Disclaimer: Battle of the Planets and all of its characters belong to
Sandy Frank. Everything else is mine, all mine.
"Who's the blonde?" Jason asked, glanced at a young woman dressed in heels, short skirt, and an expensive silk blouse.
"That's the old man's top design engineer. She's the one that designed your new car. Name's Sam Sinclair," Mike replied as he checked out the interior of said car.
"Why is she here?"
"The old man wants her here for your test drive."
"Why?"
"How should I know? Now quit checking her out. Get out there and drive."
Jason put on his helmet, adjusted the attached microphone so he could talk to the pit and climbed into the car. After strapping himself in, he started the car. Mike, his crew chief, finished giving the car a final once over and gave Jason the signal to go. He pulled out onto the track and gave the car some gas. He gradually picked up speed and was soon speeding around the track. As the speedometer edged towards 200 mph, something didn't sound quite right.
"Hey, Mike," Jason said.
"Yeah, Jase. What's up?"
"Something's not right. I'm going to make one more lap and then I'm coming back in."
"Right."
Jason finished his lap around the track and headed back to the pit area. After pulling in, he unbuckled his restraints and climbed out.
"What's wrong, Jase?" Jack Pitney called.
"The car doesn't sound right, Mr. Pitney," Jason called back over his shoulder. He popped the hood and started poking around. Soon Mike and two of the other mechanics joined him.
"Mr. Pitney? What are they doing to my car?" Sam asked as she walked up to her boss.
"Jase said it didn't sound right, Sammy." She watched uneasily as the four men worked. It was the final straw when they started removing things. Sam removed her shoes, rolled up the sleeves of her blouse, and walked over to "her" car.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? Move." Sam grabbed a socket wrench and pushed Jason out of the way. She was oblivious to the three mechanics. After reattaching what they had removed, she made a few adjustments of her own. "There. Try it now."
"If you're finished, can the real mechanics get back to work?" Jason asked sarcastically.
"Sure, do you know any?" she shot back. "I designed the car and oversaw its production. I know how to fix it."
"Hey, Jase? She did fix it," said Pete, one of the mechanics. He had climbed into the car and started it.
Sam gave Jason a look that said, "Told ya so". She received one of his patented glares in response.
Jason climbed back into the car and finished his test drive. "I guess she did fix it," he thought to himself. After returning to the pit, Mike stopped him.
"You should apologize to Sam," he said.
"Yeah, I was kind of a jerk," Jason agreed as he ran his hands through his hair. "Do you know where she is?"
"She was with the old man last time I saw her."
"Thanks." That meant they could be anywhere. Jack Pitney was the owner of the racing team Jason had belonged to since he was 19, right after he was forcibly removed from G-Force. That had been the worst time of his life. In the 11 years since, he had settled into life as a full-time racecar driver. Jack Pitney had probably saved his life and Jason owed him everything. He had even learned, for the most part, to control his temper, the very thing that had gotten him kicked off G-Force in the first place.
Jason walked around to the track office. He could hear Pitney and a woman talking. "Must be Sam," he thought.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Pitney. He may be your best driver, but he's a jerk."
"Give him a chance, Sammy. He'll grow on you."
Jason stopped in front of the office door, took a deep breath, and knocked. Apologizing was not his favorite thing to do, especially in front of his boss.
"Come in." After seeing who had entered, Mr. Pitney said, "Ah, Jason. We were just talking about you."
"So I heard."
Sam looked slightly embarrassed, but she didn't say anything.
"I came to apologize to Ms. Sinclair for being a jerk earlier."
Mr. Pitney nodded and looked at Sam. "Apology accepted," she replied. "But you're still a jerk."
Jason lifted his head and he could see the ghost of a smile on her lips. He gave a slight smile in return.
"Now that we're all friends, how'd the car handle, Jase?" Mr. Pitney asked.
"Great. After Ms. Sinclair made her adjustments, everything went fine."
"You can call me Sam," she told him.
"See, Jase, she likes you. Not everybody gets to call her Sam."
"Even fewer get to call me Sammy, Mr. Pitney."
* * * * * * *
During the next few months, Jason got to see a lot of Sam as the car was being readied for the season. He was impressed with her ability to intuitively know what was wrong with an engine and how to fix it. He also learned from Mike that Sam no longer thought he was jerk. Why this revelation made him happy was beyond him.
Race season would be starting soon. Mr. Pitney informed his drivers and pit crews that they would be racing in the Center City 500. Jason had always avoided that particular race due to its proximity to Center Neptune and G-Force. Sam would be going along since this would be the first time Jason would be driving "her" car in a race.
Jason tried his best to get out of going, but Mr. Pitney insisted. "I don't know what your problem is with this race, Jason, but you're going."
"Yes, sir."
"Everything will be fine."
Jason needn't have worried. The car performed flawlessly and he won with no problem. After the race, Mike, several members of the pit crew, Sam, and he drove to Crenshaw, a small town 20 miles west of Center City. They ate dinner at a tiny pub and then went to a theater that showed old movies. It seemed to Jason that everywhere the group went that required sitting down Mike managed to maneuver everyone so that Jason always ended up next to Sam. Not that he minded.
While watching the movie, Sam apparently decided it needed livening up and started adding her own comments and dialogue. Jason added a few of his own comments. The manager didn't find them particularly amusing and the two comedians soon found themselves standing on the sidewalk in front of the theater.
"And I was just starting to have fun," Sam said.
As they discussed what they should do with the rest of their evening, a group of men walked up.
"Hey, darlin'," a rather unpleasant man said to Sam. "Lose lover boy here and we'll show you some real fun."
"Sorry. Not interested," Sam replied.
The man didn't like her answer and grabbed her arm.
"I said I wasn't interested," Sam said angrily. She spun around and hit the man with a lot more force than one would expect from a woman her size. He collapsed to the sidewalk.
The man's friends closed in around Sam and Jason. Jason moved quickly and took care of three of the men while Sam easily handled the other two. When they finished, the ground was littered with unconscious and semi-conscious men. Just then, two police cars pulled up.
"Uh oh," Sam whispered. Jason just gave her a grim smile.
"Who's the blonde?" Jason asked, glanced at a young woman dressed in heels, short skirt, and an expensive silk blouse.
"That's the old man's top design engineer. She's the one that designed your new car. Name's Sam Sinclair," Mike replied as he checked out the interior of said car.
"Why is she here?"
"The old man wants her here for your test drive."
"Why?"
"How should I know? Now quit checking her out. Get out there and drive."
Jason put on his helmet, adjusted the attached microphone so he could talk to the pit and climbed into the car. After strapping himself in, he started the car. Mike, his crew chief, finished giving the car a final once over and gave Jason the signal to go. He pulled out onto the track and gave the car some gas. He gradually picked up speed and was soon speeding around the track. As the speedometer edged towards 200 mph, something didn't sound quite right.
"Hey, Mike," Jason said.
"Yeah, Jase. What's up?"
"Something's not right. I'm going to make one more lap and then I'm coming back in."
"Right."
Jason finished his lap around the track and headed back to the pit area. After pulling in, he unbuckled his restraints and climbed out.
"What's wrong, Jase?" Jack Pitney called.
"The car doesn't sound right, Mr. Pitney," Jason called back over his shoulder. He popped the hood and started poking around. Soon Mike and two of the other mechanics joined him.
"Mr. Pitney? What are they doing to my car?" Sam asked as she walked up to her boss.
"Jase said it didn't sound right, Sammy." She watched uneasily as the four men worked. It was the final straw when they started removing things. Sam removed her shoes, rolled up the sleeves of her blouse, and walked over to "her" car.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? Move." Sam grabbed a socket wrench and pushed Jason out of the way. She was oblivious to the three mechanics. After reattaching what they had removed, she made a few adjustments of her own. "There. Try it now."
"If you're finished, can the real mechanics get back to work?" Jason asked sarcastically.
"Sure, do you know any?" she shot back. "I designed the car and oversaw its production. I know how to fix it."
"Hey, Jase? She did fix it," said Pete, one of the mechanics. He had climbed into the car and started it.
Sam gave Jason a look that said, "Told ya so". She received one of his patented glares in response.
Jason climbed back into the car and finished his test drive. "I guess she did fix it," he thought to himself. After returning to the pit, Mike stopped him.
"You should apologize to Sam," he said.
"Yeah, I was kind of a jerk," Jason agreed as he ran his hands through his hair. "Do you know where she is?"
"She was with the old man last time I saw her."
"Thanks." That meant they could be anywhere. Jack Pitney was the owner of the racing team Jason had belonged to since he was 19, right after he was forcibly removed from G-Force. That had been the worst time of his life. In the 11 years since, he had settled into life as a full-time racecar driver. Jack Pitney had probably saved his life and Jason owed him everything. He had even learned, for the most part, to control his temper, the very thing that had gotten him kicked off G-Force in the first place.
Jason walked around to the track office. He could hear Pitney and a woman talking. "Must be Sam," he thought.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Pitney. He may be your best driver, but he's a jerk."
"Give him a chance, Sammy. He'll grow on you."
Jason stopped in front of the office door, took a deep breath, and knocked. Apologizing was not his favorite thing to do, especially in front of his boss.
"Come in." After seeing who had entered, Mr. Pitney said, "Ah, Jason. We were just talking about you."
"So I heard."
Sam looked slightly embarrassed, but she didn't say anything.
"I came to apologize to Ms. Sinclair for being a jerk earlier."
Mr. Pitney nodded and looked at Sam. "Apology accepted," she replied. "But you're still a jerk."
Jason lifted his head and he could see the ghost of a smile on her lips. He gave a slight smile in return.
"Now that we're all friends, how'd the car handle, Jase?" Mr. Pitney asked.
"Great. After Ms. Sinclair made her adjustments, everything went fine."
"You can call me Sam," she told him.
"See, Jase, she likes you. Not everybody gets to call her Sam."
"Even fewer get to call me Sammy, Mr. Pitney."
* * * * * * *
During the next few months, Jason got to see a lot of Sam as the car was being readied for the season. He was impressed with her ability to intuitively know what was wrong with an engine and how to fix it. He also learned from Mike that Sam no longer thought he was jerk. Why this revelation made him happy was beyond him.
Race season would be starting soon. Mr. Pitney informed his drivers and pit crews that they would be racing in the Center City 500. Jason had always avoided that particular race due to its proximity to Center Neptune and G-Force. Sam would be going along since this would be the first time Jason would be driving "her" car in a race.
Jason tried his best to get out of going, but Mr. Pitney insisted. "I don't know what your problem is with this race, Jason, but you're going."
"Yes, sir."
"Everything will be fine."
Jason needn't have worried. The car performed flawlessly and he won with no problem. After the race, Mike, several members of the pit crew, Sam, and he drove to Crenshaw, a small town 20 miles west of Center City. They ate dinner at a tiny pub and then went to a theater that showed old movies. It seemed to Jason that everywhere the group went that required sitting down Mike managed to maneuver everyone so that Jason always ended up next to Sam. Not that he minded.
While watching the movie, Sam apparently decided it needed livening up and started adding her own comments and dialogue. Jason added a few of his own comments. The manager didn't find them particularly amusing and the two comedians soon found themselves standing on the sidewalk in front of the theater.
"And I was just starting to have fun," Sam said.
As they discussed what they should do with the rest of their evening, a group of men walked up.
"Hey, darlin'," a rather unpleasant man said to Sam. "Lose lover boy here and we'll show you some real fun."
"Sorry. Not interested," Sam replied.
The man didn't like her answer and grabbed her arm.
"I said I wasn't interested," Sam said angrily. She spun around and hit the man with a lot more force than one would expect from a woman her size. He collapsed to the sidewalk.
The man's friends closed in around Sam and Jason. Jason moved quickly and took care of three of the men while Sam easily handled the other two. When they finished, the ground was littered with unconscious and semi-conscious men. Just then, two police cars pulled up.
"Uh oh," Sam whispered. Jason just gave her a grim smile.