein shook his head, seeing the incredulous look upon Scarlet’s face. “They provided me with a real werewolf in order to pursue my research and see how it could be done. Now seeing how the ‘condition’ is easily passed from an original host to others, through saliva and blood, creating a serum to achieve the same result was rather easy. The major difficulty lies in that the werewolf powers are rather uncontrollable. Whenever they take hold of the host, the latter finds his human, logical mind completely drowned by the savage side. He has no control over his actions, and lashes out indiscriminately at allies or enemies, until there’s nothing else to kill. When regaining his human persona, he doesn’t even remember what had happened, most of the time – except as if it has been only a dream. The trick is to find a way for the host to have a certain control of this savage side. That isn’t easy to work with, admittedly.” He eyed Scarlet carefully. “You’ve heard of the legend that says that one of the only things that can kill a werewolf is a silver bullet? I discovered that the reason behind this affirmation is that silver is genuine poison to the werewolf’s blood. Working with that, I tried to modify the serum with a silver-based solution, trying the find the right combination that would not kill the host, but rather would help his human mind to keep control over not only his savage side, but also to be able to trigger the powers at will. My experiments went… wrong, at some points, I have to admit. I lost most of my guinea pigs – human or otherwise.”

“Human?” Scarlet repeated, becoming livid.

“That couldn’t be helped, I had to know if my experiments worked. I nonetheless achieved some success. The serum has now several degrees of utilisation, depending on how diluted with the silver-based solution it is. Your friends,” he motioned toward Green and by his tone, he was also talking about Rhapsody, “have been ‘treated’ with that serum. With results different for each of them.”

Scarlet froze suddenly. Upon hearing about human guinea pigs, he had already figured out that both Green and Rhapsody had been nothing more than this to Stein. Revolted, he lashed out furiously. “What kind of a sick madman are you? What is your intention now? I know you plan to kill me, but what will you do to Green and… and Rhapsody? What have you done with her?”

“I told you not to worry about her,” Stein replied calmly. “I have plans for her.”

“What kind of plans?” Scarlet asked nervously.

“Frankly, Captain, that should be the LEAST of your worries. You should be more concerned about the plans I have for YOU and the lieutenant.” Stein pointed toward Green. “Green has been infected with the wolf meta-gene. He has not yet transformed into a werewolf, but considering that it’s full moon tonight…” Behind Scarlet, Green suddenly moaned and began to stir, as if on cue. Scarlet gave him a brief glance before turning his attention back to Stein. The latter produced a Machiavellian smile, watching as Scarlet was carefully listening to his explanation. “That should happen in a very short time. I doubt he’ll be able to control the savage side of the beast, considering the diluted blend of serum I gave him. Maybe he would be able to keep a certain control over his brain, but the rage would be too great and he will not be able to stop himself. Since I have to get rid of you, I decide to let him do the work. That way, I’ll be able to judge of the efficiency of a ‘werewolf soldier’. That experiment will serve to prove that he would kill anybody in his path, even if it’s a friend.”

The stare Scarlet gave to Stein, following that tirade, had become simply cold and murderous. The doctor sighed heavily, as Green’s moans increased.

“However extraordinary your healing abilities seem, Captain, I doubt very much you’ll be able to make much use of them, once the lieutenant has torn you apart. I’m truly sorry, believe me.”

“You’ll be sorrier when I’ll get out of this cage,” Scarlet promised him with a growl. “I’ll make you pay for what happened to my friends. Be sure of that.”

Apparently, Stein wasn’t impressed at all by the threat. He scoffed loudly, gave his prisoner one last contemptuous look, and then turned away, to go back toward the mansion. For a brief moment, Scarlet followed him with his eyes, then Green’s moans increased behind him, and he heard him move. Scarlet turned around, nervously. Green was trying to rise on his knees, but had doubled over, holding his stomach, grunting as if in pain. Scarlet quickly walked toward him and crouched by his side, concerned. He saw the young man’s face creased in a painful expression, his eyes closed shut, and his teeth clenched. His face was drenched with sweat and he was breathing hard.

“Lieutenant?” Scarlet called softly. “Can you hear me?” A grunt answered him. He shook his head. “Focus on my voice, Green. Try to keep your head.”

“It hurts, Captain,” was the feeble answer he heard through the gritted teeth. “What’s happening to me? What’s going on? I can’t remember… So hard to think…”

“Hang on, Lieutenant,” Scarlet urged, reaching for the younger man’s shoulders. “Don’t give in, please. Fight it. Fight the pain.”

“I… can’t… It’s too strong!”

Scarlet felt his heart sink. He could see Green was making a commendable effort to overcome the pain; but it was as if it was a battle already lost. Stein was so confident that he wouldn’t be able to fight the bestial urge that would get hold of his mind, drowning it completely, and that he would kill blindly, without even recognising him. Scarlet wasn’t about to give up, however, and he was determined not to let Green do it.

“Fight it, Seymour,” he urged him again. “For your sake, you must not give in!”

Green grunted more noisily in answer and bent closer to the floor. His breathing had become rapid and loud. “Paul, I’m afraid…” he murmured, as if he was asking for forgiveness. He couldn’t hold on. The pain was just too great. His head felt as if it was about to split in two, his brain was on fire. “What- what’s going on?” he said his voice nothing more than a murmur, not understanding any of this. “I’m – I’m so afraid.”

“Resist, Seymour, please!”

“Keep away from me!”

With a strong shove, Green pushed Scarlet away from him, sending him to the floor, his voice suddenly transforming into a half-growl, carrying a mix of anger, rage, suffering, and complete, unexplained fear. He crawled further away from Scarlet, trying to get some distance between them, as if he was feeling that this terrible pain he was in was announcing something that would prove fatal for his superior officer. He let out a cry of pain as he spread onto the cold floor, his body aching all over. Something was happening to him.

From his position on the floor, Scarlet watched in complete horror and dismay as the transformation took place before his eyes, in the narrow cage. He suddenly felt so useless; there was nothing he could do to help his fellow Spectrum officer in his distress.

Green’s skin began to irritate him for some unknown reason. Some kind of prickly, painful feeling ravaged his frame. Even the coolness of the floor couldn’t stop the sensation.

The lieutenant’s dark skin beaded densely with hot sweat; the agony that was sweeping over his body was too much to even contemplate, his flesh burned so much, like a white-hot fire biting at him in sharp waves. Dark bristles coated his flesh, appearing through the very pores of his skin. In a sudden cold rush, like an invisible wind, fur flowed from his body, covering every crevice in a shaggy layer of dark brown to nearly black fur.

He let out a cry, looking up at his aghast superior. His eyes melted away from chocolate brown to a ravening yellow. The pupils thinned drastically, losing their human characteristics.

To his horror, he felt the bones and muscles inside his body agonisingly twist, pop and crack, to reform the new shape that was bulking out in strong ripples. The pyjamas he had been wearing tore off in shreds, not being able to fit his ever-growing form. He watched in complete panic as his fingers began to extend to look completely inhuman. The nails sharpened and turned black. The same was happening to his feet.

In the heat of his despair, he let out a deafening cry; nothing human was left in his voice. It was so bass and scratchy now. His ears doubled in size, developing into a pointy shape that covered over with the wiry hair that seemed to blend with the rest of Green’s face. His features were disfigured to the point where the human face could no longer be recognised. The skin of his face was moulding like clay while beneath the surface the bones cracked loudly as they clicked into place to form a muzzle and strong jaws, with sharp, white fangs that snapped at the air angrily.

Scarlet couldn’t believe it; he couldn’t find his breath as he watched as the last few minor details fell into place to complete the werewolf’s form.

Green was no longer human. Nothing left to tell that he ever was. Now completely transformed, the werewolf stretched out in his strong new form and stood up on its hind portion, staring down like a giant over Scarlet.

Two yellow eyes fixed on the captain. All that was on Green’s mind now was boiled fury as he focused in on the red-clad man. A growl seeped deeply from the animal’s throat and he began to stalk towards Scarlet, looming over him. In the narrow space of the cage, it was going to be hard to avoid the attacks.

Scarlet tugged the long chain of the restraint, bolted tightly into the back concrete wall. It wasn’t going to easily come loose; in fact, it would take someone with the strength of an elephant to pull it out of the wall. Even the shackles on his wrists were tightly on, almost bruising.

Scarlet looked up to the beast his friend had become. What could he do now? How could he help him? First off, he had to help himself, and that was by keeping himself from getting eaten alive.

The werewolf Green roared out in a howl filled with rage, calling out into the night. From the other cages the animals were disturbed, the wolves joining in on chorus with the howls.

A crash of lightning lit up the sky followed by the deep echoing sound of thunder surging through the air. Rain began to pour down fast, as if someone just turned on a tap on full; the sound battered on top of the cages.

Green sniffed out towards Scarlet, drool dripping from the lower lip of the muzzle and sticking to the fur. The growl began to pick up. Scarlet could feel his heart race. He knew what death was like, but with the feeling that he may not survive this assault, he had to try to appeal to Green’s humanity, or what was left in him if any.

“Seymour, please, you’ve got to take control!” Scarlet pleaded.

The yellow eyes stared at him blankly, a snarl pricking at the lips, baring gleaming white teeth.

“Seymour, it’s me, you know who I am. Think!” Scarlet kept trying to implore to the animal, but he wasn’t sure if he understood. “It’s me, Paul. Remember? You have to understand, you have to get control.”

The wolf tilted his head, looking as if he was considering something. Scarlet’s hope arose. Could he have actually reached through to Green? At first it did seem like it, but then the wolf raised up a claw and slashed it down at him in an angry rage.

Scarlet barely had the chance to react, but managed to throw himself out of the way, only feeling his right shoulder sliced by the sharp claws. He cried out, shifting back to the far wall and crawling away from the monster.

The chain clatter across the floor as he pulled to the other end until it strangled his wrists, going to its limit. Werewolf Green watched and again began to approach Scarlet, craving for blood more than ever, just wanting to go for the kill.

Scarlet didn’t know how much longer he could keep it up. He couldn’t last long by just running around with nowhere to hide; eventually Green would catch him when he lost concentration and that would be it. He needed a way out.

He gripped at the long chain; that was another problem as well. It was stopping him from even having a chance to properly defend himself. He tugged at the shackles on his wrists, looking up as Green went down onto all fours ready to pounce at him. The werewolf snarled deeply and angrily.

Scarlet shuffled back slightly, about as ready as he could be for another attack that his former human colleague would impose.

Another bolt of lightning lit up the sky and the sound of rain filled the tense scene more furiously then before. Vicious snarls leapt from the animalistic throat; that was something frightening to hear, because once, the beast used to be a man, and a man could never make those sounds. But Scarlet still didn’t want to lose all hope for his friend. There had to be a way to help him.

Werewolf Green pounced with rapid speed, straight towards the captain, who waited till the very last second before rolling out of the way. As he tried to escape back down to the other way, he felt himself being snapped backwards, and he landed hard on his back. As Green was skidding to a halt, the chain got caught round his back legs, knocking him off balance.

The wolf’s full weight smashed into the bars in one hefty fall, crumpling a few of the bars till they bent outwards unceremoniously. For a few seconds, the wolf was stunned, gradually getting back to his feet, staggering slightly, shaking his head to gather his senses once again.

Scarlet groaned and rolled onto his side, his back giving him grief, but it was fading off fast. His wrists felt numb now, after the sudden whipping effect he had just received. He looked up towards Green who was having problems standing at that moment, grunting angrily.

It was just then he noticed the chain itself had been pulled off the wall. That was at least one plus point for the captain. He pulled the chain towards him and ravelled it around his arm. He was thankful for the little time he had while the wolf was getting itself together. He heard a sharp snap of a strong jaw as Green roared in hatred at Scarlet and crawled towards him on all fours.

Now that Green was away from the bars, the full extent of the damage could be seen; there was a nice gaping hole that could permit a full-grown man to squeeze through. There was now a possible way out if Scarlet could only get past the wolf who had plans to kill him.

He breathed slowly, watching Werewolf Green’s movements carefully. He needed to slip around him without getting caught. The injury to his shoulder was now painless and was knitting itself back together. His back no longer cramped with pain.

Green paused mid-step, his yellow eyes watching his prey. He had shaken off the soreness in his lower back and was determined to catch Scarlet. No more fun and games, he was ready for the kill.

He leapt at his prey, claws ready to meet flesh but the captain moved fast. Scarlet dived forward, straight underneath the beast and rolled on his good shoulder. He scrambled onto his feet, not giving the animal time to think, and charged towards the bent cage bars; he squeezed through them, and dropped out into the open, met by the rain that came blasting down onto him.

Scarlet had gained his freedom but was now desperately worried about where Stein had taken Rhapsody; he needed to find her. His thoughts were disturbed as he watched Green advance to the bent bars and gripping them with his strong clawed hands and pulling. A high pitched whine echoed as the metal bent further apart, to the point that the wolf’s bulk would be able to squeeze through.

The chase wasn’t over yet.

Scarlet had to worry about Rhapsody later; right now, his own life was still at stake. He needed to get away.

He was about to break into a run when a bullet was fired close to his right foot, stopping him in his tracks. He turned slowly around to see Syrn. His eyes were levelled down the barrel of a gun, as the man was approaching him.

“You’re not going anywhere, Captain.” The Russian man spoke slowly and impiously. “Doctor Stein is intent on seeing you dead, so he had me make sure you met your demise.” The gun clicked to reload. “Whatever way came at hand.”

Scarlet stood his ground. “The only ones who will be dead around here are you and the dear doctor.” He narrowed his eyes as he spat the words out at Syrn.

“On the contrary, I’d say the boot is on the other foot.” The Russian aimed again, this time levelling the gun with Scarlet’s head.

There was a deep, foreboding growl emitting from the cage Scarlet had escaped, and Syrn, who was now in line with it as he had approached Scarlet, stared up at the angry yellow eyes resting on him. In a flash of dark fur, Green was on top of the Russian man, who screamed in complete terror.

Scarlet backed away, horrified. Green would never forgive himself if he ever realised what he had done in the werewolf form.

Blood spilled over the wet ground and mixed with the rain, draining away in thin patterns like small streams splitting away from the sea. The sound of teeth and claws tearing flesh apart was enough to get Scarlet running from the scene. He didn't want to stick around to see if this one kill was enough to satisfy the wolf's bloodthirsty fury.

Once Green had turned from Syrn's bloodied body, his instincts told him to go after the captain, not to let him get away. The hunt was on as he chased after Scarlet, who was heading out into the woods as fast as he could.

He bobbed and wove between the trees in an effort to escape. He knew the monstrous werewolf wasn’t too far behind. He could feel him like a rush of power following over his skin. Heavy panting and ragged growls vibrated through the woodland groves. The thunder roared again and the rain didn’t hold up as it pounded down on everything on the ground, turning the soil into sloppy mud.

Scarlet was having a hard time staying upright without feeling he’d slip and fall into the deep mud patches. There were many sloping areas that dipped down in different directions. They were made up of lots of trees packed close together in their own small crevices. The rain had turned the land into a thick horde of unstable mud paths that squelched under foot. Scarlet had to grab out for trees for support as he dodged through the pathways, in his attempt to escape.

He came out into a small opening, catching his breath, leaning over as the sweat dripped off him in large droplets.

He looked about. From what little moonlight had got through the large spacious branches hanging high above him, he could see the frame of the large werewolf rush in his direction. He slowly backed off, watching Green come into the clearing, his fur slopped against his large body covered in rain and mud. The werewolf bared blood soaked teeth, the blood dripping ominously down his muzzle.

Scarlet backed away towards the safety of a thicket of trees growing in a tight formation. This prompted Green to stalk on towards him, the rumbling in his throat growing ever louder.

Scarlet gripped the chain wrapped onto his arm and gently let some hang loose. He needed some form of protection against Green even though he didn’t want to hurt his friend in any way; but at the moment his ‘friend’ wanted to tear him to shreds.

A claw lashed out, scoring deep slashes in a tree; the bark tore off, as if it had been a curtain pulled away from its flimsy rail.

Scarlet lashed out the chain like a whip in self-defence to try and make the wolf back off. It caught the large arm and Green roared out, lashing out again, swiping nothing but air.

Scarlet again used the chain, but missed; instead, it was caught by Green, who gripped it tightly. He brusquely pulled the captain towards him, and the latter fell down onto his knees in front of the giant creature.

Scarlet tugged the chain, but it was wrapped tight to his arm and held against the shackles on his wrists; he was at the mercy of the ruthless wolf Green had become.

Another crash of lightning lit up the clearing in a bright white glow, so close it was blinding. The lightning bolt had stuck the high branches of the tree towering over them.

A fire began to burn on the thick branches, breaking them away in a furious snap, sending a horde of heavy wood tumbling down. Green looked up, flattening his ears down on his head, loosening his grip on the chain so Scarlet could move out of the way as the branches bombarded the wolf. Branch after branch crashed against Green, dropping him down to the ground under the crushing weight.

Scarlet sat mesmerised as the rain still poured heavily. Green didn’t move; he only groaned slightly before falling silent.

Was he dead? Scarlet doubted it. Just unconscious, most probably.

He dragged himself to his feet, slipping slightly in the mud.

He needed to get back to the mansion and quickly. Rhapsody was in grave danger.

There was some kind of a laboratory, on the second floor, in the east wing of the mansion. Rhapsody had never been there. Her room, where she had rested, along with the one that had been given to the other officers, and the infirmary, were all in the west wing. The door leading to the east wing had always been closed, and she had often seen Stein or Syrn going there.

After she had witnessed the brutal attack on Captain Scarlet, Rhapsody had been brought and kept there, imprisoned in a sterilized cage, with steel bars. She didn’t know what had happened to her fiancé, nor to Lieutenant Green, whom she had not seen since she had left him in the recovery room this morning. She was deeply worried for them and for herself as well, as she didn’t know what Stein’s plans for them all could be.

She had some suspicions about her own situation. Some hours ago, before leaving her all alone, the doctor had explained about the so-called ‘virus’ he had previously told her she had been infected with – telling her that it was, in fact, a ‘werewolf meta-gene’ that had been passed to her, following a werewolf attack. He had explained to her about the ‘serum’ and how he had ‘treated’ her with it. She didn’t know exactly about the ramifications that could apply to her, she didn’t understand it fully, and frankly, she was afraid to actually learn more about it. Afraid to learn that she could turn herself into a bloodthirsty monster, and that she would kill anybody in her path, without recognition. Afraid that it had actually happened the preceding night, when Paul had found her running in the woods, needlessly, when poor Seymour had been attacked.

At the moment, she was already feeling bad, feverish, drenched with sweat, her eyes were misty, and she was dreadfully thirsty. She feared – no, she was certain – that it had something to do with her present condition. She had been like that for the last couple of hours. That was nothing to reassure her at all. And that wasn’t helping her any, as she was presently working desperately with a hairpin on the lock of the cage she was imprisoned in.

Her heart filled of concern for her fellow Spectrum agents and herself, she was determined to get out and find a way to stop Stein from whatever he was planning to do to them. She was growing more and more impatient as the minutes passed, much too slowly to her taste. She finally heard a small click and thought her efforts had paid off. She was about to try pushing the door open when she heard footsteps approaching. She drew back, away from the door, so the person coming won’t discover what she was up to, and waited. She was expecting to see Stein appear on the other side of those bars, but she was very surprised when she finally saw who the newcomer was.

Young Jaak had stopped just a foot away from the bars, looking at her calmly, without any expression on his face. He was just staring at her, coldly enough, and she stared back, rolling furious eyes. He had been there when she had been captured. In fact, he was the one who had struck Captain Scarlet so violently when he was about to enter the house.

“So, you have come to check on the very rare animal I have become now?” the Angel pilot almost spat in disgust at the young man.

“Rhapsody…” The cold look then flickered. Jaak suddenly seemed uneasy. “I’m really sorry for all this happening…”

“Are you really?” Rhapsody replied, icily. “How can I believe you, after you attacked Captain Scarlet so savagely?”

“You have to understand me! I was driven mad with jealousy…”

The stare she was addressing him turned into a very perplexed one. “Jealousy?” she repeated, unsure if she had understood. “What are you trying to say?”

“I’m trying to say that…” Jaak hesitated a moment, and looked away, suddenly intimidated. “I fell in love with you.”

Rhapsody’s brow furrowed. “You ‘fell in love’ with me?” she repeated again. She was astounded. “Was that what you tried to tell me during the day?”

“In a way,” he murmured. “I was rather clumsy…”

“Jaak… How did you come up with that? I’ve never led you to anything that might indicate…”

“It’s not you, it’s me,” he interrupted her. “From the first time I saw you. From the moment I saw what the… ‘creature’ did to you.”

“The ‘creature’. The ‘werewolf’, you mean.”

He nodded, silently.

“If you love me, like you claim you do,” Rhapsody declared bitterly, waving at her surroundings, “how can you let Stein do this to me? How can you have hurt Captain Scarlet the way you did?”

Jaak’s eyes glittered ominously. “I saw you two kissing on the path,” he said, with an almost growling tone. “And I remembered what you told me about the two of you. I saw red. I had to do something to keep you away from him. Even if it means…” He let the sentence hang.

Rhapsody’s eyes opened wide with unbelief. The gentle young man, who had treated her wounds after that werewolf’s attack, who had taken such good care of her, who had just admitted he was in love with her, had been so driven mad with resentment and jealousy that he had found himself ready to kill for her. By the way he was averting his eyes, not looking straight at her, unable to face her reproving look, she could see he wasn’t too proud of this now.

“You really thought that killing him would bring me closer to you?” she said, accusation in her voice.

“Rhapsody, we’re destined to be with each other.”

“I should think NOT. And what can give you such an idea?”

“Please, don’t shun me … You’ll see; everything will be all right. Doctor Stein will make it so.”

Rhapsody left her position and drew closer to the bars. The cage was cramped enough, too low for her to stand up fully. She had to stay on her knees. “Jaak,” she told the young man more gently, but in a tone where reproach was still very manifest, “HOW can you trust that man, after all he’s done?”

“All he’s done?” Jaak murmured, frowning.

She sighed, leaning her forehead against the bars. “Look at me. I’m in a cage, feeling sick. I don’t know if I’ll transform into that werewolf creature and that’s scaring the hell out of me!”

“You won’t transform,” Jaak told the young woman, with a reassuring voice. “The doctor gave you the serum. He says you’re responding well to the treatment.”

“Is that why I’m feeling so sick?”

“I… don’t know. Probably. Rhapsody, the doctor’s a wonderful man. He’ll see that you’ll be all right. He promised it to me. He wouldn’t hurt you.”

“What about my friends?” Jaak didn’t answer, and suddenly looked embarrassed. Rhapsody shook her head, understandingly. “That’s what I thought,” she said coldly.

“Rhapsody…”

“And I’m not so sure he wouldn’t hurt me, Jaak. He’s the one responsible for me being here in the first place!”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Ask him about that cannon he used to shoot my aircraft down,” Rhapsody said with an accusing tone.

“Cannon?” Jaak asked, obviously confused.

“Ask him where it comes from, and WHY he shot me down in the first place,” Rhapsody went on with anger and frustration. “What is it, was he afraid that, just by flying over his island I’d discover the strange things that have been going on there? He certainly didn’t expect me to survive that attack and to end up here! I wondered how he took it when he learnt about me being attacked by that creature. Was he upset? Or was he glad? Maybe he thought I would be a fine addition to his little zoo, another guinea pig to work on and examine…”

“Stop it!” Jaak was genuinely confused. Rhapsody figured she had told him things he didn’t know about, or had not thought of all by himself. Obviously the youth was so taken in his admiration for Stein that he had not caught on to his real motives. And now, with the truth being handed to him with so much force, he was denying it, obstinately. “Doctor Stein is a wonderful man,” he argued forcefully. “He’s a genius. Without him, I… I don’t know what I would have become. I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you, that’s for sure. You don’t have ANY idea what he has done for me!”

Then it hit Rhapsody in the face. What he has done for me… We’re destined to each other… And those words he had told her during the day, just after her fight with Paul… they suddenly took a new meaning to her. It wasn’t only coming from a lovesick young man. There was something else. Instinctively, without even wanting it, she drew back. “My God… It was you.”

Jaak’s eyes glittered, upon hearing the barely concealed horror behind the Angel pilot’s murmur. Then the horror made way to a feeling of compassion, so evident that a pang of pain clutched the young man’s heart. He didn’t want her pity. He wanted for her to love him.

“You’re the werewolf,” Rhapsody realized. “You’re the one who attacked me in those woods… And who attacked Green, the following day.”

He nodded, acknowledging the accusation. He looked away, again. “I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I couldn’t control myself. When I’m like that, all I can feel is anger… rage… bloodlust. I can barely remember what I have done, when I… come back to normal.” He stared at Rhapsody, hurt in his eyes. “When I was told that I nearly had killed you, I felt so horrified…”

“You don’t remember?”

Jaak hesitated. "I never remember these things very clearly. It's like they're part of a very bad dream..." He shook his head, not wanting to elaborate. "I helped Doctor Stein the best I could, so you would heal promptly. I was so afraid that you would die. And I knew that I had passed the gene to you as well. I was feeling so guilty. Doctor Stein reassured me, telling me that the serum would help you…”

“How can you be so sure he was telling you the truth?” Rhapsody asked. “What makes you think that he can actually help me?”

“He has helped ME,” Jaak answered with a faint smile. “Look, at the same time last night, the werewolf was running free in the woods… ready to kill whoever it would come across. Tonight, I didn’t change. I don’t feel the urge to kill. For the first time of my life, I’m in control of the beast. I won’t let it free. Thanks to the doctor’s wonderful serum.”

Rhapsody gave a deep sigh. It was so frustrating. How could this young man be so naïve? Why couldn’t he see that Stein was only ‘treating’ him, because it was a means for him to study his condition? How could she hope to convince Jaak that he was being manipulated?

“Jaak, he’s only doing it for his own purposes,” she tried again. “Don’t you see he’s using you? He’s using you like he’s using everybody else. All he wants to do is conduct his experiments, and he’s ready to do ANYTHING for that.”

“You’re trying to turn me against him!” Jaak growled furiously.

“No, I’m not…” Rhapsody stopped, realizing that, indeed, it was what she was trying to do. She sighed again. “I’m trying to get you to see the truth. Please, Jaak, open your eyes before it’s too late. Help me get out of here. I’ve got to find my friends and put a stop to Stein’s research.”

Jaak’s eyes had turned very icy. He obviously was still adamant to the Angel’s plea. “You don’t know what you’re asking of me,” he answered. “I can’t betray the doctor. I owe him too much. I simply won’t do it, so you’d better forget about that. As for your friends… I’m afraid it’s already too late.”

Rhapsody blanched. “What do you mean?” she asked with concern. “Where are they? What happened to them?”

“The last I saw of them, they were about to engage in a… very interesting exchange.”

That was Stein’s voice that had answered. The doctor appeared in the doorway at this moment, addressing a mysterious smile to the young woman. Jaak didn’t even flinch when Stein came to stand next to him. He was only looking at Rhapsody.

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Rhapsody snapped, eyeing Stein with blazing eyes. She was very determined not to show him she was afraid. He didn’t answer her question. “You killed them,” she stated trying not to shiver.

“No. Not yet. They’re serving for a fascinating experience, Fräulein. As you will.”

That didn’t reassure Rhapsody. She went pale. “What have you done to them?”

“You shouldn’t concern yourself about them anymore,” he declared rather coldly. That was all he said on the subject. Rhapsody understood that she wouldn’t be able to find out more about it for the moment.

“You’re going to tell me that I should be more concerned about myself?” she asked with the same tone as his.

“Now, why do you have those ugly thoughts? You don’t have to be afraid… I will not harm you. You’re much more too precious to me.”

She rolled angry eyes. “Yes, I bet. Coming from you, Herr Doktor, I must say it really isn’t comforting.” She looked on as he moved toward a worktable covered with a multitude of instruments and equipment. Jaak was standing still, his eyes fixed on Rhapsody. The latter watched in concern, as Stein chose a small bottle, containing an opaque blue liquid, and then took a syringe. “What do you want from me?”

He smiled at her, briefly and returned his attention to his work. He filled the syringe with the liquid contained in the bottle. Her concern for her safety growing, Rhapsody checked the door, briefly; she wasn’t even sure it had been unlocked. She decided to wait for the right time to test this. In any case, she couldn’t do it now, with Jaak watching her so closely. He would stop her the second she opened the door.

A beeping sound coming from an electronic board, complete with numerous screens set on the opposite wall, caught everybody’s attention. The screens presented multiple angles of the mansion, inside and out. A security system, Rhapsody realized. There must be cameras all over the place. She could see the Spectrum Helicopter next to the pier, struck by the furious waves, as the storm raged on over the lake. There was a yellow light blinking in the middle of the board. Stein frowned and strode toward the board, checking on the indications it was giving him. He grumbled something and pressed a few buttons. The camera of one of his screens, the one in his zoo, changed, and Stein let out a muffled curse. Something’s happening, Rhapsody thought. Could it be…?

Jaak had left his place in front of Rhapsody’s cage to stand next to the doctor, in front of the board.

“My boy, I will need you out there,” Stein told him quietly. “Something’s afoot.”

“What exactly, doctor?”

“I can’t say exactly,” Stein murmured. “It’s difficult to see, but… it seems that some of the bars from the cage we put our friends into has been ruptured…”

“You’re sure?”

“No. In theory, Mister Syrn should be checking this.” Stein pushed again the same series of buttons. “But I can’t raise him. He’s supposed to keep in radio contact with me. It could be the weather… You’ll have to go and check what’s going on. And if need be… you know what to do.”

“Is that safe, doctor?” Jaak asked carefully. “I mean…”

“I know what you mean.” Stein turned toward the young man. “You don’t have to be afraid of losing control. I told you, it won’t happen. My studies of Rhapsody and Lieutenant Green’s conditions have permitted me to find a way to modify the serum, so you’ll be able to keep control of the beast inside you. You haven’t changed tonight, right?” He put his hand on Jaak’s chest, over his heart. “You trust me, don’t you, my boy?”

“Yes, of course, Doctor,” Jaak answered, with just one flicker of hesitation.

“Good. You must then believe me when I say that you have control of the beast now. You can trigger the metamorphosis by yourself. And you won’t lose yourself in the beast anymore. You’ll feel the rage, but you’ll be able to control it.”

“I… can’t help feeling afraid, doctor,” Jaak murmured. “After so much time trying to escape the beast, to actually let it loose willingly…”

“I know. It will be a new experience for you.” Stein patted the young man’s shoulder. “You’ll do it. And you’ll do what you must, if it should come to it.”