A “Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons” story
By Chris Bishop
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.
“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…
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