A "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons" Short Story
by Sue Stanhope
Cloudbase 2067
Captain Magenta sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Do you think we could stick to the point?"
Captain Ochre leaned back in his chair and frowned deeply at the man sat opposite him; pausing for a moment before leaping to his feet.
"We have NOTHING in common!" yelled Ochre standing threateningly over the Irishman.
"Is that so?" Magenta stood in the room allowed to him without physically shoving Ochre backwards.
"Yeah, that’s so!" Ochre growled in reply, his face only inches from Magenta’s.
"Well, for one, you’ve burnt your bridges Fraser and so have I! You’re supposed to be dead and I’m as good as dead if the Syndicate ever find out where I am. And seeing as you mention it, it may surprise you to know that I’m not exactly thrilled about being paired up with a man whose idea of sophistication is to not drink the ketchup straight from the bottle!"
Ochre bristled at the insult. "So, go back to the Syndicate! I’ll look forward to busting your butt. Putting you behind bars is just a matter of time, Donaghue. Be it in the Syndicate or here, it makes no difference to me."
"You couldn’t get me if your life depended on it!" Magenta snapped taking a small step forward so that the pair were almost nose-to-nose.
Ochre sneered and shook his head. Stepping away, he rounded the table and with his weight on his left hand as he leaned over, he tapped his right temple a couple of times as he continued:
"You haven’t got it yet, have you? The Selection Committee only approached you because it was the only way they could keep you under constant surveillance." Ochre laughed harshly. "What an ingenious way to get New York’s crime scene back under control! You were smart Donaghue, I’ll give you that and maybe we couldn’t get you, but what better way to get you out of the picture than to put you right in the middle of an army of military police?"
Magenta stared silently, unblinking. The idea hadn’t occurred to him. He had taken the opportunity at face value, was it really just a sham? Was Ochre assigned to him just to keep him under control?
"And the best part? You fell for it! They offered you a pardon and you took it!" Ochre shook his head mockingly and approached Magenta once more, jabbing a finger into his chest. "They had nothing on you. NOTHING! You had no reason to accept, but by accepting you admitted your guilt. They’ve got you, whichever way you turn now, they’ve got you."
Magenta reached up angrily and gripped Ochre’s wrist, pushing his hand away far enough away to stop the jabbing, all the while glaring furiously.
"Nobody gets me, not before, not now, not ever and DEFINITELY not YOU!"
"No? Well, I’ve got you now haven’t I? Who better to keep an eye on you than me?"
"Oh believe me, Fraser, if they REALLY wanted someone to watch me, I seriously doubt you’d be their first choice!"
"Oh yeah, and why’s that?"
"How long have you got?" Magenta scoffed. "Do I start or finish with the fact that you-just-told-me?" he added emphasising the last four words in staccato fashion.
Ochre pulled his hand out of Magenta’s grasp and smirked. "So what? What can you do about it now? You’re stuck here, under very close surveillance. Don’t think you can get up to your tricks with me around, watching you."
"When are you going to get it through your thick skull that I have no tricks any more. I accepted the pardon, the guilt, if you like, because I wanted it behind me. A fresh start, to do something worthwhile. But, have YOU got it yet, Fraser? I’m working with you. You’re not watching me; you’re stuck with me! I’m your worst nightmare. I’m going to make your life a living Hell and, believe me, I’ll do it… just inside the regulations." Magenta drew himself up to his full height and looked Ochre squarely in the eyes. "You better figure out how to work with me, because otherwise the only place I’m going, is under your skin. Got THAT?"
***
Beyond the drill room, two men watched the heated exchange on a monitor.
"Still think I made the wrong choice putting them together, Conrad?"
The younger man laughed quietly and nodded his approval.
"No, Charles, I think they’re going to make a fine team."
THE END
Some events and characters Copyright © of all trademarks materials (Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons, all characters, vehicles, crafts, etc.), owned by ITC/Polygram/Carlton. Information of the series are all been taken from copyright © materials (books, magazines, videos, T.V. media, comics, etc) owned by ITC/Polygram/Carlton.
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