A Place on the Team by TransmuteJun
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It has been nearly twenty-four hours now, since I have seen any sign of Mark or Princess.

Is this normal? At what point should I start being concerned?

Of course, my primary concern is not for their welfare, but for my own. I need to ensure that they do not continue the conversation that I... interrupted… yesterday.

I have been scanning the security monitors for either the Commander, or his third, but so far, there has been nothing. Fortunately, 1-Rover-1 is having his diodes tuned this morning, and I am free to panic without an audience.

In frustration, I tune to the G-Force Ready Room. Maybe one of the others knows something.

Keyop is playing his drums, Tiny is eating Spaceburgers, and Jason is reading a racing magazine.

After a few half-hearted crashes of his cymbals, Keyop looks around dejectedly.

“Where’s… brrrt… Princess?” he asks. “Need her to… doot… practice…”

Jason looks up from his magazine and smirks.

“I saw her heading to… bed… yesterday.” Jason snickers. “I don’t think you’ll be seeing her for awhile, Keyop.”

“Beep… why not?” Keyop questions him.

“Let’s just say… they’re having a… reunion.” Tiny grins.

“They?” Keyop looks confused now. “Who’s Princess… beep… with?”

The youth looks around the Ready Room, and realizes who else is absent.

“Mark?”

“You got it, Squirt.” Jason confirms.

“Why… doot… a reunion?”

“Keyop, let’s just say that when we all thought Princess was dead, Mark missed her very much.” Tiny explains.

“Breep! I missed her… too!” Keyop exclaims indignantly.

“This is different.” Jason drawls.

“How?” Keyop presses.

“Do you really want me to explain it to him, Tiny?” Jason smirks.

“I don’t think that’s necessary, Jason.” Tiny growls. “I can explain.”

“This should be good.” Jason grins.

“Just shut up, Jason!” Tiny says, through gritted teeth.

Jason only laughs at Tiny’s irritation. How like him to see humor in others’ discomfort.

“How much do you know… about the birds and the bees, Keyop?” Tiny asks.

“Doot… not familiar… beep… Wait!” Keyop cries out in alarm. “Is Princess changing from… brrrt… a bird… broop… to a bee?”

“Uh… not exactly…” Tiny mutters. Jason can’t seem to stop laughing.

“Princess… doot… have new… beep… uniform?” Keyop asks excitedly.

“Uh… yeah.” Tiny nods, deciding to take the easy way out. “Mark is… helping her inspect her new uniform.”

“Oh… okay…” Keyop shrugs. He goes back to drumming.

“I would have explained it better.” Jason smirks.

Well, I guess Mark and Princess’ absence isn’t that unusual. Tiny and Jason certainly don’t seem to be concerned.

The door to the Ready Room opens, and Mark walks in.

“Doot… Mark!” exclaims Keyop, “How is… beep… Princess’… new uniform?”

“New uniform?” Mark looks utterly confused. Tiny and Jason burst into laughter.

“Maybe… she didn’t like it, Keyop.” Jason says, winking at Tiny. He is having a hard time keeping a straight face.

“Didn’t like what?” Mark asks suspiciously.

“Nothing, Commander.” Tiny grins.

“Perhaps you can explain to Keyop, what Princess has been doing since we got back from our mission.” Jason suggests.

A look of understanding dawns on Mark’s face.

“Oh… yeah…” he says, slowly. “Um… Princess won’t be getting a new uniform, Keyop.”

“Doot… where is she?” Keyop asks. “Want to… brrrrt… see her!”

“Sorry, buddy, you can’t!” Mark smiles, ruffling Keyop’s hair. “The Chief called her away for a solo mission to Changu.”

“Changu?” Keyop repeats dejectedly.

“Yes.” Mark confirms. “She’s leaving shortly.”

A mischievous look comes over Keyop’s face. The other three are too involved with each other to notice.

“I have to… beep… get something…” Keyop offers, before dashing out of the room.

“So… Mark…” Jason drawls, “How was your evening?”

“Did you sleep well?” Tiny snickers.

I listen in closely. If Princess had further suspicions, and shared them with Mark, he will probably say something about it right now.

“What are you trying to say?” Mark growls.

Jason pulls a feather shuriken out of his pocket and begins to chew on the tip.

“Ooh… looks like we hit a nerve, Tiny.” Jason smirks.

“I think you’re right, Jason.” Tiny grins.

“All we want are a few details, Mark.” Jason winks.

“Details about what?” Mark asks angrily.

“He’s not being very forthcoming, is he?” Tiny asks Jason.

“Hey, if our positions…” (this word elicits guffaws from Tiny) “were reversed… I’d give out some details.” Jason says.

“That’s because you always give out details.” Tiny states.

“Good thing, too, because it’s the only action you see.” Jason retorts.

“Hey!” Tiny exclaims, noticing his Commander trying to slip out the door. “We’re not letting you go that easy!”

Mark turns back, his face red.

“Look, Mark…” Jason says, his shuriken bobbing as he speaks, “Let’s cut to the chase. I saw you and Princess yesterday, in the hallway outside your quarters. You two could barely keep your hands off of each other long enough to make it in the door. And no one has seen either of you since. So spill!”

Mark just opens and closes his mouth, but no sound comes out.

“Awww….. c’mon, Mark.” Tiny urges. “Just tell us… did you hook up with Princess last night?”

Mark looks from Tiny to Jason, and back again. Slowly, he gives an almost imperceptible nod.

“I knew it!” Jason crows, jumping up off of the couch, to clap Mark on the shoulder. “It sure took you two long enough!”

“You’re telling me!” Tiny adds. “I thought they would get together ages ago!”

“Well… it just… kind of… happened…” Mark mutters.

“But how was it?” Jason asks, his eyes glinting.

“Incredible…” Mark says, a far-off look on his face.

“Yeah?” Tiny asks eagerly.

“I… I never knew…” Mark searches for words.

“So, she’s hot under the sheets, huh?” Jason prods.

“Hell, yeah!” Mark exclaims. “Damn… if I’d known…”

“You would have…” urges Tiny.

“I would have told her how I felt… a long time ago.”

“She’s that good?” Jason asks incredulously.

“Yeah…” Mark says, a goofy grin on his face.

The feather drops from Jason’s mouth and hits the floor.

“Damn…” Jason mutters, “If I’d known she was that good… I would have done her years ago!”

Mark turns angrily toward Jason, but Tiny puts up a hand to stop his advance.

“Don’t worry, Commander.” Tiny says, barely able to restrain his glee, “I think Jason’s just jealous!”

“Jealous of what?” Jason growls defensively. “I can have as many women as I want, at the racetrack!”

“But none of them have the fire and vivaciousness that Princess does.” Mark says smugly.

“Not to mention, her inventiveness…” Tiny smirks.

“Can’t argue with you guys, there…” Jason says, shrugging his shoulders.

Well, it would appear that Mark and Princess didn’t spend any time at all discussing me. I appear to be safe.

For now.

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