The Guinea-Pig! (short story)

The Guinea-Pig! was a short story printed in TV Century 21 that contained elements from the Doctor Who universe. Framed as the front page of an in-universe periodical, the titular article made reference to the Captain Scarlet comic story Collision Course Threat!, which was a crossover with the DWU.

Summary
As the final step in a series of experiments conducted by Professor Margrave and Colonel Sikorsky, the time at when Captain Scarlet will be strapped into the nose section of an ultra-sonic aircraft is set at 1500 hours, after which Scarlet will be shot into the sky and later jettisoned from the aircraft with the complete nose cone. TV 21 notes that if the escape system being tested fails then Scarlet "could well" disintegrate along with the entire nose section of the craft.

Meanwhile, the World President announces his decision to view the final stages of the experiment from the presidential yacht, with TV21 stating it is a certainty that he will be accompanied by "many" service chiefs.

Characters

 * Captain Scarlet
 * World President Roberts

Worldbuilding

 * TV 21 describes Captain Scarlet as a "famed member of the exclusive Spectrum team of heroes".
 * Scarlet will have three million dollars worth of technical equipment and instruments for company in the ultra-sonic aircraft.
 * The aircraft is controlled by ground based auto-computers.

Story notes

 * The picture used to illustrate this story originated from the Captain Scarlet episode Attack on Cloudbase and had previously been used as part of an earlier cover story, namely 1967's Where is Scarlet?.

Continuity

 * Professor Margrave and Colonel Sikorsky are attempting to perfect a safer escape system for ultra-sonic pilots, and Captain Scarlet has volunteered to be a guinea pig. (COMIC: Collision Course Threat!, PROSE: New Hope for Ultra-Sonic Pilots)