This week another anonymous prompt, but no guessing game: Rogue Also, I have a busy weekend next weekend. Is there someone who can take next Sunday. There are also a whole host of dates available through the end of the year if anyone wants one.

Ame, I would love too, except that there is nothing greater than a muse killer for me if I suggest a prompt I have to then write for...Not sure why it works out that way, and writing a bit in advance of the prompt just sorta feels....like... cheating... Sorry... Maybe a in a few weeks I'll put a word in or two... but right now I am on a roll... and I don't want to rock the boat with another dry spell.

Don't know where this one came from, or how they got into this mess: "What the hell...?" Ryu uttered under his breath, gripping the controls of the God Phoenix tight, eyes glued to the view screen. Ken watched in horror as the missile sped through the air towards the city of New Jork. He started to turn to their gunner, just as Jinpei let out a chilling shout. "There goes another one aniki!" Ken's head whipped back towards the view screen just in time to see another rogue Bird Missile streaking through the air, right behind the first one. It left a fiery trail in the night sky, not unlike a the bright tail of a Phoenix. "What the fuck is going on Joe!?" he shouted angrily, over his shoulder. "I don't know!" Joe shouted back hotly, slamming his fist against his console in frustration. "The firing button is stuck! I can't stop the missiles from launching!"

Oh no, Redbird! But, I guess that's what happens when you slam your fist down on the button so many times!

Amethyst, I can do next week for you. This ficlet was inspired by what I was doing with my family last night. ***** "Whose idea was this?" Jason grumbled, slouching in his chair. "Mine!" Keyop smiled brightly, practically bouncing in his seat. "I should have known." Jason huffed. "It will be fun." Mark attempted to soothe his friend's frustration. "It's not like you haven't played Dungeons & Dragons before. Look, we still have your old character here." he pulled out a few yellowing sheets of paper. "I think it will be great to try again." Tiny enthused. "I remember how much fun we used to have!" "I missed my elf." Princess agreed, looking through her character sheets. "I can learn all new spells!" "My paladin has new abilities." Mark added. "Here, Jason, just check out what your rogue can do now." "He's not a rogue!" Jason snatched up his character sheets. "He's an assassin! Get it right!" "How can an assassin even work with a paladin?" Tiny wanted to know. "He doesn't know I'm an assassin." Jason sighed. "Just... told him!" Keyop protested. "Mark knows, but his character doesn't know." Jason rolled his eyes. "You're the one who wanted to play, Keyop. Don't you even remember the way the game works?" "Little rusty." the boy admitted. "It seems like you enjoyed the game before, Jason." Princess noted. "Why don't you want to play now?" "I don't mind playing." Jason revealed. "My problem is with the Dungeon Master." "Why?" Mark asked curiously. "Who's going to be the Dungeon Master? Not the Chief?" "He couldn't make it." Princess replied, just as the large communications monitor in the Ready Room lit up. "All right, Team, or should I say, adventuring party!" 7-Zark-7 greeted them enthusiastically. "Oh, the fun we're going to have today!" "You didn't!" Mark accused Princess, his face drained of blood. "He was the only one available..." Princess squirmed in her seat. "Now quiet down everyone, and let's begin!" Zark instructed them. "You enter the magical world of Zarkadia, a realm ruled by the good Queen Susan and protected by the Knights of 1-Rover-1..."

Redbird, I have to agree with EW... I suspect Joe is to blame on this one!

TJ, that was hilarious! BTW -- thanks for the offer for next week, but I've got someone. K2, I know what you mean. Don't mess with a streak. Redbird, if you wrote in BotP, I think we'd all accuse Zark of tampering with the Phoenix. But like the others, I've got to wonder how easy it would be to overlook a simple spring on an over used button. When Joe gets blamed for overusing the big red button, he can blame maintenance for not maintaining it properly.

Redbird - I hope they figure out a way to stop more missiles from firing and knock out the ones already fired. TJ - That would be a nightmare. I take it the family was trying to rekindle a game you haven't played in a long time?

Redbird- I guess it was only a matter of time before something broke on the console, eh? Now the folks of New Jork are going to have to suffer for it,eh? TJ- Hee hee, very funny. It has been years since I played.

Wow, everyone is so quick to blame poor Joe! LOL. Well.... before I posted my response, I had been thinking that there was some kind of "off-screen" action taking place before the blurb I wrote. Something like the God Phoenix had been hit by a ray that happened to disrupt its firing mechanism, causing it to malfunction. Hmmmm....*rubs chin* TJ: That was just too funny--and yes, Zark as DM would be a total nightmare! That would suck all the fun out of it. LOL.

Originally posted by Becky Rock TJ - That would be a nightmare. I take it the family was trying to rekindle a game you haven't played in a long time?

Not at all. We play regularly. We used to play with a large group, but once everyone started having kids it fell apart. now that our kids are old enough, we make our own group. I just presumed the Team might not have played in awhile...

I think that's cool, TJ. I remember playing with friends when I was very young. As I got older, I had friends (and still do) that were very into it as well.

TJ - I meant nightmare for the team because of Zark, not for your family. We used to play Triominos and Monopoly. Son hasn't been interested it in either for a while, so we haven't played.

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Thanks, EW, I needed that laugh tonight! Redbird: I totally could see the big red button simply jamming from overuse. TJ: Zarkadia - tee hee! Of course Zark would say that ...

Sorry for the suckiness of this manip...I just didn't have the time to draw it out...but here's what came to mind for me (and yes, I have been watching X-Men movies lately...)

Springie -- it might not visually be up to your standard, but it's still golden!

Red- he finally broke that button! I was waiting for that to happen! LOL! TJ- Zark as dungeon master! ROFL! They're in for a rough game- I think the assassin may go after Zark! EW- I'm assuming "Rogue" is similar to "Playboy"? Too funny! I'm sure Jun turned about 20 shades of red!

EW - that was good and I love your zombie reference. It's kind of like the one when two men are out in the forest and one asks about outrunning a bear. The other says not a problem - I just have to outrun you! Springie - That's great! Rogue just sucked the vitality out of him.

Redbird ... I can't hide that I'm inclined to think that that was the consequence of excessive wear and tear from Joe's part! But, in his defense, I can completely see what you're saying in your possible event description which followed, since I do think that frequent maintenance checks should have been undergone, especially between a mission and another! TJ ... so funny! I so hope that Zark didn't turn up at your house to be the Dungeon Master! EW ... that's priceless! Many thanks for the laugh! Springie ... I love it! I'm just thankful that the "Marie" chick wasn't me but the X-men one! I wouldn't have wanted that to happen to him!

EW: Poor Jun! Yeah, I'm thinking Jinpei brought home a "questionable" magazine! LOL. Springie: No matter if you didn't draw the pic, I still thought it was great! At some point, maybe I'll do a piece that explains exactly what went wrong with the red button.

EW, I haven't heard of Rogue (magazine) either, but I can see how Jinpei would make the mistake! He never seems to pay attention unless *he* thinks it's important! Kind of like most men, actually... Springie, I love this! And how typical that the Condor's girlfriend is trying to kill him!

FOR THE RECORD: I don't know if there really is a Rogue magazine out there, but it seemed perfect for a mix-up!

It's amazing what Google turns up. There is a current Rogue magazine, in he Philippines. It's a 'luxury goods' magazine, focusing on fancy cars, homes and fashion. http://rogue.ph/ And it turns out that there is a (defunct) Rogue magazine that was a competitor to Playboy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_(magazine) SO there you go.

Well, there ya go. Thank you, TJ! Truly you are the bastion of wisdom and knowledge we have all come to rely and depend on!

Originally posted by ElectricWhite Thank you, TJ! Truly you are the bastion of wisdom and knowledge we have all come to rely and depend on!

That's not me, that's Google.

Originally posted by Transmute Jun

Originally posted by ElectricWhite Thank you, TJ! Truly you are the bastion of wisdom and knowledge we have all come to rely and depend on!

That's not me, that's Google.

And who used her thinking thingy to use Google?

Redbird - my first thought was of overuse or damage caused by being slammed too hard too, but if you're planning a prequel I'd be interested in reading it. TJ - crumbs, and I would imagine Zark would have been delighted to have been invited to join in with them too.... EW - LOL, so typical of the kid to get it so wrong.... Springie - The curse of the Condor strikes again, eh?

Originally posted by KT1972 Redbird - my first thought was of overuse or damage caused by being slammed too hard too, but if you're planning a prequel I'd be interested in reading it.

Aw, thanks KT! I might write a little prequel. Need to flesh it out in my head a bit first!

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Ohhhh, you have a wicked sense of humour RB.

LOl, you don't have to be mad to join in here.... but it helps!

Poor Ryu. How is he going to get himself out of this one?

Somehow I don't think telling the instructor where some of the best fishing can be found will help.

I think Ryu is stronger and more resourceful than he looks. He may be panicking now, but if he gets a moment to pull himself together, he'll work out a plan.

Ryu's much more resourceful than being left behind on the God Phoenix! His only disadvantage, differently from the Condor, is that no one came to help him, yet, so he has to come up with something soon all on his own ... at least, until the others would turn up!

RB -- it was bound to happen one day, wasn't it? How much can the red button take? TJ -- "I missed my elf?" I can't even start counting the ways I could interpret this! EW -- That's what you get when you send a man to do a woman's job! Springie -- it's been ages since I've watched X-men, but, yes, I'll take your word for it: that must've been some kiss!

KT -- the prompt was just perfect for the follow-up to your story this week! Let's see how Ryu gets out of this.

Originally posted by Daniella TSpringie -- it's been ages since I've watched X-men, but, yes, I'll take your word for it: that must've been some kiss!

OMG that smiley is hysterical! I don't remember seeing that one!

KT- poor Ryu! I'm sure he will find some way to get out of that mess! Daniella- in the first X-Men movie, Rogue puts her first boyfriend in a coma with just one kiss! Of course, the Condor is much tougher than that! Lol

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Not clunky at all! Oh, this is interesting, Chris! It gave me a giggle reading about the stark contrast between the two of them! Ken is so happy-go-lucky that Joe wants to punch him...LOL! I'm curious about Adam, too...is he more like the original Ken in personality since he was raised by Nambu? Looking forward to more!

Very interesting Chris... I'd really like to see where this goes. seeing how Ken turns out without the responsibility of becoming Gatchaman hanging over him, how he reacts to the team when he meets them all, and how they react to him... And meeting this mysterious Adam too... does Jun have a crush on him instead or will she still be attracted to Ken when they meet? So many places to go, I hope you keep it up for a while!

Originally posted by ChrisW Was the guy stoned?

ROTFL! Yeah, I'd probably think the same thing (or something along those lines). I like what you've done so far. And now that you've "set the mood" --keep going with it! Want to see more!

I'm hooked, too! I'm wondering what kind of dynamic Ken would have with everyone else....

I agree, it's interesting to see you imagine a carefree Ken. I'm guessing his father may not even have died... and Ken knows about that aspect of it.

This is a tantalising teaser, CW! waiting to read more!

Your muse is doing well, Chris. I second all the other comments. If Joe does tell Nambu, I wonder what his reaction is going to be.

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Redbird: Oh, they're in a fine pickle now ... if it's their own missiles, maybe they can detonate the things before they hit so they just blow in the air? Or would that be too easy? Probably from all those years of Joe pounding on the firing button like he can make the missiles go harder through sheer force. TJ: LOL what a nightmare, maybe Zark will shock them and be the best DM ever (uh right) EW: Rogue could have hot guy pics in it though, hmm Springie: I bet that's exactly who Joe would fall for, too KT: Why do I have the feeling that Ryu fought to do this mission because he's so often left behind? About mine: I really don't know much about these characters yet. I know very little about Adam outside of deciding that Nambu would have wanted a pilot among them for a smaller, sleeker fighter than the God Phoenix even if Ken hadn't been there. I found myself wondering if Joe would have been particularly close to any of them if Ken never had been there, and I haven't decided yet if Adam filled that void, or if Joe ended up more isolated in this particular family. I do know part of what happened with Ken's family but I'm keepin' that to meself for the moment. It's fun to mess with the dynamics and see how that all works out.

Originally posted by ChrisW Redbird: Oh, they're in a fine pickle now ... if it's their own missiles, maybe they can detonate the things before they hit so they just blow in the air? Or would that be too easy?

Not too sure just yet, though off the bat I want to say "Nah, waaaay too easy!" LOL.

Originally posted by ChrisW Probably from all those years of Joe pounding on the firing button like he can make the missiles go harder through sheer force.

Tenacity does have its payoffs! As for Adam, what about making him the Ken "antithesis" of a sort? Or the "Anti-Ken". LOL.

Originally posted by Redbird As for Adam, what about making him the Ken "antithesis" of a sort? Or the "Anti-Ken". LOL.

Sounds like something out of a horror movie.....maybe The Anti-Ken Walks Among Us!

Originally posted by ElectricWhite

Originally posted by Redbird As for Adam, what about making him the Ken "antithesis" of a sort? Or the "Anti-Ken". LOL.

Sounds like something out of a horror movie.....maybe The Anti-Ken Walks Among Us!

Well, that's not quite what I had in mind!

One thing I was pondering was whether Adam is obvious leadership material or whether Nambu is looking at Adam and Joe and going "good lord I hope Jun develops a spine so she can be in charge." (ETA: Remember Joe's 16 and Jun's 14)

CW ... I totally agree with everyone that your piece is so innovative and intriguing! I surely would love to know more! It's very interesting to see how things could have turned out when the main characters could have had a different past from the one we know! Normally, we know Ken as the one who has lived at Hakase's house the longest ... now it's the other way round! I'd love to see where this could lead and the different interactions between all the characters! Welcome back, CW!!

Originally posted by ChrisW One thing I was pondering was whether Adam is obvious leadership material or whether Nambu is looking at Adam and Joe and going "good lord I hope Jun develops a spine so she can be in charge." (ETA: Remember Joe's 16 and Jun's 14)

There was a fic years ago, I believe called Phoenix Rising. In it the team was genetically created and the one who developed as the leader was named Chris, with the code name Phoenix. Mark was second. Never found out what happened to Chris, but it was implied he and Jason were more than best buds.

Becky: Yeah, I really liked Phoenix Rising. Managed to find an archive of it it with the wayback machine. I think she pulled it to convert it to an original? Wonder if she ever finished that. I'd read it. Was kind of funny how Jason seemed to be in total denial about him and Chris.

Yeah, since he was nailing every girl he could. I might have it hard copy somewhere. I assumed Chris was killed early on and the since their ship wasn't ready yet, they ended up naming it the Phoenix in his honor. There was also the problem first Chris and then Jason had with their bracelets and implants. I believed it was a foreshadowing of Jason's future problems ala Joe.

I think in that story, Jason was so keenly aware that he might die young in battle that it drove him to compulsively have as much "fun" as possible. I can easily see that happening with one or more members of the team. It was cute that Chris seemed to totally understand what drove him and just shrugged it off. Sometimes I think about trying to contact her and finding out if she ever wrote any more, except I never spoke to her before so it might come off as a little too weird.

I left a review for her once when I first read it asking for more, but never saw it anywhere. I tried to find her via her pseudonym on the internet about 2 years ago but couldn't find anything.