Chapter 8

As soon as they found the remainder of Mark's clothing, the G-Force team went to the parking structure to search for the Phoenix.

"Number 321…" reminded Princess, as they walked through the garage. It turned out to be a well-hidden spot, which was probably prudent.

Upon finding the correct location, the team was surprised to see a bright blue VW minibus with shiny red pin-striping and flame decals decorating the sides.

"Far out!" said Mark and Jason, simultaneously.

"So…. who's driving?" asked Princess slyly.

A mischievous look came into the Condor's eyes.

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They quickly made their way out to the highway, where the Condor proceeded to ignore all posted speed limits, despite the Eagle's protests.

"Hey, we have to get to Dr. Zoltar's base as quickly as possible, don't we?" grinned Jason.

"Yes… but in one piece!" cried Mark.

Princess sat between them, ignoring their bickering and instead concentrating on giving directions to Jason, based on the information they had gathered the previous night.

"Take that exit." she pointed. "Over there."

"Are you sure?" Mark asked her. "That looks like a pretty remote area."

"Well, Dr. Zoltar probably isn't interested in having a base in a more well-trafficked location." Princess huffed.

"She has a point, Mark." Jason sided with Princess.

"Since when do you agree with anyone?" questioned Mark. He looked from Condor to Swan, and back again. Princess had a certain glow about her, and Jason had the appearance of the cat who had swallowed the cream.

"No…" the Eagle shook his head in horror, "You didn't…"

"Yeah, man…" Jason grinned. "I shagged her rotten!"

"Jason!" Princess hissed.

"What?" the Condor asked in confusion. "It's not like he wasn't going to find out anyway. And this way…" he had a wicked gleam in his eye, "I get to see his face."

Mark's face was indeed a sight to behold. It had drained of all color and his jaw was halfway to his feet. A thin stream of drool was working its way down to his lap.

"Ewwwww… Dad, close your mouth!" Princess protested.

Mark closed his lips automatically, but he continued to glare at the Condor.

"You bastard!" he spat, "You took advantage of her! Of my daughter! You don't care that she's going to be flipping her wig when the next sexy bird catches your eye!"

Princess wiped her face.

"Dad, this saliva thing is getting out of control!" said Princess in a slightly disgusted voice, moving a little further away from her father.

"And who says that another bird is going to catch my eye?" retorted Jason. "Princess is clever, she's resourceful, she's beautiful, and she shags like a minx! What more could I possibly want?"

"Oh, Jason…" Princess gushed, leaning her head on the Condor's shoulder.

"You mean…" said Mark, aghast, "That you're serious about her? That you and she will be…" he couldn't say the words, but gulped instead, "…for the foreseeable future?"

The couple grinned foolishly and nodded at him.

"A hell of a lot longer than that, if I have any say about it." added Jason, as he reached over to squeeze Princess' thigh.

"Oh, no…" Mark groaned, his head in his hands. "It's worse than I thought…"

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They were miles away from the Interstate in an otherwise deserted area, when suddenly a jeep appeared out of nowhere behind them.

"I think we've got company!" Jason declared.

Mark and Princess looked back. There was no mistaking the green uniforms the men in the vehicle behind them wore. Even as they surveyed their pursuers, four more jeeps appeared in the sand dunes surrounding them.

"Time for some evasive maneuvers!" ordered Mark.

"I dig, Commander!" Jason replied, pressing a button on the dashboard.

An oil slick spilled out behind the minibus. The first jeep spun out of control, only to crash into a ditch at the side of the road in a burst of flames. The other four jeeps continued their advance, easily dodging the slick their fellow goons had so kindly pointed out to them.

"We need something else!" Princess reported.

"I know…" Mark replied, pressing another button.

A few dozen sharp caltrops scattered along the roadway behind the Phoenix. Two of the jeeps managed to avoid them, but the other two were not so lucky. These two vehicles immediately lost air in all of their tires. One skidded to a stop, a shower of sparks spraying along the ground as their rims met the pavement. The other attempted a similar maneuver, only to slide into the other stopped jeep. The two vehicles exploded in a giant, orange-red ball of fire.

"Two left!" Princess cried.

Mark frantically searched the dash, looking for any more buttons to push. There were none. Apparently they had used up their entire bag of tricks.

"Aren't there any Super GMs on this thing?" Jason asked in frustration.

"No… I'm pretty sure Chief Anderson said those wouldn't be installed until next week..." replied Princess calmly. "But I think this is ready…" She reached for a shiny lever, pushing it all the way to maximum.

"Fiery Phoenix!" she announced.

"Outta sight!" cried Mark and Jason.

The minibus turned into a fiery bird, illuminating its interior with a soft orange light.

Jason spun the minibus around and set an intercept course for the closest jeep. They had a split second to see the shocked look on the goons' faces just before they crashed into them, leaving behind a blackened, smoking, twisted mass of metal.

"One more to go!" whooped Jason, aiming for the remaining jeep.

The last vehicle had apparently realized what they were in for, and had stopped in their tracks. As they saw the burning minibus turn toward them, their tires squealed as they desperately attempted to flee.

Too late. The Fiery Phoenix blasted into them, leaving behind a massive wall of flames.

"That was far out!" Mark yelled excitedly.

"I think we all make a great team." Princess said smugly.

"You're right, Poppet, we do." said Mark, putting a fatherly arm around his daughter.

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Three hours later, with no further incidents, they were still driving in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. The only distinguishing feature was the Sierra-Nevada mountains, which had first appeared as a small bump on the horizon, and were now looming in front of the Phoenix.

"Dr. Zoltar's secret base must be around here somewhere." said Jason. "This was definitely the area indicated on that map."

"But where is it?" Mark asked, confused. "I don't see anything except those mountains!"

"That's exactly what I see." replied Princess. "Take a closer look, guys."

As they stared at the mountains in front of them, the closest peak seemed to take on a more recognizable shape.

"Why… it's Zoltar!" Jason gaped.

The mountain in front of them had been shaped into a gigantic replica of the Spectran leader's face, mask and all.

They had found Dr. Zoltar's secret base.

Hiding the Phoenix behind some rocks, they made the final approach to the base on foot, after transmuting into Birdstyle.

"Uh, Dad… have your teeth gotten bigger?" Princess asked.

"Yeah… they're kind of… ugly…" Jason said.

"Mind your own business." Mark huffed.

Princess decided to ignore her father's dental problems.

"So how do we get in?" she asked.

"Up there." Mark pointed. They were standing right underneath the part of the mountain that represented Zoltar's nose.

Jason shrugged.

"It's not my bag, man, but if you really want to check out Zoltar's boogers…" he said.

Princess shook her head and rolled her eyes, then pulled a makeup compact out of her belt pouch.

"Baby, you know how I dig the way you look," Jason said, "But is now really the time…"

Princess gave him a withering look.

"Men…" she grumbled, as she snapped a hidden cord out of the compact and threw it upward.

The compact stuck to the underside of Zoltar's nostril, above them, the cord dangling in the Swan's hand.

Jason's face broke into a big grin.

"I knew there was a reason I loved you, Baby…"

Mark grimaced, but managed to keep his cool.

"Coming, gentlemen?" Princess asked with a smile.

Wrapping their arms around each other, the compact cord was retracted, and the trio slowly began to rise up into Dr. Zoltar's secret base.