Part one
He
wasn’t surprised that it had happened. Some of the others had been expecting it
and alerted the newcomers that it was likely to occur... and so it had. Two days
before All Saints’ Day, the Mysterons launched their next attack.
This time, their objective was the destruction of a mining and processing
complex in the Atlantic Ocean by Ascension Island. Due to the Atlantic rift,
there were enough metals and minerals to be of commercial interest, hence the
industrial complex Spectrum now had to protect. However, since it was both above
and below the water, it was not going to be an easy task.
On
one hand, he was a little apprehensive about being part of this mission. On the
other hand, Sepia appreciated that it gave him the chance to use skills that he
had developed on his time off. It also meant that he could stay as Grey’s
partner on this mission, which he was very pleased about, for they did work well
together.
They had been selected as one of the teams to explore the underwater part of the
complex, an assortment of conveyor belts that moved the ore and such to the
processing areas, as well as quite a few pipes and support columns. There was
also service and storage bays for the maintenance, mining and surveying robots
of the company.
Sepia was a little uneasy, as they had to split up in order to explore a cluster
of pipes, but they had no choice because there wasn’t enough room for two divers
to manoeuvre among them. Grey had decided to go and Sepia remained outside to
keep watch. The fact that they were in constant radio contact was a small
consolation. ‘Hmmm, I wonder how he’s doing, checking in amongst those
pipes?’ Sepia thought. ‘I’m not all that happy that I can’t keep Grey in
sight, diving can be hazardous at the best of times. Add in the Mysterons and it
becomes down right perilous. No one has any idea how or when they might
strike... Ah, I think I can see his light.’ Sepia activated his communicator
and asked: “How does it look, Grey? Any sign of Mysteron influence?”
“Spectrum is green, Sepia. So far,
there’s been no sign of any sabotage or any bombs.”
“Great, let’s hope it stays that way.”
“I
couldn’t agree more. I’m almost done,
so I’ll be back with you soon.”
“S.I.G., Grey.”
With a kick or two, Sepia slowly did a full 360°
turn, surveying the sea and structures around him. All seemed quiet. They had
been down for a while, so he lifted his arm to look at his computerized dive
monitor. ‘Good, my comp shows that I still have plenty of air, my heart rate
is okay and my blood chemistry is within expectable limits. And what’s even
better, it’s not going to be long before we’re relieved. In some
respects, it’s a pity we’re here only because of the Mysterons, as this is such
an interesting place. I would love to have time to explore. Oh well, we have a
job to do.’
His thoughts were interrupted by his radio once again activating as the voice of
Captain Scarlet sounded in his ear. “Captain Grey, Captain Sepia, stand down,
the threat is over. The Mysterons attack has been neutralized.”
‘Oh!’
That the threat was now over surprised him, as there had been no indication that
they were making any headway. Maybe he should double check the order, for it
wasn’t unknown for the Mysterons to fake a voice. “Sepia to Scarlet, please
confirm the order.”
“Stand down, Sepia, the mission’s code word is ‘surmount’. We’ve managed to stop
the Mysterons from causing severe damage by blocking one of the processing
systems and Ochre’s team have confirmed that there are no other replicants on
site.”
Pleased to hear the outcome, Sepia acknowledged and verified his obedience of
the order. “S.I.G, Scarlet, standing down and returning to the surface.”
Captain Grey’s reply to Scarlet sounded in his ear as he caught sight of his
partner exiting the mass of pipes and swimming towards him. “S.I.G, standing
down as well, Scarlet. It’s good to hear that we’ve succeeded once again.”
“Yes it is,” replied Scarlet. “I’ll see you once you’ve dried out.”
“Ha, Scarlet,” Grey responded. “See you on the surface.”
As
Grey came alongside him, while they headed towards the ocean’s surface, Sepia
had to ask, “Well, what do you think of that, Grey?”
“Fantastic, Sepia, beating the Mysterons is vital and anytime we do so, it’s
significant and I hope it annoys them big time.”
“I’m with you on that wish Grey. Time to head topside.”
“You bet, Sepia.”
************
Oh, it was so good to see the sun after a long dive and Sepia was grateful to be
able to get out of the gear they had to wear, for it became quite cumbersome
once they were out of the water and he didn’t enjoy moving around in it in that
state. ‘Boy, I hope it doesn’t take us long to return to Cloudbase, I could
do with a good meal and I can‘t wait for a chance to get some sleep.
There’s no doubt that not only will Colonel White want to have a debrief,
but I also suspect that Scarlet’s is going to want to go over the mission as
well as we head back to base. Lucky us,’ he thought as they tied up loose
ends before boarding the S.P.J. to return to Cloudbase.
*************
Happy that the debriefing was now over and that he had managed to grab some food
before it, Sepia made his way to his quarters, where he encountered Magenta and
Ochre in the corridor as they passed by his door, heading the other way.
“Hi, Sepia,” greeted Magenta.
Ochre just waved his greeting.
“Hi, Magenta, Ochre,” he returned.
“You look beat,” Magenta stated. “It must have been quite a demanding dive?”
“It was.”
His reply was interrupted as he tried to stifle a yawn. With a slightly
self-conscious countenance, he added, “You’re right, I am exhausted. I’d really
like to stay and chat, but I won’t be good company. So, if you’ll excuse me…” He
keyed in his code on his entry keypad.
“Sure,” Magenta responded.
“Have a good night,” Ochre added, as the two of them continued their way down
the corridor.
With another yawn, he entered and began to get ready for bed. ‘Man, it’s sooo
nice to be able to fall into bed after all that. At least, the debriefing
didn’t go on for too long and the discussion on the way back wasn’t too bad. But
when you add it all together on top of the dive… I’m certainly going to
sleep well tonight!’ was his last thought as he dropped off to sleep.
SIGSIGSIGSIGSIG
The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes were his boots, stuck sole first
to the ceiling above his bed. Staring at them in disbelief, he couldn’t decide
who had done it, or even how they might have done it, but he had to admire their
skill. ‘I must have been dead to the world for them not to wake me doing it…’
Carefully, he arose and stood on his bed; from there, it was easy to remove the
boots. Moving to the floor, he put them down before he went to get his uniform.
Arriving at the closet, he saw something when he removed one of his uniform;
there was another, ochre-coloured one. ‘Ahh, now I know who. Of course, it
could be a false lead. I wonder if there’s anything else I need to worry about?
Well, I’m not taking it back to him. If he wants it, he can come and get it.
There’s no way I’m going to put myself in reach of any other ideas he might
have.’
Thinking that, he washed, dressed, checked his boots and put them on and did his
hair. He made sure that everything looked right before leaving his quarters.
The walk to the mess was unremarkable and he was quite happy to sit and enjoy
his breakfast alone, as there was only himself and couple of lieutenants.
Satisfied, he headed to his first task for the day, a shift in the Information
Centre.
Making his way there, he saw something that definitely made him wonder. Coming
towards him were Captains Magenta and Jade, but the weird thing was that Jade
was wearing Magenta’s hat and boots and Magenta was wearing Jade’s. ‘They
better not let Colonel White see them! Man, that looks odd,’ he noted. “Hi,
you two,” he greeted. “What’s with the look? Is it swap uniform day? If it is,
why didn’t I get the memo?”
They looked at him oddly.
“Ah, what do you mean, Sepia?” Jade replied.
“Well, why else would you be wearing Magenta’s hat and boots?” he asked. “Unless
it’s all part of the joke that was started with my boots being put on the
ceiling?”
They looked at each other, then back at him with slight frowns showing.
“We have no idea what you are talking about,” answered Magenta. “I’m wearing my
own.” With a glance at Jade, he shook his head. “Although you did have me
wondering for just a moment.” A grin appeared on his face. “Keep practising. You
might become as good as Ochre!”
And with that, they carried on past Sepia. Turning, he watched them walk away.
Now that was really peculiar. What was going on? Turning back, he continued his
journey. ‘I know... They must be in on it. Although I’m surprised that Jade
is. I guess you can never really know what someone might do.’
Coming to the Information Centre, he sat at one of the work stations and entered
a command. “What the… What’s going on here?”
He
could not believe his eyes. Everything on the monitor was backwards! ‘This
can’t be right; it must be on the fritz. I’ll try another.’
He
moved to another work station, only to find that the results were the same.
‘Now I know Magenta must be part of it! Who else could set this up? Okay, Green
could, but after seeing Magenta in the corridor, it has to be him.’ Sitting
back, he wondered, ‘It could be a test. Reading backwards isn’t hard and the
others say that the colonel likes to keep us on our toes… I just don’t know…’
He shook his head.
He
tried another work station. Again, it came up with the same outcome. Concerned,
he informed Lieutenant Green, only to be told that nothing was wrong. Resigned,
he did what he could.
*************
It
had been an interesting but trying stint in the Information Centre and he was
rather pleased with how well he did. Now, it was time for a break, so he headed
for the Officers’ lounge.
Jade and Magenta were also there, still dressed the same way as when he first
met them. He decided to ignore it. Ochre was also there, reclining with a drink.
He
found himself staring, as Ochre was using a bowl for a mug. With a slight shake
of his head, he broke his stare and moved to make his own drink - which, on a
mouthful of it, made him grimace… for what should have been coffee, tasted like
tea and it was salty as well! This was beginning to become a very annoying day.
Putting down his cup, he checked the sugar, for everyone knows that the easiest
practical joke to pull is changing sugar for salt or vice versa. To his
disbelief, it was sugar, so why was his coffee salty? He couldn’t help but
give Ochre an intense stare, as everyone knew what a practical joker Ochre was.
“What’s with you, Sepia?” snapped Ochre. “If looks could kill, I’d be dead now.”
“Do you have anything to do with my coffee tasting so awful?” Sepia asked.
“No! What makes you think that I’ve had anything to do with making it?” Ochre
replied. “Are you sure Blue didn’t make it, Captain?”
He
could only shake his head for he had no answer to Ochre’s riposte. Not wishing
to put up with the taste of his drink, he tipped it out, and not willing to
brave trying again, he left the Officers’ lounge to start his next task, an
inventory of the small arms ammunition. Thankfully, Scarlet was also going to be
joining him to help.
When he arrived at the escalators to head down to the main body of Cloudbase, a
surprise greeted him. All of them were in the up mode, none of them were going
down! However, what was even weirder, was the sight of Captains Blue and Zaffre
coming up… backwards. Not only that, but they had their hats, vests and belts on
backwards. They really did look very peculiar.
“Morning, Sepia, how are things going?” Blue asked as he and Zaffre walked pass
him.
Caught a bit by surprise, he turned to them and unsure how to answer, he just
said, “Okay, I guess.”
“That’s good to hear,” Zaffre said.
“On your way to the armoury, Sepia?” Blue enquired.
“Ah, yes.”
“Good, Scarlet’s already there.”
“Oh… I better get moving then. See you later Blue, Zaffre,” and with that he
turned back to escalators, wondering just how he was going to make his way down
them… only to find that they had changed and now all of them were going down.
‘What the hell is going on? Am I losing it or something? This has got to be one
hell of a joke!’ He began to feel very uneasy as he carefully
stepped onto an escalator and as he went down, he continued to wonder, ‘I’m
not dreaming, am I?’
With that thought, he slapped his hand hard against the moving handrail,
grunting when the pain travelled up his arm. That definitely hurt, so he wasn’t
dreaming. Worried, he shook his head. Something else must be going on… But
what? ‘Could I be drunk?’ Annoyed with that thought, he dismissed it with
a firm headshake. ‘No, I’m not drunk. When have I had the chance drink
anything alcoholic? Not before the threat and certainly not since we got back.’
Stepping off the escalator, he shrugged, before moving to the next set of
escalators. This had to be all a joke; after all it was Halloween. There
wasn’t any other explanation. It was definitely doable, if all the others were
on it… As he rode the last escalator, he slowly shook his head, contemplating
what had happened to him so far. ‘I have to give the guys full marks, they’ve
pulled off some great surprises. I wonder what Scarlet has planned?’ he
wondered.
He
left the escalator and went through a hatch before stopping in disbelief. The
corridor ahead of him was now a neon yellow colour and the lights were purple.
‘Now that’s an interesting combination… looks like everyone is getting into
the Halloween spirit. Although I can bet that the colonel will have their heads
if he hasn’t approved this and it would surprise me to find that he has.’
However it wasn’t something he needed to worry about. He had to get to the
armoury before Scarlet got annoyed waiting for him. So he made his way down the
corridor.
‘What the…’
This was just too much and he began to shake as he stared through the armoury
door he had just opened. ‘This simply isn’t possible.’
Stunned, he stood there as he tried to comprehend what was in front of him. The
whole room was completely upside down. The floor had become the ceiling and the
ceiling the floor. Moreover, he saw Scarlet standing by a table, holding an open
box full of bullets (it was upside down although not to Scarlet) and none of
them were dropping from it! Even Scarlet’s hat was staying on his head… In fact,
nothing that should have been falling, was. It was as if gravity had been
reversed.
“Ah there you are, Sepia,” Scarlet said to him. “You’re right on time, I’ve just
started. With the two of us, this shouldn’t take long.” As he was talking,
Scarlet picked up a pen from the table, wrote something down on a pad and put
the pen back onto the table. Where it stayed.
The impossibility of what he was seeing hit Sepia hard and he found himself
backing across the corridor, only stopping when his back hit the wall opposite
the armoury door. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered that the
corridor was now coloured bright orange with green lights and felt panic rising
to his chest. ‘What the hell is going on? I can’t have seen what I
saw, how could they have pulled it off? It’s just too difficult to do so, if not
impossible. This is no joke!’ As these thoughts ran through his mind, he
watched as the door of the armoury closed and side along the wall before
disappearing. “Scarlet!” he yelled, his voice echoing in the empty corridor,
which was now a fluorescent green.
He
slid down the wall as his legs refused to take his weight anymore. ‘I’ve got
to be dreaming or else I’m going mad. I can’t be, can…’ His thoughts
were disrupted by dizziness, a sick feeling in his stomach and an aching head,
causing him to wonder if something else was going on. ‘Could I be under the
influence of something? I need to see Fawn…’
He
carefully stood up and, feeling a bit unsteady on his feet, made his way along
the corridor. How could this have happened? Something else nagged in his mind.
‘I’ve seen Magenta and Jade, as well as Blue, Ochre and Zaffre. Scarlet
almost gave me a heart attack.’ His thoughts were becoming muddled, but
still there was something that troubled him. ‘Someone is missing… who… Grey,
haven’t seen Grey…’
Sepia tried to hurry, concerned. Where could Grey be? Was he okay? When was the
last time he had seen him? He stumbled and ended up sitting on the floor, his
worry consuming him. ‘After… diving, the Mysteron threat…’
It
was his last thought, as his awareness left him.
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