Generations - Reunion
folder
+G to L › Gatchaman
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
14
Views:
1,726
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1
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Currently Reading:
0
Category:
+G to L › Gatchaman
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
14
Views:
1,726
Reviews:
1
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Gatchaman, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter 2
He could feel them again. It had been 18 years since he had last been on Earth, but the minute he set foot on the planet, he could feel them.
And her. His whole body vibrated with the knowledge of her presence. He had forgotten what it was like, feeling her life force in his veins, feeling the comfort of knowing that his team were there.
He knew that at some point he would have to confront them and try to explain why he had abandoned them all those years ago. He only hoped that they would understand. Unconsciously, he ran through the check in his mind, feeling for the individual contacts of his team. Tiny, yes. Keyop, yes. Jason, yes. And her. He didn’t even need to check. He could feel her coursing through his veins. He took a deep breath and moved forward.
Meeting with the team was important.
Meeting with his wife, was vital. More than anything, he had to explain to her.
His father was waiting for him at the car, his stepmother standing next to him. It was time for them all to move to the next stage of their lives, to move out of the shadows.
They entered the car and Cronus looked at his oldest son. “Are you ready?” he asked.
“No,” replied Mark. “Out there is Jason with my name carved into one of his shiruken. Nobody is ever ready for that.”
“I meant to take up your role at the Academy.”
“I’d rather take my chances with Jason, actually. At least I’d know where I stand then.”
“You’ll do fine, both of you,” put in his stepmother. “It’s really nothing different than what you’ve both been doing – just now it’s more formalised. And I know you both enjoy teaching and mentoring.”
“It will be nice to slow down,” put in Cronus.
Mark grimaced. Unobtrusively, he moved his hand over the bracelet he had worn for most of his life. “I’m no hero, come home to impart knowledge. I did the unforgivable. I abandoned my team. What sort of role model am I?”
“You have to let go of that, Mark. You did what you had to do, and because of it you’ve saved many lives. No matter what you say, you are a hero, many times over. I’m proud of you, my son.”
“I’ll let you tell that to them. Perhaps they’ll take it out on you instead.”
“Mark, none of you are children any more. They will understand.”
He looked up for the first time since arrival, gazing directly into his father’s eyes, furiously angry with the older man, and forgetting his stepmother’s presence. “Tell me, father, what do you think my mother would have done if you had come back and spouted that shit at her?”
Cronus broke the gaze first, his eyes dropping. He looked up again. “Princess has always been reasonable. She understands duty…” he began.
Mark interrupted. “She does understand duty. But you’re forgetting the most vital piece of information: I walked out on her without any explanation. We went to bed together, and she woke up alone, with no knowledge of where I had gone. That doesn’t make for a whole lot of understanding. I know her like nobody else does. And, quite frankly, I’d still rather take my chances with Jason. At least he’d kill me quickly.”
Cronus looked shocked. “Princess? But she..”
“Is a killer. I’ve seen her kill her way through a mob of goons without breaking stride. I’ve watched her when she feels that pain is necessary.” He laughed bitterly. “But then, my life, as far as I’m concerned, ended the night I had to leave her behind.”
He flung himself back against the seat, knowing he was acting like a child, but unable to control his bitterness any longer. It was coming back that had burst the dam.
He was no longer the assured 40 year old Colonel, but the young man who had been told to give up his life for a cause.
Unconsciously, his hand once again eased over the bracelet, and it seemed to calm him. He knew what his defection had cost the team. Without him, their leader, they would have had to transmute individually. Would have had to operate a man down.
And he knew they had. Anderson had kept in contact with both him and Cronus, and he knew that the G-Force team operated with four members.
It was the way it had to be, because the Eagle had had to be visible in his new abode.
But he couldn’t help but feel that Anderson was keeping something from him. At times he had caught himself on the brink of saying something, and it was driving Mark insane.
He knew better than to hope that Princess had waited. He’d accepted that about five years into his exile, and had had more than his share of women since then. But he wasn’t able to love any of them, not enough to have anything lasting.
None of them had made him feel as alive as she had, had made the blood in his veins sing.
Like it was doing now. He looked up as they passed the main Security Complex, and felt his heart stop. It was her. His whole body cried out for her. The car stopped with the traffic and he was able to see her walking up the stairs, a teenage girl next to her, and, yes it was; Jason on the other side, his hand at the small of her back, another young man next to him.
He looked quickly away, and felt his heart break.
She was lost to him.
And her. His whole body vibrated with the knowledge of her presence. He had forgotten what it was like, feeling her life force in his veins, feeling the comfort of knowing that his team were there.
He knew that at some point he would have to confront them and try to explain why he had abandoned them all those years ago. He only hoped that they would understand. Unconsciously, he ran through the check in his mind, feeling for the individual contacts of his team. Tiny, yes. Keyop, yes. Jason, yes. And her. He didn’t even need to check. He could feel her coursing through his veins. He took a deep breath and moved forward.
Meeting with the team was important.
Meeting with his wife, was vital. More than anything, he had to explain to her.
His father was waiting for him at the car, his stepmother standing next to him. It was time for them all to move to the next stage of their lives, to move out of the shadows.
They entered the car and Cronus looked at his oldest son. “Are you ready?” he asked.
“No,” replied Mark. “Out there is Jason with my name carved into one of his shiruken. Nobody is ever ready for that.”
“I meant to take up your role at the Academy.”
“I’d rather take my chances with Jason, actually. At least I’d know where I stand then.”
“You’ll do fine, both of you,” put in his stepmother. “It’s really nothing different than what you’ve both been doing – just now it’s more formalised. And I know you both enjoy teaching and mentoring.”
“It will be nice to slow down,” put in Cronus.
Mark grimaced. Unobtrusively, he moved his hand over the bracelet he had worn for most of his life. “I’m no hero, come home to impart knowledge. I did the unforgivable. I abandoned my team. What sort of role model am I?”
“You have to let go of that, Mark. You did what you had to do, and because of it you’ve saved many lives. No matter what you say, you are a hero, many times over. I’m proud of you, my son.”
“I’ll let you tell that to them. Perhaps they’ll take it out on you instead.”
“Mark, none of you are children any more. They will understand.”
He looked up for the first time since arrival, gazing directly into his father’s eyes, furiously angry with the older man, and forgetting his stepmother’s presence. “Tell me, father, what do you think my mother would have done if you had come back and spouted that shit at her?”
Cronus broke the gaze first, his eyes dropping. He looked up again. “Princess has always been reasonable. She understands duty…” he began.
Mark interrupted. “She does understand duty. But you’re forgetting the most vital piece of information: I walked out on her without any explanation. We went to bed together, and she woke up alone, with no knowledge of where I had gone. That doesn’t make for a whole lot of understanding. I know her like nobody else does. And, quite frankly, I’d still rather take my chances with Jason. At least he’d kill me quickly.”
Cronus looked shocked. “Princess? But she..”
“Is a killer. I’ve seen her kill her way through a mob of goons without breaking stride. I’ve watched her when she feels that pain is necessary.” He laughed bitterly. “But then, my life, as far as I’m concerned, ended the night I had to leave her behind.”
He flung himself back against the seat, knowing he was acting like a child, but unable to control his bitterness any longer. It was coming back that had burst the dam.
He was no longer the assured 40 year old Colonel, but the young man who had been told to give up his life for a cause.
Unconsciously, his hand once again eased over the bracelet, and it seemed to calm him. He knew what his defection had cost the team. Without him, their leader, they would have had to transmute individually. Would have had to operate a man down.
And he knew they had. Anderson had kept in contact with both him and Cronus, and he knew that the G-Force team operated with four members.
It was the way it had to be, because the Eagle had had to be visible in his new abode.
But he couldn’t help but feel that Anderson was keeping something from him. At times he had caught himself on the brink of saying something, and it was driving Mark insane.
He knew better than to hope that Princess had waited. He’d accepted that about five years into his exile, and had had more than his share of women since then. But he wasn’t able to love any of them, not enough to have anything lasting.
None of them had made him feel as alive as she had, had made the blood in his veins sing.
Like it was doing now. He looked up as they passed the main Security Complex, and felt his heart stop. It was her. His whole body cried out for her. The car stopped with the traffic and he was able to see her walking up the stairs, a teenage girl next to her, and, yes it was; Jason on the other side, his hand at the small of her back, another young man next to him.
He looked quickly away, and felt his heart break.
She was lost to him.