If one was not paying much attention as they travelled along the winding roads that ran through the hills of the Welsh countryside, then they would have missed the old manor nestled within. Add to that the appalling weather conditions of pouring rain and a pitch black sky with the only light source coming from a flash of lightning, and the chances of spotting the manor off-hand were even lower.
Fortunately on this occasion, there was someone keenly watching the surroundings for any sign of shelter.
“There!” Captain Blue raised his hand to point north-east. “I saw what looks like a house. We could try there to get out of this wretched storm.”
“That sounds ideal,” Captain Scarlet, who was driving, grumbled. “Anything to get out of this. Doesn’t help that our journey was delayed long enough that we got caught in this tempest on our way back to the airport.”
In the back of the SSC, sat in between Rhapsody and Destiny Angels, Captain Ochre stifled a yawn. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m regretting staying back at the Snowdonia Power Plant so the owner could thank us for saving them from the Mysterons. At least Harmony and Magenta were able to get back to Cloudbase before this storm hit.”
“What’s done is done,” Blue replied. “Colonel White gave us, bar Harmony and Magenta, the go ahead to stay behind and from the sounds of things, the storm came out of nowhere so we had no way of knowing. At least we know that Cloudbase has enough personnel to get by while we’re stuck, and the important thing is for us to get out of this storm before it becomes too dangerous to keep driving.”
“The navigation has picked up the house Blue saw,” Scarlet added. “And we’re only about fifteen minutes away. Hopefully it’s inhabited, but if not, we can make do.”
“SIG,” Ochre nodded wearily, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.
It had been a long couple of days for the Spectrum officers since the Mysterons had announced that their next target would be the Snowdonia Power Plant. The plant, situated on the Welsh coastline, was predominantly used for Professor Borender’s remarkable way of turning seawater into rocket fuel. As Professor Borender liked to keep his work relatively secret, the power plant was one of the only ones in Europe; therefore had the Mysterons succeeded in destroying it, it would have been a huge blow for Earth’s space programmes, not to mention likely destroying the national park where the plant was located.
Fortunately, Scarlet and Blue had been able to locate and eliminate the Mysteron agent – an engineer who was intending to blow up the main reactor, causing a chain reaction that would wipe out the whole plant – while Ochre, Magenta and the Angels had raced to stop the Mysterons’ back-up plan of destroying the supply lines.
The owner and foreman of the power plant had insisted on giving the group a tour of the power plant and a special dinner in thanks, which Colonel White had given them permission to attend, provided two of them returned to Cloudbase immediately so the military base had sufficient manpower should anything happen. Harmony, as Angel One, and Magenta had volunteered to return and so the remainder of the Spectrum officers had enjoyed a pleasant evening, especially after having to deal with the Mysterons, until they had to venture back. Because of the location of the power plant, the nearest airport was a couple of hours’ drive away – due to the urgency when they had initially arrived, Scarlet, Blue, Ochre and Magenta were able to commandeer a helijet to get to the plant quickly; however said helijet had been used by Harmony and Magenta to return to the airport – but barely halfway into their return journey, the storm had hit.
Scarlet had been able to contact Colonel White to inform him of the development and the Colonel had ordered them to seek shelter due to the severity of the storm. Unfortunately, they were deep in the Welsh countryside and there was a worry that shelter would be impossible to find, until Blue had spotted the manor.
The fifteen minutes that the navigation system predicted were spent driving carefully down even more winding roads, all while the rain was lashing against the SSC and the wind was howling, until they reached the manor.
“I can see some lights that are on,” Scarlet noted, turning off the engine. “So at least it’s inhabited. And hopefully the people there are friendly.”
“Only one way to find out.” Blue gingerly opened the car door and, while holding his cap firmly so it didn’t blow off in the wind, fought his way to the front door of the manor. The sound of three other doors slamming indicated that the others were following suit and once they had joined Blue at the door, he reached up and rang the doorbell.
The quintet didn’t have to wait long for someone to answer the door as it soon creaked open to reveal a middle aged woman dressed in a maid’s uniform, her dark brown hair tied up in a bun.
“Oh!” she exclaimed in a strong Welsh accent. “Visitors! What can I do for you?”
“We’re terribly sorry to bother you,” Blue replied. “But we were on our way back to the airport when we got caught in this storm and needed to seek shelter. Would it be possible to stay here until this all blows over?”
“Of course!” The woman stood to one side and beckoned them in. “It’s no bother at all. Please, do come in out of this dreadful storm. My name is Aderyn, the head maid here for the past twenty years. We will need some time to set some rooms up for you, so I’ll take you to the drawing room so you can warm up while we prepare them.”
“Thank you, Aderyn,” Scarlet nodded once the group stepped had through the door and Aderyn shut it behind them.
“It is no problem, I assure you,” Aderyn smiled before gasping softly when she noticed the emblems on their uniforms. “Especially as you work for Spectrum. Please, follow me to the drawing room.”
“You mentioned ‘we’,” Rhapsody noted as Aderyn began to lead them through the hallway. “Is there a large staff here?”
Aderyn sighed. “There used to be. But now there are but half a dozen of us, myself included.”
“Why is that?” Destiny asked curiously.
“Oh, just… wanting to seek work elsewhere,” Aderyn replied, a little hastily. “Nothing… nothing to worry about.”
Scarlet and Blue exchanged a glance. Something in Aderyn’s reaction indicated that was not the case.
“Who’s this?” Ochre asked as the group passed a large painting hanging on the walls, depicting a woman who looked to be in her thirties, with long black hair and dressed in elaborate looking clothes, indicating she was part of the nobility.
“That is Lady Branwen Pryce,” Aderyn replied. “Her family owned this manor. Sadly, Lady Branwen died without having any children so there is no-one else of the Pryce family to inherit this manor. But it was written in her will that as long as there are still those from the nearby village living and working here, the manor belongs to us.”
“That wouldn’t have anything to do with why there are so few staff left, would there?” Scarlet questioned.
“I… I couldn’t say, sir,” Aderyn replied in the same tone as when Destiny had asked about the staff. Scarlet frowned and was about to ask another question when the sound of a door banging open interrupted him.
“Addie?” A brash voice with an American accent called down. “Addie, I’m having problems with the damn shower again!”
“I’ll be right with you, Mr Johnson!” Aderyn called back before turning to the Spectrum officers. “I apologise; I forgot to mention that we have another guest staying with us. Mr Johnson came here to assess the items in the house to see if they have any value. If so, we can sell them to a museum to help with the costs of keeping the manor running.”
“And is there anything of value?” Rhapsody asked.
“Not yet!” The voice from before sounded behind them. The group turned to find a man with salt and pepper hair grinning at them, dressed in a smart suit. “Eric Johnson, at your service,” he announced cheerfully. “As Addie here said, I’ve been looking to see if there’s anything of any value here. After all, I can appreciate the old as well as the new. Sadly, I’ve found nothing yet, but I’ll keep looking!”
“That’s good to hear, Mr Johnson,” Aderyn smiled warmly. “I just need to take these Spectrum officers to the drawing room, and then I’ll be right with you.”
“Oh I can take them through!” Mr Johnson replied jovially. “I know the way very well, after all.”
“That’s very kind of you, Mr Johnson,” Aderyn nodded before turning back to the Spectrum officers. “Once your rooms are ready, I shall send someone down to take you to them.”
“Merci beaucoup, Aderyn.” Destiny bowed her head in thanks. Aderyn smiled back at her before turning and walking back down the way the group had come.
Mr Johnson beckoned for them to follow him. “So, Spectrum eh? Bit unexpected to see your lot in this lonely part of the world.”
“You may be surprised at some of the isolated locations we’ve been assigned to,” Scarlet replied dryly, thinking back to Glengarry Castle, which had been even more remote than the manor.
“I can understand; after all, I’ve been to a fair few spots like that myself when assessing potential valuables.” Mr Johnson pushed open a grand set of double doors, revealing a cosy-looking drawing room. “I’ve been here for a couple of months, and this is definitely one of the more outlying places.”
“A couple of months?” Ochre mused, the Spectrum officers settling down on the armchairs and sofa that surrounded a fireplace. “So do you know why the staff numbers have dwindled?”
“Perhaps.” The light from the fire cast a rather unsettling shadow on Mr Johnson’s face. “This place has a history of strange things happening here. Some would even say… supernatural. Enjoy your stay, officers.”
“Well he seemed pleasant up until that point,” Rhapsody murmured once Mr Johnson had departed, the doors shutting behind him. “And what did he mean by supernatural occurrences?”
“I’m not sure,” Blue admitted, kneeling down to warm his hands in front of the fire. “My first thought was the Mysterons, but this place wouldn’t really factor into their War of Nerves, would it?”
“Oh I don’t know,” Ochre quipped. “Big spooky house in a remote location? Maybe they’re trying to obtain a lair for Captain Black.”
“Interesting theory, Captain Ochre, but I think we might have to rule it out,” Scarlet replied amusedly as Destiny and Rhapsody giggled.
A knock at the door interrupted their conversation and they turned to see a young man dressed in a manservant’s uniform standing in the doorway. “Apologies for the interruption, sirs and madams, but your rooms for the night are ready. We have provided nightclothes for you and if you need anything else, please do not hesitate to ask us.”
“Thank you very much,” Blue replied as the quintet rose from their seats and followed the manservant back out of the drawing room.
“Think we’ll encounter any of these weird happenings?” Ochre muttered to Scarlet.
“In all honesty, I doubt it,” Scarlet responded just as quietly. “We’re only going to be here for one night. What could possibly happen?”
****
“For such a large manor, the rooms are lovely and comfortable,” Rhapsody commented to Destiny while she brushed her hair.
“Oui,” Destiny nodded, fluffing the pillow on the bed she had been assigned. “The staff clearly works very ‘ard to keep it in such good conditions. And they seem so friendly too. I do ‘ope everything works out for them.”
“I hope so too,” Rhapsody sighed, putting her brush down and leaning back on her own bed. “Mr Johnson seemed confident that he’d be able to find some valuables here, which Aderyn said would help them out a lot. But another thing Mr Johnson said has me a little concerned.”
“The ‘strange ‘appenings’?” Destiny inquired. At Rhapsody’s nod, she sighed quietly and got up to draw the curtains. “I can understand the trepidation. But I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. Whatever is causing them, it surely can’t be as bad as the Myster– MON DIEU!”
At Destiny’s cry, Rhapsody leapt off her bed and joined the other Angel pilot at the window. “Destiny? What is it?”
Destiny placed her hand over her racing heart. “I thought… I thought I saw someone or something. My apologies for startling you, Rhapsody; it must have been a trick of the light.”
“We must be a little on edge due to only recently dealing with the Mysteron threat, and this talk of supernatural occurrences hasn’t done us any favours,” Rhapsody theorised, reaching up to pull the curtains closed before a flash of lightning revealed just what had spooked Destiny.
Two glowing eyes glared out of some kind of avian body; visibility was too poor to show the details, but what was clear was the hooked beak and sharp talons. Rhapsody and Destiny both fell back from the window with screams and the figure disappeared from view again when the lightning faded.
From outside the room, there was the sound of pounding footsteps and the door flew open to reveal Scarlet, Blue and Ochre.
“What happened?” Blue asked urgently. “We heard you screaming.”
“There was a… figure.” Rhapsody wrapped her arms round her body in an attempt to lessen her trembling. “Some sort of birdlike figure. They were just stood there, staring at us.”
“You’re certain it was someone there, and not an actual bird’s shadow that was amplified by the lightning?” Scarlet’s brows furrowed.
Before Destiny or Rhapsody could answer, there was another flash of lightning to reveal the figure still standing there. This time, however, their features had changed to those resembling some sort of feline with pointed ears, sharp claws and a flicking tail.
The Spectrum officers all let out shouts of surprise and, in Ochre’s case, a couple of curses, before the figure once again disappeared from view.
“That was definitely not a trick of the light.” Scarlet strode forwards to peer out of the window, but from what he could tell the figure had gone. “I think we may have found the cause of the strange goings-on here that Mr Johnson mentioned.”
“Do you think the staff know anything about this… thing?” Ochre questioned.
“You may get your answer in a moment,” Blue replied as there was the sound of hurried footsteps before Aderyn and another maid appeared in the doorway.
“Is everything alright, officers?” Aderyn asked.
“To be honest, Aderyn, not really.” Scarlet placed his arm around the still trembling Rhapsody – despite the situation, Destiny and Ochre exchanged a knowing glance – and turned towards the head maid. “We just saw some kind of animalistic creature outside Destiny and Rhapsody’s room.”
“At first it looked like a bird, but then when we next saw it, it ‘ad changed to look like some kind of cat,” Destiny chimed in to soft gasps from the two maids.
“Aderyn!” the other maid hissed quietly even as her superior tried to shush her. “They saw it! The shapeshifter!”
“Shapeshifter?” Ochre’s head jerked up slightly. “What shapeshifter?”
“Nothing!” Aderyn responded quickly. “It’s nothing, officers. I truly apologise for the fright. Siân and I will go to the kitchen and fetch some hot drinks for the shock.”
“Aderyn, wait!” Blue called but the two maids had already disappeared. “Damn it. I really don’t think that this is ‘nothing’.”
“I agree.” Scarlet’s eyes narrowed. “Whatever it was, it must have been trying to scare us off; why else would it have waited around to reveal itself to all of us. I think we need to do a little investigating.”
“If we want information, I would recommend checking out the library,” Ochre mused as the quintet exited the room. “It may not have what we need, but it could be a start.”
“Good idea, Ochre,” Scarlet replied. “But where is the library?”
“I’ll go ahead and have a look,” Rhapsody offered. “The walk should help calm my nerves a little.”
“If you’re sure, Rhapsody.” Destiny squeezed her shoulder. “And do be careful.”
“I will,” Rhapsody smiled as she made her way down the stairs and glanced at the corridors. Pleasantly, the way to the library was indicated by a small sign on the wall – clearly for the benefit of visitors – and she called up the stairs “I’ve found where the library is. I’ll meet you lot in there.”
“Sure thing, Rhapsody!” Ochre’s voice called back. The corridor leading to the library had more pictures of the Pryce family, as well as the odd antique, until it ended at a set of double doors, much larger than the ones that lead to the drawing room.
Pushing the doors open, Rhapsody gasped softly at the sight of what looked like hundreds of towering bookcases. “This place is huge! Where would we even get started? I’d better have a little look round; get some sort of an idea before the others get here.”
She wandered round the bookshelves, humming quietly to herself. She was so engrossed in her studying, that she didn’t notice that there was someone else in the library until she rounded a corner and bumped into them, causing them both to let out cries of surprise.
“Oh good heavens, I’m so sorry!” Rhapsody apologised. “I was too focused on all these books, I should have been paying more attention, I do apologise.”
“Don’t worry, I know very well what that’s like.” The other person – who Rhapsody could now see was a young woman with curling red hair, dressed in a white blouse and black pencil skirt – reassured in an English accent. “I’ve only been here for a few weeks, but I still find myself getting lost amongst the books.”
Rhapsody was about to respond but the sound of the doors opening and several footsteps rushing over interrupted her.
“Rhapsody?” Scarlet’s voice called. “Are you alright? We heard you cry out…”
“I’m fine,” Rhapsody called back. “Just accidentally ran into someone. But we’re both okay.”
Scarlet appeared round the bookcase behind them, closely followed by Blue, Ochre and Destiny. “That’s a relief. With these strange goings on, and the scare we’ve just had, we had to make sure. Who’s this?”
“My name is Evangeline,” Rhapsody’s companion responded, eyeing the badge on Scarlet’s cap. “You people… you’re Spectrum aren’t you?”
“We are,” Blue nodded. “Captains Blue, Scarlet and Ochre, and Destiny and Rhapsody Angels. We came here seeking shelter from the storm. Do you work here, Evangeline? We didn’t see you with the rest of the staff.”
“Yes and no,” Evangeline replied, indicating a table they could sit at. “And please, call me Eva. I’m a post-grad university student from London, studying classics. The myths and legends side, rather than literature. Often places like this have a lot of information that help with my studies.”
“Myths and legends?” Ochre perked up. “So you would know about, say, this shapeshifter?”
“Ah.” Eva interlaced her fingers. “Is this related to the ‘strange happenings’ that Captain Scarlet mentioned?”
“It is,” Scarlet admitted. “We saw what looked like an animalistic figure outside Destiny and Rhapsody’s bedroom, clearly trying to scare us off, so we thought we’d investigate. But none of the staff, or Mr Johnson, will tell us anything!”
“Mr Johnson I don’t know too much about,” Eva mused. “But as for the staff; you see, most of them come from the nearby village. The legend of the shapeshifter is a very old one, passed down through the ages to get children to behave, or as a spooky story on Halloween. The idea of it being a reality likely scares them, which is why they don’t want to talk about it. They don’t want it to be real.”
“But it’s not real, is it?” Scarlet inquired.
Eva laughed softly, the light in the library making her dark brown eyes look almost red. “I can’t say for sure, Captain. But all the best legends have a modicum of truth in them. The legend doesn’t specify if the shapeshifter is from this part of the country, but it is certainly here that they rose to prominence. Some say they’re able to shift because they’re the sibling of the Devil. Others say they were cursed by a witch. In truth, the legend varies regarding their origin and motives; sometimes they are benevolent, sometimes malicious. Which is why it makes such an effective Halloween tale I suppose. But what remains constant across all tellings is their abilities. They can take the form of any animal, from the smallest mouse, to the largest predator. The shapeshifter usually takes the form of the local wildlife to blend in, when they’re not in their human form that is, but they have been known to change into a predator when threatened or attacked. As I said, their motives vary from telling to telling, but a constant is that they can be very dangerous.”
“Well it would appear that their motives this time have something to do with this manor,” Ochre said thoughtfully. “We’ll have to do some digging; try and find out what they are.”
“Good idea, Ochre,” Scarlet nodded as the Spectrum officers rose. “Eva, thank you for your help. We may need to come back to you if we need more information.”
“Of course,” Eva replied. “I’ll do my best to help. And while investigating… stay safe. From what I’ve heard, whoever’s behind this is not afraid to try to hurt people.”
****
“So I can see two options here,” Scarlet commented as they exited the library again. “Either we really are dealing with the shapeshifter from the legend, or someone is pretending to be the shapeshifter. But who? And why?”
“It’s a shame there isn’t a butler here,” Ochre quipped.
Scarlet frowned. “Why is that?”
“Well everyone knows that it’s always the butler who did it.”
Scarlet groaned. “I walked right into that one, didn’t I? I really should know better by now.”
“Oh he gets us all from time to time,” Blue responded humorously. “But regardless of who, or what, we are dealing with, we should probably investigate more. We’d cover more ground if we separated into two teams.”
“So what you’re saying, Captain Blue, is that we should split up and look for clues?” Ochre piped up, causing Blue to groan this time around.
“May I recommend putting Ochre in the larger group?” Destiny suggested. “So that way ‘e ‘as two other people to keep an eye on ‘im.”
“That would probably be for the best,” Blue replied dryly, grabbing the grinning Ochre’s arm. “Destiny, you come with me and Ochre. Scarlet and Rhapsody, you two be the other group. We’ll take the west, you take the east and we’ll meet up back in the drawing room.”
“SIG,” Scarlet nodded and turned to Rhapsody once the other three had set off to do their investigating. “So I was thinking we should check to see which rooms would be a potential place of entry, if this is an outside force who’s behind this.”
“We should try and talk to any staff as well, if we see them,” Rhapsody replied as she and Scarlet set off. “They’ve probably had the most experience with these occurrences; as I didn’t get the impression that Eva had been here for very long, and Mr Johnson said he’d only been here for a couple of months.”
“Hopefully they won’t be too scared to tell us anything,” Scarlet mused.
As they made their way through the corridor, Rhapsody made a small humming noise at the sight of the vases and statues that lined them. “These really are very beautiful. It’s a shame Mr Johnson said that they aren’t worth very much; the funds really could help Aderyn and the rest of the staff keep this place running.”
“They could,” Scarlet agreed. “But Mr Johnson is the expert on these things and he said he hadn’t found anything of value yet.”
“That’s true…” Rhapsody replied morosely before the pair’s attention was diverted by the single door at the end of the corridor. Scarlet pushed it open to reveal a room similar to the drawing room, but smaller and with more desks than sofas. On the east wall, there were large arched windows that would usually show a pleasant view of the hills surrounding the manor; however, due to the late hour and the storm still raging, all that could be seen was pitch black.
“I imagine that this room would have been used for informal meetings by the Pryce family,” Rhapsody theorised, running her finger along the desk closest to her.
“I agree.” Scarlet raised his hand to point to a manservant dusting a mantelpiece that held a couple of silvery candelabras. “And there’s someone we can hopefully ask about this shapeshifter business. Excuse me?”
At Scarlet’s call, the manservant jumped and whirled round to face the two Spectrum personnel. “Oh! My apologies for not hearing you come in, officers. I was lost in my work. My name is Dai, how can I help you?”
“Hello Dai,” Rhapsody smiled warmly while she and Scarlet made their way over to Dai, who set his cleaning supplies down on a nearby desk. “Would it be okay if we asked you a couple of questions?”
“I…” Dai swallowed heavily before nodding quickly. “Yes. You may. I’ll… I’ll do my best to answer them.”
“Thank you, Dai.” Rhapsody kept her tone gentle so as not to spook him. “Are you from around these parts?”
“I am,” Dai replied a little nervously. “I grew up in the village that’s just around the hill from here. All of the staff still working here did.”
“So you’re all familiar with the legend of the shapeshifter?” Scarlet questioned. “The same shapeshifter who’s apparently behind all the strange happenings here?”
“We want to help, Dai,” Rhapsody interjected when she saw Dai’s face go pale. “But in order to do so, we need information. Please; help us, so we can help you.”
Dai was silent for a few minutes, gnawing his lip before eventually nodding jerkily. “Yes. We’re all aware of the legend. It’s partly why we’re all so scared. Most of the staff – especially those who didn’t come from the village – fled when the shapeshifter started showing up.”
“And how long ago was that?” Scarlet asked.
“About two and a half months ago,” Dai responded quietly. “That’s when we lost most of the staff. The few that are still here stayed because we know how much the manor means to our village, and to fulfil Lady Branwen’s last wishes. Working here provides good money to our families, you see; even though the Pryces have gone, they set up a trust with the bank that ensures we still earn our wages.”
“Yes, Aderyn did give the impression that this place is very important to you,” Scarlet mused. “So the only outsiders still here are Mr Johnson and Eva. How long have they been here?”
“Mr Johnson has been here studying the manor’s items for about four months. Miss Evangeline came to carry out her research a month and a half ago.” Dai looked like he was about to continue but was interrupted by the faint ringing of a bell. “Pardon me; Aderyn is calling me.” He collected his cleaning supplies before pausing and turning back to the pair. “Officers… we’ve heard about all the good Spectrum has done. If you can find out who’s trying so hard to scare us all off – if they are the shapeshifter or not – we’d be eternally grateful.”
“So we now have more of a timeframe of when the shapeshifter appeared,” Scarlet stated once Dai had disappeared into a staff door. “But what we’re still missing is means and motive.”
“We should have more of a look around and see if we can find those two things,” Rhapsody replied. “There’s another door at the end of this room; let’s see where that leads.”
Scarlet nodded and the two made their way over to the door, which opened out onto another corridor, although this one arched round a corner.
“I’m sensing a bit of a theme with the layout of this place,” Scarlet commented drily while they began to walk down the corridor.
Rhapsody rolled her eyes affectionately. “Oh stop complaining. Circumstances aside, I quite like it.”
Scarlet opened his mouth to quip back before pausing when he heard a scuttling sound. “Did you hear that? In a way, it’s a shame this isn’t the work of the Mysterons; my sixth sense would be quite useful.”
Scarlet’s statement was proven right when the pair rounded the corner and the shapeshifter lunged at him.
Scarlet let out a shout of surprise, accompanied by Rhapsody’s scream, as the two went tumbling to the ground. The shapeshifter – still in the feline-like form (which reminded Scarlet of a werecat) they had seen outside Destiny’s and Rhapsody’s room – dug its claws into Scarlet’s shoulder, causing him to cry out again, before snarling and springing away when Rhapsody grabbed a nearby stool and swung it at its head. Its glowing eyes narrowed as it took in Rhapsody approaching with the stool – her expression like thunder – and Scarlet reaching for his firearm, before kicking the latter in his injured shoulder, causing another shout of pain. Distracted, Rhapsody looked down at Scarlet which allowed the shapeshifter time to vanish round the corner of the corridor.
“Damn!” Rhapsody hissed, dropping to her knees beside Scarlet. “Paul? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Scarlet grimaced, sitting up and grasping his shoulder. “The cuts aren’t too deep; it’s just painful. My retrometabolism should take care of it easily.”
“Good.” Rhapsody’s hand squeezed his other shoulder. “I’m glad you’re alright.”
“Just a little miffed it got the drop on me,” Scarlet grumbled. “Now was this just another attempt to scare us off, or did it want us to stop asking questions? Either way, let’s stay on guard, and hope the others don’t encounter it.”
****
On the other side of the manor, Blue, Ochre and Destiny were lucky enough to have not run into the shapeshifter. They had come across some of the staff – who provided them with the hot drinks that Aderyn had promised – but they had vanished before the trio had any time to try and obtain information.
“I won’t lie; I’m stumped,” Blue grumbled, draining his cup. “I can’t for the life of me figure out why there are all these strange happenings going on here, let alone who’s behind this. Or maybe this really is the work of the shapeshifter from the legend.”
“At least the Mysterons have the good graces to announce what it is they’re planning, even if we do have to work it out sometimes,” Ochre quipped. “But I agree. All we’ve seen round here are antiques, which according to Mr Johnson aren’t even worth that much, so I’m struggling to find a motive. Maybe it has something to do with the history of the manor?”
“Possibly,” Blue mused. “But we’d probably have to ask the staff about that, and they’re not being the most cooperative. Not that their fears aren’t understandable, that is; that figure outside Destiny and Rhapsody’s room was rather unsettling to say the least.”
“Don’t remind me.” Destiny shuddered. “Those glowing eyes especially were ‘orrible.” She glanced down at the empty cup in her hand. “‘Ave you finished with your drinks? I will try to give the cups to some staff. Maybe I could try again to ask some questions?”
“Thanks, Destiny,” Blue nodded as he and Ochre passed her their cups. “But I’m not too hopeful about the staff.”
“Oui, but it wouldn’t ‘urt to try again,” Destiny replied.
“That’s true,” Blue conceded, turning to Ochre while Destiny made her way back down the corridor. “Shall we start to make our way back as well; meet up with Scarlet and Rhapsody?”
“Probably; hopefully they’ve had more luck than–” Ochre began before he was interrupted by Destiny’s cry of surprise. Both captains drew their sidearms and ran back down the corridor, neither quite sure what they would encounter.
“Destiny?” Blue called as they rounded the corner to find Destiny standing in the middle of the corridor with her back to them. “Is everything alright?! Is it the shapeshifter?”
“Non, I apologise for the alarm.” Destiny turned to them, holding a purring white cat in her arms. “I was just surprised by le chat running out in front of me.”
“Thank god it was only that,” Blue breathed as he and Ochre holstered their weapons again. “Is it a pet?”
“I can’t see a collar,” Destiny mused, stroking the cat. “And it looks too well cared for to be a stray.”
“The staff probably take care of it,” Ochre reasoned. “Could be from the nearby village they keep mentioning.”
“I think you are right, Ochre.” Destiny leaned down to put the cat back on the floor. “Au revoir, mon ami.” The cat gave a small ‘meow’ and trotted down the corridor, back the way the captains had just come.
“We were just saying that we should try to meet back up with Scarlet and Rhapsody,” Blue informed Destiny once the cat had disappeared round the corner.
“Oui, that is probably the best course of action,” Destiny nodded, sighing quietly as the trio passed a window. “This ‘orrible storm is still raging.”
“A horrible storm…” Ochre’s eyes narrowed when he heard a low hissing. “And from the sounds of it an even more horrible creature. Look out!”
Thanks to Ochre’s warning, Blue and Destiny were able to dive out of the way of the shapeshifter – who had now taken on a reptilian form – lunging at them in the same way he had when he attacked Scarlet and Rhapsody.
“Hey!” Ochre’s yell made the shapeshifter whirl so it was facing the captain. “Relying on the element of surprise, huh?”
The shapeshifter snarled before grunting as Blue took advantage of its distraction to swing a powerful right hook into its torso, sending it flying down the corridor. The shapeshifter staggered to its feet, its glowing eyes narrowing while it took in the three angry Spectrum officers and there was the sound of approaching footsteps.
“GET OUT!” it roared in a growling, slightly strangled tone, before disappearing again as Scarlet and Rhapsody rounded the corner.
“Was that the shapeshifter again?” the latter gasped. “Are you all okay?”
“We’re fine,” Blue reassured her, his eyes narrowing at the sight of Scarlet’s clawed tunic. “Are you?”
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Scarlet replied. “It just took me by surprise and caught me on the shoulder. My retrometabolism is sorting it out as we speak; the wounds have already closed.”
“Can’t all have the instant healing factor, right Scarlet?” Ochre quipped.
“No, but I’ll take what I can get. The good news is we were able to get some information from a member of staff; turns out this shapeshifter has been causing trouble for two and a half months. But we’re still stuck on how it’s doing it and why.”
“I’m afraid we’re no help in that regard,” Blue sighed while they all made their way back down the corridor. “There has to be a reason for all this! I really don’t think it’s the actual shapeshifter from the legend.”
Rhapsody sighed, resting her hand against the wall and drummed her fingers before pulling back in surprise.
“Rhapsody?” Destiny turned to her. “‘Ave you found something?”
“Perhaps; this sounded hollow.” Rhapsody knocked on the wall. “It is hollow! In a house as old as this, it could be some kind of secret room, or passage.”
“Good find, Rhapsody.” Scarlet stood beside her and began feeling along the wall. “Is there any way to potentially open it?”
“Well if we’re going by movie logic, it could be something along the lines of this.” Ochre reached up to where an old lantern holder hung on the wall and twisted it. Sure enough, there was a clicking sound and the section of the wall that Rhapsody and Scarlet were standing by slowly swung open.
“It’s pitch black in there.” Blue peered in. “If there’s no light source in there, we may have to go back and grab some torches.”
Scarlet’s brows furrowed while he tentatively reached into the opening and felt around the walls inside. “I think we may have been fortunate on that count,” he commented when he came across a small switch and flicked it on. The light that slowly filled the passage was weak but was sufficient enough to see in.
“So obviously we should have a look to see what’s down there, but stay on guard.” Blue drew his weapon, with Scarlet and Ochre following suit.
“Rhapsody and I will stay out ‘ere to guard the entrance.” Destiny nodded at her fellow Angel. “We would not to risk us all getting stuck in there, and not knowing ‘ow to reopen the passageway.”
“Good idea, Destiny. We’ll try not to be too long in there,” Blue replied before turning to the other captains. “Let’s get down there.”
“SIG.” Scarlet was the first to venture into the passage, followed by Ochre, and with Blue bringing up the rear. The passageway itself was relatively non-descript; it looked clear of cobwebs, indicating that it was in use although not by whom. Nor was it too long; the captains could still see the light from the main corridor outside when they reached a door at the end of the passageway. Scarlet pushed it open to reveal a small room, with not much in it aside from a desk covered in papers and a hat stand in the corner.
“This just gets stranger and stranger,” Scarlet commented to Ochre as the two of them went over to the desk to begin examining the papers, while Blue stood guard in the doorway.
“I agree,” Ochre frowned, studying the stack in front of him. “This is all research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Blue, I’m correct in thinking that’s a pretty prestigious college, right?”
“You are,” Blue replied. “It’s one of the top colleges in the States, that isn’t Harvard or Yale of course. But what would something from there be doing here?”
“These are even stranger,” Scarlet piped up, his expression matching Ochre’s. “It’s just a bunch of random numbers and letters. There’s the atomic symbol for gold in there a few times, but apart from that it seems complete nonsense. For example, there’s a line here that says ‘C twenty five X. Pt. Two eight three zero three P slash KG.’”
Once Scarlet had finished, Ochre – who had been studying his paper while listening to Scarlet – slowly raised his head, a look of dawning realisation appearing on his face.
Blue noticed. “I know that look. Let’s join Destiny and Rhapsody back outside.”
Scarlet nodded and he and an unusually quiet Ochre exited the room, shutting the door behind them again and followed Blue back down the corridor.
“Did you find anything?” Rhapsody asked once the trio had rejoined her and Destiny.
“Just some research papers and a strange series of letters and numbers,” Scarlet replied. “But we think Ochre may have figured something out. Right, Ochre?”
Ochre was silent for a few moments, clearly deep in thought. “I might have done. Give me a minute; I just want to double check something.”
Before the others could respond, he turned and walked briskly down the corridors until he reached the library. Pushing the doors open, he was satisfied to see the person he was looking for sitting at one of the desks, poring over a large book.
Eva lifted her head and blinked a couple of times. “Captain Ochre? Can I help you with something?”
“A couple of things, actually,” Ochre replied, resting his hands on the back of one of the chairs. “The shapeshifter has been around for a very long time, right?
“According to the legend, yes,” Eva replied. “It’s heavily hinted that they may be immortal, which I imagine contributes to why the legend is still so prevalent around these parts.”
“So as it’s so prevalent, even someone who hasn’t been here very long would pick up on it?”
“Oh yes,” Eva nodded before cocking her head to one side. “Do you have a theory on who is behind this, Captain?”
“Let’s just say that things are beginning to fall into place.” Ochre drummed his fingers on the back of the chair. “One last question. The shapeshifter’s actual shifting ability; how much do they look like the animal whose form they’ve taken?”
“Exactly like the animal.”
At Eva’s confirmation, Ochre felt a swell of satisfaction. “Thank you, Eva. With any luck, this will all be over soon.”
Eva quirked her eyebrow at Ochre’s statement, while the captain himself turned and exited the library again, making his way back down the corridors.
“Well, Ochre?” Scarlet inquired once Ochre had rejoined the group. “Did you get the answers you were looking for?”
“I did,” Ochre replied. “And more to the point, I’m pretty sure I know who has been causing this place so much grief, and why. I’ll tell you all in a moment. But in order to prove it, we’re going to need to set a trap.”
****
Blue and Scarlet strolled leisurely down the corridors in the west of the manor, where they had last seen the shapeshifter.
“This really is a beautiful manor,” Blue commented, rather loudly. “Of course, we’ve only seen the inside but when we get a chance to see the surroundings, I imagine they’ll be just as enticing.”
“I agree,” Scarlet replied in the same volume, listening out for any strange noises. “We should really recommend this place to the others. I’m sure many of them would love to come and visit as well.”
“Oh absolutely. They’ll find their stay just as pleasant.” Blue’s eyes flicked upwards when he heard a low growl. “Here we go,” he whispered to Scarlet. “Let’s hope Ochre’s plan works.”
The other captain nodded determinedly. “It won’t get the drop on me again.”
Sure enough, as the two of them rounded the corner of the corridor, the shapeshifter – who was back in its avian form – employed its old tricks of lunging at them.
However, both captains were well prepared this time. Blue stepped to the side – positioning himself so he was behind the shapeshifter – and Scarlet grappled with the creature, taking care to avoid its talons. Twisting its arm to get a clear shot, he drove his fist into its chest, causing a startled grunt, and Blue came from behind to shove it into the wall. The shapeshifter lurched and whirled around, its glowing eyes narrowing and then widening at the sight of the approaching captains, both of whom had drawn their sidearms.
“Come on then!” Scarlet challenged. “You want to face us so badly, well here we are!”
The shapeshifter snarled, its head swinging between the two before deciding not to face their superior fighting skills, and fled down the corridor.
The two captains gave chase, Blue’s epaulets flashing ochre and his cap microphone swinging down. “It’s working. The shapeshifter is on its way to you three.”
“SIG,” Ochre replied and Blue’s microphone swung back up.
The shapeshifter burst out of the corridor’s entrance, hissing with displeasure at both the confrontation and that its usual escape method had been thwarted. It turned to find an alternate route only to be met with Destiny’s roundhouse kick that sent it tumbling backwards. Growling, it tried to stagger to its feet, only for Rhapsody to knock it back down again with a left hook. An almost human-sounding scream of frustration emerged from the shapeshifter’s throat and it lunged forwards. Rhapsody darted out of the way, allowing for Ochre to come charging in and plant his boot in the middle of the shapeshifter’s chest, sending it flying into a nearby suit of armour which came crashing down on its head.
“Nice plan, Ochre!” Scarlet complimented once he and Blue had emerged and looked down on the groaning shapeshifter.
“Why thank you, Captain Scarlet,” Ochre grinned, approaching with Destiny and Rhapsody. “Executed to perfection, of course, by you lot.”
The sound of pounding footsteps interrupted any further comments, and Aderyn soon rounded the corner, accompanied by the rest of the staff. “Officers?” she asked frantically. “What’s going – oh!” Her hand flew to cover her mouth as she took in the scattered pieces of armour and the defeated shapeshifter in the middle of them. “Is that…?”
“It is,” Ochre nodded. “We’re sorry about the mess, Aderyn, but we were able to catch this person who’s been making your lives a misery. I can assure you, this is not the shapeshifter from your legend.” He nodded at Scarlet and Blue who hauled the fake shapeshifter out from the armour, both captains keeping an iron grip on its arms.
“You see,” Ochre continued, “while we were investigating, we came across some research papers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. One of them was about a collar – and the subsequent material – that could be used to generate a very convincing hologram.” Striding up to the imposter, he felt around their neck – ignoring the weak growl – until he felt a button. Pressing it, the avian figure shimmered and disappeared, revealing a human clad in a translucent white full-body outfit. Covering the hands were gloves with blades sewn into the finger tips, which was what gave the impression of claws and talons.
The rest of the staff murmured quietly behind her as Aderyn lifted her chin. “I see. But tell us Captain; who? Who has gone to such lengths to try and scare us all off?”
“They have gone to a lot of bother to do so,” Ochre agreed, nodding. “After all, as they said so themselves; they can appreciate the old as well as the new.” In a fluid movement, he pulled the material covering the imposter’s face away, to gasps from the staff.
“Mr Johnson?” Aderyn’s eyes widened. “You’re the person who’s behind all this?”
Mr Johnson seethed at Ochre, who stared back impassively. “Damn you! This was all going perfectly, until of course Spectrum had to go and ruin it all!”
“While studying the manor and its items, Mr Johnson must have stumbled across the legend of the shapeshifter and realised that he could try and use it to his advantage.” Ochre folded his arms. “I don’t know how exactly he came into the possession of the hologram collar but it was integral to his plan. He was initially targeting just the staff, but I’m pretty sure that the reason he shifted his focus to us is that he didn’t know how long we were staying. He didn’t want to risk us coming across his plans and foiling them.”
“Ironically, in that regard, ‘e achieved the exact opposite of what he was trying to,” Destiny added.
“How low must you have to be to prey on people’s fears and beliefs for your own gains.” Eva’s voice broke into the conversation. The young woman, whose entrance had been unheard, glared at the man being held by Blue and Scarlet.
“Quite,” Ochre agreed. “He thought that by scaring everyone off, he would be able to get access to the manor and its valuables; something that is impossible while there are still people working and living here, as stated in Lady Branwen’s will.”
“But he said that he hadn’t found anything of value,” Aderyn stared at Mr Johnson, who was avoiding her gaze in favour of glowering at the Spectrum officers.
“I’m very sorry, Aderyn, but he lied about that,” Rhapsody replied gently.
“When we found the research papers, we also found some more papers with seemingly random letters and numbers written on them,” Blue informed the staff.
“But they were actually materials and monetary values,” Scarlet continued. “For example, I found one detailing twenty five candelabras all made of platinum, which has a value of twenty eight thousand three hundred and three dollars per kilogram. Mr Johnson faked all the strange happenings going on here in order to achieve his scheme to make as much money from the sale of the manor’s belongings as possible. The legend of the shapeshifter is just that: a legend. But one prominent enough for Mr Johnson to decide to use for his own purposes.”
“So what?!” Mr Johnson snarled, straining against Scarlet and Blue’s hold. “I haven’t actually sold anything! Therefore, I’ve done nothing illegal by trying to scare people off!”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Ochre replied dryly. “Disturbing the peace actually is a crime. Not to mention attempted theft of the manor’s valuables. Rest assured, Mr Johnson, you have done something illegal, and you will be punished for it.”
“Yes.” A cold fury had appeared over Aderyn’s features. “He will. But that will be a matter for the police in the morning. Dai, Siân; take Mr Johnson to the servants’ quarters and lock him in a cell. He won’t be getting out of there until we unlock it in the morning to hand him over to the authorities.”
The two staff members nodded and, after Blue and Scarlet had handed him over, dragged the cursing Mr Johnson away.
Once he was out of sight, Aderyn turned to the quintet. “Officers, words cannot express how thankful we are to you for solving this horrible business. We are honoured to have an organisation such as Spectrum protecting us all.”
“It was no problem, Aderyn,” Blue smiled at her. “We were happy to help.”
“Once again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.” Aderyn clasped her hands together. “We can now go back to looking after this manor, as Lady Branwen would have wanted, without the fear that the shapeshifter will come for us. And now we know that there are valuable items here, we can sell them to a museum as intended, and the funds can help us even more. In the morning, before your journey back, if there is anything you need from us, we will provide it.”
“Thank you, Aderyn.” Blue stifled a yawn. “But after all this excitement, I for one am ready for bed.”
“Of course, officers.” Aderyn bowed her head. “I wish you all a pleasant sleep.”
“I’m so happy that things will be okay now for Aderyn and the others,” Rhapsody smiled while they made their way up the stairs. “All’s well that ends well.”
“I agree,” Destiny nodded. “And this will make a fantastique story when we return to Cloudbase! I cannot wait to tell Symphony, ‘armony and Melody.”
“I think Colonel White will be happier about the ‘helping people’ part than the ‘shapeshifter’ part,” Blue pointed out amusedly.
“Agreed, but I bet everyone else will be more interested in the shapeshifter,” Ochre grinned.
“That is very true,” Scarlet commented once they had entered the corridor where their rooms were situated. “But for now, after having to foil first the Mysterons’ plot and then Mr Johnson’s, we can finally get a good night’s sleep!”
****
As the Spectrum officers settled down to sleep – confident that this time their rest would not be disturbed by anyone’s schemes, be they human or alien – a lone wolf’s howl echoed across the hills. The storm had finally died down, leaving a crisp, cool night. The wolf itself was situated on the crest of a small hill not too far away from the manor and it lifted its head to howl once again before leaping down. There was a swirl of feathers and the wolf became a raven, which beat its wings twice as it soared towards the manor. The raven landed on a tree branch and folded its wings, settling down as it once again changed form, this time to a cat.
The same cat that Destiny had seen roaming the corridors.
The cat’s eyes blinked lazily as it observed the manor, the lights shining through the windows of the rooms winking off one by one. Stretching, the cat agilely leapt down from the tree and sauntered over to the still open library window and slipped through it. It landed lightly on the desk below and then jumped down onto the floor where it made its change back into human form.
The shapeshifter – the real shapeshifter – made their way through the towering bookshelves towards the exit. Captain Scarlet had been right in saying that all the strange goings on in the manor were the work of Mr Johnson trying to achieve his scheme, but he had been wrong in assuming that the legend of the shapeshifter was complete fabrication. No, they had merely heard that someone was using their reputation for that person’s own gains, and had come to investigate and potentially… deal with whoever was behind it. But, in a pleasant surprise, the Spectrum officers had ended up solving the mystery, meaning the shapeshifter was able to go back to their genuine pastime of research. After all, as she had told the Spectrum officers, the best legends had a modicum of truth in them.
Evangeline pushed open the library doors and smiled.
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Captain Scarlet world, which is trademarked by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and Century 21 Productions. The Spectrum officers and the Mysterons are characters created and owned by Gerry and Sylvia, and I do not claim any ownership over them or the world of Captain Scarlet. The story I tell here is my own invention, and it is not purported or believed to be part of the Captain Scarlet story canon. This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official story line.
I am grateful to Gerry and Sylvia for all their wonderful creations, which made up a big part of my childhood, without which this story would not exist, to Hazel Köhler who beta-read this story, and to everyone at Spectrum HQ who are behind the Halloween challenge.
Happy Halloween!