Chapter 12

Mark could not believe what he was reading on the screen. He felt angry, raging even. So Anderson was right. Their mission to Riga had been betrayed. It seemed that someone in the ISO had notified Spectra. It was also increasingly possible that that someone was Jason. Mark let out a sob, oblivious of the goon who was watching him, a smirk on his face. He printed out the information, and carefully tucked away the print-out in his birdstyle. He steeled himself to face the others and tell them what Jason had done. Then he mentally kicked himself. He would not decide anything, or speak to anyone about this, until he had spoken to Jason himself. He had to look him in the eye and ask him. Then, according to what Jason would have to say, he would either give him a friendly pat on the shoulder, or apprehend him, or...he did not even dare think about Anderson's orders. But to do that, first he had to rescue him. Pausing briefly to shoot at the equipment in the control room, he ran out.

88888888888888888

Jason tried to maintain his arrogant posture, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. He lifted his chin.

"Do your worst. G-Force will never fall for your trick".

"Brave words, my dear G-Forcer. You will soon found out, however, that reality is a little bit different. Take him!"

Two goons appeared and manacled Jason's hands, propelling him down the corridor. With a sinking feeling, Jason realised that they were heading towards the interrogation centre, and this time, despite what he had told the Major, he didn't have the luxury to hope for a rescue. If G-Force came, it was very possible that their orders would be not to free him, but to kill him.

88888888888888888

Guided by the electronic map Zark had sent to the team, Mark found his way to the building where Jason was kept. He didn't meet Princess and Keyop, nor had he heard from them, so he assumed they had made it there without problems. He overpowered the guards at the door and entered.

"Princess, Keyop, come in", he whispered in his wrist communicator.

"Commander, we are already in place. They didn't see us entering. Sending you our coordinates now".

"Well, my entrance did not go unnoticed. According to the records I pulled, Jason is held on level three, cell 2A. Making my way there now".

"Big ten, see you there!"

The alarm had been raised already, and he met with stiff resistance. But his sonic boomerang and laser blaster were enough to let him clear a path down to level three. As he passed in front of a reinforced door, he heard distinct sounds of a scuffle going on inside. He paused, wondering for a moment whether he should try to enter, when the door burst open.

8888888888888888888888

Jason was shoved in the room and, this time, it took him a couple of seconds to recover from his stumbling. He pulled himself straight, glaring at the goons defiantly. There were only two of them, with a senior officer in charge. So they probably thought he was in no position to try to escape.

"Well", he said. "What do you want now?"

"You know what we want, G-Forcer. The ISO defence codes".

A punch accompanied these words. Jason saw it coming and moved aside, but still the force of the blow caught him on the side of the chin. He reeled, then straightened his back and looked the goon in the eye.

"Haven't you realised by now that you will not get anything from me?"

"There's nothing to stop us from trying though, is there?" sneered the goon.

"There is G-Force to stop you", said Jason.

"You still think your friends will come to save you? Well, they will probably come here all right, if they're not already here. Whether they will save you, however, is a different matter".

Jason was feeling increasingly desperate. He was sure he wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer. And this time, a small doubt was nagging him. Would G-Force come? Would they come before he really became a traitor? And would they believe he was innocent? A low groan escaped him, and he was furious with himself. Determined, he pursed his mouth shut. He breathed deeply.

"It is useless to resist, G-Forcer", said the goon. "Lack of food and constant battering will get to you. Very soon, even your cerebonic implants will begin to fade".

Jason allowed himself to speak.

"You will soon find that there's more to G-Force than cerebonic implants", he whispered.

"Perhaps. But can you be sure?"

With a sudden movement, he slammed his fist on Jason's mangled arm. Jason collapsed, his head slumping on the table. Just then, the alarm sounded.

To be continued

Please please please review!