By
Maltray Fox
Some events and characters Copyright © of all trademarks
materials (Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons and all other series titles, all
their characters, vehicles, crafts, etc.), owned by ITC/Polygram/Carlton
International.
Based on characters created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson for the
TV series "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons”.
**********
2069
Cloudbase 0930 Hours
The view from
the observation deck was breath taking; Captain Scarlet looked out onto the vast
ocean of clouds. Perhaps the day wasn't so bad? His sleep had been interrupted
for much of the night. For the last three weeks there had been no Mysteron
action. Perhaps the lost sleep was because of that? It wasn't like the Mysterons
to sit back. Behind him there was a noise as someone else entered the
observation deck. Scarlet turned to find Colonel White standing behind him.
"Good
morning, Captain Scarlet."
"Good
morning, Colonel," replied Scarlet.
"It is
troubling, isn't it?" asked White.
"It's not
like the Mysterons; perhaps they are trying to lull us into a false scene of
security?" commented Scarlet.
"That is a
possibility," White agreed.
**********
Central Europe 1130 Hours
Two large
trucks, full of explosives, were making their way down a lonely stretch of road
nearing the French border. The trucks where heading for a construction site in
the Pas de Calais area. After the near disaster in London with a nuclear device,
the World Government had wisely gone back to traditional methods of building.
About half a mile ahead of the trucks sat a black sedan. Leaning against it was
a gaunt-looking man.
"This is the
Mysterons relaying instructions to Captain Black. You know what you must do."
"The
Mysterons’ instructions shall be carried out"
Captain Black
leaned into the back of the sedan and picked up a long sniper rifle. Resting the
gun on the roof of the car, he sighted up the front truck and fired. The shot
fired, the bullet screamed from the barrel and made its way along the projected
path. The bullet smashed into the truck’s cab, hitting the driver in the
forehead. A spray of blood splashed over the broken windshield and the driver
slumped forwards and to the side, over the steering wheel. The truck speed out
of control and smashed though the barrier. Pieces of the metal barrier flew into
the air and spun across the road. Pieces of debris hit the tyre of the second
truck, sending it speeding through the gap created by the first truck. As they
hit the bottom of the ravine both exploded in a huge fireball. As the flames
settled two light-green rings moved over the wreckage and within a few moments
it had gone. Above on the road, the now Mysteron drivers and trucks made their
way along the road. Captain Black watched them pass by the sedan.
**********
Cloudbase 1230 Hours
"This is the
voice of the Mysterons; we know that you can hear us Earthmen. We have not
forgotten your unprovoked attack upon our Martian complex. For our next act of
retaliation we will destroy the Crown Imperium within the next twenty-four
hours. We will be avenged"
"Send for
Captains Scarlet and Blue," White said as he
looked at a situations report.
"S.I.G
Colonel," replied Lieutenant Green.
Within a few
moments Captain Scarlet entered the control room followed by Blue, the two sat
down and looked to Colonel White. White placed the report on to his desk and
looked up.
"Well,
gentlemen, what are your thoughts on the new Mysteron threat?" asked White.
"It depends,
sir, on what 'The Crown Imperium' is," replied Blue.
"Spectrum
Paris reports sightings of a fireball somewhere within the
Pas de Calais area. Captain Silver has reported that so far it seems to be only
a rumour. With the current threat I believe it might be in our interest for him
to investigate this sighting," Colonel White explained.
"Excuse me,
Colonel White. Spectrum New York reports a sighting of Captain Black within the
metropolitan area," commented Lieutenant Green.
"Colonel, I
think the Mysterons are trying to throw us off the scent. As I recall there's
several monarchies left in the world," replied Scarlet.
"Yes, you’re
quite right, Scarlet," replied Colonel White.
"Sir, can
Lieutenant Green find out if any of them are going anywhere today?" asked
Captain Blue.
"Of course,
Imperium...? Hmmm. Lieutenant
Green, try a search on ‘royal families’," ordered White.
The colonel
slipped the reports away into a small file and entered the contents into the
main computer bank. He'd remove the rest of the file later. Lieutenant Green was
already at work; the computer, as yet, had brought up nothing. The Lieutenant
sighed and rubbed his temples; perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to pull that
second shift last night. A small noise brought his attention to the computer
readout.
"Colonel,
according to the computer only two royal families are going anywhere today. The
Monaco family is on its way to its ocean cruiser in Nice. Also the remaining
British Royal Family is on its way to Gibraltar. They plan to use the channel
tunnel, sir," said Lieutenant Green as he read the information.
"That has to
be it; one of the unofficial national anthems for Britain is 'Crown Imperial'.
Captains Scarlet and Blue, you are to go directly to Paris and pick up S.P.V.
transport there. Check the French side of the tunnel and their security. I'll
have Captains Lilac and Gold do the same on the British side. You're to meet up
with Captain Silver, there, once he has checked out this reported fireball."
commented White.
"S.I.G,
Colonel," replied Blue and Scarlet together.
**********
SPJ 1430 Hours
High above
the Atlantic Ocean the spectrum passenger jet screamed through the clear blue
sky. Captain Blue mused over the recent Mysteron threats. He sighed and looked
at Scarlet.
"Paul?" he
asked softly.
"Yes, Adam?"
replied Scarlet.
"Do you think
we'll ever convince the Mysterons that Captain Black acted out of fear?" he
questioned.
"I don't
know, Adam, even with the Mysteron detector and anti-Mysteron gun, I think we
don't know enough, as yet. We know that they can show compassion, when and if,
they want to. The Mysterons are a force to be reckoned with. But some day we
will show them by our actions that Black made a mistake out of fear, not
malice," replied Scarlet.
**********
Unknown Location 1500 Hours
The two
Mysteronised trucks continued their way towards the city of Paris. However, the
city was not the target this time. The best route was to skirt aound the city
and then head of Calais. Captain Black sighed; it was unusual for his masters to
have so much going on at once. Spectrum where getting better, in fact, too good
at times. The last three of the missions had failed spectacularly, twice because
of Captain Scarlet. Black had to agree Scarlet was a determined foe. Perhaps the
Mysterons had made a mistake by underestimating him? The third time was made a
failure by all of things... a human child.
"This is the
voice of the Mysterons relaying instructions to Captain Black. You are to meet
the trucks near the French terminal of the Channel Tunnel, Spectrum are making
plans to stop us, this must not happen."
"The
Mysterons’ instructions shall be carried out," replied Black.
**********
Five Miles from Paris 1510 Hours
The
out-buildings of the small French garage seemed… well, dilapidated was
the word Captain Blue was thinking of. But where better to hide one of the many
Spectrum Pursuit Vehicles? Scarlet was looking for the owner, while he was
looking at an old oil tank. There was a noise behind him and Blue whirled
around. He found a man of about early middle-age looking at him. The man nodded.
"Spectrum,
eh? You’ll be wanting the S.P.V. then," the man said in perfect English.
"Yes, I
require S.P.V. 246. Captain Blue, Spectrum," said Blue as he produced his pass.
The man
looked at it and nodded seeing it was up to date. He went over to a small out-house. Suddenly the oil tank
split in two as hydraulic rams opened it. Inside sat an S.P.V. Scarlet came
around the corner.
"You found
him then. Let’s get going," said Scarlet.
"Alright, I
guess time isn't with us on this one," said Blue.
**********
Spectrum HQ Paris 1530 Hours
The S.P.V had
parked outside in the compound.
Captains Scarlet and Blue were kept waiting for a little time. A man, in
the white uniform of one of the Spectrum administrators, came up to them.
"Good
afternoon, Captain Scarlet, Captain Blue. Captain Silver has already gone ahead
of you. He'll meet you at the terminal entrance," commented the man.
"I see.
Alright, but tell him to stay there," replied Scarlet.
"I don't know
why but...I have a bad feeling about this," commented Blue.
**********
Five Miles West Of Spectrum HQ Paris 1535 Hours
Captain
Silver looked ahead at the road. There seemed to be nothing wrong. A few moments
ago he'd received a radio message telling him to return to Spectum's Paris HQ
for Scarlet and Blue. The Spectrum saloon car was rather more comfy than the
S.P.V. Silver smiled and looked up, behind him by roughly three hundred yards, was a
black sedan. It was speeding up to him and soon was blasting its horn and
flashing its lights; it came along side and Silver moved over to let the car
pass. The car drew up and Silver could see the driver.
"Oh... God help me - it's Captain Black!" Silver exclaimed as he put his foot down on the accelerator.
The saloon
was soon powering away but for some reason to Silver it seemed like he wasn't
even moving. Perhaps it was best that Silver never spotted the hard right turn
ahead. The saloon broke through the wooden barrier and plunged into the river
far below. The car spun end over end before hitting the bottom. It lay on its
roof and Silver, badly wounded, tried to slip out of the wreck. A black boot
filled his vision and a gunshot rang out.
**********
Scarlet and
Blue had landed at an airport just outside of Paris. They soon picked up S.P.V
transport, the two made their way to the tunnel security building. The building
was a large affair about half a mile from the entrances for the mag-lev trains
that used the tunnels. When the two of them had looked around the building,
Scarlet had noted that it all seemed rather quiet. To quiet for his liking. Just
in case of trouble,
Captain Blue had gone and fetched a Mysteron Detector. Blue scanned the
personnel of the base and Scarlet waited. Blue had trained the detector on
Scarlet first to make sure it was working.
"Well, Blue?"
asked Scarlet.
"Everyone
checks out fine," replied Blue as he placed the detector onto a table nearby.
"Then the
Mysterons must still be planning to strike, but how? Contact Cloudbase and have them check on
Captain Silver. There's something about this I don't like." Scarlet frowned.
Blue was
about to do this when the epaulettes of Scarlet's uniform tunic lit up.
"Captain
Scarlet, this is Colonel White, is Captain Silver with you?"
"No, Colonel,
he's not. Tunnel security says he's not been here, sir" replied Scarlet.
"I see,
Captain. He's not checked in with Spectrum Paris either or Cloudbase. It's quite
obvious that...excuse me, Captain Scarlet. It seems Captain Silver has just
checked in with Spectrum Paris. He says that his com links were down. It is possible I guess, continue your
mission, Scarlet"
"S.I.G,
Colonel," answered Scarlet.
As soon as
Scarlet's cap-mike had swung back into position Scarlet stepped outside, Blue
followed.
"You’re
worried, Paul," said Blue as the two looked towards the tunnel.
"I
know,It...it seems too convenient, Adam. I don't like it at all. Stay here; I'm
going to check out Silver. He might
have lost one of his coms, but all of them in one go? I don't think so. I'll take the S.P.V," commented Scarlet.
**********
Two Miles West of the Channel Tunnel Approaches 1550 Hours
Already the
two explosive trucks had made their way towards the tunnel. In front of them the
Spectrum Saloon coasted easily. Captain Silver watched the road ahead. Something
was wrong, the Mysterons where expecting some sort of interference from
Spectrum. As they neared the two mile mark an S.P.V. came onto the road ahead of
them. Next to him Captain Black watched the on-coming S.P.V.
"It's
Scarlet, you know what you must do, Silver. The Mysterons will succeed this
time," commented Black.
"I
understand," replied Silver.
Suddenly without a single noise Black vanished from the passenger seat. Silver crossed the road and into the path of the S.P.V. As the two vehicles connected there was a screech of tyres and metal grinding against each other. The S.P.V. spun off the road and crashed into the ditch along side of it. As the S.P.V came to rest there was a sudden in rush of air around the road and one of the trucks exploded, as it veered from the road about nine hundred yards further ahead. The second truck sailed on unhindered. Captain Silver's saloon was no better off; both the doors had been ripped off their hinges and Captain Silver’s head lay against the steering wheel. He awoke and moved from the car. As he did so Scarlet was coming around the rear of the S.P.V. Scarlet had lost his cap in the crash.
"You’re too
late, Earthman. Where’s your sixth
sense now? Already our plan is
working and Spectrum will fail. The Crown Imperium will be destroyed. We will be
avenged!" challenged Silver.
"We'll see
about that," replied Scarlet.
He lifted the
weapon in his hand and fired. The anti-Mysteron gun let rip with a light neon
beam that blasted Silver back onto the saloon behind him. Scarlet knew he had
two miles to think up a plan, the S.P.V. was wrecked but he slipped inside and
removed the powerpack and fitted it to the jetpack in the vehicle. He hoped he'd
be in time.
**********
"Captain
Blue, is Scarlet with you?"
"No, sir,
Colonel, he was suspicious of Captain Silver, sir. Why?" asked Blue.
"Two trucks
of explosives are over-due at a construction site in the Pas de Calais area.
It's obvious this is how the Mysterons intend to strike. We've been on to the
British Royal Family and they won't delay their trip till tomorrow. In fact, the
last time they were heard from, they were entering the tunnel."
"I
understand, sir...excuse me, sir, there seems to be a commotion outside," Blue
reported.
**********
Half a mile West of the Channel Tunnel Approaches 1555 Hours
The explosive
truck and its driver expected little to no resistance. He approached the
checkpoint into the complex and powered through it; the barrier snapped in two
easily. He was watching the road, making for the
inspection/evacuation tunnel. Above him, at
nearly ten meters flew Scarlet; he was busy trying to get a handhold of the rear
of the truck. The truck started to swerve as he grabbed hold. As he recalled the
mag-lev trains normally took just under ten minutes to clear the tunnel. Scarlet
abandoned the pack as it would only slow him down. He reeled slightly,
as he confirmed the presence of a Mysteron on the truck.
"Give up,
you've lost. Maybe our scientists can help you as they did me," thundered
Scarlet.
"No,
Earthman, you have lost. The Mysterons will destroy all life on Earth and then
we will leave your system. We will have our revenge," replied the driver.
Scarlet
sighed; at least he had tried to reason, but to no avail. He swung out onto the
side of the truck and made his way slowly along it. As he did so the driver
drove into several cars, trying to shake Scarlet off. With a determined look on
his face, Scarlet held on. The truck scraped against a wall and Scarlet had to
leap back on to the top of the trailer. He made his way up to the cab and then
onto the cab's roof. Suddenly a mag-lev started to emerge from the tunnel.
"Oh, good;
it's come early," Scarlet commented to himself.
Scarlet swung
his legs and with a crash smashed the windshield. He swung into the cab itself.
The Mysteron tried to push him out of the door. Scarlet replied to this with his
knee and brought it up into the Mysteron's stomach. Winded, the Mysteron fell back giving
Scarlet the window of opportunity he needed. He rammed his elbow into the
Mysteron's face and then opened the driver's side door. Scarlet booted him in
the chest and the Mysteron fell from the cab. Scarlet moved into the driving
seat and took hold of the steering wheel. At first it wouldn't move at all but
slowly, bit by bit, it did. Scarlet's face was sweating with the effort and he
tried applying the brakes. This was just as bad as the wheel. But it did give.
All he needed was a few more seconds and the mag-lev would be out of danger.
Slowly it seemed to Scarlet the train moved out of danger. But in spite of all
his effort, the truck would still hit the side of the tunnel wall. Scarlet let
go of the wheel and jumped. The next thing he knew, there was a huge explosion
and debris raining everywhere.
The last thing he heard was the wail of an ambulance siren before the blackness
took him.
**********
Captain Blue
was the first to arrive at the scene, it wasn't pretty. Most of the outbound tunnel
entrance to England had collapsed.
Perhaps, he thought, it will spell the end of the Tunnel as a means of
transport? As he searched, he found a scrap of
scarlet clothing. He began to dig
and found his friend. He soon cleared the rubble from Scarlet and pulled him out
into the open. Scarlet's eyes opened for a little while.
"Train......safe...?" asked Scarlet.
"Yes,
Scarlet, it's safe," replied Blue.
"Good......Mysterons... defeated then....happy," commented Scarlet.
Two ambulance
men came up and looked at Scarlet's body; it was pretty badly beaten up.
Scarlet sighed and collapsed again. The two men looked at each other, one pulled
Blue aside. The other looked for a pulse and found none. Out of Blue's vision he
shook his head.
"He'll have
to come with me; we'll wait for the Spectrum helicopter," commented Blue.
"Well, of all
the callous things....I'm sorry, sir, I don't think you get the gravity of the
situation,” said one of the men.
“This man is
dead, sir, I'm afraid. He gave his life to stop these Mysteron things," said
added the other one.
"I assure you
both, Captain Scarlet will live, and he will continue the fight against the
Mysterons; maybe sooner than both of you think. A Spectrum helicopter is on its
way here already," replied Blue.
**********
Cloudbase 1905 Hours
"Members of
Spectrum, once again we have defeated the Mysterons. However, as we are all very aware, the
war of nerves will continue. We have learned that the Mysterons have every
intention of carrying out their threats to the full. We have also learned that
they are capable of doing many things at once. True, we have come along a very
bumpy road, but we are holding our own. We can only hope with time they will
learn that the actions of a single man are not the actions of an entire people.
Let us take heed of that and continue. The British Royal Family have sent their
thanks to Captain Scarlet," commented Colonel White.
"Thank you,
sir, but everyone did their part as well," replied Scarlet.
"Everyone is
dismissed, if they are not on duty," Colonel White said.
**********
Cloudbase 1910 Hours Observation Deck
Captains Blue and Scarlet where sitting at a table on the deck; Blue was sipping a drink as Colonel White entered. Both stood up as he looked to them.
"Please, sit
down, gentlemen. I have a
feeling tomorrow will be a much better day," commented White as he took a seat
with them.
"Yes,
Colonel, I think it will be," replied Scarlet.
The End
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