A "Captain Scarlet
& The Mysterons" story by
SCARLET LADY
Captains Scarlet and Blue were enjoying
the still, quiet weather of Norfolk, England.
After a hectic time on duty for Spectrum, Colonel White had decided they
both needed a rest.
"So, what do you have planned for today,
Paul?" Captain Blue asked, grinning at his best friend, and usual partner when
on duty, "Fishing again?"
"I was just going to suggest a short
stroll," Captain Scarlet replied, "After all, there's lots to see and do, here.
We could even go down to the nearest beach..."
"I guess we'll have to take that radio,
though, huh?"
"Yes, just in case the Colonel DOES have
to contact us."
"Well, I sure hope he doesn't! I want
this lull to last a lifetime!"
"Alright, Adam, let's get going,"
Captain Scarlet was growing impatient, "I want to leave EARLY!"
The phone rang, and Scarlet hurriedly
answered it. "Hello? Oh, hello
Colonel...." the smile on his face vanished "The 'Giant Emerald'? No, Sir, I
haven't..... Yes, Colonel, we'll head back as soon as possible." He turned to
Captain Blue, "Sorry, Adam, the holiday's ended a week in advance."
"Ah, well, at least we had ONE week
off," Captain Blue smiled, "and the weather held up, too."
"Yes, it hasn't been bad, at all. Especially after all the complaints I
got from you about England when I suggested Norfolk!"
"Alright, alright! So I was wrong, OK?"
Colonel White sat at his desk, looking
through the various reports from Spectrum Intelligence and Ground Forces. He looked up, as Scarlet and Blue
entered. "Sorry about the delay,
Colonel," Captain Scarlet said, as he and Captain Blue came to attention before
their commanding officer, "There was a problem with our plane."
"Well, at least you're here, now."
Colonel White indicated the two seats before his desk, "Please, take a seat,
gentlemen." He looked at his top agents, carefully,
"Do either of you have ANY idea what the Mysterons may mean when they threaten
the 'Giant Emerald', at all?"
Captain Blue shook his head, but Captain Scarlet was staring into space,
thinking hard. After a while he
said "Colonel, what about... IRELAND?"
"WHAT?" Both Colonel White and Captain
Blue stared at him.
"Ireland is sometimes referred to as the
‘Emerald Isle', because it is so green, and beautiful." Captain Scarlet said,
frowning, "You said yourself, Colonel, when you were on the phone that they said
DESTROY the Emerald. That would
mean it was probably a ship, or...or a place!"
"Alright Captain, head for Ireland, and
try to find a way the Mysterons could destroy Ireland."
"S.I.G."
When they arrived in Dublin, the
captains soon found that their job was going to be harder than they thought. There was a new WAAF instalment being
planted under part of the city.
There was a radar centre near-by, too.
Captain Scarlet sat in the main office of the Ground Forces' staff,
glaring icily. Captain Blue was
talking quietly to the man in charge.
"I just want to understand WHY we weren't informed," Captain Blue said, trying
to keep his voice level, "This is important. Call Cloudbase and put Colonel White in
the picture. Captain Scarlet and I
are heading for the Air Base." They
left quickly.
"If you hadn't got me out of there so
quickly, I might have MURDERED him!" Scarlet said, angrily,
"Why do you think I got you out?"
Captain Blue answered, as they got in their car. "I could see you were losing
your temper."
"Sorry, it was hard on you, and I
certainly didn't help!"
"It wasn't your fault. Come on, let's go."
If they had had trouble at the Spectrum
Ground Forces' Building, they were in for far more when they arrived at the
Dublin Air Base.
Colonel White sat at his console sifting
through numerous reports from Spectrum Intelligence and Ground Forces.
"Colonel," Lieutenant Green said
suddenly, "There's a report coming in from Spectrum Ground Forces, Dublin."
"Put them through, Lieutenant."
"Colonel White, we had Captains Scarlet
and Blue here, earlier..."
"Yes, I know.
I sent them to see if you had any information of help."
"Well, we didn't think it important at
the time, but the WAAF are installing something big here."
"What is it?"
"Oh, an underground hangar, power
sources, rockets, missiles..."
"I get the picture. Please tell me WHY we weren't notified sooner."
"You sound like Captain Blue! Sorry,
Colonel. We were told by the General in charge
there that it was none of our business.
We were also told that Spectrum WOULD be notified by the General, himself."
"Now I see.
Being told this, you saw no point..."
"Sorry, sir.
Er, is there anything else?"
"Yes.
Can you tell me who this General is? I'll have to contact him."
"Er... General Ward. He was moved there recently...."
"Oh NO!"
"You know him, sir?"
"Oh yes, I know him. Well, at least we know what we're up against. Thank you."
As soon as they arrived at the Air Base,
both captains could see that things were NOT going to go smoothly. First, they were not even allowed to enter the grounds. Captain Scarlet hit the gate in front of
him as the sentry headed for the phone to call the General. "I haven't had this much trouble with a
base since dealing with Frost Line HQ!"
"Yeah, I know, Captain," Captain Blue
replied quietly, "but don't snap yet."
"Thank you! I won't snap!" Scarlet
replied, indignantly. He calmed
slightly, "You're right, though. I
just want to know what's taking so long."
"I know what you mean. I don't like this much, either." Captain Blue shivered, "It's
getting cooler, too."
"Well, if he's not back in five minutes,
I think I'll try jumping the barrier..."
"Patience!" Captain Blue laughed, "Paul,
if we try anything like that, we'll probably get thrown off the base, we won't
find anything..."
"I know, I know! I just hate all this
hanging around."
The sentry returned, and glared at them. "Spectrum isn't welcome here," He said
loftily, "the General doesn't want you sticking you're noses in." He smiled
unpleasantly, "Why don't you go tell your Colonel THAT?"
Captain Scarlet finally snapped. "Well, if you're General wishes to tell
us something," he shouted, his face turning a similar colour to his uniform,
"Why doesn't he want to talk to us himself? Is he AFRAID of us or something?"
Captain Blue had been staring at his
friend. He could certainly lose his temper, but
this sort of outburst was unusual. "Captain," he hissed in his friend's ear,
"Careful what you say!"
The sentry had certainly been bowled
over by the outburst. He looked
from one captain to the other, as if trying to reach a decision.
"OK, if you want to see the General, be my guest," He opened the gate,
glaring at Scarlet, "but let me warn you, he won't be best pleased!"
"Thank you, very much." Captain Scarlet
said, after entering the main building, "Now, THAT wasn't so hard, was it?"
Captain Blue decided it best to
interrupt, before Scarlet could go too far, again.
"So, where do we find the General? It's so big in here! Like a maze!"
"This way, captains." He began leading
them through a corridor, then stopped, suddenly, turning to Scarlet, "Look, if
you don't like it here, Red, I can have you thrown off the base, OK?"
They started walking again, and Captain
Blue stayed next to Captain Scarlet.
"What were you doing?"
"Nothing!"
"Why's he threatening to throw you off
the base, then?" he sighed, tiredly, "Look, Paul, we're not wanted, here. If we don't watch what we say and do,
they'll find the excuse they need to get rid of us too easily."
"Right.
Sorry. I'll keep my mouth
shut."
"OK."
General Ward looked up, as they entered. "What do YOU want?"
"It's good to see you, too, sir."
Captain Blue said, trying to be as polite as possible.
He extended his hand.
"I said WHAT DO YOU WANT? That OLD FOOL
sent you here, did he?"
Captain Scarlet knew he HAD to keep his
temper in check, but it was very tempting to take this General down a peg or
two. He calmed himself quickly, then said
politely, "No, sir, Colonel White sent us, not an 'Old Fool'."
"And WHY did th- Colonel White send
you?"
"The Mysterons latest threat, sir."
"Which IS?"
"None of your-"
Captain Blue hastily interrupted "We
think they aim to destroy Ireland..."
"Ridiculous!"
"Sir, please can you explain what you're
doing here?"
"That's no concern of yours!"
"PLEASE, it'll give us an idea..."
"I said NO!" he looked at Captain
Scarlet, "And get him out of here! My men have taken enough from HIM!"
Captain Blue sighed and turned to go. "OK, sir, if that's your final word..."
"It is."
"Goodbye, General."
As soon as they were off the base,
Captain Scarlet began releasing his tension.
"Well, of all the... You'd think that even HE could have been a LITTLE
more helpful!"
"Don't worry!" Captain Blue laughed,
"He'll help us, next time!"
"WHAT? What makes you so sure?"
"I'm going to call Colonel White, and
HE"S going to call someone that even Ward can't argue with!"
Meanwhile, Colonel White had been
arguing with General Ward's secretary.
"I only want to TALK to him," the Colonel was saying, doing his best to stay
calm, "Can you put me through, please?"
There was a pause, then a familiar
voice: "Colonel, I've had two of your BEST men
here."
"What do you mean by that, General?"
"They were causing trouble here. I had to throw them off the base! Red,
or whatever his name is, was especially rude to me and my men."
"SCARLET! Right, General, I'll talk to
them about this and deal with them accordingly."
"Good! After you've spoken to them, I
want an explanation."
"Yes, General, I'm sorry about that."
"Goodbye, Colonel."
He cut off.
"I WISH he'd stop doing that!" the
Colonel shouted, angrily.
Lieutenant Green jumped slightly, and looked up.
"Sorry, Lieutenant," Colonel White calmed himself, quickly, "but that
General REALLY gets on my nerves!"
"Do you think Captains Scarlet and Blue
would have gone to the base causing TROUBLE, sir?"
"Well, their idea of trouble is quite
different to that of Ward's," the Colonel said, thinking aloud, "Just asking
questions that he doesn't want to answer is 'causing trouble', in his book."
"But he said Captain Scarlet was RUDE to
him...."
"I find that hard to believe," the
Colonel agreed, "even when it's Scarlet who we're talking about."
A blue light blinked on the desk. "Go ahead, Captain Blue. I was just about to call you."
"You were...? Colonel, Ward is in charge
at the Air Base. When we tried to
get some information at the base, he made it as difficult as possible. THEN he ordered us to leave, just for
asking questions about the instalments going on at the base!"
"Calm DOWN, Captain." Colonel White said
quietly, "I was just talking to the General, myself. He told me it was the pair of YOU being
difficult, and Scarlet was even rude..."
"DIFFICULT!" Captain Blue responded,
indignantly, "WE weren't difficult, sir."
"And Scarlet?"
"Well, he WAS losing his temper, but
under the circumstances..."
"That's NO excuse!" Colonel White said,
sharply, then calmed himself, quickly, adding quietly, "Is that all you called
for, Captain?"
"No, sir, I thought you could call
someone who might get that foo- GENERAL to listen."
"Fair enough, Captain," the Colonel
replied, "I'll see if the World President can make the FOOL General listen!"
"Thanks, sir, sorry about the slip of
the tongue!"
"S.I.G, Captain, don't worry about it. I know what the General can be like. Just don't let him SEE that he's getting
to you."
"S.I.G, sir, thanks again!"
Captain Blue joined Captain Scarlet
outside of the Spectrum Ground Forces' Building.
For some reason, neither really wanted to go in, after the events of the
morning. Captain Scarlet shivered
and pulled on his coat. "The
weather has CERTAINLY turned chilly," he commented, looking at the sky, he
added, "It looks as if it might rain, as well."
"I wonder what it's like at Norfolk..."
Captain Blue muttered, half hoping his friend wouldn't hear him.
"Better than THIS, I'll bet," Captain
Scarlet answered, "but never mind that, Adam. What are we doing NOW?"
"Waiting for Colonel White to come
through."
"Yes.
But who is he calling?"
"Wait and see!
Honestly, you Brits have no patience!"
"I'm too cold to keep ANY patience!"
"Well, let's get inside, then."
Once they were inside, they met the same
man as before. He quickly got them
a hot drink each, and sat with them.
Not wanting to risk losing his temper again, Captain Scarlet avoided talking
about the progress of the morning.
Now feeling much better, and knowing all they could do was wait for the moment,
he joked light-heartedly. Andrews,
the chief of the Irish Spectrum Ground Forces, was much more comfortable with
both captains, now. After a few
minutes' light conversation, the secretary called.
"Sorry to interrupt, sir, but I have an Air Force officer here, who would
like a word..."
"Send him in," he sighed apologetically,
"Captains, would you mind staying? I would like you to hear what he has to
say..."
"S.I.G." Captain Scarlet answered, "We
wouldn't mind at all."
The door opened, and in came a slender
man, in his early forties, wearing a WAAF Major's uniform.
"Major Hawkins, here for some equipment..." he stopped looking at the
two unfamiliar Spectrum personnel, "And you are...?"
"Spectrum, Captains Blue and Scarlet."
Captain Blue stood to shake hands with the Major, but Captain Scarlet didn't
move.
Captain Blue turned and looked at his
friend, "Are you feeling alright, Captain Scarlet?"
"No," Captain Scarlet answered, holding
his head. Captain Blue put his hand
on his friend's shoulder. He didn't
look well at all. "You must've been out in the cold too long," he said,
reminding Captain Scarlet of Doctor Fawn, the medic of Cloudbase's Sickbay,
"I've told you about that, before,"
"No, I don't think it's a cold, or a
virus of any kind... It's... It's... HIM."
"Are you SURE?" Captain Blue asked,
watching the Major the way you might a deadly snake.
Captain Scarlet nodded. Not
knowing he was being watched, the Major continued gathering various cables.
He then tied them up, pulled the coils over his left shoulder, and left.
Captain Scarlet jumped to his feet and chased him out of the building.
The moment he was SURE nobody was around whom he could endanger, he fired at the
Major. He only hit one of the cables that were
trailing from his left shoulder.
"Blast!" The Major was on to him, now, so Scarlet hid before the Major
could return the favour.
"Where are you?" Came a shout nearby. Bullets ricocheted everywhere as the
Mysteronised Major went into a frenzy.
Then there was a series of clicking noises, followed by a thud. 'Has he abandoned his gun because he's
ran out of bullets, or is it a trick?' Captain Scarlet asked himself, 'I'll BET
it's a trick!' He could just see the Major from where he was... If he could JUST
get ONE clear shot at him...
The Major saw him at the same moment,
and fired a fresh gun at him. Stung
into action, Captain Scarlet leapt to his feet and fired a single bullet...
Right through the Major's heart!
Captain Scarlet felt cold, and weak. He didn't feel like walking back to the
Ground Forces' Office. Instead he
dropped his radio cap microphone "Captain Blue... I've taken care... of the
Mysteron... He shot me in the leg... Get a Mysteron rifle and finish the job...
Then can you deal with me?"
"With the RIFLE?" Captain Blue's voice
asked, jokingly, "OK, Captain, don't worry. Can you make it back to the main building, while I take care
of the Mysteron?"
"No... I'll wait here for you..."
"OK.
Hold out."
"S.I.G."
Captain Blue was startled by his
friend's condition. Captain Scarlet
had lost a lot of blood and was shivering violently.
Quickly, he took off his coat and draped it round Scarlet's shoulders.
"Now, let's take a look at that leg," he said, softly.
He and Andrews carefully rolled up his trouser leg, and wrapped a bandage round
the wound. "There, that's the best
we can do, for the minute, Captain."
Andrews said, putting his hand gently on Captain Scarlet's shoulder,
"We'd better get you to a hospital.
But, tell me, how did you KNOW he was a Mysteron?"
"I can detect Mysterons," Captain
Scarlet answered, smiling, "Call it a sixth sense."
"Amazing!"
Captain Blue cleared his throat, "I'd
better call Cloudbase," he said, "Colonel White will want us back. Captains Ochre, Magenta and Grey are
checking the Air Base out. Ward
didn't want US to go back, and seeing as you're hurt..."
"Typical!" Captain Scarlet retorted,
rolling his eyes, "Ward gets his way AS USUAL, and you make a fuss over a
little... SCRATCH!"
"SCRATCH?" Captain Blue answered, "Look
at you, Paul! I'm calling Cloudbase, and we're BOTH going back... AND THERE WILL
BE NO ARGUMENTS!"
Back on Cloudbase, hours later, Captain
Scarlet left the Sickbay and headed for the control room.
The other officers were already there and waiting. Captain Scarlet had now fully recovered,
in less than three hours. Colonel
White looked up as he entered, "Ah, Captain Scarlet, how are you feeling?"
"Fine, thank you, sir."
"You all did a fine job," Colonel White
stated, looking at each member in turn, "Even if there WERE a few problems."
Captain Scarlet looked at the floor. He had a feeling Colonel White would
give him a good talking to, later.
"Well, anyway, you all did your best, which, under the circumstances…" he
shot a quick glance at Captain Blue, "…was all that could have been asked of
you.
Thank you gentlemen, dismissed."
Captain Scarlet stared at the Colonel in
amazement, as the other members turned to leave.
"Do you want to talk to me, Captain?"
"Well, no, sir, not exactly..." he
hesitated.
"What is it, Paul?"
Captain Scarlet smiled, awkwardly,
"Well, after my behaviour, earlier, I would have expected a..."
"Medal?"
"Sir?"
"If I'd been in your place, with
irritating fool of a General speaking to ME the way he did you, I'd have HIT
him."
"The temptation WAS strong, sir."
"But YOU were STRONGER. Go and join the others."
"Thank you, sir."
Lieutenant Green turned to Colonel
White, after the Captain had left.
He couldn't hide the grin on his face.
"What are YOU smirking at, Lieutenant?"
"Nothing, Colonel, but you said earlier
that they shouldn't be encouraged..."
"Yes, well," the Colonels face darkened,
"What do YOU think I should have done then, Lieutenant? Put him in front of a
firing squad?"
"NO, sir, of course not!"
"GOOD.
Now, get on with the job you're PAID to do."
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