CAPTAIN BLACK
In Command
Captain Scarlet & The Mysterons
PRIOR TO “THE MYSTERONS”
MATT CROWTHER
CAPTAIN SCARLET AT 40 1967-2007
“They’re never going to believe
this.”
Captain Matthew Yelland (Kirk Douglas)
The Final Countdown (1980)
WARNING: Two uses
of strong language within
New York
2067
Captain Brown felt somewhat overawed by the situation. He
stood by one of the numerous Spectrum Saloon Cars with the other officers of
the team: Captains Scarlet, Blue and Ochre… oh, and not forgetting ballistics
expert, Captain Indigo.
He saw a Spectrum
Pursuit Vehicle pull up behind; a moment later, the driver’s door opened and
the occupant appeared, walking briskly towards the SSC where Brown and the
others were standing.
“Captain Black,”
Brown said.
Black nodded;
Scarlet and the others allowed the senior captain to stand at the side of the
SSC’s front.
“Sitrep,
Scarlet.”
Scarlet pointed
to the building across the street. “Terrorists are holding the World Attorney
General hostage.” His hand dropped and pointed to the map spread across the
SSC’s nose like a blanket. “We have the building surrounded.”
“They have no way
out?” Black asked.
“I would say,
Captain Black, that we have everything covered. There is no possible way for
them to escape but there obviously remains the possibility, however unlikely,
that they could.”
“What do we do?”
asked Blue.
“First, I need to
know how it happened, how many they are and where they are.”
Scarlet nodded. “Six gunmen stormed the office of the AG on
the sixth floor. They killed the guards and took the AG to the tenth and final
floor. They say they’re patriots.”
“Would you know what kind of 'patriots'?” asked Black in a
weary tone. “As that would be a great help, Scarlet.”
It was Blue who
spoke. “We think they're Southerners.”
“Sorry?”
“Southerners.
North America, you know,” Ochre was saying as if Black should know.
“Confederates, the Rebels… Stars and Bars… Dixie, that’s what kind of
Southerners.”
“You’re kidding,”
Black said in an even wearier tone. “We have the AG of the World Government
being held hostage by a group of… of crackpots.”
“Maybe they hit
the wrong office,” said Ochre with a smile.
Black pointed a
finger at the younger officer. “Don’t even start with the wisecracks, Ochre. I
get enough of that from Magenta. The pair of you give me a headache.”
Ochre stiffened
as if coming to attention. He nodded crisply.
“Yes, Captain.”
“Good, now done
to business.” Black spread his hands on the map. “Is the area cordoned off to
the public, Scarlet?”
“All roads
leading to this block have been sealed. A further kilometre zone around this
block has been secured to the public.”
“What is our
aerial coverage like?”
Blue responded
promptly. “The Angels have already commenced patrols. They were delayed as they
had to escort a passenger jetliner out of LaGuardia, the nearest airport to
here. They are however now making regular flights over New York and the
surrounding area. Nothing is flying in or out. Aircraft bound for New York are
being diverted.”
“Right,” Black
stared at the map for a minute. “Get me the terrorists, I want to speak to
them.”
“SIG, the line
has just been connected,” said Indigo after a moment.
Black was handed
a cellphone-shaped radio by Scarlet who had taken it from within the SSC.
“Thanks,
Scarlet.” Black held the radio up before him and pressed the speak button.
“This is Captain Black of Spectrum; I wish to speak to the leader of the people
holding the World Atto…”
“What do you want, cop?” came a voice with an American
Southern accent. It sounded perfectly clear over the radio.
Black replied in
a neutral tone of voice. “First of all, I’m not a cop.”
“And what would Spectrum be? Some kind of
decorating group?”
Black bit on his lip before replying. “Spectrum is an organisation who
fights terror.”
“How valiant.”
“Who am I
speaking to?” demanded Black.
“For now, you can call me Stonewall.”
“How bloody
original,” muttered Indigo to Scarlet. Black shot Indigo a look and spoke into
the radio again.
“What do you want?”
“Autonomy for the Southern region of the
United States. To be officially recognised as the Confederate States.”
“Oh…,” Indigo’s
voice trailed off but everyone else knew what he was about say. They had all
been thinking that they had been right in their assumptions.
“We cannot meet
this demand, Stonewall. You must be aware of the fact that Spectrum does not
negotiate with terrorists.”
“Spectrum should change its policy.”
“Stonewall…”
But Stonewall had
ended communication and therefore the conversation. Black exhaled loudly and
handed the radio to Scarlet. He pointed
at Ochre and Blue. “Do you two think you could get inside? Get up to the top
floor?”
“They’ll be
watching us,” Ochre warned Black.
“That doesn’t
matter,” Black said.
“What kind of
weapons should we take, Captain?” Blue asked.
“Make do with
your handgun. I want this over as soon as possible but remember, we’re Spectrum
so let’s not go off half-cocked.”
“SIG, Captain
Black.”
Destiny’s
aircraft skimmed the skyline of New York City with the other two pilots behind
her astern. Her radio beeped.
“Destiny, Captain Black speaking. How are
things up there?”
“The sky is
clear. We have just escorted the last commercial jetliner from LaGuardia
International.”
“SIG Destiny.
Stay on patrol until all this is over. How is your fuel situation?”
“We have a fuel
tanker from the World Army Air Force on standby from Baltimore,” the
Frenchwoman replied. “We can stay airborne indefinitely.”
“Excellent,
Destiny. Be careful you don’t hit any skyscrapers.”
“Angels never
fall,” Destiny said. She rolled her eyes a little even though she had heard the
good-natured tone in Black’s voice. “We are fully capable of doing our job.”
“I know. Black
out.”
Captain Scarlet,
Brown and Indigo crowded around the nose of the SSC forming like a fence around
Captain Black as he prodded the map of the building.
“The AG’s building was built in 2037 after the Atomic War.
It’s bombproof and that means anything we have now, from the smallest mortar to
the big A bombs, won’t make a dent in it. Windows are bulletproof and even
missile proof. The ten floors are joined by three stairwells and three lift
shafts. The shafts are protected by strong concrete that’s resistant to flames,
bombs, etc. etc. The roof has enough protection to stop a mortar. Captain
Indigo,” Black addressed the ballistics expert, “any thoughts on the rest of us
going to the top?”
“Sir, shouldn’t we wait for Blue and Ochre?”
“We are, but I’m waiting for their report so that we can
prepare for our attack. They are reconnaissance.”
Scarlet spoke then. “We’ll be going in after their report
and meeting up with them before continuing on with the main attack. So what do
you think, Denton?”
Indigo blinked
at the use of his name. Unlike his Cloudbase colleagues, Indigo was the
exception to the rule in that he was hardly ever on the floating carrier and
had little interaction with the others. He wasn’t used to such familiarity.
“May I suggest
that we take a helicopter and land on top of the building?”
“That’s somewhat
simple,” Black said.
“We should have
done that from the start,” Scarlet told Black.
“A little late for that now.”
“Seriously,
Captain Black, that’s the only idea I can come up with at present. They’ll be
monitoring through the building’s CCTV – their Close Circuit Television.”
“What if we storm
it by force?” suggested Captain Brown softly, as if afraid of the reaction
coming.
“I’m not too keen
on it,” Black murmured. “At the moment, however, the idea of dropping down from
helicopters onto the roof is appealing.”
His microphone dropped into place, the shoulder tabs flashing white.
“Black to Angel Leader.”
“Angel Leader,
go ahead Captain.”
“Destiny, can you
do a close fly-by of the top floor of the AG’s building? See if you can see
anyone.”
“SIG, Captain
Black.”
Seconds passed
and then came the Angels. Their engines screamed as they flew towards the
Attorney General’s building, and for a brief instant, it looked as if collision
was imminent. The bold A’s on their bellies was starkly visible just as they
peeled apart and passed the building. They came back the way they came some
moments later and then Black’s microphone crackled.
“Angel Leader
to Captain Black. Pass completed. We can’t make out the rooftop all that well.
I suggest the helicopter makes a pass.”
“Thanks, Destiny.
You tried your best.” Black shrugged. “Let’s get to the chopper and see for
ourselves. If it’s clear, I think we’ll make a landing.”
“I think we
should wait until Blue and Ochre make contact.”
“Okay, Scarlet,
we’ll wait.”
Blue and Ochre
stood in front of the lifts in the foyer of the building. It was empty save for
the two captains.
They had taken
out the CCTV cameras in the foyer but there was no way to take out the
remainder of the cameras.
“Looks like the
lifts are out of action,” Ochre said.
Blue clicked his
fingers. “I have just had an idea.”
“Do share.”
Blue shot Ochre a
look then continued. “How about we climb up the shaft?”
“You are
serious?”
“They won’t
expect us up the shafts, will they?” Blue said. “Well?”
“No, I guess they
won’t be. But what if the lifts are blocking the shafts?”
“As far as I know
there’s a ladder that runs the side of the shaft. It’s built so that there is
room between the shaft and ladder for the event of an emergency.”
“Right,” Ochre
nodded and activated his microphone. “Ochre to Black.”
“Go ahead,
Ochre.”
“Captain, we’re
going to climb the lift shaft to get to the top. We don’t think the terrorists
will be expecting us.”
“That’s a good
idea. We’re going to reconnoitre the rooftop. If it’s clear we’re going to land
there. Take extreme caution.”
“SIG.”
Ochre’s cap mike
flipped back up as Blue went to a box on the wall by the first lift and took
out a fire axe. He then went to the lift doors and inserted the axe between them.
With Ochre’s help, he prised the doors open with great exertion. As the doors
parted, Ochre put a booted foot in between and then shouldered one door as Blue
shouldered the other. Between them they forced the doors fully open and held
them open by placing the axe between.
“Let’s go,” Blue
said and stepped first into the shaft. The inside of the shaft
had a small ledge lining it. The trimness of the ledge meant that both men did
not so much step as shuffle into the lift shaft. Anything quicker then a
shuffle and they would fall into the basement levels. Blue took a minute to get
around to the shaft ladder. Upon reaching it, he began to climb and a second
later so did Ochre.
Black, Scarlet,
Brown and Indigo boarded Spectrum helicopter A41 just inside the barriers
marking the edge of the exclusion zone. Black sat at the controls and began
pre-flight checks as Scarlet alerted the Angels that they would be going up and
to provide cover for the captains.
Black completed
his checks and started the engine up. The blades above began to pound the air
in quick motions. The helicopter lifted into the air and began to climb
vertically. Black kept his eyes on the World Attorney General’s building. The
sunlight glinted off the windows that in turn reflected the neighbouring
buildings. Black then levelled off and guided the helicopter in towards the
rooftop.
The rooftop had a
cluster of antenna, a box shaped structure that housed the stairs to the roof
and also a helipad. Scarlet was using binoculars to get a better look.
“I can’t see
clearly into the conference room. Reflection from the sun.”
“I’ll bring us
closer.”
Black raised the
helicopter so that it was now over the rooftop.
“No one on the
roof,” Indigo said from behind Black. “All clear.”
“Let’s get down
there,” Black said.
As he began to
head towards the helipad, the door of the rooftop stairwell was flung open and
against the down draft of the helicopter’s blades three black clad men appeared
armed with machine guns which were now beginning to be raised.
“Captain!” warned Indigo.
“I see them.”
As Black began to
turn the helicopter, a hail of gunfire slammed into the belly.
“Bloody hell!” swore Scarlet. Indigo was drawing his
handgun as the machine gunfire continued. Indigo flung the side hatch open and
fired off three shots.
“Close that
hatch!” ordered Black. “I’m going to have to ditch.”
Black swung the
helicopter around, black smoke beginning to stream from the tail. Then he
nosedived past the building. The road before the World Attorney General’s
building rushed up to meet them. If Black did not do something soon they would
be smeared across the road like strawberry jam. Black raised the nose and
slammed on the air brakes. Then he touched down.
“Everybody out!”
The four captains
abandoned the wounded helicopter. A few moments later a fire engine arrived to
douse the smoke and eradicate any threat of explosion.
Scarlet looked to
Black who had his hands on hips and was glaring up at the building.
“What now?”
“We wait for Blue
and Ochre.”
“Just past the
eighth floor,” panted Blue and lifted a hand from the black rung to wipe his
forehead with the sleeve of his uniform. “Two more to go.”
“I wonder what
the others are doing.”
“Flying in
helicopters.” The two men’s boots made dull echoing noises as they continued to
climb. Other than that sound, it was eerily quiet as if the rest of the
building did not exist. Some moments later, they passed a sign that had ‘Nine’
written in bold.
“One more.”
“Thanks, Adam,”
Ochre grunted as he passed the sign. “Couldn’t read it.”
“Sarcasm, cute.”
They reached the
tenth floor about five minutes later, both streaked in dirt and grease. The
Spectrum officers shuffled onto the slim ledge before the lift doors of the
tenth floor. It occurred to Blue that they should have brought the axe up with
them to pry the door open, but as he was about to say this to Ochre, his fellow
American hit upon the solution.
“I’ve found a
manual release for the doors. In case of emergency and you’re stuck within a
lift.”
“Open it.”
“SIG.” Ochre
reached a dirty hand to an unassuming small box on the wall by the doors and
flicked a lid open. Blue could not see what was within the box but Ochre was
working his hand up and down. Gradually the doors began to part but in jerking
motions as if afraid to open fully. Eventually, they did open fully and Ochre
flexed his hand.
“Didn’t realise
it would have taken that long.”
“No matter.” Blue
drew his gun and checked it was loaded. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
They moved out
and into the corridor that ran the width of the floor. Opposite the lifts were
four doors. One was leading to a stairwell, the other three were an office and
toilets for either sex. “The AG’s office is down to our right,” whispered
Ochre. Even that whisper seemed too loud in the silence.
“Lead on, Ochre.”
Blue followed,
keeping his gun up, waiting for trouble. Had the terrorists heard the doors
open? Had they seen them through other cameras?
They passed other
office doors. Offices with empty desks and empty chairs. The AG’s conference
room door was the last on the corridor and to the left.
The door was
opening.
Everything
happened in slow motion. Two men appeared wearing black. They held machine guns
in their hands –US Army M-77’s – and lowered them to face Ochre and Blue.
Blue dived and
shouldered Ochre aside as a hail of bullets ate the carpet where they had been
standing. Ochre came to one knee and loosened off a barrage of bullets that forced
the men back inside the conference lounge. Then a grenade appeared from
nowhere.
“Shit,” was all
Ochre said before the explosion came.
Then Blue’s
vision swam yellow, then red and finally black.
Black and the others had returned to the SSC that still had
their maps on the bonnet when the explosion happened. Black looked up to the
tenth floor to see glass splinter and shower down before them.
“God Almighty,”
swore Indigo. Black’s cap mike had already dropped into place. “Black to Ochre.
Black to Blue. Respond!”
Scarlet was
clenching his fists. The rumble faded away but then it had been a small
explosion. Scarlet wondered to himself if it was a grenade. There was no way of
knowing what it was from down here.
Then a voice came over Black’s microphone.
“Hello,
Captain Black of Spectrum. This is Stonewall. I’m afraid that your Captain
Ochre and Captain Blue have been taken prisoner. They’re a little burnt around
the edges but they’ll live.”
Black’s face
hardened. “Release my men and the Attorney General now, Stonewall and then we
can talk about your demands.”
“I would say,
Captain Black, that you are not in any position to make demands of any sort.”
“I’m sure a deal can be made…”
“No deals. I
want a transport helicopter to land on the rooftop within the next fifteen
minutes that’ll take us to Richmond. I also want a fighter escort and to top it
off, 100 million US dollars. Unmarked bills.”
“You…”
“Now, now,
Captain. Don’t say anything else for I have a gun trained on Captain Blue’s
face and we wouldn’t want his brains spilled over the AG, would we?”
“Release my men,”
Black’s voice had tightened as if he was now grounding the words out. “Then
we’ll talk about the helicopter.”
“Stonewall out.”
“Fuck,” Black
cursed.
Indigo spoke up.
“I can have the US Army on the line within a moment, Captain. They could get
the helicopter…”
“No,” Black said.
“Captain?” Indigo
was frowning.
Black faced
Scarlet. “Have we got another chopper around here? One of our own?”
“Yes, A42.”
“Right.” Black
glanced at Brown who was standing shoulder to shoulder with Indigo and looking
as if he did not want to be around Black. “Captain Brown, just how good a pilot
were you?”
“Good enough to
be a test pilot, sir.”
“You’re flying us
up top,” Black addressed them all. “Scarlet, Indigo and I will be storming the
conference room. You will hover above the roof and wait for us to jump out
before returning to the ground. This way if they attack us, they won’t shoot
the helicopter down or damage it if sat on the rooftop. Everyone clear on what
we’re doing?”
There were nods.
“Then let’s get
going.”
The three
captains were checking their handguns as Brown raced the helicopter into the
blue skies over New York. Helicopter A42 had in fact been four blocks away down
by where the Empire State Building had collapsed some forty years ago. Brown
pointed at the building. “Just over the stairwell, sir?”
“That area, yes.”
As Brown closed
in, Black glanced from the co-pilot’s seat at Indigo and Scarlet in the rear.
“Ready?”
“Yes,” Scarlet
replied.
Brown swung the
helicopter sharply across the rooftop of the Attorney General’s building close
to the stairwell box. As he did so, Indigo and Scarlet opened their respective
hatches on the port and starboard side, Black pushed his own open.
Almost as one,
the three captains leapt from the helicopter and landed upon the rooftop by the
stairwell box. As soon as they had left the helicopter, Brown applied throttle
to helicopter A42 and sped away from the building. Black led them into the
stairwell and ran down until they reached the tenth floor. Black paused before
the door that led onto the tenth floor. He pulled out his handgun and gave
Scarlet and Indigo a silent nod. He opened the door and darted onto the floor.
From here they could see the burn marks on the corridor where the grenade had
gone off. Moving down the corridor they could also see Blue’s cap lying on the
floor. It’s too quiet, Black thought.
“You two go and find Blue and Ochre. Deal with any enemies
you find,” Black whispered pointing at the door that was next to the conference
room. “I am going in there to find the Attorney General. Move.”
Just as Black and
the others began moving, a hail of gunfire blasted into the floor in their
direction. Black dived, as did Indigo and Scarlet, against the left side of the
corridor, away from the gunfire. He then forced himself to his feet and darted
into the office he had pointed out seconds ago. Behind him, Indigo and Scarlet
returned fire before going off in a separate direction.
Black swiftly
surveyed the office. Small, with one desk, a couple of office chairs… must be
the personal office for one person.
Maybe the Attorney General’s? But Black had no time for further
speculation. He looked at the wall, the one that joined this office to the
conference room. Black pressed a hand to it and backed off. Holstering his gun,
he then charged the wall and slammed into it. Black was thankful that his swift
appraisal was correct as he tumbled to the ground of the conference room in a
shower of debris. The wall had been a partition made of flimsy material. He
rolled onto his shoulder and came up, gun drawn. He turned to his right and
fired at the gunman in the doorway. The man crumpled to the ground, his M-77
clattering next to him.
Black stood and
as he did so, he was tackled from his left. As he fell, he heard further
gunfire from the corridor. Black hit the ground hard and managed to turn onto
his back. He was looking straight into the masked face of his assailant. He
heard more shots as he grappled with the attacker. Black slammed his hands into
the back and was rewarded with a slight lessening of the grip. Then he managed
to push his opponent up using his feet. The attacker stood to meet him; they
exchanged punches. Black took his well but gave as good as he got.
As the terrorist
fell at Black’s feet, the latter assessed the room.
Sat at the far
end of the long conference table was the World Attorney General, bound and
gagged. Next to him was a man unmasked and holding a handgun to the AG’s head.
Black exhaled.
“Stonewall, I
presume?”
“Captain Black.
My nemesis. Would it be fair to say that you’ve lost?”
“Maybe but I
haven’t.”
The gunshots in
the corridor were continuing outside but abruptly stopped.
Black remarked,
“Looks like you are all alone now, cease and desist Stonewall.”
“Lay down your
weapon,” Stonewall’s voice was measured. No hint of whatever was going on
inside his mind. The Attorney General’s eyes were wide, a sense of fear within
them.
Black sighed.
“You do have me at a disadvantage.”
Black began to
lower his gun.
Stonewall began to relax.
Black brought his
gun up and fired off two shots. His shots were high and smashed the glass of
the window behind Stonewall and the Attorney General. Stonewall was distracted
sufficiently for Black to suddenly sprint forward, leaping upon the conference
table and running its length.
The Attorney General was rocking in his chair
trying to break free as Stonewall shouted, pieces of glass falling into his
face. He cleared the debris from his face as Black jumped and dived off the end
of the table. He slammed into Stonewall and the two rolled against the side of
the room behind the Attorney General and under the shattered window.
Stonewall hauled
Black to his feet and pounded him in the chest. Black gasped but brought his
right foot up and slammed it into Stonewall’s chest. Stonewall shouted in pain
as Black turned –free of his opponent’s grasp – and punched the Southerner
across the face. It was after this punch that Black fully realised that
Stonewall was built like a tank. Muscled, thick neck and at least a foot taller
than he was. Stonewall roared like a wounded animal and jumped at Black.
The two men
crashed through the table in a shower of splintering wood and glass. The
Attorney General was knocked aside. Black wrestled an arm free and smashed his
fist twice into Stonewall’s face but the terrorist leader would not let up on
his own attacks. Black was bleeding from his nose but was undeterred in his
determination to end this now.
As Stonewall was
about to bring his fist down again, Black rolled clear and kicked him; the man
rolled over clutching his belly. Black fell to his knees and knocked the
Southerner out with one final punch. Panting with exertion, Black rose wearily
to his feet.
He wiped at his
bleeding nose as Scarlet and Indigo walked into the conference room and
remarked, “What kept you gentlemen?”
Indigo moved to
the Attorney General as Scarlet answered whilst holstering his handgun. “We
were held up. Blue and Ochre are all right. The other gunmen are tied up.”
The World
Attorney General was being helped to his feet by Indigo and looking a little
shaken.
“Are you okay,
sir?” Black asked ignoring the blood trickling down his face.
The Attorney
General nodded and ran a hand across his head. “A little shocked but I’ll be
fine, Captain. Thank you for your efforts.”
“No problem,”
Black surveyed the damage. “I’m afraid we’ve made quite a mess.”
The Attorney
General laughed lightly and went to sit down. “That’s the least of my
problems.”
Black looked at
Scarlet. “Where are Blue and Ochre?”
“In an office
three doors down. They’re okay just a little bruised. Nothing too serious.”
“Good. Get them
to Cloudbase promptly and get Spectrum security to sort these Southerners out.”
“Those still
living?”
Black sighed
looking at the fallen gunmen at the door. “Yes, those still living.”
It had been tough
but they had done it, just these few Spectrum men. They would continue do so
for some time yet.
That much was certain.
END
Author’s Notes
My profuse thanks
as ever to Chris Bishop and Marion Woods who I like to think put up with a
writer all too…something or other. Anyway, thank you once more.
This story and The
6.30 Bullet were written almost after an incredible three years my last
story which was I belief SS Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. Personal
problems, troubles and university work aside I had lost enthusiasm for the
show. It happens when I do not watch something for a while, be it Star Trek,
Star Wars or even TJ Hooker. Having bought the DVD boxset for twenty
pounds this January past I had my enthusiasm back and wrote two short stories
in preparation for the three to five ‘big’ adventures I have set aside. I hope
to bring back Captain Indigo, end SS Captain Scarlet and do a different take on
one episode as well as a crossover.
My interpretation
of pre-Mysteron Captain Black is perhaps different to others. The only other
time I have done a Black free of Mysteron control was Black As Night when
I had him rescued by Spectrum only to get re-Mysteronised. The pre-Mysteron
Black holds some fascination with me maybe as he is only pre-Mysteron for a
couple of minutes in the entire series.
Captain Indigo
and Captain Brown appear pre-Mysteron also. Indigo is the same Indigo that will
appear in Spectrum Strikes Back and is the subject of my story Indigo.
This story was
inspired by a couple of things. Firstly all those hostage episodes in series
like Ironside, TJ Hooker, Starsky & Hutch, Quincy and the like where
the heroes triumphed somehow in the end. Secondly, the real-life embassy siege
in 1980 where the Iranian Embassy was stormed by the SAS in order to rescue the
hostages within on Margaret Thatcher’s orders. The image of the black clad men
abseiling down the outside of Princes Gate and then blowing the window open is
an enduring image and one dominant in the back of my mind when I read this.
Though this story
does bear relation to the comic story The Labyrinth –which I belief
features Magenta- it was not an inspiration.
I used Captain
Brown but briefly. I wish I could write a story quite similar to Indigo but
I do not want to infringe further on this.
If I have
insulted any Ochre, Blue, Scarlet and even Grey fans then I apologise.
I did
leave Magenta out.
Matt
Crowther
Maida Vale,
March 23rd 2007