No, your eyes have not deceived you, I am providing this week's prompt. Hey, lose that horrified look RIGHT NOW! I'm not going to give you a prompt involving Zark, Zark/wheelchair smut, car smut, or any combination thereof! (So, if it shows up in your ficlet, it's your own dang fault!) And now, without further ado, this week's prompt: nightcrawlers Have fun, folks!

Yeap, the time has come to open the dictionary... This will be quite a challenge!

Lord Katse's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he examined the mecha being presented. Long, sleek lines, burrowing capabilities and a thousand little legs that could shoot off to create their own kind of havoc. Yes, this would do nicely. "It's called a nightcrawler, Lord Katse..." "Nightcrawler?" Katse hissed, turning on the green-uniformed engineer. "Don't tell me that this stupid thing can't be in the sun! That ruined us once before!" "Oh no." the engineer vigorously assured the Galactor Leader. "This can operate day or night. But it works best underground." "Excellent." Katse nodded sharply. "We'll launch tomorrow morning. Be ready!" "Yes, Sir!" the engineer and his team snapped to attention, saluting smartly as Lord Katse left the room. The engineer visibly sagged once the Galactor Leader was gone. It was Katse who thought up these ideas, but the engineers who built them. As a minion, he could only play the cards he had been dealt. He just hoped that no one told Lord Katse that nightcrawlers were prey for birds... at least, not before tomorrow's launch.

TJ, I love the comment about nightcrawlers being prey for birds. Brilliant! I grew up calling worms nightcrawlers. Is that just a West Virginia thing?

Love it TJ--awesome line with that "prey for birds."

Good way to start this prompt off, TJ!

Originally posted by Becky Rock I grew up calling worms nightcrawlers. Is that just a West Virginia thing?

No, Becky, it's not a West Virginia thing -- just go into any bait shop and you'll find containers of worms labeled "nightcrawlers".

I think of nightcrawlers as being generic 'fishing bait' - worms, millipedes, centipedes, caterpillars, slugs, etc. Of course, with this kind of prompt, everyone is welcome to use their own interpretation!

Uh...somehow, the first thing I thought (not having fished) was a "pub crawl" and the people who do it...

I was thinking along those lines too, Daniella, except not exactly pubs came to mind!

Originally posted by KT1972 I was thinking along those lines too, Daniella, except not exactly pubs came to mind!

Another connotation involving sidewalks just popped to mind...um...ok, we are definitely far from fishing!

Originally posted by Daniella T Uh...somehow, the first thing I thought (not having fished) was a "pub crawl" and the people who do it...

Hey, as TJ said, it's open to your own interpretation! Go with whatever your muse tells you -- if everyone is true to their own vision, this site becomes richer for it. Don't let North American interpretations restrain you.

TJ -- this is just like a missing Gatch ep!

Originally posted by Daniella T

Originally posted by KT1972 I was thinking along those lines too, Daniella, except not exactly pubs came to mind!

Another connotation involving sidewalks just popped to mind...um...ok, we are definitely far from fishing!

yup, I think we're on the same wavelenght now!!! and no, nothing like fishing either!

Originally posted by KT1972

Originally posted by Daniella T

Originally posted by KT1972 I was thinking along those lines too, Daniella, except not exactly pubs came to mind!

Another connotation involving sidewalks just popped to mind...um...ok, we are definitely far from fishing!

yup, I think we're on the same wavelenght now!!! and no, nothing like fishing either!

Guess it depends on what you're trying to catch...

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TJ: I suspect that nightcrawler was munched. k2: Oh yes, payback is gonna hurt!

K2, would like to see how she reacted when the creature was discovered... looking forward to the payback piece too, don't keep us waiting too long!

Maybe she's not grossed out by worms. I know what I'd do in retaliation...

Heh, Katse really should pay more attention to mechas' names... In Nova Scotia, "nightcrawlers" refers specifically to earthworms, but unusually large earthworms -not the standard little 1 or 2 inch ones (I guess they weren't considered big enough to attract attention from fish -though, heh, birds certainly do eat them.)

Originally posted by Becky Rock Maybe she's not grossed out by worms.

Hee, that would turn the tables on Jinpei! And serve him right. I remember a guy, years ago, trying to scare me with a small grass snake. Except I'm not afraid of grass snakes. I said "Ooh, neat" and picked it up. Now, if it had been a big spider...

Originally posted by lborgia88 I remember a guy, years ago, trying to scare me with a small grass snake. Except I'm not afraid of grass snakes. I said "Ooh, neat" and picked it up.

Oh, if only you'd been here a few years ago when I had my niece over to help me tend to my mom's iris beds. She freaked when she came across a tiny garden snake -- all she had to do was spit on it, and the thing would've drowned! (And she wasn't a little girl either; she was a mother of two at the time!)

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Hehe KT, one fat juicy worm for one hungry Condor!

k2: Just the right topic for a Jinpei fic! Now you got me wondering what Jinpei is afraid of...and will Iona find it out? Of course, as others said, it would be neat if Iona was not actually grossed out (hats off to her in this case, I know I would be!) KT: Condor's getting his appetite up!

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Oh dear, So which one has been hit, and will this actually stop the feud that has developed between them?

Originally posted by KT1972 Oh dear, So which one has been hit, and will this actually stop the feud that has developed between them?

Only the shadow knows.... (no earthworms were harmed in the writing of this fic bit)

so you going to follow this up in this prompt, or keep us hanging on for another week?

Originally posted by Daniella T TJ -- this is just like a missing Gatch ep!

LOL, okay! So why don't you continue the story then, of the nightcrawler mecha?

Why is this a problem for Iona? It's just a worm. She might be surprised, but I suspect she'll be just fine with it. Seriously, who really screams at worms? I can see finding them icky, but screaming? Come on! Not Iona. Nope. ETA Now I find the second part! This is perfect for Iona! Not only is she getting back Jinpei for trying to trick her, but for assuming that she'd be scared of the worm in the first place! Serves him right! KT, love the Condor's viewpoint!

k2: I guess it will be safe to leave food unattended around Jinpei for some time to come! Serves him right, hee-hee!

k2: Clever revenge, and I like Ken and Joe's reactions to the chaos. But then, eek! We're gonna have to wait until Sunday for the next, aren't we? *grumble*

I've got a male childhood friend who literally screams if he sees a spider. He'll jump onto a table or chair or whatever is above the ground and do the gig while reaching decibels that hurt the ears. I just scoop up the spider to bring it closer and laugh like a maniac at his antics. I do that in retaliation for the present he left us in our bathtub when I was a kid - a gigantic salamander from the Ohio River that's about three feet long that we used to call waterdogs. I thought my mother was going to have a coronary.

KT - Joe's going to have some fun. K2 - Some gags do get out of hand and someone gets hurt. Hope Jinpei and/or Iona are all right.

Becky -- I'm like your friend! I don't mind most things, but I do mind spiders, and will always look around for someone to kill them -- although the reply I usually get is an innocent "why?" It's nice to know that it happens to males also

Hmm...it's been my experience that guys are more likely to be scared of spiders than gals... Or maybe I just drew them out like iron filings are drawn to magnets...

I've been bitten three times by brown recluse spiders, so you'd think I'd be scared of all of them. I don't care for the hard shelled ones, but I deal with them. The hairy ones are fine. Except for those monster camel spiders in Africa and the Middle East. I would scream my lungs out if a saw one of them.

Hey, thanks folks for all the awesome comments, they really help with my getting this story off of the ground. KT--not sure when we are going to find out the results of the crash...depends on the prompt... TJ--Uh...I no longer think the worm's the problem anymore. Daniella--yeah, there's the distinct possibility that Jinpei won't be eating anything of substance anytime soon. Chris W. --I think it all depends on the prompt! Although this is a twist to the tale that I hadn't foreseen. Becky--that is exactly what I was going for...teens let things get out of hand all the time, with no thought of the consequences...along with the added bonus of their own immortality...

Originally posted by ElectricWhite Hmm...it's been my experience that guys are more likely to be scared of spiders than gals... Or maybe I just drew them out like iron filings are drawn to magnets...

The guys or the spiders?

or the guys that are scared of spiders

Originally posted by KT1972 or the guys that are scared of spiders

Like Ron Weasley?

is he scared of spiders then?

Originally posted by KT1972 is he scared of spiders then?

Um, yeah. Major plot point when they have to meet Aragog in the woods... Book 2 I think.

ok, I've only got the first book so far, and not read that yet ( got to get it back off the boy first)

I had a co-worker who was afraid of spiders. I bought one of those furry toy spiders the size of your hand that was attached to a hand pump bulb. When you squeezed the bulb, the spider jumped. I put it under a piece of paper on her desk and when she sat down, I started making it jump. The scream, followed by "bleep, bleep, bleep Becky!!!!!" was well worth it.

Aaaaarghhhhh! My hair stands on end just reading this!

LOL.... Is it International Creep Daniella Out Week?

I think it's looking like "International Creep Out Arachnophobics Week"

Okay, to clear up the confusion: I meant guys who are scared of spiders. And now, for all the arachnophobes: I've heard that, if you dropped a tarantula, it will shatter!

It does't matter, EW! I will have fainted anyway at the sight of the tarantula! Must fight it, must fight it.... Yeah, right...

Originally posted by KT1972 I think it's looking like "International Creep Out Arachnophobics Week"

Glad it's limited to this forum!

(Aside) Uh oh...maybe somebody should tell DT about the group from PETA that's made a giant spider inflatable and is setting up a camp site outside her home ....

What's PETA? Apart from being obviously a very dangerous group with inexplicably weird hobbies!

Originally posted by Transmute Jun

Originally posted by Daniella T TJ -- this is just like a missing Gatch ep!

LOL, okay! So why don't you continue the story then, of the nightcrawler mecha?

Challenge accepted -- working on it!

Originally posted by Daniella T What's PETA? Apart from being obviously a very dangerous group with inexplicably weird hobbies!

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. They're mostly known for showing up naked at Hollywood red-carpet events ("Fur is murder!") or protesting at the corporate headquarters of fast food chains ("Meat is murder!"), or vandalizing medical labs ("Those scientists are just like Nazis -- the 'doctors' torture lab animals just like the Jews were tortured!"). Not that I've heard of them doing anything that actually benefits animals...

Ahh yes, we also have them... I've got nothing against them, but spiders is taking it a bit too far! Although I do know someone who will never kill a spider, just pick it up and drop it outside the house.

Well, I know that it's an old belief that killing a spider is bad luck...though I don't know where that came from. I do know that it played a part in a scene in Huckleberry Finn ...

Originally posted by Daniella T Ahh yes, we also have them... I've got nothing against them, but spiders is taking it a bit too far! Although I do know someone who will never kill a spider, just pick it up and drop it outside the house.

That's what I usually do, but I nudge them into a plastic cup. Don't want to take the chance of getting bit - with my luck, I'd have an allergic reation.

In the classroom, I tend to be humane and I set the bugs and insects free - setting a good example. At home I am not nearly as compassionate. The creatures are either introduced to my cats, flushed or washed down the drain.

Even as late as a couple of decades ago, children in Greece used to catch cicadas, keep them in a matchbox and feed them sugar. I remember when I was a kid we caught firefiles and kept them in a jar, did you do that? BTW -- this week's prompt has prompted much more than fics, no?

That's for sure.

Originally posted by Daniella T Even as late as a couple of decades ago, children in Greece used to catch cicadas, keep them in a matchbox and feed them sugar. I remember when I was a kid we caught firefiles and kept them in a jar, did you do that?

When I was a kid, we didn't catch cicadas, we'd collect their shells -- the old exoskeleton they'd shed in late July and early August -- off the trees. But it seems to me that catching fireflies and putting them in jars is a universal thing.

Originally posted by Transmute Jun

Originally posted by Daniella T TJ -- this is just like a missing Gatch ep!

LOL, okay! So why don't you continue the story then, of the nightcrawler mecha?

Taking up the challenge, here it is! However, I did cheat a little bit -- somehow it didn't work for me as a Gatch story, I kept thinking of it as a BoTP story, so I stuck to what my muse was insisting on doing //"What is this thing, anyway?" asked Jason, glancing at the screen where, during Anderson's emergency briefing, they had seen images of the new threat Specrta has launched against the Earth. "It's a caterpillar..."began Princess, to be cut short by an excited Keyop. "No it's not! I know what it is! It's a nightcrawler!" He looked around, his shining eyes meeting the stricken faces of his team-mates. "What's the matter with you, Keyop?" said Tiny accusingly. "This is not a toy! This is threatening our cities!" Keyop lowered his eyes. "Yes, but...at least it's not a giant crab, or cuttlefish or octopus or a giant wheel or anything like that!" Anderson suddenly felt like slumping in his chair in despair. Could it really be that they were arguing about what the mecha looked like? "It doesn't matter what it is! This...nightcrawler...as you call it attacked one city this morning! If we don't act now, it will attack many more! Keyope, please remember that nightcrawlers are actually what birds feed off, right? And you know what you are, right?" He looked around at all of them. "Now go out there and do something!" "G-Force!" They ran down to the Phoenix, and were soon airborne, receiving information on their screens about the location of the mecha. When they approached it, however, they discovered that their problems were just beginning. Because the nightcrawler was probably the best-armoured mecha Zoltar had ever launched. As far as insects go, it had a lot going for it. Its shell was impenetrable -- as they found out when they tried to penetrate it with a couple of Bird Missiles. Its antennae were housing laser cannons. Its long, winding tail was carrying a "sting" that would send volleys of shots against them. And it was big. Bigger than anything they'd gone up against. The Phoenix was a tiny fly next to it -- it's prey now the hunter. After a few unsuccesful runs against the nightcrawler, Mark decided it was time to get back and reassess the situation. "Tiny, that's enough. We've taken all the battering we can today. Back to Centre Neptune!" It was an indication of how serious things were, that even Jason did not object... *** It was a dejected team that reassembled in their briefing room in Centre Neptune. "No going, Chief. Not much we can do about it like this, the Phoenix is no match to it." "Yeah, and once again we're sitting on our hands, and letting Spectra destroy our cities!" Jason punched one fist in the palm of his other hand in frustration. "Well, I don't remember you coming up with any better ideas!" retorted Mark angrily. "Bugs...spray!" said Keyop brightly. "Yeah, and how are you going to spray it, squirt?" asked Jason. "You got your special anti-Spectra aerosol cans somewhere?" Anderson was looking in the distance, a bit lost. He did not reply to this banter. Then he slammed his hand on the table. "That's it! Keyop's right!" They looked at him incredously...at least four of them did. Keyop just looked smug. "Keyop's right? What do you mean, Chief? We're going to get some aerosol spray for this thing?" asked Mark, trying, and failing, to keep sarcasm from his voice. "No, I don't mean we're going to spray it with aerosol. But we're going to do the next best thing you do when faced with bugs: catch it in a net." The team suddendly looked more positive.Maybe Keyop and the Chief were on to something...//

//The scientists of Centre Neptune were working overtime -- once again. Anderson had come up with blueprints for a giant net to be constructed, that would be strong enough to catch they annoying nighcrawler. However, there was one minor detail that had to be worked out before they could launch... ''So this is the situation, team," said Anderson to the assembled G-Forcers. "Obviously, the nightcrawler is not going to aim for our net. So we have to bring the net to it.'' He looked around. "Right. Someone has to get inside and guide it towards the net," said Mark, matter-of-factly. "Right. That's our problem/" "I don't see a problem," said Jason -- as everyone, except perhaps him, had expected him to. "I get it, overpower the guards, guide it towards the net, fly out, job done." "I'm afraid this will not workd this time, Jason. We need you aboard the Phoenix ready to fire Bird Missiles, if this plan doesn't work and we have to defend another city," said Anderson. "Princess can handle the weapons!" replied Jason, starting the lose his temoer, Anderson looked at Mark, then at Princess. "Actually, I think Princess should be the one to enter the mecha." Mark suddenly looked aghast. Jason looked as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Princess looked excited. Keyop and Tiny looked open-mouthed. "What?" "This is how I see things: Jason is needed to man the weapons. You, Commander, must be there coordinating the Rigan forces that will be helping the Phoenix deploy the net. Tiny is needed because he's the only one who can do the manoeuvres necessary for keeping the net steady. And Princess is the best one with explosives, in case she needs to destroy the mecha in a hurry." Princess nodded in understanding. Mark refused to be so accomodating, "When you mean in a hurry, you mean after she jumps out or before?" "Mark, don't be so worried. I know what to do. It won't be first time!" said Princess. "Yeah? Like that time when we had to rescue you from the flowers?" he shot back. "Mark, there's no time to argue over this. The net is ready, and the Rigans will be here any minute. Get aboard the Phoenix and get ready to take the net to the mecha!" They saluted, and sped down the corridor, Mark in a foul mood, Jason too -- he also felt let down by the Chief -- and Princess excited to be given this mission to accomplish. *** The ride to the area where the mecha had last been spotted was uneventful. Aboard the Phoenix, the atmosphere was tense, but the team was working efficiently with the Rigan team to deploy the huge net. When it was spread out, it looked as if it was really able to catch the nightcrawler. Except that the nightcrawler did not look as if it was going to head towards the net... "Princess, get ready. Tiny, hold her as steady as you can under the mecha until Princess gets it. Good luck!" He avoided looking at Princess as she ran down the shaft leading to the bubble on top of the Phoenix. But before she left, she flashed him a smile. "Thanks, Commander!" They saw Princess disappearing inside the mecha, and then concentrated on holding the net steady, which was more difficult that it sounded, as it involved flying in formation with the Rigans and all the time keeping in front of the mecha. Jason was poised over his weapons controls, hoping that he would not have to use them until Princess was out of the nightcrawler. No, that was not right. He was NOT going to use them until Princess was out. Mark was coordinating the whole force, hiding his tension behind white knuckles cluttching the controls. Keyop was uncharacteristically silent, and the others knew better than to say anything smart while his sister was inside the nightcrawler. Tiny was probably the calmest one of them all, totally in his element manoeuvring the Phoenix to hold the net steady. For what seemed hours, but was no more than half an hour at most, the nightcrawler changed direction and headed towards net. The four G-Forcers sat up more straightly. "Tiny, this is it! Hold her steady! Keyop, feed data to the Rigans! Jason, get ready!" "Get readt for what, Commander? I'm not getting ready for anything until Princess is out!" Mark decided not to reply, as he didn't want to voice the same feelings. He looked stratight at his screen. "There is goes...there it goes...Tiny, approach a bit...Form a loop around the mecha! Keep the net all around it! That's it! We caught it!" The Rigan planes and the Phoenix drew the net around the mecha, forming a tight loop around the nightcrawler. They held their breath. The mission was not over yet...They had to drag the mecha to a safe location and destroy it, but first, Princess had to get out... Keyop saw her first, jumped up in his seat. "There! She's...beep...coming!" Mark gave silent thanks, sighed deeply. "Tiny, open the top. We're going to squash the nightcrawler! With Princess safely back on board, they destroyed the captured mecha and headed back to Centre Neptune, to celebrate another triumph against Spectra. And back on Spectra, Zoltar was discovering that nightcrawlers are indeed food for birds.//

Well done DT. Princess: OMG I get to kick some butt! Mark and Jason: Over our dead ... *thumped by Chief*

Very nice work DT. It is nice to see Princess in such a strong position. She needed to be placed in that position more often.

Originally posted by ChrisW Well done DT. Princess: OMG I get to kick some butt! Mark and Jason: Over our dead ... *thumped by Chief*

Hee-hee!

That's a great sequel to my bit, Daniella! And I love that Princess gets to save the day. I'm only wishing she'd had some dramatic 'the robot explodes and everyone thinks se's dead but then she drops down from the sky' moment, like Mark usually gets. Pssst.... why wouldn't the Fiery Phoenix work on this thing? Hmmmm... maybe it's too low too the ground?

Go Princess! Go Princess!

Originally posted by Transmute Jun Pssst.... why wouldn't the Fiery Phoenix work on this thing? Hmmmm... maybe it's too low too the ground?

Because the mecha was like an M&M -- it had an outer shell that wouldn't melt! I'm surprised you didn't think of that, TJ.

Well it sure makes a change for someone other than Mark or Jason to do the heroic thing.

Originally posted by Transmute Jun That's a great sequel to my bit, Daniella! And I love that Princess gets to save the day. I'm only wishing she'd had some dramatic 'the robot explodes and everyone thinks se's dead but then she drops down from the sky' moment, like Mark usually gets.

You're right, this was written a bit quickly, and I didn't go into all the details I wanted to. It deserves to be rewritten, and I could make into a "normal" fic, published on Gatchfanfic -- quoting you, of course, as the source of inspiration -- and EW as the source of the prompt

Originally posted by ElectricWhite Go Princess! Go Princess!

Originally posted by Transmute Jun Pssst.... why wouldn't the Fiery Phoenix work on this thing? Hmmmm... maybe it's too low too the ground?

Because the mecha was like an M&M -- it had an outer shell that wouldn't melt! I'm surprised you didn't think of that, TJ.

The M&M discussion seems familiar, didn't we have it before?

Originally posted by Daniella T

Originally posted by ElectricWhite Go Princess! Go Princess!

Originally posted by Transmute Jun Pssst.... why wouldn't the Fiery Phoenix work on this thing? Hmmmm... maybe it's too low too the ground?

Because the mecha was like an M&M -- it had an outer shell that wouldn't melt! I'm surprised you didn't think of that, TJ.

The M&M discussion seems familiar, didn't we have it before?

Yeah, we had something similar... I remember the last time we discussed the colors of M&Ms -- what the green ones meant, how the blue ones got to be blue, etc.

Originally posted by Daniella T I didn't go into all the details I wanted to. It deserves to be rewritten, and I could make into a "normal" fic, published on Gatchfanfic

Go for it!

The cell was bare of all but the essentials. The slop they called food, devious of any nutritional value. was pushed once a day through a small slot, at random times. One half arsed fluorescent bulb, on it's last legs, flickered occasionally, barely illuminating a quarter of the cell. A single thin blanket lay on the make shift bed, barely capable of keeping anything warm. The cloths she wore were made out of the same roughy material, designed for coverade, not comfort and maximum itch. At random time during the day, the temperature would drop. At random times there was total silence, other times irritating noises, a miriad of other irritations, trying to break her, make her fold, to give in. She had lost track of how long she had been here, of the last time she had seen another person, held what was her's in her arms. He had taken that away from her along with what ever possessions she had once worn. Him and his nightcrawler, who had dangled the baited hook in front of her husband, made promises of assistance and help. Her husband may have beleive what they told him in their secret visits. Always secret always sly, creeking about in the dark and in the shadows. But now he was dead, bled out on the ground and they wanted the secrets he knew, the ones she would not share with them no matter what they did to her. So she waited and plotted. They could starve her, deprive her, use all methods of torture and try and break her. But she was stronger than they realized. Her husbands blood on her hands, the cries of her young son still fresh in her ears, fueled her. She was Sicilian after all and a mother. She would avenge her families name and make ISO and Nambu pay for their lies..

You've done it again LW, just when I think I know what's going on, you hit us with the twist that all is not as it seems! Teach me to go jumping to conclusions. Very well done...

Oooh LW, ominous!

Great, LW! This fic gets better and better!

Alternative versions "Come now Katrina how long do you think you will last? Your body is bruised, you are starving, Your living in your own filth, just tell us what we want to know and you will be let out.....No?....perhaps you would like to see your son, he's growing strong under my guidance. So easily manipulated if you know the right things to say......perhaps he will be more useful than your husband was going to be....Yes......full of hate and vengence, all fired up over what he saw, what the Devilstar did..a useful weapon in my fight. Tell us what we need to know Katrina and it will all be over...your suffering will be done...do it for your son..do it for Georgio."

DT - Way to go, Princess! Show those guys up. LW - the first had me wondering, now the second has me wondering even more. Nambu, the bad guy. Interesting.

Certainly interesting to see the ISO from the opposition's perspective, LW. It's easy to forget not everyone sees the SNT as the good guys

Very interesting, LB! I hope you continue with this plotline!

LW: Ooh even more ominous ... man I'd hate to be Nambu if Joe finds out he's been lied to and manipulated.