A “Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons” story for Christmas

By Marion Woods

Chapter One

Mike ‘Dinger’ Bell threw his magazine into his holdall and stretched. He hated these regional airports and hanging about between check in and boarding - which was ironic, considering. Still, once he got to London he wouldn’t have long to wait before the shuttle went up to Cloudbase.

He grimaced as the jangling musak broke into another version of ‘We wish you a Merry Christmas’ and the young mother seated across the way began to sing along in an attempt to entertain her fractious toddler. The airport lounge was bright with coloured lights and the shops were garish with posters and enticements for the travellers to buy last minute gifts. Christmas was just as much a consumer-driven holiday as it had always been, Bell thought wryly. He had never celebrated it much since he had turned teenager and lost interest in the magic that makes Christmas such an exciting time for families. Actually, given his family he had been pleased to get away and he never went back for Christmas now, which was why he had taken his leave early and was making his way back to Spectrum’s Cloudbase HQ a few days before Christmas Eve.

Christmas on Cloudbase was a fairly muted affair - everyone had their duty rotas to adhere to and not everyone celebrated Christmas anyway. There would be some parties going on, although these were usually unofficial, impromptu get-togethers. The Officers would have a polite gathering in the Lounge or the Amber Room and sometimes the Colonel would unbend enough to allow some alcohol to be consumed - by the lucky few, anyway. There would be a ceaseless trilling of Christmas carols but hopefully not by Captain Blue who, for all his enthusiasm, couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket.

Bell grinned to himself as he recalled the last instance he had seen Captain Scarlet before he went on leave. He had been hanging the latest batch of Scarlet’s newly cleaned and repaired uniform tunics in the closet whilst Scarlet, along with Blue and Captain Ochre, was wrapping the gifts the Captains had bought for the Angels.

Scarlet was ticking off the list of gifts and there was some desultory talk about what each man wanted - as opposed to expected to get - for Christmas. He was in a jovial mood. “All I really want for Christmas this year is for Blue to get laryngitis, before the carol season starts.”

Ochre chuckled and nodded in agreement as Blue flushed slightly, “Okay Rick, it wasn’t that funny a remark.