And here I go again.... The word this week is Squandered lets see what you can do with it!

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KT: That's some wisdom right there from Ken ... careful, Joe, you almost gave it away!

Don't forget Joe wants to cover his own backside, too. If Jun's with Ken, she won't be thinking about her night with Joe.

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Great first contribution! I know a number of us would be willing to email you what we have to catch you up. If you PM me with an email address I'll email you mine, I'm pretty sure the same goes for others.

mylari - beautiful piece, and well done for joining in too, it's always great to have new contributors Like Chris, I can email you my past posts for this year, to bring you up to speed.

*SWOON* that was so sweet, mylari! I am thrilled that my pic prompted you to write this beautiful piece! It makes me want to break out the pencils and draw some more!

New Springie pictures are always encouraged I have a feeling that I'm not done with this story yet either...

Go, mylari, go!!

Mylari, how wonderful! I think we'll have to show you more swoony pictures from Springie! KT, if I were Jun, I think I'd be offended. She invites Joe into her bed, and the next morning he's trying to foist her off on someone else. Has he even talked to her? Sigh... men!

Oohhh swoony springie pictures

TJ: Joe talked to her the last post, right after, and made it clear that it was a mistake.

Originally posted by ChrisW KT: That's some wisdom right there from Ken ... careful, Joe, you almost gave it away!

Totally! mylari: That's very sweet! Everything sounds in character to me too. Great first piece, glad that you decided to dive in!

Very nice, Mylari and Mark's being a gentleman.

This is supposed to take place sometime during Gatch II (which I've watched only once). I took, I think, two creative license's here: I am ignoring the fact that the G2 is supposed to like a mutated platypus. LOL. Here, we have a standard G2. So there! Also I know Joe doesn't smoke, but I can see him testing his limits and taking liberties with his new cyborg body. Kinda roughly done, and perhaps strange.... but it is, what it is.. ******************************************************* Prompt #142 --Squandered "From the Ashes" Joe leaned against the G2, striking a match against his jeans. He cupped the steady flame in his hands, quickly lighting the cigarette jutting from his lips. Shifting his weight against the car, he turned to watched the sun go down, marking the end to another day. The sky a brilliant mélange of red, pink and yellow. Gold topped clouds reflecting the colors from below. Watched as the sun gave up its secrets to the impending dusk. Let the beams shine full and orange on his face. Blinding him with their intensity. But he didn't flinch away from it. Didn't blink. Not once. Not ever. He watched the fiery ball slowly dip below the horizon, the rays dimming, reminiscent of a phoenix on its death pyre. And a new day would dawn, rising from the ashes of the night. Reborn. As he had been. Joe's mouth pulled in a grimace. He hadn't asked for it, hadn't wanted it. He had been more than content to go not so quietly into the night. To make his final journey into that long dark. The rocky ground drank his blood like a greedy vampire that day at Karakoram. He was the one with nothing left to lose. Nothing left to live for but certainly something to die for. Better that it had been him, than any of the others. No, never the others. It was a worthy sacrifice for the peace it bought. But against all odds, life had been breathed back into him. Against his will. Forced into his lungs with a searing, tearing fire. He had been brought back as a weapon, one to be wielded by someone else. A means to an end. For peace had been shattered. Galactor had returned. Same old song and dance. Blue-grey eyes narrowed at the smoke that rose from the end of his cigarette. Curls of smoke that dissipated into the ether, their ghostly fingers vanishing before him. It seemed his job wasn't yet done. All other things aside, he wouldn't let this chance be squandered. To finish everything once and for all. What was that old saying? 'The nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down.' It was that time again. Time to become the hammer that drove the final nail into Galactor's coffin. Joe roughly shoved himself away from the car, mouth set in a hard line. He had work to do... With a last deep pull on the cigarette, Joe crushed it out against his boot heel and flicked it into the dirt, as he got into the G2. The engine roaring to life, an angry growl, with turn of the key. In his wake the leaves scattered and the discarded cigarette winked briefly in the darkness, embers slowly burning out and fading away.

Poor Joe. He feels like he gave his life for nothing; he doesn't feel he was brought back because his duty wasn't done. But watch out Galactor. Here he comes.

Redbird: I don't think this is rough and strange at all. It's kind of beautiful. A great look at how Joe might feel about what he's been through and what's to come!

Yeah I don't think Joe is too happy at being brought back..... BR: I think he was really ready to go by the end of the first series. Once he took that final step, he was out. But he'll play the part Rafael gave him, and do his duty. I don't think he wants any of the others to be put in his place, so he carries on, especially now that he more than likely sees himself as less than human... CW: Thanks. Don't know what it is but I'm not fully happy with this one. But when am I ever.....

I agree, RB. I'm glad they never went that far with Jason.

This is very well written and a great insight into Joe... but I don't think it was necessary for him to smoke to write this piece. For me, it's just a bit distracting.

I don't think he HAD to smoke, but I can believe that he would, even if I don't like the habit in person.

I can see where you might find it distracting, TJ. When I "saw" the scene in my head that's what he had been doing. Whole thing was written kinda spur of the moment. Thanks for the input guys!