A
“Captain Scarlet” story for Halloween
By
Devon Ricks and Valuth
October 2067
The van
turned onto the private drive of the once predominant English royal residence,
now the Botswanan Embassy, and approached the walls to stop at the sentry’s
gate. One of the guards there demanded and received documents showing cause that
the vehicle should be there in the first place. The guard scanned the documents
quickly, examining picture identification of each man. He looked through the
driver’s window and saw cartons and boxes in the rear,
the papers informing him that they were there in part for the embassy function
that night. The men, caterers, sat calmly, waiting for the word that they could
pass through. They submitted to the search for weapons passively, having gone
through this many times before with other Embassies. The guard nodded and
returned the papers, a hand motion to his companion an indication that they were
clear to pass through.
The van entered and drove to the entrance the
guard had told the driver it was to go. As the driver stopped, the man in the
passenger seat got out, and opened the side door of the van. In the rear there
were six more men, crouched waiting. They clambered out, and each man retrieved
a box to carry inside the embassy. A second guard was waiting inside the door,
and after a brief discourse, they were again passed by. The men this time headed
into the kitchen and stacked their boxes while several removed light jackets.
They then began to prepare for the evening.
“Mr. Ambassador, I’ve just heard, the caterers
have arrived,” stated the swarthy assistant. The Ambassador looked up at him
from behind his desk and smiled slightly.
“Excellent. I want this party to come off without
a hitch tonight, Mathew. We both know how important it is,” said Kyle Mobutu, the
present Ambassador to Botswana.
Mathew Ungabi nodded and smiled. He knew very well
the importance of this function.
At that moment, a small, dark haired firebrand
came into his office and stood looking at Kyle, her eyes wide in panic.
“Well?” she demanded.
Mobutu stood and came around from behind his desk
to look at his daughter. He knelt in front of her and smiled. “They just
arrived, sweetling. Everything is right on time,” he chuckled.
“Oh GOOD!” she sighed then looked at her
watch.” I’ve got to get ready!” she yelped and tore out of the room.
Mobutu and Ungabi both laughed as she ran out of
the room.
“You’d think the world was coming to an end with
the way she’s behaving,” Ungabi remarked.
“Oh, for her it must be. Remember this is her
first Halloween party here and she wants to make a profound
impact on her school mates,” Mobutu replied, the smile on his face broad.
“You don’t think it has anything to do with that
young man she’s met at school, Ambassador Daniels’ son, do you?” Ungabi asked.
Mobutu looked thoughtful for a moment and then
smiled again. ”Maybe. She is a teenager after all.”
“You don’t know how glad I’ve been that you had
the children and I stayed single. I’ve loved her as my own, Kyle, but she is
just so…”said Mathew. He made a frustrated gesture with his hands, then both men
laughed.
Ungabi
laughed at his friend. Mathew was the quintessential bachelor. It was true as
well. He and Bekka got along wonderfully together, Bekka listening to Mathew, if
he himself were unavailable. She
even looked a bit like Mathew, but then when Kyle had married Marrisa, Mathew
had warned his new brother-in-law that he and his sister were exceedingly close.
Bekka, at her birth, had been a little gift to both men.
They both laughed and got back to business. Both
men were certain that all would go off that evening without a hitch.
At Shepard Military Instillation, the three men
were settling down for a bit of a breather before preparing to leave the next
day. The rigorous SAS training that was now an almost daily part of their
regimen for the past two weeks had been wearing, true, but also had built up
reserves of strength.
“I don’t think there’s a bone in my body that
doesn’t ache,” remarked the youngest of the trio. He raised his head from off of
the chair and looked at his companions, before his head fell back to rest on the
chair. The other two grinned as the Aussie complained.
“Come on now, it wasn’t that hard, just a bit of
climbing,” stated the most senior of them, his American accent rippling with
laughter. “You though,” he commented, pointing to the Brit, “ cheated.”
“That’s right. Come on now, ‘old man’. I can’t
believe you’re the one complaining. He should be the one in the most pain and he
looks fine,” the British member of their party laughed, as he’d pointed to their
‘oldest’ member, causing the man to roll his eyes in humor. “ As to that
accusation, I didn’t cheat. I’ve done this all before in case, you have
forgotten?”
“How about you help me get him into a shower? I
think the warmth might cause his bones to at least act presentable for a while,”
the American teased.
“That is a fine idea. Let’s get him,” said the
Brit. The two other men stood and approached their Aussie brother, grabbing him,
and picked him up. The look of surprise and fear caused the two to laugh once
more.
“Hey!” he called out, struggling against them, as
they picked him up from the chair.
They carried him into the shower of their quarters
and the American turned on the water, while the Brit held him there. The Aussie
looked at them, water pouring over his head and his clothing, nodding. He spat
some water out of his mouth and glared at them, frustrated.
“Just wait. I’ll get the two of you alone and I’ll
take my revenge,” he groused. He looked down at his boots, now thankful he was
wearing military attire for the duration of his stay. They were ruined.
The Brit chuckled as he and the American went back
to their common room. They both fell back into the plush chairs and cast a look
into the shower room where the wet slap of clothing was heard, striking the
floor of the shower, as the Aussie discarded it. A boot came flying out through
the door and landed near them, water dripping off of it. This brought a chuckle
from both men.
“At least his aim is getting better,” commented
the American, causing the Brit to laugh.
In one of the lesser-used portions of the Embassy,
the old man stirred and looked himself over. He had to be dressed properly for
tonight. He ran a hand over the tunic. It looked presentable. This would hinge
on things working as they should – rituals needed to be followed and strictly
adhered to. He knew there would be trouble there this night, and he knew the
outcome. Clarence would still do his job.
The base commander approached the visitors’
quarters. He had a dispatch that he alone had to deliver to the three men.
Rapping on the door, he was admitted by the American and invited in.
“I think you know how odd this is but your own
commander has requested I bring this to you and to apprise you of the situation.
I don’t know how word reached him, but it did and he thinks it would be best if
you three were included tonight at this function,” he told them.
He gave the
dispatch to the senior man and watched as he read it. The man looked at him as
he handed it to the Brit, who also quickly read the paper before showing it to
the junior member of the party, dressed now but drying his hair as he read over
the shoulder of the Brit. Their mood changed and the commander could see them
unconsciously preparing for whatever could occur.
“How big of a group is going in?” asked the
American.
“Not a large one. The Ambassador’s security people
will have their own people there, but we know that some military tactics can be
a bit frightening for civilians. Hence a small group of strategically positioned
commandos, yourselves included. I’m sure your Colonel wouldn’t have suggested
you join this if he didn’t think you could be discreet. He has asked that you
report to him after this all goes down though, not to me.”
“Our Colonel
knows we can be discreet, sir. Can your men be low key though? I don’t think we
need to alert them to our presence, or yours. I only have one concern,” said the
Aussie.
“Oh? What is that?” inquired the base commander.
“Is the source this information coming from
reliable?”
The Brit and the American nodded in agreement,
turning to look at the base commander for his response.
“It would appear so. One of your own men, a
Captain Blue, forwarded the information to your base and I received the details
here. I’ve had my adjutant dispatched to talk to the Ambassador in person.
Apparently, there is a small party there tonight, making it a prime opportunity
for the attempt, “ he explained.
The American looked at the other two. ”So much for
a quiet night on base.” He turned back to the commander. ”We’ll be right there,
if you give us a few moments to prepare.”
The base commander nodded. ”The rest of the squad
will go on ahead. They are all dressed in normal uniform since the majority of
them will be stationed outside. I don’t feel right about this, though. Normally
selected guards are posted to each Embassy. A raw group going in could cause
distractions.”
The Brit looked at his host.” Normally that would
be true, sir, but it also puts them at a disadvantage as well. They are not
familiar with all the personnel there and will not know where a man is, if there
is one they have to contact. Are there any inside suspects?”
“Not that I’m aware of. I’ll leave you to prepare.
A vehicle will be at my office in ten minutes,” the commander said. He then
turned on his heel and left.
The Aussie looked at his companions." I guess this
leaves out that side jaunt for now. Beck is going to be heartbroken I couldn't
get the chance to come see her and the baby."
"Baby isn't due for a few months more, Steve,"
said the American.
"Yeah but she’s getting big.. and more lovelier
than ever," Steve remarked, getting a dreamy look.
"Just relax. We might still be able to do it
before we're recalled to Cloudbase. Steve, just relax. If we have to, we'll
sneak you off the ruddy base to see her," groaned the American. "We better get
ready."
The three men changed into regular military
uniform and were soon at the base Commander’s office. The truck was waiting with
its group of soldiers. The commander greeted them.
“We’ve gotten a confirmation. They are getting
ready to move,” he told them.
“If it weren’t for the gravity of the situation
I’d have suggested police but this kind of thing couldn’t be handled by them
properly,” sighed the American.
“Don’t ever let Rick here you say that,” said the
Aussie, grinning slightly, as he climbed into the jeep.
“What would he do?” asked the American, grinning
back.
“Frankly, I don’t want to get the chance to find
out,” complained the Brit, climbing into the jeep with the Aussie.
The American climbed in last. The jeep then
departed to head off base.
Looking in the mirror, she spun to watch the
costume flow out around her, then smiled. She had found a wonderful outfit just
in time. Running a hand over it to smooth invisible wrinkles, she turned in the
mirror carefully examining herself. The dress was a ancient thing, of that she
was certain when she had snuck into the most deserted part of the embassy and
found the old chest and examined its contents, but it fit perfectly. The
lavender color and the soft golden shade went well with her skin and she almost
purred in delight at its beauty. Stephan Daniels would like this costume, of
that she was certain.
Clarence had seen the girl and knew she wore the
princess’ old dress. He could agree with her thought that it looked well on her
and he smiled. He went past her room and down toward the Ambassadors quarters.
No-one was in the hall today, but he knew it would change later. That was fine.
Those other servants working throughout the halls and corridors paid no
attention to him as he walked past.
Ungabi entered the office and found Mobutu bent
over some plans. The latter looked up at his friend’s entrance, a worried look
on his face.
“We should call it off,” said Kyle. “I do not like
the idea of Bekka’s party being used as cover for an operation.”
“If we give any indication that we know, they will
retreat and we won’t be able to capture them. Bekka will forgive us, of that I
am certain, but to have these dissidents loose, we cannot allow it,” remarked
Mathew.
“I don’t want her hurt though!” Kyle complained.
“She will not be. We have those British troops
that will be here. They can keep them safe,” Mathew reminded him.
“I hope so,”
Kyle said. ”Show me what you have done then.”
Ungabi came behind the
desk and the two men discussed the plans that were already falling into place.
They didn’t see Clarence pass through the room but Mobutu did look up after he
had left. The room felt a chill to it.
He returned to setting up plans for the security for that night.
The Military vehicle reached the Ambassadorial
compound and the dozen men were quickly out of the transport and headed into the
side entrance. The jeep arrived not long after. The Brit looked at the building,
mentally weighed its good points and its bad, having already done several tours
in the same kind of mission. This time it would be as if they were a secondary
backup unit. They were all ushered into a room and the head of the Ambassador
security entered.
“Good evening gentlemen, I’m glad you’re here. A
problematic situation has developed for the Embassy.
We have it good by authority that the embassy is going to be attacked by some
dissidents of our home country. We do not want to create an incident, so we have
requested help through channels. After required authorization, you have been
sent here to give your assistance. We would like to try and not hurt these men;
we believe them to be undisruptive at best, merely misguided in this effort.
Granted, we are aware that it can be hard to keep from harming them, but we ask
you not to. They will be returned home and shown what the harm here has
cost us back home,” explained Ungabi.
“What harm could come of this?” questioned the
Aussie, two others in the overall group nodding.
“Our President is on a very shaky seat at present,
various groups creating trouble for him, and assorted embassies around the
world. Public opinion has it so that if any more of these attacks happen world
wide, he could very well be overthrown and the gentleman that could take power
has been known as more of a rabble rouser. In asking for high security help of
the World President, we’ve learned that our President’s opponent himself could
very well be at the bottom of this entire mess. President Muttabi would like to
show this man that he means to stop him.”
“Where did the information come from or is that
too classified?” asked a soldier in the group. The Brit saw his Captain’s bars
and turned back to the man briefing them.
“Spectrum was able to get the information for us.
We are not sure how, but they got information that was sorely needed. The group
of dissidents will be invading the Embassy tonight in the middle of the
Ambassador’s daughter’s Halloween party. Another reason we do not want them to
be harmed. Several other guests are family members belonging to other
Embassies,” said Ungabi. “We feel that they could be included in the threat.”
“Not asking for much are
you?” muttered one of the soldiers
“Gentlemen, I
know we are asking a great deal from you. We have little choice though. That is
also another reason we requested commandos. You have weapons at your disposal
that can bring these men under control without excessive visible violence.”
The Brit thought about what the man was telling
them. It would be tricky and he’s been examining the plans so conveniently left
out for them to look at, but at the same time, someone else could use them to
counter their moves. He turned to his two companions and they spoke together,
making plans. The soldiers knew that they would be detailed to the exterior of
the building while the three ‘officers’ would remain inside.
They also knew that the three ‘officers’ would
take the more serious areas of the fight.
“I do not like this. If there were no kids in the
way, I think we could pull it off. They are not going to be as nice if they have
weapons and they won’t care who they target, as long as it creates a problem for
the Embassy and the Ambassador,” said the American.
“I wish those plans showed the layout of the
secret passages in this place,” remarked the Brit.
The other two men looked at him.
“This place is old… okay, but most of the
Ambassadorial places had secondary access to most places, exits to get the
important people out in case of situations like this. Now if I’m right, it’s
even more ancient than these guys know. This place used to be a royal residence
and it had to have alternate access in case of trouble,” said the Brit.
“Do you think the Embassy staff know of the
alternates?” inquired the Aussie.
“They might. More than likely not, though. Some
would have been lost years, even centuries ago,” explained the Brit.
“And we do not have the time to find them,” said
the American.
“Granted, we don’t. I just hope that none of these
guys did have the time to find any of them either,” commented the Brit.
They were here. Clarence knew they had arrived and
he knew time was going to be short for some in the group. He had seen the other
main group of men, not detecting the ones he was looking for. He could sense
them though.
Other residents of the Embassy, with the exception
of the Ambassador, didn’t note the increase of guards, the new men being
discreetly placed in positions that afforded the greatest protection should and
when the need arose.
It wasn’t long before the party for the evening would begin, guests
having started to arrive. One of the commandos that had been brought in, looked
at one of his fellows and shrugged.
The three ‘officers’ were checking out the main
party room and were understandably not impressed. The Brit was shaking his head
and looked at their senior man.
“I know,” the Brit commented. “But I don’t like
the idea. The building is too wide open even with all the security on it.
Bringing these commandos is a stopgap measure. Having us here might make it
salvageable.”
“Hence the reasoning behind the Colonel’s
decision, I suppose,” said the Aussie.
“We’ll do what we can then,” stated the American.
The affair was getting well under way and the
party going smoothly. The meal was in progress, the Botswanan Ambassador’s
daughter keeping company with the English Ambassador’s son. From what the trio
of ‘ officers’ could determine, the costumes were all posh ones: pirates,
knights, one or two caped ‘heroes’. Even the serving staff appeared to be
wearing attire in concert with the affair. At some point, Bekka managed to sneak
out of the room hauling Stephan with her, leading him onto the balcony. Stephan
grinned at Bekka and moved a bit closer to her.
They were stopped dead at the sound of shouting
from inside the building. A moment later came a short burst of gunfire.
Stephan looked at her. “Whatever is going on, I
don’t believe was supposed to occur?” he asked.
She shook her head. ”No, it wasn’t.”
Those invited in the combined banquet and party
room were being held at gunpoint. Several bodies lay on the floor, security men
that had been fired upon. Most of the teens were in shock over this as several
swarthy-looking men began to look around the room, one becoming quite angry. He
snarled something in an unknown language.
One of the trio was plastered against a wall
outside the room and frowned. Besides him was the Brit. Both men were listening
to the tirade from in the room.
“Well?”
“Christ… Paul, they want the Ambassador’s daughter
and she isn’t there!” whispered the Aussie. ”Guys getting a bit uptight over it
and he wants her.”
“A bit of news for our side, don’t you think?”
questioned the Brit. “Wonder where she is?”
“How old is
she?” asked the Aussie.
“Report said 16.”
“Gotta be with a boy someplace then.”
The Aussie grinned.
“I would be.”
“Yes, Steve.
I believe you would be, but not with another boy,” the Brit chuckled. His face
went sober.” We better find them before they do.”
The duo slipped away from outside the Room and
headed back to where their companion waited for them. They relayed what had
taken place and he nodded. They then began a rapid search nearby, hiding from
the ‘dissidents’.
The trio found the two youngsters on a balcony. The Ambassador’s son
shoved Bekka behind him.
“Don’t hurt her,” he stated.
“Relax Mr. Daniels. We are not here to take you or
Ms. Mobutu prisoner. We’re here to get you out if we can,” said the American.
“How do we know that you’re not with those
terrorists?” asked Stephan.
The three looked at each other and grinned. The
American pulled out a slim wallet and flipped it open so Stephan could look at
it. The young man’s eyes bugged. The American flipped it closed to the amusement
of his companions.
“Spectrum?”
“What about my father?” asked Bekka.
“I’m certain there is
someone with him. From some reconnaissance you were a target this time,” said
the Brit.
“Why me?” she asked, dismayed.
“To make your
father do what they want, Bekka,” Stephan remarked, looking at the three for
confirmation. They nodded.
“But papa….” Her voice trailed off.
They heard
voices coming toward them.
“Time to go,” whispered the American.
They ducked into a room away from the sound of the
voices. They looked around their
hiding place.
“Hmm,” said the Aussie. “We are seriously stuck
now.”
The American looked back toward the balcony and
listened for anyone coming. The Aussie was at the other, main door. He could
hear voices as well. The Brit looked at the other two, then shook his head.
“We are in deep Kimshi.”
The Aussie rolled his eyes slightly. They were
getting ready to try and subdue whoever would come through any of the door when
part of the wall between the Aussie and the Brit opened. An old man dressed in
old servants clothing, similar to some of the clothing worn at the party,
stepped out and looked at them both. He gestured for them to follow. As they
did, two gunmen came around the corner and tried to fire at them, just as the
panel shut behind them. The Aussie winced slightly. They headed further into the
passage, a lit torch in a sconce waiting. The Brit grabbed it and followed the
old man. They were led down several small flights of stairs to a landing. They
found themselves in a small cave with a pond that led to the river. Tied up to a pier was a small boat. The old man
pointed for them to head out through with the small vessel.
The five climbed into the boat and the Brit and
American grabbed at oars and began to move them through the small channel. They
moved down a larger channel to the Thames. They found a place, out of view, and
tied up the boat, before clambered out of it.
They found that more commandos than previously surrounded the Embassy.
They stayed back and watched until the dissidents were all rounded up and led
out of the building to be taken to jail, and later back home.
The young guests came out of the Embassy later,
family having been called to inform them of the events and for someone familiar
to come and take them home. Bekka frowned at the fact her party was in shambles
and she muttered something in her native tongue, causing the Aussie to snicker.
She turned to face him and asked a question, to which he nodded and grinned
back. He then made some remark to her and nudged his chin at Stephan Daniels.
She nodded, then laughed with him.
“I hate it when he knows languages like that,”
muttered the American.
“Wait 'til he swears,” said the Brit. “You don’t
know what he’s called you.”
They spotted the Ambassador and he saw them and
pointed before hurrying to them. Bekka threw her arms around her father’s neck
and hugged him. He pushed her back and looked her over.
“Are you alright, little bird?” he asked.
“I’m fine, Papa. These men and Stephan kept me
safe,” she replied. Her father took her in his arms and looked at the men and
the boy, nodding silent thanks.
“Stephan?” came a male voice.
The young man turned and saw his father’s head of
security. He smiled and placed a hand on Bekka’s shoulder, then he went over to
the man.
“I’m fine Martin,” Stephan said at the quizzical
look on the man’s face. The man then looked at the trio. “Martin, relax. They’re
Spectrum.”
“Oh really?” came a sarcastic remark from Martin.
“Who? Or am I allowed to inquire?”
“Not really,” replied the American.
“All right Stephan, lets get you back so your
father knows your safe.”
Stephan nodded. “Bekka,” she looked at him. “ It’s
been a fun evening. See you at school tomorrow? You know, of course, the
security about the place will most likely to up so be ready for it.”
She nodded and smiled. Martin left with Stephan
Daniels.
“Mr. Ambassador, you had a quick thinking man that
we’d like to thank for helping us. He was able to get us out and keep your
daughter safe,” said the Brit.
“What does he look like?”
“Old man, Caucasian. He looked like one of the
serving staff for the party,” said the Aussie.
The Ambassador looked at his head of security.
“Come with me. I think I know who you mean,” said
Mobutu.
The small group went into the building and he went
directly to a picture. “Was this him?”
The three nodded.
“Gentlemen, you were helped by Robert, Duke of
Clarence. He’s long been thought of as the guardian of this Embassy. You were
helped by a ghost,” said Mobutu.
“A ghost?” the American and the Aussie looked on
in disbelief, while the Brit nodded.
“I thought he looked familiar,” he chuckled.” He’s
been dead for about 600 years,” he explained to the other two.
“Okay. You, sir, have lost it.
A ghost,” said the Aussie cynically.
The Brit turned to the Ambassador. ”How familiar
are you with all the tunnels here sir?”
“I’m not, but Mathew spent time looking through
them. Why?”
“I think I know how to prove the existence of this
ghost to my friend here,” said the Brit. “Come on guys this is England. Ghosts
abound here.”
He led them back to the room and Matthew Ungabi
moved along the wall and found the catch, opening it and he grabbed a torch that
he had brought along. Entering the passage, they found a crumbling torch in a
worn sconce.
“Do you remember what direction you went?” asked
Ungabi.
“Down,” replied the Brit.
Ungabi
flashed the torch onto the stairs and they saw footprints in the dust there. He
led them down several levels and into a weed infested cave, a dry pond there,
and a decrepit boat still tied to the decaying dock. The Aussie and the American
looked around in amazement.
Mathew examined the floor. “Gentlemen, how many
footprints do you see?”
They looked to see two pairs of small feet, and
three pairs of army boots. The Brit had seen the old man was wearing boot as
well, but riding boots, that would have left no serious impression, but they
would have left a mark. They headed back upstairs and Mathew brought them out
into the main hall.
“I don’t believe that,” complained the Aussie. He
winced.
“Well, it happened. Now what happened to you?”
asked the Brit.
“Oh they
winged me,” remarked the Aussie, glaring at his shoulder.
“Lovely,” groaned the Brit. He glared at the
Aussie.” Come on. Lets get you looked after.”
“Okay, where?” asked the Aussie.
“Where do you think? The Colonel will want an
update anyway,” commented the American.
The Aussie sighed,” Spectrum HQ.” He shook his
head.
“Bang on,” replied the Brit.
"Come on guys, its not that bad," the Aussie
protested.
"What are you thinking? They see the injury and
you get fixed up and you're back on your way to Cloudbase without seeing Becky?"
asked the American.
"Yeah," the Aussie replied.
"Sorry mate, them the rules," stated the Brit. " I
don't like it anymore than you do. Look, If we can, we'll sneak you to see her.
I know you haven't been able to get together since last month and all.
Sometimes, I hate the bloody regulations they made."
"Just be glad Dr Fawn is on Cloudbase and not
here,” chuckled the American.
The Aussie looked thoughtful for a moment then
nodded. They helped him into the jeep and headed to the large gleaming building
in the heart of London. They parked in underground parking after having been
cleared through the security there and were escorted to the Infirmary. The young
Lieutenant that had escorted them went to report in, so that they could do their
debrief while the Aussie was being looked over. Both American and Brit were
allowed to stay with their comrade until someone arrived to get their reports.
The Aussie was quickly up on the examining table and shirt off to wait for
treatment.
“All right Captain, Lets see what you’ve been up
to,” came the voice of the doctor as she entered the room. The Brit looked up,
startled.
“Shar? When did you get here?” he asked.
“Last week. How about you and your buddy go finish
your debriefs whilst I take care of this guy? There are two gents from upstairs
ready to have a nice little talk with you two and then they can talk to the
Captain here, after,” she remarked. “ Oh… don’t go too far. You two have some
unfinished business here.”
“What kind of unfinished business?” inquired the
American.
“You’ll see,” she grinned.
The two went to find two of Spectrum Security
waiting for them. The more senior of the two looked at them both and nodded.
“Captains,” he remarked in greeting.
“Okay, what are you doing here?” asked the Brit.
“Hey, I was in the neighborhood,” the man remarked
looking at him.” The Colonel wants your reports ASAP and I get to take them up
when I go.”
“Oh now that’s sweet,” commented the American.
“Can’t wait 'til we get back tomorrow.”
“Afraid not, Captain,” remarked the head of
Cloudbase’s security, Terry Metcalfe. “Sooner we get started, the sooner you’re
done.”
The four men left the Infirmary and went to nearby
rooms so they could finish the debriefing. In the Infirmary, the doctor was in
the midst of stitching the Aussie up. He winched several times as she inserted
the needle and drew it out the other side of the wound. Looking over her
glasses, she frowned.
“I thought you said that the local had taken
effect,” she commented.
“It did. It’s the sight of it going into me
that’s doing this,” he explained.
“Then don’t look.”
“I can’t help
it,” he chuckled. “ Morbid curiosity.”
Shar
looked the wound over and finished stitching it up cutting the thread neatly.
The Aussie winced slightly, and caught her looking at him for a moment.
“Tell me…
Captain,” she inquired.” When was the last time you got a tetanus shot?”
The Aussie
sat for a moment…” umm.”
“That long ago,” she commented. “ I think I’ll
just cover all the bases. If you don’t remember, it’s been too long.”
She left the room and came back after several
minutes with a kidney dish, a vial of liquid and a several sterile wrapped
syringes. He looked at the needle and blanched slightly as she tore off the
wrappings and began to draw a dose.
“Where you
going to give it to me?” inquired the Aussie.
She glanced
at him as she drew out the dosage.” Stand up and drop 'em please,” she said.
He looked at
her startled.
The sound of
laughter at the doorway had him turn in surprise. Both the Brit and the American
were back and chuckling heartily.
“I wouldn’t
laugh, either one of you, “ she remarked. “You two are going to be next.”
They looked
at her in surprise.
“Why do we
need shots?” asked the American.
“Quite simply
Captain…Captains,” the doctor remarked, including the other two,”
Dr. Fawn wants to make certain that everyone’s inoculations are up to date. All
staff on Cloudbase have been done, or were near to being done. I, and several
others get the supreme task of giving those inoculations for Britain.
“You’re
joking,” Paul commented.
“No, as a
matter of fact, I’m not. Be glad you’re getting them here, now. You get them
here you don’t have to worry about them at Cloudbase,” Shar told them.
” Okay Shar.
It seems we’re at your mercy.” The Brit remarked.
“Better hers
than Fawns?” the American questioned.
The Aussie
nodded. ”Better looking too.”
“Flattery
doesn’t work Captain,” she remarked, she gave him a look as she checked to make
certain there were no air bubbles in the syringe.
Once ready
she daubed some cotton and looked at the Aussie. He stood up and turned to drop
his pants. She cleaned an area on his buttocks, then turned to inject him. He
winced at the sharp, and brief pain and sighed as the needle was removed. He
felt the wetness of the cotton once more and stood up, pulling up his fatigue
pants. Both the Brit and the American were watching him, grinning. Shar placed
the used needle in a separate container after breaking off the tip. She looked
at the American.
“You next,”
she said,” crooking her finger toward her, and she prepared the second
injection.
The
American stood up, the Aussie taking his place on the couch, and seating himself
gingerly. The American followed suit and was leaning over the table for his
injection. Shar proceeded to inject him and he was breathing a slight sigh of
relief in the knowledge he wouldn’t have to deal with this later. He felt the
second swab of the cotton and he did up his fatigues, nodding his thanks.
“Okay Captain, you’re next,” she smirked.
The Aussie and the American watched as he stood up and headed toward her. She
opened a package and licked her lips. The needle that she produced was triple
the size of the other two.
“What do you think you’re doing with that?” he
protested. The other two started laughing. He looked back at them glaring.
“I’m going to give you a tetanus shot,” she
grinned.
“With THAT?!” He went pale.
“Yuppers,” she chuckled, both his companions
laughing hysterically.” Bend over!” she snapped.
He undid his belt and closed his eyes. He heard
the bottle with the serum set down on the glass table and he peeked slightly.
The vial was there, and the two used needles were in a proper disposal unit. He
felt a sharp prick and jerked.
“Okay,” came a snicker. “ You’re done.”
He stood straight and looked at her. In her hand
she was waving a needle the same size as the other two. The others were still
laughing.
“Shar… that’s not
funny!!” he protested as he did his belt up.
“They think
it is,” she grinned looking at the Aussie and American.
Behind them was a furiously snickering Dr Fawn.
The Captain sighed unhappily. It was always on or
near Halloween that they did something to him. Next year he decided to take
holidays then.
The next day, after all the diplomatic wrangling
was completed, the Ambassador was talking with his Security chief.
“You know, I should have told them about the curse
that goes with Clarence,” said Kyle.
“We don’t know if it’s real, though. It has never
been proven,” said Mathew.
“If it is still in effect, I wonder who saw him,”
said Kyle.
“Well the Brit did for certain,” said Mathew.
“Then we’ll never know, I suppose. What if the
others saw him?”
“Then it would be one for
victor, two would be a victim, three would be for vengeance,” said Mathew.
“Hmm,” remarked the Ambassador.
At the military base the three Spectrum Captains
were preparing to return to Cloudbase. Each one was putting on their uniform.
The Brit pulled on the zip of his tunic.
“Steve, what
did you think of the old guy? Could you tell if he was a ghost?” asked Paul
Metcalfe, a.k.a Captain Scarlet.
“Nope. He looked real enough to me. I was a bit
surprised to see that wall open though. Is that common here?” questioned Steve
Blackburn – Captain Brown.
“Quite normal, for England, and old stately homes.
Most really old homes have all kinds of secret passages and tunnels in them.
What did you think of him?” Paul asked the third member of their group as he
pulled on his tunic.
“Looked okay to me, but it is a bit odd seeing
that kind of thing,” said Conrad Turner, Captain Black.
“Come on, you should be used to it. You
were born here,” chuckled Steve.” The idea of spooks, haunted houses and secret
passages, is a rather big deal here isn’t it?”
“I didn’t live here though, remember?” Conrad
stated.
“So you missed out on the spooky background,”
commented Paul, wiggling his fingers and moving toward Conrad and grinning.
“I was a bit surprised to say the least. I heard
Steve’s little gurgle and saw him,” grinned Black
“Scared you did he?” asked Paul.
“People coming out of the wall is odd you know,”
Steve chuckled.
“Uh huh,” remarked Conrad dubiously.
Clarence was resting. He felt bad that all three
had had to see him. Two had seen him almost the same moment. That could cause
some troubles, but one of them would die for certain. Which, he didn’t know. The
other, he had no idea what would happen to. It would be left to fate to decide
that. The last man, though, he felt the worst for. He would be a traitor to all
he believed in and had fought for. Back when he was young, it had amounted to
William being torn apart against Edward Plantagenet. He hadn’t enjoyed that.
Things were so different now. How could this man become a traitor?
It didn’t matter – the curse was pronounced.
They would go back to what they were doing and
sometime within the next year, their lives would fall apart.
THE END
Dev and I want to express our gratitude for Chris and Mary having the great idea of creating more of a background for Captain Brown. Of all the Spectrum Captains he's the one that we really need to get to know.
We'd also like to thank Chris for allowing Mr. Conners to join in on the festivities.
2003 Cijay
and Dev.
Other stories from Valuth
Other stories from Devon Ricks
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