Disclaimer: Battle of the Planets and all of its characters belong to
Sandy Frank. Everyone else is mine all mine.
REUNION
It wasn't easy to find a parking place at the track on race day, but all I had to do was show my ISO identicard and one in the first row magically appeared. I asked for directions to the pit area, showed the identicard again, and was taken there by a surly gentleman. I use the term loosely.
My "escort" told the lead mechanic who I was looking for. He walked over and introduced himself as Mike and said I could wait until the race was over. Sounded reasonable, since the man I was looking for was driving. From what I could overhear, he was in the lead. I refrain from using the word 'winning' since a driver's position on the track can change suddenly. I watched the pit crew as they worked. One man handled the radio; several others made sure tires and fuel were ready if and when they were needed. I was surprised to see a woman, roughly my age, running around issuing orders. She didn't look like a mechanic, or a groupie for that matter, his girlfriend maybe?
Soon the race was over. I wasn't surprised that he won. He always won. The pit crew let out a whoop and the woman was off like a flash. Mike came over and told me that it would be a few minutes yet. The driver had to make his victory lap and have pictures taken. If he could avoid the photographers, it might be sooner. I remember how he hated having his picture taken even when we were kids.
The woman came jogging back to the pit, a racecar behind her. It pulled into the pit and the crew descended on the driver like a pack of hyenas on a zebra carcass. The driver climbed out of the window and took off his helmet. The hair was shorter and he looked only a few years older than the last time I had seen him, but he was still the same skinny kid. Only his eyes looked different, not as angry as before. Maybe time had cooled the rage that burned inside him.
Mike said something to the driver, but I couldn't hear what was said. The driver walked toward me with a suspicious look. That definitely hadn't changed.
"Mike said you wanted to talk to me." He looked at me and recognition dawned. "Princess?"
"Hi, Jason."
"I didn't recognize you at first. You don't have green hair anymore."
"No, I finally let is grow back to its natural color."
"So, what brings you here?" So much for small talk.
"I'm trying to get the team together for a reunion."
"Why? Doesn't the "team" all work for ISO?"
"You don't."
"So what's your point?"
"Jason, please. It's been 16 years. Can't you forgive Mark?"
"Why should I? He's the one that kicked me off the team in the first place." The old anger had returned.
"I won't defend what Mark did, but part of the blame falls on you."
Jason turned away from me. I thought he was going to start walking away, but instead he called to the woman I had seen before. She walked over, a slightly less suspicious look in her eye.
"Sam, I like you to meet Princess, my foster sister. Princess, this is Sam. My wife."
His wife? Jason, the man that said he'd die before he got married, had a wife?
"Hello," Sam said. She was about my height, big blue eyes, and medium length dark blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail. Pretty, but not what you would call beautiful.
"Hi," I manage to say without staring too much.
"Jase, why don't you take Princess to your office? It will be quieter there and then you two can catch up on old times," Sam offered, steering Jason toward a small room in the corner.
He closed the door behind us. The room was small and contained a desk and a couple of chairs. The computer had a screen saver of a car that looked similar to the old G-2 and a checkered flag. A picture of a condor in flight was on the wall. "She seems nice," I said.
"Yeah, she's about the only one that can put up with me for any length of time."
"So, how did you two meet?"
"She's a design engineer and works for the same guy I work for. She had designed the car I was to drive and the owner insisted that she be at the track when I test drove it. You should have seen her, dressed in heels, short shirt, expensive silk blouse. She didn't like what we were doing to the car, so off came the shoes, she pushed up her sleeves and climbed under the hood of the car to fix whatever we thought was wrong with it. I saw her in a different light then."
"How long have you been married?"
"Three years."
"Any children?"
"No. We haven't been inclined to have any."
That much hadn't changed. Jason never had been much for kids, but he had his moments. There was a knock at the door. Mike poked his head in and said, "Hey, Jase. The old man wants to talk to you."
"I'll be right there. Princess, why don't you talk to Mike for a while? He'll tell you everything you ever wanted to know about anything. Mike, entertain the lady, will you?" Then he was gone.
"So, you know Jase long?" Mike asked.
"Since we kids. We grew up together. How long have you know him?"
"Oh, 'bout 15 years or so. He's a good kid when he keeps his temper under control. Hell of a driver. Excuse my language."
"He and Sam seem happy."
"Yeah, he's changed a lot since they met five years ago. You shoulda seen 'em, like oil and water. Argued about everything. He had no use for her. She thought he was an obnoxious jerk. The old man, our boss, insisted she be here when Jase test-drove the car she had designed. Something wasn't quite right, and she didn't like what we were doin' to the car. Here she was, all dressed up. The old man wanted her to dress nice, see? She's all dressed up with her head under the hood of the car with Jase, two mechanics, and me. She had everything figured out and workin' in two minutes. She went up about 100 points on Jase's respect-o-meter that day. We were all surprised when we found out they snuck off and got married. I think it surprised them more than the rest of us. The old man had a fit about that."
I had to laugh at his story. "Sounds like Jason." Jason came back to the office.
"Sam wants to know if you'd like to come to dinner?"
"I don't want to intrude."
"You're not intruding. I'll drive you over to the house. Where's your car?" Pleasantries were never Jason's strong suit, always blunt and to the point.
We said goodbye to Mike and then walked to the where the car was parked. I gave Jason the keys and we drove to his house in silence. "Nice neighborhood," I said.
"Yeah, the house isn't big, but it was what we could afford. The neighbors are nice enough, I suppose. They don't complain about the cars."
We pulled into the drive of a yellow two-story house with green trim. Somehow, I had expected Jason to still be living in a trailer at the racetrack. The lights were on. Sam must be home. We got out of the car and Jason led me to the side door. He opened it and let me enter the house first. A large multicolored dog met us at the door. It barked once, and after seeing Jason, stood wagging it's tail. This surprised me. Jason never seemed the type to have a pet.
"Some watch dog you are," Jason said to the dog. "This is Bandit. He's generally harmless." He continued on into the kitchen. Sam was at the counter, chopping something. She turned and smiled at him.
"Hi. I didn't expect you home this early." Then to me she said, "Did Jason insist on driving or did he give you directions?"
"Which you do think?" I laughed. I liked her. She had been good for Jason. Of the five of us, Jason always seemed the loneliest and had the worst luck with women. They had the ill fortune of either dying on him or working for Spectra.
"Make yourself at home. Dinner will be ready in a little bit."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"No, I think everything is under control. At the moment."
"If you don't need me, I'm going to run up and take a shower," Jason said.
"Go ahead. I'll entertain Princess," Sam replied.
"I bet you will." Then he disappeared up the stairs.
"Jason is still his old charming self, I see," I said.
"You mean it isn't just me? He was always like this?" Sam looked horrified for a moment and then laughed. "In the five years I've know him, he's actually mellowed a little. Can I get you something to drink?"
"No, thanks. I'm fine. Sam, what do you know about Jason's past?"
Sam turned from her task and looked me in the eye. "He told me about the G- Force project, if that's what you mean. I know from experience how difficult Jason can be, so I know that his dismissal from the team was partly his fault. Just the same, it hurt him deeply to leave. You and the others were like family to him, even if he won't admit it."
"He and Mark were always arguing, but they had a certain respect for each other. The rest of us hated to see Jason leave. We all grew up together. It was hard to find another member for the team." I didn't say replacement for good reason. We never had a permanent fifth member of G-Force after Jason left. It's a good thing the war with Spectra ended when it did. We went through six different members in four years. Brett, the sixth, lasted an entire year.
Sam and I chatted for a while until Jason finally came downstairs, his hair still damp from his shower. Bandit was right at his heels.
"I never figured you to have a dog, Jase," I said.
"Found him at the track. Some idiot had dropped him in a dumpster. He was covered in grease and half-starved."
"And kind and loving soul that my husband is, he climbed into the dumpster, pulled the dog out, and brought him home to me. That dog rarely leaves his side," Sam said.
Bandit wagged his tail and flopped in the middle of the floor. Jason continued walking, stepping over the dog, and over to Sam. He kissed her on the cheek and stole a couple of the carrots she had been chopping. She playfully elbowed him the ribs. "Since you're so full of it tonight, you get to set the table."
"Gee, thanks."
"I knew you'd like that."
I felt like I was intruding. Jason had rare moments of playfulness when we were kids, but he never really seemed happy. Marriage must agree with him. I help Jason set the table, having to step around the dog occasionally.
"Bandit, go lay down," Jason said. "You're becoming a pest."
The dog looked like he was pouting and walked out into the kitchen to lie down on a big cushion.
"So, how is everybody?" Jason asked.
"They're fine. Mark is deputy chief of security, Tiny is head pilot, and Keyop works in R&D."
"What do you do?"
"I'm assistant deputy chief of security. I get to do the leg work for Mark and the Chief and I get to travel quite a bit."
"How's the Chief?"
"He's fine, thinking about retiring. He wants you to come home, Jason."
"He should have thought about that 16 years ago when he kicked me out," he said bitterly.
We finished setting the table in silence and Sam brought in the food. Everything smelled wonderful. I had forgotten that I hadn't eaten since before my flight early this morning.
"Princess, do you have a place to stay tonight?" Sam asked.
"I was hoping to get a motel room. I came right from the airport today."
"We have room. You can stay here."
"I don't want to be a bother."
"No bother. I insist. I'm up with the chickens anyway. Jason is the one that can sleep the day away."
Something else that hadn't changed; he had no trouble getting up early for a race, but any other day was different story.
"All right. I'll have to call and let the office know where I am."
Dinner was good, but quiet. Jason must have used his quota of words for the day, as he didn't say much else. After we finished eating and I had helped clean up at my insistence, Jason showed me upstairs to the guest room. A double bed covered by a colorful quilt was in the center of the room. One wall was covered with pictures of Jason's various wins and the cars he had driven. There were only a couple of pictures of Sam and Jason together. I stopped to look at one that caught my eye. Both of them were dressed in dark blue coveralls that some drivers wear. Sam was in Jason's arms and it looked like he had just caught her. Both had big grins as if they shared a secret.
"That was taken when Sam won her first professional race. Mike had picked her up and then he tossed her over to me. I was afraid I'd drop her," Jason said. Then after a moment, he said, "Bathroom is across the hall. There are towels and anything else you might need in the closet." Then he disappeared. I noticed he had a tendency to do that when his feelings got too close to the surface. He returned a few minutes later with my overnight bag from the car. "Thought you might need this. 'Night, Princess."
"Good night, Jason."
Author's Note: R&D is short for Research and Development.
REUNION
It wasn't easy to find a parking place at the track on race day, but all I had to do was show my ISO identicard and one in the first row magically appeared. I asked for directions to the pit area, showed the identicard again, and was taken there by a surly gentleman. I use the term loosely.
My "escort" told the lead mechanic who I was looking for. He walked over and introduced himself as Mike and said I could wait until the race was over. Sounded reasonable, since the man I was looking for was driving. From what I could overhear, he was in the lead. I refrain from using the word 'winning' since a driver's position on the track can change suddenly. I watched the pit crew as they worked. One man handled the radio; several others made sure tires and fuel were ready if and when they were needed. I was surprised to see a woman, roughly my age, running around issuing orders. She didn't look like a mechanic, or a groupie for that matter, his girlfriend maybe?
Soon the race was over. I wasn't surprised that he won. He always won. The pit crew let out a whoop and the woman was off like a flash. Mike came over and told me that it would be a few minutes yet. The driver had to make his victory lap and have pictures taken. If he could avoid the photographers, it might be sooner. I remember how he hated having his picture taken even when we were kids.
The woman came jogging back to the pit, a racecar behind her. It pulled into the pit and the crew descended on the driver like a pack of hyenas on a zebra carcass. The driver climbed out of the window and took off his helmet. The hair was shorter and he looked only a few years older than the last time I had seen him, but he was still the same skinny kid. Only his eyes looked different, not as angry as before. Maybe time had cooled the rage that burned inside him.
Mike said something to the driver, but I couldn't hear what was said. The driver walked toward me with a suspicious look. That definitely hadn't changed.
"Mike said you wanted to talk to me." He looked at me and recognition dawned. "Princess?"
"Hi, Jason."
"I didn't recognize you at first. You don't have green hair anymore."
"No, I finally let is grow back to its natural color."
"So, what brings you here?" So much for small talk.
"I'm trying to get the team together for a reunion."
"Why? Doesn't the "team" all work for ISO?"
"You don't."
"So what's your point?"
"Jason, please. It's been 16 years. Can't you forgive Mark?"
"Why should I? He's the one that kicked me off the team in the first place." The old anger had returned.
"I won't defend what Mark did, but part of the blame falls on you."
Jason turned away from me. I thought he was going to start walking away, but instead he called to the woman I had seen before. She walked over, a slightly less suspicious look in her eye.
"Sam, I like you to meet Princess, my foster sister. Princess, this is Sam. My wife."
His wife? Jason, the man that said he'd die before he got married, had a wife?
"Hello," Sam said. She was about my height, big blue eyes, and medium length dark blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail. Pretty, but not what you would call beautiful.
"Hi," I manage to say without staring too much.
"Jase, why don't you take Princess to your office? It will be quieter there and then you two can catch up on old times," Sam offered, steering Jason toward a small room in the corner.
He closed the door behind us. The room was small and contained a desk and a couple of chairs. The computer had a screen saver of a car that looked similar to the old G-2 and a checkered flag. A picture of a condor in flight was on the wall. "She seems nice," I said.
"Yeah, she's about the only one that can put up with me for any length of time."
"So, how did you two meet?"
"She's a design engineer and works for the same guy I work for. She had designed the car I was to drive and the owner insisted that she be at the track when I test drove it. You should have seen her, dressed in heels, short shirt, expensive silk blouse. She didn't like what we were doing to the car, so off came the shoes, she pushed up her sleeves and climbed under the hood of the car to fix whatever we thought was wrong with it. I saw her in a different light then."
"How long have you been married?"
"Three years."
"Any children?"
"No. We haven't been inclined to have any."
That much hadn't changed. Jason never had been much for kids, but he had his moments. There was a knock at the door. Mike poked his head in and said, "Hey, Jase. The old man wants to talk to you."
"I'll be right there. Princess, why don't you talk to Mike for a while? He'll tell you everything you ever wanted to know about anything. Mike, entertain the lady, will you?" Then he was gone.
"So, you know Jase long?" Mike asked.
"Since we kids. We grew up together. How long have you know him?"
"Oh, 'bout 15 years or so. He's a good kid when he keeps his temper under control. Hell of a driver. Excuse my language."
"He and Sam seem happy."
"Yeah, he's changed a lot since they met five years ago. You shoulda seen 'em, like oil and water. Argued about everything. He had no use for her. She thought he was an obnoxious jerk. The old man, our boss, insisted she be here when Jase test-drove the car she had designed. Something wasn't quite right, and she didn't like what we were doin' to the car. Here she was, all dressed up. The old man wanted her to dress nice, see? She's all dressed up with her head under the hood of the car with Jase, two mechanics, and me. She had everything figured out and workin' in two minutes. She went up about 100 points on Jase's respect-o-meter that day. We were all surprised when we found out they snuck off and got married. I think it surprised them more than the rest of us. The old man had a fit about that."
I had to laugh at his story. "Sounds like Jason." Jason came back to the office.
"Sam wants to know if you'd like to come to dinner?"
"I don't want to intrude."
"You're not intruding. I'll drive you over to the house. Where's your car?" Pleasantries were never Jason's strong suit, always blunt and to the point.
We said goodbye to Mike and then walked to the where the car was parked. I gave Jason the keys and we drove to his house in silence. "Nice neighborhood," I said.
"Yeah, the house isn't big, but it was what we could afford. The neighbors are nice enough, I suppose. They don't complain about the cars."
We pulled into the drive of a yellow two-story house with green trim. Somehow, I had expected Jason to still be living in a trailer at the racetrack. The lights were on. Sam must be home. We got out of the car and Jason led me to the side door. He opened it and let me enter the house first. A large multicolored dog met us at the door. It barked once, and after seeing Jason, stood wagging it's tail. This surprised me. Jason never seemed the type to have a pet.
"Some watch dog you are," Jason said to the dog. "This is Bandit. He's generally harmless." He continued on into the kitchen. Sam was at the counter, chopping something. She turned and smiled at him.
"Hi. I didn't expect you home this early." Then to me she said, "Did Jason insist on driving or did he give you directions?"
"Which you do think?" I laughed. I liked her. She had been good for Jason. Of the five of us, Jason always seemed the loneliest and had the worst luck with women. They had the ill fortune of either dying on him or working for Spectra.
"Make yourself at home. Dinner will be ready in a little bit."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"No, I think everything is under control. At the moment."
"If you don't need me, I'm going to run up and take a shower," Jason said.
"Go ahead. I'll entertain Princess," Sam replied.
"I bet you will." Then he disappeared up the stairs.
"Jason is still his old charming self, I see," I said.
"You mean it isn't just me? He was always like this?" Sam looked horrified for a moment and then laughed. "In the five years I've know him, he's actually mellowed a little. Can I get you something to drink?"
"No, thanks. I'm fine. Sam, what do you know about Jason's past?"
Sam turned from her task and looked me in the eye. "He told me about the G- Force project, if that's what you mean. I know from experience how difficult Jason can be, so I know that his dismissal from the team was partly his fault. Just the same, it hurt him deeply to leave. You and the others were like family to him, even if he won't admit it."
"He and Mark were always arguing, but they had a certain respect for each other. The rest of us hated to see Jason leave. We all grew up together. It was hard to find another member for the team." I didn't say replacement for good reason. We never had a permanent fifth member of G-Force after Jason left. It's a good thing the war with Spectra ended when it did. We went through six different members in four years. Brett, the sixth, lasted an entire year.
Sam and I chatted for a while until Jason finally came downstairs, his hair still damp from his shower. Bandit was right at his heels.
"I never figured you to have a dog, Jase," I said.
"Found him at the track. Some idiot had dropped him in a dumpster. He was covered in grease and half-starved."
"And kind and loving soul that my husband is, he climbed into the dumpster, pulled the dog out, and brought him home to me. That dog rarely leaves his side," Sam said.
Bandit wagged his tail and flopped in the middle of the floor. Jason continued walking, stepping over the dog, and over to Sam. He kissed her on the cheek and stole a couple of the carrots she had been chopping. She playfully elbowed him the ribs. "Since you're so full of it tonight, you get to set the table."
"Gee, thanks."
"I knew you'd like that."
I felt like I was intruding. Jason had rare moments of playfulness when we were kids, but he never really seemed happy. Marriage must agree with him. I help Jason set the table, having to step around the dog occasionally.
"Bandit, go lay down," Jason said. "You're becoming a pest."
The dog looked like he was pouting and walked out into the kitchen to lie down on a big cushion.
"So, how is everybody?" Jason asked.
"They're fine. Mark is deputy chief of security, Tiny is head pilot, and Keyop works in R&D."
"What do you do?"
"I'm assistant deputy chief of security. I get to do the leg work for Mark and the Chief and I get to travel quite a bit."
"How's the Chief?"
"He's fine, thinking about retiring. He wants you to come home, Jason."
"He should have thought about that 16 years ago when he kicked me out," he said bitterly.
We finished setting the table in silence and Sam brought in the food. Everything smelled wonderful. I had forgotten that I hadn't eaten since before my flight early this morning.
"Princess, do you have a place to stay tonight?" Sam asked.
"I was hoping to get a motel room. I came right from the airport today."
"We have room. You can stay here."
"I don't want to be a bother."
"No bother. I insist. I'm up with the chickens anyway. Jason is the one that can sleep the day away."
Something else that hadn't changed; he had no trouble getting up early for a race, but any other day was different story.
"All right. I'll have to call and let the office know where I am."
Dinner was good, but quiet. Jason must have used his quota of words for the day, as he didn't say much else. After we finished eating and I had helped clean up at my insistence, Jason showed me upstairs to the guest room. A double bed covered by a colorful quilt was in the center of the room. One wall was covered with pictures of Jason's various wins and the cars he had driven. There were only a couple of pictures of Sam and Jason together. I stopped to look at one that caught my eye. Both of them were dressed in dark blue coveralls that some drivers wear. Sam was in Jason's arms and it looked like he had just caught her. Both had big grins as if they shared a secret.
"That was taken when Sam won her first professional race. Mike had picked her up and then he tossed her over to me. I was afraid I'd drop her," Jason said. Then after a moment, he said, "Bathroom is across the hall. There are towels and anything else you might need in the closet." Then he disappeared. I noticed he had a tendency to do that when his feelings got too close to the surface. He returned a few minutes later with my overnight bag from the car. "Thought you might need this. 'Night, Princess."
"Good night, Jason."
Author's Note: R&D is short for Research and Development.