BotP Close-up 099

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Bobkat
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BotP Close-up 099

Post: # 726Post Bobkat »

This week's plot is all about turning the tables on Spectra. For a change, the team is taking the fight to Spectra in "Strike at Spectra". That's interesting by itself but there is more afoot here.

The team nearly breaks when Jason isn't himself after some jostling on the Phoenix. Mark, once again, shows us why he's the commander of G-Force. Mark is about getting the job done but also making sure the team isn't taking unnecessary risks. He makes the hard choice of ordering Jason back to the Phoenix after the gunner falls out of the Whirlwind Pyramid not once, but twice! Something is up. I suspect there's a concussion going on but it's fodder for fanfic. :)

As usual, the team is able to complete their mission and return home. Mark knows something is up with his second but he doesn't push the issue. More fodder for fanfic. :) In the meantime, enjoy this week's plot for "Strike at Spectra"! :D

The Other Jason's write-up is here: https://www.battleoftheplanets.info/ep99.html

E99: Strike at Spectra

Act One

7-Zark-7 is in Center Neptune, deep beneath the sea, a facility guarding against alien invaders from outer space. Zark is currently in his Ready Room on his slant bed lamenting life underwater and those susceptible to rust. He adds that every once in a while he has to take a shot of rust inhibitor, otherwise moisture collects on his Tubular Memory Rectifiers. One squirt lasts a whole day! A call comes in from Susan on planet Pluto with an early warning – there's a UFO hovering near Spectra. Zark knows it's Zoltar and wonders if his spies tipped him off to an offensive strike by G-Force. Susan is shocked because she didn't know the team was going to Spectra. Zark doesn't want the information going past Pluto. Susan assures him it won't go beyond the solar system!

Zark explains they received secret information about an upcoming Spectra attack and Galactic Security decided to turn the tables. Instead of waiting, they'll strike first. Susan calls it "brilliant reasoning" and says it must have been Zark's idea. It wasn't, he only gave a "little input." Zark tunes his monitor to find where Zoltar's UFO is and he soon picks it up. The robot is able to confirm it is indeed Zoltar and the leader is seen pacing inside his Devil Star. Zark decides to contact G-Force who are traveling through space – an awfully big place with no end. Zark tunes his Cosmic Scanner to find the Phoenix. It's just leaving the Milky Way.

Zark is able to contact the commander who asks, "What's down up there?" The robot warns them one of Zoltar's ships is lurking about Spectra and they may know the team is heading that way. Mark acknowledges the warning with a "Big Ten!" and assures Zark they'll "stay on our toes." The team enters radio silence for their operation and arrives in Spectra's atmosphere.

The Phoenix flies above the clouds with Princess calling out "SonRad contact with our objective." She then says, "Contact made." Mark orders them to "maintain bearing" with Jason adding, "We'll hit this one right on the nose." Mark smirks, thinking, "Now if we can hit Zoltar on the nose." Meanwhile, the Luminous One contacts Zoltar warning him about G-Force's approach and asking if he's prepared. Zoltar confirms he's prepped with the Luminous One warning Zoltar cannot fail, saying ominously, "Do you understand?" before disappearing into a sliver of light. Zoltar vows he won't but seems pretty nervous. He orders his men to ready for attack.

The Phoenix approaches its target at high speed – an "innocent looking" castle in the middle of the desert. Mark tells Tiny to be careful and he nods in return before landing the Phoenix. However, they run into anti-aircraft fire that knocks around the Phoenix pretty good. A bright light shines in the view screen and a particular bolt knocks Jason to the floor where he hits his head. Keyop leaps onto Princess' lap while the ship shakes like crazy. Jason regains his bearings saying the Spectrans were ready for them but he's ready too. But when he tries to aim the missiles, his vision blurs. Mark wonders what's taking so long and Tiny asks if Jason is waiting for permission. Jason snaps back, "I'm the gunner and you're the driver, so keep your eye on the road and drive!" Jason continues to struggle as the ship keeps taking the hits. Princess comes up from behind, worried but Jason elbows her back. He finally fires but it's less that a direct hit. It does, however, stop the guns long enough for Tiny to properly land.

The team approaches the building with Tiny commenting it was a nice place until Jason "punched a bunch of holes into it." Keyop calls it "Swiss cheese" with Princess glancing between Jason and Keyop. She adds, "Good shooting." Jason doesn't say a word, instead thinking, "If they only knew." Mark remains focused on their task, noting the building is "crunched" but warns the goons are "playing opossum inside." Tiny says they'll "smoke 'em out." Mark tells the team they're "flies going into the spider's web." Four of them run inside while Jason remains still. After a moment, he follows behind his teammates.

The team enters the facility where Princess calls it "eerie" and Mark adds the place is "dank." They walk a flight of stairs into a large room with at least two floors. Mark is about to step further and stops suddenly. Zoltar's voice booms out from a PA system congratulating the team for making it this far – into their own prison! Suddenly several doors made of concrete, rock and brick slam down, enclosing the team into the room. Keyop says they're trapped like rats! Tiny doesn't believe him and tries to break out one of the doors with no success and falling to the floor.

Mark looks around, knowing Zoltar has them "boxed in" and wonders what he has up his sleeve. Sand/water begins pouring in and "not a drop to drink" according to Keyop. Mark decides their next move is the Whirlwind Pyramid so they form up. Once at the top, Keyop tells them to "spin it." They begin but … Jason falls out the Pyramid just as they reach the second level. When Princess asks if he's okay, Jason says he just slipped. When he looks up at the team, their images are blurred, moving and doubled! Tiny wonders if Jason didn't get a hold of a bad Space burger. Jason laments the rest of them being "perfect," the implication that he's not. He stands up and wonders what the hold up is. Mark orders them back at it and they form up again. Keyop gives the word and they start spinning. While they make it out this time, Jason still falls out. This time, Mark asks him directly if he's all right. While Jason tries to fake it, he fails miserably and nearly falls into Tiny. Mark has seen enough to convince him – he orders Jason back to the Phoenix. Jason lowers his head and agrees.

Zoltar contacts his goons ordering them to find their escaped prisoners. It's a search and destroy mission because Zoltar has lost his patience. The goons spread out to find G-Force. Meantime, G-Force has gone exploring and found a door that Mark wants to try. Princess hopes the passkey Zark made will work. It leads into a warehouse area with a crane just inside the door. Tiny calls it "far out" and they walk into the place to see what's housed there. Tiny punches a wooden box stenciled 'Danger' and some explosives including TNT drop out. Tiny points out they're "fireworks" and Keyop tells Mark it's "not even July." Surveying all the boxes, Mark says Spectra has gathered enough explosives "to blow up a planet."

The team goes to the crane, deciding to "shut this place down." Goons from every direction start running as alarms sound off. Goons search room to room with no success. Meanwhile, Jason has made it back to the Phoenix and he sits in the pilot's seat. Closing his eyes, Jason wonders if "a little rap on the head" has ended his G-Force career. He pounds the controls then looks to the view screen where everything is still in double! He stands and begins punching the panel next to the command seat. He thinks, "This can't be the end of the road, … not yet."

Act Two

Zark paces in the control room and is worried about what Jason's reported – his Modulators are "about stressed out." He broke radio silence to tell Zark he hit his head but the message was completely garbled. Zark says he knows Jason and he wouldn't have tried to radio if it weren't serious. Zark flies to his monitors while 1-Rover-1 watches. He decides to stand by his monitors in case the team contacts him, even though they are under radio silence.

Back on Spectra, the team has hijacked the crane and is moving a huge pallet of explosives to another area. The goons realize it's "the prisoners" and a horde moves in. They stop the team until they identify the boxes as having explosives in them! The goons take off running faster than they closed in. Tiny tells them, "Run, turkeys!" and lowers the pallet then raises it again and lowers it until several boxes break open sending bombs in every direction! Princess and Tiny escape onto a second level just as the bombs explode! The castle is rocked along with Zoltar in his control room!

A goon reports in via video that G-Force is attacking their munitions depot with Spectra's own explosives! Zoltar is furious, ordering the goons to go after the team. He wonders how a small group of "Earthlings" can make fools of the Spectrans. Zoltar presses a button where a bright red 'X' blinks onto a door. Keyop spots the signal knowing it's "Zoltar's signature." Mark and Princess fly down to join him and Tiny when they spot it as well. Mark knows it could be a trick but wants to check it out anyway.

The four approach the door and it opens automatically. They enter with Mark saying, "it looks like a lab" with Princess wonders if it's a spaceship of some kind. Zoltar's voice is over the PA again telling them, "It's your termination cell!" By the time it clicks in Mark's brain what Zoltar is talking about, the door has slammed shut trapping them inside! He and Tiny try to break them out but the door won't budge. Keyop is about having a fit because the passkey won't work on this door! Suddenly, the team is thrown against the wall due to centrifugal forces! Zoltar welcomes them to his own Whirlwind invention and they will soon be buried "in the bowels of Spectra!"

Zoltar has managed to trap the four teammates into a rocket drill working its way to Spectra's core. He is able to watch the descent into the ground from his control room and he will be able to witness "sweet revenge" on G-Force. Once the rocket hits "Nadir H," it will self-destruct! On board the rocket, the team struggles against the forces sapping their energy and giving them a "giant headache."

As the rocket keeps going, Zoltar orders his goons to go the Phoenix with however many men they need and destroy it! Back on the rocket, Mark can't even stand up and he knows their only hope is Jason. When Mark contacts Jason, the gunner isn't sounding so hot. Mark tells him what's going on anyway – they're in a "ground torpedo" and the only way to stop it is the "Super Sniper Missile." He tells Jason if he's unable to fire it, they've "had it." Mark tells him to "sound off" and to repeat what he said but Jason doesn't respond. Mark explains he knows something's wrong but Jason has to overcome it. Jason knows as well he has to pull himself together; otherwise, the team will be lost. Mark tells Jason he needs to work his magic immediately! Mark also tells him to use the "Radio Beam Intersect."

Jason flies down to the missile to rig it properly despite the continued double vision. He sets the timer at '30' to give the team a chance to escape this mess they're in! Outside the Phoenix, the goons and their crab tanks move in. Jason makes it back to the bridge in time to see he has "some Spectra robots to shake" and tells Mark this when the commander asks if anything is wrong. Jason fires the retro jets and sends the crabs flying into each other! They explode on impact.

Jason reports to Mark that he's airborne, much to Mark's relief. Mark then sends his signal telling Jason to get a bearing on it so the missile can intercept them. Jason levels off the Phoenix then puts it into a dive to line up the signals. As the same time, the team can't take much more of the rocket drill. Meanwhile, Zoltar says his goodbyes, more like "good riddance," to the team not realizing the Phoenix is in a dive above the surface.

Jason struggles to fire because he's still seeing double. Mark encourages him just before passing out from the forces he's fighting. Jason knows only a miracle will allow him to save his teammates and prevent their deaths. In a split second, everything clears and Jason rams the missile button shattering the protective case! The missile is away! It digs into the ground among a large group of crab robots.

All Jason can do is wait but he gets the Phoenix dangerously close to the ground! He pulls up at the last minute staving off a catastrophe. Zoltar continues to watch as the rocket drill continues its descent but he's surprised to see another target to intercept it! The intercept is successful! The rocket drill stops and Mark orders the team to move because the Super Sniper is "going to blow any second!"

At the base, a goon reports to Zoltar telling him the ground torpedo will explode at any moment. Zoltar orders everyone to clear out and starts running for the exit! On board the ground torpedo, the team readies their weapons with explosives to blow their way out. A hole is blown and Mark orders, "Now fly!" They take off with Mark and Princess in tandem and Tiny tossing Keyop the entire length of the shaft! The four escape just in front of the fiery inferno that turns the entire castle into a huge fireball. They dive into some sand dunes and Tiny lays back saying the made it out in the "nick of time" when a large pillar nearly lands on top of him!

As the castle goes up, Keyop looks over his shoulder and says, "Lifeboat!" It's the Phoenix! Jason swings in and the four fly up to the bubble. When they enter the bridge, Keyop says, "Hi!" Jason hangs on to the throttle of dear life and lowers his head when he hears Keyop. Later, Tiny compliments Jason's flying skills even though he's a "novice." While Tiny gives advice about flying with both hands, Mark surveys the damage at his console and watches Jason return to his station. Zark says it's something Jason won't talk about for a while and neither will Mark, understanding that Jason went through quite a lot on this mission. Zark says that Zoltar is defeated once again and G-Force remained intact! The Phoenix flies home.

Zark is in his Ready Room lamenting about being human and joining the team on their missions, across the galaxies while Rover looks on. Zark also wishes, at times, the team was like him – "machines and unbreakable." Susan calls from planet Pluto and Zark thanks her for sending the alert on Zoltar's flying saucer. He tells her "everything worked out fine." He goes to say he would be lost without her and Susan says she would be lost without him. They go another round when Zark notes for a pair of highly intelligent robots, they get lost pretty easily.

This plot summary Copyright Bobbi Baker ©2021. No reproduction of any kind without permission.
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