Thunder boomed mightily, as if to punctuate the jittering strokes of lightning that split the early hours of the dawn. Rain lashed all below it and a gale-force wind smashed the downpour into a stinging spray. On a roadside, hidden from view by the dark of the storm and made visible only in split-second spans by the lightning, a black automobile lurked. Inside, a man with an even blacker aura gazed patiently through binoculars at the factory complex on the opposite side of the road. The pale man with the coal-black eyes lay the glasses down on the seat next to him and opened a thermos-flask. He half-filled a cup with dark, steaming coffee and drank it slowly. He drained the cup and stared at it with almost a look of despair.
"I can�t taste it at all, now." He frowned ruefully, screw-ing the cap back on the flask and tossing it into the back seat.
He picked up the binoculars again and continued his observa-tion of the factory. His gaze moved slowly over the details of the plant and his attention became fixed as he focused on the small, unobtrusive sign over the main gate.
"Armodyne Defense Systems" read the rectangle of sheet metal riveted to the chain-link, razor-wired barrier that was contin-ually swept by roving searchlights. Conrad Turner lowered his glasses and narrowed his impossibly-black eyes. Consulting his wristwatch, he picked up a small but powerful military-issue two-way radio and depressed the �send� key.
"This is Captain Black relaying instructions from the Mysterons... "
Captain Scarlet, disturbed from his contemplation of the last glimmers of sunset, looked around him in an aspect of expectation. Moments later, the deep, cavernous voice that he and his fellow agents knew all too well boomed out from around him.
"This is the Voice of the Mysterons... We know that you can hear us, Earthmen... " Scarlet stiffened in anticipation. Who or what would the target be this time? Would this be the moment they all dreaded? The threat that would finally be their match? Scarlet braced himself as the rumbling voice continued.
"We have watched how you have continually fought against our efforts in spite of our obvious superiority. You have demon-strated tremendous courage in the face of imminent destruction... It has been decided that the Judgement of the Earth and its Peoples be concluded... Our revenge is complete and our Honour satisfied... Now it is time to end this War of Nerves; Our time in this star system is nearly over and we are ready to continue our journey. It has been decided that a formal meeting of leaders in a neutral location is desired to forge peace between us. We have designated the place you know as "crater 101" on the far side of your moon to be the place where peace shall be formally declared. We request the World President and all other leaders who desire peace with us to be present along with the officers of Spectrum who have proven their courage and resourcefulness against us. The time of this meeting shall be 48 hours from this moment. We look forward to ending this conflict... This is the Voice of the Mysterons."
Scarlet practically fell into a nearby chair as he tried to absorb the tremendous impact of the Mysteron�s message. Could this really be it? The moment they all had prayed would happen some day in the distant future? The end of the War of Nerves? Scarlet pondered this as the door slid open to reveal a shocked and slightly mussed Captain Blue. "Paul! Could this be on the level?"
Scarlet pursed his lips and slowly shook his head.
"I don�t know, Adam. We�ve had these false alarms before. There�s no way of telling if the Mysterons are in earnest this time. If only there was a way to be certain." The door slid open again to reveal a wide-eyed Dr. Tracy.
"Did you guys hear that? That was incredible! What are we going to do about it?" Scarlet smiled in spite of himself.
"Hold on there, Penny. At the moment we�re not going to do anything until Colonel White gives the..."
"Captain Scarlet and Captain Blue... please report to the control room immediately." Lieutenant Green�s voice boomed through the intercom system cutting off Captain Blue�s statement and the two men quickly moved towards the door. Penny Tracy followed them through with a look of thrilled determination. "Whoa, there! Penny, you had better stay put until we know
what�s going to happen-"
"What does that mean? You said I would be involved in one of your missions. What better time than this?" Tracy retorted.
"I know that�s what we said... but this is different. The magnitude of this message, the importance of what this could lead to... well, it�s an awful lot to do on your first �mission.� How about the next one?" Blue waffled. Scarlet grinned at his friend�s discomfiture.
"You blew it, Adam. Do you really think that Penny would let this opportunity go without a fight? I just hope she goes easy on Colonel White." At that, the control room door slid open and the three joined the group of Spectrum agents gathered around the desk of Colonel White. His back was towards the bulk of the group but his chair smoothly swivelled to face them all.
"You�ve heard the latest Mysteron message... this could be the moment we�ve waited for; a final, lasting peace with the Mysterons... or it could be the most devious trap they�ve ever devised. I�d like some of your reactions to the missive. Captain Scarlet, you first." Colonel White settled into his chair, ready to hear the opinions of his agents.
"Well, sir. They�ve attempted a false truce once before, which almost destroyed Cloudbase. I can�t see them trying a feint like that again... so, perhaps they do mean it this time." Scarlet reasoned.
" We know that they never lie, at least concerning their intended target." Blue added.
"But they do twist their meanings around to deliberately mislead us," Tracy cautioned.
"And they never offered peace the last time... only that they would agree to meet our representative. So technically, they have still never lied to us" Scarlet continued. Colonel White considered these words. He looked at Dr. Tracy.
"Dr. Tracy. What do you think of this offer? Does it fit your profile of the Mysteron�s behaviour? Of all of us here, you might be in the best position to know." Tracy frowned as she pondered for a moment.
"I think we�re in a blank area Colonel. The Mysterons have never performed an action that did not serve their purpose of extending their War of Nerves. Now they are suing for peace... it seems out of character for them. They have killed thousands of people without a shred of remorse or hesitation. There doesn�t seem to be any reason for us to accept their word now. It�s more likely that they want to observe our reaction to the message... to see how confused we become; how much time we waste trying to make sense of it. I would have to see some unprecedented event to convince me that this offer is genuine," Tracy concluded with a trace of sadness. Silence filled the chamber as Tracy�s words hit home. Everyone wanted to believe that the end was in sight but the hard realities of Tracy�s reasoning caused all of them to reconcile themselves to the very real possibility that this was only another Mysteron ruse designed to chip away at their eroding morale. Colonel White spoke with rehearsed confidence.
"Well, that may well be but you all know that we cannot let even a remote chance escape if it means that we can put a stop to this conflict. Are there any more comments?" Captain Scarlet answered hesitantly.
"This will be a difficult plan to follow, if we choose to do so. The last time I had only myself to risk but now we will be putting the World President and an entourage of diplomats on the line in a remote and dangerous part of the Moon. Maintaining security will be a logistics nightmare." Colonel White�s reply never got further than his lips when Lieutenant Green�s voice suddenly rose.
"Colonel White, unidentified aircraft approaching Cloudbase from North-Northwest, speed; mach 1.8." "Launch all Angels, Lieutenant!" White Barked.
"Angel One, Immediate Launch! Angels Two and Three, Prepare for launch! Launch when ready!" "Sound Action Stations, Lieutenant!" White added.
"Yes sir!" Green hit the klaxon button as the agents scrambled to their stations. Scarlet and Blue ran down corridor �A� to the starboard defense grid. Unnoticed by the two, Tracy followed and watched as they prepped the gun turrets and strapped themselves into the saddles.
"This is so cool. I didn�t know Cloudbase was armed to the teeth like this."
"Penny, what are you doing here?" Blue almost yelled.
"You know you were supposed to go back to your quarters during an emergency!" Scarlet scolded.
"Well... That�s where I thought we were going." Tracy reasoned," you can�t blame me for that. Anyway, stop fretting about me; pay attention to your jobs! Hup, hup! Man those guns!" Scarlet and Blue grimaced in frustration but turned their atten-tion to their gunsights and waited.
Outside, engines roaring sweetly, Harmony Angel closed in on her target. As she approached, it became apparent that there was not much to fear from the incoming aircraft. It grew steadily within her gunsights and revealed itself to be an old Mig 242 fighter with its weapons stripped away and repainted in the variation of a trainer jet. Still, she knew far too well to trust in the obvious, so she set the plane well in her sights and prepared to make a mock attack. She switched on her transmitter and announced her presence.
"Angel One to incoming aircraft. You are entering a restricted airspace... you have 10 seconds to alter your flight path or I will be forced to engage your craft. Do you copy?" For a moment there was silence and Harmony resigned herself to inevitable combat. Her blood raced and fear turned to ferocity as she tightened her grip on her firing control. The errant aircraft loomed larger in her sights and she gritted her teeth in antici-pation of the fireball to come when a reply crackled through her radio speaker.
"This is Captain Black.... I request permission to land on Spectrum Cloudbase... I am here to surrender." The unmistakable grating voice of Captain Black sounded through Harmony�s radio as well as through Lieutenant Green�s console. Everyone within earshot looked shocked and even Colonel White had to compose him-self. Thinking briefly, White instructed Green to reply.
"Let him land. Send a maximum security team to landing bay one. Make sure it�s led by Captains Scarlet and Blue. Do it!" Lieutenant Green swallowed with difficulty but carried out the order. "Incoming aircraft, you have clearance to land. A docking module will connect with your craft and you will be brought to Landing Bay One-"
"I know where Landing Bay One is, Lieutenant Green." The harsh voice softened slightly as the last syllables were sounded and Lt.Green and Colonel White stared at each other in puzzle-ment.
The unremarkable aircraft made a smooth landing and was lowered into the interior of Cloudbase where the lone occupant was transferred to his final destination.
Captain Scarlet stirred uneasily, restlessly pacing the deck in front of the sealed doorway. Captain Blue smoked a cigarette far too quickly as he tried to look relaxed.
"Paul, will you quit pacing? You�re driving us all crazy." At that point the door activated and slowly slid open. Everyone froze as the panels parted to reveal their arch-nemesis in all his glory. Half a dozen automatic weapons were noisily cocked and raised to await their cue. What they all saw surprised them;
Captain Black had reached an iconic status among the core of Spectrum personnel and was openly feared by most of them. Now that he was in their midst, the true nature of this particular beast left most of them almost disappointed. Instead of the gaunt, sinister giant most of them expected, the real man stood only five-foot-six, scarcely a giant at all. His pallid com-plexion and dark eyes made him look more anemically ill than a serious threat. He had worn a simple grey flight suit that he now held rolled up under one arm and only a black t-shirt and overly-large black trousers beneath with cheap black tennis shoes. His hair was mussed from wearing a helmet as he had not smoothed it down and his face was covered with grey whiskers. He dropped the bundled flight suit and put his hands in the air.
"Captain Black, you�re under arrest," Captain Scarlet spoke with grim satisfaction. Black made no comment and showed no emotion whatever as he was lead off the Maximum Security holding cells. Penny Tracy watched as the small dark man was escorted away and felt something she would not have anticipated... pity.
Colonel White stood at one of the observation ports in the lounge area and stared at the shifting cloud patterns. He would soon be heading towards the holding cell containing Captain Black and he was trying to calm himself for that inevitable confronta-tion. Conrad Turner as he was known when he was a Spectrum agent had been close friends with Colonel White in the early days of Spectrum, before the Mysteron threat. The two of them had been with the first group of recruits and had attained the rank of Captain in the same graduating class. Turner might have been promoted to command Spectrum himself if he had not turned down command commissions to remain an active field agent. White smiled sadly as he remembered Turner laughing at the idea of commanding Spectrum.
"Right, Charles. I really want to be chained to a command chair and peering through the portholes when there�s action to be had. You can have the promotion and everything that goes with it. I just want to be able to get out and do the job." White shook his head and wondered if what had happened to Turner had been inescapable. His constant need for action and danger would have led to death at some point only it had finally led to a fate much worse than death... literal walking death as the Mysteron�s chief agent on Earth. White shivered with the thought. He turned away from the tranquility of the billowing clouds and decided it was time to meet his prisoner.
White met Scarlet, Blue and Tracy as he left the lounge area but only nodded in passing as he made his way to the brig. Two of them sat down as Scarlet poured coffee from a dispenser and handed the cups around. He remained standing, unable yet to completely relax and sipped his coffee impatiently.
"Well, Penny? Is this the �unprecedented event� that you needed to convince you?" Captain Blue spoke first.
"Are you making fun of me?" Tracy answered uncertainly.
"Not at all. If this is some elaborate trick of the Mysterons it must have high stakes if they�re willing to sacri-fice their most important agent. All I know is that we had better keep a close watch on Captain Black at all times," Blue con-tinued.
"If that�s the case then I had better be the one doing the watching. This is an opportunity to really get some solid intel-ligence on the most infamous Mysteron agent of the War. I can�t afford to lose this chance so I would appreciate if both of you will do whatever it takes to get me into that observation room." Tracy�s eyes were burning with avarice as she considered this sudden windfall. Blue smiled at Tracy�s determined enthusiasm but frowned when he glanced at Captain Scarlet.