"There!" yelled Jason, leaping up. "That window! Hurry Tiny!"
Tiny watched the screen intently. They were just about visible. It was a small gap between the building were his team-mates were hanging from. The building next to it, which looked like another run down five-story warehouse, was built very close to its counterpart.
Manoeuvring the Phoenix between the two was not an option. A rope ladder hung from above would be the most appropriate manoeuvre, thought Tiny.
Anderson got up from his seat and stepped towards Tiny's position. He was about to suggest lowering a rope ladder himself when - to his surprise - Tiny suddenly slammed the engines on overdrive and fired the craft forward, catching Anderson off balance.
Anderson grabbed this nearest control panel to steady himself and leaned towards the pilot. Tiny's face was a mask of tension and intense concentration. Anderson looked back at the screen. They were heading directly for the building that sat next to the one from which Mark and Princess hung.
"What are you doing?" he exclaimed. Tiny didn't hear the question. He was subconsciously calculating angles, speed and trajectories through his brain at a fantastic rate. He dropped the craft down to street level and aimed directly at the building ahead.
"Hold on!" the pilot cried, adrenaline pumping through his veins. The engines roared with protest as he pushed them over their limit. Anderson watched with a mixture of horror and bewilderment.
***
He let go. His muscles just gave up and his hands gently slip off the ledge. He and his partner, the unconscious Princess were falling from five stories up. It was certainly enough to even kill a member of G-Force.
Unconscious, he did not here the noise of the Phoenix coming in low. The sound blew out windows on either side of the street. A few late night pedestrians ran for cover dodging the debris and glass that rained onto the street.
Unconscious, Princess did hear the ear splitting crash as the Phoenix's dived into the abandoned building opposite. Nor did she hear the continuous rumble as it split through the centre of the empty property, chewing it from inside.
She was told later, but could not recall, the unforgettable image of the Phoenix bursting through the building's side like a bullet through thin paper. Her body however told the story, with wounds inflicted by dancing shrapnel.
Neither did the two remember the Phoenix colliding with the building they had exited, the nose smashing through the side and coming to a stop just below their descending position, it's undercarriage burners holding the craft horizontal as the two figures landed precisely on the upper hatch.
They remembered none of this daring rescue. Which was a pity, for it was a perfect example of the power and speed of the cerebonic implants - enabling Tiny to see and react to situations faster than a normal human. Sometimes even Anderson had to confess to being in awe of the power gathered from those mighty enhancers. For now, he was just happy to have his children back alive.
***
Zark relaxed on one of his overtly long ten second oil breaks.
He lay back on his reclining table, taking a breather from his job as overseer of the Galactic Federation. Mimicking human behaviour was just a quirk of his model type. He didn't need to have a break, but the robot had evolved in ways that no one had expected. No one really dare complain since Zark did his job with unswerving diligence and skill. If he wasn't broke, why fix it? Besides, his mannerisms brought a warm, friendly character to the facility.
"Well now," Zark said to himself. "All's well that ends well. Mark is being thoroughly checked over for any adverse affects from his ordeal and Princess is well on the road to recovery."
He squirted some oil into his overused joints. "Princess was right when she guessed that transmuting Mark would severe the connection the alien had on his cerebonic implant. It gave Mark back his superhuman powers and control of his body. T
he robot shivered - a mean feat for a metallic ovoid. "What a horrible alien that was! I'm so glad that Mark was able to get rid of it - but it was my ice bomb that actually destroyed the creature!" He chortled to himself. "I do love it when I can be of help to the team!"
He dropped off his bed and wandered back down to his control centre. "G- Force are now on a well earned break. Colonel Cronus and his fine men have stepped in for the meantime to help me keep an eye on planet Spectra! Who knows when Zoltar could strike!" He sighed contentedly. "Soon everything will be back to normal!"
***
Princess winced as she tried to get up from the hospital bed. She had been in the medical facility on Centre Neptune for a few days now. She was bored. There was only so much of the tiny white walled room she could take.
The broken rib was on the mend, as was the arm. Another benefit of G-Force was an increased healing rate. Still hurt like hell. The bruises were pretty much gone.
She was about to try lifting herself off the bed when she was pulled firmly back onto it. Two strong arms wrapped around her chest from behind and held her tightly. She relaxed into the warm embrace.
"You shouldn't be up." She grinned. "Neither should you!" teased the voice. "I've heard you gathered quite a few black marks on your files. Someone said something about insubordination. I told them they must have had the wrong team - and particularly the wrong member!"
She giggled, blushing slightly. "It was a worthy cause."
"I hope I won't experience such bad behaviour under my command. Any such disregard for orders and I'll be forced to set 1-Rover-1 onto any such person."
She twisted herself round to face her assailant. "You wouldn't dare!" she exclaimed with a laugh.
"Try me!" bluffed her commander.
She squeezed him tightly, gripping him as closely as possible. "I thought we had lost you." She gave him a stern look. "Jason's meant to be the loner of the group - not you. We're a team. Please Mark, no more heroics."
He grinned and tickled her nose. "No promises."
***
Anderson watched from the entrance to the gym. It was part of the large sports complex housed in Centre Neptune's, recreation facility. Mark was the single person working out.
The Chief watched as Mark swung down from the hoops and landed gracefully on the mat. His hair and body shimmering - the result of a rigorous workout. He walked over to the near wall collected his towel. Anderson stepped up to the Commander of G-Force.
"You're doing well." Anderson said stiffly. "You'll be pleased to hear the Federation has agreed to returning you to active duty."
"Was there any doubt Chief?" Mark pulled his civilian top back on and grabbed his bag that sat by the edge of the gym.
"They were concerned whether you would be fit to lead after such a terrifying ordeal. We don't get many people coming back from the dead."
Mark grinned inwardly. Was that a joke? "Chief," he began, unsure how to word his next sentence. "I know what happened here between you and the team. I just wanted you to know that I would have done the same thing in your shoes."
Anderson nodded uncomfortably. He held his hand out to the young commander. Mark grasped it firmly. "Good to have you back Mark."
***
Music blared throughout the upper levels of the Centre Neptune Research Centre. G-Force's ready room kicked back for the scientific nature of the base and relaxed on a bed of funk and sport. Jason and Mark were, as usual, trying to outdo each other at ping-pong. Mark was losing, much to Jason's glee.
"Need a tune up, Commander?" He gloated as he took another game.
In the far corner, Keyop hammed down his favourite drum beat to Princess's funky guitar riff. Both happily ensconced in their world of music and rhythm.
Tiny sat in the middle of the room, interacting with no one but the batch of Space Burgers he was eating. Contentedly, he watched Princess and Keyop play. Good sounds and a good meal was really all a guy like Tiny craved.
"Hey Keyop, turn down the noise!" Mark demanded. "You're putting me off my game!" Keyop and Princess stopped playing.
"Isn't that my role, Commander?" flirted Princess with surprising candidness.
"Lovely dovey Mark!" declared Keyop with a high pitched laugh, and then preceded to play a little drum solo to compliment the remark - to which he received a pin-pong ball to the head.
Zark's face appeared on the monitor with perfect timing. "G-Force assemble on the Phoenix immediately! We have an attack from planet Spectra!"
They rushed to the room's lift and within seconds were on their way down to the hanger bays. G-Force was to begin another, rather exciting, mission into outer space.
Tiny watched the screen intently. They were just about visible. It was a small gap between the building were his team-mates were hanging from. The building next to it, which looked like another run down five-story warehouse, was built very close to its counterpart.
Manoeuvring the Phoenix between the two was not an option. A rope ladder hung from above would be the most appropriate manoeuvre, thought Tiny.
Anderson got up from his seat and stepped towards Tiny's position. He was about to suggest lowering a rope ladder himself when - to his surprise - Tiny suddenly slammed the engines on overdrive and fired the craft forward, catching Anderson off balance.
Anderson grabbed this nearest control panel to steady himself and leaned towards the pilot. Tiny's face was a mask of tension and intense concentration. Anderson looked back at the screen. They were heading directly for the building that sat next to the one from which Mark and Princess hung.
"What are you doing?" he exclaimed. Tiny didn't hear the question. He was subconsciously calculating angles, speed and trajectories through his brain at a fantastic rate. He dropped the craft down to street level and aimed directly at the building ahead.
"Hold on!" the pilot cried, adrenaline pumping through his veins. The engines roared with protest as he pushed them over their limit. Anderson watched with a mixture of horror and bewilderment.
***
He let go. His muscles just gave up and his hands gently slip off the ledge. He and his partner, the unconscious Princess were falling from five stories up. It was certainly enough to even kill a member of G-Force.
Unconscious, he did not here the noise of the Phoenix coming in low. The sound blew out windows on either side of the street. A few late night pedestrians ran for cover dodging the debris and glass that rained onto the street.
Unconscious, Princess did hear the ear splitting crash as the Phoenix's dived into the abandoned building opposite. Nor did she hear the continuous rumble as it split through the centre of the empty property, chewing it from inside.
She was told later, but could not recall, the unforgettable image of the Phoenix bursting through the building's side like a bullet through thin paper. Her body however told the story, with wounds inflicted by dancing shrapnel.
Neither did the two remember the Phoenix colliding with the building they had exited, the nose smashing through the side and coming to a stop just below their descending position, it's undercarriage burners holding the craft horizontal as the two figures landed precisely on the upper hatch.
They remembered none of this daring rescue. Which was a pity, for it was a perfect example of the power and speed of the cerebonic implants - enabling Tiny to see and react to situations faster than a normal human. Sometimes even Anderson had to confess to being in awe of the power gathered from those mighty enhancers. For now, he was just happy to have his children back alive.
***
Zark relaxed on one of his overtly long ten second oil breaks.
He lay back on his reclining table, taking a breather from his job as overseer of the Galactic Federation. Mimicking human behaviour was just a quirk of his model type. He didn't need to have a break, but the robot had evolved in ways that no one had expected. No one really dare complain since Zark did his job with unswerving diligence and skill. If he wasn't broke, why fix it? Besides, his mannerisms brought a warm, friendly character to the facility.
"Well now," Zark said to himself. "All's well that ends well. Mark is being thoroughly checked over for any adverse affects from his ordeal and Princess is well on the road to recovery."
He squirted some oil into his overused joints. "Princess was right when she guessed that transmuting Mark would severe the connection the alien had on his cerebonic implant. It gave Mark back his superhuman powers and control of his body. T
he robot shivered - a mean feat for a metallic ovoid. "What a horrible alien that was! I'm so glad that Mark was able to get rid of it - but it was my ice bomb that actually destroyed the creature!" He chortled to himself. "I do love it when I can be of help to the team!"
He dropped off his bed and wandered back down to his control centre. "G- Force are now on a well earned break. Colonel Cronus and his fine men have stepped in for the meantime to help me keep an eye on planet Spectra! Who knows when Zoltar could strike!" He sighed contentedly. "Soon everything will be back to normal!"
***
Princess winced as she tried to get up from the hospital bed. She had been in the medical facility on Centre Neptune for a few days now. She was bored. There was only so much of the tiny white walled room she could take.
The broken rib was on the mend, as was the arm. Another benefit of G-Force was an increased healing rate. Still hurt like hell. The bruises were pretty much gone.
She was about to try lifting herself off the bed when she was pulled firmly back onto it. Two strong arms wrapped around her chest from behind and held her tightly. She relaxed into the warm embrace.
"You shouldn't be up." She grinned. "Neither should you!" teased the voice. "I've heard you gathered quite a few black marks on your files. Someone said something about insubordination. I told them they must have had the wrong team - and particularly the wrong member!"
She giggled, blushing slightly. "It was a worthy cause."
"I hope I won't experience such bad behaviour under my command. Any such disregard for orders and I'll be forced to set 1-Rover-1 onto any such person."
She twisted herself round to face her assailant. "You wouldn't dare!" she exclaimed with a laugh.
"Try me!" bluffed her commander.
She squeezed him tightly, gripping him as closely as possible. "I thought we had lost you." She gave him a stern look. "Jason's meant to be the loner of the group - not you. We're a team. Please Mark, no more heroics."
He grinned and tickled her nose. "No promises."
***
Anderson watched from the entrance to the gym. It was part of the large sports complex housed in Centre Neptune's, recreation facility. Mark was the single person working out.
The Chief watched as Mark swung down from the hoops and landed gracefully on the mat. His hair and body shimmering - the result of a rigorous workout. He walked over to the near wall collected his towel. Anderson stepped up to the Commander of G-Force.
"You're doing well." Anderson said stiffly. "You'll be pleased to hear the Federation has agreed to returning you to active duty."
"Was there any doubt Chief?" Mark pulled his civilian top back on and grabbed his bag that sat by the edge of the gym.
"They were concerned whether you would be fit to lead after such a terrifying ordeal. We don't get many people coming back from the dead."
Mark grinned inwardly. Was that a joke? "Chief," he began, unsure how to word his next sentence. "I know what happened here between you and the team. I just wanted you to know that I would have done the same thing in your shoes."
Anderson nodded uncomfortably. He held his hand out to the young commander. Mark grasped it firmly. "Good to have you back Mark."
***
Music blared throughout the upper levels of the Centre Neptune Research Centre. G-Force's ready room kicked back for the scientific nature of the base and relaxed on a bed of funk and sport. Jason and Mark were, as usual, trying to outdo each other at ping-pong. Mark was losing, much to Jason's glee.
"Need a tune up, Commander?" He gloated as he took another game.
In the far corner, Keyop hammed down his favourite drum beat to Princess's funky guitar riff. Both happily ensconced in their world of music and rhythm.
Tiny sat in the middle of the room, interacting with no one but the batch of Space Burgers he was eating. Contentedly, he watched Princess and Keyop play. Good sounds and a good meal was really all a guy like Tiny craved.
"Hey Keyop, turn down the noise!" Mark demanded. "You're putting me off my game!" Keyop and Princess stopped playing.
"Isn't that my role, Commander?" flirted Princess with surprising candidness.
"Lovely dovey Mark!" declared Keyop with a high pitched laugh, and then preceded to play a little drum solo to compliment the remark - to which he received a pin-pong ball to the head.
Zark's face appeared on the monitor with perfect timing. "G-Force assemble on the Phoenix immediately! We have an attack from planet Spectra!"
They rushed to the room's lift and within seconds were on their way down to the hanger bays. G-Force was to begin another, rather exciting, mission into outer space.