TRAPPED IN A STRANGE UNIVERSE Chapter 1 It had been the worst day since she ever remembered. How things could be that bad? She asked herself over and over again. Since when G-Force was in a never-ending losing streak? And the worst part, how was possible for Spectra to be in a unbeaten run? Those were just some of her thoughts. After returning from their latest defeat, G-Force members decided that enough was enough. They needed to do something and the best strategy at the moment was to take a break. For that reason, Princess came back to Jill's. Upon reaching her room and laying down, she was just looking at the ceiling totally lost in thought. The situation was getting out of control: Mark was feeling the stress after every and each of his strategies were ineffective against Zoltar. Jason wasn't in the best of mood and lately his tendency was to argue with Mark, challenging his authority. Having those two clashing, left the rest demoralised. Tiny and Keyop reminded quiet most of the time while she tried her best to avoid confrontation between those two guys. At the beginning wasn't that bad, but lately was getting worse, she was tired-- really tired. Letting go a long sigh, she turned her head and there it was, the only thing that kept her from going crazy. A grin lighted up her tired face and reaching the frame on her night stand right to the beautiful object next to it. Once in her hands, she then contemplated his face. "If wouldn't be for you, surely I will be raving mad." With her fingers, she followed his shape and with a dreamy face, she began to think about the man portrayed there... the one she was madly in love: Karl. ---------- All began the same day she lost her shoe. That experience was indeed the worst in her life: Doctor Anderson was furious and the rest of the team showed little or no support. Desperate, she embarked in a solo mission to recover the object that could reveal her true identity. Anderson was right, if Zoltar were to find out the secret of the shoe transformation, her cover was blown out and most probably, she could not longer be part of G-Force. So, after hearing about a 'teen contest' from some girls in the Cafe, she went directly to Spectra's hoax and fell willingly into their trap. Together with some other girls, she was about to be taken by a woman everyone called Madam, to Zoltar himself. It was clear that once in his presence, chances were that he would probably recognise her as the female member of G-Force. Yet, she hoped once in Spectra headquarters for some sort of miracle. Perhaps she would be able to recover said shoe. What she didn't know was that on the way to planet Spectra the Zeppelin, together with all its occupants, would encounter something strange and bizarre that eventually would change the destiny of everyone there. Madam was awaiting for Zoltar while the girls lay down on the floor totally unconscious. Initially, Princess managed to cover her face with her hand in order to avoid inhale the gas, so when the lady checked on them, she was simply pretending, waiting for the right moment to attack. Suddenly, the ship felt a sudden jolt and without warning, everyone on board fell to the floor due to a very strong turbulence that later became a spin around the cabin. Princess was thrown around the ship and upon hitting the wall, all finally stopped. Darkness surrounded her and finally, she blacked out. Upon waking up, she saw an unfamiliar person in front. Not believing her eyes, she tried to blink several times in order to focus the blur face that looked at her in silence. "Try not to move." The stranger finally spoke. Looking around, Princess knew that she was in some kind of hospital and the man there for sure was a doctor. She deduced that for the white robe and the stethoscope that was hanging over his neck. She then tried to sit but gently, he prevented it. "You have been unconscious for days, so you better take it easy, young lady. Especially when you have a very serious contusion at the back of your head." His voice tone was soft. She nodded and closing her eyes, swallowed hard as she felt giddy. As he mention, the pain at the nape of the neck was almost unbearable. "Where am... I?" Her question was accompanied with a wince of pain. "Shh-" Was his reply. "You are in good hands, I'm taking care of you." After fully opening her heavy eyelids, she looked at him completely puzzled and couldn't help to ask who he was. "I'm Dr. Karl and you are under my care now." And without notice, he injected a solution in her intravenous drip and with that, he gently slipping her again into the world of dreams. ---------- The following days were full of surprises for Princess. Apparently, the airship that was taking her prisoner suffered a terrible accident and she was the only survival. This alone was a miracle looking at the severity of the accident. Due to the fact that she wasn't carry any identification, the medical personal of the hospital had to wait for her to wake up before being identified and call her relatives. She just gave Anderson's contact and in a matter of an hour or so, said doctor and the entire G-Force team, were there at her side. "What happened... prrrr tttt to you?" Keyop asked concerned, looking at her bandaged head. "I decided to recover what I lost--" "You shouldn't have done something so dangerous." Mark pointed out. "You could've been killed!" She apologised, knowing that he was right. Obviously, Jason didn't want to keep quiet either. "One thing is trying to be a hero and another fall into their snare--" "I know, I know..." Princess interrupted, "it obvious that my plan wasn't the most brilliant, but none of you showed any concern or even offered any help." Looking at her in disbelief, Mark crossed his arms. "Do I have to remind you that I'm your Commander and any mission or attempt to recover what was lost has to go through me?" Princess sighed knowing that Mark would thwart any of her efforts to fully explain her motives, so she decided to remained silent while lowering her head. However, Anderson had remained tight-lipped since they arrived. That was indeed strange and when she looked at him, he just simply avoided her and looked at the other way. Very strange indeed. All of the sudden, Dr. Karl entered the room and everyone stared at the man. Being a very tall and slender figure, he was strangely awe-insparing and somehow his presence impose itself to the others. Something that Jason and Mark didn't quite like at all. "Visit hours are over," He said while he took a serious look at everyone, "you may come back tomorrow." Mark looked askance while Jason scowled at him, but Anderson was staring at him and finally he spoke. "Everyone, let's do what the doctor say." And without further explanation, he led all the guys out of the room. But before he disappeared through the door, Anderson glanced back at Princess for a moment, then he left. She just kept looking at the door, not understanding Anderson's attitude. What was wrong with him? "Are they your friends?" Dr. Karl asked grabbing her attention. "Yes--" Her reply was followed by a long sigh. Noticing that something wasn't right, Dr. Karl sat on the bed very close to her. "Is something bothering you?" She looked at him. And for the very first time, she fully noticed those intense eyes that were like looking through her. There was somewhat very attractive on that gaze. Something that made her feel scared, yet it was alluring. He placed his hand over her shoulder and leaning closer to her ear, he whispered. "You can trust me." She couldn't say anything and simply gazed at him. Moments later she averted his eyes and looked down nervously at her hands. He just smiled. "I got good news for you." He took her hand in his, "in a week or so you will be able to leave the hospital. Once we run some tests and make are sure that the contusion in your head is nothing serious, you may continue with your daily life." As she continued to avoid his gaze, with his slender finger, Karl lifted her chin forcing her to look at him. "Apparently my news didn't bring you any joy." She felt like immersing herself in those eyes, to the point she felt trap. Like a being in a spider-web. There was some serious infatuation going on there. He noticed her nervousness, so smiling stood up placing his hands on the pockets of his rob. "There is nothing you should worry about. Rest well-- see you tomorrow." But before he left, something else was added. "Sweet dreams, my Princess." And saying this, he disappeared through the door. It was until then that she really snapped back to reality. What was about Karl that made her feel like that-- like in the stupor of a dream? ----------

As the days pass by and after some tests, Karl concluded that there was nothing wrong and there wasn't any need for her to remain hospitalised. Before she realised it, Princess was about to leave the hospital the very next day. After that first awkward encounter with the team, everything seemed to be back to normal: during visiting hours, Tiny and Keyop spent some time with her. They were both playing video games while she just enjoyed their company. Jason showed up only a couple of times. After asking for her recovery and few moments of silence, he quickly excused himself saying that he had a race to win. Nothing strange. Every time Mark was there he appeared pensive with nothing much to say and strangely, very evasive... like if he was hiding something from her. Princess didn't pay much attention to his behaviour, assuming the stress he was going through, made him act like that. It wasn't his fault, having one team member inactive during the missions was taking his capability as a Commander to the limit. It wasn't the same without her and her abilities. Even once she tried to ask him what was wrong, but he avoided to answer and excused himself, leaving the room shortly after. It was then that she understood that it was better to remain quiet and just wait for him to say anything. Well, it didn't work either as he just limited his visits to check up on her and after that, as usual, nothing much was said. Standing there ignoring her completely and looking through the window, Mark quietly watched outside lost in thought. After few minutes he would excuse himself as always, leaving her completely perplexed after his visit. However, the strangest of them all was Anderson. The very next day right after his first visit, he came back but this time alone. Unlike the others, he was there to talk-- no, it was more to question her. "Princess, I need to know exactly what happened before the accident." His voice was cold and inquisitory. She then explained him in more detail what she had already told the authorities looking at the air-crash incident. Sitting across, Anderson listened her story carefully, observant to everything she had to say. Obviously, this made her feel a bit uncomfortable. He had never been this distant before. In her opinion, this looked more like an interrogation than anything else. Once she concluded, he asked her again for any other piece of information, any other detail she could remember. Upon saying no, then he just cleaned his spectacles and looking back at her, stared intensely for a moment before excusing himself and leave. What the heck was wrong with him? Princess couldn't understand him at all, it was like he was entirely another person. In fact, every time he looked at her, was all in a flutter. Giving her goosebumps and cold sweat. For that reason and more, every time she met up with Karl, Princess felt that she could allay her anxiety in his presence, throwing away all her burdens. She liked his company and it was obvious that he did as well. Somehow, Karl was keeping her sane during this confusing time even when he spent only few minutes with her daily. For her, they were enough though. ----------

While waiting for Anderson to leave the hospital, she received a surprised. Karl showed up with a big bouquet of pink roses and a small present. At the moment she saw him standing at the door, she couldn't hide her excitement. "Oh, Karl! You shouldn't--" Before she could even say anything else, he was already at her side, offering both items. Taking the roses, Princess brought them near her face to enjoy the sweet smell and when she looked up, Karl was watching her intensely. And suddenly he placed his hands on her shoulders, drawing her closer. His dazzling eyes were right in front of her face, and without any warning he placed his lips against hers, sending a strong electric wave throughout her body. It was just an brief instant the contact they had, but the sensation lasted longer than they would had expected. Indeed there was a very strong chemistry between them and by then it was undeniable. The ethereal contact ended when he slightly moved away from her, just enough to contemplate those emeralds glistening with some sparkles of emotion. For a moment that felt an eternity, their eyes were fixed on the other. Princess was simply speechless and trembling as she couldn't do or even think in what to do. Looking at a single tear going down her cheek, he took a step back understanding her reaction. Softly, with his long fine finger, he wiped it away gently. Flustered and blushing, she just remained there. He smiled. "I want you to become my prisoner..." Her eyes opened wide in disbelieve. Noticing it, he quickly added, "a prisoner of my heart--" Gallantly, Karl pulled her right hand to his lips and gave it a light kiss. "Tell me that you share with me what I'm feeling for you. To be honest, I have never felt this way with anyone before..." "Me neither--" She responded, looking aside as she was not longer in control of herself. "This is so new for me, but what I know for certain is that I want to be with you." His words made her blushed intensely. She nodded in response lowering her gaze. For someone like Princess romance was far beyond duty. Being a member of G-Force was above anything she could desire in life. That was the reason the present situation took her completely by surprise. That reaction from her was all Karl needed, so without saying anything else and smiling, he turned around and simply left. Speechless while standing there, she couldn't even stop him from leaving and after finding herself alone in the room, she sat on the edge of the bed contemplating her roses and the present he placed on top of it. Full of thoughts, Princess didn't even notice when Mark arrived and only snapped back to reality when he rose his voice. "Didn't you hear me?!" She looked at him confused. "It seems you are daydreaming. Tell me, who gave you that?" His eyes were fixed in the flowers, wearing a prominent frown. "It's a gift." "I can see that, but from whom?" His tone sounded impatient. That was it! Princess couldn't take full control of rush of emotions anymore. Leaving him gagging, after taking her present, she just passed by him and headed to the door. He just turned around to see her disappearing from the room. He couldn't believe that she just did that. Enraged, with her gift in one hand and the bouquet in the other, she hurriedly made her way through the corridors until Mark caught up with her. Grabbing her by the arm, finally stopped her. "Don't go so fast!" She just scowl at him. "Sorry, it's just that I... I mean-- well, Jason is waiting for us at the main entrance." He didn't know what else to say and sighing, he just lead her to where their friend was. Once outside, they saw Jason was waiting for them at the entrance. Raising an eyebrow, he also noticed the roses, but unlike Mark he decided not to inquiry further. While driving, he remained quiet trying to figure it out who could had been the one who give her such thing. He was very suspicious and decided to be cautious. Thinking while driving, it didn't take him long to guess that for sure it was that doctor he met there a couple of times. For someone as sharp as him, it wasn't difficult to notice said doctor had shown some interest. Especially when he witnessed how he talked and behave with her. Looking closely at Princess and the way she was acting, an internal alarm sounded in his mind. There was something about that doctor he didn't quite like and his instinct told him to be on alert. ---------- Just after she returned to Jill's, Princess didn't stay long with Mark and Jason in the Cafe. The last thing she needed was another interrogation and for that, she headed to her room. Once there, she quickly arranged the flowers in a vase and sitting on her couch, contemplated the little box in her hands. Slowly the memories of what happened with Karl came rushing into mind. Unaware, she touched her lips that still had a slight tingling sensation, one that took her back to the emotions felt earlier. Shaking her head to clear her mind from the stupor caused by the thoughts of him, she decided to open the small golden box. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw a delicate crystal figurine: the one from a swan. Completely amazed, she stood up to look at it under the light next to the window. It was indeed beautiful as it was delicate carved. It sparkled emitting scintillation all over it. Princess smiled happy. However, there was also a very strange feeling of distrust as she reflected in the fact that her representation in G-Force was also one of a swan. Perhaps was a coincidence or maybe it meant something else. She shook her head again in denial. There was no way that Karl would know about her identity. Convincing herself that it was all just a fortuitous coincidence, she place her gift on top of her night stand and sitting on the bed, she just contemplated her gift wondering when she would meet up with Karl again. ---------- The very next day G-Force was called up for an emergency and Princess had no choice but to reincorporate to duty. Apparently, Spectra decided to attack once again the small peaceful planet of Odin, located in the Herald Galaxy near its borders. As the planet that was part of the Federation, Chief Anderson sent the team to once again to try to keep Odin out of Zoltar's reach. However, the outcome this time was completely different from the first one. In a turn of events, Spectra stroke a big blow to G-Force and miraculously defeated them, knocking the team down to the point that they almost lost their lives and barely survived the attack. Mark and the others couldn't believe it. Somehow, this time Zoltar was ahead of them and anticipated all their movements, turning the tables around. The final result was devastating: Odin was finally conquered and now was at the mercy of Spectra. Totally demoralised, G-Force returned to Earth. All on board were asking to themselves if this was just a random episode or in fact, Zoltar and his commanders finally found out the way to defeat them. Only time would give them the answer. Unfortunately for them, they had a very good clue not long after that. Apparently, Zoltar took a bold movement and brought the next confrontation near home. His plan was to attack a nuclear plant in a near by planet, just outside the solar system. In the past, he tried that with an army of ants, but this time around he opted to use an ingenuous machine that produce earthquakes. Luckily for everyone, Zark-7 managed to evacuate all the personal anticipating an attack and by the time Zoltar launched the assault, only robots were operating the complex. There was a powerful blast after the ground was shaking for nearly five minutes, but no further damaged was inflected into the region as the scientist removed the plutonium on time just before the tremors began. Yet, by the time G-Force counter-attacked, there wasn't much to do and nothing else was there to do as Zoltar abandoned the place after achieving his goal. This became one of the biggest blows for the team as that particular plant was essential for the wellbeing of the Federation. In fact, it was clear that Zoltar knew where to strike. After returning to base, the team was promptly summoned to Chief Anderson's office. Unexpectedly, President Kane was there as well because of the seriousness of the situation. "I believe the enemy has been successful in its attacks lately and this is indeed a very critical situation for us. We can't afford to lose anymore. I regret to inform you that all of you will be grounded for a while, the Federation and Coronel Cronus would handle our security from now on until further notice." This was a big blow for the team, especially for Mark who immediately appealed. "With due respect President, I strongly believe my team and I are fully capable of handling the future emergencies that..." "This has been already decided," the old man argued, "as the highest-ranking military official, I suggest you follow orders without hesitation, Commander." He stood up and without any further argument, he left the room followed by Anderson. The team couldn't believe it. Mark placed both hand over the desk and with frustration, raised his hands to bang on it. The rest were silent witnesses of his rage. Minutes later, Chief Anderson came back and gave them their new assignments. Basically, the team would be training in new defensive techniques while Zark were designing new features for the Phoenix. Tiny, Mark and Jason would be heading soon to planet Riga to train under the squad lead by Coronel Cronus and the rest would remain on Earth until further notice. The news came as a surprise as that would be the first time the team were to be split. Immediately Princess argued. "Is there a reason why Keypo and myself are not joining the others?"

Anderson gave her an icy glare. "You must understand that this was a decision made by the council and your duty as a member of G-Force is to follow instructions, not to question them." Everyone was shocked at the harsh response. She was astonished and looking around, noticed that the rest were avoiding looking at her. Apparently none of them wanted to question their orders anymore, not even Mark. "What's wrong with all of you?" She couldn't take it anymore. "Enough!" Anderson raised his voice. "For what I see, you need to be reminded of your place and for that, I will give you a suspension. Please hand over your bracelet--" His hand was awaiting for her to return it. Utterly shocked she looked at the others, but they were just standing there without giving any support. She had enough! Removing her bracelet, she gave it to Anderson and stormed out of the place. Keyop was trying to follow her but Mark stopped him, shaking his head in disapproval. In the meantime, Princess was running through the corridors with tears in her eyes and once out of the building, she kept on running until she reached the city center. Slowing her pace, she was soon lost in the crowd feeling miserable and for the first time, completely lost. Upon reaching Jill's place, she went to her room and after closing the door, she slid down and sat agains it trying to understand what was happening and why everything seemed to be so wrong. Moments later, her thoughts were interrupted by Jill knocking at the door. Wiping the tears with the reverse of her hand, she opened the room. "Sorry to disturb you, but there is someone downstairs looking for you." She thought that maybe one of the guys were looking for her after feeling bad for the turn of events. "I will be there shortly." Jill nodded and Princess took a couple of minutes to regain composure. After taking a long breath, she walked down the stairs only to find out the surprising visitor awaiting for her. "Karl!" She called him totally taken by surprise. He was there sitting in a booth with what it seemed to be... a big bouquet of red roses? He turned around to face her and smiling, approached her. "You look so lovely today." Were his words to her astonishment. "What are you-- I mean, how do you know where to find me?" "I have to confess that I'm guilty for stealing that information from the hospital records." He leaned down to place a kiss in her cheek. "Are you as happy as I am to see you?" Totally mesmerised, she didn't know what to say or do until he took her hand and swiftly guided her out of the place. A limousine was waiting outside and the driver quickly opened the door for them. Confused she looked at him and Karl promptly explained. "If you don't mind, I would like to invite you for dinner." Looking at the car, she couldn't stop herself. "A bit showy, don't you think?" "For you my dear, only the best." He shrugged and then extended his hand to help her going in. Once inside, Karl instructed the driver to go and he faced her. "Please forgive me for showing up without saying anything earlier, but my schedule is tight and I don't have the luxury of anticipating or plan anything in advance. On the other hand, I just wanted to give you a surprise. I hope you don't mind." "Well, I guess your profession doesn't give you a lot of free time. But, how do you know I was at home? I mean, I just arrived before you came--" He moved closer and his hands enclosed the sides of her face and with his thumbs, traced her cheeks delicately. "Shhh-- that's not important now..." And without further warning, they met their lips and everything seemed like a sweet spell for her. The more they share their passion for the other, the more she was convinced of his true intentions. For the way he was acting it was obvious that he was in love with her and strangely, she was beginning to feel the same. The magical moment was only interrupted when the car stopped and the driver mention that they had reached their destination. Without looking way from her, he smiled and placing his long finger in her lips he softly added, "Shall we continue this later, my dear? Now, there is a nice surprise waiting for you." Karl went down and extending his hand to help her, Princess came out of the car only to discover a sumptuous antique villa in front of her. He smiled at her reaction. "Welcome to my house, Princess." "Come inside, dinner is ready." Interlocking his fingers with hers, they entered the place and a small army of servants were there awaiting for them. Lined up, they all bowed deeply to his master and the lady with him. Princess was indeed taken by the welcoming and once they arrived the impressive dinning room, she promptly asked him what was all that. "Well, I guess I haven't had the opportunity to tell you much about me. You see, my family is from foreign noble birth and this place has been part of our assets for many generations. Sadly, due to my numerous engagements, I hardly spend time here." Both took a seat at the head of the long oak table and placing his hand over hers, he continued explaining. "I only have a couple of days before going for what it seems a very long trip. I don't know when I would be back and for that reason, I decided to spend every single moment here with you. Tell me, would you like to be here in my company for the next two days?" She let go a long sigh. While looking at his hand caressing hers, Princess reflected in the last few days events. Since the accident, everything around her seemed to be wrong... the missions, Anderson's attitude and even her friends-- everyone for the matter, except Karl. Thinking about this, she broke into a smile and he did the same. "This means that you accept my preposition?" He asked and she nodded happily. At that very moment she was trapped, completely spellbound. Without holding back, he took her by the arm and pulling, placed her in his lap slipping his arms around her. The boldness of his action made her feel bewildered by the rush of emotions felt-- especially those of anticipation of what was yet to come. "Believe me when I'm saying that every single moment we spend here together would be unforgettable." By then she was gazing into those eyes, drawn by their shadowy depths. It was clear she couldn't escape from his side. His fingers curled tight into her hair, tightening his grip. Sheepishly, she lowered her gaze blushing. But Karl gently lifted her chin, so she was then looking at him. His handsome face was focused entirely on Princess and she had the imminent risk of falling deep into those eyes. It was like a spellbound. His hands, warm and sort, enclosed the sides of her face and he began to kiss her forehead first, then her eyes. Gasping in anticipation, she just closed her eyes, parting her lips. But Karl wasn't about to give up his game. No, he wanted to enjoy every single moment. "My heart seeks only you--" He whispered near to her ear and then explored her neck with slow kisses, taking his time while searching her face in between. She sighed softly, enjoying the silken touch of his lips. Karl smiled satisfied. With an amused smirk, he stroked her silky hair and gazed at her lovingly. Without warning, he took her in his arms and stood up. While walking away in direction of the stairs, his eyes were solely in her. She was taken back when he carried her in her arms in direction of the second floor. In no time, he climbed the steps and soon he was entering a large room, the master bedroom. Once inside, trembling in his arms, her eyes were fixed in Karl and so were his. She then discovered that his dark irises were still like a lake, only dappled with light of passion-- undoubtedly there were there for her. "Are you ready for what's to come, my Princess?" Were his words when he stopped in front of the canopy bed. "Would you trust me?" "Karl..." Her voice quivered with emotion. She couldn't say anything else. Looking at his handsome face, she realised what was about to happen and irremediably, a knot formed in her stomach. She was shivering. Noticing, he placed a soft kiss in her forehead and then rested his head in the crook of her shoulder, taking in her warmth. "Princess... give me all of your firsts, I want them all, every single one of them--" She gazed at him not knowing what to say. "Believe me when I'm saying that this is all new to me as well, I promise to give you mine as well. So for tonight, shall we learn together?" He sighted heavily in her ear. She could feel their hearts racing in time with one another. Her few breathless words came in broken gasps, mixed in with the hoarse sound of their breathing. Without giving the opportunity to answer, this time their lips were drawn together naturally and still holding her in his arms, Karl lay her down carefully on the bed. "You are the most desirable thing in the universe to me." She gasped at his confession while he smiled with satisfaction. "I won't let anything, even the unthinkable to come to take you away..." Those were indeed very strange words, yet she couldn't think much as he placed his hands upon her soft cheeks and touched his lips to hers. It was a kiss full of passion, desire and need. She melted into it, shivering with pleasure. That was the beginning of something new for both and guided by their instincts, they shared a passion they didn't know was lurking dormant inside and that suddenly, was awaken by the other.

Slowly throughout the night they came to learn much about each other, reaffirming their new discovered love and exploring that shared passion they had for each other. It was magical to discover the very next morning in each other arms, how intense were what they were feeling and the connection for one another. Also, the wonderful horizon of their lives together and how it looked ahead. After sharing a long night of passion, they both secretly knew their paths were strongly linked and it was clear that neither of them wouldn't allow anything or anyone to interfere. Well, it was easier to say than done, but for the moment it was nice to think so. Anyway, looking forward for the few hours they had ahead, both just let themselves be carried by the happiness of the moment... not caring about the future. Especially for Princess as she was living more like a dream than a confusing reality since the accident. Those two days with Karl turned up to be the best punishment that she had ever had for her apparent indiscipline and ironically, Anderson himself was the one responsible for it. Princess smiled just thinking about how happy she was, to the point that actually the thought of it, even hurt. However, at the present moment Karl was there to chase away any glooming thought and forget about everything but them.

Chapter 2 Unfortunately for the couple, those wonderful days passed by so quickly before their eyes and sooner that they would had liked, Karl was sending her back to the Cafe. Strangely, it was the very same morning he had received several calls demanding his immediate return. Holding hands, she was resting in his chest while Karl was caressing her hair lost in thought. "Would you be away for long?" Princess' voice brought him back to reality. "Most probably..." There was a hint of sadness in his reply. An awful feeling of apprehension took over her and nudging against his chest, she tried to hide tears of sorrow. Karl understood perfectly how she was feeling but there was nothing he could do but holding her tightly. Once they reached the place, they realised how difficult was for them to part. Looking sadly at him, Princess tried to contain her emotions. It was in vain, she was already crying. Wiping those tears with his thumb, Karl knew that it was also very difficult for him. So there and then, he took a very difficult decision. "Do you trust me?" Were his words while analysing her puzzled reaction. "If you want us to be together, you must do what I tell you-- without any questioning or hesitation." "What do you mean...?" "Shhhh-- I just told you, no questioning." He placed his finger over her lips. "Would you?" He asked again. A slow nod was her only answer and without further explanation, he opened the door and both of them descended from the car. He embraced her again, so possessive this time that it was like trying to leave his essence all over her. Running his hands up and down her back, he tried to memorise every curve, every part of her that he considered already his. Suddenly, the scene was interrupted by no other than Mark. He loudly cleared his throat and the couple ended the affectionate embrace. Raising an eyebrow, Karl placed Princess protectively behind him and with defiant eyes, he faced the young man in front. Mark remained undeterred, ignoring Karl defensive stare and looking directly a Princess. "We have been wondering where you are as nobody knew your whereabouts, but it's clear that you weren't lost. You have no idea how worried we all have been, looking all around for you and..." "She was safely with me." Karl interrupted with a gesture of disdain. "I see--" Mark spat defiantly. "Well, now that Princess has returned, it's time for her to go inside and for you to leave." He crossed his arms in a challenging manner. Karl didn't respond to his bossy manners and instead, he turned around to face her and changing his expression for a softer one, he placed a quick goodbye kiss on her lips and walked away towards the car. Before entering, he turned to face them and with arrogant tone, he bided farewell. "We shall meet again!" Were his words to Mark. Soon the car took off from there and in no time, it was out of sight. Princess lowered her head for a moment and letting go a long sigh, she turned around and almost ran away from there. Grabbing her by the arm, Mark stopped her and it was then when she finally faced him. His eyes were cold and inquisitive. "Well, I guess it's time for explanations." She couldn't believe it. Besides being rushed in saying bye to Karl, now she was being questioned for her acts. "There is nothing to say--" The boldness of her reaction made him more suspicious. "As a friend I can't demand you, but as your Commander, I could force you to do so." "If that's the case, do it when we are in uniform as for now, I'm off duty." She spatted showing her wrist wearing no bracelet. It was a sarcastic reminder that she was under suspension. And without saying anything else, she stormed back inside and locked herself in the room. Once safely there, away from Mark's meddle manners, she lay down on bed and hugging the pillow let go of her emotions. At that moment, Princess realised how difficult it was then for her being away from Karl. Surprising, after just a couple of days with him, it was clear how deep was her love for him. Closing her eyes, her mind took her back to those wonderful days at his side. She deeply sighed at the thought and sliding her fingers along her lips, she closed her eyes thinking about him. Shivers of emotion ran throughout her body and a soft moan was heard escaping from her throat. Not only her heart missed him but her entire being as well. Opening her eyes, she just contemplated the ceiling thinking about his words. "I wonder what he meant about 'trusting him'--" That thought lingered for a while until she fell asleep. ---------- In the meantime in planet Spectra, Zoltar was arriving and before him a welcome army lined up to great his Supreme Leader. With his characteristic arrogance, he descended from his ship and ignoring every greeting from his commanders and subordinates, entered the imposing building where the Luminous One awaited for him. "Master--" Zoltar bowed with reverence once he was in his presence at the private audience hall. "It seems that your task took you longer than you expected." "Indeed, your Grace. However, I accomplished what you needed for me." He then raised his head to look at the alien face in front. "I gathered the information you requested and as you said, our suspicions were right." "Excellent! It seems that the strange anomaly we picked up in space is working in our favour." "More than that... since its appearance, everything is simply favourable. Every time we have confronted G-Force our attacks are infallible and victory is now in our side. Also, our agents have been informing that our successful attack over of planet Odin has been a big blow to the Federation. The reports even show that our enemies in high levels believe that they beloved team is not longer reliable. They were out of service for a while and that gave us a better chance to counterattack and get hold of some other planets at our borders. In total, we had annexed ten planets and all their satellites." "Good--good." The alien face squinted his eyes. "Now it's time to set in motion the second phase of our plan. Are you ready?" Zoltar didn't respond. His thoughts distracted him for a while until his master noticed and asked him again. "I sense trouble in you... Is there anything of concern?" "No-- forgive me, master. I was just thinking. Is it necessary to get rid of G-Force? I mean-- they are already out of the way and..." "Silence!" His master's voice was resounding loudly. "It's my desire to end once and for all the only obstacle between us and complete victory. Our survival is at stake, so don't disobey me and set in motion the plan to capture those kids and once you have done it, exile them in the most remote region of the Galaxy where they will remain until we achieve our goal." "I shall do as you wish, Luminous One." Zoltar bowed humbling placing his hand over his chest... where he was feeling a heavy burden. "Do it! For your sake and for our cause!" "Yes, Master." And like this, G-Force's fate was sealed. ---------- The very next day, all the members of G-Force were summon into the Federation headquarters. Anderson was about to give them a new task with some bad news as well. "We have received some reports that Zoltar is about to launch a massive attack on the outer planets of the Galaxy. As you all well know, that region is vital for us due to its large amount of natural resources and it's imperative to protect them at all cost. If they fall in enemy's hands I don't want to even imagine the consequences. And for that, it's vital that you stop Spectra. Our reports suggest that we should attack one of the planets in which Spectra has all its data base-- the Icarus region." "But it's there where Lensed Star 1 is-- the most distant blue supergiant star in the entire universe! Anything around it has never been explored." Tiny couldn't stop from commenting. "I know, but we have no other choice. We must take over the planet Icarus orbiting that star and force Spectra to the negotiation table. That's our only chance to recover Odin and the rest of the planets that now aware at the mercy of Zoltar." All the members of the team looked at each other, not knowing what to say. They knew that what Anderson was asking seemed almost impossible, especially when looking back at the recent defeats they had. "Don worry, Chief." Finally Mark commented, "we will make sure Spectra doesn't get hold of those planets." "I count on you, Commander." Anderson nodded but strangely, he looked then a Princess with a stern look. One that made her feel very uncomfortable. Moments later were all dismissed and when she was about to leave the room, Anderson asked her to stay back. While the rest ran out of the place and headed to the Phoenix, Princess remained in the office. "Please, take a seat." She did so and after he did the same, the interrogation began. "I have received some worrying reports about your conduct. May I know where exactly you have been for the past two days and most importantly, with whom?" Swallowing hard, she assumed Mark had written those reports. Well, she couldn't hide the truth anymore, so she went ahead and answer him. "I was away... with a friend--" She confessed trying to appear calm even though she was trembling inside. "And who exactly is this 'friend' of yours?" He crossed his arms and looked at her inquisitive. "Karl..." Anderson stared at her, arching an eyebrow. "Are you referring to the doctor in the hospital?" She just nodded and he stood up clearly upset. "Have you realised what you've done and the danger you placed yourself? He could had been a spy or even worst, a Spectra agent!" Said out loud.

"With all due respect, Chief, Karl is none of that. He is simply a doctor, a civilian that helped me during my stay in the hospital." "Your friend? Are you sure of that? In that case, tell me, what exactly you know about this friend of yours?" His eyes were defiant. "Just enough to consider him my someone trustworthy!" Anderson wanted to continue with the argument, but strangely suddenly he opted to remain silent. Something told him that if he continued, he would learn and face a very unpleasant situation. Instead, both were challenging the other and it was clear for Princess that any attempt to convince Anderson of Karl's innocence agains his accusation, most probably ended up in a serious confrontation. She then thought about the consequences of her acts and lowered her eyes as a sign of giving up her defiantly way of approaching the issue. Anderson noticed it and clearing his throat he simply dismissed her. "You better join the others, but before you leave let me warn you. From now on you are forbidden to meet up again with Dr. Karl. You will be under curfew until further notice. Understood?" Princess only stared at him for a moment before turning around and leaving the room. On her way to the Phoenix, she was thinking about something quite disturbing: for a brief moment she saw those familiar eyes she remembered, but immediately they turned into something different, those of a complete stranger. The more she reflected on that, the more she was convinced-- that guy wasn't the Anderson she knew. These thoughts made her shiver. ---------- Zark had already programmed the coordinates into the computer and soon after take off, G-Force was on its way to the one of the most remote regions of the Galaxy. The unexplored MACS J1149, better know as Icarus. Onboard, the mounting tension was felt. Everyone remained quiet while concentrating on their task while the ship was crossing through a wormhole at many times the speed of light. Princess wasn't the exception and while she was typing all the information in her computer, she was suddenly interrupted by Mark. "Princess, I need to check some of the data with you. Please follow me to the computer room." Everyone looked at her and feeling apprehension, she knew he wasn't calling her for help. In a like manner, she followed him. Once inside, he closed the door and asked her to print the latest Zark's report. She quietly did it. It was evident the uncomfortable feeling between them. Princess was expecting a confrontation between them, however it never came. Mark was only looking at her without saying a word and once she handed over the report, he just read it. The tension was unbearable for her as his cold and silent treatment was worst than any argument or fight. So, she reacted before she would snap her head off. "Why did you write a report about me?" He looked at her confused, not knowing what she was talking about. "Answer me! Why do you have to interfere with my personal life?" "What report?" He was clearly unaware of such thing. "Anderson has a report in which my relation with Karl is very well detailed. That was indeed a very low move, you know?" "Look, I have no idea what you are talking about. In our last encounter, it was apparent to me that whatever happens between you and your 'dear' doctor, it's something that only concern both of you. You made it perfectly clear then..." Mark sneered and took the report from her hand, only to storm out of the place. He was visible upset. She looked completely baffled at his reaction. Moments later, an alarm was sounding throughout the ship and rushing back to her station, a sudden jolt made her lost control and she was thrown against the wall. She quickly regained control only to discover that they were under a vicious attack of the enemy. "That's impossible, we are in a wormhole!" And before she could say anything else, the entire ship was under fire again and suddenly, was spinning without control. It was apparent that they have to do something before the Phoenix blew into pieces. But before she could do anything, an explosion threw her again in the air and this time the heavy impact made her lose her consciousness and everything around her blacked out. ---------- A distance ticking noise brought Princess back from slumber. She was feeling pain all over her body, especially her shoulder, luckily it wasn't dislocated. Most probably the last knock she suffered before she passed out, was the cause of it. Trying to move, Princess realised that something was preventing her from doing so. It was then that she tried to open her eyes. All around her was blurred. Blinking a couple of times, she attempted it again only to discover that she wasn't in the Phoenix anymore. Surprisingly, she was in a sort of a medical ward and the ticking noise came from a monitor showing her vital signs. Closing her eyes to concentrate, the girl noticed that her wrists and ankles were pinned against the bed. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes again and slowly made another attempt to set herself free. Totally ineffective. All of the sudden the door opened and somebody she knew well entered the place. "Finally you are awake." "I knew you were the one behind all this, Zoltar." She spat with disdain. He just remain impassive, looking at her with interest while crossing his arms. "Only you would be capable of such sneaky attack." She panted a bit because of the pain. For a moment she thought that he wanted to approach, but he didn't and even took a step back. For sure it was a trick of her confused mind. "Are you aware that you could had killed us all inside the wormhole?" Her eyes were full of remorse. "Didn't your lame underlings know that you could had altered the mass surrounding us by the assault destabilising the light particles, and that could had lead us directly into a black hole? Or what it's worst, catapulting us into another universe. Not mentioning the possible alteration you could had provoked on entire regions and galaxies. But, why I do I even bother to tell you? Of course you didn't thought about that." He looked at her pensively, remaining silent. Enraged by his attitude, she tried to free herself from the restrained. "Your efforts are in vain, you are now my prisoner." Finally he mention. "I don't know what your plans are, but let me tell you that we will find the way to stop you." He remained silent and approaching her, Zoltar tried to touched her shoulder but she jerked and avoided him turning her face to the side. "Don't touch me... monster!" She was visible altered by his presence. Something he clearly didn't expect. He closed his hand in a fist. He trembled and turning around, he walked toward the door. "Just remember this: you and the rest of G-Force are now at my mercy as you all are in planet Spectra." Princess couldn't believe it. Now they were at the heart of the enemy headquarters and at the mercy of that lunatic. She looked around and couldn't find any indication of the whereabouts of the others. Were they in other medical wards? She couldn't know that. In the meanwhile, Zoltar stormed out of the place, commanding the numerous guards not to let anyone visit or even approach where the girl was. "Nobody should enter, do you understand?" His vassals bowed in response and then, he made his way to his private quarters. Mumbling and with disdain, he turned away anyone who dare to approach him. His tall figure was imposing, but it was definitely more when he made clear to everyone that he was visible altered and in a very bad mood. Once inside his chamber, he took and drank the glass of wine in a gulp and serving himself another one, went directly to the window. From there, one could admire a great view from the city. Zoltar had ordered to construct his headquarters on a top of a hill for overlooking at his domains. Yet, the encounter with the girl left a sensation of a bitter aftertaste. He just wanted to check on her, that was all. He knew she would be hostile on their first encounter, but he had never imagine she would despise him so much. He finished his drink in one sip. Zoltar knew he had to do something, but what? Swallowing his pride, he had no other choice but to try to approach her again. That was the only thing left to do. ----------

"Have you done what I command you?" Zoltar was in the audience hall getting the latest informs from his generals. "Yes, master--" A skull looking masked man responded with a bow, "all of G-Force male members have been gather in the same cel and we are just awaiting for your orders." "Good, good! Once I have informed our beloved Great Spirit, we shall proceed with the next phase. They all deserved to be banished from the known universe, but I guess to be exiled to the uttermost region of the Galaxy will do." He was smiling satisfied. Some of his subordinates looked at each other. It was evident that the rumour was right and the female member of the team wasn't include in the plans and that she had been isolated. Apparently, she wasn't about to join the others as initially thought. It was clear that none of them dare to question his master's decision. However, one of them stepped forward and inquired about it. "What about the girl?" Zoltar looked at him arrogantly for his audacity. Intimidated, he tried to soften his questioning. "I mean, what shall we do with her?" "Maybe I should remind you that your orders are to be followed and are not open for questioning. Just follow my instructions and once those detractors are out of the way, we will continue our efforts to please our Leader and achieve the goals of the cause. So, do what I say!" All of them bowed and apologising, immediately left the place. Swinging back, Zoltar left the place and headed to the place where he would meet up with his master. He looked impassive, but inside was uneasy. How was he going to tell his Master that he decided to keep the girl? His hands, closed tightly in a fist, showed that he didn't want her to be exiled with the others. No, that wasn't what he desire. He had to think on something and do it fast. She had to remain at his side... by whatever means. Moments later, the alien was looking at his right hand. "Have you carried out my orders?" "As you commanded, the members of G-Force are about to be send to Icarus, my Lord." Obviously, he was bowing low in order to avoid looking at his master directly. "You don't sound convince of my decision, is there anything I should know?" Zoltar then raised his head and facing him, tried to explain his reasons. "Yes, it's with regards of the girl. After some consideration, don't you think would be useful for our cause to keep her with us? I mean, she has been the key of our success..." "What do you have on mind?" The Spirit asked intrigued by his request. "Well-- Dr. Glock did a wonderful work with her before, so maybe he could transform her into a valuable ally. Don't you think, Luminous One?" Zoltar was indeed feeling very nervous and apprehensive about the answer at his request. "Certainly she has been a good asset, but why do you want to keep it? After all, she is still part of them?" The alien squinted trying to read Zoltar reaction. "I want her... to run further tests." His request was simply, but bold. Silence prevailed for few tension moments, then laughing, the Great Spirit let him know his decision. "Very well, if that's what you want. Let's consider this as an opportunity to know more about her, but listen carefully: she has to be vanished with the others, it would be too dangerous if she discover who she really is... I won't tolerate any mistake, not now that we are so close to achieve my victory!" Pleased about the news, Zoltar couldn't hide his excitement. "I assure you, Great Leader, that she won't cause us any trouble... as soon as I'm done with her, she will join her comrades." "Just make sure she does, I grant you twenty-four hours, no more. You may leave now, I need to prepare the next phase in our plans to conquer the universe." "As you wish, Luminous One." Zoltar bowed and with a smile, he immediately went out looking for Dr. Glock. Time was running out for him. ---------- On the other side of the complex, the other G-Force members were trapped in a heavily guarded cell, surrounded by an energy field. Even though Mark and Jason tried their best to scape their imprisonment, all their efforts were in vain. "It's a fool's errand!" Tiny pointed out totally demoralised. "We have to keep on trying as we don't know what that 'long bat ears' have in store for us." Jason wasn't about to surrender, so he kept on looking around the cel for a way to scape. Keyop looked desperately at Mark who was crossing his arms, analysing their options. "We have to... prrrr tttt... scape, they still have... Princess." "I know. But at this moment we need to concentrate our energy in making our way out of here. Don't worry, we won't leave without her." Those words somehow reassure the youngest member of the team. Even when Mark sounded calm, inside was nervous. Indeed, he had a strange feeling about all this. A strong hunch was telling him that the fact she wasn't with them was somehow related with her behaviour for the past few days and the recents events. If he didn't know her well, he would say that she was in some way involved in their capture but, how was it possible? Mark knew that he needed to concentrate his efforts in their scape and decided to set these thoughts aside. There were more important issues right then. ---------- The person at the center of all the commotion around was trying her best to set free from her restrains, but it was futile. She couldn't even made them loose. Suddenly, a group of masked girls entered the room. One of them approached her and giving her a look of scorn, began to release her. "I warn you, don't try to scape." Her blue mask covered her face, but Princess could feel her displease. Princess looked around and she was surrounded by heavily armed guards. Those girls were known in Spectra as the 'Galaxy Girls' and they were dreaded by everyone who encountered them. Once she was set free, Princess had no choice but to follow them. "May I know where are you taking me?" "You will know that soon." Was the girl coerced response. They walked through the corridors until they reached a section of the complex where the security was tight and there were many men patrolling the area. The girl with blue mask talked to the guards and soon they reached an entrance with a group of them standing guard over a set of doors. Soon they were opened and only the girl and Princess entered while the rest remained behind. "Remove your clothes." She ordered. "What?" Princess couldn't believe what she just said. "You must remove them as they are an insult to our Great Leader. You may wear those over there..." She pointed to one side of the room. "Do it behind the screen, there is a more suitable garment for you." Totally confused, Princess didn't understand what was all that about. Looking at the girl, she refused to do it. "No, I won't." "It's an order!" She uttered with exasperation. "It's pointless to resist. We already know your identity so you better do what you're told and don't dare to disobey, or your friends will pay the consequences." "Where are they? Tell me!" She desperately demanded. "Alive-- for now. Do what I say or else..." That was serious threat and Princess didn't have any other choice. Her friends' lives were at stake and depended of her good judgment. So for the moment, she couldn't do anything but to follow what she was asked for. Going behind the screen, she de-transformed and quickly changed into the clothes placed there. The dress looked it was made of fine silk and it fitted perfectly on her. The green colour matched her eyes and she had to admit that it was gorgeous. Coming out of there, Princess walked toward where the other was. Impassive, the girl asked her to take a sit and wait. The Galaxy Girl proceed to the doors and then, left the place closing behind her. Letting go a long sigh, Princess waited for what was about to come, but in the meantime she looked around her surroundings. The chambers were lavished as everything inside was very sumptuous. "I have to find a way to scape." She said to herself while screening the place. ----------

In the meantime, a tall figure promptly was entering a private hall with a trouble mind. Over there, he quickly grabbed a fine glass and poured some wine. He really needed it. 'What am I going to do with you?' Was the constant question in his mind. "Master Zoltar--" His thoughts were interrupted by his subordinate, "the girl has been placed in the room and we are just waiting for further orders." He bowed in respect. "Leave her there. It seems that The Luminous One is really fond of her. She will be useful to our cause." What the man didn't know was that Zoltar was talking about himself. Indeed, somehow he couldn't part from her side and had no choice but to hide her for a while and then, maybe kidnap her from his own people. Not knowing what to do next, Zoltar was cognisant of his situation: he was indeed in a real trouble. ---------- Princess continued waiting in the large room. It seemed to be be impenetrable, therefore scraping wasn't possible. Fidgeting, her mind tried to come out with a plan when stealing a glance at the frame at the wall at her side, she noticed a painting. Turning around to look at it better, she realised with horror that it was Zoltar's portrait. Having knots in her stomach, she had a bad feeling about that. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted when the doors spread open and Zoltar made a showy entrance. She tensed at his presence that made her feel uneasy. He looked throughly at her and putting a satisfactory smile on his his face, approached closing slowly the doors behind him. It was as the predator was upon the pray. Defensively, she stood up to confront him even though she felt nervous inside. "You look beautiful in this--" He was looking at Princess up and down with satisfaction. "I don't know what you pretend with this charade, don't forget that we can still defeat you... even here in Spectra." Still feasting his eyes on her, Zoltar couldn't help but to smile. Something that totally confused her. "My dear, you will do what I say or else... Karl will suffer." Struck by his words, she couldn't say anything else. It seemed that the enemy also got to know about Karl and maybe by then he was also their prisoner. Zoltar came nearer and stretching his hand, with his long fingers began to caress her side of the face. Completely paralysed, she was just trapped, succumbing to his lure. Strangely, at that moment she felt something familiar... all that reminded her of someone and pulling away from him, stepped back trembling. With his hand still on the air, Zoltar closed it in a fist and visible enraged, he just turned around, disappearing from the place. She sighed in relieve. But moments later, another tall figure made his entrance and with tears forming in her eyes, she called him. "Karl!" Running toward him, both carried away in a tender embrace. "I thought I would never see you again." She desperately told him. He slipped his arms around her and she did the same, fitting comfortably together. "Shhh... don't worry. I'm here, my love." His words soothed her trouble mind. Parting for a moment, their eyes met and placing his hands upon her soft cheeks, touched his lips to her. Later he drew her into his arms with a lovely smile. Without wasting time and taking her in his arms, Karl walked to the bed and sat at the edge. Then, his warm lips enveloped hers again. Softly at the beginning before start kissing her passionately, hungry everywhere-- all the places she was longing for his touch. At the beginning, she felt a bit apprehensive because they were still prisoners of Spectra, but his tender and lovely ways made her soon forget about their reality. More relaxed, Princess responded to his kisses fervently. "This is what I feel when I'm with you-- the only woman I want in my life." She looked at him in awe while her heart raced uncontrollable. Later she smiled. "I want to be that woman--" Princess said with conviction kissing him again. Eventually, she just let her love for him guide the passion of the moment and soon both of them were sharing an unforgettable yet strange encounter... one that lasted all throughout the night. ---------- Laying down, Karl was looking distracted at the large window at the side while stroking her hair. It was early in the morning just before down and the two Suns orbiting the planet ware about to rise producing a nice range of orange colour in the sky. Sunlight came thought the glass door, giving the room a golden hue. The view from where they were, was simply breathtaking. Princess was still sleeping peacefully over his bare chest and his mind had a train of thought. Karl couldn't sleep. Probably because he couldn't take his eyes off her and didn't want to miss a moment. However, he was worried about what the future had in store for them and for that, he was holding her tight as though he was afraid of letting her go. He was in a delicate position, not having the luxury to think about what he wanted but what he ought to do. Karl sighed with frustration. Why everything had to be so difficult? Turning to look at her, Karl feasted his eyes on. She was peacefully resting and her rhythmical breathing told him that she was sounded sleep. He couldn't help to sigh. Tenderly, his knuckles were caressing her cheeks. They felt so soft and they still had a hint of blush-- a remanence form a passionate night. He smiled satisfied. From the very first moment he saw her, something inside him made him skip a beat. He then clearly remember how it all started. After she was rescue from the accident, the strange anomalies involving the event set everyone in high alert and in order to investigate what exactly what happened, she was taking to a hospital on planet Earth. For obvious reasons, the Great Spirit pointed him and soon he was directly in charge of her. The extent of the abnormality sensed by the Ruler of Spectra, complicated even further her situation. Her mere presence was deviance and was even render dangerous. For that reason, a radical solution was taken and it was decided that she would remain in custody. For that, just after Dr. Glock operated her, she was under his direct care. At the beginning, he thought of it as just part of his duties, checking what it seemed the only survivor of Spectra's crash site. Apparently, there were some irregularities and after some tests and to his astonishment, her secrets were finally revealed. Yet, sooner after medical procedures were made, he supposed to delegate his duties, but the more time he spent with the girl for some strange reason, the more he wanted to be at her side. Why was that he couldn't stop thinking about her? Normally, he was unusually distant and not particularly friendly with any one. But she was different, even though they were on opposite sides. That was the reason why he eventually asked to be appointed as his doctor. Perhaps that girl had achieved what it seemed impossible for him: to fall in love. Now looking at her, safely in his arms, the thought that she could be taken away tore at his heart like a cold, jagged knife. That sense of loss almost overwhelmed him as he was about to lose someone truly special. Pondering over what was about to come in few hours, made those thoughts all more painful. He needed to do something and he had to act fast. In the meantime, he was holding her in his arms tightly, swearing to himself that no one or nothing would take her away from him. He would do whatever for keeping her at his side. That was a serious promise he made to himself, yet he wasn't sure if he could even accomplish. ----------

Hours later, the soft mattress under her made Princess sigh with bliss as she felt warm and cosy. Sluggishly, she eventually open her eyes and smile. Princess was finally awake and rolling to the side of the bed, she noticed it was empty. Quickly she got up and looked around, Karl was nowhere to be seen. She even called him a couple of times, but apparently he wasn't there. Thinking about what happened last night, she couldn't help telling to herself. 'No wonder I fell asleep, what happened was like a dream.' She then closed her eyes bringing back to life those intense sensations; still feeling the sweetness as those emotions suffused again. Karl was definitely the only one who could make her feel that way. She opened her eyes again and it was then she realised in horror what just happened: they both spent a night of passion in Zoltar's private chambers and even slept in his own bed! Panicking and in a hurry, she jumped out of bed and running behind the screen, she slipped into her own clothes. She was still zipping up the trousers when someone entered the room. It was an old looking man with glasses, white hair and beard, wearing a white robe. "Please, follow me." He gesture towards the door. Like being caught red handed, Princess had no choice and walked behind him and soon some guards were following behind. She was worried, really worried about Karl. Maybe they took him away while she was sleeping, but how? She wasn't a sleepyhead, on the contrary, she tended to wake up at the slightest noise. No, something wasn't right. Karl appeared and disappeared from the room and no one was making any fuss about it. "Where is he?" She stopped walking and question the man in front. "I'm not here to answer your questions, young lady. You must come with me." And a push from one of the guards at the back told her that they were not going to tolerate any delay. Finally they entered what it seemed to be a large laboratory and shooting a look at the place, she noticed a single stretcher at the center and many devices connected at and surrounding it. Sweating profusely she then realised the reality of what was about to come: she was brought to be place there at the center, while those crazy scientist ran heaven know what kind of procedure. Shaking her head, Princess knew that she had to escape, but at the moment she turned around to get away from there, a tall figure stood in her way. Looking up, her eyes met those of Zoltar. "Going anywhere, my dear?" He grabbed her wrist and took her to the stretcher. "Are you ready Dr. Glock?" The man nodded. "Let me go, you monster!" Princess tried desperately to free herself from his wrist grab, but he wasn't keen to let her go. Once on the stretcher, she was tied from the wrists and ankles even when she struggled with her captor, but it was in vain. Soon the girl was laying down and a device was slowly lowered until it reached her forehead. A scan appeared in one of the monitors and the old guy looked at it with interest. "Like I predicted, her brain waves are still producing an opening." "What?!" Zoltar was taken by surprise. "Can you do something to stop it?" Shaking his head, the old man bowed. "It's impossible now, if we don't do something she may cause a tear in space... something irreversible and with long-lasting effect." Zoltar then turned to her, a decision had to be taken and fast. Looking at the situation, there was only one thing to do and he knew it. In the awake of what was threatening the mere survival of planet Spectra, with heavy heart he made his choice. His facial expression harden and Princess picked up on everything. Drops of sweat were forming and running down her face. Noticing, Zoltar stretched his hand to wipe them up but half way he stopped, doubting to only to retrieve it later. "We are ready to follow up, Sir-- our tracking device des integrated in her brain, but I have here another one to replace it." Dr. Glock bowed to him in respect. She was shocked. So this is how they knew about her location and the others. That was indeed a very low trick. However this time around things were different. Faltering for a moment, Zoltar remained silent to everyone's surprise. While Princess closed her eyes preparing herself for what was about to come. Out of the blue, an alarm began to sound loudly and everyone in the room looked at each other with confusion. Zoltar quickly turned and walking toward the surveillance monitors, saw in horror what was happening. There it was, the cause of the commotion: four figures running freely throughout the corridors. "How did they manage to scape?!" Yelled pounding the panel. The guards were completely confused and it wasn't until Zoltar screamed at the top of his voice that all of them headed promptly to the area in which the members of G-Force were already fighting. Princess aware of what was happening continued to try to set herself free, but a hand cover her mouth on the spur of the moment. It was Karl. His eyes reflected desperation and releasing her from her restrains, took her by the hand and both were running away from there. In a completely opposite direction where G-Force was. Looking back, she tried to tell him. "Karl, it's the other way!" He didn't respond and continuing, he just pulled her along with him. All the commotion made their scape easier and all of the sudden, they were at what it seemed to be a restricted area. Totally taken by surprised, Princess looked how Karl placed his hand over the small panel on the door for scanning. She then with horror realised what was going on. "Oh no... you are one of them!" Her voice died by the shock of it. Karl looked at her with remorse, not knowing how to explain the situation. So, he opted for dragging her inside-- totally confused she just followed him. Once in the secured large room, he brought her next to what it seemed to be a glowing opening. "Promise me that you will cross this portal without looking back..." His words were firm and he avoided her eyes turning his back on her. Yet he was still holding her tight from the hand. Snapping from her astonishment, Princess took control of the situation. "I won't do anything unless you explain to me what this is and why you didn't mention anything about being an agent of Spectra--" Sadly, her words were very distressful and he let go of her. Closing his eyes and fists, he threw back his head and looked at the ceiling. "Please, don't make this more difficult than it is." Finally, he turned to face her with wavering voice. "If you remain here any longer you will be of great danger for all of us. And even if I could somehow contain the abnormality, eventually you will be exiled with the others, that's beyond my control and would be too much for me to bear..." "But... why?" "G-Force members have no chance to succeed in their scape. By now, all of them are most probably captured and awaiting for their sentence. You are in a universe where everything is different from yours. They are not your fiends and unfortunately, this is the only chance you have to scape and go back to where you belong." "What do you mean? They are not--" "Have you notice..." He interrupted, "how much they distrust you? Somehow they have sensed it all this while." He was right. Their distrust was more than evident, especially with Anderson. It was all very clear for her at that moment: the Chief she had known all her life would had never treated her the way that man did. How come you didn't realise it before? Princess turned then to the portal. Looking bewildered, she was staring at the center from where the glowing light was emanating. To her surprise she could distinguish at the distance another planet, one that resembled earth. Noticing her confusion, Karl took a long breath. "That's your universe and your planet-- where you come from." His eyes were fixed on her. "My love, you don't belong here. Your realm lies beyond this portal and if you stay here, sooner or later your presence will irretrievably alter the course of events in this place... forever. Not mentioning that it will greatly affect you and you might be in an imminent danger." The truth was hard to swallow for her, yet the surprises didn't stop there. "No... I don't understand--" The emotions were overwhelming and she was speechless. It was until Karl approached and placed his hands over her shoulders while looking at her intensely, that she finally understood as suddenly recognised him. "It's you!" He simply nodded with a small sad smile. "You can't blame me, my Princess. It was impossible not falling in love with you." His eyes reflected happiness covered with hints of nostalgia. Taking a step back, she just simply shook her head in denial. "You are lying... this is not happening. You will never be him-- that monster!" Her words pierced deep in his heart, but trying to remain truly in control he spoke softly. "Over here, reality is different. Believe me or not, we are a society looking for what is best for our kind. We fight to survive, not to attack and destroy. The Federation wants us to surrender so they can manipulate our population with their hidden agenda. We are aware of their ultimate motives: to enslave every single region of the universe. Maybe where you come from things are different. Even my other me is the total opposite and his motives are others-- I wouldn't know." Caressing her face with his knuckles, he But what I can certainly tell you is that I love you with all my heart."

Tears clouded her vision and it was until she felt his soft lips over hers, that she could control the rush of emotions. He drew her into her arms with a lovely smile. His embrace was warm and enveloping. "Promise me that you will be okay... and never forget this: for you my love, I will make the impossible-- possible." His eyes were clouded with sadness. It became important for him at that moment to think about her, her wellbeing, not what was right or wrong. Her survival either with him or far away, was the priority at the present. And for that, Karl would do anything. So taking her by the wrist, suddenly brought her for one last embrace, placing his hands on her waist he pulled her strongly into his chest, taking a long breath filling himself with her aroma at her neck. For Princess all this was confusing. Her mind was in conflict with her feelings and the whole situation and, it was becoming unbearable. Karl o whoever he was, surely was feeling the same. Trying to fight the internal turmoil and the sadness, suddenly she hugged him back. She wasn't ready to say goodbye... never want to have to let go. He sighed deeply taking from her one more kiss. Slowly and softly he savoured and hugged her tight one last time. But before she could even say anything, in a bold and rapid movement, then swiftly took her near the opening and simply pushed her inside. A sudden explosion shook the place and Princess disappeared behind the spectre of light. She was gone within seconds and Karl just stood there, simply contemplating the emptiness left by her. The thought of her rested in his heart, besides his strongest beliefs. Unfortunately, they were clashing with each other as a part of a great contradiction. Yet, both matters were of the utmost importance in his life. A shadow of pain covered his face and turning around, he simply walked away. There wasn't much left for him to do there and it was simply too painful to remain in that place. ----------

Chapter 3 Moments later a very well known figure was arriving into the grand hall where all his troops and subordinates were gathered. In front of the crowd four prisoners awaited their fate. Zoltar raised an eyebrow and looking at them, was about to pronounce his judgement when a man ran into the place demanding his attention. "Who dare to interrupt me?" He yelled sounded quite annoyed. "Master, we just received news from the Federation!" He kneeled at his feet. "So? Tell me! What's so important?" The man looked at him totally concerned. "The entire Federation has attacked our fleet posted in Odin and they are now in control of the planet." In horror, Zoltar stunned turn to look at G-Force. The Commander just smirked knowing what had happened, like he knew it before hand. Totally enraged and wasting no time, Zoltar gave his orders and his generals were dispatching all troops around. Suddenly, Dr. Glock appeared with who it seemed to be the fifth member of G-Force. Squinting at the girl dragged by one of his goons, Zoltal felt like his heart skipped a beat. "She was found wondering near the high security area, Sir." Zoltar couldn't believe his eyes, maybe Princess somehow was returned to him by some sort of miracle. Strangely, this girl was wearing her uniform. He descended the steps in matter of seconds until he was in front of her. The girl looked disoriented and totally confused about what was going on around her. He lifted her chin to look into her eyes and dishearten, he discovered that it wasn't who he thought she was. "Take her with the others." His voice showed disappointment and for those few who knew him well, even dissatisfaction. "Princess!!!" The younger member of G-Force called her excitedly. However, she just looked at them totally lost and it wasn't until the Commander took her into his arms, that she finally reacted. "Are you okay?" She looked at him nodding with relieved eyes. The girl blushing, timidly leaned over and cuddled him for few seconds. At this point while looking at them, Zoltar felt like if was a dagger piercing his heart. It was like looking at his own Princess betraying him. Turning around, he walked away. Even when he knew she wasn't his beloved, that scene was too much for him... it hurt. More than ever, he knew that it was imperative to get rid of that impostor of a girl. He was about to pronounce judgement and banished his enemies forever to the end of the known Galaxy, when an explosion was heard not far from they all were. At that critical moment, it seemed that another emergency arose. "They are attacking us!" Someone cried out while Zoltar and his generals turned aside and before he could even react, another explosion destroyed part of the hall. When all of them were just about to counterattack, G-Force was already fighting and were getting rid of their captures and in no time already escaping. "Capture them!" Were the orders but it was too late, they were already gone and soon disappeared in the confusion of the attack. Zoltar was helplessly witness of his defeat... sadly, it was the beginning of many to come.

Meanwhile in another reality, a girl slowly opened her eyes. She was in what it seemed to be an open field in the middle of nowhere. Feeling dizzy, Princess sat slowly and with one hand trying to control the massive headache, she looked around trying to recognise her surroundings. 'Where am I?' She questioned in her mind. The place wasn't familiar and it was eerily quiet. All of the sudden her bracelet beeped. "Princess? Can you hear me? This is Mark!" Not knowing exactly what was happening, she decided to answer. "I'm here--" "Are you okay? What happened?" She reassured him and giving her coordinates, in no time Jason and Tiny picked her up. They didn't waste time and rushed her to the hospital. Taking her to a secluded ward, the two of them waited for the rest to arrive. At the moment he saw her, Mark embraced her concerned. "You really made us fret about you." She couldn't understand what was he referring to. "We...prrrr ttttt... were worried... prrrr when you... ttttt... disappeared." Princess was totally taken by surprised upon hearing that. "Disappeared?" "Don't you remember?" Tiny replied, "after the strange light appeared in the radar, you and the ship that kidnapped you were sucked up by that hole..." "You see, we were following the Zeppelin that took you and the other girls and all of the sudden... puff! The ship was gone." Jason continued explaining while she slowly began to understand what exactly they were talking about. Suddenly, all of them were interrupted by Anderson arrival. Straight away he ran to her side. "How are you?" His eyes looked genuinely concerned. They were not the same icy ones she previously had encountered, and that was a relief. With no doubt, this was the Anderson she remembered. Staring at him, Princess could see again those familiar eyes again and she smiled. "I'm fine." "You really have us worried since your disappearance yesterday." Anderson explained. "Came as a surprise to know that everyone else was rescued unharmed an hour later from the crash site in a nearby planet, as we picked up the SOS signal." "We almost were on the way to Spectra to rescue you." Mark interrupted. Anderson agreed and continued. "First, we suspected that a wormhole was the cause of the disappearance and it simply tele-transported the ship to another location. This was confirmed when the first reports stated that everybody on board were found fine and we promptly rescued them... all of them were there, except you." Princess was shocked to everyone's surprise. "Where have you been?" Obviously Mark was worried at her whereabouts. "And how do you get to the place we found you?" Shaking her head, Princess decided to keep to herself the truth. "I simply don't know." Lying was something she didn't like, not to her friends. So she lowered her gaze and played nervously with her fingers. For them, she gave the impression of being very confused not knowing what they were talking about. The reality in fact, was another. "How long did I was gone for?" That question came suddenly out of nowhere and truly confused them as they never expected it. "Of course it was just for a day, don't you remember?" Tiny's eyes were fixed on her. She then understood. Like Karl mention, somehow she crossed the boundaries between two realities and therefore, time wasn't making any sense. Knowing the truth was truly disturbing, especially because in her mind, she had been gone not for one but several days. "I guess Zoltar's magic trick didn't work this time. You see, right after you were gone, we engaged in a battle with Spectra. I'm glad his kidnapping attempt failed as well as all his goofy plans, and we finally defeated him after a long night of counterattack. For some strange reason while you were gone, we couldn't even go nearer him." Jason only crossed his arms blithely. "Princess... prrrr ttttt... we truly need you!" Keyop couldn't help to express how he felt. However, upon hearing Zoltar's name, Princess felt something deep in the pit of her stomach. The others continued talking but her mind wondered around the memory of her beloved. Whatever that present situation meant, it sounded like everything was somehow going back to normal. She sighed, both in relieve and in longing. ----------

A couple of days later, Princess left the observation ward in the hospital and was back in her room. Once she entered the place noticed something strange: it seemed that Karl photograph was missing and when she asked Jill about it, the other girl looked at her confused not knowing whom she was referring to. In conclusion, it was apparently that indeed, in this reality, he had never existed. She sat quietly on the bed, looking absentminded at the empty space where his photo and the crystal swan he gave her, supposedly be resting. A familiar beep got her out of her thoughts. "Princess, we need to gather now, Spectra is attacking once more planet Odin. Meet us at the Phoenix." "I'm on my way, Commander." With those gloomy thoughts set at the back of her mind, she rushed out of the place. Not long after that, all the members of G-Force were onboard and Zark-7 was giving them the details of their mission. It was apparent that Zoltar was sending a full force to take back the planet. Observing the monitor, Princess spotted the enemy signal. 'For sure he is in there.' Those were her thoughts hunting her throughout the journey. "Is everything okay?" Mark asked her moments before reaching her destination, while she was distracted looking at the enemy's position in the radar. "Yeah, all is fine." She replied with a smile and Mark did the same. Princess knew that she needed to put aside her inner turmoil and concentrate in their mission. Soon, they were entering the atmosphere of the planet and at the distance, they saw their objective: a weird looking golden beetle attacking the main city. In no time, all of them were engaging in a battle and before the enemy could do anything to stop them, G-Force was right inside the monster. Tiny remained in the Phoenix, as always. "Jason, take Keyop with you. You need to take down and destroy the engine room while Princess and I infiltrate their defences and try to capture Zoltar." Princess couldn't help to let go a gasp of air. Looking at her, Mark noticed her paled face, but it was distracted by the second in command. "Hey, what makes you think that this time around we will capture that slick pointed ears?" It was obvious that Jason wasn't quite confident of the plan. With quizzical glare, Mark made himself clear. "The only way to bring Spectra to the negotiation table is to show them that we are not longer tolerating any of their dirty tricks. Capturing and bringing Zoltar to justice is our best bet." "Well, if you say so." Jason shrugged. For Princess, that wasn't an easy task. What if that man behind the mask was Karl? There was a remote possibility that somehow he followed her and now he was just trying to lure them to that place in order to see her? 'What if?' Was the question. It was obvious that her mind was in conflict with her heart. Furthermore, his words were echoing in her mind: 'I would make impossible, possible." 'No, he's not that man! He's still in the other dimension. No?' Regardless of her internal turmoil, she needed to focus and follow Mark who was already on the move towards the main room. She shake her head and in no time, she was running at his side. ---------- After adjusting the wires and manipulating the security system, both were entering a large hall that it was oddly dark. Trying to slide off without being spotted, both kept themselves hidden behind a column. Mark tried to adjust his eyes to the dark in order to monitor the situation. She was doing the same. Suddenly a laugh told them that they were right inside a trap and strong blinding lights were aiming at them. "Well, well. What do we have here?" Princess recognised his voice and placing her hand over her forefront to shade her eyes, tried to locate him. In moments, the entire hall was fully bright and Princess realised that a numerous army of fully armed robots were pointing their guns at them. "Please don't feel shy and come to say hi." Zoltar descended the few steps from what appeared to be the bridge and walked towards them. Strangely, he ignored the Commander and went directly to her. Trembling, she avoided his gaze as she felt uncomfortable before him. But taking her by the chin, he forced her to look at him. Unsure of her reaction, she couldn't avoid him and their eyes locked at each other. His smile disappeared at the moment his gaze found hers. For the briefest of moments, both of them had a strange yet alluring 'deja vu' that left them breathless. Zoltar tried to open his mouth and it was about to say something when a sudden jolt tumbled him at the side. All the robots were immediately neutralised and fell lifeless. The three of them looked around not knowing what was happening and after a set of more explosions, another jolt was felt. That one was so strong that for Mark and Princess was obvious that Jason and Keyop were successful in their mission. It was time to scape and Zoltar made an attempt to do so, but Mark prevented it by taking him by the arm. Smiling, he let go a device he was hiding in his belt and a sudden cloud of smoke allowed him to set free while Mark was choking. Princess didn't waste any time and followed him to the foot of the steps. Zoltar entered a transparent tube that for sure would take him to his scape hatch. However, when Zoltar turned to look at her, their eyes met again. Her eyes inspected the oddly familiar face, and for a moment she saw those features that she was longing for. But this time, his reaction was to give her a small nod and smile, saying something that she couldn't hear because of another explosion. Moments later he disappeared in the middle of the commotion. Standing there, she couldn't do anything but to sigh and call him softly. "Karl." That was all she could say. Did he recognised her? Well, she wasn't sure of that even though she thought there was a brief connection between them, maybe all of that was a cruel trick of her mind. A gentle touch over her shoulder brought her back to reality. "Is everything okay?" Mark looked at her with concern and to reassure him, she just nodded. "It's better for us to get out of here." And pulling her from the hand, they both made their way out of the place that it was already collapsing all around. Once they all were safely inside the Phoenix, a message from Zark-7 told them that Odin had been freed from invaders and that at the very moment, Spectra was retreating to its space borders again. Everyone gave a sigh of relief... all of them but her. ----------

Days later, Princess was running alongside the rest of the team. They were perusing Zoltar once more as he was again trying to scape from his airship. It looked to them that this time he would be finally captured. But in a strange turn of events, Zoltar managed to sneak away and all of them found themselves trapped in what it seemed to be a great hall with many doors. "What shall we do, Mark? It would take us long time to go through all of them!" "Jason is right." Tiny commented screening the large place. After considering the odds, Mark took a decision. "No choice, we need to split." He looked at his friends. "Each one of us will take one door and if you find Zoltar, call the others right away. It's imperative that we capture him. Understood?" "Roger!" Was the answer heard before all of them were running in opposite directions. Going through the long corridor, Princess reached what it seemed to be a hangar. Over there, many small airships were lined up. Cautiously, she crossed the place toward a small entrance. Staying aside, she peeked to cheek if anyone was there, but it looked empty. Stealthily, went inside. However, when she advance few steps the door closed abruptly and a loud laugh was heard. She looked up and there he was, the person she was eager to encounter again. Princess never felt anything like that before. The man in front was driving her crazy, but she knew that was wrong... he wasn't him, Karl would never act like that, trying to slave others for the sake of power. It was a conflict she could hardly control, yet she needed to make sure she did it. Slowly, she approached him with Karl's last words resounding in her mind: 'for you, I will make the impossible-- possible.' Again and again, those words were constantly echoing inside her mind. Impassive, Zoltar simply stood there giving her his back. She couldn't tell what was he trying to do just staying there without trying to scape. Perhaps he was up to something or maybe he... no, that wasn't the case. She shook her head. When she was only few steps from him, Zoltar turned around silent, gazing at her intensely. "Well, well, well... what do we have here?" Zoltar lowered himself from a platform and then he was right in front of her. Princess placed her hand over her weapon and noticing, he just smiled. "I wouldn't dare to do that, my dear." He approached her and just when he was close enough, took her by the wrist. "You are too beautiful to die. You see, this is the main arsenal room in the ship and if you try to use your toy... you know very well what would happen." "I will do whatever it takes to bring you to justice." She spat. In fact, those weren't her words but Mark's. Her mind was as confused as her heart and obviously, was feeling edgy. "I'm not so sure of that, you see, I have other plans for you." She felt a knot in her stomach and a cold sweat ran through her back. With eerie voice and a wicked smile, he took something out of his belt. It was some sort of remote control with a red button in the middle. "Girl, because of you my plans have changed as you have opened an opportunity... or should I say a door, for me to accomplish what I've never thought I could achieve before. And for that, you will come with me." She was shocked for his strange statement while her heart beat widely as he dangerously approached her. Both of them were face to face. Suddenly, he pressed the device and the entire place started to shake and without warning the airship was spinning out of control. Zoltar and Princess were flying all around the place and when she was thrown against the wall, all went black. She had lost consciousness. ---------- Feeling the heaviness of her body, Princess could hardly move. The hard surface under her told her that she most be lying down on most probably pavement. Gathering all her strength, she made an effort to lift herself up, but it was in vain. She was feeling weak and her sore muscles refused to move. Taking a long breath, she tried again and this time she managed to sit. Still feeling dizzy, she slowly tried to look at her surroundings. It was an open space. Shaking her head, focused into something no far from her. Great was her surprise when she discovered that all the members of G-Force were there with her. All of them seemed to be still unconscious. With great effort, she crawled and went directly to Mark. He was lying down face down. She kneeled next to him and began to shake his shoulder. "Mark, Mark. Please wake up." He didn't respond. Not far from her were Jason, Tiny and Keyop. Whatever happened, at least they were together. Now that she regained some strength, this time Princess stood up to have a better look at the place. Now it was clear for her that they were in a some sort of runway, maybe in an airfield. Nonetheless, when she looked up discover with horror what was up over there. In the sky there were two Suns. That sight gave her chill bumps. "We are not on earth... this is-- Spectra!" She swallowed hard. How could that be possible? She didn't understand it, but what she was sure of was the fact that they needed to get out of there. She turned again to Mark. Shaking him again, slowly he was recovering. One by one, she helped the others to regain consciousness and not long after that, they were already looking at their precarious situation. "We have to get the hell out of here." Jason commented and the other nodded. In no time, Mark spotted a hangar no far from there and sooner that they thought, were in a stolen ship taking off and abandoning the orbit of the planet. Once safely out of Spectra limits, Mark contacted Dr. Anderson and updated him about their whereabouts. "Return to Earth as soon as possible." Were his instructions. "We are facing a great crisis here." "We are on the way. Please give Zark our position, so he would be able to calculate the best route to take." Moments later, Zark-7 was sending all the necessary information for Tiny to manoeuvre the airship through space. All this while, Princess was feeling uneasy, like if something wasn't quite right. The last memory she had before she woke up in that airfield was that she was confronting Zoltar. However at the moment she remembered him, she felt her heart beating hastily. But she didn't have time to think much about him as they were approaching their destination. Upon arrival, all of them were greeted by President Kane himself. Strangely, Anderson wasn't there. "What's the crisis Chief Anderson told us about? And by the way, where is he?" Mark was feeling anxious and needed to know the full extend of the situation. "He have to deal with another emergency, so I came here in his place." The old man explained that Spectra had launched a full attack and now all the defences on Earth and main regions of the Galaxy were almost annihilated. For all of them, it was an unprecedented outcome of the events. This time the Spectran Empire had easily defeated the Federation. Knowing the stark reality was a big blow to all of them. For the first time G-Force felt truly powerless. "You need to do something to stop this madness." The man's voice was a plead more than a command. "We will try our best to set free all the regions and planets that the Spectran Empire have taken. You have my word." All of them looked at the Commander with admiration. He was right, they were the only ones capable of doing so. Yet, it was easier to say tan done as they weren't aware of the full scale of the situation. ----------

For the precarious present state, the team was sent immediately in their mission and strangely, Anderson never met up with them. Instead he just communicated with them through the main screen in the bridge and also through Zark-7. Oddly, his message was short and when Mark asked him for more details, he was very evasive and vague in his answers. Later he gave the excuse that Zark would be the one dealing with them, sending his orders soon. Even when Mark felt that Anderson was behaving strangely, he simply obeyed and followed the instructions given by the robot. Princess printed the document and Mark read it. Those weren't good news at all. To their surprise, their mission consisted in returning to Spectra and bring Zoltar before the intergalactic court to be judged. His crimes against the peace and wellbeing of the Federation were indeed serious. Especially when out of the blue, he aimed his attacks against weaker planetarium systems of the galaxies, taking quickly control of entire regions of space. All in just matter of days. Strange as it seemed, all of that happened while they were absent fighting Zoltar and their mysterious transportation to Spectra during their last mission. Mark himself couldn't believe that as well, apparently this time Zoltar were eager in his quest for power. No, normally he would had launched an attack and then another. This time he was using all his forces in full scale... like he just went mad out of the blue. Maybe this state of affairs was triggered by the fact that they almost captured him. Perhaps. However, reflecting on his orders, Mark question himself over and over again: how would they achieve what seemed to be impossible? Even when they were the mighty and reliable G-Force, accomplishing the assigned task meant that they have to immerse themselves in the heart of the enemy's territory and to make it worse, they had to do so all by themselves with no backup at all. The Commander looked again at his orders, the more he read them the more he was convinced that it was a suicidal mission. It was the very first time that he felt completely by himself without the support from Anderson who by the way, seemed to be avoiding him. "Mark." A voice distracted the Commander from his chain of thought. "What's the plan once we reach Spectra air space?" Tiny was looking at him trying to understand their mission. "Once we approach the orbit of the planet, you and Keyop will remain here while Jason, Princess and I take a scape capsule to enter the planet. Once there, please wait for further instructions." "And how exactly are we going to capture 'pointed ears'?" Even when Jason didn't show it, he was feeling very uneasy about it. "When Zoltar is captured, Tiny will pick us up." "That isn't as simple as you say. Remember, at the moment we capture him we will have the entire planet missile defence pointing at us." Jason was right. "I know, but it's our duty to follow orders. If we capture him, we will bring Spectra and its Leader to the negotiation table. Otherwise, our forces will continue to suffer. At this moment, they have already crossed our borders and we have the great danger to lose it all." Mark couldn't control himself and finally shared with them the severity of the situation. Even when he was told not to do so. "They what?!" Jason spat really surprised no hiding his anger. Letting go a sigh, Mark then approached him. "I shouldn't have told you, but I guess all of you deserve to know what's happening. Especially now that our lives are at stake." Sitting quietly, Princess was having conflict of emotions. She couldn't believe what was going on and somehow, she felt responsible. If she wouldn't had doubt about capturing Zoltar when she could, maybe that wouldn't had happened. Somehow her feelings for Karl intervened and took over her. Yes, most probably was her fault. Suddenly, all the alarms in the ship sounded alerting them of an imminent danger. When Tiny turned on the screen, all of them gasped when they saw that an entire fleet was in sight. "How do they know we were coming? Evasive action, Tiny!" Mark yelled. But when the pilot wanted to turn around, an invisible power force trapped them and even when Tiny tried to set them free, he failed. In no time, G-Force was surrounded and later, taken prisoners to Spectra. ---------- In a maximum security prison, all the members of G-Force were chained against the wall. Without their weapons, there wasn't much they could do but to await their fate. Suddenly, the door opened and a very familiar face walked inside. It was no other than Dr. Glock. When he approached, headed directly to Princess to have a better look at her face. She instinctively turned aside when he lifted his hand to touch her. "Don't dare to touch her, you geek!" Jason threaten. Ignoring him, he took her by the chin and after a close inspection smiled. "I see you are back." His words were confusing for everyone else, except her. Princess recognised him right away. It was the same man in Karl's dimension. But, how was it possible? She already returned to her universe, didn't she? In the midst of confusion, the man ordered to take the girl and even when Jason and Mark protested, she was carried away from there. On the way to the unknown destination, Dr. Glock ordered to change her uniform for her civilian clothes, as it would be an insult to anyone in the planet, especially where they were going. Unwillingly, she flashed her bracelet and in no time, she was already in her civvies. "Better." The old man commented and continue walking. Upon reaching what it seemed to be a high security area, he instructed her to enter the strange looking door. The numerous and strange regal and alien symbols told her that whoever was inside, it was definitely someone of importance. Dr. Glock open the door and bowing, he remained there while she was asked to go inside. The heavy door closed behind her. Soon, Princess found herself in a even stranger looking hall. Even when she was alone, felt a strange presence and looking around, she discovered some sort of large a screen at the center of a gigantic panel. Out of nowhere, a ray of light illuminated the place and it was so powerful that it blinded her momentarily. Covering her face with her forearm, she couldn't distinguish anything. "So, you are the one responsible for my success." A deep loud voice was heard. A face gradually appeared over the screen. Princess was still trying to adjust to the light. When she did, she couldn't believe her own eyes: she was in front of an alien being, which presence was definitely imposing. "Who... who or what are you?" She timidly asked. "Be careful, girl. Your insolence could be dangerous here." It was another voice coming from the back, more exactly from the entrance. Princess turned around and there he was. Zoltar entered the place and closing the door behind him, walked toward the center of the room. She felt her heart racing at the sight of him, but strangely, he just passed by her side and getting closer to the being, he bowed in respect. "Luminous One, your plan has been successful. Almost all the regions from the known Universe are now under your control." So, it was now clear for Princess. That face was no other than the ruler of the Spectran Empire. Knowing the truth agitated her. The being squinted menacingly his eyes. "I want you to carry on with the next phase of the plan." "What shall I do with our prisoners?" "They are not useful anymore, so do as I originally planned for them. Their exile will be a warning for anyone who try to go against us. Nobody would attempt to attack us knowing that without their precious G-Force team, they are at my mercy." Bowing again, Zoltar couldn't hide his excitement. "Your Grace always come up with the best ideas! And what about her?" Finally he turned to look at her. Princess then notice the coldness of his eyes. They were totally different from Karl's. No, the man in front of her wasn't him. Realising that made her feel cold sweat running through her body. What happened to him? "She's not longer useful to me. Do whatever you want with her." "As you wish, my Lord." With a sinister look and wicked smile, he walked toward her and taking her by the wrist, he simply conveyed his decision. "You heard that, time to join your comrades." And even when she resisted, he dragged out of there forcing her to follow him to where the others were imprisoned. Suddenly, a masked guard approached them and then bowed low. "Sir, the Luminous One requires your presence." Not knowing why his master called him back so sudden, Zoltar had no choice but to obey. "Take her to the others. I make you full responsible if she escapes." "I will take full responsibility, Sir." The guard's face remained low as he was still bowing. Without saying a word, Zoltar stared at her for a moment and then turned on his heel walking back to where his master was. In the meantime, the guard took his gun and pointing it against Princess back, ordered her to move. They walked straight into a long corridor and passing through many security stations, they finally reached an entrance. It took them to a lower level, directly into what it seemed to be the main security post. "She's Master Zoltar's special prisoner." The guard explained to the captain in charge. "The girl needs to be taken to the prison cell in the northern sector." Nodding, the man opened the security doors and soon they found themselves in a maze of corridors with guards everywhere. Princess was still walking in front of the guard, but she was analysing the place looking for the right moment to attack her captor and escape. Thinking about that, she didn't notice that guard was looking closely at her.

Out of the blue, while they were going through an intersection, he pulled her toward a door and pushing her inside, closed it behind him. Catching her unguarded and in a bold movement, he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled directly to him. Before she could do or say anything he caught her lips and rubbed them against his. For a moment, she tried to released herself from his grab, but those lips were known to her. They tasted very familiar and when he parted to look at her, it was when she knew what was going on. Those loving eyes belonged to no other than Karl. He stroke softly his fingers over her cheeks. "I missed you so much, my love." Taken aback, she just looked at him puzzled. Noticing that, Karl removed his mask revealing himself. With a smile he kissed her again, but this time with passion. Princess couldn't resist it and grabbing his neck, pulled him closer to her. Being again in his arms made her forget the world around them for a moment. Even when it seemed impossible, somehow he found to way to be with her again and nothing else mattered. After a while they parted from each other and placing his forehead against her, their eyes locked into the other. "Miss you so much!" He whispered clearly excited. "Me too." Her smile was accompanied by some tears... she was truly moved by their encounter. "I told you I would do the impossible." Upon hearing this, something inside Princess snapped all of the sudden and taking a step back, looked at him suspiciously. "Wait a minute-- how... how come you--?" She couldn't finished the question as she realised something really important: he was Zoltar, wasn't he? Then, how was it possible for him to be in two places at the same time? Because she clearly remembered see them both together and even talking to each other. Something wasn't right, therefore she took two steps back. Karl knew why she was acting like that. So, calmly he tried to explain while he took two steps forward. "When you left everything went back to normal. Maybe I should just have carried on with my life, but the memory of you and what happened between us, was truly a torture. During days I tried unsuccessfully to open back the gate, I failed miserably. I was about to give up when one of the scientist suddenly picked up your brain signals. Somehow you were opening the portal again." "Portal?" She was so confused that didn't notice Karl placed his hand over her waist. "My darling, initially you came through a portal that connected parallel universes. It seems that you swapped places with your counterpart in my universe, provoking a shift of events in both universes. In mine, G-Force became invincible, totally opposite to what they were, whilst in yours they became... how do I put this? Simply losers, especially without my brave love." Truth was hard to swallow and Princess was bewildered with the news. It was then when Princess confirmed her suspicions. There was no way that Spectra were taking full control of the known universe, unless... they were all blown into a parallel universe with the evil Zoltar! Unfortunately for everyone, this time the entire team was in the very same one she had been before. Could she face up the reality of what was happening and take the blame? The very thought made her tremble and had a panic attack. It was obvious that Zoltar... Karl-- no the other evil Zoltar she knew, the one from her reality, was the one behind all this mess. He had to be. S, presently, there were two of them! She gasped flustered. "I would love to continue our conversation but we need to hurry up. Our universes are now been affected for your presence and the others. That Zoltar took over my place when I was sent to yours and now he has been manipulating our Great Spirit, if we don't hurry the fate of my world would change forever." "How did you managed to go back?" Karl let go a long sigh. "You see, somehow both of us are now connected." With loving eyes he cupped her face in his hands. "The Zoltar from your world somehow managed to reproduce your brain signals." Karl then caressed her head lovingly. "Opening a new portal, but apparently, he forgot to close it. I was walking near by the room where initially we had our side of the Portal when a ray of light involved me and fainted. When I woke up, I saw it right in front of me and I notice it was gradually closing. So I knew I had to do something and I just slipped through it. My guess is that whatever the other Zoltar is using, he no longer have any control over it and in matter of hours, the portal will close again... and this time, I'm afraid it will be permanently." His words were like a whisper at the end and had a hint of sadness. "What shall we do?" She looked at him sensing he was hiding something, a very important detail. This was all too confusing and she was getting anxious. "If you, Zoltar and your friends don't return as soon as possible, a singularity in time and space will appear, affecting all of us. The very fact that there are two Zoltars in this world it's already creating an anomaly of serious consequences. I can sense it and its effects are getting stronger." To her surprise, Karl rolled up his sleeve and showed her what it seemed to be a dark patch over his skin. "This is what I mean: antimatter particles are invading me. I knew this would happen if I were to face my counterpart, but it was vital that you and your friends scape, so I needed to save you. Order must be restored and that means... I'm afraid we need to-- say goodbye once more, and this time forever." He swallowed hard, visibly moved. Princess just gulped, thinking about the effects, Karl's life was in danger. She shook her head. "No, I want to be with you-- please tell me there is a way to do it..." "I wish there were, but unfortunately our paths insist in going if different directions." He hugged her tight and both embraced knowing that their time together was about to come to an end. Karl kissed her forehead and placing his mask again, urged her to transform. Once in her uniform, he caressed her face and taking her by the hand, both came up stealthily from the room. After running for a while, they reached a door with security access. Karl placed his palm and immediately opened. Princess walked inside and heading to what they seemed to be the prison monitors, searched for the rest of the team. "I found them!" She commented excitedly, but when she turned around to Karl, her heart skipped a beat. There he was. For the first time she saw her beloved dressed as the powerful and enigmatic man he was. "Sorry, I have to be Zoltar if we want to release your friends." Like a magnet, she felt attracted to him. Her love for him was so great that even that facet of his, was alluring. She approached him and placing her hand over his cheek, she simply smiled. "You don't need to apologise for what you are-- not to me, at least." He placed his hand over hers and kissed her palm. "You know something, you are truly an amazing woman and I'm proud to say that you are the one who truly conquered me. My heart belongs to you!" Both smiled while their eyes connected their souls. ----------

Back in the prison, Jason was still trying to set himself free from the shackles over his wrists. Using a shuriken, he almost accomplished it. Tiny and Keyop were monitoring the guards and the security cameras. Meanwhile Mark was strategising their scape. He noticed a small door across the hall from where the guards were coming in and out. Most probably it was their main garrison. Their priority was to scape, however there was another problem: to rescue Princess. He was trying to figure that out when the main door opened and a tall imposing figure entered the place. Unexpectedly, the team saw Zoltar approaching them and right behind him was Princess. Still in shock, Keyop called her while Mark looked at him menacingly. To everyone surprise, Zoltar just ordered all the guards to leave. Confused, the men looked at each other but this time, Zoltar yelled at them. "It's an order, leave!" All of them did and soon, he was alone with the team. Immediately, Princess ran to the guys and in no time all of them were set free. Before anyone could ask for an explanation, Karl came up with one. "We don't have time to elaborate on. Listen carefully, all of you must follow me to your only chance to scape. Yet, there is something that needs to be done: capture Zoltar." Everyone was simply stunned and completely speechless. "Did you just said what I heard, 'Pointed ears'? You mean, capture... you?" Jason couldn't restrain himself. Karl just glared at him and without answering, he just urged everyone. "We don't have time to loose. Come on, let's go!" "And what makes you think that we will just follow you?" Finally Mark questioned him. Looking at the situation, Princess didn't have any option. "There are two of them!" All the rest turned to look at her completely taken by surprise. "What he is saying is right. We don't have much time to waste, please, you must trust him... out there is our real enemy and he's the one launching a final attack on the Federation. It's important that we stop his plans of conquest and bring him home with us." "Are you on Zoltar's side, Princess?" Tiny couldn't help himself for asking. "Trust me, I'm with all of you-- I know that everything now seems to be confusing. All I can say it's that for this time, please believe in what I'm saying. Let's capture Zoltar and go home." For some reason, saying the word 'home' made her feel like a torn stung her heart. She turned to look at Karl and somehow she could see in his face that he was feeling the same. "What... prrr tttt... shall we do?" Keyop faced the Commander who was crossing his arms, still considering the possibility that what they were hearing was the truth. After few moments that seemed like an eternity, Mark finally made a decision. "Let's go, we need to capture the other 'Zoltar'!" And running past Karl, he headed to the entrance. Without doubting, the rest followed. Soon Karl was alongside Mark guiding the rest and no long after that, they all were in front of an iron gate. Placing his palm over it, the heavy doors opened and they entered what it looked like a enormous hangar. "He is somewhere here." Karl mention while searching the place. Coming up to him, Princess asked him softly. "How do you know?" "I can feel his presence. More important, he's looking at us right now and preparing his attack. Somehow I'm able to read his mind." He whispered at first. "Get ready!" Was his command loudly and instinctively, he placed Princess behind him and took his gun, ready for the upcoming attack. Suddenly, an army of robots were coming their way and soon, they were all fighting them. It was a rare sight to see Zoltar fighting alongside G-Force. What the others didn't know was that he was mainly protecting Princess and getting nearer to his main target: his other self. Meanwhile, that said person was yelling orders from one of the control rooms. All the captains and their subordinates were running around the computers and monitors to intensify their fight with the help of the robots. Unfortunately for them, G-Force had no problem to defeat them. Then their faces were reflecting panic. "What are you waiting for?" Zoltar screamed at the top of his head. "Capture them all!" However, when he turned to look at the hangar hoping to see a favourable outcome, it was when he noticed something not quite right, he could even feel it and it was very strong. He had a strange feeling and looking closer with reservation at the monitor, noticed another fighter alongside G-Force. Pressing a button to zoom it, he almost faint as he saw a mirror image of himself. Shaking his head he denied it, but it was true and hard to believe. Closing his fist, he hit the monitor forcefully releasing all his frustration. Yet, his mind started to think clearly. "So, you are here." An evil smirk appeared in his face. "Well, if that's the case, I just need to send you through the portal to my universe and close it once and for all as I decided to remain here. This place is not big enough for both so us." Quickly, he headed to the hangar and when he made sure Karl saw him, escape through one of the gates. Karl didn't waste time and began to run through the complex in his pursue, G-Force followed him behind. In no time he find himself in the same room where a glowing light was spinning at high speed. Approaching stealthily, Karl asked the rest to wait and soon he found himself entranced by what was reflected beyond the center of the portal: it was planet Earth, surrounded for what it seemed to be an entire fleet and ready to attack. "This can't be happening!" He said to himself. But before he could react, Zoltar descended upon him and both were fighting against the other. By the time the rest reached the place, they discovered the two Zoltars. Apparently, during the fight, Karl was trying to get hold of the device that controlled the Portal, but it flew away from Zoltar's grab and landed near the entrance. So, by the time G-Force arrived into the scene, Princess stumbled across it. Taking it in her hand then looked at the two men fighting. At the look of them, she was confused not knowing which one of them was Karl. It was a precarious situation as with one hand was holding the device and the other grabbing her weapon. Drops of sweat were running down her forehead. Which one was Karl and which one is Zoltar? Not knowing made her feel anxious. 'Trust your heart!' She told herself in her mind. She was about to act when suddenly, someone else intervened. It was Mark sending his boomerang against them and one of the Zoltars irremediably fell on the floor completely unconscious. Gasping, she was witness how the other Zoltar was looking for something. Was it Karl? Cautiously, she approached and when she was near, he noticed her presence. At the moment both of them looked at each other, they breathed a sigh of relief. "Karl, I have the device!" She showed it to him. "We have to use it now as there is no time to lose, look..." He pointed at the Portal and everyone there witnessed the imminent danger looming up over planet Earth. "G-Force, that's your universe and your planet. You should leave now and save your home." Mark understood immediately the whole situation as he realised that Karl was telling the truth all this while. So calling the rest, he approached the Portal and stood next to Karl. "Sorry if we didn't believe you. Now I see that you are truly in our side. Thank you." "If I were you, I would've done the same." Karl said with a smile an offered his hand as sign of reconciliation. Stretching his hand, the Commander shook it friendly while smiling. A strange feeling invaded the place and everyone felt somehow emotional. Not everyday one could see that kind of gesture between two 'sworn' enemies.

"Let's get out of here!" Jason reminded them at the time he was picking up the other Zoltar and placing him over his shoulders. "We have a planet to defend." Everyone nodded and one by one all of them began to cross the Portal. "Coming, Princess?" Mark asked her as they were the only one remaining there with Karl. "May I have a moment with Karl... alone?" It didn't take long for Mark to understand it and simply nodding, crossed the Portal disappearing as the rest did. Now that both of them were completely alone, a nostalgic feeling surrounded them both. She knew their parting had come once more. However this time around, she didn't feel as apprehensive as few days back. More important, something inside her told her that things were different and like before, somehow they would cross paths again-- and very soon. "I guess this is when we have to say goodbye." Karl moved closer to her and carefully, removed her helmet. A cascade of silky hair covered her shoulders and in no time, he was already caressing it. How much he loved to do that! But before she could even respond, Karl took her on the spur of the moment by the waist and suddenly, covered her mouth with his in a hungry kiss. As their lips pressed together, Princess felt like floating. The way his lips connected to hers had been as always: like pure magic. The world around them seemed to be slowly disappearing, along with all their worries. His hand was still at her waist and in a bold movement, Princess arms pulled him even closer when she reached up and tangled around his strong neck. It was then when they both truly felt connected, like becoming one entity. Maybe their love was beyond reason and was taking them to an entire different level. Sparks flew in every direction from the Portal. It was like a sign... maybe telling them that it was right they were together. Perhaps. In the meantime, their lips were moving in perfect sync. All their passion and love that existed between them were laid bare. No more secrets, no more hidden surprises. And as slowly as they were recovering from their dream-like world, their hearts were going back to their normal pace. Karl stared at her so intently, like engraving every detail of her face in his mind. "It's time to go--" He whispered while stroking her face softly. Overwhelmed by the emotions, she couldn't respond. Only nodded and pulling herself apart form his chest, she turned briefly to look at the Portal. It was gradually closing and soon would disappear. It was the moment to go back home. He noticed her inner conflict and kissing her on the forehead, later placed the helmet back. And holding hands with hers, they slowly approached the spinning light. "Don't see the lines of love and loss entwine, together we can overcome this and much more... our love goes beyond this or any other realm, my love." He kissed lovingly her hand and looking at the universe at the other side, his voice sounded serene. "Promise me that you will be safe and that you will be always happy." With a lump in her throat, she opened her mouth but no words were heard. He turned shooting a look at her again, a soft smile was there. "I love you, my Princess... never forget that my heart is yours and will always be--" And saying that, he moved away from her and waited. Princess wanted to run back to his arms, but she knew there was no use prolonging the agony. In this way, gathering up courage she took two steps closer to the portal and before she jumped into it, turned around to face him. "I love you, Karl!" Moments later, she disappeared under a burst of light and before he knew, she was gone. All that remained were some sparkles and a faint sphere of light. With the device, Karl finally closed the Portal and with his arm still stretched, he remained there for few moments until a crack was heard. It was the device, now broken in numerous pieces by the strength of his emotions. The frustration caused by a sense of loss. Shedding a single tear, he promised himself there and then that he would do whatever was needed to go back to her. No matter the cost or time. ---------- Feeling groggy, Princess was trying to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt so heavy. Seemed like her body didn't want to response, but she tried again. This time she finally opened them slightly and her eyes were blinded by the strong light. Trying to adjust herself to the brightness, she painfully blinked a couple of times and managed to focus what was above and surrounding her. It was a white room with some machines at her side. 'Where am I?' She asked in her mind as no words seemed to come out. Her throat was dry and feeling very thirsty. She got aches and pains all over, like if she was knocked by a speeding car. But before she could remember, someone entered the room. "Princess, you are awake!" It was Tiny still holding the knob of the door. "Hey guys, come here!" Moments later Keyop, Jason and Mark rushed in. All of them looked worried and in no time, they were questioning. "What happened?" It was Jason showing some concern. "You... prrrr... gone prrrr ttttt... we worry about you!" Keyop took her by the hand. She just looked puzzled at everyone, not knowing what exactly they were talking about neither where she was. Totally confused, she remained silent while trying to recollect the last events in her memory. Slowly and painfully, she remember her las moments with Karl. So, while their friends were talking expressing their concerns and worries, she was simply having pieces of memories coming back. Especially of those concerning a man she then believe lost forever. It was overwhelming and she couldn't help but cry quietly. Astonished, the rest looked at her. "Are you okay, Princess?" It was Mark asking while holding her hand. Her eyes met his and before she could say anything, Anderson entered the room interrupting the moment, "I came as soon as they told me." He sat on the bed and Mark let go her hand. "You really had us worried, Princess." His concerned face reflected his sincerity. "Since your disappearance we were looking all over for you." Mark commented. "Luckily, the ship that kidnapped you mysteriously crashed and we rescued everyone, including all those other girls and you." "C-crash?" She finally spoke not knowing what they were referring to. "Don't you remember? I guess that massive bump in your head means that you have completely forgotten about everything that happened before you blacked out in the accident." Of course Jason wanted to make a point. Now that he mentioned, she was feeling a sharp pain in her forehead and taking her hand there, she could feel the bandage over the bruise. It was then when she realised it. Somehow she went back in time-- to the precise moment she supposedly traveled through the portal for the first time. Strangely, she was at home not in a strange universe... not with Karl. At that moment, the door opened and she quickly turned to see a man in a white robe entering the place. Her heart started beating fast at the thought that it could be him. Unfortunately, he wasn't. It was another guy and when he noticed that she was awake, went to her side. "I'm Dr. Mathews." And then he began to check on her. "I need to know if you feel any pain." He began to check on her. Eventually, Princess got to know about the accident and Spectra unsuccessful plan to find out her true identity. Fortunate for her, the others found her lost shoe in the crash site and basically, everything went back to normal. Everything but her broken-heart. As the days passed, Princess got her strength back and sooner that everyone thought, she was discharged and returned home. When she arrived, everyone was there to give her a small welcome party. Surrounded by the care and love of her friends, Princess forgot for a moment about her painful loss. After the celebration, went back to her room and once inside, truly felt the loneliness that Karl left with his absence. She sighed sadly. "It's not the same without him." Her words were full of nostalgia and tears appeared rolling down her face. Loneliness invaded her at the thought that most probably, they would never meet again. ----------

Slowly and gradually, she was recovering and getting back her life as a member of G-Force. However, sad and gloomy thoughts were her companion day after day as her sense of loss was too great to bear. One day, walking alongside one of the busy avenues of the city, she realised something peculiar: all the windows and shopping malls were displaying the typical decoration for a special day. With surprise, she then remember that Christmas Day was approaching. With a smile, Princess entered a very pretty looking shop and soon she was taken aback by the spirit of the season: the decorations, the lights, the presents, but mainly the joy and happiness in everyone's face. For a moment, she felt the cheerfulness of the ambience invading her melancholic heart and it was carried away for the magic of the celebration. It was indeed very welcome. Immediately, she began looking around for presents for everyone. At the end of the day, her mood was cheerful. Christmas was the time to be marry and it definitely gave her many reasons to celebrate with all her dear ones. All of them, except one. Back at Jill's, she quickly went to the attic and looking around the numerous boxes, finally found what she was looking for: the one labelled with 'Xmas deco' that had been hidden away for months. For hours, she removed everything from there. Sometimes cleanning others untangling, and at the end of the day all the season decoration was ready and adorning the place. She smiled satisfied. On Christmas Eve, everyone was invited for the celebration. Even Anderson came to enjoy with all the team. The Christmas tree was lighted up and at its base, many gifts were there already adorned by pretty wraps and tags. It wasn't a surprise that everyone came with many others and soon it was a beautiful sight. Right at midnight all of them were exchanging presents. Princess smiled cheerfully as Keyop received many presents and the little one was more than happy eating delicious chocolates and wearing a nice new sport cap and t-shirt. The same was for Tiny that was more than excited about getting a new fishing rod and all its accessories. Regarding Jason and Mark, both got really nice presents: one a new pair of gloves for driving and the other for flying. Anderson was pleasantly surprised to receive a new book that of course, was wisely recommended by Zark and the guys bought. Princess didn't know much about quantum physics, but she had been exposed to the subject and even experienced it. That was indeed an intriguing coincidence. Was Dr. Anderson trying to create portals? The very thought made her remembered Karl. Her train of thought were interrupted when Keyop handed her a very nice present. It was a small well wrapped box with a beautiful pink ribbon. Carefully, she opened it and inside was a beautiful crystal swan... much to her surprise, the delicate object was exactly the same one that once Karl gave her and now was gone. Tears of happiness appeared in her eyes to everyone's surprise. Thinking about him at that moment, made her miss him even more. After the celebration everybody went home, but June decided to stay a bit more. Under the Christmas tree lights, she was simply admiring her meaningful present and thinking about the wonderful time she had with Karl. 'Maybe I should be happy to have met him' she repeated once and again to herself. The very fact that both overcame the barriers of space and time to live even if it was a short romance, it was totally worth it. She sighed trying to convince herself. And with that thought she went to bed. The next day, Princess opted for a day out at the malls. She wanted to enjoy not only the decorations but the ambience that could be felt around. Walking for hours, she even did a bit of window shopping. Late at night she was walking back to the Cafe when she stopped in front of a small shop. The place looked empty and probably it was about to close. Suddenly, she felt the prevailing need to enter, so she did. Once inside, a small glass case caught her attention. She approached it and there she saw the exact same swan she received the previous night. Princess smiled thinking that maybe that was the place where the guys got her present. She was simply admiring when all of the sudden felt a presence. Looking over her shoulder noticed a tall guy behind her, but she couldn't see his face as it was covered by a hat. "Don't you think that would make a beautiful present for a special person?" Upon hearing his voice her heart skipped a beat-- she knew that voice! And turning around she met with those intense eyes she was longing for. Amazingly, he was there. Karl had returned as promised. "K-Karl?" The men just looked at her with a lovely smile. "I'm just keeping my word, love. There is nothing that will keep me away from you, not even the inverse itself-- so here I am, as I promised." "It's you!" She gasped covering her mouth with a hand. "Do you think I would just let you go?" He removed the hat and soon was caressing her face softly while their eyes spoke for both. She couldn't do or say anything, like a statuette frozen in her place, just looked at him in awe. He needed to prove to her that what they were living was real. And without further explanation, he grabbed her and encircled his arms lovely around her. "I miss you so much! To the point that I almost lost my sanity." He whispered softly to her ear and her reaction was to tremble excited. Smiling, he knew then his Princess believed what was happening. Their lips finally met and the emotion of the encounter made them forget about the world around them. Simply kissing and embracing like if they were afraid to let go... like if time never existed. When he let go of her, couldn't help saying something truly reflecting his heart. "I feel like I'm at home with you." It had been a long journey for both but it was over now. "I'm so happy you came back to me. Does that mean you're mine and mine alone?" She was playing the possessive role now and he just loved it. "Yours completely, my love. I want you with ferocious need and I will for the rest of my life." She never saw him so attractive, that was the truly man behind the Spectran Lord. He was hers and she smiled happily at the thought. "I trust you'll stay with me forever, my Princess." His face brightened at the thought. "You bet!" And without saying anything else, she kissed him again. Later that night, both spent the long-awaited encounter. It was full of passion... full of love. It wasn't important how Karl had crossed not only a great distance in space, but in time to meet up with her again. Maybe that would provoke consequences, maybe not. What mattered was that they were finally together and that from now on, it would be the best days and years of their lives. For the couple, living the present moment was more important. Certainly, that Christmas they both received the best present ever and were ready to enjoy it for a very long time. In each other's arms the spirit of joy and happiness surrounded them with loving warmth. For Karl and Princess, the separation was difficult and the time apart even painful. But now together, they both understood that after all the obstacles and their suffering, it was definitely worth the wait.

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Wow. I had to read it twice to make sure which universe was which. I'm glad Princess found love, even with the last person expected.

Dear Secret Santa, Thank you so much for the story! When I thought of the prompt, I really had no idea what could be done with it. I was really impressed with all the twists and turns you gave it, and I never dreamed Princess could get a happy ending. Thanks again!

As Becky said, Wow! So much going on here, a fantastic story. I'm so pleased Princess found her 'happily ever after'.

I'm thinking Adriana wrote this one.

Originally posted by KT1972 I'm thinking Adriana wrote this one.

Same here!

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This story was quite the ride! Well done to the author. I suspect Adriana for this one too.

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