Chapter 16

"What do you mean, you've made no progress?" President Kane raged. After John Anderson had refused to answer three of his telephone calls, he had traveled to the Chief of Galaxy Security's office in person.

"I'm having a hard enough time concentrating on the situation, with Mister 'Trigger-Happy', here interrupting me constantly!" grumbled Anderson, gesturing angrily toward the chair where Colonel Cronus sat, his arms folded in irritation. "He wants to go in and blow up the entire school!"

"Not with my granddaughter in there, you don't!" Kane shook his fist in Cronus' face. The Colonel actually had the grace to look embarrassed.

"What will your team do, if time runs out?" Kane asked Anderson.

"I believe they will ensure the safety of the students, one way, or the other." the Chief replied quietly.

"I hate to break up the conversation, gentlemen," Cronus interrupted them, "but it's been forty-five minutes since Zoltar's message was delivered. This is going to come to a head, very soon. Perhaps we should go to the school."

"But, Zoltar's message said that they would destroy the school, if we approached!" Kane cried.

"Thom has a point." Anderson admitted reluctantly. "Once the hour is up, if G-Force has not diffused the situation from within, or surrendered themselves, we pretty much have nothing to lose."

"Whatever you think, John." Kane sighed, sitting down heavily. "I trust your judgment."

The Chief had to stifle an urge to stick his tongue out at the Colonel.

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"Where are they?" ranted Zoltar yet again, as he paced back and forth across the stage at the front of the gymnasium.

"I don't know, Sire." replied Sergeant Keith, who was watching over Brad Peterson. Brad had been tied to a chair with electrical cords. His mouth had been covered over with duct tape, after Zoltar had complained about his 'incessant whining'. Brad's pants were now stained with more than just punch, as a result of his constant state of terror.

"G-Force should be here by now!" the Spectran Leader complained, kicking Brad's shins in a vain attempt to vent his frustrations. "I sent that message three quarters of an hour ago! What's keeping them?"

"Perhaps they were some distance away?" the other soldier attending Zoltar suggested. "They need more time to get here?"

"That damned Phoenix can travel from Earth to Spectra in the blink of an eye, and G-Force can't get here within an hour?" Zoltar asked in irritation.

The Sergeant sighed, shaking his head. There was no dealing with Lord Zoltar, when he got into a mood like this. Not for the first time, he wished he were still assigned to Lady Mala's command.

The students and faculty were now sitting in groups on the gymnasium floor, as they were tired of standing around, waiting for something to happen. Many of them were beginning to whisper amongst themselves. It was obvious that Zoltar was frustrated. What would this mean for them, especially if the hour allotted for G-Force's surrender ran out?

Mark, Princess and Tiny stood in Spectran uniforms, surveying the gymnasium from their position against the back wall. The Spectran soldiers now stood in clumps, talking together, keeping only a half-hearted eye on the hostages. They were split into three groups, not counting the two soldiers on the stage with Zoltar.

"Princess, you take the group on the right. Tiny, you take the group on the left." Mark ordered. "I'll take the group closest to the stage."

"Right." acknowledged Tiny.

"What's the timing on this?" Princess asked.

"We'll take three minutes to reach our targets." Mark said. "Then we'll all attack simultaneously, as fast as possible, and make our way to Zoltar's position."

"G-Force!" whispered Princess and Tiny, as the three teens slipped away, toward their intended targets.

At the designated time, Princess threw her yo-yo into her target group, triggering the explosive charge. The Spectrans cried out in surprise and pain, as they collapsed to the ground.

The hostages turned to stare, astounded at the sight, but even as they did so, Mark and Tiny used their borrowed Spectran rifles to take down the other two groups of guards.

Within seconds, the three were on the stage at the front of the gym. Princess' yo-yo shot out, smacking Sergeant Keith in the head and causing him to crumple to the floor. Tiny pounded his fist into the other soldier's face, knocking him out with one blow. Mark grabbed Zoltar from behind, his arm wrapping around the Spectran Leader's throat.

"G-Force!" squeaked Zoltar, his glossy pink lips trembling.

"Didn't you call for us?" smirked Mark, tightening his grip, and using his other hand to jam his rifle into Zoltar's back.

"Uh..." the Spectran Leader moaned, his head thrashing in the Commander's grip.

"We're taking you back to Galaxy Security Headquarters." Mark informed him. "Now, just…"

As Mark spoke, Zoltar's fingers brushed his lips. A small device fell out of his mouth, and Zoltar threw it onto the floor.

Mark's surprise at the cloud of gas emanating from his feet caused him to loosen his grip ever so slightly. Within seconds, he was coughing and choking, realizing too late that Zoltar had slipped away.

"After him!" the Commander cried, and Tiny and Princess followed Mark out of the room, to the sound of the students' resounding cheers.

"G-Force! G-Force! G-Force!" The chant filled the gymnasium, ringing through their ears.

Amidst all of the celebratory ruckus, no one remembered that Brad Peterson was still tied to his chair. The senior thrashed and bucked, attempting to free himself.

With a crash, Brad fell backward, chair and all, into the drum kit behind him, smashing it to pieces.

"Hey, man, you're going to have to pay for that!" admonished the band 's lead singer.