Silver Bird
The Avengers enter the man-in-space age
by Caroline Miniscule
Prelude: Lost Rocket Summer
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Brilliant golden flames leapt everywhere about her. The heat seared her skin. Cathy Gale stood in the center of the room, spinning around, eyes searching desperately for a way out. There was none. She was doomed...she would be burned to death. She could barely breathe, her lungs seared with every intake of air....No, it couldn't end this way. Standing here spinning like a top and waiting for the end. She had to try something. There! That way....that's the way she would go. She started running forward blindly, low down, with smoke pouring over her, the heat melting her shoes...she wasn't going to make it....she stumbled forward. Suddenly a strong arm was around her, helping her to her feet....Steed! Steed had come at last...she forced her eyes open...there was the familiar bowler, but below that was not Steed's sardonic smile but the gaping grin of a skeleton, with flames glowing in the eyeless sockets.....one skeletal hand held her up and the other hand held a gleaming scythe. Anger surged through her and she yelled at the thing furiously, "Steed!" She began to beat at the thing furiously, striking to kill. Cathy jerked up in bed, eyes wide open, mouth open in a soundless scream. Her breasts heaved as she forced herself to suck in air. Just a dream....just a dream....She was hot...so hot, but inside she felt the coldness of the grave. 
Cathy swung out of bed and strode into her bathroom, stepped into the shower and turned on the water without bothering to undress. What was happening to her? She had faced death many times in her life, and defeated it every time. Even before she'd started working with John Steed and his Department S she'd faced death...the death of a charging rhino or lion...and for two years she'd faced death at the hands of violent men and had come through unscathed, physically and mentally. But her most recent escape from the burning houseboat...that had scarred her terribly. Not physically, of course, her burns had been only superficial. But mentally....mentally her confidence was shaken..not in herself, surely...but in John Steed....Steed was the grim reaper with a bowler instead of a cowl and an umbrella instead of a scythe...and a gleaming, heartless smile. Cathy took a deep breath. Irrational...irrational feelings...Steed had put her in danger many a time but had never let her down...he put himself in danger as well and knew that she'd pull his fat out of the fire if need be....Cathy laughed weakly...fire, fire...'what a day, what a day for an auto de fe....' "Now this is getting ridiculous," she said aloud, "when I start singing Candide I know there's something wrong." She stripped out of her clothing, wrapped herself in a kimono and went into her library. The walls were lined floor to ceiling with bookshelves, interspersed among the books were African tribal masks and various other memorabilia from her time in Kenya. On a tremendously large 'lazy Susan' placed in front of her comfy leather chair were arranged four chess sets, each in various stages of play. A pile of letters and postcards lay on one table, for a week she had not looked at her mail...now she sorted through the envelopes and took out only the postcards, for they were chess-by-mail postcards. She glanced through them, and found one signed Dan Dare. Cathy smiled. 'Dan Dare' was the name of the British astronaut who appeared in the comic strips. It was an in-joke between her and a scientist friend, a man who intended to build and man the first rocketship into space. She hadn't heard from him in over two months. He was in the Bahamas, doing some kind of work at the United States missile tracking station there. 
Cathy spun the lazy Susan so that Dan's board was in front of her - each of the boards she used had been designed by her, using her wood-carving skills, to reflect the personality of her opponent....for games with Dan she had carved a space motif - rocket ships straight out of Dan Dare for the pawns, things like that. She read Dan's move and played the move on the board. Then, absently, while she studied the board, she took a cigarette from its box and flicked her lighter. Suddenly her eyes were caught by that flickering flame and she stared at it, mesmerized. Abruptly she snapped the lighter shut, grabbed up her cigarettes and tossed them into the rubbish bin. She took a long, calming breath. She closed her eyes, took another breath, visualized calmness returning to her body. Something would have to be done. These nightmares were coming frequently and becoming worse and worse. Never before had she seen Steed as the Grim Reaper, but obviously in her sub-conscious that was now how she thought of him...and her thoughts for him, sub-consciously at least, were thoughts of hatred. But not hatred for Steed, Cathy told herself. Hatred for herself, hatred that she had lived through her ordeal by fire but was now afraid, afraid. Afraid that when she had to confront death again she would not have the courage to do so. "I need a vacation," she told herself. "I need to test myself. Scuba diving...sky diving...that's the ticket. Live life to the edge and prove to myself that I'm not turning into a coward....and...get away from Steed." She hadn't seen Steed since it had happened. It would be best if she did not see him. Cathy nodded to herself as she spun the lazy Susan around idly, watching the chess boards spin around, their pieces spinning around helplessly at her whim. The morning sun arrived while Cathy was still engrossed over her chessboards - this time with her countering moves to her opponents. As soon as she noticed the sun rising over the horizon she went out into her yard to watch the sunrise, breathing in deeply of the sweet smelling air. She was calm now. She'd made her decision. She went back to bed, set her alarm for ten in the morning, and then nestled under the covers and allowed herself to drift to sleep. She did not fear the firey dreams, and she did not have any. When she wakened at ten o'clock she showered again, dressed, and then called her travel agent and booked passage to the Bahamas. Scuba diving, sky diving, and she'd visit Dan Dare and listen to his dreams for the stars. She spent the rest of the afternoon at the library, researching the history of the Bahamas and making plans for things she'd like to see. When she returned home there was a message on her answer phone from Steed, inviting her to tea the next day. Cathy nodded slowly. She was round to Steed flat's on the dot of the time he had suggested. Knowing her knack for punctuality he'd already had the tea on the boil, and handed her a cup. As she drank the tea he had poured for her Steed puttered around his flat somewhat nervously. He, too, seemed different, more forced, somehow. But his voice was as flippant as usual when he said, "You really look wonderful, my dear." Cathy handed him her empty cup, and he put it away. " And," he said happily, I've hung you in a place of honor." She followed his pointing finger to her portrait above her bureau. It was a lovely likeness. "Yes." Cathy said very grimly. "Very touching." She had steeled herself for this meeting. She knew what Steed would try to do, she knew her feelings for him when she wasn't minutes away from a horrible nightmare, and she knew that she would not be swayed. " I told you a couple of days' complete relaxation would work wonders." Steed said cheerfully. "How are the burns, by the way?" " Only superficial." " Good. I'm delighted to hear it, 'cause." Cathy watched him cross the room and opened a cabinet door. She removed a box and handed it to her. "I've got something for you. To replace the wardrobe you lost in the - er - the line of fire." "Ah, that's nice." She opened the box, and took out a one piece bathing suit. Of course, she thought to herself. "Who told you?" she said resignedly. " Told me what?" " That I'm taking a holiday." "Are you?" Ah, Steed, Steed, there's no match for you when you try to sound innocent when you know that your opponent knows that you are not innocent at all... " Yes." Is all she said. "I leave tomorrow. I'm off to the Bahamas." Steed sat. Steed smiled. "No! What an extraordinary coincidence... As a matter of fact there's just a... " That was it! That was Steed! " A tiny bit of trouble out there?" Cathy said, not quite sure how to sort out the emotions she was feeling. " That's right!" Steed said. "Nothing dangerous, of course." Still that innocent voice. " No, no. Of course not." Steed said brightly, "As you're going to be out there anyway, pussy-footing along those sun-soaked shores..." " I might as well do a little investigating?" " That's the idea. What do you say?" Cathy said very coldly, more coldly then she intended, "Goodbye, Steed!" Steed blinked. For a second she could swear he was actually disconcerted, more at the tone of her voice than at what she had said. But all he said was, "Eh?" Cathy replaced the swimsuit in the box and stood up. "That's what I say. 'Goodbye'." " Oh, but that isn't asking too much." "Yes, it is! You see, I shan't be pussy-footing along those sun-soaked beaches, I'll be lying on them. She gave him a dismissing nod, and walked out of the flat quickly, before she could change her mind, before he could make her change his mind. Steed let her go...and she wasn't quite sure how she felt about that either. In his flat, Steed stood, his face a study. "No pussy-footing? I must have been misinformed." he murmured... Steed sat down and picked up the telephone, and proceeded to dial his superior at Department S to give him the news. |
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