A Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons Story
MATTHEW CROWTHER
This is an idea bouncing around
since reading some old comics, featuring Black and one in particular called We
Will Destroy Unity City (reprinted 1993). It features a part where Black and
Scarlet are prisoner and Scarlet says, “Its not too
late, we can help you.” To which Black replies:
“Maybe.”
I’m re-watching the series and the
idea of Black returning is a favourite of mine, although this cannot happen. I
hope this receives some good feedback.
It follows on from events kicked
off in Angels of Deception and recently Heat Wave.
SIG.
14 May 2004
Cloudbase was quiet, this was
not that unusual but it was usually during the day not night when it was
normally so quiet. Lieutenant Green tapped his console idly and turned to face
Colonel White; the
colonel was watching the wall screen behind quietly, his finger stroking his
chin.
“I’m sure the mission is going as
planned, colonel.”
White didn’t turn, “I’m sure too,
lieutenant, but we need to be realistic. The Mysterons
have evaded us before.”
White turned and glanced at the
coloured lights on his console, waiting for one to flash.
Captain Magenta watched the
motorway ahead with boredom. The hedge he was hiding in was not comfortable and
not designed for such, yet it was his mission. The motorway passed by the hill
on which his hedge rested and was busy, cars streaking by every so often.
His pips flashed red, “Yes
Captain Scarlet?”
“Still in position
Magenta?”
Magenta sighed, “Sure. Haven’t moved an inch.”
The precise English voice on the
other hand was quiet, “Soon. Has to be soon.”
Magenta hoped so, he was hungry
but he forced his sometimes over-eager mind back to the road and gripped the
butt of his gun harder.
Captain Black drove the
unremarkable saloon down the M24 towards the English city of Portsmouth; his
clothes were nondescript but were black. Beside him was his Spectrum uniform; he
would require it for infiltration. The green hills rolled by indifferently, not
that Black cared much for them. Some small part of him did but it was one that
Black didn’t concentrate fully on. The Mysterons
had instructed him to Portsmouth to kill the World Navy First Sea Lord based
there. Just then the ghostly voice that was his master spoke:
“Captain Black, the Earthmen are
ahead. It might be a trap.”
“I shall be cautious,” he rumbled
quietly, his eyes however peeled and were wary. A bridge approached; it spanned
the wide M24 and carried traffic across to Southampton. He noticed a Spectrum
SPV on top and braked hard, his hand reaching for the
handbrake.
Captain Blue ran for the SPV his
cap radio down, “Paul he’s seen us! Making back up the M24.”
Scarlet further down the road in
a Spectrum Saloon Car was calmer, “Relax Adam, this is part of the plan. All
units move in now. The password is NIGHT.”
After that, even as Black’s car
sped back up the motorway, the Spectrum units left their cover and began moving
in. Magenta reached the roadside where a SSC sped to a halt, he climbed in and
Captain Ochre floored the accelerator. The excitement was building, they almost
had him.
Scarlet’s SPV bounced down the
hillside and onto the M24; his monitor showed the saloon. Beside him, Doctor
Fawn wearing his uniform gripped the control. “Now it gets bumpy,” grunted the
Australian.
“Sorry Doctor but there is no
other way.”
Beside him, Fawn had an attaché
case. In it was what might capture Black. Scarlet could make out beyond Black’s
car three speeding SSCs. One contained Ochre and
Magenta, one Grey and the other Lieutenant Burgundy from London HQ. Above, soon
to appear, would be the Angel flight. Scarlet’s eyes
narrowed as he tapped some controls and brought the SPV’s
gun up. According to his instruments, Black was doing close to ninety and at
this rate if they collided, then they might both be obliterated.
Magenta leant forward in his
seat; despite the road whooshing by the blood-red SSC, his eyes were fixed on
the SPV and Black’s car. “Scarlet can’t be serious.”
“If they hit…this will all have
been for nothing,” stated Ochre. “All for nothing.”
The radio crackled and Blue’s
steady voice came over, “All units break pursuit. Captain Scarlet is going in
alone.”
Ochre’s coloured boot gently
pressed the brake and the gap opened, beside him Grey and Burgundy did the same.
Magenta then heard the loud roar of three Angels in flight; they sped low and
peeled off aiming skywards.
What was Scarlet doing?
Captain Scarlet, whom fate had
made indestructible, looked to Fawn and said bluntly: “I’m sorry Doctor, but I
have to do this to get Black.”
Before Fawn could complain,
Scarlet’s hand pulled the eject lever for the co-pilot and Fawn sped into the
sky. Scarlet accelerated, the SPV closed the gap and now Black was his; the Mysteron agent’s vehicle would be too committed to avoid the
collision. Indeed it was, for some seconds later, Scarlet’s SPV rammed Black’s
saloon. The car’s engine exploded under the sudden strain and the ensuing
fireball blew the SPV into the air. It landed on its side some feet away
trailing black oil and flames. Black’s car however sped right, away from the SPV
and into the road’s steel barrier.
The SSC of Ochre and Magenta came
to a stop a few seconds later. They got out and began running for the saloon, as
they reached it, Black was staggering out, holding his head. Magenta dived for
him and held him down; Black fought and so Ochre also joined the fray. The scene
was getting more hectic as Black struggled more and it took Grey to hold his
feet down before they managed to get Black under some control. Eventually Fawn,
emerging from his landing place in the woods on the hill verging on the
motorway, came down and pressed a hypospray to Black’s
pale neck. Black stopped struggling soon thereafter.
A SPJ was called for; it would
not only carry Black back to Cloudbase, but also the
seemingly dead Scarlet.
“Operation Night has been a
success, we have captured Captain Black.”
The officers and pilots of Cloudbase sat in various places around the lounge; Colonel
White was standing by the window. Nobody celebrated outwardly, despite the
success of their mission to get Black back, it wasn’t
the kind of thing you danced from foot to foot about. Scarlet was missing, still
recovering from the SPV crash. Fawn was working on Black,
the procedure was technical as it was different to Scarlet’s Mysteronisation. White clasped his hands together before
him, “Doctor Fawn will be working on Black for the time being. Freeing him from Mysteron control.”
“What will happen once Black is
normal sir?” Ochre asked.
“He’ll be debriefed and then
integrated back into normal duties.”
Magenta dipped his head; he
remembered the week that Black was assigned the Martian mission. Back then, no Mysterons, no problem. They had Captains Brown and Indigo, now both deceased in separate incidents involving the
Mysterons.
I’ve got the Martian mission, I’ll be going this weekend.
That’s great
Conrad,
you are after all the best man for the job.
Magenta brought himself back to
hear White continue, “…will remain on readiness. Dismissed.”
Magenta got to his feet, Blue paused by him with Ochre in tow. “Want a game of
pool?”
“Sure, I’ll double with Grey.”
Magenta felt another presence
after Blue and Ochre moved off; it was Rhapsody. As ever she looked resplendent,
her coppery-red hair fell past her shoulders. “You okay Patrick?”
“Sure, why you ask?”
“You seemed far off during the
briefing.”
Magenta shrugged, “Just thinking
back. Before all this started.”
Rhapsody nodded, “I know. A long time ago. I had better go, I’m on flight readiness.”
He watched her go and then
followed, for now Magenta was fine.
“Okay lieutenant, let them have
it!”
Darkness again.
Hazy visuals, something solidifying and a voice rumbling.
“We are the
Mysterons…”
More darkness,
and fuzziness. He accepted it and vanished into the darkness.
Captain Scarlet had recovered
from his injuries and stood by the operating door looking in. Doctor Fawn
wearing surgical whites was operating on Captain Black. The procedure involved
unlocking the Mysteron effect on him. Scarlet felt a
figure at his shoulder and turned.
“Colonel White.”
“Relax captain, the procedure is
still underway?”
“It would appear so sir.”
White was silent. “He was my best
man before going to Mars. Hopefully this is it.”
Scarlet didn’t answer; he watched
and a few minutes later Fawn stood back. He turned, lowered his facial mask and
waved for the two officers to enter. As usual Scarlet sniffed; he hated the
smell of the sickbay, medical smells. He could see Black stretched out, covered
from foot to head with a green sheet.
“He’s done. I’ve done what I can, the effects of the Mysterons
on Black were different to those on Scarlet.”
“When can he be ready for duty?”
asked White.
Fawn sighed. “Two days.”
“Right.”
Fawn stroked his chin. “A way of
making sure this has worked, would be for Scarlet to
walk up to Black’s side. Remember Scarlet feels the Mysteron
presence? Dizziness and the like…”
“Okay doctor.”
Scarlet walked steadily to the
bedside and as he neared, waited for the dizziness but nothing came.
The darkness was getting brighter, the pain in his head was gone, going, gone.
Blast.
His eyes opened slowly; the
brightness was unfocused but he could make out something with red and black. He
tried to focus, he knew he could, just had to try. The shape was becoming
clearer he was doing it. The shape focused and he found himself smiling.
“Paul.”
“Welcome back Conrad, you’re
home.”
Conrad Turner smiled and felt sleep come again, “Home,” he murmured
Doctor Fawn took Scarlet and
White to one side:
“The Mysteron
control has gone, like a puppet whose strings have been severed. Captain Black
is not retrometabolic. He’s just like any one of us.”
Fawn smiled a little. “Except for Captain Scarlet.”
White nodded, “Thank you Doctor.”
What mattered though was that
Black was home.
Black slipped from the bed. He
remembered this room, he once slept in this room often.
He wore black pyjamas. That was funny, he thought walking into the bathroom.
Black paused by the mirror and taking a deep breath,
stared hard into it.
What he saw –at first – shocked
him. His face was no longer the lined pale white face with eyes as dead as a
corpse but with colour, cheeks a little rosy and eyes bright and vivid with
life. He was back. Conrad Turner, Spectrum’s top agent. The smile he felt start,
disappeared. For how long would he last?
The intercom chimed; he walked
out and pressed it:
“Black.”
“Ah.” White’s voice was crisp and
alert. “Morning conference is at 0900.”
0834.
“I’ll be there.”
Magenta was adjusting his cap
when the doors to the lift began closing. “Hey!”
Blue dipped his hand to the door,
holding it back. Magenta ran inside, his boots clattering. “Thanks.”
“No problem, almost missed it,”
The Bostonian said with a gentle smile.
Magenta smiled back; nothing
fazed Captain Blue that much. Blue was much calmer than Magenta. The Irishman
could easily get heated as he had recently after Rhapsody was shot down.
Magenta’s thoughts were rushing
and numerous as he left the lift with Blue. What about Rhapsody? He and she were an item, but could it last? He seemed to remember something had
happened between her and Black before the Zero-X mission; maybe it would again.
Granted, Blue and Symphony were steady –as steady as duty allowed
– but Rhapsody had once been close
to Scarlet, although Scarlet seemed to be with Destiny these days – or near
enough.
As he walked into the conference
room, the air-conditioning humming loudly, Magenta shoved the thoughts back.
They were irrelevant now. He slid into his seat by Blue and next to Grey. The
other officers were also present as four of the Angels and – to Magenta’s
surprise – Lieutenant Burgundy who had helped them with capturing Captain Black.
Burgundy’s uniform was a cross between a dark red and purple.
Lieutenant Burgundy was English,
hailing from the Dorset region in the southwest. He was one of the
coloured-coded officers on the ground, being there for the uniforms ‘upstairs’
when needed. Burgundy had brown hair and green eyes, his voice was steady and
almost without accent.
White took his own seat and
clasped his hands before him. “No threat as yet from the
Mysterons. However…” He paused, eyes twinkling with some excitement.
“…This is the first day back for Captain Black, who, as you all know,
was recently recaptured by our
captains.”
Magenta crossed his legs at the
ankles, aware of a coy glance from Rhapsody. He directed his gaze at White.
“The transition back into
Spectrum life will be hard for Black, I know you will
do your best to help him do this.”
Black steadily walked down the
corridor, his boots making soft landfalls on the red carpet. He paused briefly
at a mirror on the grey wall, next to a painting of three Angel Interceptors in
flight.
His cap was on straight, his
zip done to the top backed by white and dash it all, he looked smart.
Black smiled.
“Welcome home.”
Black resumed his walk and did
not pause before entering the conference room. As he did he stopped, the doors
sliding quietly behind him. Black looked around.
On the console was a dozen
bottles of champagne –presumably non alcoholic – and standing by the console
were the officers and Angels. White stepped from the front row of officers and
extended his hand:
“Welcome back to duty, Captain
Black.”
Black returned the handshake
warmly, “Thanks Colonel White.”
Black stepped past White before
Scarlet, he grinned jokingly. “Sorry for the hard times I’ve given you.”
“Forgiven,” grinned back Scarlet.
Black went down the line, feeling
like someone else, not a Spectrum agent. He reached Magenta who was more sombre
than the others; of course Black had recently tried to kill Magenta and
Rhapsody.
“Patrick.”
“Conrad.”
Black moved onto the Angels.
“Bonjour Destiny.”
Destiny dabbed at sudden tear.
“Bonjour Conrad.”
As Black reached Rhapsody,
Magenta watched. There seemed to be something that passed between them,
something more concrete than colleagues. Magenta shrugged it off as they
returned to the console and given duty rosters.
The planet Mars rotated as it had
done for millions if not billions of years, the glowing red ball where man had
set out to find life. That life, so found in 2068, was in the form of the Mysterons. The city that had been so ruthlessly destroyed by
ignorance, had resurrected mysteriously and now raged war against Earth.
A war of nerves.
“Captain Black is no longer under
our control. This much has been proved. We must take steps.”
Once more the Mysterons began plotting –but this time, they will not issue
a threat to the Earthmen.
Lieutenant Burgundy glanced at
Captain Magenta as their Spectrum Saloon Car sped along the Weymouth-London
motorway in a Spectrum Saloon Car.
“It had been a real honour to
have helped you and the other captains in getting Captain Black back.”
Magenta’s lips curled in a faint
smile, “Your help was very helpful.”
“I hope I can get more time on Cloudbase.”
“You did a good job, you still might have a chance to get more time on the
base.” Magenta replied.
Magenta noticed a fuel tanker
coming the other way; it was the same type of tanker that Spectrum used for
undercover work. He didn’t pay it much attention, instead noticing the road
curving away from Dorchester.
If he had been watching the
tanker more closely, he would have seen one of the tyres explode. The tanker
slewed to the right, across the path of the SSC.
“God’s teeth!” swore Magenta
slamming on the brakes. He turned
left but the tanker’s rear clipped the front of the SSC. The car somersaulted
into the air, away from the exploding tanker that spewed blazing oil across the
motorway. Magenta saw the countryside hit him and then blacked out.
Burgundy was dead and it was not
long before the ghostly green circles floated over his twisted body beneath the
SSC. As fire licked at the dead body, the resurrected Burgundy walked around to
pull Magenta out. The Irish captain was unconscious, blood streaked on his face.
Burgundy stood silently.
“This is the Mysterons, you know what you
must do.”
“I know.” Burgundy paused.
“Captain Black will return to the Mysterons.”
“The SPJ with Captain Magenta and
Lieutenant Burgundy is approaching,” Green reported.
White nodded, acknowledging the
report by Green; he left his console and walked onto the observation tube. He
could barely hear the muffled whine of the SPJ’s
engines as it was making its approach toward Cloudbase.
White had been informed of the
crash an hour ago. It had been Burgundy who had reported the crash and requested
a SPJ for Magenta. The SPJ was quicker than getting Magenta to the nearest
hospital – Southampton – and Cloudbase had better
facilities.
Colonel White didn’t like
officers getting injured or worse, killed, but when it happened he tried to act
normally. In recent months, it had been Scarlet injured numerous times, Blue a
few times and even Symphony after being downed in mysterious circumstances.
“This is SPJ Zero-Zero-Seven, we’re inbound on final approach.”
“Acknowledged,” Green replied in
his Trinidadian accent.
White watched the SPJ run onto
the runway and come to a quick stop. The SPJ was then swallowed into the depths
of Cloudbase by the aircraft lift. Once inside the
hangar, the injured captain was offloaded with Burgundy in tow.
“Order Lieutenant
Burgundy to the control room.”
“Yes colonel.”
Burgundy snapped to attention
before Colonel White, hands stretched behind his back. White was back at his
console, his eyes coolly appraising Burgundy.
“You acted well lieutenant, this is the kind of duty we expect in Spectrum.
You will go far.”
“Thank you sir.”
“Dismissed.”
Black lowered the magazine as Rhapsody walked in. “Hey.”
“Hey.” She walked to the coffee
machine and made some coffee. Black watched her from above the magazine; she
looked as attractive as ever. She walked to a nearby chair and settled into it,
sighing.
“That’s my standby over.”
“Tough being a pilot.”
She chuckled.
“Too right.”
Scarlet then walked in, looking a
little stressed. “Something bothering you?” asked Black.
“Magenta’s been wounded.”
“My God,” Rhapsody said
straightening.
“How?”
“Burgundy and Magenta were
driving back to Spectrum HQ in Dorset when a tanker exploded.”
Black stood. “How bad is he?”
“Some head wounds, nothing too
bad apparently.”
Scarlet turned on his heel and
paused by the door having noticed Black’s curious look, “I want to check on
him.”
Black moved to the Angel’s side.
His left hand gripped her right arm gently. “He’ll be fine.”
“Hope so.”
“You care for him?”
“Of course.”
Black remembered when trying to
kill Rhapsody some months ago, Magenta had been the protecting captain as Grey
had been with Harmony. Had in that time Magenta and Rhapsody grown closer
together?
Possibly.
“He’ll be fine,” Black repeated
softly.
Magenta sat on the edge of the
bed. Fawn wrapped some bandage around his left hand. A couple of plasters
covered cuts on his cheeks. “You’re quite fine, captain. You might be dead were
it not for Burgundy.”
Magenta winced as the bandage was
pressed down on his damaged hand. “I guess so, doc.”
“Humph,” Fawn guffawed. He stood
back. “Voila.”
“You missed your calling as a
parcel wrapper,” Magenta said standing up and reaching for his cap. He walked
out thanking Fawn once more and making his way to the lounge.
Lieutenant Burgundy walked down
the darkened corridors of the personal quarters. The new Spectrum Mysteron agent had not made his move immediately upon
returning to Cloudbase. He wanted to get Black
preferably by himself. His gun was holstered, to be used upon confronted by the
enemy.
He paused before a grey door, the
dividing line bracketed by thick black lines. A small white square was filled
with the copperplate legend of CAPTAIN BLACK.
Burgundy dipped his fingers into
the door and pulled it apart. The former Burgundy would’ve had trouble to do
this, but this Mysteron had no problem at all.
Burgundy, once the doors open,
was blanketed by darkness and heavy breathing. He walked in and silently moved
towards the bed, where Black was asleep. He stood by the bed and then looked
down.
Black’s eyes opened.
Colonel White couldn’t sleep and
was sitting at his desk writing a detective story; it helped the commander in
chief of Spectrum unwind. He stopped writing and stood; he paced the room
briefly before sitting back at the desk.
The Mysterons,
as usual, were bugging the colonel. Why hadn’t they made a threat yet? The threats had been routine, regular, and
consistent. Maybe they were mourning the loss of their human agent.
A loud thump sounded next door. Black’s quarters.
White drew his gun, the pistol
decked by a white stripe. He listened for anything else and heard the sound of
scuffling, objects being knocked aside. White made for the door and stopped by
Black’s doors. From beyond he saw Scarlet and Blue running, guns held high. They
stopped in the corridor, White motioned for the door to
be forced.
Scarlet raised his right boot and
brought it crashing down into the door; it parted and he dived in, his hands
pulling it apart easily. Scarlet would have simply pressed the automatic open
button but due to the systems failure he had to pry the door open with his
hands.
Black was struggling with
Burgundy, the latter still wearing his uniform. The three spectators trained
their guns on Burgundy. “Lieutenant cease your
actions.”
Burgundy’s eyes burned as he
glanced at White. “You cannot stop the Mysterons,
Earthman.”
White felt disappointment enter
his being: another agent lost to the Mysterons. “We
will.”
Black and Burgundy crashed into
the bedside knocking and breaking the lamp. They rolled away. Scarlet dashed
past White and grabbed the broken lamp. He switched it on and the broken tip
flashed blue angrily.
“Paul,” warned Blue.
Scarlet lunged at Burgundy and
stabbed the tip against the Mysteron’s back. Burgundy straightened as if a steel rod
had been placed up his back and screamed. He fell dead. Black shrugged the body
loose and stood.
“Thanks Paul.”
“No problem,” replied Scarlet, dropping the lamp.
White stepped close to Burgundy.
“It would appear that the Mysterons want you back,
Conrad.”
Black rubbed his unshaven chin.
“Well I’ll be.”
“Members of Spectrum, as of now,
Cloudbase is on red alert. The
Mysterons
have stated without doing so verbally, that they want Captain Black back and
will do anything to get him. All leave is cancelled. That is all.”
Rhapsody looked dryly at the
speaker and leant back in the pilot’s seat in the Amber Room.
“Just what we need.”
“Oui,”
Destiny murmured reading her magazine. Symphony was up in Angel One. It would be
Rhapsody and Harmony to take the next two Angel One
shifts. Rhapsody left the seat and walked to the bookshelf plucking a copy of
Moby Dick. She flicked through it idly, remembering school holidays in London
when she would read.
“How is Patrick?” asked Destiny
staring at a picture of her beloved Paris.
“Fine,” murmured Rhapsody.
Destiny turned in her chair, the
magazine forgotten. “Is that all, mon
amie? Fine?”
Rhapsody looked back at Destiny
with unflinching eyes, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Destiny shrugged and her heavy
accent replied, “You and Patrick have been so close, an item, now he has been
wounded and you seem unabashed.”
“He’ll live Destiny, nothing bad
happened.”
“Humph.” Destiny returned to her
magazine. Rhapsody sighed and returned to the book.
White drummed his fingers on the
console. “They’re going to try again. But how?”
Lieutenant Green sat quietly; it
was best to let the colonel speculate silently without interruption. Green
turned to his right as the walkway began moving; he nodded at Captain Black. The
captain had his fingers dipped in his belt. He stepped off the walkway and sat
on one of the stools before White’s console. “Colonel.”
“Good to see you Captain Black,
I’ve been pondering how the Mysterons will strike.”
“Any way they can. I should bet
they’ll use another Spectrum agent.”
White’s eyes fixed on Black’s,
“You think so?”
Black shrugged, “It is more than
likely unless they use their powers to manipulate something. On Cloudbase, an agent would seem the most logical choice.”
The Mysterons
had done such a thing to start the fire at Rig 15. They used their powers to
open the valve at distance, in order to create the ensuing inferno. They don’t
seem to always need an agent.”
“Lets
hope they won’t do that.”
“Once more the Earthmen have
thwarted our plans, the agent known as Burgundy has been killed. Captain Black must return. But we must strike now. Strike we will.”
Black slept roughly that night,
tossing and turning. Sweat marrying to his body as he pitched, his eyes screwed
shut and the sweat gathering there. Black’s dreams were tortured, images
changing and morphing.
The Mysteron
complex exploding under the MEV’s shells…
…the Mysterons’ voice…
…God no, why him?
Black shot upwards in bed and
immediately drew the cover back, his hands went to his
face wiping the sweat sloppily. He looked around the room, after removing his
hands and settled his breathing. Things were fine now, they would be fine, no
more Mysteron control.
“I need some water,” he murmured
heading for the bathroom. He switched on the light and heard the Air
Conditioning kick in; it cooled the sweat on his neck and made Black shiver
lightly. Black turned the taps on the basin, choosing to ignore the reflection
in the mirror. The past couple of days had indeed been stressful as the Mysterons made clear their intentions. He splashed water
into his face and felt a little fresher.
He then stared into the mirror
and as he did, green circles hovered over the water and vanished.
Black dipped his fingers back in.
The movie, Day of the Martian,
detailing an early Zero-X mission, had ended. Magenta and Rhapsody left Cloudbase’s auditorium with the small audience. The Irish
captain paused in the corridor running past the cinema. To
face Rhapsody, a question on his lips.
“Are you on standby now?”
Rhapsody shook her head. “Bed. I’m not on readiness until 0400.”
Magenta consulted his watch, the
digital piece centre with the second hand sliding round the outer rim. 2257.
“I’ll walk you back to your
quarters.”
They fell into step, the Angel dressed in her uniform in the event of
instant scramble and the captain in his uniform after a long day. They were
silent as they walked towards the Angel quarters.
“Here we are.” Rhapsody pointed
out as they reached the quarters area, they eventually
paused before a door marked RHAPSODY ANGEL. She turned to him, “Thanks.”
“No problem.” A
silent pause. “Guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yes.” She looked at his bandaged
hand. “I hope your hand gets better.”
“Yeah.”
He then kissed her on the lips
and turned on his heel, leaving Rhapsody behind.
Captain Black dried his face and
moved to put on his uniform, sleep thus eluded for tonight, aiming to go to the
lounge. Black felt his face twitch, as if something was bubbling under the skin.
He felt it after zipping his jacket up and adjusting his cap. He walked back
into the bathroom, once more switching the light on and staring into the mirror.
His eyes widened and his heart missed a beat.
His skin was turning white, a
deathly white, that of a corpse. As it had been when he was a Mysteron agent. His bright eyes were changing, becoming a
dull black. Black drew his gun and aimed at his head; he sweated as he had done
just a few minutes ago and then holstered it.
He had to leave.
Black turned and ran out the
quarters; the
dark clad officer ran down the corridor and straight into Magenta rounding a
corner ahead.
Magenta hit the floor hard, the
moment reminding him of the time Mysteron agent Doctor
Magnus, while attempting to kill General Tiempo, had floored him. Magenta saw it was now
Black and drew his gun. “Halt!”
Black disappeared into the lift, Magenta’s cap radio fell into place.
Lieutenant Green had been working
the nightshift, most of the control room darkened. He listened to the radio from
Switzerland as they passed over and gently bobbed his head. Suddenly, the pink
coloured light on his console flashed.
“Yes Captain Magenta?”
“Code Red! Black is a Mysteron again! I can’t be sure but he seemed different.”
Green nodded and stabbed the Cloudbase tannoy button. “All
Spectrum members this is a priority alert. Captain Black must be apprehended at
once. Spectrum Is Red.”
Doctor Fawn heard the whooping of
alarms as he drew a sheet over one of his beds in sickbay and heard clattering
of boots. Captain Scarlet with two security men thundered past without stopping.
As Fawn stood by the door frowning, he felt an arm across his throat.
“Do not move Doctor Fawn, do as I
say.” The voice was Black’s, his normal voice but tinged with the Mysteronised voice.
“Black, wait.”
“Relay this message to Colonel
White.”
Fawn listened. Ten minutes later
he collapsed at Black’s feet having suffered a blow to the neck. Black touched
his forehead and drew his gun. “I am sorry doctor.”
Colonel White’s jacket flapped
open as he walked into the brightening control room. “What in blue blazes?”
“Captain Black appears to have
returned to Mysteron control. Captain Magenta reported
him running out of the officers’ quarters
area. His face was pale. Doctor Fawn has just reported him leaving sickbay, and
confirms that Black does appear to be Mysteron once
more.”
“Blast. Blast.” White sat down. “Seal Cloudbase. No one is to
leave.”
Captain Black paused at the
entrance to the hangar; the SPJ sat glistening under the lights next to two
Angel Interceptors and four Spectrum Helicopters. Black began trotting towards
one of the Interceptors, his mind was a raging torrent
of thoughts. The Earthman in him was fighting the Mysterons’
control.
He felt his face changing as he
jogged closer, but that was immaterial. It had to be for he had to get off Cloudbase. Black put away his gun and leapt onto the port
wing of the Interceptor; the cockpit was open and Black leant in. He flicked
some switches and the cockpit came alive. He started the jet and a steady whine
began. As the jet got ready, Black jumped off and ran to the far side in the
shadows behind the SPJ. He came to the control station and started the lift that
carried aircraft to the flight deck. As it began to move, Black now grabbed a
helmet. Coincidentally it was black. The captain returned to the Interceptor and
briefly moved it to the lift. The Interceptor rose steadily towards the flight
deck.
White was talking to Captains
Scarlet, Blue and Grey, as the search for Black was co-ordinated. The captain
was still on Cloudbase and according to both Fawn and
Magenta, slowly returning to Mysteron control.
Lieutenant Green listened with one ear, whilst monitoring the console before
him.
A light flashed and he muttered,
“What the…?”
“What is it lieutenant?” White
asked, disrupting his conference.
“Colonel.” Green swivelled to
face the colonel. “Sir, the aircraft lift is raising
in the hangar.”
“Interior cameras
now.”
The screen behind White shifted
from that of the Spectrum logo to that of the hangar. White faced it and Scarlet
stood, arm outstretched.
“Sir. One
of the Angel Interceptors.”
“Black,” White commented his
voice as heavy as hailstones. He spoke to Green without looking. “Lieutenant,
halt that lift. Captain Scarlet.”
“On my way, sir,” Scarlet said
moving for the exit.
The lift slotted into place too
late for Green to stop it. Black looked at the dark sky and twinkling stars. He made
sure his helmet was on tight. Black took the yoke with pale hands and pulled
back. The Angel Interceptor rose in a graceful motion, Black quickly retracting
the landing gear. Black cast one unemotional, disinterested look at Cloudbase before hitting the accelerator and moving off.
Rhapsody was at the helm of Angel
One, as Black stole the Interceptor. She had cut short her sleep to replace
Symphony, doing the American a favour by allowing her some rest.
The Englishwoman noticed the
familiar, graceful lines of another Interceptor rising into the air to the left
of the launch ramp. Its starboard side lit by Cloudbase’s
lights, she immediately recognised the Black helmet. Rhapsody began starting
procedures even as Green’s cool voice came over her radio.
“Angel One, immediate launch.
Apprehend Captain Black.”
Rhapsody launched her
Interceptor. “SIG.”
Behind her, Harmony and Melody
assumed their aircraft upon Green’s further orders but Rhapsody had the edge.
Using flaps and wind, Rhapsody glided the Interceptor after Black. The stolen
jet was angling upwards; Rhapsody checked her altimeter.
47,000 feet.
“This is Angel One, pursuing
Captain Black now passing Angels Four-Eight.”
She toggled another line of
communication. “Captain Black this is Rhapsody. Don’t do it, we can still help
you.”
No response.
“Conrad.”
Rhapsody tried several more times
as they passed through Angels Fifty – 50,000 feet. Sooner or later her jet would not climb
more. More in hope than anything, Rhapsody fired. Her shots sped wide but were a
warning shot even so.
“Black!”
Then a deep voice, a low rumble,
all too familiar:
“Rhapsody Angel, there is no
point you pursuing me longer. I must do this, to save you all. Goodbye.”
The Angel ahead of her began to
shimmer and vanished. Shock overrode Rhapsody, enough to make her not hear the
warning sirens crashing in her ears.
Then she grabbed the yoke with
both hands and dived the Interceptor earthwards.
“Captain Black has vanished.”
“Understood, return home
Rhapsody. Spectrum is now Green.”
“Members of Spectrum. Captain Black has
escaped, the Mysterons having succeeded in returning
him to their control but let us not forget the fact that he was a great
officer.” White took in the Spectrum
officers and pilots, “For now Captain Black is once again a
Mysteron
but there will be a day when he will return to us, perhaps when this war of
nerves is over. Now he left a message with Doctor Fawn, please doctor.”
Fawn cleared his throat, the mark
on his neck a delicate purple.
“He asked me to relay the
following. ‘I am sorry that events took this course, I
could not control the Mysterons’ control once it took
hold. I chose to leave to save any further attacks on
Cloudbase
to get me back. I will return, be sure of that’.”
There was silence, heavy
impenetrable silence. Some had tears in their eyes.
They had lost a battle but not
the war. There would be many more battles but for now they had to contend
themselves with what they had.
Somewhere on Earth, Captain Black
raised his binoculars to eye a new target for the Mysterons.
Despite being an agent once more, Black had not totally forgotten his past or
the brief time he had spent back on Cloudbase.
Deep down inside the
Mysteron
agent, a small voice said in that same tone he had when joining Spectrum at its
creation.
I will return, I have to and it
won’t be long in coming.
BACK TO “FAN FICTION ARCHIVES” PAGE
OTHER CAPTAIN SCARLET STORIES BY MATT CROWTHER
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