December 23rd 2072, 07:01, Greenwich Mean Time, Mysteron Complex, Mars.
It was the first time that humanoid beings had ever stood in the Mysterons’ Complex on Mars. Viewed from outside, the Mysteron Complex was a mass of twinkling, pulsating lights that made the colours of the buildings and towers seem alive. On the inside, however, the Mysteron Complex was as plain as any generic scientific building in any university on any planet geared to the needs of any humanoid species of average height.
The two humanoid beings in question were Captain Scarlet, an elite officer in the security organisation called Spectrum, and Steve Zodiac, a high-ranking XL spacecraft commander from the World Space Patrol. Both men looked all around them to identify the source of the voice that welcomed them, indicating they had much to discuss.
Not identifying an obvious source for the voice, it was Zodiac who spoke first towards the ether. “May I ask why your Complex looked like it is geared for physical humanoids? If you Mysterons are non-corporeal, telepathic beings…why this?” Zodiac’s gesture took in a state-of-the-art astrophysics lab with monitors, dials, desks and chairs.
The Mysterons’ ominous voice boomed from all around them. “Your question shows perception and curiosity, Colonel Zodiac. That is commendable.” A pause. “The Mysterons were not always non-corporeal. Once we possessed bodies like yours but they were prone to the ravages of decay. The Mysterons worked over many of your centuries to develop the power of the mind and in time we shed the need for bodies.”
Zodiac sat down at a work-station and beckoned to Scarlet to join him. “That is all very interesting, but why do you maintain this format when you have clearly evolved beyond it?”
Scarlet sat down but wasn’t really listening to the conversation. He was busily scanning the room to see if there was anything with which he had any sense of affinity. He had spent the last four and half years of his life empowered by the beings whose telepathic essence and way of life surrounded him and his companion, but being here, he felt numb. He felt strangely… human.
As the Voice of the Mysterons continued to speak to Zodiac, Scarlet was only vaguely aware of a background drone. “It is an affectation, Colonel Zodiac, a vanity if you will. Not all of our people followed the enlightened ways of the Mysterons. The Prevalens clung to the concept of physical corporality with almost religious zeal. It led our people to undertake cruel actions against many other species. We stole their bodies to repair the decay within our own. The Mysterons rebelled against this evil, so we chose to eschew the body and the limitations of physicality.”
Zodiac spoke to Scarlet, breaking his train of thought: “What do you think of that, Paul?”
“Sorry, Steve,” replied Scarlet. “I was in a world of my own there.” Speaking into the air to address the Mysterons, he said, “I thought that I would feel more at home here.”
“This is not your home, Paul Metcalfe. You may have the Mysteron power of retrometabolism, but you are entirely human. Your body is human. Your deaths are human and when you are retrometabolised, your human physicality is restored. You are no more Mysteron than Captain Black.”
Scarlet’s voice hardened. “What about Captain Black? Where does he fit in to all this?”
“The Mysterons chose him as our agent of vengeance against your unprovoked attack on our Martian Complex…”
“An attack that was a misunderstanding and that ultimately caused you no harm,” interrupted Scarlet.
He stopped as Zodiac caught his arm. “Easy, Paul.”
Scarlet caught his eye and snatched his arm away. “Sorry, Steve, but the Mysterons have not had a finite, physical existence for so long that they have no clue what hurt they have inflicted on the people of Earth.”
“You are correct, Paul Metcalfe, which the Mysterons are now trying to understand and for which we desire to make amends. Would it help if we gave you a sign of our good faith and sincerity?”
Scarlet raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
A voice came from behind them. “That is probably my cue to put in an appearance.”
Scarlet and Zodiac whirled round at the same time to see a human form approach them. He was clad in a full Spectrum uniform: cap, tunic, sidearm and boots. All black.
Zodiac recognised the man as his former WSP colleague, Colonel Conrad Turner, while Scarlet exclaimed, “Captain Black!”
Scarlet looked intently at his former colleague. Gone was the deathly pallor in the man’s complexion. His movements were free from the stiffness that characterised the Mysterons’ hold on him. And his voice…
Scarlet’s face hardened as he drew his weapon, while Zodiac walked towards Black and embraced him warmly. Looking the man he knew as Conrad Turner firmly in the eye, he said, “You’re free from Mysteron control, aren’t you?”
Black stepped back but retained a measure of contact with Zodiac. There were tears in his eyes as he nodded. Looking over at Scarlet, he said, “There’s no need for the gun, Paul. It’s me. I’m back. I’m no longer under the control of the Mysterons.”
Scarlet’s face was still like thunder as the Voice of the Mysterons boomed out again: “It is true, Captain Scarlet, we have released our hold on our agent of vengeance as a sign of our good faith. In another life, another time, Captain Black has served the Mysterons well as our Ambassador. It is now the time for peace and friendship.”
“That will be easier said than done,” interjected Black towards the ether. “The Mysterons have done a lot of damage and caused a lot of pain, but it’s my face that people are going to associate with that.”
Scarlet nodded in agreement, as he slowly returned his sidearm to its holster. He regarded his former colleague, now restored. “What do you remember about your time under the control of the Mysterons?”
Black’s eyes locked with Scarlet’s. “Everything.”
The uncomfortable silence that followed was broken by the Voice of the Mysterons.
“Captain Black. Our defence scanners have picked up an approaching ship. We have identified it as a ship from the Prevalens.”
Zodiac, Scarlet and Black looked at one another with concern as they recognised something in the Voice of the Mysterons that nobody had ever heard before… in any timeline. Fear!
Black responded first by moving lithely to stand before a nearby monitoring station. His deft hands activated the mechanism and the screen flickered into life.
Zodiac and Scarlet peered over Black’s shoulder and watched as the image of a spaceship coalesced on the screen. The spaceship was of a design and configuration none of them had ever seen before, although Black and Zodiac knew exactly what it was and to whom it belonged. It was wide at the bottom, narrowing towards the top. At the bottom, there was a series of discs that revolved around the ship.
A metallic voice grated against the ears of the three men: “This is the Voice of the Prevalens. Surrender the indestructible human or you will be destroyed and we will take his body from the wreckage of your pitiable base. There will be no further warnings.”
Zodiac turned to Black. “I recognise the design of that ship. The WSP still conduct permanent scans for ships like that. These Prevalens… they are the aliens who abducted humans for body parts at the end of the twentieth century? And they are Mysterons?”
“I’m afraid so, Steve,” Black replied. “You heard the Mysterons say that the Prevalens refused to give up their physical existence, yeah?”
Zodiac looked at Scarlet and nodded.
“Well, Earth wasn’t the first planet they plundered. Earth was lucky they were advanced enough to take a stand against them. The Prevalens laid waste to Costroth, Trolebos and Zieter and harvested the indigenous humanoids for spare parts. Earth was the first planet for many cycles that successfully repelled the Prevalens. That’s why the Mysterons relocated to Mars. They felt safe there, until…”
Black’s voice trailed away as he remembered his actions as the commander of the Zero-X mission that fateful day in 2068.
“What do the Prevalens want with me?” asked Scarlet.
“Whatever makes you tick, Paul, is like the Holy Grail for the Prevalens,” said Black gravely. “They could take out your heart and you will grow a new one. Then they would take that one out too. If they took you apart and found that unique genetic quirk that enabled you to throw off the Mysterons’ control and reassert your humanness, they could inject that into the population of the Earth and have an inexhaustible supply of indestructible body parts.”
As Black turned his attention to the screens and dials on the console, Zodiac stood by his side. “What can we do, Conrad?”
“Now? Nothing. The Prevalens ship is on an attack approach…”
Scarlet interjected, “Don’t the Mysterons have any defensive capabilities?”
Black looked up. “None. That is why they waged the war against Earth as they did. They can take over inanimate objects and recreate people, but with the power of retrometabolism, they have never needed defensive assault tech. C’mon… the Mysterons will be all right. We need to get somewhere safe.”
Black toggled a switch and a portion of the floor wrinkled as if alive and fashioned a hole with steps taking shape as the three men watched. Frowning at the screen, he said, “Let’s move it! The Prevalens are coming in weapons hot.”
Scarlet activated his communicator. His epaulettes flashed white and his cap microphone dropped to his lips. “Captain Scarlet to Colonel White… come in.” Nothing.
Anger flashed across Zodiac’s face as he was equally as unsuccessful at raising Professor Matic on Fireball. “I didn’t think that anything would block the neutroni radio,” he muttered to himself.
Black began to disappear down the steps into the hole in the floor. There was now iron in his voice. “Now, gentlemen, if you will.”
Scarlet and Zodiac paused until the first explosions were felt at the extremities of the Mysteron Complex. They hurriedly followed Black into the newly created cavity in the floor and looked on with fascination as a ceiling fashioned itself and a light spontaneously coalesced above their heads.
The noise above them sounded like the end of the world as the Prevalens ship mercilessly pummelled the buildings above them until, as suddenly as the rain of devastation began, it stopped.
Black closed his eyes and reached out with his mind. The Mysterons responded to him alone. “Captain Black. The Earth vehicle has successfully terminated the Prevalens’ threat. But be warned. The Prevalens are coming for Captain Scarlet. It is imperative that he does not fall into the hands of the Prevalens. If the Prevalens learn the secrets of his powers of retrometabolism, no force in the universe will be able to stop them.”
Scarlet furrowed his brow. Turning to Black, he said, “What did they say to you?”
Keeping his face straight, Black only revealed part of the Mysterons’ message to Scarlet, “They said that Zodiac’s ship dealt with the Prevalens and that the coast is clear.”
Zodiac looked over at Scarlet, who shook his head almost imperceptibly. Before either of them could challenge Black, the ceiling wrinkled again and the aperture into the science laboratory opened. Climbing the steps first, Black, led the way into a room that was similar to the one that they had left but was now subtly different. All of the devastation that they had heard and that had been visible from Fireball XL5 was now completely restored as if it had never happened.
December 23rd 2072, 08:19 Greenwich Mean Time, Science Laboratory, Fireball XL5, In free float above the surface of Mars.
Despite the consternation they felt at the oncoming armada of Prevalens ships, Colonel White and Professor Matic looked on in fascination as several domes emerged from the rubble of the Mysteron Complex and irised open. What looked like weapon muzzles emerged from them as each man was lost in his own thoughts.
Watching impassively, Colonel White mused to himself that for the first time, he actually understood why Captain Black had thought that the crew of the MEV were under attack by the then unknown inhabitants of the city.
Following the data on the Spacemascope screen, Matic identified that there was an incalculable amount of waves of unknown energy pouring out of the muzzles.
Steadily, methodically, the rubble that was the Mysteron Complex began to recombine and seep together like mercury that then solidified. The layout of the Complex was subtly different. Some buildings were taller, some smaller. Buildings that were spherical were now cuboid and one or two were now pyramid-shaped. Like a community Christmas tree lighting ceremony, lights suddenly twinkled and swam across the scene and, to all intents and purposes, it looked as if the devastation inflicted by the Prevalens had never happened.
Matic jumped as White spoke: “Can you get me down there, Professor? I need to know what is happening with our people.”
“Absolutely, Colonel. Venus will help me with the landing procedure.” Matic looked over to the Doctor of Space Medicine who was gently moving Robert’s motionless body from the co-pilot’s station. “How long until the Prevalens’ ships get here?”
Settling into Robert’s seat, Venus scanned the data momentarily. Completing the calculation in her head, she looked stricken “Just over twenty-four minutes.”
“Right,” said Colonel White. “Let’s get down there.”
December 23rd 2072, 08:20, Greenwich Mean Time, Mysteron Complex, Mars.
Black, Scarlet and Zodiac sat around a table in the science laboratory. Black looked grim. “There are about a hundred Prevalens ships on an approach vector.”
“How long till they get here?” asked Zodiac.
“About twenty minutes,” said Black, “give or take. We don’t have many options.”
“The Mysterons can take what the Prevalens dish out, can’t they, Conrad?” asked Zodiac.
“To a point, Steve,” replied Black, “but they can’t take it indefinitely. That is why they moved to be closer to Earth. It felt safer.”
“We could regroup back on Earth and let the Frost Line take the Prevalens ships out, couldn’t we?”
“That won’t really work, Steve,” retorted Black. “The Prevalens ships can easily deal with the long-range stuff. The reason why SHADO defeated them was only because of the close combat strategy of the Moonbase interceptors, Skydiver and the Mobiles.” Rounding on Scarlet, Black growled, “You got nothing to say, Scarlet? That’s not like you.”
Scarlet’s smile was mirthless. “There’s something you’re not telling us, isn’t there, Captain?”
Black didn’t reply.
“There is really only one solution, isn’t there? I’ve got to go with them.”
A voice from behind them spoke crisply like a shot from a gun. “That wouldn’t be my first choice, Captain.” Colonel White oozed confidence as he strode into the room. Taking in the scene and looking quizzically at Captain Black, he brusquely addressed Captain Scarlet, “Report, Captain”.
Nodding in a business-like manner as Scarlet updated him on everything that had transpired since his colleagues’ arrival in the Mysterons Martian Complex, Colonel White looked over at Captain Black, not quite convinced at what he was hearing about him.
When Scarlet had finished his report, Colonel White replied, “What are your recommendations, Captain?”
Scarlet smiled wanly. “There are not many other options, sir. We are outgunned here, but we could mount a reasonable defence from Earth. Many people would die, sir. If I go, I could buy some time for you to muster the defences.”
Zodiac caught Black’s eye and nodded. “There may be another way, Colonel.”
White’s lively mind-danced around the variables. “You are referring to the Jackson Solution, aren’t you? I don’t like it. Spectrum can’t afford to lose Captain Scarlet under any circumstances.”
Scarlet balked at this. “The Jackson Solution? I take it that my security clearance isn’t high enough for that,” he chuckled.
Black took up the story. “Back in 1980, there were a number of alien incursions when the Prevalens used the vestiges of their mental abilities as part of the attack. In particular, they tried to identify humans with a high psychic rating so that they could control them.”
“So, the Prevalens were not mentally as powerful as the Mysterons,” interjected Colonel White.
“Nowhere near, Colonel,” agreed Black. “However, technologically they were streets ahead. They had developed a device that could cause a localised time bubble and slow down time. Unfortunately, they had gotten to a SHADO operative who planted the device in SHADO HQ.”
“Allen Turner,” said Zodiac thoughtfully, remembering some of the details of the history from his Induction Training on the history of WSP. “Surely no relation, Conrad?”
“Great-grandfather, I am afraid,” smiled Black laconically. “It was in response to this that Commander Straker proposed a doomsday scenario to General Henderson, who reluctantly agreed. Just before he died in 1992, SHADO’s chief medical officer, Dr Douglas Jackson, developed a toxin from his experiments on alien cadavers that would prove fatal to the aliens should they transplant an infected organ.”
“I take it that it was never used,” Scarlet remarked.
“The aliens’ incursions dropped off appreciably after 1992, with the last one in 2009,” continued Black. “Nobody knows if the aliens ever knew about Jackson’s formula, or if SHADO’s efforts were a strong enough deterrent to get rid of them…”
A sonorous voice broke into the conversation: “The Prevalens identified another race to assault in another part of the galaxy. But they continued to watch the Earth keenly and closely, scrutinising and studying the people of Earth. The human genome is the closest match for the Prevalens physiology. They will not stop until they acquire Captain Scarlet. But they must not.”
Scarlet wheeled on Black. “That’s what you didn’t tell us, wasn’t it? You knew what would happen if the Prevalens got their hands on me?” Looking into the air, Scarlet addressed the Mysterons. “If I am injected with this toxin, surely my retrometabolism will keep me safe. If they take me, in time, it will destroy the Prevalens.”
After a few seconds, the Mysterons gave a simple reply. “It will.”
Looking imploringly at Colonel White, Scarlet went on, “Surely that is a small price to pay to save the world.”
White hesitated.
Looking to Black, Scarlet asked, “How long, Conrad?”
“Eleven minutes.”
White visibly shook himself into action. “Right. Colonel Zodiac. How long do you need to have the Jackson toxin ready?”
“It’s ready, Colonel. All of the XL fleet keep it stored securely in the science lab,” said Zodiac making his way to his recently retrometabolised Jet Mobile. “Give me a few minutes.”
“Better make it fast,” snapped White briskly. Turning to Scarlet, he said, “Are you sure about this, Captain?”
“No, sir,” said Scarlet. “I am not sure about this at all. But I can see no other way.”
White nodded as Black looked on impassively.
Black ambled over to the control consul and played with a few switches, lost in thought. Looking over towards Colonel White, he said absently, “Nine minutes, sir.”
White joined Black at the control desk. “Not the most ideal of circumstances Conrad. But it is good to see you again. You are completely free from the control of the Mysterons, yes?”
“Yes sir, but I am not proud of what I have done. Either on the Zero-X mission or in my time since…”
The conversation was cut short by the arrival of Zodiac and Venus locked in a fierce argument. Zodiac was finding that Venus was not entirely enamoured with the prospect of being involved in the genocidal destruction of another race, no matter how ill-disposed they were to the population of planet Earth.
“You will have the opportunity to have your say at the inquiry that will no doubt take place following this, Doctor Venus,” said Colonel White. “But for now, we do not have the luxury of time to discuss this.”
“I will not inject Captain Scarlet with the Jackson toxin,” said Venus defiantly.
“And I will not ask you to, Doctor,” said Colonel White smoothly, taking the case with the hypodermic from her. Handing it to Black, White said, “Captain Black will be entrusted with that particular task.”
Black took the case and set it down on the control desk. Opening it, he lifted out the gun-shaped medical device. Looking at Scarlet, he said, “Hey, Paul, before I give you this, would you take your cap off for me, please?”
Nonplussed, Scarlet raised his arm, removed his cap and said, “Why?”
A split second later, Black had drawn his sidearm and put a carefully placed bullet between Captain Scarlet’s eyes, who dropped like a stone, his face locked in a mask of shock. “I just didn’t want to get any blood on it, scarlet or not.”
“What the devil…” scowled Colonel White.
“No…” shrieked Venus.
As the wave of shock and revulsion rolled through the room, Black turned his weapon on Colonel White and Zodiac before they could draw their own weapons. His eyes flashed the dangerous message that neither of them should move.
White rounded angrily on Black. “What the hell do you think you are doing?” He shook his head in frustration and disappointment. “I should have known that you couldn’t be trusted, Turner. If we hadn’t let our guard down, we wouldn’t have fallen into your trap.”
Indicating a computer station with the barrel of his gun, Black said, “Just put your weapons on the table, Colonel…Steve. And step away, if you will.” He paused. “Look, don’t do anything we will all regret. It’s not what you think.”
As Black handed his pistol over to Venus, he grabbed the hypodermic with the Jackson solution with the other hand and immediately injected himself with the foul-looking solution.
“Conrad, are you mad?” screamed Zodiac. “What did you do that for?”
But Black was already starting to unzip his tunic. Nodding towards Scarlet, he gave a dry chuckle and said, “He’ll get over that, Steve. He’s had much worse.” Sitting down to remove his boots, he said, “Quick, Venus. Get Scarlet’s tunic and boots off and throw me over that cap.”
Looking at Colonel White as he struggled with Scarlet’s boots, Black explained, “You said it yourself, Colonel, Spectrum might still need Scarlet. But Spectrum doesn’t need me. What do I have to offer? People only know Captain Black as a terrorist, a killer – someone not to be trusted.”
He sighed. “There is nothing for me on Earth, Colonel. My face is linked to numerous atrocities, deaths and the destruction of property. That’s why I have to be the one to go, not Paul. This way I get to make amends. I even get to be the hero.”
Black slipped on Scarlet’s tunic, zipped it up, adjusted himself and smiled. “How do I look?”
Outside, ninety-eight Prevalens ships achieved synchronous orbit around Mars, directly above the Mysteron Complex. “This is the Voice of the Prevalens. Surrender the indestructible human and we will let you live and spare your miserable worlds. You will receive no further warnings. If the indestructible human is not outside the Mysteron Complex within two of your Earth minutes, the Prevalens fleet will proceed to Earth and lay waste to it.”
Donning Scarlet’s cap at a jaunty angle before adjusting it to a more regulation position, Black said, “Just in time, then. Captain Scarlet reporting for duty.” Looking at the others, he saluted and said, “Good-bye, Colonel, Steve.”
Reaching out to shake Black by the hand, Colonel White said, “You are a very brave man, Conrad. Thank you. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.”
Looking down at Venus tending to the prone form of Captain Scarlet, Black looked contrite. “Venus, please tell Paul I’m sorry about that, but under no circumstances can he fall into the hands of the Prevalens.” A determined look came over his face. “Time to put an end to this.” Turning on his heel, he walked out without a backward glance and the man known as Conrad Turner left to face his fate.
Zodiac looked helplessly at the control screen as a Spectrum Captain clad in scarlet left the main entrance of the Mysteron Complex and stepped into a landing pod which rose noiselessly above the fuselage of Fireball XL5 and Fireball Junior,
before disappearing from view into the midst of the crowd of spaceships covering the sky above the Mysteron Complex.
This was quickly followed by the Prevalens fleet speeding away towards the edge of the solar system, till they vanished from the Mysterons’ tracking technology.
Zodiac had run to a viewing port and his shoulders slumped as the Prevalens ships could no longer be observed by the naked eye. All he could see was the cold and unforgiving emptiness of space. There was no trace of the Prevalens fleet or of a courageous man he once called friend. Looking over at Venus and White, his voice cracked as he said, “He’s gone.”
“That might be so, Colonel Zodiac,” mused White as he considered the prone form of Captain Scarlet being attended to by Venus, “but he has saved us all.” Looking up to address the Mysterons, he declared, “The road to redemption and reconciliation has begun.”
January 28th 2073, 16:00, Greenwich Mean Time, The Conference Room, Cloudbase.
Colonel Blue surveyed the faces of the members of Spectrum as they filed into the room for their weekly briefing. The last month had been a very different experience for Colonel Blue and his colleagues. There had been a complete cessation of Mysteron aggression since the incident with the Prevalens on Mars one month previously; steps were taken to normalise relationships with the Mysterons, who had agreed to establish an Earth/Mysteron Exchange Programme, with a view to making what reparations they could for all of the damage inflicted through the War of Nerves.
Colonel Blue smiled as he remembered the last conversation with the Exchange Programme Co-ordinator, not three hours ago. Admiral Charles Gray (retired) was looking fit and relaxed as he settled into his new role, having resigned his commission as Colonel White of Spectrum. Admiral Gray had been so impressed by the actions of Captain Black, the bullet between Captain Scarlet’s eyes notwithstanding, that he felt he was best placed to build on any potential new working relationship with the Mysterons.
Which meant that the top job in Spectrum is now mine, permanently. The thought came unbidden into Colonel Blue’s mind, embarrassing him slightly. He had not been in the post long, but had already made changes around Cloudbase, making the job his own. More relaxed than his predecessor, his demands for excellence were just as robust.
The complement attending the meeting was almost complete. He had a few surprises in store for everybody and didn’t want to ruin the effect. Seated were three of five senior colour-coded captains: Grey; Magenta; and Ochre. Also present were three of the Angel Interceptor pilots: Destiny; Harmony; and Melody, while Symphony was on duty in Angel One.
If it isn’t broken, it doesn’t need to be fixed. Colonel Blue smiled to himself as he thought how pleased his former commander looked as he considered how operationally ready Spectrum was. Doctor Gold was covering the meeting while Doctor Fawn gave Captain Scarlet a final check-up, before his and Rhapsody’s imminent return to duty.
Relief Communications and Technology Officer, Lieutenant Jade, was the last to arrive, causing a bit of a buzz of conversation.
Calling the meeting to order, Colonel Blue silenced the room with a wave of his hand. “The only item of business today, before we retire to the canteen for drinks and nibbles, is to advise you all of a few changes in personnel.”
That got everybody’s attention. Captain Ochre shot a “what’s-going-on” face towards Captain Magenta, who mouthed “Beats me!” in reply.
Colonel Blue chuckled to himself. “Everyone, please meet our new Communications and Technology Officer, Lieutenant Jade. Welcome to the team, Serena.”
Jade smiled shyly and returned the smiles of those gathered around the table.
“And in response to your unspoken question…” Blue smiled, stabbing at a button on the intercom. “You can come in now, Seymour.” The doors swooshed open as a black-skinned officer strode into the room. “Everyone, please meet my replacement, Captain Green.”
Green smiled awkwardly at the gathered assembly and looked embarrassed as Lieutenant Jade clapped her hands and called out, “Hey, cousin Seymour!” Colonel Blue stood, walked over to Captain Green and shook his hand warmly. “This has been long overdue, Captain Green, Congratulations.”
The room burst into a spontaneous round of applause as the other colour-coded captains gathered round their new colleague. “All we need now is Captain Scarlet back in the saddle and we’ve got the band back together,” whooped Captain Magenta.
As everybody retook their seats, Captain Blue looked pensive. The light and jovial mood cooled somewhat as he said, “Yes… about that…We do have an important announcement to make about that. We reconvene in the Canteen at 16.30.”
As Colonel Blue and Admiral Gray left the room, the rumour mill that had been steadily chuntering behind the scenes for a couple of weeks exploded into overdrive!
Christmas Day 2072, 11:14, Greenwich Mean Time, Sick Bay, Fireball XL5.
Captain Scarlet’s eyes flickered open and he struggled to focus on the other person he could see sitting by his bedside.
“Hey,” said a pleasant female voice.
Scarlet groaned like a wounded Jet Mobile as he tried to lift himself from his pillows. His mouth was dry as he rasped, “Dianne?”
“Down, boy,” said Venus playfully. “You’re still on Fireball XL5 heading home to Earth. I don’t know who this “Dianne” is, but you are in my sick bay now and you and you will do precisely as you are told!”
Giggling girlishly at Scarlet’s discomfiture, she took Scarlet’s hands between hers and her professional medical demeanour took over as she said, “Now… what is the last thing you remember?”
Scarlet exhaled the cleansing breath he was holding, lay back and closed his eyes. Opening them widely, he exclaimed with venom as his last memories kicked in.
“He shot me! Again!! The bugger shot me again. Where the hell is Turner? I’ll kill him when I get my hands on him and if he retrometabolises, I’ll kill him again…” He stopped at how Venus quickly released her hold on his hands, and at how shocked she looked.
Scarlet let out another moan before calming right down. “I am sorry, Doctor,” he said shaking his head. “I am not at my best the first few minutes after my own retrometabolism.” He smiled. “Doctor Fawn helps to calm the savage beast by playing sounds for me to cover the noises of Cloudbase Sickbay.”
“Sounds?”
“Yes… he plays sounds for me like the wind whistling through the trees, the bubbling of water down a cataract or birdsong.” He smiled a lopsided smile at Venus’ incredulous look. “Well… I am one of his most frequent flyers!”
“I don’t know how he can stand it, Paul,” replied Venus with a grimace. “I have seen many things, but nothing has ever freaked me out than watching your head expelling a bullet.”
Scarlet chuckled. “What day is it? How long have I been out?”
“It’s the 25th December, Paul! You were out for just a day and a half.”
Her mood became more serious. “I have never experienced anything like that before. I should like to meet this Doctor Fawn of yours. I am bursting with questions for him about you!”
“Well, at least I am back in time for Christmas!” he laughed.
He then eased himself up and sat on the end of the bed, resting his head in his hands. As Venus placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, Scarlet looked into her face. So… what did I miss when I was dead again?” he deadpanned.
“I’ll have to get Steve to fill you in on everything…”
Scarlet interrupted her, urgency creeping back into his voice. “Why can’t I speak to Colonel White? Is he not with us on XL5?”
“He didn’t come back with us…”
Scarlet jumped to his feet, immediately regretted it and slumped back down. “Did something happen… Is he alright?”
“Please, Paul,” reassured Venus, as she walked over to the control terminal and flicked a switch. She spoke into the intercom. “Steve…Captain Scarlet is awake and would like to speak to you.”
Scarlet arched an eyebrow as he heard the professional tone creep back into her voice. He locked eyes with Venus and although she sat back down on the bed beside him and held his hand, it was clear that he would not receive any further information about what was going on until Zodiac arrived.
The door chimed and opened to reveal Zodiac standing there with two steaming mugs of hot coffee. “Thanks for looking after Paul, Venus. I’ll take it from here.”
Venus squeezed Scarlet’s hand and smiled at Zodiac as she left the room, the door swooshing closed behind her.
“I have to speak to Colonel White,” said Scarlet, trying to stand and failing, flopping back onto the bed like an upturned tortoise. Sighing with resignation, he grabbed his mug of coffee and drank down a mouthful of the soothing liquid.
“The Colonel stayed on Mars, Paul.” At Scarlet’s concerned expression, Zodiac smiled, told him to relax and everything that happened after Black pulled a gun on him. How the Mysterons had told Black in no uncertain manner that the Prevalens should never get their hands on Scarlet. How Black had injected himself with the Jackson serum and taken his place as the prisoner of the Prevalens.
“Lab rat, you mean,” interjected Scarlet.
Zodiac inhaled deeply. “Conrad knew what he was doing, Paul. He said that Spectrum needed you: not him. After all of the wrong things he did under the thrall of the Mysterons, he grabbed the one chance he had to atone for that.”
Scarlet nodded in understanding. “And in doing so, he saved my life as well…”
“He did. So did the Mysterons. The colonel and the Voice of the Mysterons had a long talk together while Venus and I got you back to Fireball and into sickbay. I don’t know all the ins and outs of it, but they seemed to come to some sort of understanding. The upshot is that Colonel White is staying on Mars for the next two weeks to map out the beginnings of a Peace Process.”
He paused to allow Scarlet a moment for that to sink in. “That’s got to be a result, right?”
“I suppose so, Steve…”
“Oh… and the colonel asked me to give you a message. He told me to tell you that you are off the hook.”
“Off the hook?” Scarlet was open-mouthed with bewilderment.
Zodiac smirked. “He said that you were in line to be his adjutant in any future dealing with the Mysterons.” Scarlet nodded numbly at that. “He said something along the lines of Colonel Blue needing you more than he did.”
Another pause. “That was actually something Conrad said after he shot you… about Spectrum needing you more than him. It seems that Colonel White agreed.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and looked Scarlet straight in the eyes. “Seriously though,” he said gently, “are you okay after everything that’s happened?
Scarlet took a cleansing breath. “Bullet wounds heal, Steve. And Conrad would have known that when he shot me.” He looked Zodiac firmly in the eyes and said, “Yes. He saved me. The Prevalens wanted to dissect me and find out the secret of my retrometabolism…”
Scarlet’s eyes filled as he choked back on his words and Zodiac sat in the moment with him as he gently wept.
Scarlet coughed into a tissue handed to him by Zodiac and wiped his eyes.
“So, what are you going to do next, Paul?” Zodiac asked quietly.
Scarlet swung his legs out of the bed, stood up, and walked unsteadily towards an object that caught his eye on the chest of drawers. The toll of having been in space for a few weeks added to recovering from a bullet wound to the head added to his wobbly gait as he clung to the edge of the chest of drawers to steady himself.
He picked up Captain Black’s cap, studied it closely, and looked over at Zodiac. “I think I know,” he smiled.
January 28th 2073, 16:26, Greenwich Mean Time, The Canteen, Cloudbase.
Speculation was rife in the many conversations held on the way from the Conference Room to the Canteen. Nobody had seen hide or hair of either Captain Scarlet or Rhapsody Angel, apart from Colonel Blue, who met with them at Space City when they stepped off Fireball XL5 upon arrival back on Earth on January 4th.
Scarlet was then able to fulfil his earlier promise to Colonel Blue by giving both him and Commander Zero a full disclosure report of everything that had happened from the moment he received the message from his future self.
“That is quite the story, Paul,” mused Blue, “but we are under orders to treat this as highly classified until Colonel White arrives back from Mars.”
“So, what is happening about that Adam?”
Commander Zero interjected at this point. “XL27 under the command of Ken Johnson has already been dispatched. Mat is going with him and Stomper as XL5 isn’t going anywhere either. At least until all the bugs are ironed out of Robert!”
“The colonel is due back at the end of the month, Paul,” continued Colonel Blue. He paused awkwardly.
“He’s leaving Spectrum, isn’t he?” deduced Scarlet. At the nod of Blue’s head, Scarlet added, “That means you are now permanently in charge, Adam, aren’t you?”
Blue chuckled, “Yep! He will be reverting back to his naval rank of Admiral and will be personally overseeing how relationships with the Mysterons develop.” He looked warmly at his friend. “And I am so glad that you are staying with me in Spectrum and not working with him, if that doesn’t sound too ungracious.”
“So, what happens now?”
“Now, good buddy,” said Blue, “you are on extended leave. You and Rhapsody are off to winter sun in an undisclosed location in Australia and you will stay there until Colonel White returns to brief Cloudbase personnel on the next step of our dealings with the Mysterons.”
“And you will be joined by Steve and Venus as well,” added Commander Zero amiably. “We can’t risk any leaks in security, so you’re all going to be nice and safely tucked away.”
“Oh, no”, said Scarlet, “Not…”
“You got it, pal,” interrupted Blue, “you are off to the Costa del Koala Base!” He laughed as Scarlet buried his face in his hands.
So, by the time that the scheduled meeting with Colonel White arrived, Cloudbase was rife with rumours, scare stories, and other assorted hints and allegations. To be fair, most of them had started with Captain Ochre winding everybody up with tall tales and recording how long the yarns took to get back to him.
Is Captain Scarlet all right? “Well, he’s supposed to be on leave, but I heard that he hasn’t properly recovered from what happened to him and that he lost his powers of retrometabolism and was leaving Spectrum.”
What happened to Colonel White? “Well, he’s supposed to be leaving Spectrum and working on some hush-hush project with the Mysterons, but I heard that the Mysterons killed him and replaced him with a replicant.”
What about Rhapsody Angel? “Well, she’s supposed to be getting married to Scarlet, but I heard that they were already secretly married and were off on honeymoon!”
Satisfied with his handiwork, the stories were reaching fever pitch by the time Captain Ochre and the other senior Spectrum personnel on Cloudbase filed into the Canteen where Admiral Gray was standing speaking to Rhapsody Angel. The other Angels squealed with delight when they saw Rhapsody and ran over, embracing her with affection, before gathering round their former commanding officer.
The male members of staff also gravitated towards Admiral Gray, really pleased to see him, but remaining at a more reserved distance, still a little unsure of themselves, as the Admiral still cut an impressive and formidable figure as far as they were concerned, whatever rank he held!
Excusing himself and striding purposefully towards Captain Green, Admiral Gray reached out his hand to Green’s and shook it firmly. “Congratulations, Captain. Please forgive me for not coming over to you sooner, but I did not want to interfere with Colonel Blue’s procedures.” He paused to regard his former Operations Controller. “My only regret is that I didn’t award you the promotion myself.”
Green was stunned. “Thank you, sir,” he beamed. “Coming from you, that means a lot.” Everybody then approached and gathered round their former commanding officer.
Colonel Blue called everyone to order. “Before we eat, I have asked Colonel White…” Everybody hooted, cheered and applauded, as Blue corrected himself in a self-deprecating manner: “I mean, Admiral Gray… to say a few words about the joint Spectrum/WSP mission to Mars.” He started a fresh round of applause and said, “Admiral Gray, please.”
Waving his appreciation, Admiral Gray motioned for silence. Sighing, remembering, looking at his colleagues, he began: “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have had numerous adventures together, but none of them has stretched me as much as my final mission as Commander-in-Chief of Spectrum.
“I have seen selfless courage and many unparalleled acts of bravery throughout my long career, but nothing in my experience has surpassed what I experienced last month on Mars. The calibre of World Space Patrol personnel like Colonel Zodiac, Doctor Venus and Professor Matic is outstanding and I would be proud to have them under my command.
“One of your number was willing to sacrifice himself to a hostile alien race called the Prevalens to preserve us all. It will not surprise you in the slightest to know that Captain Scarlet was that member of Spectrum.
“However, we are not here to celebrate Captain Scarlet, because it was another of your number who made the ultimate sacrifice to save our civilisation and way of life, not Captain Scarlet.”
A murmur went round the room as the Admiral continued.
“As you know, following the Zero-X incident, the Mysterons had corrupted Captain Black and made him do unspeakable things in the name of their wretched War of Nerves. Thankfully, that war is now over…”
A spontaneous round of applause and cheering broke out as Admiral Gray raised his hand to silence the room.
“… And as a sign of good faith, the Mysterons released their hold on him. As regards his subsequent actions, while I do not approve of his indiscipline and his methods in the slightest, it is to Captain Black that we owe a debt of gratitude that we will never have the opportunity to repay.”
The colour-coded Captains were the most intrigued by what the admiral was saying and began to whisper to one another about what could possibly have happened.
“Yes, Captain Black acted with valour and freely made the supreme sacrifice. It is to him and to his bravery that the entire human race owes a huge debt of gratitude. However, I am delighted that, today, Spectrum is making an appropriate gesture to remember the actions of a man… a flawed man who made mistakes… but a man whose name deserves to be redeemed and who will go down in history ultimately as a hero.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…Captain Black.”
On cue, the doors of the Canteen opened, and standing in the doorway was Paul Metcalfe, clad from head to toe in black… the black uniform of a Spectrum colour-coded captain. The former Captain Scarlet greeted his colleagues with a warm smile and after a moment of stunned silence, his colleagues greeted him with cheers, applause and whoops of joy.
Not caring how unprofessional Colonel Blue and ex-Colonel White considered it, Rhapsody Angel ran over to Captain Black and kissed him passionately, whispering in his ear, “I am so proud of you.” Giving way to the surge of colleagues who were relieved to see the former Captain Scarlet back in harness, Rhapsody sidled over to Colonel Blue.
“It’s good to have him back, Dianne,” said Colonel Blue, “isn’t it?”
Rhapsody locked eyes with her fiancé’s closest friend and newest commanding officer. She sighed deeply and said, “It’s good to have both of them back. At long last.”
Authors’ notes:
The End of Captain Scarlet is a follow-up story to The Time of the Mysterons, which I wrote during lockdown in 2020. The idea for this story came from my good friend and former boss, Ashley Boreland (a fellow Anderson-fan raised on Supermarionation like myself!), who planted the seed in my head to tie in the UFO aliens with the thoughts I already had simmering for the follow-up story to The Time of the Mysterons. Colonel White’s reference to the “red trinket” is a nod to Chris Bishop’s Spectrum is White and the reference to Doctor Fawn’s sound therapy when Captain Scarlet retrometabolises is a nod to one of Shades’ great stories, Waking Up.
I am also particularly grateful to our wonderful and encouraging website administrator, Chris Bishop, who came up with the title, The End of Captain Scarlet, and to Hazel Kohler for beta-reading the story in such a thorough and helpful way. Both Chris and Hazel gave brilliant input and suggestions, asked pertinent questions and issued appropriate challenges, all of which helped to make the story better. Thank you, both. Any remaining errors, weaknesses or shortcomings that remain in the story are entirely mine and mine alone.
I would like to dedicate the story to my family: Peter (another fellow Captain Scarlet fan) and Seánna, and Gareth and Martina, but especially to my lovely wife, Liz, as we celebrated our (appropriately Spectrum colour-coded) Ruby Wedding Anniversary in August this year,