This story is based on characters created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson for the TV series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons.

Some events and characters Copyright © of all trademarks materials (Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons, all characters, vehicles, crafts, etc.), owned by ITC/Polygram/Carlton. Information of the series are all been taken from copyright © materials (books, magazines, videos, T.V. media, comics, etc) owned by ITC/Polygram/Carlton.

Dead man’s Gambit

A “Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons” short story

By Chris Bishop

With all the opportunities they had, why haven't the Mysterons ever tried to Mysteronise Captain Scarlet again?

…Or maybe they DID.

This story follows shortly after the events depicted in the TV episode ‘Spectrum Strikes Back’.

“So these are the weapons that are supposed to help us get an edge over the Mysterons, are they?”

Major Victor Logan, commander of Spectrum’s base in Hawaii, Anuenue, looked thoughtfully at the two objects laid on his desk. They didn’t appear much like weapons to him, actually. One of them looked suspiciously like an old Polaroid camera from the preceding century, while the other, cumbersome-looking piece of equipment, remotely resembling a rifle, didn’t seem to be very impressive. Yet, the two colour-coded officers standing in front of him had explained how effective both items were, and he had read the explanatory sheet that had been sent to him shortly before they had arrived. He knew the two items had been tested, and even put through a field trial – though the details of that trial had remained top secret. The fact that these two men had been part of that trial – and so witnesses of the efficiency of these weapons – was enough to put Logan’s last doubts to rest, though.

Captain Blue cleared his throat, and then pointed to the rifle-like item. “Actually, Major, THIS one is the real weapon, as you’re probably well aware. As for this other…”

“I know,” Logan interrupted with a nod. “C-38. The Mysteron detector. I read the sheet.” He offered a sly grin. “Forgive me, gentlemen, if I appeared somehow incredulous at first. I shouldn’t doubt the report and your explanation of the use of that… equipment.” He took the detector in his hands, examining it closely. “So it really works, then. We can spot a Mysteron with this?”

“Yes, it works,” Captain Scarlet then offered calmly. “You can believe me on that, sir.”

Logan put the detector down on the desk. “Too bad we can’t test them right here and now.”

“Too bad, indeed,” Blue answered soberly, glancing toward Scarlet with a meaningful look. Major Logan, who had been attached to the Anuenue Base for only a short time, didn’t know yet of the English captain’s unique condition – of the events that had led to his Mysteronisation and release, a few months ago. The newly-assigned Base commander had not been cleared for this level of security just yet, and Scarlet’s situation was one of Spectrum’s most guarded secrets – known only by those closely working with him. For he had retained some particularities from his experience; his retrometabolism being one – and unfortunately, the faculty of being spotted by the Mysteron detector being another, along with the probable likelihood that he might be killed by the Mysteron gun. All this called for special and careful measures concerning the distribution and uses of both pieces of equipment.

“You understand that you are to put that equipment under tight security, Major,” Scarlet continued in an even voice, apparently unfazed by the base commander’s suggestion. “And that it is to be used only under direct orders from Cloudbase.”

“I understand perfectly, Captain, don’t worry,” Logan replied. “And I also understand that you are both to supervise that the equipment is indeed safely locked away and that no unauthorized personnel are to handle it.” He sighed. “Isn’t this getting a little carried away, gentlemen, for weapons designed to help us fight the Mysterons?”

“There are reasons, Major,” Captain Blue replied calmly, keeping himself from glancing once again toward Scarlet. “Security reasons.”

Logan cocked an eyebrow. “Will I and my head of security learn about those ‘security reasons’ anytime soon?”

“In due time, sir,” Blue answered, with a kind enough smile. “We’re sorry, but… for the moment, we can’t say anything else.”

Major Logan huffed, then looked down, pondering, at the equipment. “You Cloudbase colour-coded officers are sometimes a little too melodramatic for my taste,” he muttered. “But orders are orders. Especially when they come directly from Colonel White. All right, we’ll do it your way. I chose two of this base’s most loyal men from the security department to learn from you how these things work, as previously instructed. They cleared initial check-out from Lieutenant Green. So I guess that part of the operation is okay?”

Blue nodded briefly. “Would you call them now, sir?” he suggested. “We will be able to progress to the training.”

“Such as it is,” Logan grumbled, knowing full well that there could be no practical use for the equipment at the moment. He pressed down a button on his desk console. “Sergeant Brest, please inform Captain Manuku and Sergeant MacGuthrie that I need them in my office right now, please?”

At the sound of one of the names, Captain Scarlet had pricked up his ears. “Manuku?” he repeated.

“Yes, Captain Barry Manuku, my head of security,” Logan informed him. “He’s been assigned here for the past four weeks. He was previously working at security in our Los Angeles-based headquarters, but as soon as he had his promotion, asked to be sent in Hawaii, to be close to his homeland. He’s perfectly clear, Captain.”

“Is there a problem, Captain?” Blue asked, seeing the concerned look on his partner’s face.

“Only a small glitch, I’m sure,” Scarlet replied. “I know Barry Manuku. That is, he knows my real identity. We were together at West Point, some years ago.”

“Oh!” A frown appeared on Captain Blue’s face. “A glitch all right. How come that didn’t stand out when Lieutenant Green did the preliminary security check? Our identities have to be protected.”

“It may be because Captain Manuku is relatively new to this base,” Logan offered. “He arrived about one week after myself. Probably, all the related forms had not reached Cloudbase yet.”

“You can always count on bureaucracy to drag out simple procedures needlessly,” Blue commented with a dry tone.

“That’s a problem easily resolved, anyway,” noted Scarlet. “I’m sure Captain Blue is more than capable of training your men on these new devices on his own.”

“And in the meantime, what will you do?” Blue asked him.

“I’ll stroll around the base, waiting for you to finish with your training. With Manuku busy with you, I don’t think there’ll be much chance of running into him!”

Blue nodded with a faint smile. “So you’ll get the chance to enjoy the scenery, eh? That figures. You always have all the luck. All right, then. I’ll give you a call when the meeting is done.”

“S.I.G., Captain.”

* * *

After shaking hands with Major Logan, Captain Scarlet left the office, and the Command Center Building. As he stepped out of the edifice, met by a warm wind coming from the sea, he heard the sound of a roaring engine straight ahead and looked up to see Angel Two flying low over the base. The interceptor craft had escorted the Spectrum Passenger Jet he and Captain Blue had taken from Cloudbase to Anuenue Base, before going onto a patrol tour around the area.

Now it was coming back from its round, ready to escort them back to Headquarters. Not that there was really anything suspicious around, warranting that patrol procedure, but considering the recent attempts by the Mysterons to sabotage the meeting during which Intelligence had presented the newly developed devices that would help in fighting them, Spectrum had every reason to believe that they would try to stop the said devices from being distributed around to strategic Spectrum bases. So far nothing had happened during distribution. Scarlet was just hoping it would continue that way.

The Anuenue Base was set on a small volcanic island, in a remote part of the Hawaiian archipelago. The island itself was relatively recent, with its own volcano located at the East end of the island – still active with minimum lava spills, that were oozing through the sea, instantly cooling down and expanding the size of the land, at a rate of several centimetres per day. The majority of the island was covered by a deep greenery, which surrounded the Anuenue Base on three sides – the ocean with its harbour bordering the fourth. There were no inhabitants on the island – only Spectrum personnel, military or support, and its shores were constantly under watch – which was making it one of the safest and most secluded bases Spectrum had around the world. And probably the one with the most beautiful setting, Captain Scarlet mused with a large grin, looking around approvingly.

Seeing two Spectrum ground officers coming his way, Captain Scarlet, suspecting they were MacGuthrie and Manuku, and certainly not wanting to encounter the latter, quietly left the building’s surroundings and started walking casually in the opposite direction from the two men. After a few steps, he discreetly looked over his shoulder and saw them enter the Command Center, closing the door behind them as they did.

Just in time, the British captain reflected. With all that was presently going on in his life, the last thing he needed – and wanted – was to jeopardize his real identity. The fewer people who knew that Captain Scarlet was really Paul Metcalfe, the better. Especially in regard of his family, whom he hoped to keep as far away as possible from this madness of a war that Spectrum was waging for Earth against the Mysterons’ efforts to destroy it.

Walking quietly around the base, Captain Scarlet made few encounters – only some Spectrum ground officers who saluted him in passing and continued their way. After a few minutes, he directed his pace in the direction of the runway. The Angel craft overhead was turning sharply, and coming in to land. He thought he might as well welcome Symphony Angel upon landing. He might as well keep company with her and invite her for a tour around the island, while Blue finished with his tutorial on the new equipment. He grinned mischievously at that last thought. Wouldn’t THAT infuriate Adam to learn we were having a good, quiet time, while he was busy with tedious business!

He was near the runway when he stopped in his tracks, as a sudden headache hit him. Grunting in pain, he swayed, and put his hand to his head. Now, where’s THAT coming from?

It wasn’t a natural headache, he realized almost instantly, as a wave of nausea immediately followed. Over the last few months, he had learned to recognise the signs. It was, in all probability, his sixth sense kicking in.

There was a Mysteron presence in the vicinity.

But where?

Scarlet looked around nervously, searching for anyone that may look suspect. Or anything. He knew that his sixth sense might also have been triggered by an object that had been Mysteronised. It didn’t necessary mean it was a man, or a woman. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, he noted grimly. Small consolation. Nothing looked as similar to its original than a Mysteron copy. Unfortunately, this ability of his was anything but precise. It couldn’t pinpoint to him what was triggering it. That was really frustrating at times. Like now.

Then he saw a man walking quickly toward a small building. He was dressed in a dark grey Spectrum uniform, quite similar to the one technicians wore. Where he was standing, Scarlet was too far away to see from which technical or service corps the man could be. He couldn’t distinguish the identification insignias of his uniform. Scarlet followed him with his eyes, somehow unable to look away from him. Scarlet narrowed his eyes. He was the person closest to him – could it be…

The man stopped at the door and looked from left to right, as if to assure himself that he had not been noticed. Then he quickly opened the door, and swiftly entered, closing it behind him. His behaviour suddenly seemed suspect, and Scarlet decided to follow and find out what he might be doing.

He had only taken a few steps when he noticed that his headache was increasing.

There seemed to be little doubt left. He lowered his cap microphone.

“Captain Blue?” he called.

“What is it, Captain Scarlet?”

“There’s suspected Mysteron activity on the base.”

“What? Are you sure…?”

Scarlet’s headache was mounting. He grunted with irritation. “Yes, quite sure. I saw the suspect enter a small wood and concrete building, about fifty metres east of the runway. I’m going in to check what he’s up to. I may need some back up.”

“I’m on my way. In the meantime, be careful.”

“S.I.G.,” grumbled Scarlet. His cap mic returned to the visor and he drew his gun from its holster, to carefully approach the small construction. There were no windows from which the enemy could have seen him, but he was nevertheless apprehensive that his presence would become known. With the Mysterons, one never knew what to expect.

Scarlet put his hand on the door handle, pricking up his ears. He couldn't hear a sound on the other side. Carefully, he turned the handle, and pushed the door inward to risk an eye inside. He couldn't see anyone in the small room that revealed itself before his eyes. Just a pile of drums stacked in a corner, marked ‘Explosives’. Looking around, he entered, his gun at the ready, fully expecting to see the Mysteron agent appearing from a corner, or behind a hiding place. But still, he couldn't see anything suspicious. Not even a trace that someone had been in there.

I didn't imagine things! Scarlet told himself with frustration. I did see someone entering here! And the fact that he was still feeling nauseous was a good indication that the agent was still nearby - maybe watching him, waiting. That was making him feel uncomfortable. On edge.

There was another door at the end of the small room. The feeling of impending danger Scarlet was sensing seemed to come from behind it. He hesitated just a fraction of a second before ever so carefully and silently walking in that direction. His nausea kept increasing, and Scarlet just knew he was right - the Mysteron agent was in there.

Again, he put his hand on the handle, and again, ever so slowly, he turned it.

And then, all Hell broke loose.

From the other side of the door, a thunderous sound made itself heard, filling his ears, and the door literally blew up in his face. The explosion knocked him off his feet and flung him through the air, throwing him against the opposite wall. He hit hard, nearly losing what was left of his consciousness, and slid to the floor. Half-stunned, he rose to his knees, and looked around in bafflement; he saw that the fire was spreading quickly, blocking his only exit through the door he had taken earlier to enter.

"Damn it all..." Scarlet retrieved his cap from the floor; fortunately, it had fallen not far from him. He gathered himself to his unsteady feet, watching with horror as the fire continued to spread, at a tremendous pace. The smoke was already becoming dense – so quickly it was nearly unbelievable. He activated his radio. "Captain Blue! Do you hear me?" he barked into the mic. He coughed, having swallowed a mouthful of smoke. "I'm trapped in here!"

To his dismay, only static answered him. Well, I gave my position to Blue earlier, so he should be coming soon, Scarlet reflected grimly. Hopefully with the necessary material and personnel to get him out. In the meantime, the British agent thought it a good idea to see if he would be able to find an exit by himself. As quickly as possible. The smoke was becoming denser by the second, and he already had trouble breathing.

As he broke into a coughing fit, he realized that there was even more to worry about than he had first thought, not only the fire and the ordinary smoke. Heavy fumes were coming out of the drums he had seen upon entering, and were now filling the room. That was adding considerably to the already intense, opaque smoke. And they weren’t ORDINARY fumes. Scarlet's throat was now irritating him enough to tell him that they were highly toxic.

Great, just what I needed! he thought grimly. Whatever is in those drums must definitely be a health hazard! He had to get out of there fast, even risking going through the flames in order to do so. He stepped decidedly toward the exit.

The roof selected that precise moment to come tumbling down on him. A rain of flaming beams sent him to the floor. How he managed to avoid them all was nothing short of a miracle. He staggered back to his feet, with great difficulty, coughing loudly. His throat was sore, it was becoming harder to breathe, and his eyes were itching.

He stepped again toward the door, tentatively. A silhouette appeared beyond the smoke, making him stop in his tracks in surprise.

"You fell right into the trap, Earthman." The booming, ominous voice chilled Scarlet's blood in his veins. He saw the gun aimed at him, and quickly tried to reach for his own.

A crack from overhead made him look up, and he saw a huge beam falling straight at him. He didn’t have time to move to avoid it, and it hit him, exactly at the same instant a gunshot resonated through the burning room. But a staggering Scarlet only felt the impact of the beam on his back and the resulting pain resonating through all his body. He fell to the ground where he lay still.

"This time, Earthman, you die... and the Mysterons will be victorious."

That was the last thing the struggling mind of Captain Scarlet heard before losing its fight against nothingness.

The small building Captain Scarlet had described was a raging inferno when Captain Blue arrived there, with security officer Captain Barry Manuku, a native Hawaiian-born officer who was almost as tall as the colour-coded captain. They found the base fire-fighters already in attendance, working to control the fire. Blue looked with absolute horror at the flames rising high in the sky, and the heavy, deep black smoke spiralling even higher. When he made a step forward, he found himself stopped by the chief fireman, who swiftly caught him by the arm.

"Don't go nearer, sir. Those fumes are deadly!"

"Fumes?" Blue asked, confused.

“This building was used to store drums of chemicals,” the chief explained. “Highly volatile. And the fumes from the fire would be deadly for anyone breathing them for more than five minutes!"

"My partner may be in there!" Blue replied.

"Well, I hope he's not. If the fumes don't get to him, the fire will - if it didn’t already."

"Do you have oxygen and a mask I can use, chief?"

"I do, but I won't take the responsibility of letting you..."

"I'll take full responsibility, chief… Brennan,” Blue cut in roughly, after eyeing the man’s name tag. "Now, give me that equipment!"

The fire-fighter couldn't do anything else but comply. He gave Captain Blue all that he would need, and the Spectrum officer hastily prepared himself. It took him a mere minute to be ready to follow, as the firemen, informed that somebody may be trapped inside the building, attacked the door with massive hatchets. Under their vigorous hacks, the door quickly gave way.

Blue precipitated himself inside, literally into a blazing furnace, flanked by two of the firemen. While the two men went each their separate ways to contain the rapidly spreading fire, Blue hurriedly looked around for his missing partner, screwing his eyes behind the transparent mask to see beyond the curtain of smoke surrounding him. He quickly found Scarlet, lying next to the huge cans of chemicals Chief Brennan had told him about. Blue didn’t waste any time in checking out his friend and gathered him onto his shoulders, determined to get him out of this inferno. He had to try three times before being able to jump through the flames, without being burned, and finally make his way out, through a file of firemen who were entering. One of them tried to offer his help, but Blue ignored him, and moved on.

He rushed toward the medic team waiting at a safe distance with Captain Manuku. They took Scarlet under their care and gently laid him on the ground. Blue quickly removed the heavy equipment he was carrying, and threw it on the ground. Only then did he noticed how hot he felt, with sweat washing down his face. His uniform was a mess, mainly due to the intense smoke he had gone through. He didn’t care about any of that. He didn’t even care that now Captain Manuku was looking down at the set and pale face of Captain Scarlet with an expression of recognition and perplexity on his own. He only glanced briefly at the Hawaiian security officer, before returning his anxious attention to Scarlet, and the two paramedics who were checking him over. One of them placed the respirator mask over Scarlet’s mouth and nose, the other leaned down to put his ear to the officer’s chest.

"He isn't breathing," the man said. "I can’t hear a heartbeat. I'm afraid he's a goner..."

"Let's try to revive him," the other medic replied.

His companion had just agreed to the suggestion when they heard their patient take a heavy breath and saw his chest rising suddenly. "What the...? I thought for sure he was gone!"

Captain Blue smiled slightly. It wasn't the first time that Captain Scarlet had given such concern to medics – and a similar start, when he began to revive. Such moments could be really tricky to explain, without giving his secret away. It was just fortunate that this time, it didn’t appear that that would be the case.

"You must have made a slight mistake," he noted, addressing the man, and kneeling next to Scarlet.

“Apparently,” the man said, shaking his head. “But it’s incredible nonetheless!”

"Those fumes are total poison," the other medic noted. "How did he manage to survive them?"

"My partner is pretty tough, gentlemen," Blue replied quietly. "He probably hadn’t breathed in as much as we thought.”

“Seems to me like the only explanation.” Blue glanced up to Manuku who was staring down at Scarlet. He still had that look on him that said I know this man, and Blue could see it wasn’t a mere suspicion but a certitude. However, Manuku didn’t say a word in front of the medics. Which made Captain Blue think that the security officer was well-trained, and very aware of the importance of secrecy for colour-coded officers’ identities. For that, the American captain could only be grateful.

He would have to talk to Captain Manuku later. In the meantime, he was too preoccupied with his partner’s health. Scarlet was now breathing deeply, if still irregularly, with the help of the mask. He seemed, however, still unconscious. Blue looked up at Manuku.

"I’ll need to take him back to Cloudbase," he announced.

Manuku frowned. Obviously, he wasn’t in agreement with that decision. But he didn’t have the time to voice his surprise.

"Not in the state he's in, Captain," the first medic then declared. “We need to keep him under observation. Despite what you say, we don't know how much of those fumes he inhaled."

"I'm sorry, but I must insist. We have the best medical facilities possible on Cloudbase. If he should need anything, we..."

"We may not be Cloudbase, sir, but we are quite capable of handling your friend's situation."

Concerned about the security regarding Captain Scarlet, Blue was ready to argue more of his point with the medics when his colleague uttered a moan that attracted his attention. He looked down to see that Scarlet was agitating himself. He crouched down next to him once more. "Scarlet, can you hear me?"

Scarlet's eyes fluttered. He coughed into the mask and made a tired and annoyed gesture to remove it. Obviously he didn't have the strength for it and his hand dropped down by his side. "Lie still, Captain," Blue gently advised him. "You need to rest."

Scarlet’s weary eyes seemed to notice his friend’s presence only at that moment. "Adam," he murmured. Blue didn’t pick up the fact that his colleague had called him by his real name – which was prohibited by Spectrum regulations when officers were on duty. Understandably, the British captain was confused enough at the moment. "The Mysterons... " He groaned, and coughed again, searching his breath. "They trapped me..."

"Well, they didn't get to you," Blue noted, soothingly. "We got you out of that furnace in time. Now you rest, buddy. We'll take good care of you."

"He shot me..." Scarlet was able to mutter, weakly lifting his hand in an attempt to point to his chest. He wasn't able to say or do anything more. The hand fell back to his side again, and he drifted into unconsciousness again.

Captain Blue checked his friend's chest. Strange... He doesn't appear wounded, he reflected, seeing no trace of blood upon him. Evidently, Scarlet was very disoriented. He might have made a mistake in his assumption...

Blue shook his head thoughtfully. Seeing as Scarlet didn't have any physical wound, the secret of his healing capacities was safe. That was certainly a plus. The fewer people who knew about that, the better.

"We should get him to the infirmary,” the first medic then said. "He's been very lucky. He doesn't seem to have suffered much from breathing those fumes. Although for a minute I thought..."

"He'll be okay," Blue said with a faint smile. "I think I'd better..."

"Captain Manuku! Captain Blue!" That was Brennan, the chief fireman, quickly coming toward them. Blue got up to his feet, and stood next to Manuku, looking in the fireman’s direction. Brennan was coming from the now nearly destroyed building, which was being massively watered with huge hoses. He removed his mask, stopping in front of the two officers. He looked positively worn out. Blue had a feeling it wasn't only from fighting the flames. There was something else in the man's tired eyes. Manuku also noticed the uneasiness in Brennan’s features and frowned deeply.

"What is it, chief?"

"We found something I thought you might want to see," the fireman said, with a faint nod.

Blue glanced down at Scarlet as the paramedics lifted him gently onto a stretcher and prepared to take him away. "Right, I’ll leave that to you, Captain Manuku. I'll follow my partner to the infirmary and can report to me when..."

"No, Captain Blue," Chief Brennan then insisted. "I think you would want to come with me too.”

"What have you found, chief?" Blue asked, his brow now furrowed.

"Come with me, I’d prefer you to see for yourself."

Intrigued by the air of mystery he could see on the fireman’s face, Blue nodded. He and Manuku each grabbed a mask and a bottle of oxygen, and followed Brennan, who led them to the still burning building.

"I hope it's good, chief," Blue noted, putting on the mask.

"I think you'll find it interesting."

The chief made the two men stop at some distance from the building and pointed toward a group of fire-fighters who were coming out through a large hole punched in the side of a wall. They were carrying something out - which looked like a human body draped under a large white blanket.

"What the...?" Blue looked at Brennan, with a concerned look. "There was somebody else in there?"

"Yeah. Must’ve been very close to the blast. The body is badly charred, nearly unrecognisable. Poor fellow."

Poor fellow... Blue wasn't so sure he could feel sorry for the 'victim'. He exchanged a glance with Manuku. “That could very well be the man who tried to trap Captain Scarlet in there,” he remarked.

“It is possible,” Manuku agreed. “I’ll have this investigated right away.”

“Thank you, Captain Manuku. Keep me informed.” Blue knew that Manuku would try the Mysteron detector on the dead man, as he had been instructed to, mere minutes before, and find out if he was indeed a Mysteron. For the blond American captain, there didn’t seem to be any need for him to stay further. He turned around to go with Scarlet, concerned about how he was doing. He addressed one last word to Brennan:

"Thanks for bringing this to our attention, chief. I..."

"A minute, Captain, that's not all."

Blue looked at him with an annoyed expression. He wanted nothing more than to go back to Scarlet. He didn’t want to risk the base medics discovering too much about him. "What is it now, chief?"

The two firemen were now putting the dead man, still covered with the sheet, at their feet. In doing so, one of the body's arms became uncovered and came to rest against Blue's boot. He looked down instinctively.

And his eyes went wide.

The sleeve worn by the arm, although badly burned and torn, still clearly showed part of a Spectrum logo.

"That's what, Captain," the chief said gloomily. "Do you know if there was another red-clad colour-coded officer inside that building?"

"This is the voice of the Mysterons... We know that you can hear us, Earthmen. You will pay for your act of aggression on our Complex on Mars. Spectrum, within the next twenty-four hours, one of a key member of your Headquarters in the sky will die. Beware of the Mysterons' wrath!"

"Do they have to be SO melodramatic?!"

Captain Ochre was marching down the corridor leading to the Control Room, fully aware that Colonel White would be calling on all available officers soon. Captain Magenta, right behind him, nearly had to run to keep up with him. "Slow down, Rick... I can't keep up. You remember I have a sprained ankle?"

"So maybe you shouldn't come!” Ochre snapped. “You should be off-duty!" He stopped in front of the green door leading into Central Control. From the speakers, the call he knew would come made itself heard. He hesitated to enter and turned toward Magenta with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Pat," he sighed, seeing the hurt look on his friend's face. "I didn't mean it to come out that way. I guess it's just that..."

"The threat. Yeah, I know." Magenta nodded his understanding. "Unnerving to think that this time they’re aiming at one of us, isn’t it?”

"Tell me about it," mumbled Ochre. “The question now is: which one of us?”

They saw Captain Grey coming from the other end of the corridor and they waited until he had neared them, before pressing the ‘open’ button. The three officers entered to step onto the conveyer passing behind Lieutenant Green and leading to the control desk, where sat their commander in chief.

Colonel White seemed very thoughtful; he barely acknowledged their presence when they stood to attention before him. Seeing as he was keeping silent, Captain Ochre cleared his throat, and spoke for all of them: "Reporting as ordered, sir."

White raised his eyes to them, nodded, and then pressed a button on his desk. Three stools raised from the floor and the three officers sat down, removing their caps. All the while, the obvious bothered look they were seeing hovering in the colonel’s features didn’t leave him.

"Sir?" Captain Grey said tentatively. "You looked preoccupied. The Mysteron threat..."

"...Is preoccupying enough as it, Captain Grey," White said, looking at each one of them.

"You think they may be aiming at you?" Ochre asked. He paused a second. "Again?" he added, remembering how their commander had been targeted by the Mysterons recently.

"The threat is vague enough," White murmured, pondering, rubbing his chin. "but I'm afraid the Mysterons have already made their move to put their plans into motion."

"Sir?" a puzzled Magenta asked.

"I just received a call from Hawaii," White explained. "Captain Blue reported that the Mysterons had laid a trap for Captain Scarlet."

The three captains seated before him exchanged worried glances. Ochre shuffled on his stool. "Sir... Is Captain Scarlet all right? That trap... It didn't work, right?"

White narrowed his eyes to his junior officers, before staring at each and every one of them, one after the other. "That, gentlemen," he stated in a very gloomy and cautious tone, "is what we are trying to find out..."

“Something went wrong.”

Captain Black stood on the beach, facing the ocean, with that unemotional expression that had become his since his encounter with the Mysterons, months ago, during that fateful Zero-X mission on Mars. A furtive moonbeam, escaping from behind a cloud, lit his face for the space of three seconds, making it look as it was carved in white marble. He was looking away at the rushing tide that was coming to die some yards below him. He was unimpressed by the beauty of it. He didn’t even turn around to face the Mysteron agent standing behind him, and waited for his answer.

“I know.” It came in a tone less sepulchral then Black’s but just as voided of emotion. “I don’t know how it happened. I followed instructions.”

“You did, yes,” Black replied. “But nevertheless, the process didn’t work properly. Therefore, the mission could be in jeopardy.” He turned around slowly and approached the other agent. "State your report."

"The Earthmen have discovered the body. That caused some confusion in their puny minds."

"Which is to be expected. What did they do with it?"

"They have shipped it to Cloudbase. Pending further examination there while they try to figure out what happened."

"And Captain Scarlet?"

"He's still at the base infirmary, recovering. Unconscious, the last time I heard from there. Therefore, he still doesn't know about the body. The Earthmen are presently evaluating how they should act toward him. So they’re keeping him under surveillance, with an armed guard nearby."

"They are unsure. They don't know if they should trust him now." Black paused for a moment. "This mission may yet be salvaged,” he added coldly. "The confusion the discovery of this body has stirred within the humans could work to our advantage."

"I can't see how," the other agent replied, sounding puzzled by the thought. "Since the contact is broken..."

"It is not entirely broken," Captain Black responded. "We may yet to regain control. The Earthmen won't have time to react. Confusion and surprise will make it so that this mission will be a success for the Mysterons."

The other agent nodded gravely, as he understood perfectly what Captain Black was implying. “Whether he realizes it or not,” he commented, “Captain Scarlet will be working for us.”

“He’ll have his part, yes.” Black turned away from the other agent to look again toward the ocean, with still that same, cold, inhuman look. "Soon," he continued with the same monotonous tone, "we will be avenged." He looked over his shoulder, to address the other agent anew. “You will know what to do…”

With a gasping sound, Scarlet woke up with a start and sprang into a seated position on his bunk. He would probably have jumped out of it if Captain Blue had not caught him in his movement, and stopped him. Scarlet looked up into his friend’s face with surprise and what seemed like the last remains of a deep terror he had experienced in his sleep.

"Adam?" he murmured with a perplexed tone.

"Take it easy," Blue told him evenly. "I think you just had a nightmare."

"Nightmare." Scarlet frowned, apparently trying to recall what he could have possibly dreamed of that was so terrifying that he would wake up shivering, and drenched in a cold sweat. He couldn't remember.

But he did remember the last events he had lived just before losing consciousness. He looked around, confused.

"We're not on Cloudbase?" he asked, stating the obvious.

Blue shook his head to the negative.

"How long was I out, this time?" Scarlet added.

"About four hours," Blue answered truthfully.

"Was I...?" Scarlet let the rest of the question hanging. There wasn't any need to elaborate, as Blue knew very well what he meant.

"I can't tell. If you were, you weren't for long," the American captain noted. "You revived while the medics were giving you oxygen, soon after I got you out of that burning building." He paused a moment, as Scarlet settled himself down once again on the bed, his hand reaching for his head. "You're okay?"

"Head's a little fuzzy," Scarlet mumbled. "And boy, does it hurt... Curious, I always feel fine when I... you know... revive. Must be the effect of those fumes..."

"Could be," Blue said, thoughtfully. "Paul... You told me you had been shot?"

"Mmm?" Scarlet didn't seem to have heard him. Blue frowned a little, then gave it another try.

"Paul, where were you shot? After I got you out of that furnace, I couldn't find a single wound on you."

Scarlet removed his hand from his eyes and gave him a doubtful frown. "I do remember being shot at," he murmured, obviously searching his memory. "I saw the gun aimed at me and heard the shot... But I don't remember feeling anything, really. The roof came tumbling down on me at about the same instant." He raised on one elbow and checked himself. "No trace on the uniform..."

"No," Blue confirmed.

"Obviously, that Mysteron agent missed me."

Blue tilted his head to one side, narrowing his eyes. "Obviously. Is that the last thing you remember?"

"What I remember are more feelings than actual images," Scarlet replied. "The very last thing was that awful feeling of choking... not being able to breathe... My lungs were literally burning. That’s about it." He looked inquisitively at Blue and saw him nodding with a thoughtful expression on his face. There was obviously something on the American captain's mind. He was preoccupied.

"What is it, Adam?" Scarlet asked with a new frown.

"I'm just wondering myself why you don't feel so good," Blue replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"No... There's something else." A thought occurred to Scarlet. "Was that Mysteron agent found?"

"The one who trapped you?" Blue shook his head. "No, I'm sorry to say."

"That's why we're not on Cloudbase, then," Scarlet decided. "We're still here because we have to catch that Mysteron." He swung his legs over the side of the bunk. Captain Blue’s eyes suddenly showed a distraught expression.

"WHAT do you think you’re doing?" the American officer protested loudly.

"He may still be roaming free around the base," Scarlet answered quickly. "Probably doing untold damage. What are we waiting for? We have to find him!"

He began to stand, but suddenly felt a nausea hitting him, and could do nothing more than stay sitting there, holding his head. He would have collapsed to the floor, if Blue had not reached forward to hold him still.

"Can't you see you can't even stand up?" Blue said roughly. "You're staying right here, Captain!"

"We have to find that Mysteron," Scarlet mumbled, raising his eyes to meet those of his partner. "Maybe he isn't very far. He could be the reason I'm feeling so sick..."

Blue noted the desperate look in his friend 's eyes. He also noticed how pale Scarlet was, and the sheen of sweat on his face. He really wasn't feeling well. Whatever the reason for that may be.

"We’re already looking for him,” Blue assured. “We'll find him, don’t worry. He won't get far. In the meantime, I suggest you rest."

"I can't rest when I have a job to do," Scarlet replied, almost ominously. "That Mysteron tried to trap me and I want to find him - and find out WHY he came after me. There isn't a Mysteron threat at the moment and..." He stopped and stared Blue right in the eyes. His friend was keeping deadly silent. "Unless... There's been a Mysteron threat while I was out?"

"Scarlet..."

"There was one, wasn't there?" Scarlet insisted. "That's what you'r