A ‘Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons’ story

by Sharn

Captain Scarlet rapped on the sliding door to Captain Blue’s quarters. His colleague was due to spend a week’s furlough away from Cloudbase; Scarlet figured he would find him packing in his room. After a slight pause, the door slowly slid open before him. Scarlet stepped inside with a genial greeting, only to be met by an “oh, no!” followed by a dark shadow flying towards him, which settled droopily over his person. Instinctively, Scarlet shifted his hand to his holster, in readiness for an attack.

“Captain Blue!”

“Spectrum is green, Captain Scarlet,” came Blue’s voice, as the snug fabric was removed from his head.

Scarlet released his grip on his weapon when he saw the other captain standing non-threateningly in front of him, slight creases appearing on his forehead as he knitted his brows in apparent annoyance.

“I’d been wrapping Christmas presents, only I forgot to hide yours when you came in,” Blue explained, gesturing to the fuzzy, brown blanket draped over his arm. “I meant to throw the blanket on the gift, but I got my positions reversed. Sorry, Paul.”

“Well, your plan still worked,” Scarlet noted dryly. “Symphony’s on her way up. We thought we’d spend a bit of time with you before you leave tomorrow.”

He looked pointedly at Blue’s lumpy quilt, making Blue smile internally. “Shall I step out while you find a more suitable hiding place?”

“Yes, if you wouldn’t mind,” Blue answered absently, as Scarlet twisted around to exit.

Several minutes later, Scarlet settled himself down on Blue’s bed while the two waited for Symphony to arrive. Scarlet was surprised to see an old, electronic device sitting on the floor in front of Blue’s closet, next to a small pile of keep cases.

“What’s that you’ve got there by the closet?” he asked curiously.

“The old video game console, you mean?” Blue replied from the small kitchenette, where he was busy pouring some steaming fluid from a drip-filter coffee jug. “Coffee?”

“Video games? Thank you,” he said as Blue handed him an alarmingly-ginormous mug.

“Yes. I thought I’d give it to Captain Ochre as a Christmas present.”

Scarlet made to query Blue further, when there was a knock on the door.

“Captain Blue, Captain Scarlet? It’s Symphony.”

Scarlet didn’t miss the sparkle that entered Blue’s eyes as he eagerly moved over to the door. Symphony Angel entered the room with a smile aimed at the two men, her hands full with a tray of napkins and lamingtons. Blue quickly dragged his cafe table within easy reach, relieving Symphony of her burden, before doubling back to obtain the two accompanying chairs. In the meantime, Symphony moved over to the kitchenette to fetch several plates, the coffee jug and an additional googol-inch mug, before nestling down next to Scarlet on the bed. Upon seeing her already seated, Blue hastily moved the second chair back to its original position by the porthole window, a slightly-disappointed expression crossing his mild features.

For a few minutes, the trio sat in silence, before Symphony spotted the game console. “What on earth is that?” she asked, her mezzo voice slightly distorted by the mouthful of pastry stuffed to one side of her mouth.

“That is, allegedly, Ochre’s Christmas gift,” Scarlet answered for Blue. “Our dear Captain Blue was just in the process of explaining when you showed up.”

Blue shook his head slightly, before addressing Symphony. “Captain Ochre happened to mention to me once that he used to play CD-ROM video games on his grandfather’s old Microsoft Windows 1995 PC. That video game console dates from the late-20^th century; I came across it at a curio shop, along with a selection of games. Given what he’d said, I thought he might like it.”

Scarlet brought his mug to his lips, tilting his head slightly in Symphony’s direction, as the two exchanged a knowing glance. They were unconvinced by Blue’s casual recounting of events, especially as the captain was known around Cloudbase for his considered gifts. Blue clearly suspected he had been disbelieved, as he shot a sidelong look at his friends, before suddenly becoming very interested in finishing the contents of his mug, the rim practically touching his forehead.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Captain Blue,” Scarlet spoke up ironically, not willing to let Blue get away so easily. “It’s perfectly normal to poke around junkyards, hunting down the perfect gift.”

“Well, I think he’ll be interested,” Symphony offered, hoping to mollify Blue. “Do you have any idea how it works?”

“The general gist of it, yes,” Blue replied with a nod. “Okay, so I did do some research into it, but I wanted to make sure I had all the working components necessary. It would be a pretty-pointless gift otherwise.”

“That is true,” Scarlet admitted. “If you must know, I am a little envious. I’m always getting my Christmas presents at the last minute.”

“Yes, you do,” Blue agreed, looking Scarlet straight in the eyes. In his mind, he recalled the blown-glass blue jay Scarlet had given him the previous year.

It was Scarlet’s turn to become embarrassed. His gaze shied away from Blue’s, as the other man looked on with quiet triumph. Symphony’s eyes sparkled at the exchange, before she shortly rose up to her feet.

“On that note, you’ll have to excuse me for a while. Melody insisted on getting my opinion of her outfit for her family’s Thanksgiving gathering. ” Symphony rolled her eyes slightly, before exiting, leaving Scarlet and Blue to share puzzled glances with one another.

“I wonder what that was all about?”

Blue shrugged his shoulders, before pouring himself a new cup from the coffee jug. Silently, he sipped at his drink, his gaze wandering over to the square computer monitor mounted on the wall between his bed and closet, which currently displayed an analogue clock face. Thoughtfully, he twisted his head around to look across at the video game console.

“Something on your mind, Adam?”

“Hmm?” Blue sounded, before turning his attention to Scarlet. “Paul, I need you to close your eyes.”

“Why?” Scarlet asked, a note of surprise to his tone.

Blue set his mug down and extended upwards to his feet, moving the short distance to the end of his bed. Wordlessly, he lifted up the neatly-folded, fuzzy blanket he had tossed on Scarlet earlier, and shot a pointed look at the other captain.

“Alright, you win,” Scarlet conceded good-humouredly, closing his eyes.

Blue’s steady footsteps immediately greeted Scarlet’s ears, before shortly ceasing. The dull clicking of a door opening on its hinges soon became apparent, followed by a chugging thrum, interspersed with the rattle and squeaking of wheels. The minor cacophony grew louder, as Blue and the object drew closer to Scarlet, before dropping away to Blue’s footfall alone. With the muffled thump of a door being closed, Blue gave his permission for Scarlet to open his eyes. Scarlet’s gaze immediately fell upon the objects Blue had, no doubt, removed from his closet. A box-like monitor sat atop a laminated trolley table, taking up most of the small area of the imitation-timber surface. Despite being some eighty years old, Scarlet still recognised it as a vintage television. His parents’ old home back in Winchester had housed enough generations of Metcalfes to acquire an eclectic range of interesting furniture and bric-a-brac. In fact, Blue’s 4:3-aspect-ratio TV looked so much like the one Scarlet had seen in his attic, that he was mildly suspicious it was the same one.

“How the devil did you manage to fit that inside your closet?”

“Easy,” Blue replied, shifting his dining chair back to its spot by the window. “I removed the bottom shelf in the broader compartment and shoved it under my bed, along with whatever boxes wouldn’t fit.”

Scarlet recognised the preoccupied look on Blue’s face and decided to leave him be until he was done. Grabbing a napkin, Scarlet scraped the lamington crumbs off the table onto a plate, before collecting the remaining dishes onto Symphony’s tray and transporting them across to the kitchenette. A companionable silence fell over the two men as Scarlet washed the dishes and put the remainder of the food and coffee away in the fridge. Hanging up the tea towel, he turned around to find Blue plugging the video game console into the television.

“Aren’t you getting a little excited? I thought you got that console as a gift for Richard?”

“Yes, I did,” Blue replied, sighing slightly as he straightened up. “It’s not like it’s brand new, though. Besides, I’m curious to see how she goes. You game?”

“Not particularly,” Scarlet admitted. “But if you’re so keen, then go ahead.”

“Great.” Blue handed Scarlet the stack of keep cases, despite Scarlet’s assurance of his disinterest. “Take your pick. Personally, I thought the one with the forest looked the most promising. I think it’s called, uh, Burnt Sienna.”

Scarlet searched through the games, until he came to the one with the aforementioned title. The cover artwork was visually underwhelming, consisting mostly of drab, olive-green plant foliage and an old, white mansion. Scarlet produced the cartridge and held it out for Blue, who looked up from his kneeling position beside the game console, where he had just finished plugging in a crescent-shaped object – a controller, presumably. Blue’s pale eyes reflected puzzlement as Scarlet stared down patiently at him, his gaze coming to rest upon the croissant-esqe object, clutched between Blue’s hands: amusingly, the chosen game’s cover also featured a pair of hands brandishing a similar type of controller, with the title overlayed onto the hands like a burnt etching.

“Thanks.” Blue set the controller down and took the cartridge from Scarlet, ignoring the patient stare still being projected his way. Both men settled onto the bed once the cartridge had been loaded and Blue had selected the AV channel. Jaunty harp music sounded from the console, as the animated logo of the game’s producers played on the monitor: the ligne claire figure of a little, taupe mouse was shown sniffing out a piece of green cheese, only for the scene to zoom out to reveal that the mouse was on the Moon. This was a fact of which it seemed to suddenly become aware, as he tilted his head up in concern, his nose twitching. In the meantime, the name of the production company curved around the base of the Moon, before the animation faded out as the little mouse pulled on a clear space helmet.

A set of licensing restrictions and warnings followed in succession on the screen, before the main menu of Burnt Sienna loaded. The main menu consisted of the cover art from the case, along with a series of text options on the bottom of the screen. Barely perceptible ambient music played on a loop, as the first of the text options was automatically highlighted, pending selection. Blue was clearly confident with the game controller, as he briefly consulted the ‘Help’ and ‘Game Setup’ menus, before shifting the analogue stick back over to ‘New Game’. There was a pause as Blue hit the confirmation button, lasting long enough that Scarlet began to wonder if either the cartridge, or game console, could be damaged.

“Looks like there may be a defect,” Scarlet commented. “At least you discovered it before you gave it to Captain Ochre.”

Blue twisted his head around and returned the other man’s gaze, only for his eyes to widen.

“Captain!”

Scarlet stared up disbelievingly at the vision of his friend and his room – suddenly multiple times larger. But Captain Blue had heard his exclamation; dropping into a kneeling position, Blue tracked forward until he was right in front of the monitor. Scarlet took a step back as Blue’s face filled out his entire line of sight.

“You’re in the TV,” Blue stated in a dull monotone, his blue eyes still big with shock. “You’re in the game.”

“I can’t be!” Scarlet snapped. “You’re delusional – or rather, we’re delusional. We must be.”

“You’re so small...” Blue continued dazedly, seemingly not having heard Scarlet, “... I could put you right in my pocket.”

Blue moved his index finger up, brushing it against the screen, as he used it as a comparison against Scarlet’s current stature. Wonderingly, Blue made a vague mime of sweeping the apparently-virtual officer up into his grasp, prompting Captain Scarlet to pull his head back and take another backward step. Sensing no immediate threat, and too bewildered to say anything else, Scarlet closed his eyes and silently counted in his mind, in order to clear his thoughts and effectively ground himself.

“I don’t think we’re imagining things, Captain.” Blue’s voice forced Scarlet out of his reverie. “You are in the game, somehow. In fact, I think you’re my playable character.”

Scarlet slowly opened his eyes, his gaze already directed up in an exasperated glare. Before he could open his mouth, however, he saw his comrade operating the game controller. The sound of a playful, acid-jazz track, with an irregular backbeat, opened up around him. Scarlet turned to face a windmill of saturated, rainbow colours that slowly rotated like masses of gloop in a lava lamp. The backdrop was still visible under his red boots, as though the scarlet-clad captain was suspended amongst the colourful abyss. Also visible in front of his legs was a gold arrow pointing to his left, which suddenly dimmed before him; the world seemed to briefly blip and the music track was reset to the beginning. Everything seemed much the same, except now there were two arrows, directed left and right. The area off to Scarlet’s right also seemed to have shrunk slightly, though it wasn’t easy to tell from his current perspective.

The sequence of events repeated itself multiple times, prompting Scarlet to cover his ears, more as a gesture of frustration toward the highly-repetitious, musical segment, than any pain from the track’s volume. Despite the confusion, Scarlet was aware that Blue was still working the controller... moving through different selections?

“Captain!” Scarlet shouted, waving his arms above his head to get Blue’s attention. “Captain, what is happening now?”

“I’m on the character-selection screen,” Blue replied, not taking the veiled hint to cease his current action. “It seems you can choose from all sorts of fictional characters for your avatar. I’ve already gone past Miss Marple, Bambi, Dumbo, a Magersfontein Lugg, a Psyche Zenobia...”

“Captain Blue, please focus...”

Scarlet felt the sudden sensation of something on top of his head. Reaching up, Scarlet patted his crown and found that he had acquired a parabolic bonnet on his head. Quickly looking down at himself in surprised shock, Scarlet found that he was no longer in his Spectrum uniform. Scarlet’s disbelief was gradually replaced, in part, by annoyance when he recognised as who he was dressed.

“Andy Pandy... really, Adam?”

In response, Blue pointed the game controller at the screen and smoothly shifted the analogue stick repeatedly to one side with his thumb, before abruptly stopping. The slow, deliberate way he punched down on the confirmation button, along with the small bong that sounded, told Scarlet that he had selected a different character. Scarlet surveyed his new outfit with mortification. He was dressed in a white bodysuit, with a red naval neckerchief draped loosely over the cap-sleeved garment, flourishing into a purple bow that encompassed much of his chest. Blushing profusely, Scarlet self-consciously tugged at the hem of the red, pleated micro-skirt that barely worked to provide modesty for the brief-like, lower portion of the bodysuit.

“Hello, Sailor,” Blue said with a wink and a slasher grin.

Unable to pull his skirt down any more, Scarlet gave up and crossed his arms against his chest, glaring up at Blue through the monitor screen.

“Alright; you’ve had your fun. Now will you please put me back in my clothes?”

“Oh, but the Sailor Mars theme suits you to a T,” Blue protested mischievously. “She was a Martian princess in a past life, and is currently living in present-day Earth as a red-clad soldier with the power to produce fire. Compare to a hybrid-Martian soldier living on Earth, who also dresses in red...”

“Captain Blue!”

“Alright, alright; don’t get your knickers in a twist...”

Scarlet silently glowered as Blue re-edited him back into the Andy Pandy costume, minus the bonnet. “Captain Blue,” he said sharply. “The situation at hand is far from innocent, yet you’re busy acting the fool.”

“Sorry, Captain,” Blue replied, his tone becoming more serious. “I think I’m finding it a little hard to believe this is really happening.”

Scarlet’s features softened slightly. “Yes, it does rather seem that we’ve fallen down the rabbit h–”

Scarlet suddenly felt the disturbing sensation of emptiness under him, as the floor disappeared, leaving nothing but the intangible mixture of gases, constituting breathable air, to support him.

“–hohhhhhh – OOF!”

Sadly, the air did not take well to this heavy burden, and simply let the simulated gravity do its thing. Scarlet sat up slowly, softly shaking his dizzy head as though to clear it. Looking around, Scarlet saw that he had fallen amongst some prickly shrubbery, serving as one of the many understory plants and fungi in a forest of evergreen trees. He went to move, but found that his left wrist was caught amongst the bramble. Gingerly, Scarlet used his other hand to disengage himself, before inspecting the offending object that had gotten him hooked. The object in question was a metal plate, similar to a military dog tag, attached to a ball-chain bracelet. Oddly, there was no inscription on the plate, while the links lacked a clasp for removal. Irritated, Scarlet tried to slide the bracelet off, to no avail.

“Wretched thing,” Scarlet muttered to himself. “Oh, well. I guess I’m stuck with it for now.”

Pulling himself to his feet, Scarlet roughly brushed himself off, before straightening up. Sunlight filtered through the dense collection of trees, forming a broad spotlight that glimmered like a fine sheet of mist over a waterfall, providing the basis of life to the infinite collection of biodiversity crowding the forest floor. All the while, the massive evergreens towered majestically over all the other organisms, reaching up as though to greet the clouds themselves. Scarlet tipped his head back and drew in a deep breath, as he took a few moments to simply appreciate the complex and pensive beauty of such a seemingly-rare oasis.

Opening his eyes, Scarlet set about moving on to more practical concerns. Although he was sure Captain Blue could still see him, he was no longer able to see the monitor screen. The density of the forest made visibility difficult. However, Scarlet specifically recalled the decaying mansion on the cover art of the game, located somewhere amongst woodland: it made sense to try and find it. Scarlet briefly entertained climbing partway up one of the evergreens, but it was too high to the nearest branches.

“Captain Blue,” Scarlet spoke up. “If you can hear me – and I’m sure you can – give me some kind of sign of where I should go now.”

Scarlet paused as he waited for an action from Blue, before sighing. “I suppose I’m...”

The world before Scarlet suddenly dimmed, and became still, as a medium-sized screen appeared before him. It was the options menu, and still two-dimensional from Scarlet’s holographic perspective; Scarlet peered around the suspended screen in a combination of vague alarm and wonder. He looked back around the front in time to see the ‘Main Menu’ bar being highlighted, before promptly being returned back to the described location.

“Glad to see your face again, Captain,” Scarlet said, his expression neutrally dour, belying the lighter note of joy in his voice.

Blue was all frowns as he surveyed his miniaturised best friend. “I’ve got an idea, Captain Scarlet. If I save and exit the game, maybe you’ll come out.”

“It’s worth a try, Adam.”

Blue nodded his head, before shifting the analogue stick to the ‘Save & Exit’ option. The game promptly closed down, leaving the television-monitor image as grey static with accompanying white-noise audio. Unfortunately, Blue remained alone in his quarters. Frowning more deeply, Blue temporarily ejected the cartridge, immediately inserting it back into the video game console and waiting impatiently as the opening credits rolled. With the loading of the main menu, Captain Scarlet returned. With his hands on his hips, Blue could tell that he was angry. He was also sure that he could see the disappointment flickering in Scarlet’s clear-blue eyes.

“I think we can both agree that was a complete failure,” Scarlet declared sharply. “Not to mention, it was if I had temporarily died.”

Blue was surprised not to feel more relieved than he did to see his friend. Trying to sound convincingly moved, he replied, “Still, I’m glad to see you’re okay, Paul.”

“That’s debatable,” Scarlet rumbled deeply, before coldly addressing Blue again. “Any other ideas?”

“I could pull the plug out of the socket,” Blue suggested dubiously. “But it probably wouldn’t work, and it might actually cause some damage to the console–”

“–so don’t do it,” Scarlet interjected, shuddering.

Blue paused and watched Scarlet for a moment. “That only really leaves one option, Captain Scarlet: we’ll have to continue the game through to its conclusion. Ready, Paul?”

With no other choice, Scarlet simply nodded his head gloomily.

****

Scarlet’s return to the forest was accompanied by the quiet, haunting melody of a low whistle and uilleann pipes. A light rain drizzled amongst the undergrowth, as young cumulonimbus clouds loomed forebodingly over the evergreens. Scarlet opened his mouth slightly and glanced up, several drops of water splattering across his cheeks and diminutive nose. Scarlet’s heart pounded, as the clarity of the cool, damp air invigorated his senses. The lightness of spirit twined with solemn realism in a heightened state, leaving the captain alert, yet faintly susceptible to his own recklessness.

Blue was, once again, out of sight, but the presence of the cumulonimbus clouds overrode the sensation of solitude, as Scarlet set about locating the mansion with purpose. Gathering a series of smaller rocks and pebbles, Scarlet arranged them in a rose-of-the-winds pattern, before setting off in one of the allocated cardinal points. The cloud cover and dense forestation made reading magnetic direction and time of day practically impossible, but with no bearing on where the mansion was in relation to the forest, it didn’t matter much.

Scarlet continued on his chosen path, trying his best to stay in a linear direction, pausing every so often to create another rock place marker. The mild patter of rain became more insistent, as the far off sound of thunder rumbled in the distance. Several times, Scarlet stumbled on the slippery moss. It was a shame, thought he grimly, that Andy Pandy did not have a more-practical fashion sense. Still, he was experienced and, after five minutes, he estimated he had covered roughly one hundred and fifty metres. Failing to find his objective, he retraced his steps back to the inaccurate compass rose. There, he removed one of the points from the rose, before starting off in another direction.

Scarlet tried to quicken his pace: he’d been travelling for more than ten minutes now, and the storm was drawing nearer. The wind had picked up and torrential rain blurred the scenery; despite his efforts, the captain was forced to slow down. Reaching the edge of a gully, Scarlet stopped and surveyed the area. The gully formed an ephemeral waterfall, rainwater plunging down the rocky staircase and flowing energetically along the brook below. Scarlet hesitated, wondering if he should go back. A bolt of lightning between clouds above him spurred him to keep ahead. Carefully, Scarlet lowered himself down the ledge, rock hopping like a nervous toddler down stairs. A sheet of lightning flashed, temporarily blinding Scarlet and causing him to lose his footing and slide the rest of the way into the brook.

“Ouch,” he cursed briefly.

Looking down, Scarlet saw he had acquired a deep laceration to the pad of his left thumb. Dark, crimson blood flowed down his hand and trickled into the stream below. For a brief moment, the broken reflection of a hooded figure could be seen amongst the rapidly-diluting substance, before both disappeared. With nothing to cover the full-thickness wound, and knowing it would heal shortly, Scarlet gingerly shifted off his sore backside and moved out of the brook. At least nothing seemed to be broken.

Determinedly, Scarlet pressed on through, until he reached a clearing in the trees. Emerging from a briar patch, he sighed with relief as the structure of a dilapidated, white mansion came into view. Its boarded-up windows, crumbling paintwork and conical roofs gave the neo-Romanesque building a suitably-sinister atmosphere – although the only thing concerning Scarlet right then was to get out of the storm.

“I’m back, you t– Captain Scarlet?”

Scarlet swung around to see the monitor screen had returned. Currently staring at him, with a look of fascination, was Symphony Angel.

“Adam, the likeness of your avatar to Captain Scarlet is amazing!” Symphony enthused, turning to address Blue. Looking back at the television screen, she frowned slightly. “I can’t say I like the clothes very much. He looks like he’s wearing clown pyjamas... and he’s filthy! You better not let Captain Scarlet see this. Where is he anyway?”

“Right here, Symphony.”

Symphony’s eyes bulged at the Lilliputian figure waving his hands in the TV, before she narrowed them. Raising her voice loud, she spoke up. “You can come out from wherever you’re hiding, Captain Scarlet. You boys think yourselves so funny, don’t you? You’re just as bad as Captain Ochre.”

Waiting impatiently for Scarlet to appear, but still secretly impressed, Symphony kept an eye on both the monitor and Blue. Blue held his arms crossed against his chest, a game controller gripped limply in one hand. He returned Symphony’s gaze, but remained silent. Similarly, the Scarlet avatar also had his arms huddled together, before he moved across to obtain a small, sharp-looking rock from amongst a nearby thicket. Raising it up pointedly, the avatar promptly slashed it across a finger. Throwing the rock down, the avatar held up the injured digit. To Symphony’s disbelief, the cut began to heal before her eyes.

“Captain Scarlet?” she gasped. “It really is you!”

“Penny in the air...” Blue narrated brassily, “... the penny drops.”

“But how?” Symphony protested, ignoring Blue’s commentary.

“We don’t know,” Scarlet replied, slowly sidling towards the mansion’s side veranda. “Captain Blue loaded up this game, and I just–”

“– Disappeared,” Blue and Scarlet chimed together.

Symphony looked between the two men, shaking her head. “This is all so hard to get my head around. Captain Scarlet, you look terrible.”

“Please, Symphony. I’m quite alright,” Scarlet assured her.

“But you’re in a video game!”

“Yes, and I smell a rat – a Mysteronised one,” Scarlet murmured, rewrapping his arms around himself, as though cold. “I don’t know why I didn’t consider it before.”

“Probably because there’s been no threat announced and you haven’t come down ill,” Blue suggested pointedly.

“In any case, I’m going to inform Colonel White,” Symphony declared, turning to leave.

Scarlet watched as Blue quickly reached across and grabbed hold of Symphony’s arm, just before she completely disappeared from view.

“Symphony, now wait just a minute,” Blue announced earnestly.

“Captain Blue, what are y–”

“What do you think the colonel’s going to say when you tell him what’s happened?” Blue continued. “He’s going to think you’re having him on. You can forget about dragging him in here to provide proof, as well; it’ll just agitate him further.”

Symphony irritably shook Blue’s arm off her, before responding. “What then? We leave Captain Scarlet to live out his days inside of a video game? I agree with him that this could very well be a Mysteron booby trap. If that is the case, others may also be at risk.”

“Symphony’s right, Adam,” Scarlet spoke up. “Finishing the game is probably my only way out, but it doesn’t eliminate the risk of other people falling victim.”

Addressing Symphony, Scarlet continued. “Go to Colonel White and explain everything we know about this... situation. Captain Blue and I will work on getting me out – with your continued permission, Captain.”

“With pleasure, Captain,” Blue said with hollow graciousness.

“SIG, Captain Scarlet,” Symphony said with a brief nod, casting a side glance at Blue, before again preparing to leave.

Scarlet opened his mouth to speak with Blue, when a noise behind him made him pause. Scarlet froze and looked ahead, his gaze going almost cross-eyed, as he listened to the sound of a child humming behind him. As he stood, the angelic, wraithlike voice seemed to move to float directly up behind his right ear. He knew he should about-face: knew instinct implored him to act, but he found that he was irresistibly captivated by the melodious twinkle of ‘Greensleeves’.

Everything happened at once. Icy hands brushed Scarlet’s, as Symphony let out a chilling scream, her face contorted in terror. Spellbound, Scarlet’s concern for both himself and his friend quickly became nothing but a distant memory, as his mind lulled into oblivion.

****

Scarlet groggily woke up to find himself seated in a high-backed, antique swivel chair. When he attempted movement, he found that he was restricted. A quick glance down confirmed that he was, indeed, tied; his upper extremities were secured against the armrests with, what appeared to be, sheer, white stockings, wrapped down the entire length of his forearms. Continuing with the creative selection of bindings, he noted that his torso had been completely enveloped in industrial-grade cling film. A snort of derision escaped Scarlet; at this rate, he wouldn’t be surprised to find himself cocooned up in a web, whilst a giant spider prepared to turn his internal organs into a yummy, delicious and digestible goo.

To his surprise and relief, he saw that his feet had been left loose. At least he would be able to swing himself around to get a good look at his surroundings. The room he was in was rectangular in shape, with no windows and a heavy oak door located in the middle of one of the three visible walls. The doorway was bordered by a curious selection of wooden tiles: every third tile had an intaglio of some kind of animal or mythical creature. Squinting, Scarlet was able to identify a monkey, tiger, rooster, rabbit, dragon and dog amongst the carvings. Turning around 360 degrees, Scarlet saw that the only other piece of furniture, apart from his chair, was an end table against the short wall. The sparseness of the furnishings was made up by their solid construction and ornate, curving design. The decadent dankness was also reflected in the construction of the room itself: the high ceiling consisted of carefully-crafted mahogany boiseries, somewhat marred only by the cracks of time riddling through it. The three walls echoed the detailed panelling of the ceiling, with the intriguing addition of a massive tapestry near the ceiling line. The tapestry, which ran around the entire length of the walls, seemed to depict a series of nine dragons flying above breaking waves and gusty, fogbound hills. Needless to say, the room was also laden with dust, and Scarlet found himself sneezing several times in quick succession.

“Got yourself in a bit of a pickle there, haven’t you, Paul?”

Scarlet swung himself around on the chair to come face to face with the gigantic – at least from Scarlet’s perspective – form of Captain Blue through the monitor screen.

“Is this your doing, Adam?” Scarlet asked, sounding remarkably calm, as he nodded at his bonds.

Blue smirked slightly, before shaking his head. “No – not directly, anyway. I’m pretty sure this is part of an automatic sequence. It actually mentions it in the blurb on the cartridge case.”

“Thanks for sharing,” Scarlet said sardonically. “Where’s Symphony?”

“She left to confer with Colonel White.”

Scarlet nodded his head in acknowledgement, before turning his attention back to searching around the room for something to help him escape his bindings.

“I think the game’s running a little slow,” Blue commented. “According to what I read, you should be wearing–”

A sudden, plopping noise sounded. Scarlet was left staring across in blank bewilderment at Blue through the crooked spectacles that had suddenly dropped onto his face. He was about to open his mouth to respond to Blue’s burst of hearty laughter, when the other man signalled with his hand for Scarlet to turn around. Scarlet shifted his head to see that a blind had materialised on one side of the room. As Scarlet watched, the blind was lit up in a crackling, sepia-toned display, as a film was projected onto it from a recess in the opposite wall.

“This game scene explains the story of Lady Sienna Romanesca, and how she became known as Burnt Sienna,” Blue explained, referring to the game’s blurb.

Scarlet only half-heard Blue, as a melancholic-voiced narrator began to speak up over the footage of the mansion – how it had been.

“Sienna was born in 1853 to Ángel Romanesca and Diavola Romanesca, Countess Winterburn. From her birth, right through her young life, Sienna was much adored by her doting father. Indeed, Mr Romanesca made it his mission in life to make his daughter as happy as possible. He ensured that Sienna was never deprived of the bare necessities or material luxuries befitting a child of nobility. In particular, Sienna had a peculiar fascination of bisque and china dolls. As time went by, Sienna’s collection grew extensively. She loved them all for their individuality, their simple delicacy and beautiful fragility that seemed to reflect her own creative and sheltered ideologies.

“Sienna’s mother, Lady Winterburn, became sole heir to her father’s earldom, after the untimely death of her elder brother. She was an ambitious woman; she had subsequently married, with the intention of producing a male heir. However, after many attempts, the countess and her husband were only successful in producing one living issue, a fact for which she greatly resented her daughter. The resentment ensured apathy, and the continued denial of her wishes pushed it to hate. Thus, despite the security provided by her father and her position, Sienna lived out her final days with a target on her back.

“Convinced she could succeed if given the chance to start over, Lady Winterburn told her husband of her plan to raze the estate and run away from the past. Through her subtle manipulations, she was eventually able to convince him into agreeing to leave Sienna behind. Whether Mr Romanesca knew of his wife’s true intentions, will never be known. On the night of December 24, 1860, the plan was put into motion. The entire estate, bar the hall itself, became nought but an ashen husk, all from a simple match lit by Lady Winterburn. Within the ruins, in a room that had been locked, were the remains of the greatest loss of all...

“Scared of dying, and fuelled by her mother’s betrayal and her father’s numbness, Sienna allowed her wrath to consume her humanity completely, cursing herself to become a vampire. Sienna returned to the manor, as she had promised herself, to take revenge on her parents. However, she found that she was too late: her father, grief-stricken and horrified at his own negligence toward his beloved daughter, first slew his wife, then himself.”

Involuntarily, Scarlet jumped as a holographic vision of the hanged corpses of the Romanescas passed right through him. The vision blinked several times in succession, each time zooming in closer to the couple. He’d seen his fair share of death during his time with Spectrum and the World Army Air Force, but there was something innately twisted about domestic slayings that still left him cold inside; he squeezed his eyes shut as the wild stare and gaping mouth, locked in a permanent gasp, of the countess‘s face flashed into view. The husband’s face was twisted away, his head drooped down, as though his grief continued to haunt his body past death.

“Seeing this, Sienna was reminded how much she had loved her parents and how much she needed them... how much she still did. Despite all she’d been through, Sienna was ultimately only a child. A child who had lost everything... everything except her beautiful dolls...”

The narration abated, as the camera gradually zoomed out to reveal a line of porcelain dolls sitting erect on a cabinet shelf. As the film faded out, the doors of the cabinet squeaked closed, leaving only the crackling of the film to be heard.

“So, I’m stuck in a video game with a vampire child roaming around?” Scarlet finally asked, feeling a trail of goose bumps rise on his arms at the thought.

“Don’t worry, Paul; you’re not alone,” Blue reassured him, although, Scarlet noted, there was no real trace of concern in Blue’s tone.

Scarlet ignored Blue, instead using his feet to get the swivel chair moving. The addition of casters made the going easier than without; still, rolling over the large, carmine rug, monogrammed in ashes of rose, proved to constitute an abrupt journey. Scarlet continued determinedly, gruffly joggling over the central trifecta of faintly-embroidered oenothera speciosa, to reach the border near the end table.

“You look like a man on a mission,” Blue commented, watching Scarlet’s actions with curious amusement. “What are you looking for?”

Scarlet paused on a swirling, monogrammed PM and looked up at Blue through his thick frames. “Oh, I’m just off to fetch some tea and biscuits,” he replied dryly. “What do you think?”

Blue grinned. “That would explain your hurry,” he quipped, before holding his arms out. “I think you’re on the right path. Most video games have puzzles that need to be solved at various intervals. Since this clearly isn’t a ‘game-over’ sequence, you’re bound to find something in this room to help you, and the table is a logical place to start. Of course, that’s kind of simple, now that I think about it...”

Blue’s droning faded into the background, as Scarlet concentrated on resuming his efforts. Scarlet reached his destination; there was nothing on the top of the semi-circular table but a detailed runner, so Scarlet set about opening the narrow drawer. It was easy enough to do, as his hands were free and approximately level with the drawer handle. Blue had been right in the first instance, as the contents consisted of basic mailing stationery, fountain pens and a brass-handled letter opener. The letter opener appeared to be of a sturdy construction, so the conundrum was how to remove it from the drawer: Scarlet’s attempts to reach it with his hand were futile, and with his torso bound to the back of the chair, he couldn’t get his head down to use his mouth. There was only one thing left to try...

Scarlet rolled slightly backwards in the chair to allow enough clearance, before kicking the small table over on its side. Most of the contents spilled out onto the floor, including the antique letter opener. Pleased, Scarlet shifted towards the knife, before pushing heavily against one side of the chair. The chair rocked unsteadily several times, before tipping over fully. Scarlet grunted as his shoulder connected with the floor, gritting his teeth as the pain arced through the right side of his body. Quickly re-gathering himself, Scarlet stretched his hand out, straining as he attempted to grab the blade. The sensation of cold steel beneath several of his fingertips signalled his success, and he hastily dragged home his prize. Awkwardly bending his wrist around, Scarlet hacked at the material that was within reach, until he created a continuous split. Luckily, the weakness was long enough that Scarlet was eventually able to tug his right arm completely free.

Scarlet made short work of the rest of his bindings, before getting to his feet. The small lacerations on his arms were already beginning to close, as Scarlet made his way over to the door. Scarlet paused outside and took stock of his surroundings: the room he had been in was at one end of a vast hallway, which jutted out at a one-hundred-and-thirty-five-degree angle to form a slight nook at the opposite end, before diverting off to the left. Scarlet gazed dubiously at the door directly in front of him, before turning to his left to glance up at Blue.

“Anything helpful that you’d like to share with me before I continue?” he asked his friend coldly.

“Just be careful.”

Scarlet glanced at the hand that was being extended slightly towards him, as though Blue was unconsciously trying to place it on his shoulder. Scarlet looked back up into Blue’s face, before nodding his head in affirmation. Turning away, Scarlet made his way down the hall, passing by a collection of rooms on either side of him, until he came to the balustrade about halfway down. Standing at the foot of a staircase landing, Scarlet raised his arm up slightly, as he gazed down at the expanse of floors below him. Scarlet turned his head back toward the remainder of the third-floor hallway, hesitating, before deciding to proceed downwards. The gentle waltz of a Celtic harp danced through the still air; the only other sound came from the ball-chain bracelet, clinking against the wall, as Scarlet unconsciously braced his hand.

Scarlet moved slowly down the steps, taking careful note of the layout of the manor as he descended. Directly below the third-storey gallery, a wrap-around mezzanine formed the centre of the second floor, with the balustrade along the main hallway extending out perpendicularly from either side; oddly, the straight staircase Scarlet was currently navigating opened onto one of the offshoot passages, leaving little room to move between the mezzanine railing and outer stringer of the staircase. Close to the bottom landing, another set of steps curved down majestically from the mezzanine to the ground floor, mirroring a third set directly opposite. Together, they formed an imperial staircase, merging at their endpoint to flourish into a single, grand flight of stairs.

The cosiness of the tawny wallpaper with the dark-timber banisters, subtly highlighted by golden light from the dimly-lit oil lamps, echoed a ghostly aura in the overwhelming gloom of the shadows. Above, the ambient patter of rain hitting the stone rooftop resumed, growing more insistent, as a sudden crack of thunder transposed the crescendo of mournful uilleann pipes. Scarlet paid little heed, continuing to quietly observe along his journey down the imperial staircase and past the structural columns bordering the banister. Nearby, a moth giggled, swiftly evading a leg-shaking heteropoda maxima clinging to one of the columns. The Sparassidae instead grabbed a tiny faerie that went flying by a few seconds later.

Reaching the ground level, Scarlet looked about himself and gathered he was in the foyer of the manor; the width of the room was almost as long as its depth, with many rooms leading off to its sides. Straight ahead, was a surprisingly-modest front door; wind whistled against the arched door frame, as the renewed storm outside continued to gather strength. Despite this, Scarlet reached his hand toward the ring-pull handle, when a feeling of unease suddenly struck him. The palpable sensation of his heart beating filled his ears, as his vision skipped. The brass handle appeared to bend before his eyes, before the door and ceiling were rapidly thrown down in front of him.

“Paul!”

The sudden force had been powerful enough to knock Scarlet off his feet and send him ungraciously sliding several feet on his backside. The last residual of momentum caused the now-stationary Scarlet to park flat on his back. He remained supine for several moments, letting out a low groan.

“Are you all alright?” Blue asked with obvious concern.

“I’m fine, Adam,” Scarlet replied, sitting up with a grimace. “Just my pride that’s been bruised... and maybe my arse. Still, my retrometabolism will take care of that shortly.”

Blue didn’t look in the least amused, his frown only deepening. Scarlet had a meagre of hope that Blue wouldn’t gossip about this, and the other little incidents he had encountered, with the other captains; however, experience told him that it was a foregone conclusion. He just hoped Captain Ochre never got wind of them...

Scarlet grasped the arm of the half-tinted spectacles, which had shifted diagonally across his eyes and forehead, and perched them on his crown. Pulling himself to his feet, Scarlet looked back down at the line of rooms, before deciding to explore the area behind the oaken swinging door, off to the right. Scarlet pushed the door open and found himself in a large kitchen. Wooden pantry cabinets lined almost the entirety of two of the three visible walls, their rotting shelves filled with batterie de cuisine, preserving jars and non-perishable food staples. A door, opposite the one through which Scarlet had entered, led to the butler’s pantry, while the middle of the room was occupied by several long tables which formed the bench space necessary for the preparation of meals.

Scarlet twisted his head back to focus on the wall adjacent to the pantry cabinets, before moving closer. Against one side stood an archaic Charter Oak stove; the cast-iron beast was comparable to two, modern stoves side by side, with the inscription of the manufacturer embossed on the door. At the opposite end, a mid-sized cabinet served as a once-elegant icebox, separated from the stove by a modest benchtop. The centre of the counter housed a double-bowled kitchen sink, set immediately in front of a sash window; around its border, the window was framed by a flourishing Hedera helix. Much of the glass on the lower set of panes had broken at some point, leaving the environment even more susceptible to mould and water damage. Blasts of cold air flowed through the exposed panes, agitating the ivy foliage which crept in from the perimeter, its shoots snaking along the antique, hand-pump faucet and countertop.

Noting the familiar sensation of unease as he experimentally poked his head out the window, Scarlet turned his attention to the ornate, silver tray perched to the left of the sink. It contained all the necessary equipment to complete a tea set. Peculiarly, one of the bone-china cups held the remnants of a tan fluid; Scarlet placed the back of his hand next to the rusted teapot and found that it was lukewarm. Scarlet withdrew his hand with more haste than was strictly necessary, and turned his attention away from the tea set. As his gaze ran down, he noticed the slip of paper, just visible under the tray.

Intrigued, Scarlet slid the paper out, taking care not to tear the aged, fragile material. He quickly realised it was likely a list of some kind, as the contents comprised solely of a dozen words. The words alone made little sense, but most of them had the common feature of being items which might be found in a kitchen or pantry. Scarlet raised an eyebrow, as he turned around to reconsider the kitchen and its contents. It seems as though I’ve got a little scavenger hunt on my hands, he thought. Well, I just hope it’s worth it...

Scarlet decided to start with the narrow shelving above the bench top, and work his way around the room from there. By the time he finished, he’d managed to find all, bar three, of the listed items. Scarlet moved on to the butler’s pantry; it was surprisingly crammed and disorganised, making it harder to find the remaining items. After long minutes of searching, and some offbeat reasoning to piece together the final object, the captain was at last successful.

“Thou didst desire all Earthly things/And still thou hadst it readily/Thy music still to play and sing/And yet thou wouldst not love me...”

Scarlet looked up over his shoulder at the sound of the softly-sung lyrics. “Adam?” he asked quietly, blinking uncomfortably.

Blue’s only answer was to furrow his brow, before turning his head away. Scarlet heaved a sigh, as he turned his attention back to the hidden-objects challenge. He’d gathered all the items onto one of the kitchen tables, and was now brainstorming the specific connection between them. This part of the puzzle was more difficult, especially as Scarlet did not know what he was supposed to achieve. His working hypothesis was that phase two of the challenge’s completion centred on opening a puzzle box: this box featured thirty buttons, with each labelled with a single letter from the English alphabet, and was likely opened by a passphrase. Scarlet contemplated that the listed objects would each provide a portion of the passphrase, but, as yet, he’d had no luck with the letter permutations with which he had come up.

Growing tired of studying the items, Scarlet rubbed his eyes and felt the glasses on his head wobble with the motion. He’d forgotten all about them, but now a thought popped into his head. Sliding the frames on, Scarlet experimentally picked up one of the listed items. The greenish tint of the lower half of the lenses absorbed all bar its specific wavelength, revealing the hidden letter underneath. With renewed purpose, Scarlet quickly set about identifying the remaining hidden letters and un-jumbling them.

“G–R–E–E–N–S–L–E–E–V–E–S,” Scarlet spelt out loud, punching the letters in as he spoke. The subtle click signalled the reward of the captain’s efforts. Pushing the spectacles up off his face, Scarlet pulled back the drawer fully, the discovery quickly discombobulating the previously-eager captain. Scarlet held up the oxidised alloy wonderingly; it was shaped like the motif of the suit of clubs in a deck of playing cards, and also appeared to be a fragment of a larger piece. Scarlet cast a questioning gaze at Blue, who simply shrugged.

“Maybe it’s part of a key? You might still be yet to find the blade.”

As Blue was speaking, Scarlet had been turning the green metal fragment over in his hand. He pushed down on a raised area in the process, causing another piece of metal to come sliding out.

“Well, there you go,” Blue said, waving his hand in the key’s direction. “You got lucky this time.”

“Well, it’s about time I had some,” Scarlet replied moodily.

Scarlet tucked the key, along with the spectacles, into one of his pockets, before turning back toward the rest of the items he had gathered for the hidden-objects puzzle. Almost absently, he lifted up an impossible bottle and gently dusted it off, sneezing several times as a result. Sniffing back the loosened mucous, Scarlet observed the detail of the period-inaccurate Flyer I within the darkly-tinted glass, ignoring the rather-gaudy sticker on the base of the bottle.

“Ochre would love this,” he mused, playing with the bottle in his hands, as he continued to idly inspect it. He looked up at Blue before continuing. “It’s a pity you didn’t get him something like this instead.”

Turning his attention back to the bottle, Scarlet took note of the red, circular tab attached to the cork stopper. Giving in to curiosity, he tugged at the tab, yanking the cork out with a muted pop. Almost instantly, he was greeted by a sweet, penetrating odour.

“Oh, no...” Scarlet barely managed to choke out, instinctively reaching for his throat. The bottle slipped from his grasp, emanating a piercing shriek as the captain collapsed sideways. Waiting shards of glass were further splintered under impact, the momentum driving some of the largest survivors past fabric and into the spongy flesh above. The Spectrum captain lie oblivious, clear fluid dribbling down from his ear, as blood began pooling out from under his still body.

****

“Captain?”

It seemed like only a moment had passed when Scarlet once more became conscious of his surroundings. The definite knowledge that he was awake was hampered by residual sleepiness, gradually turning into disappointment at being plucked out of such a deep and restful slumber. He wasn’t sure what had awoken him, but he supposed he’d have to investigate.

“Captain Scarlet, can you hear me?”

It was a pity; all he really wanted was to go back to sleep...

“Captain, are you alright?”

“Mm, yes, Symph-ny... just... waking up.”

The words tumbled out of Scarlet’s mouth, almost as though someone else had spoken them. Scarlet pushed himself up onto his elbows, but had more difficulty opening his heavy lids, which felt as though they had been glued shut. He was still drowsy and, in his current, disoriented state, found that his mind was processing his situation much faster than he could cognise it.

“Did you speak to the colonel?” he mumbled, instinctively trying to appear more together than he felt.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” the voice – Symphony – persisted. “You can barely open your eyes.”

Scarlet finally forced his eyes open wide enough to be able to shoot the Angel pilot an exasperated look that unintentionally manifested as an irate glare. “Yes, I’m fine,” he responded shortly, his voice regaining more of its usual clipped depth. His tone softened as he added, “I remember what happened now: I was knocked out by the substance in that bottle. Some kind of anaesthetic, though I cannot hazard to guess what would have affected me so quickly.”

Gingerly rubbing at his throat, Scarlet looked about himself and found that he was back on the third floor, in front of the staircase landing. His still-bleary gaze came to rest on his companions and he saw Symphony swallow, in preparation to speak, when it became clear he would say no more.

“I did speak to the colonel,” she confirmed, as the still-struggling Scarlet watched her carefully. “You were right, Captain Blue: I don’t think he really believed a word I said. Still, he heard me out and said he’d have someone come up to check on us, and gather more information for background checks, if need be.”

Scarlet’s eyes flickered with the hint of disappointment. He opened his mouth to speak, when Blue interjected.

“I told you both it was a bad idea to talk to Colonel White. Now we’re only going to be delayed.”

Scarlet pointed an accusing finger at Blue through the screen, as he rose to his feet. “Adam, I did nothing but watch you begin to play this... this game. You are the one with the controller.”

“You think I did this... of my own volition?” Blue asked, sounding more confused than affronted.

The ominous glare Scarlet lifted toward the blond captain held a flicker of suspicion that he did not miss.

“Paul...”

Scarlet sighed, breaking eye contact, as he flicked his gaze down and tucked his hands under his elbows, positioning them across his chest. He remained silent, so Symphony made the decision to interject.

“I think Captain Scarlet is suggesting that the Mysterons may somehow have affected the controller. We certainly don’t know the full extent of their capabilities, so it’s entirely possible.” Turning to Scarlet, she added, “I know you’re feeling overwhelmed, Captain, but we’ll do everything we can to help you.”

Scarlet looked up at her. “You’re forgetting that we’re on opposite sides of a screen, and I’m trapped here a–”

****

“Symphony? Captain Blue? Anyone around?”

Quickly inspecting the rooms, Captain Ochre slid his firearm back into its holster, before dropping down his cap microphone.

“I’m in Captain Blue’s quarters, but there’s no one in here. However, there is an old TV and gaming console out, as well as a stack of CD cases, one of which is open.” Ochre absently picked up the erroneously-identified keep case, while listening to Colonel White’s response. “Well, I just tried turning the TV on, but I’m only getting static... I swear to you, sir, this isn’t any prank of mine... no, nothing appears to be unduly out of order, but... I don’t know. Yes, sir, I’ll be right up.”

Captain Ochre took a final, uneasy glance around the main room, before retreating. Had he remained inside for a few minutes more, he would have witnessed the shearing sparks of olive light, as a tow-haired figure, dressed as though Enid Blyton’s Noddy, was inscribed on the still-open keep case...

****

“– lone...”

Scarlet cut off his own words, as the screen before him suddenly disappeared. The captain uncrossed his arms, his eyebrows rising back up into a neutral position, as his frown dissipated. Lightning flashed across the landing, reflecting off Scarlet’s eyes, as they shifted back and forth. A sudden sensation of pressure against his back sent him off balance; a jolt of instinctive dread coursed through him, as he realised he was falling head over heels. Scarlet tumbled helter-skelter down the steps, before finally winding up sprawled across the bottom landing.

He was not alone, however; the heavy mass that had sent him over the edge landed bodily across the spreadeagled captain, forcing the air from his lungs. His jaw slack as he fought to regain his breath, Scarlet could do nothing but stare, as the figure emitted a low groan, muffling the faint tinkling of a bell. An outline of indigo shifted, as the figure stirred, slowly lifting up their head to reveal long strands of pale, golden bangs curtaining their shadowy face. Captain Blue locked gazes with Scarlet, his eyes spelling disorientation against Scarlet’s shock, before pushing himself up with a grunt and awkwardly rolling off his comrade. Set free, Scarlet concentrated on lowering his respiratory effort, before he sat himself up upon his elbows. Despite the violence of his descent, Scarlet could find no trace of substantial injury to himself. Scarlet watched Blue closely, as the other captain rose to his feet: the absence of adequate lighting made it tricky to observe whether Blue was unharmed.

“Adam, are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Blue responded with a characteristic sigh, his tone almost dismissive. He paused, his gaze wandering to take in the mussed form of Captain Scarlet, before tsk-tsking. “What are we going to do with you, Captain Scarlet? You’ve gotten yourself all messy again.”

Scarlet scowled up at Blue, the concern in his eyes evaporating, as another figure came hurriedly down the stairs.

“Captain Blue, Captain Scarlet! Are you two okay?”

“We’re fine, I think, Symphony,” Scarlet replied, looking in mild surprise at the upturned palm being offered to him by Blue. Accepting it with a grateful nod, Scarlet turned to address both Symphony and Blue.

“This wasn’t quite the reunion I was envisioning. Adam, were you operating the controller just before the two of you were pulled in?”

“I suppose I was,” Blue reflected, tipping his head up to one side thoughtfully, the small bell attached to his blue pointed cap jingling with the motion. “Yes, I was.”

“Can you remember what you pressed?” Scarlet asked.

“I remember the literal button I hit,” Blue replied, turning to look over the mezzanine railing as he added, “I certainly don’t know how Symphony and I got in here.”

“Hmm... I suppose my next question is probably going to be obvious, but do you still–”

“Have the controller?” Blue supplied. He uncrossed his arms from behind his back and reached inside the hip pockets of his blue shorts, extracting the crescent-shaped object. “Well, there’s your answer, Paul.”

“Okay, now look, this is very important, Adam: no matter what, do not operate it. If the Mysterons have somehow affected it, we don’t want to complicate matters further.”

“SIG,” Blue responded, sliding the controller back into his pocket with a soft pat.”And I won’t even lose it, Överste Metcalfe... sir.”

The resting expression of general disinterest across Captain Scarlet’s face belied the quiet amusement playing around his lips, giving the impression of either wry arrogance or sass – depending on how generous one is feeling. However, the silent exchange in the twinkling eyes of the two men spoke of good humour and the telling of a private joke.

Scarlet turned his attention between his two colleagues, his voice lightening as he spoke up candidly. “As dismayed as I am to see you in here, I must confess that I am very glad to see you both – in the flesh, if you will.”

His gaze shifted, as he finally took the time to properly observe the articles in which his friends were dressed: Captain Blue was instantly recognisable as Enid Blyton’s most-famous Toyland resident, but Symphony’s character was less easy to discern. She had remained dressed in her white shirt, decorated with purple flowers and pink dots. However, her deep-blue slacks were missing; in their place was a ruffled mini skirt that switched from pink, to a light blue-grey with white polka dots, halfway down. A wisteria bow, adorning the ultramarine collar of Symphony’s shirt, was another quaint addition, but by no means the most unusual. The most curious one was the wide-brimmed halo hat that sat atop her head, neatly framing her face and the loose French plait resting over one shoulder. As a finishing touch, a collection of blue flowers had been grouped together along the right underside of the brim.

“Not exactly haute couture, is it?” Symphony commented bemusedly, having taken note of the direction of Scarlet’s gaze. Feeling along the brim of her bonnet, she screwed up her nose in distaste. “I must look ridiculous.”

“Trust me, Symphony,” Scarlet said, stepping forward and taking Symphony’s hand with friendly affection. “No outfit can detract from your competence and beauty; you are one of Spectrum’s finest agents, and don’t you forget that.”

The remark garnered a genuine smile from Symphony that waned when she reconsidered their circumstances. She squeezed Scarlet’s hand in recompense to reassure him of her goodwill, before replying. “Thank you, Captain Scarlet. Still, I will feel a lot better when I’m back in my own clothes.”

Symphony didn’t need to say anymore for Scarlet to understand. He nodded his head, and turned back around to face both of his two friends.

“We’ve wasted enough time,” he said, his baritone voice becoming official once more. “Now we’re trapped in here: the front door is currently inaccessible and it is, most certainly, deliberate. I suspect that leaving the mansion may be the aim of the game. If this is correct – and achieving it means returning to reality – we’ll have our work cut out for us searching for an alternate exit. I suggest we take a methodical approach and search each area thoroughly. If nothing else, it should mean that we don’t miss any clues pertinent to solving the game; as you told me, Adam, this is a puzzle-based video game.”

“What kind of clues are we looking for exactly?” Symphony asked.

“I don’t know, but I think we’ll know when we see it. Since we’re already here, we might as well start with the third floor.”

With the cessation of bittersweet relief at their reunion, the three Spectrum agents set to work thoroughly searching each of the rooms on the third floor, starting from the end opposite to the small office. The wing, coming off from the main hallway, terminated in an enclosed stairwell to the fourth, and final, floor; after taking a brief look from the top landing, Scarlet retraced his steps to rejoin his comrades. The tension that hung in the air was almost palpable, as though the sparking from shears against an angle grinder could be perceived by all five of their senses – an announcement of a sympathetic enhancement and preparation to engage in battle, or else run for their lives. As the trio continued their search, Scarlet gave Symphony a rundown of the game’s back story, as well as the developments since she’d been absent, as much to distract from the eerie atmosphere as to inform her.

Symphony shook her head, once Scarlet had finished. “It sounds almost too fantastic to be true. If I didn’t know better, I would have said that we were all having a shared hallucination, instigated by the Mysterons.”

Symphony opened a door to another room as she spoke, narrowly avoiding whacking a slack-jawed procompsognathus, seemingly transfixed by a projection of AG Carinae. Realising it had company, the theropod quickly grabbed its beloved cellophane noodles and fled.

“I hope that Spectrum are taking this threat seriously, now that all three of us are missing,” Scarlet mused tersely, his earlier good humour having completely dissolved.

“Have a little faith, Captain Scarlet. The colonel may be many things sometimes, but when it comes to the welfare of Cloudbase staff, he will act to help, wherever possible.”

“He’s a good leader, I know, Symphony,” Scarlet replied cagily. “Doesn’t mean I should make assumptions.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“He still wears his insignia and knows a good leader respects their capability and their flaws – and recognises the strength in operating as part of their team,” Blue replied, before the British captain could answer. “Long story short, it means that Captain Scarlet is being groomed.”

“Groomed?” Scarlet and Symphony both echoed in unison: Symphony with pure perplexity and Scarlet with abstruse offense.

“That’s what I said: I did, I did, I did,” Blue affirmed, bobbing his head forward several times, his bell jangling with the motion.

“I see you’re having fun as your character,” Scarlet noted dryly, changing the subject and turning his attention back to his search.

“Why ever not? There’s nothing wrong with good, old Noddy.”

“You have got to come to your senses sooner or later, Adam,” Scarlet said unhappily. “Symphony doesn’t appreciate being in effigy of Tessie Bear, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life dressed as Andy Pandy, either.”

“So that’s who I’m supposed to be,” Symphony muttered.

“Stop complaining,” Blue said absently. “You both look cute.”

“Cute?” Scarlet repeated. “Adam, we’re trapped in an Überwald. I don’t think cute really jibes.”

“Oh, no?” Blue countered, turning around to shoot Scarlet an ambiguous gaze. “You do know that the Angels have a wager going about which one of us is the cutest, don’t you?”

“Adam!” Symphony exclaimed, embarrassed. “I told you that in confidence...”

“Overall, you seem to rank pretty highly with them,” Blue continued, ignoring Symphony’s outburst. “The contrast between your features is striking, if a bit stern, but I have to agree that you are quite pleasing to the eye. Yes, Paul, you are a handsome one.”

Scarlet found himself blushing as greatly for the second time in this odd day. It didn’t help that Blue inspected him up and down thoughtfully. Scarlet was confident that Blue had no interest in him in that way, yet he couldn’t explain Blue’s sudden appreciation of his superficial physicality. Blue finished his appraisal with another ambiguous smile, ruffling Scarlet’s soft-black hair. His absent smile remained, as he switched to stroke-patting Scarlet’s crown, mirroring the action with Symphony, all whilst nodding his head several times in quick succession. Scarlet and Symphony exchanged mutual, smouldering glances with each other, as Blue withdrew his hands to point at a door. Scarlet, cheeks still flushed and eyebrows dragging down, swung his head toward the door, as Blue twisted the squeaky knob.

“Shall we?” Blue asked, his palm open in invitation toward the partially-open door.

Scarlet grunted in affirmation and pushed the door open the whole way. The room before them bore all the hallmarks of a child’s nursery and playroom. It contained a dark, wooden bassinet, rocking chair, makeshift change table and a wealth of toys that appeared as if they hadn’t been touched in decades. Absently, Symphony pushed a rocking horse, before her attention was drawn to the heavy, nineteenth-century armoire behind it. Specifically, she was intrigued by the large collection of porcelain dolls erected on the top-most compartment, visible behind the glass double doors.

“Those must be the dolls the short biopic referred to,” Scarlet murmured, coming over to join Symphony by the armoire. Turning to face the others, he continued. “There is something significant about these dolls. According to the film, they were the only thing Sienna had left after her transformation. Maybe they form part of some puzzle... have either of you found anything useful?”

Both Blue and Symphony shook their heads. Scarlet looked back up briefly, before gesturing to Blue. “Come on, Adam. Give me a hand to get this rocking chair across; I want to get a better look at those dolls... Adam?”

With Scarlet’s prompt, the men pushed the rocking horse out of the way, before lifting up the heavy, wicker rocking chair and positioning it in front of the armoire.

“The compartment has a keyhole; presumably it was kept locked.” Scarlet produced the verdigris-coated key he had earlier acquired from the hidden-objects challenge, and held it up for the others to see. “I found this in the kitchen earlier. Now, I wonder...”

With Blue steadying the chair, Scarlet clambered up and tentatively attempted to stand, with eventual success. Scarlet inserted the key and twisted; the click of a latch retracting subsequently sounded. Scarlet raised his eyebrows up, spreading his hands up and out in a gesture of small victory aimed at his comrades, almost falling from the chair in the process.

Redirecting his attention back to the armoire, Scarlet opened the doors and examined the dolls. Gingerly, he picked up each of the specimens in turn for closer inspection; he was hoping to find an anomaly, or some kind of pattern that would indicate a riddle or new lead. Scarlet closed his eyes and silently attempted to recall the order of the dolls at the end of the biopic.

“Captain Scarlet, have you discovered something?”

Symphony’s question bored into Scarlet’s thoughts, making him realise he had started muttering to himself. “Maybe,” he replied, with quiet thoughtfulness. “If I can just remember... ah, I think that’s it.”

Scarlet finished rearranging the dolls and hopped down carefully from the chair. Symphony’s gaze shifted from the dolls to scan the rest of the room; nothing seemed to have changed. Her gaze came to settle on Scarlet, who looked surprised, but ultimately undaunted. He rounded the room, quickly, but methodically, inspecting for any alterations. Symphony felt a twinge of sympathy for the British captain, after his search yielded nil; under his mask of professionalism, he was clearly growing greatly stressed and was all-too eager to leave this nightmarish version of his home in Winchester, the place that afforded him memories of a childhood safe and loved. Although friends prior, her growing closeness to Captain Blue had also opened her up to a deeper understanding of the person behind Spectrum’s greatest asset against the Mysterons.

“I thought I was onto something. I mean, the clues were pointing toward the armoire.”

“Well, just because nothing happened in here, doesn’t mean it didn’t trigger anything. We should check out the other rooms.”

As they moved to vacate the room, Symphony caught Scarlet taking a last, long look up at the porcelain dolls, sitting partially obscured behind the frosted outlines of cirsium vulgare, mirrored laterally on each transparent, glass door. Goose bumps trailed along Symphony’s arms, as she suddenly became acutely uncomfortable viewing the line of faces, staring unblinkingly from their static positions near the top of the armoire. They could almost have been human, but for their glassy eyes and unnaturally-pale complexions echoing a permanent state, free of entropy... and void of life.

The trio fell silent, as they left the nursery room and continued down the hallway. After inspecting the remaining rooms on the third floor without discovering much of significance, Symphony spoke up.

“Why don’t we split up to search the rest of the manor?” she suggested. “We could each take a floor to investigate and then meet up back here, by the landing, in three quarters of an hour. It would save a lot of time.”

Scarlet hesitated and looked across at Blue. The other man remained impassively quiet, so Scarlet turned back to face Symphony.

“We are facing an unknown and dangerous situation, Symphony,” he finally responded. “If we separate, we won’t have any way of contacting each other for backup. However, I can concede that time is of the essence... alright; we’ll go ahead with your suggestion. However, I suggest we should rendezvous here in thirty minutes, instead, and reassess our situation.”

Scarlet looked between both Blue and Symphony for confirmation. Symphony readily nodded her head, but Blue simply stared back at Scarlet, the same blank expression on his face.

“Adam?” Scarlet prompted, which achieved an imperceptible nod from Blue. “Good. Symphony, you take the second floor; Captain Blue, you take the first floor and I’ll take the fourth.”

****

The barely-perceptible reverb of a hammered dulcimer filtered through the air, at times remaining only as a steady hum. The ambient echo bled together with the tinny clatter of rain striking the tiled roof. The sky had darkened, as Scarlet returned inside from the gated, rooftop terrace which, along with the two attics, comprised the fourth level of Winterburn Hall. Scarlet glanced out of the tall windows of broad-sheet glass, before turning his attention toward the two ends of the hallway, where the entrances to the conical attics stood.

Scarlet quietly moved down the right-hand side of the long passage, his senses on high alert. He had the distinct impression that he was being followed: crossing one half of the third floor to reach the enclosed stairwell to the fourth, he had caught the sound of a door opening, its hinges creaking ominously. Out on the terrace, the drizzle of water slapping against the discoloured stone tiles partially masked the almost-imperceptible sound of footsteps along the slippery surface. It seemed that the vampiric heiress was particularly fixated on him, though what her reasons were, Scarlet could not fathom.

The space Scarlet entered was within the shorter conical roof, as well as a small, rectangular nook housing a fireplace at its termination. Orange flames crackled softly, as plumes of smoke wisped up into one of the chimneys Scarlet had first seen on the cover art of the game. The reflection of the flames flickered in the man’s eyes, shrouding the expression in them, before he continued his search of the room.

Scarlet abandoned the area when his search came up empty-handed. When Scarlet opened the stiff door to the second attic, he was surprised to find a short staircase before him. The wooden stairs curved, making it impossible to see the section above. The staircase terminated in a tiny recess, big enough only to contain a chair and a small vanity. Finding the drawer locked, Scarlet reached for the gold-embossed, handheld mirror that lie face-down on the dresser, sneezing as his motions displaced the thick dust that formed over it.

Scarlet did a double-take, as he caught the reflection in the grimy, old mirror. Standing a foot behind him, and twisted slightly to the side, was the empty, cloaked-and-hooded figure of a small being. Quickly swinging his head around, Scarlet found the stairwell empty. When he looked back into the mirror, he was stunned to see his entire face, including his lips, were evenly pallid. He’d never seen his face so smooth, so glossy... so porcelain. Scarlet quickly replaced the mirror back on the dresser, his breath hitching. Doing his best to forget the slight, artificial blush colouring his alabaster cheeks and ignore the fact that the complexion of his hands now matched that of his face, Scarlet exited the attic to locate his friends with renewed urgency.

****

Scarlet hastily moved down one of the halls. He was beyond unnerved, to the point that his nerves were positively jangling with dread. He was certain that he and his friends were now in imminent danger. He hoped that Blue still had the controller: it got them into the game in the first place, and it might just get them out, even if Blue didn’t know how he’d done it...

Scarlet swivelled his head around to look behind him as he rounded a corner, nearly colliding into a figure in front of him. Captain Blue stood broadly before him, back in full Spectrum uniform, his hands resting on the sides of his holster belt.

“Adam!” Scarlet exclaimed. “Good. Look, we’ve got to find Symphony and then get out of here. Look at me.”

Blue appeared eerily unmoved. “I know,” he replied blankly.

Scarlet stared at him as though he’d lost it. “What do you mean ‘you know’? Come on, Adam. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but we’re in serious danger. Let’s go.”

“Paul, Paul, Paul,” Blue tutted, twisting around after Scarlet, as the other man slid past him to leave. “What’s the hurry?”

Irritably, Scarlet moved back and tugged on Blue’s arm, jerking him forward slightly, but the man remained stationary overall. “A-dam!”

“You sound just like an obstinate child.” Blue waved his index finger back and forth, as Scarlet abandoned his futile attempt. “Naughty, naughty.”

Scarlet lost his temper, snapping cuttingly, “Look, Captain Blue, you might have a death wish – lord knows the number of times I’ve had to, effectively, order you to stay back – but I am not going to leave you behind. You’ve still got the controller, right?” Blue removed the aforementioned object from his pants pocket and waved it. “Great. Now, if you give it to me, I might be able to figure out how to get us out of this wretched game.”

“Oh, I know how to do that.”

“But you said–”

“I know what I said. How else was I supposed to make sure you behaved yourself? You’re very bossy when you take command.” Blue moved the fingers of his right hand over his thumb and shifted them up and down in a ‘blah-blah’ gesture.

Scarlet silently darted his gaze down to Blue’s hand, before moving it back up to his face.“Adam, why?”

Blue didn’t reply, and instead took a deliberate step forward toward Scarlet. Scarlet edged back in response, as Blue continued to advance on him. Blue abruptly ceased his motion, his lips curling up into a knowing smirk that he aimed at Scarlet, before his gaze shifted beyond him. Scarlet swung his head around, which proved to be a fatal mistake. All Scarlet saw was a glimpse of a blue-lined handgun, before it came crashing down on his head.

****

Clear eyes abruptly opened wide, staring unblinkingly at nothing but a sheet of blinding light above them. Warm chroma bathed the still body, an eerie incandescence that seemed unnatural in the stagnant chill. Slowly, Scarlet sat straight up, his arms hanging limply by his sides. Blinking only once as he moved, he focused on his entire field of vision, observing the dolomite walls and figure of Captain Blue, as they appeared to rise up after him.

He briefly surveyed the small, cavernous space, ascertaining the trapezoid room had three hallways leading out. The room was bare, but an incandescent light globe swinging from the rocky ceiling ensured the area was well-lit. His gaze quickly darted over to Blue, as the other captain slowly moved closer to him, watching him closely; however, he stopped a metre away from Scarlet.

“Prior to the manor being built, the landowner decided to extend the natural cavern formation underneath the planned location,” Blue explained quietly, following the direction of Scarlet’s previous attention.

“How did you know that?” Scarlet asked, his voice so low that it was almost inaudible.

Blue cocked his head to one side at Scarlet, placing his hands on his hips, as a vague look of child-like puzzlement passed his face. “Why, Sienna, of course.”

Scarlet remained quiet, as he warily pulled himself to his feet and walked around the perimeter, keeping Blue in his line of sight at all times, despite his apparent disinterest. The other captain watched him, an emotionless smile forming on his lips.

“What are you looking for?” he asked with apparent amusement, the edge of a chuckle making him sound incredulous.

When Scarlet ignored him in favour of continuing his inspection, Blue continued. “You’re not thinking of leaving me, I hope?”

Scarlet finally turned around to face Blue. “If this cavern has a natural origin...” Scarlet replied carefully, “... then maybe the way out of the property is down here – and another way out of the game.”

“You do want to leave me,” Blue said with a slight scowl, before he added pointedly, “have you looked at your dog tag recently, Paul?”

On hearing this, Scarlet automatically looked down and shifted the dog-tag bracelet from under his left sleeve. The last time he had seen it, it had been blank. Now, engraved messily across the noble metal, was the phrase ‘Propty of Sienna Romanesca’.

The sight sent a horrified chill through Scarlet that served to solidify both his angst and resolve. “How is this happening?” he asked aggrievedly, tensely backing away toward an exit. “I am not falling for your tricks again; you cannot make me stay.”

“Oh, yes I can...”

Scarlet gasped as his arms were suddenly flung down to his sides, as though operating reflexively from his spinal cord. Blue smiled, as he manipulated the game controller to make Scarlet walk stiffly in a figure eight. Scarlet tried to plead with Blue to desist, but found that he could not open his mouth. For the next one-hundred-and-sixty seconds, Blue continued to remotely compel Scarlet to mime a figure-skating short program. Under Blue’s deft manipulations, Scarlet’s movements gradually became more fluid, until he finally fell, after Blue’s overconfidence in attempting a particularly-complicated jump backfired.

Injured from the performance, Scarlet remained lying on his side, only realising that he had regained control of his body when he automatically raised his head up at Blue’s approach. Blue knelt beside him and silently placed his hands on Scarlet’s shoulders, before abruptly backhanding him across the face, causing the other captain to collapse fully to the floor once more.

“Adam, why are you doing this?” Scarlet asked, trying to muster as much strength to his voice as he could, as he steeled himself to look back up into the face of his friend. The expression in Blue’s glazed eyes displayed as eerily empty, almost absently feverish, as he gazed down at Scarlet from his current, high-angle perspective. The contrast against Blue’s otherwise-neutral features, and the natural upturn of his lips, gave him a predatory appearance that made Scarlet’s blood run cold.

“You should have fixed that lisp of yours, Paul,” Blue replied, ignoring Scarlet’s question, as a fleeting edge of pain passed across Blue’s face. “She likes it.”

Scarlet had not missed the two, split-second relapses of control. Mentally filing away the first instance for later, Scarlet opened his mouth to encourage Blue to resist Sienna’s hold. He never got the chance, as Blue’s hand closed around his mouth before he could utter a sound. Half dragging him up manually, and half utilising the game controller, Blue postured Scarlet into the anatomical position. Dissatisfied, Blue repositioned him until he was posed perfectly at attention, the expression of pain from his fractured tibia only evident in his eyes.

As a final touch, Blue produced a small comb from his vest pocket. “As my father has told me, Captain Scarlet, presentation is key in all areas of life,” Blue spoke up, as he ran the comb through Paul’s bedraggled, sable hair. “You really can dress to impress.”

Pleased with his handiwork, Blue tapped Scarlet playfully on the nose with the comb. “Alright, I’m going to look for that naughty little playmate of ours. Don’t go anywhere, alright?”

Readjusting his cap with a grin, Blue turned to exit, leaving the pale and terrified Scarlet as still as though he were nothing but a china doll...

****

Symphony Angel checked her watch for the second time within a minute. As the rooms she had encountered were mostly empty, she had been able to thoroughly cover the entire second floor, within the half-hour time frame. Needless to say, the search had been fruitless and she’d arrived slightly early at the agreed meeting place, hoping that the captains had better luck.

That had been ten minutes ago, and Symphony was losing patience – and growing increasingly concerned that something ominous had befallen the men. Symphony again looked at her watch, wondering whether she should conduct a search. No, she thought to herself, this is a big place and if they are just delayed, they’ll search for me and then we’ll never find each other.

After another five minutes passed, however, Symphony decided she would have to leave to look for them. She decided to start from the top down and, twenty minutes later, had briefly covered all the levels, bar the first one. Although she wasn’t a woman easily unnerved, her concern bled with the creeping edge of insanity she felt about their whole situation, and she found herself missing the comforting familiarity of her friends. Oddly, although she felt very fondly about Captain Blue, she found it was Scarlet who she wanted to see more.

Symphony frowned and unwittingly reflected on the peculiar preference. Captain Blue had been acting strange ever since he started playing the video game. She’d written it down to the unusual circumstances, and had even reassured Captain Blue of their trust; evidently, she had not managed to convince herself, continuing to question his loyalty subconsciously. Now that she was cognisant of her doubts, Symphony realised, point-blank, that she didn’t trust the person she...

Feeling a whole new kind of hollowness open up inside of her, Symphony forced herself back into practical action: she had to focus on finding Captain Scarlet and sharing her suspicions of Blue. Scouring the first floor with care, Symphony lastly came to the kitchen entrance. Her eyes immediately fixated on the corner diagonally opposite to her, where a continuum of wooden shelves had been interrupted by a narrow opening. Scarlet had mentioned being in the kitchen earlier and would have, doubtless, seen the conspicuous doorway. It was with a slight, wry smile that Symphony realised she had been right: Scarlet’s efforts with the armoire likely had unlocked something in a different area, namely, this secret alcove.

A quick inspection revealed that the secret door would be practically invisible whilst closed; the overreaching, mounted shelving and plasterboard not only provided an almost-seamless transition between the neighbouring permanent shelves, but also worked to hide the loop where the parrot-beak catch would be housed when the door was fully closed. The catch itself was anchored to a narrow post that rose up past the termination of the ceiling and disappeared into the floor below; Symphony pushed downwards on the post, feeling the resistance beneath it. On release, the spring-loaded post promptly shifted back up. So that’s how it works, Symphony thought absently, noting also that the post was linear to the upper-storey armoire.

On the other side of the opening, the interior panel of the door was hinged against a thin, independent column that stood several inches right into the doorway, ensuring that there was clearance for the disguised door to swing into the kitchen. The small alcove itself lacked a floor and instead opened onto a staircase landing. The steps led down into a rocky passageway that appeared to form one part of an underground labyrinth.

“Catacombs?” Symphony mused to herself. “I guess they must be down here somewhere... now, the question is how I’m going to find them, without getting myself lost...”

Shrugging her shoulders uncertainly, she chose a path at random and began moving down it, when she spotted a loose piece of rock on the ground. Getting an idea, Symphony scooped it up and backtracked the distance to the mouth of the pathway, using the rock to mark it. Symphony proceeded along the catacomb passages cautiously, as some areas were only dimly lit. Eventually, Symphony came upon an odd-shaped room, more brightly lit than any of the others she’d encountered.

From the side-angle view near the passage mouth, Symphony could make out the arresting, blue-and-white stripes of an upright figure, standing very still.

“Captain Scarlet?” Symphony asked hesitantly, obvious concern seeping through her voice, as she slowly rounded from the side to approach the dark-haired man.

Scarlet’s only response was a muffled whimper that escaped from behind his closed lips. Reluctantly, Symphony moved up closer next to him, trepidation growing within her.

“Paul?”

Scarlet continued to stare straight ahead, his celestial-blue eyes wild and round with fear. Symphony’s stomach did flip flops, as a rush of horror flooded through her, when she realised both that her friend was immobilised and just who had likely done this.

“It can’t be...” she whispered, as she brought a hand up to caress the side of Scarlet’s face.

“Symphony! I was looking for you.”

Symphony spun around, to find Captain Blue standing at the cavern entrance behind her, his stance wide and his hands akimbo. An oddly-bemused, crooked grin was plastered across his face, giving the impression that he was a parent who had just sprung their child misbehaving.

“Adam!” Symphony breathed. “What are you doing? You’ve got to let him go!”

Blue’s words sent shivers down Symphony’s spine. “He’s my toy,” he answered simply. “He will make an excellent gift for Sienna’s collection.”

“Adam, listen to yourself!” Symphony exclaimed, as Blue drew the game controller from his pocket, his unblinking gaze locked with hers. “This isn’t you. You’re being brainwashed by this game. You love me... don’t you, Adam?”

“I’ve been in love with you for a long time now,” Blue confirmed matter-of-factly, purposefully raising the controller in Symphony’s direction.

Despite herself, Symphony felt her heart beat faster in her chest at the words she’d so longed to hear Blue speak. Carefully, she moved toward him and laid a hand across one of his outstretched arms. “If you love me, will you still hurt me?”

“... No,” Blue replied hesitantly, sounding more like himself, lowering his arms down slightly. “No, I couldn’t do that. Not for Sienna. Not for anyone.”

“You also love Paul; you wouldn’t want to hurt him either, would you?”

Blue’s gaze fell away from Symphony’s. “Platonically? With all my heart; for once, I can make him stay,” he answered, his voice becoming ambiguous once more. “But Sienna really wants a Mysteron for her collection. Much like this game, he’s a rare find. Whilst most of her collection will eventually decease and decompose, Paul will remain unchanged forever – with a little maintenance.”

Before she had time to fully react, Blue decisively backed up and brandished the controller at her, issuing a command. Abruptly, Symphony froze in place, her right arm and torso in mid-stretch toward Blue and her mouth open in the start of a protest. Gradually, she began to fade, before disappearing completely.

Hearing a stifled cry, Blue turned and surveyed the melancholic anticipation glittering in the still-very-human eyes, as he moved up to the Mysteron reconstruction of his deceased best friend. “I sent her out of the game, Paul; she’s safe,” he explained huskily.

Crouching down, Blue put one arm around Scarlet’s back, whilst wrapping the other behind Scarlet’s knees, drawing him up into a bridal carry. He looked back up into the other man’s face, before his features relaxed into an empty smile once more. “It’s just you and I now, old friend.”

From his peripheral vision, Scarlet saw the image of Captain Blue suddenly glitch into partial transparency, a green hue surrounding him, an instant before he blinked into the cloak-and-hooded echo of the game’s tragic villain. The vampire child manifested in full opacity for a fraction of a second, before Blue returned. The glitch was over, almost as quickly as it had begun, but Scarlet had successfully picked up on the exchange: with a blue-tinged hand of pure white, Sienna Romanesca had secured possession of the game controller.

For a moment, Paul’s dread-filled eyes caught Adam’s widening ones, before the two of them were fast-tracked through the cavern corridors, blurring as they were moved at hyper-speed. The captains were momentarily brought to an abrupt halt at a threshold, where the cavern opened up into an irregular heptagon, before they were accelerated dazedly through the crude and phantasmagorical imitation of the nursery. They stopped in front of the floor-to-ceiling replica of the top-most armoire compartment, as one of the intricate, glass doors slowly opened before them.

With the cessation of the high-energy chaos, the only thing that seemed left was a burning dissonance in Adam’s glacial-blue eyes, as he cast his gaze from his friend, still immobilised in his arms, to the door. Coming to a decision, Blue moved forward and carefully set Scarlet down; unable to move, Scarlet tipped to one side lifelessly, his head coming to meet the rocky floor.

Scarlet’s heart hammered in his chest, as he watched the sky-blue boots recede. The steady clacks, echoing discordantly through his ears, gradually grew more distant, before stopping completely. Scarlet could only make out nauseatingly-blurry, side glimpses of his friend, as he closed the glass door behind him. The darkness that suddenly encompassed him, and the sound of his own, heavy swallow, alerted Scarlet that he had regained control of his body. Scarlet opened his eyes and jumped to his feet, swaying unsteadily in his dizziness.

“Adam!”

Blue paused and turned his head around a fraction, before resuming his retreat. Trying to ignore the line of bodies on either side of him, Scarlet tactilely surveyed the glass-panelled door for a latch, but found it was smooth.

“Adam, let me out!” Scarlet yelled, banging on the glass. “Adam, please; please don’t let it end like this.”

Blue stopped again and turned partway around. “You’re always throwing yourself in the line of danger and I’m always the one left to watch you die, over and over. It’s not natural and it doesn’t get any easier. I hate it, Paul.”

“I know it hurts you. I’ve been so close to requesting you be removed as my field partner, but I’m too damn selfish to go through with it. Do you know that I hear you during the countless hours you spend beside me in sick bay? Yes, my body can recover from almost anything that gets thrown at it, but that doesn’t help me mentally. My own family don’t know who I am anymore, but you do. You are like the brother I never had. I... I need you, Adam. I’m ashamed to admit it, but it’s the truth. I’m so sorry.”

Scarlet subconsciously placed his palm on the glass toward Blue, who slowly raised his opposite hand up to mirror Scarlet’s. The two men tilted their heads forward to rest on the glass, in symbolic commiseration. Scarlet could feel his eyes welling up and made a concerted effort to fight back the release. Inevitably, several treacherous tears slipped out and came to rest on his cheeks, as he gazed across at Blue’s ashen face. His friend’s pale, glistening eyes met his with an expression of sad regret and resignation.

“Sienna isn’t going to let us go,” Blue murmured, sniffling slightly.

“I know,” Scarlet replied quietly. “But I want to be beside you – no matter what our fate is.”

Blue stared at him, before his lips curved up into a small, knowing smirk. His eyes twinkled with conspiratorial defiance, as he pulled out his handgun, raising it up above his head for one last hurrah. Scarlet brought his arms up toward his face protectively and turned away, as the glass was shattered with a piercing echo.

Breathing deeply, Adam Svenson and Paul Metcalfe embraced, before positioning themselves back-to-back, arms tightly linked and eyes wide open, in preparation for whatever lie ahead. No matter what, they were in this together.

Perhaps, Scarlet was destined to spend the rest of his long life dressed as Andy Pandy, after all...

****

NAME: ADAM SVENSON	NAME: PAUL METCALFE
CODE NAME: BLUE	CODE NAME: SCARLET
RANK: CAPTAIN	RANK: CAPTAIN
STATUS: PENDING	STATUS: PENDING

Author’s Note:

I want to say thank you to Chris Bishop for allowing this story to be published on her site, and for her and Hazel Kohler for taking the time to review my writing. Any plot holes, factual inaccuracies, word omissions, grammar or spelling mistakes are © mine.

This is a fan fiction based off the television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and originally produced by Century 21 Productions. I do not own any of the Captain Scarlet characters or Spectrum Cloudbase. I do own a tiny, plastic Paul Metcalfe, currently residing under an old sock, but I have not made any money from him, this story or the sock. All of the copyrighted base images, excluding Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons screenshots, have been sourced from the web, and are owned by their respective photographers.

This story was first inspired by Sarah Jane Smith’s iconic outfit in ‘The Hand of Fear’. The title itself is based on a misinterpretation, and mix-up, of several scenes in The Baby Sitters Little Sister book ‘Karen’s School’. Although many things inspired the different elements of the story, two of the most important, after the above, are The Twilight Zone (episode titled ‘Elegy’) and Whispered Secrets: Everburning Candle. Naturally, parts of the story take from certain Captain Scarlet episodes, namely:

• ‘Manhunt’ – the ‘sir’ joke and Blue’s feelings for Symphony;

• ‘Spectrum Strikes Back’ – Scarlet admiring nature;

• ‘Model Spy’ – Symphony and Scarlet holding hands as (presumably) good friends, and

• ‘Attack on Cloudbase’ – Symphony’s feelings for Blue.

I hope whoever is reading this enjoyed the story, and maybe even some of the pseudo Easter eggs. No matter what, I wish you happy browsing in this brilliant website that helps keep the spirit of Captain Scarlet alive.

Cheers!

Glossary
AG Carinae	A luminous blue variable star in the Milky Way
Ashes of rose	A shade of red
Batterie de cuisine	Collective term for assorted kitchen tools and equipment
Boiseries	Intricate wooden panelling
Cirsium vulgare	Common thistle
Hedera helix	English ivy
Heteropoda maxima	Giant huntsman spider, the largest known spider species by length. Only found in Laos.
Noble metal	An inert metal that is resistant to oxidation and the usual material for military 'dog tags'
Oenothera speciosa	A species of evening primrose
Procompsognathus	A small, carnivorous dinosaur, featured in the 1990 novel Jurassic Park
Sparassidae	Taxonomic family of huntsman spiders
In-Story Soundtrack (in order of appearance)
Artist/Source	Title
The Magic School Bus Explores the Human Body	Liver Lever
Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Mallow	Past
Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Mallow	Fiona
God Body Disconnect	The Longer I Dream, the More Disconnected I become

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