He'd won! Jason grinned. Victory was so very sweet indeed. As he slowed his car, he lowered its windows and took a deep breath. The air was filled with dust and the hot smell of exhaust and tire rubber, the cheers and shouts of the crowds in the stands, and the roar of car engines behind him as the last of the competition got their cars across the finish line. He passed a car that was billowing smoke and steam from a blown motor earlier in the race. Two other cars had collided and, quite literally, knocked themselves out of the competition. The rest... well, he'd been faster, bolder, more quick-thinking. Hell, it wasn't thinking -that took too damned long. It was instinct, being one with his car -each trusting the other to push beyond reason into risk, to somehow pull it off by skill, sheer force of will, luck, insanity... Whatever it was, he craved this sensation. He'd heard it said that winners in racing were simply the ones who wanted most desperately to be winners. Or to cheat death. Yeah, that probably said something about him. What are you trying to prove? And to who? He didn't want to go there... They were announcing his name now, as the winner. He reached his arm out the window, briefly raising a fist in victory. The crowd cheered even louder. He was nearing his pit stall. His G-Force teammates were all there, and a few colleagues from the racing biz. And the girls, of course, all cheering and jumping up and down. There were always the girls, though never exactly the same ones each time. But summer had just begun, so nearly a dozen were here today and few familiar enough now that he might even be able to recall their names correctly -which was usually a sign they were nearly through with their "groupie" phase and would soon move on. And Elena, of course, she was there too. He smiled. He was still getting used to the novelty of having a pit crew, albeit a crew of one, who wasn't Mark, Princess, Tiny or Keyop. Until a week ago, they'd been the only ones he'd (mostly) trust to touch his car and most critically, the only ones who'd help him out at races for the wage he could afford to pay -ie. no wage at all. But Elena was an unpaid summer intern, about to start a mechanical engineering program at the local university in the fall, and willing to work for free just for the experience. And she really knew her shit when it came to cars -he'd made sure of that before he agreed to give her a try. As he parked at his pit stall and opened his car door to get out, the crowd clustered closer. A high-five from Mark, a "whoo hoo!!" from Keyop and Tiny, a big smile from Princess, and girls everywhere were all cooing "You were so great, Jason!" and "You're amazing!" Hey, these girls hardly knew him or anything about his life but he couldn't deny they enhanced the occasion. Hell, at least today he could actually stick around and enjoy his victory. Better than his previous race, when Chief Anderson had summoned him back to Center Neptune right when he was about to win. And of course, he then chewed him out for getting back there late, even though it had nothing to do with finishing -and winning- the race and everything to do with getting attacked by Spectrans wielding a new de-transmuting weapon. He'd have thought the Chief's timing had been intentional if it weren't for the fact that it would have necessitated him paying attention to a race, and surely he'd never deign to do that- "Hey, good job, you -you won!" It was Elena, now standing in front of him. "What's with the glower? Was the camber on your tires off, 'cause I'm thinking it might be better if we took it a little more negative. I think I can tweak the weight-jacking too." She was grinning at him, sunlight glinting in her eyes as the wind made the dark curls of hair around her face dance. She was wearing a grubby mechanic jumpsuit, and no make-up other than a greasy smudge on one cheek, but he found he couldn't take his eyes off her. Her enthusiasm was like the sun to him, giving her a beauty that outshone all around her. "We are going to make a great team this summer," he said. Already, he was hoping she might stay longer; the university wasn't that far away. "Hell, yes!" she said, throwing both her arms around him and giving him a hug. She was slim but tall, and for a moment her face was beside his, the scent of her hair fresh and sweet. But when Jason opened his eyes again, over Elena's shoulder he saw Chief Anderson. Why on earth is he here? Anderson was standing several feet back from the clustering around Jason's car. Mark was talking to him, Princess at his side, but the Chief was looking right at Jason. For an instant their eyes met and the Chief's face became an impassive mask, but not quickly enough to prevent Jason from realizing he'd been frowning intensely. Annoyed that he was too late this time to try to pull Jason from the final laps of race? "Hey Jason," called Mark, "Be at Camp Parker tonight at seven -and don't be late!" Chief Anderson had turned and was walking away now. Jason sighed. And he'd been just about to ask Elena to go driving with him tonight. So much for that idea. "You'd said you do security work for some Federation staff -is that your boss?" asked Elena. "Yeah, he's pretty bossy." "Hmph," said Elena, "And not even a 'congrats' on your win here today. What's his problem?" Me, most likely, thought Jason. What have I done wrong this time? XXXXXXXXXXXX "-so, as you can see, this new maintenance schedule for the Phoenix will be more efficient, both for you and the technicians," concluded Chief Anderson. "I agree," said Mark, standing up from the chair he'd been slumping in -you knew a briefing was long and dull when even he forgot to look attentive- and walking over to the nearest window, where Princess soon joined him. "I'll make sure we use the new template now for repair orders." "Are we... broot, done now?" asked Keyop. Jason sure hoped so. Really, most of what the Chief had told them could have just been saved for their regularly scheduled Monday morning Team meeting at Center Neptune. Everyone clearly wanted to get out of here. It was summer, a Saturday night... And he still had time yet tonight to see Elena if he left Camp Parker soon. "I have one more issue to address," said Chief Anderson. Jason, Tiny and Keyop, all in the process of standing, now paused. The Chief's voice had just taken a sharper tone. "And it concerns you, Jason, or more specifically, your new mechanic -if that's what she really is." Now he really had everyone's full attention. Keyop and Tiny sat back down but Jason stayed on his feet. "Her name is Elena," said Princess, "She seems really nice -and good with cars..." Her voice trailed off. "That's exactly what she is," said Jason. His voice stayed even, his hands unclenched and resting on the table, but he hadn't moved and he hadn't taken his eyes off the Chief's. Tiny and Keyop slowly moved away, joining Mark and Princess and leaving Jason and Chief Anderson "You once thought Lucy was just a race car driver," said Chief Anderson. That was truly a low blow but he needed to stay on high ground here, not lose his cool "And," said Jason, willing himself to breathe normally, "What's your point?" "Effective immediately," said Chief Anderson, "You will dispense with the services of your new mechanic." "What? You can't-" "And no further contact. Of any kind-" "Chief," said Mark, "If there's a security issue, why haven't we been apprised, and-" Mark had been able to interject only because Jason was now too angry to speak. There didn't seem to be coherent words in his head yet for what he wanted to convey beyond a childish no fair and why do you always pick on me? "It is all classified at the highest level," intoned Chief Anderson, in that grave and formal voice that he could do so very well. Meaning that he deemed the Federation couldn't risk the chance of Spectra torturing or drugging the information out of a captured member of G-Force. "Um, Chief," said Princess. Jason saw her glance at him in mute appeal before turning to Chief Anderson. "She told me that her position with Jason is an accredited summer internship arranged by her school's department of vocational training. Won't it look... strange, and draw unwanted attention, if Jason suddenly fires her for no plausible reason?" Listening to Princess, the Chief's eyes narrowed and he looked at Jason. "Yeah," said Jason, "What would I say? 'She's doing a shitty job'? That's a lie and everyone would know it." It's all lies, he thought. It has to be. Chief Anderson sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before glaring sternly at Jason. "Fine. You will retain her in her internship for the duration of the summer, but you will have no association of any kind with her outside of the race track, and that is an order." Jason didn't say anything. "There seem to be plenty of other girls at the track wanting to hang around you," continued the Chief, "So this should pose no hardship." What good will it do to say anything? You've already judged me guilty. That had been true on his previous race day, and it felt true today too. XXXXXXXXXXXX

[unrecoverable text]

He found her again, a couple days later, alone in the Ready Room at Center Neptune. "Hi," he said, walking in. She was playing her guitar but she stopped and looked up at him. "Hi," she replied, studying his face a bit warily. He didn't blame her. He slumped into a chair beside hers and tried to collect his thoughts, rubbing his forehead "Sorry," he said, easier to do with his hands hiding his face now. Some people would say "Sorry about what?" even when they knew damned well what, to make him have to say it all, but not Princess. "It's okay," she said, "I can tell you weren't feeling well." "Yeah," he said, though he he'd been improving. No blind spells since, and his hand wasn't numb anymore. He hadn't told anyone, though, about his symptoms -everyone was assuming he'd been overly tired, probably had a flu bug... "And I'm guessing you've got some... complications in your personal life?" she asked. He dropped his hands now, looking at her. "Got it all figured out, huh?" Her lips smiled though her eyes didn't. "I can tell you like Elena. But after what the Chief said..." He resisted the urge to hide his face again, and Princess saw something there she understood. "The Chief must know something," she said, "And it must seem... credible, whatever it is -I can see why he might not want to take any chances. Look at Don now -we all once thought we could trust him..." He was shaking his head. Princess just looked at him. "Do you know what it's like... when you can just feel if something's true, if someone is true?" "I think I know that feeling," she said, smiling. Thinking of Mark, of course. "And you keep feeling it, even when you're being told you're wrong. And you feel like you're going insane." "Jason, I know how you must feel, but-" "No," he said, "Not all of it. Princess, I think the Chief doesn't know anything about Elena." "But Jason, then why-" "It's me. He's out to get me. I swear I'm not insane. The man does not like me -never really has." Princess was radiating distress, clutching her hands together. "And now it's gotten worse. I think he wants me gone, off the Team -I think he's trying to push me, needle me, make me snap..." "Oh, that can't be right," said Princess, "I do think that you and he... aren't the most compatible personalities, but he's certainly not out to get you!" "Who gets labeled the 'hothead,' or 'reckless'? Who's the one who 'needs to learn to obey orders'?" "Um," said Princess, with a hint of a smile now in her sad face, "There is some basis for that..." "Yeah," he said, "Maybe. But if it were, say, Mark, and not me -hell, then I'd just be 'demonstrating leadership initiative' or 'taking decisive, bold action.' Can you say I'm wrong?" "Jason," she said, "You have to be wrong about this. Chief Anderson wouldn't lie to you like that..." "You want to believe that, Princess. I do too! But I don't feel it. Something there... it just stinks." She didn't reply, shaking her head in denial. "Prove it to me then," he said, "Hack into the Chief's 'high level security' files and-" "I can't do that!" "Now don't you lie to me, Princess -I know that you can do it. You've managed to access the most top secret Spectran systems -more than once." "That's different, they're our enemy -I save lives doing that." "Look, you don't have to read anything in his files. Just tell me if there's anything there with her name in it, and I'll accept that... somehow-" He threw up his hands, then grabbed his head with one of them, sliding it over his eyes. "That somehow, he's truly got a legit security concern about her and one that even we shouldn't know." "Oh Jason, I don't know..." She was relenting -he could tell from her voice- but they were surely two despairing faces now, mirroring each other. "And if there's nothing there about her, you tell me that too." He managed a wry smile. "You might just 'save' me, if you'll do this." "Okay," she whispered, "But it'll take me some time." XXXXXXXXXXXX "Ok, Mr. Winner," said Elena, "It's time for my turn behind the wheel." Jason smiled before opening his car door to get out and walk around to the other side. As she stepped out of the passenger side, he pulled her into his arms, feeling her arms wrap around him too. "Mmm," she hummed happily, nuzzling his neck. Jason didn't want to let her go. It was night, and they were back in the desolate valley that was so ideal for secret, off-road driving. Ideal for other secret activities too. "You change tires fast," he told her, "I wouldn't have won today's race without those seconds you saved me -it was that close at the finish." "And victory is sweet," said Elena. "Addictive," he agreed, finding her mouth with his, in the darkness, and kissing her. She leaned back against his car, taking him with her. So warm and welcoming... A minute later, and breathing much faster, he pulled back. "We did come out here so that you could drive. Now's the time -before we change our minds." He held up the key. Even in the dark, he could see her grin as she snatched it from him. "Wheee," she said, running around the car to get in the driver's side. She proceeded to go tearing around the valley like a nut, sliding around some and spinning out on many a turn but heeding the advice he gave her and increasingly gaining in skill and confidence. She was laughing gleefully when she eventually stopped the car and killed the headlights. Jason realized he was too, her joy here bringing back memories of how he'd felt when he'd first seized a chance to let loose behind the wheel of a real car, when he was fourteen, at a G-Force training base they were all living at then. He'd immediately become adamant that any G-Force vehicle he would be assigned to had to be a race car. Chief Anderson hadn't liked that idea, had wanted to put him something that flew, make him try to be like Mark. Thank God the design engineers' opinions differed from Anderson's... He wasn't laughing anymore. Was that when it really began? Five years ago... He checked the time. It was getting late. "So, fellow rebel," he asked, turning to Elena, "Where do your parents think you are right now?" "At a party at a friend's house." "What would they say if they knew you were instead out joyriding in a race car?" Elena sighed. "Sometimes I think they're almost glad about this," she said, gesturing at her left eye, "They know that otherwise, I'd be wanting to race." "Would that be so awful?" "They'd worry. They're all about wanting to keep me safe, even if it means stifling me." "At least their hearts seem to be in the right place." "I think they're afraid I'll end up like my father," said Elena, "Huh?" "I'm adopted," said Elena quietly, leaning closer to him, "My biological father was race car driver. He was practicing on a track -my mother was in the car with him- when he crashed. They both died." Damn... "I'm sorry," he said, "How old were you?" "Not even two," she said, "I don't remember them at all." "I just barely remember my parents. I was not quite four." "You too?" she said, startled, "Wow... no wonder you feel like a soul mate." "I do?" He reached out, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Yes," she said, "And I think I see it now -you have it too, what some call 'orphan syndrome.'" "Yeah? How's that work?" "Everyone tells you that it's not your fault your biological parents died, and rationally you know that but you still feel... like they abandoned you. Because you weren't good enough. You grow up always feeling like you have to demonstrate worthiness to your adoptive parents, to everyone. It can make you insecure, overly sensitive. Or you feel, on some level, like you have to keep excelling, earning their love... say, by forcing yourself to be a perfect, rule-abiding child and student and then landing a scholarship in Engineering to a prestigious university." "You see some of that in me?" "There's probably more than just a love of driving," said Elena, poking him in the chest with one finger, "that makes you so very keen to win all those shiny racing trophies, while hundreds of fans are cheering and calling your name." 'Touché, I suppose," said Jason, resting his head against hers. "And racing is dangerous -my parents aren't wrong about that. So what makes a guy keep walking that fine line between life and death, again and again? Is he daring death to try to take him too, trying to convince himself that he actually is meant to be alive and not buried beside his parents, and that somehow he's worthy enough to still be alive, when apparently they weren't?" Some of her speculation felt unnervingly close to the target. But pondering what really made him tick... he did not want to start staring into that abyss. "Never underestimate the power of survivor guilt," said Elena. Change the subject. Gently he traced a finger over her left brow, slid his fingers into her hair, then along her neck. "Your eye," he said, "How did that happen?" "I don't remember anything -I was two, almost three. A damaged optic nerve, result of a blood clot." "Life doesn't deal everyone a fair hand, that's for sure," he said, leaning closer to kiss her. "Some of us get lucky," Elena whispered, later. XXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, Jason was summoned to Center Neptune, along with the rest of the Team. The Federation strategists had learned from the Intelligence branch that Spectra had some big attack planned against the Federation, to be launched imminently, and they hoped to thwart it by diverting Zoltar's attention instead to an attack on Spectra -a strike to be carried out by G-Force. "Unfortunately," Chief Anderson had told them before they launched, "There is some concern that the Spectrans might know you're coming -they're keeping a ship in high orbit around Spectra, which could mean a heightened attention to surveillance." That had proven to be all true. They'd approached their target, Spectra's primary base which was concealed within and below an ancient castle in a desert, in the Phoenix, and the Spectrans shot first. And Jason's day had come crashing down. He had come crashing down, stunned by a flash of light from the explosion of a Spectran missile. He fallen hard onto the floor of the bridge, his head suddenly aching. And then, when he'd tried to retaliate and fire a missile at the Spectrans, his vision had gone all blurry -just like it had when he crashed into Mrs. Wade. He'd managed the shot, but only just barely. At that point, no one had twigged to just how messed up he was. But that had all changed when they infiltrated the base, got trapped, and had to do the whirlwind pyramid. No longer able to keep from yelling from the pain in his head, and too dizzy and blinded to stay in the whirling formation, he came crashing down again. And then again. Defective and humiliated, he'd been ordered back to the Phoenix by Mark. And then, just when the survival of the entire Team had depended on him firing a super sniper missile so accurately that it would stop the descent of the tunneling ground torpedo they were trapped inside... He'd still been barely able to see anything clearly. "I've got to make an effort, but only a miracle can help me," he'd said to himself. But somehow, he'd managed to be a lucky guy. For a few seconds, he'd been able to see well enough to make the shot. And he'd hit the target and saved his teammates. But it could so easily have turned out with them all dead. All of them dead and him still alive, on the Phoenix. One of his worst nightmares. A nightmare he'd just awoken from. Jason sat up in his bunk, in his trailer. He was sweating, but cold; he clutched the blankets around him. All of them dead except him -that's what he'd been dreaming. All his fault, and Chief Anderson telling him so. It had almost come true today. XXXXXXXXXXXX Princess frowned at the computer screen. She should be glad, she supposed, that it was this difficult to hack into the Federation's high level security files. At least she had some advantages over the Spectrans; she was familiar with the system -had been for years- and she had legitimate medium level security clearance from which to launch her hack attempt. Somewhere, if she kept looking long enough, she'd find a mistake -something an outsider wouldn't even recognize as a mistake- a weakness that would become a chink in the armor. Everyone thought she was spending the night in the apartment over Jill's restaurant, but instead she'd driven her motorcycle all the way out here to Camp Parker. It was quiet and empty, and she had the whole computer network here all to herself, all night... At 4 am, she got in. The high level security files weren't that numerous. Was it reassuring or disturbing to realize that there wasn't much intel deemed too risky for G-Force to know. She wasn't sure... Her pulse was racing. She wasn't supposed to be doing this. Breathe, she told herself. Slowly... Her guilt was only slightly outweighed by her concern for Jason. He'd fallen out of the whirlwind pyramid, twice, on their mission yesterday. Her meditation studies had taught her just how much the body and the mind were as one. After the conversation they'd had in the Ready Room, she knew that Jason's mind was deeply troubled. And now, clearly, his body too. If she could give him an answer that would bring him some respite from his inner turmoil, then it was worth it. Right? Jason was correct -she didn't have to read any of these files; from this vantage, she could just run a keyword search, for "Elena Maxwell." She'd see that there was a file with these words, and that would be that. She hesitated, though, to type the words into the search bar. She'd met Elena at the track, more than once now. The girl seemed nice, smart, good -and good for Jason too. Jason had a point -what kind of security risk could she possibly be that G-Force couldn't know about? She had to admit that, for her too, that just didn't feel right... But, she vowed, she would not read any high level security files. Whatever reason the Chief had for ordering Jason to avoid Elena, she would respect his decision to keep that reason from them. She began the keyword search... And found nothing. No matches in any of the files. Nothing. Was Jason right all along? Had the Chief been lying to them? Princess shivered. She was tired, and now she felt queasy. Could the intel be something that didn't use Elena's name? Just something about a Spectran plot to plant undercover sleeper agents at racetracks? Maybe brainwashed undercover sleeper agents? Maybe Elena had no idea of what was going on. Princess would much rather believe that! She'd been standing right beside the Chief that day at the track when he'd been frowning at Jason and Elena. Chief Anderson had clearly recognized her when he'd seen her... there had to be something specific to Elena in here... "It is all classified at the highest level." That's what the Chief had said. A keyword search of "racing," "racetrack," "mechanic" and "internship" didn't turn up any finds either... Princess closed her eyes against the computer screen's glare. Think she told herself. Jason was taking this whole thing with Elena really personally. Could it somehow be something more personal for the Chief too? Could she use the Federation system to get into the Chief's personal computer system? If he'd ever accessed the one from the other and vice versa -and surely he had at one time or another- then she probably could. And she did. This is for the good of the Team, she told herself. I'm doing this for a good reason. A keyword search of "Elena Maxwell" brought up so much in the Chief's own files. Images, text files. So very much... She couldn't help it -she began to look, and to read... "Oh!" she gasped. Oh my God. The morning sun had risen in the sky before she was done reading. XXXXXXXXXXXX "Report to medical for a full evaluation." That was the order Jason had received. He'd been expecting this. Of course, Mark had submitted his mission report promptly, and, of course, it described how his second-in-command had been falling down on the job. Jason had skipped out on the usual Monday morning Team meeting at Center Neptune. He didn't want to face them, to look at them and know how close he'd come to getting them all killed. And he didn't want to see Chief Anderson either. After receiving the message to report to medical, he'd turned off his wrist communicator. But he wasn't going to get away with it for very long, avoiding Center Neptune and skulking out here in his trailer. His head felt okay now. And he could see clearly too. No numbness in his hands. But on the last two missions, when he'd most needed to be 100% on top of his game, his body had failed him, and he'd failed everyone around him. What the hell is happening to me? What is wrong with me? Why is this happening? Is Chief Anderson somehow doing this to me, jinxing me on missions? Is this his way to get me off the Team without any blame falling on him? He could imagine his words... "Medical discharge. So sad, but it had to be done -he's endangering the Team." Sitting on his bunk, Jason clutched his legs to his chest. A couple tears dripped onto his knees. He was endangering the Team. Abruptly he stood up, rubbing his eyes. Sitting here and -God damn it- crying like a baby, wasn't going to do any good. Elena... The one good thing in his life right now. He needed to see Elena. XXXXXXXXXXXX

"A 'bootleg turn'?" said Elena, "I like the name." "The idea," said Jason, "is that you're zooming along on a highway and need to reverse direction, fast. You drop to second gear and immediately turn the wheel towards the opposite lane, control the skid and enter the opposite lane with the car turned 180 and stopped -but ready to zoom back in the direction you were coming from." "Oh, man," said Elena, "That sounds cool, but you are going to have to give me a demonstration -maybe several demonstrations- before I'm going to try that." "Okay," said Jason, getting out of his car, "We switch seats." There was a fresh breeze blowing across the valley floor tonight, the sun a giant blob of glowing orange slowly sinking into the distant horizon. As he walked around to the driver's side he took some deep breaths. "Show me what you can do, bootlegger," said Elena, giving him a playful punch to the shoulder as she passed him, heading for the passenger side. Easing in behind the steering wheel, Jason closed his eyes for a moment, holding the wheel. He rolled the windows down, wanting to keep breathing that fresh air and its scent of freedom. This was the life -his car and his girl. This was what made him happy -he didn't need anything else. He didn't need to be on the Team. Right? Right? A wave of nausea passed through him, and a cold chill that made him shiver. Stop it, he berated himself, don't think about that -don't think about any of that. Not here, not now. He looked at Elena beside him, aglow in the light of the fading sun, smiling at him. So very beautiful, body and soul. Just looking at her, he was warm again. Time to drive... fast. The roar of the engine, the squeal of brakes, the rasp of the tires skidding against the dirt, the forces of speed and acceleration against his body, and Elena cheering him on. So damned wonderful. He'd do another bootleg turn for her. He was driving fast, into the glow of the dying sun. He was about to gear down to second... And his vision went all to hell. He couldn't feel his hands. His head throbbed like it was going to explode. Panic was tearing through him. He was out of control. A scream of alarm from Elena. And a sudden silence from the ground beneath the car's wheels. There was no ground beneath the car's wheels. They were falling... His last thought, before the crash. The river gully. He'd driven them over the edge of the river gully. XXXXXXXXXXXX Jason opened his eyes. He closed them immediately; he'd seen enough. A hospital room. Why was he in a bed in a hospital room? He started to move, and his whole body ached as he- And it all flooded back into his mind. The crash. Elena. He'd killed Elena! No. More memories in his head now. Blurred and distorted. Of so much pain. Rushing water. He'd been carried out of his car, and up out of the river gully, and beyond... It had been Elena carrying him, her voice so close to him, suppressing sobs, telling him over and over "You'll be okay, Jason, you'll be okay..." She was tall, but thin. He had to weigh fifty pounds more than her. The sides of that gully were damned steep. Yet she'd carried him. How the hell had she managed to carry him? Another memory, a much older one. Of Lucy, the skin on her face falling away to reveal the shining metal beneath. "Noooo!" He snapped upright in the bed, crying out from the pain. But his vision was clear. On the far side of the room sat Chief Anderson, and another man wearing a white lab coat. He looked familiar... "Elena," said Jason "Where's Elena? Is she... What-" "She will be all right," said Chief Anderson, standing up and walking closer to Jason's hospital bed. "No thanks to you." A flare of anger burned in the Chief's face. "What is it with you race car drivers?" he snapped, "Reckless show-offs -all of you!" He might as well have slapped Jason across the face -that's what it felt like. Jason wished he would -he deserved it. He had nearly- But she was all right. "Elena," blurted Jason, fear pitching his voice higher, "She carried me -I remember that. How did she do that? I-" The man in the lab coat stood up and cleared his throat, about to speak. Chief Anderson's face returned to its usual impassive expression. He stepped back from the bed, turning away from Jason. "This is Dr. Lee," said the Chief, his voice under control again too. "You know him from the cerebonic implant laboratory. He will explain." Of course... Jason did remember who he was now. "While you were sleeping," said Dr. Lee, "I downloaded from your implant a complete function history for the past several weeks." He pursed his lips, studying Jason's face for a moment. "You've been concealing some very serious symptoms," he said. "Very serious," said Chief Anderson, scowling at him. Jason stared down at his hands. No good in trying to deny it now. They knew. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Recurring bouts of headaches, blurred vision, numbness in your hands?" said Dr. Lee. Jason nodded, slumping his shoulders. Here comes the medical discharge, he thought, Anderson isn't even going to do that himself -he's got Dr. Lee here to do it for him... "I was thoroughly confused by your symptoms, unable to determine what their cause might be," continued Dr. Lee. Jason tensed himself. Here it comes... "Until Chief Anderson provided some supplemental information. Now I understand completely what is wrong with you. Your cerebonic implant, over time, has integrated itself closely into your entire connectome of neural pathways. This is necessary for it to function the way it does, and why it has to be implanted in young children -it takes nearly ten years for it to integrate fully and it can only do so in a young brain -one whose 'wiring diagram,' so to speak, is still developing." "Right," said Jason, still waiting for the axe to fall, "I know all that." "Of course. It is necessary to realize, however, that every implant's integration is unique -the human brain's neural connections are extremely vast and complex. There will always be an element of... unpredictability." "So what's my implant been doing... unpredictably?" asked Jason, rubbing his head with one hand. "It has been periodically receiving stimulus from an outside source, resulting in the very idiosyncratic effect of causing your brain's synaptic vesicles to overfill and then suddenly flood, like a dam breaking, into your nervous system -causing an 'overload' effect that manifests as headaches, blurred vision, numbness in your hands -you get the idea?" Jason froze, seizing on the words "stimulus from an outside source." The rest didn't matter... "What," he demanded, feeling cold all over, "What 'outside source'?" How could he not have seen it? It seemed so obvious now... But how? Why? Why would Elena do this to him? "That was the puzzle that Chief Anderson had to solve for me," said Dr. Lee, "With his supplemental information." He gestured formally to Chief Anderson, "The floor is yours, Sir." Chief Anderson had been sitting, but now he stood and walked closer to Jason's bed. His face was devoid of all emotion. "Something that is not widely known," he said, "Is that Elena Maxwell has a cerebonic implant in her head." "What?" gasped Jason. His mouth hung open; he could only stare as the Chief continued. "She was one of the earliest subjects to enter the cerebonic implant program, more than fifteen years ago. She was not quite three." Jason's mind was spinning. All the cerebonic implant children had been orphans; Elena had been an orphan... "Both her parents were dead," said Chief Anderson, still as stone, "There was no surviving family. Her mother had been, before her marriage, an employee of the Federation and in the absence of any newer directives regarding Elena's care, she became a ward of the Federation." "What happened?" said Jason, "Why isn't she in G-Force today?' But he already knew the answer, he realized. Elena's words came back to him... "I don't remember anything -I was two, almost three. A damaged optic nerve, result of a blood clot." Ohh... Oh my God. "As Dr. Lee said, upon introduction, a cerebonic implant begins the process of integration into all neural connections. In Elena's case -and very unpredictably- her implant..." His face was still a mask, but the Chief flinched. "It did not integrate well with her left optic nerve. In fact, it began damaging that nerve. Surgery was attempted to correct this, and was not successful. It was too late to remove her implant without great risk of further neural damage. We couldn't predict what might go wrong. Her case was highly idiosyncratic -some genetic tests were done but yielded no... answers." The Chief walked over to the window, leaning on the sill to stare outside. "A decision was made to leave the implant in situ and to not risk doing further damage in attempts to repair or remove it. Of course, her implant was powered down, put into inactive mode. She was placed into an adoption program, and very soon adopted by a fine and responsible couple." There was silence in the hospital room. Jason was overwhelmed, lost in imagining Elena at his side, in G-Force. If only. That was where she should have been... Another throat-clearing from Dr. Lee. "Um," he said, "Upon learning of your recent, periodic proximity to Ms. Maxwell, I now understand what has been occurring." "What?" whispered Jason, staring over at Chief Anderson's back. He was still facing the window.

"Even a deactivated implant sustains a sort of EMF -the functions are deactivated but the power source is still there, emitting a very localized frequency. It so happens that the frequency of her implant, and the frequency of your implant... created a type of mutual amplification effect. In your case, this caused the overfilling of your brain's synaptic vesicles and the resulting symptoms." It had been Elena all along. The Chief hadn't been lying, or out to get him... "What effect was there," Jason asked, "in Elena's case?" "Something totally unexpected. It seems that being in proximity to you had, in a sense, started to 'wake up' her implant. In a moment of extreme crisis, when she needed to be strong-" "That's how she carried me out of the river gully..." said Jason. "She carried you out of the valley too," said Chief Anderson, turning around to look at Jason, "She said you were only semi-conscious and couldn't walk. She carried you all the way to the nearest house -almost three miles away." "What does she know?" said Jason. The cerebonic implant technology was one of the Federation's most precious secrets. Had he, in addition to all his other infractions, risked that technology being exposed to outsiders? "She knows nothing," said Chief Anderson, "And it must remain that way for as long as possible -hopefully forever. She was examined today only by Federation medical personnel of my choosing. She has been told that her unusual strength was merely a result of an extreme adrenalin rush, brought on by her anxiety in the midst of a crisis situation. She accepted this as a plausible explanation." "She can't know," whispered Jason, staring down at his hands, "She can't know that she has a cerebonic implant in her head -the secret could get out. If the Spectrans ever found out, they'd have her head cut open so fast..." "Yes," said Chief Anderson, once again using that grave and formal voice that he could do so very well. "I have been, all these years, maintaining a discreet but in-depth internet surveillance of her life in the civilian world. Her school records, her health records, anything that puts her name in the media -all of it gets flagged for my attention." "And you were right," said Jason, drawing his knees towards his chest, feeling so cold again. Cold and alone. "You told me to stay away from her, and I didn't. You knew what could happen, with our implants, but I didn't obey your order." "It's all my fault," he said, forcing himself to look Chief Anderson in the eyes, "I nearly got everyone killed. I'm sorry. I accept and deserve whatever consequences to deem appropriate." He's going to kick me off the Team... "What does Elena think that you do for a living?" asked the Chief, "The standard cover story of low-level security work for the Federation?" Jason nodded. "You will quit the rest of this racing season. You will tell Elena, and anyone else who might ask, that you have suddenly received a promotion in your security job -a promotion that requires you to be off-world -on Riga- for the next six months. And you will spend the next six months living at Center Neptune. Your trailer will be put into storage. You will not go to the track, or to Jill's restaurant, or to anywhere where civilians might see and recognize you. You will use your free time at Center Neptune to train with the Team, and restore and improve your health, under observation from myself and Dr. Lee." Jason nodded glumly. All that mattered in that speech was that he wasn't going to see Elena anymore. He couldn't see her anymore. All the pain he was feeling in his body from the crash, all the pain that wracked his head during his blind spells... It was nothing compared to the pain he felt now. The Chief and Dr. Lee left the room, telling him to rest. Thank God they were gone because he didn't want to cry in front of them... Chief Anderson shut the door of Jason's hospital room. "Young love," sighed Dr. Lee, "Always leads to heartbreak. Poor kids." He and Dr. Lee began walking down the corridor to the elevators. Waiting for an elevator car, Dr. Lee looked at Chief Anderson quizzically. "I am intrigued by something, though," he said, "Something Jason said." "What's that?" "Jason said that you'd told him to stay away from Elena Maxwell, that 'you knew what could happen, with our implants.'" "What's your point?" said Chief Anderson, tapping one foot impatiently. "I'm the implant expert here, and I would never have imagined that their implants might interact the way they did, much less with the results that it caused." He stared curiously at Chief Anderson. "You couldn't have anticipated what happened. What's your real reason for telling him to avoid Elena Maxwell?" The elevator opened in front of them. They both entered the elevator, and stood there in silence. Dr. Lee, realizing that Chief Anderson wasn't going to answer his question, merely shrugged. The elevator doors closed. XXXXXXXXXXXX Princess stared out the undersea window, watching schools of silvery fish swim past. So easy, being a fish... So hard, being human. She knew too much, and it hurt. The Chief's "Elena Maxwell" file had contained medical records from the earliest days of the cerebonic implant program that detailed Elena's implant surgery, and everything that had gone so very wrong in its aftermath So hard to believe that the girl who'd been working on Jason's car at the track had been intended to be a member of G-Force... She sometimes wondered why she was the only girl on the Team. Now she knew that there should have been two of them. That would have been nice, some relief from the bathroom humor and all the testosterone. Jason was supposed to return from the hospital to Center Neptune later today, and live at Center Neptune for the next six months, being regularly evaluated to ensure his symptoms weren't recurring. Chief Anderson and Dr. Lee from the cerebonic implant program had assembled her and the rest of the Team, and explained about how Elena had an inactive implant in her head that had been scrambling Jason's implant and causing all his weird health and mood issues of late. As long as Jason avoided her, he'd get better again, they thought. She seemed to be the only one who realized the emotional toll that this must all be for Jason. And she knew too much. Would she help him, if she told Jason what she knew? Or would she just unleash more pain and hurt, and destabilize the G-Force Team even more than it had been by Jason's crisis? The Chief's private folder on Elena Maxwell had contained a copy of her birth certificate. She'd ran a general system-wide search on both parents' names. She'd learned that Elena's mother had once been a medical scientist for the Federation, but had abruptly resigned. The folder included her letter of resignation, stating her unwillingness to be involved any longer with a medical program that was planning to perform highly experimental research on young orphaned children. Elena had been born about nine months after her mother's resignation from the Federation. A general search of Elena's father's name within the Federation system had turned up nothing, but a wider search had revealed to Princess that he'd been a race car driver, and a fairly famous one, who'd died when he crashed his car while practicing at a track. Elena's mother had been in the car with him and died too. Elena had been almost two when they died. She'd become a ward of the Federation, and been entered into the cerebonic implant program. The very program that Elena's mother had resigned in protest about... How cold, how very cold, that the moral principles of Elena's mother had been so blatantly defied. Princess had started looking for images of Elena's mother in the Federation system, wanting to see her face. She'd found so many images, most of them copied into Chief Anderson's folder. Chief Anderson was in so many of these old photos. Many showed groups of scientists and Federation personnel standing around in labs. Chief Anderson was always standing beside Elena's mother. Sometimes they had their arms around each other. Other photos of Elena's mother were more personal; there was a photo of her on a beach, standing in the waves, and another photo of her smiling and blowing a kiss at whoever had been holding the camera. She'd been a beautiful woman. All of these photos predated her resignation from the Federation: all of them. Chief Anderson and Elena's mother had once been a couple, romantically involved, in love -whatever you wanted to call it- and then she'd suddenly quit the Federation in refusal to do research on orphaned children. She'd taken up with a race car driver, had a baby girl... and later, died with her husband in a car accident. Princess leaned her forehead against the window, gazing out into the deep, blue water. She knew too much now. She'd deliberately invaded Chief Anderson's private files -something she had no right to do. She should suffer in silence with her burden. She had no right to try to lighten the load by sharing it with anyone else... But now she knew that Chief Anderson was Elena's father. Despite what had been put on the birth certificate, he was Elena's father. Genetic testing had been done on Elena in an attempt to learn what had been causing her implant to malfunction and blind her in one eye.

The genetic testing had been done by Chief Anderson, and he apparently had never revealed to anyone one piece of information that he learned -that his own genetic profile so closely matched little's Elena's that he had to be her father. The Chief knew he was Elena's father. He'd been the only one who knew -until now. He'd known since she was not quite three years old. He had put Elena into the cerebonic implant program, knowing full well that it was a spiteful slap in the face to Elena's late mother, the woman he'd once loved, who'd once loved him. The woman who had left him for a race car driver, never telling him that she was pregnant. She'd let Chief Anderson and the rest of the world think that the race car driver was Elena's father. And then he'd found out that the little girl he'd just irreparably damaged, blinded in one eye, was his own daughter. Oh... the guilt and bitterness he must feel. And every time he looked at Jason, he was probably reminded of another race car driver -the one who'd gotten Elena's mother killed. And reminded of all the guilt he carried within himself. Princess moved away from the window, heading back towards the Ready Room. She would lose it if she kept standing here, brooding. She wiped her eyes with one hand. She'd play her guitar for a while, then do some meditation. She had to get her mind back to some semblance of peace before she faced Jason again. She had to learn to bear her new burden, her punishment for intruding where she never should have gone. She'd done it to help a friend, and if she were truly his friend, she had to protect him from what she'd learned. "It's me. He's out to get me. I swear I'm not insane. The man does not like me -never really has." Jason's words came back to her, what he'd said when he'd come to see her in the Ready Room days earlier, and asked her hack the high level security files. She'd tried to reassure him, then that he was wrong. Oh Jason, she thought, you're not insane at all. XXXXXXXXXXXX The End (though I might get inspired to do a sequel)

Hopefully, this will be my glitch for this year! Sorry for any confusion this has caused.

This is a really interesting story, and I'm so glad it had an unexpected ending! Even more, I like how it explains why the Chief always seems to 'have it in' for Jason. It does seem odd that the members of G-Force can hang around with each other and have no problems with their implants interacting, yet Jason and Elena have this problem. I suspect there's more to it... Looking forward to the sequel!

Man, the Condor can never catch a break huh? Always got some kind of heartache going on. Poor guy...

Amethyst I think there's some story notes that got left at the end there after the first "The End." Poor Jason. This would explain so much!

I really liked this story. It filled in a lot of gaps in the canon of the series and helped flesh out some of the relationships that were never really explored in the series!

Wowe. I don't even know where to begin. This is sooooo fantastic!!!! Thank you!!!!!! Anderson had to have known, with his personality, Jason would disobey him. Princess is going to have such a bad time keeping that info inside. And Jason...poor guy. He literally can't be around Elena even if he wanted to.

Enjoyed this immensely, really made me feel for Jason, but the Chief and Princess also have a great burden to bear too. Hope there is more to come, and some of them get the breaks they need.

Originally posted by ChrisW Amethyst I think there's some story notes that got left at the end there after the first "The End." Poor Jason. This would explain so much!

Possible! On my first skim through while posting, I thought it might be an alternate ending. The author can email or PM me and I can remove if necessary.

Wow- what an interesting premise! It sure explains a lot of back story for the Chief and Jason...complete with some key episodes worked in! I really enjoyed this one, and Elena is a well- crafted, believable character! Nice work!

Wow!!!! Wonderful story set in BOTP universe that explains very well the headaches and dizziness and his relation with Chief Anderson....poor Jason! I'm looking forward for the sequel, this plot has a lot more to offer! Well done! Love it!

An interesting explanation of all of Jason's problems -with his health issues and Chief Anderson!

I always wondered why the Chief acted the way he did towards Jason. I thought maybe he saw a lot of himself in Jason at that age and didn't want Jason to make any mistakes he had made. I also considered the possibility the Chief was Jason's real father. They look a little alike... Regarding the implant feedback - I would think they'd be able to recalibrate Jason's to stop the reaction...if they wanted. But in this fic, I don't think the Chief would allow it just to keep Jason away from Elena.

Great story, bringing Anderson and Jason together! I agree with Becky -- they do look a bit alike, don't they? It's always interesting to read their backstory, and this one is very interesting! And Jason once again can't catch a break, can he?