by A21 Reporter Andy Clems
Spectrum have scored a priceless victory in the ongoing battle against the Mysteron menace from Mars with the capture of their number one Earth agent, Captain Black.
Captain Magenta, one of Spectrum’s top officers, was responsible for the apprehension of the enemy agent. The vital action happened on Wednesday afternoon during a covert Spectrum operation at the World Science Center in New York. Colonel White, Commander in Chief of Spectrum outlined the details of the activity.
“The Mysterons are a cunning and dangerous enemy. They do not fight in rational terms, but use mankind’s fear as their primary weapon in a war of nerves against the Earth. One of their devious tactics is to announce their threat ahead of time in order to cause as much confusion and panic as possible. These threats are often baffling or cryptic and convey little of their true intent.
The latest of these threats, issued on Monday at twenty-three hundred hours, stated ‘Your knowledge and intellect will be turned against you within the next three days’. Naturally, we were perplexed, but immediately set about tracking down any possible leads. It was Symphony Angel who made the connection between the Mysteron warning and Wednesday’s conference at the World Science Center.
Unsure of the exact details of the Mysteron plot and with a vast area to cover, I sent Captains Scarlet, Blue and Magenta to rendezvous with our local field operative, Lieutenant Vermilion, at the World Science Center. On arrival, Captains Scarlet and Blue began an immediate search of the building aided by Lieutenant Vermilion while Captain Magenta maintained aerial surveillance in a Spectrum Helicopter.
With time running out before the conference began, my officers located a concealed supply of a chemical agent known as Q14. Exposure to Q14 renders the victim extremely susceptible to suggestion and would have been used to turn our greatest minds against us.
Almost as soon as they had discovered the chemical agent, they were confronted by Captain Black. In the ensuing gun battle, Lieutenant Vermilion was badly wounded. Pinned down by fire from Scarlet and Blue, Captain Black fled towards the roof escape stairs, with Scarlet in hot pursuit. Captain Blue remained to tend to Vermilion and guard the Q14 supply until Spectrum’s team of chemical specialists arrived.
During his pursuit of Captain Black, Scarlet radioed Captain Magenta and put him in the picture about Black’s escape route. Magenta wasted no time landing on one of the helijet platforms on the roof of the Science Center and proceeded on foot to the top of the escape stairs.
As Scarlet neared the top of the stairs, Black suddenly turned on him, firing rapidly at close range and catching Scarlet off guard. Scarlet was hit by a hail of bullets and suffered critical injuries. Just as Black was turning to make his final escape he was confronted by Captain Magenta, who fired an anesthetic dart and stopped the Mysteron agent dead in his tracks.
Captain Black has been transported to a secure Spectrum facility for monitoring and interrogation. I am relieved to report that both Captain Scarlet and Lieutenant Vermilion are making full and complete recoveries and that all four Spectrum Agents are looking forward to a well-deserved spell of leave.”
Our thanks to Colonel White for his summary of this extraordinary turn of events. Rest assured A21 will bring you the very latest updates on the continuing war of nerves as it unfolds.
Leave a comment