Captain Scarlet
Adventures
Disclaimer: All rights reserved. This is a fanfic collection of stories adapted from Captain Scarlet comic strips.
Labyrinth
The windy city of Chicago gleamed under the moonlight as the clock struck the midnight hour. The streets settled down for the night as late-night businesses closed, ready for the following day's trade. Lieutenant Hale, a young spectrum agent, completed a long gruelling shift. He liked to unwind at a local all-night arcade, where he could flex his skills on the simulator games. He strode down the empty street towards the warm neon glow of the arcade complex. He greeted the night attended with a cheerful wave followed with a smile. The night attendant looked up at him from his newspaper.
"Back again, Lieutenant? I thought you Spectrum guys got enough real excitement?"
"You're thinking of the Cloudbase officers, Eddie," Hale chuckled. "My job's strictly routine."
Excitedly, Hale strolled into the arcade hall. Immersing himself in a slew of sounds made from the various arcade machines. He arrived at a robot shooting gallery. It was his favourite game of all. With the press of a switch, the robot target sprung to life, emitting pink laser light at the agent. Hale grabbed a dummy blaster which was wired to the hard metal console beneath, pointed it at the robot and fired. He used the harmless game to brush up on his shooting skills and reflexes, hoping that they would benefit him in the field. The robot chanted a series of programmed catchphrases every time Hale scored a point. He continued the game for nearly an hour. While the laser light distracted him, Hale failed to spot a dark-clad figure, enter the control room at the far end of the building.
The mysterious figure stepped under a ceiling light when he entered the room, illuminating the deathly face of Captain Black. Black crept up behind the unsuspecting operator and struck him over the back of his head. He was there to provide his Mysteron overlords with a new pawn. Silently, he altered the laser control programmed, de-activating the safety protocol. In the shooting gallery, the harmless light concentrated into a lethal weapon. The robot's eyes flashed red, trained its weapon on Hale and fired. Hale screamed as he collapsed to the floor. The laser blast had struck him in the head, disintegrating his protective Spectrum cap. The game had claimed his life. Suddenly, across the gulf of space, the Mysterons materialised, scanning Hale's body with their eerie green light rings,
The Mysteronised Hale materialised alongside his dead human counterpart. Captain Black walked towards him with his orders.
"Hide the body," he said in his dark monotone voice. "Spectrum must suspect nothing."
The following morning, the Mysterons announced their next threat.
"This is the voice of the Mysterons. We know you can hear us, earthmen. We shall continue our aggression against you. We will execute the World Attorney General. She will die!"
Captain Scarlet, heard the threat over the sick bay's intercom. He had spent the past hour completing a physical check-up with Doctor Fawn. He pondered over the message while the good doctor examined his eyes with a pencil-thin torch.
"Hmm, the Attorney General drew up the law that created Spectrum," he said. "Can I report for duty, Doctor?"
The Doctor withdrew his torch and Scarlet hopped off the examination table.
"I guess so, Captain," he replied. "Your body appears to have discovered the bullet that was lodged in your brain. The entry wound has healed. Just take these tablets for the headache."
Scarlet smiled as he left the medical bay with his medication. He arrived at the control room a few minutes later. Colonel White had begun briefing Captains Blue and Magenta from behind his circular desk. Scarlet stood behind them.
"Law is the oxygen in which the flame of civilisation burns. We must defy this threat to Earth's chief lawmaker," he said as his desk spun round to face the oval screen behind him. "Captain Ochre is on his way to Chicago now. He'll fly directly to Meig's Field."
Scarlet raised his head. "Chicago?"
Captain Magenta turned to look at him. "Sure, Scarlet. The A.G was due to speak at the university today."
Colonel White continued. "Spectrum Chicago has sealed off her hotel until Captain's Ochre and Grey can take charge."
Suddenly, Lieutenant Green cut in with a message.
"I have the Attorney General on line three, sir."
Excellent. Put her on the screen, Lieutenant.
Green pressed the channel button and the oval screen flicked on. A young woman with short-cropped blonde hair, ruby red lips and dressed in a black pants suit, addressed the Spectrum men. Scarlet detected a false tone of appreciation in her voice. This wasn't the first time that Spectrum had been regarded as an inconvenience.
"Colonel, I'd like to thank you for your offer of protection," she said bluntly. "However, I must insist that Captain Scarlet ix kept away from me."
Scarlet couldn't help but feel a little offended. It appeared as if the Attorney General had a grudge against him. Colonel White paused for a second in response. Scarlet was his best and bravest agent.
"Attorney General, I must insist.."
"According to his file here, your best officer kidnapped the World President!"
"But Scarlet was under the influence of the Mysterons at the time. Since then, he was able to rebel against their influence and regain control of his body."
The stubborn woman didn't believe him. "Guesswork, Colonel. He fooled you once. Can you prove his loyalty?"
Furiously, Captain Blue leapt to the defence of his friend.
"Begging your pardon, Ma'am," he grunted. "But I'd stake my life on Captain Scarlet's loyalty!"
"But it's my life that's at stake, Captain."
The Attorney General cut off the link abruptly, leaving an uneasy tension amongst the officers. White spun round to look at Scarlet. He sighed with regret and apologised to the indestructible agent.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that, Captain."
Scarlet looked down at him with a stoic expression. Experience had taught him to simply switch off from any criticisms that were hurled his way. He had come to terms with that fateful day a long time ago. He couldn't make up for his actions, but the incident motivated him. It drove him with the ambition to win the war. He folded his arms behind his back and addressed his superior.
"Sir, the Mysterons could strike at any moment. I suggest we get moving."
Two hours later, A Spectrum motorcade, consisting of an SPV, MSV and a red saloon car, arrived outside the Chicago Maximum Security building. The Angels canvassed the airspace over the city, forming a cordon. A Spectrum helicopter, piloted by Captain Scarlet and Melody Angel, hovered above. Harmony Angel signalled the all-clear. Scarlet reported his position to the motorcade below.
"Helicopter B25 to motorcade. All roads leading to the centre are clear. Take us lower, Melody. It's not like the Mysterons to pass up the chance of an ambush."
Down on the ground, the door to the SPV branched outwards. Captain Grey disembarked the vehicle and surveyed the area. Happy with the empty surroundings, he signalled the MSV. The door to the silver-white security vehicle opened. Captain Blue stepped out of the passenger model, accompanied by a slender figure, draped in a black cloak. As they crossed the street towards Grey, they heard the sound of an engine roared towards them. They looked up and dived as a black convertible mounted the pavement ahead. Captain Grey drew his gun and fired at the vehicle. The driver brandished a shotgun and fired at the cloaked figure before speeding away. Hovering above the scene, Captain Scarlet locked his eyes on the driver.
"It's Captain Black! He just tried to shoot the Attorney General! Let's get after him, Melody."
At two hundred miles an hour, an SPV joined the chase. The Spectrum Helicopter kept tabs on the black convertible from above. At the controls of the SPV, Captain Grey kept the target vehicle on his TV monitor screen. He coordinated the chase with his eye in the sky.
"Captain Grey to Scarlet, I'm on his tail and closing fast!"
"S.I.G. We'll box him in at the next roadblock!"
The chase led them through the streets of the city's centre as the black convertible skidded around a corner. Melody Angel kept her sights on the car as she wrenched the helicopter skywards. She gasped as they watched the vehicle head for the bridge that supported the city's monorail system. Determined to catch him at the next exit, Melody brought the helicopter into a hover position. They waited patiently. But as Black's car screeched to a halt, the Mysterons used their unearthly powers to whisk him away from the commotion. He faded away from behind the driver's seat, out of existence. Minutes later, the SPV approached the bridge. Captain Gray slammed on the breaks and gazed into the TV monitor. His eyes widened at the now empty convertible. His cap mic swung down, his epilates flashed a brilliant red.
"Captain Scarlet. He's gone. Captain Black had disappeared without a trace. He left the car behind."
Scarlet cursed under his breath. Captain Black had slipped through their cordon yet again. He reminded his fellow captain that the Mysterons had powers beyond their comprehension. Back at the maximum-security base, Captain Blue beamed a smile. The whole operation had been a decoy the whole time. The young woman next to him, removed her thick cloak, revealing herself to be Destiny Angel, the beautiful, amber haired French girl who led the Spectrum Angels. The shotgun blast, grazed her cloak, missing her stomach by inches. Although visibly shaken, she smiled warmly at the American Captain. Blue updated Scarlet on the success of their operation.
"We fooled them, Captain," he said in a bemused tone. "Black may have escaped, but he didn't get the Attorney General. Thanks to our decoy, Destiny."
Destiny chuckled. "More importantly, he missed me."
Two blocks away, the Spectrum passenger transporter, disguised as a weathered Octane tanker, cruised down the city's empty backstreets. The Attorney General sat comfortably inside the bomb-proof passenger module as she shared a pot of coffee with Captain Magenta. The loud and eager Captain informed her of their arrival.
"We're moving directly into the rear entrance, Ma'am," he said.
"Thank you, Captain," she sighed.
Back on Cloudbase, Lieutenant Green used the vast computer banks to search through thousands of reports made in the Chicago area. The routine task lasted under a few minutes when a report caught his attention. He slid up the conveyor belt in his seat towards the Colonel. Colonel White stepped down from the observation tube and stepped towards him. Green read out the report on a slip of paper.
"Sir, Chicago Police report the attendant of an amusement arcade was attacked last night, only three blocks away from the maximum-security building."
Colonel White rubbed his rugged chin. "Hmm. It could be nothing, but we'd better check it out. Have Scarlet investigate."
Meanwhile, at the rear entrance to the security building, Captain Magenta and the Attorney General entered the security screening room. The long conveyor belt carried them along the floor towards an X-Ray screening booth. One of the guards was Hale's Mysteron duplicate. Magenta gestured the Attorney General to go first.
"Will this take long?" she huffed impatiently.
"No, Ma'am. It just scans your body on the subatomic level. Humans show an X-Ray picture. A Mysteron doesn't. It'll only take a matter of minutes."
Hale watched as his target glided towards the scanner. Her X-Ray image flashed on the screen behind him. He shuffled towards the bunker's blast door, slowly reaching for his gun. As the unsuspecting General walked towards him, he leapt out and grabbed her from behind, fastening his arm around her waist. Captain Magenta advanced towards him, but the Mysteron agent kept him at bay with a warning shot. He then pressed the barrel of his gun firmly into the General's side as he dragged her behind the blast door. It slammed shut, hit the metal floor with a deafening ring. Perplexed by what had just happened, Magenta put out a call to the rest of the team, signalling Captain's Blue and Ochre. Inside the bunker, Hale pushed the General into an elevator which took them down into a basement area. The doors opened and the Mysteron agent instructed her to move. Fearfully, she turned and faced her captor.
"What do you want? You won't get away with this?
"Be silent, earth woman. For soon, you will die at the hands of the Mysterons."
Across the city, Captain Scarlet's SPV pulled out of the parking lot outside the Northwest Memorial Hospital and cruised down the street. He had visited the injured arcade attendant and took his statement. Fortunately, he had only suffered a minor concussion. Scarlet reported that the attendant's only customer was Lieutenant Hale. Before he could piece the mystery together, he was summoned to proceed to the security centre with all haste. When he arrived, he was immediately briefed by Captain Blue, who took up position outside the blast door. Captain Magenta returned to the tanker with Ochre. It was at that moment that Scarlet felt a sense of unease.
"What happened here?" he asked, Blue.
"The Attorney General was grabbed at gunpoint by a guard when she cleared security," Blue explained. "We were able to identify him as Lieutenant Hale."
Suddenly, a wall-mounted TV monitor flicked on. Hale's gaunt face called out to the Spectrum men.
"Yes, Earthman. I've got the world Attorney General. In one hour, I will broadcast her execution on every television network around the world. She will die on every TV screen. You cannot save her."
Suddenly, the picture cut off and the sense of urgency intensified. Hale had complete control of the Base's systems. There was no way in. Scarlet marched outside towards his SPV and radioed into Cloudbase. He believed that Captain Magenta could help. Up in the Cloudbase control room, the Colonel studied a diagram of the building. Hale had sealed off the two entrances to the bunker, but there was one option left to them. He signalled the MSV to turn around and return to the building. Time was against them.
Inside the bunker, the Attorney General tried to make sense of the situation. Hale had tied her up to a chair that had been hooked up to the bunker's main power generator. She tugged at the ropes that lashed her wrists and ankles together, but her efforts were futile. Hale had set up a video camera in front of her, which was fed into the broadcasting computer. Hale paced the room with a portable device in his hand. He looked at her with a sickening smile.
"Stop struggling, Earth woman! There's no escape. With this master user unit, I control every inch of the base. No one can save you!"
The Attorney General lifted her head and attempted to reason with the Mysteron.
"Let me talk to your masters!" she said. "Our attack on your Martian complex was a mistake. A misunderstanding on our part!"
Hale grimaced. "And you will pay for that mistake in forty minutes,"
Back up above, Scarlet and Blue made progress, The doors to the street entrance slid open, revealing the dark brick elevator shaft behind it. Blue, shone his torch down into the murky shaft. A combination of oil and dust clung in the air.
"We've regained command of the street entrance, thanks to Captain Magenta's computer skills."
Blue looked up at him. "Sure, but Hale jammed the elevator. We can't get down to the bunker."
Scarlet flashed a confident look. He had a plan in mind. He raced into the SPV and reached for a small power pack. He fastened the pack on his back, the circular red buckle fastened around his chest. He then placed on his red protective helmet. He quickly explained his plan to his fellow captain.
"This elevator shaft leads directly into the bunker. One man could blow the door open. The rest could abseil down."
"But for the man who set the blast...it would be suicide!"
"For you, yes, but I can make it. I've got to try, Adam."
Acknowledging his plan, Blue handed Scarlet a handful of detonators.
"I've tuned these micro-explosives to your voice command," he said. "The codeword is 'Blaze.'"
Scarlet nodded and walked towards the elevator shaft. The jet pack hissed into life and Scarlet descended gently into the darkened chamber. Daylight faded when he approached the door to the bunker. He placed the first of his charges firmly on the door, but as he angled back, he heard metal scraping sounds echo from above him. Suddenly, the elevator broke from its cables as it hurtled down the shaft towards him. Scarlet scrambled to advert disaster. He had one chance to avoid the oncoming collision. He began to perspire.
"I'm trapped! I've got one chance. BLAZE!"
Suddenly, the door to the elevator shaft exploded. The force of the blast sent him hurtling into the wall. The elevator screeched to a halt and dangled above him. Its guide rails were twisted. Stricken with blood, Scarlet ditched his damaged jet pack and clung onto the lip of the floor. He heaved his body upwards, crawling through the blast hole. He staggered into the bunker, his tattered uniform clung from his bloodied arms. Mustering his strength, he charged the Mysteron seconds before he could press the button that would kill the Attorney General. He punched Hale square in the jaw in an attempt to disarm him, but the Mysteron's brutish strength prevented him from toppling over.
"That was foolish of you, earth man!" he said with a menacing grin. "Spectrum has brought the deadline forward. You will watch her die before you."
Struggling to maintain his balance, Scarlet reached for his pocket and pulled out another detonator. He hurled it at the Mysteron and dived for cover. The detonator hit Hale's chest with a force that knocked him backwards. Scarlet rolled towards the Attorney General and with his last breath, shouted the codeword.
"BLAZE!"
The detonator ignited, blasting the Mysteron agent into pieces. Scarlet threw his body over the Attorney, in an attempt to shield her from the explosion. The smoke settled and Scarlet's body rolled off hers. Still tied to the chair, she gasped in horror as Scarlet's broken body bled out across the bunker floor. Abseiling down the shaft, Captain Blue climbed into the room and freed her, The lights in the bunker flicked on and the huge blast door opened. Captain Ochre rushed in with Captain Grey and they carted the injured Scarlet away.
"I'm sorry we took so long, ma'am." Blue apologised as he helped the Attorney General out of the bunker.
"Captain Scarlet. He...he risked his life for me."
Blue fell silent as he led the traumatised woman out of the building. They climbed into an awaiting helicopter which flew them back to the safety of Cloudbase.
Captain Scarlet made a miraculous recovery two days later. He reported to the control room where he was met with a friendlier Attorney General. She smiled at him apologetically. She had been wrong about him. Scarlet accepted her heartfelt apology.
"I should have realised the reports were true. You truly are indestructible. I should never have doubted you. How can I thank you?"
Scarlet shook her hand. "The next time I need a lawyer, ma'am. I'll let you know."
END