Undercover Screening Department of 21

Agent Twenty One. (COMIC: Down With The Director ^[+]Loading...["Down With The Director (comic story)"])

The Undercover Screening Department of 21, (COMIC: Mr. Steelman ^[+]Loading...["Mr. Steelman (comic story)"]) Agent Twenty One of the Universal Secret Service, (PROSE: From Howard Whitehead ^[+]Loading...["From Howard Whitehead (short story)"], COMIC: Down With The Director ^[+]Loading...["Down With The Director (comic story)"] et al.) provided top secret reports about the activities of Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward to TV Century 21.

History

In 2065, the Undercover Screening Department documented Roger Lyon's destruction of the plans for a Hydromic device capable of destroying the entire world, which Penelope had requested. He used the reactor core of the Dunwell Atomic Research Station for this purpose. (COMIC: Mr. Steelman ^[+]Loading...["Mr. Steelman (comic story)"]) Indeed, the front page of TV Century 21 on 13 February noted that a full colour report on the "mysterious masked man in black" who had gained illegal entry into the Station was available elsewhere in the publication. (PROSE: Fireball Surrenders! ^[+]Loading...["Fireball Surrenders! (short story)"]) Roger was later kidnapped by Mr Steelman, who had wanted to use the device to rule the Earth. (COMIC: Mr. Steelman ^[+]Loading...["Mr. Steelman (comic story)"]) TV Century 21's front page on 20 February featured an article about this turn of events which stated "a disturbing report from a source which must remain a secret" suggested that one of Penelope's agents had been kidnapped after his car was forced from the road. Additionally, this report attributed the crime to the "mysterious underworld figure known as Mr. Steelman" and claimed there was little hope for the agent's safety if this was true. (PROSE: Titan Declares War! ^[+]Loading...["Titan Declares War! (short story)"]) Lady Penelope and Parker followed Mr Steelman to Pompeii in order to rescue Roger, (COMIC: Mr. Steelman ^[+]Loading...["Mr. Steelman (comic story)"]) with the front page of TV21 on 6 March stating a "usually reliable source" in the Undercover Screening Department reported that Penelope was continuing her pursuit of Steelman, who the magazine dubbed Public Enemy Number One. (PROSE: Marineville Waits! ^[+]Loading...["Marineville Waits! (short story)"]) The Undercover Screening Department chronicled the adventure to its conclusion, which resulted in Penelope and Parker's rescue of Roger and Penelope's destruction of Mr Steelman's base in Mount Vesuvius. (COMIC: Mr. Steelman ^[+]Loading...["Mr. Steelman (comic story)"])

Later, during Lady Penelope's time in Bereznik, 21's Undercover Department provided information to TV 21 that Penelope had been arrested on suspicion of murdering Tobolsk, head of the Bereznik Secret Police. (PROSE: Zodiac's Rescue Bid! ^[+]Loading...["Zodiac's Rescue Bid! (short story)"])

Behind the scenes

Mr. Steelman ^[+]Loading...["Mr. Steelman (comic story)"] was the only Lady Penelope story to be framed as a series of reports from the Undercover Screening Department of 21, with the first part of Duel of the Daleks (published in the same issue as the final part of Mr. Steelman) announcing that Lady Penelope had signed up as a special overseas correspondent for TV 21.