Chapter 14

Zoltar blinked in the harsh fluorescent light. Where was he? This place didn't look familiar…

The events of the last couple of days came back to him in a rush. He was on Earth, impersonating the G-Force Commander. He…

He had been tossed around like a rag doll, by the Condor.

He groaned softly, and heard a soft female voice.

"Mark, are you okay?"

Zoltar moved his head slightly, focusing his gaze on the face a few inches away from him. As she came into view, he saw that it was Princess. Her incredible green eyes appeared concerned for him. It took him a moment to realize that she was holding his hand while he lay in some kind of hospital bed.

"Princess…" he whispered, turning slightly, then wincing at the pain in his head.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Terrible…" Zoltar answered truthfully. "It feels like I got run over by a giant mecha."

"Well, Chief Anderson figured out what's been going on with you." Princess told him.

What? He had? Zoltar panicked. Was his cover blown? Was that why Princess was here? Had Galaxy Security sent her in to get information out of him?

"Apparently, your implant is malfunctioning." Princess explained.

Zoltar sighed inwardly. They hadn't found him out. He wasn't about to be imprisoned and interrogated. The intense surge of relief that washed over him momentarily pushed away the throbbing pain inside his head.

"I guess they can't contact it…" Princess said, "it seems to be having trouble interacting with you."

"That's a pretty accurate description of the situation." Chief Anderson said, coming into the room. "Your implant seems to be having difficulty interpreting your brainwaves, Mark."

That was completely understandable to Zoltar. Since his brainwaves were obviously different from the Commander's, this implant had been subjected to a sudden change, and was having problems compensating for something it hadn't expected. Likely, it had never been designed to deal with a change in brainwaves.

"Jason said that you were having headaches?" Anderson questioned him.

"Yes." Zoltar confirmed. There was no point denying what the Condor had already witnessed.

"Those are likely a result of this problem with your implant." the Chief responded. "We're attempting to contact your cerebonics, to see if we can reset them. But the implant seems to be completely overwhelmed with this issue. What we just don't understand is why it can't read your brainwaves."

Zoltar attempted to look as confused as Anderson. He certainly wasn't going to give the Chief any insights on the subject.

Chief Anderson contemplated the Commander thoughtfully.

"Mark, did anything strange happen while you were on the Astricon base?" he asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Zoltar replied, perhaps a little too quickly. He forced himself to take a deep breath before continuing. "I mean, when the team was caught, I ran after Zoltar, but as usual, he managed to get away. By the time I found my way back, they had freed themselves, and we left."

"That's all?"

"Yes."

"If you say so…" the expression on Anderson's face was doubtful, but apparently he didn't have any choice but to accept 'Mark's' word.

"We'll see what we can do about those headaches, in the meantime." the Chief said, before leaving the room.

"If the Chief knows what's wrong with you, he'll be able to fix it." Princess said confidently.

It suddenly occurred to Zoltar that Princess knew an awful lot about these 'implants', and had been privy to a high level conversation between himself and Chief Anderson.

Who was she? Did she work for Galaxy Security? That would explain her presence here, and how the Commander knew her.

She was smiling gently at him, and for a moment he felt his heart stop beating. Princess was truly someone exceptional. Zoltar had never been so drawn to a female in such a short span of time. He hoped that she would feel the same way about him once he no longer had to masquerade as the Commander.

Zoltar decided to try and find out more about this girl. He had to know how she would respond to him, once she found out who he really was.

"I hope he can fix it, before the next time Spectra attacks." Zoltar said.

"Yes, I agree." Princess nodded. "I would hate to think of G-Force having to fight Spectra with you not up to full strength, Mark."

"But, no matter what, I would back you up and help you get through it." Princess added, smiling gently.

"I appreciate the thought." Zoltar said smoothly, "but I will do the protecting. You're better off staying back while we do the fighting for you."

A bare second later, Zoltar felt something wrapping around his throat. A sense of panic gripped him, and he stared in horror at the suddenly terrifying vision in front of him. Princess' eyes flashed dangerously, and she glared at him, her face a mask of righteous anger.

"I'm going to presume that it's your implant malfunction that's causing you to say something that insulting, Commander." Princess growled. "I definitely don't appreciate your sense of humor."

To emphasize her point, she waved something in front of his face.

It was a red and yellow… yo-yo.

Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn… Princess was the Swan!

Zoltar mentally smacked himself on the forehead. Why hadn't he seen it before?

And why did the most fascinating woman he had ever met have to turn out to be one of his greatest enemies?

"I… I understand." he gulped, noticing the yo-yo cord tightening around his neck. "My comment was in poor taste. Obviously you don't need anyone to fight for you."

She seemed temporarily mollified, but looked askance at him as she put her yo-yo away. Zoltar recalled the ease and competence with which she had fought the Condor that morning.

Princess certainly didn't need anyone to protect her.

But oh, Great Spirit, how Zoltar wanted to.

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Over the next twenty-four hours, the scientists at Center Neptune tried to determine what was wrong with the Commander's implant, with no success. Every time they ran more tests, Zoltar waited anxiously for the results, wondering if he had been found out at last. But they never appeared to question his identity, only what might have happened to him.

It was fairly obvious that Chief Anderson thought something might have occurred without the Eagle's knowledge. He quizzed 'Mark' over and over again about the Astricon mission, but Zoltar was careful not to deviate from his story one iota.

In a way, he appreciated being confined to the Medical Center, because it meant that he didn't have to invent reasons not to attend training sessions. Additionally, he was able to eat all of the Spaceburgers he wanted. On the other hand, his potential for information-gathering was seriously curtailed, and he was becoming incredibly bored.

Princess had not been to see him since their 'misunderstanding', but all of the other G-Force members had visited their Commander. Zoltar had quickly come to realize that the burbling child he had met at Jill's was actually the Swallow, and despite his mental impairments, the Spectran Leader understood that he was a formidable fighter.

Tiny and Jason had commiserated, and Jason had almost apologized for throwing him onto the floor. Almost. It was clear that the Condor liked being able to pull one over on his Commander, regardless of the circumstances.

But for now, no one was around, and Zoltar began desperately to wish that he hadn't messed things up with Princess so badly. Had he known who she was at first, he would never have allowed himself to think of her in that way, but now, it was too late. She occupied his every waking thought, and many of his dreams as well. The idea of conquering the Federation how held the additional reward of having Princess by his side, whether she wanted to be or not.

Although, Zoltar desperately hoped that she would want to be.

These melancholy thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an incoming communication on his viewscreen. Absently, Zoltar turned and activated the monitor, hoping to see Princess' enchanting emerald eyes.

Instead, what he saw was a short, squat robot with a rounded head, wearing a yellow sweater with the number 7 embroidered on it.

"Oh, Commander!" the robot exclaimed, obviously delighted to see 'Mark'. "I am so glad to hear that you are doing better. When I heard that your implant was malfunctioning, I was most distraught. Why, my FOSDIC stopped spinning for a moment!"

Zoltar was taken aback. Just who was this robot?

"I… I'm sorry to hear that." Zoltar replied cautiously.

"Oh, I'm just fine now:" the robot said smoothly, "now that I know that you will be taken care of. Why, I personally am taking charge of the project to re-work your implant to read your brainwaves again. After all, I did design the implants, so I am best suited for this important task."

This idiotic piece of metal had designed the G-Force implants? This was definitely someone worth talking to.

"So, tell me, how did you come up with the design for the implants?" Zoltar asked.

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked, Commander." the robot almost seemed to smile as he replied, although his facial expression physically could not alter itself. "It's a very detailed explanation…"