A “Captain Scarlet and the Mysteron” story

By Chris Bishop

“It was so nice of you to come and visit me today, my boy… You should come more often.”

Paul Metcalfe took a sip of his tea, as the elderly man addressed him with these words in which he could easily detect a hint of reproach. He knew him way too well not to suspect that it wasn’t only a mere innocent remark. Glancing at him across the garden table, he put his cup down on the saucer and offered an apologetic, yet sincere smile. “Wish I could, Granddad,” he answered, “but I’m afraid it’s impossible. I’m… very busy with my job. You know how it is.”

“Ah yes… your job.” The older man humphed, distractedly playing with the arms of his wheelchair, glaring meaningfully at his grandson. There was discontentment in his old, yet lively, blue eyes for the space of about three seconds. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished; he reached for his glasses, and started cleaning the lenses with a corner of the blanket covering his frail legs, making a show of being very absorbed in this task. He gave a dismissive shrug of his stooping, yet still broad, shoulders. “Yes, I know how it is,” he said quietly. “I was in that business myself a long time, as you recall… But I was never too busy to spend time with my family.”

“Well, it’s not quite the same. You mostly stayed in England,” Paul remarked.

“And you have to run around the globe, I know,” his grandfather swiftly put in. He raised inquisitive eyes toward the younger man. “Are you sure this job isn’t just too demanding?”

Paul smiled widely. “I’ll be all right, Granddad. Don’t worry about me.”

“Yes, yes, you would say that,” the white-haired man mused. “You youngsters always think you have your whole life before you and that you can tackle everything the world throws at you. But then, before you know it, you reach eighty, and then you realise that you’re not as strong as you used to be… And that maybe you were just a little too demanding of your body when you were younger. But at this point… it’s far too late to be able to do anything about it.”

He squinted through his glasses, and didn’t seem quite satisfied with the result of his efforts. He grunted with frustration and was about to start again, when the young red-haired woman seated by his grandson’s side leaned toward him and, with a very charming smile, offered to take the glasses from his hands.

“Let me do that, Mr. Blake… That blanket will never do a good job with those lenses.”

Rhapsody Angel took the glasses and, producing a fine scarf from her bag, started rubbing the lenses expertly, under the old gentleman’s curious eyes. When she gave them back to him, Paul Blake examined the glasses and gave an approving nod, before putting them back onto his nose.

“Thank you, my dear… you obviously know how to do this.”

“I always used to do it for my father,” she explained, her smile widening. “Since I was little. So I got the hang of it very quickly.”

Blake nodded again, pensively. “Dianne Simms… Paul told me your father is Lord Robert Simms?” he ventured.

“Yes, sir,” Dianne answered. She pointed to the teapot and cup on the table. “Do you want more tea?”

Blake accepted with a nod and the young woman started pouring tea into his cup, as he pursued: “I’ve met him a couple of times… in the course of my job at the Secret Service. Struck me as a nice young chap… He was the one who helped defuse the situation during the Icelandic dispute, wasn’t he?” Dianne confirmed the statement with a nod, handing him his cup. “Very good job. And a very fine diplomat,” Blake continued. “We should have more like him, today.” He took a sip of his tea. “And how is your mother? I think I remember her too. Tall, black-haired, with green eyes? Name of Mira, yes?”

“No… that would be my grandmother,” Dianne answered with a careful smile.

“Your father’s mother?” Blake asked with a raised brow.

“Yes, my grandfather was named Robert too.”

“Ah yes… Hence the confusion. Sorry about that.”

“No harm done. My mother is indeed tall – well, my height, actually. And she had red hair too. Her name is Julia.”

“Now I remember,” Blake agreed with a nod. “A strikingly beautiful woman. Just like her daughter.”

“You are too kind, Mr. Blake.”

“I’m only stating the truth, my dear. You are very beautiful. And charming. Just like I remember your mother. Your father was blessed to have two such visions of beauty under his roof.”

“Actually,” Dianne answered a little bashfully, “my parents have not been together for quite some years now. They divorced early on.”

Blake raised a brow. “Is that so?” he asked curiously. “Oh, so sorry to hear about that, my dear. Please accept my apologies. I’m such an old fool…”

“You are not, and you couldn’t know about that, Mr. Blake. My mother lives in Italy now… Well, she has been living there most of the time, for the past five years, I believe.”

“Italy? Why Italy? Any reason?”

“She has relatives there. Mum is part Italian, part Irish – and all fire and temper, as my dad used to say,” Dianne said with a faint smile. Blake answered with a smile of his own and she moved on: “As for my father… last time I heard, he was on a diplomatic mission, in the Middle-East. Last month, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Still working, then. Very nice. Please, give him my regards, when next you see him… if he remembers me, that is!”

“I will, sir. And I’m sure he’ll remember you.”

“My, you are indeed a charming young lady…” Blake said, his smile broadening. He seemed to be genuinely smitten by Dianne’s personality. He leaned forward and took her hand in his, and squeezed it gently. “Were I quite a few years younger, I might be tempted to steal her away from you, Paul,” he said to his grandson, before delicately kissing the young woman’s hand and winking at her. She giggled.

“You are quite charming yourself, Mr. Blake,” she noted. “Almost as much as your grandson…”

“Really,” Paul said with a raised brow. “I always heard he was a very dangerous man with the ladies at my age.”

“That’s vile and preposterous gossip,” Blake defended himself self-righteously. Noting his grandson’s teasing smile, he shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “At your age, I was already married,” he then remarked. “And with two children to look after, my boy… Including your own mother.”

Paul rolled his eyes. “Here we go again,” he muttered.

“Be respectful of your elders,” Blake warned him. “Or you’ll give a wrong impression to this charming young lady here.” His words sounded harsher than they really were, and the brightness in his eyes betrayed the fondness he had for his grandson. His smile widened even more, and he looked at the two young people in front of him, one after the other, before nodding approvingly. “I can’t believe you found someone for yourself… finally!”

“Granddad,” Paul sighed, a little amused by the statement, “I’m still only thirty-four years old…”

“Well, you might be, but I’m not getting any younger!” the older man declared forcefully. “Seeing how long it took you to find someone, I might not live long enough to actually see you marry her!” He sat back comfortably. “Have you set a date yet?”

“No… not yet,” Paul admitted.

Blake grunted. “Mmm… not good.”

“And the truth to the matter is… we still haven’t told Mum and Dad,” Paul continued. “Dianne hasn’t told her parents, either. We haven’t even told our superior officer yet.”

“Your mother doesn’t know?” Blake inquired. “But she’d be thrilled to find out!”

“All in good time, Granddad,” Paul said in a calming tone. “And it’ll be soon, don’t worry. For now, you’ll have to be happy with the fact that you were the first in the family to whom we told the news.”

“I’m the first, really?” Blake said with a grin. “Well, that is quite an honour, Paul…” He leaned towards Dianne. “I knew there was a reason why I took an immediate liking to him, when he was born – and that was before his mother told me she was going to name him after me.”

Rhapsody Angel smiled fondly. Her fiancé Paul Metcalfe – the indestructible Captain Scarlet of Spectrum – shared a lot more than his given name with his grandfather. From old photos that the elderly man had showed them earlier, many of which showed him at Paul’s approximate age today, she could see the aged Blake looked a lot like his grandson, in those times. Except for the hair, which was of a slightly lighter colour in the case of Blake. It was easy to see where Paul got his good looks… Despite his advanced age – he was now well into his eighties – Paul Blake was still a very good-looking man. His hair had turned completely white, deep lines marked his face and his back stooped a little, but he still had broad shoulders and a spark in his eyes which were as blue and vibrant as his grandson’s. His mind was still sharp, and his speech very clear, and he had no trouble keeping up a lively conversation on any given subject, as he had proved for the three hours this visit had lasted so far. He just had trouble walking, his ageing body finally betraying him after all these years, and needed the wheelchair from time to time, especially when he had to travel long distances. But aside from that, he could be considered to be in excellent health.

“You know that yob was responsible for my first white hair?” Blake informed Rhapsody with a conniving smile.

Scarlet was about to take another sip from his cup. He glared at the older man. “Granddad…” he said warningly.

“Well, it’s true!” protested Blake. “Always getting into trouble, he was,” he continued, addressing an obviously interested Rhapsody. “See that big oak over there?” He pointed to a huge tree standing in the middle of the garden, not far from them. “He took it into his thick head to climb to the top. He was… what… six at the time?”

“Seven,” Scarlet corrected.

Blake shrugged. “Well, still too young to try to reach the sky in those days, wouldn’t you think? Naturally, although I had forbidden him to even try it, what do you think he did?”

“Climbed the tree, of course,” Rhapsody said with a nod.

“Of course! And what do you think happened?”

“He fell,” Rhapsody offered, smiling.

“Indeed! He was halfway up. Fortunately for him, the lower branches broke most of his fall. But he broke his arm as he hit the ground...”

“Dislocated my shoulder, actually,” Scarlet countered.

“Well, anyway… One would have thought he would have stopped there, now wouldn’t you, Dianne?”

“Knowing Paul, I’m sure he didn’t,” Rhapsody answered with a note of certainty in her voice. Hearing it, her fiancé rolled his eyes skywards.

“Of course not… Three months after that, I found him in the garden of his parents’ house… Climbing an even bigger tree than this one.”

“Hadn’t you learned your lesson?” Rhapsody asked mockingly, turning to face Scarlet.

“Of course I had,” he replied, quietly taking a sip from his cup. He winked at her. “By then, I had more experience in climbing trees… and I knew better than to fall.”

“Ah!” Paul Blake exhaled loudly, before chuckling. “When I asked him what he thought he was doing climbing that tree, he answered that my tree didn’t offer much of a challenge anymore. He had to try something bigger!”

“I do recognize him, there,” Rhapsody remarked in an amused tone.

“As if you never climbed any trees yourself,” Scarlet retorted with a raised brow.

“Why yes, I did, of course. But I never fell…”

“That’s right,” Scarlet mocked her. “You’re a regular Dianne of the Jungle…”

She smiled. “Wipe that grin off your face, Metcalfe. You’ll never catch me wearing a loincloth.”

“Pity…” Scarlet muttered under his breath, draining the last of his tea.

Paul Blake chortled loudly. “I like her a lot, Paul,” he told his grandson. “Please, play it smart – and don’t let her escape you.”

“I certainly won’t,” Scarlet grinned, putting the empty cup on the table. “I’m a very lucky man to have found her – and I do intend to make her the happiest woman in the world.”

“Nicely said,” Blake said with an approving nod. “Finding the right person to become your mate, and share your love for the rest of your life can be adventurous at times, but when you find that special someone…” he smiled contently. “… then everything seems so much easier.”

He went pensive, watching as the two young people in front of him were exchanging loving and silent glances, following his words. For a short moment, he was taken back so many years in the past, thinking about how he had courted the young woman who would become his wife for all those years to follow; she had passed away a long time ago now, the year before Paul was born. It had taken a long time for Blake to actually get over the hole she had left, and to learn to live again, even meeting other women, as time went by. But even that was long ago; for the past few years, he had lived mostly alone, in this small cottage near Bristol, in the company of a nurse who took care of him. Paul Blake would have been a very lonely man today, if not for the family he had founded with his wife – his children, and their spouses, and then their children – and friends, and colleagues from days of old, who came to visit him often. He had to admit, though, that his friends were getting fewer with each passing year – and he dreaded the day he might become the only one left from the close circle he formed with them.

He shook himself, coming out of his momentary fugue and went back to staring at both Paul and Dianne. Such a nice young couple, he told himself; he felt an intense pride and happiness in what his grandson had become – a handsome man, yes, but intelligent and cultivated, caring and dedicated to his chosen line of work. A courageous and committed agent of Spectrum, fighting against all manner of terrorism around the world, no matter how dangerous it might be for him, and ready to lay down his own life to save others.

Blake knew more of his grandson’s work than the latter was willing to tell him. The retired Secret Service director still had contacts that helped him keep approximate tabs on what was going on regarding World Security – at least, as much as security restrictions would permit – and when it came to Spectrum, restrictions were as high as could possibly be imagined. But despite the difficulties encountered, Blake had been able to glean a little information. Like that incident in Iceland, last Christmas, during which terrorists had taken over the British Embassy, in an attempt to kidnap the ambassador’s young daughter. Paul’s cousin, Jessica, who was a Secret Service agent, assigned to the child’s security, had been caught in the crossfire and wounded; it was Paul who had been literally dropped straight into the middle of the action to retrieve both his cousin and the child in her charge. According to Jessica, although succeeding in his mission, Paul had been wounded – and yet, when Blake had seen him, weeks after that, there was no apparent injury on him – and he never mentioned anything about it. It was a measure of Paul’s devotion to doing what was right, undaunted by the obvious danger he might put himself in – and not seeking any recognition, glory or profit from it. For Paul, it was just a question of ‘performing his duty’ and ‘doing what was right’.

He certainly deserves the happiness an exceptional woman can give him, Blake reflected. And this young woman here seems like the perfect match for him. They look like they’re made for each other.

And he was quite happy with this.

“Must you really go?” he asked the young couple in a soft, almost pleading tone. “Can’t you stay with me until after dinner?”

“We would like to do that very much, Granddad,” Scarlet said apologetically. “But we have to report back…” He checked his watch. “And I’m sorry to say this, but we will have to leave you very soon. We have a plane to catch, which will take us back to base.”

“That’s a real shame.” Blake sighed deeply, sorry to see them go. A thought suddenly came to his mind, and he raised his finger victoriously. “But… before you go, I’d like to give you something.”

“Granddad,” Scarlet protested. “No gift is necessary…”

“I insist!” Blake made a show of standing up, but his sore and weak legs refused to assist him. He grunted his bad mood and looked around for his nurse, who seemed to be nowhere in sight. “Confound it! Where’s that blasted woman, never there when you need her? Hilda!”

“She must be in the house,” Rhapsody offered. “Would you like me to fetch her for you?”

“I wouldn’t want to impose…” Blake started.

“Please. It would be my pleasure.”

“All right. Just tell her to go into the library. There’s a book there I want her to give you. Fifth bookshelf, third book from the left. She can’t miss it.”

“I’ll come back right away.” Rhapsody left her seat and walked the distance separating her from the back door leading into the house. Both Scarlet and his grandfather watched her as she disappeared inside. Blake then turned to face his grandson, in order to continue a casual conversation, waiting for Rhapsody to come back.

“Jessica came to visit, a couple of weeks ago,” Blake announced quietly.

“I haven’t seen her for months!” Scarlet declared. “How is she?”

Blake shrugged. “Quite all right, it seemed to me. She has a new beau.”

“Again?” Scarlet said, rolling his eyes. “This is, what, her third since last year?”

Blake chuckled. “Apparently, the previous one – Bruce, I think his name was? – had been pretty much shaken by the… ‘incident’ in Iceland, last Christmas. He started suggesting to Jessica that maybe it was time for her to retire from this dangerous career as a Secret Service agent, and to think of starting a new, more normal job for a young woman.”

“Knowing Jessica, I can imagine what she told him to do with this ‘new, more normal job’!” Scarlet said, grinning mischievously.

“Rightly so!” Blake frowned, thinking. “This new boyfriend of hers is American, I think. I don’t know much about him. I haven’t met him yet, and I don’t know how long it will last… But if he’s not the right man for her, I do hope she’ll find someone one day soon.”

“Don’t worry about her,” Scarlet offered. “She knows what she’s doing…”

“You reckon?” a doubtful Blake asked.

“… AND she will find someone right for her soon. I’m sure of it. Someone who won’t be critical of her choice of career and who will deserve her.”

“Like you and Dianne, right?” Blake said, smiling at his grandson, and nodding in the direction of the house. “You do seem right for each other…”

“We like to think we are,” Scarlet admitted with a brilliant smile.

“You love her very much, don’t you?”

From where he was sitting, Scarlet could see the back door of the house opening, and Rhapsody coming out, a big book in her hands, slowly crossing the garden to come back to them. He nodded to his grandfather’s question. “Very much indeed. I can’t believe I wasted so much time, not even noticing how much she truly meant to me.”

“While I suppose she was quite smitten by you?”

“How do you know that?” Scarlet asked, raising a brow.

“The same happened with your grandmother and me,” Blake answered, chuckling. “And between your Mum and Dad… Women… they all know before we do that they will end up with us.”

“Mmm…” Scarlet reflected with a slow nod. “I guess women are more perceptive about that sort of thing than we are…”

Blake sniggered again. “Maybe it’s us who are… just a little more obtuse.”

Both men laughed out loud, just as Rhapsody approached them. She had heard the last words they had exchanged, and smiled as she leaned down to her fiancé’s side. “Nonsense. You men are not as obtuse as you seem to imagine.” She gave Scarlet a swift kiss on his cheek. “You eventually figure it out.”

She took a step forward towards Blake, presenting the book. “Fifth row, third book from the left. Is this the one?” He nodded in answer, but declined the book she was handing him.

“No, keep it. It’s a gift for both of you.”

Scarlet took the book from Rhapsody’s hands and examined the old leather cover. “An old Bible?”

“Yes. It was given to me many years ago – by the vicar who married us, your grandmother and I. It was used on our wedding day.” He smiled and gestured to the Bible. “It’s my wedding gift to you two.”

“Granddad… I don’t know what to say,” Scarlet replied a little awkwardly. “But you know, the wedding is not planned for tomorrow…”

Blake grunted. “An engagement gift then, if you prefer,” he retorted in a falsely offended tone. “Yes, I know you’re not exactly a God-fearing man, Paul, but…”

“It’s a lovely gift,” Scarlet cut in quickly, before his grandfather started to imagine he didn’t appreciate the gift. “I realise it must mean a lot to you… And that you should part with it…”

“It’s because it does mean a lot to me than I want to give it to you,” Blake answered.

“Then we are honoured, sir,” Rhapsody said with a smile of thanks. “When the time comes, we shall ask the clergyman who marries us to use that Bible.”

Scarlet gave a sharp nod in approval of his fiancée’s decision. Blake smiled slightly, satisfied that his gift seemed to please the young couple. However, he was not about to let them believe he was happy with their present choice of waiting for a later date to celebrate their wedding. He humphed loudly, and resettled himself comfortably in his chair. “In the meantime,” he grumbled, “don’t forget to add me to your invitation list… and reserve me a place in the front pew.”

Both Scarlet and Rhapsody exchanged an amused smile, not fooled at all by the older man’s falsely grumpy tone.

“Don’t worry, Granddad,” Scarlet told him merrily. “We certainly won’t forget you… and you’ll have the best place in the house…” He winked at Rhapsody. “Well… the second best place, that is. I’ll have the best place, of course… by my beautiful bride’s side!”

Captain Blue met with Captain Scarlet and Rhapsody Angel in the hangar, just after the latter’s SPJ landed on Cloudbase. Scarlet certainly welcomed his friend’s help in taking Rhapsody’s too numerous suitcases back to her quarters; Dianne had never been able to pack sensibly, and more often than not, it was his back which had to suffer the grief of carrying such a heavy load. After both men had escorted the Angel back to her place, Scarlet kissed his fiancée goodbye, and went to his own quarters, accompanied by Blue – carrying his only suitcase and a small carry-on bag. On entering, he deposited all of his luggage onto his bunk and sat heavily on it, sighing deeply. “Home sweet home…”

“How was the visit to Granddaddy?” Blue asked with a smirk. “By the looks of you, I gather it didn’t go too well.”

“Oh, on the contrary, it went very well,” Scarlet retorted quickly. “My grandfather and I have always got on well. He was thrilled to learn about our engagement, Dianne and I.”

“I imagine so. I suppose he started asking questions about when the big day will be?”

“Right on the spot,” Scarlet agreed sombrely. “He started saying that he ‘wasn’t getting any younger…’”

“… And that he might not live long enough to actually see the day?”

Scarlet sighed. “The truth is, he might be right about that, you know? He’s in his eighties – still a very vigorous man for his age, despite his bad legs… but he won’t be here for ever.”

Blue nodded slowly. “I can see your dilemma. You’re feeling guilty about making him wait.”

“Something like that,” Scarlet admitted. “Not only him. But Dianne’s parents, my parents – who still don’t know about this – the colonel…”

“…Who doesn’t know either,” Blue added meaningfully.

“Thank you for pointing that out, Adam,” Scarlet grunted.

“I know I don’t have to give you lessons in that field, Paul,” Blue continued. “But… don’t you think you’d better tell him too? I kept my relationship with Karen a secret from the colonel for a long time myself, before finally telling him…”

“… only to discover he’d known all about it all along…”

Blue smiled thinly at his friend’s remark. “Perhaps. But I didn’t know that at the time, and I felt so much better after coming clean with him. Believe me, it’s not such a bad thing to do.”

Scarlet hesitated. “All in good time,” he said with an awkward smile. “When I’m ready.”

“When you find the courage, you mean.”

“Courage is not something I’m lacking, I’ll remind you.”

“Except when facing the old man. And perhaps your parents as well…”

Scarlet rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I don’t think you can compare our situations, Adam,” he said.

“Why not?” Blue asked with a frown. “What difference is there between my relationship with Karen – and your relationship with Dianne?”

“Well… me, of course.” Scarlet pointed to himself. “I’m different.”

“Paul, I still fail to see the point of…”

“You know,” Scarlet interrupted swiftly, “when we were coming back from my grandfather’s place, Dianne kept talking about how he looked a lot like me when he was my age. And I have to say, it is true: I am today the spitting image of what he was in his young days. You know what Dianne told me? She told me: ‘So that’s what you’ll look like when you’re eighty.’”

“And…?” Blue asked in a puzzled tone.

“Adam – I don’t know what I’ll look like when I’m eighty. I might still look as young as I look today!”

“And that’s bad?” Blue asked with a thin smile.

“It is when you’re involved with a woman, I would say!” Scarlet remarked, a little irately. “Don’t you think it could put a dent in any relationship, in the long run?”

“In the long run, maybe,” Blue reflected. “In the meantime, I don’t think you should worry about that.”

“I’m not. But the colonel might not agree.”

“The colonel is not an ogre, Paul. And I can’t see him getting all fired up about what – at the moment – is simply a theory – which might turn out not to be true.” Blue marked a pause. “Because that’s what it is, isn’t it? You did tell me that, so far, Fawn hasn’t found anything conclusive about that aspect of your… condition…”

“No, that’s true,” Scarlet admitted reluctantly. “But… I still feel the same as I did two years ago. I don’t feel any different.”

“Well, so do I,” Blue answered with a smirk. “Maybe it simply means we’re both in good shape?” Scarlet gave him an awkward look. “I say you should put all your fears aside and go forward. Tell the colonel. Tell your parents. Let the world know how you feel about Dianne. And that you intend to marry her and be happy with her for as long as you’re both alive and together.”

Scarlet smiled in turn and simply nodded in acknowledgement of his friend’s encouragement. “Soon, Adam,” he promised. “I’ll tell them – all of them – very soon.”

Blue nodded. “Perhaps the question will become academic. Your grandfather might tell your parents himself – did you think about that? Your mom is his daughter after all. How many secrets can he have from her?”

Scarlet laughed out loud. “Plenty, I’d imagine!” he said with good humour. “Remember, he was an agent, and then a director of the Universal Secret Service. I should think he knows a lot of secrets, that none of us would ever suspect – least of all, my mother!”

“Like who shot your dearly departed Director, for example?” Blue offered.

Scarlet grimaced. Blue was referring to a recent period of Britain’s history – far too recent for anyone’s liking – during which monarchist democracy had been abolished, and martial law had been imposed on the country, holding it for years under the iron hand of a tyrant who was known only as The Director. Even years after the civil war that had brought an end to his rule, his real identity was still unknown. Or kept like a shameful secret, Blue would rather think. His death had come about at the end of the civil war, in rather obscure circumstances, when he was killed by a U.S.S. agent – whose identity was also kept secret... Even to this day, the real circumstances behind his death – whether it was an ordered assassination or not, then viewed as necessary to end the terror regime of the Director – was still one of the 21st Century’s most guarded secrets. And nobody really expected the U.S.S. to ever reveal the truth of what had happened.

“Even the colonel doesn’t know the answer to that one,” Scarlet remarked. “And at one point, he was head of the British Division of the U.S.S.”

“Yes, but that was after the civil war,” Blue retorted. “Your grandfather, on the other hand, was deeply involved with the U.S.S. during that period.”

“The British section didn’t officially exist in those times.”

“But it did exist, you and I know about that.” Blue nodded thoughtfully. “You think he might have had a hand in that?”

Scarlet raised a doubtful brow. “My grandfather? Involved in the death of the Director? Well, if he was, then he would be Britain’s least celebrated hero!” he remarked. “But that would surprise me very much. Murder was not really up his alley. Never has been…” He gave it a second’s thought. “At least, I don’t think so.” He shook his head, chasing the doubt from his mind. “Anyway, he won’t say a thing to my parents concerning the engagement. He told me he would keep it to himself, until such time as I see fit to tell them myself.”

“A really nice man,” Blue said, musing.

“He gave Dianne and me a gift.” Scarlet unzipped his carry-on bag and fished something out of it, which he handed to Blue with a large smirk.

“A Bible?” Blue said, turning the big book in his hands. “And obviously quite old.”

“It was given to my grandparents by the vicar who married them,” Scarlet explained, as Blue was opening the Bible. He failed to notice the expression of surprise on his friend’s features as he continued: “So my grandfather thought that… Dianne and I could carry on the tradition.”

Blue turned a few pages from the beginning. He stopped and frowned. “With this book?” he inquired, looking directly at his friend with a doubtful expression on his face. “You’re sure?”

“What do you mean?” Scarlet asked with perplexity.

Blue sighed. “Well… I don’t know if a clergyman gave this to your grandfather, Paul, but he obviously didn’t read from it. Check this.”

Blue’s statement was unusual enough to intrigue Scarlet; he rose from the bed to look over his colleague’s broad shoulder at what Blue was staring at in such a curious way.

Blue first showed him the first pages of the Bible – which were completely blank, with no writing of any kind of them. Then he turned a page and Scarlet opened his eyes wide with surprise.

The interior of the book had been cut, in such a way that a small device, of almost exactly the size of the book, had been inserted inside. It was made of plastic and metal, with a series of six squared buttons covering half of it, and a larger metallic disc inserted on the other half.

“What’s this?” Scarlet murmured.

“I don’t know…” Blue answered, shrugging. “A recording device, perhaps? Looks pretty archaic though…” He closed the book. “See? You can’t see what’s hidden inside. Clever…”

“Not so clever, I’ve seen the exact same trick in an old western. Except the bad guy was hiding a revolver in it.”

“Why would a clergyman hide this thing in a Bible?” Blue asked with a frown.

“That’s the same question I was asking myself about the revolver. The bad guy was a clergyman too,” Scarlet said matter-of-factly. He smiled at the annoyed glance his friend gave him. “Maybe it’s not a recorder. It could be a player of some kind. That disc could be a speaker…”

“Doesn’t look like any kind of player I’ve ever seen,” Blue mumbled.

“Doesn’t look like a recorder either,” Scarlet pointed out.

Blue opened the book and after a short moment of hesitation, started pushing some of the buttons, but they clicked without anything happening. Scarlet took the Bible and did the same, and had no more success than his colleague.

“Maybe we shouldn’t touch it, after all,” Blue noted. “We don’t know what it is.”

“You’re funny, Blue,” Scarlet grumbled. “You’re the first to try it, and when it’s my turn, you say we shouldn’t touch it.” He pressed the buttons again, and grunted. “Well, whatever it is, it looks like it’s broken,” he remarked.

“Or maybe it’s a matter of getting the right sequence?” Blue suggested. He took the book back and made a few more attempts. Without any more success than previously. Scarlet sighed.

“This is getting tedious,” he reflected, as Blue gave him back the book. “I’d better put it away for the time being, and ask Granddad what this gift of his is all about. I’m sure I’ll be fascinated by his explanation.”

“I think that’s the best thing you could do,” Blue agreed. “In the meantime, I’ll leave you. I’ve got paperwork to do – and if I don’t start on it right away, I won’t be able to make it to this dinner with Karen later on.”

“Off you go, then,” Scarlet said, still trying for a new sequence on the buttons. “I’m going to have a shower, and get back into uniform, before I report to the colonel.”

“See you later, then. Don’t waste too much time on this thing. You might break it, if it’s not broken already.”

Scarlet didn’t answer as Blue left, and the sliding door closed on him. He tried one last sequence, but since the new command failed him again, he grunted in annoyance.

“What kind of gift did you give me, Granddad?” he muttered. He threw the Bible open onto his work-table with a frustrated sigh, and didn’t give it another look. I don’t have time for this… I need that shower. He turned on his heel and took his uniform out of his closet to lay it carefully on his bed, with his boots standing in front of it. Then, he swiftly removed his shoes, and directing his steps towards his small bathroom, started disrobing on the way.

He never noticed the lights appearing on the buttons he had pushed just a few seconds ago, nor did he hear the faint buzzing sound that started coming out of it.

“What are you doing out of your chair, Mr. Blake? You know the doctor said you shouldn’t stand up for too long.”

Paul Blake looked sideways at his nurse who had entered the library, carrying a tray on which were a teapot, biscuits and a cup. He gruffed and shrugged dismissively; her admonishments had become more and more frequent as time passed, but he had grown used to them. Not that they had any effect on him anyway; he would rarely listen to them – especially when he had something more important on his mind. As he had at the moment.

“I’m missing a book,” he grunted, continuing to scrutinize the bookshelves in front of which he was standing, leaning heavily on the cane that he used when out of his wheelchair. He didn’t turn around as she put her load onto the desk behind him. “Have you seen it, Hilda? I know you’re in the habit of removing my books from the shelves from time to time to do some dusting…”

“Yes – dust is no good for you,” the nurse replied. “Especially at your age. You know that… But you also know that I always put the books back where they came from.”

“This book is very important… You should never touch it. Now I can’t find it.” He put his finger in an empty space on the shelf he was staring at. “And there’s a hole here, where it should be.”

“You gave one to your grandson before he left,” the nurse reminded him matter-of-factly. “Such a handsome young man he is, Mr. Blake…”

“That’s not the same book,” Blake retorted, rather abruptly.

“That was a Bible, yes?” the woman behind him insisted, patiently. “You gave a Bible to your grandson… The nice young lady came in here looking for it. I showed her your bookshelves and helped her find it. It was this book we took.”

Blake frowned. “Wait a minute…” His fingers grazed the spines of the book, starting from the first one on the shelf. “Fifth bookshelf… third book from the left…” He ended up on the empty space he had discovered.

“Ah!” Hilda said victoriously. “You see? That is the book in question.”

“I gave them the wrong book,” Blake muttered. “It should have been… third shelf, fifth book.” Saying that, he grazed the said shelf and found the fifth book. He removed it from between the others and checked it. “This is the Bible I should have given them,” he said, turning to Hilda. “Not the other one.”

She shrugged, pouring tea into the cup. “A Bible is a Bible, isn’t it?”