Author's Notes: Another timeline, where Captain Black does not die after being rescued by Agent X-20. However humanity manages to shoot itself in foot in the name of entertainment. Artura is apparently X-20's real name. The Six Grandfathers is the name of Mt. Rushmore before it was named Mt. Rushmore and had Presidents carved into it.
Hope you got your things together
Hope you are quite prepared to die
Looks like we're in for nasty weather
One eye is taken for an eye
Bad Moon Rising
John Fogerty
It had to happen eventually; a television serial based on the Wars of Nerves. Made with, it was quite clear, the approval and cooperation of Spectrum. It was a huge mistake.
"You know, Artura, I wasn't sure what to expect," Conrad confessed in the calm, cool tone that X-20 knew meant he was very, very angry, "I was hoping, at best, for a tragic villain portrayal, at worst, a boring standard mustache twirler," for a moment, he glared at the innocent muted television, as if it were responsible for the dramatization of the Mysteron war, "but that cringing, cowardly, self-serving, backstabbing, idiotic," now he was baring his teeth, "INCOMPETENT takes the damn cake. There's only one thing to be done, really."
"Show the world what would have happened if Captain Black really had run the Mysteron's war of nerves?" X-20 guessed, holding back a grin. So far rescuing Conrad had resulted in most fun X-20 had had in his life. Even Titan had had to admit that what the plans they cooked up together to attack Stingray and Marineville lacked in lethality, they made up for in confusion, humiliation, and in rare instances, genuine destruction – Stingray had had to be dry-docked twice for major repairs.
Conrad grinned savagely.
"Yes, Artura," Conrad settled back into his chair thoughtfully, "but first Titanica needs to make treaty with Mars. Difficult, but manageable – Titan will be a stumbling block, and the Mysterons may just think I've lost my mind completely, but I know enough to know that they'd like to see Spectrum and the World Government humbled to humor me."
A Few Weeks Later
"What do you mean Norfolk is gone?" Sam Shore demanded, "It's the largest naval base in world!"
Sub-Lieutenant Fisher shakily re-read the emergency bulletin.
"'Global Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, received a warning it would be destroyed at 10 am local time. It was ignored as a crackpot threat," the sub-lieutenant had to sit down as he read the next line, "by 10:03 am, local time, Global Naval Station Norfolk was reduced to flooded rubble, although nearby civilian locations were completely untouched. What caused the devastation is currently under investigation.'"
Commander Shore was speechless for once, his face first going pale, then grim.
"Fisher, if Marineville receives a threat like, send out the evacuation order immediately," he eventually ordered, "I don't care if WASP or any other command tries to countermand it, we evacuate. Something about this..." Shore just shook his head, "put Marineville on high alert, and launch Stingray."
And it happened again. Another target, not a military base, but not truly civilian either, gone within minutes. This time the threat was partially heeded. The civilian contractors at least were ordered away.
And again. A stubborn commander insisting his all troops stay at their posts. Their lives ended in an instant.
And again, Fireball XL 8 smashed down from the sky.
And again, a Spectrum training center simply gone, as if it never existed.
And again...
And again...
And again...
And again...
And the World's governments and military forces still didn't know what exactly was happening. Attacks were being made; no one could say who was making the attacks, or what weapons they were using.
At the same time, relatively smaller incidents were happening as well. Communication systems tied up for hours. Traffic signals in world cities going berserk. Television broadcasts being interrupted and replaced with soothing visuals and music. Little everyday inconveniences happening on a grand scale.
Some incidents seemed designed to cause tension between nations and within nations.
For example, the Elgin Marbles were mysteriously removed from the British Museum, but later found in the Greek Parliament Building. Relations between Greece and the United Kingdom became frosty.
The Six Grandfathers being restored misdirected the World Government to the Mysterons, who categorically denied they were responsible – the Peace Treaty forbid them from directly interfering on Earth and they took that very seriously. But they didn't deny they were enjoying the show. They cryptically insisted this time the characters were being done right.
It was only after a group of sea-faring tourists were rescued under unusual circumstances that anyone began to piece together what was really happening.
They had gone out on a three-hour tour when the weather started getting rough. The ship began to take on water, and despite the best efforts of the fearless crew, the Pollywog was lost. Forced into the small life capsule, they should have been able to ride out the storm in relative safety, if not comfort, until rescue arrived.
Then an unlikely series of events involving the starlet's brassiere, the first mate's hat and inter-dimensional transient purple hedgehog caused a significant crack in the capsule's hull, and they began taking on water again, and the capsule began sinking.
And then they weren't.
Their tales started differing from there on in, but the two things they did agree on were their initial savior was a large submarine crewed mostly by Aquaphibians called the Devil's Due, and that their life capsule was repaired quickly and politely before they were herded back on to it and ejected out one of the torpedo tubes.
After that they were picked up by International Rescue.
Their story would have been dismissed as hysteria, if not for the one of the passengers, a level-headed farmer girl from Kansas discreetly taking a photo of a symbol that sent chills down the spines of the those who recognized its significance: a sigil in the style of a skull and crossbones only the skull was replaced with a shattered Spectrum emblem, and words "Loyalty Was Given, None Was Returned" at the top, and at the bottom "To Hell With You All."
And in its polished surface was the reflection of a glowering Captain Black
