Mark strode briskly down the trail in the dark, thankful for his enhanced vision. Tiny trotted close at his heels, stretcher in hand. It wasn't long before they found Keyop, standing over Jason in guard-like posture. Mark's stride faltered when he saw his second. Even under the dull glow of starlight, he could tell that Jason belonged back in the hospital. His stomach clenched.

Tiny ran ahead, knelt before Jason, and dropped the stretcher and a medical kit in front of him. Murmuring soothing words that Mark couldn't quite decipher, the big man gently placed one hand over Jason's wrist and threw his other arm across Jason's forehead.

"What happened to you?" Mark knelt down before Jason too, at once taking in his pallor, glazed eyes, and taped, swollen ankle. He shot Keyop a questioning glance.

Jason started to answer, but Keyop interrupted. "Fell rock climbing. I … found him … just now."

Knowing that his injured teammate was in good hands with the Owl, Mark's mind quickly jumped to the insubordinate Swallow. His anger flashed to the surface so quickly that he couldn't keep it in check.

"Really?" Mark turned away from Jason and Tiny and stood to face Keyop. His posture was pure Eagle. "Right here? In the dark?" Mark gave Keyop a hard glare. "This is an odd place for rock climbing. No rocks on this cat track."

Keyop shrugged and returned Mark's stare. His defiance was unsettling. Mark tried to ignore the headache that was starting to form. Damn it.

"Now over there," he continued, his voice artificially low-key, "now there's a good place for rock climbing." Mark pointed down the trail at the moonlight glinting off the exposed crags of Black Cliffs.

Keyop looked at his feet and didn't say anything. Mark leaned over and picked up Jason's makeshift crutch, never taking his eyes off Keyop.

"And this is a nice walking stick. Convenient that Jason fell by a tree. Especially when the only trees around here are on top of that cliff over there." Mark used the crutch to point to the jagged rocks on top. Then, in one smooth gesture, he threw the stick like a javelin. The long branch arced over their heads and plummeted into the sea.

"Leave the kid alone, Mark," Jason said, but his words carried little weight. Tiny patted the injured man on the shoulder, handed him a rehydration drink, and encouraged him to sip it slowly.

"I was … with a girl," Keyop stammered. Jason snorted derisively in the background.

Mark started to ball his fists. He took a deep breath and attempted to rein in his temper. When he spoke, his words were deliberately calm. "I don't know why, but you are lying to me. You were here with Jason when I called. That's why you didn't come to the meeting. And why I found your bike at the top of the cliffs." Mark's anger built steam. "What were you thinking, Keyop, trying to walk him out of here? Look at him! He can't even stand."

"Hey," Jason interrupted. "Just talk about me like I'm not even here." His breathing grew more labored. "Don't chew the kid out … on my behalf. He had nothing … to do with it."

As Jason panted, Tiny locked eyes with Mark and shook his head. Mark heard the unspoken message: Don't push it. Not now.

Mark took a good look at Jason. His second was glaring directly at him, venom in his eyes, but Mark could tell that his heart just wasn't in it. He had seen that haunted look from Jason just once before, at the hospital on the night before his implant surgery.

Damn.

Mark's head began to throb. Not again, he thought. I can't go through this again. Not now.

He tried to bite back his frustration at Jason, but the words spilled out anyway. "And what in God's name were you doing out here, anyway?!"

Jason shrugged. "Hiking."

Mark's facial muscles started to twitch. He could feel his fingers clenching again. Tiny quickly pulled him aside.

"Commander," Tiny spoke with the authority of a medic. "We need to go. Jason's feverish. His pulse is high and thready and he needs to be properly rehydrated." In a low voice, he added, "And you need to calm down."

Mark nodded. "All right," he said. As he took a deep breath, he wondered exactly how much Tiny knew about his recent bouts with headaches.

He returned his glare to Keyop. The little boy was no longer shaking in his shoes. The expression on his young teammate's face was one of sheer defiance.

Exactly what happened out here?

Mark wanted to shout the words, to scream, to shake the little boy until he got a satisfactory response, but now wasn't the time. He desperately needed answers, real answers, not the ones that Jason and Keyop had cooked up that afternoon.

Understanding Jason's condition was critical, vital. Was this just a dumb accident? Or was it something more sinister? Jason's ankle was likely fractured. There was no doubt in Mark's mind that he had sustained a serious fall. But how?

Was Jason suicidal? Could he have jumped the cliffs? Mark wanted to dismiss the thought out of hand, but anything was possible.

And now … with a broken bone … it will be another six weeks – minimum – before Jason can be reinstated to the team. Damn.

Mark could barely tolerate the idea. An image of Dude – their temporary Rigan teammate - crossed his mind, adding to the pressure in his temples. The Chief had let it slip that Riga was pressuring Galaxy Security to develop their own version of G-Force, a subset of the Red Rangers to be known as R-Command. Dude was, according to the Chief, gunning for the commander position. But knowing why the guy was such a pain in the ass didn't make Mark's job any easier.

He pushed back the headache that was threatening to overtake his concentration. Not now. I have work to do.

Mark forced his voice back into the calm, rational tone of the G-Force commander. "Okay," he said, facing Jason. "Let's get you to the hospital and check out that ankle. The Chief's waiting."

He nodded at Tiny and the two men moved as one to lift Jason, place him on the stretcher, and propel him up the track. Keyop trailed a good distance behind, head bowed, dragging Jason's backpack along by its straps.