A “Captain Scarlet & the Mysteron” story
By
SCARLET LADY
PART 3
As soon
as they were back on Cloudbase, Captain Scarlet was taken to Sickbay. Blue would
have wanted to stay with his friend, but Lieutenant Green reminded him that the
Colonel would be waiting in the Control Room.
“Do you
mean to tell me that the Mysterons sent us on a wild goose chase?”
Blue
and Green exchanged glances. “It
looks that way, Sir,” Blue replied.
“But… why?”
“Just
when we thought that we knew something about them – they don’t make hollow
threats!” The colonel muttered, frustration showing in his tone.
“We DID
find this…” Green held up the disc he’d wanted to listen to at the studio.
“Congratulations, Lieutenant, you managed to smuggle an ABBA CD back to
Cloudbase!” the Colonel noted with an irritated tone.
“The
Lieutenant thinks this might be something to do with the Mysterons…” Blue had
the feeling that the explanation sounded stupid, now.
Colonel
White sighed, tiredly. “Alright, if you think there might be something of help,
try to see what it is.”
***
“Captain Scarlet, would you stay STILL?”
The
Captain muttered under his breath.
“What
did you say?” Doctor Fawn stared at him.
“I said
‘I can’t help it, I’m COLD’!”
“I
don’t see why, the room’s at a comfortable temperature, and you’ve changed from
that wet uniform,” the Australian doctor replied.
“Now, stay still. I can’t run tests
on you very easily when you fidget.”
Doctor
Fawn finally managed to finish checking the Captain over.
“Well, Captain Scarlet, your injuries are healing properly-”
“Great. Can I get up?”
“Hold
it.” Fawn held him back. “When your injuries have healed, you
should be fine, but ever since you’ve come in, you’ve been complaining of
feeling cold. I want to find out why.”
“But
doctor-”
“Forget
it!”
Scarlet
shivered uncontrollably. “I’ll be
fine.”
Captain
Blue knocked on the door. Scarlet
smiled happily at him.
“Stay
back, Blue,” Fawn warned him. “I’m
still checking on Captain Scarlet.
I think he may be sick.”
“If I
was going to be sick, I think I’d know about it!” Scarlet retorted,
half-humorously.
The
doctor glared at him. “I MEANT you might have a sickness.” He
turned his attention back to Blue.
“If you want a conversation with Scarlet, I suggest you use the intercom.” He
took a blood sample to the computer.
Blue
did as he was advised. “Paul, Lieutenant Green and I will be
testing the disc we found, but we convinced the Colonel to wait for you.”
“Me?”
“Just
in case. You’ll probably know if it has to do
with Mysterons.”
“Yes, I
see. In that case, don’t run the test until I
get out of this dump.”
“OK,”
Blue nodded, then added in a very quiet voice “How ARE you feeling?”
“Better. Just a little cold…” Scarlet glanced in Fawn’s direction. As he’d suspected, the Doctor had
glanced round at him. “I mean I’m
still FEELING a bit cold, ” he explained, quickly.
Blue
frowned. “You shouldn’t be.”
“But I
am…” Scarlet shook his head. “If
you ignore that, I feel fine, though.”
“Doctor
Fawn will put you right, at least.
Take care of yourself.” Blue turned to go.
Scarlet
sighed as he watched his partner leave.
He wished Blue could have stayed with him a little longer.
He felt better when there was a friendly face near. It would be better still if he was free
to leave.
“What
is it?” Fawn turned to stare at him, with folded arms.
“Nothing…” Scarlet yawned, suddenly.
“Are
you still tired?”
“A
bit…”
Fawn
frowned as the Captain rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“Captain Scarlet, are you feeling alright?”
“Just a
headache… probably because I’m still tired, it’s only a dull pain…”
“Oh,
right.” The Doctor shrugged. He
turned toward his computer, as he heard it spitting our its verdict on the blood
sample.
***
Colonel
White was deep in thought. Captain
Blue and Lieutenant Green were getting some rest, seeing as they were waiting
for Scarlet to investigate the disk, and Captain Magenta had kept his station at
the computer. “Is Scarlet still in the Sickbay, Captain?”
“Yes,
Sir.”
“Right,
let me speak to Doctor Fawn.”
Magenta
put the communication through.
“Colonel White, Captain Scarlet has some kind of sickness-” The Doctor began.
“What
is it?” the Colonel demanded, anxiety clear in his voice.
“An
unidentified virus. I’ll have to test both Captain Blue and Lieutenant Green for
the illness.”
“Yes,
of course.” Colonel White was deeply concerned. “That’s the LAST thing we need!”
***
Later,
after many long minutes of tests, Doctor Fawn got the verdict from the computer. “Well, Captain Blue, after a careful examination, I can find
no trace of sickness.” he grinned at his patient.
“You’re free to leave.”
Blue looked relieved. “Whew! That’s good news.”
Fawn
turned to Green. “Lieutenant, you’re clean, too. You can both return to duty.”
“So,
what’s wrong with Paul?” Blue shot a glance into the isolation room, next door,
where his partner was sleeping.
Every now and then, he’d mutter something, and writhe.
“He’s
pretty sick. My guess is this has to do with the
Mysterons.” Fawn replied.
“But…
if Green and I didn’t catch it, does that mean it’s not contagious?”
“Hard
to tell. I don’t want to risk anything.” Fawn
shook his head. “I’ll have to run
some more tests.”
Blue
nodded. “OK, Doctor… If it ISN’T anything contagious, can I stay with him a
while?”
“We’ll
see…” Fawn smiled, looking into the isolation chamber.
“I can’t help thinking how lucky Scarlet is-”
“Lucky?” Blue snapped at him. “He’s been put through all this by the Mysterons,
and you say he’s LUCKY?”
“Yes. He’s got a friend like you, who’s willing to stand by him –
he’s pretty lucky.”
Blue
calmed down instantly and gave a faint smile. “That’s what friends are for,” he
replied, shaking his head. “I sure
hope he’ll be OK.”
***
“Captain Blue,” Colonel White turned to the American captain.
“I would prefer to wait for Scarlet, but as we don’t know how long he will be in
Sickbay, you’ll have to begin testing the CD without him. Lieutenant Green will assist you.”
“Yes
Sir.” Blue stood up, slowly, from his stool.
“Is there any news on Captain Scarlet’s condition?”
“Not
yet, but I’ll keep you informed.”
“Thanks, Colonel.”
White
watched Blue leave. Like the captain, he was worried about
Scarlet. As the virus was unknown,
there was very little that could be done for now. He shook his head and returned to his work.
***
“The
disc seems normal.” Blue shook his head.
“What makes you think this has to do with the threat?”
“It’s
just a feeling, Sir.” Green was studying the disc, carefully.
Blue chuckled. “That’s probably down to spending too
much time with Paul!”
Then clearing his throat:
“May as
well try listening to it, I guess.
Seems harmless enough…”
Meanwhile, Spectrum’s chief medical officer was having the usual problems with
Captain Scarlet.
“Doctor, I’m fine.” The Captain folded his arms, glowering crossly
at Doctor Fawn.
“That’s
not what the tests say.” Fawn glared back at him.
“Alright, what’s wrong with me, then?”
“My
guess is that it’s a Mysteron virus-”
“Your
GUESS?” Scarlet lifted an eyebrow.
“But you’re not sure?”
“Look, I can only go
by the facts. It’s unidentified,
and seeing as your retrometabolism isn’t coping with
it, I’d say it may be something from Mars.”
“What
about Blue and Green? They’re not infected by that virus?”
“No, I
already checked them.”
“Does
this mean that the other members of Spectrum won’t be affected, then?”
“I can’t say for sure. I don’t want to put it to the test.”
“But
the logical answer would be that it is only contagious to retrometabolic bodies. I’d be a health hazard toward Mysterons only.”
“Yes,
but I don’t want you to leave Sickbay.” Doctor Fawn saw that Captain Scarlet was
about to protest, so explained quickly,
“If anything were to go wrong for you, I’d want to know that you’ll be in safe
hands.”
“But-”
“I’m
sorry, Captain.”
***
Captain
Black walked around in the SPJ hanger, as silently as a shadow.
He glanced about him. Nobody seemed
to be there. Everything was silent
and nothing moved.
Suddenly, he thought he heard Scarlet’s laughter, as some old memories came to
mind. “Come
on, Conrad!” Scarlet grinned at him, “You won’t be gone that long! What can
possibly go wrong?”
Black
shivered. You HAD to ask, didn’t you, Paul…
A voice
came to life within his head, disturbing the memories and snapping him back to
reality. “Captain Black, this is the voice
of the Mysterons. The Earthmen are
listening to the Singing Sword, you know what you must do.”
“The Mysterons shall not fail.” Black replied, before heading into the corridor cautiously.
***
Rhapsody Angel had been in a world of her own ever since word had reached the
Amber Room about Captain Scarlet’s illness.
Symphony finally put down her book.
“Are you alright, Rhapsody?”
Her
red-haired friend didn’t so much as blink.
“Dianne?”
“Hmm?”
Rhapsody jumped and looked up.
“Sorry, Karen, what did you say?”
“You’re
worried about Paul, aren’t you?” Symphony sat next to her friend.
She knew all about the “secret” relationship going on between her two
colleagues. Rhapsody had been the
one who’d told her.
“I want
to see him, or at least find out what’s wrong.”
“I know
you do.” The American Angel smiled her understanding.
She felt the same way about Captain Blue – Adam – and knew what Rhapsody was
going through.
“As
soon as I get the chance, I want to see him,” the British Angel decided.
“Alright. If you want me to cover for you-”
“I don’t think I’ll
need it, but thank you.”
Rhapsody smiled. “I’ll just tell
Doctor Fawn that we all want to voice our concern, and I was the first to get
away. After all, that’s true
enough.”
Symphony laughed, shaking her head.
“Has Paul been giving you lessons on how to get your way?”
Rhapsody Angel blushed, and turned away.
Meanwhile, Black was walking down the corridors
very cautiously. He hadn’t been spotted.
He was in search of the disc the Spectrum officers had brought with them
to Cloudbase. He knew that it could already be working for him, to help him on
his mission. It didn’t matter if it
didn’t make a huge difference, yet.
It would when he had hold of it. As
Black saw it, it was a shame that plan A had failed, but there was always plan
B, and this plan, the Mysteron agent was certain, would NOT fail.
Scarlet
winced, suddenly.
“Are
you alright, Captain Scarlet?”
“No,
Doctor, I… I have a headache…”
“What
can I get you? I mean, the painkillers I have aren’t strong enough for you, are
they?”
Scarlet
knew the doctor was right. “Can I
just have another glass of water, in that case?”
The
Doctor nodded. He could see that Scarlet was in pain. He was very pale, and looked so tired…
Scarlet
gasped in pain, thinking for a moment that he was going to pass out.
He could feel himself shaking violently, probably because he still felt
very cold.
Black
had reached sickbay and was walking his way through it.
He stared through the door into a small room. He could see Scarlet, looking far weaker than he had for a long time. A pang of guilt hit him. That was his friend in there, and as he watched, Scarlet saw him and tried to pull himself to his feet. Don’t, Paul… He couldn’t bear watching, yet he couldn’t turn away. Then, as suddenly as the emotion had hit him, the Mysteron was his ‘usual’ self. He gave an evil smile, and continued to walk on.
Captain
Scarlet had looked up, and got a glimpse of his archrival looking in at him. What the… Black? Here? He wondered, groggily, as he
hauled himself to his feet and took a staggered step, but lost balance. Doctor Fawn heard a startled cry and
came running to find his patient stretched out on the floor. “What happened?” He asked, helping him
back to his bed.
“Captain Black was watching…”
“Now
look, Scarlet, Captain Black isn’t here!”
It was wrong to use such a harsh tone and Fawn sat next to the shaken Spectrum
Captain, touching his arm in an effort to reassure him.
“He’s not here.”
Scarlet
swallowed hard. “I didn’t imagine it! I SAW him!”
“Of
course you didn’t imagine it.” Fawn offered his patient a friendly smile.
“I’m not saying that I doubt there was someone there… but it certainly
wasn’t Captain Black.”
“My headache has gone
now. You know how it is when there’s a
Mysteron around – surely that’s proof enough – and will you PLEASE stop patronising!”
“Scarlet, listen…”
“No,
YOU listen!” Scarlet shot back at him, “I SAW him!”
Fawn
put his arm around the feverish man.
“Calm yourself, Captain,”
“I’ll
calm myself when Black’s apprehended!”
Fawn sighed, but
then nodded. “Ok, if it makes you feel any better,
I’ll warn the Colonel.” He had a feeling that Scarlet had just convinced himself
that Cloudbase was under attack, and that he was taking every ache and pain as a
warning from his built-in Mysteron detector.
Seeing how bad he was right now, who could say whether Black wasn’t just
another figment of his over-active imagination?
“And
Scarlet’s convinced that he saw Black?” Colonel White could barely believe his
own ears when he heard Fawn’s report over the comm. link.
“Yes,
Colonel. He’s convinced alright. I’m worried about him.”
“Are
you certain that he is delirious?” Colonel White asked.
Captain Scarlet had rarely fallen ill before he had become
indestructible, so it was hard to believe that he was in such a bad way now.
“All
evidence points to delirium, Colonel.”
“I see. Thank you, Doctor.”
White
broke contact and sighed, heavily. What
could have happened to Scarlet?
***
Black
crept as stealthily as possible toward the research area.
Every now and then, an odd sound, like footsteps, banging doors and
chatter, would force him to make himself scarce, but he was making progress. A strange instinct was leading him in
the right direction. Before long
he’d have the entire base where he wanted it.
***
"How is
he?" Rhapsody asked, glancing in her fiancé’s direction.
"Tired
and weak," Fawn told her. "But
Captain Scarlet is sleeping, right now.
Perhaps you should come back later."
"Can't
I at least sit with him? I won't disturb him," the Angel almost begged.
"Well…"
the Doctor frowned, not sure whether he should agree.
"Please,
Doctor?"
"Go on,
then." He watched as the British Angel's face lit up.
"But don't wake him."
Rhapsody nodded the
affirmative, before taking a seat next to the Captain's bed. The room was very small, she thought as she glanced about
her. It was little wonder Scarlet
had wanted to get out. She picked
up a magazine off the floor, and began to read it.
It wasn’t long before the Captain became aware of the rustle of paper and awoke,
blinking as his eyes tried to adjust.
"Rha-"
he coughed, surprised by the dry feeling in his throat. "Rhapsody?"
"I'm
here, Paul." She handed him the glass of water, which
was standing on the table beside his bed.
"Good
to see you…" the Captain smiled, weakly.
"Just came off duty?" he sipped the water, and put it back on the table.
"I
should be in the Amber Room, but Symphony and Destiny were kind enough to cover
for me."
"For
how long, exactly?"
"A
while."
Scarlet
sighed. “But not long, and we’ve wasted time
already.”
"It’s
not MY fault that you were asleep when I came in." The Angel offered a friendly
smile.
“You
could’ve woken me – I wouldn’t have minded.”
"I’m
sure you wouldn’t." Rhapsody patted his arm.
"But I wouldn’t dream of it. I can
see that you’re tired." She hugged
him, gently.
The
Captain laughed, then his face fell and he sighed.
"Fawn’s around, you know. We’ll
have to be careful."
***
Blue
was still working on the disc when a strange feeling sprang on him.
He ignored it, at first, but it was gradually worsening. He was beginning to think that perhaps
HE was going down with something too…
The room seemed to spin. He grabbed
hold of the worktop in front of him, for support.
“Sir?” Lieutenant Green watched the Captain anxiously. “Are you alright?”
Blue
blinked, turned to him and grinned.
“Yeah, I’m OK.”
“Perhaps you should go visit Doctor Fawn, Sir,” the Lieutenant began, awkwardly.
“No,
I’m fine. Let’s get on.”
Green
noticed the change of tone. Blue
seemed irritable, now. He rarely behaved like this - he was usually so patient…
Was there really something wrong? A feeling began to creep up on him.
Captain
Black watched with interest. The
disc was working well…
***
Scarlet
sighed heavily. “Dianne… would YOU believe me if I told
you about my hunch?”
“What
sort of hunch, Paul?”
“I think the Mysterons want to attack us,
somehow.” The Captain frowned, still thinking carefully.
“I believe they’re here already.
They want to take Cloudbase over, or destroy it.”
Rhapsody
frowned. “Why on Earth do you think they’re here?”
“I saw
Captain Black. Just then.”
Rhapsody frowned at him. “Are you SURE, Paul?”
“Look,
I know how it sounds… But I DID see him.”
“Paul,
that doesn’t make any sense.” Rhapsody told him, gently, “You know how the
Mysterons work. What about the ‘Singing Sword’? That has something to do with
that SWORD broadcasting studio, doesn’t it?
That studio would have been used to attack Cloudbase? What would
the connection be?”
“I don’t know, I… Maybe that disc Lieutenant Green found… It may have something
to do with it. Maybe THAT’S the ‘Singing Sword’… But why in the World would they
call it that?”
Rhapsody hugged him, gently. “Try not to worry about it now.”
“But-”
“I’ll
talk to the Colonel about your theory,” the Angel reassured him.
“But you are very ill, and shouldn’t really concern yourself with anything apart
from recovering.”
Scarlet
sighed in defeat. “Yes, alright. You win.”
“That’s
good.” She hugged him closer to her.
“I didn’t mean to upset you, though.”
The
Captain sighed, contentedly, and hugged her back.
He felt better just by knowing that his fiancé was near him.
“You didn’t upset me, Dianne.
I just hate it, finding myself so weak and useless.”
Rhapsody felt her heart go out to him.
She knew how frustrating it must be for Paul to find himself forced to rest,
when normally he was one of the most active members of Cloudbase’s personnel.
***
Black
smiled, wickedly, as Captain Blue and Lieutenant Green fell into a trance.
He entered the room, switched off the
disc – which he could only hear as a high-pitched whine – and turned to speak to
the two Spectrum officers. “You are
to report to Colonel White. Tell
him that the disc is perfectly normal.” There was nothing to indicate that the
men understood him, so he continued:
“Afterwards, you will do as your Colonel instructs. You will behave as you always do. Do you understand?”
“S.I.G., Captain Black,” Blue answered, quickly.
“Yes,
Captain,” Green agreed at the same instant.
“Good.”
The Mysteron agent was about to let them go, and keep the disc, when he changed
his mind. He handed Blue the disc, saying:
“Captain Blue, I would like you to take this with you.”
Blue
took it. “S.I.G.”
Black
leaned closer, lowering his voice.
“This is what you must do…”
Once he
was satisfied, Captain Black turned to the door.
“Dismissed.” He watched the two officers leave, then disappeared. He knew that everything about the disc was almost completely
undetectable, and the only Spectrum member immune to the soundwaves was confined
to Sickbay. It couldn’t have worked
better! Now it was time to put the second part of the plan into action.
The
Colonel looked up as Lieutenant Green entered.
“Did you find anything of help about that disc?”
“No,
Sir. The disc is perfectly normal,” Green answered.
White
watched his expression, carefully.
Something was wrong – he looked so tired… “Are you alright?”
“I…
yes, Sir. I’m alright,” Green answered.
White
narrowed his eyes at Green. “All the same, I think you should visit Doctor Fawn. You look tired.”
“Yes,
Sir, but I think that it was only all the research – THAT was tiring,” Green
replied. “I’m sure I’ll be fine in a moment. Captain Blue and I just spent a long
time trying different theories.”
“That’s
a point – where IS Blue? Shouldn’t he have reported here with you?”
“He was
very tired, Sir, so I offered to report here alone.”
“I
see.” White was still doubtful that everything was alright.
“In that case, perhaps you should spend some time off duty, as well...”
“S.I.G., Colonel,” Green replied.
“Right,
that’s it, dismissed.”
Magenta
turned to the Colonel as the Lieutenant left.
“Do you think there’s something wrong, Sir?”
“I
don’t know, Captain,” White answered, thoughtfully.
“At
least we know it’s not down to the virus that Scarlet caught, Sir,” Magenta
said, brightly. “Doctor Fawn already checked them over.”
“That’s
right. He reported them both to be fine. If there was anything wrong, the doctor
would have picked up on it.” He frowned.
“What in blazes is going on?”
***
“You
OK, Blue?” In the officers’ lounge, Ochre looked over his paper at his friend.
“Fine,
thanks, Rick. I just had a long day, that’s all.” Blue
settled down in the chair beside Ochre and Grey. “Is it OK if I put some music on?”
Grey took a look
at the CD he’d brought with him.
“Where’d you get this?”
“The Lieutenant
brought this in from the SWORD building.”
Blue felt tired. Was the information right? It sounded
right, but…
“You
like ABBA?” Ochre asked him, surprised.
“Do you like ANY kind of music at all?”
“Not
ANY music – I HATE heavy metal… and I don’t like rap much, either.”
Grey
laughed. “You like all music besides rap and
heavy metal. Well, at least that
gives you a lot of choice.”
“Sure
does.” Blue grinned. “Now, can I put this disc on or not?”
***
“I want
to get out of here!” Captain Scarlet was livid.
“You
were fine when Rhapsody was here.”
Doctor
Fawn had unwittingly touched a raw nerve.
“What are you suggesting?”
“I’m
not SUGGESTING anything. Calm down, Captain.”
“CALM
DOWN? I feel like some kind of caged animal!”
“You’re
behaving like one, as well.” The Doctor tried to approach his patient again.
“Can
you BLAME me?” Scarlet lashed out.
“This place is like a prison cell!”
“Look,
I’d allow you to leave if I thought it would help you, but I can’t.” Fawn shook
his head at the Captain. “This
virus is unidentified – I don’t know how it’ll effect you, or what the cure is.”
He didn’t break eye contact for a moment. “But I’ll find a cure, Captain
Scarlet. Even if I have to wrestle it out of
Captain Black himself!”
“I’m
sure you will, but that’s not helping me at the moment.
I feel as though I’m trapped!”
Fawn
took on a stern tone. “Look, to find the flamin’ cure I need
to get on, without having to worry about what YOU’RE getting up to. I could do without escape attempts,
right now.”
Scarlet
felt himself turning red. He instantly calmed down.
“I’m sorry, Doctor.”
“No
problem.” Fawn’s tone returned to normal.
“Just don’t try it again, because next time I won’t be as quick to forgive.”
“Captain Blue,” Colonel White entered the Officers’ Lounge, “why didn’t you
report to Control with Lieutenant Green?” he kept his tone calm, but in the
ominous way that made Grey and Ochre wince.
“I…
I was told I didn’t need to…” Blue rubbed his forehead.
“WHO
told you?”
“I…
can’t remember… it wasn’t you, Sir.”
“No, it
certainly was NOT me.” White watched the young man’s reaction.
He was clearly in distress. “Are
you alright?”
“I… no…
I don’t know.” Blue shook his head. He looked as though he was about to pass
out. “I feel kind of tired…”
The
Colonel immediately forgot his irritation.
“Alright, Captain, relax.” He turned to the two Captains who were also sitting
around the table. “Captain Grey, can you give me a hand?”
Grey
nodded, and helped his Commanding Officer to lift Blue out of his seat.
“Wh –
what are you doing?”
“Relax,
Adam,” Grey told him, “We’ll get you down to Sickbay.”
“Sickbay?” Blue was really alarmed, now.
“I’m just tired, that’s all! Just help me back to my quarters.”
“No,
Captain. You will do as you are told.” White
emphasized every word, as if to ensure that his junior officer understood him
perfectly. “Once Doctor Fawn has
taken a look at you, you can return to your quarters – PROVIDED he feels that
you should.”
“Yes,
Sir.” The Captain blew out a frustrated sigh.
He felt alright, just tired, really, and couldn’t understand why everyone was
fussing over him.
Ochre
watched the three men leave. As he
moved to pick up his paper, he noticed the disc that had been left.
“Let’s see what Blue sees in this kind of music – I mean, it’s about a
hundred years old!”
Scarlet
pressed a hand against his forehead, closing his eyes.
He suppressed a groan.
Fawn
touched his patient’s arm. “Captain? Captain Scarlet, are you
alright?”
“No… my
head…”
“Alright, mate.” The Doctor patted his shoulder.
“I’ll get you another glass of water, OK?”
Scarlet
gave a slight nod. “Thanks.”
“Doctor
Fawn!” Nurse Finch hurried in, and the chief medical officer turned to her. “You have another patient.”
“I’ll
be right there,” Fawn told her.
Fawn went out, and Captain Scarlet followed the nurse with his eyes, as she
approached him and began pouring water from a pitcher into his glass.
He wondered if the headache was a signal to tell him he needed rest, or his
Mysteron detector. As she noticed
the edgy way Scarlet was watching her, Nurse Finch frowned at him, puzzled. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.”
The
Captain spoke far too quickly, in much too innocent a tone.
She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Something’s wrong, I can see that.”
“I’m
alright.” He shrugged, smiling at her.
“You
don’t LOOK alright,” the nurse told him.
“Far from it, actually. That illness isn’t worsening, I hope?”
She handed him the glass.
“No. No, I just feel a little tired and run down…” Scarlet sipped
the water, and handed it back to her.
“I hate being stuck here, which really isn’t helping,” he added with a sly grin.
“Captain, I can’t release you. Only Doctor Fawn-”
“I know
that. I was merely answering your question.”
“Now
come off it! I know you far better than that, Captain Scarlet.” She saw the
young man’s weary, downcast expression and her heart went out to him.
“I’ll have a word with the Doctor when he returns.”
“He
won’t let me leave. He feels it might put me in danger,
because my condition may change at any time.”
“Oh, I
see. In that case, the best idea would be to
try to rest.”
“I
can’t sleep.”
The
nurse suppressed her annoyance and fetched some books.
“Here, these should keep you busy for a while,” she told him with a friendly
grin.
***
Captain
Blue rose from the examination bed.
He turned his head to gaze anxiously at the chief medical officer. “What’s wrong
with me, Doctor?”
“Well,
it’s most likely that you’re overtired.” Doctor Fawn touched his arm.
“But
I’m OK?”
“As far
as I can tell. Get some sleep, then come and see me
again.”
“S.I.G.” The Captain picked up his cap and turned to go.
“Did
you get some rest when you arrived back?” Fawn asked, suddenly.
“I thought the Colonel mentioned-”
“Yes. Lieutenant Green and I spent a while in the Room of Sleep.”
“I knew
simulated sleep wasn’t good enough!” the doctor practically crowed. He clearly
was glad that his theory had finally been proved right.
“Get some REAL sleep, in your quarters.”
“Yes,
Doctor. See you later.”
Meanwhile, Captain Ochre was slumped in his chair in the lounge.
By all appearances, he was sleeping, and the disc he had been listening to was
still playing. Grey entered the
room and grinned at his friend.
“Rick, it’s time to wake up,” he called, softly.
Ochre
didn’t so much as twitch. Grey was about to hit him with the paper
in front of him, a payback for some of the tricks he’d suffered from recently,
when the music began to take a hold on him too. He was aware of a strange voice as it began to speak to him. It wasn’t the singer, and the voice
seemed to speak inside his head… he couldn’t escape it!
***
Doctor Fawn walked into Scarlet’s secluded room. “How is he?”
“Captain Scarlet’s having trouble sleeping, Sir,” Finch told him, quietly.
“I had to give him a pile of books and puzzles to keep him occupied,
seeing as he won’t take sleeping drugs.”
“OK,
I’ll look after him now. Thanks, Nurse Finch.”
Fawn
turned his attention back to his patient as the Nurse left.
“How are you feeling?”
“Doctor, I’m stuck here, on my own and bored out of my mind! How do you EXPECT
me to feel?”
“Try to
get some rest, for now. You certainly could do with it.” Fawn
wanted to know why he couldn’t sleep – he was clearly tired enough.
“Right,
Doctor.” The Captain nodded his agreement and settled back, trying to allow his
weakness to overpower the restlessness that he still felt.
He sighed and shifted. “It’s no
good. I still feel too active.”
Fawn
told him that he could listen to the radio, provided he kept the volume turned
to minimum. Scarlet agreed with the suggestion, and Fawn turned on the sickbay’s
music player. Scarlet lay back again, allowing the
music to wash over him.
Black
called to Ochre and Grey. They came out of their trance, looking
about them groggily. “Leave the
disc on repeat.”
“Yes,
Sir,” Captain Grey obeyed quickly.
They clearly didn’t recognise
the Mysteron agent. The disc was
far superior to the drugs that mankind had come up with, in the past. The high frequency sound waves were too
intense, and the music that delivered it made the victims listen calmly. Captain Black quickly dealt his
instructions, then made himself scarce.
***
Nearly all of the senior staff members were part of the Mysterons’ plan, now. Black was still cautious around the base, however. He gave members their instructions, then hid again. He had no intention of allowing Spectrum to capture him. Black was also well aware of the fact that the disc hadn’t been tested properly. This meant that there was no telling how long the influence would last…
Lieutenant Green went back to the Control Room. The Colonel looked up from his paperwork as he entered. “Feeling better, Lieutenant?”
“Yes thankyou, Sir,” he smiled, “I feel fine.”
“Good.” The Colonel shook his head, “You work too hard, son.”
Green grinned. “I think we all do, Sir. The Mysterons see to that.”
This was true enough, and Colonel White nodded his agreement.
Green took up his position at the
computer console.
Symphony looked up from her book as the base lurched. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t know!” Rhapsody cried out, clutching the table in an attempt to steady herself.
The two Angels
tried to keep calm as they searched for an explanation.
“Could be
turbulence from a storm beneath us,” Symphony suggested.
Cloudbase rocked
again.
Scarlet groaned as
he felt the base lurch violently.
“Doctor, what’s going on?”
“I’m not sure,”
Fawn told him, “it’s probably nothing to worry about.
Just relax.”
The Captain
shuddered. “I don’t like this…”
Fawn rolled his
eyes. “You know as well as I do that it’s probably just atmospheric
turbulence.”
“Probably…”
Scarlet repeated doubtfully, under his breath.
He held his head again.
“Relax, OK?” Fawn
touched his shoulder. “I’ll get you something to help you
sleep.”
Scarlet frowned. Did Fawn think that his body was weak enough to allow the
drugs to take effect?
As he watched Fawn
leave the small room, he made a decision and scrambled out of bed.
Creeping into the corridor, he dragged himself toward the engine room.
Something was amiss, and he couldn’t stay quiet any longer.
The rocking of the base made it difficult for him, as he was already tired. Scarlet hadn’t gone far when he thought
he saw someone, creeping around a corner.
The Captain cursed himself for not bringing a gun, in case he’d encounter
an enemy. He knew that Black might
well be stalking the corridors.
He picked up the first object that came to hand – a hammer left by a
mechanic, who had been doing some minor repairs.
“Whoa!” Blue
stared at him with surprise, “What are you doing, Paul?”
Scarlet threw
aside the makeshift weapon, looking embarrassed.
“Sorry, Adam, I…” he cleared his throat, “I thought you were someone else.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know… a
Mysteron, perhaps.”
“Perhaps?” Blue
asked, staring at him.
Scarlet closed his
eyes. “I thought I saw Black, earlier.”
The American shook
his head. He’s worse than I thought!
“You don’t believe
me,” Scarlet accused, miserably.
“’Course I believe
you, Paul. It’s just that…”
A noise from
somewhere further along the corridor made both men jump.
“What was that?” Blue asked.
Scarlet held his
head and fell to his knees. The
pain was coming back.
Blue suddenly felt
something calling to him, and walked away without a backward glance at
Scarlet. The disc was taking
effect, again.
Black smirked with
satisfaction. The mind control had slowed the
personnel, and now Green was obviously doing his task.
Before long, the Singing Sword would send Cloudbase crashing to Earth.
He vanished into the shadows.
“Scarlet?” Upon
entering the small room, Fawn looked about him. He was surprised that the ill Captain had found the strength
to get up. Angry with himself for
leaving Scarlet alone, the Doctor called the Control Room.
“You LOST him?”
The Colonel asked him, in disbelief.
Fawn had nothing
to say to that.
“What happened,
Doctor?”
“I went to get him
something, and… I guess he walked out.”
“In his
condition?” White asked him incredulously.
“I know it’s
difficult to believe, Sir, but that’s the only explanation.”
“Alright, Doctor,
we’ll launch a search.”
“Right, Colonel.”
Cloudbase lurched
violently, and the Colonel was almost thrown from his chair.
“What in the World is going on?” he demanded.
Noticing that Green didn’t reply, White frowned at him. Strangely, the Lieutenant didn’t even
seem alarmed. “Lieutenant Green?”
He stood up, and
made his way to Green’s console.
What on Earth is he doing?
Then he realised. He seemed to be toying with Cloudbase’s engine controls. It was for that reason that the base was
pitching and rolling. “Lieutenant!”
He said, sharply.
Green ignored him.
“What do you think
you’re doing?” he demanded, losing patience altogether.
At last, his words
took effect. “What? Where?” the Lieutenant stared at
the monitor in front of him, “What happened?”
“You were cutting
the power to the engines. What were
you thinking?”
“I… I wasn’t
thinking, Sir.”
Strangely enough, that makes a
lot of sense,
White realised,
mind control would explain a lot…
Scarlet watched
his friend walk away. He couldn’t understand what was wrong
with him. “Adam?”
Blue didn’t so
much as turn around.
Scarlet closed his
eyes. What’s happening? Picking himself
up, he followed his partner carefully.
***
Blue wandered
around the engine room, listening to the voices within his head.
“Captain Blue, Lieutenant Green has played his part, and now it is YOUR turn.”
Blue found the electronics that Black had singled out for him. With the use of some anti-electric
gloves, he pulled them out.
“Adam! What do you
think you’re DOING?” Scarlet crept forward, tiredly.
Blue stared at the
wires in his hand, as if he couldn’t understand how they ended up there.
“What happened?”
“You attacked the
circuitry for the engines! What are you trying to do?”
The American shook
his head. “I don’t know…”
Black emerged from
the shadows.
Scarlet didn’t
seem the least bit surprised, but Blue jumped back.
“What’re YOU doing here?”
“You can’t
remember, Earthman?”
“Remember what?”
Scarlet stared at
Blue. “Don’t tell me you’re a Mysteron!”
Blue stared back at him
in amazement, stunned that his friend should consider this.
Black saw the
chance to act, and made a lunge at Scarlet.
The British Captain saw him coming and sidestepped, almost sending his enemy
into the sparking cables which Blue had severed.
Scarlet tried to move away, realising that he was vulnerable.
Black kicked out at his legs, knocking him off balance.
“Paul!” Blue
picked his partner up, carefully.
He scowled at Black. “Leave him alone! He’s sick.”
Ochre and Grey
burst in, with weapons drawn.
Thank goodness! Captain
Blue thought, with relief,
Something’s actually going right!
Something didn't seem
'right', however, as he saw both men glancing about in confusion. Then he saw
the evil smirk on Black's face as Grey and Ochre walked menacingly towards him
and Scarlet.
“What’s
happening?” Scarlet asked, quietly.
“I don’t know,”
Blue hissed back, “looks like the work of the Mysterons.”
“Come on, he
couldn’t have just disappeared!” Fawn was anxious to find his patient.
There was no telling where he was, nor what condition he would be in.
Magenta sighed. “Where would he have gone, Doctor?”
Fawn was about to
snap, but calmed himself. “I don’t
know. Probably looking for Mysterons, after
the nonsense I’ve heard from him.”
“Mysterons?”
Magenta stared at him.
The Doctor
explained, quickly.
“I get it,” his
microphone swung down in front of his face.
“This is Captain Magenta,”
“Captain, someone
is in the engine room.”
“Right,” he turned
to Doctor Fawn, “we might have found him.”
***
The disc had taken
total hold of Grey and Ochre, as they were walking toward Blue and Scarlet. Blue stepped in front of his partner, wondering what he
should do. Drawing his gun, he
tried to find a safer place for Scarlet.
Captain Black,
finding himself free to act, contacted the Mysterons for further instruction. Scarlet gasped in pain, as the Mysterons’ presence suddenly
became too much for him and fell on his knees.
He glanced in Black’s direction and saw him in a trance, and realised
instantly that he was communicating with his masters.
Black turned his
attention back to his task, while the Spectrum members were otherwise
occupied. Blue had done serious damage to one of
the engines, but that alone wasn’t enough.
As he pulled on anti-electric gloves, the door opened a crack, behind
him.
Magenta crept in
carefully. Something was wrong, and he didn’t want
to give himself away until he knew what was going on. He kept himself from gasping when he saw Blue and Scarlet
under attack from Grey and Ochre.
What’s happened here? He asked himself.
It was then that he saw Black.
What the…? He recovered himself, and instantly fired at Black.
In surprise, Ochre
and Grey turned round to see what was happening.
Blue saw his
chance to act, and kicked Ochre aside.
Grey turned on him again.
Doctor Fawn was
standing outside, with a security guard.
“Sir,” the guard
began, “why are they firing guns?”
Fawn took a deep
breath, then drew his gun. “Hull,
notify Colonel White, and then follow me in.
Perhaps Scarlet was right after all, and if that’s the case…”
Hull nodded the
affirmative, and Fawn entered the engine room.
Magenta had
managed to force Black away from the vital equipment.
The Mysteron agent was in an awkward position
now, awaiting the intervention of one of his temporary recruits.
Grey was holding
Scarlet down, with minimal effort, while Ochre wrestled with Blue.
Fawn went straight to Grey. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Surprised by the
question barked at him, the Captain snapped out of his trance, blinking his eyes
as if he’d been sleeping. He stared
down at Scarlet with wide eyes. “Paul?”
Scarlet coughed
loudly. “Get off me!”
“What were you
playing at?” Fawn demanded, dragging Grey to his feet.
The Captain shook
his head. “I… I don’t know…”
“Doc!” Blue called
out, from the floor, “Some help, please?”
Ochre was holding
his throat in a tight grip, which tightened gradually.
Grey stood over
him. “Don’t you think that’s enough, Rick?” Ochre didn’t even look
up.
“Captain Ochre!”
Fawn yelled at him. “What do you think you’re doing?”
The question
reached home, and Ochre shook off the disc’s affects.
“What? Where?” He saw Blue in his grip, as if for the first time. “Adam?”
Magenta listened
carefully, but didn’t take his eyes off Black.
The Mysteron, however, was watching the scene near them with a dissatisfied
expression. As soon as it was clear that Spectrum
had regained the upper hand, he vanished into air.
Magenta, realising that he had allowed his enemy to escape, let out a
cry. “Not AGAIN!”
OTHER SCARLET LADY FAN FICTION
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