The Replacements-12

I glared at the Condor disapprovingly. "Don't you think this is hard enough without your bonehead comments?"

Jason's eyes narrowed as he replied. "Hey! I was just stating the obvious, here. She's not getting it, so let's just do the Pyramid with the three of us!"

Tiny interrupted. "But you hurt her feelings, Jason. Don't you remember what it was like to be new to G Force? It wasn't that long ago, you know."

Jason leaned against the wall and crossed his arms defiantly. "Well, I'm just telling it like it is. Just because she's a girl, doesn't mean we should treat her differently. She's a member of the team, now, and she's gotta pull her own weight!"

"I agree with you Jason." I added, trying my best to keep calm. "But we need to give her a little time to adjust. You aren't even giving her a chance. Would you rather have Don back?"

"Give me a break, Mark," Jason huffed. He turned toward the door. "Hey, you're the Commander, now, right? I'll let you handle all of the girly temper tantrums. I'm outta here." Then, he stormed out of the room.

"Jason, wait!" Tiny started after him, but I stopped the Owl from following.

"Leave him alone, Tiny." I chided. "He's still working things out, too. The 'Commander thing' still has him aggravated; and he never has had a lot of patience."

"Heh, heh…you're right, Mark," Tiny chuckled softly. "That guy has issues."

He stared down the hallway, and then turned back to look at me. "But what about Princess?"

I drew in a deep breath. I was already exhausted from all of the drama, but I knew it would only get worse before it got better. "I guess I'll go talk to her."

I opened the door to Princess' room and looked around. Again, it was empty.

A small piece of notebook paper caught my eye. It was there on her nightstand by her bed, with her communicator and yoyo sitting on top of it like two paperweights.

I picked it up and began reading:

Dear Team,

I'm so sorry to have disappointed you, but I think I'm just not cut out for this job. I'm sure the three of you will be able to work fine together; I envy your closeness. Don't worry about me. I'm a big girl, and I'll be just fine. Please give the Chief my thanks for the opportunity and my heartfelt apologies for things not working out.

Sincerely,

Princess

I frowned. How could she just give up and abandon the G-Force program like that? Although I hadn't known her very long, it just didn't seem like something she would do. I clutched the note and her belongings in my hands and tore off through the hallways to the Chief's office.

"Chief!" I burst into his office, absent-mindedly forgetting to knock.

Anderson's eyes widened as he nearly jumped out of his skin. "Mark! How many times have I told you…?"

"I'm sorry, Chief, but it's an emergency!" I puffed, still out of breath from my mad dash.

Anderson looked disgruntled. "Well…" He began, as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Princess is missing! She left the team! Here's the note I found in her room, along with these…" I held up her wristband and yoyo as proof, and handed him the letter.

His eyebrows furrowed as he read. Then he looked up at me.

"Do you want me to go and look for her?" I asked.

"No." He answered, and then turned around to pick up the red phone on the wall behind him. "We have covert operatives for this sort of thing. I'll see what I can do to track her down. Maybe then, we can talk some sense into her. You may go on with business as usual, Commander."

"Chief," I added, before I left. "You're not angry with her, are you? I mean…"

A slight smile turned up the corners of Anderson's mouth. "I'll go easy on her, Mark."

I felt a little relieved as I left Anderson's office. However, I also felt like a complete failure as the Commander of G Force.After all, wasn't it my job to keep the team together? I decided I'd hold back in looking for Princess, only for a while, but I would go and bring Princess back, and prove to the Chief that choosing me to be the Commander was not a mistake.

G- Force…I thought…seems like a puzzle…each piece is so different. It's my job to make sure the pieces fit together properly. I sighed as I returned to my room to gather my thoughts. I'll make it work; I will not fail. Tomorrow, I'll find Princess and set everything right again.

It was time for dinner, and I couldn't even think of eating with my team in shambles. I finally reclined on my bed, closed my eyes and allowed sleep to overtake me.