Disclaimer: All rights reserved. This is a one-shot story written for the Spectrum Headquarters Halloween Challenge. Set Three years before the events of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons.
Captain Blue Personal Log Recording:
Halloween night always presents itself as a mysterious window of activity. Since becoming an agent of Spectrum, I was trained to expect the unexpected, to always keep a vigilant eye and take on any threat which presented itself. I never used to be superstitious though. That aspect of my personality came shortly after I joined the organization.
It's been three years since Spectrum first started operating, two years since the war with the Mysterons began. In that time, my best friend inherited powers of retrometabolism, rendering him indestructible. I have witnessed death and resurrection on countless occasions. I have had my life threatened by my allies and my enemies, yet none of those experiences changed my outlook on my career or my life. One such event did. It will forever stick in my memory. Unfortunately, choosing to remember it has to be the biggest mistake I have made to date because, truthfully, I should have lied to Colonel White; not that it would have made much of a difference anyway, I suppose.
I'm writing this entry because I can't keep reliving this experience every time the 31st of October rolls around. I need to find a way to close this chapter of my life and erase the hold it has over my soul. It's about time that my friends and colleagues knew the truth. You see, three years ago, I experienced what could only be described as an alien abduction.
I had just received my rank as Captain when the events of that night unfolded. I worked very hard to achieve that rank, which meant long shifts on and off Cloudbase, wavering any vacation time which I was entitled to and knuckling down hard on my exams.
My assignment at that time was to help set up the various Spectrum training centers which were being constructed all across the world. I had been sent to oversee the construction of a center in Iowa on the 31st of October. I had to rely on caffeine to assist me on the long drive through the American countryside. It was getting late as I saw the sun dip over the horizon. I remember it being a clear day throughout, so I could see the endless stretch of road ahead before my headlights could even cast their beams on it. I would call into Cloudbase every hour with a report on my progress. It was the only thing that helped break the drive up. I would treat those reports like markers so I'd know just how far I had to go before I'd reach my destination.
It was 11 p.m. when I arrived at an intersection. It was like driving into a vacuum. It was deathly quiet with no atmospheric sounds whatsoever. I couldn't hear any traffic, the wind which rustled the trees or the sound of wildlife. I didn't think much of it at the time, but my gut told me that something wasn't right with the setup.
As I sat there, I began to feel disjointed. It was a sensation that I was unfamiliar with. My fingers began to tingle at that point as pins and needles slowly enveloped my body. I had to go. My instinct was to floor it and book it out of there. I knew that I pressed down hard on the accelerator, but I couldn't feel the car move at all. I had somehow lost the sensation of movement. I sat there trying to rationally explain what was going on. I initially chalked it up to exhaustion from a long shift. I looked out my window to see that I was still moving down the road which assured me that I wasn't in any danger. However, the tingling sensation intensified all across my body. I found it hard to grip the wheel after a while. My left arm had gone completely numb. Fearing for my health, I opened a link with Cloudbase and called for medical help. I was certain I was having a heart attack or something.
"Cloudbase, this is Captain Blue. I need medical assistance. Repeat! I need medical assistance. My position is South, South East area fix system, Seven...Six...One...One. Need medical...assistance."
I was met with static. I couldn't think clearly as a buzzing sound filled my head. It was at this moment that my car began to vibrate. A low pitch hum began to creep up on me. Its nauseating sensations sent me into a delirious state. I had to get out of the car. I just had to get out, only I couldn't think to reach for the handle. I called out again while I could still process my words.
As I did, I spotted a strange beam of light in the sky above me. At first, it looked like an ordinary falling star, but it quickly changed its direction at the drop of a hat. It was coming towards me. I watched this light as it passed over the treeline to my right. It made no noise, but the humming increased as it passed overhead. I frantically fumbled with the ignition again, but nothing was working. My car engine had fried. This light completely encompassed my car. For a few seconds, it drenched me in its warm, pulsating light.
And that was it.
I awoke in my car which was sitting in a lay-by at the side of the road. I felt very hot, and my head was throbbing. It honestly felt like I was hit by a train. My skin was burning. Where had I been? Inside a furnace? Reaching for my door, I immediately noticed that the tingling and buzzing sensations had gone. I could feel my hands again along with the searing pain. I pushed the door open, flopping my body out onto the dusty ground. The air smelt weird. The hair on my arms stood on end. It felt like I had stumbled into an electrically charged environment.
As I lay there, my senses tuned in. I could hear the crickets chirping, the wind rustling through the trees. I could even hear an owl in the distance. I slowly picked myself up off the ground and climbed into my car. My arm felt strange as I leaned in to reach for my cap. It didn't hurt, but it felt stiff like all of my muscles had seized up. That was when I caught a glimpse of myself in the rearview mirror. I had received a bloody nose, my eyes were red with their pupils dilated and my blue tunic had been stained with an unusual powdery green substance. I checked myself over for any other injuries, but I couldn't find any.
However, I was yet to discover the craziest part of this scenario. My communicator chimed as my cap microphone swung down into position. I picked it up and spoke into it. I was met with an angered Colonel White.
"Captain Blue! Report! What is your situation!?"
Still, in a daze, I answered the call. "This is Captain Blue. Colonel, I... I don't know how to explain..."
"Where the devil are you, man? You were due to arrive at the Spectrum Training Centre in Iowa two hours ago," the colonel explained. "The commander there reported your absence. We've been trying to contact you since."
Suddenly, a partial recollection of the events returned to me. "I don't understand. I was on my way there when...when… Sir, didn't you get my emergency call?"
"Captain, we will discuss this when you are back on Cloudbase. Report back here immediately."
"S.I.G."
I turned the ignition only to find that it was working again. That was when I noticed the time on my clock. It was now 1 a.m. How long had I been out? Setting off down the road, I came to a street sign, the first one I had seen that evening. To my disbelief, I was approximately twenty miles east of my destination and five miles away from the road I was originally travelling on. How did I end up being so far away in a matter of seconds? Just what had happened to me out there?
It would be hours before I would catch the next flight to Cloudbase. Those hours were the longest hours of my life. My body ached from head to toes. It was like being sunburnt, only worse. Sure, my head was clear enough for me to drive, but I didn't want to stop for anything. I was adamant that the mysterious light would return and I wasn't about to take any chances.
When I returned to Cloudbase, I was hastily summoned to the control room to provide the colonel with an explanation. It was unfortunate to say that he didn't believe me. Not initially at least. He chewed my head off like a rabid dog, barking at me about my duties and responsibilities to Spectrum. I stood there and received my disciplinary hearing, concealing the torment of my ordeal.
It didn't get any better in the following days. I carried on my duties to the best of my ability, pushing the events of that night to the back of my mind. I couldn't afford to let this get in the way of my job. I had facilities to report to and orders to carry out. Things did start to improve though. I had gotten used to the fact that it was well and truly over.
However, that would soon change when I'd return to my quarters after a shift. My whole mood would change erratically as this irritable sensation filled my mind every time I would go to sleep. Then there were the dreams. Those vivid, reoccurring dreams. They started shortly after my incident that night. Each dream told the same story. There was a room, drenched in pulsating light, I was lying on a table unable to move and I knew that I wasn't alone. I would wake up around 3 a.m. in a pool of cold sweat. Why were these dreams plaguing me?
Weeks passed and the dreams continued to grow and extend upon themselves. I was beginning to see more of the picture. There were creatures in the room that I was in. Only, I couldn't make out their features. I could smell the gas that kept me paralysed. I could hear the humming from the lights. I could even feel them beating on my skin.
At that point, I had grown concerned for my mental well-being. One afternoon in the Stand-by lounge, I approached both Destiny and Symphony Angels who sat there, talking over coffee. They could see that look of sincerity on my face, as I told them exactly what was occurring in my dreams.
Symphony believed me from the start. She told me that I hadn't been myself since that night. Destiny tried to give me her thoughts on the situation. She was the rational one of the pair. She tried to convince me that I was under a lot of strain from my assignments and that I should see the doctor. Symphony agreed, but her reasoning was different.
"You girls must think I'm crazy, huh?" I asked them both. I knew that this was hard to talk about in the first place.
Symphony placed her hand on mine. "We believe that something happened to you out there, Adam. I mean, look at you? You've barely slept a wink and it's frightening."
I looked up at her. "What should I do? I tried to tell Colonel White, but he didn't believe me. He certainly wouldn't believe me if I told him that these dreams were related."
What I didn't know at the time was that Captain Scarlet had listened to the whole conversation. He hadn't heard anything like it at the time but he believed me.
"I'll talk to him," he said as he pulled up a chair opposite me. "I can persuade him to deem you medically unfit which will mean that Doctor Fawn will have to examine you. One of his qualifications is in hypnotic regression therapy."
I never knew that fact about the doctor. I felt like it was an option to explore. "Do you think it will help me?"
Scarlet smiled and replied, "It will work. Trust me."
Another shift passed slowly by. When I returned to Cloudbase, the sun dipped beneath the clouds beneath. The stars began to twinkle allowing my mind to wonder. All I could see were flash images of those figures. They would leave me feeling confused and disorientated.
As I entered the control room, I was greeted by Colonel White and Captain Scarlet. I could tell from the looks on their faces that they had been discussing my situation. The colonel stood to address me.
" Ah, Captain Blue. It has been bought to my attention that you have been having some issues on your downtime?"
"That's right, sir. I've been having night terrors since October 31st," I replied. "I tried to brush them aside so it wouldn't get in the way of my duties but..."
"I understand fully, Captain," the colonel
said. "Captain Scarlet and I have revisited your report from that night and
have concluded that something indeed happened to you on the night in
question. Therefore, you are to report to Doctor Fawn for a medical
examination, both physical and mental. Captain Scarlet will accompany you,
should you wish to have support during the examination."
I didn't even hesitate to think it over. I don't know exactly why my friend had said, but the colonel believed me. I complied and thanked him for the opportunity. I felt confident enough to report to the doctor alone, but Scarlet insisted on accompanying me. As we headed for the medical bay, Scarlet explained to me what he had discussed with the colonel. The problem was that he was being very vague about it.
"So what did you say to him exactly, Paul?"
"Well, it was down to how I worded it," he replied. "We believe that you had an experience that hasn't happened to any human being in several years. The rest is for the tests to find out."
"Is hypnotic regression one of the tests?"
"It is," Scarlet answered. "But I'll be with you every step of the way."
Doctor Fawn was at his desk when we entered the room. He put down his notes before getting up to greet us. He immediately directed me to the examination chair where he had set several pieces of monitoring equipment.
Scarlet pulled up a chair by the desk as the doctor proceeded with the examination, the first of which was a physical scan. I took off my uniform for the full-body scanner which carried out a full sweep of my body. I wasn't prepared for the results. Thinking about it still gives me the chills today.
The doctor approached me with a readout of the results along with a few X-Rays of my arm. Something didn't look right in those pictures at all and his expression confirmed it.
"So what is, Doctor?"
The doctor explained his findings: "Captain, According to these scans, your right arm has been completely reconstructed. I picked up three unusual metallic objects that appear to hold your bones together. It's like they have been stapled together."
"Are you sure about this, Doctor?" Scarlet asked on my behalf as I was completely stunned by this development.
"There's no question about it, Captain." The doctor added. "I also picked up on what appears to be burnt tissue around the socket joint, as if his arm had been amputated and then reattached with precision. Some of the nerve endings fit but not in the way they should. Plus these metallic staples indicate that whatever was done to the arm was not put back together properly. It's possible that some of these nerves could even be artificial. The chemical used to perform this operation could well be the odd substance that was found on your uniform."
"That accounts for the lack of pain," I uttered. "Who could have done this to me?"
"That's what we're about to find out. Now as you may have heard, I am a qualified hypnotherapist. I'm going to put you under so we can find out from your suppressed consciousness what exactly happened to you that night. Of course, I must have your consent first."
"Doctor, I give you full consent," I said as I looked at Scarlet who was standing next to me. "Paul, make sure you write this down?"
"S.I.G." Scarlet nodded.
The next part of this story will be told from the notes that Scarlet had written down during the session. They completely match the night terrors that I had suffered before this. If you don't believe in this subject, then that's fine. All I ask is that you keep an open mind to the possibility, at least.
I sat down in the chair and Doctor Fawn began the session. He hooked me up to the computer monitors that were situated at either side. One of them monitored my brain waves while the other monitored my vital signs. He put the electrodes on my temple and told me to get comfortable. From my perspective, it only felt like a couple of seconds. However, this is what Scarlet recorded.
"Okay, Captain Blue. You're going to tell me exactly what happened when you were driving in Iowa on the night of October 31st."
"I can feel a buzzing sensation. It's travelling through my body. It feels uncomfortable. It's starting to hurt."
"This buzzing… Can you see where it's coming from?"
"No. I... I can just feel it. Wait a minute… My...my car! Something is happening to my car! It won't start!"
"Why won't the car start? What's happening to the car?"
"A light. It's moving over the trees. It... looks like a shooting star. I think... I think the buzzing is coming from this light. I think it's... It's coming towards me. Got to get out of here. Got to get the car started. No...No... Come on… Start."
"Can you describe the light?"
"It's bright. It's so bright. It's white, but I can make out a yellowish tinge in it too. It feels so hot. My skin is burning. I can't reach the door. I can't think. I can't get out! I think I'm moving. I can hear something."
"What can you hear?"
"A voice. A voice is telling me to... to get out of the car. I don't want to go, but somehow... I'm stepping out of the car without control. I can't feel my legs. I can't feel anything! Oh, that light. That hot light. I'm walking towards it. It's....beautiful."
According to the notes, I had grown agitated by that point. My vital signs had spiked at an alarming rate. The doctor had calmed me down by taking me out of the situation. As soon as my vitals simmered down to normal levels, he continued the next part of the session.
"Okay, Captain," he began, "now, you said you were inside this beam of light. What else can you see?"
"I can see what looks like... a craft. A metallic craft directly above me."
"What can you tell me about this craft?"
"It's large, it's a triangular-shaped craft with a saucer dome section underneath. The dome has lights all around it. Wait... I can feel myself floating. My feet are no longer on the ground. Where am I going? What's happening to me?"
"Where are you now? What can you see?"
"I'm... I'm in this room, only I've never seen anything like it before. What am I laying on? Oh, my God! Oh, my God, I can't move!"
"What are you laying on? Is it a table?"
"I'm on some kind of examination table. Something is keeping me down, but I can't see restraints of any kind."
"What else can you tell me?"
"I can't see much. There are lights all around me. They are pulsating colors. Red, green and blue. There are beating too. It sounds like... a human heart."
"And you say you can't move?"
"No. I can't feel my body at all. I can only hear my thoughts. It smells funny in here too. I can't quite describe the odour. I can hear someone coming. I can hear a door opening from behind me."
"Can you see who it is?"
"No, not clearly, but I can see them standing at the foot of the table. There's three of them. All I can see are their shadows."
My vitals began to spike again, but the doctor kept going.
"What are they doing?"
"One of them is coming towards me. He's coming towards my right. Oh, my God! It's not human at all!"
"Describe it for me."
"It's small, about the height of a child. Big head, thin body, big black eyes, but not pupils. No mouth. It keeps looking at my arm. Why my arm?"
"What is it doing to your arm?"
"I don't know. I... I can't see too clearly I... think it's prodding it with something. It looks like a… Oh no. Oh no-no-no-no-no. My arm... It's gone. He's taken my arm!"
"What is it doing with your arm?"
"It... It seems to be scanning it with some kind of laser torch. The other two creatures seem to be interested in it for some reason. I'm trying to scream, but I can't seem to open my mouth. Hang on... the creature with my arm… It's coming back over to me. I can hear him talking to me but... but how? His mouth isn't even moving."
"What is it telling you? What is it saying?"
"It doesn't want to hurt me. It just wants to examine me. I think it is a he."
"Go on."
"He... He says that they needed some tissue samples from my arm and that they plan to reattach it to me as soon as they're done. Somehow, I asked him a question and he understood me."
"So it's communicating with you telepathically? What did you ask it?"
"Who are you? Where do you come from? He's answering me. He's saying that he is a Centaurian. He's telling me that his race is from... Alpha Centauri. He says that his people have been visiting Earth for centuries as they need human DNA to help cure their dying race."
"Are they a peaceful race?"
"Yes, but he's warning me of a race from Mars. He's telling me that Mankind is not ready to encounter life on other planets. He says that his race has observed our technological developments throughout history and that one day, we'll be ready to reach out and contact them."
"Is that all he said?"
"Yes. For some reason, I can't hear him anymore. I think he has left my mind. One of the creatures… One of the Centaurians is reattaching my arm. I can feel it being put back together. The pain is excruciating. I think I'm going to be sick!"
"It's alright, Captain. You're safe now. Listen to the sound of my voice. You're safe now. When I count to three, you will awaken here in the medical bay on Cloudbase. One...Two... Three!"
I awoke to see the doctor standing over me with a torchlight to my eyes. I found the whole experience rather perplexing. As I sat there and gathered my surroundings, I could hear him finish his analysis with Scarlet. They seemed convinced that I had been taken by another race of super-intelligent beings.
Before the War of Nerves with The Mysterons, anybody would question the doctor's credibility. He sat down beside me and explained to me that he needed to take some skin and blood samples. My face was still burnt by this time, but it was in the process of healing. He then ran a series of mandatory lie detector tests to help solidify my case. After he had finished, I was permitted to leave the medical bay.
I returned to my quarters, impatiently awaiting the results of the tests. I needed some kind of resolution to the whole experience. Anything to help me move on with my life.
I awoke the next morning to a call from Lieutenant Green, summoning me to the conference room. It was early in the morning. The sun had just peaked over the cloud layer. Getting into my uniform, I made my way towards the conference room. As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by Captain Scarlet, the doctor, and the colonel. They asked me to take a seat when the colonel presented a folder of documents before me. I soon realized that they were my test results. What he was about to say stunned me.
"Ah, Captain. After analyzing the results from your session with Doctor Fawn yesterday, it has been decided to explain to you exactly what happened on the 31st of October. Captain Blue, we believe that you had come into contact with an extraterrestrial race. DNA and lie detector results prove that you had been abducted by a race known as "Centaurians." The motivation of their actions is unknown, but we did collect numerous reports of similarly reported sightings of mysterious lights in the sky that were close to your position on that night."
My jaw dropped. "What did the notes say?"
"They claimed that they were after DNA samples to help their dying race," the colonel replied. "However, this doesn't fully explain why they reconstructed your arm. There is, however, another possibility. The Centaurians have been observing us as a species for centuries. They wanted to see how we were built to handle other races whether they are hostile or not."
"That would seem to make sense, Colonel," Scarlet added. "In the notes from the session, Captain Blue stated that the alien warned him of a presence on Mars."
"Why Mars?" I asked.
"That's what we plan on finding out, Captain," the colonel continued. "Spectrum Headquarters London has detected a series of signal readings that appear to have come from Mars. We've begun the process of setting up a flight to investigate these readings and determine their point of origin. Spectrum's goal in the future is to send a team to Mars to investigate, while we continue to expand our base of operations. We will use all of our contacts to make this a unified mission. If these Centaurians think we're not ready, then we'll aim to prove them wrong."
After this bombshell of a review, we quickly wrapped up the meeting. We were all required to sign non-disclosure agreement forms, effectively putting the whole thing to bed.
It was easier said than done, though. This whole story was fantastic. Aliens observing mankind for an encounter with the unknown? It all sounded pretty incredible at the time.
The funny thing is now that we're at war with that menacing invisible race, I wish that the Centaurians would come back to help us in the fight. Every time Halloween rolls around, I look up at the stars at night. There's this compulsion to see if they are still there, watching over us.
So why am I talking about this now? To be honest, I don't know. I guess I just believe that it's played a crucial part in my life because, since that night, I've been prepared for anything. It opened my eyes up to the notion that there is an advanced race watching over us. I also know now that there are other races out there and not all of them are hostile.
Should we ever win the War of Nerves, I hope to see these Centaurians again. I want them to see that we've come a long way.
Captain Blue. End Personal Log.