Captain Scarlet
Adventures
Disclaimer: All rights reserved. This is a fanfic collection of stories adapted from Captain Scarlet comic strips.
Decoy To Disaster
With a sharp crackle, the aircraft's radio went dead. The pilot looked across at his number two and there was panic In his eyes. It had all happened so fast. One minute Flight Captain Jeff Carson was flying the huge super-jet bomber on routine patrol, the next it was hurtling from the sky. They had seen the blur of an unidentified black fighter plane sweep across their flight path and then the orange brilliance of a cannon burst. A wild shuddering of the controls and the sound of the ominous voice over the radio would have shattered the nerves of the bravest men. What had the voice said? the pilot asked himself as he fought desperately to control the doomed bomber.
"We will destroy Captain Scarlet." That was the grim message. 'Captain Black and the Mysterons will be avenged.'
Jeff Carson remembered hearing something about a Captain Black from the Spectrum organization. He had been killed on an expedition to Mars. It was all so confusing. What did it all mean? Carson's mind was full of these and other strange thoughts as the mountain range learned ahead of them.
"Eject!" shouted the captain, and the other three crewmen reached out, groping for their abort levers.
But It was too late. Tearing, rending metal grazed the first peak and then the disintegrating aircraft exploded, fuel tanks igniting like firecrackers at a bonfire party. Even at that moment, the black fighter circled eerily like a vulture over its prey. Then all was still and all was silent save for the shrill, wailing whine from the sinister craft's powerful jets. At Its controls, Captain Black allowed himself a rare, evil smile, a grin of diabolical intent as he looked down at the smouldering wreckage. Four men and two million dollars worth of aircraft had died. The next moment, he pulled hard on the joystick and powered away from the scene of the crash. Behind him, two pale rings mysteriously travelled over the blackened metal that was no longer recognizable as a giant flying machine. The Mysterons had reconstructed the bomber and Its crew.
Captain Scarlet put a hand to shield his eyes from the sudden gleam of sunlight that reflected from the smooth metal. Fascinated, he watched as the two missiles rose slowly from beneath the sandy soil.
"There they are, Captain," said Colonel White with pride. "The first fully operational electron missiles."
Scarlet remained silent, almost hypnotized as the pointed weapons ascended from their underground emplacement. Then he nodded slowly.
"Another link in the chain of defence against Mysteron attack."
The Colonel agreed. "Yes. Soon we'll have a network of sites just like this one stretching round the world."
Scarlet remembered the planning and work that had gone into the development of the missiles. Many months ago, Spectrum had discovered that electron charges were the only deterrent for mysteronized matter. Now the experts and technicians had managed to harness the great defensive power within the shape of the fastest and most accurate ballistic missile ever produced.
"Right, I guess it's time we returned to Cloudbase," snapped Colonel White as the dull green projectiles settled at the end of their rise to the surface. "Thought you'd be interested In this little trip, Scarlet, keep you up to date with developments."
Scarlet nodded his appreciation as they moved towards the Spectrum Helicopter that would soon be winging them back to the fantastic base high above the clouds.
Captain Blue learned of the loss of World Air Force bomber BA 127 from one of the routine computed reports that were constantly fed Into Cloudbase's information systems. Normally he would have been sorry to receive the news, but it would have been filed in the negative action drawer, not within the sphere of Spectrum's operations. But there was something about the explosion that numbed him. He checked another computer read-out sheet after pressing a series of programme control buttons. The agonising question played heavily on his mind. Then the results came in. Yes. He was right Captain Jeff Carson was the pilot of BA 127.
"Jeff and I were together at advanced pilot training college," he told Colonel White after the Spectrum chief had studied the report. "Is there anything we can do to help find the wreckage? Maybe he's still alive, wandering around in those mountains."
"That's a big area to cover, Captain," answered White, trying to let Blue down gently. "The air rescue boys know what they're doing. I think we ought to leave it to them."
Blue didn't expect the colonel to send out a search party, but he felt so helpless, sitting safely up in the clouds, while a friend might be dying far below. Then Lieutenant Green at the communications monitoring console interrupted his solemn thoughts. Green's voice held a tremor he had lived through this moment many times before.
"Colonel White, I'm getting some interference on Channel zero two."
"Switch It to multiple audio," ordered White as he pressed the red panel set into his revolving desk. "I'll get Captain Scarlet In here."
Captain Scarlet was relaxing with Melody and Harmony Angel when his epaulettes flashed a brilliant white.
"That's for me," he announced, moving rapidly towards the door.
Within seconds he was striding Into central control, a tight expression on his face. He stopped suddenly as the loudspeaker boomed out the ominous words.
"This is the voice of the Mysterons. We know you can hear us, Earthmen. We will never forgive you for your unprovoked attack on our complex. We will bomb New York City with the BA 127. We shall be avenged!"
For seconds there was silence as each man in the room took in the slow deep words that had issued the terrible threat. Colonel White was the first to shake himself from Immobility of thought and action,
"BA 127. Isn't that the codename of that bomber your friend was flying, Blue?"
"Yes, sir" nodded Blue. "That can only mean that his aircraft was forced down by the Mysterons."
Captain Blue's face went pale at the thought. Jeff Carson an agent for the most terrible enemy Earth had ever known.
"Get on to the Air Force," snapped White, now fully alert and efficient. "I want to know what armaments that bomber was carrying. If my guess is right, those bombers have plutomic missiles aboard."
The reply was swift. There was no doubt about the verdict. Five phase-two quadruple stick hydrogen bombs were aboard the standard strike power of the aircraft and the priming capsules were Installed in the plane when it took off, ready to arm the weapons in an emergency.
"It looks as though the Mysteron threat is a real one," muttered White as he assessed the information.
"It usually is," cut in Scarlet grimly. "That aircraft is probably on its way to New York, right now."
"Colonel, sir!" Green's voice had a trace of hysteria about it as he swung round from the radio console In his swivel chair. "The World Air Force have news of BA 127."
Colonel White grabbed the scrambler priority receiver from his desk. Scarlet noted the shocked look on his chief's face, hearing only an occasional grunt of assent from White and nothing of the Air Force Commander's words. White finished the call and slowly put down the receiver.
"Well, gentlemen," he said. "The problem gets more complex with every minute. The Air Force report that BA 127 has radioed in for landing clearance at Prestwold airfield, a thousand miles from New York."
"But why? The Mysterons don't usually delay their plans." chimed Blue.
"That's not important, Captain Blue," cut in White seriously. "What this does mean is that we have a chance to stop that aircraft before it can complete Its mission."
Scarlet bolted from his seat. "I'll get to Prestwold right away, sir."
Scarlet did not need to be told what to do. He was Spectrum's main line of defence and attack when it came to dealing with the Mysterons. By a freak of time and nature, Scarlet had survived death and had remained in a special twilight area of being Indestructible, as were the Mysterons, but able to think and act for humanity on Earth. Scarlet knew that Colonel White would have ordered him to waft for the aircraft to land and then try to take over the controls, and there was no point in waiting for the actual words if he wanted to Intercept the aircraft he would have to move quickly. An Angel aircraft was the fastest fighter in the skies. Scarlet was sure Symphony Angel wouldn't mind him using her machine to reach Prestwold.
The captain enjoyed flying solo. The sky seemed limitless and friendly with an unequalled peace. He felt the wheels touch the tarmac of the military airbase. His flight had been swift and straight and he knew as he glanced across the wide expanse of runways that he had arrived before the mysteronized bomber. A few words exchanged with flight control at the base and he was making himself ready for the action which was to come. He had decided that he had to get aboard the plane before the crew could realize what was happening. As soon as the fuselage door swung aside he had to be ready to leap inside. His electron gun would do the rest. The distant drone of engines made him search the clear blue sky. Then he saw the giant bomber, flaps down, dropping from the air like a great bird descending. Smoke billowed briefly as the huge tyres skidded on touch down upon impact. Scarlet mentally judged the distance the aircraft would have to run before it came to a stop. If they don't open that door I'll have to shoot my way in, he thought as he started to run, cutting across the angle from his position to the taxiing termination point.
The great machine slowed and then stopped. Scarlet was there, at the exact spot, waiting. The door began to open and the gun in Scarlet's hand came up, trained steadily on the ever-widening doorway. Any minute he would see one of the crew, but he was wrong. The aircraft just sat there on the runway, the entrance hatch wide open and empty. Why were they inviting him in What harm could they do him? They had no electron weapons. Scarlet shrugged off the puzzlement in his mind and slowly moved forwards. Then suddenly he was running, leaping and landing solidly inside the cabin. He looked about him. The cabin area was empty.
"They must all be In the flight deck," he muttered to himself as he moved along the catwalk to the front of the plane. Suddenly, he heard a hiss as the automatic door closed tight. Scarlet had scarcely registered the fact before the plane lurched forward on full throttle. Booster rockets exploded on the wingtips and the huge aircraft shot Into the sky, climbing like an eagle, soaring to the heavens. There was no hesitation now. For some reason, Scarlet had been allowed to board the aircraft. It had been a trap. Now he was sure the plane was on its way to New York to carry out the Mysteron threat. He burst Into the cabin and saw the blank, staring expressions of the tour crewmen as they huddled in one corner.
The aircraft was flying on an automatic flight plan and the crew were of no further use except to attack him. At first, many months ago, Scarlet had felt sorry about destroying people of his own Earth who had fallen into the hands of the Mysterons. But time had taught him that the unfortunate agents of the powerful race from Mars were not human beings, they were zombies, the living dead, sent to bring havoc and destruction to Earth and Its inhabitants. Scarlet had no thoughts In his mind as the electron gun fired four times. He hardly noticed the men as they fell to the cabin floor, dead for all time, no longer possessed by the avengers of Mars.
"Spectrum control to BA 127—do you read me?"
The radio was crackling with static but Scarlet heard Colonel White's voice clearly, his heart lifting as he realized that he could contact his chief.
"Scarlet to Cloudbase. I read you, Colonel. The crew are dead. I'm going to try to gain control of the aircraft"
"S.I.G. Captain," came the quick reply. "Report when you've checked out the systems."
Scarlet glanced at the computer which gave him the flight plan of the aircraft. His worst fears were realized as he read the read-out slip.
"Course New York City. Bombs primed. No deviation. Self destruct on impact"
A chill ran through Scarlet's body. The fatal switch had been thrown. The aircraft had been set for a suicide mission and the only thing that could alter the controls was instructions from the captain of the crew. The computer had been programmed to accept the tone of Jeff Carson's voice only, and Carson lay dead on the floor.
"Colonel," said Scarlet slowly after he had made his report. "There's no choice. You have to use the electron missiles."
There was a long pause and Scarlet knew that White was weighing up the consequences of such an action.
"Can you eject, Captain?" came the reply at last.
"Negative. Radio S.I.R," muttered Scarlet glancing at the shattered abort levers. "The crew sabotaged the mechanism of the ejector seats and the hatchway is sealed by the air pressure."
"But, Scarlet," came the Colonel's anxious voice, "if we hit the plane with the electron missiles, you'll be destroyed, too."
"I know, but what else can we do? Sit here and watch twelve million people die when this plane crashes on New York?"
"I believe this was a carefully laid plot to destroy you, Captain," said Colonel White softly, "The Mysterons figured you would take the chance to get aboard when that plane touched down at Prestwold. They knew about the electron missiles and that we would be forced to use them."
"Yes, sir. I worked all that out for myself two minutes ago, but if you don't hurry, their plan will misfire and instead of killing one man they'll destroy millions."
There were no more words to say; Scarlet was not being a hero, he was doing his duty. Colonel White shook his head as he pressed the launch authority for the new electron missiles. Little did he realize that he would be using them so soon after their installation and using them against his finest and most vital fighting force. Then, he rose and walked across to where Lieutenant Green sat, grim and silent, as the communications monitoring console related the technicians' chatter.
"Range two thousand miles computed. Height at impact nine thousand, four hundred feet. Launch ignition immediate. Launch effected. Missiles homed on target."
In a daze, Colonel White listened to the cold words as they echoed metallically. Then he exchanged a glance with Lieutenant Green. Neither man said a word. There was nothing to say. It was the end of an era in twenty minutes, Captain Scarlet would be dead!
"No bones were broken, sir," smiled Doctor Fawn as he glanced up at Colonel White in the sickbay on Cloudbase. "He swallowed a lot of water, but he'll recover."
"Yes, it's time they did something to clean up the River Hudson," said the man who lay under the many electronic and humming instruments that Doctor Fawn had been using. "And can you get all this junk off me, Doctor? It's like being in a straitjacket."
The machines were cleared aside and Captain Scarlet sat up with a broad grin on his face.
"You didn't really think you'd get rid of me that easily did you, sir?"
Colonel White smiled back at the indestructible man.
"One of these days you will leave it too late, Captain," he said helping Scarlet into his dressing gown.
"Yes, you missed me by inches." Scarlet pointed to his head. "You even singed my hair when that missile hit the plane. Was there much damage? I couldn't see from the bottom of the river?"
"No. The Empire State lost a few windows from the overhead blast. But it was too high to cause any serious problems. What beats me is why we didn't think of the height before."
"Don't let it worry you, Colonel," smiled back the Captain. "When twelve million people are about to die thoughts like being able to safely open an aircraft door below ten thousand feet and just jump out don't occur to you."
Colonel White laughed out loud. It could have gone so wrong. The door could have jammed, the altimeter could have been faulty. A million things could have upset Captain Scarlet's calculations. Then a sobering thought struck the Colonel. Scarlet had dropped like a stone into a river and had survived, and yet the man could still joke about it. But then, Colonel White never ceased to be amazed by Captain Scarlet. Neither Colonel White nor Lieutenant Green, seated nearby, spoke a word. Soon Captain Scarlet would be dead!
END