Game On- Part 5 (Capturing the Condor)

Jason was the first to wake up the next morning. He walked out of the shelter and grinned at the sight of Mark and Princess huddled together, asleep.

Feeling as though he was being watched, Mark quickly opened his eyes and looked at the Condor, who was looming over them.

"It's about time..." Jason spoke softly, trying not to wake Princess.

Mark scowled at Jason as he carefully lifted the Swan off of him, and laid her next to him. He stood up. "What do you mean by that?"

Jason pointed to Mark and then down to the sleeping Swan. "You two...finally together, huh?"

Mark shook his head. "I can assure you our relationship is purely professional...she was just worried, and it's my job as her Commander to...comfort her..."

"From the way it looked last night...you were enjoying your job as Commander..." Jason snickered.

The Eagle steamed, trying hard to keep his voice in check. "Are you suggesting I'm taking advantage of her?" He balled up his fists.

Jason took a step closer to Mark, and leaned in, in order to antagonize the Eagle further. "I'm saying that you have feelings for her, but you won't admit it..."

Unable to take it any longer, Mark raised his voice and his fist. "THAT is none of your business, CONDOR! And if I were, you, I'd..."

A gasp from behind him made him stop. Jason and Mark looked down to see Princess sitting up, with her hands cupped over her mouth. "STOP FIGHTING! Can't you see that we need each other right now? Keyop and Tiny are missing, and you two are standing around fighting about... about...what are you fighting about?"

Jason smiled at her. "It's ok Princess, the pressure's just getting to us, that's all... we just need a good rescue plan..."

Mark nodded. "Right. I don't think it's safe for us to split up. We stick together this time. We'll head off in the direction Tiny and Keyop were headed before they disappeared. We'll search for clues. They have to be around here, somewhere."

"This reeks of Zoltar. He must be somewhere on this island..." Jason grimaced.

"Let's not waste any time. We have to find them…" Princess motioned for the others to follow her into the thick wooded area at the end of the beach.

The trio stayed together, finding nothing for several hours. Jason finally spoke up. "This is ridiculous. We're not going to be able to cover the amount of land we need to. I'm going to head west. I'll meet you guys at sunset if I don't find anything."

Princess looked at Mark anxiously. "Stop him, Mark, it's too dangerous." Then she tugged at Jason's arm. "Please, Jason, don't go alone. I'm afraid something will happen to you, too…"

Jason turned and gave her a quick hug. "Don't worry, Princess, this is the Condor you're talking about…I'm indestructible…" He flashed a wide grin at them as he walked away.

Mark yelled to him as he left. "Don't forget, if we die…"

Jason finished the sentence, and it echoed through the forest "…we die together!"

Mark looked back at Princess and smiled. "He'll be ok… come on, let's keep going…"

Meanwhile, Jason searched silently through the woods. The only noise he could hear was the chirping of birds and the occasional snap of a branch as he walked on toward the Western edge of the island.

He used his time alone to reflect on his team mates. He had picked on Tiny and Keyop mercilessly, and felt guilty now that they were missing. He was determined more than ever, that he would find them and bring them back.

The sound of water rushing interrupted his thoughts, and he moved toward it, hoping for a sip of cool, fresh water.

He approached the trickling stream, he bent down and cupped his hands to drink. After drinking several sips, he heard a woman calling to him. "Mister, please, can you help me? I'm sinking, and the more I move, the more I sink into this mud…" She was crying, desperate to get out.

Ignoring his gut feeling of apprehension, Jason sprinted toward the woman, ready to pull her out. However, as soon as he got close to her, the ground opened up, and he found himself falling into a pit.

As he fell, he reached for his cable gun, hoping to get a hold on something to pull himself out. But chains grabbed his wrists and ankles before he could shoot it, catching him in midair. The gun dropped down into the pit, leaving Jason caught in despair.

The muddy woman peered into the gaping hole at the Condor. She was now wearing the all too familiar Devil Star mask. "Oh, looks like I didn't need your help after all…" She cackled fiendishly. "Men, take him away!"