Chapter 9
The Chief performed brief examinations on Mark, Jason, and Princess, and then sat them down, with Tiny, to discuss the results of his testing.
"When I analyzed Jason and Princess' implants," he began, "I was able to confirm that they are G-2: the Condor and G-3: the Swan, and that they both executed Command Code 3210, as Mark had ordered you all to do on the day of the Spectran Invasion of Earth."
"What, exactly, does Command Code 3210 do?" Princess asked curiously. "I have some idea, but…"
"I understand, Princess." the Chief smiled thinly. "Command Code 3210 was designed for an emergency… a complete breakdown of the Federation. In fact, it was designed for a situation very much like the one you encountered when you lost the battle with the Spectrans. Back when your implants were first being designed, I set up this particular Command Code to ease my conscience; never expecting that any of you would actually use it. Only Mark, as Commander, was even aware of its existence."
"But, what does it do?" Jason asked impatiently.
"In short, it hides your identities." Anderson replied. "For a limited time, it blocks your memory recall and replaces the missing memories with a set of false ones… an 'alternate' identity. The idea was to hide you so well, that even you wouldn't know who you were."
"But why did such a Command Code even exist?" Tiny asked. "Why would we ever want to hide ourselves so completely…?" the Owl's voice drifted off as he realized the answer to his question lay in what Jason and Princess had experienced, back on Earth.
"I knew there was a possibility that one day you might be lost in enemy territory, with no hope of contacting anyone for help." the Chief explained. " You have fought so many battles on alien planets, but never did I imagine that this might happen on Earth…" the Chief paused briefly, a tear shining in his eye.
"In such a situation, I wanted you to be able to blend into the society around you." he continued after a moment of silence. "To have you hide your identities as members of G-Force from whomever might be looking for you."
"But, what if the Spectrans had already discovered our civilian identities?" Tiny asked. "Then they could find us, and if this Command Code had been executed, we wouldn't even know why they were looking for us."
"The command sequence was supposed to change your physical characteristics as well, in case your civilian identities had been compromised." Anderson informed them. Tiny noticed that when the Chief revealed this information, Princess hesitantly brought her hand to her hair. The Owl was about to ask her what was wrong when Jason spoke.
"So, you gave us our assumed names." the Condor deduced. "That's why you knew that I was Scott Sheridan. But the implant gave us backgrounds that fit the situation."
"Yes." the Chief confirmed. "It was fortunate also that all of you are fluent in French, thanks to the summers we spent in the Loire Valley when you were children."
"But, I'm still missing some memories." Princess told Anderson. "I am recalling more and more each day, but there are still holes…"
"That's to be expected." the Chief replied. "The program was designed to let your true memories come back gradually, so as not to overwhelm you if you were still in a difficult situation. But I can end the process now, fully restoring all recollections of the past, both before and after you executed Command Code 3210."
"Sign me up for that!" Jason replied eagerly.
It didn't take long for Anderson to adjust Jason and Princess' implants, and within moments they were both smiling.
"Everything is so clear…" Princess was amazed. "It's like a fog has been lifted from my mind." Jason voiced his agreement.
The Commander had been sitting quietly in the corner of the room during the entire time the Chief had been giving them the results of his examination, but now the Eagle finally spoke.
"Can you do the same for me, Chief?" Mark asked. "I must have executed this Command Code later than Jason and Princess did, because I still don't have any of my memories back."
"There's a good reason for that, Mark." Anderson sighed. "You never executed Command Code 3210."
"I didn't?" Mark was shocked. "Then, why can't I remember?"
"My examination of you, and your implant, confirms your identity as G-1: the Eagle," the Chief said, "but I have also discovered that your implant is currently running Automated Procedure 4566."
"Automated Procedure 4566…?" Mark asked, confused. "What's that?"
"As its name indicates, it is a sequence of instructions that your implant chooses to execute, without your conscious confirmation." the Chief told him. "These instructions are something your implant decided to execute on its own, as a result of what your conscious and subconscious mind were experiencing at the time. This Procedure was something that you would have had no awareness of until it had been completely initiated, and you found yourself unable to recall anything."
"Why would my implant do that?" Mark asked. "Was it some kind of malfunction?"
"I don't think so." Anderson replied, his brow furrowing. The Chief paused for a moment, rubbing the bridge of his nose with two of his fingers. His eyes slid over to glance at Tiny, and instantly, the Owl knew exactly what the Chief was thinking.
"Mark…" Anderson asked slowly, "what's the first thing you remember? Your first memory?"
"Waking up buried beneath a pile of rubble." Mark said, his forehead wrinkled in concentration. "I'm not entirely certain how I got there, but I found out later that the Penal Complex I had been in had been attacked, so I'm guessing that a building literally collapsed on top of me."
Tiny gasped audibly as the Commander spoke. A Penal Complex… so Mark had been a prisoner of the Spectrans, then. Zoltar hadn't been lying about that. The Owl had been wondering about this very thing since the moment he had discovered that Mark was actually alive.
"You were at a Penal Complex?" the Chief asked, ignoring the Owl's outburst. "You were an inmate there?"
"Yes." Mark nodded. "I was being held by the Snakeheads, although I don't actually recall any of my time there. Just waking up, wearing an inmate's uniform…" The Eagle's eyes clouded over as his mind worked to recall his past.
"Mark, while you were there, do you think you were ever questioned by the Spectrans?" Anderson's voice was calm, but Tiny could tell by the way the Chief's eyebrows were twitching that the answer to this question was extremely important.
"I… I don't know." Mark said, his fists clenching in frustration. "I guess it's possible…"
"I think they did."
Everyone turned to look at Princess, who was staring white-faced at Mark.
"You told me, Mark, that you had a lot of bruises and welts all over your body when you escaped… more than the rubble would have explained." Princess said quietly.
"Yes, that's right." Mark nodded. "I don't know if they were anything special. I'd guess that the Snakeheads treat all of their prisoners that way."
"Not me."
Now everyone turned to look at Jason.
"I was a prisoner at the same Penal Complex." Jason revealed. "They treated us pretty badly, but mostly, it was just neglect: filthy conditions, very little food, that kind of thing. The guards generally didn't make a habit out of physically punishing us, except as a disciplinary measure."
Tiny's eyes grew wide. Jason had been a prisoner of the Spectrans as well? And at the same Penal Complex? Had he seen Mark there? How badly had he been treated?
Was this all Tiny's fault, for abandoning his friends in their hour of need?
"There's something else." Princess murmured, and everyone's attention was immediately drawn back to the Swan.
"When the Snakeheads captured us underneath Mont Blanc, and brought us to their base… Zoltar saw you in the Control Room, Mark, and he was talking to you…"
"You ran into Zoltar?" Tiny was astounded, but Jason shushed him.
"Zoltar said something about how he 'missed his conversations with you', Mark." Princess reminded the Commander. "Do you think…?"
The Swan didn't finish her sentence, but her unsaid words hung in the air, a nearly tangible blanket of unease settling over everyone.
"I…" Mark looked at Princess uncertainly. "I suppose it could have happened that way."
"Those two Snakeheads at the Penal Complex said that Zoltar was there to interrogate an inmate in front of the guards." Princess whispered. "Only, he never got a chance to, because of the attack. Do you think that's why you were buried in the rubble? They were bringing you to see Zoltar…?"
"That makes sense." Mark admitted. "It certainly could have happened that way…" He shook his head as he unconsciously repeated his words.
"I think Princess is right." Anderson said resolutely. "If the Spectrans… If Zoltar was questioning you, then in an effort not to reveal anything to him, your implant might have initiated this Automated Procedure. That's exactly the kind of scenario that particular command protocol was designed for."
"So, you're saying that my mind did this on purpose, to prevent me from revealing any secret information to the Snakeheads?" the Commander's jaw dropped.
"Yes."
Everyone stood in silence for a moment, absorbing this information.
"So, how do I fix it?" Mark asked finally. "I'd like to have my memories back, and truly remember who I am."
"I can reset your Cerebonics, ending the Procedure," Anderson replied, "but it's not going to be an instant reversal. Your memories will come back eventually, but it may take weeks, or even months, for them to return fully."
"If that's the best you can do, I'm still better off than I was before." Mark replied. "Although I have to admit that I was wishing for a faster 'recovery', like Jason and Princess had."
The Commander sat down while the Chief used a complex device to access Mark's Cerebonic Systems and adjust his implant. The Eagle remained unmoving, but when the brief procedure was over, he slumped over slightly, appearing disappointed.
"I don't feel any differently." he said.
"It might take awhile." Anderson reminded him. "But the Procedure has been terminated, now. Your memories will come back, the question is merely when."
"Thank you." Mark said, holding out his hand to the Chief. "Thank you, for everything."
