A "Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons" story

By Chris Bishop

Chapter 7

Symphony Angel didn’t remember ever waking up with a hangover similar to the one she presently had.

Her head felt as if it weighed a ton, although the inside of her skull seemed filled with cotton so thick she had trouble thinking straight. In fact, it hurt just to make the effort to think. And it hurt even more just to try to move any part of her body. Her mouth was so very dry, she even had trouble swallowing.

She was lying on her back, on a hard surface, and she could feel her muscles were stiff. When she attempted to open her eyes, she closed them immediately. Too bright… too damned bright, she cursed inwardly. What the devil did I drink last night? WHAT did I do exactly? I can’t remember…

Her eyelids finally obeyed her mental command, and she blinked repeatedly, to chase away the too-bright light and the fuzziness filling her vision; she groaned in pain, and slowly brought her hand to her head. Just that movement was pure torture.

Her vision cleared finally, and she found herself staring at the high, rounded ceiling of the Amber Room. What was more, she was lying on the floor, not that far from the door.

What? she thought with a frown. I fell asleep here?!

That wasn’t like her at all.

What the hell happened?

She slowly raised herself into a sitting position, holding her head and keeping it down, until the pain in it, and the sudden nausea that had hit her, eventually subsided. She remembered the strangest of dreams… she was back in the time of the Vikings, and she was a warrior princess of some sort – captured by the enemy, but betrothed to their prince… Adam was that prince, of course, and there were all sort of intrigues in the palace. Everyone she knew on Cloudbase was there… all with a role to play, and…

Even Captain Black was there – as the villain of the story. She shivered almost despite herself.

How strange that I can recall all the details so vividly! she mused.

Truly, what an odd dream that was…

There was a strange sensation, nagging at her… Something that she felt she should remember, but was elusively escaping her… It was hidden behind all those details, those ‘memories’ of that bizarre dream which seemed so terrifyingly true… As if the events had actually occurred for real. But that was impossible, of course… That couldn’t possibly happen?

She heard her stomach whine, obviously demanding food. Her free hand reached for her belly, as if trying to calm it. Yes, she did feel hungry… very hungry… and she had such a terrible thirst; her throat was completely dry. It was as if she had not eaten or drunk for many hours… or days…

Hold on…

Suddenly, she remembered, as her mind slowly started to clear, although her headache persisted. She raised her head suddenly – too suddenly for her own good – and looked around the Amber Room with alarm, recollection of what really happened before that dream coming back to her in waves.

Her sudden feeling of wariness confirmed itself when she saw Destiny Angel, half lying on the couch, and Melody, sprawled across the steps, not that far from her. Both of them looked asleep.

No… unconscious…

Unconscious – like I was… I remember now. There was gas, filling the Amber Room… That sensation of drowsiness I – we – felt…

A trap!

And then… nothing, except that stupid dream.

"Oh my Lord…" Symphony muttered. She swiftly dragged herself to Melody, closest to her, to check if she really was only unconscious. The pulse in her wrist was beating strong. As for Destiny, she was definitely alive – Symphony could hear her snoring lightly.

She got to her feet, and suddenly felt light-headed; she staggered toward the water fountain, and poured herself a first cup, that she gulped greedily, before taking a second, then a third. At the fourth cup, her thirst finally seemed to be assuaged, and she sighed with satisfaction.

She then checked her wristwatch. It seemed like they had been sleeping only a couple of hours…

No… the date had changed…

Two days!?

"Oh my LORD! That can't be possible!" Symphony repeated more forcefully. She turned on her heel suddenly – Damn that blasted headache! – and staggering, went to the door in long strides. She remembered everything now… the news that Captain Blue and Rhapsody's SPJ had crashed on the runway, minutes after she had started her shift; the concern she felt that they might be hurt; the voice of Lieutenant Burgundy over the comm. telling her to relax, that both were perfectly all right and had been taken down to sickbay to treat minor injuries and slight concussion; her desire to leave her station and go up to sickbay anyway, in order to check on her fiancé and friend…

And then that blasted gas that had hit them…

She had tried to reach the door, but had crashed to the floor before she could. Her last thoughts had been of a driving determination to call the Control Room, to give the alert, but the only thing she had been able to do was to raise her hand toward the comm.link right next to the door, without reaching it; she was too far away.

Reaching the door now, she pushed the control button, but the door refused to slide open.

Locked.

"What the hell is going on here?" she muttered darkly. She slammed the comm.link button. "Symphony Angel to Control Room! Spectrum is Red! We've been under attack in the Amber Room. The door is locked. Please, unlock it immediately!"

There was no answer. Symphony frowned. Curious. The comm. seemed to be working… And there was always someone in the Control Room… What was happening?

"Amber Room to Control Room! This is an emergency! We've been hit by gas – my watch says it was TWO DAYS ago! How is it possible that nobody noticed!?" As the comm. kept silent, the doubt slowly making its way into her mind became certainty. "Is there anyone up there to answer me?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "Colonel White? Lieutenant Green?" The name of the last person she had talked to before losing consciousness came to mind. "Lieutenant Burgundy?"

But no-one answered.

Oh no… Don't tell me this attack was not only against the Amber Room – but all over the base.

Her heart started racing. She had no way of knowing if everybody else was indeed unconscious – or worse, dead. She could only suspect that something terrible had happened.

She tried to contact different locations all over Cloudbase – Sickbay, maintenance, officers’ lounge… There was no answer anywhere.

"This can't be happening…" she whispered to herself. "I can't be the only conscious person onboard…"

And if I am?

She punched an emergency code into the comm.

"Symphony Angel to Spectrum Headquarters, London. Spectrum is Red! Cloudbase has been under attack. We…"

She stopped herself when she suddenly realised that there was static coming from speakers. She tried another code, in order to contact another ground base. It was the same.

Great. Connections to ground seem completely disabled. As if something – or rather SOMEONE - has messed around with the radio system to isolate Cloudbase. On purpose, obviously.

It appeared to be a huge, well-organised assault.

"I have to get out of here," she said to herself, turning her attention to the control panel embedded in the wall next to the door, with fierce determination. "I have to open that damned door and find someone – anyone. And they better come up with good answers to the questions I will ask them – or there will be Hell to pay!"

* * *

The Spectrum sentry standing guard in front of the R&D room where Captain Scarlet was imprisoned inside the suspension tank pushed the command button and the door slid open in front of him. He stepped inside the room, slowly, his weapon at the ready, his gaze attentively wandering around. Bromwell was so concerned that an inadvertent move with the machinery might put the whole operation in jeopardy that he had instructed the guard to take his station outside the door, to keep his surveillance checks inside to a minimum and not to touch any of the very sensitive equipment in the room, under any circumstances.

The prisoner was still inside the tank, as he had been since the start of the operation, but he was agitating himself, struggling slightly against his restraints, and as much as his drug-fuddled mind and body would allow. There was a lot of air bubbles escaping from his respirator, but it was well strapped on and there was no danger of it falling off. So, the guard thought, this must be the sound I heard coming through the door. He had come to investigate, only to make sure everything was still in order.

The guard walked fully inside the room, still looking around carefully. He went to Captain Black to check on him; satisfied that he was still sleeping deeply in his comfortably reclined seat, he turned around and went straight to the computer controls. He checked the data displayed on the screen; as far as he could see, everything was normal, the information barely having changed at all – except for showing that agitation the captive was presently experiencing. There was nothing to indicate that Captain Scarlet had awakened – or that he was even close to awakening from his enforced sleep. The guard approached the tank and closely examined the prisoner’s features through the glass. He was frowning, and shaking his head from side to side, but the eyes were closed.

He stopped agitating himself, and one last look at the computer screen informed the guard that all the data was back to normal.

Still living in that dream world then… the sentry thought with a wicked smile.

He turned around, and took his first steps towards the door to leave; he had barely left the console when he heard a faint, splashing sound and felt the floor to be slippery under his feet. He looked down.

Where he stood, the floor was covered with a thin layer of water. Probably all that splashing about by the prisoner, the guard thought. Some water got spilled, obviously. But as he looked down, he realised something odd, and crouched down to look closer; this water didn't seem to have any blue tint in it. He tentatively tested the water with the tip of his fingers; he felt nothing. Looking toward the tank, he discovered the puddle he was standing on wasn't even reaching the support.

If not from the tank, where’s this water coming from, then?

As he was slowly coming to his feet, something suddenly hit him from behind, right between the shoulder blades. There was a loud zapping sound, and he went stiff, his mind blacking out instantly. He sprawled on the floor with barely a sigh. He never noticed the presence that had sneaked up behind him, like a spectre coming from the shadows from which it was born.

Harmony Angel stood over the downed sentry, holding with both hands the electric baton she had used to knock him down; uncertainly, she crouched down and checked his pulse. There was none. The maximum voltage in the baton, combined with the water she had quickly spilled earlier on the floor in order to trap the man had been sufficient to kill him.

Good.

With a grimace, she put the baton aside. When she had discovered it earlier, lying on a table, she had no doubt what their enemies intended to do with it. Considering Captain Scarlet's vulnerability to electricity, they certainly intended on using it to keep him under control. Perhaps even kill him eventually, while he was still kept defenceless in that watery casket. The mere thought was revolting to Harmony – which had made her decision to use it against the guard rather easy to take; she felt no remorse about it at all.

She took the handcuffs hanging from the man’s belt and swiftly shackled him – just to be on the safe side. She wasn’t that sure if he was a Mysteron or not, but if he was – and if the voltage in the baton just happened not to be quite enough to kill him – there was a chance he could revive and cause trouble. This way, he would be contained.

Harmony rose to her feet with a sigh, and turned to the tank in which Captain Scarlet was imprisoned, activating her radio.

“Doctor Fawn… the sentry has been neutralized. Thanks for the early warning.”

“Is he dead?” the voice of Fawn asked her.

“For the moment he is, yes,” she said in a very calm tone, as if it was the most natural thing to say.

“How is Captain Scarlet?”

“He was agitating himself earlier – I suspect it was the reason why the guard came inside. He must have heard something from the other side of the door." She marked a short pause, looking toward the tank. "I had hoped Captain Scarlet would wake up – but unfortunately, it didn’t happen. He’s grown quiet now. Like before.”

“All right. I guess we’ll have to worry about that later. For now, it’s time for Part Two of the operation. I’ll contact you shortly.”

Harmony sighed. She didn’t like knowing that Doctor Fawn was taking so many risks – he certainly wasn't trained like she was to face the kind of danger she was accustomed to. But the two of them were the only people onboard able to do anything to counter the enemy's plan right now, and it wasn’t as if they had any choice.

“S.I.G.,” she murmured, glancing at the dead sentry. “Be careful, Doctor…”

* * *

One of them had awakened.

How could it be possible? thought Technician Bromwell.

He was standing in the same room where Captain Blue and Rhapsody Angel were sleeping under the hypnotic multicoloured lights. A third bunk had been placed next to Blue, where Lieutenant Burgundy – free of any restraints, unlike them – was also sleeping under the same lights, now having joined them in the fantasy world to participate in the last phase of the game.

All seemed to go according to plan, and everything had been normal thus far, except for a small agitation from Captain Scarlet, and reported by the computer – agitation that didn’t last very long, however, before everything settled down again.

However, the computer’s security features soon started beeping again, having detected a similar kind of activity, from another participant – a similar agitation, but with a different outcome: one of the ‘players’ was leaving the game…

Checking on the computer data, it didn’t take that much time for Bromwell to discover exactly from whom it was coming… and now, he was watching, on his monitor, as Symphony Angel, in the Amber Room, fully awake, was obviously working to try to get the door open, in order to get out.

Something must have happened to her in the fantasy world to initiate her awakening, Bromwell pondered. He made a quick check of the game data, to reassure himself that it was not a general occurrence. No, she was the only one. Nobody else was about to escape the game, he realised.

First Scarlet, and now this… In the case of Scarlet, he wasn’t worried. Although there had been two or three alerts in his case, with the particular way he was restrained, there was not a chance in Hell he would be able to escape. Bromwell, however, couldn't quite explain what could have occurred in the Angel's case, though. She was a normal human being, with nothing exceptionally special about her that could have led him to expect anything like this from her.

Unless… Could it be because…?

He shook his head. The chance of that occurring again with other players was there, but since the game was nearly done, it was an unlikely risk.

No matter, he thought grimly, as he looked at Symphony’s efforts on the screen. He would not permit that woman to sabotage his plan. He was too close now – the game would be finished soon, and everyone would be dead following its conclusion.

As for Symphony Angel, as she was no longer a part of the game, there would be need of a… different approach to secure her demise.

He pressed the communication command on his computer. “Petrie, this is Bromwell. I need you to go immediately to the Amber Room.”

He didn’t receive any answer. He frowned. “Petrie?” he repeated into the comm. “Do you hear me?”

He was about to check the man’s post on the screen, when he heard the door behind him slide open; he glanced briefly over his shoulder, to see in the semi-darkness of the room, a man, dressed in the black and white uniform of a Spectrum security guard, stepping through the opening.

“Ah, Rochester,” Bromwell said, turning his attention back to his screen, as the guard approached him from behind. “You arrived just in time. There is a situation in the Amber Room that needs your immediate attention. I tried to reach Petrie to take care of it, but he doesn’t answer my call. I…”

Bromwell stopped suddenly, when the screen then displayed the door in front of which he knew Petrie should be standing. The post was deserted, and the door closed. He frowned.

Damn that man. What is he doing? I told him not to leave his post…

“Where is…?”

“Still wondering why your man doesn’t answer, Mr. Bromwell?”

Bromwell turned around; the ‘Spectrum guard’ was now standing only a few feet behind him, his gun drawn and aimed at him. He looked up to meet the guard’s face, and suddenly realised it wasn’t Rochester at all.

“Doctor Fawn,” he said without apparent emotion – or surprise – as Fawn removed the white cap from his head, to toss it aside. “Where is Rochester?”

“Dead,” Fawn answered bluntly. “Like you will be if you don’t do as I say.”

Bromwell slowly nodded his understanding. “You are more resourceful than I thought…”

“Back off," Fawn ordered in a stern voice, motioning with his gun. "Slowly. And keep your hands where I can see them."

Bromwell obeyed docilely, stepping back, his eyes set on Fawn. "I'm not armed, Doctor," he said, spreading his empty hands in front of him as if to emphasise the point.

"But you are too close to that console for my taste – and to Captain Blue and Rhapsody Angel." He waited as Bromwell backed away a few more steps, his gun indicating the direction he wanted Bromwell to go. "That will be far enough." Bromwell stopped and watched as Fawn approached the console in front of which he had been standing a second ago. The doctor only glanced at the controls, then at the screen; he flicked it once and saw the Amber Room, where Symphony, fully awake, was busying herself opening the locked door.

"If I understand correctly, there seems to be a little glitch in your system, Bromwell?"

"I don't know what you mean," Bromwell said, shrugging dismissively.

"Oh yeah? How come she's awake, then?

Bromwell didn't answer, and simply stared back, as Fawn activated the mic of his headset.

"Fawn to Harmony. I took possession of Sickbay. Stand by for further instructions in a few minutes."

"Harmony." Bromwell shook his head in understanding. "So she survived..."

"No thanks to yours and Burgundy's efforts," snapped Fawn angrily.

"We obviously underestimated her – and you, Doctor." Bromwell shook his head. "But your efforts are useless, I assure you."

"You think so?" Fawn growled. "I'm not so sure about that. We found the room in R&D, where you’re holding Captain Scarlet captive in that… tank." Fawn spat the last word with obvious disgust. "We also found Captain Black there, asleep, apparently hooked to this computer game of yours like everybody else on Cloudbase. We will find a way to stop this madness, now that we are back in control of the base."

"Are you really in control, Doctor? Oh yes, you have Cloudbase, but the game is still on. You don't have ANY idea how to stop it."

"I suppose you're the only one who can do that, is that right?"

"It is not I who is stating the obvious, Doctor. And if you think I will help you…"

"We will see about that," Fawn said, levelling the gun at Bromwell.

The latter narrowed his eyes. "Are you really prepared to do whatever it takes to force me to help you?" he asked. "You, a doctor, who are honour-bound to save lives, would make use of that gun and shoot another man down? It is well known across Cloudbase that you hate firearms…"

"I do. But if it means saving other lives…" Fawn let the rest of the threat hang, ominously.

"I see. It seems I wouldn’t be the first man you’ve killed today, then. This is Rochester's gun, isn't that right? You took it from his dead body? How easily you humans resort to violence to obtain what you want. First Rochester…”

“Spare me your patronizing hypocrisy,” Fawn snapped angrily. “Yes, Rochester is dead, but it was self-defence. He had come to kill me. You would have expected me to roll over and play dead, without fighting back?” Fawn wasn’t prepared to admit just yet that he wasn’t sure if it was he or Harmony who had delivered the killing blow to Rochester. He assumed that, just maybe, Bromwell would be more amenable if he believed that the doctor was indeed able and ready to kill if there was a need for it. “Beside,” Fawn added, glaring meaningfully at Bromwell, “I believed at the time that he was a Mysteron agent… Which makes a damned difference, don’t you think? As a Mysteron, the man was already dead anyway. But… he wasn’t a Mysteron. That, I discovered afterwards. He was as human as I am myself.”

“So you killed one of your own,” Bromwell said quietly. “What a shock it must have been for you then. Yes, I imagine it makes quite a difference that you had killed a human being, instead of a Mysteron replicate. Isn't that so, Doctor?”

“And what are you, Bromwell?” Fawn shot back. “Are you Mysteron – or human? I heard you call us ‘Earthmen’ often enough – and speaking of us with the same disdain an agent of the Mysterons would use. I also heard you supposedly speak in the Mysterons’ name…"

"You know the Mysterons are behind this operation…"

"Yes. I did hear their threat. But are you yourself a Mysteron? I have some doubts about that.”

Bromwell smiled thinly. “And on what do you base your ridiculous assumption, Doctor?”

“Let’s start with the details – with which this attack on Cloudbase had been so scrupulously planned. It takes time to prepare an offensive like this one. Days… weeks… to carefully lay your traps – to install your programs on the computer mainframe, to put in place the various pieces of equipment you needed – to set up that contraption Harmony discovered in the R&D room. Because of your job, and your status as chief technician, you have access to the R&D Department – you work there often. Isn't that true? So, you also had access to that particular room. A room, I might add, that DOESN’T HAVE a surveillance camera – or else you’d be keeping an eye on it during the whole operation, and at the moment, to make sure that Scarlet is very well where he is and won’t escape…"

Bromwell scoffed. "There is no chance for him to free himself… and to step out of that tank all by himself."

"I’ve already figured that out. But why doesn’t that room have a camera, I wonder? Is it because you disabled it yourself weeks ago, to make sure no-one would notice what you were preparing in there? And you didn’t have time to put it back in place once you had taken control of Cloudbase – so you put a guard in front of the door instead.”

“You read too many detective stories, Doctor. You seem to believe all this… rubbish of yours.”

“A good friend of mine once told me that reading ‘detective stories’ is a good exercise to keep your mind alert… and to keep an open mind about such… ‘rubbish’, as you call it. I know I am right, Bromwell. You definitely took a great amount of time to set up this whole operation, behind our backs. If you had been a Mysteron during that time, you would surely have been exposed as such, at one point or another… during a standard security check, for example. But you were never found out. So the only explanation is… you must be human.”

Bromwell looked down, in a thoughtful way, apparently pondering Doctor Fawn’s words. Then, the smile on his thin lips broadened, and he chuckled. “All right, Doctor, I admit it. You found me out. You are right – it definitely took a human to prepare this plan down to the last detail… A Mysteron would never have been able to do it, that much is true.”

Fawn became pale with anger. It was one thing to suspect he was right – but another thing altogether to have confirmation of it from the mouth of Bromwell himself. “Traitor!” he growled. “You really disgust me… So you, a human being, a member of Spectrum, you are working freely for the Mysterons… following their orders. Why, you dirty…”

“I think you can spare me the insults,” Bromwell retorted coldly. “That would really be beneath you, Doctor. Beside, what difference could it make for you to know why I did what I did? My reasons are my own. I don’t have to answer any of your questions.”

“Perhaps not. But you will tell me how to stop that absurd game of yours! And how to wake everyone without risking any permanent damage to them. I warn you, if you don’t cooperate…”

“You will shoot me?” Bromwell interrupted sharply. “Back to this, are we, Doctor?” He chuckled again, and shook his head. “Your threats are meaningless,” he reiterated. “And you will never wake all of them – not by yourself, and not in time to save them all. You wouldn't know where to start."

"I already know that Captain Scarlet is the key to the problem," Fawn replied. He hoped to have a revealing reaction from Bromwell. The latter simply stared at him, very coldly, for a brief moment.

"So what, if you think you found that out?" he finally asked with a shake of his head.

"I am right, aren't I?" Fawn asked insistently.

Bromwell sighed, without really caring to answer. "That won't help you at all, Doctor. I made very sure that attempts to try to prematurely wake any participant of the game – especially a key participant – would cause that person to die. The player has to wake up normally – all by himself, at the end of the game. Otherwise… the awakening could be too much of a shock – remember Anna Preston?"

"I'm not about to forget her, you murdering scum," Fawn seethed.

"Of course, if the game is allowed to follow its course, your… friends might have a chance to survive. It will all depend on Captain Blue - if he succeeds in defeating the program – as he hopes to. It's a fair game, Doctor – your colleagues have but one chance."

"And you made sure this chance will be infinitely thin, of course."

"Of course… what would be the aim of the game, if it wasn't the case?”

“Captain Scarlet is indestructible – you know that,” Fawn remarked.

“You think the rules don’t apply to him?” Bromwell asked with an evil grin. Seeing the doubtful expression on Fawn’s face, he shook his head, in a thoughtful way. “Whether you believe he’ll be safe or not is up to you. But I have to warn you that in his case, there is an added bonus: if there is any attempt to wake him up, and he dies, Cloudbase’s senior staff will be condemned to follow him in death.” Bromwell made a dramatic pause. "That's… just to make the game more interesting."

"You're sick, you know that, Bromwell?" Fawn snapped back with disgust. “I was right. Scarlet is the key to resolve the game, or else you would not have given him that much attention.”

He glanced at the monitor screen. "How about Symphony? How come she woke up, then?"

"Oh that…" Bromwell shrugged. "It's an insignificant glitch in the otherwise perfection of the game. Something that is unlikely to happen again, I can assure you.”

“Really now? You are dismissing that possibility rather quickly, Bromwell.” Fawn paused a second. “Is the game over for her, then? Why is she alive, in that case?” He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “And what if I attempt to wake all of them, despite your claims that it would kill them?”

Bromwell dismissed the barrage of questions with a wave of the hand. “Alternatively, you can always try to wake them up, as you suggest – if you want to take that risk. You might have a chance, after all. But like you said earlier, it is infinitely thin, and if you don't proceed carefully enough…” He let the rest of the explanation hang into a dramatic silence, before continuing. “Anyway, the game will be over soon - it has entered the last level. It’s only a matter of time now. So if you want to do something, you had better act quickly. But… as I said, I am the only one who knows how to wake them all safely. And I will certainly not do it.”

“We will see about that,” Fawn replied. “I just need a good dose of truth serum from one of my cabinet drawers, and you will gladly give me all the help I need!”

Bromwell tutted quietly. “That is highly unethical, Doctor Fawn… but I do believe that if you’re desperate enough, you will do it. But unfortunately for you… you won’t get that chance. You see, I, too, I’m desperate enough…” With a measured movement, he put his hand into his pocket, and Fawn suddenly became very anxious. He cocked the hammer of his gun, and extended his hand, taking aim at Bromwell; but he was hesitant to kill him – he desperately needed him alive. And Bromwell knew that.

“Why so nervous, Doctor?” With a cold expression on his face, Bromwell slowly drew out a small gun, and the edginess in Fawn mounted several degrees.

“Drop that!” he ordered forcefully. “Drop that, or I’ll shoot!”

“Perhaps you will.” Bromwell put the barrel of the gun to his head, his expression becoming blank. “But I expect you might not have the courage to kill me.”

“Bromwell, you…”

“The Mysterons will reward me for my sacrifice.”

Eyes wide with growing horror, Fawn saw Bromwell’s finger pressing the trigger.

“NO!!!! Don’t…” His shout was drowned by the loud detonation and almost instinctively, he averted his eyes, so not to see the man putting the bullet into his own brain; he heard the dull thud of the body as it hit the floor after its fall, and almost despite himself, he muttered a quick prayer for the dead man’s soul.

Then he turned around, breathing deeply, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart, and approached; he looked down in dismay at the body of Bromwell, now lying at his feet, his right hand still clutching the smoking gun, his blood splattered all around the place. There was a bitter taste in Fawn’s mouth as he considered the man’s final solution, to avoid being forced to help him. Despite what he had said, there didn’t seem to be any desperation on Bromwell’s face as he had pulled the trigger – only a certainly that he had to do what needed to be done.

“Damn it,” Fawn murmured.

He considered Bromwell’s last words and gesture ‘The Mysterons will reward me for my sacrifice.’ Indeed, what sort of reward could Bromwell have thought of receiving from the Mysterons, a race of alien beings that had sworn to destroy all life on Earth? Surely there was nothing to expect from such as them. They used and discarded their own agents without a single second thought – they would do the same with any human beings naïve enough to accept any deal with them.

There’s something to investigate here, Fawn reflected. Questions to answer – to find out exactly what all this means…

For now, he had little time to ponder on the subject; Bromwell was dead, but there were other lives to save. Fawn only had to look in the direction of the still-sleeping Blue and Rhapsody to be reminded of that. He didn’t want to spend more time than he already had – according to Bromwell, they were racing against time now.

They at least had an advantage. The base was theirs again. Now they would be free to act – and act quickly.

Dismissing the dead man’s body, he returned to the console, re-holstering his own gun. He determinedly pressed the comm.link button and manually tuned it to the Amber Room.

“Symphony!” he called forcefully. And he knew his voice had boomed around the entire Amber Room, when he saw the young woman on the screen, still working on the door, suddenly jumping in surprise and stopping to turn around and gape at the loudspeaker.

There was an edge to her voice when she quickly answered his call: “Doctor Fawn! What the devil is going on around here? Where are you?”

He blew a deep sigh. “In sickbay. How long for you to get that door open? I’m not sure I would be able to override the controls from here.”

“I… not long now, a few minutes,” the obviously confused Symphony answered. “Can’t you alert someone to come open it from the outside?”

“I’m afraid we can only count on ourselves right now,” Fawn answered. “You, me – and Harmony. And do whatever we can with what we have.”

“What? What do you mean, only the three of us…?”

“We’re the only ones awake on Cloudbase – at the moment.”

The confusion in Symphony reached a new level. “Doctor, that doesn’t make any sense…”

Fawn sighed again, finally regaining a normal breathing rate. “Symphony, please, you have to trust me. It’s not really easy to explain, but I promise, I will try and do my best – but later on. For now, I need you to get out of there as quickly as you can and get your butt up to R&D.”

“R&D? Why?”

“You will meet Harmony there,” Fawn answered, his voice returning to its normal coolness. “I need you to bring back something to me… And I need you to be quick about it, Symphony. At the moment – time is of the essence, if we want to save everyone else on Cloudbase!”

* * *

"My Lord Odin!"

Odin pulled on the reins of his horse upon hearing the call coming from behind him and turned around, imitated by Freyja, wondering who in the name of Ymir could be disturbing their quiet ride in the plains surrounding the city, during which the monarch of Aesgard had intended to show his kingdom to the queen of Vanaheim.

They both saw Heimdall, the captain of the palace guards, and Vali, coming their way from the gates of the city, pushing their mounts hard to reach them. Having heard the urgency in Heimdall’s voice, they waited for them; when both men stopped their horses next to theirs, Heimdall barely took the time to get his breath, before addressing Odin again:

"My Lord, something happened within the walls of the Wallhall that we feel you have to be aware of. Your heirs…"

"What happened?" Odin asked, suddenly alert.

“Heed what Vali has to say.” Heimdall turned to his companion, inviting him to continue. Vali cleared his voice.

"I found Lord Balder in the stables earlier, hurriedly preparing his horse,” he explained. “He was mad with anger… He told me he was going after Lord Hodur and Lady Nanna – who had fled the palace together."

"What?" Odin growled, his brow furrowing.

"He said that they were lovers - that they had been since they met on the Icy Mountains."

"Hodur and Nanna – this is madness," Freyja protested. "Hodur has but one love of his life, and this love is Iduna…"

"Nevertheless, my Lady,” Vali continued. “Balder believes otherwise. And they… did leave the palace together – for whatever reason.”

“Why would they have done that?” Odin asked roughly. “If they are not guilty of what Balder accuses them of…”

“They must have a reason of their own,” Freyja insisted. “I know Nanna – she never acts without reason.”

“And neither does Hodur,” Odin murmured. “I do think the accusation is false – but I would like to know who put such foolishness in Balder’s mind.”

"I do not know, Sire,” Vali said humbly.

“It could only come from Loki,” Heimdall remarked carefully. “Who else but this scoundrel would come up with a story like this one?”

“Loki,” murmured Odin thoughtfully. “Yes, that would be like him… But to what purpose would he have done that? And what reason could have compelled Hodur and Nanna to leave the palace together?”

“That I do not know either, my Lord,” Vali continued. “But what I do know is that Lord Balder left in turn, a few moments ago – and went after them. There was desire of vengeance in his eyes.”

"My king," Heimdall continued, "I fear for Lord Hodur's life. I am concerned at what Lord Balder will do, when he finds them."

"My lord Odin," Freyja remarked, “ ‘Tis obvious that there is conspiracy here. against both your sons – and the Lady Nanna. Loki seeks to destroy them.”

"Aye, it would seem obvious." Odin mused. “ ‘Twould seem I waited too long to deal with Loki… Perhaps it is time that I do something about it.” He turned to both Vali and Heimdall. “You said Balder just left the palace, Vali. What direction did he take?"

"The direction Balder believed Lord Hodur and Lady Nanna themselves took: towards the Icy Mountains, my liege."

"Ymir's beard…" Odin turned around toward the direction Vali was now pointing to him, beyond the plains, to the North; he could see the dark line of Fenrir’s Forest, standing like a barrier on the horizon; over the high and dark trees, there was the almost eternal mist that hid the foot of the mountain chain. And above, the threatening peaks of the Icy Mountains, the domain of the Ice Giants, cold, and deadly…

"Yggdrasil," he murmured, under his breath. “Great tragedy could ensue from all this, of such a scale that it might cause untold disaster…”

"My Lord Odin," Freyja replied, hearing him, "you do not think…"

"I do not think anything," Odin interrupted her, "except that my sons are acting like fools again – and that I must intervene, and find them before a tragedy happens." He turned to Heimdall. "Where is Thor?"

"Out in the Northwest woods, my lord – with Lady Sif. They are hunting deer together."

"They would not be expected back before late tonight, then," Odin grunted. "Go and fetch them, Heimdall. Explain to Thor what has occurred and tell him to ride towards the Icy Mountains. I will leave a trail behind me, so he will be able to find me – at Yggdrasil. His assistance will not be too much to help me make these two fools see sense!"

"You know where Yggdrasil is, Lord Odin," Freyja remarked. It was more of a statement than a question.

"You do not appear surprised that I do, my queen."

"I am not. I suspected as much. I trust you well enough, Sire, to know you have your reasons to keep this secret.”

“My Lord,” Vali then said, “if you would permit me, I will go with you. The road might be perilous, with plunderers from the North and savage beasts of the forest… You cannot go alone. Another sword, and a strong arm, will be helpful to you.”

Odin pondered the suggestion, before finally nodding his agreement. “Aye, Vali. You will come with me then.”

"Will you also need my help?" offered Freyja in turn.

"Nay, Queen Freyja. As Vali just said, ‘tis a dangerous journey leading to Yggdrasil – as your Valkyrie Nanna probably discovered herself a few days ago. 'Twould better for you to stay at the palace and await our return. One of us must stay behind to lead our people. I promise you, no harm will come to Nanna. I give you my word."

"I believe in your word. I always did." Freyja straightened up on the saddle to look as levelly as she could into Odin's feature, narrowing her eyes, and furrowing her brow in a thoughtful way. "Somehow… it always was as if… I've known you for a long time – even before we met – and instinctively known you were a good man." She shook her head. "Do be careful yourself, Sire."

He simply nodded his acknowledgement and pulled on the bridle to turn his mount; a second later, he was riding away, Vali by his side, towards the faraway forest, the eyes of both Heimdall and Freyja following them. Heimdall reached for the young woman's hand, resting on the pommel, and squeezed it reassuringly.

"I am concerned for him too. But I know he will be all right."

"I just hope he knows what he is doing."

"Do not worry – he usually does." Heimdall frowned and shook his head. Why did he have this feeling of already having had this conversation with someone else? Images flashed into his mind – that of a large, brightly-lit room – where stood men with smooth faces, looking like Balder and Hodur, wearing strange coloured-garments… the first one in red, the second in blue…

"Not always…" said the voice of the red-clad man, with an edge to his tone…

The image disappeared as quickly as it came, and Heimdall shook his head anew, trying to dismiss it. He turned his horse. "I will escort you back to the palace, my lady," he announced to Freyja, "before going in search of Lord Thor."

"Do not lose time on my account, Heimdall," she replied with assurance. "Go ahead and find Thor. I can find my way back to the palace alone." She gave him a faint smile. "And I am certainly able to defend myself on the way over, if an enemy tries to attack me.”

“Nobody would DARE to attack you, Lady Freyja,” Heimdall protested. “No enemy would come so close to the walls of Aesgard – all Aesir warriors would cross the Bifrost bridge, to protect your life with their own.”

“Well, then… what is there for me to risk?” Freyja said quietly. “Go now, and do not waste any more time.”

"Of course, my lady..." Heimdall answered, almost stammering. "I will do as you request, then." He turned his mount around and pushed it towards the Northwest, with barely a last glance behind him as he rode away.

Freyja watched him depart, then looked again in the direction previously taken by Odin and Vali, a thoughtful expression in her eyes. All she could see of them and their horses now was two small, grey dots, slowly disappearing towards the horizon. She knew Odin was riding towards unsafe territory, almost without care, and with only one warrior to protect him if he should encounter danger.

The woman who believed she was queen of Vanaheim gave a thoughtful nod to herself, suddenly taking a decision, and turned her horse towards the gates of the Bifrost.

She had to find Tyr and Freyr – and entrust them with the most important mission of their lives.

* * *

Captain Blue was aware that he was probably pushing his horse too hard, as he rode along the treacherous trail he knew had been previously followed by Captain Black – and the captive Rhapsody.

He had first crossed the dark forest of Fenrir, that he knew was filled with all manner of dangerous and hungry beasts – wolves the size of which he remembered from their first encounter in the snow-covered plains, a few days ago – which would not hesitate one second to attack any imprudent traveller that carelessly ventured into their domain. They didn't come after him, but he just knew they were there, watching him. He could actually smell their beastly and savage scent, and that could only mean they were very close, but were choosing to remain invisible – he didn't see even a single tail of those famished beasts, nor hear a single sound from them. In fact, the only sounds he was hearing at the moment, were the hammering of horseshoes on the beaten ground, the heavy breathing of his mount mixed with his own – and the wind, gusting and whistling through the trees surrounding him.

Like a frigging ghost forest…

The trail was easy enough to follow – as Symphony had told him, it seemed like it was the only path he could actually use to cross the sinister forest towards the mountains. When he finally emerged from the darkest part of the woods, after what seemed like an eternity for him, and entered a clearing to finally find himself at the foot of the mountains, he blew a deep sigh of relief.

He turned around nervously when he heard the howling of a multitude of wolves echoing behind him; it was as if they were taunting him somehow, telling him that they had known he was there, that they had been with him all the time… that they only chose to let him go – for now.

They’re only wild animals – I’m crazy to think they can envision any future plans for me, Blue admonished himself. That wouldn’t be normal behaviour for animals…

But then, he could hardly say that there was anything really natural about his present situation… After all, he was living a fantasy, a game, in a world suggested to his mind, and which only existed because of a program installed inside the belly of a powerful computer.

He turned around to face the new trail in front of him; it climbed up the side of the mountain, to enter a wide, but dark, gorge. Looking ahead, Blue could distinguish a hill past that gorge, but was unable to see anything else beyond that. This gorge seemed treacherous enough – and probably could provide many hiding places for whoever might want to ambush him. But did he have any choice but to continue?

As he was about to push his horse forward, a metallic flash caught his attention, and he squinted his eyes. On a large rock, just at the opening of the passage, there was a small, shiny ring; he approached it on his horse and only needed to extend his hand to take it.

He didn’t have to examine it for long to discover what it was.

It was Rhapsody’s communication ring; the same as he had on his own finger.

Black was obviously showing him the way.

If he has hurt her in any way…

Thoughts of how Black had taken Symphony hostage all those months ago and taken her to the Culver Atomic Centre where he exposed her to radiation, came back to Blue's mind. The anger he had felt then came back to him as well. He swore he would not let Black do any harm to another Angel again.

He tried once again his own ring, tapping on it as Doctor Fawn had instructed him in order to make contact with Cloudbase.

Nothing. Again.

Well, it was no surprise. Since the beginning of his journey, he had tried numerous times to tell Fawn what had occurred since the last time they talked, and had not been able to make it work. He made another attempt, using Rhapsody’s ring this time, but it didn’t work either.

It was as if someone had disabled the device, in order to isolate them again.