Chapter 25

The descent of the coffin lid was somewhat slower than Princess had expected, but perhaps that was simply an artifact of the alien narcotics in her system. Either that, or Captain Morloc was enjoying this, and wanted to prolong every second.

She didn't know which prospect was more horrifying.

She did her best to break free from her bonds, but the restraints were strongly attached to the sides of the coffin, and she was unable to do so. Her mind created a sudden illusion of the spikes touching her, and she screamed in fear, turning away, although the lid was actually still a few feet above her body. Whatever was going to happen to her, she suddenly knew that she couldn't do it alone.

Fortunately, she wasn't alone.

A loud noise broke through her terror-fogged mind, and its familiarity jolted her back to temporary sanity.

It was the sound of metal tearing.

It was not something most people were used to hearing, as very few things could rip through a quantity of metal substantial enough to create such a cacophony of sound. But it was like music to Princess' ears.

It was the sound of the Phoenix entering the building.

The G-Force Team flew into the room, Mark and Jason attacking Spectran goons with uncharacteristic violence, while Keyop mopped up the few that managed to escape such devastation.

A mere second later, and Tiny was at her side, stopping the spiked lid with only his enormous strength; mangling it enough to arrest its decent a mere inch from her face, and enabling her to escape. She smiled gratefully as he then ripped off her restraints, setting her free.

The moment she had been released, Princess leapt into the air, grabbing a nearby pole and twisting around it, transmuting as she went. She flew through the air, noticing two goons gaping at her as she landed. The Swan quickly made short work of them, ensuring that there were no surviving witnesses to her transformation. With grim satisfaction, she realized that one of them was the effeminate goon who had been the primary architect of her 'questioning'. Zoltar would just have to do without the dubious 'pleasure' of the man's company, from now on.

The other Spectrans all appeared to be too busy to notice the disappearance of their 'captive'. They simply saw the approaching wave of attacking wings and fled. Within a few moments, there were only a few green-uniformed soldiers remaining, as well as a distraught Captain Morloc.

The Eagle approached the bat-winged man, a cold fury in his eyes, the like of which Princess had never seen before. He grabbed Morloc by the throat, an accusatory glare slashing through the Spectran Captain's face.

"Spare me, Commander!" Morloc begged, staining his pants in fear. A puddle began to grow at his feet.

"I shouldn't." Mark spat through gritted teeth. "But go ahead, get your men out of here."

The Swan had never seen this expression on her Commander's face before. Usually, Mark felt sorry for the soldiers they fought, and generally wanted to give them a chance to escape.

But not on this particular occasion. This time, the Swan could tell by the Eagle's menacing countenance that he would love nothing more than to tear the Spectran Captain limb from limb. It was only the most tenuous of holds on his sense of honor that kept him from doing so.

"Thank you, Commander!" Morloc gasped gratefully, ignoring his men as he ran off. But instead of fleeing the base, he merely ran around the corner, initiating a transmission on his portable communications device. The Eagle's enhanced hearing allowed him to listen in on a report that the Spectran Captain had probably not intended for the G-Force Commander to hear.

"Lord Zoltar," his voice whispered furiously, "the Rigan informant was wrong! It was not the one known as Princess! The Swan has arrived with the rest of the G-Force Team! No wonder the torture revealed nothing…"

Morloc's speech was cut off by the sharp sound of a Sonic Boomerang slicing through his neck. The Commander had moved around the corner, and Mark now stood trembling with anger as he caught the bloody weapon on its return to his hand.

"Torture…?" he whispered.

The others were joyously greeting Princess, ecstatic to have her amongst them once again. The Commander turned to face the happy reunion, still grappling with what he had just heard.

Princess saw him, stepping forward, a smile of intense relief and happiness on her face.

"Hi, Mark…" she whispered, a myriad of emotions revealed in those two innocuous words. But her expression turned to one of concern as she saw the anger that still boiled within the Eagle.

"Good to have you back, Princess." he replied automatically, his brain still attempting to process what he had heard from the Spectran Captain and correlate it with the image of his Swan standing before him.

She reached out, tentatively, concern written across her face.

"Mark…?"

It was like a cold slap in the face. She was back, she was safe, and despite her ordeal, she was only concerned about him. Choking off a sob, Mark roughly pulled Princess into his embrace.

"I'm fine, Princess." he reassured her. "Now that you're back where you belong."

Something snapped within the Swan then, and her tension-filled body suddenly relaxed in his arms, as if she had been operating on adrenaline alone, and the surge had instantly faded. Mark supported her as the team searched the base, checking for any further signs of Spectran incursion. Despite the fact that enemy bases were rarely left intact, it was standard procedure to perform this task in such an event. The Commander reported briefly to Chief Anderson, informing him of Princess' rescue.

At the end of a long tunnel the G-Force Team came across an opening in the hillside that looked out upon the ruined city below them. Red jets streaked above their position, dropping the Chief's newly-developed chemical bomb on the flowers, destroying them as they writhed in agony.

Mark stepped forward for a moment, leaving the rest of the team behind him as he saw the planes race by. His father was in one of them, he knew, and he resented that the man was even peripherally involved in this mission.

The Rigan informant was wrong…

The Spectran Captain's words came back to the Commander like a speeding bullet, burying themselves in his brain as the Eagle stared at the Red Ranger Team in action. A terrible thought passed through his mind.

No.

That couldn't be. Even his father was not that inhuman.

The Commander did his best to shake off the insidious thought. Chief Anderson would have to be informed about this traitor among Earth's closest allies, and that would be the end of it.

As he returned to Princess, he saw her stumble slightly, and the Eagle ordered a quick return to the Phoenix, with only a brief stop to plant the usual detonation charges. Princess smiled softly to herself as they boarded the warship, and Mark had never seen a more beautiful sight. The Spectran base exploded as they departed, the red-orange light on the viewscreen flickering on the Swan's visor and reflecting in her emerald eyes. She sighed regretfully, then turned back to her station.

It was only then, that Princess collapsed.