'Syrtis Major' by Phil Ford

Spectrum mounts an aerial raid on the headquarters of Vulcan Industries. Colonel White confronts the board of governors over their recent breach of the Martian Exclusion Directive: despite the fact that the company’s durinium mining operation on Syrtis Major was suspended some time ago, a three man maintenance team recently left for Mars. On learning that all contact with these engineers has since been lost, Colonel White sends Captain Scarlet, Captain Blue, Lieutenant Silver, Destiny Angel and Doctor Gold to investigate. Accompanied by Griggs, chief engineer from Vulcan Industries, the team soon arrives at the abandoned mining complex; after a search of the base proves fruitless, Destiny remains behind in the operations room while Scarlet and the others head for the mines to search the tunnels for the missing engineers; Blue notes that the tunnels are filled with a strange gas, but Griggs dismisses it as harmless. Back in the Ops room, Destiny comes face-to-face with Captain Black, who appears to have stowed away with the maintenance team. Meanwhile, Scarlet and his party find one of the engineers, Roberts, but the man flees from them in terror; when Scarlet gives chase he comes under attack by the other two engineers, and Roberts is killed by a mining laser. After Blue manages to disarm the men, an examination by Doctor Gold reveals that they are still human, and not Mysteron replicants. It seems that something is making everyone paranoid – and when it affects the Spectrum agents they begin to turn on one another…

Wayne Forester (Captain Scarlet), Robbie Stevens (Captain Blue / Captain Grey), Mike Hayley (Colonel White), Emma Tate (Destiny Angel / Lieutenant Silver), Nigel Plaskitt (Doctor Gold / Captain Black)

Directed by Dominic Lavery
Executive Producer Gerry Anderson

TX:
UK (CITV):
15th October 2005 - shown in two parts within 'Ministry of Mayhem'

Notes:
*Featuring Captain Scarlet, Captain Blue, Captain Grey, Captain Magenta, Captain Brown, Captain Yellow, Captain Violet, Colonel White, Lieutenant Silver, Destiny Angel and Doctor Gold