"Status?" Jason asked as he stormed across the bridge. The Phoenix was almost ready for launch; the bay doors were open and the exterior holding chamber had nearly filled with sea water. Jason knew that he had missed the overview briefing with Chief Anderson, but it simply couldn't be helped now.
Keyop looked up. "Brrt ... doot ... Sector 4. Big ... brrp ... spider."
"Tiny, checks?"
"Completed," answered Darien, speaking before Tiny had even opened his mouth. The big pilot raised his eyebrows at Jason.
Jason fought the urge to reprimand G-6. No wonder he gets on everyone's nerves. At least the Rigan had completed his checks promptly this time.
"All systems go, Commander," Tiny said.
"All right," Jason replied. "What are we waiting for? Head to Sector 4."
"Big ten," answered Tiny as he set a course for a largely aquatic area near northern Japan. Given the speed of the Phoenix, it wasn't long before the team came upon their objective hovering above the Pacific Ocean just south of the Kuril Islands. The shiny black spider mecha was striking against the blue waves below. Sunlight glinted off of each writhing metallic leg.
"Yuck," said Tiny.
"Eww," agreed Princess. She shuddered. Darien rolled his eyes.
"Cool!" said Keyop.
Darien and Keyop each earned a frown from Jason. "What do we know about its capabilities?" Jason asked, drumming his fingers impatiently on the console while scowling at the mecha. I wish I'd been there for the briefing.
"Maneuverable in both air and water," answered Darien.
"Targets ... nuclear ... doot ... power," said Keyop.
"Shoot lasers from its legs," added Tiny. "Those legs can stir up some real trouble."
As if on cue, the spider spotted them. Eight legs began to whir in a circle, creating a vortex. Water began to rise into the column, forming a water spout. Tiny fought for control of the Phoenix in the midst of violent turbulence.
"Battle stations," Jason ordered. "Tiny, take us up." He grabbed the console in front of him as the ship lurched sideways.
"I ... can't ... Jase ..." Tiny got out. "She's sucking us in."
"Emergency evasive action. Full power boosters, auxiliary power," commanded the Condor.
"Give me ... a hand ... with the stabilizer?" yelled Tiny, desperately trying to steer the big ship in the wake from the spider's legs. He gestured with his head. "That lever ... there."
Jason grabbed the lever with his good hand, but it was no use. The forces against it were too strong. He needed to be able to brace himself against the floor and yank with both hands. Before he could catch her eye, Princess was on her feet next to him, helping to pull back the control under the tremendous force of the twisting winds. Their combined efforts were working, but the Phoenix strained and swayed violently.
Princess glanced back at the stress factor gauge. "We're pushing tolerance, Commander!"
"Can't ... hold it ... much longer," huffed Tiny.
Just then, one of the eight legs lashed forward and bashed the Phoenix, clamping down over the front of the aircraft.
"Brrp ... hull ... doot ... doot ... cracking!" screamed Keyop.
"Falcon, get up here!" Jason yelled. Darien was on his feet next to Princess instantly. "Take this," Jason ordered as he moved quickly toward the lift. Darien grabbed the lever with both hands, shoving Princess aside. She glared at him, but he ignored her.
As she made her way back to her station, stumbling slightly as the ship violently jerked back and forth, Princess called out to Jason. "Where are you going?"
He was already in the lift. "To my car."
"No ... way," Tiny called back through his wrist com. "Wind's too strong."
"Do you see another option?" Jason snapped back. "We have to break its hold on us. We're not in position for a bird missile, but the gatling gun might work."
Anticipating the protests, Jason switched off his wrist communicator. As soon as the elevator door opened, he slid down the hatch to his car. He got into the vehicle with difficulty, forgetting that his left hand was useless. Damn! Once in the car, he fired up the G-2 and lined up the gun sights. Everything took twice as long one-handed. Jason slammed the fist of his good hand against the dashboard in frustration and took a deep breath before flicking his wrist com back on. "G-5, I'm in position. Open the nose cone."
The metal shields covering the front of the Phoenix retracted with a clatter. The forces against his car were tremendous. He could hear the metallic whine of the grapples as they swayed back and forth in the gale-force winds. But, as he had suspected, one shiny black metal leg of the spider was right in front of his car.
Bingo!
Jason fired a single shot into the beast. As expected, the leg jerked back, sending arcs of laser fire in random directions. Once the leg was further from the Phoenix, Jason pelted the spider with bullets. It seemed like forever until the leg began to smoke, sending a chain-reaction of explosions rocking through the beast. The Phoenix surged upward as the whirling of the remaining legs slowed, and Jason breathed a sigh of relief.
"G-2? You all right out there?"
"I'm fine, G-5," Jason said. "Fly directly over the spider and line me up for the legs. I'll keep firing. Get the Sparrow or the Falcon to launch a bird missile at the body. Let's take this thing out." Jason could hear the whoop on the flight deck even without his wrist com.
"Can I ... brrip ... do it, Commander?" Keyop's eager voice chirped happily through the wrist com.
He laughed. "Sure, Squirt. Just remember to use the firing grid."
We're almost there. Jason reached under his visor and rubbed his eyes. For the first time during the mission, he was painfully aware of just how tired he was. How many hours has it been since I've slept? He stifled a yawn. Gotta focus. Legs. Laser legs.
The spider was caught off-guard by their offensive. Jason shot whenever Tiny had him lined up in the right direction. Two more legs went down. The Phoenix continued to twist and torque as Tiny dodged laser fire from the remaining legs. Jason breathed a sigh of relief that Tiny was piloting instead of him. Just when he was starting to despair of Keyop ever shooting the bird missile, he saw a torpedo of metal flash by and stab directly into the center of the spider's body.
There was a whoop from the bridge.
"Great shot, Keyop! Tiny, pull out. I think she's going to blow."
The words had barely left his lips when the spider exploded, sending a shower of metal fragments in all directions. Before he could even order the command, Tiny had closed the retractable doors covering the G-2, protecting him and his car from the flying shrapnel.
That was close. He had been lucky. No, Jason amended, I'm lucky that I have them.
He climbed out of his car and stretched. This time, he allowed himself to yawn. With effort, Jason hoisted himself back up to the lift one-handed. He took a moment to catch his breath before entering the elevator. By the time he strode back to the flight deck, Tiny was flying the Phoenix in ever-widening arcs to survey the damage.
"Status?"
"Ka-pow!" said Keyop. "Spider splatted."
"Casualties?"
Darien shook his head. "7-Zark-7 reports that the nearby cities were evacuated." He smiled. "Fortunately, the spider was so busy attacking us, it didn't have time to inflict damage anywhere else."
Princess reported, "We're all clear."
"Nice work, everyone," Jason said, sinking into the Commander's chair. He closed his eyes. I'm only going to rest for a minute, he told himself.
"You okay, Jase?" Tiny asked, just low enough that no one else could hear.
Jason's eyes popped open. "Fine, G-5. Take us home."
The ride back to Center Neptune was blissfully uneventful. As they approached the docking bay, Jason tested his reflexes. Finally, his left hand started to respond to his commands. About damn time.
As soon as the ship had docked, each team member set about securing their stations. After a while, Keyop stood and headed toward the hatch.
"Wait a minute, Shorty," Jason said. "I go to debrief first, remember." He stifled a yawn and punched a button on the console in front of him. This is taking forever.
"Brrp ... beep. Sorry, Jason." Keyop sat back down, contrite.
Princess stood up. "I'll finish up for you, Commander."
"Thanks," he responded. Jason leaned his head back against the seat and took a deep breath. Then he stood up, thwapped Keyop on the helmet as he walked by the boy, and left the ship.
As soon as Jason stepped off the bridge, Darien turned to Princess. "Is he all right?"
She nodded. "Tired. But aren't we all?" She gave Darien a slight smile, walked to the Commander's station, and continued to put things away.
Darien still looked concerned. "I thought he said his wrist injury was minor." Darien looked out of the hatch at the Condor, far below, leaving the docking bay.
Princess stopped her work and stared at Darien. "It is."
"Then why didn't he use his left hand once during this whole mission? He needed your help to man the stabilizer." He gave Princess an accusatory look.
Keyop looked up, wide-eyed. Tiny stared at Princess, concern splashed across his face.
Princess sighed, wishing Jason was there to defend himself. "Medical asked him not to." A half-lie was better than the truth.
Darien frowned and crossed his arms. "He should have said something. I can fire the gatling gun. It works better with two hands."
Tiny patted Darien on the shoulder. "Give him time. You've only worked together for a couple of missions. He doesn't know what you can do yet."
Darien kicked at the carpet. "He would if he bothered to ask." His expression hardened. "Or bothered to tell us when he needs help." He glared at Princess, then looked away.
Princess locked eyes with Tiny and shook her head. She gestured at Tiny over Darien's bowed head. Can you take care of this?
Tiny punched Darien playfully on the arm. "How about a rematch of that dart game, Falcon?"
Darien looked up and slowly smiled. "I'll cream you again, Harper."
Princess gave Tiny a grateful look. Thank you, she mouthed.
Any time, he gestured back.
Debrief finished, Jason sat in Medical waiting for Jessie to tape up his arm.
"You back again?" she asked.
He yawned and nodded. He propped up his head on his good arm while she arranged the bandages and began to re-wrap his left wrist.
"Did the numbing drops help?" she questioned. When he didn't answer, all of the color drained from her face. "You were just on a mission, weren't you?"
Jason woke up in a hurry. "Yes," he admitted.
Her eyes widened, her expression horrified. He wanted to lie to her. He wanted to say that he hadn't used the numbing drops. But he just couldn't do it. She might only be an intern, but she was Medical, she needed to know. He couldn't risk setting his recovery times back any further than they already were. And it wasn't like she was going to tell anyone. If the truth came out, she would catch more flak than he would.
"It's not your fault," he said. "You didn't know."
"I'm so stupid!" she said. "Of course, I should have suspected. You're active again." She shook her head and began to unwrap what she had just started. "You've been in the field. I need to take another X-ray first." She sounded flustered.
"It's my fault," he said, trying to look penitent. "I asked you for the drops."
She looked at him and sighed. "I shouldn't have listened to you." She set aside the wrap.
He smirked at her. "I'm very persuasive."
Jessie laughed in spite of herself. "That you are," she said, as she led Jason down the corridor. After two X-rays and another thorough examination of his left wrist, she began to re-wrap Jason's arm. This time, however, she wasn't finished until the bandages extended well above his elbow. He looked down as his arm and flicked an annoyed glance at her.
"Is this my punishment?" he asked.
It was her turn to smirk. "You're supposed to keep your wrist immobile. Since you can't take the numbing drops, I want you to stop using your arm entirely."
At his horrified expression, she smiled at him a bit with more sincerity. "Within reason, of course."
"Just when can I take this lot off?" he asked. No way he could drive like this. Racing was out of the question. So was boxing. What the hell am I going to do to relax?
"Give it a few days, Jason." She reached out to pat him on the shoulder, but at his hard look, Jessie withdrew her hand and crossed her arms awkwardly instead. "You look exhausted. Go get some rest."
Great, someone else to baby me. Jason stood up, ready to storm out of the room. Instead, he found himself fighting for balance. Jessie put a steady hand on his shoulder.
"Get some sleep," she insisted.
He nodded and walked out of the room.