THE QUEST

A “Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons” story

By Chris Bishop

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

SYNOPSIS:

This story is set directly after the TV episode “Manhunt”, and is the follow-up to the storyline started in the short story “The Secret”.

After Captain Black had escaped the net set for him by Spectrum, Captain Scarlet blames Symphony Angel for her careless that had permitted Black to capture her, and holds himself responsible for not having been able to foresee his former colleague’s deception. Fearing Scarlet is growing obsessed with the idea that Black could be saved from the Mysterons’ control, Colonel White decided to reveal to Scarlet a secret that had been kept from him since his first revival. But White obtains more than he bargains for when, giving to Scarlet access to the file containing all about that secret, Scarlet discovers something else he wasn’t meant to ever learn. Now, with an angry disposition toward his commander, and reconsidering his future with Spectrum, Scarlet takes some days off and set off on his own personal quest. To make sure he won’t get into any trouble, Colonel White assigned Lieutenant Green, Rhapsody, and a very eager to atone herself Symphony to keep tabs on him. But the search for the Truth may very well be lethal when Scarlet and Symphony cross once again the path of the very deadly Captain Black.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This story is based on characters created by Gerry And Sylvia Anderson for the TV series “Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons” Some events and characters Copyright © of all trademarks materials (Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons and all other series titles, all their characters, vehicles, crafts, etc.), owned by ITC/Polygram. Information of the series are all been taken from copyright © materials (books, magazines, videos, T.V. medias, comics, etc) owned by ITC/Polygram/Carlton.

No money is been made on this site by its owner.

Many thanks to Hazel Kohler and Mary J. Rudy who had helped me a great deal by proof-reading the text for the following story.

Multi-parts story – check often for added parts.

As said in the synopsis, this story is set directly after the events of ‘Manhunt’, which never really was one of my favourite episodes, but does bring out some interesting questions. Why was Captain Black at the Culver Atomic Centre that night, when he was exposed to a radioactive isotope? Surely, he was preparing the ground for some new threat from the Mysterons, but was interrupted before actually carrying it out. Why did that Mysteron Agent, posing as a mechanic, was killed so easily by Scarlet (and I suspect that it was not only because the mechanic ‘didn’t ask for their identification’ that Scarlet deduced the guy was a Mysteron agent). Why was Symphony Angel so careless when landing in the area where Black had been seen? What was Captain Blue’s reaction when Scarlet stopped him from going into the Centre to free Symphony? Wouldn’t he be angry at Scarlet for doing so? And even knowing that Scarlet is a military man used to follow orders to the letter, but also knowing that he often would go out on his own, doesn’t it seem rather cold of him that he would not want to follow his friend in to save Symphony?

This story is also a follow-up to the short fanfic I wrote a couple of years ago ‘The Secret’, which revealed that Captain Black had a direct hand in the initial killing of Captain Scarlet. Only a few months had passed since the events of ‘The Secret’, and Colonel White, Captain Blue and Doctor Fawn had kept it from Scarlet ever since. Now here’s the time for him to learn the truth. I was personally wondering if he would learn it soon after it had happened or later – maybe a couple of years from then. I figure that, considering the character, he would have learned it sooner than later.

‘The Quest’ also points out another important question I have been asking myself: considering the events that had happened in the TV episode ‘The Mysterons’, where Scarlet kidnapped the World President and almost killed him, what were the odds that the Presidential Authorities will trust Scarlet enough for him to come back to duty within Spectrum? Even with the best of motives from Colonel White, it’s doubtful that the World Government wouldn’t ask for some insurance, to make sure that Scarlet will behave. This came the idea for that ‘other secret’ that will compel Scarlet to question his future within Spectrum – and whether he is really trusted or not.

Some mentions of other stories, like ‘All the Colours of the Rainbow’, writing by myself, can also be found in the story. Acknowledgments to other fanfic stories in the course of the story, if any, will be added to this page.

Mention of Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward from the TV series ‘Thunderbirds’ has also been made. Rhapsody Angel’s biography details that Dianne Simms had been trained by Lady Penelope before becoming her successor at the head of the Federal Agency Bureau.

I hope you will enjoy this new story. Feel free to write to offer your comments!

THE QUEST

A “Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons” story

By Chris Bishop

(This story takes place directly after the events of the TV episode “Manhunt” and bring a conclusion to the plotline started in the fan fiction story “The Secret”.)

Chapter 1

Standing at the counter of the Officers’ Lounge, slowly stirring a cup of strong coffee poured directly from the coffee maker, Captain Ochre stifled a yawn and pinched the bridge of his nose. He grunted with annoyance as he felt a headache coming. The preceding day had been long; the night too. And he had the feeling this new day wasn’t starting very well either.

He knew this failed mission had been getting on everybody’s nerves.

“You don’t look like you’re at the peak of yourself today, Captain.”

Hearing the richly-accented voice from behind him, Ochre looked over his shoulder and saw Destiny Angel comfortably installed on the sofa, her feet up, an open book in her hands. Upon entering a couple of minutes ago, and walking directly toward the counter without even looking around, Ochre had not noticed her. There was a glint of curiosity in her honey-coloured eyes as she stared intently at him. He gave her a very faint smile, before becoming gloomy again and walking toward her.

“Hello, Destiny, I didn’t see you. Sorry if I appeared rude…”

“No harm done.” The French Angel pilot offered her kindest smile and removed her feet. “Here, take a seat…”

“The invitation is appreciated,” Ochre responded with a smile of his own. He sat down next to the young woman, putting down his mug on the low table in front of them. Then he rubbed his eyes tiredly, groaning. Destiny was staring at him with an enquiring look. She knew the reason behind his apparent fatigue. Or at least she thought she knew.

“The night was long, wasn’t it?”

Ochre sighed and gave her a strange look, before reaching for his mug. Destiny shook her head. “You should take a few hours in the Room of Sleep,” she suggested.

“I’m not tired,” the American captain replied. He rolled his eyes. “If only it was just that…” he mumbled, taking a sip of coffee. He grimaced. It tasted awful. He turned to Destiny, frowning. “Has Blue made the coffee again?”

“I wouldn’t know.” Destiny stared at Ochre with a slight frown of her own. “You’re feeling bad because Captain Black escaped the net last night?”

“Yeah, well… It’s frustrating,” grumbled Ochre.

He shrugged. Spectrum’s most recent operation – trying to capture Mysteron agent Captain Black – had failed miserably. That was a once only opportunity, and it had blown up right in their faces.

Black had broken into the Culver Atomic Centre and had been exposed to a special radioactive isotope. Instead of making him sick, it had made him, for a too-short period of twenty-four hours, radioactive himself. Seeing in this a chance to get their hands on the renegade captain, Spectrum had sent teams to cover the area where Black had last been seen, using Detector vans equipped with Geiger counters in order to track him down. And track him they did, successfully, forcing the man that had been one of their best agents to take refuge back in the Culver Centre, taking Symphony Angel as hostage with him. And there he tricked them. Proving once again that his already well-earned reputation was not over-rated.

“We were lucky to find Symphony safe and sound,” Ochre murmured, taking a gulp of coffee. “When I think of what he could have done to her…”

Destiny nodded her agreement. She too had been very worried when she had learned of Symphony’s ordeal. She couldn’t understand, however, how her American counterpart could have been so careless as to set her craft down in the area where Black had last been seen – and let herself be captured by him. The French pilot promised herself to have a little chat with Symphony. A good, stern lecture, if only to remind her that she had to be more careful and that in their line of work, a mistake like that could very well be fatal.

“I can understand how that could upset you,” Destiny remarked quietly.

“Yeah,” Ochre mumbled again. “Although I can think of other people who are more upset about it than me.”

“The colonel?”

“Oh, I should think the colonel is pretty upset,” Ochre sighed. “I haven’t seen him, though. And I wasn’t really referring to him right now. I was mainly thinking of Scarlet and Blue. More Scarlet THAN Blue, actually.” Ochre took a sip from his mug, while Destiny gave him an inquiring look. He shook his head, in a disgruntled way. “You should have seen him in the SPJ, during the return to base. He was furious. He was pacing around the cabin for most of the flight, not talking to anyone. Especially Symphony.”

Destiny gave Ochre an odd look. From what she had learned, Symphony had lived very dreadful hours in Black’s company. He could easily have killed her, without any remorse. But instead, he had used her as a decoy, after exposing her to the same radioactive isotope to which he had been exposed himself, and putting her in the SPV he had previously stolen in his attempt to escape Spectrum. Believing they were still following Black’s radioactive trail, the Spectrum agents that had him surrounded then unknowingly went after Symphony – while Black was left free to decontaminate himself from his radioactivity and to quietly walk away from the Centre now left without Spectrum surveillance.

“He was angry with her?” Destiny asked with a frown. “You mean to say he holds her responsible for Black’s getting away?”

Ochre sighed a second time and nodded. “She certainly did wrong when she put down her interceptor to go after clues for Black on her own – no matter how good her intentions were. But I do think the kid’s been through enough as it is. She certainly doesn’t need for anybody to ostracise her.”

“Well, I’m sure the colonel will tell Symphony the error of her ways,” Destiny replied. “And I do want to have a small talk with her but… Paul ostracising her? Now that’s strange, coming from him… He isn’t usually the kind to hold such grudges.” Stranger still, she added inwardly, considering that Captain Scarlet had always been very fond of Symphony. She was so much like him, that he almost viewed her as some kind of little sister.

Ochre knew that too, and he obviously had read Destiny’s mind as he added, in a sombre tone, “Wait, you don’t know the best part yet.” Destiny arched a brow, intrigued. He nodded. “I told you Blue was also upset.”

“At Symphony?” a surprised Destiny remarked.

“At Scarlet. Amongst other things, because he’s not talking to Symphony. You get the picture now? Scarlet is angry with Symphony, and Blue is angry at Scarlet. I tell you, that flight back to base WASN’T a happy one! It was like World War Four in there. And it hasn’t been resolved yet, so I’m afraid we haven’t heard the last of it.”

Destiny nodded. She wasn’t really surprised that Captain Blue would defend Symphony. Even against Scarlet, his partner and his best friend. Between Blue and Symphony, ever since the moment they had met more than a year ago, there had been an affectionate bond that had never stopped deepening. Destiny knew about this, and she had a feeling that some of the other senior staff officers also knew – even though Blue and Symphony were trying to keep it to themselves. It wasn’t that they were particularly demonstrative about it or careless – they simply were too attentive to each other. That gave them away.

“Captain, I’m sure you’re overreacting,” Destiny replied with assurance. “Those three can’t stay angry at each other very long, you should know that. Why, Paul and Adam – they couldn’t be closer if they were brothers. Each of them would lay down his life for the other. As for Karen – Paul won’t be able to hold a grudge against her for too long. He likes her too much.”

She had hardly finished speaking when the Lounge door slid open, and Captain Scarlet suddenly entered, walking very quickly, a grim expression upon his face. He was closely followed by Captain Blue, who looked unusually angry. He strode behind Scarlet, as if he were chasing him.

“Now wait a minute, Captain! I’m not finished with you!” Blue was saying, forcefully.

“If it’s still on the same subject,” Scarlet replied in the same tone, “you certainly are, Blue! I said I didn’t want to talk about it anymore!”

“Oh yes, we WILL talk about it! You won’t get away that easily!”

Destiny opened eyes wide in dismay at the two men who had stopped right in the middle of the room, and who were now facing each other with blazing eyes and almost threatening postures. They looked like two bucks ready to fight it out. Ochre, also looking at his two colleagues, leaned toward the young woman. “Wanna bet?” he asked in a whisper. She was about to admonish him, until she noticed how depressed he was himself. He didn’t like this any more than she did.

“Blue, I said, leave it alone,” Scarlet told his partner with a sigh filled with annoyance. “It’s finished.”

“No, I won’t leave it alone,” Blue protested angrily. “Not before you do yourself.” He pointed an accusing finger at the red-clad captain. “You said it’s finished. But it’s not. Not by a long shot. Not until we talk this over! And I DO want to talk this over NOW. Whether you like it or not!”

“Oh please, you don’t have to be so melodramatic!”

Destiny shook her head in dismay. “Oh, that’s bad!” she murmured. “That’s really bad.”

“You understand now what I meant earlier?” Ochre said in the same tone.

Their presence seemed to suddenly become known to both Scarlet and Blue; the latter turned toward them, furrowing his brow in an annoyed expression. “Ochre, Destiny, would you mind leaving us alone for a minute?” He had moderated his tone while addressing them, but not by much, so it was obvious that his anger at Scarlet wasn’t about to cool down.

“I don’t know,” replied a stoic Ochre. “Is that really safe to do that?”

Scarlet faced them in turn. “Please, you two,” he said in an even tone. “Leave us. We have things to discuss.” He glanced toward Blue. “And we prefer to do it privately.”

Ochre sighed deeply, and rose from his seat. “All right, then,” he grumbled. “Have it your way. I hope I don’t have come back later to pick up the pieces.” He glowered at his two colleagues. “Do remember however that THIS room is supposed to be the officers’ lounge – and not a boxing ring. And that the two of you are supposed to be best friends.” He nodded toward Destiny, who left her seat to stand by his side. “Come on, honey. I’ll buy you a bite at the cafeteria. I’m sure it’ll be quieter there.”

“I’ll accept the offer,” Destiny answered. “But I’ll have to leave you in about half an hour.” She tapped her watch. “Amber Room duty. Then Angel One shift.”

“Then you’ll need all your strength. Come on.”

Destiny turned a slightly worried look toward both Scarlet and Blue, who were still standing in the middle of the room, silently, waiting for them to go. She wanted to say something, but, seeing their expressions, she realised that there was little that she could say that would help in their argument. She gave a heavy sigh, shaking her head, and then followed Ochre out of the lounge.

As soon as the door had slid closed on the departing officers, Scarlet turned toward Blue, eyeing him with a troubled look. “All right, we’re alone,” he said quietly, trying his best to keep his emotions in check. “You wanted to talk to me, so talk.”

Blue’s eyes were still flashing heatedly. He was, usually, a calm and composed man, and those who knew him very well had seldom seen him losing his temper. Of the two men, Scarlet was the hothead, much more liable to fly off the handle. But looking at them at the moment, it wasn’t that obvious; Blue apparently wasn’t any closer to calming down. And as people had learned, he ALSO could be as stubborn as his friend.

“Your behaviour towards Symphony is inexcusable,” Blue said in a tone as level as his colleague’s, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

Scarlet’s brow furrowed. “My behaviour?” he scoffed loudly. “Well EXCUSE me for acting professional!”

“What are you talking about?” Blue replied icily, not sure what Scarlet was implying. “You think it’s professional to give her the cold shoulder like you have since we found her?”

“All right! All right!” Scarlet said, raising his hands in an attempt at a calming gesture. “You’re right! Maybe that was a little extreme.” He turned around to take a step toward the counter, and threw his cap down beside the coffee dispenser. Obviously, his friend was missing the point of his remark. Maybe it was for the best; being angry with Symphony for her incommensurate carelessness was one thing. Getting into a fight with Blue was another. At this precise moment, he really preferred to stop the argument right here and now.

“A little?” Blue repeated disbelievingly behind him.

Scarlet spun around, his good intentions of ending the hostilities gone as quickly as they had come, only seconds earlier. “But you have to admit I had a RIGHT to be angry with her!” he continued more forcefully. “What do you make of HER behaviour!? THAT was unprofessional!”

Blue sighed. “Paul, she had been held prisoner by Captain Black. He could have killed her. Don’t you think that counts as enough punishment?”

“She should have known better than to go down there after him!” Scarlet replied hotly. “What could she have been thinking of?”

“Paul, it was a mistake… She admitted that herself.”

“Mistakes like THAT should not happen!”

“Don’t you ever make mistakes? Or are you so perfect yourself?”

“Oh please, don’t start with that! That’s hardly the point!”

“What IS the point, then? What’s eating at you?”

“What’s eating at me? The mission failed, Adam! It failed and it was probably a ONCE ONLY chance! The one and only opportunity we’ll probably ever have of capturing Captain Black! And it failed…” Scarlet smashed his fist against the counter behind him. “Damn it! It FAILED!”

The resounding crash didn’t startle Blue one bit; he didn’t move, narrowing his eyes at Scarlet. He nodded knowingly, after witnessing his outburst. “Since this mission began,” he noted, “you’ve been obsessed with capturing him…”

“I wasn’t obsessed,” Scarlet started to protest.

“Oh, please, Paul… I noticed. I saw the glitter in your eyes during the first briefing, when the colonel showed us that picture of Black taken at the Culver Atomic Centre. I heard you talking when we left the room. You were so eager, you could hardly keep still. I was working with you closely during that mission. I watched you. You wanted to capture Black so much…”

“I wanted to help him,” Scarlet corrected swiftly.

“Help him?” Blue’s tone was now betraying his surprise.

“Yes, I wanted to help him…” Scarlet was obviously upset by this inquisition. Damn it, Blue should understand what he was feeling. Why did he need to ask all these questions?

“Really?” There was a cold edge to Blue’s voice, that he would have trouble to explain. There was the spark of a doubt in the back of his mind. “That bad?” he asked with a new, disbelieving frown.

Scarlet gave a sigh, filled with deep annoyance. “Of course, Adam! Why else would I want to capture him?”

“To put a stop to his work for the Mysterons, perhaps?” Blue growled.

“Yes, Adam, I wanted that as much as you, or anybody else!” Scarlet frowned, glaring ominously at his dubious friend. “Stop looking at me as if you don’t believe me, Svenson! Why would I lie to you? Isn’t it obvious what I wanted?”

“I don’t know, you tell me.”

“Adam… I was in Conrad’s position, a few months ago. I was saved from the Mysterons. We were so close to him last night! If we had been able to bring him in, maybe we would have been able to reverse the control the Mysterons have over him.”

Blue could feel a headache coming. He removed his cap, to let it fall on the sofa next to him, in a gesture betraying his annoyance. “You were saved by a fluke, Paul. We don’t know why the Mysterons lost their control over you. I can’t see how we’d be able to reproduce that for Black.” Blue’s tone lowered a degree, as he apparently tried to get back in control of himself. He shook his head, looking at his partner. “And I’ll remind you,” he said in a softer voice that cracked slightly as he spoke, “that I had to shoot you, in order to stop you.”

Scarlet sighed deeply. “I know, Adam. I don’t bear any resentment toward you for that, you know that. You were only doing your duty…”

“Then you should know that the same duty could call for us to do the same to Conrad.” There was a deadly silence following that declaration. Scarlet glowered at his friend, who shook his head a second time. “I did it for you,” the American captain said very calmly. “Without any hesitation. You were my friend, but you had become dangerous, and you had to be stopped, before you did something irreparable. You can be sure as Hell that I would not hesitate to shoot Black too, if it should come to it. Because he is now even more dangerous than you were yourself.”

“You think I don’t know all that?” murmured Scarlet sombrely. He remembered far too vividly the sight of that mechanic in the Delta Garage in Stone Point Village. He and Blue had come to collect a Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle, only to be greeted by the man’s Mysteron replicate, who had tried to kill them. But he was the one who was killed, and Scarlet and Blue had discovered the real mechanic. Crushed in a car, against the roof of his own shop. A quite horrible death.

The SPV was gone, stolen by Captain Black. It didn’t take many more clues to learn the identity of the mechanic’s assassin.

“Now Black’s on the loose,” Scarlet said gloomily. “Conrad is still under the control of those monsters – and Lord only knows what they’ll make him do next. Or when we’ll have to shoot him to stop him. We were unable to take him alive this time, because…” He stopped, not wanting to continue.

“… Because of Symphony, say it,” Blue offered icily.

“Oh, please, will you STOP with THAT?”

“YOU started the argument just now, Paul!” Blue pointed out. “Okay, you’re frustrated that Black escaped. I understand that. We were ALL frustrated. Symphony more than any of us…”

“For obvious reasons…” Scarlet muttered under his breath.

“Now, listen to yourself! You keep hitting her, and she’s already down! She doesn’t need for any of us to come down that hard on her. And apparently, even the colonel agrees with that…”

“Oh yes,” Scarlet muttered, his eyes disappearing under his brows. “Looks like it, doesn’t it? Considering that he DIDN’T reprimand her for that mistake.”

“I can’t believe this! You know, I’m hearing you, and I’m growing more and more grateful that YOU’RE not our commanding officer, instead of the old man! I can’t believe I just said that,” he added in a mumble.

“Adam, you’re far too tolerant…”

“You used to be yourself!”

“…ESPECIALLY concerning Symphony!”

It was Blue’s turn to furrow his brow to the point of concealing his eyes. He nodded his head, knowingly. “So, we’re back to that, then,” he muttered. “That’s what you meant earlier, about being unprofessional… It’s not only about Symphony, it’s also about me.”

“Adam…” Scarlet sighed deeply. “Let’s not get into this now, okay?”

“No. Let’s get into this. You started it, I’ll remind you. And anyway, I want to talk about it. In case you haven’t noticed, I still have a lot more to reproach you for than you seem to be aware of. I swear, Paul, I never thought I would see the day where you would become such a cold…”

“Now, just WAIT a minute!” Scarlet interrupted suddenly. “Since when am I cold? I’m the one who wanted to capture Conrad to help him, you were the one who talked about killing him!”

“YOU stopped me from going to Symphony’s rescue in there!” Blue barked. “She was Black’s hostage! He was hurting her! He could have killed her!”

“Oh, please, Adam, you know as well as I do WHY I stopped you from barging in there!”

“Explain it to me, then!”

“Adam, at the Culver Atomic Centre, you were acting with your heart instead of with your head… and you KNOW THAT. If you had barged in there, it could’ve had terrible consequences!”

“For who? For Black?”

“Adam…”

“You’ve heard Karen’s report of what Black did to her, Paul! He didn’t hesitate to expose her to radiation – he nearly killed her!”

“He DIDN’T, though, did he?” Scarlet snapped angrily.

“Because he needed her as a diversion! He would have killed her if it had served his purpose!”

“I don’t think he would have, Adam. I really don’t think he would.”

“Permit me NOT to share the same opinion,” Blue scoffed, with hatred in his voice.

“Now WHO’s the cold one, of the two of us?” Scarlet barked abruptly. “Why won’t you give Black the benefit of the doubt, Adam? Like you did for me?”

“It’s not the same thing.”

“WHAT isn’t the same thing? He’s in the hands of the Mysterons! He’s controlled by them! Like I was! Doesn’t he deserve the chance to be saved from them?”

Blue stared at his friend incredulously. Suddenly, he sounded like a broken record. That wasn’t looking good at all. “You really are obsessed with capturing Black, aren’t you?”

Scarlet sighed with annoyance. “How many times do I have to tell you that I was not…”

“Yes, you WERE obsessed,” Blue cut in sharply. “And you still are. Damn it, Metcalfe, you don’t EVEN seem to realise it! You were ready to do anything to capture Black. Were you so ready to ‘save him’, that you were ready to endanger Karen’s life?”

The accusation hit Scarlet like a ton of bricks; he stared at his friend with incredulity. “How in Heaven could you say a thing like that?” the British captain asked, with shock obvious in his voice. “You know I would NEVER endanger her life. Or anyone else’s! I thought you knew me, Adam.”

Blue bit his lip. He hadn’t really meant what he had said to Scarlet. The words had just flown out of his mouth before he had been able to stop them. Now they were out, and he could see that they had hurt his friend more than he had meant to.

“I’m sorry I said that, Paul,” he said, lowering his gaze.

“Are you now?” mumbled Scarlet, his eyes flashing. “Maybe it really is what you think of me?”

Blue was staring back at him, at first unable to answer. Then he opened his mouth, but he didn’t have time to say anything in reply, as the door slid open behind him to let Symphony Angel enter. She stopped in her tracks upon seeing the two captains standing in the middle of the room, a few feet from one another, the expressions on both their faces so challenging and grim that she had not a single doubt of what was going on. Blue greeted his compatriot with a somewhat uncomfortable, even worried, expression, not the faintest of smiles apparent on his face, as he usually had. As for Scarlet, as soon as he had seen her, he had turned his back on her, and walked the remaining distance separating him from the counter. He leaned on it, and stood there, as still as a statue, brooding.

“What’s going on?” Symphony asked, looking straight at Blue’s gloomy face.

“Nothing,” the American captain answered, glancing briefly in Scarlet’s direction. “We were having a discussion.”

“You were having a fight, I can tell,” Symphony corrected. “And it was about me, right?”

Blue kept silence, but the expression on his face was an answer in itself. Symphony sighed. She didn’t want Blue and Scarlet to be angry at each other because of her. They were best friends; field partners. They didn’t need ill-thoughts between the two of them. And to think that she could be the cause of their dispute, it was really hard for her. She was fond of both of them – especially Adam, of course, but in her heart there was a special place for Paul’s friendship. The way he had acted towards her earlier had been very hurtful for her. She knew she was at fault and she couldn’t bear to think that, because of her own foolishness, she might have jeopardized her friendship with him. Oblivious of Blue’s worried expression, she carefully walked toward Scarlet.

“Paul?” she called tentatively. She didn’t see him react. He kept his back turned on her, and ignored her as she approached. “Paul, I’m sorry… I know you’re angry at me, but…”

“You blew it, Karen.”

There was such bitterness in Scarlet’s low tone that it stunned Symphony to a halt, her hand only inches away from touching Scarlet’s shoulder. He spun around suddenly. She found the expression of utter hurt in his eyes even more shocking, and she nearly stepped back.

“It was probably the one and only chance we had to capture Conrad alive,” Scarlet said in a cracked voice, trying to deal with the mixed feelings that were threatening to overwhelm him. He picked up his cap from the counter with a brusque gesture, his accusing eyes not leaving the young woman. “And you blew it.”

“You’re overreacting, Scarlet,” Blue tried again, seeing the distressed expression suddenly appearing on Symphony’s face.

“Am I?” Scarlet snapped in his direction. “Because of this failed mission, Conrad may be trapped forever as a slave of the Mysterons. But we really can’t be sure of that, can we?” He glared at Symphony. “None of us will ever know. Especially not me.” He put his cap on, and nodded at each of the two officers briefly, a cold stare in his blue eyes. “Now if you’ll excuse me… I’ve got an important date to attend.”

He all but shouldered his way past Symphony and walked briskly toward the door. Both Blue and the Angel pilot called after him, but he ignored them. The door slid open and he walked out, not looking back.

As soon as he disappeared, Symphony turned to Blue; she was very pale, and it was so obvious that Scarlet’s accusation had struck home, but there was also a querying expression in her golden eyes that didn’t escape Blue.

“Don’t mind him, Karen,” Blue sighed, approaching her. “He’s pretty upset, but I’m sure he’ll come around eventually…”

“I don’t doubt it, Adam,” she replied, with an almost painful tone. “But I know he’s right… I blew it.”

“Now, stop talking nonsense!” Blue protested.

“No, it’s true,” Symphony insisted. “I blew this mission. It’s my fault Black got away. He used me to make good his escape.”

“He offered you a chance to escape death, and you took it. You shouldn’t feel any regret for that.”

“But he would NEVER have captured me if I had not gone after him to begin with.”

“Karen…” Blue took her by the shoulders and forced her round, to look him in the eyes. She lowered her head, and he gently forced her chin up. “We all make mistakes,” he noted in a gentle voice. “You can’t expect to be perfect all the time – contrary to what some of us may believe,” he added, in a dissatisfied tone.

“Mistakes like that could be fatal, Adam,” Symphony murmured. “It nearly was for me.”

He nodded slowly. A thought crossed his mind, as he looked at the young woman with apprehensive eyes. “When you were his prisoner… Did you… have any doubt he wouldn’t… kill you?”

She seemed surprised by the question. It didn’t take her more than a few seconds to offer her answer. “No. I didn’t doubt he would. Adam, you didn’t see him. It’s not the Conrad we knew. Granted, he never was a very expressive man – he always kept his feelings to himself – but this… man… he was so cold. I couldn’t see, I couldn’t feel any emotion from him. When he was looking at me, it was just as if he didn’t know me – or care about me. I was a stranger he would have to dispose of, or use eventually.” Her eyes trembled a little. “Adam… Was that… what Paul looked like, back then? You were the only one to see him up close, at the Car-Vu… Did he look like Black?”

“At the Car-Vu, I had the impression of facing a stranger myself,” Blue admitted. “And he was acting as if he didn’t know me, too – and was only concerned about his mission.” He nodded slowly. “You told us about Black’s appearance. How pallid he was… And his voice?”

“Not his voice,” Symphony said, shivering. “It was the Voice of the Mysterons… It was their voice I was hearing from his mouth…”

“Scarlet had none of that,” Blue murmured. “As far as the World President could tell us, his voice was his normal self – if not his behaviour. And physically, he hadn’t changed. So I guess there is something different about Black that we have yet to figure out.” He gently stroked Symphony’s cheek. “It was a terrible experience for you, darling. You must have been terrified.”

“Oh, I certainly was,” she answered. “And it was so difficult to try not to show Black how scared I really was.” Symphony lowered her eyes. Blue could tell she was so close to tears. Which seemed so odd to him. His compatriot was such a strong woman, normally. But lately…

“Hey,” he said softly, gently raising her chin again. “What’s up? What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head, not willing to look him in the eyes. Blue knew right there she was lying to him. It was so obvious she was fighting hard not to break down in tears.

“You’re sure?” he insisted.

“Yes, Adam, I… I’m fine. I… It’s just, so many things are happening to me lately, and…”

Blue nodded, finally realising what she meant. It wasn’t just Scarlet’s outburst. It wasn’t Black either. It was something that had hit her closer to home. Something she had told him a couple of days ago.

“I know it must be hard for you, honey,” he murmured. “I still think you should take a few days off. The colonel would understand…”

“Work helps me cope, Big Blue,” Symphony replied swiftly. “If I don’t move on, I will fall apart.”

She was keeping up a strong façade. As always. Blue could see she didn’t wish to elaborate on her earlier problem. She wouldn’t talk about it any more. She hadn’t wanted to earlier, either. But she would have to, very soon. Of her own accord. Or he was afraid she WOULD fall apart.

“I realise that, but… I’d feel better if you would just take it easy a bit. You’re pushing yourself too hard. Look at you, you’re so stressed out…”

She almost chuckled. “Well, if you had been a captive of Captain Black for hours, I’m sure you would be stressed out afterwards, too!”

Blue nodded. Still, she was avoiding the real problem.

“I’m sorry,” he said, deciding not to push the subject. “I wanted so much to get in there and free you from his clutches. But I couldn’t.”

“It’s a good thing you DIDN’T,” Symphony murmured. “He had me under such close surveillance… If anybody had surprised him in there, I’m about sure he would not have hesitated to kill me, right there.”

The words had the effect of stunning Captain Blue. He stared at the Angel pilot for a few silent seconds, letting the revelation sink in. Then he realised fully the extent of what she had just said, and his eyes shone with understanding. He sighed deeply and let go of her, to turn and lean against the counter nearby.

“What an idiot!” Symphony stared at him with perplexity, as he thumped the counter, angrily, and scoffed, with annoyance against himself. “Paul was so right when he said I was thinking with my heart instead of my head. I should have realised…”

“What is it?” Symphony asked with a furrowed brow.

“I just said the most terrible thing to Paul,” Blue murmured. He closed his eyes and took a very deep breath. “Oh, I’m really such a jerk!” he admonished himself. “I told him that he was obsessed with capturing Captain Black…”

“Well, maybe he was… A little,” Symphony conceded.

“… To the point of endangering your life.”

Symphony opened her eyes wide with astonishment. “You didn’t tell him THAT? Adam, what on Earth could have compelled you…”

“…Because he actually stopped me from barging in to save you,” Blue admitted piteously. “I… Well… I suppose in the heat of the moment, I figured he was more concerned with capturing Black than getting you back alive.”

“Adam.” Symphony’s look was now filled with reproach. She glared at him with a very concerned and sad look. “I’m surprised at you. For you to say such a thing… You should have known better than that.”

“I feel like I could kick myself,” Blue sighed. “By stopping me from coming to your rescue, he probably saved your life.” He shook his head in dejection. “Stupid! I’m so stupid! Now what am I gonna do? I hurt him pretty badly!”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Symphony murmured. “That you, his friend, should think so badly of him…”

“I know, believe me, I know. I’ll have to talk to him. Try to make amends, anything.”

Symphony drew closer, and gently forced him to turn around and face her again. She tenderly stroked his cheek, smiling faintly. “I’m sure he’ll forgive you,” she said. “Like I hope he’ll forgive me, someday.”

For a moment, Blue kept silent, following her declaration. Then, he drew her close to him, and nodded slowly. “He’ll come around,” he murmured.

“I don’t know, Big Blue,” she murmured. “I can only hope. He’s REALLY upset at me for blowing this mission.” She nodded in turn. “I think you were right, when you said he had been obsessed with capturing Captain Black. Or he wouldn’t feel this failure so badly.”

“That’s certainly true,” Blue had to agree, staring into space. “He entertains thoughts that we may be able to save Conrad from the Mysterons’ influence. The way he was freed himself. That worries me. Who knows if it won’t hinder his work, next time we run into Black?”

“Should you worry about that, Adam?” Symphony asked with a deep frown. “Paul is too much of a professional to let himself be influenced by such thoughts. He’ll do what he has to, if it should come to it.”

“I wonder,” murmured Blue. “Considering his own experience… And it could depend on how deep this obsession of his is…”

Symphony could see in Blue’s eyes that there was something deeply bothering him. She couldn’t figure why he was so concerned. After all, he should know Paul better than any of them, seeing how closely they’d been working lately, since the colonel had teamed them as field partners. They were more than partners, in fact, they were best friends, almost like brothers. But still, there was doubt in Adam’s features. Something he obviously could not escape. With obvious regret, he let her go, and turned to pick up his cap from the sofa. She watched as he put it on.

“I’m sorry, Karen, I will have to leave you for now, I’ve… There’s something I’ve got to do.”

“You’re going to talk to him right now?” she said with an approving nod.

“I have to talk to the colonel first,” Blue declared, sighing deeply. “I think there’s something Paul needs to know. And I guess only the old man can talk to him about it.”

“What is it?” Symphony asked.

He shrugged. “I can’t really tell you about it, sorry. Not now.”

Symphony frowned with curiosity. “It’s that important?”

“I promise, as soon as I can...”

“It’s okay, Adam,” Symphony said with an understanding nod. “You’ll tell me later.”

Blue was feeling torn between leaving her alone to deal with her personal problems, and staying by her side to comfort her. He felt like a complete heel. “I feel like I’m abandoning you,” he whispered. “You need me and…”

“I can manage for now, Big Blue. Paul needs you more at the moment. I understand. Go.”

Blue nodded reluctantly. “I’ll be back shortly,” he said, turning round to direct his pace toward the exit. “Please, stay here.”

“I’ll wait for you,” Symphony whispered, looking on as the door slid closed on him.

* * *

Cloudbase sports centre was equipped with the best physical training equipment that could be found. A variety of facilities had been installed for every military and civilian use – depending on each person’s aptitudes and skills. Of course, there were areas strictly reserved for military training, like the shooting ranges where officers and security guards often went to improve their aim and shooting capabilities, under firm, secure surveillance, but in general, all equipment and services were available to all.

The fencing hall was one of those areas. Although it was seldom used, there were still some who found themselves going there regularly to exercise themselves in this particularly fine martial sport. Fencing required acute concentration, composure, discipline, sharpened reflexes. A good match between two equally strong and accomplished opponents was often a delightful show. There weren’t that many people on base able to attract a small crowd when it became known that they were to engage in a bout. Two of them were presently using the hall, all by themselves, having taken especially good care not to let the word out that they would be there. As it was, they always preferred to engage alone. Whether it was for their personal pleasure or for better concentration during the duel was an arguable question.

Today, however, one was feeling increasingly frustrated, as the match was moving on and the score remained exasperatingly one-sided.

After a new salute, preceding yet another bout, the shorter of the two opponents launched forward, attacking as aggressively as before, the foil trying to reach the other fencer. The latter started by putting up a valiant resistance, but it was far too obvious he was losing ground. His attacker found a breach in his defence and the foil struck swiftly. A buzzing sound made itself heard as the buttoned point made contact with the plastron and the thin, flexible blade bent into a curve. The fight stopped automatically.

“Touché!” There was no enjoyment whatsoever in the victor’s loud announcement. Irritably, Rhapsody Angel removed the full-face mask hiding her features, and shook her head of red hair, before glaring with furious blue eyes at her opponent. “What is the matter with you?!”

“Touché? Are you sure?” Captain Scarlet said, removing his own mask to look down at his compatriot with perplexity.

She gestured with her foil in the direction of the machine counting the score. “Look for yourself,” she grumbled. “Fifteen to five. You’ve hardly scored a single point!”

Scarlet stared blankly at the final result. Rhapsody moved on. “Okay, that’s the third time. So what’s up?”

At another time, maybe he would have found this almost humiliating, but at the moment, he didn’t seem to care that much. He sighed and gave Rhapsody an apologetic look. She didn’t seem that happy with him.

“Sorry,” he murmured. “I don’t quite know what happened…”

“I’ll tell you what happened,” Rhapsody replied. “You’re not concentrating hard enough, it’s as simple as that!” She shook her head. Her anger cooled down, seeing the almost lost look on her opponent’s features, as he stared again at the score before turning his attention back to her. Surprisingly, his brow was drenched with sweat – more then hers was. And apparently, he was having trouble finding a normal rate for his breathing. She smiled mockingly. “You normally give me a better run for my money, Captain. Am I getting too strong for you? Oh, perhaps you’re getting old?”

“In your dreams, your ladyship,” he mumbled in a very low tone. He sighed deeply, finally finding his normal breathing rate, and looked down at the foil in his hand. “It’s the weapon,” he said almost matter-of-factly. “It’s not a proper sword for a gentleman…”

“Whoever said you were a gentleman?” Rhapsody mocked him, moving towards the rack of swords by the side of the piste. “And using a foil has never hindered you before…” She felt more than saw the furrowed brow he was turning on her. She shrugged negligently. “But if it makes you happy, we’ll change weapons, then. Epée or sabre?” Her hand was touching, almost caressing, the handle of one of the weapons racked side by side near the wall. Scarlet’s frown deepened.

“That’s a man’s epée,” he stated, turning toward the other rack, taking one himself and putting his foil back. “It may be too heavy for you…”

“Oh, really? Well, you should know. You’re supposed to be a master of arms…” Rhapsody’s cheery voice now seemed close behind him and Scarlet turned around… only to stop short when he found himself with the buttoned point of an epée not a inch away from his throat. Beyond the blade and the extended arm, he could see Rhapsody’s smiling eyes looking straight at his hardened face. “En garde, mon capitan,“ she announced with an exaggerated false accent.

“That’s not funny, Rhapsody,” Scarlet declared icily. With his gloved hand, he pushed the blade aside, a little roughly, and went to take his position at the on guard line, half-turning his back on her. “You could hurt someone waving a sword like that!”

She looked at him with mystification. “I hardly think so,” she said with assurance. “Look, it’s not as if it’s the first time I’ve handled this kind of weapon!” He didn’t respond, and she frowned at his silence. “What is the matter with you?” she repeated, walking towards her position. “Haven’t you ever seen any Zorro films?”

She was surprised to see him bristle at the remark. He turned toward her with a deep frown.

Why did she have to mention Zorro? Captain Scarlet thought with annoyance. That was the code-name Captain Black had used in training, when all the Spectrum senior staff had first met at Koala Base, Australia, more than a year ago. It was during a training scenario that Black himself had initiated for them, testing them to see if they could use their initiative, were capable of acting under pressure, and were able to work together. He still remembered vividly how Black had played the part of a bad guy, without letting them know what was really going on. A man full of surprises, Conrad was. There were not really many ways about him: either you liked the guy, or you hated him.

Now Captain Black wasn’t playing anymore. He was the bad guy whom Spectrum had to stop. And at all costs. And that was frustrating Scarlet. A lot more than he would ever have admitted freely, even to Blue.

“Is that where you learned fencing? From films? That would explain everything.” Perhaps, Rhapsody reflected, Scarlet was simply trying to make a joke. Admittedly, a rather bad joke, as he often did, but somehow she doubted it; the tone wasn’t up to it. Rhapsody noticed that it was irritable enough, cold and almost without humour. She let it slide, stoically.

“Now don’t get smart, Captain,” she said elegantly, presenting her newly acquired weapon. “Or I may tell my teacher that you’ve been criticizing my fencing.” She raised an eyebrow in mock seriousness. “I don’t think that Lady Penelope would take kindly to that kind of offence to her star pupil. You could learn a thing or two from her, you know?”

Scarlet grunted, hearing that. “Come on, you don’t think I’d fence with a woman older than my own mother?”

"Oh, NOT very tactful, Captain! I might repeat that to her. She’d challenge you so fast, you wouldn’t know what had hit you!" The ghost of a smile appeared at the corner of the young woman’s lips. "How much are you willing to bet she’d beat the pants off you, despite her age?”

Scarlet frowned again. “Stop being ridiculous,” he mumbled. “Let’s get back to serious business.”

“All right. You asked for it.”

Rhapsody put on the mask and got into position, while Scarlet was doing the same.

As they saluted and crossed swords, they didn’t notice that, a few feet away, the door of the hall slid open, letting a man wearing a black and white uniform enter briskly. Colonel White, commander in chief of Spectrum, stopped in his tracks after clearing the door, and watched with curiosity as the new bout began. Cautiously, he approached, neither of them noticing his presence, and took position against a wall, arms crossed, checking the contest with a scrutinizing gaze, waiting.

The first few seconds passed with sounds of blades clashing loudly in the hall, as the opponents exchanged strikes at a rapid pace. The assault, however, was brief, as Rhapsody saw an opening and swiftly took advantage of it, feinting to strike her opponent on the side. A red light appeared on the scoreboard; at the same time a buzzing sound was heard.

“Touché!” Rhapsody announced.

Scarlet took a step back, apparently not reacting to the news. He put himself on guard again. A new bout engaged. A little fiercer than the preceding one. Rhapsody disengaged swiftly and landed a cutting strike. The buzz was heard again.

“Touché!” She stepped back, playing with the sword. Her tone seemed to betray her good mood. “Had enough?”

“Another try,” Scarlet demanded, taking position.

“Your funeral.”

White watched on as the third engagement took place. This one was certainly more ferocious, with Scarlet pressing the attack. White had no doubt that the man was trying to gain back the points he had lost and was trying to take advantage of his size and strength. In normal occasions, he would show himself more chivalrous while fencing with Rhapsody – probably the only person on base able to stand her ground against him in a fencing match. But today, it seemed that Scarlet was fighting with all he had, with the very intention of winning. The strikes were swift and brutal, but somehow gauche compared to what the colonel knew of Scarlet’s fencing abilities. Despite the fact that she was forced to back away, Rhapsody was resisting the furious assault and deflecting every blow attempted against her. She stopped backing off, and in an attempt to nail her, Scarlet launched forward. Rhapsody crossed and parried the attack; Scarlet’s sword slid against hers and he found himself nearly losing his equilibrium, leaving him vulnerable to Rhapsody’s next attack. Her blade came to rest on the mask bib, right where his throat would be, and Scarlet froze. No buzzing sound, but the fight nevertheless stopped instantly. Slowly, Rhapsody removed her mask, not moving her sword out of the way.

“I suppose we can safely assume that one was touché?” She was breathing hard, and her face was drenched with sweat, her red hair matting her brow. Scarlet had just given her a real work-out, she had to admit. She lowered her sword, allowing Scarlet to straighten up. Sighing, he removed his mask too, and looked crossly at her. He didn’t like to lose, and she knew it. She shook her head. “You nearly had me there, Captain,” she said quietly.

“Yeah,” he grumbled icily. “Nearly. But not quite.”

She tilted her head to one side. “We should be working on that lack of concentration of yours.”

He didn’t care to give an answer. He could have taken that as an insult, but he knew that it wasn’t Rhapsody’s intention to offend him. So he ignored it. He turned round brusquely, and went to slide the sword into the rack, in an almost brutal gesture. “Training finished,” he announced.

“What?” Rhapsody retorted with a frown. “But we’ve just started this match with the…”

“I don’t feel like continuing,” Scarlet cut her off abruptly. “I think that’s rather obvious, isn’t it?”

His tone was really disagreeable, and was really starting to get on Rhapsody’s nerves. “What I find obvious,” she replied, rather dryly, to his turned back, “is that you’re in a bloody awful mood. I don’t know what’s bothering you, but I think it’s probably the cause of your bad performance. You might as well not have come to this session; that would have saved us both a lot of hassle!”

Scarlet scowled. He hated to admit it, but she was right. Since his return from that last mission, he had been venting his frustration on just about everybody – Blue, Symphony, and even Rhapsody herself, at the moment. They were all victims of his bad temper.

“Sorry,” he murmured in an almost inaudible tone, without turning around. She didn’t hear him.

“What did you say?”

“I said ‘sorry’,” he retorted with impatience, turning on his heel to look at her. “I’m sorry I was such a hopeless case. I’m sorry that I made you waste your time, and I’m sorry I snapped at you!”

“You’re doing it again,” she replied harshly, her eyes flashing as much as his. “You’re not sorry at all!”

“Rhapsody, I…”

It was only at that moment that Scarlet noticed Colonel White, standing only a few feet behind the young woman. Automatically, he straightened himself up. Rhapsody, for her part, had not yet seen their commander, and was about to launch into a voluble harangue, undoubtedly intended to tell her compatriot just what she thought of his behaviour.

“I don’t know what your problem is, Captain,” she started, in a voice that was anything but calm, and pointing an accusatory finger at Scarlet, “and you know what? I don’t bloody care! Next time you have a problem you can’t leave behind when you do anything with me – fencing or anything else – just damn' well say so from the start. And we won’t waste our bloody time like we just did and get on each other’s nerves!” She suddenly noticed how rigid Scarlet was standing before her – almost as if he was standing to attention. She felt rather than saw the presence behind her. A second later, she heard someone clear his throat.

“Rhapsody, would you leave us alone for a minute?”

Rhapsody kept herself from scowling, at the sound of Colonel White’s tranquil, yet firm voice. She almost wished that the Earth would open up before her feet to swallow her; she felt very fortunate to have her back turned to her commander, because she knew her embarrassment was very apparent on her face – and so plain for Scarlet to see. He was keeping as impassive an expression as possible, but she could see by the glitter in his eyes that he was finding some enjoyment at seeing her so discomfited. She could have kicked herself for allowing herself to give him this spectacle. She could have kicked him too.

By the time she turned around, she had quickly regained her composure to face a quiet-looking Colonel White.

“Sir, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you arrive…”

“Obviously.” He gestured swiftly when he saw her coming to attention. “That’s not necessary,” he added courteously. “Please, can you leave us? I have to talk with Captain Scarlet for a moment.”

“Of course, sir.” Rhapsody addressed an old-fashioned look toward the man standing behind her. “Captain Scarlet and I had finished our ‘exercise’ anyway…” she muttered between her teeth.

She sidestepped to slide her sword into the rack along the wall, then left, without so much as looking over her shoulder. Both Scarlet and White watched as the door closed behind her. Then White turned to his younger compatriot, who felt the need to snap to full attention.

“At ease, Captain,” the Colonel required, his voice still calm. He gave but one glance toward the closed door as Scarlet was relaxing, obviously curious about what he had just witnessed. Believing his commander might be upset, Scarlet cleared his throat, sensing he had to explain.

“Sir, about what just happened here, it wasn’t Rhapsody’s fault. I…”

“I’m not overly concerned by that… argument, Captain.” White shook his head. It wasn’t the first time his two compatriots had clashed over one subject or another – there were plenty of disputes as far as they were concerned. And considering each of these two officers’ fiery tempers and personalities, the sparks flew high and strong. But always, they extinguished very quickly. White even suspected that they both took pleasure in making the other fly off the handle.

White walked around slowly, turning towards the rack of swords. He took one in his hand and examined it closely, before putting it back. “Rhapsody was right, you know? You were lacking concentration during that fencing match with her. She was practically wiping the floor with you.”

Scarlet scowled. “I know, sir. I was… distracted.”

“Distracted. Yes.” White turned a grave look upon Scarlet. “The problem goes deeper than that, doesn’t it?”

The young officer frowned, understanding what he was implying. “You talked to Captain Blue, Colonel?”

“Yes, I did. He told me of the other argument you had with him.” White nodded slowly. “Now that one, I AM concerned about.”

Scarlet sighed. “Sir, if I may say so, I fully intend to settle this dispute with Captain Blue as soon as possible. You know we won’t let this hinder our work.”

“I don’t doubt it for an instant. But there is something else he told me that give me greater cause for concern.”

Scarlet nearly grumbled, but caught himself just in time. “Sir, if it’s about Symphony Angel…”

“Indirectly, yes.”

Scarlet frowned. “About Captain Black, then.”

White nodded. “Yes, about Captain Black.” He nodded again, ever so slowly. “Captain Blue told me that he thought that during this last mission, you had become obsessed with capturing Captain Black. And that this obsession was still very present.”

Hearing those words, Scarlet became agitated, and started to protest. “Sir, that’s b…”

“…And,” White continued, cutting him off before he could say more, “seeing how ‘distracted’ you were just now, I suspect that Captain Blue might just be right in his assumptions.”

Scarlet closed his mouth automatically. He could see little point in arguing with his commander’s comments. The latter examined the solemn features of the young man standing in front of him. Then he gestured toward a bench set against the wall, next to the rack of swords.

“Sit down, Paul. We need to talk.”

It wasn’t often that the colonel would call one of his officers by his real name. Even off duty, he abided strictly by the rule of using the code-name that had been given to them on their recruitment to Spectrum. Something serious was going on, and Scarlet wasn’t really sure he liked it. Almost reluctantly, he obeyed the invitation – that sounded so much like an order to his ears. White stayed on his feet in front of him. That was making the younger man feel uncomfortable. Scarlet cleared his throat.

“We nearly had him, sir,” he told him with a grim tone.

“I know,” White answered pensively.

“He slipped right through the net we established for him,” Scarlet continued.

“He always was the clever agent, Captain,” White reminded him. “We should have been more careful.” He paused a second. “We all made mistakes during this operation. Symphony wasn’t the only one. You should not blame her for this failure.”

“I…” Scarlet sighed again, very deeply, and closed his eyes. “You’re right, we all made mistakes,” he admitted. “I was in charge of the ground operation. When we went after Black, I didn’t think of leaving someone to keep an eye out at the Culver Atomic Centre. Black took advantage of the fact there wasn’t any surveillance there to escape. I blame myself for that.”

“As much as you blame Symphony?”

“Probably more,” Scarlet replied in a grim tone. “I know I’ve been unfair to her, Colonel. But…” He hesitated a second, unsure how to present his argument. He didn’t seem to be able to, and lowered his gaze. “I can’t help myself, I feel so frustrated. We HAD him within our reach,” he repeated emphasizing the declaration by clenching his fist on an invisible target. “And he escaped us.”

White nodded his understanding. The latter sighed and looked at him. “I’m sorry, sir.”

“For what?”

The question seemed to surprise Scarlet. “He was your friend too,” he explained. “You’ve known him far longer than any of us. I thought that, of all of us, you’d be the most eager to see Captain Black…”

“Apprehended?” White offered, seeing that Scarlet was again searching for his words. He raised an eyebrow. “Yes, I want him captured. As quickly as possible. His running free is a risk to Earth security. He must be stopped, before he does too much damage on behalf of the Mysterons. And if he can’t be captured alive, then…” White left the rest in suspension. There was little point in finishing the sentence. Scarlet knew what he was implying. Like all other Spectrum officers, he knew where his duty lay. But obviously, he still had some uncertainty within himself. Perhaps because of his own situation in regard of the Mysterons. The colonel glared down at him, before adding, “Captain, if it had come to it… If you had been forced to face Captain Black, and you had had no other choice but to shoot him… Would you have done it?”

Scarlet slowly nodded a positive answer, glaring at his commander. “I would, sir,” he said without hesitation. Especially if it would have meant saving another’s life, he added inwardly, thinking that he would have done it without any hesitation to save Symphony’s life. He straightened himself on his seat. “I know my duty, Colonel,” he said, in a tone that was almost challenging. “You shouldn’t have to ask that question.”

“I felt that I had to,” White replied, nodding. “You’re a good officer, Captain Scarlet. But I had to know to what extent you were prepared to take risks, in order to take Captain Black alive.”

Scarlet’s features became hard. That sounded awfully like a reminder of Blue’s earlier accusations. The thought of it was still very painful.

“Not to the point of endangering a mission, Colonel,” he said, a little dryly. “Or another’s life. And you can be assured, that if fate ever permits us another chance to apprehend Black – I won’t hesitate then, either.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Captain,” White answered, not without satisfaction, sitting down on the bench next to his junior officer.

Scarlet stared at his commander with an inquiring look. White had a good idea what question was now burning the younger man’s lips. “Sir, I must add this, though: What if we were able to capture him alive? Don’t you think there’s a chance that we’ll be able to free him from the Mysterons’ influence?”

“And how would we be able to do that?” White asked pointedly.

“Sir, I was freed from them.”

White arched a brow. “Do you suggest we throw him off an 800 foot high building and hope it’ll work?”

“Of course not!” Scarlet protested.

“You had A LOT of luck, Captain. Maybe one chance in a million, who knows? Can we expect that would happen to Captain Black? And how can we be so sure that it’s not already too late for him?”

“Too late? Too late for what?”

“You were stopped before you could carry out the Mysterons’ threat,” White reminded Scarlet with a very gloomy tone. “Before you actually killed on their behalf. Even if you had been freed from them afterwards, do you think you would have been accepted back so freely, after killing the World President? As hard as I might have tried, I doubt the higher authorities would have agreed that you’d retain your freedom – let alone be reinstated in Spectrum.” White shook his head. “I’m afraid that, in the case of Captain Black, he’s already gone too far…”

“And what if there were still enough of him to be saved?” Scarlet declared.

White narrowed his eyes at him. “I’m not so sure,” he replied. “With what he’s done so far…”

“Sir…”

“I have received many reports from Intelligence, regarding the Mysteron incidents we have had to face since the beginning of this war,” White interrupted subtly. “The atomic bomb in London… Captain Black was reported in the vicinity, when the van transporting the bomb was hi-jacked on the night it disappeared. Granted, Intelligence doesn’t know how he was involved, but certainly, he had a hand in that Mysteron operation.”

“Sir, if you’ll pardon me for being blunt,” Scarlet replied, “nobody was killed during that affair. We succeeded in thwarting the Mysterons’ plans.”

“But London was almost blown to smithereens, with only seconds to spare,” White objected pointedly. “Yes, you’re right… Nobody was killed that time. But there have been other times.” The Spectrum commander sighed and stood up. “The DT19 that was taken over by the Mysterons when the Asian Director General was killed? Hundreds of people onboard, sacrificed to the Mysterons’ plans of vengeance, just so they could take control of that plane and try to ram it into the Asian Director’s craft.” His expression became bleak. “Captain Black was sighted at New York Airport. The liner took off from there some hours earlier.”

Scarlet paled, hearing the words and their implication. “You don’t mean to say he sabotaged that liner?” he murmured.

“I have to admit,” White pursued, “the investigation that followed the crash of the original DT19 showed not a single trace of sabotage had been performed on it. But the two black boxes recording both the crew conversation and the technical data concerning the flight showed that something peculiar happened then. Something that definitely involved the Mysterons.”

“Well, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that in anybody’s mind, sir,” Scarlet declared sombrely. “But to think that Captain Black… Conrad… might have been involved in the deaths of so many civilians… That’s not like him at all. He dedicated his life to protecting innocents.”

White nodded. “What about Erik Dalton?” he added. “That’s the Spectrum agent posing as a mechanic at the Delta Garage in Stone Point Village. Do you have the slightest doubt it was Captain Black who killed him?”

Scarlet lowered his gaze. “No, sir,” he murmured. “I will never forget how horrible that man’s death must have been.” Scarlet looked up again, as a thought imposed itself in his mind. “What about Symphony?”

“He nearly killed her.”

“He didn’t, Colonel. He let her live. You’ve heard Symphony’s report. What he told her…”

“…is of little consequence. Captain, he ONLY let her live because he NEEDED her alive, to act as a decoy. It was only a question of strategy for him to let her live or die. And if you’re honest with yourself, you would admit that you thought the same – that you also were as afraid as any of us that he might kill her.”

“I was, yes,” Scarlet agreed reluctantly. “I was afraid for her life, and I was hoping she would be all right.” He grunted and ran his hand through his dark hair, tiredly. “I was hoping that he wouldn’t hurt her… on the basis that he knew her… That he would somehow remember her and… let her go.”

“Considering how YOU acted yourself when under the Mysterons’ influence – taking shots at Captain Blue, regardless of the fact that you knew him as your friend and colleague… do you really believe THAT?” Scarlet only glared at his commander in silence. White sighed deeply and shook his head of silver hair. “Symphony was very lucky that he needed her alive to make good his escape. In any other circumstances, I believe he WOULD have killed her. Without any hesitation.”

It was impossible to read any feelings on White’s set face. It was as if there weren’t any. That was getting on Scarlet’s nerves. His brow furrowed deeply.

“How can you be so sure of that, sir?” he remarked, bristling and narrowing his eyes at White, with obvious discontentment. “It’s as if you don’t even WANT to allow him the benefit of the doubt!”

White certainly noticed the aggressive tone in the younger man’s voice, and the anger glittering in his eyes. He could have reprimanded him for talking to his superior officer in such a way. Not that it would have had any effect on Scarlet, or achieved any results, considering the circumstances. White could easily deduce what was going on in the captain’s mind, after having heard Captain Blue’s earlier report, and now having talked to him, and adding to that Scarlet’s own painful experience with the Mysterons. The captain was feeling frustrated that a friend, a colleague, was being discarded that way, that any apparent hope had been given up on him. That he, Captain Scarlet, seemed to be the only one left to hope that there could be a chance for him. It was probable that Scarlet was putting himself in Black’s place, because of that apparent similitude there was between them.

But the similarity between Scarlet and Black ended with the fact that both men had been taken over by the Mysterons. Even the way they were taken over was different – although it was unsure how it had happened with Black, White knew very well that it couldn’t have been in the same circumstances as Scarlet. The British officer himself didn’t know as yet of all the details of what had been discovered about his ‘first death’, Mysteronisation and later ‘resurrection’ – as Doctor Fawn had called it himself, on a couple of occasions.

Now was the time to come clean. After those months of silence, Scarlet needed to know the truth. Maybe it would hurt him. Surely, he wouldn’t like hearing it. But it would certainly put his mind to rest – and help him to see this new Captain Black in another light.

White took a deep breath, then looked Scarlet right in the eyes.

“Captain, I would like to give Black the benefit of the doubt, but I can’t. Because I know what he’s now capable of. If I’m so certain that he would have killed Symphony without any hesitation – it’s because I know he’s already killed a Spectrum agent he knew well – and was friends with.”

“You’re talking about Dalton, sir?”

White shook his head again. “No. Not Dalton,” he said grimly. “As far as I know, Black and Dalton didn’t know each other. I’m talking about someone else.”

Scarlet frowned, obviously curious about his commander’s mysterious statement.

“Someone I know?”

White nodded slowly. Scarlet quickly stood up.

“Who?” he asked again.

White gravely pointed his finger to the young officer. “You.”

Scarlet’s eyes went wide with incredulity. His mind blanked for a second. He could only stare, wondering what kind of sick game was being played on him at the moment. He shook his head, not understanding, not wanting to believe.

“Me…?” he said almost inaudibly. “W-what do you mean? I…” He shook himself, trying to regain his composure, and found his voice again: “What are you talking about?”

White shook his head one last time. He put a calming hand on Scarlet’s shoulder, and, his eyes not leaving the young man’s troubled features, invited him to sit down again with him. “There is something you still don’t know,” he said in a lower tone. “Something that I feel is now time for you to learn, Captain. And I’m sorry to say… It won’t be easy for you to hear it…”

Chapter 2

Destiny Angel still had another twenty minutes stand-by duty in the Amber Room before she was due to take Harmony's place in Angel One. For the last hour, she had been reading the last chapter of her book, hoping that she'd have time to finish it. She raised her eyes from it when the door slid open to let Rhapsody Angel enter, in full uniform and with her crash helmet in hand. By the looks of her, Destiny could see she was rather upset, although she was doing her best not to show it. Melody, who was in the Amber Room with Destiny, didn't notice, and when Rhapsody offered her to relieve her right away, the American pilot was quick to accept. After dividing the last eight hours between Angel One and the Amber Room, Melody had only one thing in mind - a very important date with a hot tub and plenty of bubbles. Destiny had groaned loudly, watching her go with envy, at the same time addressing a salute to Rhapsody. It was answered only by a faint mumble, as Rhapsody went straight to the coffee maker. Destiny waited until Melody had disappeared behind the sliding door, and turned toward her English colleague.

With curiosity, Destiny watched as Rhapsody, after putting her helmet down on the counter with more force than was necessary, was making herself a big mug of coffee. Her gestures were brusque enough, and she was apparently treating mug, spoon and sugar bowl as if they were her worst enemies in the world. When Rhapsody threw the spoon onto the counter, as if she would rather have speared someone with it, Destiny creased her brows in quiet perplexity.

“I can see you are preoccupied.”

Rhapsody turned around; her blue eyes were blazing with anger. “That man!” she suddenly lashed out. “I’ve never met a more infuriating man in all my life!”

Calmly, Destiny put down her book. She wouldn’t have the time to finish it after all. “And what did Paul do this time?”

“How do you know I was talking about him?” Rhapsody asked with furrowed brows.

“Simple. He’s the only person I know – man or woman – who would put you in such an agitated state.”

“That’s not true,” Rhapsody defended herself abruptly, her face keeping her harsh expression. “Have you ever met my father?”

Destiny chuckled. “Now, what is it this time?”

“You know, I could kill him. I could positively KILL him!”

“Good thing he’s indestructible then.”

“Okay, that settles it. I WILL kill him!” Rhapsody let out an infuriated growl. “Oh, I can’t believe he could do a thing like that! He made me look like a perfect fool in front of the colonel! I was there, arguing with him, insulting him…”

“Again…” Destiny said matter-of-factly.

“… And the colonel was behind me, which, of course, I didn’t realise, hearing all of it, and he didn’t tell me!”

“The colonel?”

“No! Captain Scarlet!”

“And he knew Colonel White was there?”

“Of course, he knew! What do you think, he was RIGHT in front of him! And he just let me ramble on and on, and didn’t even warn me of the colonel’s presence!”

“Er… Well, did he really have time to warn you if you were actually rambling like you say you were?”

Rhapsody gave her obviously-amused colleague an old-fashioned look. “Nevertheless,” she replied harshly, “I could see he was enjoying every second of it! He was just standing there, looking at me, with that… that sly smirk on his face that made me want to… to…”

“Kill him?” Destiny offered, remembering her friend’s earlier statement.

“Punch him in the face!” Rhapsody retorted, coming down to a more practical reality.

Destiny chuckled again. “Oh now! That’s something I would like to see!”

“Be careful what you wish for, Juliette!” Rhapsody warned, an ominous note of promise in her voice. “Because you know that MIGHT just happen!”

Destiny had trouble concealing her amused smile, upon hearing the threat. She knew Rhapsody didn’t really mean it. No matter how ticked off she seemed at the moment against Scarlet. This wasn’t the first time these two had clashed, or the first time that she, as a friend of them both, had been called to witness either one of the opponents’ ‘rightful anger’. But any argument they might have had between them never lasted long. Generally, before the day was through, all had been forgiven, and forgotten, as if nothing had happened at all, and they were again ‘the best buddies in the world’. In Destiny’s eyes, it was as if the two of them were playing some sort of a game. A game of cat and mouse, where neither one of them seemed to be really aware of what was the real stake. But Destiny knew, all right. She had long suspected it - and the passing of time only served to confirm that her suspicions were correct. She sighed heavily, shaking her head with a look toward her fuming friend that seemed to mean that she was hopeless.

“Really, Dianne, when will you admit it?”

“Admit WHAT?” Rhapsody snapped, looking dangerously at her.

“That you…” Destiny carefully weighed how she would phrase it. She toned it down, carefully: “…like him?”

Rhapsody hesitated. “Of course, I like him!” she replied brusquely, throwing up her hands. “What do you think? We’re friends… Sort of.”

“Sort of.” Destiny raised a brow. “Nothing more?”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Vraiment! I despair of you, Dianne! Do I have to spell it out for you?”

The look Rhapsody then gave her explicitly told Destiny that she understood quite well what she meant. As well as the loud, derisive scoff that followed. “Hey! Oh, are YOU barking up the wrong tree! Whatever you think, it’s not that at all!”

“Oh, really?” Destiny smiled. “You are sure?”

“Oh, yes, I’m QUITE sure!” Rhapsody replied. She eyed her friend suspiciously. By her look, it was far too obvious that Destiny didn’t believe her. “Juliette, really! Exactly what are you thinking?”

“I don’t know, Dianne. You tell me.” The perfect air of innocence displayed by Destiny was positively exasperating, in Rhapsody’s point of view. The French pilot definitely had her mind fixed on that idea of hers, and Rhapsody wasn’t sure she was happy with it in the slightest.

“I have nothing to tell you,” the British Angel replied, very slowly. “WE are simply friends, nothing more.”

“Riiiight.” Destiny picked up her book again, shrugging her shoulders. “You can continue denying it, then.”

“I’m NOT denying anything!” Rhapsody almost shouted.

“Look.” Destiny sighed and put down her book. “I think I know you fairly well, Rhapsody Angel. And I think I’m the one who knows HIM best…”

“Considering that you were once involved with him…” Rhapsody mumbled. A thought came to her. “Say, is that why you’re making these preposterous suggestions about us? Is it because YOU want to rekindle your relationship with him?”

“Oh, now, THAT’S preposterous!” Destiny scoffed loudly. “He’s not interested with me at all…”

“He didn’t take ME to London two weeks ago…”

“Is that what’s bothering you?” Destiny asked innocently. “You would have wanted to go in my place?”

“I certainly didn’t!” Rhapsody protested vehemently. “Are you suggesting that I was… jealous of you, because of that? You’re wrong!”

“And he didn’t take me either. He took Melody,” Destiny corrected. “I was just there for the ride, with Adam.”

“So he’s a philanderer, then,” Rhapsody said, shrugging her shoulders, as if the matter didn’t concern her at all. “So why should he interest me?”

“He certainly is not,” Destiny scoffed. She narrowed her eyes at her friend. “I’ll let you know that Melody and I shared a room at the hotel…”

“Why would I need you to tell me that?”

“Because I can tell that question is bothering you.”

“Well, you’re wrong again! It is NOT bothering me. That you should make that assumption is...”

“…Not as revolting as YOUR suggestion that Paul could be a philanderer,” Destiny cut in suddenly. “Really, it surprises me that you should think such a thing of him!”

“Okay!” Rhapsody replied, throwing her hands up. “Okay, you’re right. I went overboard… I didn’t really mean it…”

“Mind you, some years ago, you might have been right,” Destiny then replied, much to Rhapsody’s dismay. The English pilot felt as if her friend was throwing oil on the fire. And on purpose, probably to see how she would react. Destiny feigned not to see Rhapsody’s furrowed brow, as she took on some kind of a dreamy look, and let out a sigh, letting her mind wander. “I remember, when we were both stationed on that base in the Azores. All the female staff there had only eyes for him. And it was so obvious he wasn’t indifferent to that kind of attention… He was himself very… attentive to the fairer sex.”

“Juliette…”

“…Such a dashing young captain! So tall and handsome, and smart… He was so courteous, always knew the right words to say to a woman to seduce her completely… I tell you he was quite a lady killer…”

Rhapsody’s brow furrowed even deeper, her blue eyes, flashing with irritation, almost disappearing completely. Destiny didn’t seem to notice and continued her trip down memory lane. “But then, I arrived, and that changed. I tell you, I’m sure we broke quite a few hearts when we started going steady…”

“All right!” Rhapsody protested loudly. “I have heard enough!”

“What?” Destiny asked with affected surprise. “Am I bothering you?”

“You know bloody well you’re bothering me!” Rhapsody snapped, much to Destiny’s amusement, as she knew Rhapsody only used that kind of language when she was exceptionally inflamed. “You want me to say it? Right! He is witty and handsome, and charming… With that exasperating… roguish… smile of his… And his fascinating blue eyes…” Her voice trailed off, as her eyes took on a pensive look. She looked down, with a faintly distressed expression, at her smirking friend.

“You do find him attractive, chérie,” Destiny remarked with a knowing nod.

“I do not!” Rhapsody protested loudly, trying to muster in her voice as much assurance as she could. She was still denying it, but Destiny couldn’t be fooled. She watched with amusement as the British Angel sat down with a huff next to her. “That would be terrible!” she declared, her voice already less assured.

Destiny was wondering with perplexity at what could be so terrible about falling for Captain Scarlet, and was about to ask her friend the question when the door slid open, to let Symphony Angel enter. The American pilot was coming for her time of stand-by duty with Rhapsody in the Amber Room. Destiny put aside her questions for Rhapsody, with every intention of coming back to them later on. It was so obvious that the English pilot was pleased by the distraction provided by Symphony’s arrival.

Just you wait, mon amie, Destiny thought mischievously. I’m not done with you yet.

For the time being, however, all of her concern, and Rhapsody’s, was turned toward Symphony.

“Hi, Symphony,” Rhapsody said tentatively.

The American girl only answered with a very faint mumble and a nod in their direction, before going to sit on the other sofa, as far away as possible from them. Both Rhapsody and Destiny exchanged a look. They could see she didn’t want to talk to them at all. And both knew why. Destiny cleared her throat.

“Symphony, can we…”

“No.”

Destiny frowned, hearing the more than obvious annoyance –almost animosity – in Symphony’s voice. She looked toward Rhapsody, who was staring at the American pilot, with the same concern as before. Rhapsody glanced at Destiny, and, deciding to wait, said nothing right away, and let the French pilot continue her inquiry.

“How can you say ‘no’ before I actually finish asking my question?” Destiny asked.

“Because I know you want to talk about what happened and I don’t feel like it,” Symphony replied with a sigh. “I’ve heard enough about it as it is.”

“Yes, but…”

“Listen, I know I’ve been stupid, than I acted too brashly, that I put the mission in jeopardy – not to mention my life. I heard all of that today, and I’ve been lectured more than my share for this century. So if you don’t mind, I’d like to be left alone, thank you very much!”

“But…” Destiny closed her mouth when she saw Symphony take a magazine from the table next to her and open it with a brusque gesture, putting it up in front of her face more as a shield than to express her intention of reading it. That irritated Destiny, and she herself picked up the novel she had been reading for the last hour. “Fine!” she snapped. “Have it your way, then! I’ll talk to you when you’re in a better mood!”

“If it’s for the same thing, don’t bother!” Symphony growled behind her magazine.

Rhapsody, with a mystified look, was staring from one Angel to the other, unsure if she should intervene.

“What an awful temper you have!” Destiny replied, opening her book with such energy that she practically tore it in two. “I just wanted to make sure you were all right, that’s all!”

She put her nose into her book, fuming, and didn’t see as Symphony hesitantly looked over the pages of her magazine to glance with regret in her direction. The American pilot was about to say something, but just at that moment, noticed the questioning expression on Rhapsody’s face, and her direct gaze. She plunged her head back in the magazine, with a brusque gesture.

For a moment, there was only a heavy silence in the Amber Room, with none of the Angels speaking. Rhapsody, who had had about enough of seeing her two friends pouting like schoolgirls was about to reprimand them when the sound of the elevator behind the Amber Doors made itself heard. She turned around, as did Destiny, in time to see the doors open and Harmony stepping down from the elevator seat. Destiny was up in a second, collecting her helmet.

“Well,” she said with a sigh, “my turn now.”

“You’re going NOW, with her…” Rhapsody gestured toward Symphony, who only got a peek over her magazine in their direction. Destiny only glanced at the American, before shrugging.

“I think I’ll give her the time to cool down a little. Maybe she’ll be more sociable when I come back. And we’ll be able to have a civilized conversation?”

“Depends on the subject,” Symphony grumbled behind her magazine.

Destiny glared at her before turning to the elevator seat. “See you later,” she said quietly to Rhapsody.

The latter nodded, and Destiny went to take her place on the seat, while Harmony, who didn’t seem to have noticed anything wrong, was removing her helmet, advancing to the middle of the room. The amber doors closed on Destiny, and the seat was taken up to Angel One, waiting for her new pilot to take the helm.

“You look like you had a rough time,” Symphony said to Harmony, putting down her magazine, now that she had escaped Destiny’s too indiscreet inquiries.

The Japanese-Chinese Angel answered with a faint smile, ruffling her now free hair. She’d had a good twelve hours of ongoing duty, splitting her time between Angel One and the Amber Room. Now it was obvious she was in desperate need of rest. She declined Symphony’s offer to give her some coffee. “No, thank you,” she said with a sigh. “If you don’t mind, I am going to take my leave. I have a very important date – first with a very HOT shower, then with my bed.”

“Then you shouldn’t make them wait,” Rhapsody smiled with a sympathetic expression. “You look as if you’re ready to drop.”

“I hope we won’t have any alert for the next few hours,” Harmony grumbled. “I do not want THEM to spoil my off-duty time…” She nodded tiredly, and directed her pace toward the exit. “See you later, girls. Have fun.”

The door slid open in front of her and she left, under the watchful eyes of both Symphony and Rhapsody. When the door closed on the departing Angel, Rhapsody turned around to face Symphony. Her expression was quiet enough, and she didn’t give the impression of wanting to say anything. The American pilot reached for her magazine again, but hesitated to open it. Rhapsody’s silence was getting to her. She sighed.

“You won’t start with me again, will you?” she implored.

“You’ve heard enough about it,” Rhapsody replied with a nod. “You were right about that. But I think you were a little harsh on Destiny just then.”

“Maybe I was,” Symphony conceded. “But… Dianne, you know how she is, sometimes. She can act so motherly towards us – I mean, I knew what she was going to say. I couldn’t take it…”

“Karen, she was afraid for you. We all were afraid for you. You can’t blame us for showing our concern.” Rhapsody came to sit down next to her, reached for her friend’s hand, and squeezed it. “It was awful for US – I can’t imagine what it must have been like for YOU. We are so relieved to see you are all right! All of us.”

“All, you’re sure?” Symphony murmured, looking down.

“Whatever do you mean?”

Symphony shook her head. “Nothing. Just me being silly, I guess…”

“Is there something bothering you, Karen?” Symphony raised her head; her golden eyes were trembling. Rhapsody nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, there is something bothering you. Or maybe someone…? Because of that incident, or…”

Symphony shrugged, trying to show some indifference. “I admit the ‘incident’ in question is getting to me, but… that’s not the real problem… ”

“Karen, it’s quite normal, you know. You were taken hostage by Captain Black and you didn’t know what he would do to you. Why, it’s no wonder that you would want to…”

“…Break down?” Symphony looked down again. “It’s not what you think, it… I can deal with that failed mission, I…” Symphony’s voice broke; concerned, Rhapsody moved closer to her, putting an arm round her shoulders, in a comforting way. Tears were bordering Symphony’s eyes; she was reluctant to look up and kept her eyes down, staring at her hands, that were now quivering nervously. Rhapsody’s concern turned into deep alarm.

“You shouldn’t be here,” the English pilot murmured. “It’s far too soon after that mission. You…”

“It’s not that,” Symphony cut in, shaking her head. “I shouldn’t have gone on that mission, in the first place.”

“Is there something beside that?” Rhapsody asked. Seeing that Symphony wasn’t about to open up, she continued, gently, “Don’t keep it bottled up, Karen. I’m here. You can talk to me about it…”

“I thought I would be able to deal with it…” Symphony suddenly broke down in tears, much to Rhapsody’s dismay. She drew the blonde girl closer to her and permitted her to cry on her shoulder, gently patting her back soothingly. The English pilot couldn’t understand what could be going on exactly with Symphony. She was such a strong person, not so easily prone to tears, but now, she was crying like a lost little girl, seemingly unable to stop herself.

Maybe Captain Blue would know what’s going on… Rhapsody thought, the concern growing in her. She knew about the special bond between her two colleagues. She was one of the few people Symphony had actually confided in about it.

“Shall I call Adam?”

Symphony’s answer on the subject was an energetic shake of the head, as she continued to sob on Rhapsody’s shoulder. Adam’s presence would be good for her, Rhapsody reflected.

“No. He’s… he’s busy at the moment. I can’t bother him with that…”

“I’m sure he won’t feel that you’re bothering him,” Rhapsody replied. “You obviously need him by your side at the moment. Karen, you can’t do Amber Room duty in this state. I’ll call Melody to take your place, and Adam will take you back to your room. You need to rest and…”

“No.” Symphony straightened up and brushed away her tears, with an annoyed gesture. “No, I’ll be all right. I… I want to stay here, with you. I need to talk to you…” She presented a faint, very uncomfortable smile. “Adam’s a great guy, and he’s very supportive, but you are a better listener…”

“All right, then,” Rhapsody murmured. “You can stay. But I’ll be calling Adam, no matter what.”

Symphony nodded briefly, and Rhapsody reached for the comm. link set on the table in front of them. The call to Captain Blue was brief; as soon as he heard that Symphony might need him, the American captain had confirmed that he would come to the Amber Room right away. Cutting the link, Rhapsody turned to Symphony. The blonde pilot had calmed down considerably. But she was still obviously very upset.

“Now, while we’re waiting for Adam to arrive,” Rhapsody said gently, “tell me. What’s the matter?”

“Dianne…” Symphony lowered her eyes again. The tears were still there, but she had control over them. Just. Rhapsody could see it wouldn’t take much for her to break down again. “I feel so terrible… I… I haven’t had time to assimilate this…” She raised her eyes to Rhapsody, who was staring at her with an mixture of curiosity and concern. “I should have been there,” Symphony continued. “But I wasn’t… I didn’t have the chance to see him one last time… To be near him when…”

Her voice broke again, and she looked away. Rhapsody, who was still wondering what could be upsetting her friend, lifted her chin gently, to look into her moist eyes.

“What is it, Karen?” she asked in a near whisper. “What is wrong?”

Symphony closed her eyes and let the tears roll down her cheeks for a short instant. Then she looked at Rhapsody again, with an expression of sadness and loss so deep that the English pilot felt her heart instantly sink at the sight. She barely heard Symphony’s next reply, when she finally answered, with a voice so little, Rhapsody was barely able to hear it:

“My dad died…”

* * *

How can this be happening?

Captain Scarlet was sitting in front of his computer, in his quarters, grimly consulting the files to which Colonel White had earlier given him access. The uneasiness he had been feeling since the colonel had talked to him earlier in the day had done nothing but increase, as he went further into his reading.

When Colonel White had told him all about this terrible secret he was holding – all about that murder Scarlet had been victim of some months earlier, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Of course, he knew that the… car accident had been orchestrated by the Mysterons. He knew they wanted to use him – and Captain Brown – for their own evil plans, and that they needed him and his partner dead for that purpose… But he never knew all the details. He never knew the hand that Captain Black himself had had in this. Conrad, his one-time rival, his trainer, his partner – his friend. Conrad had been the one who had killed him. Without any mercy.

He felt sick. Distressed. Lost. Almost betrayed.

“Why haven’t you told me about this before?” he had asked with grief after the colonel had finished his long, obviously gruelling speech. “Why wait until today, all these months later, before telling me? I don’t understand…”

“It was a group decision, Captain,” White had answered, keeping his eyes levelled at the young man who was looking at him almost in an accusing way. “Me. Doctor Fawn. Doctor Weiss. It was so early after you had… returned to us. There was so much we didn’t understand about the experience you had been through. Let’s face it, A LOT had happened to you. We didn’t know how you would react to all of this coming at you all at once…”

“You told me the rest, why not that last thing?”

“It would have been difficult to hide it from you, don’t you think? Already, telling you about the dead body – your first body – was a decision I wasn’t very sure was a wise one. But considering the events, we didn’t think we had much of a choice. You would have learned about the Mysterons’ capacity to recreate life – you would have easily put two and two together.”

OK, maybe he was right about that one, Scarlet thought grimly. He would have found out that. But still, that last revelation, carefully kept from him, was pretty hard to swallow. But he had no reason not to believe it was true. After all, he was the one who had brought it to light, months ago. During that session with Doctor Weiss, with the truth serum. He had been the only witness to report the incident, and the secret was locked up in his head, only to be unlocked once, before going back into the recess of his memories. Out of his personal reach.

He didn’t remember any of what had happened during that experience. He only recalled how he had slept for long hours afterwards – waking up with the grandfather of all headaches. He had ascribed that to the fact that he had been injected with a hefty dose of one of the most powerful Pentothal drugs known to man, and that its effects were pretty capricious. After being told that the only conclusive answer that session had given had been to confirm that he was indeed Paul Metcalfe – the Paul Metcalfe who had died in that ‘car accident’ – he had given little further thought to the experiment. He had been too preoccupied afterwards, what with learning about what the Mysterons had done to him, and what he was capable of, and being far too busy countering their continuing attacks… He had enough on his plate already. He didn’t think for a minute that something had been kept from him.

That Spectrum Intelligence would prefer to not tell him, he could accept, for reasons quite unlike those of Doctor Fawn and Doctor Weiss… The two doctors probably had only his well-being in mind. That Adam knew was a surprising discovery. But White had truthfully revealed how he had protested vehemently against the decision that had been taken – and that he had only accepted very reluctantly to keep this terrible secret and never to reveal it to the one most concerned.

“I can understand if you feel angry about us keeping this from you,” White had said. “I wouldn’t like it either. But if there is someone you should hold responsible, it’s me. As Supreme Commander of Spectrum, I was the one to make the final decision, after carefully weighing all the facts that had been presented to me. Don’t hold a grudge against Doctor Weiss or Doctor Fawn. And least of all, against your partner, Captain Blue.”

It had been Blue, White revealed, who had come to the Spectrum commander to tell him about his concern that Scarlet seemed obsessed with Black, and how he feared that it could hinder his work, and how Scarlet would react should he encounter Captain Black again. It was Blue who had finally convinced the colonel that it was now time to reveal the truth to Scarlet about his first ‘death’ and Mysteronisation. White had concurred that it was indeed the time for the truth.

And still, Scarlet was unsure. Upset and angry at having been lied to, and to finally hear the truth. Believing, but not really wanting to. White had seen in his eyes that he needed more proof than just the words of his commander to be convinced. Taking out a small notebook, White had written down the access code to a set of top secret computer files, which he then handed to the dubious captain. “These files contain all the information there is on the subject. You’ll also find the recording of that session with Doctor Weiss – in which you remembered everything. I’m warning you, you may find if hard to watch. But if you still have doubts…” Still shaken by what he had already learned, Scarlet had accepted the paper, and simply nodded his thanks. And as soon as White had left him, he had gone to take a shower – and went directly to his quarters to access the files through his computer.

He went through the files and the various attached documents for hours. Everything was there, as the colonel had told him. Reports from Intelligence, medical entries from both Doctors Fawn and Weiss, security notes, photos – some of which he was familiar with, as they concerned what he already knew about his own condition – and then more. Much more than he had expected.

As Colonel White had said, viewing the recording was rough enough. To a man for whom it wasn’t customary to show his feelings, seeing and hearing himself yelling and agitating himself as, under the effect of the drug, he was relating the events hidden in his subconscious, was a very disturbing sight. He let the recording run without stopping, twice, from beginning to end, sitting up straight and watching the screen with widened eyes and a set face, as if hypnotized. It was very fortunate that he didn’t have Special Agent Martin Conners in front of him at the moment – he felt for certain that he would have given the Intelligence Agent a piece of his mind, and even given him a heart-felt punch in the face for the disgusting way he had treated him during that experience. He always had considered the man as a jerk, and a weasel. Now he had moved down the ladder to being a definite bastard.

Scarlet stopped the tape, and leaned back in his chair, with a thoughtful expression on his face. He kept his eyes on the screen, which was now showing the general menu of the folder containing the files he had been consulting these last few hours. Then, tiredly, he rubbed his eyes, shaking himself out of his reverie, and sighing deeply. No more lies, now. No more hidden truth. He knew all he could possibly know about what exactly had happened when he had died that first time. No car accident – but he had already suspected as much. How had Ochre described it some weeks ago, when he had talked about it? Plain murder. A conspiracy to kill two Spectrum officers. Tampering with the car had not been enough. Scarlet had survived that attempt, although only just. And only to be finished off by Captain Black himself. Pushing him down a steep slope, right into the blazing flames of the burning car. A horrible way to die. Scarlet was almost glad not to remember it.

“Oh, Conrad,” he groaned, running his hands over his face and then through his dark hair. “How could you do it? Wasn’t there any way you could resist the Mysterons’ orders?”

Now I understand Blue’s concern, Scarlet thought dourly. For all he knew, I might have tried to approach Conrad, and attempted to convince him to surrender willingly, so Spectrum would be able to help him. Not knowing what he was capable of, I wouldn’t have been suspecting any traitorous attack. But he didn’t need to worry, really. That wasn’t exactly the way Scarlet had planned to accost Captain Black.

Was it?

Uncertain, and still very dazed by what he had learned that day, Scarlet was still brewing all that inside his head, desperately trying to sort out his thoughts and feelings, when he heard someone buzzing at his door. He lifted his head, heavily. “Enter,” he called.

The door slid open and Scarlet saw the powerful silhouette of Captain Blue framed in the doorway. The British captain straightened up a little, as his friend and colleague stepped into his quarters. Blue looked down at Scarlet, who had all the appearance of a very drained man.

“Are you all right?” the American captain asked with concern.

Scarlet nodded slowly, and sighed. “I will be, Adam,” he said quietly.

Blue nodded his understanding. He sat down in front of his friend, on an available chair next to the desk. “Colonel White told me he talked to you.”

“That he did.”

“I’m… really sorry, Paul.” Blue cleared his throat. “I couldn’t tell you anything about it. I hope that one day you’ll forgive me.”

“Forgive you?” Scarlet raised his head to look levelly at his friend. “There is nothing to forgive you for, Adam. You weren’t in agreement with that decision, I know. The colonel told me. I admit it’s still hard, though. But I know you couldn’t tell me anything. That you didn’t have any choice. I don’t hold it against you.”

“And the others?” Blue insisted. “Doctor Fawn? Colonel White?” Scarlet kept silent. “You know they had only your best interests at heart, Paul.”

“Only my best interests, Adam?” Scarlet replied a little dryly. “Fawn maybe… But the colonel? I find it hard to believe he wasn’t seeing some kind of strategic move in this too.”

“Don’t be too hard on the old man, Paul.”

“Mind you,” Scarlet added with a low tone, shaking his head, “I can understand the reason behind his decision. I don’t have to fully accept it, but I understand.”

“It’s hard to swallow, isn’t it?”

“The fact that Conrad didn’t hesitate for a second to kill me? And that he’ll probably do it again, without a second thought?” Scarlet grunted irritably. “Oh yeah. It’s hard to swallow. Just as hard as thinking that he’s still a prisoner of those monsters who pushed him to do it.”

“Scarlet…”

“Don’t worry, Blue. I’m not as ‘obsessed’ as you might think about Captain Black.” There was an arid tone to Scarlet’s voice and Blue understood instantly. Even if his friend didn’t hold any grudge against him for the secret that he and the others had kept from him, he was nonetheless hurt that Blue had gone to the colonel behind his back to tell him about the worries he was harbouring about his colleague.

“Paul, you have to understand that I couldn’t sit back idly and watch as you seemed ready to follow a fantasy, that could end up in a tragedy if you tried to pursue it…”

“That could be potentially dangerous, couldn’t it?” Scarlet replied icily. He scoffed with derision, and then looked away. “Well, don’t worry about it. Whatever ‘fantasy’ I might have had about what happened to Captain Black, it’s pretty well gone, now. I wouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating what he’s capable of doing now. Or turning my back on him.”

“I’m glad to hear it, Captain,” Blue replied with a quiet tone. There was still the matter of that problem Scarlet had with Symphony, but the American captain felt that now wasn’t the best time to talk about it. Paul needed time to take in what he had learned, and cool down. There would still be time later to talk about something else.

Blue’s epaulettes flashed at that moment, and he dropped his cap mic, answering the call. Scarlet didn’t take any notice of the brief phrases his friend exchanged with his interlocutor. He was all too preoccupied with his own thoughts to be interested in what might be going on around him.

“All right,” Blue finally said after a short time, in a tone that betrayed his urgency. “I’ll be there right away.” The mic returned to his cap visor and he stood up, staring down at the still pensive Scarlet, who didn’t even raise his eyes toward him. “I’m sorry, Paul, I must go. There is a problem in the Amber Room and…”

“Symphony.” Still without looking up, Scarlet nodded his understanding. “All right, go. I suppose I’ve been harder than necessary on her today. I’ll try to make it up to her, somehow.”

“I’m afraid you’re not really the problem,” Blue retorted with a sigh. Scarlet wondered what he could be talking about but didn’t ask any questions, and kept his eyes down. Blue thought he was still too preoccupied to even have assimilated the remark. “I’ll be on my way, then. Paul, you need any help… you know you can count on me.”

“Sure, Adam. Don’t worry. I’ll manage.”

Blue couldn’t help but think that this was exactly what Karen had told him earlier. And he had left her, knowing very well how fragile she was and how she might need him. This call he had just received from Rhapsody had reinforced his conviction that he should never have left Symphony alone. Now he had the same feeling towards Scarlet. Perhaps he shouldn’t leave him all by himself . At the very least, he should leave him under the care of someone else, not alone.

Scarlet seemed to guess his friend’s uncertainty. He finally looked up at him and dismissed him with a wave of his hand. “Go, please. I said I’ll manage. As a matter of fact, I’d rather be alone for a while.”

Despite that, Blue still hesitated for a moment. Then he murmured a faint ‘see you later’ and went his way. His fingers intertwined, Scarlet stared, without really seeing, as the door closed on his departing friend. Then, with a new sigh, he looked toward his computer screen, still very thoughtful. Unconsciously, he read the names of the files listed on the screen – all of which he had just consulted. He frowned suddenly at the last file, at the very bottom of the list.

Project: Scarab.

No, that one he hadn’t accessed. It was just under the file containing the dreadful recording he had just watched. He had not reached it yet.

Mechanically, he clicked the button to open it. The first message it gave him was a code red warning. The kind of warning attributed to highly top secret computer files.

Top Secret – Rainbow Priority White Clearance… High command access only. Presidential Order.

Scarlet stared with perplexity at the flashing message. Colonel White’s eyes only? Now what’s that file doing here, exactly? And what could it be about?

Since it was in the same folder that contained all information concerning his own, very unusual situation, there was no doubt in Scarlet’s mind that this file was also connected to him. He wondered if he was meant to see it. Of course, much of what he had read today wasn’t really meant for him to see, but White had given him access to the information now. Maybe he could be mistaken concerning that file, but as it was at the moment, he had no qualms whatsoever about checking this one, just as he had the others. He was just curious to know.

He had no trouble accessing the file. The same code that Colonel White had given earlier got him past the security block. Words started to spread across the screen.

Subject: Project: Scarab.

Solution presented by World President Cabinet to Spectrum High Command in regard of the problem posed by Spectrum Agent Captain Scarlet, following his take-over by the Mysterons, and subsequent apparent release.

Captain Scarlet frowned deeply, his perplexity growing as he read the introduction. He was right, it did concern him. Suddenly, he got the feeling that, whatever it was he was about to find out, he wouldn’t like it.

He read on. The hair on the back of his neck started standing straight up.

He didn’t like it at all.

Now he truly felt betrayed.

* * *

It was nearly night. Colonel White was at his round desk, working to update some last-minute reports from ground-based agents, while Lieutenant Green was busy at his station, when Captain Scarlet entered the Control Room with a quick stride. White heard the steps of his number one agent and raised curious eyes from the open folder in front of him. He found it odd that Scarlet had not announced himself before coming in. He found it even odder when, passing behind Green’s station, he didn’t even respond to the younger man’s salutation. Scarlet’s face was set, and his eyes fixed on his commander as he silently approached his desk. He stopped just a foot away, before saluting crisply. White acknowledged his presence with a simple and brief nod. By the expression he could see on the captain’s features, it was obvious something was bothering him. He thought he knew what it was, but he didn’t have time to pronounce one single word.

“Colonel, you and I need to talk.” The tone was dry, almost icy. Scarlet glanced over his shoulder toward Green, some feet away behind him, who had come back to his work. “Privately.”

White eyed his compatriot with perplexity. He was upset, that much was obvious. “Lieutenant,” he said looking in Green’s direction, “Would you leave us a moment?”

Green acknowledged the order and stood up from his seat. “I’ll be in the Information Centre, sir.” The young communication officer disappeared through the tube leading through to the adjacent room. Scarlet didn’t even turn around; he had his eyes set on Colonel White, waiting.

“All right, Captain,” the Spectrum commander declared when he was sure Green was out of earshot. “We’re alone. We can talk, now.” He pressed a button and a stool raised next to Scarlet. “Would you sit down?”

“I prefer to remain standing, if you don’t mind… sir.”

White arched a brow. Scarlet’s voice had not lost the edge he had previously heard in it.

“I take it you have finished consulting those files I gave you access to?” he asked.

“Yes, sir. I have.”

White nodded. “I can see that it could be upsetting for you, Captain,” he remarked with a cautious, moderate tone. “And I can understand very well that you should be angry with me, for having taken the decision not to tell you.”

“I can’t say I’m really happy that you took that decision, Colonel,” Scarlet replied. “I might not like it, but I can see why you did it. It might take me a while to accept it, though…” He paused a second. “…If ever,” he added, almost dramatically, his tone becoming even colder.

White wasn’t sure exactly what that implied. Scarlet was an excellent officer; one of the best he had ever had under his command – of course, at moments, he could be undisciplined, and a little too impetuous, but it was part of what made him what he was. Like White himself, he was a true military man, born into a family with deep military values. He knew about honour, dedication and duty, and how it was sometimes difficult to take a strategic decision in order to preserve integrity and security. Scarlet must have figured out that White’s decision was only tactical – which in effect wasn’t totally untrue, but neither was it completely accurate. There had also been a good deal of sympathy and concern on White’s part when he took that decision, some months ago. But he wasn’t willing to freely admit that to Scarlet.

“There is something on your mind, Captain. I can tell,” White declared, eyeing the younger man closely. “Is there… something else, bothering you?”

“Yes, Colonel, there is.” Scarlet looked straight at his commander, with a stare that seemed to want to drill a hole in him. “The Scarab project.”

At first, White’s mind didn’t seem to register the words, as silence fell in the room. Then he furrowed his brow, very deeply. “Where did you hear about that?”

“It was in a file, in the very folder you gave me access to,” Scarlet answered evenly.

White seemed to give it some thought; he then nodded, pensively, and sat back on his seat, giving a disgruntled sigh. “Yes, I see now…”

“I wasn’t ever meant to find out about it, was I?” Scarlet continued in a challenging tone.

“No, you weren’t meant to find out,” White admitted gloomily.

“I presume it was to be kept secret from me, just like the rest of that folder,” Scarlet moved on, his tone picking up intensity. “That’s why it’s all been put together. If you hadn’t given me access to the folder, I would NEVER have found out.”

“You read the file?”

“Of COURSE I read it! Isn’t it obvious?”

“Yes, it is,” White admitted with a nod. “It’s unfortunate you did.”

“Unfortunate?” Scarlet scoffed derisively. “Is that all you can say about it?”

“Remember who you’re talking to, Captain,” White advised.

“What I find unfortunate is that, quite obviously, you didn’t expect me to EVER find out about it,” Scarlet continued, not taking heed of the warning. “With good reason, apparently.”

“It was a presidential document, Captain. Addressed only to me.”

“Yes, I know. ‘A solution presented by the Presidential Cabinet’. The condition the World President imposed and the only one under which I could be accepted back into Spectrum.” Scarlet’s voice had now became noticeably angry. That did nothing to appease Colonel White’s own growing irritation. He didn’t like at all the way his officer was talking to him.

“I suggest that you calm down, Captain,” he warned again. “Right this instant.”

“It was all true, wasn’t it?” Scarlet asked instead, without moderating his tone. “What I read in that file… That Scarab Protocol… what they demanded… What they wanted to do to me?”

“Yes, it WAS all true, but…”

“So that Scarab Project was the way they had found for Spectrum to keep me in check?” Scarlet shook his head with disgust and scoffed loudly. “I know how these bureaucrats work. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t accept any other alternative.”

“Captain…”

“No, let me rephrase that: the only other alternative they could have had in store for me was to be put to death. Isn’t that right?”

“You’re going too far, Captain! It wasn’t like that at all.”

“What was it like, then?” Scarlet snapped, furrowing his brow.

“I defended your position in front of the committee,” White replied with the same tone.

“I believe you did, Colonel. But I also believe that you had to protect Spectrum’s integrity. I must have put quite a dent in it, by my actions when I kidnapped the World President, didn’t I? Not to mention the fact that Captain Brown nearly blew him apart and that Captain Black is now working for the Mysterons. You had to make an appeasing gesture in order to regain the World Government’s trust.” He tilted his head to one side. “Did you sell me out, Colonel White?”

“What? What the blasted hell are you talking about?”

“I think you know perfectly well what I’m talking about! You sold me out to buy peace with the World President.”

The Spectrum commander felt the anger rise several degrees within him. He violently hit the surface of his desk with his open palm, before jumping to his feet. “Do you really believe what you’re saying?” he bellowed in Scarlet’s face.

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” Scarlet replied icily, not even reacting to the colonel’s outburst, still staring at him with a defiant expression. “First, I learn that you hid the truth about my first death from me… Then this – disgusting – thing. What I’m starting to believe is that you don’t trust me, Colonel.”

“Captain…” White growled between his teeth, with a undertone of warning, “I defended your point to the bitter end.”

“Then it’s obvious you lost, Colonel,” Scarlet added, not hearing him out. “I believe what I see. I’m standing here. I’m still under your orders. If you wanted to have that ‘indestructible’ agent for Spectrum, you had no other choice than to follow the presidential order and accept the compromise presented by the Scarab Project.”

“It’s not what you think at all. You can’t believe…”

“Can I believe otherwise?”

“You won’t LISTEN to me, will you?” White grumbled, shaking his head.

“I’m DONE listening to you,” Scarlet came back rudely. “Sir,” he added, as if an afterthought.

White flinched under the insolent rejoinder, but didn’t respond to it. For a moment, the two men locked eyes, measuring each other, neither of them willing to look away. It took White a considerable amount of self-control not to lose his temper, and to keep his voice as even as possible when next he spoke.

“Do you really think all those things you just said about me, Captain Scarlet? Don’t you trust ME anymore?”

“Sir,” Scarlet replied with an equal tone, his eyes still keeping that unfriendly expression in them. “I believe that would be my line, Colonel.”

White’s expression became bleak. “I could have you put under arrest for such an insolent attitude toward your superior officer.”

Scarlet became rigid, but his expression didn’t change. “That you could, Sir.”

“I can see there is nothing I could say right now that would change anything in your opinion, is there?” White grumbled with dissatisfaction. He shook his head. “You need to cool off first. Then we’ll talk again.”

“I doubt it’ll change anything. Sir,” Scarlet replied coldly. “Am I under arrest?”

“No, but I’m putting you off-duty.”

“In that case – sir – I’ll keep myself out of your hair and will take some time off to go down to the ground for a few days. In my own time.”

The tone was still impertinent enough for White to get irritated by it, but he contented himself with furrowing his brow. “A furlough? I didn’t give you permission for that, Captain.”

“I didn’t ask for it. Sir.” Scarlet was still maintaining eye contact with his commander. He could see the annoyance so very obvious in them. Good, he thought, not without satisfaction. “The only way for you to stop me would be to indeed put me under arrest… Or to make use of that ‘Scarab Protocol’.”

“You think I would do that?!” White protested loudly. “I would never…”

“In that case, let me go. Colonel.”

White evaluated his options. Scarlet was too angry and distrustful at the moment to listen to good sense. Any explanation his commander tried to present would fall on deaf ears, and would be dismissed instantly. It was no use trying to argue with him at the moment. He needed to cool off, until he was willing to listen to reason. A cell in the brig would be a perfect place for that from White’s point of view, but aside from the personal satisfaction the colonel would get from it, and all things considered, he doubted the present situation would benefit from it. Restricting Scarlet to his quarters wouldn’t be sufficient either; he would only wait for the proper moment to stow away on the next flight down to the ground – or to even appropriate himself a craft, if it should come down to it. In his present state, there was no telling to what extreme he would go to get away. That wouldn’t look too good on his personal record – and White just knew that he would have tremendous difficulty defending him after that to higher authorities who would be only too eager to severely discipline the unruly captain. They were still suspicious of him, and were watching his every step, even though they were just starting to relax their guard, following his recent heroic actions. White knew he would have tremendous difficulty defending his officer under these new auspices.

A few days groundside wouldn’t sound too bad if White wasn’t so concerned that it could be interpreted by the World Government Cabinet as a sign that Scarlet might be up to something – if the recent developments were to become known. As a matter of fact, looking closely at the young man’s set face, White was wondering that himself; it was not exactly the same concern, but the colonel was deeply aware that he was responsible for Scarlet’s actions and could be held accountable for them.

Maybe Scarlet was right in saying he didn’t trust him, after all. But at the moment, there was nothing White could do to shake that insidious doubt creeping into his mind. With this falling-out between them NOW, how could he be sure Scarlet wouldn’t do something tremendously stupid and careless – especially in regard of his own well-being? Would the colonel dare let him out of Spectrum’s sight?

It took him only seconds to reach a decision. He sat down on his seat, his eyes still set on the young man standing in front of him. “All right, then. I’ll authorize that furlough of yours, Captain. You have a week.”

Scarlet nearly scoffed, hearing that. “Most generous of you, Colonel.” He spun on his heel, without adding another word or even saluting, and started walking toward the green doors leading out of the Control Room. White followed him with his eyes, narrowed into a suspicious line.

“Might I ask you what you’re planning to do while you’re down there?” he asked suddenly, in a loud voice, just as Scarlet reached the doors.

Scarlet stopped in his tracks, and turned to face his commander, his eyes glittering, his finger pressing the button to open the doors.. “I’m only planning to evaluate my situation, Colonel,” he declared roughly enough. “To find out where I stand now in Spectrum… And if I should stay here. Nothing more.” He nodded briefly. “A good day to you. Sir.” With that, he turned again and walked out. White stayed there, thoughtfully looking toward the doors which were now sliding closed on his departing officer.

“Damn,” he muttered under his breath. “Young, impetuous, infuriating, ill-mannered…” He stilled the rest of his imprecation, glaring crossly at the closed green doors. The thought that Captain Scarlet was considering the possibility of leaving Spectrum was worrying enough, White also had other concerns added to it. He had a feeling Scarlet hadn’t told him all of what he was planning. He had insisted just a little too much that there was nothing more to it.

Well, whatever it could be he wanted to do, it was just Spectrum’s responsibility to make sure it wouldn’t be stupid.

Giving a deep sigh in order to regain his composure, White pressed down a button on his desk, which opened a link to the Information Centre. “Lieutenant Green,” he asked with a now more levelled tone, “Captain Scarlet will be leaving soon for the ground. Have an SPJ ready for his imminent departure.”

“S.I.G., Colonel.” White could hear by the sound of his aide’s voice that he was rather perplexed by the orders. It was even more evident when the Lieutenant, after a short hesitation, spoke again: “Can I come back to the Control Room, sir?”

“Yes, you can,” White confirmed. “You can make all the arrangements here.” He paused a short instant, then added, deliberately and carefully: “And, Lieutenant… I want you to find out EXACTLY where he’s going… And be VERY discreet about it. I don’t want Scarlet to suspect a thing.”

Chapter 3

Captain Blue entered Captain Scarlet’s quarters upon receiving the invitation to come in. The door closing behind him as he cleared the doorway, he watched with a perplexed expression as Scarlet, dressed in civvies, was filling a big carry-on bag with clothes and personal effects, that he had put on the bed. Blue approached, frowning.

“So what Lieutenant Green told me is true. You’re taking a furlough?”

“Maybe Green should learn to hold his tongue,” Scarlet mumbled under his breath.

“I don’t know,” Blue replied. “When I talked to him he seemed… concerned. Is there something I should know?”

Scarlet didn’t answer, and merely continued to fill his bag. Blue shook his head.

“All right, I see you’re still angry with me.”

“I’m not angry with you,” Scarlet replied. He stopped what he was doing for a moment, and gave a deep sigh, before raising his eyes to his friend. “As far as I know, I have nothing to be angry with you about.”

“ ‘You have nothing to be angry with… me about’.” Blue gave a knowing nod. “Somebody else, then. The colonel.”

“I suppose Lieutenant Green told you that too?” Scarlet huffed dryly.

“Merely a guess, Paul. Considering what you were like earlier…”

“What I was like earlier?”

“Well, you were quite furious with the old man earlier. You don’t seem to have cooled down.”

Scarlet threw more than deposited in the bag his toothbrush and toothpaste, before raising flashing, infuriated eyes to Blue. “And I’m not about to,” he remarked coldly.

“I see,” Blue replied ,keeping his own voice a calm contrast to Scarlet’s. “Is that why you’re leaving right now?”

“I have some thinking to do,” Scarlet replied, putting his last things in the bag. “To get my bearings… Decisions to make.”

“Decisions about what?” Scarlet didn’t answer Blue’s new question. He contented himself with zipping his bag closed. Then he turned around and went to pick up a jacket hanging on his seat, in front of his computer. Blue followed and stood in front of him, while he was putting it on. “Paul, you’re not thinking about leaving Spectrum, are you? Not over that… secret we kept from you about your first death?”

“If ONLY it was just that!” Scarlet scoffed loudly. He paused a moment, adjusting his jacket, thoughtful. “Adam… What do you know about the Scarab Project?”

He scrutinised his friend’s features closely. He was unable to see any reaction of knowledge of what he had just said. Blue was keeping a straight face, with a somewhat clueless expression. “Is that supposed to be a trick question?”

“You don’t know anything about it,” Scarlet realised with a certain amount of relief. “I might have known they wouldn’t tell you about it.”

“What is it, Paul? What is the… ‘Scarab Project’?”

“Just something that indicated plainly to me that there were some people who didn’t trust me enough to allow me back into this organisation – without taking out some insurance.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Blue frowned deeply. He was starting to get really annoyed by Scarlet’s enigmatic remarks and half-covered accusations. “Are you referring to the colonel?”

“Amongst others,” Scarlet replied with an acerbic tone.

“How can you say the colonel doesn’t trust you?” Blue declared. “Or that there would be anyone within the organisation who doesn’t? Paul, I thought you have proven yourself enough to…”

“I wasn’t talking about anyone else in Spectrum,” Scarlet cut in abruptly. “Not that I know of, anyway.”

“I have the distinct impression that you have suddenly turned paranoid,” Blue replied, his impatience growing by the second.

“So, first I was obsessed, and now I’m paranoid?” Scarlet snapped suddenly. “Well, I am NOT, Adam! I saw the proof with my own eyes. These people didn’t trust me as far as they could throw me. You see, it’s just like Captain Black! I probably would get the same treatment they would be demanding for him, if…” He stopped, seeing that Blue didn’t seem to understand a single word he was saying.

“What people, Paul?”

“Forget it,” Scarlet mumbled, going to his bed where his bag was still lying. Blue followed him with his eyes, perplexed.

“You said it wasn’t somebody in Spectrum... although it’s perfectly clear you’re very upset over something the colonel did. That Scarab Project, can’t you tell me what it is?”

“Better you don’t know about it,” Scarlet grumbled, picking up his bag. “It’s… top secret, anyway.”

“And so you won’t tell me?” Blue asked with a puzzled expression. “Paul, you’re my friend, and it worries me to see that you won’t even confide in me. Now please, tell me what’s going on and if there’s anything I can do to help. You know I…”

“There’s nothing you can do to help!” Scarlet replied, turning to him. “I JUST need some time alone to think, okay? That’s the only reason I want to get away for a few days.”

There was so much anger in Scarlet, it was almost palpable. Anger and frustration at the same time. And his mind was set so inflexibly at the moment, that it didn’t look as if he would listen to any words of reason. Blue had never seen him like this before. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the flashing computer screen near him. Absently, he turned toward it. He narrowed his eyes in puzzlement when he saw the information on the screen. What are you up to, Paul? he thought inwardly.

“The only reason, you’re sure about that?” he asked quietly.

“A few days in the old country will do me a lot of good,” Scarlet answered, picking up his bag. “Now Adam… I’m sorry I lost it with you. I know you are my friend, but I don’t need you to act… like some kind of over-protective brother with me. I can take care of myself. And I can make my own decisions. Alone.”

Blue nodded slowly. “I never had any doubt about that. I can assure you of that. I just wanted you to know that if you need a listening ear… I’m here.”

Scarlet smiled his thanks and patted his friend’s arm. “I know that, Adam. And I appreciate it.” He reached over to shut down his computer. Blue, making believe he didn’t even get a peek at the screen, moved out of his way, and watched, as his friend turned to direct his steps toward the exit. “I’d better be leaving now, my plane’s waiting for me.”

“Just one more thing…” The door had opened in front of Scarlet and he turned in the doorway, glancing toward Blue. The American captain shook his head. “I just wanted to say… don’t go making any rash decisions while you’re angry, Paul. You know you might regret them afterwards.”

Scarlet nodded his understanding. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

“AND be careful,” Blue added quickly.

Scarlet raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t I always?” He saluted his friend with a casual gesture. “Turn off the light, and lock the door when you leave. See you in a week.”

He turned around and the door slid closed on him, leaving a puzzled Blue standing in the middle of his quarters. The American grunted with irritation at his friend’s departure.

“See you in a week,” he repeated in a mumble, as if to answer Scarlet. He knew there was something deeply bothering his colleague – something he couldn’t even imagine. A large part of Scarlet’s anger was directed at Colonel White, and it wasn’t only about that secret the Spectrum commander had kept from him. Well some of it was, obviously, but there was something else. Something that acted like a last straw for Scarlet. What could it be? Why wouldn’t he even talk about it to Blue?

If that wasn’t enough, Captain Blue was aware that there was another problem lurking around the corner. One that might or might not be related to the present situation. He looked down at the blank screen on the now shut-down computer, with a suspicious expression spreading on his face, pondering what he had seen on it and what Scarlet might be planning to do.

“Be careful.”

“Aren’t I always?”

“No, you’re certainly not,” Blue sighed with exasperation. He turned on his heel and left the room. He needed to talk to Colonel White about this.

Right away.

* * *

“You’re sure about that?” the Spectrum commander asked, staring at the young man standing in front of him in the conference room, where he had received him.

Captain Blue, his cap on the round table, nodded very slowly, as to emphasis his conviction. “Yes, sir. There’s no doubt about it.” He watched as White’s expression turned thoughtful, and he started to absent-mindedly stir his tea. Blue addressed his commander with a frown. “Sir? You don’t seem all that surprised.”

“Quite the contrary, Captain,” White replied quietly. “I’m rather surprised indeed. Of all the destinations he might have chosen, it didn’t occur to me that Captain Scarlet would go back to Dorset.” He put his spoon down on the table. “Now I would very much like to know what trouble he intends to get himself into.”

“I’m asking myself that exact question, Colonel,” Blue declared then. He wasn’t half as surprised as he should have been to hear the colonel voice the same concern he had himself– about Scarlet getting himself into some kind of trouble. If anything, that only confirmed his suspicion. “And that’s why I came to tell you. Makes me feel like a weasel, invading his privacy like that, and reporting it to you, but…”

“You’re worried,” White offered, seeing the young man hesitate. As Blue was nodding to the affirmative, the Colonel mumbled, “you’re not the only one.” He completely ignored his freshly made cup of tea and sat back on his seat. “What on earth could compel him to go back there?” he murmured thoughtfully.

“I think it’s pretty obvious what, sir.” White looked up at Blue, who was still standing in front of him. The American seemed slightly on edge. “I saw the area map he was consulting. Scarlet had marked the spots where Captain Black had been sighted, when he was there. Mainly, Stone Point Village, and the Culver Atomic Centre. My guess is that he will be trying to get a lead on Black, somehow.”

“Surely, Captain Black would be far away from that area by now,” White noted. “And Scarlet would know that.”

“Not if he is as obsessed with him as I think he might be,” Blue replied.

White pondered that for a few seconds. “Or he already has a lead we don’t know about,” he considered.

“He would have told us.”

“Would he? Captain, if he thinks that Spectrum is going to kill Black on sight, and if, as you suspect, Scarlet is obsessed with taking him alive, maybe then he wouldn’t tell us about this lead he may have on Black. Don’t you think so?” Blue didn’t answer that more than logical conclusion. White returned to his reflection, rubbing his chin. “Maybe there’s something else we are not aware of…” he said after a moment.

“Like what, sir?” Blue said, suddenly on the defensive.

White shook his head, not willing to respond. Blue thought he had understood what he was implying, and he didn’t like it one bit. “Sir, if you think that Captain Scarlet‘s gone back there on some mission for the Mysterons…”

“I never implied anything of the kind,” White cut in sharply. He got to his feet. “What makes you think I would suspect him of such a thing?”

Blue hesitated again. “When I talked with him… Captain Scarlet seemed to imply that… you didn’t trust him.” The American captain narrowed his eyes at his commanding officer. “Why would he think that?”

“What he thinks is rubbish, Captain Blue,” White grumbled. “I tried to tell him that, but he wouldn’t listen. He was too angry with me.”

“Why was he so angry?” Blue demanded.

White sat down. “That shouldn’t concern you,” he said simply. “Suffice it to say that Captain Scarlet has no reason to believe I don’t trust him.” He saw the hard features with which Blue was staring at him, almost accusingly.

“What’s the ‘Scarab Project’, sir?” The question was simple. White’s eyes glowered, looking up at the set features of the younger man.

“What did Scarlet tell you about it?” he asked carefully.

Blue hesitated. “Not much,” he conceded. “Only that it was a top secret matter.”

White nodded. “And it should stay that way.”

“But…”

“Captain Blue, I will not discuss the ‘Scarab Project’ with you,” White cut in sharply. “Nor is it to be discussed with anybody. The content of this ‘top secret’ information is irrelevant in this present problem.”

“But it’s obviously what set Captain Scarlet off against you, Colonel.” Blue paused. “And against whoever else was responsible for this… Project.”

“Captain…” White gave an annoyed sigh. “This is a huge misunderstanding. It would probably be already settled if Captain Scarlet had only deigned to listen to me,” he grumbled. “And I will see that this is settled, as soon as he’s… amenable. For the moment,” he added in a tone that suggested he was not longer prepared to discuss that topic, “we have far more important matters on our minds. If what you saw was correct, Captain Scarlet’s return to Dorset may spell trouble for him. If Captain Black is still in the vicinity and Scarlet goes out looking for him…”

“It could be a potentially lethal situation for Scarlet,” Blue confirmed.

“What do you think may be on his mind?” White asked. “Saving him? Or avenging himself, in view of what he has just found out, about Black’s involvement with his death and Mysteronisation?”

Blue shrugged. “In any case, sir, I don’t think that Captain Scarlet stands a chance of apprehending Black. Again, if Black is still over there.”

“That might be like Black, actually,” White muttered. “Staying in the very place where he had been hunted, after the hunt had been called off…”

“Maybe you should call Captain Scarlet back, Colonel.”

“At the moment, that wouldn’t be my first choice, Captain Blue. As you stated yourself – we are not on the very best of terms. He needs time to cool off. I fear that ordering him back to Cloudbase, even going to the extent of sending a security team to bring him back by force, would only make things worse between us.”

“I can go to talk to him,” Blue offered. “I’m sure that he’ll listen to me, and…”

“Did he listen, just now?” White shook his head. “No, Captain Blue. You’re staying here on Cloudbase. Besides, with Scarlet gone, and Captain Magenta presently on leave, I can’t spare you at the moment. I need you on duty onboard Cloudbase, as I need Captain Grey and Captain Ochre.”

“But…”

“Captain,” White cut in with insistence, “this is my last word on the matter.”

“Sorry, sir.” Blue paused a second, unsure whether he should ask the question burning his lips. He decided to take the risk, even if it would mean bringing down on himself the anger of Colonel White. “Does that mean that you’ll leave Captain Scarlet to fend for himself, Colonel?”

White raised a brow, and looked up at Blue almost in annoyance. Should he reprimand his captain for his insistence? No, he decided, seeing that Blue shared the same concern as himself. Having ONE of my senior staff angry at me is more than enough at the moment. He decided to play the patience card.

“Did I ever say that, Captain?” he remarked, restraining a sigh. When Blue didn’t answer, but contented himself with staring curiously at him, he continued, “We already suspect he might be running into some kind of trouble. I think it would be best that – someone kept a watchful eye on him.”

“Sir?” a puzzled Blue replied. “If not me, or any of the other Captains… then who…”

“I have already made arrangements, Captain.”

A beeping sound made itself heard and the door at the other side of the room slid open, just as Blue turned around to see who was coming in.

He saw Rhapsody and Symphony Angels briskly walk in and approach the conference table, where White was still seated. Turning to the colonel, Blue saw him flinch, ever so slightly, but by his general composure, it was otherwise obvious that White had been waiting for them to arrive. That’s why he was in the Conference Room to begin with, Blue reflected, inwardly. He turned a puzzled look at the Angel pilots, wondering what could be the reason for their presence there.

“Now, Captain Blue,” White then said, compelling the blond captain to turn around to face him anew, “if you would leave us, please. The Angels and I have a lot to discuss.”

Blue’s eye sparked with some enlightenment. Still he was unsure. Could it be that the Angels’ presence had something to do with Scarlet? He looked back at the colonel, but couldn’t decipher any answer to this question on his set face. Nothing surprising there. He nodded his acknowledgement of his commander’s order and took back his cap from the table, before saluting him and walking in the direction of the door.

Passing by the Angels, he addressed them a nodded salutation; his eyes met those of Symphony and clung to them for a few seconds – much more time than really necessary, to anyone else who might be witnessing. He didn’t really care at the moment, as he was concerned that his compatriot was all right. The faint smile she gave in reply to his mute question wasn’t nearly enough to assure him of that – still, he reflected, she seemed better than earlier that day. He smiled in turn and walked out of the room, the door sliding closed on him; he just had the chance to glimpse inside to see Rhapsody and Symphony accepting the colonel's invitation to take a seat in front of him.

“Symphony Angel,” Colonel White said, looking straight at the American pilot. “I don’t recall having called you to this meeting. If I remember correctly, I requested Rhapsody and Destiny Angels.”

“Sorry, sir,” Symphony said a little sheepishly. “But I… kind of overheard when you called them earlier.”

“Did you,” grumbled White with humour.

“I… understand that you need someone for a tailing assignment of some kind?”

“Of – some – kind,” White repeated slowly.

“I thought I could – replace Destiny for this assignment. With your permission, sir.”

White turned a gloomy look toward Rhapsody. “I thought I had told you it had to be kept under wraps, Rhapsody.”

“It’s not her fault, sir,” Symphony protested. “I happened to be there when she and Destiny received the call.”

“She insisted on coming, sir,” Rhapsody added. “There was nothing Destiny and I could do or say to stop her.” She paused a second. “Destiny thought that you might be able to get her to see some sense. That’s why she’s here.”

“I want to be in on this,” Symphony insisted.

“Why?” White asked with a frown.

“Sir, I…” She sighed, lowering her gaze. “Considering that last fiasco with Captain Black, I thought I could – in this way – redeem myself? Somehow?”

White considered her a few seconds, pondering. “Symphony,” he said quietly, “you don’t need to redeem yourself.”

Tell that to Captain Scarlet, Symphony thought inwardly. Wisely, she didn’t voice it.

White continued, in an even voice: “That episode with Captain Black was merely an indication that what has been bothering you these last few days hindered your capacity to do your duty. Symphony, I already know about your father’s demise...”

Symphony lowered her eyes. White had already told her earlier that day that he had learned about it all from Lieutenant Green, while she was being held hostage by Black. He had shown his concerns to her, in a way that demonstrated how a good man he really was, beneath that rough façade he usually displayed, and had offered his condolences. He couldn’t understand why she had not told him about it when she had first heard, shortly before the manhunt for Black had started, and that was the only reprimand he had offered her. She had no doubt the situation concerning her father’s death was one of the main reasons he had not taken disciplinary action against her following her awful blunder concerning Black.

“I know it’s hard,” White continued in a firm, yet still kind enough tone. “Believe me, I know. I don’t think you’re fit for duty right now. You should be home, with your mother. She needs you as much as you need her.”

“I do intend to go home, sir,” Symphony insisted. “But right now – I really feel like I should do something to make amends. Please, I want to participate in this assignment. I assure you – I won’t make any mistakes this time.”

White grunted. He still had his doubts; but he could see Symphony was so very determined now. He wondered if, indeed, this mission wasn’t something she desperately needed. “I need to know if you are well enough to perform your duty without any distraction, Symphony. How are you REALLY feeling now?”

There was only the slightest hesitation on the American pilot’s part. “I feel fine, sir. Really.”

White scowled. “It seems I will have to take your word for it…”

Rhapsody was distraught. The meeting with White wasn’t turning out as she had expected it to at all. “Sir,” she then protested, “considering the circumstances, I’m not really sure it’s such a good idea…”

White turned an annoyed look to his compatriot. What, her too? Why do all these girls have to be so obstinate?

“It’s all right, Rhapsody,” Symphony cut in swiftly, seeing that White was preparing to admonish her fellow Angel pilot. “I can do it.” She looked straight at the colonel with an air of assurance. “I said I won’t make another mistake like the last one. I promise.”

“Thank you,” White said with a brief nod. “I’m glad to hear it.” He glanced towards Rhapsody. “So unless you have further objections, Rhapsody Angel, maybe we’ll be able to proceed?”

Rhapsody fought hard not to redden. “No objections, sir,” she assured her commander with a slight hesitation. “I was just… expressing my concern. I know how… distressed… Symphony has been lately.”

“It’s all behind me now,” Symphony retorted. She smiled slightly. “You don’t have to worry that I won’t be effective enough to cover your hide should it be necessary, Rhapsody.”

The latter was about to protest that it wasn’t the reason for her concern when Colonel White loudly cleared his throat, at the same time interrupting her and calling them back to order; both women returned their attention to their commander. “I assure you, ladies, that this mission won’t be dangerous enough for you to – er – look out for each other,” he remarked quietly. “I merely need you to keep someone under surveillance – follow this person every step of the way, wherever he goes, and not lose him for one second. And without him being aware of your presence.”

“Why would you want us to tail someone, sir?” Rhapsody asked with curiosity.

“Because I can only trust someone from the senior staff with this mission. And even considering that I can’t spare any of the colour-coded captains right now, amongst the senior staff, you’re the most the most likely candidates for the assignment, because of your past experience.” White paused a second, thoughtful. “Well, there is Destiny Angel too,” he reflected, “but under the circumstances, it’s not such a bad idea to have Symphony replace her. She might not have been the best of choices.”

“Who is this person who doesn’t know we’ll be following him?” Rhapsody asked, wondering about the meaning behind the colonel’s last words.

“Captain Scarlet.”

There was a deep silence in the room; both Symphony and Rhapsody were looking at Colonel White with puzzlement obvious in their features. “He’s recently gone down to the ground, for a week’s furlough,” White continued his explanation. “I need to be kept informed of his exact whereabouts.”

“You want us to shadow Captain Scarlet,” Rhapsody repeated slowly. “Without being seen.” She blew out some air. “Tall order. Sir,” she added quickly.

“I don’t think it’s beyond your expertise, is it?” White remarked meaningfully.

“Er… No, sir,” Symphony replied, addressing a look at a grim-looking Rhapsody. “I’m quite sure we’ll be able to do it. Following Captain Scarlet won’t be a problem. But without him being aware of it?”

“You’ll do your best, I’m sure,” White replied.

“Sir, why should we follow him?” Rhapsody asked with a deep frown.

“Don’t concern yourself with the reason, Rhapsody. Just follow his every step. Take note of where he goes, what he does and who he talks to. I want a full, complete report on his whereabouts, at regular intervals.”

There’s something afoot, Rhapsody reflected, and the colonel doesn’t want us to know what it is. What could Scarlet be up to, for the Spectrum commander to want to keep him under close surveillance?

“Where is Captain Scarlet now, sir?” Rhapsody asked.

“According to – recent information, he’s gone to Dorset.”

“Dorset…?” A surprised Rhapsody stole a glance toward Symphony. The latter seemed as taken aback as herself. “Captain Black was there recently,” she pointed out.

“I’m well aware of that, Rhapsody.”

“Do you expect us – or Captain Scarlet – to… encounter some kind of trouble there, sir?” Rhapsody asked meaningfully, suddenly very aware that it was probably part of the reason why their commander was asking them to follow Scarlet.

“Perhaps. But I’m not sure. That’s why I merely need you to keep this a surveillance assignment. If trouble does arise – whatever it might be – contact Spectrum right away. And don’t get directly involved. Is that clear – Symphony?”

“Of course, sir,” Symphony answered with a quick nod.

“I don’t want you to take unnecessary risks,” White insisted. “Either of you,” he specified, looking at both Angels.

“We won’t, sir,” Rhapsody assured him in turn.

“Good,” White said, with a satisfied nod, “that’s what I wanted to hear.” He opened the folder in front of him and consulted a note on top of the thin pile of paper it contained. “An SPJ is ready to take you to the ground immediately. Once you’re airborne, Lieutenant Green will give your pilot exact coordinates of Captain Scarlet’s destination, as soon as he has confirmation, and you’ll go directly there. Until you arrive, Spectrum ground personnel will arrange to keep track of him – then it’ll be up to you.”

“S.I.G., Colonel.”

“I’m hoping you won’t run into any kind of trouble,” White added thoughtfully. “But if that DOES happen – remember your orders.” He smiled briefly. “I know I can count on you.” They nodded silently, and the colonel looked at them gravely. “Then that will be all, Angels. Dismissed – and good luck on your assignment.”

Chapter 4

“Nearly two days. I’ve had quite enough of this.”

Seated in the grey sedan, parked in front of the building they had under surveillance, Rhapsody was starting to get bored with this assignment Colonel White had given them. The previous day, following the information gathered by Spectrum ground personnel in Dorset, they had tracked down Captain Scarlet – rather easily.

They had been told that the English captain had hired a car and driven it to a rather quaint village in the area – a place where, usually, nothing ever happened, but which had been the scene of an unusual drama very recently – in which Spectrum had been involved.

Stone Point Village. Where Spectrum undercover agent Erik Dalton, posing as a mechanic at a Delta Garage, had been gruesomely murdered by Captain Black.

If Rhapsody or Symphony had ever had any doubt that Scarlet’s presence in Dorset had anything to do with Captain Black, it was now obvious to them that it was most certainly the case. However, what he could be looking for, they weren’t sure. Most probably traces of Captain Black’s passage, they thought, as Scarlet obviously was going to places where they knew the renegade officer had been spotted during the manhunt operation some days earlier.

According to the ground personnel that had kept track of him before their arrival, Captain Scarlet had simply driven around the village for some hours. He passed by the Delta Garage that Dalton had attended as part of his cover and where he had been murdered, but didn’t stop there. He had momentarily stopped in front of it, contenting himself with watching for a short instant. Then he went to buy some petrol for the car, and had taken the wheel again to leave the village, very quietly.

Next, he had gone to the Culver Atomic Centre, taking the same route that he believed Captain Black had himself followed a few days earlier. He didn’t enter the premises, and had merely watched the place through binoculars from a distance for an hour or so, taking notes and looking around at the grounds and gates surrounding the complex. After which, without making his presence known to the complex’s officials, he had driven away, directly to Stourford, a town not far away from there, and on a different route from Stone Point Village.

What he could be looking for there, nobody really knew, although there had been some unofficial reports that Captain Black had been seen around the place, some days earlier, while Spectrum searched for him. The only major interest in Stourford was the only hospital in the immediate area, Culver Hospital. The similarity between the names of the hospital and the atomic centre wasn’t coincidental, as the Centre had invested in the hospital as a condition of its being allowed to build the nuclear installation in the area.

He had driven around town, passing by the hospital, which was the biggest building around, but didn’t stop anywhere. Then he went directly to the town’s small inn, and took a room there, where he had stayed ever since, until the Angels’ arrival. The two women had then taken over the surveillance.

They had to wait a couple of hours before he went out again.

It began as a tedious operation, they had to admit. Scarlet seemed content with strolling around the town, rather casually, looking around and taking his time, stopping at a few shops where he had bought a few things, going into a restaurant where he ate a hefty meal, and finishing his day at the local cinema, where he had sat and watched a long, boring foreign film, apparently unaware that six seats behind him, in the dark auditorium, two young women were keeping their attentive eyes on him.

The Angels divided their surveillance by shifts for the remainder of the evening and the night, when Scarlet came back to the inn, never letting him out of their sight – or at the very least, his room, which he didn’t leave. They themselves took a room, to stay close to their quarry. The night passed uneventfully.

The next day, after an early breakfast, the tailing really began.

At first, it seemed that Scarlet was starting again to take the same casual, tourist stroll around the town as he had done the day before. But after an hour of quiet walking, he came back to his car and drove out of town. The Angels were quick to react accordingly, jumping into their grey, conveniently nondescript car to follow him out.

After a long drive on a practically deserted road, the two cars, five minutes apart, entered Stone Point Village.

Scarlet left his car in front of a restaurant and went for a walk around the place. If, according to the reports they had received, he hadn’t seemed to be looking for anything in particular the previous day, the Angels soon realised that today, his movements were more purposeful.

First, it was the Delta Garage, still encircled by police tape, preventing people from getting in, as it was still the scene of an investigation. That didn’t stop him from entering of course, and it really didn’t surprise the Angels that he chose to sneak into the place, behind the back of the policeman guarding it, instead of showing his Spectrum ID and being allowed to enter. Obviously, he wasn’t going to make this a proper Spectrum investigation – and probably didn’t want Spectrum to get involved. The two young women didn’t enter and instead watched the garage from a distance, while Captain Scarlet was doing whatever he was doing inside. He didn’t stay very long, in any case, and quickly slipped out the same window that had allowed him entry, and walked quietly away. The guard had never noticed his presence. Tutting her disapproval, Rhapsody made a mental note to report the incident to the proper authorities. After all, the police were guarding the building at Spectrum’s request – and were doing a very poor job of it.

Scarlet then visited an apartment block, which, after some checking on their portable computer, the Angels found to be where Dalton had lived for the year during which he had been stationed at Stone Point Village. There again, he didn’t use the front door, but broke in through a back window. He stayed there longer, and for a time, Rhapsody and Symphony wondered if he had sneaked out on them; they separated briefly to check the building’s surroundings, making sure there weren’t any exits Scarlet might have used. It wasn’t the case and it wasn’t long after that he came out, through the same window.

“He would have made a brilliant burglar,” Rhapsody had declared morosely, watching him as he quietly walked away from the building. Nobody but them had noticed his presence inside, apparently.

The tailing continued from there, with Scarlet visiting a few other shops – one of which he had visited the day before – then he went into a barber shop. After nearly an hour, he left and went to visit a couple of bars. Following him in their car, both Rhapsody and Symphony watched and took notes as he went from one place to the other. They would have thought that their surveillance was quite useless – if it hadn’t been for the visits to the Delta Garage and Dalton’s place.

Then, soon after lunch, Scarlet took his car, and left the village, to go back to Stourford. Once there, he made two quick stops at local bars, and then went directly to a last, specific place - that left both the Angels quite intrigued as they parked on the other side of the road, watching with curiosity as he walked inside.

Then they waited, their impatience growing by the minute. The waiting was always the worst in any tailing – at least, it seemed that both of them shared that impression.

“The hospital?” Symphony remarked after what seemed like an eternity, sucking on her lower lip. “What’s taking him so long in there? He usually spends as little time in hospitals as possible!”

“I don’t know,” Rhapsody replied, her eyes riveted on the now closed door. “The Delta Garage, Dalton’s apartment, this place… What could the connection be?”

“Dalton?” Symphony suggested. She gave it some thought. “Wasn’t the body of Erik Dalton taken to the mortuary in this hospital? I seem to remember reading that in the report…”

“You mean the real one or the Mysteron? If you mean the replicate, it would surely have been taken to a Spectrum facility.”

“Maybe not right away. Maybe it was kept here for a short time, until Spectrum could arrange for it to be picked up? We should check that out with Lieutenant Green.”

“Good idea. But what if it isn’t that? What else could interest Captain Scarlet in this place?” Her brow furrowed thoughtfully. “It’s the Culver Hospital. Built with Culver Atomic Centre money for the centre employees.”

Symphony snorted. “Their way of making peace with the locals. For building a nuclear centre in this area.”

“I’m afraid there’s been a lot of talk about shenanigans between local authorities, and businessmen to get the Centre built,” Rhapsody admitted with a shake of her red head. “It’s been all over the newspapers. Bribery and corruption, you know the sort of thing. But there was nothing conclusive enough to hold up in a court of law.”

Symphony gave a deep sigh. “Well, that’s all very interesting, but unfortunately, I don’t see how it could explain Captain Scarlet’s interest in…”

“Here he comes.”

Both women watched as Scarlet stepped through the doorway of the building and stood there for a short instant. He seemed to consider his options, looking around quietly. His eyes, scanning the area, didn’t stop once on the inconspicuous car parked at a safe distance. He didn’t seem to notice its two occupants.

That made Rhapsody scowl in disbelief. She had a hard time believing he had not yet noticed that he had been followed since the preceding day. Yes, of course, the security agents who had kept him under surveillance at first had been discreet. And of course, she and Symphony were good at their job. But the problem was that Scarlet was good too. It seemed impossible that he didn’t suspect he was being tailed.

The Angels watched as their quarry, after a few seconds of reflection, seemed to take a sudden decision; turning his back on the spot from which they were watching him, he left the doorstep of the hospital and started marching down the street towards his car.

“There he goes again,” Rhapsody mumbled.

“What could he be looking for exactly?” Symphony asked pensively for the nth time. “Wouldn’t I like to find out…”

Rhapsody gave her colleague a doubtful look. “I don’t think the colonel’s orders imply anything to that effect… Our job is to simply follow Captain Scarlet…”

“ ‘Take note of where he goes, what he does and who he talks to’,” Symphony said in a semi-impersonation of their commander. “But Rhapsody – our mission would be FAR easier if we knew what it’s all about.”

“Don’t you think I’m telling myself the same thing?” Rhapsody replied grimly. “The colonel didn’t tell us anything. As if he didn’t want us to know all the details.”

“I hate working like this,” Symphony sighed. “I did too much of that when I was in the U.S.S…” She nodded towards Scarlet, whom they could still see walking down the street. “That’s a colleague, a friend of ours, we’re tailing here. Not only that, but someone who’s already ‘died’ a number of times in the line of duty... often to save one of us. I know the colonel must have his reasons, but it still feels so wrong.”

She felt Rhapsody grab her shoulder as they saw Scarlet stepping into his car and turning the ignition key. The vehicle made a u-turn into the street. “He’s leaving,” the English Angel remarked.

“I see that,” Symphony replied. “And I have had enough.” Under Rhapsody’s inquiring eyes, she pushed the door open and stepped out of the car. “I want to know what’s going on. And I think we’ll have a better chance of finding anything if we separate. While you continue to follow him, I’ll go search the inn and check his room.– see if I can find any clues.”

“Uh, Symphony…” a hesitant Rhapsody started, “I don’t know if that’s a good idea…”

“Rhapsody, we’re getting nowhere. We can’t stay in the dark any longer. I think it’s vital that we know more if we want to continue this mission.” She gave a rueful smile. “I promise I’ll be careful.”

“When I hear you say that, I can almost hear him,” Rhapsody remarked, nodding towards the departing car. She gave a sigh. “All right. I do agree with you that we need to take further steps.” She turned the key in the ignition. “Do be careful,” she advised her partner.

“You too. We’ll keep in radio contact.”

“Good luck, then. See you later.” Rhapsody pulled away and started following Scarlet’s car. Left standing there, Symphony watched as the two vehicles headed down the main street and once again took the road leading out of the town. Then, she turned and trotted down the street, in the direction of the inn which was barely ten minutes’ walk from where she was.

* * *

Captain Scarlet’s car had left Stourford and was heading south-west, keeping to the speed limit. Rhapsody was following at a safe distance behind, all the while wondering where he might be going, and if it really had been that good an idea to leave Symphony on her own in town. She shrugged the thought away. Although impetuous, Symphony was also a careful girl – normally – who took her job seriously. All she wanted to do was check the hospital and Scarlet’s room. Surely, there was no danger in that?

All things considered, Rhapsody much preferred to see her in town than alone here, in this car, on the road, following Scarlet. That would have been where she would have taken more risk.

And what about me? How far am I willing to go to know what’s going on? Rhapsody had to admit she was the kind of person who was prepared to take risks too. If that wasn’t the case, neither she nor Symphony would be in Spectrum.

She had been following Scarlet’s car for some time now. To all appearances, he was going back to Stone Point Village. How strange, she reflected, to go back there, barely two hours after leaving. What could he be up to?

Lost in her reflections, and her visibility limited by the sun shining in through her windshield, she suddenly realised, in the space of a few seconds, that her prey was not in view anymore. She blinked. What the…? He was just in front of me a few seconds ago! Her car passed by a clearing by the side of the road, that she noticed from the corner of her eye. She braked sharply and her car skidded to a halt. She put it in reverse and backed up a little.

Stopping the car, she looked with curiosity at the clearing she had just seen. Scarlet’s car was there, apparently empty, pulled onto a safe, even and grassy spot, right next to a deeply rutted path leading behind the trees. The trail looked as if an army tank had opened it, with deep caterpillar tracks in the ground, and some tyre marks on top. Rhapsody considered her discovery for a moment, rubbing her chin.

Not caterpillar tracks, she suddenly realised. No, these are the tracks left by the tyres of an SPV. She remembered the report she had read of the hunt for Black. How he had stolen the SPV from Stone Point Village, driven it to a certain spot and then turned around to avoid Spectrum and police barricades. This might very well be the spot, she realised.

She looked thoughtfully towards the abandoned car. Looking around to make sure there wasn’t anyone in view, she stepped out of her own vehicle and approached cautiously to look through the driver’s window.

No, Scarlet is definitely not here, she thought, heaving a sigh on discovering the empty interior. She looked around once more. Still no one in sight. Where is he?

In the soft earth, she could see footsteps, going from the car she was standing next to, and following the SPV tracks. She nodded her understanding. Of course, he couldn’t drive his car in there, she reflected, following the path with her eyes. It would have got stuck in that mud sooner or later.

The door of the car wasn’t even locked. Cautiously, she opened it and looked inside, searching for anything that might help her investigation. She sat behind the wheel. At first glance, there wasn’t anything unusual.

A paper map lay folded on the passenger seat. Rhapsody picked it up and unfolded it to examine it closely. It was a tourist map of the immediate area, probably bought at a shop in either Stourford or Stone Point Village. There were red marks on it, Xs marking various spots from Stourford, to Stone Point Village, and to the Culver Atomic Centre. Rhapsody realised that one of the Xs marked the exact spot where she presently was. On the map, there also was a red line going from that point to another, in the woods.

Right behind those trees.

Carefully, she folded the map and put it back. She checked the car’s interior one last time, left a little something under the dash, and stepped out of the car. Then she carefully walked down the trail, following the footprints left by Scarlet.

The trail certainly was an easy one, even though the ground was uneven and muddy – as it had rained during the morning, there were puddles everywhere, and her feet were nearly sucked into the ground. She felt for sure she had ruined her shoes in all that dirt. Not that she cared much about that; it wasn’t only her professional side that was taking over, but also the curious side of her. Wherever Scarlet had gone, she wanted to know. And if it meant getting down and dirty herself, well, she was ready to do just that.

The end of the trail clearly showed that the SPV had turned around at this place. So she had been right. What a surprise…

Scarlet wasn’t in view anywhere. Just where could he be? she asked herself in annoyance, looking around.

A sound to her left made her turn around, and she looked with attention. It seemed to come from behind another copse of trees. Carefully, she walked in that direction, doing her best not to make any sound, pushing through the branches and looking about, in search of her missing quarry. She found a big enough clearing ahead and stopped before actually walking into the open, looking in puzzlement. From where she was standing, she could see new, parallel marks deep in the ground.

She had just started to figure out what those marks were when she suddenly became aware of a nearby presence. She was startled to unexpectedly discover a tall, dark-haired man who was standing only inches away from her. She jumped in surprise and gasped loudly, only just managing to stop herself crying out.

He stood there, looking sternly at her.

“Can I ask you what you’re doing here?” Captain Scarlet asked in a deep, icy voice.

Rhapsody regained her composure, leaning against the trunk of a tree, her heart still pounding wildly. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!” she complained, her voice a mix of anger and relief. “Giving me such a scare…”

“Serves you right,” he grumbled. “You’ve been following me since yesterday.”

Rhapsody blinked. Although she had to admit she wasn’t that surprised. “You knew?”

“Of COURSE I knew!” he seethed. “What do you think? I’ve been on to you since yesterday afternoon.” He gave her a disgusted look. “I just knew Colonel White wouldn’t let me go without any surveillance, but I never thought that he would put you girls on to me…”

“We ‘girls’ happen to be the best equipped to do the job, Captain,” Rhapsody replied, bristling at his remark.

“Well, I’ll give you that,” Scarlet said icily. “You managed to follow me around for a few hours before I even noticed you. I knew someone was following me, but I couldn’t see who it was. Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Rhapsody replied in an equally acerbic tone. “Now would you mind telling me where we are?”

He snorted. “You’re the detective. You work it out.”

She narrowed her eyes in irritation and looked around, thoughtfully. She pointed in the direction of where she knew the road was – although she couldn’t see it. “Well, considering all the evidence I’ve found so far, and if I recall the report concerning the manhunt for Captain Black a couple of days ago, this is where he left the road in the stolen SPV and hid himself behind these trees…” She hesitated slightly. “… where he found Symphony, who had landed her plane there to investigate.” She pointed toward the deep ruts in the ground. “These are the tracks left by its landing gear.”

Scarlet raised a brow. “You’ve kept yourself informed, I see.”

“Why did you come back here?” Scarlet didn’t care to answer; Rhapsody looked closely at him, before nodding thoughtfully. “You’re looking for clues that Captain Black might have left.” He kept silent. Suddenly, he turned around and started walking toward the trail, with the obvious intention of leaving. She followed suit, as she continued: “Did you find anything?”

“Now, why would I confide in you?” he snapped, without even turning to look at her.

“Captain… Paul… you don’t have to be defensive with me, I’m just here to…”

“You’re here under Colonel White’s orders,” Scarlet said, as they reached the SPV tracks and started making their way back to the road. “Spectrum have been tailing me since the minute I left the carrier – you’re keeping tabs on me and reporting everything to the old man. And you tell ME I shouldn’t be defensive?” He snorted derisively. “What is it, does the colonel think I’m up to something?”

“Maybe he’s concerned that you might end up in trouble?” Rhapsody offered.

“Oh, I bet!” Scarlet grunted. “You’re giving him too much credit, Rhapsody. You can’t be that naïve!” He stopped suddenly and she nearly bumped into him. He looked at her closely. “What exactly did the colonel tell you?” he asked, his tone still abrupt enough. “Did he tell you why I left Cloudbase?”

“Why are you so angry with him?” Rhapsody countered.

He shook his head and started walking again, more rapidly. Rhapsody nearly had to run to keep up with him. “If you ask that question, then he didn’t tell you. I might have known he wouldn’t confide that secret to my ‘watchdogs’. He’s just using you as his puppets.”

“I’m nobody’s ‘puppet’,” Rhapsody avowed between her teeth.

“You follow his orders blindly, what does that make you?”

“Why don’t you tell me what the problem is, then?”

He grumbled and shook his head. Obviously, Rhapsody reflected, he wasn’t going to tell her what he thought of Colonel White. Or the reason why he was here. She gave a deep sigh.

“Yes, I’ve been sent to follow you,” she admitted.

“You’re not alone,” he noted. “Symphony is with you.”

“Oh, all right! You found us out… We would have been surprised if you didn’t! But I assure you – our assignment was only to keep our eyes on you. Make sure you were going to be all right, and that you didn’t get into trouble.”

“Such as?”

“Paul, you’re after Captain Black, aren’t you? These days, he’s trouble with a capital ‘T’! I’m sure you don’t want to find yourself facing him alone if you were to find him!”

“And you’re my back up, are you, Rhapsody Angel?” Scarlet replied derisively. “You and Symphony?”

Now that was rather insulting. Rhapsody preferred to let it slide. They had now reached the side of his car, and they stepped onto the road, where he turned again to face her as she spoke.

“Don’t be mean, Captain. In truth, nobody knows why you’re here to begin with.”

“And Colonel White sent you to find that out. Do you also think I’m up to something?”

“How can you say such a thing?” she protested. “I’m your friend.”

“That’s what I thought, yes.” He saw the hurt and outrage displayed in her eyes, and regretted his words almost immediately. But he wasn’t ready to let his defences down yet. “You say you’re my friend? Well, if you are, Rhapsody, you will return to Cloudbase with Symphony, and leave me alone.”

There was so much contained anger in his tone that Rhapsody didn’t quite know how to react at first. She looked up into his eyes, hesitating a little, then shook her head.

“Paul, I don’t think it’s a good idea to do that. I don’t know what you’re up to. If only you would tell us so we can help you, I…”

“Forget it!” he snapped categorically.

“Then I’m afraid I can’t go. I have my orders.”

He grimly glared at her, his brows furrowed deeply, and his blue eyes flashing hotly. He huffed his disdain loudly, and turned his back on her, to walk with an assured long stride towards her grey sedan. She scurried after him, quickly. Having reached the car, he turned briskly around to face her, forcing her to stop in her tracks as she came near him.

“Fine. You say you have your orders. You won’t listen to me.” Only at this moment did Rhapsody realise that his right hand was holding a knife. A Swiss Army knife, with a rather big and apparently very sharp blade. She blinked in surprise – just as he swung the blade straight into her front tyre. She heard a small explosion as she started to protest.

“Are you crazy?” she shrieked, looking in disbelief as her punctured tyre slowly deflated.

“If it’s the only way to stop you following me, then you’re leaving me little choice!” Scarlet snapped at her.

Oh well… she thought, looking with resignation at the wide hole on the side of her now flat tyre. It’s not as if I am not able to change one of these... Then she saw, with alarm, Scarlet puncture another tyre. The second explosion nearly made Rhapsody jump.

“You ARE crazy!” she yelled angrily, lunging toward Scarlet, grabbing his arm to force him to face her. “Exactly what do you think you’re doing?”

“Stopping you from following me around,” he replied casually, folding the blade of his knife and putting it back into his pocket. He walked to his car, with Rhapsody staring after him in disbelief. “If this is the only way to get a few hours’ peace, so be it.”

“You mean you’re going to LEAVE ME here?!”

“What do you think?” Scarlet opened his door and sat behind the wheel. He gave a last glance at Rhapsody who seemed to be rooted to the spot. “I hope this car was provided by Spectrum and that it’s not a hire-car. Because you just lost your deposit.”

Only then did Rhapsody emerge from her deep surprise, to take a step forward. “Just a minute, you…”

“Go back to Cloudbase, Rhapsody.” Turning the ignition key, Scarlet slammed his door and pressed the accelerator. The car jumped backward onto the road, and then lurched forward, raising a spatter of mud behind, and leaving the young red-haired woman on the side of the road, fuming, watching its loud departure without being able to stop it. She had been so taken aback by Scarlet’s surprising behaviour that she didn’t react in time.

“That… That man… that…” The rest of Rhapsody’s imprecation died in an outraged cry of frustration, as she kicked one of her damaged tyres. “He’s going to pay for that!” she promised herself.

She considered the direction taken by the car, which had already disappeared from view. She came back to her car, still fuming, and yanked open the driver’s door to get behind the wheel. She pressed a few buttons on a control panel, causing a small radar screen to pop out of the dash. In the background of the screen was an electronic map of the immediate vicinity. She examined the little yellow blinking light on it, pointing the moving position of the small bug she had stashed in Scarlet’s car. He’s going back to Stone Point Village, she realised, remembering from the map she had seen in his car the point that he had marked which was of interest to him in that direction.

She got out of her car and pondered her situation, looking in the direction in which Scarlet’s car had disappeared. Stone Point Village was the nearest civilised spot. At least one hour by car. And on foot… God, she wouldn’t be back before dark, that was certain! Unless she was lucky and found a vehicle on the way, whose driver would be kind enough to give her a lift. There wasn’t much chance of that, she reflected, as this road wasn’t a busy one.

Sighing, she took her personal communicator out of her bag; she’d have to contact Symphony to tell her of this new development, before starting on her way.

The sound of an engine coming from her left made her turn in that direction; she saw a transportation lorry coming her way, at a rather high speed. Well, talk about luck, she thought with satisfaction. Perhaps she wouldn’t have to walk all the way to Stone Point Village, after all. Surely, seeing her car down the road, obviously in some kind of mechanical trouble, the driver would stop to lend a hand; it wouldn’t be very civilised to leave a young woman to cope all by herself in such a deserted area.

She stood behind her car, a couple of feet onto the road, and waved to the oncoming vehicle.

It didn’t slow down. Rhapsody felt for certain she saw it accelerate instead of decreasing speed. She heard the horn honking wildly. Suddenly realising the danger she was in, she took a step backward.

The first thing that hit her was the sudden rush of wind that knocked the communicator out of her hand – then a shower of cold and dirty water, just as the wheels of the lorry rolled into the large puddle near which Rhapsody was standing. She was soaked from head to toes in a fraction of a second, and barely had time to close her eyes and gasp under the insulting assault.

The lorry was gone and away without even slowing down, leaving behind it a mocking series of honking sounds – and a dripping wet girl, eyes wide and mouth open with complete and utter outrage.

Did she hear laughing, just as the lorry passed her by, in the middle of that blaring horn?

Slowly, her eyes dropped to the road to look for her communicator. There it was… In the puddle. Ruined. Smashed to pieces and dripping with dirty water.

Just like herself.

She let out a furious cry. She couldn’t believe it was happening to her!

She was stranded on the side of a lonely road, hours on foot from civilisation, soaking wet, alone, and with no means of contacting anyone. She couldn’t even call Symphony, and rely on her to find a vehicle to come and pick her up.

Definitely, Scarlet would pay dearly for this indignity…

* * *

Thoughtfully, Symphony Angel stood in the middle of the waiting room and looked around. The receptionist, behind her desk, was dutifully filling in a report, almost oblivious to Symphony’s presence since talking to her a few minutes ago. There were only three patients in the room with Symphony, seated and waiting patiently to see a doctor. The young woman decided to sit down herself, and settled her choice on a seat from where she would be able to see the corridor where she knew the person she had asked for would be.

Symphony’s mind wandered back to her search of Scarlet’s room, less than an hour ago. It was a quaint little room, the spitting image of the one she was sharing with Rhapsody at the other end of the corridor on the second floor of the inn. The bed had been squarely made, and nothing was out of place. It was so like Scarlet to be so fastidious with his surroundings – probably came from his strict upbringing in a military family. Although they both shared many personality traits, she had to admit she had some difficulty in keeping her things – and her room – in order. Her mother always told her, as she was growing up, that her room looked like the cross between a pigsty and an untidy archive room. She would never have made a home-maker out of her Karen – not that she really tried, of course. Although she had been successful in teaching her the art of fine cooking. It probably had something to do with Karen’s voracious appetite – and astounding capacity to not put on too much weight, no matter how much she ate.

Symphony had passed what seemed like hours checking through Captain Scarlet’s personal things, all the while feeling increasingly weary and guilty about it. What if she had found something incriminating or the like – what would she do? Thankfully, it had not been the case. Throughout her search, carefully and professionally conducted so that Scarlet would not suspect that anyone had been in his room, she had found nothing remotely interesting. It had been a boring task she had set herself to do – and she had to admit it now, she shouldn’t be surprised by the results. Paul would never leave anything behind him that would give any clue to what he might be doing, if he didn’t want people to find out. As far as she was concerned, if she had found something, she would immediately suspect that it had been planted as a diversion.

Nothing out of the usual. But Symphony was growing convinced that he was after Captain Black.

That doesn’t make any sense. Surely, Black isn’t in the area anymore. What could possess Paul to think he might be?

Her search finished, Symphony had contacted London HQ and enquired about the Culver Hospital at Stourford, wanting to know if there could be any possible link between it and the recent Spectrum operation in Dorset. It turned out that the Culver Hospital, as the most important medical centre of the area, had the only mortuary around. That was where the bodies of both Erik Dalton and his Mysteron duplicate had been taken, after the events of a couple of days ago. That was only a temporary measure, until Spectrum had cleared the last details with the local police, concerning the murder investigation – afterwards, the body of the Mysteron agent had been flown to London HQ, pending a proper examination. The body of Erik Dalton was to stay in Culver Hospital, until the police completed their report. This seemed to be just a ‘formality’ anyway, considering that Spectrum would have the final say in the matter. It would only be a couple of days before the body of Dalton would be properly and respectfully taken care of.

So, that was the connection with Scarlet’s personal search, Symphony had thought. Now why exactly would he have gone to the hospital remained a mystery.

Has he talked to anyone here? the young woman reflected. And who? Spectrum HQ had told her that the pathologist at the hospital was a certain Doctor Willard – who had started his examination of the two bodies before Spectrum had stepped in with the proper authorisations to demand the duplicate. Willard had been very compliant and had fully collaborated with Spectrum. So she had thought of going to see him and talk to him. See if she could learn a few things from him – maybe even if Scarlet had talked to him, who knows?

When she had presented herself to the receptionist at the hospital, Symphony had to pull out her Spectrum ID – very discreetly – so she would be able to see Doctor Willard. Suitably impressed, the receptionist had phoned the doctor and announced Symphony’s presence. Then, addressing the young woman once more, she had asked her to wait a few minutes and the doctor would be able to see her.

Symphony waited a good ten minutes, before she saw a tall man, with very thin features, and wearing the white coat of a doctor, come into the reception area. He exchanged a few low words with the receptionist, who indicated Symphony, and he came over to her. The young woman got to her feet at his approach.

“I’m Doctor Willard. How can I help you, Miss…?”

“It’s very nice of you to see me, Doctor,” Symphony replied, blatantly ignoring the doctor’s obvious request for her name. “Is there a place where we can talk privately?”

He nodded. “We can go to my consulting room. Follow me.” He turned, and guided Symphony through a short corridor, and then to a door that he opened wide, inviting her to step in before him. He followed, closing the door behind him.

“Now, Miss, what further service can I do for Spectrum?”

“A gentleman came here earlier today,” Symphony explained. “English, but not from around here. Tall, dark hair, blue eyes?”

Willard nodded. “You’re talking about your colleague, right?”

Symphony managed not to blink in surprise. “Yes – he came about two or three hours ago. He introduced himself to you?”

“I saw him myself – just I’m seeing you right now. Showed me his ID, just like you did. Captain Scarlet, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” Symphony said musingly. “Yes, that’s him.” She was rather surprised that Scarlet had used his Spectrum identity to introduce himself to the doctor. Obviously, he didn’t have any scruples about doing so, to obtain the information he was looking for.

“I thought I had told your colleague everything that Spectrum wanted to know,” Willard continued. “Obviously, there’s something more you need from me.”

“Can you tell me what information he asked you for, Doctor?” Symphony asked, keeping an official tone. She noticed the odd way he was looking at her, and thought he was probably wondering why she was asking for the same information. She offered a faint smile. “I still have to catch up with my colleague later today,” she added non-commitally. “Maybe there is something more you didn’t tell him that could be useful to our investigation?”

“Right,” Willard said with a somewhat doubtful tone. “Of course. You can count on my full co-operation. I’ve been co-operating with Spectrum to the best of my ability, since the start of this dreadful affair. Even though I still don’t understand everything that’s going on…”

“Dreadful affair, you say?”

“You’re here for further investigations of the events surrounding the murder of that poor Mr. Dalton, of course?”

“Of course,” Symphony repeated with a slow nod.

“Such an awful thing to happen in such a quiet town,” Willard continued, with a deep sigh. He went to his desk and sat down behind it, gesturing to Symphony to take the seat in front of him. She accepted the invitation. “Who would have thought that our Mr. Dalton was one of your agents?” he added musingly.

“You know about that too?” Symphony said with a suspicious frown.

“Why of course, ma’am. They had to tell me, considering the nature of the… ‘accident’. I’m the hospital pathologist.”

“Pathologist?” Symphony shook her head. “I would not have thought that there would be such a specialist in this area – that they would call for one from the nearest big city…”

Willard shrugged. “When the Culver Atomic Centre had this hospital built in this area – as part as an arrangement with the neighbouring communities – it was agreed that the facility would offer the best of all the medical services possible. They had to, considering the… potential danger presented by the existence of the Centre. Most of the people from the area work there. We have to be ready to respond to any kind of situation that might present itself. Of course, I’m sure that security is at its maximum at the Centre but…”

“Better safe than sorry, right?”

“And, as I understand it, there was an alert quite recently, at the Centre. With that illegal intrusion?” He lifted a brow meaningfully, but Symphony didn’t reply. He shrugged again. “I was told about it. By one of my patients, who is a security guard at the Centre. He had been injured during the intrusion, and I had to treat his injury. And don’t worry, I was sworn to secrecy. Even if Spectrum had not asked me to keep silent about it, I wouldn’t tell a soul.”

“Thank you, Doctor. You certainly realise that it would create unnecessary uneasiness if word got out.”

“I realised that perfectly when Spectrum asked for my co-operation, a couple of days ago, when the body of that poor Mr. Dalton was brought into the hospital mortuary. Along with his murdering twin – after he had been killed by your agents.”

Twin. Of course, Symphony reflected. Spectrum would not have told this man everything. Only the minimum of what he needed to know, in order to obtain his compliance.

“Does anyone else in the hospital know about Mr. Dalton’s ‘twin’?” she asked.

“Of course not! I did as Spectrum told me and never said a word to anyone about it.” He paused a second. “That’s a curious affair, I must say. Who would have thought that one of your agents would have a twin brother who would also be a terrorist? And one who would go so far as to kill his own brother?”

“You were told that, Doctor Willard?” Symphony asked with a frown.

“Let’s say I guessed some of it. Isn’t Spectrum’s work to deal with terrorism and such security hazards? What else could it be?” He leaned across his desk to stare meaningfully at Symphony. “And it certainly had something to do with what happened at the Centre, didn’t it?”

“I’m not at liberty to tell you anything about what happened at the Centre, Doctor,” Symphony replied stoically. “Nor about all the details of Mr. Dalton’s murder.” She offered an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Doctor. But as far as you’re concerned, Mr. Dalton’s death may very well have nothing to do with what happened at the Culver Centre. And I really can’t tell you more about it.” She would have very much liked to know where Willard had found his information. It did seem quite unlikely that a Spectrum operative would have told him. Someone at the Atomic Centre, maybe? she reflected. Maybe rumours started running wild since the events of a few days ago. It isn’t so inconceivable that Willard would hear all kinds of scuttlebutt from Culver employees.

“Right,” Willard said, clearing his throat. “It’s me who’s sorry. I should have realised that I can’t discuss all this with you. You came for some information regarding Mr. Dalton’s death, so I should be content with giving you just that.”

“Is that what my colleague came to ask you about, Doctor?”

“Yes – since I was the one who performed the autopsy on Mr. Dalton’s body. He wanted to know the exact cause of the man’s death. Maybe he doubted the accuracy of the report I sent to Spectrum, I don’t know… It was all in there, you see.”

“What was the cause of Mr. Dalton’s death, exactly?” Symphony asked with a frown.

“It was fairly obvious, really,” Willard answered, scoffing. “The man was crushed against the ceiling of his garage, while trapped inside a car he was repairing. It has exactly the same result as when a heavy object – like a vehicle – is dropped on you. Only the opposite happened, in his case.”

Symphony kept from shivering. “Yes, pretty obvious, you’re right.”

“Your colleague seemed to think differently. He asked if Mr. Dalton was alive before being crushed to death. If he had not been killed first. He seemed a little upset when I confirmed it wasn’t the case. Erik Dalton had a very painful, very ugly death. He was barely recognisable, considering the state he was in.”

Okay, I get it, Symphony then reflected. Paul was trying to find out if Captain Black still retains some humanity. She had wondered that herself, to tell the truth, when she had been held captive by Black. Of course, it took a very short time to realise that there was nothing of Conrad Turner, nothing of the man she once knew, but only the shell of that man, enclosing someone – something – so totally alien that it scared the Hell out of her.

Something that would not have hesitated one second to kill her if it had served its purpose. Just like it had killed Erik Dalton, without any mercy.

“In comparison,” Willard continued, “his twin had a very clean death.”

“You did an autopsy on his body too?” Symphony managed to hide her surprise. It seemed rather unlikely to her that Spectrum would have permitted Willard to examine the Mysteron duplicate’s body. His answer left her in no doubt that it wasn’t the case.

“No, not really. I thought I would have to do it, but Spectrum pulled a few strings with the local police and had his body sent directly to London. No explanation given.”

That’s more like it, Symphony agreed. “What else did my colleague ask you, Doctor Willard?”

“Oh… after having confirmation that my report to Spectrum was absolutely accurate about my examination of Mr. Dalton’s body, he didn’t have much else to ask me. Except if Dalton had any friends who had come to see him.”

“And did he?”

Willard shrugged. “There was a chap – by the name of Hansen – who came in the day the body was brought in. He claimed to be a close personal friend of Mr. Dalton. He was so drunk, you had trouble understanding what he was saying. I think the police took him in for questioning, as he was claiming he had witnessed something of what had happened at the garage. I don’t know what.”

Well, if it’s something relevant, it’s probably written down in the Spectrum report, Symphony thought. “Is there anything else, Doctor?”

“No… I think that about covers it. Oh, except for the fact that your colleague wanted to see the body.”

“Mr. Dalton’s body?”

“Yes – I’m afraid I wasn’t able to oblige, Mr. Dalton’s body having been sent to London yesterday – where it was to be picked up by family members, as I understand it.”

“Of course.” So the body is already gone, Symphony reflected. The report was already two days old when I read it…

A faint knock at the door made itself heard and Symphony turned her head just in time to see one of the nurses from the waiting room open the door to peek inside.

“Excuse me, Doctor Willard…” she said in an apologetic tone, “Mr. Harris is here for his four o’clock appointment?”

“Oh, yes… Thank you, Edna.” Willard turned to Symphony. “If that’s all, Miss, I have a patient to attend to…”

“Of course, Doctor. We have finished indeed.” Symphony rose to her feet, as did the doctor, and they shook hands. “Thank you for your time. I’m sorry to have disturbed your busy schedule.”

“It was nothing. If you need anything else, please, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Symphony thanked him with a nod and a smile and turned, leaving through the door, where the nurse was standing. The doctor followed the young woman’s departure with his eyes, before addressing the nurse again. “Have Mr. Harris brought into the examination room, Edna. I’ll be with him in a minute or two.”

* * *

Walking out of the hospital, Symphony went down the steps leading to the street, wondering about what she had just learned from Doctor Willard. Just why would Captain Scarlet be interested to see the body of Erik Dalton? There was not much mystery about his death – as the doctor had pointed out himself – and it certainly had been established without a doubt that he had been killed by Captain Black

Of course, the connection to Dalton IS Captain Black, Symphony thought. But that doesn’t explain why Paul wanted to see the body. Surely, there wasn't any clue on him that would enable Scarlet to discover Black's whereabouts.

I should contact London, Symphony reflected. See if Paul’s contacted them recently about that Mysteron body they have. Perhaps that can shed some light on the subject. Scarlet was apparently searching for clues everywhere. He might have learned something from London HQ, either by talking to someone, or acquiring the report from the ground agents, concerning the recent events in Stone Point Village and the Culver Atomic Centre.

Perhaps I am clutching at straws. Perhaps there are no clues to be found by either Paul or us. But if he believes there are – we must follow the same lead.

The witness… Well, that might be a lead. Paul would want to see him, surely – hear exactly what he witnessed.

Hansen – his name would be in the investigators’ report. All the more reason to contact London, then.

As she was walking down the street toward the inn, thinking about all this, Symphony suddenly realised that Rhapsody had not contacted her once since she had left to follow Scarlet out of town. Why is that? she asked herself with some concern. It wasn’t like Rhapsody to keep such a prolonged silence during a mission. She would keep in touch with her partner, give regular reports on her whereabouts. As it was, it had been several hours since she had gone and not a word from her yet.

I hope she hasn’t run into some kind of trouble! I’m giving her TEN minutes – then I’ll call her myself.

She heard footsteps behind her – and became rapidly aware that someone was following her. Closely. Very closely. Considering what she had experienced lately, it wasn’t so surprising for Symphony to feel a little on edge. Maybe she had run into some kind of trouble, unknowingly… She continued strolling towards the inn, without giving any indication that she knew there was someone behind. Maybe she was imagining things. Maybe it just happened that this person was just going in the same direction. If that was the case, she’d soon find out.

No. Whoever it was, he or she was still following. Who could it be now, a mugger!? I have no time for this! Well, he certainly wouldn’t attack her in the middle of the road, with so many people around to see it. If it was a mugger, she’d know how to deal with him.

She had nearly reached the inn when she felt the presence of her follower so very close to her that he might be able to touch her. She swiftly turned around, on the defensive, ready to strike whoever she might find there.

She stopped herself mere seconds before actually hitting the man who was barely two steps behind her. He took a step backwards, his hands raised in self-defence, when he saw her determined and stern face, and the way she was readying herself for attack.

“Whoa, take it easy! You wouldn’t want to hit a friend now, would you?”

Symphony frowned, upon seeing the half-worried, half-amused expression on the dark face of the young man she found standing in front of her. He was offering her a bashful and apologetic smile that was completely disarming.

“Lieutenant Green? What are you doing here?!”

* * *

A pad in his hand, Doctor Willard entered the room where James Harris was waiting for him, seated on the high examination table and kicking his heels impatiently. Upon the doctor’s arrival, Harris lifted his head, and welcomed him with a faint and uneasy grin.

“How are you doing today, James?” Willard asked, closing the door and approaching his patient.

“Better, Doctor,” Harris confirmed. “Well, sort of. At least it’s some sort of improvement. My head is still hurting, but it’s not as bad as when that guy tried to crack my skull open some nights ago.”

Willard slowly nodded his understanding. James Harris, night security guard at the Culver Atomic Centre, was doing his habitual rounds when he had been attacked from behind by an intruder, and hit on the back of the head. If his attacker had hit any harder, Harris might have died from his wound. Instead, he had been left bleeding and half-conscious on the floor by the aggressor who had then set himself to try to break into a secure area of the Centre. Harris had managed to raise the alarm before he could do so; the trespasser had been chased off, and Harris was rescued, and transported to the hospital, where Willard himself had tended to him.

“I told you you should have stayed in hospital,” Willard reproached, throwing his pad on the table. “After what you had been through, you needed your rest. It was much too early to leave.”

“Without meaning any disrespect, Doc,” Harris replied, “it’s much easier for me to rest at home, in front of the television, instead of in a depressing hospital room.”

“Okay. I won’t argue with that. At least you didn’t go back to work.”

“Oh no! I won’t, until these headaches have cleared up…”

“Well, let me have a look at that bump of yours.”

Willard pressed a button on the table, lowering it a little, so he would be able to examine his patient more comfortably. “Lean forward a little, James.” Harris complied, and Willard checked the dressing covering the back of his head. He removed it to check the wound. “Well, it’s healing quite nicely,” he commented.

“It also itches like mad, Doctor,” Harris complained.

“That’s quite normal, with all those stitches, James.” Willard quietly reached into the pocket of his jacket and casually fished out a syringe, filled with a pale liquid. Having raised his head, Harris saw this, and watched apprehensively, as Willard was gently tapping the syringe.

“What’s that for, Doc?”

Willard shrugged. “Nothing to worry about, James. It’s just for the pain…”

“Great. I hate needles. But if it stops these headaches…”

“Oh, it’ll stop the headaches, all right…” Suddenly, Willard reached for Harris’s head, and before the latter could even react, he had jabbed the needle into the man’s neck. Harris gasped in surprise, but the doctor had already ejected the full contents of the syringe into his jugular vein. He went almost instantly stiff, and his eyes seemed to turn up in their sockets. “In fact,” Willard continued coldly, stepping back and watching him without any emotion apparent on his face, “you won’t feel anything at all anymore…”

Harris fell back onto the table, struggling for breath, shivering, unable to speak. His agony only lasted a few seconds, mercifully, and he gave a low rattle, before his eyes finally closed and he stopped moving.

The back door leading into the small medicine storage room opened; a tall, pallid man, dressed in black clothing, stepped into the examination room, to stare with eyes as cold as those of Willard at the dead body lying on the table. Two rings of eerie green light were slowly moving across the body, seemingly coming out of nowhere.

Willard turned to face the newcomer. “The Mysterons’ orders have been obeyed, Captain Black,” he said in a mechanical tone.

“Good, Doctor Willard,” Captain Black replied in a deep, sepulchral, alien voice that obviously wasn’t his own. “Now we have the agent we need to carry out the Mysterons’ plans…”

He raised his eyes, devoid of any emotion, from the body of the dead Harris to look past Willard. Behind him stood a new, very much alive Harris, similar in every detail to the dead man lying there, but who was now looking back at him with the same coldness and inexpressive look upon his face.

“You will hide the body,” Black instructed. “It must not be found, until our mission is completed.”

“What about the Spectrum agents?” Willard asked suddenly. “Those who came to visit me today – the girl, and Captain Scarlet? What should be done about them?”

There was a moment of silence, as if Black was pondering that question. He then turned, and put his hand on the handle of the door behind him, as he prepared to leave. “You have your orders,” he said with the same coldness in his tone as before. “They will be dealt with. They will not stand in the way of the Mysterons’ plans. They… nor anyone else. The Mysterons’ instructions must be carried out.”

Chapter 5

“The colonel sent me just today,” Lieutenant Green said. His smile broadened into a large, satisfied grin, as he was explaining the reason for his presence in Stourford. The weather growing dark and the rain threatening, he had invited Symphony into one of the little town’s cafés. They had settled down at a remote table, and were now drinking coffee. “Captain Magenta just got back from his furlough. So with him back, I thought the colonel would send one of the captains to join you in your mission. But he decided he’d better keep all of them on standby on Cloudbase. It seemed he thought he couldn’t do without his senior captains around.”

Symphony raised a brow. “Really, now? But… what are you doing here, Lieutenant?”

“Seymour, please. Call me Seymour,” Green said, offering a bashful smile. “We’re under cover, remember? Well I think it’s fairly evident what I’m doing here. The colonel sent me instead…”

Symphony kept herself from grumbling. Does the colonel think we women are unable to do the job? was the thought that instantly came into her mind.

“He put Magenta in charge of communications and here I am.” Green drove his fists into the pockets of his pants, making some kind of an amused face. “I figure the colonel thought I would be more than enough as your ‘back up’. ‘Those girls know their job, after all’, he said,” he added, with a good enough imitation of their commander, which made Symphony smile – he certainly sounded better than she did. “ ‘I don’t think your presence will be that necessary, but it’ll be easier for surveillance shifts if there are three of you’.” Green chuckled. “I don’t mind his wanting to keep the captains around, and sending me instead, I’m just glad I was able to leave my seat on Cloudbase – if only for a little while. And even if it’s only for a tailing assignment.” He stopped, and looked squarely at a grinning Symphony. He felt the heat coming to his ears. “I’m babbling, aren’t I?”

“That’s all right, Lieutenant – Seymour,” Symphony said, fighting hard not to openly laugh at him. “Whatever the reason for the colonel to send you, I’m glad he did. And he’s right, it’ll be easier to perform our surveillance if there are three of us.” She gave him an amused look. “But next time you follow me like you did, announce yourself, please. I could have hurt you before recognising you!”

“Yeah, I realised that when I saw you spinning around, ready to hit me! Sorry. But I was about to speak your name when you turned around… I guess I took some kind of a risk, didn’t I?”

“You certainly did,” Symphony replied with a nod.

Green took a sip of his coffee. “So where’s Rhapsody?” he asked. “I suppose that it’s her turn to keep her eye on Captain Scarlet at the moment?”

“Yes, he left town a few hours ago. So we decided to separate to continue our investigation. While Rhapsody was following his trail, I was to remain here and check his room at the inn – and go to investigate a few places he went to visit. We… wanted to know a little more about what’s going on and what he could be up to.”

Green nodded in turn, approving of the strategy. “Easier that way to anticipate the captain’s next move, then,” he remarked.

“What do you know about this assignment exactly?” Symphony asked, not really expecting that Green would know more about the situation than she did herself.

“What the colonel was willing to tell me,” Green admitted. “We have to tail Captain Scarlet, and take note of what he’s doing, who he’s talking to, etc…”

“Have you wondered WHY we’re doing that, exactly?”

Green hesitated. “Symphony, I’m not sure if I should…”

“Karen.” She looked him squarely in the eyes. “Please, Seymour. Surely, there is something you know that you can tell me – I’m not asking you to betray the colonel’s confidence in you, you know that. But we’re really groping in the dark. It might help us in our assignment.”

Green gave a sigh. He shook his head. “There’s something really fishy about this, Symphony – Karen. What I know is… Captain Scarlet was angry with the colonel before leaving Cloudbase. I mean really angry. They exchanged heated words – I don’t know what exactly, but it seemed to have upset the colonel.”

“To the point that he might be concerned about what Scarlet might do during this furlough of his?”

Green scratched his ear, looking doubtful. “I think it’s more complicated. Why not simply forbid Captain Scarlet to come down here instead, then? The colonel could have done it, of course, but… he chose not to. I can’t figure out why.”

Symphony nodded slowly. “You’re right, Lieutenant. This situation is complicated. I wish the colonel would have told us more about this mission – we’d know what it is that Scarlet is looking for exactly – or what to expect he might find out. Or do.”

“Maybe the colonel doesn’t know himself?” Green offered.

“Or maybe he has a suspicion of some kind,” Symphony mused. “And if so, he’s not willing to share it with us. Well, I’m starting to get my own…”

“You said Captain Scarlet has left town,” Green noted. “Do you know where he went?”

“He’s been travelling around the places where there’ve been sightings of Captain Black.”

Green gave a low growl. “I knew it had something to do with Captain Black,” he muttered. “Or at least with Spectrum’s latest operation here.”

“Why else would Scarlet be around these parts, if not?” Symphony agreed. “At the moment, I don’t know where he is, but Rhapsody should be calling to report shortly. She’s a little late as it is, and…”

A muffled, beeping sound came from her handbag, cutting her off as she spoke. She swiftly reached for her communicator inside it. “Speak of the devil…” A brief glance at the communicator made her frown. Strange… That WASN’T Rhapsody’s number… It was an unknown number to her. Apparently a civilian one. But who else would contact her, using a Spectrum communication channel?

“Hello?” she said, non-committally.

“Our FRIEND ditched me,” came a very recognisable, female English voice which was substantially nuanced with anger and coldness.

“He what?” Symphony replied, opening wide eyes. “You lost him?!”

“Lost is a big word. I was literally the victim of a deceitful ambush. The bottom line is – he left me with no means of transport on the side of a deserted road, while he was driving away into the sunset… Well, in a manner of speaking.”

“When did that happen?”

“Nearly two hours ago.”

“Why didn’t you call me to fetch you?”

“I couldn’t ask you to leave Stourford. Plus, I had the car, remember? And anyway, I had no way to contact you. An… accident… disabled my communicator.”

“Don’t tell me it was Scarlet again!”

“No. That was nothing to do with him. But I’m considering him responsible anyway.”

“Where are you now?”

“In a transport lorry whose driver was kind enough to pick me up – after I walked for more than an hour. He was also kind enough to lend me the use of his onboard radio communicator, so I would be able to call you.”

That explains the civilian channel, Symphony mused. “Where are you heading now?”

“To Stone Point Village. According to the latest data from the bug I planted on… our quarry’s car before I was forced to leave mine… he was going back there. I expect he’ll still be, and that I’ll be able to find him. And when I do, I’ll give him a piece of my mind.”

“Stone Point Village?” Symphony replied, getting to her feet. “Fine, we’ll meet there.”

“How are you going to do that, are you going to hire a car?”

Symphony looked across the table toward Green, who was also standing up and was searching his pocket for money to pay for the coffee. “You have wheels?”

“I have a car, yes,” Green answered. He looked a bit confused by how fast things were now going.

“We have a car,” Symphony continued into the communicator. “When you find Scarlet, keep with him – we’ll find you.”

“WE? Who are ‘we’?”

“I have Lieutenant Green with me.”

“What is HE doing there?”

“I’ll explain all when we meet up, Dianne. Please… Don’t make a scene when you find Scarlet? Come to think of it – maybe it’s better if you don’t make any contact with him, okay? JUST keep watch over him until we arrive.”

“What, are you concerned about what he might do next?” a doubtful Rhapsody asked.

“After what you told me – I’m concerned about what YOU might do to him,” Symphony admitted, a little reluctantly. She didn’t hear an argument from her fellow Angel pilot. Which confirmed to her that she might be right. She permitted herself a smile. “Symphony out.”

She closed the channel, and put the communicator back into her bag. Green was waiting for her. She started walking toward the exit and he followed.

“I only caught a little bit of what has been going on,” he said.

“I’ll explain the rest once we hit the road.”

“Good. You’ll also tell me what you were looking for in that hospital I saw you leave earlier?”

“Of course, I’ll tell you everything. You’ve been following me, then?”

“Well…” a bashful Green started.

Symphony did all but physically push him through the open door so he would step out in front of her. “Now we’d better go. I sense we’ll be needed soon.”

“Rhapsody will need us?”

“No. The one who might need us would be Captain Scarlet. If Rhapsody’s as angry as she sounds right now because of him – Heaven help him when she finds him!”

* * *

Thoughtfully, Rhapsody Angel folded the communication device. Karen knows me too well, she was reflecting. Her friend certainly was very well aware of her fiery character – and how she would probably react if she found Captain Scarlet soon. Goes with the red-head territory, I imagine, she added grimly. That side of her came from her mother. Lady Julia Susan Simms was always someone to speak her mind and never accepted being treated as any less than what she truly was – a strong, broad-minded, intelligent woman who knew where she was going in her life, what she wanted and how to get to it. She had the temper and the strength to go with it – a dangerous mix of Italian and Irish blood – which her husband, Lord Robert Simms, always considered was even deadlier than nitro-glycerine.

Dianne had inherited all that – along with strong moral values that her mother and father had instilled in her. Lord Robert was a diplomat – a very tactful ambassador of the British Government, whose work often sent him to various parts of the world to negotiate various peace treaties and arrangements – be they social, political or economical – for Britain and sometimes even the World Government. He helped to end the conflict between Britain and Iceland. He had been involved with the negotiations for the release of the British Embassy officials that had been taken hostage in Panama – that was many years ago, when he was still a young man, but his deeds had gained him worldwide respect.

Dianne imagined that it probably wasn’t that easy for her father to keep up with two red-haired women’s changing moods. Especially coming from his wife. Maybe that was what pushed them apart, in the end, Rhapsody reflected with a regretful sigh. After a few years of following her husband around, Lady Julia had insisted that the family would finally settle down somewhere – anywhere would do, as long as it would be a proper place to raise a growing child. Lord Robert had objected that travelling around the world and being instructed by private tutors was probably the best way to raise their only daughter. To which Lady Julia would not agree at all. A child, she thought, needed stability in her life. Not to find herself one day in Cairo and the next in Canberra.

That difference of opinion concerning their daughter wasn’t in any way the only problem in the couple’s life – and so they eventually split. Dianne would live with her mother; Lady Julia returned to Britain, and settled in one of the family estates near London, where she would be able to give her daughter the stability she claimed the child would need. Dianne would go to a proper school, meet with children her own age and be a part of society. Of course she would also receive the instruction of personal tutors at home, thus allowing her to learn at a much faster rate than her companions at regular school. It was a good thing that Dianne was an exceptionally gifted student. Any other child’s mind would have exploded under the nearly constant pressure. Such wasn’t the case with Dianne. She had a nearly insatiable thirst to learn.

Although most of the year, she would be with her mother, Dianne would also have the opportunity, during the summer and holidays, to follow her father during his assignments around the world. The best of both worlds, she had often reflected. Travelling had opened her ever-inquiring mind to all kinds of knowledge and experiences that she truly was sure few children had lived in their life. That also permitted her to develop a rather unusual yearning to seek out any option for an adventurous life that had marked her ever since. She would probably never have become the woman she was today if not for those early years of her life. They had made her what she now was.

And what was she at the moment? Soaked, freezing, dirty and cramped in the back of a lorry! All that because an infuriating man – a so-called friend – had decided he was quite able to take care of his own problems all by himself and would not accept any gracious offer from anyone to help him with whatever he had set himself up to do.

Sighing with irritation, she pushed aside the thick, heavy curtain separating her from the driver’s cabin, where she could hear the quiet music coming from the radio. The man seated behind the wheel – who had introduced himself to her as Roland when he had picked her up earlier – was, by his own admittance, an elderly man of nearly eighty – although he didn’t look it one bit. He was a strong man, with callused hands and white hair and beard, and piercing eyes that had addressed the drenched girl an appalled look of pity, when she had climbed in next to him. When he saw her reappearing from behind and handing him the hand-set communicator, he smiled at her. One gold tooth shone in the middle of his craggy-faced smile.

“Did you get hold of your friend?” he asked in a deep Welsh accented voice.

“Yes, we will meet at Stone Point Village,” Rhapsody told him with a faint nod. “It’s so kind of you to agree to take me there, Mr Roland…” When he had picked her up earlier, and he had looked so surprised to see her in such a state, she had told him her story – how her car had broken down and the first passing lorry had not stopped to help her, but on the contrary had deliberately rolled into a water-filled hole to splash her. Roland had been revolted that some drivers would behave in such a way towards a fellow driver in distress – especially if it was a woman.

“Please. Call me Roland. And don’t mention it. It won’t take me long to leave you there. When I saw you back there, alone on that road, I felt so sorry for you. You poor thing – I thought that if something like that happened to my granddaughter, I would like very much for someone to help her.” He snapped the hand-set into its place on the dashboard, not taking his eyes off the road. It had started raining, and the windshield was regularly hit by droplets, which were whisked away by the regular motion of the wipers. With one brief gesture, he pointed to the back, as Rhapsody was moving to climb back next to him, on the passenger seat. “You know, there’s a spare set of clothes in a drawer under the bunk behind. Okay, men’s clothes – and they probably won’t fit – but you’re welcome to them if you want.”

Rhapsody addressed him an inquiring look. “Roland, I can’t possibly accept…”

“See now, you’re going to catch cold in those clothes you’re wearing,” Roland protested. “I wouldn’t want that. And neither would you. Take the clothes. They’re yours.”

Rhapsody gave the older man a hesitant look. She heard him chuckle loudly.

“What’s the matter, are you afraid I will climb back there while you change? Or take a peek? I’m far too busy driving, see. And that wouldn’t be too gentlemanly of me, would it?” He waved with his free hand. “Just pull the curtain closed, that’s all. You won’t have to worry about me.”

“You’re really too kind, Roland.” Rhapsody said with a grateful smile, reaching for the curtain. She addressed him a warning look. “No PEEKING, right?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, young lady,” Roland smiled, keeping his eyes on the road as Rhapsody pulled the curtain across.

* * *

Paul Metcalfe felt bad for having left Rhapsody Angel stranded by the side of the road, the way he had done it. In fact, he was almost ashamed. Almost. He still felt rather angry that she had accepted this mission to follow him around, to spy on him like she did. Oh yes, she had her orders, of course. But she could always have said no to the mission, couldn’t she? It couldn’t possibly be considered such a significant assignment, after all. Probably voluntary, at that…. Colonel White would not have dared order two of his so-valuable pilots to tail him like that. How would he justify this mission, especially when all the Angels were so needed on Cloudbase?

Right. Rhapsody’s loyalty to the old man is such that when he says ‘jump’ she just asks ‘how high’, Scarlet thought with some bitterness. And Symphony had about the same feeling for the colonel. He couldn’t really blame them, truth to tell. If not for what he had learned himself about the Scarab Project, he would still share the same loyalty – the same trust he had before all this crazy affair began.

He hoped he hadn’t harmed his friendship with Rhapsody. He hoped he would be able to talk to her eventually, to explain why he needed to be left alone, to continue this quest he had set himself – without any interference from anyone, especially not from well-intentioned friends, who, in his opinion, would only hinder his efforts along the way.

Not to mention possibly endangering all of them.

I’m kidding myself, Scarlet reflected. She would not even listen to my explanation. He had a better chance of saving what was left of their friendship by asking for her forgiveness on his knees, and trying to make amends, somehow.

If I don’t get her knee in the mouth, I’ll be lucky, Scarlet thought grimly, remembering the fiery temper of his compatriot. Well, maybe I would deserve it, after what I’ve done. She would have every right to be angry with me.

And he was sure as Hell that she was furious with him.

For the moment, however, he had to put all those thoughts aside. It was time to get to work.

It was the second time that day that Paul Metcalfe entered the same pub in Stone Point Village. There were far more drinkers this time around, and there seemed to be even more smoke than previously, so his arrival was barely noticed. Yet, the barman saw him, over the heads of the customers lining along the bar in front of him; and by the look on his face, he had recognised him.

Busy polishing a glass, the barman gestured almost imperceptibly to the newcomer, who quietly made his way toward him. Scarlet took a place at the end of the counter, just in front of him.

"He's here?" he asked in a casual tone.

The barman nodded briefly. "He arrived about an hour ago."

Scarlet refrained from blowing a sigh of relief. Finally, something was paying off. Since he had learned of that man's existence, from the report made by Spectrum agents following the death of Erik Dalton, he had been looking all over Stone Point Village, hoping to find him. Having learned that the local bar was his usual hanging out place, and that he would have the most chance of finding him there, he had interrogated the barman earlier that day, even given him some money for his information. The barman had told him to come back a little later, when Scarlet’s quarry would most likely be in the pub for his ‘usual nip in’ – which, it was Scarlet’s understanding, usually lasted most of the evening.

“Where?” the Spectrum officer asked.

The barman nodded toward a corner of the pub. Scarlet turned slightly and saw a man seated all by himself at a lonely table, with a pint glass in front of him. “He’s already had three pints so far,” the barman said. “And I reckon he already had a few before coming here. So if you want to talk to him, now’s the time. He’s drunk enough to tell you anything you want, and not too drunk for you not to understand what he’ll be saying.”

“Thanks. I’ll have a pint of the same, if you will.” Scarlet put money on the counter, in front of the barman, more than was necessary to pay for the beer he had just ordered. “Thanks for the help.”

“Pleasure doing business with you, sir. Now be careful with him – when he’s drunk, he’s half-crazy. He might tell you stuff that doesn’t make any sense at all.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The barman having given him his beer, Scarlet made his way through the room toward the man seated all alone, whom he found contemplating his half-filled pint with an expression of drunken contentment on his face. Scarlet put down his own pint glass on the table, attracting the man’s attention.

“Giles Hansen?” Scarlet asked as the man raised his eyes to him.

“Who wants to know?” the drunk slurred, squinting his eyes to look up at the tall man towering above him.

“I understand we had a mutual… friend, Mr Hansen.” Scarlet gave a brief nod. “Erik Dalton? The owner of the Delta garage in this village?”

“Erik Dalton is dead,” Hansen muttered, lowering his gaze.

“Yes, I know. I heard about that. Mind if I sit down?”

“It’s a free country…”

Scarlet took the chair opposite Hansen, who took a large gulp of his beer. To put the man at ease, Scarlet did the same, before starting in. “I was wondering if you could tell me a little about Erik Dalton’s death…”

“What makes you think I’ve got anything to tell you? That I know anything about it?”

“I’m not accusing you, Mr Hansen,” Scarlet replied with a reassuring smile. “But… I heard say you were… witness to… what happened back there at the garage?”

“Where did you hear that?” Hansen inquired.

“A lot of people have been talking about it in town,” Scarlet answered.

“What is it to you?”

“I’m just curious… I want to know what happened to Erik, that’s all.”

Hansen narrowed his eyes, looking closely at the man seated in front of him. “You look familiar… Have we met before?”

The realisation came to Scarlet’s mind that maybe Hansen had indeed seen him before – when he had come a few days ago, dressed in his Spectrum uniform, with Captain Blue. After all, Hansen had been interrogated by Spectrum, as a possible witness of what had happened at the Delta Garage. Did he see the two Spectrum officers when they came? The report didn’t say. Scarlet shook his head to the negative, not waiting to frighten the man away.

“Maybe I have that kind of face?” he suggested to Hansen with a large grin.

The latter shrugged indifferently. “You said you were friends with Erik?”

“We went back a long way. We… worked in the same trade.”

“You don’t LOOK like a mechanic…”

“Erik’s not always been a mechanic,” Scarlet replied in a non-committal tone. Seeing that Hansen was finishing his beer, he did the same with his own, if only to gain more of the man’s trust. It wasn’t too bad. Maybe a little stale, perhaps. When he put the glass down, it was to see Hansen looking at him approvingly.

“So you want to hear my story, Mr…?”

“Metcalfe. Yes, I’d very much like to know what you can tell me of Erik’s death.” Scarlet leaned toward the man seated opposite him. “I do not believe the truth has been entirely told to me.”

Hansen scoffed. “You might be right at that,” he grumbled. “You know about those Spectrum people who’ve been crawling around the place since that time? Why would Spectrum be interested in Erik’s death, I ask you… They’re hiding something.”

“You don’t say,” Scarlet muttered almost to himself.

“And that’s not even COUNTING what that lot at that Atomic Centre may be up to either… You know their own security have been all over the place too? Looking around, taking samples from the ground, talking with people… Doing their own investigation, they said. Well, I think they’re in league with Spectrum – whatever they may be up to. There’s nothing good that can come from those nuclear manipulations, I tell you… Not natural.”

Scarlet refrained from blowing a sigh. Hansen was not only a drunk, but seemed to also suffer from paranoid delusion. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to seek him out after all – perhaps he didn’t have such interesting information to offer… “Mr Hansen, about Erik Dalton…”

“Oh yes, you want to talk about Erik. Sure. Why don’t I tell you all about it over a couple of beers?” he asked. He grinned. “Of course, since I’ll tell the tale, you’ll be paying…”

Scarlet nearly gave the man an annoyed look; he didn’t want to take the risk of leaving without hearing his story. He might, indeed, tell him something interesting. He took some banknotes from his pocket, sighing. “Okay, Mr Hansen. We’ll do it your way, then.” Scarlet indicated Hansen’s empty glass. “Same again?”

“You’ll join me, of course?” Hansen said.

“Of course,” Scarlet replied with a faint smile, before going up to the bar for two fresh pints. Putting them down on the table, he watched as Hansen took his first mouthful. “Now, Mr Hansen… What is it you have to tell me exactly?”

* * *

“The rain is getting worse. It’s getting difficult to see clearly.”

Symphony, at the wheel of Green’s car, was carefully watching the road ahead, through the windshield awash with hard falling rain. The night had fallen earlier than usual, because of the heavy clouds’ low ceiling, and even the car’s powerful lights were barely enough to get through the dark and water. Symphony had insisted on driving, while Green, seated in the passenger seat, was busy consulting the onboard computer, making enquiries based on the information that the American pilot had given him earlier, concerning what she had learned from Dr. Willard at Culver Hospital. Green had entered the main computer of Spectrum London HQ, and was now checking the various reports that had been filed following the failed mission in the area, a couple of days ago.

“There he is,” the young lieutenant beamed triumphantly. “Giles Hansen… A local drifter of the area, with a tendency toward the bottle… Does odd jobs around these parts – Erik Dalton even hired him a few times at the Delta Garage, where he would change cars’ oil, fluids, tyres, that sort of easy work. He indeed was interrogated as a possible witness to Erik Dalton’s murder. The night before, after leaving the pub at about midnight, he had fallen asleep in an alley behind the garage. He had been awakened by loud music and strange screeching sounds.” Green turned to Symphony. “He saw Captain Black.”

“He what?”

“When Hansen went to check what was going on inside, he said he saw a dark-haired, pale man in dark clothes stepping out of the garage and walking into the alley he had just left.”

“That fits Captain Black’s description all right,” Symphony muttered.

“Hansen said he went into a small adjoining building behind the garage that Dalton normally always kept locked. Thinking he might be a robber, Hansen wanted to follow, but then he said he bumped into Dalton.”

“Wait a minute – where was that SPV stolen by Black originally stored?”

“According to the Delta garage record – that said adjoining building. Hansen doesn’t seem to have seen the SPV leave – he didn’t mention it.”

“Wanna bet that ‘Dalton’ he met wasn’t the real Dalton at all but the duplicate?”

“Yeah. Dalton was probably already dead, killed by Black. The duplicate must have kept Hansen busy while Black stole the SPV and left the place. Hansen just told the investigators that Dalton refused to let him inside the garage and chased him away, because ‘he was too drunk and would hurt himself around the tools’.”

“Hansen was LUCKY to get out of this alive,” Symphony mused.

“The official report from the police doesn’t mention Black,” Green continued with a frown. “I wonder why… Did he tell them about him? Maybe he was still too drunk to remember clearly. He did tell Spectrum about the ‘pale-as-death-itself’ man he had seen.”

“Still everything comes back to Black,” Symphony noted.

“It would seem so, yes. Maybe Captain Scarlet is searching for that Hansen fellow?”

“Oh, he probably would, if he thinks Hansen can tell him anything about Captain Black. He’s looking for him. Now I’m certain of it.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense,” remarked Green. “Surely, Black isn’t – couldn’t be in the area anymore. Is he?” He gave a doubtful glance at Symphony who shrugged a helpless answer. “What could possess Captain Scarlet to think he might still be around?”

“I don’t know – but Scarlet seems to be clutching at every straw in the hope of finding out everything he can. He even wanted to see Erik Dalton’s body at the hospital – I don’t know what good it would have been.”

“Did he see it?” Green asked.

Symphony shook her head. “No, Dr. Willard told me it had been sent back to London recently.”

Green frowned. “It wasn’t in the report…”

“Must have happened very recently,” Symphony pursued. “After the report had been written.”

“Could be…” Green quickly typed a few keys on the portable, accessing new data from London HQ. He grumbled and shook his head. “Still nothing… Symphony, it doesn’t appear as if the body has reached London yet – or that it had even been sent there.”

“Willard lied to me?” Symphony said with a deep frown. “Why?”

“He may have made a mistake.”

“He was pretty categorical, Lieutenant. How can you make a mistake with that kind of information?”

“Maybe he mistook the body’s destination?” Green offered. He was starting to doubt. And he could see it was the same with Symphony. Grimly, he took out his personal communicator, and opened a direct channel to Spectrum HQ London. “Only one way to find out with certitude what happened to that body,” he mumbled.

“Seymour,” Symphony said, with a concerned glint passing in her eyes, “I’m starting to get a bad feeling about it…”

“Yeah. Me too,” Green answered dourly. And then, into his communicator, “this is Lieutenant Green. Give me Lieutenant Damask, please. Yeah, I think it’s rather important. I need some information…”

* * *

Roland left Rhapsody Angel in front of the small restaurant in Stone Point Village where Scarlet had taken a meal the day before. It was raining hard and Rhapsody took the time to thank the older man before stepping out of the vehicle. She tried to get him to give her his address, so she would be able to send him back his clothes, but he didn’t want to hear about it, and urged her to get inside the restaurant as fast as possible, before the rain soaked her again. The last thing Rhapsody saw of Roland was his broad and sympathetic smile, and his gold tooth, as she thanked him again gracefully, before closing the passenger door and hurrying to the restaurant’s doorstep.

Under the safety of the porch roof, Rhapsody watched as Roland’s lorry pulled away and took the road again, leaving her behind. She watched its departure until it took the next turn and disappeared. Then she evaluated what to do next. The best, she thought at first, would be to follow Roland’s advice and to step inside the café to wait for Symphony and Lieutenant Green’s arrival. Of course, she would have to find out about Scarlet’s whereabouts, but this rain wouldn’t help her search, and considering Symphony’s last instructions – and how she felt at the moment – she doubted it would be a very wise move.

She looked at herself, grumbling. Roland’s clothes were a little crumpled and way too large for her. She was literally losing herself in them. She had to pierce a new hole way down the belt in order to fasten it more comfortably, and fold the bottoms of the trousers many times. Still, they were dry and clean, which made them far more comfortable than her soaked clothes which she was holding in a plastic bag tucked under her arm. She felt sure she would attract attention, when she entered the café, dressed like this, with her hair still wet and tied into a very loose, untidy ponytail. She gave a low grunt. Well, she couldn’t very well stay on the porch like this and wait eternally, anyway…

She was about to enter the café when her eye, wandering about one last time, caught a glimpse of the lighted front of Stone Point Village’s lone pub, just the other side of the dark road. There were a number of cars, trucks and lorries parked in front of it, and one of them attracted Rhapsody’s attention. She narrowed her eyes attentively.

It was Captain Scarlet’s car.

All of a sudden, Rhapsody felt her anger coming back. All of her resolution to wait for the others to arrive left her in a flash. She had to go, and confront that rude, discourteous, self-righteous, arrogant oaf and give him a piece of her mind.

She quickly strode across the street, not taking much notice of the rain falling onto her, passed right next to the car and put her plastic bag of wet clothes onto the hood. She glanced only once at a red transport lorry parked a few metres away from her, and that she also recognised. She gave only one frown. One louse at a time, she reasoned to herself.

She walked purposefully toward the entrance of the bar.

* * *

"And that's the story, Mr Metcalfe. Now you know even more than the police themselves."

Captain Scarlet leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowed, scrutinising Hansen with attention. Between the two men, there was almost a mountain of beer glasses - each of them had drunk their fair share, but while Scarlet remained totally unaffected by the alcohol, Hansen had became more and more uninhibited with it - and the more he drank, the more talkative he became.

Hansen had told Scarlet about his relationship with Erik Dalton - how the man had taken a liking to him and had become his friend, and had often employed him at the garage, to do a few easy jobs on cars. Dalton didn't have a regular employee - he couldn't afford to make use of one anyway, in fear of seeing his cover blown. So Hansen was quite willing to fill in whenever there was need of an extra pair of hands. Dalton had not even considered telling 'his friend' about the fact that he was an undercover agent for Spectrum. Which was a very wise move, really, as Hansen would probably have blown the whistle on him. He wasn't, as Scarlet was discovering, the most discreet of persons. A few beers, drunk in the company of any generous enough provider, and he would open up and tell everything that would be asked of him.

What Hansen had told Scarlet wasn't really new. Unbeknown to him, Hansen had been the witness of Dalton's murder - those screeching sounds he had heard could be nothing else but the sounds made by the car as it was crushed against the ceiling of the garage, killing Dalton who was still in it. The music had been turned louder so to cover the possible screams of the victim. And the 'Erik Dalton' Hansen met afterward was the Mysteron duplicate, there was no doubt in Scarlet's mind.

And Hansen had seen Captain Black. JUST before he had fled the garage, stealing the SPV hidden inside. Hansen had never suspected a thing. And yet... he had just revealed something to Scarlet that he had not dared say to the police.

Hansen had found the behaviour of his 'friend' Dalton rather unusual. When the Mysteron duplicate had attracted the drunken witness's attention away from the fleeing Black, and subsequently chased him away, Hansen was able to get a peek at the interior of the garage. He had seen the car crushed against the ceiling and had found it so very unusual - unusual enough to ask Dalton what had happened.

"He simply said he had trouble with the hoist," Hansen said with a shrug, draining his sixth - seventh? – glass. “Ah, I don’t know… that looked rather suspicious... even if it’s me saying so. And I was rather…”

Scarlet raised a brow, seeing that Hansen was looking for a right word to describe his state at the time. “Uninhibited?” he offered matter-of-factly.

“Yeah,” Hansen agreed. “Well, even Erik didn’t seem like his old self… He was distant.” Scarlet nodded his understanding. Of course, neither the police nor Spectrum had told Hansen about the replicate – or rather the ‘twin story’. He thought he had been talking to Dalton himself. But he knew Dalton very well, and he had noticed something strange anyway.

“Mr. Hansen,” Scarlet moved on, “that man you saw leaving the garage… Did he see you?”

Hansen gave it some thought. “Yeah, once,” he said with a nod. “Just before he disappeared from my view to go into the annex. What cold eyes he had… He simply gave a quick glance over to me but didn’t say a word.” He shrugged. “That’s when Erik came over to me and chased me away.”

You were lucky he only chased you, my friend, Scarlet thought grimly. Hansen was far from imagining how CLOSE he had come to becoming another victim of the Mysterons – just like his friend Dalton.

He was about to ask further questions when he caught sight of a female figure who was making her way across the floor, passing between seated and standing men, raising a flow of mocking or appreciative whistles and other various sounds in her wake. She appeared totally oblivious to all this, and with a determined and absolutely set expression on her face, she walked directly towards him. He groaned, and sat up straight, at her approach.

“What are you doing here?” he asked with an annoyed sigh when she stopped right next to their table.

“What am I doing here?” she replied acerbically, putting down her handbag onto the table with unnecessary roughness. “What are you doing here?”

Scarlet stared at her, examined her from top to toes, then looked at her straight in the face again. He would have to be blind not to notice her wet hair and the way she was dressed. “What happened to you?”

She scoffed derisively. “You have the gall to ask me that?”

“Who’s that?” Hansen muttered, eyeing Rhapsody from under heavy eyelids. “Your wife?”

Rhapsody literally bristled at the remark, as if it was an insult. “I am NOT his…”

“I don’t think it was a good idea for you to come here,” Scarlet suddenly interrupted. He had pushed his chair back, and stood up to take her by the arm. He looked around, meaningfully. “It’s not a place for you.”

“And I suppose it is one for you?” She wrinkled her nose and sniffed with obvious disgust. “You’re drunk!”

“I am not drunk,” he stated between his teeth.

“Of course you’re not,” Rhapsody spat. “It’s just your new aftershave…” She roughly freed herself from his grip. “…Largely flooded with alcohol. DON’T touch me, you…”

“Listen, lady,” Hansen then said in a louder tone, straightening on his chair to look up to Rhapsody a little more levelly, “this is a free country. If your husband wants to be alone and have a couple of beers, you can’t stop him.”

Rhapsody eyed him with contempt before turning to Scarlet. “New drinking buddy of yours?”

“I REALLY think you should get the hell out of here… dear,” Scarlet replied between his teeth, getting closer and offering her a forced smile. He was starting to notice the few looks that this scene was drawing to them and he didn’t need to attract attention this way.

“And I’ll thank you NOT to order me around… dear,” Rhapsody replied in the same tone.

She saw his eyes burn hotter. “The same goes for you,” he answered back icily.

Rhapsody was about to answer in kind when a loud laugh made itself heard very near to her ear and she turned around in time to see a big, jovial middle-age man standing there, and insistently presenting her with an enormous glass filled with beer. He obviously had trouble standing upright and some of the beer nearly spilled on her; she made a step back to avoid the new rain – and the man’s awfully stinking breath.

“Here, girlie,” he told her, still laughing merrily, “Can I offer you a beer? You look like you need it!”

Both Scarlet and Rhapsody eyed the newcomer who had just stepped into the conversation, uninvited. He started laughing stupidly, looking over his shoulder to exchange a wink with two of his buddies who had followed him and who obviously were having as much fun as himself. Scarlet was about to tell the man off and to mind his own business, when Rhapsody, who was staring at the man meaningfully, gave a slow nod and started talking:

“You wouldn’t, by any chance, be the driver of a bright red lorry – which is parked just in front of this door?” she asked the man with something of a syrupy tone.

“You got it, darlin’,” the man slurred, swaying on his feet, a broad, stupid smirk threatening to crack his face in two, winking again briefly at his mates behind him.

“Right. I thought I recognised your vehicle. And your laugh. Even if you were going – a little too fast for my taste, when I saw you earlier on the road.”

“What can I say, lady... I was rather in a hurry to get a delivery of booze to this place… All my friends working up a mighty thirst in here… They were relying on me. Isn’t that right, mates?” he said, turning to his chuckling friends.

Scarlet clearly was at a loss as to what the exchange could be all about. He was worried. Rhapsody looked like she was literally fuming. With the kind of cold anger that was threatening to explode.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” the man continued, “but surely, you realise that you made a pretty tempting target, lady… Just to show you there’s no hard feelings…” He forced the glass into Rhapsody’s hand, still giggling. “If I’m not mistaken, I think you would need this to warm you up a little, ain’t that right?”

Scarlet gave the man a warning look. He had obviously misunderstood what the man was really implying. “Watch it, mate…” he started, taking a step forward, but stopped his advance when Rhapsody put a firm hand against his chest. She was looking at the man very quietly, nodding, the pint in her hand.

“Actually, sir,” she replied in the most civil of tones, “I think you’re in more need of it than me… to cool yourself off.”

With that, she splashed the entire contents of the glass straight into the man’s face. He gasped loudly, and opened eyes wide with surprise. And outrage.

He wasn’t the only one surprised. Scarlet, and everyone around close enough to have witnessed the scene, were staring at an unruffled and defiant-looking Rhapsody with bewildered eyes. Scarlet couldn’t believe she had actually done that – in the middle of a dirty, smoke-filled bar, standing up to a mammoth man twice her weight. And all that, while succeeding to still look so –

Dignified?

It took a few seconds for the man, dripping with beer, to get over his astonishment. He stepped threateningly toward Rhapsody. “Why you, I oughta…” His two friends and a few close customers were barely enough to hold him at bay before he could reach the young woman. The man turned around to punch the first face within reach – and that had the effect of starting a chain reaction when the victim started protesting and others joined into the fray. With numerous men starting to throw punches and yelling insults, Scarlet swiftly grabbed Rhapsody’s arm as she was reaching for her handbag on the table.

“You’d better get OUT of here!” he barked at her over the ruckus.

“Only if you come with me!” she replied in the same tone.

Scarlet turned around to see that Hansen had quickly left his seat and was making himself scarce – taking along a bottle of alcohol he had grasped from a now abandoned table. The captain grumbled with irritation; he kept a firm hold on Rhapsody’s arm and with her in tow, made his way toward the exit, trying to avoid the brawl, which was getting bigger by the second.

They somehow, miraculously, reached the door and went out, without either of them having been bothered. Only once outside and under the porch roof did Scarlet release Rhapsody’s arm to turn furiously on her. The rain was falling even harder than before, flooding the main road.

“What did you think you were doing in there, throwing that beer into that man’s face?” Scarlet asked angrily. “You should have left him to me!”

“I don’t NEED you, of all people, to act as my knight in shining armour!” Rhapsody snapped back furiously. “I can fight my own battles!”

“You’re raving, woman! That brute could have snapped you in two!”

“Don’t you DARE talk to me like that!”

Scarlet waved his hand in annoyance at her. “I don’t have to listen to this,” he said, walking toward his car. “I’m leaving.”

“NOT without me!” Rhapsody protested, following him.

She grabbed the plastic bag that she had left on the hood and reached for the passenger door. Scarlet addressed her an irate look over the rooftop. Considering what had happened in the pub, he couldn’t very well leave her where she was. He could already hear the ruckus approaching the door. What if that man was to come after her?

“Fine, get inside!” he shouted abruptly, opening his door. “And don’t you criticise my driving!”

Rhapsody opened her door and quickly got inside, eyeing Scarlet. “Maybe you shouldn’t be driving, with all that alcohol you’ve had…”

He furiously slammed his door shut and gave her a warning – and murderous – look. “I am NOT drunk!” He turned the ignition key, a grim expression on his face. “I can’t get drunk anymore…” he added in an undertone.

“Oh! I see…” Rhapsody seemed to be taken a little aback. She closed her own door, without adding another word. She didn’t need Scarlet to elaborate any further.

A second later, the car was leaving the front of the pub, just as the big lorry driver was coming out, followed by his friends.

In the safety of the car, Rhapsody looked over her shoulder and saw the three men giving chase after them – on foot. They gave up after a short distance, obviously realising the futility of racing after a speeding car. She gave a deep sigh and sat back in her seat, more comfortably. She glanced at a grim-looking Scarlet. He was staring right ahead at the road, as they were leaving Stone Point Village – and by the look of things, he was heading back to Stourford. For what it was worth, he had told the truth, and didn’t seem at all bothered by all the alcohol he had drunk earlier – although the smell of his breath was evidence enough to betray him. His driving was smooth enough, even taking into account the bad state of the road.

“Thanks for the lift,” Rhapsody said matter-of-factly.

“Keep quiet,” Scarlet replied. “I don’t want to hear a word from you or I’ll throw you OUT in the rain.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” she gasped with outrage.

“DON’T tempt me. If it could only force some sense into your THICK skull…”

“If you’re referring to what happened with that big bully back there, it was all YOUR FAULT!”

“My fault?”

“If you had not left me on that road, that creep would never have splashed me in the first place!”

“Splashed you?”

“Never mind,” Rhapsody grumbled with irritation, waving the explanation away. “I never realised how ILL-MANNERED you could be before today!”

Scarlet blew a deep sigh and rolled his eyes. Count to ten, Paul… “I asked you to leave me alone,” he said, his tone softening, but still very angry. “You didn’t listen to me. And now, you have made my investigation even more difficult than it already is.”

“What investigation?” Rhapsody asked with a deep frown, barely cooling down. “This is some fantasy of yours, and frankly, I don’t think you even know yourself what it is you’re looking for…”

“I know what I’m looking for.”

“Do you? Then let us help you with it.”

“I already told you that I don’t need your help!”

“Why, of all the thick-headed, insufferable, obnoxious…” One of the wheels ran into a hole in the road and almost made Rhapsody jump to the roof. She gave a very exasperated glance at Scarlet. “Watch it! You nearly knocked me out!”

“I asked you not to…”

A violent shock coming from behind suddenly interrupted Scarlet and both he and Rhapsody, taken by surprise, found themselves thrown forward in their seats. A second shock followed, in much the same fashion, but more brutal, that left no doubt that there was something behind, ramming them roughly. Rhapsody turned around swiftly in her seat to check and Scarlet gave a glance into the rear-view mirror. At the same instant, powerful headlights from a vehicle following very close behind were turned on, nearly blinding them. And a third shock confirmed that the driver of this vehicle intended to hurt them.

“Who could that be?” Rhapsody said with a frown.

“Two guesses?” Scarlet mumbled. “Probably, our friends from the pub don’t want to leave us before saying their proper goodbyes.” He put the car into a new gear, and pressed down the accelerator. “Hang on.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Rhapsody said, buckling herself up.

The car jumped forward, and Rhapsody caught herself on the dashboard, giving her companion a rather worried look. He didn’t look back at her; his attention was focused on the watery and muddy road ahead, only leaving it briefly to turn his eyes on the rear-view mirror toward the vehicle behind. It had accelerated too, first to match the car’s new speed, and then went even faster. The next bump the car suffered was less violent that the preceding ones, and Rhapsody turned around on her seat.

“Can you see anything?” Scarlet demanded of her hurriedly. “What vehicle it is, who’s at the wheel?”

She shook her head. “The headlights are too bright in this rain… But it doesn’t look like that red lorry…”

With alarm, she saw the sudden burst of speed in the pursuing vehicle and thought it was about to hit the rear of the car again. But instead, at what seemed the last possible second, it brusquely veered into the next lane – and drew level with the car. With a sudden swerve, it hit the rear fender – so violently that both Scarlet and Rhapsody heard the metal screeching, and the turn indicator bursting. The car nearly jumped off the road, but Scarlet manoeuvred it expertly enough to keep it on track.

By now, Rhapsody was able to get a good look at their pursuer. She shook her head. It really wasn’t the red lorry she had first expected to find. “Large pick-up, apparently grey,” she reported to Scarlet. “I don’t think I saw it in the pub’s car park. I can’t see the driver.”

Another violent bump pushed the car aside; Scarlet was fighting with the wheel to keep it straight. “Whoever that is, he’s trying to force us off the road,” he muttered. And with all that water and mud, the asphalt was so slippery it was taking all of his skills and concentration. He pressed down the accelerator even more – the car skidded dangerously, but gained some distance from the pursuing truck. Scarlet glanced at Rhapsody; she was keeping an eye on the rear, watching the pick-up. Scarlet was acutely aware that if they were to have an accident, the young woman could get seriously hurt.

“He’s coming up for another try,” she suddenly announced.

Scarlet heard the truck’s engine as it roared by his side, so very close to the car. He tried to push it away, bumping into the front fender, but the truck was heavier, more powerful than his car. It sped past the car, sending mud and water onto the windshield, momentarily blinding both driver and passenger…

Then skidded to a halt, and blocked the path straight ahead.

“Brace yourself!”

Scarlet’s two feet hit the brake in an instant. He heard the screeching of the tyres on the slippery surface of the road, unable to get any grip, and sending the car into an uncontrolled skid straight toward the truck. Scarlet tried his best to avoid the collision, but there was little he could do. He did succeed in turning the car enough so it wouldn’t hit the truck head-on – but the jolt was enough to send the car completely off the road. The front tyres left the ground entirely and the car literally jumped over the ditch. Scarlet held on to the wheel, and Rhapsody gave a sharp intake of breath before squeezing her eyes shut – both hoping that the landing wouldn’t be as rough as they feared it would be.

The car tilted to one side in mid-air and landed on the driver’s side, hit the side of a tree, then flipped completely, with a deafening squeal, sending pieces of metal flying in all directions. Then it heavily fell back on its tyres, leaning on the side of the ditch, at an odd angle, its headlights still on.

Rhapsody had been stunned by the accident, but she was still conscious when everything finally stopped. Her heart pounding wildly, she tried her best to regain control, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. Then she quickly checked herself; she felt sore all over, and had a shooting pain in her right shoulder and arm, but it didn’t feel broken or anything as serious. She could feel a drop of blood running under her hair and reached with her hand to discover a glass cut. There was nothing more. It was a miracle she wasn’t more wounded. Her belt had probably saved her.

She looked to her right to check on Scarlet, he was leaning forward loosely, barely held onto his seat by his safety belt. His eyes were closed and there was blood running down the side of his head. His door was wide open, half torn from its hinges, and was hanging toward the ground below, leaning against a clump of small oak trees. Rhapsody released her belt and carefully leaned toward her companion.

“Captain?” She reached for his shoulder and gently shook him. He didn’t react. She shook a little more insistently. “Captain Scarlet, can you hear me? Paul!” He simply groaned but went quiet almost instantly. He had obviously been knocked hard. She was relieved that he was alive, though, but at the same time, felt a little concerned. They couldn’t stay in the car, that was certain. And since Scarlet was in no way able to get out by himself, she’d have to help him.

She pressed the release button of his belt and felt a certain alarm when she saw his body sliding off the seat toward the opening left by the half-wrenched door. She tried to hold on to him as best she could, so he wouldn’t fall off too roughly, but he was heavier than she first anticipated. She nevertheless succeeded in smoothing his descent, and he fell on the muddy ground with a huff. He didn’t even make a move.

Rhapsody gave a grunt. She squeezed out of her seat and extricated herself from the car, sliding beside the still body lying in the mud. She landed on her hands and knees, the rain so heavy it was washing over her like a cold shower. Even that didn’t seem enough to draw Scarlet from his unconsciousness. Right, thought an annoyed Rhapsody. Leave it to me to do all the work… She sniffed with disgust. There was a very strong odour of petrol pervading the place; the fuel tank had obviously been heavily damaged, perforated, and the petrol was probably pouring down onto the ground, mixing itself with the muddy water. They couldn’t stay here. It was far too dangerous, in case the car caught fire. She caught hold of Scarlet’s arms and started pulling.

“I wish you would wake up already, Paul,” she grunted under the effort. “You don’t have any idea how heavy you are for me…” Her plea remained unanswered and she continued to pull, dragging him away from the car inch by inch, as quickly as she could.

She had only managed a couple of feet when she became aware of running footsteps coming in her direction. She turned around, hoping help was on its way. Of course she was half-expecting it would be the driver of the grey pick-up, and that, maybe, after having witnessed the accident he had caused, he would have felt guilty enough to lend a hand, but she was rather surprised when the man who stood in front of her suddenly grabbed her by the throat and threw her roughly against the inclined side of the car. She gasped, almost as much from the shock of surprise as from the pain reverberating in her back when it hit the car so violently. The man pushed her backward, bending her over the hood, not releasing his hold on her throat. She blinked and looked up, bewildered, into the distorted face of her attacker. There was an evil smirk on his thin lips, and a coldness in his eyes that seemed totally inhuman.

She had seen that face… but she couldn’t recall where.

“You never thought you would find me in your way, did you, Earthwoman?”

Rhapsody blinked. Earthwoman…? A Mysteron…?

Then she remembered.

That face. It was the same as the one she had seen pictured in a recent report she had read.

It was Erik Dalton’s face!

The realisation of who her attacker really was, and that there was no doubt in her mind that he meant to kill her, made Rhapsody react instinctively. Her leg went up and her foot hit the man at exactly the right spot where she knew it would hurt enough for him to release her. He gave a loud moan and buckled in two, his grip relaxing. Rhapsody pushed him aside and quickly scrambled away from the car – at the same time putting some distance between her and her attacker. She tried to climb up the ditch, slipped on the mud and back down – to find herself sitting in the mud, looking up as the man walked slowly, menacingly, towards her.

“How can you be here?” she gasped, confused by his presence. “You’re dead!”

“Of course I’m dead, Earthwoman,” the Dalton replicate said with a thin smile. “Didn’t you read Spectrum’s official report?” He chuckled wickedly. “Maybe you shouldn’t believe everything you read…”

Rhapsody tried to escape him, but he was faster and caught her arm, gripping it a vice-like hold. She managed to hit him across the face, but while her hand made contact, it barely had any effect, as he viciously backhanded her, sending her sliding down wildly to the bottom of the ditch. She hit the back of her head against a protruding root, wincing under the impact. She lay still, stunned, barely aware that the Mysteron was now approaching her very slowly, taking his time as he could see she was helpless.

His advance was brusquely interrupted when a strong hand grasped his shoulder and forced him to turn around; a second later, a violent punch in the jaw sent Dalton sprawling in the mud. Scarlet was standing on his feet, although precariously, his face half-covered with blood pouring from multiple deep cuts he had sustained when the car had hit the ground and the door window had burst into fragments. He had regained his senses just seconds ago, in time to witness Rhapsody’s predicament. He had not totally recovered his strength, obviously, but that didn’t stop him intervening – or taking a threatening – if somewhat unsteady – step forward the Mysteron agent. The latter spat out some blood and quickly got to his feet, picking up from the ground a sharp piece of metal that had been torn from the car.

“The Mysterons have ordered the woman’s death, Earthman,” he spat with confidence, brandishing his improvised weapon. “And yours as well…”

Scarlet stopped his advance, keeping at a safe distance from the sharp object he was threatened with. He was breathing in deep gulps, trying to regain what he could of his senses and strength. He briefly gave a concerned look in the direction of the half-stunned Rhapsody, who was very slowly regaining her bearings, before returning his attention to Dalton. “I thought they had done just that months ago,” he muttered under his breath.

Dalton sprang forward to attack, raising his weapon, but Scarlet caught hold of his hand in mid-air, and grasped at the Mysteron’s clothes, forcing him backward, and pushing him hard against the side of the damaged car; it tilted dangerously under the violent shove, but neither combatant seemed concerned about that. Dalton stepped onto Scarlet’s toes, before elbowing him in the stomach. He was, obviously, an expert fighter, more than able to hold his own against the injured Spectrum captain whose hold relaxed just enough for Dalton to push him off to the side and then against the opening of the half-destroyed door. The lowest part of Scarlet’s back brutally hit what was left of the metallic door mirror, which had been broken into a tapered fragment. It was hard and sharp enough to drive itself deeply into his flesh, forcing a cry from his lips. The pain gave him enough desperate strength to repel his opponent’s assault with another, vigorous jab in the face, just before the later was able to hit him with his weapon. Dalton lost his footing on the slippery ground and fell on his back.

Stuck onto whatever had cut him, Scarlet pushed himself off the car, giving a violent shove as he did so. The piece of metal broke with an audible snap. Scarlet grunted; he could feel something was still inside of him, as he fell on his knees. As he tried to move, it sent a shooting pain through the side of his body. He instinctively reached for it with both hands and grimaced when he felt both metal and pouring blood under his fingers.

His attention diverted from it when he saw Dalton standing on his feet again and getting ready for another attack; Scarlet was, he realised instantly, totally at the mercy of that heavy object the Mysteron was lifting again. Scarlet desperately attempted to evade the blow. Dalton’s weapon hit his left shoulder brutally – driving him back onto the ground. The piece of metal in Scarlet’s side shifted, and he grunted under the renewed pain. He was fighting not to give in to it, when Dalton followed up his attack. Kneeling astride him, the Mysteron pushed Scarlet’s head down violently. Scarlet’s head hit a rock and he saw stars dancing in front of his eyes.

By now, Scarlet had barely enough consciousness left to offer any resistance to Dalton, as the latter, pinning him down on the ground, was hitting his head down with force again and again. He could only see his assailant’s features through a haze that was thickening at each blow. He thought he would soon lose his senses, when the Mysteron stopped suddenly, and holding him by the collar of his shirt with a tightened grip, looked down at him with an expression of total contempt and hate.

“Before I kill you,” Dalton growled between clenched teeth, “tell me: did Hansen have it? Did he give it to you?”

Scarlet blinked, unsure if he understood. “Wh-what… I…” His slurred answer, apparently too slow for the Mysteron’s taste, died with a moan, when Dalton smashed his head once more against the rock.

“Did he give it to you?” Dalton asked more insistently. He failed to receive an answer this time around, as Scarlet, unable to speak, and perhaps even to comprehend, groaned unintelligibly. The Mysteron agent grunted with total disdain and grabbed Scarlet’s hair. “No matter,” he spat. “We’ll find what we’re looking for. And when we do, the Mysterons will have their revenge. But this time, you won’t be there to stop us!”

He was about to smash Scarlet’s head again, when the latter, miraculously, found a last reserve of strength within him, and pushed him off, using his legs and right arm as balance. Taken by surprise, Dalton was thrown off his victim and fell clear of him. Despite his valiant effort, Scarlet was however unable to get back on his feet, and could only roll away, trying to at least raise himself to his knees. It was only a momentary reprieve. He could see that the Mysteron agent was already getting up and coming back towards him.

Unable to do more, Scarlet braced himself for the new attack, when he heard a cracking sound – a gunshot – and saw Dalton shudder under the impact of a bullet that exploded into his chest. He gave a brief cry and then fell back, before sliding down against the damaged car, where he lay still.

Scarlet looked at him in confusion, before turning his head at the sound of approaching footsteps. Rhapsody appeared next to him, a determined and severe expression on her face, and a small gun smoking in her slender hand, still trained on the motionless body lying next to the car. She briefly knelt by Scarlet’s side and helped him to get on his feet. He winced at the effort and she looked up at him in concern. “Can you stand?”

“With your help, I will manage,” he seethed between his teeth. He glanced at the damaged car and sniffed meaningfully. The distinct smell of petrol all around made him vividly aware that they were still in danger. He gave a disgusted stare toward the Mysteron lying in the mud, the blood pouring from his chest washed away by the falling rain. “Let’s get out of this ditch, quickly,” he instructed, taking a step towards the steep slope.

His whole left side was in fire, and it was torture to ask his left leg to move up the side of the ditch; he had to lean heavily on Rhapsody to actually be able to reach the top without falling. He was heavy, and he was concerned that she wouldn’t be able to hold him, but the young woman had more strength in her that he might have realised at first. And she wasn’t the kind of person to give up easily when facing a challenge. She managed to support him.

They finally stepped onto the road, gasping for breath after the effort they had just made. Standing by the side of the grey pick-up, which still had its headlights powered up, they looked down at the car lying broken on the other side of the ditch, which was only at about ten, fifteen feet away from them at the most. The powerful headlights were still illuminating the scene, producing bright diamond-like sparks against the hard falling rain. Scarlet narrowed his eyes with attention. It seemed to him that he had seen movement… Rhapsody looked down too – and then shivered.

The Mysteron duplicate of Erik Dalton was slowly getting up on staggering feet, and was now staring defiantly at the two Spectrum agents looking at him with obvious bewilderment. He had reached for a gun, tucked into the back of his pants and that for some reason he had not used until now. Probably, he had waited to do so, and was only planning to use it to finish them off. “You will not escape me, Earthmen!” he shouted this ominous promise, before raising his gun in their direction. He was obviously trying to aim at them but the falling rain, and the blinding luminosity still coming from the pick-up headlights next to which Rhapsody and Scarlet were standing seemed to make it hard for him to acquire a target. He fired, but the shot went wide, and that seemed to enrage him. He gave a frustrated cry. “I’ll find out yet what it takes to kill you!”

“Funny,” Scarlet muttered, taking the gun from Rhapsody’s hand. He took careful aim at the Mysteron. “I was telling myself the same thing…” He pulled the trigger several times, each of his bullets hitting his target which shuddered at each impact. Dalton fell back onto the car, and Scarlet continued to fire, emptying the magazine. One of the bullets caused a spark. At the sight of the first flame, the Spectrum captain pushed Rhapsody behind the pick-up truck.

The explosion that followed was of extreme violence. A huge flame billowed up into the air, and countless metal chunks flew on all sides. If they had not taken refuge behind the safety of the truck, Scarlet and Rhapsody might have been struck by the falling pieces. As it was, they were quite safe, and they waited until the rain of metal and fire stopped before risking an eye out toward the ditch.

Nothing much remained of the car. Or of the Mysteron duplicate of Erik Dalton either. What was left was presently being completely consumed by the raging fire. Scarlet’s eyes seemed unable to detach themselves from the scene; he rigidly stood there by Rhapsody’s side, apparently enthralled. Noticing that, the young woman reached for his arm to try to draw him out of his reverie. He barely reacted.

“Paul?” she called, frowning with perplexity. “Are you all right?”

She clutched his arm with more insistence and felt him quiver. He turned a somewhat lost gaze at her. It took only a second before his eyes became alive again. He raised his right hand to gently stroke her face, an expression of concern now obvious on his features.

“Are you hurt?” he asked in a murmur.

“No, I’m quite all right,” she replied with a vigorous shake of her head, a bit surprised that he should ask that, after she had been the one to help him out of the ditch. “But that was my question… How are you, Paul?”

“I’m…” he swallowed hard, blinking, swaying on his feet. “I’ll be okay…” He looked up as he saw the headlights of an upcoming car heading right their way, probably attracted by the earlier explosion. He was too dazed to concern himself with the question of who it might be, but still looked up, on the defensive. If only for Rhapsody’s sake.

When the car stopped and he saw Symphony Angel and Lieutenant Green getting out, he was still a little wary, but when he noticed their concerned expressions at their approach, he was glad to realise he had nothing to worry about.

“By God, what happened here?” Green exclaimed, looking with bafflement at the remains of the burning car and then at Scarlet and Rhapsody. “We saw that explosion ahead on the road, but we couldn’t imagine…”

Scarlet gave a faint grunt. The loss of blood and the blows he had suffered to the head were draining Scarlet of his remaining strength. At this moment, he felt he was about to faint.

Leaning against Rhapsody’s shoulder, his knees buckled under him as he slowly started to fall forward. If the young woman had not held him firmly, he would have hit the ground. She helped him to lie down as gently as she could, offering soothing and tender words of comfort, just as Green and Symphony were rushing over to help.

He let them tend to him, while he permitted himself one minute of rest.

Chapter 6

“So that’s what happened, Colonel White. Doctor Willard lied to us.”

In the room she had taken with Rhapsody Angel at the Stourford inn, Symphony Angel was seated in front of the portable computer, making her report to her commander, whose image appeared on the screen. Colonel White was at his computerised desk in the Control Room, looking back at his own screen, which was relaying Symphony’s image to him. He looked very attentive, but at the same time rather grim, upon hearing the young pilot’s story.

“As Lieutenant Green discovered when he called Lieutenant Damask at Spectrum London,” Symphony continued, giving a nod toward the lieutenant who was standing in the background, “it was not the body of the Mysteron duplicate that was sent to Spectrum London Mortuary a couple of days ago, but the body of the real Erik Dalton - while the Mysteron’s body was kept in Culver Hospital in Stourford.”

“Yes,” White agreed with a slow nod, “the Mysteron body was to stay in the London HQ mortuary - waiting for Doctor Fawn and Spectrum scientists to have time to examine it properly. As has been standard procedure, since our first encounter with the Mysterons.”

“Well obviously, whoever received the body bag from Stourford at the time didn’t check its contents,” Symphony commented. “Or they would have noticed that the body inside wasn’t the right one. There had been an exchange, while nobody was watching. While the real Erik Dalton’s body was sent to London, the Mysteron agent stayed behind - probably under the identity of the real Dalton himself - revived, and quietly left the Culver Hospital, without anyone apparently noticing that there’d been an exchange. And subsequently there was a body missing from the mortuary. I suspect Doctor Willard to be behind it. He did tell me - and according to his own testimony, he told the same to Captain Scarlet - that the body of the real Dalton had been sent to London yesterday - reclaimed by his family.”

“Which wasn’t true, of course,” Green continued behind her. “That would have been reported immediately to Spectrum - no matter the destination of the body - and entered into the records. Nobody claimed Dalton’s body - as far as Spectrum London was concerned, it was still in the Culver Hospital mortuary. When Symphony told me of Willard’s claim, I called Lieutenant Damask in London, and he confirmed it. Then I played a hunch, and asked him to check on the Mysteron body they were supposed to have there.”

“That was when they discovered that the body wasn’t the right one,” White reflected.

“Exactly, Colonel. It wasn’t difficult to find out, once they opened the body bag - when they saw they had a severely injured body, instead of a gunshot victim…”

White waved aside the rest of the comment. He wasn’t really interested in hearing the gory details. “I will have to talk to Spectrum London personnel,” he muttered. “If the contents of that body bag had been checked as soon as it got there, we would have noticed right away that something was wrong.” He gave it some thought. “We also should have been more careful. We should have realised that it was too easy to kill that Mysteron duplicate. We thought, wrongly, that it had been created solely to either kill or slow down Captain Scarlet and Captain Blue when they came to requisition the SPV. Since his mission had failed, it was reasonable to believe that he would not revive.”

“Then it would mean that the Mysterons had other plans for him,” Symphony remarked.

“We can assume so, yes. But what exactly those plans are is anybody’s guess at the moment. This will have to be investigated.” White rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “How are Captain Scarlet and Rhapsody Angel?”

“Rhapsody has not been harmed - except for a few bruises and cuts. Captain Scarlet took the brunt of it when the car flipped over - and then during his fight with the Dalton duplicate. He refused to be taken back to Cloudbase - so, well, considering that the injuries he suffered had not killed him and would heal relatively quickly, we thought of bringing him back to his room at the inn, until he heals.”

White grunted; his expression showed his deep displeasure with this state of affairs. Probably, he was frustrated that Scarlet was still being his stubborn self. Still, he was diplomatic enough not to make too much of a show of his anger. He contented himself with nodding his assent. “Did any civilians see you arrive there?” he asked.

“No, sir. We’re the only… ‘guests’ at the inn at the moment.”

“Considering the circumstances, you did the right thing,” White acknowledged. He was thinking it was far better not to force Scarlet into coming back to Cloudbase against his will. He certainly didn’t want to elaborate on the subject with Symphony or Green.

“There were no witnesses of the incident on the road, as far as we can tell,” Symphony continued. “It happened far enough away from Stone Point Village, or any other inhabited area. But it’s possible that the explosion could have been seen from some distance away, and maybe someone called the police.”

“We’ll contact the police to inform them that there is a Spectrum operation in the area,” White replied. “If possible, we’ll keep this under wraps until this ‘mission’ is finished.” He sat back in his seat. “What is Scarlet’s status right now?”

“He’s been asleep for the last three hours, resting in his room. Rhapsody Angel stayed there, to keep an eye on him. Making sure he’s comfortable.” And that he doesn’t sneak out on us again, Symphony added inwardly, although she was certain that the colonel had read her thoughts on the matter.

“Right. I want to talk to him as soon as he wakes up. I’m interested to know what it is exactly he’s looking for in that area. You already stated that you think he’s looking for clues to Captain Black’s whereabouts. I think you’re right in your assumption - and I also think that whatever hunch made Scarlet believe that Black was still in the area - despite the fact that logically, Captain Black would have long gone - that hunch was also right. And I’d like to know what that hunch was based on.” He looked squarely at Symphony. “I’m counting on you to try to convince him to call me back, Symphony. As you may have guessed, we’re not exactly on the - best of terms.”

“That makes two of us, sir,” Symphony replied. “I’m not sure he will listen to me but - I’ll try.”

“He’s still angry with you concerning that incident at the atomic centre three days ago?”

Symphony nearly raised a brow. That the colonel should know about Scarlet’s present resentment toward her shouldn’t come as a surprise to her, though. He seemed to know everything that was going on around Cloudbase…

White gave a contemptuous huff. “Maybe he would be more indulgent toward you if he knew all the facts…”

Symphony shook her head. “I don’t think he would regard my father’s death as a good enough excuse for what happened, sir,” she replied. “He might consider that I let myself be distracted in the course of duty.”

“Let me be the judge of that, Symphony,” White grunted. “And I think you’re selling Captain Scarlet short. But that’s not exactly what I was referring to.”

“Colonel?”

“You mentioned to me that you had experienced trouble with your jet, during that… mission.”

Symphony tensed, seeing the expression on her commander’s face. Yes, she had mentioned that to him. In her report. And he had questioned her privately afterwards. Only Green knew about it, because he had been there, but nobody else knew. White, concerned about Symphony’s report, had asked her not to tell anybody else until the Angel craft that she had piloted had been thoroughly investigated and examined, to find out if indeed there was some kind of technical problem with it. White had his reasons to keep the secret, and Symphony knew of those reasons.

“You… have the results of the investigation, sir?” Symphony said, almost afraid to ask.

She watched as White pulled a paper from a folder in front of him, and consulted it for a second. “I have them, yes,” he said, clearing his throat. “And I think you would like to know what they are…”

Symphony swallowed hard. She exchanged a glance with Green and saw instantly that he had no idea what those results would be. She shifted uncomfortably on her seat before turning her attention back to the screen. She braced herself for the news - bad or good.

“I’m listening, sir,” she replied with as firm a tone as she could muster.

* * *

Dressed in a heavy bathrobe, which was way too large for her, Rhapsody Angel stepped out of the bathroom with a deep sigh of contentment. Now that’s more like it, she reflected with a smile, rubbing her still half-wet hair vigorously with a towel. She had been yearning for a long, relaxing, hot shower for hours, and had only now allowed herself to finally take it. The journey back to Stourford, after all the trials of the day, had been relatively uneventful. Aside from tending to a feverish, half-conscious Captain Scarlet with Green in the back of the car, while Symphony was driving, and then dragging him up to his room in the dark, without the owners of the inn noticing anything, there had been little to worry about - despite the fact that she was rather concerned that yet another Mysteron would show up around any corner and attack them once more. That had not been the case, fortunately, but that didn’t stop Rhapsody worrying. And she was still worrying now.

She went to the window and pushed the curtains slightly aside, looking out cautiously, making sure there was nobody out there surveying the place. The street was empty, dark in the middle of the night. It had stopped raining a couple of hours ago. She checked her watch; it was nearly three in the morning. She let the curtain fall and turned around.

The room was partially lit by a small table lamp standing beside the bed, where Scarlet lay on his back, sleeping. He had been like that since the second they had dropped him there, and had barely made a single move. That had allowed them to get him out of his filthy clothes and to finish cleaning and dressing his wounds without any objection on his part. Then it had been decided that Green and Symphony would have to contact Colonel White to make a full report of what had been going on, relaying at the same time the information that Rhapsody gave to them - and that Rhapsody would stay put to keep an eye on their sleeping colleague, and have a chance to rest a little too. They didn’t expect Scarlet to put up any kind of struggle, in his present state.

Without making a sound, Rhapsody came closer to the sleeping man and looked down with interest, taking notice of the regular rise and fall of his bare chest, indicating that he was sound asleep. The blue and yellowish bruises she had noticed earlier on his body had completely faded, as well as the cuts on his face - some of them were deep enough, she recalled. Yet, she was surprised at not being able to find any trace of them anymore. Delicately, so as not to wake him, she pushed aside the short fringe on his forehead but could only see unblemished flesh. The only real indication that he had been hurt at all was that dressing on his side, where they had had to remove the sharp chunk of metal that had embedded itself there. She wondered how the wound underneath would look now.

She had witnessed his retrometabolism before - well, sort of, when he had pricked his finger on a rose thorn, and that otherwise insignificant incident for him really was her first and only observation of his remarkable power of recovery so far. Aside from that - she had just heard about it. Well, she had seen him alive, whole and in perfect health some number of hours after missions during which she knew he had been injured - seriously - but never until today had she had the opportunity to witness it first hand. She was suitably impressed. And somehow - less intimidated than she would have expected, although she was only now starting to realise the full extent of what retrometabolism really meant for the man known as Captain Scarlet.

And it didn’t only mean he healed incredibly fast and that he could ‘come back from the dead’, to borrow the same words he had once used himself. He also needed far less sleep, except when he was regenerating; and he had more stamina now - he had just told her so himself, some weeks ago. Just as he had told her a few hours ago that he couldn’t get drunk. An interesting side-effect, she reflected, probably due to his speedy metabolism, which probably burned up what alcohol he drank as soon as it entered his system. She was willing to bet that it probably had the same effect with drugs or pain-killers - so it was a good thing then that he slept so soundly when recovering from wounds. Otherwise he might have to endure terrible pain, with no way of relieving it. That made her shiver almost despite herself. Now that certainly wasn’t something to look forward to, she was thinking.

A low moan from the sleeping Scarlet interrupted her reflections, and she saw him shift slightly, moving his head on the pillow as if he was trying to find a more comfortable position. She wondered if he was waking up, and watched to see. He moved again, and muttered something that she was unable to make out, but he didn’t open his eyes. Looking closely, she could see the movements under his eyelids, and the frown lines forming on his brow as he moved again.

He’s dreaming, she realised instantly.

More than that, he was apparently having a nightmare, as he was starting to move more, almost thrashing, raising his arms to brush aside whatever he was seeing in his sleep. The groans became more audible.

A concerned Rhapsody sat down next to him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, with the full intention of waking him, as smoothly as possible.

She had barely touched him when he suddenly came fully alive, his hand snatching her wrist with strength. “BLACK!”

The cry and the brutal awakening literally froze Rhapsody; she didn’t even have time to react as Scarlet, apparently still drowsy with sleep, shot straight up from the bed and grasped her by the shoulder to push her back. She lost her balance, crashing to the floor, as Scarlet maintained his hold on her. She hit the back of her head on the floor, and gasped, looking up with wide-eyed astonishment as Scarlet, kneeling astride her and keeping her down forcefully, raised his free hand into a fist, ready to strike. She thought for a second that it would come down; but it didn’t.

Scarlet had frozen in position, breathing hard, drenched with a cold sweat, now fully awake and looking in disbelief at who his opponent really was. He gave a dubious frown as his fist slowly lowered and his grip relaxed.

He was about to say something when sounds of hurried footsteps made themselves heard in the corridor beyond the door. Acutely aware of their present awkward position, Scarlet quickly let go of Rhapsody and slumped into a sitting position on the floor, at the foot of the bed. As swiftly, Rhapsody struggled to her feet, adjusting the robe around her, and was standing up when the door burst open and Symphony and Green appeared in the doorway. She turned to face them; both had their guns in hand.

“What happened?” Green asked nervously, looking down at a silent and gloomy-looking Scarlet seated on the floor, wearing only the bottom half of his pyjamas, and then at Rhapsody. “We heard shouting, then the name ‘Black’ and…”

“It’s all right,” Rhapsody said, raising a soothing hand and walking toward them. “It was only a nightmare.”

“A nightmare?” Symphony repeated. She watched as Scarlet slowly got up from the floor to sit on the side of the bed. He did look like a man who just had woken up from a bad dream and was trying to get his bearings back. He was pale and covered with sweat. “We’re lucky we’re the only people in the inn at the moment,” she reflected. “A yell like that would have woken everyone…” She didn’t receive any reply from Scarlet - not that she expected him to say anything. He was looking down, holding his head as if he had a headache. Symphony did notice that Rhapsody was looking in concern at him and she wondered if there was something her fellow pilot wasn’t telling.

“I think he’ll be all right now,” Rhapsody said, gently pushing Symphony and Green out. “He just needs a moment of rest…” She squinted her eyes over her shoulder to Scarlet. “…And maybe a strong cup of coffee. Can you bring us some? I’ll stay with him in the meantime.”

Reluctantly, both Symphony and Green nodded their assent and left as Rhapsody gently closed the door. She turned to face Scarlet. He was still looking down, not daring to face her; he was probably embarrassed by what just happened.

He gave a deep sigh to finally recover a normal breathing rate. “Thank you,” he said at last. “I don’t feel like much company right now.”

“That’s what I gathered,” Rhapsody remarked. “But I’m not leaving you alone.” He didn’t say anything on the matter, and simply looked up at her.

“What are you doing in my robe?” he asked, rather matter-of-factly.

She shrugged, approaching. “I just had taken a shower when you physically attacked me,” she replied coolly.

He looked down, embarrassed again. “Sorry, I… I was dreaming and… it was pretty hairy...”

“I bet.” Rhapsody stopped in front of him and drove her fists into the large pockets of the robe. “Do you often have those kinds of dreams when you recover? Because if so, I tell you, I wouldn’t change places with the nurses in sickbay…”

Scarlet shook his head. “To my knowledge - it’s the first time.” He gave it some thought, as the images of the videotape he had seen of his session with Doctor Weiss came haunting his mind. It wasn’t really a dream that time but flashback images - hidden flashback images from repressed memories that he still couldn’t remember. But the dream he had just experienced was so vivid - it was obviously an unconscious reminder of those scenes he had seen of himself. He grunted. “That dream - it was as if I was… reliving the accident - you know, in New York, when I was with Captain Brown…”

“Oh.” Rhapsody gave him a curious glance. “I thought you didn’t remember it…”

“… My last conscious memories are of the pain I felt - and the flames approaching me.” Scarlet shivered. “Not something I like to reminisce about… But it comes back more often than I would like it to…”

“You shouted Black’s name,” Rhapsody noted. “But Black wasn’t anywhere around there when…”

“He was there, Dianne.” Scarlet raised sombre eyes to the young woman who was standing near him. “Recently, I found out that he was present when I… died, that first time.”

“How do you know?” Rhapsody asked, shaking her head with a frown.

“I saw him.”

“Wait,” she sighed, “how can you be sure of that when you can’t remember…”

Apparently, it’s all here.” He tapped on his left temple with his index finger. “Suppressed memories, you know what they are? They were unlocked during a session with Doctor Fawn and Doctor Weiss. Some time ago. I only found out about it a few days ago. They were using drugs to try to discover if I wasn’t hiding something from what I could recall of my experience with the Mysterons. Consciously or subconsciously. Well, it seems there was nothing there of my time under their control, but they discovered more than I actually remembered about my first death.”

“That Black was there,” Rhapsody reflected.

“And that he killed me.”

Scarlet’s eyes turned darker. He then told Rhapsody about what the session with the drugs had revealed. How he had survived the accident, but was badly hurt, and was trying desperately to escape the flames threatening to consume him. How Black had suddenly appeared, how he had pleaded with Black to help him; how Black had instead pushed him back into the wreckage of the burning car. By the end of his short tale, he could see horror in the young woman’s eyes, as well as something of an understanding of what was going through his mind. She sat beside him, thoughtful, staring into empty space, contemplating what he had told her.

“But you still don’t recall any of it,” she mused after a while.

“I can’t,” he groused in a low tone. “As hard as I try, I can’t consciously recall anything of that time.”

“And the dream you just had…?”

“… It was only a dream,” Scarlet replied, with a shake of his dark head. “Not the memory of what happened. It was probably triggered by that tape I saw on Cloudbase… and by what happened to us tonight.”

“The attack on the road?”

“You must admit it had some similarity with that ‘accident’ in New York. In my dream, the two events seemed to be merged… You were riding beside me in a patrol car - and the Mysteron I fought was…”

“Captain Black,” Rhapsody said, understanding dawning on her.

He nodded. “The ending wasn’t the same, though,” he said in a low voice. “I didn’t win this fight - and Black threw both of us into the flames of the burning car.”

Rhapsody grimaced. “I think you’ve got to learn better eating habits before sleeping, Captain,” she said. “Or better drinking habits. You might find it improves your dreams… As I’m sure you remember, you indulged yourself rather… heavily tonight.” Her tone was good-natured, but it didn’t fool Scarlet. He could feel she was uncomfortable enough. He nevertheless produced a smile, as she rose from his side and walked a few steps in front of him.

Faint knocks at the door attracted both their attention; they saw the door being pushed open and Symphony entering, carrying two cups from which steam was visibly rising. She handed one to Rhapsody, closer to her, and approached Scarlet to give him the other. He graciously accepted it, sniffing the delightful aroma before taking a sip of the hot coffee.

“It comes from the dispenser downstairs,” Symphony explained. “It’s not too bad, and it’s certainly better than Captain Blue’s.” She gave a faint smile. “I kind of remember you take it black, with a pinch of sugar, Captain.”

He nodded, taking another sip. “That’s perfect. Thank you, Symphony.”

She paused a second, pondering on his non-committal reply, before speaking again, taking a more official tone. “Captain Scarlet, Colonel White would like to talk to you concerning recent events. He asked if you would call him back in Cloudbase as soon as possible in order to discuss them.”

Scarlet seemed to give it some thought for a brief instant, gazing into his cup; he took another sip. “Thank you, Symphony. I’ll think about it.”

Obviously, Symphony reflected, that was all he was going to say. She would have to content herself with that. She simply nodded and turned around, rather stiffly, and went quietly out through the door. She didn’t see the inquiring look Scarlet addressed her as she walked out and closed behind her. He turned to Rhapsody.

“She’s rather formal, isn’t she?”

Rhapsody raised a brow. “Maybe she’s still upset about the way you treated her recently,” she remarked coldly.

That Rhapsody should know about this didn’t surprise Scarlet. Symphony might have told her - or anyone else for that matter; it wasn’t as if he had been that discreet about hiding his feelings on that particular subject. A number of people had witnessed his outburst - so they might have mentioned it to Rhapsody.

“You have to admit she was careless,” he replied dryly. “It could have cost her her life.”

Rhapsody bristled at those words. She was always quick to defend her friends to the hilt when necessary. She felt that Scarlet was needlessly rude in the circumstances. “It didn’t. And perhaps you don’t know everything. Perhaps she had something on her mind that distracted her…” She had barely said the words before she realised how weak the argument sounded. Sure enough, Scarlet responded with the reply she expected. It came abruptly, just as she was sighing and kicking herself for giving him that opening.

“You don’t need any distraction during a mission, Rhapsody. Especially when you’re at the helm of an interceptor jet. You know that as well as I do. The danger could be tremendous.”

“You never got distracted during a mission, I suppose?”

“Never! And I hope you don’t either.”

“I don’t think either of us could relate to what Symphony has been through.”

“For God’s sake, what can possibly…”

“She just lost her father.”

That shut Scarlet up instantly. He stared at Rhapsody for a few seconds, unsure whether he had heard correctly or not. “Her father died?”

She nodded. “Not long before she went on the mission. She hadn’t told anyone. Now I agree she should have stepped down from the mission right then, but… I believe she was still in shock and had not fully realised the extent of the news at the time.”

“I see.” Scarlet pondered this new revelation. He put his cup onto the bedside table. “Yes - that could have been a distraction. Why didn’t she explain it to me afterwards, then?”

“Did you let her explain herself, to begin with? I suppose she might also have thought she had been careless. Maybe she didn’t think it was enough of an excuse.”

“When did you find out?”

“A couple of days ago. The day you left Cloudbase, actually.”

“Poor girl.” Scarlet gave a sigh and lowered his eyes. He rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. “I remember meeting Harry Wainwright at the commissioning ceremony. Big fellow, as tall as Adam, but bigger built. Kind of a modern-day John Wayne - with the same walk as well. He was everything I ever imagined an American cowboy would be. The only thing that was missing was the Stetson.” He gave a rueful smile. “Karen joked at the time that he had left it at the family ranch in Iowa - not wanting to embarrass his daughter with it!” He grew sombre. “Karen was very close to her father.”

“As you are yourself with yours,” Rhapsody remarked, almost fondly.

“I can only imagine how lost she’s feeling.” Scarlet stared at the young woman who was looking down at him attentively. “Are you close to your parents, Dianne?”

“Not as much as you or Karen, I’m afraid.” She gave a deep sigh. “While I was growing up, they were constantly fighting. Well, they still are today, but it was worse then. Far worse. They were always competing with each other about who would give me the biggest present, the most expensive gift there was. In that respect, I was rather spoiled - I had everything you can imagine. But I often wished when I was a child that they would stop their squabbles and give me more of their attention and love, rather than presents. Oh, I don’t mean they didn’t love me… But they weren’t as ‘attentive’ to me as I would have wanted.” She frowned. “Do I sound like an ungrateful brat?”

“No, you don’t,” Scarlet replied with a doting-enough smile.

“I often envy Karen or you, for your close relationship with your respective fathers,” Rhapsody continued. “I could never be that close with mine.”

Scarlet nodded his understanding. “I should talk to her,” he murmured. “I haven’t been very nice to her.”

Rhapsody raised a brow. “Yes, I think you should.”

“And I should also apologise to you.”

She shrugged. “You already did that.”

Scarlet chuckled briefly, almost uncomfortably. “Only for throwing you to the floor like I just did. No. I mean… for leaving you stranded on the side of the road like that. And… what I said to you afterwards.” He looked up at her. “That was uncalled for. I apologise for all that, Dianne.”

Rhapsody nodded slowly, apparently accepting his apology. She kept silent a moment, meditating; she then cleared her throat and, looking at him squarely, answered, “You know, you were saying earlier that distraction could be dangerous during a mission. Well, I reckon that… obsession can be equally as dangerous as distraction.” Scarlet didn’t reply to that remark and simply looked away, apparently knowing full well what she was driving at. She moved on: “You came back to Dorset looking for clues concerning Captain Black, didn’t you? I think you are obsessed with finding him, or what he might be doing - I wasn’t all that sure earlier, but after that nightmare you had, and the story you told me about your first death…” She nodded slowly. “… I think it’s now very clear.”

Scarlet kept silent again, not deeming it necessary to answer. Slowly, he got to his feet, and turned to the drawers of his cabinet, searching for clean clothes. Rhapsody watched him with a frown, as he threw trousers onto the bed, and then a pale shirt.

“What are you doing?”

“Changing.” Choosing a pair of socks, Scarlet threw them onto the shirt and then, closing the drawer, turned to face Rhapsody. “Didn’t you hear Symphony earlier? I certainly won’t talk to Colonel White only wearing pyjama bottoms.” He looked down at the dressing stuck onto his side and reached to pull at one side of it. Rhapsody made a step forward, alarmed.

“No, you’d better not remove that. It’s…” Her advice came a little too late as Scarlet tore off the dressing, with a grunt. She saw unblemished skin where she knew was supposed to be the hideous wound she had tended to earlier. She stared in wonderment. “…completely gone,” she finished her sentence, with a certain dismay. She sighed, throwing her hands up. Why bother patching him up, then?

“I remember there was something there,” Scarlet recalled thoughtfully.

“A sharp piece of metal,” Rhapsody answered. “We removed it while you were unconscious.”

“We?”

“Lieutenant Green. That is, he was holding you and I removed it. Pulled it out like a bad tooth, to be precise.”

He gave her an awkward look. “I hope you didn’t take too much pleasure in tearing into my flesh?” He smiled faintly. Of course, she knew he was joking; she might as well answer in kind.

“I kind of regarded it as an acceptable revenge after the way you treated me yesterday…” She smiled in turn. “I couldn’t leave it to rust in there,” she added, in a kinder tone. “No matter how indestructible you are, I didn’t think it could do you any good.”

“I much appreciate your concern, Rhapsody. Thank you.” Scarlet gazed a long minute at the young woman, silently, almost scrutinising her. She felt suddenly awkward under the intensity of his stare and shifted from foot to foot for a moment, unsure what to make of it. He narrowed his eyes at her. “I suggest you go and change too. Not that I don’t find you attractive in that… attire… but certainly, if he sees us both dressed like this - well, we don’t want the old man to… let’s say, get the wrong impression about us now, do we?”

Rhapsody felt the red coming to her cheeks. He thought he had made her ill-at-ease with that half-concealed joke of what people might think of a probable relationship between them, but he was pleasantly surprised when he heard her state what was probably the real reason behind her awkwardness:

“Attractive, really?”

He smiled, amused by her coquettish, so feminine reply. “Eye-catching, anyway,” he specified.

That last remark made Rhapsody look crossly at him and he laughed; she probably thought that he was still making fun of her and that he didn’t think she was at all glamorous in that monstrous robe.

She couldn’t be farther from the truth.

* * *

Less then ten minutes later, when Captain Scarlet entered the room occupied by Symphony and Rhapsody at the other end of the corridor, he found Lieutenant Green seated in front of a portable computer, talking with Colonel White whose image from Cloudbase was displayed on the screen. Upon seeing him approach, Green rose from his chair.

“Captain Scarlet, glad to see you’re better.” The broad smile upon the younger man’s face was genuine, so Scarlet could only smile his thanks in return. “You’ve arrived just in time,” Green continued. “We just contacted Colonel White again…” Green offered Scarlet his seat in front of the computer and stepped back as Scarlet sat down to face the screen.

“Captain Scarlet,” White welcomed him with a brief nod upon seeing him.

“Colonel White,” was Scarlet’s equally non-committal response.

“Captain, I’m aware that there are still… problems between us,” White stated straightforwardly, “and that you might feel that now is still not the time to talk about it. But it would seem to me necessary for us to seriously discuss what has happened recently. Can I assume that you might agree to some sort of temporary truce in order for us to do that in a civil manner?”

Scarlet nodded slowly. “Yes, Colonel, I think we should indeed discuss what has happened. I think Spectrum and I have an equal interest in what is currently going on around here - so it might be useful for us to compare notes.”

“Then we agree on that,” White replied. “Lieutenant Green was giving me his latest report on his investigation of Doctor Willard - whom you have met yourself, I believe.”

Green explained about how Symphony had met with Willard earlier that day, not long after Scarlet himself, and what he had told her. Scarlet only gave Symphony the briefest glance, before turning his attention back to Green, who was continuing his report by saying what they had found out earlier, concerning the discovery of the exchange between Dalton’s body and his Mysteron duplicate’s, then how they had come to the conclusion that Doctor Willard had something to do with it, seeing that he had lied to Symphony. He moved on with the rest of his findings, which he had just completed a few minutes ago.

“I contacted the hospital. They have not seen Doctor Willard since about four o’clock yesterday afternoon. He doesn’t seem to be at his home either - or if he is, he doesn’t answer the phone. Nobody saw him leave yesterday. He just… disappeared, apparently.”

“Four o’clock,” Symphony mused. “That’s not long after I met him. Our meeting was interrupted by a nurse that came to tell him his latest patient was waiting for him.”

“That would be his last appointment, then,” Green remarked.

“This disappearance might give more proof that he was behind the exchange of the bodies of the real Dalton and his Mysteron duplicate,” White noted. “Captain Scarlet… may I ask what it was you discussed with the doctor?”

Scarlet shrugged. “I wanted more information on Dalton’s death. The exact cause, when it happened… If anyone had come forward to formally identify or claim his body.”

White nodded. “That corroborates what he told Symphony about his meeting with you.”

“Well, at least we know that he didn’t lie about that,” Scarlet said rather coldly. Apparently, he wasn’t too happy to discover to what extent he had been spied on. But if he glared in Symphony’s direction, he didn’t say anything. His anger seemed to be aimed directly at Colonel White rather than anyone else. “He lied about Dalton’s body to me too - saying it was gone, claimed by his family.”

“Evidently, he couldn’t show it to you - since the exchange had already taken place. When you talked with Doctor Willard, did you notice anything… wrong with him?” Colonel White asked tentatively.

“You mean did my sixth sense pick him up as a Mysteron agent?” Scarlet shook his head. “No, Colonel. But that’s hardly evidence that he isn’t one. As we all know, my sixth sense doesn’t always work efficiently.”

“Too right, unfortunately. Or you would have picked up the presence of Dalton’s duplicate earlier yesterday.”

Scarlet nodded. “Yes, and probably sooner than when he tried to force my car off the road.”

“You’ve been around those places for the last two days,” White remarked. “What could have motivated him to attack you last night of all times?”

Scarlet tilted his head to one side. “Maybe I was getting too close?”

“Too close to what? I’m sure you knew that would be my next question, Captain: what are you looking for in Dorset? More specifically - in Stourford and Stone Point Village?” White paused a second. “Are you trying to find out where Captain Black has gone?”

Scarlet narrowed his eyes at the screen. “Colonel, is there anything missing from the Culver Atomic Centre?” he asked, instead of answering.

White’s brow furrowed. He didn’t like one of his questions being ignored; but he was able to weigh the importance of Scarlet’s question. He obviously had something in mind.

“To my knowledge, nothing has been reported missing to Spectrum,” he answered.

Scarlet nodded; he could see it was the truth. He saw no reason for White to lie about this. The lies were coming from elsewhere, obviously.

“Then why did employees of the Centre go to investigate Dalton’s garage?” he asked. “Taking samples from the ground, for example? What would be Culver’s interest in that place?”

“Where did you hear about that?” White asked, with an openly dubious expression on his face.

“I heard rumours of it from various people in Stone Point Village. And more precisely, from a eyewitness, who saw them.”

“Eyewitness?”

“A man by the name of Giles Hansen.”

“Giles Hansen… Oh yes… According to official Spectrum reports, he’s a drifter. And a known alcoholic in Stone Point Village.”

“He’s also an eyewitness to what happened at the garage, when Dalton was killed,” Scarlet replied. “That’s the man I was interrogating last night, in the pub, where Rhapsody found me. Just before we were attacked by the Mysteron duplicate.”

“So you think you were attacked because you talked to that man?”

“I don’t know - I had seen his name in the report, of course. And Doctor Willard mentioned him to me.” He paused a second, thoughtful. “Why would a Mysteron agent go after me and try to kill me, after I had talked to Hansen?”

“Perhaps he was afraid of what Hansen might have told you?”

“That, or…”

“Or?”

“They thought Hansen had something he might have given me.”

“On what do you base that assumption?”

“It’s not an assumption, Colonel. It’s a fact. When I was fighting with Dalton - the duplicate - he asked me if Hansen had ‘given it to me’.”

“Given you what?”

“Damned if I know, Colonel. But I would bet it has something to do with the Culver Atomic Centre. Something Black would have taken from there. The Mysterons obviously don’t have it right now, but they want it - and apparently, Culver wants it too. It’s the only logical explanation for why Culver would have searched the Delta Garage. If they took samples from the ground, it might be they were looking for something radioactive and they wanted to make some tests to find out if what they’re looking for is there - or has been there.”

“Those are pretty nebulous suggestions, Captain,” White replied with a frown. “I can’t go to the people in charge of the Culver Atomic Centre with a theory like that and make… ‘accusations’ that they haven’t told us everything about the break in.”

“Well, I can do it, Colonel,” Scarlet replied, rather wryly.

The colonel’s irritation was starting to show on his face, although he was doing his best to hide it. He was starting to get annoyed with Scarlet’s indiscipline - not to mention his obvious arrogance. He was about to reprimand the young man rather sharply, when Rhapsody Angel, who had kept silent up until now, and had listened with attention to what was said around her, suddenly stepped forward to intervene.

“Colonel, if I may…?” His anger with Scarlet still brewing inside, and not really pleased that he should be interrupted at the moment where he was preparing to berate his unruly officer, White nonetheless addressed a nod - if rather a brusque one - in her direction, inviting her to continue. “I think Captain Scarlet’s hypothesis may contain some truth,” she explained carefully. “It’s true we don’t have relevant proof, but I think we may still have enough indirect evidence. If we accept the suggestion that Captain Black had indeed taken something from the Culver Atomic Centre - and that it was radioactive - then it could have helped Spectrum trace him, just as his own radiation helped us trace him when he became radioactive because of that isotope he came into contact with… Once he had worked out he was radioactive, and that it was allowing us to trace him, he knew that he had to get rid of the radiation, by coming back to the Atomic Centre. But that object he had taken… He couldn’t keep it with him at that moment.”

“It would have continued to serve as a beacon,” Symphony agreed, realising what her colleague was trying to explain. “So he couldn’t take it back with him to the Centre. He hid it somewhere before going back there…”

“And he went back later to pick it up,” Scarlet finished. “When no-one else would be looking for him anymore.”

“Would he have hidden it at the Delta Garage?” Green said with a dubious frown.

“Why not?” Rhapsody replied. “When you think of it, it’s logical enough. Dalton was now a Mysteron. Black could have entrusted Dalton - not only with killing whoever would come to pick up the SPV he had stolen - but with the safekeeping of that precious object. Maybe he didn’t count on Dalton being killed so easily.”

“He was too easy to kill,” growled Scarlet. “We should have known there was something up.”

“We thought that Dalton’s only mission was to kill Captain Blue and Captain Scarlet when they showed up,” Colonel White remarked. “It never occurred to us that he had a second mission.” He nodded his understanding. “Is it because you suspected all this that you came back to Dorset, Captain?” he asked, almost accusingly.

Scarlet gave a sigh. “No, Colonel. I did suspect that Captain Black was still around here, in hiding. Waiting to act on his masters’ behalf. And I wanted to be here to find him. There was a reason why he entered the Culver Atomic Centre and quite frankly - no-one has been asking themselves what it could actually be. And then the chase started, to capture Black, and it looked as if the Mysterons had all but forgotten about the Centre - and whatever they wanted to do.”

“But there wasn’t any Mysteron threat at the time,” Green remarked. “And none so far that might confirm that they indeed want to use the Centre, or something from it.”

“Do you honestly believe that Captain Black went into a nuclear centre just to take a pleasant stroll, Lieutenant?” Scarlet replied. “The Mysterons always have a reason for whatever they do.”

“Maybe they’re waiting to have whatever has been taken from the Centre in their hands before actually stating a threat?” Rhapsody suggested.

“Have all their pawns in place before the first move? That might be like them, yes,” Scarlet agreed. “They have done it before. In London, for example: they stole that lorry transporting that nuclear device before we heard their threat of destroying the city.” He narrowed his eyes. “It’s not like them to let go of a plan that easily, Colonel. Believe me, I can feel it in my bones now: they’re still hoping to carry out their intended plans.”

“I’m not dismissing any of your gut reactions, Captain,” White stated gloomily. “They pay off too often. But why do you think that this Hansen fellow might have that object?”

“Maybe it disappeared from the garage,” Scarlet observed. “And Black and the Dalton duplicate knew Hansen was there, the day the real Dalton was killed. They might suspect he had found it. And maybe Dalton has better reason to believe he had indeed taken it: he knows Hansen well enough to be aware of what he might do.”

“If it is the case, if indeed they suspect Hansen to have this object in his possession, why did Willard mention him to you in the first place? They might have guessed you would go searching for him - and surely, they wouldn’t want Spectrum to find him.”

“Who knows, Colonel?” Scarlet shrugged. “It might have been a slip on Willard’s part?”

“Or we might find the answer to that question later on, too. If Hansen indeed has in his possession an object that the Mysterons want, then he’s in deadly danger.” White gave this a few seconds’ thought. “This is still speculation, but I agree there is enough evidence to warrant further investigation. If only to learn why there is still a Mysteron agent active in the area. However, we should keep a low profile. Considering the events of a few days ago, if that should be followed by a full investigation into a possible missing object from the Centre, and that news becomes known… it could create panic in the local population.”

“People around here do seem to know everything that goes on, sir,” Symphony agreed with a nod. “Half the population seemed to be employed by Culver - in one or another of their facilities. And the employment of the other half depends on Culver’s presence in these parts.”

“So word will get out that there’s something going on if Spectrum’s presence is too visible,” White reflected. “We don’t want to create unnecessary fright if our suspicions should prove wrong. We should make this investigation an informal one, then. Until we have indisputable proof that the Mysterons are up to something. You will be the investigating team, for the time being.”

“S.I.G., Colonel,” Green answered, echoing the thoughts of both Rhapsody and Symphony, who nodded their acknowledgement. Only Scarlet remained silent, contenting himself with staring at the screen, waiting. White turned his attention back to him.

“Captain Scarlet - I think I’m right in presuming that you have stumbled onto something bigger than you expected…”

“Yes, Colonel, you are right.” White could almost hear his compatriot clearly think ‘as much as it galls me to admit it’. The tone of his voice was enough confirmation of his inner thoughts.

“Since you have already agreed that you and Spectrum have an equal interest in this affair, I think you will also agree that it might be necessary for us to continue to join forces until we know precisely what it is we’re up against?”

Scarlet seemed to consider that offer very carefully for a moment; the others in the room watched him intently and with a little apprehension. White was waiting patiently until his wayward agent was ready to give his answer. He didn’t want to pressure him, but he was feeling that Scarlet was making him wait needlessly on purpose.

Finally, Scarlet spoke: “I will work with Spectrum on this ‘mission’, Colonel,” he replied. “Since we do have to know what is going on and there might be people’s lives at stake. But I want to make it clear that since it’s an informal investigation, my contribution is also an informal one. I’m officially on leave, and it should stay that way. You might consider me a ‘civilian collaborator’, if you will.”

“I could order you back on duty, Captain,” White answered in an almost growling tone.

“But you won’t do that, will you, Colonel?” Scarlet shot back almost immediately, with cold aplomb. “Because you know very well what would happen if you do.”

“You’re out of order, Captain!” White snapped warningly. “So far, I have been very lenient with you, but I advise you NOT to try my patience more than you already have. It is wearing very thin! I will not endure any more of your impertinence!”

“Then I’m afraid you will still have to bear with it for the time being, Colonel,” Scarlet replied in a measured tone. He got to his feet, watching on the screen the image of his commander, whom he could see was fuming with barely-contained anger. He didn’t have to turn to guess the uncomfortable and staggered expressions of Lieutenant Green and the two women with him in the room. He could almost feel their stares drilling holes in him. He nodded to the screen. “I’ll be working with the others on this, but it doesn’t mean that all is settled between us.” He paused for a short instant, almost dramatically. “And it doesn’t mean either that I’ll be back on Cloudbase when this mission is finished. If ever. I do not take too kindly to being spied upon. Nor do I take too kindly to threats, as you well know.”

“I wasn’t threatening you,” White rumbled in a low tone.

“No… maybe not. But don’t you think that this Scarab Protocol hanging over my head is enough of a threat as it is?”

He heard a sharp intake of breath near him and turned in time to see the shocked expression now splattered on Lieutenant Green’s face, as he stared at him with wide-open eyes. Scarlet gave a low, exasperated grunt. “You knew about that ‘top secret’ protocol, didn’t you, Lieutenant?”

“I…” Green shook himself, under Scarlet’s almost accusing stare. “As Colonel White’s aide, I have access to a lot of restricted and top secret files and therefore know of their content, Captain, but…”

“Lieutenant Green does know about the content of the Scarab Project file, Captain Scarlet,” White intervened. “But I’m sure you understand that, by his position as my aide, he’s bound to professional secrecy… He cannot reveal the content of those files.”

“Sure, I understand that,” Scarlet replied, a little sourly. “I don’t envy you that position, Lieutenant. You must feel awful, knowing all those terrible secrets about your… ‘friends’, and not being able to tell them that they’ve been deceived…”

“That’s enough, Captain Scarlet,” White warned with a furrowed brow.

“Quite.” Scarlet addressed a look to the Angels, standing behind. He could see the confusion on their faces; it was obvious they didn’t know anything about what was presently being talked about. With a last glance at the screen, he turned his back on it, much to everyone’s disbelief. How could Scarlet dare do that, without waiting for Colonel White to formally dismiss him? “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some preparations to make for this mission…”

He left the room before anyone could protest; as his footsteps were dying out in the corridor, Green, Symphony and Rhapsody turned uncomfortably toward the computer screen. Except for the fact that it had turned nearly as white as his uniform, the colonel’s face remained impassive, not reflecting any of the turmoil that no doubt was going on in his mind. Knowing his usually fierce temper, that he could remain so relatively calm was remarkable. Almost a major achievement for him.

“DON’T let him out of your sight,” he instructed in a growl, his teeth clenched.

“I’m on him,” Rhapsody replied quickly. She barely noted Colonel White’s nod of acknowledgement, and left in the direction of Scarlet’s room where she saw him enter. She had just arrived at his door when he closed it . She pushed it open and stormed in - slamming the door closed behind her. Scarlet was standing in front of his dresser; he turned an annoyed look at her, as she stood there, stamping her foot.

“What are you, my shadow?” he asked with a scoff.

“What is it with you?” she snapped at him angrily. “I CAN’T believe how you could DARE speak to the colonel like that!”

“He’ll survive,” Scarlet replied. He took a small case from the first drawer, tapped a numeric code on the digital security lock and opened it to produce a small handgun. Rhapsody rolled her eyes at his remark.

“Well, I’m not so sure you will survive next time you find yourself face to face with him. I’ve never seen him so angry. You are in DEEP trouble, Captain.”

“Really?” he replied, sarcastically. “I would never have guessed.”

“I think you have a death wish. And I don’t mean the kind that can be taken care of with retrometabolism. You’re flushing your career with Spectrum down the drain.”

“To Hell with my career with Spectrum.”

“You can’t mean that! You’ve been a soldier all your life! You come from a respected military family! How can you so callously…”

Scarlet turned suddenly on her, his eyes flashing with anger. “Look, it’s not so much the military aspect of Spectrum that’s getting to me. It’s all that political nonsense surrounding it. All those games of hide and seek, all those manipulations, and compromises, and deceptions, that go on behind our backs and that you don’t seem to be even aware of! This is not a sudden whim on my part, Rhapsody, you should know that. I’m just tired of being used. And I cannot trust someone who can’t trust me in return.”

“How can you make such accusations against Colonel White?” Rhapsody protested with a deep, angry frown. “He doesn’t trust you?! That’s news to me! What about when he reinstated you, all those months ago? Wasn’t that showing his trust in you?”

Scarlet rolled his eyes. “I swear I just heard the old man…”

“Paul, I realise that the discovery about that secret he kept concerning your first death may have come as a shock to you…”

“It’s not that. Well, not only that.”

“What then? That ‘Scarab Protocol’ you were talking about with him and Green? What is it?”

He hesitated, measuring his gaze with hers. “I’m not at liberty to tell you,” he said in a low voice. He moved to turn around, but she grabbed his arm, forcing him to face her again.

“Oh no, you’re not escaping me that easily, mister. I don’t care if it’s top secret. I want to know what could possibly be so terrible about this Scarab Protocol that it upsets you so much. To the point of sending you into such a flying rage…”

Scarlet gave a sigh. He threw his gun on the bed in annoyance, and turned to fully face Rhapsody. His eyes seemed to be burning hotter now, and the young woman had to make an effort not to step back, when faced with the amount of anger he was keeping bottled up inside of him.

“You want to know what the Scarab Protocol is, Rhapsody?” he seethed ominously. “Fine! I’ll tell you what it is, then! It’s the only condition under which the World Government agreed that I could be reinstated in Spectrum. The only way for them to be absolutely sure that I would stay in line. You see, they don’t trust me not to fall back under Mysteron control. So they took precautions.” He had obviously had enough of this situation and all these questions and was finally about to answer them, giving up out of frustration. His voice dropped, and it was barely above a murmur when he next spoke. “They planted a bomb in me.”

Rhapsody frowned in total incredulity. “What?” she almost whispered, staring him straight in the face, as if dreading that he was making a very sick joke.

But he wasn’t; he was deadly serious.

“They planted a bomb in my body,” he repeated fiercely, detaching each syllable. He tapped roughly with his index finger on his temple. “Here. Or here.” His hand had closed into a fist to hit his own chest. “I don’t know where it is, but you’d better believe it’s been placed where it would cause as much damage as possible, and disable my regenerative powers long enough - perhaps permanently.”

Momentarily distraught by his sudden declaration, Rhapsody shook herself out of her shock; and loudly scoffed at Scarlet’s insinuation, making a show of denying it. “Captain, you can’t really believe that the colonel…”

“The colonel didn’t have any choice in the matter!” Scarlet almost barked, his voice shaking, although it wasn’t obvious if it was out of anger, disappointment or hurt. “He had to follow orders and accept the World Government’s demands. I don’t know, maybe he wanted that ‘indestructible soldier’ that much, or maybe he really acted out of sympathy for me… I can’t be sure anymore. But what I know is: I really was a FOOL to think he could trust me implicitly.” He found himself catching his breath, then moderated his tone. “In truth, he never did…”

“And you really believe he let them put a bomb in you?” Rhapsody asked, still dubiously. “What… Did you talk to him about it?”

“I saw the secret file, Dianne,” Scarlet replied. “I was never meant to see it, but I did. And yes, I talked to him about this ‘protocol’. He didn’t even deny it.”

Rhapsody looked down, thoughtful over the revelation; she was obviously trying to absorb it - and accept it. Scarlet could see she was thinking hard, and shaking her head in disbelief. She wasn’t ready to accept that their commander would agree to those awful conditions - and accept that an explosive device would be grafted inside one of his agents.

“It’s so wrong…” she murmured.

“He didn’t even tell me, Dianne,” Scarlet continued, his voice now calmer. “He kept it a secret from me. I know he could hardly tell me but… it hurts anyway. And I’m not sure the hurt will ever go away.” He looked down in turn and then turned away. “Now, if you’ll excuse me - I need to freshen up a little, before we get to work.”

He passed by her, brushing ever so slightly against her and briskly walked toward his bathroom. Rhapsody turned to follow him with her eyes, distressed by all the pain she had seen on his face. “Paul…”

He didn’t even acknowledge her and simply stepped into the bathroom, closing the door between them.

Slowly, almost mechanically, Rhapsody sat down on the side of the bed, her eyes staring into empty space, lost in her thoughts, and still shaking her head with deep doubts. There was only one question that was coming to her mind at the moment, and no matter how many times she recapped Scarlet’s words, it kept coming back, over and over again.

“How could it be possible?”

Chapter 7

Alan Kierney was the director responsible for all projects at the Culver Atomic Centre in Dorset. If anything went wrong at the Centre, Kierney was the man to take care of it, correcting the problem to the best of his ability, and, if possible, without too much of it becoming public knowledge. A man in Kierney’s position was all too aware that concern was always high whenever a simple rumour was spread that ‘a problem’ – however minor it might be – had arisen in a Nuclear Centre. People always assumed the worst, even if it was not justified. It wasn’t a simple task for Kierney to keep things quiet; his public relations personnel were perfectly drilled, and they were competent people, who knew how high the stakes were. However, there was only so much they were able to do, especially considering that more than half the personnel of the entire plant lived in the area, making it very difficult to stop word getting out.

The break-in that had occurred barely a week ago had already been a problem that Kierney had to deal with personally – encountering the Spectrum officers who had come to the Centre to investigate and to subsequently try to capture the culprit. After he had told them that nothing had been stolen from the Centre, but that the perpetrator had been exposed to an isotope that had rendered him radioactive for a certain number of hours, the Spectrum agents had used this latest information to their advantage and concentrated all their efforts in finding the would-be thief. They went to the extent of asking for the Centre’s collaboration to set a trap for him inside the premises, when the man eventually returned there to hide. Not that Kierney had any choice but to give them that permission – they had the full authority to requisition the premises if they deemed it necessary

Kierney could tell, Spectrum was VERY interested in getting that man; and he had a feeling it had little to do with the forced entry into the plant. They already wanted him before it happened. He was persuaded of that assumption when, after their quarry had escaped, the exasperated Spectrum officers had simply abandoned the place, seemingly losing interest in the Centre. Only a few minor agents had stayed behind, briefly, to complete the investigation with quick interrogations and searches, before leaving too, after a day. Kierney had been glad to see them go, and had breathed a sigh of relief. He was now free to carry on with Culver’s projects – and the Centre’s own investigation – without outside interference. When THAT was complete, he was fully confident that things would finally come back to normal again.

He lost all his hopes this very early morning, when he had been called directly at his home and informed that someone was waiting for him at his office at the Nuclear Centre. Kierney’s personnel weren’t in the habit of phoning their boss at home, so he knew something was up, although he wasn’t told who his visitor was or what he might want. So without taking the time to shave, he had rushed to his office, biting into a piece of burned toast on his way over, wondering who it was that was asking for him. He thought it may be the big bosses in London, and that made him worry. His staff’s investigation had not given any positive results so far, and he didn’t have good news to tell them when he had made a full report the day before. Maybe that last setback had been the last straw; they might not be all that happy with the way he handled things lately.

He arrived before even his secretary – which was rather unusual, because she was always in before him, no matter how early he was – but then again, this was unusually early in the morning. He took a cup of coffee from the dispenser, mumbling with bad humour, as he took a sip, to discover how bad it was, then opened the door to his office.

There were two people seated in front of his desk, apparently waiting for him to arrive; they stood when he entered and turned to face him. At first, Kierney wasn’t able to identify either of them and blinked at their presence; then the tall, black-haired man became familiar and the Culver director finally recognised him as he came over, presenting his right hand, and spoke quietly.

“Mr Kierney, thank you for agreeing to see us.”

“Captain Scarlet,” Kierney said, eyeing the man with a slight frown, “I nearly didn’t recognise you without your uniform…” He shook Scarlet’s hand, a little tautly. “And as for seeing you, it’s not like you left me any choice.” He looked at the young, red-haired woman who was now standing near the Spectrum officer. “I don’t think I've had the pleasure…”

“Excuse me. This is Rhapsody Angel, Mr. Kierney.”

“Angel? Not the young woman was captured by that Captain Black a few days ago?” Kierney realised he hadn’t met the said victim, so to his knowledge she might very well be that young person. He only knew that Spectrum had recovered her alive, and that she didn’t seem to have been injured by her ordeal, although he had been informed of what she had been subjected to. He saw her shake her head.

“No, that was a colleague of mine,” Rhapsody said simply.

“How is she now? I hope she’s not suffering any ill-effects from the radiation that fiend exposed her to?”

“Symphony Angel is fine, Mr. Kierney,” Scarlet answered quietly. “But thanks for your concern.”

Kierney gave a brief nod and walked around his desk to take his place in his chair. He put down his cup of coffee. “Now, Captain Scarlet, I hope you realise it’s quite early in the day for a social visit. I hope you have a perfectly valid reason to pull me out of bed the way you did?”

“I’m sure you suspect we would only do that for something important, sir,” Scarlet remarked. He stayed on his feet, eyeing down the man who made a show of going through the papers on his desk, making believe he was busy. Rhapsody, very quietly, was sitting down. “We are, of course, continuing our investigation of that break-in to your Centre, last week.”

“I thought the investigation was finished?” Kierney remarked, raising a brow.

“Mr. Kierney, Spectrum does not regard a break-in at an nuclear plant as a minor incident. We’re still trying to determine what it was that Captain Black wanted to do in here.” He paused a short instant, keeping his eyes on the man seated in front of him. “Furthermore, a few facts have been brought to our attention that suggest that there is indeed need to continue a more in-depth investigation.”

“What kind of facts?”

“Mr. Kierney – did Captain Black take something from the plant premises?” Rhapsody asked carefully.

“I already told Spectrum it wasn’t the case,” Kierney retorted.

That was too quick an answer, in both Scarlet and Rhapsody’s point of view; they exchanged the briefest of glances. “Then why is it that an investigating team from Culver has been seen around Stone Point Village, notably at the Delta Garage where our undercover agent was killed?”

Kierney narrowed his eyes to the tall man standing in front of him. “Where did you learn that?”

“It’s been said in the village…” Scarlet said vaguely.

Kierney scoffed loudly. “Don’t tell me Spectrum is launching a whole new investigation based on rumour alone, Captain.” He smiled slightly. “I can assure you – there was no-one from the Culver Atomic Centre who went to the Delta Garage.”

“No-one was taking ground samples there, then?” Rhapsody asked.

Kierney frowned. Clearly, he wasn’t counting on this last statement. “No – whatever for?”

“We were hoping you would tell us, Mr. Kierney,” Scarlet commented. “We… have an eyewitness who told us that he saw personnel from the Culver Atomic Centre taking those ground samples.”

Rhapsody nearly rolled her eyes. Eyewitness indeed… A drifter and a drunk… Now how could Hansen possibly be considered a serious witness? If Kierney happened to learn who that ‘witness’ was, he would laugh in their faces.

“Like you,” Scarlet continued, “we were wondering why they might be doing that.”

“I have no idea.” Kierney shrugged. “And if indeed there was someone taking ‘ground samples’ at the Delta Garage, what can possibly make you believe they are personnel from the plant?”

“Who else could it be, sir?” Rhapsody replied, keeping a courteous enough tone. Kierney kept silent under the Spectrum agents’ scrutinising gaze. Scarlet finally sat down, while Rhapsody, still very calmly, continued: “The fact that they were taking samples from the ground suggests that they might be looking for something radioactive. Hence our suspicions that something was indeed taken from the Centre by Captain Black – contrary to your declaration that it wasn’t the case.”

“Maybe you’re overlooking something?” Scarlet suggested. “We might want to check on those security camera recordings once again.”

“Spectrum already has those recordings,” Kierney objected. “I gave them to your Intelligence agents myself, Captain, when they came to claim them.”

“Ah, yes… I do recall that, but there seems to be some kind of a problem…” Scarlet searched the pocket of his jacket and produced a small paper, which he carefully unfolded to consult. “Apparently, there’s a whole hour missing from Camera Twelve, sector Two… That’s your research and development sector, if I’m not mistaken? Not far from the room where Symphony Angel was held captive, when Captain Black returned to your Centre.” He looked up at Kierney, who was keeping nervous eyes on him, obviously unsure how to respond. “That missing hour matches exactly the time Captain Black visited your Centre the first time around – where another security camera picked him up. Maybe this camera recorded his presence as well? But – why would it be missing? Unless it was removed. Accidentally? That’s doubtful. On purpose?” Again, Kierney remained silent, clearly not wanting to comment on the obvious accusation. Now convinced that he did indeed have something to hide, Scarlet narrowed his eyes at him. “That should be easy enough to verify, I think,” he added. “At the moment, we have someone working on your computer system, which is of course linked to your surveillance camera system. You may have removed that hour from the recording, but it might still be somewhere in the belly of your network.”

“Our man is quite the expert, Mr. Kierney,” Rhapsody continued. “If this recording exists somewhere, you can be sure he’ll find it.”

“How DARE you make such accusations, and access our computer system without authorisation?”

Kierney sounded outraged at the thought. Scarlet’s eyes narrowed to a slit as he stared at the man sternly. “Forgive me, Mr. Kierney, but it seemed to us that you are indeed hiding something from Spectrum, while you were supposed to give us your entire co-operation. Since it was obvious that, by your actions, you were refusing us that co-operation, we had to take necessary steps to make sure we could do our job properly. Our job, Mr. Kierney, is to ensure world security. Now you might consider that whatever you’re doing in your Centre is none of Spectrum’s business, but you would be wrong. If it’s something that attracted the Mysterons’ attention enough for them to send their agent here, and steal something – anything – that might be under your responsibility, then it might very well become a world security hazard, and it becomes Spectrum’s business.”

“Lieutenant Green should contact us any minute now,” Rhapsody continued. “He told us that it would only be a matter of minutes after he had accessed the security surveillance program before he would have the results of his search.”

“And then we’ll know what it is that you’re hiding from us,” Scarlet added, in a tone of ominous promise.

Kierney’s shoulders fell. Obviously, there was no point in continuing to deny it. “All right,” he said with a sigh. “You were right. I will tell you what you want to know…”

* * *

“The isotope that made Captain Black temporarily radioactive last week was the same one that he stole from the Culver Atomic Centre,” Captain Scarlet explained, when the four Spectrum officers found themselves reunited in a conference room in the Culver Centre, a little while later. After brief explanations, the plant’s director had agreed to lend them the room for a quick reunion. He had left them, but had agreed to stay close by, in case they needed further details from him. Lieutenant Green had opened up a channel with the room’s built-in communication system, in order to contact Cloudbase, and had made sure it had been suitably secured from prying ears. Now Colonel White was listening intently to the four agents’ report.

“As Mr. Kierney explained to us,” Scarlet continued, “the Culver engineers were developing this new isotope for the Aldermaston Naval Development Centre, as part of a contract to build a new nuclear engine for the next generation of World Navy submarines. This newly-developed, more powerful isotope was to be added to the nuclear reactor, to make the engine faster, stronger and more stable, with less risk of radioactivity.”

“But as we now know, the engineers were far from having reached the results they were aiming at,” Rhapsody continued. “At this present early state of development, the radioactivity emanating from the isotope might not be lethal – or Captain Black might have died from its exposure – but the thing is still highly volatile.”

White nodded. “So that would be the interest the Mysterons found in this isotope?”

“Kierney said that in its present form, if it was to be introduced into a nuclear reactor, such as those found at Aldermaston – it could have devastating effects,” Scarlet agreed. He gestured toward Lieutenant Green, seated in front of the portable computer. “Lieutenant Green ran a few tests that corroborate Kierney’s claims.”

“And it’s certain it’s Black who took it?”

“While Captain Scarlet and Rhapsody Angel were interrogating Mr. Kierney, I found the original recording from the security camera that caught the theft on tape,” Green explained. “There is no doubt, sir. We clearly see him breaking into the R and D sector and taking the isotope.”

White furrowed his brow in obvious irritation. “Why didn’t Kierney tell us about the theft?”

“It seems that the ‘proper authorities’ at the Culver Company were afraid of the consequences if the theft became known to outsiders,” Rhapsody explained. “They weren’t supposed to develop the isotope here, at the Dorset Centre – it might have been deemed far too dangerous a hazard to work on such a volatile item in a nuclear plant that has just been awarded a impressive contract for energy distribution for the whole area.”

“They might have lost the contract, and a lot of money,” White remarked in a tone amply tainted with disgust.

“They were probably also concerned about losing that other contract with the World Navy,” Scarlet commented. “Kierney defended himself that he ‘couldn’t tell Spectrum about the theft because he didn’t have the authorisation from the World Navy to do so.’”

“Rubbish,” White grumbled. “Spectrum has a higher authority in this kind of crisis, and Kierney should be aware of that. He’s either a liar or a fool. Either way, I will certainly lodge a complaint against Culver for the poor handling of this situation.” He gave a disgruntled sigh. “But now, that’s not the important problem. Captain Black stole this isotope for the Mysterons, for whatever threat they intend to make next. But apparently, they lost it – since one of their agents was looking for it yesterday evening… And since we have not heard a Mysteron threat so far, we can assume that they haven’t found it yet. We must find it before they do, then.”

“Apparently, the Mysterons suspect Hansen might have taken it,” Scarlet noted. “For whatever reason.”

“Why would this Hansen chap have taken it?” Green asked with a perplexed frown.

“Whatever the reason, if he did take it, then it’s Hansen we should be looking for,” Scarlet reasoned.

“Colonel, if I may, there might be another little matter we should look into,” Rhapsody remarked suddenly.

“You’re referring to what happened at the Culver Hospital,” White answered. “Doctor Willard’s involvement in this, and his subsequent disappearance. Yes, that should be investigated too. If only to discover if Willard is a Mysteron agent and where he could have gone to. Maybe he’s in search of the isotope too. That’s a possibility we can’t discard.”

“We should split up into two teams, then,” Scarlet said. “I’ve had contact with Hansen already – I should go looking after him.”

“Was that chap with you in the pub?” Rhapsody noted. “I saw him too.”

Scarlet nearly scoffed. “Yes – he thought you were my meddling wife. And then he saw you throw beer in a stranger’s face. You think he’s going to confide anything to you if you find him? At least I was able to make friendly contact with him.”

Rhapsody was about to say what she thought of his definition of ‘friendly contact’, but she was interrupted by Symphony who considered it might not really be a good idea for both her English colleagues to start an argument in front of Colonel White. “Rhapsody can join me for the hospital investigation,” she noted. “Since she has seen Hansen, if we should by any chance run into him, she’ll be able to identify him.”

“I would rather see Lieutenant Green go to the hospital with Rhapsody,” White replied. “Unlike Captain Scarlet and Symphony Angel, neither of you will be identified as Spectrum operatives if you need to investigate quietly. You will attract less attention. That leaves the search for Hansen to you, Captain Scarlet – teaming with Symphony.”

Scarlet didn’t reply and contented himself with staring at the screen. For a moment, there was an uncomfortable silence in the room. Symphony was wondering if the English captain wasn’t somehow still displeased at her for what had happened a few days earlier. True, they had not talked that much, since they had met again – after that heated discussion on Cloudbase. He had not been disagreeable, however – but neither had the few words they exchanged been particularly friendly. She didn’t know what his current feelings toward her were, but considering his present lack of reaction, it was possible he might still be holding a grudge.

Or was it that he wasn’t that keen on the colonel taking charge and giving him orders at the moment? Apparently, White didn’t want him to slip out of sight – and was thus taking steps so someone would be with him at all times.

Whatever the reason, Scarlet seemed to comply with the instructions at the moment; if visibly reluctantly. He nodded slowly and gave the acknowledgement White was apparently waiting for: “S.I.G., Colonel,” he said in a low tone. “We’ll do it your way.”

“Good.” The colonel looked satisfied that the truce between his star agent and himself seemed to be holding a little longer. “In the meantime, I’ll contact Aldermaston and inform them that a team of Spectrum agents will be assigned there as a precaution against a possible Mysteron threat. I know there is nothing to indicate that there will be an attack specifically aimed at its Naval Development section, and that we don’t know exactly what they might be planning, but it would seem that if the Mysterons get their hands on that isotope, Aldermaston might be their ideal target. For once, we might be one step ahead of them.”

“And what if the Mysterons have the isotope already?” asked Green.

“That’s doubtful,” Scarlet replied. “If they had it, I’m sure we would know. Considering that they might know we’re on to them, they would not waste any more time and would have pronounced their threat already.”

“I tend to think the same,” White agreed. “So I suggest that the four of you don’t waste more time either.”

Rhapsody and Green were the first to stand and acknowledge their orders. They were the youngest of the senior staff and – possibly apart from Captain Magenta, who, with his shady background, always seemed to want to prove himself – they were the most eager to please and obey their commanding officer.

That made Scarlet smile despite himself. But it was a furtive smile. A second later, it had disappeared and his expression had returned to one of gloomy disgruntlement. Slowly, he stood, emulated by an unaccustomedly quiet Symphony. “We’ll keep you informed of any developments, Colonel.” For now, he was going to remain civil with the old man. The situation wasn’t one to complicate with arguments about personal feuds.

They would have time enough later for that.

* * *

Using the Angels’ car – retrieved that very morning and with its tyres changed – Captain Scarlet drove into Stone Point Village with Symphony Angel, both of them in search of Giles Hansen. They decided to make their first stop at the local pub; since the barman had already given some useful information to Scarlet the day before, they were wondering if there might be a possibility that he would be able to do so again – informing them, for example, of other possible places where they could find Hansen.

This early in the morning, the pub was closed to customers, but the back door was kept open to receive the deliveries of the day. Hoping that he wouldn’t encounter the lorry driver of the evening before –he considered that he certainly didn’t need any trouble with him at the moment – Scarlet parked the car in front of the back door. He asked Symphony to wait for him in the vehicle, and stepped out, almost without waiting for her acknowledgement. She watched him enter the building, then got out of the car herself, to walk toward the still open door and wait in front of it. Through the opening, she could see Scarlet exchanging words with a man – who, she gathered by the way he was gesticulating, was either reluctant to give him answers or not too happy to see him. Remembering what she had learned of the events in the pub the evening before, she settled on the second option. It was likely that the man – obviously the barman Scarlet wanted to interrogate – was considering that the visitor was partly responsible for the brawl that, judging by what she could see of the interior of the bar, had caused some damage.

About ten minutes later, after giving a hefty wad of money to the man, Scarlet came out of the building; he was surprised to find Symphony out of the car and waiting for him by it. He gave a dubious frown.

“Still keeping your eye on me?” he asked matter-of-factly. As she hesitated to answer, he moved on. “Don’t worry. The situation is too serious for me to even consider playing hide and seek with Spectrum. I don’t plan to ditch you.”

“Good,” Symphony retorted, raising a brow. “Because we just gave that car brand new tyres. And as you know, they don’t come cheap. I don’t plan to take it out of my pocket.”

He gave the briefest of smiles, as they walked back to the car, and then came back to serious matters. “The barman – who also seems to be the owner of the place – says he hasn’t seen Hansen this morning and has no idea where he might have gone to after yesterday’s fight.”

Symphony rolled her eyes, as she opened the passenger door and sat back in the car, while Scarlet was taking his place behind the wheel. “We could spend hours searching for him around the village – if he is still here to begin with.”

“Unfortunately,” Scarlet remarked in a sombre tone, “it’s quite possible that Hansen doesn’t have those hours. If the Mysterons find him before we do, he’s a dead man – whether he has the isotope or not.”

“That’s another point, what if he doesn’t have it?”

“Well, Dalton must have had a reason to believe he did. Let’s hope he has, because he’s the only lead we have for finding that isotope.” Scarlet gave a sigh. “Now, let’s see. If I was a drifter, and was looking for a place to pass the night, where would I go?”

“Anywhere would do. Under a bridge, in a dark alley… A nearby barn or stable… In those cases I would make myself scarce before anyone found me in the morning.”

“Apparently, Dalton likes to sleep it off after an evening on the booze…” Scarlet rubbed his chin. “Maybe a place he knows is abandoned or unoccupied…”

“Is there such a place in Stone Point Village?”

“I can think of TWO such places which became unoccupied very recently. Remember that Hansen was sleeping in an alley behind the Delta Garage that day when Captain Black showed up.”

“He could have returned there? And…” Symphony nodded slowly, as, looking at Scarlet, understanding dawned on her. “And the Delta Garage has been closed since Dalton’s death. He might have broken in and settled himself in there. And the second place you’re thinking about might be Dalton’s apartment, which is also temporarily empty, right?”

Scarlet nodded. “We’re close to the Delta Garage. Let’s try there, first.”

* * *

Lieutenant Green and Rhapsody Angel had used the employees’ back door to enter the Culver Hospital in Stourford. Considering that Doctor Willard might very well be a Mysteron, they were wondering if there might be others like him in the hospital, who might spot them if they presented themselves at the reception desk with their Spectrum identification. According to Green’s last verification, Willard had still not shown up this morning. The hospital’s administrator seemed rather unconcerned, apparently thinking he might have taken a day off. Which indicated to the Spectrum agents that the hospital staff probably didn’t consider Willard an amenable character and that they welcomed any time off he might take.

Once inside, Green and Rhapsody first casually strolled the hospital walkways, as if they were simple visitors who had come to see a sick person. Reaching a map hung on a wall, they consulted it to find the location of the mortuary. Not surprisingly, they found it was situated in the sub-basement. Going down a nearby staircase, they ended up in the hospital laundry room. A flash of inspiration compelled Rhapsody to borrow two white jackets for her and her companion. Green couldn’t help but smile when he put his on.

“This has got to be a classic,” he said, with an amused grimace.

“Perhaps, but we can hardly pass as visitors while down here, can we, Lieutenant? This way, if we bump into someone, we won’t attract that much attention. They might think we’re new here.”

Green looked on as Rhapsody adjusted her own jacket. “You don’t look like a doctor, though.”

She paused a second, pondering, inspecting herself. She found a pair of glasses in the breast pocket and put them on. Green sniggered.

“You’re good, Miss Simms,” he admitted with an approving nod, acknowledging the physical change in her. “You do look like a doctor, now.”

“I hope they’re not too strong,” Rhapsody replied, pushing the glasses down the bridge of her nose. “Shall we go… Doctor?”

After glancing about through the open door to make sure nobody was coming, they stepped out of the laundry and walked towards the mortuary, their steps echoing eerily in the concrete corridor. They reached their destination after a corner, when they found themselves in front of a big steel door adorned with a plate marked ‘Morgue’. When Green tried the handle, he discovered it was locked.

“Great,” he grumbled. “And it’s a standard lock. If it had been digital, I might have been able to open it.”

Rhapsody stepped forward. “May I…?”

Green made way for her to pass. She crouched in front of the lock and examined it closely, with her companion standing watch. The lieutenant’s eyes caught the young woman as she took a hairpin from her head, bent it expertly and inserted it into the lock. He settled himself against the wall, certain that whatever Rhapsody might be attempting would take a certain amount of time. He was surprised when he heard the faint click coming from the lock.

“What? How…?” He watched, perplexity obvious in his eyes as Rhapsody, a broad smile on her face, theatrically pushed the door open. He smiled in turn. “You really are good. Where did you learn to pick locks so efficiently?”

“Remember my previous ‘spy career’? I had an excellent teacher. Though I wonder where Lady Penelope might have learned that herself.”

They both entered and she carefully closed the door behind them, so as to make sure they wouldn’t be disturbed. They shivered as they turned and looked around. It was pretty cold inside, and it was no wonder why. The temperature was set very low in this room.

A desk stood next to the door, with a computer on it, and in front, a long wall, covered with a multitude of large, numbered drawers. Next to the desk was another, closed, door, and through the glass, they could see another empty room, smaller, with tables inside, surrounded by instruments. There were two corpses lying there, each covered with a shroud. The next shudder that ran down the two officers’ backs had nothing to do with the temperature.

“We’re in luck, there’s nobody around,” Green noted, moving toward the computer and sitting in front of it to press a few keys. “I’ll try to find if there’s anything on here about the supposed claiming of Dalton’s body.”

“You think that may tell us where Willard has disappeared to?” Rhapsody asked, getting closer to look over his shoulder.

“Well, they most certainly must have to fill out all kinds of forms in a hospital when they perform autopsies and move… bodies around. It might tell us when and how the switch was made in the first place…”

Green’s fingers were flying over the keyboard. The screen asked for a password, but surprisingly enough, the young man had no trouble going through it, and a large list of names and dates appeared on the screen. That made Rhapsody smile.

“Well, you’re good too, Mr. Griffiths,” she said, patting his shoulder.

“I can’t take much credit for that,” he answered, his eyes not leaving the screen. “I was practically born with these things… Give me a few minutes, and I’ll find the right file.”

Rhapsody nodded quietly, and sat on the side of the desk, thoughtful; typing onto the keyboard and in search of the information they needed, Green addressed her a brief glance. “Can I ask a question?”

“Of course, Lieutenant.”

“You would have preferred to be teamed with Captain Scarlet, right?” He felt her inquiring look and pursued, wanting to explain himself: “Sorry, it’s just that I had that impression at the Centre…”

She gave a sigh. “Was it so obvious?” she asked, reddening a little. “Lieutenant… I can assure you that had nothing to do with you.”

“Oh, I know that,” Green interjected quickly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you…”

“It’s just that the good Captain and I have some… unfinished business to attend to. I have the feeling he was rather relieved not to be stuck with me,” Rhapsody continued dourly.

“Why would you say that?”

“Our last conversation ended on a rather sour note. Mind you, he’s in quite a bad mood lately. Not that I can blame him, considering what he told me of his… situation.”

Green briefly stopped typing, and glanced at her once more. “He told you about the Scarab Protocol?”

“Who comes up with such corny codenames, anyway?” Rhapsody mumbled. She nodded to the affirmative. “Yes, he told me. And if it’s all true, I can easily understand why he is so upset. Especially with Colonel White.”

Green hesitated. “It wasn’t the colonel’s decision, Rhapsody.”

“So Captain Scarlet told me. Still, I can’t believe the colonel would agree to do such a thing.”

“Rhapsody, I don’t know exactly what Captain Scarlet told you, but… maybe he doesn’t know everything about it… Or he wouldn’t be that angry with the colonel, knowing how he fought to defend him in front of the Committee and…”

“Excuse me, Lieutenant, but if you put yourself in the captain’s shoes – you might consider that a rather small consolation, after you realise that a bomb was planted inside you.” Green kept silent upon the young woman’s remonstrance, and averted his eyes, seemingly avoiding her inquiring stare. He didn’t see the dubious frown on Rhapsody’s face. “How can it be possible, to begin with, Seymour?”

Green gave a reluctant sigh. “I’m sorry, Rhapsody – but I’m Colonel White’s aide and I was sworn to secrecy about any top secret files that might come by me in the course of my job. I’m not permitted to discuss them – no matter how MUCH I’d like to. I’m so sorry, I would like to set the record straight but –” He stopped suddenly, almost biting his lips. “I’ve said enough already,” he muttered, turning back to his screen.

“You apparently know more about it than Captain Scarlet does,” Rhapsody noted quietly, narrowing her eyes at him.

“I think the problem should be settled between him and Colonel White,” Green said. “It would not be wise for us – either you or me – to put ourselves between them. Please, Dianne – don’t ask. I’m sure everything will turn out all right.”

“I won’t pressure you – Seymour,” Rhapsody replied, with a reassuring smile. “I know you are bound by duty to keep quiet about certain things. I understand that. But considering the situation right now, I can’t very well see how everything will be back to normal again, any time soon, between the colonel and Captain Scarlet.”

A beeping sound coming from the computer attracted both the Spectrum agents’ attention. They turned to it, to find a flashing message on the screen.

“Search procedure found the file,” Green declared, returning to the keyboard. Let’s see what’s in it…” He touched the screen, instantly opening the file marked ‘Dalton, E.’ it was displaying. A new menu appeared, offering access to ‘medical file’, ‘police file’, ‘autopsy file’ and ‘current status’. Green chose the last option and the new file opened. He and Rhapsody read it attentively. Their faces soon displayed the same frown.

“Well, dear Doctor Willard did lie to Symphony and Captain Scarlet when he told them that the real Erik Dalton’s body had been claimed by family and taken back to London,” Rhapsody stated. “But he didn’t even make the effort to falsify the hospital reports…”

“Yeah,” Green agreed with a brief nod. “According to this, the body should still be in here…” He pointed at a line on the screen. “Drawer 45.”

“We know that the real Dalton’s body was switched for his Mysteron double, and sent to London HQ in its place,” Rhapsody remarked. “And that the Mysteron double was killed last night. So neither of them is in that drawer, that much is certain.”

“So it’s empty now. Or could there be something else in it?” Green exchanged a querying glance with the Angel pilot. She nodded ever so slowly, her eyes raising to look at the drawers covering the wall in front of them.

“I’m wondering that myself, Lieutenant.”

They both left the desk and walked toward the drawers, looking for number 45. They found it rather easily, about five feet from the floor, almost at eye level. It was a simple matter for Green to open the digital lock closing it. They exchanged nervous glances. To say that neither of them were too eager to open the drawer to discover what was in it was an understatement. For all they knew, it could very well be empty – or it might contain anything. Even the body of a complete stranger. But if their instincts were right – they had a feeling they knew what exactly they would find.

In what state it would be, though, was anybody’s guess.

“I hate this kind of thing,” Green muttered, obviously unsettled.

“Yes, this is certainly a part of our job we could do without,” Rhapsody agreed. She pointed to the drawer. “Ready when you are.”

Green nodded and pressed the release button. The drawer slowly opened. Cold air first hit both of them, as they watched a white-shrouded body emerge. The drawer stopped its automatic motion at mid-section of the body. The two Spectrum agents looked at it thoughtfully. Green reached for the white cloth and pulled it from the face it was covering.

They weren’t that surprised when they saw the ashen features of a fifty-something man lying on the cold steel of the drawer, his eyes forever closed, and his lips tightened. There were deep purple marks on his neck, where it was easy to make out the impressions of fingers.

“Doctor Willard, I presume?” Rhapsody said, swallowing hard.

Green nodded. “Yes, I recognise him from the pictures Spectrum London sent us last evening, after we discovered his disappearance.”

“Well, it doesn’t look as if he was killed yesterday,” Rhapsody said. She pointed to the body’s neck. “He’s been strangled. From behind, judging by those marks. How much are you willing to bet he was killed in here, a few days ago, perhaps while performing one of his examinations, and put into that drawer to replace a missing body?”

“By Dalton’s double, who had awakened?”

“Or Captain Black who sneaked inside – the same way we did today.” Rhapsody shook her red head. “I suppose we’ll never know for sure.”

“Then as we suspected, Willard was Mysteronised, he helped put his own body in that drawer, the real Dalton was sent to London instead of the Mysteron Dalton – and the Mysteron Dalton was free to roam around, without anybody suspecting anything.”

“You’d make a good detective, Lieutenant.”

Green offered Rhapsody a delighted grin. “I’ve had a good teacher,” he replied, using her earlier words.

“All this is obvious enough,” Rhapsody added. “And there’s something else that is obvious enough.”

“And that would be?”

“If indeed the real Willard was killed a few days ago – and Mysteronised – then his Mysteron double is presently out there, with or without Captain Black – and up to no good.”

“Yes, that much I gathered,” Green said grimly. “And we already suspected that too.”

Rhapsody pushed the drawer closed. “Come on. I think it’s time we had a little talk with the hospital personnel. We need to know if any of them can tell us when they saw Willard for the last time yesterday. If Willard is a Mysteron, then he’s most certainly looking for the isotope… In that case, we need to find either Willard or the isotope – before the former finds the latter.”

* * *

Searching the Delta Garage in Stone Point Village didn’t give any results, so Captain Scarlet and Symphony Angel left it after a time and turned their attention to Erik Dalton’s apartment. Two days earlier, Scarlet had already entered the building and visited the apartment, going through a back window leading into the bedroom; that was the path they chose this time too, not wanting to attract attention, and in case Giles Hansen might indeed be in there. They were concerned that their entrance into the apartment might startle him into running away, so they preferred the quiet approach, instead of the direct one.

When they entered, very quietly, Scarlet noticed that the window he had used himself had also been used in the meanwhile. That made him think that they may be right in their suspicion; Hansen might indeed have taken up residence in the now empty apartment. It was probably too good an opportunity for a drifter like him to pass up. After all, acceptable available housing like this one probably didn’t come up often for a man in his situation.

After helping Symphony set foot inside, Scarlet looked around with her. It wasn’t difficult for them to see that indeed someone had been there since his last visit. There was food on the kitchenette table, probably taken from the fridge, and the bed in the bedroom wasn’t made up.

“Hansen has been enjoying himself,” Scarlet noted to his companion, picking up the open bag of crisps lying on the couch. “Doesn’t seem to be here right now, though.”

“Good to see we were right,” Symphony agreed. “You think he’ll be back?”

“Probably. Especially if he feels safe in here. Why would he leave such a comfortable shelter?” Scarlet put the bag back where he had found it. “Now, why don’t we search the place, while we’re waiting for him? If we’re lucky, we might find the isotope stashed somewhere.”

“And if we’re not?”

“Then if Hansen has indeed taken it, he would have it with him. In which case, we’ll find out when he comes back.”

Symphony couldn’t find anything to say against this assessment. “You searched this place when you came the first time around, didn’t you?”

Scarlet had just removed the couch’s cushions to look underneath them, but found nothing; hearing Symphony’s words, he shot her an intense glance. She reddened a little under his stare and, imitating him, looked down under the armchair’s cushion.

“We… saw you enter here two days ago, Rhapsody and I,” she said, almost apologetically.

“I know you’ve been following me around.” Scarlet threw the cushions down onto the couch. “Don’t worry, I’m not angry with you for that.”

“You’re not?” The young woman was genuinely surprised – and visibly relieved.

“No. After all, you were just following orders.” Scarlet had crouched down to look under the couch. Grunting, he got back to his feet. “From someone else…”

Symphony lowered her gaze momentarily. “I don’t know what your quarrel is with the colonel, Captain. I don’t know what this… Scarab Protocol you mentioned earlier might be…”

“Believe me, it’s better you don’t know.”

“It’s that bad, then?”

Scarlet stared meaningfully at the young American pilot. He could see she was sympathising with him – wishing he would confide in her. He shook his head, and exhaled loudly. “Don’t lose sleep over it, Symphony. It’s a problem between the old man and me. I don’t want to burden you with it.”

“It wouldn’t be a burden, you know that,” she objected. “After all, we’re friends.” She hesitated, turning to check a cupboard behind her. “At least… I, for one, still consider you a friend.”

Her voice was timid, almost unsure. But the meaning of her words didn’t escape the English captain.

“Karen.” Scarlet stopped his search, his eyes still set on the young woman, who looked back at the call of her name. “I… heard about your father. I’m sorry.” There was an awkward pause between them, as Symphony once again lowered her eyes, this time sadly. Scarlet walked toward her. “I can only imagine your pain… And me, during that time, I was being unnecessarily rude and mean to you… I… If I had known at the time…” Scarlet sighed. “I… maybe I would have acted differently…”

Symphony’s brow rose. “Why? That doesn’t excuse anything I might have done. Probably quite the opposite. I let myself be distracted. You don’t have to apologise. You had good reasons to be angry with me.”

“No, I doubt I really had.” Scarlet sighed again. “Listen, I’m not feeling magnanimous toward you because I feel for you – because of your father. Well, maybe a little, but – I’m sincerely sorry for the way I acted. I was angry at you for being careless, blamed you for Black’s escape when it wasn’t your fault. He was just too clever for us. I’ve been acting like a complete rat with you. And I do wish to apologise.”

“You’ve been acting like a concerned friend,” Symphony retorted with a smile. “I can understand that you were worried sick that I might have been hurt. Because of some foolishness I might have done. That’s why you reacted angrily to me.”

“Yes, well... I indeed was worried for you. And I still am. I know too well how impetuous you can be…”

She sniggered a little. “We’re the same, aren’t we?”

“Except I’ve got this healing factor – that you have not,” Scarlet observed. “I would not like you to take unnecessary risks that might put your life at risk.”

Symphony awkwardly hesitated a short instant. “Then perhaps it would reassure you to learn that I wasn’t entirely at fault during that… incident, last week?” He stared at her, unsure of what she might be trying to say. She quickly shook her head. “I’m not trying to find an excuse for myself for what happened but…”

“Please, Symphony. Whatever are you saying?”

“I… wasn’t entirely responsible for having landed my Angel jet in the woods.” She saw the perplexed frown on Scarlet’s features and grunted with annoyance at her incapacity to clearly tell him everything about it. “In fact, I didn’t have much of a choice. My aircraft’s electrical system was malfunctioning, and I couldn’t keep it in the air, so I had to land – in whatever place I was able to find. My fault was not having contacted base to inform them of that. I guess I was still a little distraught over my father’s passing… I forgot protocols.”

“Why didn’t you tell us afterwards?” Scarlet demanded, a little more abruptly than he intended. “Why would you lead us to believe that you were…” he hesitated.

“Incompetent?” Symphony offered.

“That’s not really the word I was looking for, but… Why didn’t you tell us about that, Karen?”

“Because the colonel asked me not to?” Symphony explained uneasily. He clearly wasn’t understanding, so she continued: “You see, I landed not that far from where Captain Black was hiding. In fact, I was monitoring movement in that area a few minutes before, but saw nothing else of it soon after. He appeared a few minutes after I landed and – captured me.”

“You still didn’t explain to me WHY the colonel asked you not to say anything,” Scarlet urged her.

“Quite simply: when the Angel jet was taken back to base, the troubles I had experienced seemed to have vanished. They couldn’t find out what exactly happened to it. So that made the colonel worry. What if… it had been the work of the Mysterons? What if they had caused that momentary trouble in order to force me to land and put me in Captain Black’s clutches?”

“Oh Lord…” Scarlet murmured. “You’re not telling me it was the case?”

“Well, it was a possibility – after all, there have been instances where the Mysterons do seem to control things remotely. Although we still don’t know how they could manage to do that. That truck in London, for example… Maybe, after all, they had destroyed part of the truck’s driving gear previously… But it certainly wasn’t something we were able to verify, was it? You imagine the panic up in Cloudbase if it were to be known that the Mysterons could take control of any given craft, without notice? Heck, they could even stop the base’s engines whenever they choose to, sending all of us crashing down to the surface! Work would have been impossible and the worry increasingly unbearable.”

“If indeed that was possible,” Scarlet remarked dully, “we would have the right to know.”

“Yes I know, but Colonel White wanted to make sure of it first, to avoid needless worries. So he asked me to keep this under wraps, until the inspection of my jet was finished.” Symphony gave the faintest of smiles and shrugged. “Fortunately, it turned out the concern was for nothing. The technicians did find a flaw in the electrical system after all. An intermittent fault, that was difficult to pinpoint. Apparently, nothing that implicated the Mysterons.”

“When did you find out?” Scarlet asked in a low murmur.

“Last night, when we called to report to Colonel White. He had just received the mechanics’ report.”

Scarlet was stunned by what he had just heard. Now he was learning that Symphony wasn’t as responsible as he thought she was for the events of last week. The mission to capture Captain Black had not failed because she had been negligent. Her capture by Black, and the subsequent incidents were all due to an intermittent mechanical failure in her craft – a simple enough cause, but nevertheless with disastrous results. In truth, she had been lucky to be able to land the interceptor. She could have crashed, she could have been killed, as effectively as if Black had put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger.

And all that time, Scarlet had blamed her for excessive recklessness…

While she was not guilty.

“The colonel should NEVER have asked you to take the blame like that,” he said, almost growling. “It was unfair on you…”

“But Captain – I volunteered.” Seeing the dubious way Scarlet was looking at her, Symphony continued, with a faint smile, “It wasn’t his idea – but after I had made my full report, he voiced his worries – and so I proposed to keep quiet and not say anything about all this until we could be sure. He didn’t want to – but he had to admit that under the circumstances, it was the best thing to do.”

“You’re sure he didn’t manipulate you into this?” Scarlet asked, with a suspicious frown.

She blinked, puzzled by this remark. “Why would I think a thing like that?” she replied. “He’s been very understanding, Paul – and supportive. Why, he knew I couldn’t wait to know the results of the technicians’ inspection. So he told me what they were as soon as he had them.”

Scarlet slowly nodded to acknowledge the information; he didn’t say anything else, but it was obvious to Symphony that the disagreement he was presently having with Colonel White made him more than a little intolerant toward his commanding officer. Or maybe what she had just told him was making him think that he may had been unfair to the colonel… Anyway, it apparently wasn’t really something Scarlet wanted to discuss with Symphony. She could see it was still a very sore subject for him. One from which he would much rather divert their attention. She did it for him.

“We’d better continue our search,” she noted, clearing her throat.

There was a grateful spark in his blue eyes. “Yes,” he agreed. “After all, we have a mission to attend to… I suggest we separate. We’ll have more luck finding something.”

She nodded. “I’ll take the bedroom.”

“I’ll continue searching in here, then.”

Symphony stepped into the next room and Scarlet was left standing in the small living room, watching her go with a thoughtful stare, until she disappeared from his view. The he looked around, wondering where he should start first. His eyes fell on the kitchenette. He might as well start on the cupboards there, he thought. He started walking in that direction and stopped in his tracks, swaying a little, his vision becoming a sudden blur. He angrily wiped away the sweat that suddenly formed on his brow and grunted. Now, where was that wooziness coming from? It was true he had skipped his last two meals… Maybe it was only that.

That’s when he heard a click coming from the door and turned on his heels to face it. He saw it opening up slowly.

Symphony had stopped in the middle of the bedroom, scratching her head in wonder; the whole place was a mess. The bed wasn’t made, and dirty clothes were lying on it, and everywhere on the floor. Obviously, not only had Hansen helped himself to Dalton’s housing and food, but also to his clothing, and all the comforts he would benefit from, squatting in here. She gave a sigh, looking around. Now, if she were Hansen, and had to hide an object she might consider precious, where would it be? Plenty of possibilities here. She was almost regretting now having volunteered to check this room. It would be a huge and tedious job.

Her eyes found the closed wardrobe behind the room’s door. Oh well… this is as good a place to start as any… She approached, took the handle and pulled the door open – and almost gasped upon discovering the sight that offered itself to her eyes.

A man was huddled on the wardrobe floor, motionless, and his eyes closed in his ashen face. There was blood running down from his forehead, across his half-parted lips and trickling down his badly shaven chin. It came from a clean hole right between his eyes. He wasn’t breathing.

Symphony brought her hand to her mouth to smother the shocked cry that threatened to escape her throat. She had no doubt she had found there the man she and Captain Scarlet were looking for. He had obviously been murdered. Very recently.

She rose to her feet and moved aside to step into the doorway leading to the living room and prepared to call for her companion when she quickly dived back against the wall for cover. A man was coming through the door to the apartment and was now turning to face Scarlet, who was standing in the middle of the room, looking at him.

The newcomer had the same face as the dead man she had just found in the wardrobe. Her heart skipped a beat, as she realised instantly that he was a Mysteron agent.

He looked surprised to discover Captain Scarlet there, apparently quietly waiting for him.

“Mr. Hansen, so glad to find you again.”

Symphony briefly closed her eyes in distress. Scarlet’s sixth sense – that sometimes permitted him to feel the presence of a Mysteron nearby – didn’t seem to work this time around. Apparently, he didn’t realise that this man standing in front of him was only the double of the one he had met the evening before. Quickly, she searched her purse, and took out the little pistol stowed in it; keeping in hiding, she alertly watched what was going to happen, ready to intervene at the most convenient moment.

“Mr. Metcalfe,” the Mysteron agent said coolly. “What brings you here?”

“I might be asking you the same question,” Scarlet answered, in an equally quiet tone. “Apparently, you have taken up residence in your deceased friend’s apartment. But… that’s not why I am here. I’m here to warn you that you might be in deadly danger, Hansen.”

“Really now?”

“You found something in the Delta Garage and took it. Now, there are people who would very much like to get their hands on it.”

“You don’t say…” Hansen’s hand reached for his belt, under the jacket he was wearing, and from her hiding place, Symphony distinctly saw him clutch the handle of a gun. “You arrive too late, Earthman…”

At the same time the Mysteronised Hansen was saying these words, and drawing out his weapon, Symphony stepped into the doorway of the bedroom, her own gun, kept steady with both hands, trained on him. “Drop it!”

The confusion was enough for Hansen to momentarily freeze, and Scarlet crossed the distance between them in a flash, grabbing both the Mysteron’s hands and shoving him roughly against the door behind him, all the while pushing the gun down. Hansen’s finger instinctively squeezed the trigger, but the shot went into the floor; Scarlet punched him in the face, making him lose hold of his weapon and sending him sprawling on the floor. He swiftly leaned to take the gun and stepped back from the half-stunned Mysteron agent.

“Nice work, Symphony,” he told the young woman behind him, without turning around.

“Nice teamwork, you mean,” she replied austerely. “You knew he was a Mysteron, then?”

“Before he came in, yes,” Scarlet answered. He motioned with the gun toward Hansen, who was looking up at him with cold hatred in his eyes. “Up, you,” he growled angrily. “Keep your hands where I can see them. So the real Hansen has been killed, then?”

“I found his body in the bedroom wardrobe,” Symphony announced, her gun still trained on the Mysteron agent as he was slowly getting to his feet. “A clean shot in the head. It looked pretty recent.”

Scarlet felt disgusted at the news. “He was an innocent man,” he spat at the Mysteron. “Why kill him?”

“He was meddling in business that wasn’t his own,” the Mysteronised Hansen replied coldly. “And he took something we needed for our next act of vengeance. Only because it was glowing and looked pretty, he assumed it was expensive,” he continued between his teeth, seething with contempt. “He thought he had the right to take it, and that he would be able to cash in on it and sell it to improve his idle, pathetic, worthless human life…”

“Enough,” Scarlet cut in abruptly. “Where is it? Where is the isotope?”

“We have it now,” Hansen retorted. “We can now proceed with our next act of retaliation…”

“Not while we’re in your way!” Scarlet retorted again. “Now WHERE is it? Tell us!”

Hansen raised an indifferent brow. He didn’t appear at all impressed by the two guns now trained on him and threatening to end his life. He kept staring defiantly at the two Spectrum agents. “I told you already, Earthman,” he said imperturbably. “You are too late.”

An almost inaudible cocking of a gun sounded from behind Symphony; Scarlet started to turn around, as if he had felt the danger, but it was already far too late. The thunderous sound of a gunshot resonated not far from Symphony’s ear, almost deafening her. She flinched and blinked unconsciously, as she witnessed with horror Scarlet’s body arching itself under the violent impact of a bullet that hit him between the shoulders, sending his gun flying from his hand. He then fell forward, at the feet of the imperturbable Hansen who gazed at him without any emotion. By pure instinct, Symphony was raising her gun and was about to spin around when she felt something hard and hot roughly pressed against the back of her neck. She could smell the distasteful reek of burned gunpowder irritating her nose.

“Let go of that weapon,” an ominous voice said, very close to her ear. “Or I’ll shoot. He can heal from his injury. You cannot.”

Symphony swallowed hard. Reluctantly, she lowered the gun, and let it go; it clattered to the floor. She could see Hansen crouching to recover the weapon Scarlet had dropped, and using it to cover the Spectrum officer sprawled on the floor, moaning faintly, obviously in terrible pain.

A hand roughly grasped Symphony’s arm and forced her to turn around. She gasped as she was brutally pushed against the wall, where she was held forcibly. She blinked and looked in distress at the man who had shot Scarlet and who was now shoving his recently used pistol right under her nose. The smell of powder was even more plain, almost painful to her nostrils.

“Doctor Willard,” she croaked, opening wide eyes. “Then… you are a Mysteron.”

“You would have surprised me if you had not discovered that by now,” he replied. He smiled thinly, a kind of sadistic smile that sent a shiver up and down Symphony’s spine.

“How did you…?”

“…Get in here? The same way you and your friend did…” Willard nodded his head to his left and Symphony’s eyes looked past him, to stare at the still open window she and Scarlet had used earlier to enter. The Mysteronised doctor’s smile widened when her whole features displayed her understanding – and frustration. “After that, it was a simple matter to sneak up on you… Symphony Angel.” He raised a brow, seeing the enquiry in her trembling eyes. “Oh yes, my dear young lady… I know who you are.”

“I don’t have to ask you who informed you of my identity, Doctor,” she replied between her teeth, trying to present a brave façade.

“Indeed, you don’t have to,” Willard answered coldly. He shook his head. “He wants to see you again.” And… your companion too.” The Mysteronised doctor gave a nod toward the injured Scarlet who, still slumped on the floor, was now silent, but apparently still breathing. He had obviously lost consciousness. Symphony felt a wave of anguish fill her heart to see him like this. Alive, but wounded, and unconscious, completely defenceless. And at the complete mercy of his enemies.

They both were in deep trouble.

Chapter 8

“This is the voice of the Mysterons… We know that you can hear us, Earthmen… We have not forgotten your unprovoked attack on our Martian Complex. Our next act of retaliation will be to destroy one of the Seven Kingdoms. Before the day is over, fire will destroy the Realm of the Great Ruler. Earthmen… You have been warned.”

The announcement had come unexpectedly, at the end of the afternoon, and it took everyone on Cloudbase by surprise. Now on his feet, Colonel White looked up to the speakers on the wall, waiting in anticipation, wondering if there would be more; but the speaker was now silent. The Mysterons had made their point; their voice was now silent, until the next time they chose to pronounce a new threat. White sat back, blowing out a dejected sigh.

“I hate riddles like that,” he grumbled, looking into empty space, past Captain Magenta, who was seated at Lieutenant Green’s usual place in front of the computer, looking at his commander with probing eyes. White was thoughtful, looking particularly gloomy, as he contemplated what it was the Mysterons intended to destroy this time.

So, they have made their move, he reflected grimly. One of the Seven Kingdoms. The Realm of the Great Ruler. That could have been difficult to pinpoint if Spectrum had not known about the Mysteron activity in Dorset, concerning that isotope that had been stolen from the Culver Atomic Centre by Captain Black.

That was obviously where they intended to strike.

‘One of the Seven Kingdoms…’ That could only be in reference of England’s old Heptarchy of centuries ago… The Realm of the Great Ruler…

Alfred the Great. King of England. Ruler of Wessex – which comprised a vast territory, from the southern coast of England to the Cotswolds – from the frontier of Cornwall, nearly to London.

‘Destroyed by fire’. The Mysterons could mean they were planning to use a nuclear weapon to carry out their threat.

And there was a perfect place where they would be able to do that.

“That means they must have the isotope now,” White reflected sombrely. They had probably acquired it very recently, then. That was all the delivery of this threat could mean. Captain Scarlet and Symphony Angel had not given any sign of life since they had left for Stone Point Village to try to find Giles Hansen and possibly retrieve the isotope. It was all too obvious that their mission had failed.

The Mysterons had not waited a moment to voice their threat. Probably, they were confident. “They surely know we’re on to them,” the Spectrum commander continued. “ ‘Before the day is over…’ They intend to strike swiftly. But maybe they don’t realise that we might be ahead of them…” He raised his head to address Magenta. “Captain, launch all Angels. Set coordinates for the Aldermaston Naval Development Centre. Contact Captain Blue there and instruct him to have his team ready for a Mysteron attack.”

“S.I.G., Colonel,” Magenta replied, swivelling his seat toward the communication controls.

“And put me through to Lieutenant Green and Rhapsody Angel,” White continued. “I want to know if they’ve heard anything from Captain Scarlet and Symphony.”

He wasn’t really expecting that would be the case. But he had to give his agents the benefit of the doubt that they might make themselves heard soon.

White feared that their silence meant that they had struck trouble

* * *

Since the Spectrum officers’ departure, director Alan Kierney had been working uneasily in his office, ordering his secretary not to let anyone disturb him under any circumstances for the rest of the day. He was anxious about the consequences his recent inapt ways of dealing with the latest inconvenient situation would have on the Culver company, the contracts he had gained for it, his position, his entire career. He had had no choice but to talk to Spectrum, he reasoned to himself. Those officers already knew more than enough to work out that Culver had been hiding things from them. So he told them just what they needed to know. Enough to keep them off his back. No more than that.

At least, I hope it was enough, he mused, putting down his pen next to the report he was busy composing. Surely they didn’t need to know everything about that isotope, and how, and where it could be used. It was bad enough that it had been developed here, in Dorset, surely there would be a whole lot more serious trouble if it was to be found that it could also be utilised in the nuclear reactor of this plant.

Kierney rubbed his temple, groaning. No, if Spectrum was involved, and if it meant any danger on a large scale – and God could bear witness that Kierney KNEW it could be the case – he couldn’t very well not tell them. They had to know. He would have to contact his superiors on that particular subject, ask for their instructions, try to convince them, if they should fail to see the urgency, that he had to talk.

He reached for his phone and was about to dial a number when his door opened and a uniformed man entered. Kierney’s brow furrowed when he recognised one of the centre’s security guards – one of those who had been the most closely involved with the break-in a few days ago, and who had even been wounded by the culprit.

“Harris, what are you doing here?” he asked. “I thought I had told Mrs. North that I didn’t want to be disturbed…”

Harris looked through the open door, toward the empty desk he had just passed. “Mrs. North is gone, Mr. Kierney,” he announced courteously. “It’s rather late, you know. Haven’t you noticed the time?”

“Mmm?” Kierney checked his watch. It was indeed very late, and the regular personnel must have left for the day, including his secretary, obviously. He gave a sigh and put the phone receiver down. “So it is,” he remarked, watching Harris as he closed the door behind him and entered his office. “What can I do for you, Harris?” he asked, as Harris stopped in front of his desk, staring down at him. The man was one of the company’s most devoted employees, totally reliable in his work. Indeed, he had returned to work much earlier than expected after receiving treatment for his head injury, claiming to have made a full recovery. Truthfully enough, Harris didn’t seem to be suffering any after-effects from his ordeal; his head injury seemed to have totally disappeared. A thought came to Kierney’s mind and, not waiting for Harris to answer his previous question, he suddenly said: “It is a good thing you came in, actually. We may have to increase security around the Centre for a time. Would you arrange that?”

“Increase security?” Harris queried, tilting his head to one side with curiosity. “Do you expect another break-in, sir?” He gave it some thought. “I heard Spectrum paid you another visit today. Did they ask you to do that or…”

“No, no,” Kierney replied, with a dismissive gesture. “Spectrum has nothing to do with it.” He rose from his chair, tiredly, and walked to the window to look outside, thoughtfully. “I just thought that, considering the circumstances, we ought to keep on our toes. Preventing any risk of another surprise, like that first time, you understand?”

“I understand, sir,” Harris said coolly.

Kierney smiled to himself. With increased security around the Centre, he would feel better – until he had reached his superiors in London and spoken with them concerning the present situation. “So I can count on you to arrange that as quickly as possible, Harris?”

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to do that, sir.” That quiet answer from the security guard stunned Kierney. He frowned, unsure if he had heard properly. He turned on his heel to face the man, making ready to ask him what he meant by that. He froze upon seeing that Harris had taken his gun from its holster and was now threatening him with it. “You see, Mr. Kierney, I have other orders…”

“Harris…” Kierney swallowed hard. All the colour had drained from his face. “What’s going on… Is this some kind of joke?!”

“It’s not a joke, Mr. Kierney.” Harris’s tone was very cold. He extended his free hand in a demanding gesture. “I want the key.”

“The key?” Kierney repeated, hoping he was mistaken in his assumption of what it was that Harris was asking for. “What key?”

“You know very well what key I’m talking about, Mr. Kierney,” Harris seethed between his teeth. “THE key you keep in your security safe. The one I need to access the reactor.”

“W-what do you want to do with it?”

“JUST give it to me!” Harris cocked the hammer of his gun, and Kierney became even paler, if it was possible. “Or else…”

“All right, all right!” Kierney urged him, very nervously. “I’ll give it to you.” His hands well in view, he left the side of the window and rushed to the nearest wall, where he nervously removed an awful still-life painting hung there. It crashed at his feet, but he took little notice of it, as his fingers worked feverishly on the dial of the safe embedded in the wall. “Just… just let me open the safe… It… it won’t take long.” It took him double the time it normally would to finally get the lock to click. Harris had silently approached him from behind, keeping his gun steadily trained on him.

Kierney opened the safe door and reached for a little metallic box inside; when he turned around, it was to discover Harris close behind him. The security guard snatched the box from Kierney’s trembling hand and opened it to give a somewhat detached look inside. A small, half-metallic and half-plastic key was resting on the velvety interior of the box. Harris gave a brief nod, his features otherwise not displaying any of the satisfaction he was experiencing from having put his hand on the object he wanted to acquire. His fingers slowly closed the box, as his eyes rose to stare coldly at a nervous Kierney.

“Thank you, Mr. Director. This was the last missing piece for our plan to work....” With those words, he implacably pulled the trigger of his gun twice. At point blank range, Kierney never had a chance to escape the bullets. With a low grunt, he fell at Harris’s feet and lay there motionless.

The security guard briefly looked down at his victim before re-holstering his weapon. No-one would have heard the shots. This wing of the building was empty. And there soon would be so few personnel at the Centre that there would be no risk of the plan failing. Only six other security guards were working on the premises tonight. Two were at the entrance, and two others patrolling the grounds. One other was standing watch in front of the monitors of the various security cameras, unaware that they had been tampered with. And the last guard was patrolling the other section of the building.

“The Mysterons’ orders must be carried out,” Harris murmured callously.

He turned around and left the office, turning off the lights and closing the door on his way out, ignoring the faint glow coming from the small desk lamp that Kierney had left on earlier.

* * *

“No, Colonel White. No news from Captain Scarlet or Symphony Angel yet. They should have called two hours ago.”

Lieutenant Green was seated in front of the portable computer, with Rhapsody standing behind his chair, both of them watching the screen where they could see their commander. Colonel White sat back in his chair; his expression was grave, but didn’t seem to display any emotion as he registered the news.

“If they missed their last check-in call, then we might conclude that they encountered trouble,” he answered to Green’s report. “Well, we have no time to wait for them. We have a Mysteron situation, and we might not have much time to resolve it. If the Mysterons have announced their threat, then it must be because they have got their hands on the isotope and are ready to make their move. They did say that they will strike before the end of the day. I have already dispatched Captains Blue and Grey to Aldermaston – which is most likely the Mysterons’ actual target to carry out their threat. The isotope was created for the nuclear reactors built there – but in its present volatile state, introducing it into those reactors would cause a catastrophe of unthinkable magnitude… The whole south of England might be wiped out in a nuclear explosion, and the radioactive fallout would be even more devastating.”

“Is there another target that might interest the Mysterons, sir?” Rhapsody asked with a frown.

“According to the information on our database, only Aldermaston corresponds to the criteria necessary for the Mysterons to destroy the whole area that used to be known as Wessex. Of course, we’re still checking it out. Just in case something might have escaped us.”

“What about Rhapsody and me, sir?” Lieutenant Green asked. “What are our orders?” He was obviously eager to go into action – and probably he was thinking that now would be his first chance in a long time to actually be in the middle of it. The colonel’s answer disappointed him greatly.

“You’re to stay where you are,” White declared, much to Green’s annoyance. “You’re on stand-by, should we need back-up for this operation. In the meantime, I want you to retrace Captain Scarlet and Symphony Angel’s steps. By finding out what has happened to them, maybe we’ll also find out where to find the isotope, and thus stop the Mysterons before they can strike.”

“Of course, sir,” Green agreed with a slow nod, trying hard not to show his dissatisfaction.

“Should we go in search of them?” Rhapsody asked in turn.

“No. If you find anything of interest, contact us right away.”

“But…”

“…If the Mysterons have the isotope, and Scarlet and Symphony were close on its trail, then they are certainly in trouble. And if they are in trouble, Rhapsody, I don’t want either you or Lieutenant Green attempting some kind of heroics that would also put you in danger. Our first priority is to find the isotope, and stop the Mysterons. We can’t afford to get distracted by missing agents. If you do find out where they are, you only need to contact me with the information and I’ll dispatch a ground team to do the rest.”

“But Captain Scarlet and Symphony Angel could still report in, sir,” Green proposed.

“Let us hope so, Lieutenant,” White replied. “But frankly, I’m beginning to doubt that very much. They did miss their last check-in. Either something did happen to them, or Captain Scarlet’s still so angry with me that he blatantly ignores mission protocols.”

“That would surprise me, sir,” Rhapsody then swiftly replied, in defence of her absent compatriot. “Captain Scarlet knows how serious this mission could be, and how dangerous it could become if the Mysterons are involved.”

“And Symphony is with him, too,” Green added. “Surely, she would follow protocols and make the check-in call…”

Rhapsody nearly scoffed. “Even without Symphony, Captain Scarlet is too much of a professional to let himself be distracted by whatever personal feud he might have with…” She stopped herself, when she noticed the hard stare White was addressing her through the screen. She lowered her head uncomfortably and shuffled her feet. “Anyway, I do think they are both in trouble, sir…”

“Indeed,” White replied slowly. “That seems to be the logical conclusion…” He leaned toward his screen. “What did Scarlet tell you about this ‘personal feud’ he has with me, Rhapsody?”

The young woman looked directly into the screen, her eyes bright with something akin with defiance. Yes, White realised. Scarlet had talked to her… And it was obvious where her sympathies lay. He gave a low, disgruntled mumble. “He told you about the ‘Scarab Protocol’… How unfortunate.”

“Sorry, sir… ‘unfortunate’?” By her tone, Rhapsody obviously didn’t want to sound brazen, but the words she had pronounced were only one step away from it. “It’s unfortunate that I should know about it?”

“He shouldn’t have told you,” White said with a frown. “He knew that the ‘Scarab Protocol’ was top secret information.”

Rhapsody felt a wave of rebellion hit her. Sure, there were good reasons to keep that information secret! “Maybe he needed to confide in someone,” Rhapsody answered promptly. “I can certainly understand how upset he must be by the thought that a bomb may be planted somewhere in him. I would be upset too.”

“Rhapsody.” White gave an almost tired sigh. “Now is not the time to discuss it. We have a Mysteron threat to attend to. When this is settled, I will have a talk with Captain Scarlet and defuse this situation between us. Whatever he told you, Rhapsody, I can assure you, it was not complete. Captain Scarlet doesn’t have all the data.”

Rhapsody lowered her eyes, to encounter those of Lieutenant Green, who had turned to look at her. That was exactly what he had said himself earlier. The young man had a faint, but encouraging, smile on his face.

“I’m sorry, sir,” she said, returning her gaze to the screen. “It’s just that this… ‘Scarab Protocol’ seems so unfair on Captain Scarlet. After all he’s done to prove himself over the past few weeks…”

She left the rest hanging. White kept silent a short moment, before nodding briefly. “Your concern is noted,” he said. “And your loyalty to Scarlet is appreciated. But this will not be discussed again – not until I settle things with him.”

“S.I.G., sir,” Rhapsody murmured.

“Good. Now let’s concentrate on this Mysteron threat, shall we? We have a job to do, don’t forget that. Countless lives are at stake and that takes priority over everything else.”

Rhapsody nodded grimly, and Lieutenant Green with her. White signed out, the image on the screen turning black when he pushed a button. Green turned to the young woman, almost making a face.

“Legwork,” he muttered. “I finally get a chance to be on the ground, where the action is and I’m ordered to do legwork, while the Mysterons plot to destroy an entire area. I could do that on Cloudbase…”

“The difference is that we’re stuck dead centre in the danger zone,” Rhapsody retorted. “So we’re really in the thick of it, Lieutenant.”

“You sound upset, Rhapsody. Still angry at the colonel about Captain Scarlet?”

“Yes – and no, Lieutenant.” Rhapsody hesitated. Of course, she was upset. Upset that Colonel White could show himself so cavalier regarding Scarlet’s situation. Upset that he seemed ready to abandon both Scarlet and Symphony if they were in danger, and would not allow her and Green to get more involved in this mission.

And upset because something else was bothering her deeply.

“Isn’t Aldermaston too obvious a target for the Mysterons this time?” she asked Green. “Surely, they won’t go there, if they know all of Spectrum’s forces will be present to stop them?”

“Who knows, with the Mysterons? If they want to destroy the target they designated, using that isotope they stole from Culver, then Aldermaston is the only place they can go. You heard the colonel.”

“I know but…” Rhapsody frowned, thoughtful. “What about Culver?”

“What about it?”

“They developed the isotope there. Don’t they have a reactor the Mysterons might use to trigger the meltdown they plan?”

“Not according to our data,” Green said, shaking his head. “Their reactor is certainly not powerful enough to destroy the intended target.”

“What if the information in our databank is wrong?” Rhapsody reflected. “What if indeed there might be another place around this area where the Mysterons can use that isotope?”

“You want to tell the colonel that the Spectrum databank is incomplete?” Green asked with a frown. “He wouldn’t like to hear that…”

“Maybe all the right data has not been given to us,” Rhapsody remarked with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“Yes… that’s what he wouldn’t want to hear!”

“You want to take the chance that I might be right, Lieutenant?”

Seeing the stern expression on the young woman’s face, Green permitted himself a smile. “I’d swear I’m hearing Captain Scarlet,” he said with a sigh. “All right. Let’s suppose that you are right. That we don’t have all the information and that there might be a possible target, other than Aldermaston… What could it be?”

“I don’t know – but maybe someone can tell us? How about the director of the Culver plant?”

“Kierney? Well, he probably knows where all the atomic installations are around these parts…”

“And he did already lie to us about the disappearance of the isotope,” Rhapsody noted. “He only came clean with it when we discovered it ourselves. What if he is hiding something else from us?”

“Careful, Rhapsody… we don’t want to make groundless accusations. We would need more than hypothesis right now. Mr Kierney certainly realises that he’s in deep enough trouble as it is right now. So we have to assume he came clean with his earlier statement.”

“I don’t like to assume anything, Lieutenant.”

“We have to make sure before telling the colonel.”

“Sure. Simply talking to Mr Kierney should provide the answer.” Rhapsody grabbed the phone. “So do I call him or do you?”

Green hesitated a little; then the smile reappeared on his face, with fondness and amusement obvious in it. Rhapsody was in ‘detective mode’ and there was no stopping her now. She might as well indulge in it. Besides, hearing the young woman’s pleasant voice might put Kierney sufficiently at ease to open up to them, if, as she suspected, he was hiding something.

“Be my guest,” Green answered quietly. He watched with attention as Rhapsody keyed the number of Kierney’s office at Culver.

* * *

When Captain Scarlet awakened, he could feel his shoulders ache. The ache wasn’t from his recent injury; it was something else. His now-healed muscles were sore and cramped, from having kept the same position for too long. His arms felt heavy, as if his whole weight was pulling on them. And indeed, he realised almost right away, that was the case.

He was standing, slumped against an irregular surface he could feel grating against his back, his feet barely touching the floor. He could hardly move his arms; they were outstretched on either side of him and shackled to the surface he was leaning on; his hands were so numb he could barely feel them. When he shifted to get a better position on his feet, he felt a fiery pain shooting through his wrists, and heard a rattling sound.

He opened his eyes and assessed his situation. The surface against which he was resting was a large metallic mesh fence, and each of his hands was secured to it by a strong pair of handcuffs; the metallic bands were so closely encircling his wrists that they bit into his flesh, cutting off his blood circulation and causing that painful numbness in his hands.

It took Scarlet a few seconds before he actually recalled his last conscious thoughts, in a flash of memories. Mysterons… They had trapped him in Dalton’s flat, where he and Symphony had thought to find Giles Hansen.

Giles Hansen, who had been killed and Mysteronised…

Symphony…

He looked around and saw her immediately, seated only a few feet away from him, on a low stool, with a grim-looking face. She was apparently unharmed, and she wasn’t restrained, but behind her was the Mysteron duplicate of Doctor Willard, aiming a gun close to her head, with Giles Hansen, his expression cold, standing only a couple of feet behind, keeping a close surveillance on her. That was as effective in keeping her subdued as if she had been physically restrained. Neither of them seemed to have noticed he had awakened; they were too busy looking in the same direction, to their right. Scarlet followed their gaze.

The room in which he was being held prisoner was very large, dimly lit, and he could see electronic devices on almost every wall. Straight in front of him, on the far wall, he could see a very complex computerised control panel, in which a few lights were flashing regularly. This section of the room was presently inaccessible, as it was protected by a wall of Plexiglass-like bars. A small console was set next to those bars, and a man dressed in black was presently standing in front of it, operating the controls with silent attention, turning dials and pushing buttons, his back turned on Scarlet. A shiver ran up Scarlet’s spine when he recognised that man.

Captain Black.

Whatever he was up to, he didn’t seem to have noticed that his prisoner was awake – or maybe he didn’t care, since he was so busy at the moment. The panel in front of him was slowly coming to life with more flashing lights; a humming that didn’t sound like a good omen in Scarlet’s ears made itself heard. It was coming from behind him; he twisted in his bonds to look over his shoulders, gritting his teeth against the pain in his wrists. Through the mesh fence, he could see what looked like a large engine steadily coming to life.

The humming increased and seemed to propagate through the room. Scarlet looked up front. Now a different humming was coming from a large, lead container set to his left, standing almost in the middle of the room, beyond the Plexiglas bars. It looked like a huge tube, at least ten feet in diameter, that seemed to pierce the floor and roof of the room. Rings of multicoloured light were circling around it, with a regular, very quiet beat that seemed to follow the humming cadence.

Scarlet watched silently, as Black made a step back, all his attention still set on the controls he was working on. That was only at that moment that Scarlet realised that Symphony was looking in his direction, apparently having noticed he had awakened. He looked straight at her and addressed her a silent nod, very slowly mouthing the question ‘Are you all right?’ She answered with a brief affirmative nod of her own. She looked as if she was indeed all right, but deeply worried if he was to judge by the look in her eyes. Which was normal, considering the situation. That reassured Scarlet. But with both of them subdued as they were, he was wondering how they were going to get out alive from their present mess.

A door at the far side of the room slid open, and automatically, both Scarlet and Symphony turned their heads in that direction; so did Willard and Hansen, as a man, dressed in a uniform, entered the room. Only Captain Black ignored the newcomer’s arrival. Scarlet’s eyes narrowed as he recognised the uniform of a security guard from the Culver Atomic Centre – and the man as being the guard who had been attacked that first night, when Black had broken into the plant. Harris… Considering that neither Black, Willard nor Hansen seem distressed by the man’s presence, and seeing that he didn’t look too bothered by their presence, he was obviously a Mysteron too.

Is this the Culver Atomic Centre? Scarlet wondered. It certainly looked like it, although he had not visited this section personally. Then it would be here that the Mysterons intended to carry out their threat this time – whatever it might be, as Scarlet had no idea what they were preparing. He simply imagined that since they had found the isotope, the Mysterons had voiced their threat and were now acting on it. He just was very aware that it could only be something terribly bad, if they were dealing with nuclear energy.

And if he didn’t miss his guess – then that huge object in the middle of the room could only be encasing the centre’s nuclear reactor. It was much bigger than he had been led to believe it ought to be. Of course, Kierney had not mentioned that Culver could be a liability in view of a possible threat from the Mysterons. None of the information Spectrum had on the Centre mentioned anything that would lead to that conclusion. Scarlet knew, he had checked that information a few days ago, when they were looking for Black, wondering what could have brought him here – and still yet again recently, when it had appeared obvious that the Mysterons wanted to use the isotope for their misdeeds.

No doubt it meant trouble…

With his eyes, Scarlet followed Harris’s progression toward Black. The latter had turned around to face the approaching Mysteron agent, and Scarlet was able to finally see his face. He could see it was definitely Captain Black… yet, even from a distance, it was obvious that there was something different about him. His face was ashen and unshaven, without any expression at all, as hard as if it had been carved from a piece of white marble. A new chill ran along Scarlet’s spine. That was exactly the face Symphony had described a few days ago, and that seemed to have made quite an impression on her. He could see why. Scarlet wondered, if Black was a Mysteron agent, like Harris, and as Willard and Hansen now were themselves, why he looked so different from them.

So different from any other Mysteron agents Spectrum had encountered so far.

Harris had stopped in front of Black; there wasn’t a single word exchanged when Harris gave something to the ex-Spectrum officer. Scarlet recognized it as some kind of key, attached to a red ribbon. Black turned to the small console, inserted the key into a lock and turned it. The Plexiglas bars started to rise steadily. Black entered with Harris, and the two Mysteron agents made their way towards the now accessible larger console.

Under Scarlet and Symphony’s scrutinising gaze, Black started working on the new console. He inserted the key into a new slot, and a small panel opened up, to reveal a blue lighted keypad which rose from the console. Harris came to type a series of numbers, as Black walked toward the huge encased nuclear reactor. A small panel was sliding out of it, following Harris’s command on the console, and a small, rounded, empty compartment appeared. Black took something from his shirt pocket; it was a small lead case, that he opened to reveal a short metallic tube, of about six inches long. With his gloved hand, he carefully took it out of its box. The isotope, Scarlet realised, watching with growing anger as Black slid the object into the small compartment and snapped it into place. The panel slid closed, hiding the isotope from view. Black stepped back, as Harris keyed a new series of numbers onto the keypad and turned the key once more. Above the console, for everyone to see, the checking monitors came to life. A horizontal gauge marked ‘coolant water temperature’ was brightly illuminated, with a multicoloured measurement line starting from green, and going all the way through yellow, orange and finally red. A monitor set over the gauge was displaying the words ‘temperature normal’.

Scarlet had a feeling that it wouldn’t stay that reassuring for very long. The temperature was steadily rising on the line, going slowly toward the yellow.

As Black turned to Harris and the two of them started talking in tones so low that they couldn’t be heard, Scarlet and Symphony exchanged worried glances. They didn’t have to strain very hard to imagine what would happen in a short while…

They had to do something – but what?

“Captain Scarlet…”

Scarlet’s head shot up at the sound of that sepulchral voice addressing him. He saw Black now looking toward him, leaving the controls to slowly walk in his direction, followed by both Harris and Hansen. Scarlet stood up straight, meeting the cold gaze of the Mysteron agent with a determined face of his own. Even Black’s eyes were without any expression, other than dark and total iciness. During his time in Spectrum, Captain Black hadn’t been the most expressive of men, but this new ‘incarnation’ of his was completely different. There was something alien coming from him, even at this distance, that Scarlet could feel in the marrow of his bones. That was definitely unsettling.

Black stopped in front of Scarlet, merely a foot away and stared at him with something akin to logical, scientific curiosity in those alien eyes.

“You are an enigma…” Black continued, his voice retaining the same aloof, unemotional tone Scarlet had heard previously. It certainly wasn’t Black’s real voice; it was tainted with the Voice of the Mysterons, that Scarlet had heard through the radio, more often than he would care for.

“Am I?” Scarlet replied in an abrupt tone. “Well, we know who we should thank for that, don’t we, Conrad?” Beyond Black, he could see that Symphony was watching the exchange with growing unease. Yet, she made the effort to stay as apparently composed as she could, mimicking his own defiant attitude.

“How did you escape the Mysterons’ control?”

“You tell me, old friend. And then I’ll be able to tell you.” With affected coolness, Scarlet pointed a finger toward the nuclear reactor, the best he could, considering his restrained position. “What are your masters up to now? Looks like they’re planning something big…”

“The Mysterons’ next act of retaliation will be to destroy the area once known as Wessex…” Black’s answer sounded like one of the Mysterons’ announced threats. It was as if he was reciting a learned mantra. Scarlet took note of this only for a second, before starting to compute the extent of the threat. It was huge. A dubious frown appeared on his brow.

“Wessex…? That would take an enormous amount of energy…”

“The Culver Atomic Centre provides us with all the tools needed to carry out our plans,” Harris then said, attracting Scarlet’s attention while Black stood silently contemplating him. “They were using that clandestine nuclear reactor over there to test the efficiency of the isotope they had created for Aldermaston’s subs. By itself, because it is protected by this lead casing, if it were to overheat, or meet ‘unlikely problems’ that might cause a nuclear accident, the reactor would devastate the surrounding neighbourhood only.”

“What’s a few villages, when the Mysterons could destroy the whole area?” Scarlet retorted sarcastically.

“But if you introduce the special isotope they created into the core of the reactor… the results would be far different. The reactor temperature will increase, and the coolant water will overheat beyond the point of no-return.” Harris smiled thinly, seeing Scarlet’s grim expression. “Of course, you surely know now that the isotope is a very powerful component – and that it is highly unstable… That’s why the people responsible for security equipped the reactor with enough failsafe security measures to prevent the eventuality of a meltdown – or so Culver is convinced.” Scarlet looked down at the key dangling at Harris’s belt, understanding, by what he had just witnessed, that the ‘security failsafe’ resided in it. He looked beyond the two Mysterons toward the temperature gauge. The line was now in the yellow, with the words ‘Temperature increasing’ displayed on the monitor.

“In two hours, there will be nothing to prevent the reactor from exploding, wiping out the entirety of the surrounding area,” Black pursued. “Nuclear fallout will take care of the rest of Wessex.”

Scarlet’s doubts turned into utter shock – and anger. “Black, that would mean millions of deaths and suffering… including my parents in Winchester. You can’t really want to have that on your conscience!”

“What I want is irrelevant. The Mysterons’ orders must be carried out.”

“You son of a…” Angrily, Scarlet pulled on his restraints, attempting to make them give way, so he would be able to reach for Black. Of course, they held, the metallic bands of the handcuffs biting deeper, more painfully, into his wrists. All he could do was stare at Black with a fiery contemptuous glare. A glare to which Black was responding with an icy stare of his own. “Killing me wasn’t enough for you,” Scarlet spat. “You have to go and kill millions of other to satisfy your masters’ bloodlust.”

“The Earthmen started this war.”

“No, ONE man started it. YOU, Conrad. And you intend to finish it properly for your new masters, don’t you?” A growl emitted from his throat. “Damn it,” he added in a low tone, “where is your much-vaunted will of iron, Conrad? You should be able to break free from these monsters’ influence! Fight them!”

“Your protests are meaningless.”

“So you will sacrifice yourself in a nuclear explosion for the Mysterons? Is that how they intended to punish you?”

“My punishment… is beyond your comprehension.”

Scarlet thought he heard a note of regret in the monotonous tone. Was it his imagination? He was about to continue his harangue, when a contemptuous scoff coming from Harris interrupted him. “Do not concern yourself with Captain Black,” the Mysteron agent said in a mocking tone. “He will be far gone and out of reach when the explosion occurs.”

“… And so will you,” Black added, still staring coldly at Scarlet.

“Oh, I’m touched, really, that you should look after me,” Scarlet retorted with a thin, unhappy smile, “old friend.”

“Friendship is an unknown concept. It has nothing to do with your fate.” Black came a step closer, to look even more closely into Scarlet’s angry and grim features. “You and you abilities can be useful to us.”

“Is this a job offer?” Scarlet scoffed mockingly.

“I offer nothing. You were created by the Mysterons. You’ll be brought back under their control. Where you belong.”

The fire in Scarlet’s eyes grew hotter with burning rage and revolt. There was no way he would allow the Mysterons to take him back under their control. He would gladly prefer a definitive death over such a fate. Outraged, he pulled on his restraints once more. He felt his muscles strain painfully, his shoulders almost snapping under the effort. “Never! You hear me, Black?! I will NEVER go back under their control! You can go straight to HELL with your Mysteron masters!”

Black remained unemotional, but Harris, stepping forward, violently backhanded Scarlet, sending his head sideways. From where she was watching the confrontation, Symphony jumped to her feet. That was more than she was able to endure. “Leave him alone!”

She made a step forward, as if she wanted to intervene, but Willard’s hand caught her by the arm and she turned back angrily to him. He shoved the barrel of his gun into her side, making her gasp. Enraged at seeing the young woman manhandled, Scarlet turned to Willard specifically, ignoring Black and the other two Mysteron agents closer to him. “Don’t you hurt her, you…”

Black’s hands suddenly grabbed hold of Scarlet’s face; almost despite himself, the Spectrum officer found himself staring straight into the inexpressive features of the Mysteron agent. Gritting his teeth, he first tried to pull back, but Black’s hold was like iron.

“As you were once of the Mysterons, so you will be once more. It’s just a matter of re-establishing contact.”

Scarlet felt a cold sweat running down his spine. Even as he tried to escape, he suddenly discovered that he couldn’t detach his eyes from the cold, deep darkness that was Black’s stare, so alien in that human but impassive face, so – enthralling. A feeling of panic clutched Scarlet’s soul and mind, as coldness started to engulf him.

“LEAVE HIM ALONE, BLACK!”

The voice of Symphony reached Scarlet, and for a brief instant, he felt free and drawn by the sound of her angry tone. With an obvious, but fleeting expression of frustration on his otherwise aloof face, Black briefly shouted over his shoulder. “Silence the woman!”

Harris swiftly came to Willard’s side to help his fellow Mysteron agent, who was apparently having trouble keeping the Angel pilot in line. He caught Symphony, wrapping his arm around her and pinning her arms against her body. She struggled, but he was holding her in a iron-like vice hold. She was about to shout again, when Harris’s hand clamped on her mouth, smothering her cry. Black turned his attention back to Scarlet.

“Look into my eyes and you’ll see what I see.” At first, Scarlet tried to escape, but after a few short seconds, Symphony saw his eyes opening wide; despite his best efforts to visibly resist the urge, once again he gazed deep into Black’s eyes. He shivered, trying once more to pull away, but to no avail. Black had him within his clutches and wasn’t about to let go. Whatever the Mysteron agent was trying to do to him, Scarlet seemed powerless to avoid it.

Reduced to silence and helpless to help, Symphony watched with horror and growing concern for her fellow Spectrum agent, wondering what terrible fate the Mysterons could have in store for him.

* * *

For Scarlet, there was nothing to see at first. Black’s face was still without any trace of emotion, and that chilling image was but a weak reflection of what he could see in his eyes – a deep dark abyss devoid of all feelings, so cold it was freezing him to the bone. It was a total blank, where no feeling, no passion, could find a place. It felt as deep and cold, empty and vast, as space itself – in the darkest recess of it, without any star to illuminate it.

He felt nauseous. The kind of sickness he had felt often when he was in the vicinity of a Mysteron. Only this time it was even worse. As if the presence was closer. Very much closer.

He started feeling a pull on his mind… an irresistible pull, that wanted to draw him into the deepest part of this darkness. Black’s face slowly faded from his view, until he could only see his sinister eyes. Then even those eyes disappeared, first appearing as two weakening stars, that finally died out. Now the blackness was total, and continued to fill his mind, slowly but irremediably emptying it of all thoughts, except of that deep darkness itself – and that terrible pull.

No… there was still a single thought, a unique feeling left in his mind beside that.

Fight!

He heard a murmur at the limit of his hearing. Barely audible, with words unrecognisable to him. It was a deep, low voice, that sounded like the hush of a powerful wave. He tried to force himself to close his mind’s eye but that didn’t stop the wave from growing more powerful with each passing second, crushing into his brain, invading it with despair and helplessness. The words were still indistinguishable, but he just knew, deep inside of him, what they were and who was speaking them. He was all alone to face them, and he almost despaired.

No! Fight!

He saw the first white light as a beckoning star in the darkness. Hope, he thought, desperately clinging to it. A single sign of hope in all that blackness.

Then the second appeared, very similar to the first, seemingly detaching itself from it. They approached him, as the rhythm of the crushing wave grew in intensity. With eyes wide-opened with dread and horror, he saw the stars transforming into rings of pure light, pulsating as if they were animated by their own true life, and coming straight at him. He then realised that both rings were pulsating at the rhythm of his own heart, pounding with an unknown terror. Hope dispersed from his heart as he realised these lights were anything but salvation.

They exploded into a blinding light, engulfing him totally, making him gasp as if he was out of breath.

The nausea was becoming worse. The presence was overwhelming… as if coming from inside of him.

The murmur clogging his mind was still intensifying, pervading his thoughts. He desperately tried to close his mind to it.

Keep fighting! Resist! Do not LISTEN! Don’t let yourself be drawn to them!

Why? Why keep fighting?

Scarlet pulled in a short intake of breath. Those words in his mind were not pronounced with what he knew as the Voice of the Mysterons – but with his own voice, as if coming from far, far away, from an intangible, nearly unreachable corner of his mind.

They do not trust me… They think I could turn on them.

He closed his mind’s eyes again, frantically arguing the point, knowing full well to whom the ‘they’ referred.

But that was before… I’m not under the Mysterons’ control anymore. Didn’t I show them I could be trusted?

They planted a bomb in me – they could detonate it at any time…

If I turn on them, they will… Better death than a becoming a Mysteron drone again – The Mysterons can order me to die in their service any time.

So can Spectrum…

Panic was threatening to overcome Scarlet, as he kept fighting to keep control of his own fears, the turmoil brewing inside of him, as the nausea was still mounting and his self-defences were eroding, giving way to doubts, that were slowly instilled into his mind. He struggled frantically, refusing the argument.

The Mysterons are evil – they want to destroy all life on Earth…

Who started the war?

It was all a mistake – a terrible mistake. Now we must suffer the consequences…

Why do I care?

Scarlet’s determination wavered ever so slightly, and he marked a second of hesitation.

Because I’m human?

That was a pathetic argument.

I was created by the Mysterons.

Am I myself or the shell of a man who died weeks ago? I can’t believe that…

Maybe it is my fate to serve the Mysterons…

I can’t believe that…

Who am I?

I am Paul Metcalfe…

I was a Mysteron agent.

Scarlet’s mind rebelled. He knew he shouldn’t listen to this voice – he was unsure if it was his own inner self, trying to argue the point of his existence, or if these doubts presently assaulting him were coming from the Mysterons, trying to break his will, in order to take control of him again. Yes… it was the Mysterons. They wanted to weaken him – and they were enhancing his own doubts about himself, about his life and his whole world in order to obtain that objective.

I am a Spectrum officer…

I am Captain Scarlet.

I am Captain Scarlet.

Why do I resist?

Because I’m human.

I have to believe that.

He struggled again, desperately pulling away from the Voice and the blinding light. He felt pain. Real physical pain, as if his arms were dislocating from his shoulders, and his numbing wrists seemed to crack. He had the impression that something hot was trickling down his arms. He grunted loudly. The beating of his heart increased, as did the rhythm of his rapid breathing, and that awful nausea. He called on every reserve of will and strength he still had within himself to make one last stand of resistance against the invading thoughts threatening to break him.

I can’t resist…

Yes I can! My mind is my own. I MUST believe that.

Why do I continue to fight?

Because I choose to. I can make the choice. I am free. This is the right thing to do. They can’t control me.

They will never control me again.

They are strong… Their commands await.

My will is stronger… I can’t answer. I must NOT answer.

Give in…

I WILL not surrender!

So hard to resist…

NEVER!

Can’t…

NO!

The light exploded again, more intensely, and all thoughts left Scarlet’s mind, as darkness engulfed him yet again and he plummeted completely into it.

* * *

For what seemed like an eternity, Symphony Angel had witnessed with utmost dread the battle Captain Scarlet waged against Captain Black’s attempt to take control of his mind. For most of it, it had been a silent fight, with neither of the opponents saying a word, punctuated only by Scarlet’s laborious gasps and grunts. He was in pain. Whatever Black was doing to his mind, it was hurting him badly. His face was pale, as if he was sick, covered with sweat and contorted with the efforts he was obviously displaying to resist. Gritting his teeth, he was writhing and pulling so hard on his restraints that the metal bands encircling his wrists were cutting deeper into his flesh, and blood had slowly started trickling down his forearms.

He was fighting with a strength born of desperation to escape the horrible fate promised to him by Black – and Symphony, unable to do anything to help him, feared that it was a hopeless battle, as she watched the fight becoming fiercer, sapping Scarlet’s energy as the seconds – the minutes – passed, and he grew obviously weaker.

Symphony’s blood curdled in her veins upon hearing the terrible scream that escaped Captain Scarlet’s throat at the end of the intense session. He then muttered a low groan and collapsed, his restrains keeping him upright.

Only then did Captain Black release his hold on him and back away a step, his eyes gauging the half-conscious man hanging against the mesh fence in front of him. Symphony, only a few feet behind, was also watching, deep worry obvious in her green eyes. Paul… Did those monsters get their hands on you again? She could only imagine how horrible that would be for him if it was the case. Finding himself back within the Mysterons’ clutches probably was his worst fear – and now… she was fearing it had come to pass.

“It is done,” she heard Black say, and the words froze her blood and sent a shiver down her spine. “Contact has been re-established. Free him.”

Hansen came closer to Scarlet and released the shackles, one after the other. The Spectrum officer crumpled to the floor with a loud huff, directly at Black’s feet. He stayed there, breathing hard, apparently too weak to move, his face unseen by the witnesses surrounding him. Symphony swallowed the lump forming in her throat, a faint sob escaping her. Harris had let go of her to take one step forward, and Willard was barely holding her by the arm. All their attention was drawn to the man lying on the floor, slowly starting to get his bearings back.

Black looked down at Scarlet, with the same coldness his eyes had displayed all along. He had no emotion, no second thoughts concerning what he had done. Just the inner certainty that he had served to do his masters’ bidding.

“Get on your feet, Captain Scarlet.”

Scarlet did try to obey, but obviously, he was still very weak from his experience; his breathing still irregular, he succeeded in raising himself on his hands and knees, with great effort. Black addressed a brief nod to Hansen and the latter crouched down, to grab Scarlet’s arm and pull him up. Slowly, the Spectrum officer rose, his body shivering. His face was still very pale, haggard and covered with sweat, and he was still struggling to stand up straight with Hansen’s help, when Black addressed him again, stepping forward to grab his shoulder.

“Now, you are back under the Mysterons’ control, Captain Scarlet. You will follow the Mysterons’ orders. As you were meant to. You know what you must do.”

What followed next happened very fast. As he was leaning against Hansen and straightening up, Scarlet’s hand suddenly shot straight out and hit the Mysteron’s throat with a forceful karate jab, making him wheeze and stumble backward. Then Scarlet grabbed Black’s jacket with both hands, and jerked his shoulders forward, striking him with a vigorous headbutt that took Black completely by surprise and sent him reeling onto the floor. Half stunned by the attack, his nose bleeding, Black looked up, to stare at Scarlet. The latter was still staggering on his feet, but managed to look down at Black with fierceness and defiance all too obvious on his face.

“Drop dead, you bastard!” Scarlet yelled in a strained voice.

He still felt nauseous, and his mind was still reeling from the mind torture he had suffered and the effort he had just displayed – okay, a HEADBUTT wasn’t REALLY the best of ideas under the circumstances… – but he could still detect the total surprise in Black’s eyes – as well as another emotion. They weren’t as cold as they had been before. They seemed… fearful…

It was only a brief observation, as a second later, Scarlet saw Harris diving on him like a raging bull. The Mysteron tackled him furiously, pushing him against the meshed surface behind him, while trying to subdue him. At the same moment, Willard had raised his gun, aiming it at Scarlet, completely dismissing Symphony.

It was a mistake that the young woman quickly used to her advantage. Grabbing Willard’s fist, her hand swiftly pushed his arm upward, forcing his shot to go wide, and the bullet lost itself in the ceiling. In the fraction of a second that followed, her kneecap had risen to hit Willard’s groin with force, forcing his knees to bend and his fingers to release the butt of the gun that she took effortlessly. Symphony Angel wasn’t a woman to do things by halves when on a job: as soon as the weapon had changed hands, she used it – before he could get his bearings back, she shot the half-kneeling Willard between the eyes with one clean shot, without batting an eyelid, almost dispassionately.

She briefly watched as the Mysteronised doctor fell on his back, like a rag doll, then turned her immediate attention to the fight in which Scarlet was involved. She squinted her eyes as she raised the gun, trying to get a shot at Harris, but she hesitated; she was a good shot, but the battle was just too confused for her to be sure of her aim; she might hit Scarlet instead of the Mysteron agent.

Black was slowly getting back on his feet, wiping his bleeding nose, when Scarlet, in a supreme effort, finally managed to pull free from Harris. He violently pushed him into Black’s path, momentarily throwing both of them off, stunning Black and sending him back on the floor, while Harris struggled to keep on his feet. Scarlet quickly turned in Symphony’s direction; she was stunned to see how sick he looked.

“Symphony!” He threw something at her, and instinctively, she caught it with her free hand. She only glanced briefly at the contents of her hand, but she had already guessed it was the key that Scarlet must have taken from Harris. She raised her eyes and met Scarlet’s wary but definitely human gaze. “Go! Shut down the reactor!”

Symphony’s slight moment of doubt and hesitation disappeared instantly at that order. Her heart filled with relief that Scarlet was still himself and somehow had successfully resisted the Mysterons’ attempt to take him back. She turned on her heels and ran toward the large main control console, trying to ignore the fact that Scarlet had stayed behind to cover her – and was presently fighting off the attack of both Harris and Hansen. Each of them had a task to accomplish, and hers was of the utmost importance.

She stood in front of the console and quickly assessed it. She wasn’t an expert, but she had watched Black’s action very closely earlier, when he had entered the sequential commands he needed to initiate the operation, so she had a good idea of what needed to be done.

Except… According to what she was reading, the command was accessible after entering a numeric code. One that she didn’t know. And she also had to remove the isotope from its compartment in the reactor before shutting down the whole system and stopping the reaction – or whatever she would do would be useless. She looked up at the temperature gauge. The line had crossed the whole of the yellow section and was now starting to enter the orange one. The words ‘Temperature increasing to danger level – caution’ was displayed on the monitor overhead.

Okay, first things first then. I’ll worry about the shutting down later. It wasn’t as if she had any time to spare to study this panel too closely.

She pressed the command sequence and moved in front of the lead-encased reactor, watching expectantly as the small compartment opened. She waited nervously as the isotope rose from it – too slowly, for Symphony’s taste. When it finally came into a stop, she eagerly reached for the isotope and snapped it out of its stand. A series of indicators died out on the panel and Symphony breathed a sigh of relief.

One step done. Now to shut down the reactor.

Quickly coming back in front of the central controls, she glanced over her shoulder. Scarlet had his hands full fighting off Hansen and Harris; he was so busy that he had not noticed Black finally getting back to his feet and sneaking up on him from behind, holding a gun. Symphony felt her heart miss a beat when she saw him raising the weapon high. “Captain! Look out!”

To her dismay, her call arrived too late: the butt of Black’s gun violently crashed down on Scarlet’s head and he sank to his knees, with a grimace and a loud groan. With a brief last glance at the fallen captain, the Mysteron agents turned their attention to Symphony. While both Harris and Hansen were leaning over the half-stunned Scarlet, pulling his arms behind his back and holding him down, Black started walking toward the Angel pilot, with a decided step. Alarmed, she briefly looked down at the panel in front of her, and slammed a protruding red button. The Plexiglas bars started descending between her and the others. Black quickened his pace; but he arrived too late, just as the bars snapped into place, preventing him from reaching Symphony.

She only glanced once at him before turning to the panel, intent on finding a way to stop the nuclear reaction now threatening to begin.

She realised she didn’t quite know what to do next…

“Symphony…”

She turned on her heels. Black was standing just on the other side of the bars and was watching her intently; he had his gun in his hand, but held it down by his side. Yet, she could feel the inherent threat emanating from him. She tried to ignore him and turned again toward the controls.

“You can’t find the right sequence to stop the reaction. Open that door.”

She turned a fierce glance at Black. Like Hell I will…Did Black think her so stupid?

Behind Black, she could see Hansen and Harris forcing Scarlet to his feet and dragging him forward. He still looked stunned, weakened by his recent experience, the nauseating Mysterons’ presence and the knock he had sustained to the head. A new patch of blood was staining the collar of his shirt. Yet, he was still struggling to break free from his opponents’ clutches.

He was pushed down at Black’s feet and forcibly held there; coldly, Black cocked his gun, and pointed it at Scarlet. “Open the door, or I’ll kill him where he is.”

Symphony shivered; still resisting and trying to get up onto his knees, Scarlet raised furious eyes toward Black, before glancing at Symphony. “DON’T give in!” A violent blow to the back of his head silenced him and made him groan; he fell to the floor. Symphony stiffened; she addressed an outraged look at Black.

Scarlet was roughly pulled to his knees and a strong forearm suddenly pressed against his throat, while a hand pushed against the back of his head. He gasped, nearly strangling in the strong hold, and still fighting to free himself. His arms were firmly held behind his back, his wrists twisted almost to breaking point. He heard the voice of Harris hiss close to his ear, “Shut up, Earthman!”

“You don’t know how to choose your hostages, Black,” Symphony said swiftly, trying to render her voice as cold as possible. “You can’t kill him…” It was hard trying to sound callous about it. Knowing that Scarlet was indestructible and would likely revive after being struck by a bullet was one thing. But looking on as he was killed in front of her eyes, because she refused to obey, was quite another. Yet, it didn’t look as if she had any choice but to refuse. She was just hoping that Black wouldn’t see how uncomfortable the situation was for her. The fact that Scarlet chuckled despite himself at her remark helped comfort her in her position.

“You always were a poor strategist, Conrad…” he said under his breath.

Black pressed his gun against Scarlet’s temple. The latter gritted his teeth. “I can injure him badly…” Black declared, still looking coldly at Symphony. She was glaring at him fixedly, trying not to show any of the emotions that were going through her mind. Then, as if he had reconsidered his options, Black raised his gun and aimed it at Symphony. “…Or I can shoot you.”

She stiffened. Black was a good shot; he couldn’t miss her at this distance. She had no doubt he would pull the trigger, but she had no intention of surrendering to his threats and allowing him access to the reactor to replace the isotope. She nervously and briefly glanced at the still increasing temperature gauge. The line was halfway into the orange section… There was little time left. At least, she reasoned, now that the isotope had been removed, when the reactor overheated, the lead case would be sufficient to contain the full strength of the explosion. The Culver Centre would be obliterated, of course – and she’d probably die – and there would be fairly extensive damage to the immediate area. But the Mysterons would have failed to destroy the larger region of Wessex, and countless other lives would be saved.

“Open that door and you’ll live. Or you’ll die – and we will enter anyway.”

Symphony blinked. Now what was that supposed to mean? Her eyes were set on the gun aimed at her; Black’s hand was still, not the slightest shudder in it – and the cold expression on his features left little doubt that he would indeed kill her. To what purpose, she considered? For revenge? She suddenly contemplated, in a fraction of a second, that he might kill her, and that she would be recreated as a Mysteron agent for the sole aim of putting the isotope back from where she had taken it. She shivered with horror at the thought; she would become the Mysterons’ instrument of vengeance, and there would be NOTHING she would be able to do to prevent it.

“Conrad…” The protest emerging from Scarlet died on his lips when Harris tightened his hold on his throat. “Don’t hurt her…” he managed to finish in a strangled groan. His eyes were looking straight at Symphony, with obvious worry and distress.

“I’m giving you one chance, Symphony Angel.”

That sounded suspiciously like what Black had told her, only a few days ago, when he had put her in that SPV and sent her as a decoy to make good his escape. He had used her then, for his own purposes. It wasn’t a generous gesture, she knew that – just as she knew he would not be magnanimous this time either.

Symphony’s eyes briefly fell on the still obviously concerned Scarlet, then moved to stare at the control panel, where the key was still inserted into its lock. Then she noticed the electronic waste incinerator unit embedded in the front of the console. A solution instantly imposed itself to her mind; she knew exactly what to do.

She casually put the isotope down on top of the console, leaving her hand to rest next to the disposal unit control button; then she turned to Black once again, her eyes burning with defiance, as her other hand grabbed the key and removed it from the lock. She kept it inside her hand, as if to protect it from the Mysteron agents’ view. Black held out his hand in a demanding gesture. Perhaps he was thinking she would give him the key so he could open the barred door himself?

He was deadly mistaken.

“We played this game once before, Captain Black,” Symphony remarked icily. She showed her hand, the plastic head of the key protruding from it, a tiny metal part of it shining in a almost tantalising way. “Do you think I would give in to your demands?”

“Give me that key or…”

“…You’ll shoot me? Right…” She pressed the small button, opening the waste disposal, and then, with one swift movement, tossed the key into the unit. The door closed and a faint humming made itself heard. Black watched the red light over the machine, announcing that the object tossed into it was being disposed of. No emotion appeared on his face as the light turned green and he turned to face Symphony again. She was looking at him, her chin up, still standing defiantly. “Go ahead,” she challenged. “Like Captain Scarlet said earlier… drop dead.”

A heavy silence followed her gesture and words. Scarlet had opened his eyes wide with amazement at what Symphony had dared to do. He felt proud, and at the same time terribly concerned about what would happen next. He watched apprehensively as Black lowered the gun. Nothing seemed to pass through the former Spectrum agent’s facial expression, except for some kind of a ominous flash in his eyes. He made one step forward towards the bars separating him from Symphony and stopped. Scarlet struggled again, his eyes riveted on Black, his concern growing.

Through the distance separating them, Back was looking straight into Symphony’s composed expression. She stayed where she was, not moving, staring back with a brave façade. “Without the key, you won’t be able to stop the meltdown.” That was a statement, more than anything else.

“And without it, you won’t be able to enter or to insert the isotope back into the reactor,” Symphony answered back sharply. “The reactor may still explode – but the damage will be considerably less.”

“You are trapped. You sacrifice yourself needlessly.”

“Perhaps. But if this is the price to pay to stop you… No matter what you do, your masters’ plans won’t succeed now. You lost this round.”

Black was still looking straight at Symphony, his lips pinched. Briefly, they were taken back a couple of years into the past, during an exercise assignment – where Black had played the part of the enemy agent on the loose, challenging all the recruits under his charge to catch him. Symphony had found herself facing his gun – daring him to shoot her, without even knowing it was loaded with blanks, or what his reaction would be. The situation now was somehow similar – and yet, so deadly different. Black shook his head briefly. “This isn’t a game anymore, Symphony.”

Was it Symphony’s imagination? She thought his tone had something melancholic in it…

He raised his gun. Symphony’s eyes widened. “This is war, and I play to win.”

The next second, his index finger had pulled the trigger. The single detonation echoed loudly into the large room.

With a brief and muffled cry, Symphony swivelled under the violent impact and crashed roughly onto the floor.

* * *

The first call to the office of Alan Kierney being fruitless, Rhapsody Angel had tried to reach the man at his home in Stourford, to learn from his wife that he had not come back from work yet, and that, in all probability, he was still at the office – where he would often stay late to work. However, a further call to the Culver Centre still remained unanswered. Considering the events of the day, it was conceivable that Kierney wasn’t that eager to talk to anyone – especially Spectrum – so he could be avoiding answering the phone. Neither Rhapsody nor Lieutenant Green had reason to believe that Kierney’s wife had lied about her husband’s whereabouts. So the two Spectrum agents had decided to check for themselves if he still was at the Centre.

Green and Rhapsody presented their Spectrum passes at the gates of the Culver Atomic Centre and entered the premises without question from the guards at the entrance. Then Green drove the car to the almost empty parking lot and parked next to the only luxury car presently there. A check on its license plate indicated that it was Alan Kierney’s. They had confirmation that the director was still at the Centre, probably in his office.

They left their car there and entered the principal building. It was deserted that evening, much quieter than it had been earlier in the day, when they had come for the first time. Almost all the workers had gone back home, and only a handful of security guards were now left to make sure the place was secure.

“It’s so silent, it’s creepy,” Green noted, addressing Rhapsody, as their steps echoed down the darkened corridor they had taken to access Kierney’s office.

“Yes,” she agreed with a brief nod. “It’s exactly like walking in a tomb.”

They had reached the door leading to Kierney’s office. The door was closed, but there was a faint light inside. It seemed that Kierney was there all right. Rhapsody knocked quietly on the door.

“Mr Kierney?” Receiving no answer, she tried the handle; it turned in her hand, so she pushed it. “Mr Kierney?” she called again, glancing about. “It’s Lieutenant Green and Rhapsody Angel…”

She opened her eyes wide when she almost immediately found the man, lying on the floor next to his desk, in a pool of blood. Hurriedly, with an impending sense of doom, both Spectrum agents entered and rushed to Kierney. They gently turned him on his back, to find the gaping hole in his chest.

“He’s been shot, nearly point-blank range,” Rhapsody said urgently.

“You were right about a tomb earlier,” Green muttered dryly.

Rhapsody checked for a pulse on Kierney’s neck and frowned. “My God, he’s still alive!” She barely had said the words when Kierney gave a low moan, and his lips started moving slightly. Green rounded the desk to reach for the phone. “I’m calling for an ambulance – and security. Then I’m contacting the colonel. There’s something going on in here – and I would bet my next pay it has something to do with the Mysterons.”

Rhapsody didn’t take the bet. She busied herself to make Kierney comfortable, putting a cushion under his head and trying to staunch the flow of blood pouring from his wound.

“Hang on, Mr Kierney. Help is on the way.” He moaned louder, hearing the gentle voice. Then he muttered something, so faintly that Rhapsody had to lean her ear over his lips to make out what he was saying. He was struggling to speak, and the words were stumbling hesitantly out of his mouth, pronounced with great difficulty.

“Freeze!” The call from the door made both Rhapsody and Green look up. A man in a security guard’s uniform was standing in the doorway, brandishing a pistol in their direction. He looked a little taken aback to find both of them there, with Rhapsody leaning over the wounded director. “What happened here?” he demanded angrily. “What have you done to Mr Kierney?”

“Oh, be serious!” Green called sternly. “We’re Spectrum officers and we just found him…” He held out his ID card. The guard, still warily keeping his gun aimed at the young black man, approached cautiously to take a look. Green raised a brow. “I’ve got the hospital on the line and I’m asking for an ambulance. You want me to hang up?”

“Spectrum? Yes, I was told by security at the entrance that you were coming here… But…” He finally lowered his gun and, with eyes filled with obvious shock, looked down at Kierney, lying on the floor. “What happened to Mr Kierney? Who did that to him?”

“He just said a name,” Rhapsody answered. She was still listening intently to what Kierney was trying to tell her. She raised inquiring eyes toward the guard. “…Harris…”

“HARRIS?” the guard repeated, obviously not believing his ears. “No, you got to be mistaken. Harris would never…”

“H-Harris…” Kierney then repeated, his voice quivering but clearer than before. “He… he shot me…”

“I can’t believe this,” murmured the guard.

“Quiet!” Rhapsody enjoined him. “Mr Kierney, what did Harris want? Where is he now? Do you know?”

“Key… Key to the reactor…”

“The reactor?”

“… Test reactor… Key for… for controls…”

“The reactor at Aldermaston?”

“N-no…” Kierney shook his head to the negative. He was shivering violently, in obvious shock. “H-here… the test reactor here…”

“Oh, Hell… I knew there was something wrong. Lieutenant, you’d better hurry with that call to the colonel.”

“S.I.G.,” Green replied. His call for the ambulance finished, he was already using his communicator.

Rhapsody shot to her feet and walked towards the guard who was still looking down with incredulity at Kierney. “Where’s that test reactor?”

“I-I’m sorry, ma’am,” the guard said hesitantly, surprised by Rhapsody’s outburst. “That’s a restricted area, and…”

“If you don’t cooperate with Spectrum, you may very well be charged as an accessory to a terrorist crime,” the young woman snapped at him in a stern voice. “You WILL tell me WHERE that reactor is, and then you will gather a team of your colleagues to escort me there RIGHT NOW! Every minute counts, mister. We have to STOP a disaster such as you can’t begin to imagine from happening!”

Impressed despite himself with Rhapsody’s authoritative tone, the guard nervously nodded his agreement. He didn’t know how much truth there was in the Spectrum agent’s assertion, but she sure as Hell sounded serious enough… and definitely angry.

And he didn’t want to cross her any more than he already had.

* * *

Symphony’s limp body had barely reached the floor and the echo of the shot from Captain Black’s gun was still echoing when a cry of utmost rage rose from Scarlet’s throat. Somehow, his strength multiplied tenfold, and he finally broke free of the hands now struggling to keep him down. His right hand grabbed Harris’s gun in a vice-like hold and twisted the hand holding it, almost effortlessly, just as the Mysteron was pulling the trigger. The bullet meant to strike Scarlet missed him by a hair, the powder burning the skin of his neck, and, at point blank range, struck Hansen, tearing half of his face away. In the fraction of a second that followed, the still fury-driven Scarlet wrapped his arms around Harris’s neck and snapped it in a sickening crunch. As the two Mysteron agents slumped to the floor, dead, Scarlet was rising to his feet, with the full intention of throwing himself at Black.

Disposing of both Harris and Hansen had taken him barely a few seconds, but Black had already turned on his heels and taken aim. Scarlet had but two paces left to reach him when the first bullet caught him in the left thigh, halting his furious charge. Unable to stand, he was already falling forward, when the second bullet hit his hip. He hit the floor, and was lying on his back, grimacing with pain, and clutching his heavily bleeding thigh when Black casually walked the remaining distance between them…

And put a third bullet in his right leg.

Scarlet cried out in pain and frustration. He was pinned to the floor, bleeding and unable to rise, with Black standing over him, his gun trained on him, ready to pull the trigger at any moment. There still wasn’t any emotion apparent on the former Spectrum officer’s face as he looked down at Scarlet, seemingly considering whether to shoot or not.

Blinded by hate and pain, Scarlet turned his eyes toward the body of Symphony, lying face down on the floor, on the other side of the bars. He could see a patch of blood starting to form underneath her, and slowly enlarging. “How could you?!” he raged addressing Black. “How could you shoot her like that? She wasn’t any threat to you! What kind of sick satisfaction did it give you?”

“This is war, Captain. She knew the risks of her trade. As do you.” As Scarlet was trying to raise, albeit unsuccessfully, Black pressed his foot to his wounded hip and pushed him down; he ignored the muffled imprecation Scarlet directed at him and looked around at the dead Mysteron agents surrounding them. “Impressive display of strength, Captain Scarlet,” he said in a casual and dispassionate tone. “You would have made a great asset to the Mysterons in this war against Earth…”

“GO TO HELL!” Scarlet barked, surmounting the pain he was enduring. His eyes momentarily left Symphony to stare up with hate at Black, beads of sweat covering his face. He felt hurt and sick at the same time. “I SWEAR to you, Turner, when I get my hands on you…”

“You were created by the Mysterons,” Black continued, seemingly not hearing Scarlet’s threat. “How it is they were unable to re-establish contact with you?”

“Don’t you GET IT?” Scarlet yelled with frustration, on the verge of losing his senses against the pressure on his open wound. He bit his lip, grunting. “There’s NOTHING left for them to make contact WITH! I am NOT one of those droning replicates they create! I have my OWN FREE WILL!”

There was a short moment of silence, during which Black seemed to look thoughtfully down at his downed opponent. They held each other’s gaze, Scarlet’s flashing with obvious disgust and antagonism, his teeth clenched tightly. If he had had the chance to jump at Black’s throat, no doubt he would have done it. When he shifted ever so slightly, Black pressed his foot harder against the officer’s wounded hip to force him to stay put. A loud groan escaped Scarlet’s throat, and he fought hard to cling to consciousness. He could see Black’s expression through a haze – and his voice seemed to come from farther away.

“Indeed, your will is strong, Captain Scarlet. And the powers you have retained from your experience make you a dangerous foe for the Mysterons. You shall be destroyed.”

Realising Scarlet was within an inch of losing his senses before being able to hear all he had to say, Black removed his foot; the Spectrum officer gasped with relief at the release of pressure. The pain continued, though, and his lower limbs were numb.

“Because of the Angel’s interference, the ultimate aim for this mission may be lost for the Mysterons,” Black continued in his dolorous tone. “Spectrum has succeeded in saving Wessex. But the reactor will still explode. And I doubt, Captain Scarlet, that you will survive this.” He moved away from his victim, keeping his eyes and gun on him. Scarlet followed him with his gaze, barely able to move from his spot, as Black was backing away toward the exit. “You are welcome to try and escape,” Black continued. “But wounded as you are, you probably won’t get far.”

“We will meet again, Black!” Scarlet promised fiercely. “And I’ll make you pay… For everything you’ve done. To me, to everyone… To Symphony...” His voice broke as he turned his gaze to the downed Angel pilot lying in her blood on the other side of the bars. He thought he saw a faint movement of her arm. He blinked; surely, he had dreamt…

“The future will tell us if you’re right in your statement. Good bye, Captain Scarlet.”

Scarlet’s head shot back in the direction of where he had seen Black last; the former Spectrum officer had disappeared from his view, and the door leading out of the room was slowly sliding closed. Scarlet was able to hear the echo of hurried footsteps decreasing in the distance. The sound died out when the door slid closed. Scarlet looked around. He was alone, in the room, with three dead Mysteron agents, abandoned by their masters after their failed mission…

… And Symphony.

“Symphony!” he rasped. His attention returned beyond the bars where Symphony lay. He thought he had seen her move earlier. That meant she could be alive… He couldn’t see any movement now.

“Symphony!” he called again, his voice stronger, hoping that his assumption was right. “Please, wake up! Answer me!”

Getting to his feet was nothing short of a torture, with his two legs barely responding to his commands; yet, he tried, gritting his teeth under the renewed pain. He couldn’t stay up very long; the first tentative steps he made toward Symphony sent him falling forward. He fell against the bars, gasping, and hung on to them, as he sank to his knees. Nearly blinded by pain and salty sweat, his eyes were riveted on Symphony’s motionless form.

“Symphony!” he bellowed desperately at the top of his lungs. “Karen, for God’s sake, wake up!”

He was starting to believe he had imagined things earlier and despair started to fill his heart at the realisation that Symphony was really dead, when he heard a faint moan from the young woman. He watched with renewed expectation. He saw her moving and trying to rise from her spot. She succeeded in rolling to one side; he saw her beautiful face, deadly pale, deformed into a painful frown, and covered with sweat that was matting her hair on her brow. The grimace accentuated when her right hand reached for her side, just under the right breast, where blood was pouring profusely. Scarlet shivered at the sight of the wound. She was badly injured.

“Karen,” he said, his voice tainted with a strange mix of joy and deep worry, almost stunned to realise he had been right. “You’re alive…”

“Just…” she croaked, glancing with concern at her wound. She looked at Scarlet, noticed the expression of distress and helplessness on his features, and the bars separating them. She blinked several times, trying to get her mind and vision in focus, searching around for the control panel.

She was lying just at its foot. Grunting at the effort, she rose to her knees, hauling herself up on the console. Once she reached the controls, her hand produced a key; Scarlet’s eyes opened wide with astonishment when he recognised the one she had supposedly thrown into the waste disposal.

She struggled to insert it into the lock, turned it and pushed the button. The bars started to rise toward the ceiling; Scarlet didn’t wait to pass underneath them, as soon as there was enough space; as quickly as his wounds would allow him, he crawled the distance separating him from the young Angel pilot sprawled against the console, nearly out of strength. He reached her as she was slowly sliding back to the floor.

“Karen!” He turned her on her back and she gasped. Her closed eyes fluttered and she looked up at him. “You had the key…” he whispered, almost unbelieving. “I thought… you had destroyed it…”

“Do you think I’m… stupid?” She gave a faint smile. “It was the car key… Black bought it, right?”

“He bought it all right,” Scarlet said with a smile of his own, totally impressed by the young woman’s initiative and dedication. He frowned when he saw her grimace of pain. “Karen…”

“Can’t stop the reactor…” she whimpered, looking toward the console. “I don’t know the sequence…”

Scarlet looked up to the gauge monitor. The indicator was now well into the red zone. The words ‘Critical condition’ were flashing on the screen overhead. There wasn’t much time left, before everything blew up around them. He had to do something to stop it… But how?

He frowned deeply, as something came nagging at him from the deep recesses of his mind.

A series of odd numbers… Which were now flashing in quick succession… seemingly coming out of nowhere…

Could it be…? No, it was impossible…

And yet… what other meaning could those numbers have?

It could very well be their last chance.

“I… think I know it,” he murmured in answer to Symphony’s last remark.

Symphony addressed him a questioning frown, wondering how he could know the sequence. She didn’t ask and simply watched with anguish as he raised himself to his knees and stood in front of the controls.

Keeping himself upright and grimacing under the effort imposed on his wounded legs, Scarlet lifted feverish eyes, and looked up again to the displayed message on the monitor and on the gauge. Temperature was still rising toward its ultimate goal. There was a fair chance he could be wrong, he reflected apprehensively. That the Mysterons had again been playing with him, deceiving his mind… But what did he have to lose?

They were minutes away from death.

He closed his eyes and concentrated; he searched through his mind, trying to get a grasp on that elusive memory, amongst his most recent ones, pushing away all outside thoughts, trying to dismiss all distraction.

By trying to reach for his mind, to bring him back into their grasp, the Mysterons had opened themselves to him through Black – or was it Black’s mind he had been in contact with? Amidst the coldness, he had seen nothing – except now there was that series of numbers, apparently without any meaning. He didn’t know where exactly they could be coming from, but he could only suppose that, unknowingly, the enemy had left, lingering in his mind, the key to defuse the present situation. Or that they hadn’t anticipated that he would ultimately break free to use that key.

Either way, he had to use it to his advantage.

He just had to remember them correctly now…

They appeared in his mind’s eye, at first flashing through a thick haze; they became more precise after a moment. There were nine numbers. With the assurance that they were the right sequence he needed, Scarlet started typing them. At the end of the sequence, he hit the enter button. He looked up to the monitor.

For seconds, it seemed as if nothing had happened. The ‘critical condition’ message was still flashing ominously. Then it stopped. And with it, the moving indicator on the gauge.

Slowly, it started diminishing. The message changed on the monitor.

‘Temperature decreasing toward normal. Danger prevented. Reactor shutting down.’

Scarlet blew a deep sigh; strength left his legs and he allowed himself to slowly slide to the floor, right next to Symphony, who was looking straight at him with obvious confusion on her face.

“You did it,” she said in a near whisper. “How…?”

“Never mind how for now…” Scarlet moved to her side and took her up, resting her head against his shoulder. She grimaced under the stress imposed on her wound. Scarlet assessed it quickly; it was still bleeding, and she was threatening to bleed to death. “Hold on…” He pressed his palm firmly against the open wound, staunching the flow of blood. She gasped in pain; Scarlet addressed her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to hurt you. And I’m not trying to be too friendly with you either. I have to keep the blood in…”

She blinked, and shook her head in acknowledgment. Her face was showered with sweat, and she was obviously in terrible pain. Scarlet was looking down at her, trying to present a reassuring façade.

“Karen, what you did… it was incredibly courageous…”

“It was incredibly stupid…” she groaned. “…but what else could I do? I was so afraid… that I would be Mysteronised and be forced to do what they wanted…” She weakly lifted her hand and grazed Scarlet’s cheek, offering a very faint smile. “I’m glad you were able to resist them… That must have been terrible… You looked in so much pain…” She groaned, her hand falling to her side, then she laid her hand over his as it pressed against her wound. “He isn’t Conrad, you know?”

Scarlet gave an almost imperceptible nod. “No,” he admitted in a very low tone. “He wouldn’t have shot you…”

“He shot you too… You look fit to fall…”

“I’ll be all right… But you… you have to stay calm…”

Symphony coughed, and that sent a shooting pain through her body; Scarlet felt the blood rushing through the wound and pressed his palm firmer. The young woman grimaced again. “Ouch… Now that hurts…”

“Don’t try to talk,” Scarlet urged her. “You need your rest… I’ll get you some help… somehow…” He didn’t quite know how he would do it, actually. He couldn’t leave Symphony. He couldn’t even remove his hand from her wound without leaving her to bleed to death. He felt weak himself, from his own loss of blood. He didn’t feel in as much pain as previously. He felt rather numb, feverish – in shock, obviously. It wouldn’t take much for him to give in and let unconsciousness take hold of him. But he wouldn’t allow it. He knew he had to hold on, for Symphony’s sake. As long as he needed to.

He held her close to him, comforting her, shielding her shivering body with his own, trying to pass to her what little was left of his own warmth. God, she was so light… Her heart was beating against his chest, regularly, if somewhat quickly. She was afraid. She whimpered, closing her eyes, and leaning against his shoulder. “Paul… If … I die… would you tell Adam…”

“I will tell nothing to Adam that you won’t tell him yourself,” he cut in suddenly, and he was almost surprised by the sudden strength of his response. “I won’t let you die, little sister… I promise you that.”

Symphony felt so tired, but she blinked again, this time in surprise, as Scarlet’s choice of words registered in her mind.

“I always wanted to have a big brother…” she slurred weakly.

“Well, we are so much alike, we could be siblings…” Scarlet replied in a nervous chuckle, stroking Symphony’s damp hair. He noticed she was about to lose consciousness. “Hang on in there, Karen … You hear me?”

She nodded weakly, her eyes still closed, her head so heavy. His mind desperately seeking a solution, Scarlet’s head suddenly rose in alarm when he heard hurried footsteps approaching the closed door. He looked with apprehension as it began to slide open, and hope flared up in his heart as he saw Rhapsody Angel, followed by four security guards from the Culver Atomic Centre, enter into the room hurriedly, guns drawn and looking around in dismay at the bodies lying on the floor and the two people prostrated in front of the reactor. Rhapsody motioned sternly in direction of the three dead bodies.

“Keep your eyes on these ones and if they move, you shoot!”

“But they’re already dead…” one of the guards started to protest.

“Don’t argue with Spectrum, mister!”

The guard looked at her as if she was out of her mind, and muttered something; she ignored him – the important thing being that he was following her instructions, and was now standing guard over the dead Mysterons. Without so much as slowing her pace, Rhapsody approached Scarlet and Symphony, concern splattered on her face, another guard from Culver in tow. She had to be blind not to notice the blood surrounding them, and the sorry state in which both were. She shivered.

“Call an ambulance!” Scarlet shouted to her, his voice weak and cracked. The demand was unnecessary, as Rhapsody didn’t need any incentive, and had already taken her personal communicator out to call Lieutenant Green and urge him to call for medical help. Scarlet leaned toward Symphony, cradling her closer to him, in a protective way. “Don’t you dare leave me, Karen… You’re going to be all right soon… But you’ve got to hang in there… You hear me? You’re going to be all right…”

Symphony heard his voice, filled with concern, through a deepening mist, as if it was coming from far, far away. She could hear his comforting heartbeat against her ear, beating strongly and wildly over the fear he was feeling for her. She gave the faintest of nods in answer to his request. She wasn’t about to give up. Not after they had beaten the Mysterons at their own game. She wouldn’t give them that satisfaction…

That was the last thought in her mind, as she slowly drifted into sleep, unable to keep awake much longer.

Epilogue

It was a peaceful awakening.

Everything around was so quiet, the light dimmed so it would not hurt her still-sensitive eyes, the bed so very comfortable and cool underneath her. The only thing Symphony really had to complain about was that foul and dry taste in her mouth, and the terrible thirst…

… And the stiffness in her side that flared up the second she tried to move a little too quickly in order to raise herself from where she was lying. She gave a low grunt and let her head fall back heavily onto the pillow.

“Easy now,” a very recognisable voice told her softly. “Take it slow. Don’t try to move.” She heard a low, sympathetic chuckle. “Believe me, you want to take it easy…”

She squinted her eyes and saw a tall silhouette, clad in the familiar red uniform, standing right next to the bed, looking down at her with a fond expression in his eyes and a thin smile on his lips. She smiled in turn, very weakly. “Hey, ‘big brother’,” she said in a slurred voice.

“Hey,” Captain Scarlet whispered in turn, reaching for her hand and squeezing it warmly. “Good to see you’re getting better, ‘Little Sister’.”

“If only I wasn’t so thirsty,” she croaked.

Scarlet picked up a drinking cup from the table next to the bed and presented it to Symphony. He helped the young woman raise her head and she sipped cool water through the straw. When she finally finished, she let her head fall back onto the pillow, and gave a satisfied sigh. She looked around, as Scarlet put the cup back onto the table.

“I’m on Cloudbase?” she asked in a weak voice.

Scarlet nodded. “We’ve been rather worried about you, for the past few days, you know?”

“How long was I…?” She left the rest hanging. Scarlet didn’t need her to say any more to understand the question, anyway. He shook his head and started to speak quietly:

“You were taken to the Culver Hospital five days ago, where they performed surgery on you. They kept you there for a couple of days before they deemed you stabilised enough to be transported here by medicopter. You’ve been asleep ever since – waking up briefly yesterday. From then on, Doctor Fawn told us you were going to make a full recovery. You don’t know how glad we were to hear that.” He paused a short moment, to pull a chair close to the bed; he sat down and looked levelly into Symphony’s eyes. “We took turns at your bedside. All of us. The Angels, Lieutenant Green, the other Captains… Blue, of course, and I tell you, it was difficult for me to tear him away! Even the colonel came to see how you were doing.”

“The colonel…?” Symphony murmured, raising a brow. “He was worried about me?”

Scarlet smiled, nodding again. “He called your mother the day after you were brought back here. At first, she was angry he had not called her as soon as you were injured. Then she insisted on coming here – and the colonel agreed.”

“My mother is here?” This time, the surprise made Symphony try to rise from the bed, but she was still so weak, she barely was able to lift her head and shoulders off the pillow. She felt an aching twinge pulling her down. Scarlet gently pushed her back.

“Easy… You don’t want to pop your pretty stitches, do you?”

“I doubt they’re that pretty,” she mumbled. “Paul… my mother? When did she arrive here?”

“Yesterday morning. She sat with you for hours. She only left when Fawn confirmed you were going to be all right. She looked so tired, that the colonel nearly ordered her to confinement in the V.I.P. suite…” He chuckled. “From what I could judge of your mother, she’s not the kind of woman even he would be able to order around. And of course, that didn’t stop her coming back here time and time again.”

“Great,” Symphony sighed tiredly. “My mom clashing with the colonel… I can just see it.” Something of what Scarlet had just said seemed to suddenly register in her mind. “He gave her the V.I.P. suite? Isn’t that like… you know… reserved for important people like… the World President or something?”

“Maybe the colonel considered that your mother was entitled to the honour? It’s not everyone who can stand up to him. From what I heard from Green – when she insisted on coming here, she… wouldn’t accept any compromise.”

“That’s my mom,” Symphony said with a faint, weak smile.

“She’s quite a lady. And her daughter takes after her quite a bit. And the colonel recognises that, too.”

“Paul… I made a mess of things, didn’t I?”

Scarlet shook his head at that remark. “Oh no, Karen… You can hardly say that. What you did – it was truly incredible. That took enormous courage – and a lot of initiative. Thinking of swapping the keys like you did… You really tricked them all. And me at the same time, I must admit,” he added with a faint smile.

“I put myself in danger… And people worried about me…”

“Yes, that’s true. But we’re also very proud of you. That was a true act of bravery.” Scarlet gently squeezed the young woman’s hand. “You saved the day, by doing what you did.”

“I only did half of the job. You were there to shut down the reactor.” She frowned. “How did you know the sequence you needed to do it?”

Scarlet sighed. “Well… that had something to do with what Black did to me – when he tried to regain control of me for the Mysterons. He failed, of course, but – it left something in my mind. I wish it was easy to explain, Karen… But the numbers were part of that something. I just – had to concentrate to reach it.”

“What else did it leave?” Symphony asked. “Paul, I was so worried for you. You looked like you were in so much pain… What else… did you see?”

Scarlet’s expression became pensive. “It left only impressions,” he said in a low but calm tone. “Anger, coldness, despair, loneliness, even fear… I don’t even know if they were mine, the Mysterons’ or Black’s. But it was scary and that nearly got to me. As for what I could see… Darkness. I could see only total darkness, except for two white rings of flashing lights… No colours at all… as if it was totally absent.”

Symphony stared at him with a renewed furrowed brow. “Are you telling me… that the Mysterons are colour-blind?”

Scarlet chuckled openly. “Careful. Mind what you say… or the rumours will start spreading that Spectrum has been chosen to fight the Mysterons because they can’t distinguish colours…” Symphony smiled a very faint smile and he shook his head again, as he stood up. “I know, I still have to work on my sense of humour…”

“I was just thinking… that it’s good to see you back in uniform,” Symphony replied. “You decided to stay with us, then?”

Scarlet shrugged, his fingers fidgeting with his cap. “I reckoned someone had to be around… and keep an eye on you to make sure you stay out of trouble. That applies to all of you.”

“Yeah, right…” she murmured, the smile on her lips broadening a little. “And I’m sure there’s no other reason than that…”

The door behind Scarlet opened before he was able to answer. He looked over his shoulder to see two people standing in the doorway. Symphony’s eyes followed the same direction and her face lit up when she recognised her new visitors. Scarlet turned once more to her. “I took the liberty earlier of calling a few people to tell them that you were waking up. I guess that’s my cue to leave.” He leaned to kiss her brow. “See you later.”

“Paul.” She grabbed his arm as he was straightening up; he looked down curiously, looking into her eyes. “Thanks for saving my life…”

Scarlet appeared surprised. Of course, he had saved her life, by stopping her from bleeding to death, but he thought she was already too far gone to realise that. He nodded slowly and rose before turning to the door. His eyes fell on the woman that Captain Blue was escorting; she looked apprehensive and nervous. Her eyes – the same colour as Symphony’s – were fixed on the young pilot lying on the bed, as she entered fully, clearing the door, and leaving the arm of the tall American captain. Scarlet reflected that she was probably about ten years older than Blue, a beautiful woman that normally wouldn’t look her age – but now, she looked even older than that, her eyes swollen with crying and her face ravaged by worry and pain.

“Mom...” Symphony’s croaked call died on her lips when Amanda Wainwright rushed the remaining distance separating her from the bed and encircled her arms around her daughter. She had the presence to mind Symphony’s injured side as she took her into a strong embrace.

“My baby… I was so afraid for you…”

Scarlet, now standing next to Blue not far from the door, only glanced briefly at the happy reunion. Then, not wanting to intrude, he discreetly walked through the door and left.

He was surprised to realise that Blue was following.

“Paul…”

In the corridor, Scarlet turned around, just as Blue was reaching for his arm. He saw the expression of relief on his friend’s face as he stood awkwardly in front on him. All of Blue’s outward appearance indicated that he wanted nothing more than to go back into the room he just had left. And at the same time he looked as if he wanted to tell his English colleague something. Scarlet smiled thinly. Indeed, Blue had looked like a zombie these last few days, since Symphony had been reported injured, and then brought back to Cloudbase. Scarlet had not exaggerated when he had told Symphony how difficult it had been to tear him from her bedside. He wondered how many people now were unaware of the feelings the tall American had for his compatriot. Surely, Doctor Fawn knew now. As well as Rhapsody and Destiny, and probably Green. As for the others – if they didn’t know, well, they had a strong indication then. The colonel? That was always an enigma…

“Go back in there, Adam,” Scarlet offered gently. “You’re dying to be with her, I know.”

Blue gave a deep sigh, releasing his friend’s arm. “I wanted to thank you. For having saved her life.”

Scarlet raised a brow. “You did that already.” After nearly wanting to tear my head off, he reflected with some amusement. For some reason, the first few minutes he had learned of Symphony’s injury, Blue had entertained the idea that – perhaps because of that obsession he suspected his friend still had concerning Black – Scarlet was either responsible for her predicament, or that he had failed to protect the young woman carefully enough and was guilty of gross negligence. The fact that Scarlet’s hands were covered with Symphony’s blood when he had had been brought to Cloudbase – while Symphony had been rushed to the Culver Hospital – wasn’t really in the English officer’s favour. Naturally, Blue didn’t voice his accusations, but the way he was looking at Scarlet, his thoughts were plain enough.

That was before Blue had learned what had exactly happened.

Ah, love… It can make you do and think such odd things…

“She would have bled to death if you had not been there,” Blue continued. He looked somewhat guilty. Knowing his friend, Scarlet imagined that he was probably regretting his suspicions. He was obviously struggling to ask for Scarlet’s forgiveness. “I know you were in a bad way yourself, and yet I was pretty harsh with you…”

“Adam.” Charitably, Scarlet patted Blue’s shoulder. “No, you weren’t harsh. You were concerned for Symphony, that’s all. We’ve had this conversation before and I’ve already told you. You’ve done nothing for me to forgive you for.”

“Not even the way I spoke to you before you left for Dorset?” There was a short silence, during which Blue scrutinised Scarlet closely.

“It’s already forgotten. For quite some time.” Scarlet nodded slowly. “You were right to be concerned about me then. I was – somewhat – obsessed with Black.” He looked toward the door behind which Symphony was resting, watched over by her mother. “I guess we’ll all feel that way about him now…”

“Yes,” Blue agreed, following his friend’s gaze. “He was one of us. He started this whole war and now he’s controlled by the Mysterons. He’s our responsibility.” He didn’t voice the rest of his thoughts, which were more personal, and didn’t need to. The anger he was feeling over what happened to Symphony was barely contained in the tone of his voice. Scarlet could easily guess what his thoughts were, as his own were exactly the same.

“Go and see her, Adam,” he offered with a smile. “She’s waiting for you.”

“I don’t want to intrude…” Blue started.

“On Karen and her mum?” Scarlet sniggered. “I doubt you would! Don’t you think Mrs. Wainwright has suspected your feelings for her daughter from your behaviour since she met you?” Blue looked with uncertainty at Scarlet, who pointed toward the door with an insistent finger. “Go. Perhaps it is time that Karen introduced you properly to her mother.”

After a last hesitation, Blue finally nodded his agreement. He turned around and the door opened to let him in. He stepped inside without another look behind, and Scarlet smiled fondly as the door slid closed.

Then the smile disappeared from his face and he left the corridor; he felt the immediate need for a coffee and took it from the dispenser in the waiting room of sickbay. He sipped it, grimacing at the acrid taste. At least, it’s not as bad as Blue’s, he reflected with humour. He always thought that Blue’s coffee was fit only to be used as paint remover. Thank God, he was indestructible. He felt sorry for the others who unknowingly drank the stuff, however.

He turned from the coffee machine, with the cup in his hand, and stopped in his tracks, finding Colonel White standing behind him.

“I heard Symphony Angel woke up?” the Spectrum commander said gravely.

News travels fast around Cloudbase, Scarlet reflected. He nodded in answer. “Yes, her mother’s with her at the moment.” He didn’t mention Captain Blue’s presence. No need to give the colonel further reasons to suspect anything between Blue and Symphony – if he didn’t already have his suspicions.

White simply glanced in the direction of the corridor leading to Symphony’s room, before turning back to Scarlet. “I’ll see her later, then,” he said, deciding it was better to give mother and daughter some privacy. There was a pause, during which the colonel stared at Scarlet intently. The captain started to feel uncomfortable; he knew there was unfinished business between him and his commander and it looked like now was the moment the latter had chosen to settle the problem between them. He shifted on his feet, almost feeling the need to stand to attention. As the colonel remained silent, he reflected that maybe it was up to him to start.

“Colonel…”

White raised his hand, demanding silence. Scarlet felt compelled to obey. “There are… things… that need to be discussed between us,” the colonel observed coolly. Scarlet simply nodded in answer. “Captain, ever since your return – ever since you presented me with your report of the latest events at Culver – you have been avoiding me. I left it that way, because I thought you would eventually come around and we’d be able to talk – peacefully – and settle this… disagreement between us. Once and for all, I hope.”

That sounds ominous, Scarlet reflected with dread. Still, he didn’t answer. And still, Colonel White kept icy calm, as he continued: “You obviously seem to have cooled off sufficiently. Now are you ready to hear me out?”

“Before you speak, sir… I have something to tell you first.” White gave Scarlet an annoyed look following his interruption, but nevertheless invited him to continue, with a gesture. Scarlet blew a deep sigh. He put down his cup and cap onto the counter next to him and straightened up in front of his commander. “… I would like to present my formal apologies, Colonel.”

“Would you, indeed,” muttered White with a glowering stare.

“Sir… My reaction in the Control Room, a few days ago, was uncalled for. I’m ashamed to admit I acted unprofessionally. I should have considered the strategic importance of what I had discovered.”

“The ‘Scarab Protocol’,” White observed.

“Sir.” Scarlet straightened up again, almost to the point of being at attention. “I see now that the Protocol was a necessity in view of how I… how the Mysterons made me act… when I was under their control. I should have seen it sooner, instead of… throwing that tantrum.” He looked miserable now and White watched, with raised eyebrows, as the young man’s shoulders sagged ever so slightly. “I wouldn’t want that to happen again, Colonel,” Scarlet continued in a dull tone. “I would prefer to die rather than become one of their unwilling pawns again. So if that ever happens, sir, you will need the Scarab Protocol to… put an end to it.”

White nodded thoughtfully. “You’re saying that because of what Black tried to do to you at the Culver Atomic Centre. He didn’t succeed,” he pointed out. “And by your own account, the Mysterons tried hard.”

“Colonel… They obviously succeeded in reaching my mind. The fact that they left those sequential numbers there – that I didn’t know anything about before – isn’t that proof enough? Wouldn’t you consider that a dangerous indication that they can reach me?”

“Captain – that those numbers stuck in your memory after that séance with Black could only be regarded as an accident. Considering their intentions, I’m sure the Mysterons didn’t intentionally give you that fortunate piece of information that subsequently permitted you to shut down the reactor.” White raised a brow. “I can hardly say, in view of your actions, that it’s evidence enough of their control over you. You killed those Mysteron agents, shut down the reactor, saved Symphony’s life…”

“I can’t help having doubts, Colonel. Maybe they didn’t succeed this time, but next time? Should I fail to keep them at bay, then… please, you will have to use the Scarab Protocol to stop me.”

White grumbled and shook his head. “I can’t do that, Captain.”

“Sir…”

“Scarlet, YOU said what you had to say!” White suddenly interrupted with a very stern and loud tone. “You had your chance to talk. In fact, I can honestly say that it’s ALL you’ve been doing EVERY TIME we’ve talked to each other since that day you came to the Control Room to ‘accuse me’: TALK, without even allowing me to do the same! Now YOU will listen to me. And I’d be grateful if you will do me the courtesy of LISTENING, for a change, and keep your mouth shut!”

Scarlet swallowed hard, hearing the angry tone and accusation in his commander’s voice. White grunted with satisfaction, on seeing his officer remaining silent. “I should have done that sooner! It was probably a mistake to wait so long. As it was probably a mistake to let you have your way a few days ago, when you decided to leave the carrier to… ‘find yourself’, I think your words were. Maybe I should have followed my first instinct and had you thrown into the brig after that tantrum of yours, until you cooled off enough to hear me out. Maybe I should have yelled louder than you did then.”

“You did yell, sir,” Scarlet offered quietly.

“I should have yelled LOUDER still.” White was keeping calm, but there was still that ill-omened glow in his blue eyes that didn’t bode very well for Scarlet. It wouldn’t take that much for him to lose his cool. “Well, what’s done is done,” the colonel added dully. “We can’t turn back the clock.” He paused a second, and noted how rigidly the young man was standing in front on him. He grunted with irritation. “At ease, Captain, this isn’t an inquiry.” That was a direct order, and right now, Scarlet didn’t dare disobey. “Your reaction in the Control Room, a week ago, was a very human one. I can only start to imagine what it must be like to think a bomb had been planted in you. I suppose you could say I was dreading such a violent reaction from you, if you were ever to learn about the Scarab Project. That’s why I kept it as the secret it was meant to be.”

“Even from me,” Scarlet muttered.

“ESPECIALLY from you,” White retorted, frowning deeply. “I know you too well, you and your blasted impulsiveness. I knew you would fly off the handle.” He gave a sigh. “I didn’t quite count on you finding out about it accidentally. Especially right after I had told you about Black having killed you.”

“It was hard to take, all at once,” Scarlet admitted. He tilted his head slightly. “Did you intend to tell me about the Scarab Protocol… eventually?”

“In truth? No.”

Scarlet nervously shifted his weight from foot to foot. “I appreciate your honesty, sir,” he said, in a tone that indicated that he was anything but happy to hear the statement.

“I didn’t feel it was necessary to tell you,” White pursued, staring sternly at a gloomy-looking and slightly annoyed Scarlet, “because there wasn’t any reason to make you angry over a project that didn’t come to be.”

Scarlet blinked; in the moment of silence that followed he stared at his austere commander, with disbelieving eyes. It was obvious he was unsure if he had heard properly.

“What?” he murmured with a doubtful frown. “Are you saying… there isn’t any Scarab Protocol?”

“Outside the planning stage? No, there isn’t.”

“But… but the file I read… And you said…”

“I never denied it was presented to me,” White cut in suddenly. “AND if you remember correctly, you weren’t willing to LISTEN to anything I would have said, Captain, when you came to me with this ‘discovery’.” If he had expected to see Scarlet lowering his eyes in shame, he was badly disappointed. Instead, he could see the doubtful expression on the young man’s face – after all, White had just said that he would have not have told him anything about such a secret, so why should he accept his word now? White grunted with annoyance, obviously observing that his officer didn’t believe him. “Sit down,” he commanded sternly.

That was another order, one that Scarlet followed without thinking, almost mechanically. It was fortunate for him that there was a chair right behind him at that moment. His eyes didn’t leave his commander for one second.

White came to stand in front of him, glaring down with obvious exasperation. “Have I ever lied to you before, Captain?” he asked abruptly.

Scarlet glared without answering, and White, understanding what he was thinking, pursued, “I admit I hid the truth from you concerning your first death and about this ‘Project’. But can you honestly say that I ever directly lied to you? Or to anybody else, for that matter?”

Scarlet shook his head. He couldn’t say that.

“You have to believe me when I tell you there is no Scarab Protocol,” White continued. He took a few seconds to let his irritation cool down, before continuing his explanation. “Didn’t you notice the title of that file that sent you off at the deep end, Captain?” He paused, leaving Scarlet to ponder that question with hesitation. “It was called the Scarab Project.” White could see he had not made his point. He rolled his eyes. For an intelligent man, Scarlet could be incredibly thick-headed sometimes. “I mean it stayed that way. A project. Didn’t you also notice it had no follow-up? That there was important information missing? That there was no official order signed by the World President, counter-signed by myself, accepted by Doctor Fawn, and no record of an actual surgical procedure performed in order to plant that bomb inside you?”

“I assumed… the rest of the information was elsewhere,” Scarlet replied hesitantly.

“You ASSUMED wrong! Scarlet, I’m surprised at you. Doubly surprised. You should have verified that information more thoroughly. AND you should have realised that I would not have accepted that preposterous proposition. Spectrum doesn’t work that way. And it will NEVER work that way as long as I’m in command.”

“I know you defended me, Colonel,” Scarlet answered quickly, eager to make amends and show his commander that he had misjudged him. “But what else could you do but accept a request from the World Government Cabinet?”

“Scarlet, it disappoints me that you should think so badly of me.” White sat down next to Scarlet, who had lowered his gaze in shame. “Don’t you think I’m quite able to stand up to ANY bureaucrat who thinks he can present whatever ‘clever administrative decision’ that might hinder the work of this organisation? I opposed that decision, and defended you, my command, and Spectrum’s integrity to the hilt. Doctor Fawn also helped me present undeniable arguments of how IMPOSSIBLE it would be to accept such a solution. Putting a BOMB inside one of my agents? Inconceivable! Even if that agent’s importance would not become so significant in this war against the Mysterons. Of course, that alone wouldn’t have any meaning to the Presidential Committee, if I had not presented strong arguments or how ‘impractical’ the use of the ‘Scarab Protocol’ would be.”

“Such as?” Now Scarlet was more curious than anything to know how his commander had countered the World Presidential Cabinet, obviously playing all of those administrative suits at their own game. By the looks of it, White wasn’t displeased with himself.

“There were several arguments. I pointed out how dangerous it would be to plant a bomb in you. For starters – if it was hit by a bullet and detonated accidentally… we might then lose you – and the asset you represent. Not to mention, that it could also injure or kill anyone standing near you at that moment. I refused to put any of my agents – or any civilian bystander – in danger by taking such a risk. Then Doctor Fawn presented an argument that they couldn’t dismiss, when he explained to them how improbable – if not impossible – it would be to put a bomb inside of you. No matter the size of it. Doctor Fawn argued that it would more than likely be considered as a ‘foreign body’ by your retrometabolism and dealt with accordingly... like any other foreign bodies that can be found inside you when you get injured.”

Scarlet closed his eyes in realisation. Of course! He should have thought of that! Whenever he was hit by a bullet or a piece of shrapnel, his retrometabolism would get rid of it – exactly how was still unknown – Doctor Fawn couldn’t really decide if it was absorbed by his metabolism and transformed, or dissolved into nothingness, or if there was any other explanation, scientific or otherwise, to describe how it was ‘taken care of’. It was just one of the mysteries of his retrometabolic powers, taking it one step beyond simple ‘rapid healing’. Of course, depending of the size of the object, it would then take him longer to recover, if it were to stay there, so usually, Doctor Fawn would help speed up the healing process by removing any foreign bodies he found inside his patient when he returned from a difficult mission.

“So it was settled like that?” Scarlet said, looking down at his hands. “They didn’t insist?”

White scoffed. “If you think it was that easy… Some of the members of the Committee certainly argued that Doctor Fawn’s… ‘assumptions’ should be put to the test. I’ve never heard such an assorted array of Australian non-medical terms as when that suggestion was made… In private, of course. The good doctor’s choice of words during the actual hearing was more cautious – if somewhat less colourful.” Almost despite himself, Scarlet did his best not to openly chuckle upon hearing his commander’s statement. Good ol’ Edward… He was a real doctor through and through. Always defending the best interests of his patients – and friends.

“I should have guessed he would have refused to be part of this,” Scarlet remarked, becoming serious again.

White frowned. “He certainly did. As I did, as well. We wouldn’t go along with such a plan. I even threatened the Committee with my resignation if they implemented the Scarab Project.”

“You did?” a surprised Scarlet said, blinking.

“Didn’t I tell you I had defended my point to the hilt?” White waved his hand. “That’s when everything started to turn around. By that time, you had already pulled off a few heroics that weighted the balance in your favour. When you came back from that incident in the Rocky Mountains where you saved the lives of three of your colleagues, the Committee reconsidered its options. There were still a few hardcore members who insisted on going on with the Scarab Project, despite my and Doctor Fawn’s objections, or to go ahead with their… ‘final solution’ if the project wasn’t possible.”

“Meaning getting rid of me,” Scarlet stated coldly.

White nodded grimly. “Their appeals were quickly dismissed afterwards, when the World President himself finally took our side. He and other members of the Committee recognised the benefits that you could represent in the war against the Mysterons. So, by the time that last London incident -- the one involving the disappearance of that lorry carrying the nuclear device -- was over, every demand from the Committee was dropped.”

“It took that long?”

“What did you expect? Did you ever see an administrative or political decision taken by Government authorities in the course of a few days, let alone a few hours?” White rose to his feet. “During all those weeks, while you were unaware of all of these behind-the-scene developments, you put yourself at risk, by saving others’ lives. Your actions were viewed as good points in your defence. Even the bitterest of your detractors couldn’t argue with those kinds of accomplishments. Oh, World President Younger is still a little wary of you – based on… shall we say, personal experience? He won’t agree to meet with you yet, in the foreseeable future. This is an issue we will have to address eventually.”

“Another battle for another day?” Scarlet asked.

White addressed him a thin, almost ironic, smile. “With all the trouble you have given me lately, I sometimes wonder if it was worth the effort.”

Scarlet lowered his gaze. Behind the still pleasant tone in his commander’s voice, he could almost hear the displeasure and disappointment White was feeling over recent events. Scarlet certainly realised now that his suspicions, distrust, and accusations were way out of line. Colonel White had always stood by him, and had defended him against all odds. He certainly didn’t deserve any of the blame his officer had charged him with.

“I… I’m so sorry, Colonel. I misjudged you terribly. I shouldn’t have attacked you the way I did.”

White raised a brow. “Just consider yourself lucky, Captain, that I didn’t put you on a charge of gross insubordination. A less sympathetic commander would probably have done it without thinking.”

“I would have deserved it.”

“Yes, you would. But I had the good sense to put myself in your shoes and consider your point of view. So I understood your frustration. I would have been upset too, if I had discovered a bomb had been planted in me without my knowledge...” He grunted. “On the other hand, putting you on a charge and maybe even having you thrown out of Spectrum would not have been a very strategic decision. Neither would allowing any of what has transpired between us during the last few days to reach the ears and eyes of the World Government Cabinet. Neither you nor I want them to find out what’s happened. We wouldn’t want to risk having them change their decision. So I kept all of this under wraps. And asked everyone who has been involved – directly or indirectly – not to mention anything about it to anyone.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“DON’T mention it. We do need you in our war against the Mysterons. And after the latest events in Dorset, I am now more convinced than ever of your importance – and loyalty – to our organisation. I was right to think you would be a great asset in our fight, Captain. Even the Mysterons seem to believe it. Enough to try to take you back to their side.”

Scarlet shuddered. “I don’t EVER want to go through that again… It was NOT an agreeable experience.”

“I can imagine it was not.”

“And what if they try again?”

White raised a brow. “Captain… I do not think we would need any ‘Scarab Protocol’ or anything similar, to – stop you in the eventuality that they might succeed. You have already proved – SEVERAL times – that you were able to stand up to them.”

“But even though… if the Mysterons should ever succeed in making me one of their slaves again…” He looked meaningfully at his commander. The latter returned his gaze, thoughtfully. He could see in Scarlet’s eyes that it was something crucial – that he would probably take it as a personal favour. White sighed. Of course, Scarlet probably was aware that such a possibility was already being considered. And that his commander had already taken steps in this eventuality.

“Don’t worry. We won’t let them,” he finally promised. “But I doubt they will ever succeed.”

“Captain Black did say that… my will was too strong for them,” Scarlet murmured grimly.

“And I believe he's right... Paul.” White put a hand on Scarlet's shoulder. “That's one of the reasons we wanted you here in the first place. Because you will fight them again. And you will win again.”

Scarlet straightened up. “I’ll do my best, sir.”

“I know you will, son.” White produced one of his rare, but genuine, good-humoured smiles. ”I think we've both made our apologies. Let's put this behind us and get back to what we do best.”

Scarlet responded with his own, if somewhat sheepish, smile. “I’ve been a pain lately, haven’t I, sir? With this ‘outburst’ of mine and… this ‘obsession’ I was entertaining about Con… Captain Black.” His voice dropped. “I was a fool to think he could be saved. Now I can see it is not possible. After what he’s already done in the name of the Mysterons… After the way he shot Symphony…”

White raised a brow again. “For what it’s worth, Captain… maybe there was some truth behind that ‘obsession’ of yours.”

“Truth?” Scarlet frowned deeply. “Colonel, he tried to bring me back to the Mysterons… He shot Symphony! For crying out loud, he almost killed her!”

“And he missed her heart, at the short distance he was standing from her?” Scarlet was stunned to silence as he looked into his commander’s stern face with doubt in his eyes. White shook his silver head. “Conrad Turner… Captain Black… has always been a better shot than that, Captain. From that range, killing Symphony should have been a certainty. She was badly injured, yet she lived. So maybe you were right when you thought that Black could be saved from the Mysterons, that he might still be fighting their influence. And maybe – have you considered that that numeric sequence you needed to shut down the reactor was ALSO a gift from Captain Black? An ultimate chance – to thwart the Mysterons’ plan?”

White saw the eyes of his officer light up with the realisation of that possibility. And also with relief. Perhaps then, the Mysterons had not reached his mind after all… Scarlet simply nodded, very slowly.

“Can we believe that, sir?” he asked serenely.

“At the very least, it’s a possibility we have to consider. Don’t you think so?” His face became graver as he looked once more into his officer’s face. “But that shouldn’t prevent us from trying to stop him, should it, Captain?”

Scarlet nodded again, now displaying a more assured expression on his face. He stood to attention under White’s scrutinising gaze and cleared his throat. “Of course not, sir. Next time – we’ll catch him, Colonel.”

White fought a smile off his lips, witnessing the young captain’s sudden eagerness. He turned around to leave, quietly putting his cap on his head. “Let’s just take it one day at a time, Captain Scarlet. I’m sure we’ll meet Captain Black again in the future. In the meantime… don’t you have anything better to do than languish alone in sickbay, now that Symphony is getting better?” He looked over his shoulder, offering another smile. There was no fooling him. He certainly knew that Scarlet had spent most of his time in here, waiting for the young pilot to wake up. “Do tell her that I’ll come visit her later, when you next see her, will you?”

“S.I.G., sir,” Scarlet answered, straightening again to near attention. “And thank you, sir.”

White only nodded briefly and left, without adding another word.

* * *

When Captain Scarlet entered the fencing hall, less than an hour later, it was to find the person he was looking for, fully dressed in the fencing costume, except for the mask, and practicing against the electronic dummy with a sabre. Like every member of the senior staff, Rhapsody Angel had often visited Symphony during the last few days, and stayed at her bedside while she was sleeping. But she and Scarlet had not met there. In fact, since their return from Dorset, they had met only twice – that Scarlet was aware of. He had certainly seen her very briefly, when they presented their report to Colonel White. But he also vaguely recalled seeing her in sickbay, when he had awakened from his healing sleep, a few hours after their return. But that had been very brief, and she had not mentioned it afterward, when they had met with their commander. Scarlet even wondered if he had not dreamt that whole episode.

Scarlet walked into the hall, toward the young woman who, apparently oblivious to his arrival, was pursuing her training. Reaching her, he stood to the side, putting a foot onto a bench, looking on as she cut and thrust through the unfortunate stuffed dummy. With an expert eye, he studied her moves, noting the concentration in her eyes and the overzealous enthusiasm of her assaults – as if she was attacking an imaginary enemy. If he had to judge by the sweat pearling on her brow, she had been at it for a certain time.

“You know, it’s fortunate that this dummy isn’t a live person – because he wouldn’t be alive for long,” he said softly.

At the sound of his voice, Rhapsody stopped the new assault she was preparing against the training dummy. Keeping her guard up, she glared in his direction. If she saw him for the first time since his arrival, she didn’t show any surprise. “I don’t know,” she said between two breaths, “he might come back to life again just to grate my nerves…” With that, she slashed a vicious thrust into the dummy’s throat.

Scarlet chuckled and left the bench, a smile playing on his lips. “So I take it you’re still angry with me and that demolishing this poor mechanical man is your way of venting your frustration?”

“What makes you say that?” She hit the dummy once again. Rhapsody backed off a step and glanced at Scarlet once more. “How’s Symphony?” she asked, not relaxing her stance.

“Oh, she’s fine… She woke up again earlier, and we talked a bit. She’s seen her mum and now she’s sleeping.” He made another step, his fists driven into his pockets. “Doctor Fawn told me the worst is behind her and that she should make a full recovery.”

A first sign of warm emotion flashed into Rhapsody’s eyes upon hearing his words. She nodded her thanks, and lowered her guard, if only a little. “That’s a relief to hear.”

“Perhaps we could go and visit her later on?” Scarlet suggested.

Instantly, Rhapsody’s expression became grim and cold again, and she turned to face the dummy, putting herself on guard. She didn’t care to answer the question. “I see you decided to stay with us,” she noted instead. “And that you’re in a rather better mood than you have been lately.”

“I did, yes,” he admitted, taking another step toward her as she was attacking the dummy once more. “And I am. Rhapsody… there is something I ought to tell you…”

She nodded, playing with the sabre, not taking her eyes off the dummy. “I can guess what it is. You’ve realised that you’ve been acting like a total jerk lately, and decided to make amends.”

“Yes… sort of. Rhapsody…”

“What about that ‘Scarab Protocol’ you told me about?” Rhapsody asked.

His smile broadened. “Well, that’s the best part of what I have to tell you. There is no ‘Scarab Protocol’.”

“Really?” Rhapsody said coldly. “No conspiracy? No bomb planted in your body? All that angst and antagonism over nothing at all?” She struck the dummy furiously. “You overreacted,” she accused.

“Yes… I did. Apparently.” Scarlet frowned. “You don’t seem surprised.”

“Actually – no, I’m not. Lieutenant Green did tell me you didn’t know everything there was to know about it. And that you wouldn’t be as angry with the colonel, when you found that out.”

“Green told you that?” Scarlet asked, perplexed. “What else did he say?”

“Not much more than that. He takes his job as the colonel’s aide very seriously, you know. He was very discreet.” Rhapsody looked angrily at him. “It would appear after all that you overreacted with the colonel. AND Symphony.”

“I’ve made my peace with Symphony. And with the colonel, as a matter of fact.”

“How nice of him,” Rhapsody remarked icily, turning back to her training. “If it had been me, I would have assigned you to radar duty for life!”

“I’m so glad you are not my commander. Rhapsody…” Scarlet realised she wasn’t willing to listen to him. He noted the fierce strike she gave the dummy and grimaced. He decided to change tactics. “At this rate, you’ll end up with cuts in your salary until you’ve paid off damage done to Spectrum equipment.”

“I’m just perfecting my sabre technique,” she grunted, striking the dummy once more.

“From what I’m seeing, your technique doesn’t need perfecting,” Scarlet said quietly. He made a step forward as she was preparing to attack the dummy for the nth time, and caught her wrist. She stopped her assault and, breathing hard, turned an annoyed look on him. “Please, will you listen to me? I want to apologise to you…”

“To little old me?” Rhapsody said sarcastically. “Whatever for?”

“For the way I acted toward you on the ground. I… ‘overreacted’ with you too.”

“I seem to remember you’ve already apologised for that.”

“And you don’t seem satisfied with that apology. Look, I admit it. This is what you want to hear, right? I acted like a jerk.”

Rhapsody’s eyes flashed. “And a rat.”

“And a rat…”

“And a boor.”

“And a boor...”

“And a complete, self-centred egotist.”

Scarlet frowned. “Don’t you think that’s pushing it a bit?”

Her brow furrowed in turn, warningly, and she made a move to turn toward the dummy once again. He reached for her shoulder and stopped her. “All right, all right. I admit that, too.” He smiled when she looked at him. “I wouldn’t want to lose your friendship, Dianne. It’s too important to me. It seems I pushed it to its limits lately.”

“You did push it.” She lowered her gaze briefly, before looking up at him again, this time with smiling eyes. “But it was far from having reached its limits. You should know that my friendship to you is forever granted.”

“Thank you.”

“I felt for you when you told me about this ‘Scarab Project’,” she continued. “I’m happy to learn that… it wasn’t true after all.”

“Oh… some of it was true,” Scarlet sighed. “But – it never went further than being a proposition from some… authorities in the World Government. A proposition that the colonel dismissed and fought to the hilt.”

“I’m not surprised he did.”

“I shouldn’t be, either. I should never have doubted him.” Scarlet cleared his throat and looked down. “Anyway, it’s all in the past now, and I would rather not go over it again. I’m not… really proud of myself about what I’ve done, these last few days.”

Rhapsody smiled kindly. “There’s still a couple of things that you did that you can be proud of,” she reflected. “For example,” she added, with a impish tone, “if not for your stubbornness in thinking something wasn’t clear concerning the events in Culver last week, we might not have been able to uncover the Mysterons’ plan this time.”

“That’s small consolation, Rhapsody. We would probably have worked it out anyway.”

“Perhaps. But would we have discovered it in time?” She paused a second, giving Scarlet time to ponder this, then continued, “But most importantly… you saved Symphony’s life.”

Scarlet coyly shook his head, looking down. “Yes, well… She was fortunate you arrived when you did and that Green had already called the ambulance that took her to the Culver Hospital with Kierney.”

“Don’t be modest.” With a new smile, Rhapsody reached for Scarlet’s cheek and stroked it warmly. “What you did counted for something. You stayed next to her, and held her until the arrival of the medics. I couldn’t even convince you to let me take your place.”

“I remember. You were very concerned for her. And… for me too, Dianne?”

“Of course, I was concerned for both of you. You weren’t looking that brilliant yourself, when we found you.”

Scarlet smiled warmly. As if she suddenly realised that her gesture could be interpreted wrongly, Rhapsody removed her hand. She turned away to hide the red coming to her cheeks. Scarlet watched her as she walked toward the sword-rack, making a show of changing weapons. His smile broadened; he had certainly noticed how awkward she had become. He approached her, clearing his throat.

“Is there… something I could do to make myself forgiven for… having treated you so badly during this mission?”

She spun around to face him. All awkwardness had left her. “I already forgave you,” she remarked.

“Well, I feel I ought to do something more than just asking for your forgiveness. How about… we work on that sabre technique of yours?”

Rhapsody raised a brow. “You’re not consistent, Captain. Didn’t you just tell me that my technique didn’t need perfecting?”

“Well – it’s a relative term, of course,” Scarlet replied matter-of-factly. “There’s always room for improvement. Especially when you can learn from a master…”

“I suppose you are the master in question.” Rhapsody crossed her arms, looking defiantly at him. “May I remind you who won our last duel?”

“I wasn’t really at the top of my form, that day,” Scarlet defended himself.

“That’s only your excuse. I can wipe the floor with you again.”

“With a sabre?”

“With any weapon you choose.”

“That sounds like a challenge.” Scarlet grinned. “How about we make it more interesting with a bet?”

“We’re not allowed to gamble on base.”

“That’s only your excuse. Anyway, I wasn’t thinking about money.”

“And what did you have in mind?” Rhapsody asked suspiciously.

He drew closer, his face displaying a broader, boyish smirk. “If I win this duel… you’ll owe me a kiss.”

“A kiss? Is that all? You’ve got nerve…” Rhapsody scoffed mockingly, and looked down briefly, before staring straight into his smiling eyes. “And what would I get if I win?”

Scarlet seemed to ponder the question for a second. “That didn’t occur to me, actually…” Seeing her frown, he chuckled. “Whatever you want, Angel – I’ll meet the bet.”

He saw the dreamy look in the young pilot’s face and that made him consider all kind of possibilities. “There is something I always wanted to have in my quarters…”

“Oh yes?” an interested Scarlet asked.

“I always wanted to have a fish tank…” she finally said.

“A fish tank?” Scarlet opened wide eyes. “You mean, with real fish in it?”

“Isn’t that what you usually put in fish tanks?” She looked at him in mystification. “What did you think I was going to say?”

You know bloody well what I was thinking, Scarlet reflected, the false innocence she was displaying not fooling him for a second. He cleared his throat and considered her suggestion. “A kiss against a fish tank… It seems to me that I have the unfair share of the bargain, my lady.”

Rhapsody produced a smile. By all rights, she should have felt insulted by his remark, and yet, it wasn’t the case. Scarlet’s tone was good-natured; the way he had said ‘my lady’ didn’t bear the same tinge of condescension he often affected when he mockingly called her ‘your ladyship’. And obviously, he did count on her getting angry over his words. He was sadly mistaken.

Waiting for her answer – which would no doubt be a sharp one – Scarlet watched with perplexity as she came even closer to him, so close that he could feel her body brushing against his. Then she put her hand around his neck, stood on tip-toe and kissed him full on the lips. At first, her gesture took Scarlet by surprise; it wasn’t at all the answer he thought he would receive. Yet, he didn’t complain and dutifully answered the kiss, putting his arm around her slender form to draw her even closer.

She slowly broke the embrace, and, her hand resting on his chest, looked up into his amused face. “Conceding defeat already, your ladyship?” he asked with a flash in his eyes.

“In your dreams, Metcalfe.” With a smile almost as mischievous as his, she quietly removed his hand from her hip and turned toward the sword-rack. “That was just a sample of what you’ll be missing when I win this bet.”

“A sample…?” With mystified eyes, Scarlet watched as Rhapsody went to choose a sabre. He started laughing heartily. “Lady, that’s an incentive if ever I heard one!” He winked when, sabre in hand, she turned to face him. “Now I know I’m going to win the bet.”

“Well, go on, then!” she said, with an encouraging frown. “Go and change, and get back in here. Or perhaps you’re not that eager to see me beat the pants off you again?”

A wicked smile played upon Scarlet’s lips as he walked toward the locker room.

In your dreams, your ladyship…

He wondered if perhaps she wasn’t being literal…

THE END

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