Instincts

A “Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons” story

By Kelly Haycock and Ono

(This story is the sequel to ‘The Cat’s Eyes’)

"You shouldn't be allowed to make the coffee" Rhapsody cringed as she took a sip from her mug, looking at Ochre.

He took offence. "Excuse me! There is nothing wrong with my coffee"

The pair sat arguing in the officer’s lounge as Captain's Blue and Scarlet walked in.

"What's up this time?" Scarlet asked, this drawing the attention of Ochre and the Spectrum Angel.

"Have you tried today’s brew?" She said raising her mug up to him, "I wouldn't recommend it, the stuff is horrid"

"Quit complaining, I don't see you making the pot...actually, I've NEVER seen you do it!"

She rolled her eyes, "Normally the kitchen staff come with it freshly made up, but not today...they have to forget and let Captain Hopeless here deal with it"

"I don't think my coffee is bad," Ochre said then heard Scarlet spit out some of which he had poured himself.

"I agree with Dianne, this stuff is sick" He offered the pot to Blue, "Feel up to trying some"

"You think I have a death wish" Blue smirked making Ochre throw a cushion his way, missing by far.

"Your throw still hasn't improved" Rhapsody mocked but Ochre ignored her.

Symphony Angel arrived in, she had just finished her interceptor duty and decided to pop in while she had nothing else to do.

"Good Morning" She said cheerfully, "What's happening with everyone this bright and sunny day?"

"Avoiding death by drinking Ochre's coffee" Blue remarked making the new comer laugh.

"Well, I think I'll stay away from it then," Symphony said, grinning at Ochre who folded his arms in a sulk. "Oh, don't pout, Ochre. The wind'll change and you'll get stuck that way!"

Everyone laughed. "You're in an extremely good mood today, Symphony," Rhapsody noted.

Symphony flashed her a bright smile. "It's a beautiful day, what is there not to be happy about?"

Rhapsody smiled, glancing out the window then frowned. "Are you alright?" she asked, looking at Symphony. She'd sat down and lowered her head.

"I'm fine, just a bit dizzy."

"You're off duty, now, aren't you?" Blue asked, voicing his concern.

"Yes."

"Well, go to your quarters. Have a lie down."

"I think I will." She got up slowly, her head in her hands. The others could see her face was slightly pale.

"You sure you're ok?" Blue asked.

She looked him in the eyes. "No," she said, before falling to the floor.

"KAREN!" Blue rushed down to where she had fallen, the others crowded round.

"My God!" Rhapsody said, "I'll call Doctor Fawn"

Blue lifted Symphony up in his arms and pressed her to his chest, "Come on Karen, you have to be okay"

Rhapsody had been to the comm. on the wall and made a call to Sickbay, she turned round after she got a reply.

"They'll be here in a few minutes"

"I want to know why she fainted, she was alright a minute ago" Ochre said.

"Maybe she smelt your coffee, its enough to knock anyone out" Scarlet commented, getting a sharp look from Ochre.

"This is no time for jokes," Blue snapped, he seemed overly agitated and not just from this little episode.

"Sorry, Adam" Scarlet said, he knew he should have kept his mouth shut.

Doctor Fawn arrived moments later and carted Symphony off to Sickbay with Blue, Scarlet and Rhapsody in tow. Ochre had remained behind, mostly so he could dispose of his horrible coffee, he knew it tasted bad and just didn't want to admit it.

"How is she?" Blue said, anxious on Symphony's condition.

Fawn was running round the lab of his sickbay collecting results of various tests. "It can't be..."

The others all frowned. "What? What can't be?" Scarlet asked.

Fawn didn't seem to have heard him as he ran across the room again and double-checked his findings. He gasped then turned to his comm. "Colonel White, I think you should come down to the sickbay immediately."

Rhapsody, Scarlet and Blue exchanged worried looks.

White walked in mere moments later. "What's wrong, Doctor?"

Fawn looked up and the other officers all looked at him, hoping he'd finally say something as to Symphony's passing out.

"Sit down, please, Colonel."

White frowned but sat down. "Would you mind explaining to me what this is about?"

"Its Symphony Angel, sir."

Colonel White's eyes widened. "What's wrong with her?"

Fawn sighed. "The cat genes have reappeared."

Shock filled the commander-and-chief of Spectrum, he sat staring hard at the doctor, “Are you sure?”

"Positive" Fawn plainly replied.

"But I thought you eradicated it?" The doctor sat uneasy from the Colonel's comment.

"It must have somehow stayed in her immune system, imprinted in some way…" Fawn shook his head unsure, "…I would need to run more tests to give us a better answer"

Colonel White instantly seized up, "What about Captain Blue"

"Captain Blue?" He then remembered, "Oh yes! I will have to test him also,"

Captain Blue had been sitting quietly to one side. As soon as he had heard the reason for Symphony's lapse, he had gone pale and quiet. He knew the same thing could happen to him and deep down, he was scared. When this had happened the first time, he had been unable to control himself and had frequently threatened Symphony Angel and even killed his best friend in a horrific way. He shuddered.

"Are you alright with that, Captain?"

Blue jumped when he heard Fawn address him. "Sorry?"

"Are you alright to stay here while I run a few tests?"

"Oh, yes, okay then. You won't need me, will you, Colonel?" he said, turning to face his superior.

"I want you to concentrate on you. Don't worry about whether or not you're needed."

"Yes, sir" Blue said more quietly, he turned and took a seat on one of the many beds as Doctor Fawn directed him.

Colonel White turned his attention to Scarlet, "Would you stay here…just in case"

"In case of what, sir?" Scarlet asked, puzzled.

"Just in case…he'll need someone…you know what I mean" Scarlet understood his commander's words and nodded, "I will be heading back up to the Control room. Rhapsody?"

The red-headed Angel looked away from Symphony, "Yes, sir?"

"We don't need a crowd in Sickbay, could you be elsewhere for the time being?"

She sighed, not wanting to leave Symphony's side nor anger the Colonel. "Yes, sir" She flatly replied.

Rhapsody turned to Symphony. The latter was still unconscious, but she still put a hand on her arm. "You'll be ok, Symphony," she said quietly before leaving.

Fawn turned to White. "I'll do all I can for them. I'll call up the data we got last time and see if I missed anything."White nodded. "Thank you, Doctor." He glanced at Blue and Symphony. "It might pay to bear in mind what happened last time just as a precaution. If anything does happen, I don't want anyone hurt."

Fawn gave an understanding nod, "I will, sir" Colonel White left the Sickbay quietly, leaving the Doctor to go back to his patients.

Blue sat, looking down at the floor as Fawn approached him, "Captain?"

Blue didn't look up.

"Captain Blue?" Finally he drew the American's attention to him.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening"

"Would you mind taking off your top?"

"If I must" Blue groaned; he wasn't looking forward to it. He didn't want to know if the genes had reappeared. He kept recalling what had happened last time and worried that if the cat would come back, he'd lose control of himself. It was the last thing in the world he ever wanted, and especially with Symphony around, he dared think what he'd do to her again.

Sighing, Blue let Fawn get on with his work. As much as he didn't want to, he knew he must find out if the genes had resurfaced, if not for him, but for the safety of his friends.

Fawn took some blood samples from both Blue and Symphony then put them into a centrifuge to separate it out.

Blue watched him as he began running tests. Beside him, on the next bed, Symphony stirred, then raised her hands to her face to rub her eyes.

She blinked a few times to adjust to the lighting, when she did, she began to feel nausea take her. She closed her eyes till it passed, she felt a fan on close by, letting cool air glide on her face; it was very helpful.

She moved her head to the side, seeing Captain Scarlet, who had just perched on the edge of her bed.

"How are you feeling?" He asked softly.

She moaned slightly, rubbing her head. "What am I doing here?"

"You fainted, don't you remember?"

She looked at him closely, and tried to think back to the officers' lounge. Nothing came back to her.

"No…" She glanced over at Doctor Fawn who was with Blue who was now focused on her from when she awoke.

"Karen, are you okay?" Blue asked her.

"I think so…" She narrowed her brow as Doctor Fawn moved over the American Captain, monitoring him and taking down some important notes, "Adam? What's going on?"

Blue and Scarlet exchanged glances. Fawn was too busy with his tests to explain so Blue sighed and sat himself up. He swung his legs round in front of him and looked into Symphony's eyes.

"You passed out in the Officers' Lounge and we think we know why. Tests are being carried out now to check, but it seems that the feline DNA that was implanted in us is resurfacing."

Symphony looked at him blankly then it sunk in and her eyes went wide. "What? No," she whispered, turning away.

Blue closed his eyes and lowered his head. He had a good idea what was going through her mind.

Scarlet looked between the two and wasn't sure what he could do. "D'you want me to leave?"

Blue looked up at him and silently shook his head. "No, stay. Please, I need a friend at the minute." He lay back down on the bed and turned his stare back to the ceiling.

The room seemed to fall into a hard silence; Captain Scarlet didn't know how to console his friends. He now desperately wanted to know the outcome of Blue's results, it was more than likely he would be going down the same path as Symphony and he felt pity for his friend.

Fawn turned away from his experiment, waiting for a machine to come up with the final results. "I'll be with you in a moment," The Doctors voice made them jump, Blue more then anyone, he was getting tenser by the second.

Scarlet crossed the room to stand beside Fawn. "I don't mean to rush you, doctor, but, um..." He couldn't seem to find any words so just indicated his nervous friend.

Fawn nodded. "It'll only be-" A loud beeping cut him off, making Blue jump again. The machine had finished its tests and a printout was being emitted from the front panel for Fawn to read.

The Doctor's eyes quickly scanned down the page until he reached the part he had been dreading. He closed his eyes and lowered the sheet. "Symphony Angel, Captain Blue, you must both remain here until further notice. The feline genes have indeed resurfaced."

Captain Blue sighed heavy, his eyes closed for a moment, letting the news sink back in. He had turned back to what he had hoped would disappear from his life.

He took a deep breath and glanced at Symphony who had covered up her face to cry, finding out again that they both were animals deep within and from what her memories brought back to her.

He slipped off the table and went over to where she was, sitting next to her. She uncovered her face and gazed at him, the skin beneath her eyes had turned a red colour from her tears. She sat up and wrapped her arms around him, letting herself cry into his shoulder.

He leaned his head onto her and whispered into her ear. "It's all right, shh, don't cry"

Really, he didn't believe his own words.

Scarlet looked between his two friends. Now he had even less of an idea what to do. He walked over to Symphony and gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Adam's right," he said quietly, his voice little more than a whisper. "It will be okay."

She turned to him. "Will it? We thought that last time," she said, tearfully.

He didn't know how to answer her, she stared at him for a moment then rested her cheek back against Blue's chest, who didn't know what to say anymore, everything seemed to be breaking down around them.

"Doctor?" Blue said after a few minutes of silence.

Fawn approached him, "Yes?"

"What will happen now, what will we do?" He asked, he looked down at Symphony in his arms, she had gone quiet as she held her position there against him.

"Well, I guess I will have to run more tests" Fawn answered.

"Other than that, where will we stay, I really don't want to be stuck here in Sickbay after last time" Symphony looked up at Fawn. "I don't feel any different," She said.

"Neither do I, not as I did before" Fawn looked between the pair.

"It doesn't make a difference," The Doctor said, pressing up against a trolley. "We don't know what will happen, lives are put on the line here with the way we saw things from your first change"

"At least let us go back to our quarters, we'll call you through the intercom if there is trouble"

Symphony looked at Fawn inattentively. "Please?" She begged.

Fawn looked at her then sighed. "I'll ask the Colonel. It would be better for you to be in your own quarters, but we have to think of the others. If he agrees, you may go, but on the first sign of trouble, you'll have a security escort everywhere."

Blue and Symphony both looked somewhat happier than before, though with the news they had just received, they were both still depressed.

The Colonel had received the news from Sickbay and also the request of Blue and Symphony to be retained in their quarters. At first he was against it, he remembered how easily they were as the big cats to bash through any door or window even, but he thought it better then keeping them in Sickbay where their morale would drop.

He agreed half-hearted to their demand, telling Doctor Fawn to keep on full alert and to get on with finding a cure, it was imperative that he did so, for everyone's sake.

"Looks like we've got the all-clear," he told his two patients. "The Colonel has agreed to you leaving." He turned to his comm. again and contacted security to escort them to their rooms.

"What's that for?" Symphony asked, frowning slightly.

"It's just a precaution," Fawn said, his hands slightly raised.

Blue and Symphony exchanged glances. "If you say so," the former said.

"I'll just get on with my research," Fawn said as a pair of security guards walked in.

Blue and Symphony stood up, walking to the guards who lead them out the door and into the corridor, which was quieter than usual – the word had got out already, quite quick which was surprising to Blue as he mused to himself.

Symphony looked back at Scarlet; he was still sat in Sickbay, and it looked like he wasn't coming. She then realised Fawn was talking to him, which was all she caught as the door shut.

They continued to walk towards their quarters, the security guards just a few paces behind them. Blue took Symphony's hand softly. She looked up at him and he smiled at her, one that was reassuring of the situation, telling her things would be okay.

They came to an intersection that lead off two different ways to the pairs abodes.

"Come on" One of the guards said to Symphony, leading down one way, she sighed and began to walk but was halted with a tug, she snapped her head round to see Blue had still got hold of her hand, staring at her.

The guards looked uneasy, as did Symphony, who felt her heart race in her chest.

'Oh my God! is it taking him again?' She thought, looking deep within his blue eyes.

But she seemed wrong, he closed his eyes and snorted calmly and let her hand fall away from him. Giving her one last glance, he turned with the other guard to go towards his quarters.

She stood rooted to the spot for a moment until she felt the guard touch her shoulder, she was startled and looked at him as he spoke. "Are you all right?"

"Yes" She shook her head slightly and began to walk again.

Blue watched over his shoulder as Symphony disappeared round the corner, then sighed and continued on down the corridor, the security guard close by. He stepped ahead of the senior officer and opened the door then waited for him to enter. "Will you be alright, sir?" the concerned young guard asked.

Blue turned to him and nodded. "I'll be just fine," he said, looking carefully round his room.

The guard signalled his understanding and left the room, by the looks of it, he wasn't going to be hanging around like a doorman.

'Must have other things to deal with - doesn't matter though - there is a lock on my door, just in case of a change' He sat down on his bed, he rubbed his nose and leaned backwards till his head rested on his covers.

He tried to recognise any of the signs that something had changed inside of him…none that he could detect…he sighed, and rolled onto his side, pulling his pillow underneath his head.

He decided he needed some rest, he wanted to at least get away from the nightmare of what was happening in his life to another place in his mind that was not so horrifying.

Symphony opened the door to her quarters, she moved to sit on a chair next to her desk. The guard left her there after a moment or so of making sure she was fine.

She rested her head back on the soft cushion padding of the chair head, trying to come to terms with the fact that the horrible animal was coming back, its being coursing through her veins.

She hadn't realised she had fallen asleep, when she awoke hours later, still in her chair. She rubbed a tired eye and stood up stretching out.

Then something in her mind seemed to click and she closed her eyes, listening to something in her mind call to her, tell her something, like an instinct that she should follow. Her body was telling her to go to Blue, pushing her his way.

At first she didn't properly want to acknowledge it, but then she let her senses do the guiding, it felt so much easier to her.

She stepped softly over to the door and opened it, looking out into the clear corridor with no guard in sight. She slipped out and gracefully trod along, hoping nobody would notice her.

Captain Blue was jolted out of his slumber by a strange feeling deep inside him. He narrowed his eyes and concentrated on it, then jumped when he heard a soft knock at his door.

He tilted his head to one side and smiled. He didn't know how, but he knew it was Symphony. "Come in," he called out, sitting up straight and perching on the end of the bed.

She walked in quietly with him watching her every move.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" She asked softly.

He smiled. "It's okay, what brings you here" He then cocked his head and gave her a wicked grin, "They'll have your head if they find you gone from your quarters"

She walked up to him and put a finger on his lips, "Shh, I don't want them to know I'm here"

"And your reasons then?"

"Well...something just drew me here, I don't know how to explain it" She sat down next to him, thinking about her words carefully. "Like a bee to a flower, a dog to a bone..."

"Or a Kitten to milk" She could have sworn he purred the words out, but she ignored the thought.

"Well, I guess you could word it like that," She turned to him and nearly jumped out her skin as his face was only an inch or so from hers, "I guess I didn't want to be alone"

"You aren't alone,” He said in a whisper.

"I know that, I'm sat here aren't I" He laughed at her, in a strange way it didn't sound normal, but it made her smile.

"You smell nice,” He said. She raised an eyebrow at the sudden remark.

"It really has taken you hasn't it" She said plainly, he tilted his head again and frowned

"What's taken me?" he asked, not really following her.

"The cat inside you has." He frowned, but she smiled, putting a hand against the side of his face. "It's alright." Her words were soft and quiet, making Blue grin at her and moved closer. He put his own hands on her shoulders and she raised her eyebrows, allowing him to continue.

"I know what you really came for" His words lingered on her skin, it was definitely what had drawn her to him, even though before she would never have let herself go, but this time, it felt different.

He lowered his head down to her neck, she felt his lips press up softly there in a tantalising way, starting to give small nips at the skin, tasting the flesh.

Without knowing it, a moan came from her throat and her head tipped back as he moved down, his hands ran along her back, kneading into her, the touch was so smooth.

He looked up at her; she had closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation and all the new senses that were flowing around her. 'I'm not the only one taken' He said to himself; he opened her top and removed away any articles of her clothing till he came to bare flesh leaning her down onto the bed, suckling on her.

She was lost in paradise; reality meant nothing anymore. His weight against her body was heavy, but she enjoyed the closeness between them, as did he. She was going to give herself to him, and Blue knew it, taking advantage of the moment to start going lower and lower on her body.

Rhapsody was sat in the Amber room, staring out into the clear blue sky, she had become distant and every attempt of Harmony trying to grab her attention had failed.

Captain Scarlet entered the room and when she saw him she jumped up from the couch and ran up to him.

"What's the news, anything I should know about?" Rhapsody asked, wanting to get full details.

Scarlet looked at her slightly blankly before slumping down on a seat and putting his hands over his face.

"Paul?" Rhapsody asked, sitting next to him. She put a hand on his shoulder.

He turned to look at her then shook his head. "The cat DNA has resurfaced in both of them." She gasped at this news and he continued. "They've been quarantined to their quarters for their safety and ours."

Rhapsody didn't know what to say. Symphony had reacted very badly when it had first happened, she remembered well her attempts to calm the frightened Angel, no matter how much she attempted to push the memories away.

"I feel for them" Rhapsody said, she felt a strained tug on her, the sorrow she had for Symphony and Blue.

"I know its hard that we have to see them put through this again" Scarlet said, the British Angel flicked her hair back and took in a deep breath before exhaling.

She spoke sadly, "I bet she is upset...probably crying at the moment..."

Symphony began to awake, her eyes fluttering open. She felt content and nurtured deep inside.

She blinked a few times, to recall what had happened, then she remembered and held in her breath.

What had she done! It wasn't just him taken by the cat, she had been too and she would never have noticed. She had been too busy seeing it on Blue that she had let herself get drawn in.

She felt a tingling feeling in the lower half of her body and cursed herself.

She noticed now that she was completely stripped down, clothes scattered around her and Blue was lying next to her, in the same fashion. He had no clothes on and covered up in the blanket on his bed, he was still asleep.

She lay still, not knowing what to feel at that moment. She had told herself during her last memory of her situation that she wouldn't let him have her, and now look where she was.

She felt him stir; she turned her head to him, just as he opened his eyes.

He stretched his arms out, then rubbed his face, a smile perking on his lips as he looked at her.

"That was interesting" He said, she felt embarrassed, her face going bright red, feeling as if their moment together had just been shared as if they were animals.

Blue noticed her sudden change in attitude. "What's wrong?"

"I should go," she said, starting to get up. She stopped when Blue took hold of her wrist.

"Why? Stay. Just a little bit longer."

She looked around uneasily. "I can't, I have to get back to my quarters or they'll confine us to the Sickbay," she said, hoping he'd at least listen to logic.

"Well, I guess you’re right, you have to go for our sake" He nuzzled her neck for a second and pulled away to look at her face, "I'll miss you"

She slipped away from his grip; she scrambled to get her clothes from the mixed pile on the floor.

She glanced at him as she gathered all her belongings, he was staring at her, still a hungry look on his face.

"Can you not look at me like that" She said, she began to re-dress.

"Like what, Angel?" He leaned on the edge of the bed, keeping her in his sights.

"Like that, the way you are. It's off putting." Blue grinned at her and made little effort to stop watching. "Please, Adam. You did this last time. Don't let it win."

"What?"

"Don't let the animal instincts take you over again. You killed Captain Scarlet last time, remember?"

This did seem to help her case as he turned away from her, giving her enough time to pull on the remainder of her clothes and leave quickly before her own instincts took over again.

"Any developments, Doctor?" Colonel White talked to Doctor Fawn through a comm. link from the Control room, to find out on his progress.

"I'm still back to square one, sir" The Colonel hated to hear that there was nothing new in the update, but he couldn't blame the Doctor for not solving the problem yet, it was a tough one.

"I guess I better not take up too much more of your time" Colonel White said and ended his conversation with Fawn.

He took a deep breath and tried to occupy himself with something but Lieutenant Green's voice pulled his attention, "Do you think anything bad will happen this time?"

White shrugged, "I don't know, I couldn't tell you, its hard to say if anything has changed from the last time"

"I'm just worried, sir, is all," Green said, looking down at his console.

"As am I, Lieutenant, I don't want to be another victim of an attack nor do I want to see any of my officers go down either"

Green sat silently after this. In a way he wished he hadn't said anything. Last time this happened, Captain Blue had seriously injured Colonel White in an attack in his puma form shortly after Green had been dismissed. He shuddered when he remembered coming back to find the large cat with its claws in his superior's chest, so pushed the thought aside and turned back to his console again.

Over two weeks or so had passed, yet the Doctor was still having trouble coming up with anything to counter-act the cat genes. He still continued his tests on Captain Blue and Symphony Angel, who were still keeping them confined to quarters. Colonel White was dismayed on having his best officers kept locked away from the rest of Cloudbase. Nothing had happened to result in anything that would be threatening against others and was considering them being allowed in certain places under security watch, so that they could catch up on social business and their morale would improve. Both seemed to be down mentally, especially Symphony, who was going down physically. She had been reported to be feeling sick, over the recent week and Doctor Fawn was going to look into it.

One of the later days saw something appeared that definitely needed the Colonels attention.

"Colonel White, sir" Doctor Fawn's voice came through to him at his command post, "Could you come down to Sickbay, I have some startling news about Symphony"

"What is it?" White asked, leaning towards the mike.

"I can't tell you over the comm., sir. Please, come down to Sickbay."

White looked over at Green who appeared startled by this sudden message. "I'm on my way," he said, getting up.

He walked out the doors and headed off towards Sickbay at quick pace, going as fast as he could. On arrival, he strode in and walked straight over to Dr Fawn who was reading over some printouts. "Well, doctor?"

Fawn looked up and sighed. "Its Symphony, sir."

"I know that much, Doctor, you told me over the comm."

Fawn sighed, trying to think of how to put it.

"Well sir, by my read outs, she is...well, unbelievable to me...well...she's pregnant"

Colonel White's eyes shot wide, "WHAT! HOW?"

"Well, I don't know...but she must have conceived the natural way...its just when that puzzles me"

"Does she know?" The Colonel said much more calmly.

"Not yet, sir"

The commander rubbed his chin. "She must have been with Blue, it’s the only explanation for it"

"Most likely sir"

"Get them both in here" Fawn nodded at the Colonels orders and called for two security guards to escort the pair to Sickbay.

Symphony Angel was woken by banging on her door. She had gone to lie down, as she had been feeling rough again. "Symphony?" Came a voice she recognised as the security guard assigned to escort her round the base.

"Hello?" she called out.

The door opened and the guard walked in. "I'm under orders to take you to Sickbay."

Symphony merely nodded and got up carefully to follow him. She'd wanted to go anyway to see if Dr Fawn knew why she was so sick.

On arrival, she saw Colonel White there along with the guarded Captain Blue. She sat down on a nearby chair; her arms wrapped round her middle.

"How are you feeling, Symphony?" Fawn asked her gently.

"Very sick."

Fawn simply nodded then looked at White. The Commander-in-Chief motioned him to continue. "Symphony, we know why you're sick."

She tilted her head slightly. "Why?"

Fawn looked at her intently, turned his gaze to Blue then back to her again. "Symphony, you're pregnant."

Her face drained, her mouth dropping open. Blue himself was shocked to hear this news and looked at Symphony who had covered her face, rubbing some beaded sweat from her brow.

"I don't believe it,” She said as her hands drifted from her face to be placed on her stomach.

Fawn turned to Blue, who was gob smacked and had found a place to sit down.

"We brought you here Captain to ask you a question"

Blue looked up, he knew they knew about it, he knew what was coming next.

Fawn continued, "You're the father aren't you?"

Blue sat up straight and looked over to Symphony, who was too busy focusing on her abdominal area.

"You don't need to answer, Captain" Fawn said softly, "We already know you are by a sample test"

Blue lowered his head. "I didn't mean to," he said quietly.

Symphony seemed to have switched off; the Angel pilot was ignoring everything in the outside world. "Pregnant?" she whispered. "I'm pregnant?" She kept repeating this to herself, looking down. That explained the sickness. She wasn't sure whether she should be happy or sad, so continued looking down, her hands gently caressing her midsection.

Colonel White would have mocked Blue's words but he thought it best not, he was angry that it had happened, an infant being brought into the world under a difficult situation, making it worse.

He turned his back on the pair of them; Doctor Fawn looked from his commander to the two shocked people.

Blue stood up and walked over to Symphony, to sit by her. The guards and Fawn watched him, carefully.

"Are you okay?" Blue asked Symphony quietly, she finally pulled her attention away from her abdomen.

"I don't know what to say" She recalled their passion filled encounter over in her mind and looked at him, not knowing what else she could say.

Blue shook his head and put a hand gently on her arm. “Don’t worry for now,” He said quietly. “Things will be alright in the end”

She sighed. “You said that last time and look where its lead us!” She said, taking his hand from her and putting it on her middle.

He pulled his hand away, unsure what to make of the situation. “I’m sorry.”

She closed her eyes as she spoke, "Are you really?"

Her questioning him was shocking, but he calmly spoke. "Why do you ask me that?"

She opened her eyes to stare directly into his sharp blue ones, "Because deep down I know that animal really wanted it to happen. We may not have changed yet but our consciousness was disrupted. Whatever happened inside your quarters…I don't know whether I can say that it is you I am talking to…or it"

He was in-between confused and shocked, he didn't believe that the animal was speaking for him, he no longer felt any presence or sense within his being that would tell him of it.

"I don't know how to answer you, Karen" He touched her arm, "You're confused"

"Yes, I know" She gazed on him with pleading eyes. "Help me" She returned his hand to her abdomen, this time he didn't draw back as he contemplated what to do.

Rhapsody Angel finished her duty and was walking towards her quarters when she decided she wanted to see how Symphony was feeling. She knew her friend hadn't been feeling too good and wanted to try and cheer her up.

On arrival, she received no answer to her knocking, so tried Destiny's quarters nearby.

"Do you know where Symphony is?" Rhapsody asked her when she opened her door.

Destiny shrugged. "The last thing I heard was one of the guards saying they had to escort her to the sickbay, but that was an hour ago." Destiny looked worried. "I hope she's alright."

Rhapsody had the same thought on her mind. "I'm sure she's fine. Thank you for your help. If I find her, I'll let you know."

The other Angel nodded and went back into her quarters. Rhapsody sighed as she made her way towards the sickbay, wondering what had happened to warrant her friend being recalled to Fawn's presence.

She waited while the door-slid open then saw Dr Fawn playing with some machinery next to a bed.

She frowned and walked in a little further. Lying on the bed was Symphony Angel. She had her top pulled up to reveal her stomach and was watching the monitor Fawn was looking at.

"Doctor?" Rhapsody called out.

Fawn spun to face her, "Are you alright, Rhapsody?"

"I'm fine, I just came to see if Symphony was."

The other Angel glanced at the Doctor who nodded. "We can carry on with the scans in a moment."

"Scans?" Rhapsody asked, her suspicions fast being confirmed.

Symphony nodded. "Ultra-sound scans. Rhapsody, I'm pregnant."

Rhapsody's jaw nearly hit the floor, "PREGNANT?"

"Yes, that's what I said"

Rhapsody cocked her head as she tired to let it sink in, she glanced over the abdominal region then began to speak again. "So, is Adam..."

"Yes," Symphony cut her off, "He is the father"

"But..."

"How and when" Again she cut Rhapsody off, knowing what she was going to say, "How being so obvious and when...well...when my mind drifted into a new state"

Rhapsody couldn't think what to say next, she stood staring at her friend who looked tired and agitated, but she couldn't decipher which she was the most

'She's pregnant' Rhapsody said to herself, 'I don't believe it'

"Did you say something?" Symphony asked, looking at her friend with a raised eyebrow.

"Not really...I don't know what to say other than congratulations" But by looking at Symphony's expression, her mind changed on the point, "Or isn't it a good thing"

The American Angel sighed, "I couldn't tell you how I really feel, I just don't know"

"How's Adam taking it?" The Brit had a compelling temptation to ask.

"Well, he is confused...but not as much as I am...actually, I'm the one who probably confused him in the first place" Symphony chuckled but Rhapsody didn't know whether to or not.

"Talk of the devil...where is Adam?"

"He is somewhere around Sickbay...the Doctor just kept him to do more tests and then to scan me, to kill two birds with one stone...or two cats I should say"

Rhapsody looked about to see if she could spot him to save having to reply to her comment. At this point, the doctor walked back over. "Are you ready to continue, Symphony?"

"Yeah, sure, can Rhapsody stay? You're not on duty are you?" she said, turning to her companion.

The other Angel shook her head. "No, I came off duty just now."

Fawn glanced between the two and shrugged. "I don't see why you can't stay." He gestured to a chair beside the bed, then turned to Symphony. "Okay, before we start, I want to just quickly feel your abdomen just to make sure everything's alright, okay?"

She nodded and stared up at the ceiling as Fawn put his hands on her middle and pressed gently.

"Okay then," The Doctor, said a little while later. "Now this'll be cold," he said as he put some gel on Symphony's stomach. She flinched slightly then turned back to the monitor, which he'd finished configuring for her. He picked up the other part of the ultra-sound equipment and started to move it over her abdomen.

Rhapsody glanced at the screen, as well. The image of inside Symphony had just appeared and she tilted her head, trying to work out what was where.

Blue emerged from another part of Sickbay, rubbing his elbow. A nurse passed him, carrying a small sample of blood. He was getting a bit angry that some of his blood was disappearing off in test tubes for their little experiments.

He saw Symphony lying on a table, her scans in progress and decided to go be a witness. He noticed Rhapsody there and she looked up and smiled briefly at him before turning back to a screen that he turned to look at too.

The image was pulsing softly; he was intrigued by it. Doctor Fawn spoke up, pointing one hand at the screen while the other kept the equipment on her abdomen.

“There’s the baby,” He said, smiling lightly.

Symphony’s eyes watched on the beating mound on the screen, distinguishing the features of the child through the strange black and white areas.

Blue tilted his head. ‘My baby’ He thought, giving a happy beam for what he had helped create.

Symphony turned to watch Fawn's other hand for a moment before turning to Blue. She still wasn't overly sure how to react to him. True, he was the father of the child she now carried, but she had been lured to him when she hadn't been herself. She sighed, drawing Fawn's attention.

"Anything wrong?" he said, drawing his eyes away from the screen.

"No, just tired." She glanced down. "And I've been lying here for about an hour now, I'm getting uncomfortable."

Fawn smiled. "You can move and make yourself more comfortable, you know. You've got to start thinking about you for a while, remember?"

She nodded as she shifted about, trying to bring life back to her numb legs.

Blue's eyes were still fixed on the monitor when Fawn offered him a chair. "You might as well sit down, you're making the place look untidy by staying stood up!"

Blue snorted and went to pull a chair from the far wall, swinging it under him as he sat down, fixing his eyes back on the screen.

Symphony closed her eyes; the coolness of the gel still sat firm on her skin, reminding her deeply of something that was there inside her.

Fawn took away the equipment from her form, setting it a side for the time being. Blue looked down at Symphony, the one he really thought of as his mate - which frightened him since the sense of the cat stirred in him in that view - he shook his head and lent forward and touched her small stomach. She opened her eyes to look at him; his expression was peaceful and apt which surprised her deeply.

Then she felt a strange pain shoot through her abdomen and she screamed, Blue pulling back, thinking he had caused her harm.

She gripped her lower body as she was rocked with an agony; Doctor Fawn grabbed her shoulders looking into her pain-creased face. “What’s wrong?”

“IT HURTS SO MUCH!” Was all the answer he got from the distressed Angel. Doctor Fawn pulled her arms away from her abdomen to feel there and was instantly shocked to see the area grow out slightly, quicker then any pregnant woman would show in such a short time – even only in seconds – Blue and Rhapsody also saw and sat gob smacked.

Symphony screamed again as Fawn spun to Rhapsody. "Call the Colonel! Now!"

She didn't need asking twice as she rushed across the room and hit the comm.

Blue watched, inching forward every now and then to help only to be pushed back by the doctor. "Stay out of the way, Captain!" he yelled, not meaning to cause offence, but trying to get his point across as quickly as possible.

Blue stepped back out of the way as the Colonel walked in. "What’s going on?"

Fawn didn't turn, but motioned to Rhapsody to fill him in while he tried to make sure Symphony was calming down.

She had stopped screaming, though tears still streamed from her eyes. The amount of pain she had just experienced had caused her to writhe about on the examination table and she was now lying on her side. "Symphony? Can you hear me?"

She turned to look at him and nodded, wiping a tear from her face. When she turned to lie on her back, everyone in the room was shocked at what they saw; her stomach was visibly bigger.

Colonel White stepped forward and looked at her.

"It's impossible" The Colonel spoke in a low voice admiring the now grown abdominal region, "Incredible"

"Didn't feel incredible" Symphony whimpered at her superior, trying not to scream when she saw what had become of her now.

She covered her face, letting out faint sobs, Blue pulled in closer. "Karen?" His voice purred softly, in a comforting way.

"This can't be happening," She swallowed as she let out small moans of displeasure.

"How is this possible?" White said, turning to the Doctor.

Fawn looked at his superior and held back the urge to simply shrug. "I have no idea, it's like nothing I've ever seen before."

Blue took hold of one of Symphony's hands gently. "Karen?" he said again.

She ignored him and the grip he had on her hand. She left her eyes closed firmly as she lowered her other hand to her now slightly swollen belly. She screwed up her eyes and sucked in a deep breath when her hand came to rest earlier than she would have liked. She opened her eyes and looked up at Blue before pulling him down to cry onto his shoulder.

He hugged her tightly, feeling pity for the one he loved for the situation she was in; suffering pain for something had given to her, something that had effected her.

Doctor Fawn sighed, unknowing of anything and everything that was going on with the young Angel, "I want to take a few more scans and do some tests on you, Symphony"

He began to approach the table where she lay when Blue turned his head and hissed at him, instantly making the doctor back away. He was being protective of her, since she was carrying his child. His eyes had turned green, the pupils slit down.

"I will take care of her, scans will prove nothing, only that this child isn't ordinary, and it grows faster than normal babies" Blue's inner feline brain was giving all this knowledge, Fawn looked surprised.

Symphony took her head from Blue and looked at him, still pressed up to his chest. He looked at her and purred lightly and she smiled, sniffling.

She looked at the nervous Doctor Fawn; "I want to go back to my quarters. I'm tired of tests for today" She stated plainly.

"I am going to stay with her," Blue said, sharply. "She will need me"

White and Fawn exchanged glances; they didn't want to get either of them angry, especially Captain Blue, it was a known fact that he was powerful if he transformed.

Colonel White turned back from Fawn to look at the pair. “Is that what you want, Symphony?”

She nodded and swung her legs off the table, preparing to leave whether they liked it or not.

White sighed and shook his head. “Alright, but you will have to have a security guard. I cannot jeopardise the safety of my officers.”

Blue was helping Symphony carefully off the table, supporting her gently. “Do as you wish, just let me stay with her.”

"As you wish" White said, even though it seemed a bad idea he didn't feel like taking on a fight, in any form.

He turned to Rhapsody, whom had stood awkwardly in the room throughout to call for a security guard to go take Symphony and Blue to her quarters.

She did so, feeling a little scared to be in the room right then, she stammered as she called for a security guard. Looking back after to see Blue and her fellow Angel staring at her, knowing her fear as they could smell it, she gulped but they gave reassuring smiles that they would not hurt her, but still she was on the edge.

The security guard arrived and Blue told them they would be going back to her quarters, explaining that she needed to be somewhere familiar and comfortable to her.

The security guard looked blankly at them before shrugging and showing them out.

All the way to Symphony’s quarters, Blue kept a hand on her back so she knew he was still there supporting her. She was glad of this, she felt so strange.

She was only a few weeks pregnant and she looked it. Half an hour ago. She might have grown in size, but she hadn’t grown used to the weight that was suddenly part of her.

Blue seemed to know this and was always close by her, anticipating her needs.

She looked up at him and smiled as the guard brought them to a halt outside her quarters.

He ushered them in quickly and the door closed on them sharp. Blue nearly growled, he hated the treatment that he had just got but ignored it and set Symphony down on her bed carefully.

She let out a heavy puff and lay back against her pillow touching her form, mixed emotions still flowing through her.

Blue sat next to her, putting a hand over hers, feeling the mass under his fingertips. "Don't worry,” He said, rubbing his hand up and down hers, "I'll protect our child”

"Why do you feel its in danger?"

He looked into her soft eyes, "I sense it...I want what’s best for you"

"You've changed into something more driven to protect this baby more than me, I don't know whether or not to keep it...this is not the time or place for a child"

Blue gripped her wrists; "YOU'RE NOT GETTING RID OF MY BABY!"

Her eyes shot wide, "Adam!" She gasped at the pressure of his grip.

"I won't let you,” He said with a growl.

"Adam you’re hurting me!"

He didn’t seem to hear her but held her wrists tighter. “Tell me you won’t get rid of my child!” he said shaking her head slightly.

Tears were forming in the frightened Angel’s eyes.

“Tell me!” he snapped.

“I won’t,” she consented quietly, hoping by agreeing he’d release her.

She was right; he instantly let go of her hands and walked to her window. She sat very still on her bed, moving only her hands and she rubbed her sore wrists. The pressure he’d put on them was enough to cause slight bruising already.

“I’m sorry,” he said, not turning away from the cloudy vista outside.

She looked up, a hand resting on her abdomen and the other she was moving about to check it wasn’t damaged. “Please, Adam, I feel bad enough as it is without being threatened by an overprotective father-to-be!” She looked down as he turned around.

He eyed her carefully then set them to rest on her torso. He felt some sort of stirring in his mind in which he had felt only a few moments ago when Symphony had said she didn’t know if she wanted to keep the baby, it had sent him mental, anger had burst through him. The baby was important to him…the feline side of him and he harnessed it.

"This animal instinct is making me act like it" He said shaking his head, "It's keeping me close to you and our child…its too strange to explain"

"It was a scary reaction, Adam" She said, "I have never seen you act like that about anything. And I never thought you'd get vicious about it, I never thought you would! But your cat is obsessed…in a way"

He lowered his head. "Did I really hurt you?" he asked, sitting on the side of her bed and glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

She looked at him and did her best to sit up. "You did." She showed him her bruised wrists. He turned to her fully and took hold of them gently and kissed them softly.

She looked into his eyes. "Please, don't frighten me like that again."

He nodded silently and put a hand on her stomach. "I promise, for you and the baby."

Rhapsody sat in the Amber Room alone while she waited for Destiny to join her on stand-by. She leaned her head back and covered her face with her hands as she went over in her mind what had happened in the Sickbay to her friend.

It was at this point that Destiny finally walked in. Upon seeing her, she hurried over and dumped her helmet on the table in front of them. "Is there any news on Symphony? Do they know why she is sick yet?"

The redhead looked up slowly, "She's pregnant, Juliette"

Destiny instantly sat down with her mouth a gape. "Truthfully?"

"Yes" The French pilot looked away, still trying to let it sink in.

"That's…" She shook her head and looked back at Rhapsody, "…I don't even know what to say"

"The same with me when she first told me" Rhapsody leaned back rubbing her brow, "And you should have been there afterwards, that would have scared you, I'm still trying to get the image out of my head" “What? What image?” Destiny leaned in on her friend and put on hand on her knee, the look on her friends face really made her want to know, “Tell me, Dianne”

“Her stomach…grew bigger…not like at the normal rate for only being a couple of weeks pregnant, now she looks about three months”

Destiny sat there trying to comprehend this information. “How? How can that be possible?”

Rhapsody shook her head. “I don’t know. I just hope for Karen’s sake it doesn’t happen again. She was in so much pain.”

Destiny looked at her friend and just by the look on her face, Rhapsody knew she wanted to go and make sure she was all right before the day ended.

“I hope she’ll be okay,” Destiny said, trailing off.

“So do I. Adam too, he’s been acting strangely around her.”

“Is he the father then?”

Rhapsody nodded. “Yes, but the cat instincts in him are taking over. He hissed at Fawn when he suggested doing more tests on Symphony after her scare, and I swear his eyes were green!”

Destiny shuddered as she remembered the last time he had changed. She and Rhapsody had been in the Amber Room and Blue had burst into the room in his puma form. After scaring the girls out of their minds, causing them to climb the bookcase, he had gone mellow and had sat with them as though he were a housecat! She shook her head. He was unstable as a feline.

“When this shift is over, I’m going to go and see her,” Destiny said.

“I had a feeling you might, I could tell by the look on your face. Just don’t be surprised by what you see, I have warned you, unless something else happens while we’re on duty.”

“Okay,” Destiny replied and nodded, settling back into a seat.

A few hours had passed and Symphony had drifted off asleep. She had curled up with a pillow around her stomach, lent slightly to one side with her head sat on Blue’s lap; he stroked her hair contentedly, the senses all around him were satisfied.

He looked down on her frail form and purred slightly, he was happy and the feline side was well indulged. It had been what he wanted to be close to her, especially with a child on the way, ever since he became the animal, it was his drive.

He sighed and she shuffled slightly on his lap, eyes still closed as she got comfortable, her sleep not disturbed at all. He lent back, pulling a pillow behind him, closing his eyes but keeping aware of everything that was going on around them.

He was sat in the silence of the room, only hearing her breathing below him as he tried to settle since tiredness was taking him. But it wasn’t long before he was disturbed with a knocking on the door, which also awoke Symphony.

She let out a yawn. “Who could that be?” She sat up as he pulled himself up and went to open the door, to see Destiny standing outside.

“I came to see how Symphony was,” She said, stepping in with his blue eyes following her, “Karen? Are you alright?”

She smiled. “Yes, thank you Juliette”

Destiny stepped closer to her but felt Blue brush in-between her and Symphony, looking sharply on her, making her back off.

“Adam” Symphony said a little shocked, but he stood rooted, eyes piercing through Destiny, who looked very scared.

He took another step forward and she backed away further, bumping up against the wall behind her. She turned her head slightly to look at it before returning her sights to Blue. His eyes were wide and stared at his.

“Adam!” Symphony said again. “Please! You promised me!”

“I promised you I wouldn’t harm you again.”

“Again?” Destiny was suddenly concerned for her friend and made an attempt to move towards her, but Blue swiftly side-stepped so he was between them again.

Destiny looked past him to her colleague. “Karen?”

Symphony had sat down on the bed, a hand on her abdomen and was looking down.

“Karen, what’s going on?” Destiny looked between them.

Blue narrowed his eyes at Destiny but snapped to look at Symphony as she spoke.

“It’s…really just something you wouldn’t understand” The young American woman didn’t look up.

“What? Why wouldn’t I?” She took a step forward, “What did he do to you?”

Blue pushed against Destiny and stood looking down on her, she didn’t know what to do, she stood fixed on the spot. His eyes were distinctly green…the cat’s eyes were looking at her.

“It’s none of your concern” His voice had grown deeper, making the French woman’s eyes widen. Blue put a firm hand on Destiny’s face and pushed her back against the wall, the force was very strong and the impact shook the wall trivially. Destiny cried out as pain shot up her back. Symphony struggled up to her feet, “ADAM!” She screamed seeing her friend in distress.

She didn’t know what it was, but the way she had spoke made him stop attacking her friend and move instantly over to her. “What is it, are you alright? Is it the baby?”

She frowned at him. “No! How dare you do that to her!” She pushed past him and moved over to her friend, trying to help her up the best she could.

Destiny got up, shaking her head. “Dianne was right, you are acting strange.”

Symphony shut her eyes and lowered her gaze slightly. “I’m sorry, he shouldn’t have done that.” She glanced over her shoulder at him; a frown still set firm on her features, before turning back to Destiny. “He’s just being overprotective. It’s something to do with his felinity and this.” She pointed to her stomach. She glanced over her shoulder to see that Blue had sat down on the bed but was keeping a very close eye on them. Turning back, she lowered her voice. “When I told him I wasn’t sure whether or not I wanted to keep it, he went mental and did this.”

She held out her wrists and Destiny gasped at the large purple bruises on them. She took hold of her hand. “He shouldn’t stay with you, he could hurt you!”

She lowered her gaze again. “I know, but I’m afraid of what he might do if we’re separated.”

Destiny grimaced as a stab of pain hit her in the back and she straightened up, trying to disperse it. “I’ll talk to the Colonel,” she said quietly, noticing Blue approaching.

Symphony nodded and wiped her eyes. "Yes, do and please see Doctor Fawn, you look in a lot of pain, we don't know if he's hurt you bad"

Destiny winced and motioned her agreement, backing out the door as Blue came to Symphony's side. She kept fixed on Blue, who still kept the feline green planted in his eyes.

Once she had disappeared and the door shut, Symphony bit her lip and looked up at him, she wanted to snap but was afraid to. He glanced down at her and saw anguish in her face, and fury that was plainly visible.

She growled and sat down vigilantly, being careful on her baby’s behalf.

“Are you okay?” He asked softly, the deepness of the feline voice sat thickly, it almost rasped at her.

“Just don’t…” She said flatly, pressing her arms firmly across her form, “You are scaring me, what the hell are you letting happening inside you”

He cocked his head; she shook of his mellow look and settled back down.

“I didn’t mean to do it,” He said, crawling onto the end of the bed.

“Adam, you did mean to, you’re being taken over…” She felt the tears prick again at the corners of her eyes, “I’m scared of you…of what you are becoming…”

He frowned. “I don’t follow, what do you mean?”

Her eyes widened. ‘Can he really be so blind?’ she thought. “You are letting the puma inside you take over!” She wiped her eyes again.

“I’m just doing what’s best for you and our child!”

“You’re doing what’s best for our child,” she repeated, doubtfully. “And by doing so you have to hurt my friend! You possess a lot of strength and you smashed her into a wall! You could have seriously injured her!”

“But I didn’t,” he said.

“We don’t know that! True, she can still walk, but things could have turned out differently.”

He tilted his head and moved forward towards her. “Karen…?” He reached out a hand to her, but she got up as quickly as her form would allow her and moved away from him. “Why are you doing this?”

“Why am I doing this? Because I’m scared of you!” She screwed her eyes shut as she felt something deep inside her.

She fell to her knees as the pain clamped hard inside her stomach, she screamed out in agony as she tried to fight through it but the feeling was unbearable.

Blue quickly went over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders, “Karen?” She pulled away from him sharply, shuffling back.

“STAY AWAY FROM ME, I…” She let out another cry, grasping over her abdomen tightly, trying to gasp for air.

Blue again went over to her, this time she didn’t pull away for she didn’t notice his touch through all the suffering she was going through.

“What’s happening?” He asked, she wheezed, trying to speak but she couldn’t find her voice, letting out only a feline cry.

She didn’t know what was happening to her. The pain was too much for her to cope with, being even worse than the last time when she grew. She screwed her eyes shut tight and let out another scream as another wave of pain washed over her, making her double over, clutching her stomach with one hand and the other hand on the floor helping her keep her balance. She felt sick, the pain was that bad. Blue only just managed to catch her before she collapsed.

His eyes widened as he laid on her the floor in front of him.

Her form had grown out slightly bigger, now she looked at least five months gone, and she had partially gone through the change into a cat, not much was different. Her facial features had changed slightly but they were reverting from feline back to human. The pain was nearly enough to set the animal side of her free.

He picked Symphony up and placed her softly onto the bed, setting the covers over her. He contemplated telling the Doctor, he was about to go press the comm. when the animal side stopped him, telling him not to. He could help her only, being the father of the unborn child, he didn’t want the Doctor’s hands on his mate. He snorted and settled on the bed next to her.

Destiny lay on a diagnostic bed in the Sickbay while Doctor Fawn treated the minor injuries she’d sustained.

“You’ll be alright, Destiny, just some bruising and a few cuts, that’s all.”

“It felt much worse than that, but I am grateful it isn’t.” Fawn smiled gently at her.

“Now will you tell me what happened?”

She nodded and relayed the encounter back to the medical officer.

When she finished, he sat back in his chair. “This has got to stop! The rate he’s going, he’s going to be doing her more harm than good!”

He sighed and reached for the comm. unit nearby. “Colonel?”

“Yes, Doctor?” the Colonel replied.

“We have a problem, would you come to the Sickbay please?”

White made his agreement known, then the link was shut off. Destiny looked at Fawn, a worried expression on her face. “What will happen to them?”

“I wish I knew, Destiny. I really wish I knew.” The Colonel walked into the room and Fawn relayed his knowledge of the incident with Destiny’s help to him.

By the time they’d finished, it was almost an hour after the Colonel had arrived. He had wanted to make sure the young Angel remembered every detail. They were about to leave when Lieutenant Green’s voice came over the comm. “Sir,” he said, addressing Colonel White. “One of the staff in quarters near Symphony’s reports hearing screaming and shouting coming from her quarters.”

White and Fawn exchanged glances.

Destiny looked at the pair, then thought about Symphony and how capable Blue was of manhandling her.

“Right, Doctor” The Colonel straightened up, “We are going to be paying a visit to Symphony’s quarters – Lieutenant?”

“Yes sir?”

"Ask for a security team to meet myself and Doctor Fawn outside Symphony Angel's quarters"

"Will do, sir" Green's voice disembarked from the wavelengths.

"Right, let's go - Destiny, I trust you will be okay?" White asked her, she nodded, and really she eagerly wanted to go with them but thought it best to stay out of the way.

The two men left Sickbay, not long followed by Destiny who made her way back to her own quarters still worried sick thinking about her fellow Angel.

Colonel White and Doctor Fawn met the security men and stood at the door of the accommodation to which Symphony and Blue were inside.

White banged on the door. "Symphony? Captain Blue?"

He was surprised to see Blue open the door so soon. Blue looked at them, his head to one side and his eyes darting between all the people stood there. He held a finger to his lips and indicated the sleeping Symphony Angel behind him.

White frowned at him. “What’s been going on, Captain?” he asked.

“Nothing has been going on, sir.” He sighed, knowing he’d have to tell them or they wouldn’t believe him. “It happened again.”

“May we come inside?” Fawn asked, reasonably. “We have to see her to check she’s all right. This rapid growth of her baby isn’t normal and her body might be being damaged.”

Blue’s eyes narrowed. They still had a green hint in them, though nowhere near as green as they had been. A quiet growl rumbled in the back of his throat but he let them past, keeping a very close eye on them.

Fawn, who was surprised Blue agreed, walked straight over to Symphony and carefully drew back the covers over her. He moved round to be in front of her as she was lying on her side again and shook his head. “What’s going on, Symphony?” he asked quietly and rhetorically to the unconscious woman.

He looked over at Blue who was stood leaning on the doorframe. “Captain, I need your help. Would you help me gently roll her onto her back?”

White looked at him puzzled. He knew that last time Blue had nearly gone for him when he had attempted to help Symphony.

“Captain, please, I need you to help me. Let me prove to you I’m not going to harm her!”

Blue narrowed his eyes slightly then pushed himself from the doorframe and went to help. Once

she was on her back, they were able to see more clearly the extent to which she’d grown this time and Fawn was able to make an examination of her, gently moving his hands over her belly.

“Remarkable” He said to himself.

Colonel White moved to the side of the bed, keeping aware that Blue was staring hard on him, the protective nature still in play.

“Why didn’t you call for us when this happened,” Fawn got Blue’s attention.

He couldn’t really say to the good Doctor that he didn’t think he needed his help, so all he could do was shrug blankly.

The Colonel was definitely angry, “I knew it was a bad idea to have you two together, right, you will go to your quarters, Captain Blue”

The American man stood rooted, his eyes stuck on the Colonel who was loosing his patience rapidly.

“I gave you an order, Captain”

A deep rumble sounded from Blue, and he followed it by an enraged snarl making the Colonel wish he hadn’t of said anything.

The superior officer stepped away as Blue slowly crouched to the floor; his eyes fixed on the Colonel. Behind him, Fawn made eye contact with the guards and silently motioned to their weapons. They knew he meant to keep them trained on Blue. Fawn himself knew they had to get Symphony out of the room for her and the baby’s safety, there was no telling what Blue would do.

A loud grumble emitted from Blue’s throat just as fur began to spread along his back and engulfing his face.

White kept his eyes firmly locked on those of Captain Blue, remaining as still as he could. The transformation of his officer was almost complete and he watched as his ears changed to move up the side of his head and a long tail appear behind him, which immediately whipped at the air, betraying his angered nature.

The puma got up from its crouched position and walked over to White, teeth bared and claws unsheathed.

White’s eyes went wide as the creature pounced.

He literally threw himself down to the floor as the giant cat flew over him and landed with a skid, smashing its body against the wall, the security guards spun around and took a few shots at him but the cat was agile and dodged them. He noticed Fawn lifting Symphony’s body carefully up against him. He was about to lift her up into his arms before he saw a flash of fur and Blue careen into him, dropping the still out woman back onto the bed, while he was sent for a ride down hard onto the floor on the other side of the bed.

He let out a yelp as he felt claws press into the skin of his back, he was like paper to this animal which Blue had become.

Symphony began to wake up, at first she was disorientated, not knowing her surroundings to till she pulled it from her memory. Then came to confusion of seeing her commanding officer, getting to his feet from the floor and two security guards having problems aiming for Blue since he was so close to Doctor Fawn. When she noticed the situation just to the side of her, she manoeuvred herself to them; she couldn’t go very fast with the weight in her abdominal region.

“ADAM STOP!” She screamed at the puma that looked up at her with intensive green eyes.

She struggled to kneel up, her stomach ached greatly, she scrunched her eyes as she felt nausea sweep her. It was due to the fact she had passed out from the pain.

Blue stopped his aggression against Fawn and stalked towards Symphony.

She pressed herself up against the wall, clutching her abdomen. When Blue was right in front of her, she turned to White. “Go!” she yelled at him, the pain in her voice still evident. When she saw that White was moving towards them, she repeated her warning. “Just go, sir! Get out of here!” she screamed her voice slightly different, the cat in her was trying to break through and White knew it.

“Symphony, we won’t leave you!” White shouted, drawing Blue’s attention. The cat lowered his front half, ready to pounce again, but this time, the guards were ready and managed to fire a dart at him.

Symphony let out a sigh of relief when she saw the animal collapse to the floor, then carefully got up. Moving as fast as she could, she made her way to the bathroom and was sick. The pain she’d endured and the fact that she’d come very close to changing had made her feel weak.

When she came back in, she took one look at Fawn and White. “Get me away from him.” This was the last thing she said before passing out.

The night drew in inevitably on Cloudbase as did the silence that came after the days events. Blue was confined to a holding cell in the brig, stalking around, not in puma form though but you could tell the cat tendencies were there plain and simple.

Captain Scarlet was trying to get some sleep, he had a long day of filling out reports that he just decided to turn in, even though he didn’t need much sleep, he still liked to be in the peace and quiet of his cosy quarters. Well, it was quiet till a voice came through his comm.

“This is Lieutenant Green to Captain Scarlet,” The Englishman stirred and looked over at the wall, giving a disgruntled groan, “Can you hear me, sir?”

He climbed from his bed, most unwillingly, and walked to the comm. pushing a button to reply.

“Yes, Lieutenant, what is it?” He didn’t let his tired and irritated voice fade.

“Sorry to disturb you sir but Colonel White wants you to go down to the brig…to talk to Captain Blue”

Scarlet’s raised an eyebrow, “Blue is in the brig?”

“Yes, sir”

“Why?”

“A little bit of a scuffle with the Colonel and Doctor Fawn in Symphony’s quarters, he changed into the puma”

Scarlet closed his eyes, a memory flooded back to him. The conference room. It was dark; the lights were down from the wires being slashed, he remembered being aware of the animal which was his best friend. But he hadn’t been quick enough to predict the attack where his throat was torn out. He had felt the agony of suffocation, but it had been a quick death none the less with the distant recollection of the blood that sat in his mouth as he called his friend’s name.

“Captain?”

Lieutenant Green’s voice snapped him back. “Why does he want me down there?”

“To talk to him, try to find out one friend to another what’s wrong with him, and try and support him…so to speak”

“Alright, Lieutenant,” Scarlet said, shaking his tired head, “I’ll get dressed and be down there as soon as I can”

“SIG”

Scarlet stepped into the corridor leading up to the brig, still trying to pull his scarlet coloured jacket on over his Spectrum blacks. He yawned as he opened the door.

Looking round, he saw Blue pacing round one of the cells. He had been given some training shorts to maintain his dignity.

Blue looked up as Scarlet approached. Despite the separation between the officers and Blue, Scarlet was still nervous about being there. He never knew what his friend was capable of.

He arrived at the cell and looked in at Blue. “Can you hear me, Captain?”

“I can hear you, Captain,” Blue answered, mockingly.

Scarlet glanced at the others present and saw White. “What should I do, sir?”

White sighed. “Just talk to him. He needs a friend to confide in and we need to find out why he’s acting like this. He almost killed Fawn earlier, but Symphony intervened.”

“Almost killed him?”

“He had him pinned to the floor with his claws digging into his back. Both he and Symphony are in the Sickbay now.”

Scarlet merely nodded, making a mental note to check on Fawn and Symphony when this was over. He stepped closer to the partition between him and his colleague.

“Adam…”

“Don’t bother, Paul” Blue snapped, his eyes were unreadable, “You really don’t care what is wrong with me, they just booted you from your quarters so that they could get you to talk to me! Well, I am not saying anything, they’ve been trying what makes you think you’ll be any different then these insensitive bastards”

Scarlet had never seen Blue like this, it was scary. “Why are you acting like that?”

“Like what…” He approached the front of the cell, “…An animal”

Scarlet was about to speak but stopped when Blue pressed up to the bars, beginning to talk again.

“Because I am one, Paul” He gave a low growl, but Scarlet ignored it, he was vexatious for being awoken up and was about to let it out on Blue.

“Well, Adam, nobody gives a damn” The American tilted his head, looking intrigued, “You’ve totally gone off the deep end, all because your letting a cat take over your brain. REALLY! I thought you were stronger then that, you’re just a little pussy cat”

Blue gripped the bars as he listened to Scarlet continue in his irate mood.

“Look at yourself, and Symphony! You’re driving you both crazy and that’s what’s making the animal of you. I do fondly remember getting up close with you…and guess how I ended up…dead”

Blue averted his eyes, no longer being able to make eye contact with his friend.

“You’re too damn weak. If you really want to be an animal…stay in there” Scarlet kicked the bars, Blue jumped and backed off a step, “You can do what you want behind there from now on…because wild, vicious murdering animals live behind solid bars…”

Scarlet smirked a little while Blue scowled, clasping back on the bars; he didn’t know what to say in return.

“Goodbye, Adam…really, we lost you to an animal with your face”

White just stood looking dumbfound, he didn’t realise Scarlet would blow a fuse and say things like that.

Scarlet turned away from the cell, leaving Blue staring at his back.

Blue let what he had said sink in, then emitted a low growl, turning back to the bed inside the cell. He collapsed onto it, his arms folded across his chest and he scowled at the ceiling as he attempted to clarify in his mind what Scarlet meant.

White watched him for a moment, then left the room, intending to find Scarlet. The younger officer hadn’t got far. He was just round the corner, sat on the floor with his head in his hands.

White saw him and crouched down next to him. “Captain? Are you alright?”

Scarlet looked up at him. “I shouldn’t have snapped at him.”

White sighed. “No, but I think the things you said to him may have done him some good, though it may not sink in straight away.”

“What’s happening to him? He’s not the man I knew. I feel like I’ve truly lost a friend.”

The Colonel didn’t know how to answer him, so tried to make him feel better. “I’m sure we’ll find a way to get them back to their old selves.”

“But what about Symphony? Even if we do, she’ll still be pregnant with a hybrid child.” Then he remembered. “How are they, sir? Fawn and Symphony? You said they were both in Sickbay.”

White nodded. “Yes, they are. The nurses are looking after them for the time being. Fawn will be alright, but he doesn’t recover as quickly as you do.”

Scarlet sighed and got up, White stretching out from his crouched position. “May I go and see them?”

The Colonel nodded. “Of course, but don’t be too long. I can tell you’re tired by the way you snapped in there. That’s not like you and I don’t want it to happen again.”

Scarlet lowered his gaze. “Sorry, sir.”

He turned away from his superior and walked quick sharp down the corridor. Colonel White stood shaking his head, he himself needed some rest, but first he needed to clear up the mess of the day before retiring in for the night.

Captain Scarlet strolled towards the Sickbay, he kept thinking about what had just happened in the brig. He tried to block the images of seeing his friend who just didn’t feel like the right person anymore. The word he had said to the blonde man stuck inside his head clearly.

‘Goodbye, Adam…really, we lost you to an animal with your face’ The sentence recoiled in him, deep in his heart did he really mean it? He couldn’t tell anymore but just ignored it as he walked into sickbay.

On entering he heard a bellowing yell. Doctor Fawn’s voice.

Scarlet instantly ran into the main ward where he sighed with relief to see the Doctor lying on his front with a nurse stitching up one of the many wounds on his back.

“Be careful,” He said, but the nurse ignored him.

“Quite complaining you big baby” She had a Russian accent and she sounded funny when she spoke to her patient who was normally her boss.

Captain Scarlet smirked and Fawn saw him and rolled his eyes, “You can leave it out, Scarlet! What do you want?”

“Just came to visit, Edward” He said, sitting in a chair by his bed side, “How you feeling?”

Fawn scrunched his eyes for a few seconds as she tugged a stitch tightly then he spoke, “God awful”

“And Symphony?” Scarlet asked.

“She’ll be fine…sleeping at the moment”

Scarlet nodded and turned to look round the room. He saw Symphony lying on another bed and was shocked when he saw how big she was now. He shook his head and went to sit by her. “What has he done to you, Symphony?” he said to himself, quietly, putting a hand on her stomach. He turned to look at where his hand was placed when he felt movement. Worrying, he pulled his hand away, thinking maybe she was going to grow again, but nothing happened.

Fawn, who had been watching, walked over carefully, trying not to pull the stitches. “What’s the matter, Captain?” he asked when he reached them.

“I felt something, but nothing happened.”

Fawn smiled gently, taking a seat and rubbing a hand down his back. “She is pregnant, remember. It’s probably just her baby moving.”

Scarlet looked at him then back at her. Just as he did, he saw a slight ripple move across her abdomen. Fawn saw it, also and leaned over and placed a hand on her. “It is just her baby moving. She’ll be alright.”

Fawn sat back again and crossed his arms against his chest, shutting his eyes. “Are you alright, Doctor?” Scarlet asked, feeling concern for the man who had taken care of him so often.

The Doctor opened one eye and looked at him. “Yes, just tired. Captain, you should go back to your quarters, you look like you would fall asleep at any moment. You’ve seen us now, and you know we’re alright.”

Scarlet sighed and looked back at Symphony. “Okay, I’m going.”

Everything settled down for the rest of the night, following through into daybreak. The morning light was a soft orange and seeped in through the windows on the high altitude base.

Blue was asleep, breathing softly when Rhapsody went to check on him. She stood by the bars, looking through onto him.

She had heard through many a source during her standby shift that he had been brought there due to an erratic turn in his behaviour and of course, his transformation.

“Good Morning, Dianne” She nearly leapt out of her skin when the blonde man spoke, he opened his eyes and settled them to focus on her, “You don’t have to be afraid you know”

She put a hand on her chest. “I wouldn’t be if you wouldn’t make me jump like that!” she said, though still kept her distance.

Blue shook his head, then got up, swivelling his legs round in front of him and raising one onto his bed so he could rest his chin on his knee. “You are afraid of me. And I don’t blame you. I’ve done some terrible things.”

Rhapsody tilted her head, then sat down on the chair next to the guard’s post. “What’s happening to you, Adam?” she asked, gently. “Why are you doing this?”

He sighed and leaned his head back till it touched the wall behind him. “I don’t know,” he said, staring up at the ceiling. “I feel like I’m losing control. But, all the while I know what I’m doing. I can’t explain it.” He closed his eyes.

“What is the feeling…of what you can describe of it?” She said, leaning her head onto her hands.

“It’s like…a powerful desire, that in everything I do, I just sits there” He opened his eyes and looked at her, “My devotion to Karen is powered by this desire, I really want to see her but I’m afraid of this animal that is taking over me”

She got up and walked over to the bars. “I’m sorry,” She said softly.

“Why do you have to be sorry,” He said, “Don’t feel pity for me, I don’t deserve it. You should have heard Paul when he was here. He doesn’t think I’m me anymore”

Rhapsody frowned. “Do you believe him”

“Yes” Blue said lowly and approached the bars; “It’s a scary thought…”

“Oh, Adam…” She said putting her head onto the coolness of the steel on her skin.

“Touch my face,” He said, she looked up at him with wide eyes, “Tell me if I feel human”

“Adam, you look it, I shouldn’t need…”

“Please,” He had pleading eyes.

She sighed and lifted a shaky hand to the bars and put it through as he rested a cheek against the warmth of her fingers. It was just soft skin like any human had.

"You are you, a human"

"But is this human…" She suddenly felt her arm tugged and she was pulled against the bars. Her face pressed into the metal, his face practically over hers. His eyes melted from blue into a glistening green and he smiled and forced a kiss onto the red haired Angel.

She couldn't pull back; his arms had interlocked between the bars and held her there. He had forced her mouth open and she could taste his tongue inflicting in her.

She could distinctly feel fang in his mouth; she was now absolutely petrified. He was changing! His face pushed out slightly into a muzzle; she could feel the pressure of it on her jaw as he continued to kiss her. She tried screaming but it was too hard to.

The guard who was suppose to be on duty appeared, the exchange had taken longer since he had been made to make a stop off with some files to his superior. He saw what was happening and took into action.

He ran over, his weapon in hand and hit Blue round the head with the butt of it. The latter’s grip was released and Rhapsody fell over backwards, landing hard on the floor.

The guard helped her up, but she was shaking very badly. “Are you alright?” he asked, helping her to the seat again.

She looked up at him; her eyes full of tears and nodded. “I should go,” she said, before hurrying out.

Blue was on the floor watching the exchange. His transformation had been completed and now the guard was nervous. He hit the comm. “This is Lieutenant Copper. Captain Blue has transformed. Require assistance in the brig.”

Rhapsody ran straight to her quarters but bumped into Harmony on the way. The oriental woman saw the distressed look on her colleague’s face. “Dianne? What is wrong?”

Rhapsody burst into tears, resting her head against Harmony’s shoulder and putting her hands on her shoulders.

“Dianne?”

“I don’t want to talk about it here,” she said through her tears.

Symphony stretched as she awoke, looking up at the Sickbay ceiling. Doctor Fawn was sitting on a table across from her reading, something of which she couldn’t quite catch the title. He was sitting topless; his back patched up with Band-Aids covering the wounds and stitches.

He looked up, feeling as if someone was watching him and saw her, and smiled getting it returned by Symphony.

“Glad to see you’re awake” He stood up slowly, his back aching a bit, “How do you feel?”

“Alright I guess, can’t get much worse…” She said.

THIS IS THE VOICE OF THE MYSTERONS…

“…Okay, in some ways it can”

…WE KNOW THAT YOU CAN HEAR US EARTHMEN! OUR TESTS WERE NOT A FAILURE AS FIRST EXPECTED AND WE HAVE WATCHED YOUR ATTEMPTS TO CONTAIN THE FELINE STOCK. WE WILL TAKE THE ONE WHO BARES THE CHILD; IT WILL BE USED AGAINST YOU…

Symphony’s eyes went wide and she grabbed her stomach. “No, no, this can’t be happening! Oh no!”

Fawn walked over to her and let her cry on his shoulder. He had seen that that would have been her next reaction.

“Why me? Why always me?”

At this point, Colonel White walked in, having heard the threat. “Symphony, are you alright?”

She turned to look at him, wiping her eyes. “Why do they always pick on me?”

White put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I don’t know, but we won’t let them take you or your baby.”

She looked up at him. Despite the fact that he’d been against her pregnancy, he was willing to help her protect her child.

“What do they mean ‘It will be used against us’? I don’t understand that,” Fawn said. “It hasn’t even been born yet, how can it be used against us?”

“I don’t know,” White said. Her turned to Symphony who had pulled her legs up close to her and was gazing down at her large stomach. “We will assign a security detail to protect you, Symphony, okay?”

She looked up at her superior and nodded, tears still rolling down her face.

Just then, the doors to Sickbay opened and Lieutenant’s Copper and Crimson walked in, Copper had his arm hidden and blood seeping from an open wound.

“What happened?” Colonel White asked.

“It was Captain Blue, he went absolutely nuts!” Crimson said breathless, “He transformed into the puma just after he tried to sexually assault Rhapsody Angel”

Symphony looked horrified, ‘Poor Dianne’ She thought.

“He managed to knock down the cell door, and attack Lieutenant Copper here,” Fawn looked at the deep slash on Copper’s arm and directed him to the ward. “Of course we managed to tranquillise him and he is now shackled down to a bed in a new cell”

White looked shocked. “This is going far enough. He is becoming more and more unstable,” he said, with a sigh, and rubbed his brow. Symphony watched as he began to pace up and down in front of her. “We’ve got to find something that will calm him down, or else, keep him tranquillised at all times.”

“But, sir, you can’t do that to him!” Symphony said, while behind them Copper had been left to Fawn’s care.

White spun to face her. “Are you saying you have a better idea?”

“He was at his calmest when we were…” She trailed off, glancing down again. She rubbed a hand thoughtfully across her belly, then looked back at White. “I believe he was most calm when I was with him solely for this reason,” she said, indicating her form. “I also think that I would be safe with him. If anything did get onto Cloudbase to try and take me away, who better to protect me than a fully grown puma?”

“No!” White snapped. “I’m not going to do that, he’s unstable; there’s no telling what he might do! I will not expose you to that sort of danger!” The Commander-in-chief realised he had just scared the young Angel by the way she had shifted back, her eyes wide. “I’m sorry, Symphony, but I don’t want to see you or your baby hurt.”

She tilted her head. He was definitely being protective of her, though not in the same terrifying way that Blue had been.

White sighed then turned to Fawn. “Fawn, you must be the only doctor I’ve ever seen tending to patients without a top on. You’re supposed to be resting or you’ll pull your stitches!”

Lieutenant Copper looked up at the doctor in front of him. “Better do as he says, sir. That nurse looks about ready to knock you out to make you stay put.”

Fawn glanced over his shoulder. The Russian nurse was heading his way. “Yikes! Gotta go!” He wandered off across the room.

The Nurse proceeded up to Lieutenant Copper, saying something in her Russian language, so much in the cursing category against Fawn then continued sorting out the young mans wound.

Fawn had planted himself back on the bed opposite Symphony, who was staring at her abdomen, rubbing it, feeling her baby lightly kick; she just had to smile. The feeling of being a mother still made her happy, but in the way of all the pain she felt awful.

She wanted to see Blue, she knew he was thinking about her in the ways of their well being, especially her child. She looked at Colonel White then struggled to get up, “I want to see him”

“What…no…” He put his hands against her shoulders quite firmly, “You’re not going anywhere”

“I am and I will” She tried to brush him off but he still kept on her, “Let me go”

“Symphony…” He looked at her sternly but he noticed a quick glint of yellow flash over her soft brown eyes he didn’t know what to say.

“Don’t stop me, sir” She said, managing to drop his hands from her being.

She walked past him. He was surprised at how graceful she still was, despite the obvious. He turned to Lieutenant Crimson who hadn’t left. “Go with her. Make sure nothing happens. At the first sign of trouble, you contact security and myself.”

Crimson nodded and followed her out.

Symphony knew she was being followed but ignored him. She just wanted to see Captain Blue so carried on going. The whole way, her child kicked and fidgeted. She smiled, placing her hands on her stomach again. She would have something to tell the prospective father at least.

She was about to turn the corner that led to the brig when she saw Rhapsody. She suddenly felt a conflict in her. She wanted to see Blue, but she also wanted to make sure her friend was all right.

“Rhapsody?”

The young English Angel spun to face her. “Symphony? Oh my… Symphony!” She ran over to her and gently hugged her. “Are you alright?” she asked, looking her friend over.

“We’re okay, I wanted to make sure you were. I heard what happened.”

She looked at the floor, tears forming in her eyes again. Symphony took hold of her shoulders and pulled her into a hug again. “It’s okay, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Rhapsody nodded. “Thank you. I’ll tell you later. I don’t particularly want to share my experience with everyone who walks past.”

Symphony nodded her understanding. “Alright, Dianne. Will you be okay?”

The redheaded Angel nodded once again, rubbing her eyes. “Yeah, will you?” she asked, noting how she looked bigger than before.

Symphony put a hand on her midsection. “As long as the Mysterons don’t take me away, I’ll be fine.”

Rhapsody grimaced. She’d forgotten about the threat. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be, you have nothing to be sorry about.” Her baby kicked her hard and she gasped. “Okay, okay, I’m going,” she said.

Rhapsody smiled. “Have you been given your marching orders?”

Symphony chuckled. “I guess I have.” She took her friend’s hand and put it on her as the child kicked again.

“Wow,” Rhapsody said, drawing her hand away.

“I’d better go, guess this little one knew it was going to see daddy.”

Rhapsody’s eyes widened. “You’re going to see Captain Blue?”

She nodded, “Yes. For my own safety and my child’s”

Rhapsody shuck her head. “You must be insane! He’s unstable! He’d hurt you!”

“No…not me…I am his mate” She said softly.

Rhapsody leaned back a little, raising her brow. “Mate? Symphony, do you feel like you’re losing control?”

“Huh? What?”

“You called yourself ‘his mate’, is the cat taking over you?”

She touched her lip with finger as she pondered, “I never realised I said it, I don’t know, I have to see him” The baby kicked again. “And soon…”

She passed Rhapsody blankly, leaving her watching her Blonde friend leave shaking her head as if she didn’t know what was becoming of her, nothing that she had ever seen.

Symphony arrived in the brig and looked about. She saw Blue still chained to his bed. At some point, the security guards had gone into his cell and tightened the restraints to cater for his smaller human wrists and ankles and covered him over with a blanket.

“Adam?” she called out softly.

He woke almost instantly and looked up at her. “Karen!” He smiled. “You’re looking well.”

She grinned, shyly and looked down, rubbing a hand over her stomach. “Our baby has been kicking me like crazy so I thought it only fair I came here to see you.”

Blue shook his head, chuckling slightly, then sat up the best he could, considering his chains. “I’ve missed you so much,” he said, gently.

“I’ve missed you, too.” She looked around at the guard on duty. “May I go in with him?”

The guard looked uncertain of what he should do. “Please, I want the father of my child to feel it kicking.”

The guard moved his hand over his face and looked at the pregnant woman, he couldn’t just say no, in the condition she was in and that she could change into a deadly cat he didn’t partially want her out there, so he nodded and stood up, key-card at hand.

She smiled thankfully as he put in the card and activated the door. She went in, letting him shut it behind her with a loud clang.

She walked slowly over to him; he smiled at her dearly as he lay there. She sat on the edge of the bed and lent down and kissed him for a second then came in reach of his hand so he could turn his wrist and be able to rest his palm on her stomach.

“Told you it was kicking,” she said softly.

He smiled at her, then returned his gaze to where his hand rested, feeling intrigued about what he could feel below his hand.

She lay down next to him as best she could and snuggled up close to him, resting her head on his chest.

“Did you hear the threat?” she asked suddenly.

He turned to face her. “No, what was it?”

“They want me and our child.”

If Blue could have sat up straight, he would have done. “What? No! I won’t let them!”

Symphony merely smiled. “I knew you’d say that. I knew I’d be safest with you. Colonel White didn’t want me to come.”

“Was he very angry?”

She nodded. “I think he might have seen something in my eyes when I looked at him. A bit of yellow, maybe.”

Blue chuckled. “Cheat.” He shook his head and moved his hand back onto her stomach. “What would happen if you were to change though?”

She sighed. “I don’t know.” She closed her eyes, then drew in a deep breath.

“What is it?” Blue asked.

Her eyes were screwed shut tight and her teeth were clenched together. Below his hand, Blue could feel something happening.

The mass of her abdomen pushed into his hand, expanding. His eyes grew wider, looking at the agony on her face and he could do nothing but watch.

She held in the screams of pain, she didn't want to guard or anyone to take her away from Blue.

"Help me" She whispered to herself, Blue heard her and frowned dearly, the feline side was distraught but he held on to his humanity.

Symphony placed her hand across a restraint on his arm; she wanted to release her anguish onto it. When the next wave of agonising tendency rolled through, she squeezed with all her might. It crushed slowly under grip, snapping away from Blue.

He lifted his free hand up to cup her face, noticing that she had calmed. The pain was subsiding.

She closed her eyes and leaned onto him, silent tears rolling down her cheeks.

Blue pulled her close to him as gently as he could and hugged her close. “Shh,” he said, soothingly. “Shh, it’s okay, it’s okay. It’s over now. I’m here.”

He looked down over her. She had grown considerably again, looking nearly eight months pregnant now. He shook his head and leaned up against Symphony, purring slightly.

The noise greatly helped the young Angel and she managed to fall asleep.

Blue smiled to himself, then wondered what the guard would say when Symphony had to leave. She definitely looked bigger than before.

Rhapsody Angel hugged herself as she walked down the corridor. She was still feeling un-nerved from earlier when Blue kissed her forcefully and during his transformation too. It had freaked her out. Her eyes were to the floor as she was thinking about it, she wished she could shake the images but like all nightmares, they seemed to just stick with you.

She only looked up in time to smack right into Captain Scarlet who dropped his plastic cup of hot coffee down himself. He let out a yelp from the touch of the hot fluid and Rhapsody was instantly all over him with apologies.

“It’s okay, it’s…” He looked at her from the stain on his top. She started to cry. He shook his head and put his hands on her shoulders. “Really, don’t worry about it, I’m not hurt…”

“It’s not that…” She wailed, he grew concerned.

“What is it Dianne?”

She tried to leave him, but he took hold of her wrist gently. “Dianne, you have to tell me. What’s wrong?”

She rubbed her eyes. “Something happened in the brig this morning when I went to see Captain Blue.”

Scarlet thought for a moment then directed her onto the Promenade Deck. Nobody else was there, luckily.

“Now then, what happened?”

She sat down and went through what had happened that morning, crying the entire time.

Scarlet’s mouth dropped open. “I knew he was unstable, but… Oh Dianne! Are you alright?” he said, his concern genuine.

She didn’t reply, but simply hugged him close to her.

“It’ll be alright. You know he’s not himself.”

“But he seemed like he was, he was questioning his humanity because of the presence of the puma in him.”

“Exactly, if he were himself, he wouldn’t have done that.”

Rhapsody sighed and rested her head on Scarlet’s chest. He stroked her hair. “You’re alright now. I’m glad you told me, this could have had disastrous results if you hadn’t.”

She looked up at him, questioningly.

“You may have made yourself ill and I wouldn’t have wanted that.”

She smiled slightly. “Thank you, Paul.”

“What for?”

“I couldn’t tell anyone else. Harmony asked me, but I couldn’t tell her. Symphony found out in the Sickbay, though I’m not entirely sure how.”

Scarlet shrugged. “At least you have told someone now.”

“Thank you, Paul” They stood staring at each other for a moment. Scarlet felt uneasy and cleared his throat backing off a bit.

“Well, I better be going, I have duty soon and I need to change” She looked down at the stain in which he was indicating.

“Oh yes, I’m still sorry about it” She said softly.

“Yes, I know, Angel” He smiled and made his way to the door, turning before he left, “Talk later then?”

“Yeah, okay” He nodded and left her standing there, feeling content.

Symphony woke up and found herself still lying next to Captain Blue in the brig. She smiled and laid her head back on his chest. Blue, who had only been dozing started purring when he felt her head there. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

She turned onto her back. “Okay, I guess.” She rubbed a hand down her abdomen and Blue put his free hand on top of hers. She looked at it, then realised it wasn’t chained. “How did you get free?” she asked, genuinely confused.

“You don’t remember?” Symphony shook her head. Blue smiled faintly, then answered. “During that, um…” He paused, unsure of how to word it so gestured to her largely swollen form. She nodded her understanding and let him continue. “Well, during that time, you grabbed the restraint.” He picked up what was left of it and stretched it out on its chain.

She saw it and her eyes widened. “I did that?”

Blue nodded.

She was shocked, wondering how she could have pulled together that much strength to crush the restraint. She smiled as she touched the crushed metal, her fingers slotted where she had squeezed it, the marks still plainly on it.

She let out a giggle and looked up at him, moving to give him a kiss. He returned it by licking her cheek softly. She sniggered and settled more comfortably on his shoulder, letting him wrap his free arm around her, purring louder.

“I feel so safe when I’m with you” She murmured lightly.

He grinned. “And I feel so happy to be with you…and our baby” He managed to slip his hand over her bulging form, caressing her gently. She let out a purr of her own.

Both jumped when they heard a knocking on the door. “Are you okay in there, Symphony?”

It was the guard. They both knew it by his voice, but also his scent. Symphony looked at Blue, making no effort whatsoever to leave. “I don’t want to go,” she whispered. “I want to stay here with you.”

“I know you do, Angel,” he said gently, keeping her close by him. “Why leave then?”

She looked him in the eye.

“I won’t. I want to stay where we’re safe.”

The guard, who’d been stood on the other side of the door listening to their quiet exchange, shook his head and walked over to the comm. unit, a communication with Colonel White on his mind. He had no idea what he should do, as he had seen the way Captain Blue could act and didn’t like the idea of leaving a pregnant woman in there with him.

The guard made a brief call to Colonel White, who said he’d be a long shortly from Sickbay.

Symphony closed her eyes, listening to the heartbeat of Captain Blue who looked at her with fascination as she lay comfortably on him.

Colonel White soon appeared and the guard talked to him quietly, then with the superior knocking, he walked up to the cell.

“Symphony” The Angel lifted her head to look at the Commander and chief of Spectrum. “It’s time you went back to your quarters”

She tilted her head at him, keeping Blue’s hand close to her lower region.

“Symphony, come on out” She shook her head at him, moving around so she was kneeling up.

The Colonel finally noticed that she had grown since he had last seen her, his eyes went wide at the size of her abdomen.

“It’s not wise for you two to be together,” He said much more softly.

“No – I’m not coming out – leave me alone” She settled back against Blue, who leaned in to kiss her, pulling up his hand to stroke her cheek. They both let out blissful sounds of their snugness.

He stood there shocked. She had been right that Captain Blue was much calmer when she was with him. “Symphony, please?”

“I’m not leaving.” The determination in her voice was evident.

“Symphony, please don’t make me order you.”

She kissed Blue softly, then carefully eased herself from where she lay. Maintaining eye contact with Colonel White, she stood in front of him, moving forward until her stomach pressed against him. “I don’t want to go. I want to stay here, where I feel safe.” As she said this, White backed up slightly. Looking over her shoulder, he noticed that Blue’s hand was free.

“How did you get free of that restraint, Captain?”

Blue shrugged. “Symphony broke it when she, um, grew.”

White’s eyes widened again. If she could do that to a solid metal restraint, he hated to think what else she was capable of. He put his hands gently on her shoulders. “Symphony, listen to me. You can’t stay here, we can’t protect you here.”

She shrugged him off. “Haven’t you been listening to me?” She frowned at him. “YOU’RE NOT EVEN TRYING TO LISTEN TO ME!” She snapped offensively, “I know what’s best for my own well being and I wish you’d just respect it! I AM STAYING HERE!”

She turned around, but Colonel White caught her arm to grab her attention, “Don’t make me have you restrained and forcefully removed”

She looked like she was going to snap by the look in her eyes, the Colonel was taking great risks. She sighed to calm herself. “Why would you do that?”

He stood trying to think how to answer it. “For…the best of your own wellbeing and others…you don’t understand how dangerous…”

“Adam is…” She interrupted, “He isn’t thought, he may have mood swings and sudden changes…but he’s only looking out for me as are you but I’d rather be with someone of my own kind”

White finally letting go of her arm. “Symphony, listen to reason…”

“What! The reasoning that you want to split me away from him because you’re scared of us together. What do you see us as? A much more dominating, evil force when we are together”

Colonel White just stared long and hard at her.

“Come on…what is it?” She asked sternly.

He sighed. “Symphony, you know that’s not true.”

“Then what is?”

“I don’t know anymore!” he snapped back at her, frowning. “It seems to me that something is going wrong in the ranks when my officers don’t even respect the wishes of their commanding officer!”

Symphony snorted. “I see. We’re taking this to the professional level, are we?” Her eyes narrowed as she regarded him. “Well, in case you’d forgotten, but I was taken off active duty when you heard that my cat genes had resurfaced so you can’t order me! You speak of me respecting your wishes, but you’re being selfish! Do my wishes not play a part in this?” She waited for a moment, but the Colonel remained silent, unable to think of a response. “You see? I have every right to remain with Adam. He is the father of this child and the man I love!”

“FINE STAY IN THERE!” Colonel White had lost his temper, turned his back to her and left with the guard calling after him with no reply.

Symphony just stood staring in the direction her superior left in, sighed deeply and looked at the guard.

“Captain Blue doesn’t need to be restrained any longer, unlock his shackles”

The guard looked at her, he didn’t know whether to do or not.

“Now please” She said tapping her foot.

He didn’t want to displease her so entered with keys at hand and moved swiftly yet carefully to Captain Blue, leaning over to undo the shackles that hadn’t been crushed and exiting, remembering to lock the door with the pair in.

Blue sat up and stretched. “Much better” He purred at her.

Symphony walked slowly back to him and pressed her stomach to him and smiled.

“Couldn’t bare to see you like that anymore,” She flicked her hair back, “There was no more need for it anyhow”

Blue grinned at her and wrapped his arms round her waist. With her stomach pressed up against him, he could feel the movement still coming from within her.

She sighed softly, drawing his attention. “You okay, honey?”

She looked into his eyes and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She moved forward a little, making Blue back up. He was now stood hard up against the bed. “Can we sit down?”

“Oh, that’s why you moved.” She quickly raised and lowered her eyebrows. “Alright.” He took her hands gently, shuddering slightly when he saw the bruises still on her wrists, but tried to ignore them as he helped her to sit down. “Better?” he asked.

She nodded silently, resting her head on his shoulder and putting her hands on her abdomen.

“I love you, too,” he said suddenly. She turned to look at him and began purring again. “I’m grateful for all you said, but aren’t you sad at all?”

Her purring faded slightly and she tilted her head. “Sad? Why would I be sad?”

“Because unlike me, you still had the freedom of this base. I was the one locked away, not you. You shouldn’t have forced them to let you stay, you should have space to move about.”

She smiled softly at him. “I’d rather lose my freedom and be with you than be able to go where I like and be without you.”

He was touched by her words and brought her face to his.

“I’d rather give my life then see you suffer…” He whispered the words before letting his lips grace over hers tentatively. She smiled as flush of red moved through her cheeks, letting a kiss be planted deep on her lips.

When they parted, he moved aside so she could lie down properly on the bed. He set the covers over her body softly and shifted so he could be next to her, hand positioned on her stomach.

“I wonder if it will be a girl or a boy,” He said curiously.

“I don’t mind,“ She looked at him lovingly, “I’m glad I’m having a baby that’s yours”

He smiled and the pair settled down together, purring even when they drifted into slumber.

Colonel White reached the Control Room and walked straight past Lieutenant Green, completely ignoring the young officer. He continued on until he was right at the end of the observation tube then leaned against the window, letting out a deep, frustrated breath.

“Sir?” He turned to see Lieutenant Green stood at the other end of the tube, not wanting to come in any further, but wanting to make sure the Commander-in-Chief was all right.

“If you don’t mind, Lieutenant, I wish to be left alone.”

Green pulled an embarrassed face. “Sorry, sir,” he said, quietly before turning to go back to his post.

The Colonel had never felt so frustrated in all of his days working on the operations base. He stared blankly out the window hoping the pressurising feeling hanging over him would soon lift. He figured he was getting a headache, he wasn’t surprised in the least bit with the way things were going.

He knew he couldn’t just stand around all day feeling miserable and trying to recuperate his mood, he decided he should indulge in some work, to take his mind off things, even though he really believed it would just stick by him.

Lieutenant Green watched his superior come out from the tube and sit down at his post, making himself busy with what not. The Trinidad-bred man just sighed, wondering what was bugging his commander but thought it best not to ask since he could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t willing to share his problems.

Captain Scarlet sat in his quarters. He wasn’t due on duty for a while and was pondering what he should do. He felt awful for the things he’d said to his partner and best friend, Captain Blue, though he still didn’t know how to deal with it all.

Sighing, he pulled his boots on and pulled the zips to the top. He stood up; shifting his feet until he felt comfortable then crossed the room and picked up his vest and cap.

He opened his door and stepped into the corridor, pulling the vest on as he went. Everything was quiet; the only sounds he could hear were his breathing and the sounds his boots were making on the floor, a noise that echoed round the empty corridors, bouncing off the walls.

He placed his cap on his head as he reached the end of the corridor then turned the corner, heading towards the Sickbay. He had an hour before he was needed on duty so was going to check on Fawn and Symphony; unbeknown to him that Symphony was no longer there.

When he walked in, he looked about and noticed her bed was unoccupied. He frowned and scanned about, roaming around until he saw Fawn who was half-asleep on one of the beds, he went up to him and prodded him.

The Doctor groaned but didn’t move, he was exhausted and the pain he had been suffering was not the most pleasant thing he felt in a while, it took a lot out of him. Scarlet did it again and Fawn shot up.

“WHAT!” He yelled in frustration, then noticed it was the red-clad agent and he calmed down, “What do you want, Captain?”

“Where’s Symphony?” He asked curiously.

“In the brig”

“WHAT! Why?”

“She wanted to see Blue. There was no stopping that stubborn woman” Fawn grabbed a pillow to lean back on softly.

“Well…I think I’ll see how the pair is doing. I really need to apologise to Adam, the guilt is riding me at the moment”

Fawn let out a yawn. “Do what you want. Just leave me alone”

Scarlet smirked as Fawn settled down to sleep again, he left Sickbay and walked briskly down to the brig. He stood outside the entranceway, taking in a deep breath before walking in.

He stepped in, nodding at the on-duty guard. “I’ve come to see Captain Blue,” he told the young officer.

The guard raised an eyebrow. “That might not be possible, but I’ll find out.”

Scarlet tilted his head as he watched him leave. ‘That poor man, he’s playing secretary!’ He shrugged the thought off.

Captain Blue heard Scarlet’s voice outside and his ears pricked up, his eyes narrowed. He didn’t particularly want to talk to him after the way he’d been spoken to. He just wanted to be left alone with his mate.

He glanced down at Symphony who was still sleeping soundly, a hand placed softly on his chest and the other on her abdomen. He knew that if Scarlet came in she would be disturbed. ‘That can’t happen, she needs all the rest she can get,’ he thought.

It wasn’t long before the guard came back saying that he could have a short time in there. Scarlet nodded and headed in. He came through to where the cells were and looked into the one that contained Blue.

The blonde slipped away from Symphony carefully so that she wouldn’t be woken and padded over to the bars as Scarlet stood there.

“Adam…” He began but was cut off by a low hissing Blue.

“Go away…” He said with a feline touch to his voice.

“But, I really wanted to…” Blue pushed as far up against the bars as he could.

“I don’t want Karen to wake up and I’m not going to stand around arguing with you, now why don’t you piss off” Scarlet’s eyes widened from his friends nasty tone.

Blue retreated from the bars and started back to the small accommodating bed, but Scarlet didn’t just want to end it there.

“Adam, don’t turn your back on me, we need to talk!” He frowned. “I came here to apologise and this is how you treat me? Some friend!”

“Then why are you still here? Why don’t you just go away and leave us alone! I just want to be left in peace.”

“I’m still here because you’re still my friend and I’m trying to help you!”

“Well we don’t want your help!”

Their voices were getting progressively louder and louder. Behind them, Symphony stirred and rolled over to face them. Scarlet’s eyes went wide. “She’s grown again?” he asked, concerned.

Blue looked over his shoulder and realised she’d moved and pulled an embarrassed face. He hadn’t meant to disturb her.

“Why didn’t you report it?”

“Because as I’ve been saying we don’t need anybody’s help! Can’t you get that through your thick skull?”

“Adam, you’re my best friend…I’m looking out for you”

Blue practically spat the words back at the Brit. “Well, look for a new best friend, I don’t need you or anybody. You are just a petty fool always going into peoples business, well, who asked you to be here! Why do you care about me when I don’t give a damn about you”

Scarlet felt like daggers were being thrown directly into his heart, the feeling in his chest ached.

Blue growled and backed up to where Symphony had sat up, looking at the exchange just before. Her eyes were wide at the blonde American as he sat down, still looking at Scarlet. She looked at the red-clad man, she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was hurt, her sense told her of it too.

Scarlet looked down. “I see I really had no reason to come” He turned on his heel to walk slowly away.

Blue turned from the departing man to look at Symphony’s mortified face, he frowned, and his worry grew.

“What is it?” He asked, touching her shoulder that she never really acknowledged. Her face was slightly red.

“How…” She took a deep breath, “How could you…say those things”

“Karen…” He began but she raised her hand up to stop him.

“He IS your friend, and you act like this…how can you do it? You’re selfish and possessive now!”

Blue looked at her, slightly taken aback. “I was thinking of you!”

“How?” she yelled at him. “How is insulting your best friend thinking of me?” She tilted her head and wiped her brow. “Come on, I want to know.”

“I don’t know! I…” He looked at her. She had gone very red in the face and he wasn’t overly sure it was due solely to her anger with him. “Karen? Karen, are you okay?”

She didn’t answer him. She had clutched her stomach and was breathing deeply, though even the breaths she took sounded different.

“Karen, please?” Blue looked her in the eyes and his own went wide. Hers were yellow.

For a moment, he lost himself in the changed eyes of hers. What was going on? She looked really angry from what he could tell and soon she would be induced into change. He gripped her shoulders.

“Snap out of it!” He said, gently shaking her. “You have to control yourself before you change, we don’t know what the results will be on the child”

She let out hard grunts; her voice seemed more animal then anything. “You…make me so…angry. I can’t stop…can’t think straight”

“Control it…” Then he thought, he could never really seduce the inner beast, that of the puma. Of course now he ended up giving her the advice to stop the cat getting out when he was no better, but he had to ignore that fact.

“I can’t…” The words lost deep within a growl. Under his hands he could feel the bristles of the fur pushing through the pours of her skin. Her body was convulsing with spasms; her muscles were under intense strain as they pushed out bigger.

He was shocked when he felt her hands press against him, the clawed ends digging into him as she threw him back onto the floor. His back made hard impact, he felt a stir inside and realised his own wild cat was getting angry, he had to hold on to his humanity as well as make sure she didn’t kill him.

He took a deep breath to try and calm himself, while at the same time, trying to avoid her claws.

She had now finished changing and before him sat a fully-grown pregnant leopard. Her large stomach showed obviously under her spotted pelt.

Blue was now worried. They were in a very small, confined space and she was likely to be very protective. He sat very still, pressed up against the wall, trying his best to suppress the feline instincts that were forcing their way through his humanity.

“Why didn’t you go?” he said to her, softly. “If you hadn’t stayed with me here, this wouldn’t have happened.” He sighed, realising how wrong he had been; Symphony seemed uninterested in him and gently lay down, licking her hind leg. “You need to see Fawn,” he decided.

He slowly got up, trying not to draw her attention, and moved to the door. He could see the guard outside and he was fighting a losing battle with his felinity.

‘No…’ He thought as he gripped his head backing from the door. “I can’t give in…”

Suddenly he felt it too pressurising to stand on two legs, his lower bag seemed to crack and he was forced down onto all fours, panting, trying to keep himself from the change, which seemed inevitable.

‘Hang on to what you have, Adam’ He said to himself, feeling a tingling sensation run through his entire body, it was like a cool burning effect, a flame burning within him that was trying to break out.

A feline hiss bubbled in his throat, he brought one hand against his face to try and stop himself from letting the animal side be known. His head cocked to the side to look at Symphony who was staring at him, she could tell the feline side was emerging from him and he was attempting to battle it off with no avail as of thus far.

His breathing was heavy, he could feel fur prickle along from his spinal column. It felt extreme, like he could feel his blood boil inside, though he would burst if he didn’t let the cat free. He couldn’t relax for one minute or it would dominate and he would reduce to the horrific beast.

“Guard!” he yelled, though his voice was more of a growl than a human voice.

Whether he understood or not, the guard came over and saw what was happening. His eyes went wide. “Captain?” Blue looked up at him through green eyes from his almost human face. “Captain, you have to concentrate.” The guard remembered what had happened last time, as he had been one stationed in the Sickbay when Blue was being confined there. “Please, Captain, concentrate on my voice.”

Blue stared hard into the young guard’s eyes and managed to regain enough humanity to give the guard a warning. “You have to… get her… to Fawn! He has…” He growled, but forced himself to concentrate. “He has to scan her… the baby…”

The guard watched fearfully as Blue collapsed to the floor.

He looked at Symphony would was lying down in her leopard form. He gulped thinking: ‘How the hell am I going to get her out like that?’

First thing that came to mind was to get him some help, and of course a call in to Sickbay. He managed to get through to Doctor Fawn who sounded tired and out of it, but when hearing the news he was up like a shot and ready to listen. But there was a hard time for the young guard to hear when a disgruntled Russian voice could be heard arguing from behind with the Doctor.

The young guard smirked as he signed off and quickly got some security down to the brig, they carried a tranquilliser, but shooting at her had to be careful, they weren’t allowed to hit are stomach area for fears of hurting the baby. They had no worries from Blue, he had passed out, even in his puma state. He had put up a fight and lost, taking a lot out of the two sides.

They carted the sedated leopard to Sickbay with a waiting Doctor Fawn on the door and an argumentative Russian Nurse behind him.

He turned to her as Symphony was laid on a diagnostics bed. “Look, I know you’re only looking out for me, but could you please let me do my job? This is a special case!”

The nurse raised an eyebrow. “You should still be resting!”

“I’m well aware of that, I am a doctor, after all! But she needs me!” He gestured to the sleeping leopard.

The nurse sighed and stepped aside. “If you really want to help, keep an eye on me or something,” he said with a grin.

He walked over to where they’d strapped Symphony. This had always been a precaution they took with the feline pair, no matter what. Fawn turned to the guard. “What were his exact words?”

The guard looked worried, but managed to speak. “He was out of it, sir, but he managed to say that she should be brought here and scanned.”

Fawn nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I’m no vet, but I’ll certainly do what I can.” He turned to some nurses. “If we’re gonna scan her, we’ll need to remove the fur on her abdomen. That’s your job.” He smiled gently at them when he saw the terrified looks they gave him. “It’s okay, she’s sedated, and strapped down, and there are guards at hand if anything happens.”

They exchanged glances and got to work while Fawn prepared the ultra-sound. He just hoped he knew what he was doing!

The nurses had shaved the fur from her abdomen and Fawn had finished preparing. He squeezed some gel onto her stomach and spread it about with the equipment.

He looked from his hand to the monitor and his eyes opened wide.

“It’s still human…” He murmured lowly, staring at the screen.

All the other people in the Sickbay gawked at the screen; they couldn’t believe that even though the Angel had changed, the baby was still the same.

They there was a moan, cross between a human and cat, they looked at Symphony who was changing back from her feline form, it was an intriguing sight for the people there.

Her form was normal again; Fawn quickly had a nurse cover up her bared body so that her dignity wasn’t tarnished. She was waking up from the tranquilliser she had been given hours ago. Her eyes rolled in her head as she woke up with blurred vision of Sickbay, finally pulling everything back into place. She groaned noticing her little situation.

“What’s going on?” She mumbled.

Fawn sat next to her, pulling the restraints to match her wrists. He wasn’t taking any chances. She looked at him sadly as he did this, but she knew it was precautions.

“We were making sure your baby was okay after you transformed” She nodded slightly, trying to get comfortable, but with limited manoeuvrability.

Colonel White received a call from Spectrum Headquarters. They had been keeping track on the cat business and decided they wanted to send in their own Doctor. A top quality one, high field of Medicine, Doctor Montague.

“We want some of our own results, we want to monitor what you’ve been doing. We might even bring Symphony down for our own tests”

Colonel White was angry about the Doctor’s words. “She isn’t a lab rat you know…”

“Yes, we’re not going to dissect her”

“Fine, come up by late evening” The Colonel was growing tired of hearing about the feline bother that was creeping up in everyday operations.

“What?” Fawn yelled.

“Please, Dr Fawn, calm down!” his Russian nurse urged him. He brushed her off.

“They can’t do this to her! She’s going through enough as it is!”

“I know, Doctor, but we have little choice. Doctor Montague is on his way up. They’ll be here by late evening.”

Fawn sighed. “Spectrum is green,” he said, dejectedly. He sighed again and stretched his aching back.

“Will you be careful, please, Doctor!” Fawn turned to look at the young nurse.

“Sorry, but you’ll appreciate that I have a lot on my plate at the minute, and my patient’s health and safety is foremost on my mind, coming before my own.”

“I know, that, sir, and the case is the same for me! I am looking out for my patient.”

“Please, can you just leave me alone!” he snapped, not meaning to offend her.

She lowered her head slightly. “SIG, sir.”

Fawn rubbed his brow and crossed the Sickbay to find Symphony. She was lying on her side, a hand moving slowly across her abdomen as she stared at the floor.

“You alright, Symphony?” Fawn asked as he approached her.

She looked up. “I’d be okay if my baby and I weren’t used in so many experiments!”

‘She overheard,’ Fawn realised. “I know, Symphony, I know, but there’s little we can do about it. They’re trying to help you, too.”

She closed her eyes. “I just wish this hadn’t happened.”

Fawn tilted his head and sat down next to her. “You’ll be alright.” He leaned forward to see tears rolling down her face and dropping to her pillow.

Blue had re-awoke in his cell; he had fought a battle he couldn’t win with the animal within his being. He was still on the floor, feeling the coolness of it chill against his hot body. He slowly leaned up on his elbows, rubbing his face, the skin under hand still felt un-natural, but he ignored it.

He suddenly snapped his attention up to see if Symphony had been taken to Sickbay – seeing she wasn’t there – he assumed so, climbing to his feet he sighed with relief. For the good of his baby and the one he loved deeply. Making his way to the ruffled bed, he wondered about the anger she had displayed against him from his harsh words against Scarlet. His best friend…no, scratch that, former best friend. He probably wouldn’t talk to him again after their exchange with him throwing everything nasty from the English dictionary. Literally even the dictionary itself, if they had one.

He sat down; the scent of Symphony was strong on the sheets, making him curl up against them. Praying she would be all right.

Doctor Montague arrived on Cloudbase that evening. “It’s good to see you, Doctor,” White said, hospitably.

“Thank you, Colonel. I know how busy you are. Where is Symphony, then?”

“In the Sickbay.”

Montague nodded. “Lead the way then.”

White chuckled. “I’m afraid I have to return to the Control Room. I’ll contact someone to show you the way.”

Montague nodded again.

They arrived in the Sickbay to see Fawn’s injuries being attended to. He’d pulled a few of the stitches and the dressings needed changing, but when he saw the other doctor arrive; he jumped up and went over to him. “You’re here to see Symphony?”

“That’s right, Dr Fawn.” He glanced over his back. “Are you alright?”

He grimaced as he felt a slight pain in his back. “Fine, just had a run in with an over-protective cat.”

“I see. Where is Symphony Angel then?”

“Over here,” Fawn said, outstretching a hand in her direction.

Montague’s eyes went wide when they reached her. She was asleep, but her form was clearly visible. “They said she was only a few weeks pregnant!”

“She is,” Fawn said. “Have you not been keeping up with the reports?”

“Well, yes, but I never thought it would be to such an extent!”

Fawn shook his head as Montague lent in and touched her stomach softly, but was surprised when Symphony jerked awake and stared at him, in a way that seemed reserved.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you” He said, she scowled at him.

“You must be the Doctor coming to take me away”

“It’s not as if we’ll stick you in a cage m’dear. We want to help you, it is fascinating what you are experiencing”

“Fascinating doesn’t describe how I feel” She raised a restrained hand as far as it would go, “I feel monstrous”

“Quite so, but negative thinking will not get you anywhere” He gave an assuring smile, patting her arm lightly.

She looked at it then up at him, an eyebrow raised.

Montague pulled his hand away. “Sorry. Um, can I do some quick examinations, please?”

Symphony shrugged a movement that was restricted by her restraints, as he started to move his hands around on her swollen form.

The doctor finished and let out a deep breath. “Okay, it would be in all of our best interests if Symphony came with me back to Spectrum Medical Research.”

“What? Why?” she protested.

“It’s for the best. With all due respect, m’dear, if you change again, the other members on this base are at risk.”

She felt there was no point in arguing, she’d go anyway without discussion. He had the authority.

She didn’t speak again, she didn’t need to, and she only wanted to argue with Montague, which would get her nowhere.

Fawn looked at Montague, he didn’t really want to hand her over to him in fear what might happen down on the ground, but he had to…no other choice, he had no say.

“Have her taken to the jet” Montague said to Fawn, “Get some security here”

Fawn sighed then agreed. “Dr Fawn to security,” he said with his voice full of resignation. “Request aid to transfer Symphony Angel to Dr Montague’s jet.”

“SIG, Doctor,” came the reply.

Fawn turned to Symphony. She looked angry and sad at the same time. She didn’t want to leave, but like Fawn, she knew there was no other way. As her restraints were slackened, she slipped her hands out and rubbed her still sore wrists.

The two doctors helped her ease herself off the bed and to the floor. She stood between them, slightly shakily, as she still hadn’t fully recovered from her transformation. A hand on her abdomen, and the other one Fawn’s shoulder, she waited for the security men to arrive.

“Are you alright, Symphony?”

She looked him in the eye. “I’d be fine if I was staying here and if the Mysterons weren’t after me. I’d feel so much safer if I weren’t leaving.”

He felt guilt ridden at that moment, seeing the look in her eyes, they were begging him to keep her but he no longer held the power to do so, he was under orders.

Security arrived and Montague ordered them to help the Angel to the Hangar Bay and into the Jet. They nodded each relieving a side from the Doctors and soon they slowly but surely took her out. She looked over her shoulder at Fawn, he could see the tears and tried to give her a reassuring smile, trying to say she would be okay but he knew she wouldn’t take it in easily, seeing as she was going through the roughest of times.

She turned away as the door shut. Doctor Montague was soon to follow but Fawn quickly stopped him. “She is emotionally distressed! How can you force her to go with a state of mind like that?”

“It’s all part of my work, I gave my overall diagnosis and I believe I am making the right choice,” He nodded slightly upon exiting, “Good day, Doctor”

With that he was gone and Fawn slumped down onto one of the beds, his face was going a very bright red, he was extremely angry and the Russian nurse didn’t feel like taking that wrath from him, even though she dearly wanted him to rest.

Symphony and her security escorts arrived in the hangar.

“Are you alright?” one security officer asked her.

She looked at him and wiped her eyes. Her head lowered. “I’ll be fine. But could you do me a favour?” The guard tilted his head and exchanged a glance with his counterpart. “I want one of you to go to the brig and tell Captain Blue what’s going on.” She placed a hand on her stomach. “He has a right to know.”

The guards exchanged looks again. “Okay, I’ll go,” said the shorter of the two. “Dr Montague won’t be here for a few moments yet, he was too busy arguing with Dr Fawn.”

Symphony nodded and managed a small smile. “Thank you.”

Blue was snuggled up against the blanket on the bed, he was still very tired and was trying to get a short snooze, but he had kept being interrupted by guards who were changing over making too much noise. People were so inconsiderate in his books.

“Captain Blue,” A exhausted voice said through the cell door, the blonde captain opened his eyes to see a security officer pressed up there, his fatigue could easily be sensed.

“Yes?” He said in a grumbling tone.

“Symphony Angel is leaving Cloudbase with Doctor Montague, they are going down to Spectrum ground headquarters, she wanted me to inform you so you would know”

Blue sat up like a shot. “WHAT!”

“Calm down Captain, please”

“THEY CAN’T TAKE HER! THEY WON’T!” He rushed up and banged against the bars, the guard backing off a bit, he was fearful, he could distinctly see the animal’s eyes now on Blue’s.

“Doctor Montague thought it best, we can’t do anything against his orders”

Blue rasped as he spoke. “I WANNA SEE HER!”

“I’m sorry, she’ll be going in a few minutes”

“NOW!” He smashed his fists against the bars, they jerked. He was very strong and the security officer knew it wouldn’t hold him if he went berserk.

He looked about, not knowing what to do. “I can’t, I haven’t had authorisation from the Colonel to release you.”

“I don’t care!” he yelled. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself the best he could. “If White asks, just say I escaped. Please! I have to see her!”

The guard looked at him. He could see the desperation in the senior officer. “Okay, but I’m gonna regret this!”

He stepped swiftly over to the control panel and picked up the key-card, then went back to the door, unlocking it.

Blue bolted out and ran straight for the hangar.

“Captain!”

“Thanks! I owe you one!” he shouted as he disappeared from sight.

Symphony sighed heavily as Doctor Montague appeared, looking quite cheerful making the young Angel more miserable. It felt like he was dancing on her woe. He came up to her and patted her shoulder lightly.

“You’ll be glad once this is all over,” He said with a big smile.

“Yeah, I will” She mumbled.

“Come on then, lets get you in” The Security man was ushering her towards the jet, holding her back so she wouldn’t be straining too much to walk.

‘Goodbye Cloudbase’ She said to herself. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, the distress hanging on her.

A voice snapped her from despair. “KAREN!”

She recognised that voice looking the best she could over her shoulder. “Adam?”

Captain Blue came bolting in and instantly spotted her, he made his way to her pushing the security man away from her and pulling the young Angel into a hug.

“Don’t go with them…” He whispered softly. There was pain in his voice, and Symphony broke down in tears.

“I have no choice” She sobbed.

“Yes, you do! You don’t have to listen to them!” he said, holding her close to him. He knew he wouldn’t win this argument, but was trying.

“Excuse me, you are…?” Montague asked, unaware of Blue’s identity, due to his lack of uniform.

“I am Captain Blue of Spectrum,” he said, glaring at the doctor as he placed a hand on Symphony’s abdomen. “And the father of this child.”

Montague looked at him. “So you’re the other feline mutant.”

Blue snarled and leapt at him. He stopped right in front of him, a hand round his neck. “Neither Karen nor I are mutants, doctor!” he said, his eyes narrowed and fixed on the older man.

“Whatever you want to maintain, Captain, but Symphony and I have a plane to catch.” He pushed past the angered Blue and climbed into the plane.

Blue went over and took Symphony’s hand, but Montague pulled her in and slammed the door shut.

As the plane pulled away from them, Blue let out a loud, saddened roar.

Colonel White sat quietly at his post; he listened to Green as he gave the all clear for Montague’s plane to lift off. He leaned his chin to his clasped hands, resting his elbows lightly on the control panel, still regretting that Symphony was being taken away, even under the Mysteron threat.

He had a sudden thought and was about to speak when Green cut in. “Message from Spectrum Intelligence Headquarters”

“Yes, what is it, Lieutenant?”

"They say they've discovered a plane crash, one dead. Body identified as Doctor Montague"

White knew it! It was what he was thinking, he knew the feeling was nagging him. He stood up.

"Cloudbase is S.I.R!" He said, "Alert all senior officers and get a plane in pursuit!"

Lieutenant Green wasted no time in carrying out his orders. "All agents. Spectrum is red! I repeat; Spectrum is red!" He flicked a switch and opened the comm. to the pilot of Angel One. "Rhapsody Angel, immediate launch!"

"SIG, Lieutenant."

As Angel One took off, Angels Two and Three were being boarded. "Immediate launch, Angels Two and Three."

The last of the Angels pack joined the first Angel and they changed course. "Okay, girls," Rhapsody informed. "Target is SPJ 4. Symphony is aboard and is the captive of a Mysteronised Dr Montague!"

She gripped her steering column as she listened to the confirmations of Melody and Harmony Angels. One of their own was in danger.

Montague had put the plane on auto-pilot after programming in his desired flight plan, then entered the back cabin to see Symphony. She still had no idea that he was a Mysteron as he had disabled the radio.

When he walked in, she was sat looking out the window, watching Cloudbase disappear from sight.

“Get away from that window!” he snapped, realising she might suspect something if she saw the Angel Interceptors in pursuit of them.

She turned to face him and frowned. “What? I was just watching Cloudbase!”

He thought for a moment. ‘Better not give myself away’ He smiled gently. “It’s just sometimes pregnant women can have some erratic problems at certain heights when flying, you could make yourself ill”

She sighed, “I’m okay, but I guess if it’s Doctor’s orders” She turned away and played with her fingers.

He grinned, his little white lie had pulled off, and he wanted to situation to be easy. No screaming woman who could turn into a cat and rip him six ways till Sunday.

She sighed, he could tell she was sad by having to leave Cloudbase and Captain Blue, who the Doctor was glad not to encounter for long, he was very unstable.

Colonel White paced up and down in the Control Room. How could he have let him just take Symphony?

Green watched him. “Sir, we have the Angels in pursuit. They’re excellent pilots, they’ll catch them.”

White nodded silently when Blue walked in. He shut his eyes and sat down, doubting that Captain Blue actually knew that a Mysteron had taken Symphony Angel. He tried to ignore that for a moment. “What are you doing out of confinement, Captain?”

“Symphony wanted to see me before she was taken away. The guard let me out. It’s alright, I haven’t changed or threatened anyone, aside from that doctor!” He clenched his fists when he thought about what he had said to him.

“Captain, I think it would be wise for you to return to your cell, please.”

“Why?”

“You may not be so sensible when you hear what I have to say, but you have every right to know.”

Blue tilted his head and frowned as behind him, Green called in some security officers ready to escort him back to the brig if needs be. “Sir, what are you trying to tell me?”

White sighed. “The threat is being carried out. That wasn’t Dr Montague.”

Blue’s eyes went wide. “You’ve gotta be kidding me…”

“I’m not, Captain”

He stared hard at the Colonel, going pale from complete and utter shock. It was impossible. His mate, his baby…they were now in the grasp of a Mysteron. He let out an angry cry and the security guards had to literally leap on him to stop him going mental.

“YOU LET A MYSTERON TAKE HER!” His voice had grown deep.

“We didn’t know,” Colonel White said sternly, “We only got the word once the jet had actually taken off”

Blue’s eyes were a piercing green; he was breathing heavy, trying to calm himself down. He slumped onto the floor and the guards started to drag him from the room. It was unsafe for the personnel for him to be there.

White sighed. He’d had a feeling Blue would react like that and it’d do him no good to be restrained in his cramped brig cell, but they had no choice, the safety of his other personnel was at risk and he didn’t want to be responsible for a massacre.

Outside the Control Room, the security guards had stopped while Blue completed his transformation.

Their weapons remained trained on him, but they knew it wasn’t necessary. Blue lay down on the deck and put his head on his paws. The guards glanced at each other, and then one crouched down by him. “We have to take you back,” he said, unsure of how to actually address him. Blue looked up at them. The sadness in his green eyes was the most obvious thing there as he climbed to his feet.

He followed them back to the brig, his head lowered. Personnel who saw the strange procession of security guards and the puma knew what was going on and saw the pain in the cat’s eyes.

They reached the brig and Blue slowly walked into his cell, jumped up onto his bed and curled up, his head back on his paws.

Symphony sat uncomfortably in the jet; she kept looking over at Doctor Montague who was unbearably quiet. It made her feel extremely nervous, she kept biting her lower lip and fiddling with the material on the loose top she had been given, it gave extra room for the size she was.

She looked at sky ahead, the clouds brushing past in smooth wisps, it was a soothing sight she admitted but her heart ached as she could still hear the sad roar from Blue echo in a memory inside, she had to hold herself back from crying.

For an instant her ears pricked up, she frowned as she tried to distinguish the noise. Engines…jet engines…not of the jet they were in…ANGELS!

She looked at Montague who was looking out his side window and not at her, giving her a second to quietly turn in her seat to look out. Seeing three sleek, white craft coming in behind them.

‘What are they doing here?’ She turned to look at Montague again, he had turned back, and he looked nervous. She could smell partial fear. She was getting suspicious.

“What’s going on?” Symphony questioned, he looked at her, his eyes un-nerving, “Why are the Angel’s following us?”

“This is Angel one to Colonel White” Rhapsody Angel spoke into her radio, “We can’t get in contact with SPJ 4”

“He must have turned off the radio system” Colonel White mused, “Keep after them, Rhapsody”

“SIG, Colonel”

Rhapsody didn’t know what she could do. They couldn’t get in contact with the jet, and they couldn’t shoot it down with Symphony on board.

She sighed.

Symphony looked Montague square in the eyes. “Why are we being followed by the Angels?”

“I’m not sure, maybe we’re being given an escort.”

Symphony raised an eyebrow. She could clearly smell the fear on him and he was no longer making eye contact. “Where are you taking me?”

He gave a grin that sent a chill down her spine. “Not to where you expected…EARTHWOMAN!”

Her eyes went wide. A Mysteron, how come she couldn’t see it sooner? He was obvious from when he told her not to look out the window, she was so naïve.

He stood up, autopilot still in control. “I don’t want to be playing with the kitty side of you…for my safety and yours…”

He had been prepared; a mask went over her mouth. GAS! She tried to struggle but she was feeling the effects that took its toll as her eyes clouded over and she fell into unconsciousness.

“Nighty night, pussy cat” The Mysteron said as he felt her prone body go limp. She was out like a light. He moved away and decided taking the controls to shake off the Angels would be a good idea.

He pushed the steering controls forward and the plane suddenly dived.

“What the…?” Rhapsody saw the movement of the aircraft ahead of her. “Okay, girls, looks like he wants to play! Melody, Harmony, one either side. I’ll come in from above. We have to either force him to land or try and get him to head back to Cloudbase.”

The Mysteron Montague spared himself a moment to see the Angels fall into formation and he cursed himself. He had to get Symphony away from them.

The Mysterons knew that the Angel’s were in close chase of their reconstruction, they needed to put a damper on the chase for Spectrum’s best pilots.

The clouds began to darken very quickly, the sounds of thunder roared in the direction of the Angel aircraft.

The SPJ was in clear air; everything behind it seemed to turn into a freak storm. It disappeared from view as a greyish fog began to form.

Rhapsody could see lightning in the distance. She knew it was dangerous to fly with weather like this, any of them could be struck by lightning and down they’d go. She sighed, activating her radio.

“Colonel White, a storm has just picked up, it looks pretty bad” Another roar of thunder nearly made her jump, “What should we do? Naturally we should turn back but I feel we need to take the risk”

White sighed. “I can’t force you to do anything. I’d recommend you come back and we track them, but if you continue after them…” His voice trailed off, leaving them the option.

Rhapsody nodded quietly to herself and put the option through to the other Angels with her.

She smiled to herself when she heard their unconditional agreement to continue on. “We will get her back, Colonel.”

White let a smile form on his lips. He knew the girls wouldn’t just back out. “Alright, Rhapsody. Stay in contact with us. That’s an order,” he said.

“SIG, sir.”

Rhapsody shut down her link to the Colonel and activated radar. The picture bleeped each time it spun in tracking, nothing as of yet; the storm was acting as strong interference.

“Keep your eyes peeled girls,” Rhapsody said, receiving replies from both her following Angels.

Within the next few seconds it was like a sense of foreboding hit when she heard the thunder and felt the back half of her craft shake followed back a crackling sound, her system going haywire. From then on, she was taking a nosedive.

“I’ve been hit, I’ll eject when I’m out of the thick of things”

Montague could hear the voice, so deep and commanding. His masters…

You must fly the SPJ to the newly constructed laboratory on an off shore rig, off the coast of Jersey…

He smiled. “Your instructions will be carried out”

He steered the craft so he was flying them on the correct course.

Rhapsody sat in her control chair, a parachute strapped to it at four different points. She looked up and saw the other two sped above her. “It’s alright, girls, I’ve ejected. Angel One has crashed so I’m going to need collecting.”

“SIG, Rhapsody,” Came Harmony’s reply through the radio in her helmet.

“You keep after them, they can’t have got far. The Interceptors are much faster than those SPJ’s so you’ll catch them up pretty quick.”

“That’s if we find them,” Melody said.

“We will!” Rhapsody said. “We have to, for Symphony!”

Blue was sitting on the bed, his head in his hands. When he had changed back, he felt more despair wave over him. Symphony and his unborn child had been kidnapped…it seemed so unreal, everything did in his heart. But he couldn’t give up; he had to take things into his own hands.

‘I need to get out…must find her…need a jet…must escape’ His eyes darted around as his thoughts were muddled over the situation. He finally focused and stealthily crawled across the floor to the door. He looked at the iron hinges; he needed break them to get out. He looked at the guard who was busy in the far corner.

‘Good he’s distracted’ Blue put his hand on the bottom hinge of the door, ‘better be quiet as I do it’

He gave a firm clasp on the hinge and with all his focused strength he squeezed, the strong iron faltered and was crushing under his strength. He remembered how Symphony’s pain had forced her to put all that energy into breaking something, that being his restraint. Now the pain in his heart for losing her was his drive.

Once the bottom one was dealt with, her moved up to the next one. The guard was still out the way, busy in the corner with some piles of paperwork. He had also put on some music, pretty much drowned out the sound of metal being broken.

Blue broke the second and was working on the last, finally it gave and he made sure it was still positioned up right in the frame looking normal as he went back to the bed and pretended to be in pain letting out a agonised cry.

The guard turned, flicking the music off and ran up to the door and pressed against it, “Are you alright-“

The door not being on hinges just collapsed inwards, making the guard fall with it. Blue took the chance, he whipped himself up and leapt over the guard and out. He needed to get a plane fast before he was caught. He needed to follow her scent.

He got to the hangars and found an unattended SPJ. Running across the room, he opened the door, then swiftly ran to the plane and climbed in. He started up the engines, then guided the plane forwards, towards the cloudy sky beyond the doors.

“What?” White bellowed. “How could you let this happen?” He’d just received a call from a very stunned security officer reporting that Blue had just escaped.

“I don’t know, sir!” he said, offensively. “I heard him cry out, it sounded like he was in pain, so I went to see if he was alright! When I got there, the door fell in and he took off down the corridor! By the time I’d got up and made it to the door, he was long gone!”

White sighed, throwing his hands into the air with frustration.

“Um, Colonel White, sir?” Green said, timidly.

“What?” the senior snapped.

“There’s a call from the hangar bay.”

The commander activated the comm. with that department of the base. “Yes?”

“Sir, someone just stole an SPJ. It looked like Captain Blue, but it can’t be, he’s locked away, isn’t he?” The engineer sounded inquisitive as he asked.

“No, he’s not. That must have been him, and I have a good idea as to his direction. He’s probably gone after Symphony.”

Montague looked over his shoulder at the sleeping Angel. ‘Good,’ he thought. ‘She’s still unconscious.’ He turned back to face the vista ahead of him and saw his destination.

Behind him, Symphony was starting to come round.

She pulled herself back to reality through a throbbing headache that was warping her completely, her eyes focused properly and she looked at Montague but wasn’t able to speak, even though she really wanted to spit out a lot of curse words at him. But it wouldn’t change the situation she was in.

She noticed she was strapped tightly into her seat, except the Doctor had been careful around her stomach, actually there was no belt around that region. She could feel a thumping sensation in that area, it was just the baby kicking.

‘Flimsy’ She thought while examining her restraints. But she was not feeling up to struggling. Her head was killing her.

Montague finally noticed her awake. “Welcome back, Earthwoman” His mocking voice made her want to tear his throat out.

“You…are an evil…” She was about to scream everything god awful at him with what little strength she had, but he cut her off.

“Save it…we are nearly at our arranged destination” He put auto-pilot on, moving over to touch her stomach. She tried to fidget but her weak state forced her still.

He smiled. “Not much longer now. But it will be even less when we get down and induce the labour”

Her eyes went wide. “What?” she said, breathlessly. “No! You can’t! I won’t let you take my baby!”

Montague merely laughed at her quiet words.

“Won’t we, Earthwoman?” He leaned towards her so he was right up next to her face. “We can and we will! And we will use it against you.”

He laughed again as tears welled in her eyes. Getting up, he headed back into the cockpit to perform the final landing procedures.

‘Not my baby! They can’t take my baby!’ This thought whirled round her mind over and over. She could still feel her child kicking, making more tears form in her eyes. She looked down at her large stomach. ‘I won’t let them take you, I won’t let them!’

She craned her neck to look out the window, but could barely see anything, being too low. ‘Okay, girls, it’s up to you, now.’ She thought back to the sight she’d glimpsed of the Interceptors and hope slowly filtered into her fearful consciousness.

Harmony and Melody Angel’s were catching up to the SPJ. They kept it in mind to look below them, since the craft was sure to have descended in altitude, due to the fact that storm had occurred when the jet was dropping down in course.

Melody was first to see the craft when they came out of the thick clouds, she saw it was flying quite low over the water, meaning it would be landing.

“I have spotted them, Harmony”

“Yes, so have I” Harmony noticed something, “Say! They are landing, that looks like a disused oil rig”

“My! It is a rig!” Melody plotted it’s position then got on the radio to Colonel White, “Sir, Montague is landing SPJ 4 on a disused rig, three miles off the South East coast of Jersey”

“Alright, over fly, do not land…it could be dangerous” White sighed as he spoke again, “There should be another SPJ heading your way, Captain Blue has broke free from his cell and has most probably picked up her scent. We have dispatched Captain Scarlet after him, so you will have plenty of company out there”

“Yes, sir” Melody said then flicked her radio over to Harmony, “Did you hear that?”

“I sure did…this is some chase!”

Scarlet sat in the cockpit of another SPJ tailing Captain Blue. He’d caught up with him, but was maintaining a safe distance behind him.

“This is Melody Angel.” Scarlet looked at his radio when he heard the Georgian-accented voice.

“This is Captain Scarlet, receiving you, Melody.”

“Did you get the co-ordinates?”

Scarlet shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”

Melody spoke clearly and told him their destination.

“SIG, Melody, understood.” He flicked the comm. off. “An old rig?” he said to himself. “Why would he take her there?”

Montague landed the plane and went to the back to get Symphony. “Time to go.”

She screwed her eyes shut as he approached her. She felt the restraints being slackened and immediately used all her strength to push herself away from him, her hands on her abdomen. “I won’t let you take me or my baby.”

“My dear, Symphony. Why are you wasting your energy? There is nothing you can do, Earthwoman.”

“There might not be, but I can still try! I won’t go without a fight!”

Montague rolled his eyes. “If you’re going to be like that, I’ll have to get help. Now we can either go in with dignity, you walking, or we can go in with you being dragged. It’s your choice!”

“I’d never go willingly!”

Montague sighed. “Fine, have it your way!”

Some more Mysterons entered the plane after being summoned by the Mysteronised doctor. They pulled her to her feet and roughly pushed her towards the door.

“Careful, careful!” Montague said, then put one hand on Symphony’s shoulder, the other on her stomach. “She is pregnant, carrying the child we will be using against Spectrum, a truly precious cargo!”

The other Mysterons nodded and went more gently with her.

They moved in and out of rooms, lined with red painted pipes. The sound of steam could be heard seeping from the valves and from any crannies they could escape.

Symphony looked around her; nothing but dimly lighted surroundings was the show for her. She snuffled, her stomach beginning to twinge. She felt like she was going to scream, all this pressure being put on her. The last thing she wanted to do was to hand over her baby but she couldn’t hold the child in forever. She felt it wasn’t far from wanting free of her, but not yet, it wasn’t time.

She ended up in a room, which had much better lighting than the others she passed through. The walls were lined with equipment, and there was a table in the middle of the room and medical supplies on a couple of trolleys.

The Mysterons placed her on the table, finding the straps on the sides to put over her. They didn’t care how tight they did her wrists as long as she was kept down. He leg restraints were quite slack, due to the fact they were going to have to be able to have her legs open to deliver a baby.

Doctor Montague brought a weird machine over to them, it looked like something that sent pulses, but it was much more than that and she knew it.

He put gel onto two pads and removed her top, tearing it away anyway he wanted and he put the pads onto her stomach.

“Right,” Doctor Montague was talking to some other Doctor’s darned up in gear in the room, “Be ready”

He flicked the switch and she could instantly feel a beating from the pads coming from the machine. It was the strangest feeling; she closed her eyes trying to focus on something other than the feeling. Then…she felt it…a breaking…it was time.

The Angels were over flying the area as ordered until they saw Captain Blue’s SPJ go in to land. “There’s one,” Harmony said, looking through the window of her cockpit. She could see Melody flying along beside her.

“Yes,” she answered. “And here comes number two!” She pointed and Harmony saw the second SPJ coming in their direction.

The epaulettes on Harmony’s uniform flashed red that faintly illuminated the seat behind her. “Yes, Captain Scarlet?”

“I have someone here with me who wants to say hello.”

“Hi, guys,” a small voice said over their comm. Harmony smiled and looking over at Melody, she knew he’d contacted them both.

“Are you alright, Rhapsody?” Melody asked.

“Just cold,” she answered. They could both now hear her voice slightly wavering.

“Alright. Are you going in with Scarlet?”

“Yes, I feel I need to” The voice was determined. They knew Rhapsody and Symphony were close enough to be best friends, much closer than all the Angels were. The British woman felt she owed Symphony her life, and that she would use all the courage she had to push herself on.

“Alright,” Melody said, she was willing to back her up, “Don’t go getting yourself killed now, Dianne…we’ll keep you covered from the sky”

“SIG,” Rhapsody and Scarlet said, the radio shut off. They were going in for landing, watching as Blue briskly vacated his jet and found the entrance inside.

“I hope she’s alright” Rhapsody said to herself, she feared the worst whilst the Mysterons were around.

Symphony didn’t feel all right; she felt the exact opposite. She was in a lot of pain and could feel immense pressure in her abdominal region. She let out a scream, making the Mysteron doctors back off slightly.

“Don’t you dare back away!” a deep voice boomed from the corner. “You must finish this!”

Symphony gritted her teeth and looked round to where she’d heard the voice come from. Whatever hope she had felt before instantly ebbed away when she saw the pale-faced Captain Black stood in the corner.

Captain Blue had landed his SPJ and had climbed out of it. He could smell her scent and was about to head in through a door when another SPJ landed near him. He ignored it.

Blue took to full pace around the rig, it was like a maze of endless pipelined rooms and doors that led into small rooms where there used to be boilers and one big room containing a drill for when they used to get the oil. But none of the rooms had Symphony in.

Blue was getting less and less patient, the puma inside was fuming and wished to be free. But he had to hold on to everything he had so he wouldn’t change. It was getting tough. He made it into a room, mostly pipes and nothing more before he finally collapsed.

‘The strain inside…it burns’ Blue gritted his teeth feeling the deep tension inside build up like a fire, turning white hot. His skin felt like it was smouldering; he could feel the prickle of fur over his body, not much, but enough to tell he was loosing the battle inside. He glanced down tiredly at his hands; they were itching all over. He watched as the muscles in his fingers expanded, as in the rest of his hand, claws burst painfully through the end of his fingers. He let out a shocked gasp as he stared at his inhuman hands…that were more like paws.

‘Must not let go of your humanity, Adam’ He told himself, ‘Fight it!’

He could suddenly hear more footsteps. He narrowed his eyes as he pushed his body back in between the floor pipes. He sniffed the air. Rhapsody and Captain Scarlet…they were close.

Scarlet led Rhapsody through the twisting corridors, both trying their best to be stealthy and silent.

“He has to be round here somewhere,” Scarlet mumbled to himself. He knew that if they found Blue they’d find Symphony a lot faster. His heightened senses would lead them to her. But as of then, they were no closer to finding him. Or so they thought.

“Paul! Look!” Rhapsody exclaimed, pointing towards the floor. Scarlet narrowed his eyes and looked. He could see a paw up ahead.

“Wait here,” he said to Rhapsody. She nodded, still feeling slightly nervous over what had happened between Blue and herself.

Scarlet moved nearer and crouched down. “Adam? Adam, can you hear me?” The puma looked up at him. Scarlet knew that he was exhausted by the look on his face. “Come on, Adam, you have to help us find Symphony!”

Blue pulled himself to his feet at the mention of her name. The weariness from his transformation was still present but very slowly starting to wear off.

“It’s all right, Rhapsody” Scarlet called to her, trying to keep his voice as quiet as possible.

The redheaded Angel appeared, looking down at Blue, who strolled up to her and rubbed against her thigh. She patted his head and looked up at Scarlet.

“Do you think she is much further?” Rhapsody was getting more worried by the second.

“I’m not sure, we have to keep looking” Scarlet looked about, there were many doors, but they seemed to lead outside again, not much point in using them. The pipes pretty much cloaked everything in the room. It was going to be a hell of a job finding Symphony.

Then footsteps. Heavily coming their way. Blue’s ears pricked up sharply, listening out. He knew it was trouble, he could smell it dropping over them. He had a plan though.

He carefully gripped Rhapsody’s hand with his mouth, being gentle so not to bite her. He tugged her towards the pipes. She looked at Scarlet, who nodded.

"I think he wants us to go with him," She nodded and looked down at Blue and followed his lead into the pipes. She climbed over them, watching Blue drop into a small gap bellow with a solid grate to hold them.

She moved down into the gap, there was no room to stand or kneel so she had to lie down. Scarlet came through but moved to the other far side so there would be enough room for the two and the puma to stay comfortably.

The Mysteron reconstruction’s, who looked like they used to be part of the army were passing over the area.

“I swear I heard something,” One said.

“They are here somewhere” Another said.

Blue moved his body over Rhapsody; he wanted to protect her. He pressed over her with his weight, not too much so to crush her, but enough that he felt he was safeguarding her.

She was a little bit shocked but didn’t decline it; there was no time for being edgy about a puma practically sitting on you. The Mysterons were stalking above them, but within moments of combing above, they gave up and passed by.

Then Rhapsody felt a strange sensation, Blue’s body was changing, and the feeling of muscles and joints moving out of place quite scared her. Soon he was back to his human self, still laying on her as a shield. She felt awkward.

Blue looked over his shoulder at her and blushed. “Um, sorry about that,” he said. “And, uh, this”.

Scarlet pulled off his colour-coded tunic and handed it to Blue.

“That’s not gonna be a lot of good, Paul.”

“No, but it’ll maintain your dignity until we can find you something.”

Blue shrugged slightly. “Whatever we do, we need to do it fast, I can smell Symphony close by.”

Symphony was in agony, the baby was coming. She couldn’t stop it, her body was in dire distress and she needed to get the child out of her.

“Okay,” Doctor Montague positioned himself between Symphony’s legs, ready for delivery, “Push, Symphony”

“I won’t do anything…ARRRGGGHHH!” It was so painful; she couldn’t just not push! They had forced her to do this; the contractions were a nightmare.

“You’re only hurting yourself,” Montague said more softly then before, she felt like for one moment she could trust him to help her, but after, the baby would be in their grips. She had no choice but to let him deliver.

She pushed, her hands gripping the sides of the table and marking it.

Tears flowed freely from her eyes, not only from the pain, but also from the fear that her child would be taken from her.

Captain Black was still stood in the corner. He was impressed at how much of a fight she put up, despite the fact that this was the inevitable.

Montague was vaguely aware that the Mysterons head agent was prowling round the room, watching them, but was trying to keep his mind on delivering Symphony’s baby.

She screamed once again, drawing his attention back to her. “Okay, come on, Symphony, breathe.”

She glared at him, but did so, trying anything to ease her pain.

She breathed in and out deeply; the agony was just unbearable.

‘I can’t win…’ She thought, tears were flowing down her face mixing with the built up sweat, ‘I have to stop the pain but in doing so I will lose my baby to them’

She screamed as she pushed hard. Doctor Montague’s eyes widened.

“It’s coming, just a few more pushes and the baby is out” Symphony looked at him, then squeezing her eyes closed and inhaling before trying again with the pushing.

‘Adam…’ She could sense him not too far away, but he’d never get there in time, ‘I need you, please find me…hurry’

She screamed high and loud again, partly from the pain and partly to see if Blue would be able to hear her.

“Okay Symphony, one more push” Montague was focused, “And make it a big one”

Somewhere outside the room, Blue tilted his head.

“What is it?” Scarlet asked, noticing how he’d suddenly stopped. They’d found a storeroom and given him some trousers and he still wore Scarlet’s tunic.

“Symphony…” He closed his eyes, concentrating. “She’s close and she’s in pain, I can hear her and smell her fear.” His eyes snapped open. “The baby! They must be trying to take the baby!”

Scarlet and Rhapsody exchanged worried glances. “Where is she?” Rhapsody asked.

Blue once again closed his eyes and focussed his senses on his mate. He began to move even before he’d opened his eyes again. The other two hurried after him.

Symphony gripped the table harder and harder as she pushed. “I can’t!” she screamed.

“You have to!” Montague replied. “Come on, Symphony!”

A loud growl emitted from her throat. “I CAN’T! I can’t push anymore!”

“Come on Symphony, you have to” Montague repeated speaking softly.

Tears streamed down the Angel’s face. ‘Come on Adam! Please!’

A loud roar emitted from her as Captain Blue ran swiftly and stealthily through the building, followed by Captain Scarlet and Rhapsody Angel.

He halted suddenly and gestured to the other two to remain silent while he listened. Rhapsody jumped when they heard a high-pitched scream come from the other side of a door, followed by crying.

It had come and she could do nothing about it. She could hear the baby crying as Montague gently lifted it into his arms. Symphony barely had any energy left, she looked up. The Doctor was clamping and cutting the umbilical cord. She could see perfectly that it was a baby girl.

She was so tired; she closed her eyes but fought to the urge to sleep.

“The others are close,” Black said to Montague, “I will make sure they have a warm welcome” He seemed to disappear into the shadows.

Blue, Rhapsody and Scarlet stood looking at the door. The American Captain was eager to charge straight in, he could sense that his child was now free of Symphony and that it was in danger as was his mate.

Then Blue heard a faint clicking, as did the others. They barely looked up before they had to jump down from their platform walkway as a barrage of bullets careening against the metal. They avoided being shot by the soldiers and Captain Black.

“We’re stuck under here,” Rhapsody said, gripping onto a pipe, shimming along so you wouldn’t get hit.

Scarlet moved himself in front of her and Blue.

“We have to get in there,” Blue said.

“How are we gonna do that exactly?” Scarlet asked.

“I don’t know!” he snapped. “My mate and child are in there and in danger, though.”

Scarlet looked at him, noting that he still didn’t have full control over himself. But all in all, Blue was right. They had to get in there.

Black paced around as the other soldiers fired off at the pipes. He was looking for a strategic place to fire, rather than wasting his ammunition in hopes of hitting them. Then he saw his chance. A steam valve was set into a pipe close to where the Spectrum officers had disappeared. He knew they were hiding in there somewhere. Lowering his pistol, he walked over to the valve and began to turn it, releasing scalding hot steam into the ducts and passageways.

He stepped back and the soldiers held their fire.

“They have no choice but to come out of there now or they’ll be burned to death. That steam has been being heated for hours.” Black’s deep voice echoed through the room, and was louder even than the hissing of the escaping steam.

The Spectrum officers knew they were in trouble when the air around them grew humid and they felt warmer. They then heard Black’s statement.

Rhapsody gasped. “Paul! What are we going to do?” she asked, the fear on her face quite plain and easy to spot.

Scarlet held a hand up. He could hear the Mysterons leaving, he was sure of it. “I’m going to go an turn that steam valve off! I’m pretty sure I just heard those Mysterons leave.”

“What? You’ll be burned, though!” Rhapsody said.

“And what if those Mysterons haven’t really gone?” Blue questioned.

“We have no other choice, but what would it matter if I’m burned,” Scarlet said, “I would heal”

“There has to be another way” Rhapsody was desperate not to let Scarlet go to the valve. The Mysterons were most likely there and it would just be a waste of time. She scanned the area quickly; every cranny was a solution. Then she found a way.

“Paul! Adam!” She said grabbing their attention from arguing, “Look down”

They did so, seeing a distant drop down to the next sets of intertwined piping, she motioned down to one side of it. There was a metal panelling resting on some pipes, maybe used for when the riggers wanted to do repairs, but under it was a gap mostly bare of pipes. They would be out of the main exposure of the scolding steam.

“If we get under there, maybe we’ll be able to climb under the floor where Symphony is” Rhapsody suggested. The other officers shrugged. It had been the best idea they had come up with, better than Scarlet risking it with the Mysterons lurking close.

The Angel took a few small swings then let herself drop to hit a wide pipe, she balanced on it and put her hands of to the metal platform, gripping it and pushing herself from the pipe and lowering herself down into the gap. Scarlet and Blue followed suit and clambered down, watching the gas pour quickly over where they were originally. They had been lucky.

Montague held the infant in his arms; he had wrapped her up in a towel and kept her close. He was pretty much alone in the room with Symphony and the child. Black was still prowling around outside.

“Well, it seems there isn’t much more need for you, Symphony Angel” He evilly smirked, “You will appropriately be disposed of”

She weakly hissed at him, but he just laughed. Then the most unexpected thing happened; Montague never saw it coming. He looked down at the baby who seemed to be shaking wildly, and then he could feel it…as if she was growing. He put her down on the floor and stepped back, unknowing what was happening.

The child was also changing as it grew out in structure. The skin was soon covered in a soft layer of dark brown fur with a few black spots over it. Once it had completed its growth spurt it was a fully-grown big cat that was crossed between a puma and a leopard.

Its green eyes scanned the room and looked at Montague, they narrowed sharply and she began to prowl towards him.

“What are you doing you stupid cat” He snapped, “Get away from me!”

She jumped at him, digging her claws into his chest. He was thrown backwards onto the floor with the full weight of the big beast pressed onto his chest, winding him on impact.

He cried out then literally screamed as the new cat ripped him up like a thin sheet of paper. Symphony could hear the horrified blood curdling cries as she sat up to see Montague torn up.

Once dead, the cat backed away and turned to Symphony who held her breath. She stared at her with interested eyes, tilting her head before again she started to change.

The Angel watched in fascination as the cat began to re-shape into a girl, about sixteen by her looks instead of a baby. She had long matted blonde hair dangling over confused blue eyes. Symphony could definitely see a lot of Blue in the girl’s features. She sat there on the cold iron grated floor, looking confused and perplexed about everything. She let out soft whines, so sorrowful. Then there was noise coming from beneath them, Symphony and the girl looked down, they could both hear a voice. Captain Scarlet!

“I’ll go through first…to be on the safe side”

A grate began to move close to Symphony’s bed; she looked at it, pressing herself over the table. She looked back at the girl to see she had disappeared.

‘Where did she go?’ She wondered but averted her attention back to Scarlet as he came out from the floor, pushing the grate out the way.

“Symphony, are you alright?” The red-clad Captain looked around himself as he climbed through; making sure nobody else was there.

“I’m fine” He then noticed Montague and was astonished there was only little of him left.

“Did you do that?” He asked her, but he doubted it since she didn’t have one drop of blood on her.

“No, it was…” In a sudden flash, the girl reappeared leaping at Scarlet, and knocking him to the ground.

“NO!” Symphony yelled, but it was too late. She had pinned him down and begun another transformation. As soon as the claws formed, they dug deep into his back, making him cry out in pain.

Symphony watched in horror as her own daughter finished transforming and started to rip her claws through her friend’s back. She jumped when Blue and Rhapsody emerged. “Adam! You’ve got to stop her! She’s killing him!”

Blue stared at the cat then quickly turned to Symphony. “Who’s ‘she’?”

“Your daughter!”

Scarlet let out another yell, which was abruptly silenced. They knew the cat had killed him.

She growled at the corpse beneath her then turned her attention to the new comers. When she looked directly at Blue, something seemed to click and she backed away, like with fear or acknowledging his dominance as her father. She slunk back into the shadows of the room, with Blue keeping his eye on her before looked down at Captain Scarlet, who had been mangled across his back and neck, which he could tell were broken. He took a deep sigh, feeling pity for his dead friend, even though he knew he’d be back, it would just be another horrific memory of painful death for the British Captain.

Rhapsody was holding back to tears, she put a hand over her mouth as she tried to overcome the urge to breakdown. Symphony sat quietly looking at Blue who was staring and Scarlet, then turned back to her.

“How can that be my daughter?” He said, he peered back at the shadows, it was awfully quiet over where she was, “She’s…”

“Huge…I know” Symphony said.

“Isn’t she suppose to be a baby?” He asked her.

“Well, she was for a short time then she grew into a young teen girl” The Angel recalled.

Blue snorted, it was unbelievable but with all the things happening to him and Symphony it was something so frighteningly real. The American Captain stood up and began to walk slowly towards the shadows. He could hear soft breaths, not feline…but human. She had changed back again and was huddled in the corner confused. Blue approached her and kneeled down. She stared at him afraid. He picked up her strong scent when coming into close proximity with her. It was there…the marking of her being his child.

He moved slowly towards her and held out a hand. She looked at it, then up into his eyes. Blue smiled gently at her and started to move forwards again, slowly but surely until he was right next to her.

She backed as far into the corner as she could, but her tenseness faded when Blue brushed his cheek against hers. The sign of affection worked and calmed her instantly, as she returned it.

He moved back away from her, removing the borrowed tunic her wore. He looked at it sadly, then over at his friend again. It was a horrific sight and he knew it would remain in his memory forever, just as when he had lost control and done the same thing.

Sighing, he put the tunic round his daughter’s shoulders and fastened it, therefore maintaining her dignity. He knew that she didn’t realise the significance of this, but did so anyway.

He climbed to his feet and went over to Symphony. He noticed that her wrists were strapped painfully tightly to the table she was lying on and so released her. “We have to get out of here,” he said, glancing about uneasily. “Black’s still out there somewhere.” Symphony nodded and he looked at her. “D’you feel up to walking?” he asked, remembering she’d only recently gone through an induced labour.

“I’ll have to be, I don’t want to stay here!”

Blue looked over at Scarlet. “I’ll bring him,” he said, the sadness in his voice was clear. “Can you two lead her out?” He gestured to the still cowering girl.

He walked over and started to gather Scarlet up into his arms, but a loud voice made him stop. Discreetly, he slipped Scarlet’s pistol from its holster before turning to face the source of the noise.

Black stood just inside the doorway, gun pointed at Blue. Rhapsody and Symphony had stopped in their tracks, and still the child remained huddled in the shadowy corner. The entrance of the new pale figure had made her nervous and confused once again.

“Don’t move, Earthman” Black said, but Blue wasn’t going to listen. He whipped the pistol in front of him and fired. Black used the door as a barrier. The bullets ricocheting of the metal.

The two Angel’s thought they’d best stay low and they ducked behind a unit, as Blue and Black exchanged gunfire. Blue had positioned himself behind the table and trolley; he had managed to drag Scarlet’s corpse there around there too.

Black moved in the room when Blue’s gun clicked empty, he let out a frustrated growl as he could hear the Mysteron agent coming his way. But he didn’t even get close to the bed as a weight plunged against his back.

Blue’s daughter, gripped on to Black with claws. She had half changed; still very human but with cat features mixed a long side.

Black yelled out as she dug her sharp spurring claws in his back, but he used his strength to whip her off. She skidded across the floor, but got onto hands and knees and stared at him with vicious eyes.

“Try again and the Mysterons will not have pity for you,” Black said, his deep voice sending a shiver down the young girl’s spine. But by instinct, she knew her family was in danger and she needed to save them. She lunged forward. Black pulled the trigger on her, firing several times.

“NO!” Blue yelled. Symphony could only watch in terror as their daughter fell to the floor. Rhapsody moved towards her as silently as possible and tried to console her.

Black looked down at the girl who lay on the floor, covered only in a red Spectrum tunic. She turned onto her back and looked up at the Mysteron agent, before closing her eyes, releasing her final breath.

Black stepped over her and moved towards Blue. “A pity. We would have liked to use her, but we wouldn’t have been able to control her. Maybe you should take consolation that she was like you, uncontrollable!”

His words cut deep into the captain and he felt the puma’s consciousness rising to meet his own as his anger grew.

Symphony, too, despite her weakness, was growing more and more angry. She’d just watched the Mysterons’ head agent kill her daughter right in front of her and she was not going to stand by and do nothing.

She moved slowly forward to join Blue and both glared at Black, their eyes becoming the feline colour.

Black smirked grimly. "Yes, go ahead and change. That's all you are. Primal simple-minded beasts"

Blue gripped his fingers tight against the floor as he felt his body pores open for the fur to shroud it. Symphony took in deep breaths as she let her animal come out, her skin felt like it was stretching as her muscles expanded, pulling out as the strength poured through her.

Black was watching intrigued, he had been too engrossed with them that he didn’t see Rhapsody charge him from behind with a tray, smashing him straight in the head. He faltered and fell to a knee, whipping round and firing, missing the Angel who jumped out the way. She landed near the doorway, quickly recovering from a slight bump on hitting the metal floor. She noticed the Mysteronised soldiers who were heading towards the door. She quickly slammed and locked it shut, watching a bullet fire over her head. She skimmed on hands and knees across the floor.

Black stopped firing as he turned back to the two big cats behind him. He aimed the gun and pulled the trigger. Nothing but an absent click. He tried again. Nothing.

‘Damn, out of bullets’ He thought. He looked up as Blue roared and leapt at him.

He quickly rolled out of the way, coming to rest on one knee and a hand on the floor to balance him.

It wasn’t long before Symphony was pouncing at him. He, again, moved out of the way, looking about for an escape route.

He realised; too late that he’d been forced into the same shadowy corner their daughter had been in.

Rhapsody had crouched down behind the table and trolley Blue had previously been behind. Looking down, she saw the mutilated Captain Scarlet and cringed. He was lying on his back, so his injuries weren’t as clear. All the damage was done to his back and neck, though she could see bite and claw marks cutting deep into his neck.

She screwed her eyes shut, then peered over the makeshift barrier, opening them again to see the two cats advancing on Black, who was pinned in a corner. She thought for a moment that they might actually catch him, then, thinking again, realised they were more likely to rip him apart.

Blue and Symphony hissed deeply at Black who crammed his body against the corner, staring with narrow eyes at the big cats who showed their tremendous anger in their slow steps towards him.

They both pounced at near enough the same time. But instead of impacting Black, they impacted the wall behind. He had almost literally melted into the darkness of the shadows.

The two cats shook off the pain and roared when they couldn’t find the Mysteron agent in sight. They stalked out from the corner in search for him. At the side of them was a radiation type booth, one of the many large pieces of equipment situated in the room. The door to it silently opened and the cats unaware of it as they sniffed about. Only realising something was wrong when it was too late. An unknown force rammed them and they flew straight threw the doorway, landing heavily inside the booth. Black appeared from nowhere. Both Blue and Symphony got up and were greeted with the door slamming in their faces, then the sounds of buzzing warped around them.

“The radiation will kill you in a matter of minutes…a good way to eradicate you useless cats” Black’s voice made Blue roar at him with what he was worth.

Rhapsody took in a breath. “Got to save my crew mates…now or never!”

She got from behind the table and ran at Black, punching him in the side of the head. But he seemed barely phased as he grabbed her arm and swung her over onto the floor. She managed to get her leg round to knock him onto the floor. She scuffled, getting on him and trying to at least choke him out, but she wasn’t strong enough. He pushed her hard and she flew up off him, smashing into a panel next to the radiation booth. The panel sparked and went crazy, inside where Symphony and Blue were a strange smoke and electricity filtered in mixing with the radiation and blocked them from sight through the glass. Strange moans came from in but Rhapsody was nearly out cold from the impact and didn’t really hear it.

Some sort of explosion was going to occur and Black wasn’t going to stick around, especially with the amount of electricity that was flowing freely. He backed off toward the doorway.

“We’ll be avenged. Mark my words” With that, he unlocked the door and took off, the Mysterons soldiers outside going with him.

Rhapsody looked up at the door in time to see him depart, then forced herself to sit up, despite the pain she felt. She glanced round the room, shuddering at the sight of the three dead bodies, Scarlet, Doctor Montague and her colleagues’ child.

A low roar emitted from the clouded room and she got up, moving over to it. Inside, swirls of coloured gas flowed round the room, but parted long enough for her to see that Symphony was lying on her side and Blue was stood next to her. The gas moved again and her view of them was blocked.

Once she couldn’t see them, their feline noises died out. Rhapsody held her breath with fear, the panel next to her sparked again and she jumped. From what she could tell, it wasn’t as bad as first appeared. It wasn’t going to explode so Black pretty much high tailed it before he realised there was no bad situation. But with the electricity shooting out, he didn’t want to get hit or it would be bye to his existence.

“Karen? Adam?” Rhapsody called in fearfully, “Can you hear me? Please answer!”

There was still silence and she began to sob softly, she was surrounded by corpses and was dreading there would be another two to be added to the list.

“Please be okay,” She said, putting her head to the glass, closing her eyes while the tears gently moved down her face.

Then there was a jolt and she snapped her eyes open to look in. She could tell there had been movement, telling her there was life inside. The gas was clearing up, drifting apart. Rhapsody could hardly see anything, but she could make out only shadows.

When everything was truly clear in sight, Rhapsody gasped in shock. She looked at Blue and Symphony, their human selves, lying unconscious, and not too far from them were a puma and a leopard.

“My god,” Rhapsody whispered, “That gas, it must have somehow separated the cat genes from the human ones…they split apart!”

Melody and Harmony were still over-flying, looking over the rig to see if there was any activity.

Finally, Harmony spotted something. “Melody, I see Captain Black and some other people. None of the other people are Blue, Scarlet, Symphony or Rhapsody”

“I see them Harmony, it looks like Black and the others are commandeering one of the SPJ’s”

Harmony looked over at them. “Would the Colonel be mad if we, um, destroyed the jet so they don’t escape?”

Melody smiled. “Well, I think he’d let it go.”

They steered their crafts around for a better shot and both dived at the grounded Jet.

Black started the engines then looked up though the cockpit window. The Mysterons had warned him of their attack. He pushed the control lever forward and the craft started to move, building up speed and performed a take-off.

Melody and Harmony pulled up and gave chase to the jet, but were shocked and dismayed when it disappeared into thin air.

“What the…?” Melody said, looking about.

“How did they do that?”

Melody thought for a moment. “Just as Scarlet reported!”

“What?”

“A while ago now, Scarlet and Blue were on a mission with Andre Verdain, remember?”

“Yes, what is your point?” Harmony asked.

“When Verdain was kidnapped, they threw him out of the car window. Scarlet was with him when they saw Black’s car disappear, while they thought they’d trapped him.”

Harmony went silent as she thought back. “Yes, I do remember.”

Melody sighed and both Angels spun their crafts back towards the rig.

Rhapsody moved over to where Scarlet still lay lifelessly and carefully took his cap from him. She activated it and contacted the two Angels.

“Yes, Captain Scarlet?” came Harmony’s reply.

“It’s not Scarlet, Harmony, it’s Rhapsody. Scarlet’s dead.” She heard Harmony gasp at the other end of the link.

“Why aren’t you using your helmet?”

“I left it in the SPJ when Scarlet picked me up.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway,” Rhapsody said, “I need you guys to know what’s happened.”

“Okay, Rhapsody, but call the Colonel first.”

“SIG,” She changed the link so she could get in contact with the Colonel.

“Captain Scarlet, what have you to report?” Rhapsody sighed lightly, that was the second person to get it wrong.

“No, sir it’s Rhapsody. Captain Scarlet is dead”

“Alright, Rhapsody, what have you to report then?” The Colonel was blunt on hearing Scarlet was dead, she guessed there was no need to express anything, he was doing his job and so was she.

“Symphony gave birth and the baby grew into a teenage girl, she also had the cat abilities. Captain Black shot her dead not long back; Doctor Montague is dead, as is Captain Scarlet as I told you. Symphony and Blue were locked in a radiation booth and when I got knocked into the panel, something happened in there and well…they have split from the cats…”

“You mean…” Colonel White sounded flabbergasted, “…there are Symphony and Captain Blue and two big cats?”

“Yes sir” Rhapsody confirmed.

She listened carefully for a moment, hearing the Colonel sigh, then asked her next question. “Sir, I require aid. As I have said, Captain Scarlet is dead and while it didn’t kill them, Symphony and Captain Blue were still infected with radiation. I will need some help to get them all off this rig as I am alone aside from Harmony and Melody.”

White understood. “Alright, Rhapsody. We’ll send a team out along with Dr Fawn. By the sounds of it, he’s going to have a crowded sickbay.”

“SIG, sir. Oh, one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“What about the girl? Symphony and Blue’s daughter?”

“She’ll be brought along, to be tested over. Once Doctor Fawn is happy I will leave it up to Blue and Symphony to decide what to do with her”

“Yes sir” She said softly.

She deactivated the link, leaving Scarlet’s cap on her head just in case of any further communications. She closed her eyes for a moment. With everything that was happening, she felt like breaking down. And so she did.

She sobbed, putting her hands over her face, feeling ashamed that she was crying for everything and nothing. She uncovered her face and looked at Scarlet, she leaned in on him and kissed his forehead.

“I’m sorry you went out like that…I don’t think you’ll forget it” She sat back up and took in a breath.

She paused when she heard a soft murmuring breath. She looked down at the dead agent. Could it have been him? She wasn’t sure but it was scary enough to be sat next to him, as he was reviving from the dead.

“Paul?” She put a hand gently on his chest as he took another breath. His eyes fluttered, then opened slightly. “Paul!”

He didn’t move, but shifted his gaze to look at her. His breathing was infrequent and sounded arduous. ‘I guess his lungs were damaged,’ she thought. “Its okay, Paul, lie still, help’s on the way.”

A little while later, Melody and Harmony walked in with Dr Fawn and some other Spectrum members. Fawn went straight over to where Rhapsody sat. “What happened to him?” he asked.

Rhapsody sniffed and wiped her eyes. “He was attacked by their daughter.” She vaguely motioned to the two-trapped officers and noticed that some others were working on freeing them. “She sliced his back and neck and broke both,” she finished.

Fawn nodded and turned his attention to Scarlet. “Captain? Can you hear me?”

Scarlet once again shifted his gaze to look at the Australian doctor.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’. Okay, don’t move, we’ll get a neck brace on you before we do anything else.”

Symphony and Blue were freed from their containment and led onto a jet. They’d been brought round and given blankets, but had to be taken to Cloudbase separately.

Fawn motioned to one of the others to take the girl onto their jet as Scarlet was gently and extremely carefully eased onto a stretcher.

The doctor watched as his aides took Scarlet onto the second jet then turned to Rhapsody, handing her a blanket. He smiled as he saw the cap on her head. “That suits you,” he said, gently, trying to ease her mind. She smiled back, weakly. “Will you be alright?” he asked. She shivered slightly as she nodded. “Come on, we’d better get you onboard and warm you up, you look like you’re going into shock.”

She nodded again, then took one last look around. All the bodies were gone, Montague’s was being taken care of, but what caught her eye was the radiation chamber.

“Doctor, do you know what they’re going to do about the cats?”

Fawn looked at her; he shrugged and shook his head. “I’m not sure, they will be taken to Spectrum Intelligence most likely and if they are just cats…then I guess they’ll be released into the wild”

Rhapsody tilted her head as she thought. What was the cat part? Was it still Symphony and Blue even though it was in its own form? She wasn’t sure but it still felt when she saw them that they were still partly the Spectrum officers, but a part of them was now a new being trapped as the cats.

She didn’t want to think of anything on the situation now, she was in shock. She thought of herself as a tough woman and even proved it, but things that went skin deep and drove through her emotions, she was as easy to break as a fragile porcelain doll.

The trip back to Cloudbase was, for Rhapsody Angel, a long one.

On arrival, they all went straight to the Sickbay, where Symphony and Blue were taken for radiation treatment and Scarlet was taken to the recovery room.

Rhapsody lay on a bed, wrapped up in a blanket to keep her warm, and elevated her legs slightly. She continued to watch the others treat her friends when they loosened her fitted uniform top.

The nurse attending to her leant close to her, smiling. “They’ll be alright, you know,” she said, softly, trying to reassure her.

Rhapsody looked at her. “I hope so,” she said simply, but had to turn away as the daughter of her colleagues was brought in.

It had been a couple of quiet hours in Sickbay. Rhapsody had been told to remain for the night and had dropped off to sleep, she was to be awoken every hour because of a concussion and being in shock. Captain Scarlet had managed to heal, but not completely, he was still pretty much without a voice. His voice box was damaged quite badly and would take just an hour or so before it would be back to normal.

He painfully groaned as he looked around him, it was quite dark in the room, being as late as it was and the lights were dimmed for comfort. Blue and Symphony were in another ward for radiation decontamination and were recovering slowly. The foremost and latter’s daughter was in the morgue.

He sighed and put is fingers to the back of his neck. He felt thick scar tissue that would soon just be normal healthy skin that would look untouched. It had been a hefty chunk taken out and he cringed thinking about it. He settled down and looked over at Rhapsody who was sleeping lightly. He wanted to talk to her, but of course he couldn’t properly speak without it hurting so much and sounding more like a mixture of dog whines, he refrained himself from it. He knew she had seen him dead, blood and everything, she had always excepted that fact that his little gift made him heal from most injuries, even fatal ones. But with her seeing him dead and suddenly rise like a zombie, he thought he may need to ask her is she was in anyway repulsed or freaked out.

He could hear a duty nurse come in, she was carrying a cup of cool water in one hand and some medical supplies to be stored away in the other. She went over to Rhapsody to wake her up and see if she was okay, which she was, then handed her the cup to drink and leave her alone, going to tidy up.

Scarlet shuffled to sit up on a soft pillow and looked at Rhapsody who was leaning up on her elbows to take a drink. She looked up at him and smiled softly.

“How are you feeling?” She asked lightly, sounding quite weak and warn out.

He touched his injured throat and winced under the slight twinge of pain and shook his head.

She nodded understandingly. “Still healing, well the retro-metabolism will clear that up very soon”

He nodded as best he could, then settled back down, trying to get back to sleep.

The following morning, Dr Fawn was wandering around checking on his waking patients. His back had mostly healed, but, as he frequently told his worried staff, some cuts to the back wouldn’t stop him from helping his colleagues.

He had checked on Rhapsody already and declared her fit to return to light duty. She was physically fine, but mentally she was still a bit shaky and uneasy. He released her to the Amber Room or the Officers’ Lounge to be with other people. He didn’t want her to be alone.

He wandered past Scarlet who was still sound asleep. He smiled when he realised his breathing wasn’t as raspy or strained as it had sounded the night before.

Smiling at the nurses, he walked over to the private ward Symphony and Blue were on. When he saw they were awake, he tapped on the window.

“How are you feeling?” He said pressing a comm. on the wall.

Blue looked up and glanced from Symphony who still looked a bit tired, back to the Doctor. “I guess we’re fine, thanks”

“Good, I’ll be back later for full analysis on the gene situation” Fawn walked off, leaving the room quiet again for Symphony and Blue who had only just woken up.

“It’s not fair,” She said softly, Blue frowned and turned on to his side in bed to look at her.

“You mean about our child,” He asked.

“Yeah, I guess so…even though she was different she was our child and…she sacrificed herself for us” Symphony sobbed, hands over her face to muffle out the noise.

Blue climbed from his bed and shimmied over to hers, lifting her up and putting her to his chest. He stroked her hair as she cried onto him. “Let it out,” He said understanding the pain she bared inside. He kissed her head and she looked up with a tearful face.

He smiled comforting and brought his hand up to her face, she sniffled and let his fingers touch the tears on her cheeks and wiping them away.

They sat there, in near silence for quite some time, holding each other, releasing their sorrow.

After a while, he looked up and into her eyes. “You okay?”

She looked back at him, shrugging. “I went through a strange and traumatic pregnancy, I was forced into labour, then watched our child murdered. How do you think I feel?”

Blue turned away. “I’m sorry.”

She sighed. “It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t snap at you. I just can’t help thinking how helpless I am. We could have done something for her! We could have done something, but we didn’t!” She broke down again.

“There is no use dwelling on that fact, just think that even though you had to suffer, she never did and she tried her best to save us…” She pushed herself against him, almost curled up on his lap like a baby. He held her in his arms as she calmed herself down.

“Even though I didn’t know her long…it felt like a lifetime inside and I will truly miss her” Blue nodded that he would too. The child he created when under cat instinctual influence was shot down for defending them. He closed his eyes and held her tightly.

A week later…

Colonel White sat behind his desk, listening to Spectrum Intelligence tell him the news on the cats. They believed they were the cat genes that Doctor Fawn confirmed had been in Captain Blue and Symphony Angel, and that they had become their own form. Of course, they didn’t need them anymore and would set them free out in the African Safari, no use keeping them locked up in cages just because they are the only cats with a human consciences copied from Blue and Symphony. They were still animals and that’s what instinctually led them on.

Only a day previous – White recalled – the daughter of Blue and Symphony was laid to rest down in Boston, Blue’s hometown. They were both on an early furlong and wouldn’t be back for a week or so, just to recover from the incident. They were both clear anyway from no longer having cat genes and they both deserved some time to rest.

Captain Scarlet appeared soon after the Colonel had finished up with Spectrum Intelligence. The British Captain had recovered quickly due to his retro-metabolism and was now back on active duty like nothing had happened to him, but deep down, the memories would stick.

White smiled at the officer as he took a seat in front of him. “I take it there’s little point asking how you’re feeling?”

“I’m alright, thank you, sir. I’m just glad to be back on duty,” he said, the cheerful smile he had been wearing slipping from his face. “I just want to be able to take my mind off this.”

White sighed and nodded. “I understand, Captain,” he said. He was about to say something else when Captain Ochre walked in, Scarlet’s partner until Blue returned and felt fit enough to return to duty.

“Good Morning, sir” Captain Ochre chirped out happily, he stood formally and saluted his superior.

“At ease, Captain Ochre” The Colonel said, Ochre slumped his shoulders slightly, still a bit wary to fully take it easy.

The Colonel clasped his hands together, leaning in as he spoke. “Well gentlemen, besides all this business that is clearing up on the cats, we have to get back to the point. Sources tell us there might be Mysteron activity in Greenland, there may not have been a threat but I’d like the pair of you to check it out, you’ll depart immediately, I’ll give you further instructions when you are airborne”

“SIG,” Both Captains said as they left the room.

When the door closed, Ochre turned to face the other Captain with him. “Hey, Scarlet, how is it I always seem to miss out on all the action?”

Scarlet turned to look at him. “What do you mean? You wanted to go with us on that last mission?”

Ochre cringed. He remembered how Fawn had warned them all that the officers who’d gone to retrieve Symphony needed some time to get over what had happened. All had gone through a lot that none of them necessarily wanted on their minds all the time. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything.”

“It’s okay,” Scarlet said, opening the door to the hangar.

They walked across the forecourt to the waiting SPJ and climbed in.

They had not long received their instructions from Colonel White, and had been sat in silence for quite some time now.

Ochre fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat, before finally turning to Scarlet. “Hey, you want a drink or something?”

He smiled. “I’d love one, thanks, Rick.”

Ochre smiled. “What do you want?”

“Anything but your disgusting coffee!” Scarlet said, grinning.

“There’s nothing wrong with my coffee!”

The End

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