A ‘Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons’ story

by Hilary Perry

The blazing midday sun beat down relentlessly on the trio of aircraft clamped to the flight deck of Cloudbase. At 40,000 feet above the Earth’s surface, Spectrum’s aerial headquarters hovered effortlessly under the blue sky.

Strapped in her seat in the lead aircraft sat Harmony Angel, one of Spectrum’s team of women pilots. Glancing at her watch for the fifth time in as many minutes she saw with relief that her spell of duty was over at last. Reaching out to press a switch on the instrument panel, Harmony closed her eyes and rubbed the back of her neck tiredly as her seat sank down into the Amber Room.

Gazing across the shimmering runway Melody stood by the window idly swinging her crash helmet. Sighing she turned towards the others. ‘Well, here comes Harmony. I guess I’d better go and roast in the cockpit for a few hours!’

Rhapsody laughed. ‘You know you enjoy hot weather, Melody,’ she said.

‘Yeah, but when I’m sitting on a beach, not under a perspex canopy!’ As she spoke Melody made her way to the seat Harmony had just vacated. ‘See you later.’ The doors closed silently and within seconds she was locked into the cockpit.

* * *

Elsewhere on Cloudbase most people were taking the opportunity to relax. In recent weeks there had been little time for rest, as the Mysterons had kept Spectrum at full stretch.

‘1 think I’d forgotten what it was like to have nothing to do,’ Captain Blue remarked with a wry grin.

‘I know what you mean!’ As he spoke, Captain Scarlet pushed Blue’s feet off the table and threw down the book he had been reading. ‘I wonder how long we’ll have this time?’

‘Not long enough!’ grumbled Magenta from the other side of the room where he was staring out of the window. ‘You know, it must be murder sitting in that aircraft for four hours at a time. It must be so hot.’

‘Well, they do have air conditioning to help keep them cool.’ Scarlet sounded doubtful.

Silence fell over the room again as they enjoyed the rare luxury of idleness.

* * *

Alone in the Control Room, Lieutenant Green sat back in his chair and swung his feet upon to the communications console. Closing his eyes he was gradually starting to doze off when a door slammed. Opening his eyes abruptly, Green was horrified to see Colonel White standing there.

‘Oh... er... Colonel, sir… er...’ His voice tailed away in embarrassment.

‘Nothing to do, Lieutenant?’ The colonel’s voice was icy as he surveyed the scene.

‘Well, sir...’

Before Green could say any more a cold voice came out of the radio:

This is the voice of the Mysterons. We know that you can hear us, Earthmen. Your unprovoked attack on our complex on Mars has not been forgotten. Our revenge will be slow but nonetheless complete. Within two weeks those who once ruled the Earth will do so again. Do you hear us, Earthmen? Your past will become your future!

For a moment Cloudbase was still as the sound of the Mysterons’ threat faded away. Scarlet, Blue and Magenta looked at each other in silence.

‘Well,’ murmured Magenta eventually. ‘That will teach us to keep our mouths shut when we’ve got a chance to relax!’

Before anyone could answer, Lieutenant Green’s voice came over the radio. ‘Will all personnel report to the conference room in five minutes.’

With a sigh Scarlet heaved himself out of his chair. ‘Here we go again!’ be groaned as be led the way down the corridor.

* * *

Colonel White took his scat in the centre of the table and looked at his staff. ‘Well, ladies and gentlemen, you have all heard the latest threat from the Mysterons.’

‘Cryptic as ever.’ grumbled Captain Ochre. ‘Why can’t they just say what they mean?’

‘Thank you, Captain, but maybe we should just be grateful for any information from them at all,’ chided the colonel quietly. So, we have to work out who or what the Mysterons intend to attack next. Their threat is a difficult one to decipher. Does anyone have any ideas?’

No-one answered. Looking at the blank faces around him Colonel White sighed. This certainly was a difficult one, and he had no suggestions to make either.

Hesitantly Destiny spoke up. ‘Sir, so many people have ruled the Earth, but now they are all dead. Surely the Mysterons cannot bring people back to life after hundreds or even thousands of years.’

‘We don’t know what the Mysterons may be capable of Destiny,’ put in Blue. ‘They seem to have powers we cannot begin to understand.’

Silence fell over the room once more. Everyone exchanged hopeless glances, waiting for a flash of inspiration that never came.

Eventually the colonel stood up. ‘Well,’ he said decisively, ‘we must solve this as soon as possible. I want you to monitor all news broadcasts and carefully scan all papers. We must find out what the Mysterons intend to do. That will be all.’

* * *

As the colonel left the room, Captain Grey stood up and walked across to the window. ‘That will be all!’ he echoed with a groan. ‘Does he realise just how many broadcasts and papers are held in the computer banks each day? And we have no idea what we are looking for!’

‘Oh, I wouldn’t say that.’ Captain Scarlet grinned at his colleagues as he sat back in his chair. ‘We are looking for someone who has ruled the Earth. That narrows it down a bit!’ He yelped as the empty coffee cup Rhapsody threw at him hit its target.

Slowly they wandered out of the room discussing the threat. The Angels returned to the Amber Room, and the five Captains wandered into the lounge, each of them settling themselves in front of the computer terminals to check through the last few days’ news items.

* * *

The next evening they were no nearer a solution. Looking up with a yawn from the computer screen he had been studying, Magenta rubbed his hands over his eyes. ‘It’s no good,’ he remarked. ‘I’m having trouble reading all of this, never mind making sense of it. All we have done for the last twenty four hours is look at these damned computer screens!’

‘Yeah,’ replied Blue. ‘And we’re not even sure we’re using the right keywords! We’re just stumbling around in the dark.’

‘If I have to check one more item I shall scream.’ Destiny looked as frustrated as she sounded. ‘Do you think we shall ever discover what the Mysterons mean?’

‘I don’t know,’ Melody sighed hopelessly. ‘Do you think we have missed an obvious keyword?’ She frowned at her keyboard. ‘I’ve tried kings, queens, rulers, leaders...’

‘Got it!’ yelled Scarlet, thumping the table. As his colleagues gaped at him in amazement he stood up. ‘Dinosaurs!’ he added by way of explanation and dashed out of the door.

There was a stunned silence as he disappeared. For a moment no-one moved, then as one they all started to their feet and hurried in pursuit of their colleague.

‘Has he gone mad?’ Ochre sounded hopeful. ‘Maybe being indestructible has become too much for him - dinosaurs indeed!’

Rushing around the corner they came face to face with a grim-faced Colonel White. ‘No, Captain Ochre. Captain Scarlet has not gone mad; I fear he has discovered the meaning of the Mysteron threat. I want you all in the conference room in ten minutes.’

‘Yes, sir,’ replied Blue to the colonel’s retreating back.

* * *

‘Captain Scarlet, would you please tell everyone exactly what you have found.’ Colonel White looked at his staff from his seat at the centre of the circular conference table.

‘Yes, Colonel.’ Scarlet waved the piece of paper he was holding in the air, ‘It’s a copy of a page from yesterday’s Siberian Times. Apparently there is going to be an exhibition of dinosaur skeletons at a town called Viadimur. Five palaeontologists are taking their specimens. After fire days they will embark on a world tour lasting a further month. This will be the first time in years that so many complete skeletons have been in one place at the same time.’

There was a moment’s silence, then Ochre sat forward, a confused frown on his face. ‘Sure,’ he said softly. ‘There was a time when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, figuratively speaking, but how can the Mysterons use a few skeletons? After all, it’s nothing more than a load of old bones!’

Magenta nodded. ‘That’s right. Even the Mysterons need the original item in order to reconstruct it.’

Colonel White handed each of his staff a sheet of paper. ‘This is an article from last month’s copy of Natural History World, a scientific magazine in which one of the scientists involved has written an article about his find. I suggest you all read it as soon as possible, but basically he explains that although the skeletons were fossilised in the normal way small amounts of the original bones have remained unaltered — a remarkable occurrence, apparently. Also, large amounts of amber have been found near the site of each discovery.’

As the colonel paused Grey looked at the others in turn. ‘So?’ he muttered. ‘What’s the significance of amber?’

‘Hold on...’ put in Blue, gazing thoughtfully into space. ‘This reminds me of something.’ He paused for a moment while the others watched him in silence. ‘I remember,’ he went on. ‘When I went home for a couple of days last year my niece made me watch this old movie... Now what was its name... Something ‘Park’.’ His face lit up as he finally remembered: ‘Jurassic Park’!’ he exclaimed triumphantly.

‘What Park?’ Scarlet gave his friend a pitying look.

‘Jurassic Park. It was all about some guy who managed to recreate dinosaurs from minute traces of their DNA. It came from blood inside insects which had been perfectly preserved in amber...’

His voice trailed off, and for a few moments there was silence in the room. At last the colonel spoke again.

‘I think you are right, Captain Blue. That would tie in with the information in this article. We know the Mysterons have the ability to recreate life from apparently dead remains. The idea of reconstructing long-dead dinosaurs would seem to be an extreme case, but... well, who knows the limits of the Mysterons’ power? We will have to watch these specimens and the additional exhibits very carefully. As you know, there are five dinosaurs being taken to Vladimur. This is a small town some thirty miles north-east of Moscow. Although the town has a population of only twenty-five thousand people it is the site of one of the largest exhibition centres in Russia, second only to the building outside Kiev. The dinosaurs are being transported from various parts of the world to arrive at the centre the day after tomorrow.’

Grey voiced the question they all wanted to ask. ‘How can we watch them all?’

Colonel White looked at each of them in turn. ‘The information we have is as follows: A Pterodactyl is being transported from Moscow accompanied by one Professor Anton Radetski; Dr. Patrick Magee is taking a diplodocus from Dublin; Dr. Roger Peterson and his dimetrodon will be travelling form Sydney. From New York are coming Professor John White and his brontosaurus. And lastly, Dr. Pedro Gonzales will be transporting his stegosaurus from Lima.’

For a moment there was silence again. Groaning, Rhapsody looked at Symphony. ‘No sleep for us again,’ she murmured quietly. Colonel White heard her and turned an icy frown on her. She shifted uncomfortably. ‘Sorry, sir.’

Destiny spoke. ‘How will we supervise the transport of these creatures, Colonel?’

‘Each of you will leave immediately for one of the scientist’s homes.’ He looked at the five captains. ‘You will each travel from here in an SPJ. Once at your destination you will accompany the transporter by means of whatever transport is appropriate. Some of these... creatures, will be carried by road and sea, others will be flown part of the way and then transferred to road transport. An Angel will escort each of you.’

‘Do these scientists know what we are doing?’ asked Blue.

‘Yes, captain. Lieutenant Green has advised each of them by radio. They are seemingly only too happy to wait for us - they appear to think that the more protection their valuable specimens get the better.’

Magenta asked Colonel White who was to go to each town. ‘Captain Scarlet, you will go to Moscow; Rhapsody will accompany you. Captain Magenta, you and Harmony take Dublin. Captain Ochre and Destiny, Sydney. Captain Blue and Symphony, New York. Captain Grey, you and Melody will leave for Lima. Any further questions?’ There were none. Colonel White stood up. ‘Very well,’ he continued. ‘The Spectrum Passenger Jets wilt leave in thirty minutes. Make sure you have all the equipment you need, and maintain frequent radio contact.’ Colonel White left the room as everyone else stood up.

* * *

Sitting at his desk in the Control Room, Colonel White watched the monitors showing the purposeful activity on the flight-deck.

Snapping out orders in rapid succession Lieutenant Green organised the departure of three SPJs and all five Angel Interceptors. As silence descended once more over the huge structure Green looked up from his communications console. ‘What do you think the Mysterons could possibly do with the dinosaurs, Colonel? he asked.

‘I don’t know, Lieutenant. But you can be sure that it won’t be to our benefit. I just hope we can work out what it is before it’s too late.’

‘It’s all so fantastic, sir.’

‘Yes,’ agreed the Colonel. ‘It is.’

* * *

Dublin airport was cloaked in darkness as a Spectrum Passenger Jet touched down; it was past midnight. Magenta leapt out with a wave to Scarlet and made his way to the control tower. As the jet lifted off again Harmony landed in her Angel and taxied to the hangars.

After completing the airport’s formalities the two Spectrum agents drove towards the scientist’s house. In spite of the lateness of the hour lights were still blazing from the windows as the saloon car pulled up outside the gate. As Magenta led the way up the path the front door opened.

‘Good evening to you both! Paddy Magee’s the name. You must be the personal escort. Come in and have some good old Irish whisky!’

‘Thank you, sir, that would be nice.’ Magenta started to follow the Professor, and then turned in surprise as Harmony’s fingers dug into his ribs. ‘Ow!’ he exclaimed, frowning at her. He turned back to Professor Magee. ‘Er, well, maybe we ought to have coffee instead - after all, we are on duty.’ Harmony managed to subdue a snort of amusement at Magenta’s expression of mixed self-righteousness and disappointment.

Professor Magee led the way into his lounge. He hastily cleared a pile of papers off each of the chairs.

‘Sit down, sit down!’

It was the early hours of the morning before the Professor stopped talking about his beloved dinosaur. Glancing at Harmony, Magenta looked at the Professor again. ‘What time do we leave for Moscow, sir?’ he asked.

‘We have to get the 8.30 ferry from Cork to Fishguard, young man. How does this beautiful lady assist in the escort?’

‘Harmony will provide continual aerial cover while I drive behind you to keep an eye on things from ground level. Might I suggest we get a few hours’ rest now, sir - it will be a long drive.’

* * *

Meanwhile, Captain Scarlet and Rhapsody had received a very different welcome. Arriving at Moscow International Airport an hour after leaving Dublin, both the Passenger Jet and Rhapsody’s Angel aircraft had been met by armed guards. Production of their Spectrum passes had mollified the guards a little, but still they had been taken to the control tower under armed escort. It took some time for the security staff to check their papers, but eventually they arrived at Professor Radetski’s house. The lights were out, and there was no reply to Scarlet’s knock. Returning to the car, he looked at Rhapsody.

‘Well,’ he said with a grimace as he shut the door. ‘It looks like we are stuck here for the night.’

Rhapsody looked at him in dismay. ‘Are you sure there is no-one in?’

‘If there is they aren’t opening the door!’

With a groan Rhapsody settled herself lower in her seat and glared at the apparently deserted house.

* * *

The SPJ landed at New York airport, closely followed by Symphony Angel. Jumping out, Captain Blue waved as the jet took off again, bound for Lima. He walked over to the bustling terminal building where a uniformed security officer was waiting for him.

‘You must be from Spectrum.’

‘That’s right,’ replied Blue. ‘I’m due to meet Professor White here this afternoon.’

‘Yes, sir. We have the, er, specimen under guard. The Prof. wants to leave in about half an hour. Come with me and I’ll introduce you.’

‘Thanks.’

Professor White looked up form the book he was reading as Blue and the security officer approached him. ‘Hi, there. I guess you must be my escort. Do you really think it is necessary’?’

‘Yes, we do. WE can’t afford to take any chances.’

‘But what can these Mysterons do? How can they use a few skeletons?’

‘We don’t exactly know, Professor. But we will maintain a constant watch at all times. Hopefully we will be able to defeat the Mysterons before they even start whatever it is they plan to do.’

‘Okay. Well, let’s go.’ Leading the way to the cargo hold of the waiting aircraft, the Professor supervised the loading of the crate containing the dinosaur. Once securely installed, the Professor climbed into the pilot’s seat. Swinging himself into the other seat, Blue looked across and grinned at the other man. ‘Okay, pal,’ he said. ‘Let’s go!’ Within minutes the aircraft was thundering down the runway, followed by Symphony.

* * *

Lima was fogbound. Looking out of the aircraft’s window, Captain Grey frowned. ‘Are we going to be able to land here?’ he asked the pilot.

‘Sure,’ was the reply. ‘We’ll be able to touch down okay, but there’s no way Melody can. This murk goes down to within a few feet of the ground.’

A tense silence fell over the cockpit. Slowly, his eyes fixed on his instruments, the pilot gradually brought the ’plane to rest in the middle of what he hoped was the main runway. Breathing a sigh of relief, Grey rubbed his hand over his eyes. ‘Phew!’ he muttered. ‘Which way is the Control Tower?’

‘I’m not sure,’ replied the pilot doubtfully. ‘I think it’s that way. Or is it over there?’

Suddenly, out of the gloom, a police car appeared. Leaping from the driver’s seat, a smiling officer approached the aircraft. ‘You are from Spectrum? This way please, Senor. I will take you to meet Senor Gonzales, and then we will wait for this fog to leave us!’

As he left the warmth of the aircraft’s cockpit, Captain Grey heard the drone of Melody’s aircraft circling overhead. ‘I hope it will soon disperse,’ he muttered. Almost before he had shut the door the driver swung the car around and headed into the gloom at breakneck speed. Eyes tightly shut, Grey gripped the sides of this seat. With a squeal of tyres the car skidded to a halt. Gingerly opening one eye he released his breath in along sigh. The driver looked at him with a wide grin. ‘You liked the ride, yes?’

‘No!’ Grey’s retort was emphatic. Heading for the safety of the building, he walked up to the only other person in sight. ‘Senor Gonzales?’ he asked.

‘Yes - you must be from Spectrum. You have come to look after me and my little pet, have you not?’

Looking at the size of the crate which was ready to be loaded into the cargo hold of the waiting aircraft, Grey glanced sideways at his companion. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I suppose I have!’

* * *

It was almost three hours before Captain Ochre reached Sydney. The heat was shimmering over the busy airport as he brought the SPJ in to land near the terminal building. Before he had taken more than half a dozen paces towards the control tower, Destiny taxied slowly up. Waving to her, Ochre entered the welcome coolness of the building. Lounging against the wall was a tall, longhaired man. Seeing the Spectrum Captain,, he wandered over, hand outstretched in greeting. ‘You must be my personal escort!’ he said.

‘Yes,’ replied Ochre, taking his hand. ‘And you must be Professor Peterson.’

‘Sure, but call me Roger. I can’t stand all this formality.’ Smiling, he took hold of Ochre’s arm and led him back outside. ‘The aircraft is loaded I ready. Let’s go, shall we? I’m impatient to get to see five complete dinosaur skeletons together under one roof!’

* * *

Darkness came early to the sleepy town of Vladimur. The small town was peaceful, with very few people moving around. Suddenly the silence was shattered by the roar of a heavy transporter. Through the gloom the headlights lit up the road ahead as Professor Radetski drove his precious cargo along the main street and pulled up ‘ outside the vast exhibition centre.

Captain Scarlet drew up behind him in a Spectrum Saloon Car, while overhead Rhapsody circled around the town. As Scarlet opened the door Radetski thrust his head in to the car. ‘I knew there would be no trouble!’ He glared at Scarlet. ‘It is a waste of time you being here!’

‘Well, it’s my job,’ replied Scarlet, resisting the impulse to punch the scientist on the nose. Professor Radetski bad been decidedly unpleasant every time he approached Scarlet.

‘Hmmph!’ The Professor withdrew his head from the car and strode back to the transporter. Scarlet walked over to join him, and in silence they started to unfasten the ropes securing the crate.

Scarlet’s epaulettes flashed and his cap mike swung down. ‘Rhapsody Angel to Captain Scarlet.’

‘Go ahead, Rhapsody.’

‘I can see another transporter approaching the village. It’s about forty miles away. Other than that there is very little traffic and no sign of trouble. No aircraft are in the vicinity other than the Angel escorting the approaching transporter.’

‘S.I.G., Rhapsody. You’d better return to Cloudbase.’

‘S.I.G.’ As she spoke, Rhapsody turned her aircraft and disappeared into the dark sky.

Before the second transporter arrived, Radetski’s crated dinosaur was in the exhibition hall. The local police force had been drafted in to help both with setting up the display and providing security, and at the moment they were standing around the hall chatting excitedly to one another.

* * *

By midnight, the complete exhibition was assembled and almost ready for the following day’s opening. The Angels had returned to Cloudbase and the scientists had disappeared to their hotel. Blue looked around the hall with a self-satisfied smile.

‘I think we’ve done a great job organising this,’ he commented.

Magenta glared at him. ‘As far as I could see, all you did was give the orders.’

‘Yeah,’ added Ochre. ‘And spent most of the time sitting down!’

Scarlet grinned at his colleagues. ‘Okay, you guys, that’s enough! Everyone knows I did most of the heavy work around here!’

Grey waved his fist under Scarlet’s nose. ‘Huh!’ he snorted. ‘You did almost as little as Blue!’

Laughing, they made their way through the building to the main entrance, checking the security as they went. Once outside, Ochre closed and locked the main door. Handing the key to the officer waiting on the pavement, he said, ‘We’ll see you at 0830hrs. Don’t forget, under no circumstances must this door be opened until we return.’

‘Very good, sir.’ The policeman saluted as the Spectrum Captains headed for their hotel.

* * *

Inside the Exhibition Centre, the moonlight cast eerie shadows over the walls. The five perfect skeletons stood on the platform, barely visible in the darkness. Suddenly, materialising out of nowhere, a tall man appeared. As he moved into a patch of moonlight, the pallor of his face stood out in stark contrast to the blackness of his clothes. Walking closer to the exhibits, his expressionless eyes glanced briefly at the dinosaurs before staring intently at the glass cases containing the specimens of amber, each piece containing a perfectly preserved insect. As he stood there a thin beam of pale green light stabbed down through one of the skylights. Forming two haloes, it played over the cases of amber and then concentrated on each of the skeletons in turn.

At last the green light disappeared. Casting a final glance at the exhibition in front of him, Captain Black faded once more into thin air.

* * *

It was snowing when Captain Scarlet woke up the next morning. Gazing out at the wintry scene he breathed a deep sigh.

‘What’s up, buddy?’ Captain Blue sat up sleepily.

‘Not two days ago we were roasting, now we are going to freeze!’ grumbled Scarlet.

‘Stop complaining!’ Swinging his legs out of bed Blue stood up and wandered over to join Scarlet.

‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’ he continued with a faint grin, looking sideways at his colleague.

With a snort, Scarlet turned away. ‘I’m just glad I haven’t been standing outside that exhibition centre all night the way those police officers have!’

* * *

After a quick breakfast, Magenta led the way out of the door. Reaching the exhibition centre just before half past eight the Spectrum captains were greeted by a cold but cheerful police officer.

‘Good morning,’ he greeted them. ‘You slept well, I trust?’

‘Yes, thanks,’ replied Ochre. ‘Everything okay here?’

‘No trouble at all.’ As he spoke, the police officer unlocked the door. Magenta led the way in, switching on the lights as he passed.

As he approached the exhibition stage, Scarlet stopped abruptly and stood swaying slightly. Grey looked at him as he passed a hand over his face. ‘What’s wrong, Scarlet?’ he asked anxiously.

‘Strange,’ muttered Scarlet, looking around the hall. ‘Got that dizzy feeling I sometimes get when there’s a Mysteron around. But there’s no-one else here.’ He shook his head slightly. ‘Surely I didn’t just imagine it?’

Before anyone could reply, the door was flung open and the scientists strode in. As one, they stopped and stared at the sight that met their eyes. There, on the raised floor of the display area, was the culmination of many years work for all of them, now almost ready for the public.

Gonzales was the first to move. ‘Come on,’ he said in a hushed voice. ‘We must make the final preparations.’

‘Yes,’ added Magee. ‘If these dinosaurs aren’t lit up when the public come in they will be wanting their money back!’

Blue looked at Scarlet, who had not moved since the scientists entered the room. ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked softly. ‘You still look a bit strange.’

‘I’m not sure,’ replied Scarlet. ‘You and the others stay here and keep an eye on things. I’m going to get a Mysteron detector.’

‘You don’t think one of the scientists has been got at, do you?’

‘1 don’t know. But I did get that feeling just before they came in. I won’t be long.’ Scarlet turned abruptly and dashed out of the door.

Unlocking the boot of his car, Scarlet suddenly froze. He had a strong feeling that he was being watched. Loosening his gun in its holster, he slowly turned around. The street was deserted. Frowning, he turned back to the and reached in for the detector. Slinging the strap over his shoulder he locked the car again and started back to the exhibition centre. Still unable to shake off the sensation of being watched, he shivered as he entered the hall. What was the matter with him this morning, he wondered, feeling mildly annoyed with himself.

Ochre looked around as Scarlet returned. ‘Who are you going to use that on?’ he asked, indicating the detector.

‘The scientists first, then the police officers.’

Scarlet still looked distracted as he lifted the camera and pressed the button for the first picture.

* * *

Outside, the snow was falling faster now. Standing in a doorway, Captain Black did not feel the cold as he watched Scarlet hurry back to the exhibition centre. ‘So,’ he said softly, a faint smile touching his lips. ‘Captain Scarlet suspects one of the scientists to be a Mysterons agent, does he? He will never guess the truth!’ Taking no notice of the driving snow, be left his hiding place and walked openly along the street.

* * *

At last the display was complete. Stepping back to admire their handiwork, the scientists smiled at each other.

‘Professor Radetski,’ said Peterson hoarsely. ‘We are in your country - you have the honour of lighting our first exhibition!’ He stood back to allow the Russian access to the lighting control panel as the Spectrum Captains stepped forward silently to watch. There was a breathless anticipation in the ball as Radetski reached Out a hand that shook slightly. With his finger poised over the switch, he paused and looked at his colleagues.

‘Gentlemen,’ he said, his voice charged with emotion. ‘This is the culmination of years of work for each of us. I declare this exhibition well and truly - alight!’ As he spoke the last word, Radetski pressed the switch and the display lights came on, together with a cloud of smoke from the liquid nitrogen canisters which quickly settled down into a thin mist over the exhibits. There was a gasp from all of those watching.

‘It’s...eerie!’ breathed Grey with a shudder. ‘Say, what’s wrong, Scarlet?’

Scarlet staggered and put a hand on the wall to support himself. ‘Mysterons - somewhere. I can definitely sense it. The feeling’s stronger this time, too.’

‘Are you sure?’ Blue put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. ‘Everyone in here has been checked with the detector. They all proved negative.’

Scarlet shook his head. The sensation was passing off now. ‘I’m okay,’ he said, looking around in bewilderment. ‘But there must be a Mysteron around somewhere! When I went outside to get the detector I had the strangest feeling that I was being watched. I wish they would make their move - at least then we would have something tangible to deal with!’ Frustration made his voice sharp.

‘I guess Captain Black could be around somewhere.’ Magenta looked around the hall. ‘We wouldn’t be able to see him unless he wanted us to!’

‘You’re probably right.’ Scarlet pushed himself away from the wall and walked towards the main door. ‘Come on, everything is ready now, and it’s time for the grand opening!’

‘You sure you’re okay now?’ asked Blue as he joined Scarlet by the entrance.

‘Yes. Don’t worry about me.’ Scarlet paused, then looked at Blue in consternation. ‘1 suppose we ought to check everyone who comes through the exhibition!’

‘Oh, heck, I hadn’t thought of that!’ Blue gestured to the others. ‘We’d better go and get the other detectors from the car.’

* * *

The weather hadn’t deterred the people from visiting the exhibition. From the time that the doors were opened to the public at two o’clock that afternoon, a steady stream of people filed in. Watching their expressions as they saw the dinosaurs brought smiles of satisfaction to the faces of the five scientists. This exhibition was going to be more successful than they had dared to hope!

In the four hours the doors were open, over five hundred people had entered. Each one had been checked with a Mysteron detector, and each one had proved negative.

* * *

Standing in a shadowy doorway once again, Captain Black watched the Spectrum personnel at work. As before, a mirthless smile played about his lips. ‘All that wasted effort!’ he murmured. ‘What fools these Earthmen are - even those who work for Spectrum!’

* * *

The doors were shut and the vast hall fell silent once more. Professor White reached out a hand and switched off the power to the display lights. ‘Well,’ he said tiredly, ‘four more days like this and we will have recouped our costs for the entire world tour! I never imagined1 we would see this many in such an out-of-the-way little town.’

Radetski glared at him. ‘It may be only a small town, but Russia is proud of her second largest exhibition centre!’

Ochre interrupted them. ‘Gentlemen, please. If you could return to your hotel we will be able to lock up the hall.’

As one, the scientists turned and walked silently out into the cold evening. Closing the door behind them Grey yawned tiredly. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘not one Mysteron all afternoon. I wonder if they will come here after all.’

‘We’ll just have to keep checking everyone until the end of the show.’ Magenta rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke. ‘Boy, am I fed up of using that detector.’

Blue smiled. ‘Never mind. You can have a rest until tomorrow. Let’s go and get something to eat. I’m starving.’

Handing the key to the police officer waiting outside the main door, Scarlet again had the feeling that someone, somewhere, was watching him. He shivered suddenly.

‘Cold?’ queried Ochre.

‘No...’ Scarlet hesitated. ‘Someone just walked over my grave, I suppose.’ His keen eyes searched the street, trying to pierce the shadows.

‘Come off it,’ grinned Blue, slapping him on the back. ‘I didn’t think you indestructible types had graves!’ The smile Scarlet gave was rather strained, and didn’t quite reach his eyes. ‘Let’s just keep our eyes and ears open as we go back to the hotel, shall we?’ he suggested quietly.

* * *

The rest of the exhibition passed quickly. Spectrum continued to check everyone entering the hall with a detector, but no Mysteron agents appeared. Scarlet was unable to shake off the sensation of being watched, but none of his colleagues felt the same way. By the end of the week he had almost managed to convince himself that it was all in his imagination, and stopped mentioning it to the others.

At last the doors were shut behind the final visitor. The scientists congratulated each other excitedly, while all the Spectrum men wanted to do was to sit down. Over seven and a half thousand people had passed through the doors. Now, at long last, the dinosaurs shrouded in darkness, and the hall was silent once more.

After a few moments, Professor Peterson shook his head ruefully. ‘Well, this won’t get things cleared away. We’ve got to head for our next site tomorrow.’

* * *

Gradually, over the next few hours, the exhibition was dismantled. By midnight the dinosaurs were stowed in their crates and ready to load on to the transporters. Looking around the hall Scarlet felt more strongly then ever that someone was watching them. Taking Blue by the arm he walked away from the others.

For a moment Scarlet said nothing, trying to collect his thoughts. Watching him, Blue felt uneasy at the expression in his eyes. ‘Paul,’ he said quietly. ‘Are you okay? You look kinda...strange.’

Scarlet looked at his friend. ‘Adam, can’t you feel it?’ At Blue’s questioning glance Scarlet shrugged his shoulders. ‘Obviously not,’ he continued, grimacing slightly. ‘Someone - or something - is definitely watching us.’

‘Come on, pal, you’re just imagining it. You’ve been feeling like this all week and nothing has happened.’ Blue tried to grin, but failed miserably. Scarlet in this mood always unsettled him. ‘You’re just spooked because of these dinosaurs.’ If only he felt more certain of that...

‘No.’ Scarlet was insistent. ‘I just feel that there is a terrible danger near. I’m not going back to the hotel tonight. I’ll stay here with these crates to make sure nothing happens.’

‘I’ll slay with you.’ Blue’s offer was immediate and Scarlet nodded his acceptance.

The scientists were finally persuaded that they had done all they could until the following morning and reluctantly left the hall, Ochre wandered over to Blue and Scarlet. ‘Are you guys going to stay here all night?’ he joked. Scarlet’s brief nod took him by surprise. ‘What’s wrong?’ he breathed.

‘I don’t know,’ replied Scarlet. ‘Look, will you requisition an SPV first thing in the morning? There’s one about a mile down the road.’

‘Sure. Are you expecting to meet trouble?’

‘I’m not sure. Lock us in when you go, won’t you?’

Ochre, Magenta, and Grey wandered slowly back to the hotel, yawning loudly.

‘I shall be glad to get back to Cloudbase again,’ commented Grey as he left the hall. ‘I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep all week!’

* * *

Outside the hall Captain Black watched the three men leave. ‘So,’ he murmured, ‘Captain Scarlet suspects that the Mysterons may attack tonight If only he knew - there is nothing these Earthmen can do now to stop us completing our revenge. The Mysterons will triumph this time!’ Taking one last look at the darkened exhibition centre he stepped out of the shadows, climbed into his car, and drove swiftly away.

Scarlet stared out of the window, watching as the snow fell faster. With a groan he glanced at his watch: 0730. Soon now the scientists would be arriving to put their crates on the transporters ready for the long journey to Japan and the site of the next exhibition.

From behind him Blue spoke into the darkness. ‘You sound awful. Have you slept at all?’

‘No, I couldn’t settle.’ Scarlet turned to look around the hall. ‘I still can’t shake off the feeling that something’s going to happen soon.’

Before Blue could answer the silence was shattered by the roar of a powerful engine, and an SPV pulled up outside the building. Ochre jumped out, followed by a yawning Magenta. Moments later Grey drew up in the saloon car. Together they wandered into the hall.

‘Hi there!’ Magenta grinned cheerfully at Scarlet and Blue. ‘What’s the schedule for today?’

‘We wait for the scientists to arrive, load the transporters and then set off for the next site,’ Scarlet glanced out of the window again as he spoke. ‘Here they come,’ he added. ‘I’ll advise Colonel White.’

* * *

It was almost an hour before the dinosaurs were loaded and ready to go, by which time the one of approaching aircraft could be heard.

‘What’s that?’ Professor Radetski frowned as three aircraft appeared through the snow.

‘I contacted Cloudbase and arranged for the Angel flight to escort us,’ replied Scarlet.

‘Do we really need you?’ Radetski had still not completely accepted Spectrum’s presence. ‘After all, nothing has happened. We would have known by now if the Mysterons were going to cause trouble!’

‘Well, sir, we have our instructions. Could you just humour us, please?’ Blue tried to ease the tension.

‘Oh, all right. But let’s just go, shall we.’

The convoy set off, led by Professor Magee. Sitting in the SPV beside his colleague Magenta thoughtfully watched the line of trucks on his monitor. ‘Do you think anything will happen? He looked doubtfully at Scarlet.

‘I don’t know, I really don’t,’ replied Scarlet. ‘But I feel certain that someone, somewhere, is watching us at this very moment.’

Magenta grinned slightly. ‘You’re not still on about that, are you?’ Scarlet ignored him and settled more comfortably into his seat, prepared for several hours of non-stop driving. Time was tight to get the next exhibition site set up ready for the visitors.

* * *

Several hours later, the convoy slowed to a halt. They had left the snow behind, and it was a lovely sunny afternoon. Magee jumped out of his truck and stretched. Leaping out of his transporter Peterson hurried up to the lead vehicle. ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked Magee.

‘Nothing. But we’re about halfway to our destination and I thought a break would be a good idea.’

By now the scientists had formed a small group away from