Deep in the Pacific Ocean lies the nerve center for the security of the entire galaxy. Inside the topmost dome of this towering underwater edifice is the master computer and its robotic watchdogs, keeping eyes on all parts of the galaxy.
“Well, One-Rover-One, everything looks clear at Bradley Air Defense Base,” Seven-Zark-Seven, the cylindrical robot who runs the master computer at Center Neptune, told his mechanical canine companion. “I worry so about that base. It is the last installation with old-style nuclear missiles, making it a tempting target for the terrorist planet Spectra.” As he flew across the room, he continued talking to his metallic pet. “I'm especially worried because Bradley is really close to Camp Parker where Chief Anderson and G-Force are currently staying. I wonder what they are doing now?”
Princess loves riding her motorcycle through the hills around Camp Parker. Sometimes she rides down through the cliffs overlooking the ocean. On other rides, she heads into the rolling hills that separate Camp Parker from Bradley Air Defense Base. On this day, she rode through the hills. The dreary weather threatened rain, making the grassy hills a better choice than the rocky cliffs.
As she rode on, she heard the roar of several motorcycles coming up behind her. She took a quick look to see if it was the rest of the team or someone else from Camp Parker. It could have been anyone; the hills were not a part of either Camp Parker or Bradley, but few others came out this way except for those associated with the bases.
She gasped when she saw a weird looking biker gang coming up on her. They weren't Hell's Angels on choppers or like any other bikers she'd seen before. They wore pointed helmets and caps instead of jackets.
She tried hard to lose them as they chased her off the trail into the grass. They mixed catcalls with insults as they circled around her at the bottom of a cliff, hoping to trap her.
Refusing to go down without a fight, she jumped off of her bike and removed her helmet at the same time. She came down hard on the closest one, driving her elbow into the base of his neck while smashing her helmet into his helmeted head. She took out another with a quick kick to his chin.
The others were about to dismount and come after her when a figure appeared at the top of the cliff. At the sight of the mysterious biker, the others stopped and looked somewhat frightened.
“What are you thugs doing here? Don't you have something better to do?” he yelled at the gang. Then he rode his bike down the cliff and stopped close to Princess. The others did not hesitate to take off in the other direction as if they did not want to mess with him.
Princess approached him to say thank you.
“Some guys are just idiots,” he said.
Looking at him and hearing his voice again, Princess thought there was something familiar about him. Instead of thanking him, she asked, “Do I know you?”
Raising the visor on his helmet, which like the bike gangs', also had an unusual, pointed shape, he started to answer, “I don't think so,” but stopped. “Princess?”
“Kevin? Kevin Jones? How are you? Are you staying with your father at Bradley?” she asked quickly, her voice mixed with excitement and shyness.
Not answering any of her questions, he replied, “It's good to see you again, Princess. Watch out for thugs like that group.” He put his helmet back on, hiding his features - and his expression - from view. Then he took off in the same direction as the biker gang.
Princess stood there awkwardly for a few minutes, watching her old friend ride away as rain started to fall. Shaking herself out of a daze, she picked up her bike and headed out in the same direction as Kevin and the bikers, toward Bradley Air Defense Base. Was he following them or chasing them, she wondered?
Riding through the remote hills ignoring the strange coincidence of running into a biker gang and Kevin out here, she couldn't help but remember what it was like before G-Force was activated. They had spent their summers at Camp Parker. The Chief had encouraged them to use the solitude of Camp Parker and the surrounding area to become more familiar with their vehicles outside of training exercises. It had always been fun.
The summer she expected to be the worst, in fact turned out to be one of the best. Mark and Tiny were off at the Space Academy and Jason was on a junior racing circuit and not around much. It was just Keyop and her most of the time. She loved Keyop like a little brother, but like a real brother and sister, they had different interests and their age difference magnified that. She couldn't just sit with him and enjoy the quiet like she could with Mark. Talking racing with him was not the same as talking about it with Jason. With Tiny gone, Keyop would just want to cling to her rather than going with whomever was more fun.
That all changed one evening in early June. She had just arrived at Camp Parker with Keyop and the Chief. They were immediately invited to Bradley to dine with the new base commander, Colonel Sherman Jones, his wife, and son, Kevin. From the moment Princess and Kevin meet, they clicked. He was a few years older than her, but they both loved motorcycles and rock music. It was Kevin who took her to her first Dirty Name Five concert. The rest of that summer they spent together riding through the hills. Sometimes they'd park their bikes and lie on the grass and talk about the future. Mostly it was Kevin who did the talking and she listened. Kevin was frustrated about not living up to his father's expectations. In some ways, Kevin reminded her of Jason, except that Jason wanted to prove himself. Kevin didn't care if he lived up to his father's expectations, but his father didn't want him to do what he wanted to do: ride motorcycles. His father expected him to follow in his footsteps by entering one of the academies with a career in the military; there were no other possibilities. Kevin wanted nothing to do with the military. His dream was to race motorcycles and design racing bikes. Colonel Jones thought those were beneath his son's abilities and did his best to denigrate them.
After that summer had ended, Kevin left home and joined a motorcycle circuit. Not long after that, he disappeared completely. Though, they had lost contact with each other before then. He was too busy with his racing. Even though she was equally busy with G-Force, she had tried to follow his racing career until he had dropped completely out of sight.
“Oh, Kevin, what have you got yourself into?” she thought aloud, pulling herself back into the present.
An explosion rocked the area. Princess pulled her bike to a stop at a cliff overlooking Bradley. Flames and smoke engulfed two planes on the tarmac at the edge of the base.
“Oh, dear,” she sighed.
Major Cinal of the Odin Planetary Defense Force walked through the Bradley base with a small contingent of men. Through the Federation's Inter-Planetary Troop Exchange Program, he had been sent to Earth and assigned to Bradley along with several platoons; although, all he really needed was one small platoon to carry out his secret orders.
A loud ruckus told him that everything was right on schedule. Soon a motorcycle gang zoomed by past them followed quickly by an assortment of troops. He chuckled. No one recognized Spectra's Blackbirds. Of course, he had yet to distinguish all the different Earth troops. He recognized Odin red and Galaxy Security khaki, but the others, he could care less about distinguishing.
Cinal's men let the gang through and then took care of the troops chasing the Blackbirds. Cinal, himself, sunk into the background, saddened that he might have to sacrifice good men, but then that was what war was about. If this allowed him to take control of the base, their sacrifice would not be in vain.
Kevin watched as the Blackbirds pulled devices from their bikes. Slowly he did the same. He couldn't believe he'd run into Princess again, and today of all days. Carefully, he began attaching his device to a nuclear missile. The others had already finished attaching their devices that would trigger an explosion which would detonate the nuclear missiles.
“Is everything all right, Captain?” Cinal asked.
Kevin was about to answer when an image of Princess laughing and skipping ran through his head. He looked at the device he was installing. A mushroom cloud exploded in his mind, and everything around it turned red. Soon it overtook Princess and her joyous image turned to glittering dust.
“No!” he shouted, grabbing the device and racing off on his bike.
“Get him,” Cinal commanded the Blackbirds. They chased after Kevin, followed by a few more of Cinal's loyal men who held back from the previous altercation.
Knowing he had no chance to get away, wondering when he had become so desperate to hurt his father that he sold his soul to Spectra, Kevin did the only thing he could think of to make certain that Cinal and Zoltar could not carry out their hideous plan. He threw the device as hard as he could towards two planes parked at the outer edge of the base. Then he continued off the base, still chased by Blackbirds and base personnel.
“Yes . . . yes . . . I understand . . . yes . . . thank you.” Security Chief Anderson hung up the phone, then addressed G-Force who had gathered in his office at Camp Parker in their civilian clothing. “That was Major Cinal, the temporary CO of Bradley while Colonel Jones is on leave at the moment. His description of the bikers who infiltrated the base was very similar to Princess's description of the bikers who accosted her. It seems the two incidents may be connected. Unfortunately, they were unable to apprehend them, or make any identification beyond their basic appearance.
“In the meantime, we will begin the slow process of disarming and removing the explosive devices from the missiles and we will look at speeding up the process of completely disassembling the last of our nuclear weapons.”
“So we don't know who the bikers are working for?” Mark asked as he stood stoically. Something about this whole thing bothered him, but he was afraid to admit that it had more to do with Princess running into an old friend than with the attack on the base.
“The devices seem to utilize Spectran technology, but they are not completely Spectran, and so far, Spectra is taking no credit nor issuing demands,” Anderson answered.
“You don't suppose Kevin Jones had anything to do with this, Chief?” Jason asked.
“Princess's friend? Why would you think that?” Anderson asked speculatively, assessing the team's reactions. Tiny and Keyop looked surprised. Princess stared aghast and Mark attempted to remain impassive.
As Princess stood meekly, not wanting to think of her friend being involved, Jason answered, “He disappears just as he starts to make a name for himself on the motorcycle circuit. Then from out of nowhere, he signs up for a big race in the area next weekend and today runs into Princess just in time to scare away those weird bikers who chased her before they attack Bradley. They had to have the bombs then, why let one guy and a girl scare them away?”
“No! Kevin can't be involved. He's my friend,” Princess cried.
“Even so,” Anderson concluded, “those are too many coincidences; they bear looking into.”
“Jason's right, Princess.” Mark took the opportunity that Jason opened up for him. “We can't afford to discount this just because you know him.”
“That's right, Commander,” Princess said with artificial calmness, using a tone that Jason frequently used when frustrated with Mark. “I know him, you don't. Kevin would never hurt anyone.”
“Mark's broot jealous,” Keyop sputtered a little too enthusiastically.
“Quiet, squirt.” Tiny clamped his hand down over Keyop's mouth.
“Mark may not know him, Princess, but I do. I may not have been home much that summer, but I was there enough.” Jason stood over her. “There is one person he would hurt.”
“No,” Princess said weakly, looking fearful.
“Who?” Mark commanded, sandwiching her between Jason and himself. When all she did was shake her head, he repeated, “Who is it, Princess? This is important.”
“You tell him, or I will,” Jason added.
“Father!” Princess screamed and ran out of the room.
“Watch her closely,” Anderson ordered. “I don't want Kevin dragging her into whatever he has gotten himself into.”
“We are disappointed in you, Captain.” Cinal lifted Kevin's chin with a riding crop as Kevin was suspended in chains on a wall under the Major's private home just off the base. A home that secretly doubled as a Spectra base.
Behind Cinal on a monitor screen was the image of the Spectran leader, Zoltar. “We have worked hard to get Major Cinal into a position of authority in the Federation and on this base in particular. Do you know how important it is for Spectra to control a major Earth installation? You have nearly ruined that plan.” Zoltar paused. “You came to us years ago, struggling to escape your father's shadow. You were chosen to lead this mission because of your familiarity with this base. You should be severely punished for your incompetence! However, we are not without mercy. You will be allowed to compete in your upcoming race. I understand your father will be in attendance despite his disapproval of your racing. At the race you will take care of both of our problems and rectify your mistake. Take out your father at that time. Or we will show you what Spectra does to those who betray us.”
Princess sat at the bar in Jill's diner, playing with the sweat from her untouched glass of ice water. She wasn't sure how much of the liquid was really sweat and how much was tears. Being part of G-Force meant sometimes doing some very unpleasant tasks for a good cause. Until now she had never had a personal stake in it. No, that's not entirely true, she thought, remembering Amelia on Space Island. She had defended her friend then against Jason's accusations and was right. So why did she feel so wrong this time?
Both Mark and Jason had seen friends turn to Spectra and then regret it. Is that why they seemed so quick to judge Kevin? What made me think that it wouldn't happen to me? she wondered. She was saved from having to answer her own questions as Mark and the others entered the diner.
“We're all going to the race tomorrow,” Mark said sounding casual, but trying to draw her out.
“You mean you've been ordered to spy on Kevin and me,” she corrected.
“I know you want to think the best of your friend, Princess,” Mark said as he sat on the stool next to her at the bar. “We all do, but we can't ignore the coincidences surrounding him. We can't put aside the security of the planet, of the galaxy, for personal feelings.”
“Forget it, Mark,” Jason interrupted moving from his spot against the wall. “She wants to be Mary Sunshine wearing rose-colored glasses, we can leave her behind and do the job without her. Maybe it's time for her to decide if she's cut out to be a part of G-Force.”
Jason's harsh words cut Princess to the core. He couldn't have hurt her more if he had reached back and slapped her.
“Jason,” Mark warned. Then he turned to Princess. “He's got a point, though. Prove him wrong. I know this is very personal for you, but do your best to be objective. Forget that this is Kevin and think about it as if this was someone you'd just met.”
“Oh my, this is just awful.” Zark paced in his control room at Center Neptune. “I've not been able to contact Camp Parker or Bradley Air Defense Base since the explosion. It caused a feedback loop in the trigonometric sensors and overloaded my entire communications array. I'm literally blind as a bat. I just hope that everything is okay. I'm sure that G-Force must be on top of situation, but I just wish I could help.”
Princess sat in the stands at the race track next to Mark. Jason, Keyop and Tiny hid themselves somewhere else to watch the race and keep an eye on Kevin. Until the race started, Princess felt self-conscious. Jason's words still stung, and while Mark's words empowered her, she still felt caught between her loyalty to her friend and her loyalty to G-Force. As the race started and Kevin took an early lead, she silently cheered him, wanting nothing more than for Kevin to win the race without incident. She pictured herself walking up to Jason, poking him in the chest saying, “See, I was right to believe in my friend. My friends aren't traitors. Remember that the next time you want to accuse one.”
That dream faded with Kevin's lead. She heard the track's announcer speculating as to the reasons for him falling behind, but she stiffened with the thought of the cause the announcer would not know: she was wrong and Jason was right.
Jason watched the race from the scaffolding behind the VIP box. From that vantage point, he could see the whole speedway and knew that Keyop and Tiny were nearby and that Mark and Princess were mid-way down the stands a few rows over. He watched as Kevin made his move after falling behind from an early lead. He wasn't sure who the target was, but he suspected that it was Kevin's father or someone else in the VIP box.
As Kevin fell behind, he saw images of Princess in his mind riding, playing with him. That was years ago. Just before his falling out with his father. His father. No time like the present to prove to the man that just because he wanted something different than the military that didn't make him a coward, a loser. With a sudden heave, he turned and forced his bike up into the stands, a drill protruding from the front to clear the way for him. He drove up the steps toward the VIP box where his father sat. Did the man really think that attending one race would make up for all of the years of neglect?
Well, maybe if I can pull this off for Zoltar, it would be a good start, Kevin thought. Vaguely he heard gasps and shouts from the crowd, the announcer's shocked voice wondering if he had lost control. No, he thought, I'm finally in control. He pulled his gun and prepared to fire.
When Kevin pulled an assassin's rifle from a hiding place in the bike, Jason didn't hesitate to shoot off the scope. There was no way Kevin could control the bike and make an accurate shot now.
Suddenly the scope was shot off his gun, sending him slightly off balance. Refocused on driving, he rammed his bike through the VIP box, out of the speedway and down the stairs to the road and the waiting Blackbirds who fell into formation.
It worked, Jason thought. Kevin had missed and ran off like a coward.
“Come on!” Jason yelled at Tiny and Keyop, who were both running behind him.
He jumped into the Spacemobile as Keyop went to his buggy and Tiny ran off towards the Phoenix.
The Blackbirds shot missiles at them, but could not shake them. The vehicles scattered and dodged the missiles, but stayed on them.
Not happy when they started shooting small missiles at them, Jason took out his cable gun and shot them out of his way, grateful that Keyop didn't need to be told to help as he watched the buggy take out another. He'd lose too much time if he tried to use the Spacemobile's gatling gun to shoot the missiles.
Drat, Kevin thought, G-Force shot down the missiles, clearing a path for them to catch up. Flipping a switch, he thought, they can't dodge black smog.
“Argh,” Jason growled as he saw pitch black smog pour from the tailpipes of the bikes. He couldn't see, and barely kept from driving up a rocky embankment.
“You okay, Jase?” Mark asked over the communicator.
“Peachy,” he responded sarcastically.
“Doot me broop too,” Keyop chimed in, even though he'd not been asked.
Mark had flown up in his Sonic Jet right behind Tiny in the Phoenix.
“Where's Princess?” Tiny asked.
“Princess, where are you?” Mark called through the communicator, but she didn't answer. “Okay, let's hook up. I have a hunch where she was headed. Now we just need to find out where that is.”
Princess stood in the trees watching as the Blackbirds dragged Kevin into an imposing mansion. As the rest of G-Force focused on Jason and Keyop in the smog, she went around it, staying focused on Kevin. Her heart sank with the knowledge that this was one coincidence too many.
She ignored Mark's call, waiting until she could no longer rationalize what she saw. With a heavy sigh, she lifted her wrist and spoke into her communicator. “Mark.”
“Princess, where are you?” came his rushed reply.
“At a coastal mansion just outside of the northwest perimeter of Bradley. I think it's a Spectran base.”
“Stay put,” Mark ordered. “We're on our way.”
Briefly, she thought about staying right where she was; however, despite the fact that all things pointed to Kevin joining Spectra, she still desperately want to prove otherwise. As stealthily as she could, she made her way into the mansion. Knowing that Spectra liked to disguise their bases beneath normal looking buildings, when she found steps that led downward, she followed them.
Blackbirds held Kevin up in front of some man in a red uniform. Zoltar was on a monitor screen, screaming at Kevin for being worthless and incompetent, a miserable failure.
She gasped. Gone was the hope that he'd been blackmailed or coerced. Clearly Kevin had knowingly, willingly made this decision.
Suddenly, Kevin looked up right at her. She hoped her visor would hide her disappointment and her identity. When she saw familiarity and pain pass over his face, she realized that Kevin knew who she was.
“Princess,” he whispered. The others looked up.
The center of attention, she threw her yo-yo as she kicked the closest Spectran agents and left the mansion as quickly as her wings would let her. Jumping on her Galacticycle, she hooked up with the newly arrived Phoenix.
“What should we do with him?” Cinal asked.
“You have one last chance, boy. G-Force is here. Take care of them,” Zoltar ordered. “If you are victorious, I may be able to persuade the Great Spirit to spare you.”
Kevin made it to his cycle under his own power. Immediately his cycle merged with the others to form a giant serpent.
On the bridge of the Phoenix, Jason moved to shoot the serpent mecha, but Princess stopped him.
“No, you can't! That will kill him!”
Jason grunted as Mark agreed. “We'll see if we can disable it first.”
As Tiny veered around the serpent, it latched onto the wing of the Phoenix, making the big ship difficult to fly. Cracks started to form where the Spectran serpent add unexpected pressure to the hull of the Phoenix. Saws came out of the belly, slicing easily through the ship.
“We can't take much more of this,” Tiny warned.
“Any more bright ideas, Skipper?” Jason asked; his tone clearly saying you should have let me shoot them when we had the chance.
“Tiny, take us straight up,” Mark commanded. When they were at the right altitude, he ordered Tiny to put the ship in a steep dive. “This should knock them loose. Jason, can you hit them with the TBX missiles after Tiny pulls us out of this?”
“Piece of cake,” he answered. “I'll even take care of the base, too.”
“Do it!” Mark ordered. “Tiny, pull up!”
Jason rushed forward to the firing section. Tiny pulled up sharply and promptly straightened the Phoenix out for Jason to fire. The serpent lost its grip on the Phoenix and fell towards the base. Jason launched two missiles right into the serpent as it collided with the base.
Princess kept her eyes closed throughout the ordeal. She couldn't believe that her friend had joined Spectra. She hated having to choose between friendship and duty. She hated Jason for being right and for firing on her friend.
“No!” She ran and began pounding Jason's chest with her fists before collapsing against him in tears. He handed her off to Mark as soon as he could and returned to his seat in the back of the bridge.
“Poor Princess.” Zark stood in the middle of his control room. “The technicians finally got my communication issues fixed in time for me to watch that awful conflict between G-Force and the Spectran serpent. Losing a friend is never easy and that had to be one of the worst ways possible for it to happen. G-Force does their best to save every life possible, even enemy lives, but when Spectra puts them in a kill or be killed situation, they do everything in their power to defend themselves and the innocent.
“She'll get over this eventually, with Mark's help. And she'll forgive Jason, too, after she grieves for her friend. One day, we'll defeat the evil Spectrans and G-Force will be able to live normal lives.”
Story Notes:
Prompt: Episode 56 of Gatchaman, "The Bird Missile of Bitterness," (the one with Jun's old "friend," Koji) was never used in Battle of the Planets, but what might have resulted if it had been used? Who might a BOTP version of "Koji" have been and what might his connection to Princess or the rest of G-Force have been?
Don't feel obligated to stick to the exact footage shown in the original Gatchaman episode or to replace violence with Zark or ready room scenes if you don't want to! And a comic/satire "BOTP episode" is welcome too.
Don't feel obligated to stick to the exact footage shown in the original Gatchaman episode or to replace violence with Zark or ready room scenes if you don't want to! And a comic/satire "BOTP episode" is welcome too.
Chapter End Notes:
Thanks to Jublke and K2P2 for beta reading, and to TJ for catching a canon inconsistency. It was my goal for this to be as canonical as possible, and it was harder than I thought it would be. I do believe that this is the first story I've ever written that I've given a less than PG-13 or equivalent rating.