Even more possible consequences arising from incidents in ‘Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons’

By Keryn

 

 

·      Captain Scarlet’s idea that he, Captain Blue and the two Angel pilots ditch their code names while guarding André Verdain hits a snag when he can’t remember Destiny and Symphony’s real names.

 

·      The Mysterons’ habit of causing Captain Black to vanish car and all, results in the first additional building works to be undertaken to their Complex in millennia - a single vehicle carport.

 

·      Due to the Colonel’s timely return, the planned lecture to Spectrum personnel by Dr Fawn on ‘The Physiology of the Lower Primates’ is cancelled - except for the unfortunate Captain Scarlet who is a captive audience while recovering in Sickbay.

 

·      Following the Atlantica incident, Captain Blue is not amused to find someone has replaced his phone ringtone….with ‘that great tune’ Dangerous Game.

 

·      The Federated Union of Garage Workers calls for a strike over the stalled payment of a special ‘Hazardous Duty Allowance’ and extra security measures they have requested for their members - after a succession of unexplained ‘accidents’ among Delta garage attendants.

 

·      The strike by the Federated Union of Garage Workers enters its third week and Spectrum begins to feel the pinch.  So do the Mysterons.

 

·      Captain Blue, once again with the aid of haute couture expert Destiny Angel, tries unsuccessfully to convince Spectrum not to colour-code his nightwear as well.  NO ONE is wearing light blue pyjamas with a white braid trim.  Nor a sky blue dressing gown and matching slippers either.

 

·      Parents are outraged by the release of information from Spectrum File No 3 (AKA 'The Angels and the Creeping Enemy' by J. Theydon) that (direct quote): "Scarlet was Spectrum's greatest asset in the desperate fight against the Mysterons, who had powers unknown and inconceivable to man, including the power of recreating matter - animal, vegetable or mineral - that had been destroyed, the power known as retro-metabolism".

They have described Spectrum's attitude as irresponsible and negligent to the extreme.  All around the world children have refused to eat their vegetables on the grounds they might be Mysteronised 'with particular reference to Brussels sprouts'.

 

·      With no sign of the parental backlash coming to an end, Colonel White considers announcing Spectrum's Policy on Vegetables (SPV) with an official statement through the pages of TV21, to the effect that Spectrum personnel always eat all their vegetables 'whether they like them or not'.

 

·      After being suspended by Captain Scarlet from a steel pylon at the London Car Vu, then almost being crushed by a descending ceiling in the ‘Spectrum Strikes Back’ incident, the World President begins to seriously question just how many more (as quoted) ‘frightening but nonetheless very satisfactory days’ he might actually have to suffer in his dealings with Spectrum.

TV21 speculates that his later retirement ‘due to ill health’ was actually due to the mental stress of working too closely with the organisation ‘making him a Mysteron target even more likely than his political position warranted’.

 

·      While Captain Black discovers that he is not limited to remaining in his Spectrum uniform, the Mysterons do have a dress code of sorts and he finds himself wearing predominantly black - as usual - rather than the coordinated paisley shirt, navy trousers and blue loafers he had actually put on.

 

·      During a quiet moment the Captains decide to conduct an impromptu unofficial awards celebration in recognition of 'injuries sustained whilst on duty'.

§      The Award for the Most (and Mostly Fatal) Injuries naturally goes to Captain Scarlet,

§      Captain Grey gets the Charmed Life Award for not getting injured at all,

§      Captain Ochre gets the Barely A Scratch Award for surviving the Atlantica incident virtually unscathed (Mysteron induced hangovers don't count),

§      Captain Blue gets the Friendly Fire Award for being shot with an anaesthetic dart (by Scarlet), and

§      Captain Magenta gets the It Jumped Out and Bit Me Award for getting knocked out…by a door.

 

·      The Spectrum Board of Enquiry will hear a submission from the World Heritage Trust that a percentage of Spectrum’s annual budget should be set aside to cover the restoration of historic buildings following ‘that unfortunate occurrence’ - the (eventual) destruction of the temple at Najama.

It should be noted, however, that the Board of Enquiry had rejected a similar proposal following the incident at Glen Garry Castle, after its destruction was deemed to be an advantage to the local tourist industry.  There is no truth in the rumour that Spectrum will be asked to destroy similar unprofitable historic structures.

 

…and finally…

 

 

an exclusive TV21 report

The Spectrum Board of Enquiry has recently declassified and authorised the limited release of a Spectrum document which contains a mysterious handwritten note believed to be a transcript of a Record of Conversation allegedly between Mysteron Agent Captain Black and Spectrum’s Captain Scarlet while he was under the Mysterons’ control.  If genuine, it throws some light on an unexplained anomaly regarding the Mysterons’ first threat.  The relevant passage of the document reads:

“THIS IS CAPTAIN BLACK RELAYING INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE MYSTERONS.  THERE HAS BEEN A CHANGE OF PLAN.  DO NOT KILL THE WORLD PRESIDENT - REPEAT - DO NOT KILL THE WORLD PRESIDENT.  YOU WILL OBEY THIS COMMAND WITHOUT QUESTION … AND WITHOUT INFORMING THE EARTHMEN.

THIS WILL CAUSE THEM PONDER OVER OUR DECISION FOR DECADES, WHICH IS A MOST SATISFACTORY OUTCOME.  THIS IS, AFTER ALL, A WAR OF NERVES.”

 

 

T H E   E N D

 

Author's Notes:

And some of us are still pondering…!!

The quote from the book, ‘The Angels and the Creeping Enemy’ by John Theydon is real.  It's on page 10 (original Armada Books edition).

Long may Captain Scarlet and The Mysterons continue to be an inspiration, and long may Spectrum Headquarters continue to be such a marvellous website for CS fans.  Happy 10th Anniversary Chris. :-)