Captain Scarlet
Adventures
Disclaimer: All rights reserved. This is a fanfic collection of stories adapted from Captain Scarlet comic strips.
Going For Gold
Across the gulf of space amongst a sea of twinkling stars, a small, one manned spacecraft materialised from the hazy red atmosphere of the Planet Mars. It took the configuration of a small Earth maintenance shuttle, as an eerie green light faded from its hull. Inside the small cockpit sat a ghostly white woman, dressed in a shiny black spacesuit. Her dark wavy hair draped over her shoulder as her narrow emerald eyes focused on the computer console in front of her. She slowly hovered a gloved hand over the controls and tapped in a series of coordinates. The spacecraft made a heading for the planet Earth. As the mysterious yet elegant woman sat back in her seat, she was greeted by a deep and sinister voice that echoed through her radio.
"Farewell, Earthcraft One. You are programmed to link up with Captain Black and carry out your assignment, and whenever necessary, you will use your confusion mode! Captain Scarlet is a formidable adversary. Confusion will be essential if we are to succeed."
The transmission ended and the woman responded robotically. She slipped off her right glove, revealing her cold, claw-like fingers underneath. She reached for her thumbnail and flipped it up. The nail served as an inspection hatch, revealing a complex of sophisticated circuitry underneath. She was an android and an instrument deployed by The Mysterons. After completing an internal systems check, she slipped the glove back on. Space Travel in the 21st century was a fast and sophisticated operation, but the Mysteron android handled it with ease. A few days passed when her shuttle was picked up by the tracking station at the London International Spaceport. She recorded the vocal patterns of the control operator as he called out to her over the radio. Her internal databank selected a variety of words that allowed her to respond. As she spoke, her artificial voice softened naturally into a human one.
"This is Earthcraft One calling London Control. Request landing clearance?"
The controller checked over the craft's identification. It checked out.
"Clearance granted. Welcome, Earthcraft One. Proceed to Bay 71 for docking and disembarkation."
Earthcraft One touched down at the spaceport an hour later. The Mysteron Android expertly taxied her spacecraft towards the docking bay. A hydraulic walkway ascended upwards towards the main hatch, locking securely into place. The hatch opened and the shapeshifter alighted. As she traversed the walkway into the terminal, she overheard two maintenance men remark about her appearance. The robot ignored their chauvinistic remarks. When she stepped out of the terminal, another dark voice called out to her subconsciously.
"This is Captain Black. Proceed to the trans city monorail and take it to the London Skytower. I will be waiting for you on the observation platform."
Swiftly and silently, the android made her way through the sprawling labyrinth of skyscrapers and people, towards the trans city monorail. Stepping aboard one of the packed carriages, she took the train across the city at a lightning pace. The impressive Skytower clawed at the clouds over the horizon. The train pulled up outside the station a short while later. She alighted and entered the building. A short elevator ride later, she soon found herself on the 121st floor. The entire level was an open observation area that offered a 360 panoramic view of the London skyline. A pale-faced man with dark eyes, dressed in a dirty black uniform waited for her at the far end of the platform. The woman called out to him, attracting his attention.
"Captain Black?"
The man turned to face her with a blood-curdling smile.
"A pleasure to meet you, my dear."
The pair observed the bustling city below as Black explained the Mysterons plans to his companion. His face gleamed in the midday sun.
"Our computers have come up with a brilliant scheme to further the Mysteron cause of rioting and unrest here on Earth," he said. "It will be a meticulously planned campaign, commencing in London. We will undermine the economic structure of the world by depriving it of its most precious metals like gold. We know that the biggest threat to our plan will come from Captain Scarlet. So he will be killed! He is here in London. When you use your confusion mode, he will suspect nothing."
Enjoying the relaxing aura that surrounded them, Paul Metcalfe and Adam Svenson took a stroll through Hyde Park. They were more than happy to drop their Spectrum code names for a couple of days when they were offered furlough by their superior, Colonel White, The pair needed the time to relax after the success of a dangerous mission that nearly ended Adam's life. Their lives as Captain Scarlet and Captain Blue were never short of excitement, but they had to unwind once in a while. As they engaged in a deep conversation, they were watched upon by cold and menacing eyes. Captain Black observed them from the trees across the way. He turned to his robot companion.
"There they are."
Suddenly, a long red light began to blink wildly on the back of the robot's neck. Her confusion mode flashed as it powered up without a sound. Black watched her as the woman's form began to shift. Her eyes, her nose, her mouth, everything morphed before his eyes. Within seconds, she had transformed into a four-legged K9. She had taken the form of a black and white collie dog. She looked up at Black with a single bark. Black reached into a satchel which he had slung over his shoulder and pulled out a seemingly normal tennis ball. He twisted the ball's upper hemisphere until it clicked. Keeping his eyes on the two Spectrum men, he placed the ball in the dog's mouth and sent it running towards them. The dog gleefully trotted up the path alongside the unsuspecting men. Adam smiled as the dog approached them. It dropped the ball on the ground at Paul's feet.
"Who's your friend, Paul? I hope you're good at ball throwing?"
"I guess someone needs me." Paul chuckled. "Hang on, my four-legged friend."
As he picked up the ball and prepared to throw it, Paul felt a sudden wave of nausea sweep over him. Something was wrong. Before he could throw the ball, Captain Black pressed a button on a small control pad.
"Goodbye, Captain Scarlet!"
The ball exploded in front of Paul's eyes. The blast sent the pair of them flying across the park. The people around them began to flee in terror as the two men hit the ground hard. Adam rolled onto his stomach and picked himself up off the ground. Blood dripped from a gash in his forehead. The smell of acrid smoke hung in the air. As he gathered his senses, he dragged himself over towards his friend who lay there motionless in the grass some few yards away.
"What hit us?" he grunted. "It must have been a bomb!"
Reaching his stricken friend, Adam checked Paul's life signs. He couldn't find any until a faint pulse caught his attention. His eyes widened as the muscles in his stomach tightened. The Mysterons had given his friend the gift of retromotabilism, an ability that enabled him to heal faster than any mortal. This time, it felt different. Adam assumed the worst. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a concealed microphone transmitter, Thankfully, it hadn't been damaged in the blast. Concealing his nerves, he called into Cloudbase.
"Cloudbase from Captain Blue! This is an emergency! Repeat, emergency! There has been a terrible accident. Captain Scarlet has been assassinated!"
Hidden amongst the trees, the dog returned to its human form. Captain Black applauded the robot's work.
"He could not have survived the explosion at such close range. Excellent work, my dear."
The robot simulated Black's sickening grin.
"Who could suspect a harmless dog with a ball," she said, incredulously.
"Scarlet is indestructible. He cannot be killed." Black replied. "But his revival time will be considerable, which will allow us to embark on military gold!"
Adam waited impatiently as sat with his injured friend. He had used his jacket as a makeshift pillow, propping it under Paul's blood-soaked head to keep him comfortable. The leaves rustled in a sudden whirlwind around them. He looked up to see a Spectrum Helicopter descend above them. At the instant it touched down, three Spectrum paramedics arrived with a stretcher. They place Paul's lifeless body onto it and carried him into the helicopter. Adam followed them as he climbed into the passenger seat and closed the door behind him.
Later that night, hovering at an altitude of fifteen, thousand feet in the sky in a classified location, Spectrum's Cloudbase shone in the bright glow of the Moon. Sitting behind a computer bank in the control room, Lieutenant Green stabbed a button and acknowledged the Spectrum Helicopter's landing request. The helicopter touched down on the carrier flight deck, where it was then lowered into the bowels of the carrier by a hydraulic elevator. Doctor Fawn waited eagerly for them.
"Get him into surgery at once!" he said, as he helped his orderlies wheel Paul's body down the corridor towards the medical bay. "The revival team is all ready to go."
The minutes flashed by and Paul's body was wheeled into the intensive care unit. He was hooked up to a life support machine which beeped away in a rhythmic pattern. Doctor Fawn's team scrubbed up and got to work.
"Focus scanning monitor. Activate lasers. Commence surgery."
Meanwhile, back on Earth, Captain Black and his robotic companion found themselves on the grounds of the Blackstead Military Cemetery. It was here that soldiers from countless wars throughout history were laid to rest. Their tombstones stuck out of the earth at crooked angles. Crows perched upon them as a thick wind swept amongst the undisturbed burial plots. The pair approached the heart of the cemetery when their Martian overlords called out to them from the blackness of space.
"This is the voice of The Mysterons. You will rob the bank of England. Arise, soldiers from the past and carry out our instructions!"
Black and his robot companion stood and observed as two green rings of light swept over the cemetery, scanning each of the individual burial plots. As the rings traversed the cemetery, a wave of figures materialised like spectres. They were the inhabitants of the cemetery. British heroes from past glories, sporting the uniforms from their respective eras. Each of them moved symbiotically out of the cemetery armed with lethal modern weapons. The robot turned and looked at Black,
"They're marching on the bank of England."
Black nodded. "They are victorious. No one can defeat them, least of all the guards. We shall accompany them."
The security team outside the bank were unprepared when the undead army rushed them from all sides. The bank of England, which once held the reputation of being impregnable, sat at the mercy of The Mysterons. A powerful explosion shook the vault which sat behind the structure as the soldiers tore the building down brick by brick with their energy weapons. As soon as they stripped the building down to its foundations, the undead army advanced towards the vault. Chaos and devastation took hold of the city as a wildfire blazed into the night, casting a warm glow over the city skyline. Captain Black instructed his robot companion to return to the Spaceport and fetch a cargo vehicle. While he waited for her arrival, he watched the operation unfold without obstructions. One by one, the undead soldiers entered the vault through a blast hole in the wall. Each of them carried gold bullion in droves.
Thirty minutes later, a whirring noise filled the sky above them as a black, dirty cargo ship touched down in the street across from the inferno. The doors swung down and the robot walked out into the street. Black motioned the soldiers to follow him with the wave of an arm. He approached the robot and stood beside her.
"Everything is proceeding according to plan," he said. "This is only the first of many such raids before all the Earth's wealth will be in our hands."
"Where will the gold go?" asked the Robot, curiously.
"It will be whisked away and hidden in space, never to be recovered by the earthmen."
Another hour elapsed when the soldier finished their task. Once the gold had been loaded, Black informed his Mysteron masters. Swiftly, The Mysterons released their hold over the undead men, allowing them to return to their resting place. One by one, the soldiers faded from existence until only Black and the robot remained. Silently, they climbed aboard the cargo ship and with a sudden roar from its engines, made their getaway behind a smokescreen of smoke and flame.
Meanwhile, inside the Cloudbase ICU wing, Doctor Fawn continued to monitor Captain Scarlet's recovery. His condition had improved significantly. His heartbeat and pulse quickened in thirty-minute intervals. Everything was proceeding according to plan. The Doctor estimated the Captain's recovery time down to two hours, but two hours was far too long. Up in the command centre, alarm sirens broke the monotony and silence. Lieutenant Green hovered across the floor at his station as he looked at the flashing computer screen before him. He spun round to address Colonel White.
"Colonel White, I'm getting some unidentified signals. They could be hostile."
The commander in chief spun round in his desk to face the oval screen behind him. A map of the airspace around Cloudbase appeared on the screen. A white orb flashed away. The Colonel spun back round in his seat.
"Go to red alert, immediately!" he ordered. "Launch the Angels!"
"S.I.G." Green replied as he swung round towards the intercom. "Angels One, Two and Three, Immediate launch."
Already on standby in the lead Angel craft, Destiny Angel acknowledged the order. Her motors fired up and within seconds, the jet fighter catapulted down the carrier deck and odd into the darkened sky. Two hatch doors opened in the deck under the other two Angel jets. Two transparent tubes slid upwards and the two pilots, Rhapsody and Harmony ascended into the cockpits. One by one, they launched at a tremendous speed, falling into position behind the lead pilot. Now that they were sky-bourne, Green issued the pilots with their instructions.
"Turn on to a heading of zero four five degrees. Investigate and report on hostile craft direct on that bearing."
"S.I.G." replied Destiny, the beautiful French pilot who led the ace fighter team.
As they changed course to intercept the intruder, the Angels were unaware of the danger that awaited them. The Mysterons had kept their plan from Spectrum this time.
High above the clouds, the beaten black cargo craft cruised across the sky under a blanket of stars. Captain Black and his female robot companion detected three aircraft on their radar scope. Unsure if they had been detected or not, they continued on their present course. Meanwhile, the Spectrum Angels closed in on their target. Within a matter of minutes, Destiny Angel caught a glimpse of the cargo freighter. Nothing seemed out of ordinary at first, but Destiny reported it in any way.
"Angel One to Cloudbase Control," she said in her soft French accent. "Craft dead ahead. It's a freighter. Must be fully laden, because it's travelling slowly."
However, as the Angels appeared in visual range, the Robot gasped aloud. She looked behind her at Black, who kept a deadpan expression on his face.
"Captain Black! Spectrum has picked us up!" she said. "The Angel s have arrived."
The Mysteron Agent didn't hesitate. He didn't intend to fail. He ordered the robot to activate the freighter's gun ports. They were going to fight their way out. The robot stabbed a sequence of buttons. A row of gun turrets appeared along the hull as they covered the craft from stern to tail. Witnessing the craft's sudden defensive posture, Destiny's eyes widened in horror. She pulled back on the controls of her aircraft and put out a warning to her fellow pilots, Rhapsody and Harmony.
"Rhapsody! Harmony! Break formation. Repeat, Break formation. The freighter is a gunship! It's sprouting weapons everywhere!"
Rhapsody and Harmony complied as their Angel jets veered away from the advancing vessel. As Destiny banked away from the gun ship's firing range, she attempted to warn Cloudbase. Then, Black gave the order. Destroy the Angels. Suddenly, Destiny's warning was drowned in a crescendo of sound. The gun ship's turrets opened fire, throwing powerful explosive rounds at the jet fighters. Multiple explosions blanketed the sky over the silent ocean beneath as the Mysteron Agent charged on. The three Angels attempted to press the offensive against the ship, but they couldn't get past the barrage of flame and smoke which obscured their sights. Suddenly, an explosion rocked the tail end of Rhapsody's craft. She had been hit. Harmony flew alongside her as the pair dived through the cloud layer below. Fortunately, Rhapsody was able to regain control of her stricken jet. Harmony called out to her.
"You're hit, Rhapsody! Are you okay?"
Rhapsody's voice echoed over the radio. "I'm still under control, but it's too big a fish for us. They've got something to hide. I'm returning to Cloudbase."
Regrouping, the Angels limped back to the carrier. At that moment, in the medical bay, Scarlet's eyes flipped open. He awoke to see Doctor Fawn smiling down on him. He heard the door open to his right and turned his head to see Colonel White enter the room. Despite his amazing powers of recovery, Scarlet stunned the Doctor.
"Scarlet! This can't be! You're not due to recover for at least another hour!"
Scarlet sat upright. His head felt woozy from his senses. Scarlet could detect danger whenever a Mysteron was nearby. He always referred to it as his sixth sense. He picked himself up off the bed, swayed for a moment, then stood upright before the Colonel. He still felt dizzy. The feeling intensified, confirming his suspicions. White placed an arm on his shoulder.
"How are you feeling, Captain Scarlet?" asked the Colonel. "Take it easy. You've just recovered from an explosion."
"I'm needed, Colonel," Scarlet replied. "I can sense the Mysteron presence."
The Colonel frowned. "I'm afraid I can't allow that. The situation is grave. Firstly, the Bank of England was attacked two hours ago and its gold content was stolen. Now, we have three Angel aircraft under attack from an unidentified gunship and we don't know a thing about it."
"Sir, I'd like to go out there and investigate myself."
The Spectrum chief shook his head. "Out of the question. Doctor Fawn says that your actions could cause irreparable damage!"
Scarlet looked at his superior with a stern expression. "Colonel, The Mysterons are behind this! Spectrum's very existence could be at stake!"
The Colonel paused for a moment. He accepted the Captain's bravery as he had done so many times before. Hurrying into his quarters, Scarlet changed out of his hospital gown and slipped on his red and black Spectrum uniform. His strength returned as he raced down the corridor towards a Spectrum Helicopter. The Colonel assigned Captain Blue to accompany him. As Scarlet raced out into the hanger, he briefly explained the situation to his friend.
"Come on, Captain. We need to take an electron gun!" He said.
Captain Blue grabbed the massive electron gun and mounted it to the nose of the helicopter. He climbed inside the cabin and took the controls, as the helicopter ascended towards the flight deck by an elevator. He flipped a few switches, activating the copter's rotor blades. They watched as the three Angel jets returned to the carrier. Scarlet tensed when he watched Rhapsody's damaged Angel touch down. Just what kind of firepower were they dealing with? As they took off in the clouds, a clueless Captain Blue pressed his indestructible friend for more details.
"Where are we going. Captain? You haven't said anything except for the grid reference."
Scarlet looked at him with a slight smile but quickly wiped it from his face.
"The Angels were attacked by an unidentified gunship," he explained. "I know exactly where they are. This is the work of The Mysterons. I don't know why we didn't know about it sooner, but we've got to stop them."
A short while later, the menacing gunship appeared ahead of them. Its appearance alone sent shivers their spines. Although it hadn't spotted them, Scarlet's senses kicked in again. He felt discombobulated as if his mind had left his body behind. Then, a menacing warning sounded over their radio, confirming his premonition.
"You cannot triumph over the power of the Mysterons, Earthmen!"
Suddenly, a flash of white light erupted in front of them as the gunships turrets sounded again. They felt the force of each explosion as Blue steered the helicopter amongst the barrage. The small helicopter avoided the onslaught until it reached striking distance. They scrambled to look for a striking point.
"The best form of defence is attack," Scarlet said, as he powered up the Electron gun.
It was at that moment that Captain Blue found a weak spot.
"The belly! Look! There are no gun ports!"
Swooping close under the gunship, Blue angled the helicopter's nose up towards the belly of the enemy. Scarlet gripped the controls of the Electron Gun. He aimed the huge metal turret up at the belly, waited a sec and squeezed the firing button. A huge red energy burst erupted from the helicopter, striking the gunship with pinpoint accuracy. They watched as the dark huge bulk dropped from the sky in a plume of thick black smoke. Determined to get aboard the ship, Scarlet ordered his friend to follow her down towards the ocean. Smoke filled the cabin, thickening the air within the pressurised cabin. The Robot cried out to Captain Black, who remained unphased by their sudden defeat.
"We've been hit! I can't hold her! We're going..."
Suddenly, the robot's cries were stifled by a huge explosion. The powerful blast from her control station disintegrated her within seconds, scattering her components all over the deck. Black braced himself for impact as the wrecked gunship crashed into the ocean surface with a thunderous smack. She came to stop and floated violently upon the surface. Black knew had failed. He couldn't let the Mysteron information fall into Spectrum's hands. He scooped up the remains of his former robot companion, kicked open the hatch and scattered them into the sea. He then dematerialised from the flight deck, vanishing without a trace, a technique he used many times to avoid capture. A short while later, the Spectrum Helicopter gently skimmed the surface of the water on its thick black hydrofoils, coming to rest alongside the damaged gunship. The two captains climbed out of the helicopter and scaled the damaged floating hulk. Scarlet located the main hatch which had been left open. He reached out to grab the support rail before climbing down into the bowels of the craft.
Once inside, the two men made a quick search of the flight deck, unable to find any clues as to who flew it. As Scarlet prepared to make his report to the Colonel, he heard Blue's voice call out to him from below.
"Captain Scarlet! You've got to see this!"
Making his way to the cargo hold, Scarlet found his colleague. They stood there in bewilderment at the vast amount of gold that shone in the lights of the hold.
"It's the gold from the raid on the bank of England," said Blue. "You were right. The Mysterons were behind the whole thing."
Scarlet rubbed his chin. "Yes, but I wonder what happened to the crew?"
Puzzled by this turn of events, Scarlet's epaulettes flashed white. His cap microphone swung down in front of his lips. Colonel White wanted a report on the situation. Scarlet was all too happy to report their finding to the Spectrum chief. The Colonel listened incredulously as the indestructible Captain pieced the whole puzzle together, Accepting his explanation, Colonel White informed the London authorities of their discovery and made arrangements for the freighter gunship to be towed to a nearby naval base in Scotland. As for Captain Scarlet, he had unfinished business in Doctor Fawn's medical bay.
Captain Scarlet passed his medical examination with flying colours. He felt like celebrating. As he pulled on his uniform, he was ordered to report to the Colonel in the command centre. Sighing, he briskly walked towards the elevator, past the officer's lounge and the Angel's amber room. When he arrived at the command centre, he was greeted cheerfully by Captain Blue and Lieutenant Green. Blue patted him firmly on the back.
"So, how did the medical go?" he asked.
"I was a good boy for the doctor, Captain." joked Scarlet.
Scarlet approached the Colonel's circular desk and sat on one of the stalls. The Colonel looked up from a report that was sent to him by the bank of London. He smiled.
"Congratulations, Captain Scarlet. I have just received a report from the bank of London. It appears your assessment of the Mysteron plot was accurate and very extraordinary. I won't detain you further. I believe you have another forty-eight hours furlough left. Go and enjoy yourself."
"Yes sir. Thank you, sir." Scarlet replied
"I think we all agree that your actions were good as gold."
Scarlet threw a bemused look at him. First The Mysterons pulled a gold heist and now the Colonel was cracking puns. Today was a first for everything!
END
To be continued.