A “Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons” story for Christmas By Polly Amber
'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house...'
Colonel White recalled the poem which
had been a childhood favourite of his.
More years ago than he cared to remember, his mother would recite this to him on
Christmas Eve. He was then plain
Charles Gray, an excited six year old and Christmas was special to him. Now it was to be just another working
day. Stationed some forty
thousand feet above ground level, in Spectrum's top security Cloudbase, Colonel
White knew he would not see his house until January. He lived alone.
His elderly father was spending Christmas with friends. In the New Year he had arranged a furlough to take his father
to a warmer climate. The wet
January weather aggravated his bronchitis.
Colonel White did not particularly mind missing Christmas. He was a fifty-two year old widower with
no children of his own, and he was happy to stay where he was needed the most -
in the front line of Earth's defences against attacks by the Mysterons.
He stood in front of the large picture
window beside his desk. The blinds
depicting the Spectrum logo had been drawn back to make the most of the fading
late December light. The six hundred and thirty foot long Cloudbase landing
strip was bathed in a rosy peach glow, the last rays of the setting sun. It was late afternoon on Christmas Eve. From the control room on
Spectrum's Cloudbase, he gazed toward the Earth.
At this time of year, England's capital would be ablaze with a myriad of
twinkling lights. He thought of the
people beneath him, scurrying like ants, going about their lives oblivious to
the threat hanging over them. Their
priorities were the shopping for
those frivolous, last-minute Christmas
presents. Their worries centered
around whether the turkey would be
defrosted in time for tomorrow's lunch, or where they would put up all the
in-laws who were coming to stay.
The possibility that their lives could be extinguished at any moment, by an
extra-terrestrial attack would never have entered their minds. Terrorist attacks have always been
anticipated in the run up to the festive season, and people knew they had to be
more vigilant. The discarded
Christmas package could be a booby trap.
A suicide bomber could wreak devastation in a crowded shopping mall. The young Charles Gray had been brought
up with all of those possibilities, but yet life carried on as normal.
The
Spectrum organisation had been set up by the World President to form an anti-terrorist and task force
organisation. It was decided that
the sky would be the best place to position a giant hovering base, powered by solar panels and atomic
turbines – thus permitting it to move freely above Earth, and situate itself at
the best strategic location in any given emergency, to counter any terrorist
threat on any part of the World. But
Spectrum’s mandate changed soon after its formation. And the threats they were now facing didn’t come exactly from
Earth. Conrad
Turner, codenamed Captain Black, was once a close friend of Colonel White. He had been chosen to command an
exploratory mission to Mars, sent to investigate radio signals of unknown force. The rest as they say is history. The mission went horribly wrong. The Spectrum officers were killed. Captain Black was cloned and returned to
Earth to act as a spy. His
defensive actions when he believed he was under attack, gave the aliens just the
excuse they needed to wage war on Earth. When
details emerged of the ill-fated
Mars mission lead by Captain Black, it was decided that what the general public
didn't know wouldn't hurt them.
Spectrum had long ago realised that a hostile alien force was monitoring
the Earth.
Colonel White, regarded the view from
the stratosphere. He stood with his
hands clasped behind his back.
He looked much older than his fifty two years.
Beneath a shock of snowy white hair his brows were knitted together in a
troubled frown. 'Not a creature was stirring...' "And I
hope it stays that way,' he remarked aloud to himself. "I'm
sorry Sir, did you say something to me?
I didn't quite catch you."
It was the lilting Caribbean voice of Lieutenant Green. Colonel White had been so absorbed in
his thoughts, that he had not heard him enter the room. He stood hesitantly in front of the Colonel's desk. "I was
just thinking aloud," muttered the Colonel.
Lieutenant Green stiffened, "Sir.." he began, "About tomorrow... Christmas
day..." "Yes
Lieutenant Green?" "I was
wondering..." "I dare
say you were wondering if you could take some time off tomorrow." "Well
yes. It all seems quiet here at the
moment. I would especially like to
join my family for Christmas lunch and I did work
last Christmas." Lieutenant Green shuffled nervously; there he had come
right out and said it. Colonel
White was a good-hearted man, but a man of many moods. Get him in a good one and
he was as jovial as any Santa Claus, but catch him at a bad time and he could be
Scrooge. He could be generous one day,
but could chew you up and spit you out the next. Lieutenant Green scanned the
Colonel's stony face for any tell tale signs; he was half anticipating a
dressing down. The Colonel however, had a soft spot for this young West Indian
man, who when orphaned at the age of twelve, was left to help bring up eight
younger siblings. He had emerged
from an underprivileged background to become a respected communications expert
in Spectrum's upper echelons. "Well
if we get through tonight without any event, I will allow you to fly home to
join your family for lunch and the rest of the afternoon."
Lieutenant Green's face cracked into a broad beaming smile, showing his perfect
white teeth. "Thank you Sir." "But
you will have to stay on alert. At
the slightest hint of trouble you will be recalled. It's been too quiet for my liking. The Mysterons are planning something and they probably know
that tomorrow is a significant day for us...
We must be on our guard." "Yes
Sir and thank you again Sir." Lieutenant Green took up his position in front of
his computer screen. Colonel White
was often grateful for his aide's relaxed demeanour and naturally sunny
disposition, and he was secretly envious of his close-knit family life.
In the leisure room, Captains Scarlet,
Blue and Magenta were resigned to spending another Christmas on Cloudbase. Rhapsody and Symphony, two of the Angels
- the codename given to Spectrum's all female team of fighter pilots – were
making an effort to bring some festive cheer to the area. They used their feminine powers of
persuasion to enlist the help of the three Captains who sat around making
derisive comments. "No
matter where I am," announced Symphony, "it's just not Christmas without a tree.
I just don't want to feel I'm missing out." "Just
think of what we're missing up here," said Blue as he wrapped a garland of
tinsel around a jaded artificial tree.
"No shopping crowds... No
Christmas cards on sale in September..." "No
Cliff Richard songs... No bloody
carol singers…" continued Scarlet. "No
endless re-runs of old movies..." added Magenta. "Aw I
kinda like old movies," drawled Captain Blue, Bostonian Adam Svenson. "There.
That's my contribution to the festive season." He placed a silver star on top of
the wobbly-looking tree. "And
very pretty 'tis too," interjected Magenta with a hint of sarcasm.
"Tacky," said Scarlet dismissively in his clipped upper class English accent. "Bah
humbug!" chided Rhapsody Angel Diane Simms, who secretly had a soft spot for the
dark handsome Captain. "All
that remains now is for peace on Earth and goodwill to all men," said Symphony. "That's
going to prove a rather tall order with the Mysteron threat hanging over us,"
replied Scarlet. "Yes
they've been too quiet just lately.
The boogas are up t'som'tin t' be sure!" Pat Donohue alias Magenta, heavily
accentuated his Irish accent to the amusement of his colleagues. "Do
they know it's Christmas?
Would they be all the more likely to make a move if they did?" asked Symphony. "It's
probably all part of their plan Karen," replied Blue. "Another of those
psychological games they play with us.
Lull us into a false sense of security and then crawl back out of the
woodwork."
Having trimmed the tree the two Angels
turned their attentions to unravelling a tangled garland of tinsel. Captain Magenta walked over to the
coffee machine and filled a plastic cup with the strong aromatic brew. "But
why tell us what they are going to do before they actually do it? If they really meant to destroy
life on Earth, they could have done so before now.
Obviously they are a more evolved species than us..." "That
doesn't make them better," said Scarlet. "And make that black with one sugar for
me please." "Same
here," said Blue. Magenta
set the hot cups down on a nearby table. "Just
what's in it for them? They have
kept this war of nerves going for over a year now, but we've heard nothing from
them for nearly three months. I
kind of hoped they had got bored with us." "That
is precisely what they want us to think." "Well
I'm getting mighty p'd off just sitting here waiting for their next game of cat
and mouse. At least with an all out war there would be an end to it," said Magenta, and then he added, "One
way or another." "It's
the one way or another bit that bothers me," muttered Scarlet, lifting the cup
to his lips. "Bloody hell!
This coffee's scalding hot!" he fingered his lip where a large blister
had formed, by the time he had replaced the coffee cup back on the table the
blister had healed over to form a scab. "Do you
think that they could have once had a visible form, Paul?" Magenta addressed
this question to Captain Scarlet, using his real name of Paul Metcalfe. "Why
are you asking me?" he replied stiffly. "You
seem to know the most about them." "I was
killed by them. Is that what you
mean?" Magenta looked
uncomfortable. "It's quite
alright. I've had plenty of time to
come to terms with what happened to me. The Mysterons may have reconstructed my
body, but they didn't get my soul.
That was their first mistake. I
wasn't as dead as they thought I was.
When they reconstructed me they unwittingly duplicated the thread of life I was
clinging to. When I fell from the
Car-Vu the Mysterons had no further need for me.
If they are capable of mistakes, they are fallible. I have my own theory
regarding the Mysterons. They may
well have had bodies, perhaps not unlike our own.
They might have evolved too quickly, and as their brains evolved their
bodies may have become superfluous.
Whatever destroyed their bodies did not destroy that intelligence. Somehow it could have been artificially
enhanced and then replicated over the years.
Maybe that intelligence can reproduce anything from an atom to a whole
city." "But
why the cat and mouse games? What
do they gain from all that?" "It
satisfies their curiosity. Our
species possesses the one thing I
think they will never understand - emotion.
They must not understand why we laugh when we
are happy or cry when we lose a loved one.
They may have once had those skills at some stage and then lost them in their evolution. Maybe they are trying to learn about us
just as we are learning about them.
They must get some kind of warped pleasure
from watching us chase around solving their cryptic puzzles. We are like chess pieces on a board. Some games we win and some we lose." "Yeah
but when we lose people usually die," cut in Blue. "Do you
think they will ultimately kill us all when they have had their fun? Our defences are pretty useless against
such a highly evolved race." "There
is always an Achilles’ heel," replied Scarlet. "The more we learn about them the stronger we become." "Paul. What does it feel like? You know, when you die?" asked Magenta. "I
don't really know. I still feel
pain momentarily." He raised his hand to scratch at the scab on his lip." But if
I am gravely injured it's just like going to sleep - and thankfully I stay that
way until I recover." He involuntarily scratched at his lip again.
The dried scab fell off leaving perfectly healed pink skin underneath. "Er
Paul..." began Magenta pointing to the cup that Scarlet was about to drink out
of. "That scab over your burnt lip…" "What
about it? It should have healed by
now." "It's
just fallen off into your coffee." Scarlet
gave a look of distaste as he put the cup down on the table. But that had nothing to do with the
contents of the coffee cup. Scarlet
could feel a prickling sensation in his scalp followed by a dull ache in his
temple. His discomfort was noticed by Blue. "What
is it, Paul?"
"Listen. Do you hear what I hear?" Blue
cocked his head to one side.
"No." He could not hear the
mumblings that Scarlet's hypersensitive ears were picking up. Scarlet raised his arm to his throbbing
temple. "I'm picking something up." There
came the sound of static interference over the public address system. "Is it
them?" asked Blue. Scarlet nodded.
A sinister seemingly artificially created voice
boomed out from the speakers above them, sending a shiver down Scarlet's spine. 'This
is the voice of the Mysterons. We
know you can hear us Earthmen. We
will strike at the home of a festive legend.
We wish you a very black Christmas.' At once
the epaulets on the shoulders of the three Spectrum captains began to flash.
Colonel White had summoned them to a meeting.
"A festive legend," said Colonel White,
as they were seated around the circular table in the Spectrum Headquarters
Command Centre. The three Captains
were now joined by Captains Grey and Ochre, Americans Richard Fraser and Bradley
Holden. "That's
obvious. The Mysterons intend to
kidnap Santa Claus," laughed Ochre. Colonel White's face remained set. "I know it sounds absurd, but this is no
joking matter. The Mysterons are
not known for their sense of humour." "If my
sixth sense had not picked up their presence, I would thought someone was
playing a joke on us," admitted Scarlet.
Colonel
White looked mildly irritated.
"The Mysterons are no laughing matter Captain. Whenever they make a threat they see it
through. No matter how ridiculous
it sounds to us." "So
assuming this isn't their idea of a joke,
what could they do?" asked Grey.
"Targeting Christmas shoppers has been done by terrorists throughout the years,"
said Magenta. "So
what else could they use as their target? Christmas is about the Nativity. Could Bethlehem be their target?”
suggested Blue. "It's a
possibility. That area has always
had its own fair share of troubles over the years," answered Colonel White. "The
Mysterons said a legend. I don't
want to get into a debate about religious beliefs here, but I was brought up a
strict catholic. The birth of
Christ and the Nativity were alleged to have really happened," said Magenta. "I really do think the threat is against
Santa Claus." "I will
send Captains Lovat and Sienna to Bethlehem to keep watch, just in case," said Colonel White "l
agree with Magenta. I can't see how
a festive legend can be anyone else but Santa Claus," said Ochre. " Wait,
the Mysterons said the home of a festive legend. Where does Santa Claus live?" asked
Blue.
"Lapland of course! What kind of
childhood did you have?" retorted Scarlet.
"Different countries have their own ideas about who Santa Claus is and where he
comes from," explained Grey. " When
I lived In Australia, I was told
Santa arrives on a sleigh pulled by six white boomers." "And
what pray are boomers ?" asked Scarlet. "Kangaroos. You don't get them in Lapland," replied Grey. "My
mother always told me that Father Christmas lived at the North Pole. That's where I used to send my letters
anyway," said Magenta. Colonel
White managed a wry smile, he had done the same thing himself as a child. "Sir!"
cried Scarlet suddenly. "The polar ice caps! What would happen if the North Pole was destroyed?" Colonel White's face grew animated. "It would
depend on how it was destroyed.
If it was suddenly thawed there could be a massive tidal wave. Half of Europe would be submerged as a
result." "That's
it then," said Scarlet jumping to his feet. "That's where we must go. That's just the sort of havoc the
Mysterons would like to wreak." "You
could well be right Captain Scarlet.
Lieutenant Green I would like you to inform the World President
immediately. Tell him we have
reasons to believe the Mysterons intend to destroy the North Pole." "S.I.G.
Colonel." "But
how will they manage to do it? What
will they use?" asked Blue. "That's
for us to find out," said Scarlet stroking his chin pensively.
While Blue and Scarlet were studying a
map of the Arctic circle, Colonel White relayed further instructions to
Lieutenant Green, "All Christmas leave is cancelled.
Put Destiny and Rhapsody Angels on red alert. " "S.I.G.
sir," said Green dejectedly.
"Captains Blue and Scarlet, you
will take one of the Spectrum helicopters and go to the North Pole with Destiny
Angel escorting. Grey and Ochre
will go with Rhapsody to Lapland. "Guess
I'd better go pack my thermals," said Grey.
It was a silent night for the crew of
the U.S. nuclear submarine, The Orca.
Some were reclining on their bunks listening to Christmas carols, others
were reading messages from the loved ones they would not see until after
Christmas. Their submarine had
surfaced through the ice packed sea of the Polar Circle. A lone watchman stood under a canopy of stars and scanned the
horizon with his binoculars.
Everywhere was still and quiet, save for the creaking of the ice as it started
to freeze around them. Giant Ice
bergs glittered in this ethereal winter wonderland.
The night watchman let the binoculars
dangle around his neck, while he blew into his hands and rubbed them together to
keep the blood circulating to his numb fingertips.
He thought he saw something black slide into the sea. A seal or a young whale maybe. He took
hold of the binoculars again and raised them to his red rimmed eyes. No it was too small for a whale. Must be a seal. The night watchman put his binoculars down to wipe a droplet
that was threatening to freeze on the end of his nose. He did not notice a silent, black clad figure haul himself
out of the water and steal silently onto the submarine. He did not hear the man creep up behind him. Suddenly he felt a strong arm grip him
around the neck. He did not even
have time to struggle, he gave a muffled cry before toppling into the freezing
black waters. He died instantly in
temperatures of minus 25 degrees.
As he floated face down a pair of circular green lights engulfed his body. Seconds later his Mysteron replica stood
gazing out to sea, watching through the same pair of binoculars. The stranger beside him looked on
approvingly. In the full moon's
light his face bore an unhealthy pallor, reminiscent of a corpse dug up from the
grave. "You
know what you have to do." he said in a
robotic voice devoid of all humanity. "Yes."
answered the night watchman mechanically. "I know what I must do."
Destiny Angel, Juliette Pontoin,
sat in the cockpit of her rapier slim interceptor.
A voice came over the intercom, "Angel One you are clear for take off."
"S.I.G." she replied in a soft Parisian accent.
She wore a snow white flying suit trimmed with a fur hood. Beside her in the bue/grey
helicopter waiting on the Cloudbase landing strip, were Captains Scarlet and
Blue. They were attired in lightweight thermal
clothing befitting the Arctic weather they were flying to. "How do
you suppose they are going to carry out this threat?" mused Blue, "What could
they use to thaw the North Pole? "Some
kind of laser beam from outer space perhaps." suggested Scarlet as he waited to
be cleared for take off. "What
use would we be against that kind of attack?" asked Blue. Destiny Angel, who was to remain in constant
radio contact, answered him.
"Melody and Harmony are monitoring the edge of Space. They are in constant contact with the
Lunarville station. We have someone
in striking distance if they chose to deploy any weapons from a Space craft." "Hmm.
That's not their way," said Scarlet, taking the controls of the helicopter.
"There would be no sport in that. " Minutes after take off the
Spectrum Angels interceptor flew into bad weather.
Thankfully not a raging gale but a swirling snowstorm. Large flakes of snow had joined
together, limiting visibility.
Destiny had to drop her speed. She
mentioned how pretty it all looked as she radioed Cloudbase to report her
position. "I am
flying over Iceland now. Captain Blue and
Captain Scarlet are some way behind me. I think the helicopter is having
more problems coping with the snow.
The snow clouds are moving south so you may get a 'White Christmas' on Cloudbase
after all." "S.I.G.
Destiny," returned Lieutenant. Green, "I'm afraid I can't get excited by the
snow though. My ideal Christmas is
a barbeque on a warm, sunny Caribbean beach, singing calypsos surrounded by my
family. Sadly it's not to be." He
sighed wistfully.
The submarine Captain smiled at the night
watchman as he descended the ladder into the weapons chamber. He handed him a tot of brandy to warm
him up. He assumed that the man had
just changed shifts. "Is it
still all quiet out there? I saw
three ships on the horizon earlier this afternoon, but they obviously didn't
come too close to us." The
night watchman did not answer, he looked as if he had not even heard. The brandy glass in the Captain's
outstretched hand crashed to the floor, as he sustained a fatal blow to his
right temple. He lay motionless on
the floor. Captain Black stepped
impassively over the body. "Good. Now we have work to do."
Lieutenant Green sat at his
console monitoring messages from around the world.
He had relayed details of the Mysteron's latest threat to the World
President and all the World Defence Organisations. A flashing red light on his console alerted him to the fact
that a high priority call was coming through.
He put it straight through to Colonel White's hot line. It was from the Marine Defence Core's
Submarine Section. "And
when was this..." Lieutenant Green strained his ears to catch snippets of his
superior's conversation. " You say they were on manoeuvres in the Arctic
Ocean...? and when were they
supposed to have radioed in ... ? I
see... I have two of my best men
approaching the area. I will
alert them immediately. Thank you
for your information, Commodore. "He addressed Green: "A significant development, Lieutenant Green. That was Commodore Harris. He reports that one of his nuclear
submarines has broken radio contact and has veered off course. It is heading for the North Pole. It has armed nuclear warheads which can
be primed and deployed within minutes.
There is enough firepower there to melt the Polar ice cap completely.
Captain Scarlet and Captain Blue must locate that sub.
I am sure that the Mysterons intend to use it to destroy the North Pole" "S.I.G.
Colonel."
Captains Blue and Scarlet were
flying over the coast of Greenland when Colonel White's message came through. They had passed through the worst of the
snowstorm, and were trying to make up their lost time. Destiny, whose interceptor jet could
travel five times faster than the speed of sound, had already reached the North
Pole . Captain Scarlet put a call
through to her."
"Destiny. Are you airborne?" "Oui, Captain Scarlet." "I want
you to deploy the thermal image locater.
I want you to search for a US Submarine, the Orca. It may be hiding underneath the ice. Pinpoint its position but do not make
any contact. I need to get aboard
that sub without being seen." "S.I.G.
Captain." "What
do you intend to do, Paul?" asked Blue. "I'm
going to try to get on board and disable the nuclear warhead." "In
freezing waters?" "I
intend to be well prepared for that.
I'm going to change into a thermally heated body suit. I'll take diving equipment, and the
laser cutters to deal with any pack ice.
If a seal can slip through a hole in the ice, so can I." "I
suppose it's no use me telling you to be careful" "None
whatsoever!" replied Scarlet arrogantly.
Destiny made another sweep over the
frozen ocean. She smiled as a
colony of penguins tilted their heads back to watch her.
She had visions of them all falling over backwards like a line of
dominos. Suddenly a faint image
appeared on the MRI screen. "I
think I've found it." she called to Scarlet and Blue. " Coordinates 2460 by
4075. It is bearing East. Heading towards the North Pole." "Thank
you Destiny. Keep tracking it. We should be with you in fifteen
minutes."
When Blue drew nearer to their
destination, he switched on the helicopters MRI screen.
When he was directly over the image of the submarine he switched to hover
mode. "All
set?" he called to Scarlet.
"S.I.G." his colleague answered from the hold.
A trapdoor beneath him opened and Scarlet activated the winching mechanism to
deposit him onto the frozen sea.
His feet landed on firm ice. He wobbled slightly as he tried to stand
up. He then detached his harness
which was automatically winched back up in to the helicopter.
Scarlet told Blue to standby and await
further instructions, before employing the laser to cut a circular hole through
a section of the ice, just wide enough to squeeze his body through. A circular plug of ice bobbed free. Scarlet put on his underwater breathing
apparatus and eased himself into the bitingly cold waters. He dived beneath the iceberg and kicked
out his legs to gain maximum speed.
When he reached the submarine, he knew he would have to find a way in without
being detected. He felt for the
pistol strapped in a waterproof holster around his waist. It might not be enough to actually kill a Mysteron clone for
good, but at least it would stop one in its tracks for a while, and buy him
valuable time. In his experiences
with the Mysterons, he had learned that once their 'clones' had been discovered
they were of little use to their masters and were usually abandoned. Only Captain Black appeared to share the
same indestructible qualities as himself.
The only thing that would kill Black would be the only thing which would
also destroy Scarlet himself - high voltage electricity!
Scarlet located the entrance hatch
leading to the airlock. The hatch
would be firmly closed and there would be no way for Scarlet to open it from the
outside. He reached for the cutting
device again. Small sparks hissed
and fizzed as he set to work. Soon
he had cut enough of the hatch away to sneak inside.
He opened the door to the inner chamber. So far so good.
He had avoided detection. He closed
the hatch as quickly as possible to stop too much of the water flooding inside. As he paddled knee deep in water he
heard muffled cries coming from a store cupboard. He unlocked the door and out tumbled four crew men. They appeared to be unharmed
"Quickly!" one of the men shouted, "An intruder has taken over the sub. The Captain and one of our colleagues
have either taken complete leave of their senses, or they are being forced to
act against their will. " "Where
are they?" demanded Scarlet. "In the
weapons room. They are going to arm
the nuclear warheads. We, along
with half of Greenland will be obliterated if
they succeed." "Lead
the way!" cried Scarlet.
Scarlet and the rest of the crew burst
into the weapons room, Scarlet fired, hitting the duplicates of the captain and
watchman. They fell to the ground and did not get up again. "Too
late Captain Scarlet," boomed a deep sinister voice. "The missiles have already been primed."
"Captain Black! I knew you would be
behind this." Scarlet fired a shot but it had no effect. Black fired back. Scarlet dodged as the
bullet whizzed past his temple. "Sir
look! The countdown has started,
the first missile will be fired in sixty seconds," alerted a crew member. Scarlet
had no time to chase after the escaping Captain Black. He had to abort the firing sequence. The crew member who had shouted the
warning was the leading weapons officer.
"Captain Scarlet, follow my lead I know the shutdown code. You disarm Warhead 1 and I will disarm Warhead 2. Okay
you will see a panel to your right.
It reacts only to mine and the Captain's palm print.
He and I were the only ones to have access to the code. " He pressed his
hand against a smooth black scanner. A red light changed to green. "Good.
Now we have only forty seconds left.
Blue dial two turns to the right.
Yellow dial three to the left.
Press the amber button and key in this code 'ANTAS 2512.' “ Scarlet
could feel the perspiration trickling from his forehead as he tapped in the
code. "I've
done it!" said the weapons officer triumphantly. A buzzer was sounding and the instruction 'abort missile' was
flashing on a screen in front of him.
Scarlet's fingers felt like lead as he tapped in the last number. He held his breath watching for the
screen to change. In the last
remaining seconds which seemed to him more like minutes, the screen flashed the
command 'abort missile'. Scarlet
exhaled with a sigh, accompanied by the cheering of the crew.
Captain Blue landed his helicopter on
the most stable ice floe he could find.
He sat watching and waiting to hear from his friend and colleague. Watching and
waiting was the worst part of it for him.
Scarlet was beginning to take his indestructibility for granted. Dr Fawn had said 'virtually'
indestructible, not 'totally indestructible'.
Even he
would not stand a snowball chance in hell in a nuclear explosion. Blue wished that Scarlet had allowed him
to come along as back up. It
sometimes irritated Blue that Scarlet ploughed in single-handedly, but then he
realised that Scarlet had lost another friend and partner - Captain Brown. Blue drummed his fingers impatiently, "Come on
Paul. What's going on down there?"
His eyes scanned the icy wasteland beneath a velvety night sky.
Suddenly something broke the surface a few metres away. At first he saw a periscope and then the
whole submarine appeared. "He's
done it!" yelled Blue and punched the air in triumph. Simultaneously, he received a call from
Scarlet who he could see waving from the hatch. "Good
work, Paul..." he was cut short before he had time to finish his sentence.
A blow from the butt end of a pistol rendered him unconscious. "Adam!"
came Scarlet's anxious voice.
Captain Scarlet watched in horror, as
his colleague was tossed out of the helicopter cockpit like a rag doll. He raced across the ice as fast as he
could. Slipping and sliding and cursing loudly.
He could see Captain Black at the controls, waiting for the rotor blades
to get up enough speed to lift off.
As the helicopter hovered inches from the ice, Scarlet lunged and grabbed hold
of its underside. Clinging on
tightly he could feel frost forming on his wet hair and face as the helicopter
gained height. Blue regained
consciousness, and sat up just in time to see the helicopter rise into the air
with Scarlet dangling beneath it.
Groggily, he activated the mike secreted in his cap and alerted Destiny Angel. "Hurry. Captain Black has taken the helicopter. Scarlet is trying to stop him. I don't know how long he can hold on!"
Visually checking on Captain
Blue’s position, Destiny Angel reported it to Cloudbase, and then gave chase. The helicopter flew over the coast of Greenland.
Scarlet had managed to haul himself inside. When Black saw him, he fired.
The bullet lodged in Scarlet’s shoulder. The Spectrum officer cried out in pain as he fell onto the
floor. The pain and effects of the extreme cold were starting to take their toll
on him. He shivered violently and
pulled on the scarlet overcoat he had left on one of the seats in the
helicopter. It quickly became stained with a deeper
shade of red.
"Foolish Earthman, You will not stop me," hissed Black. Captain
Scarlet lay still behind the helicopter seat.
He could see that Black's attentions were focussed elsewhere. Captain Black's face was staring
impassively at a map of Norway. The
helicopter appeared to be flying on its own.
Scarlet reached out his uninjured arm and dragged a jet pack from beneath
one of the seats. He grimaced as he
slipped the straps over his shoulders, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
He felt sure that Captain Black had another trick up his sleeve.
Black appeared to be speaking to his Mysteron Masters. "Yes I
can see the atomic plant ahead," he droned. "I will open fire on your command." So that
was it. Captain Black intended to
use the Spectrum helicopter to destroy the Norwegian atomic power station. Scarlet wasted no time. He quickly contacted Grey and Ochre, who
were patrolling Lapland.
Fortunately both of them were on their way, in another Spectrum helicopter,
having already been alerted by Captain Blue. Captain Scarlet could see the
helicopter closing in on its intended target.
He knew he would have to act swiftly.
Captain
Blue radioed Colonel White to report the latest development.
"Captain Blue, Captain Grey, Captain Ochre and Rhapsody will be with you very
soon." "I have
a visual on Rhapsody Angel at two o clock," said Destiny. "Any
word from Scarlet?" asked Colonel White. "No
Sir. I think he managed to get in
to the helicopter, but we have had no further communication. I have tried several times and I cannot
raise him." "Then
we must assume he is either injured or dead." "Sir,"
interrupted Destiny. "I am picking up a message... It's from Captain Black..."
"Nothing can be done to stop me...
I will carry out my plan..." came the monotone voice. "Shoot
him down," ordered Colonel White. "But
sir..." protested Destiny. "You
heard me. There's nothing else we
can do. The helicopter is setting
course to the Norwegian atomic plant.
It has explosive missiles capable of destroying the station and setting up a
massive chain reaction. Shoot him
down now while he is over an uninhabited area." "I am
now over land, sir. The helicopter
is skimming the coast of Norway.
No, it's veering off out to sea." "Then
fire! That's an order!" "It's
turning again," said Destiny. "Captain Scarlet must be alive. It
looks as if someone is wrestling for the controls. We must hold fire, sir." " I
will try to contact him again.”
Upon Colonel White’s request, Lieutenant Green opened a radio channel to the
helicopter Scarlet and Black were in.
“Captain Scarlet, if you can hear me bail out now that's an order,"
yelled Colonel White. He received
no answer. "For Heaven’s sake man,
I have to order Destiny to open fire.
Bail out!" Captain
Blue, now with Ochre and Grey in the Spectrum helicopter that had just picked
him up, couldn't believe his ears. "Come
on Paul... Come on..." pleaded Blue into his cap microphone, but to his dismay
there was still no reply. "You
are to destroy the helicopter. I
order you to fire now!" shouted the Colonel reluctantly. "You
can't do that, Destiny!" blurted out captain Blue. "It's Paul in there, remember. I know he's indestructible but there are
obvious limitations. If he is blown
to smithereens, there is no way his body can heal itself. The Mysterons will only reconstruct him
for their own ends. You can't fire on that helicopter." "I have
been given an order!" snapped Destiny. "Mon Dieu! Do you think this is going to be easy
for me?! How did you feel when you
were ordered to shoot him down?" "What
are you waiting for?" came the urgent voice of Colonel White. "Captain Black is
approaching a built up area. For God's sake shoot him down now! There is a chance the helicopter will explode on an
uninhabited forest area. There may
be loss of life, but hopefully minimal.
Open fire on that helicopter now!
That's an order!" "But
sir...Captain Scarlet..."
"Captain Scarlet must take his chances." "I
think he is trying to wrestle Black for the controls, that's the sort of thing
he would do. But if he has been
injured. he will be weak," explained Blue. "I will
make one last try to contact him.
I hope I can make him see sense and bail out." said White, who really
didn't want to loose his best agent. Again, he used the channel to the
helicopter: "I repeat the helicopter will be destroyed in ten seconds.
Bail out Captain Scarlet! That's an order! You have now eight seconds... seven... six... five... four.." "Bail
out Paul. Bail out!" begged Blue
"Three...two..." The
three Captains and two Angel pilots held their breath as the helicopter flew
towards a Norwegian port and within striking distance of the atomic power
station.
"One..." All of a sudden, it veered around sharply and
headed far out to sea. "Firing
missiles now!" cried Destiny. The helicopter exploded with a violent orange
flash. "It's a
hit! It's down!" "Is it
clear of the town?" Colonel White
was the first to break the silence that followed. "Yes sir. It exploded in the sea. He did it. Captain Scarlet managed to steer it away from the port." Blue's heart was still thumping in his chest.
"Paul… Is there any sign of Paul?" he asked Destiny. "I... I
don't think so.... Sacrebleu...
I can see something red...
It's him! He's falling, Captain
Blue! Oh he'll be all right won't he? He's fallen like this before and
survived." "Hurry,
can you get to him?" "It's
dense forest down there. There's
nowhere I can land safely."
Captain Scarlet was freefalling in the bleak midwinter night air. His legs were kicking beneath him almost
as if he was walking in the air. His limb felt rigid with cold. At last he was able to move his frozen
fingers and activate the jet pack which he hoped would propel him to safety.
He depressed a button, but nothing happened.
The frost had seized the jet engine
up. Scarlet could see the ground
swirling towards him. He was
descending too fast. His landing was definitely going to be
an uncomfortable one. Below him the
could see the forest, the best he could hope for was to land in a dense pine
tree. He felt the wind billow
underneath his coat, blowing him off course.
It was carrying him towards the edge of town. He saw a house in front of him and narrowly missed its
chimney. He was fast
approaching another rooftop. He
could see the snow laying crisp and even, and he hoped, that it would be deep! Again luck was not on his side. His feet hit the rooftop with a
sickening thud. Searing pains shot
through his legs and he lost consciousness.
Captain Scarlet awoke slowly and took
stock of his injuries. He felt sore
all over and he was sure that both his ankles were broken. The freezing weather would slow down his powers of
retrometabolism. There was nothing
he could do except lay there until the Spectrum personnel found him. He realised that he was lying on a
rooftop wedged between two chimneys.
As he tried to move, he dislodged one of the chimney pots and felt himself
sliding down smooth icy slates. He
managed to grab hold of some guttering beneath a small dormer window, there he
dangled precariously over a thirty five foot
drop. He noticed the small dormer
window to the right of him was now wide open.
Scarlet wondered if he could manage to pull himself inside. He winced as he tried to pull his body
up. Blackness threatened to engulf him
again. When he managed to focus his
eyes, he saw a small fair-haired girl gazing wide eyed in amazement. She giggled at him and spoke to him her
native Scandinavian tongue. Scarlet
didn't know what she was saying. "I'm
sorry, I'm English," he slurred still only half conscious. "I know
English also," the little girl announced proudly. "I am Freya.
Where is Rudolph?" Scarlet
groaned and closed his eyes again.
He felt the guttering give way. His
grip loosened and he braced himself for another fall. There he lay spread-eagled in the snow. His long red overcoat vividly contrasting with the whiteness
around him.
Captain Scarlet awoke again in the
medical bay of Cloudbase. He didn't
know how long he had been unconscious, but he knew that his body was now healed. He could feel his legs again.
Blue and Destiny had managed to
requisition an SPV. They had set
out to locate Captain Scarlet so that he could be taken back to Cloudbase to
recover. The Norwegian emergency services had
also been called out, following a report of a red-clad man falling from a
rooftop. At first they ignored it thinking it was
a hoax. When they heard about the
missing Spectrum Officer they put two and two together and decided to
investigate. As for Freya, when Destiny arrived she was in tears. Her mother was trying to comfort her. Destiny Angel gently reassured her that Santa wasn't really
dead. Santa was indestructible. He had clearly had too many glasses of
sherry and had fallen asleep.
Rudolph had gone to get help and Santa's helpers were taking him home in a
helicopter to give him a strong cup of black coffee!
Destiny told her to be a good little girl and go back to bed. Santa would finish delivering his
presents when he felt better! Captain Scarlet knew by the look on Dr
Fawn's face that he was not going to hear the last of this escapade. "Have I
missed Christmas then?" he asked, rather hoping that he had. "No.
You're just in time for Christmas lunch.
That's if you're up to it." "And
the Polar Ice cap...?" "Still
there." Seymour
Griffiths, Lieutenant Green poked his head around the door and gave a cheery
wave. "Merry
Christmas everybody. I'm off to the
sun." Scarlet
closed his eyes and lay back on his pillow.
He didn't see Blue and Magenta sneak over to his bed. Wearing flashing reindeer antlers they
burst into song,
"Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose." Scarlet
groaned. "Captain Blue, Christmas is bad enough for me already without having to
endure your singing! There are
times when being dead has its advantages." With that he placed a pillow very firmly over his head.
The End Acknowledgements: v Carlton, who own the
rights to Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons v Gerry Anderson the creator of the characters and
television series. v The
verse 'Twas the night before Christmas' was originally believed to have
been written by Clement Clarence Moore, but other sources say it was Major Henry
Livingston Jr. ( That's the answer I got from ask Jeeves anyway) v
'Rudolph the Red Nosed
Reindeer' was written by Robert
Lewis May (source Waltn.net/rudolph) Christmas teaser
There are several popular Christmas song
titles hidden in this story. ‘Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer’ is one.
How many others can you find? Click here for answers OTHER STORIES FROM POLLY AMBER
"CHRISTMAS FAN FIC CHALLENGE" PAGE Any comments? Send an
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