Disclaimer: Battle of the Planets is owned by the Sandy Frank Corporation. Gatchaman, by Tatsunoko. We make no money out of this work of fiction.
Editors Note: It seemed a harmless idea - a BotP Round Robin, nicely fluffy and Mark/Princess. Little did we know that it would take on a life of it's own and be continuing over 100,000 words later!
This particular fic is a collaborative effort - and if you check out our Author Profile, you will see the perpetrators involved. Yes. It's still going. Strong. And shows no signs of ending.
We have taken a few liberties with canon here, as well as added in a few of our own characters. We hope that you enjoy these characters asmuch as we have in creating them.
No. It doesn't stay fluffy for long. Yes, we did try to drag it - kicking and screaming - back into fluffyness.
Anyway, we hope that you enjoy what we have come to call "Fluffy". Reviews and comments are always welcome.
Her eyes were wide and unblinking as she peered down into the training room from high in the observation booth. She had the index finger of her left hand pressed into her bottom lip, which was separated from her top lip by a curious and in awe five millimetres.
Her right hand switched between sitting loosely on her hip, and pressed against the glass. It's position changing in time with the movement down in the gym.
Her concentration was such that she didn't hear the soft chuckled arrival of the youngest member of the G-Force team.
Keyop raised a brow at the doorway and nudged an elbow into Tiny's hip. "Broop, breep, watch this," he whispered mischievously as he snuck up behind the deadliest woman in the world.
The kissy-kissy noises started off virtually inaudible, made by a simple opening and closing of his lips over his teeth. They soon escalated and smacked loudly, fracturing the silence with an echo that not only alerted Princess to his presence, but also drew a stunned and embarrassed gasp from deep inside her gut. She spun and leaned her back up against the glass in a pathetic attempt to hide the scene behind her.
"Key … Uh …Tiny?" She gasped staggered. "What are…"
"HA!" Keyop belched after a short serries of breeps and broots. "Caught watching Markie-Warkie."
Sure the sentence was stated as fact, but there was still an underlying question that he dared not voice.
Was she watching Mark? Or perving on someone else?
'Somebody talking about me?' Mark swaggered into the observation booth, smirk on his face as he ruffled Keyop's hair. A towel was slung over his shoulder and his wet hair clung to his face and neck.
Keyop crinked his head up to look at his commander. 'Well, if not you... Jason?'
Mark twisted Keyop's head to show him Jason, who was slumped against the door, coffee mug in hand. He raised his eyes to meet Keyop's, revealing them to be bloodshot, like he'd not slept all night. Keyop's eyes flickered at Mark, then swivelled to meet Tiny's, and the two of them ne4ar stampeded to the window to see who Princess was watching.
Down on the padded mat was a most unexpected sight - a pair of men, clad only in Gi trousers, sparring heavily.
Colonel Cronus and Dr. Anderson.
Mark and Jason also moved to the window, and all five watched the older men sparring.
"It's not really hit me until now," said Princess' soft voice, "that the Chief ever was anything but the Chief."
They all winced as one of Anderson's blows connected heavily with Cronus, knocking him off his feet.
"I'd never even really thought that he could fight, let alone this well," she continued and turned towards the others. "How many years have we known him? And why don't we know more about him? Or Colonel Cronus, for that matter. I had no idea he was on the base."
The four boys exchanged glances. Princess was on one of her "caring missions" again.
"Perhaps the Chief doesn't want us to know?" suggested Tiny.
Mark, however, shook his head. "If he didn't want us to know, then why choose here and now for this session? And why with Cronus?"
"Picking on someone his own size," burbled Keyop. "We'd kick butt."
Jason had been watching the fighters intently. His eyes may have been bloodshot, but his observation skills were still as keen as ever.
He watched the Chief of Security land another blow and smiled grimly. He knew that move. He knew what the outcome would be. It was a favourite of his. He turned to Keyop. "I wouldn't be so sure of that, squirt," he said softly. "Princess' right though. What do we know of Anderson's past? I mean Mark, Prin and I grew up with the man, but he did have a life before us."
"And we know so little about Cronus, anyway," finished Tiny thoughtfully.
"I want to find out more," said Princess firmly. "Those two men know all about us, but we know nothing of them." She grinned suddenly. "Call me paranoid, but don't you think it's strange that possibly the only two people who could take us out are two people that we have to trust with our lives? And anyway, I hate this sort of mystery."
Mark was looking thoughtful. "There have to be records somewhere," he mused. "All we need to do is find them."
Jason had perked up. "Gonna take planning," he said. "And balls. Somebody's gotta search the Chief's office and his private quarters."
"You volunteering?" asked Keyop
"Nope. Just stating a fact."
Princess was watching the fighters again. "I want to know. I want to know how they met. Why they're friends. Why us." She turned from the window. "Who we are."