Generations - Reunion

Mark took a deep breath before entering the cockpit of the Phoenix. He was so proud of how his son had saved his sister that he thought he would burst!

And he had no idea how he could win back his wife.

Heads turned as he entered. He walked straight up to Chris and put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “You did well today, Chris. You’ve made your mother and me very proud today.”

Chris beamed. To get praise from the Eagle was good, but to get that praise and acknowledgement that he was Chris’ father was the fulfilment of his life’s desires. “Thank you.” He stood straight; his own blue gaze mirroring Mark’s and Princess raised her hand to her mouth. Seeing the two together, even though Mark was still in birdstyle, the resemblance was unmistakeable.

Chris looked directly at Mark, drinking in the face of his father – seeing him close up for the first time in his life. “Father.” Mark pulled him close and embraced his son. He felt again what he had lost. He had missed seeing this young man grow up. And yet, would Chris have been different if he had been there? He thought of Chris’s training record and could clearly see Jason’s influence.

Between the three of them, they had managed to produce a remarkable young man.

He turned to the girl tucked into Jason’s side. No doubt whose daughter she was! And equally no doubt how much Jason adored the kid. And how much she hated Mark.

Mark shifted his weight slightly as the Phoenix lifted off. “You must be Vivian,” he said, holding out his hand, only to drop it as she pointedly ignored him.

“Dad? Where will we live now? We don’t have a home now.”

“We can rebuild the house, Viv,” said Jason.

“But all our things! They’re gone!”

“Things can be replaced,” said Princess softly, stroking her daughter’s black hair. “And as long as we’re together, we’ve got a home no matter where we live.”

“It’s still a problem, though,” said Jason. “We do need to find somewhere to live until we can rebuild.”

“We’re all moving to Neptune until I can work out what Spectra wanted from that attack,” said Mark decisively. “We need to up the training of the fledglings so that they’re ready to give some help. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m feeling every hit more and more.”

“What about my friends! I don’t want to live at Centre Neptune!” complained Vivian.

Princess sighed. Right now the last thing she needed was a recalcitrant teenager. The thought crossed her mind, as it had many times in the past, how had Anderson coped with three of them at once? “It’s only temporary, Vivian. You’ll survive. Mark, Anderson made a mistake, and so did we. We were too busy fighting Spectra to think about a new team. It wasn’t until Chris started talking about being G-Force that the Chief and Cronus put their heads together and started to search for new members.”

“And none of them,” said Jason, “started training as early as we did. We’ve had to wait until they were at least 15 – considered old enough to understand fully all the implications about what they would be signing up for. And get their parent’s consent for the implants. You’re right Mark. We need to be at Neptune. We need to get our own training back up to par, as well as bring the kids on.”

Jason didn’t voice the other thought that the four senior team members had - Centre Neptune was their bolthole. They could easily have gone to Camp Parker. It was safe, secure.

But Neptune was where they had always gone when they needed to feel completely safe. When they needed to be together as a team without any distractions.

“Right.” Mark stood behind Tiny. “Tiny, you need to pick up Cathy?”

Tiny looked at Mark. “How did you know?”

“Security Chief now, remember? I did read the dossiers Anderson prepared.”

“She’s actually at Neptune already.”

“Cathy’s a Fledgling, Father,” said Chris.

“Obviously you haven’t read all them,” said Vivian snarkily. There was no way she was going to join in with this worship of the Eagle.

Mark grinned at her. In spite of everything, there was something likeable about Vivian. She had all the guts of both parents. “Cheeky brat,” he said good naturedly. “But you’re right. I haven’t had a chance to finish all of them.”

“Vivian’s right about another thing. We all need to get stuff before we hole up in Neptune. Tiny, land at Security Centre. We can get whatever gear we need and make arrangements to transfer operations to Neptune.”

“What about you, Mark? Your gear...”

“Most of it is at Neptune.” He shrugged. “Old habits. You know I never kept much at my place until we got together, Prin.”

She laughed. “I’ll never forget waking up there the first time and discovering that all you had in the fridge was some extremely elderly pizza and milk that had gone solid.” Jason looked astonished.
“You mean after all the trouble I went to helping you set up that romantic dinner for two you didn’t even think of breakfast the next morning?”

“Neither did you, genius! And if you remember I came to you because you were the one with the reputation as a ladies’ man. Why didn’t you remember?”

“Reputation yeah. But I wasn’t in the habit of having women...” he looked at the children who both were avidly interested at this rather revealing conversation. “having guests overnight. Besides, I don’t have milk in my coffee.”

“What did you do, Princess?” Tiny was just as curious, and glad that they were all able to talk as they used to.

Mark shuddered. “What do you think, Tiny? Princess is even grumpier than Jason if she doesn’t get her cup of tea and toast in the morning.”

“Some things never change,” said Jason wryly.

“You know,” said Princess, “there are some people who are going to experience whole new worlds of pain if they don’t shut up.” She looked at her lover. “Not to mention interesting new places to sleep.”

“We’re approaching Space Centre,” said Tiny. “I’ve got landing clearance into the hangar.”

“Right, back into uniform, team,” said Mark. “You too, Chris. You need the practice in holding your transmute.”

Mark looked at Princess and Jason. “You need money?”

Jason shook his head. “I had my wallet with me. We’re fine.”

Mark felt an irrational surge of anger. He didn’t want Jason to pay for new clothing and effects for his wife and son. He wanted – no needed – to do something to show that they were his responsibility.
He slumped again. Until he got back to Neptune however, and could sleep off the migraine that he knew would hit the instant he de-transmuted, he could do nothing.

“Mark?” He grimaced at the gentle concern in Princess’ voice. He knew that tone. Knew that he hadn’t fooled her one little bit about his pain.

“Yeah, Princess?”

“We can wait. You need to get some medical help.”

“I’m fine, Princess. Take the time you need.”

Princess glanced at Jason who shook his head. He came close to her and spoke softly. “I’ve been monitoring him. His alpha and beta waves are going haywire. He needs to get somewhere quiet and dark soon.”

“Can you slip him something to knock him out?”

“Not without his knowing.”

“Then we’ll make it fast.” She looked at Chris and Vivian. “I wish I could leave them here, but I don’t want to let them out of my sight.”

Jason caressed her shoulder. “I know what you mean,” he said. “And I don’t think they’ll let us go without them anyway.”

“We’re here,” said Tiny, landing smoothly. “I’ll stay here – I want to check her fuel before we head to Neptune.”

“Right,” said Mark. “How long will you need?”

Princess looked at Jason. “Better give me an hour and a half,” she said regretfully. “I wish I could make it shorter, but unfortunately it is going to take a little while to get what we need.”

“I’ll make arrangements with Jenny then,” said Mark.

“Can’t you stay here, Mark? Jenny won’t be there, and you can send her an e-mail from here. Or I could when I get back.” asked Princess. “You could change and get some sleep in the med bay.”

Mark shook his head, trying hard not to wince. “Won’t work. I can’t ever relax on those slabs,” he said. “I’d rather wait to get to my own bed at Neptune.” In a gesture he had been making all his life he put his arm around her shoulders. “But thanks for reminding me of the time. I’ll stay here and send Jenny an e-mail from here.” He tightened his hold, loving the feel of her against him, loving how she just relaxed into him.

“At least see the Docs here,” said Jason. “Or do I have to order it, G2?” He knew it was harsh, and knew that he had allowed Mark to take command during this mission, but he was genuinely worried. Always before they had managed to get Mark back to Neptune within an hour of his having to interface with Phoenix. He knew the delay would only make the migraine worse.

“No drugs,” said Mark tightly. “But if you can make it back faster...”

Princess moved away from him and sat down. “I’ll make a list,” she said.

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Princess glanced back at the Phoenix before she got into the lift. “Will he be OK?” she asked Jason.
Jason looked equally concerned.

“Tiny will keep an eye on him,” he said, “but I am worried. He’s right about not wanting to use any drugs though.” Jason’s own eyes darkened, remembering his own battles many years ago. “He’s still in a dark place, Princess. I think that the interface with Phoenix affected him more than we know. Tiny’s always said Phoenix was very unhappy he wasn’t there.”

“Why should you care?” asked Vivian. “He abandoned you and yet you're welcoming him back like he’s never been gone.”

“He’s family, Vivian. And for your mother and I, Mark’s return on some levels feels like we’re whole again.”

“You see, Vivian, aside from anything, we’ve been a team since we were eight. We went through training together, and got our implants at the same time. And those implants only reinforced the family bond we already had. The only consolation we’ve had for the last eighteen years was that we knew he wasn’t dead.”

“I’m glad I don’t have an implant and won’t get one then,” said Vivian. “I don’t want to have anything to do with G-Force. Can’t you see he wants to break you up? I saw how he looked at Mama! Like he wanted to taste her! It was disgusting. And I’ve read rumours about him on the internet. I found a Rigan site that called him a gigolo who would sleep with anybody.”

“Vivian Leigh Shaw!” Princess was livid, and Vivian shrank back against her father, only to feel instead of the comfort she usually received the hard steel of the Condor. “What the hell were you doing reading sites like that?”

“You’ve betrayed our trust, Vivian,” said Jason, his voice hard. “I hope you don’t expect to get anywhere near a computer for the next year.”

“I’m sorry,” she said contritely. “Mama, you’re hurting me!” Princess had her arm and was dragging her along the corridor towards their office suite.

“You will stay here, young lady,” she said. “Chris will stay with you. You will sit,” and Princess flung her down on one of the sofas, “here and not move until we return. And then when we get to Neptune you will have access to a computer only for school work and then only under complete supervision. You are confined to base completely. I am sick and tired of your shitty attitude and the plain rudeness you’re showing to Mark.”

Princess de-transmuted. “Before we go, Jason, I want to check what we have here that we can take. Can you grab stuff from the kitchen? Jenny can re-stock easily.”

She left the room and Jason looked at his children. “You have no idea what the real situation is Vivian. Mama’s right. You’ve been rude and I don’t care if you think you had a justification. You know there’s never justification for rudeness. When Mark’s slept of the migraine – which, I’ll just add, he got searching for you and Chris – you’re going to apologise to him for your rudeness.”
Jason headed towards the Kitchen. “Chris, I’ll get stuff. You and Vivian can pack it up. There should be some cases you can use somewhere.”

“Yes, Dad.” He looked at his sister. “I told you not to push it, Viv. They’re not stupid. Or blind.”

“I’m fighting for our family,” said Vivian stubbornly. “I’ve been talking to Uncle Kye. I can go to him. He hates Mark and he agrees with me that Mark will try to break up our family.”

Chris sighed. “You have no idea Viv. No idea what Mama was like before. Uncle Kye...” he paused as he heard their parents coming back. “I’ll tell you when they’ve gone,” he said softly.

Princess and Jason had de-transmuted, but to Vivian they still seemed stern and unapproachable.

“Chris change back. You don’t need to stay in transmute now. You’ll be more comfortable. Take a shower, both of you and change.”

“We don’t have anything here,” grumbled Vivian, but she had to admit that a shower sounded wonderful.

“I found the bags we left here when I got sick – when we were going away. We won’t have to buy as much as I thought.” She looked at Jason. “Was it really that short a time ago that we were going on holiday?” She sighed and he kissed her.

“Never mind, think of this as a sort of a holiday. Actually it will be good for you. You can go lie on one of the beaches and soak up sun. Get some colour back.”

“We won’t be long,” he said. “Be ready when we return. Chris, give Tiny a bleep and he’ll help with the stuff.

“Yes Dad. And Mark?”

“No. Don’t contact him. He may be able to get some rest. Thank god the Chief never thought to give me that interface after Mark left.”

Mark was grateful when Tiny left to oversee refuelling of Phoenix. He was thankful for the body armour built into his birdstyle – it meant that his body’s reaction to Princess was hidden. On the down side, it also meant that, without de-transmuting he couldn’t get any relief. And at the moment, dropping out of transmute was the last thing he wanted to do.

He settled instead at Princess’ station on Phoenix utilising her computer to send a series of e-mails with instructions for whilst they were working from Centre Neptune.

He had, he realised, overstepped the mark. Jason was now the Commander of G-Force, but Mark hadn’t been able to not act. Not when he could see that both Jason and Princess were totally focused on finding their children.

Their children. How easy it was to think of them like that. Mark closed his eyes and leaned back, realising how, during this mission, they had slipped back into their old familiar roles. How he was using the word “their” in the way they always had – using it to refer to the triumvirate of Mark, Jason and Princess.

G-Force had always been five, but within that five, there had been the closer-knit triumvirate. It had broken slightly when he and Princess had become a couple, but never fully broken.
Mark didn’t even find it exceptional that Princess and Jason had hooked up. He just wished that their closeness included him.

They certainly were a good looking family, he reflected. Especially young Vivian with her mother’s delicate figure and colouring and her father’s temperament. But he liked her. There was a lot of untouched potential in the girl – one you got past the teenage temper.

And Chris. His son. It was like looking into a mirror. Almost. He could see Princess in him. Chris was much finer drawn than him. From the training records, it seemed like Chris was much more like Princess in temperament. His face darkened. He wasn’t sure if he could forgive his father and Anderson for not bringing him back as soon as they knew Prin was pregnant. Then again, he still wasn’t able to forgive them for forcing him on that mission anyway.

If it hadn’t been for them, Mark could have been bringing up his son. Could have been with Princess for the past 18 years, and built a family with her. Would their other children have been like Vivian, he wondered?


It hurt, he reflected. Hurt so much to see Jason and Princess together. To see the hundred of little ways that spoke of a long and loving relationship.

Once, when in such distress, it would have been him she turned to for comfort. He would have held and soothed her, not Jason.

Most of all he envied Jason the next twelve hours or so. He knew exactly what battle did to Princess and how she preferred to relieve the stress of battle. He now regretted the decision to go to Neptune. He wasn’t sure if he could cope with an extremely sexually aroused Princess getting her relief from somebody other than him.

Mark looked up as Tiny entered. “Just got a bleep from Chris,” he said. “They need a hand with some stuff.”

Mark looked a little incredulous. “How much could they have? And why Chris?”

“He said that Jason and Princess left him and Vivian in the office suite.”

“I’ll come with you. I don’t like the idea of them leaving the children alone.”

Tiny and Mark arrived at the suite and both looked with astonishment at the array of suitcases and several carrier bags. “Ok, I know Prin can be pretty anal about spares, but this is a little over the top, even for her,” said Mark. “And why did they leave you behind?”

“Vivian’s grounded,” said Chris. “Mama and dad are absolutely pissed off with her and so they left us here whilst they went to get the other stuff. As for these,” and he gestured to the carrier bags, “We raided the kitchen for some coffee and tea and other stuff. The suitcases...”

“We were going on holidays,” Vivian blurted out. “But Mama got sick and so we never went. I guess we forgot these were here.”

“Princess? Sick?” Mark looked at Tiny who nodded slowly. “She’s only been back at work, well, I think since the day you arrived on the planet.”

“How bad?” Mark thought of Princess – yes she was pale, but then she was always pale. But now he thought about it, she looked even paler and more fragile than normal – and he had been on the planet for almost a month now.

“Real bad, Father,” said Chris. “She almost died.”

Mark sat down heavily. “I never knew. She never told me.”

“Why would she?” asked Vivian. “It’s not as if you’re really her husband. Dad is. And if you weren’t around, they’d be married. I just know it. If you weren’t here, they wouldn’t have had a fight. We were happy before you came back!” The girl was screaming at him now and she launched herself at him, beating his chest. “I hate you, d’you hear! I hate you for coming back. I hate you for being here and I hate you because Mama still loves you.”

“That’s enough, Vivian.” Jason’s voice was compassionate, but held a note of steel. “You can’t blame Mark for how you feel or how your mother and I feel.” He came over and pulled her away from Mark then grunted slightly and lifted her up. “But thank you for feeling you had to protect your old dad.” She flung her arms around his neck and started to cry, letting all her fear from the last few hours out, resisting his efforts to put her down.

“Sorry guys,” said Jason, “but...”

Mark rested his hand on Jason’s shoulder and rubbed it slightly – a gesture from their childhood that they had used less and less as they had gottten older. Somehow, though, it seemed right now. “You take care of Vivian,” he said. “We’ll play pack mule. I see Princess still packs light as ever.”

“This was after I had culled,” said Jason. “You should have seen what she originally packed.”
“Don’t need to, remember I grew up with her too.”

“I am here, you know,” the subject of their conversation said acidly.

Mark and Jason couldn’t help it. They exchanged a grin. “Why, so you are,” said Mark in a mock-astonished tone. “How on earth did we miss you there?” He hefted a suitcase, and then was relieved to find it had wheels and a handle.

“I can take one of those,” said Jason, trying to shift the weight of his daughter who was now mostly asleep.

Mark shook his head. “Don’t disturb her,” he said. “You go ahead of us and make sure we don’t have to wait for lifts.”

Princess re-arranged some carry bags and followed Jason out of the room. This felt right. She had her children, and she had the fathers of her children. But she was so tired, and... She watched Jason walk down the corridor in front of her, feeling familiar stirrings of desire. Then Mark passed her and she felt the same stirrings.

No! That wasn’t right. Mark or Jason. She knew what Anderson would tell her – to decide one or the other or neither. The morals of society said that she couldn’t have both.