Written for the 2015 GATCHAMANIA Holiday Christmas Gift Exchange in response to a Victoria´s prompt: a story about Katse with no romance. Thanks a lot to Amethyst for being my Beta reader, Ame: without you this story wouldn´t be what it is, Thank you so much!
THE ENEMY WITHIN KATSE
After returning from a long briefing with Sosai, a solitary figure walked towards his private quarters located in an area reserved only for himself. His strong footsteps were the only noise that could be heard over the polished iron surface.
Upon realizing who was approaching, the two guards who were blithely chatting, straightened up and greeted their mighty Lord. No response was given and after a loud slamming of the door, Katse went directly to the table to pour a glass of his pricy wine.
This time he really needed one, especially after his last failure. Lately, any attempt to defeat Gatchaman and his team had been unsuccessful. Every mecha he and his brilliant team of engineers and scientists designed, turned out to be a complete embarrassing fiasco.
With shaking hands he poured a large quantity of the precious liquid in the very fine stem glass. His last conversation with Sosai didn't turn out well as this time his master blamed him directly for the latest setback, one that was doom from the beginning as he continuously encountered so many problems with failed attempts to destroy the God Phoenix and its crew. But this time something disastrous came up at the end: Gatchaman almost saw his real face.
As he was drinking the wine in a single sip, his troubled mind took him back to the bitter conversation he was having earlier on:
"You failed again!" the ghostly figure shouted, "and this time not only did you fail in obtaining the energy resources from the Himalayas but also you were close to revealing your true identity ... you are really a damn fool!" The chamber rumbled with his rage.
Shaking in fear, Katse did what was left to do: try to apologize in the best manner he could "my ... my deepest apologies master ... I..."
"Don't try to make excuses this time. If I hadn't intervened Gatchaman would know by now who you really are!" The being behind those glowing eyes was outraged while Katse was bowing as low as he could, looking down with his livid face and fast throbbing beats... he had never seen his master so angry.
"Thanks to you, master ... it didn't happen..." was softly said. It was so hard for him to speak against the daunting fuming figure and even when he didn't dare to look at him, Katse knew that those eyes were full of wrath aiming in his direction. He wouldn't want to make things worse.
After a long harsh briefing, Leader X finally let him go but not before Katse promised to be successful in his next attack.
With the glass refilled in his hand, he headed for his favorite armchair and slumped into it. This was definitely the worst day of his entire life. Placing his fingers on the bridge of the nose, the man tried to calm at least a bit the terrible migraine he was suffering. "How am I going to do it? What else could I do to defeat the Science Ninja Team?" asked to himself with defeatist words.
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself." A voice full of authority was heard in the room.
"Not now..." was Katse short response. He was so overwhelmed by his headache that didn't look up to face whoever was talking to him and remained with the lowered head.
"When then? Are you going to wait until the world knows about us?" The voice insisted, "Like it or not, this matter also concern me!" It was then that he finally looked up to confront the owner of that voice. Strangely enough the place was completely empty and the only one around was Katse himself. Yet he didn't look surprised, instead of showing any concern, raised an eyebrow and glanced over a large mirror at the opposite side of the room.
It was then that a strange figure appeared in front of his eyes: it was his twin, Onna.
The woman was looking intensely at him, full with arrogance and plenty of authority. Something about her attitude could easily have someone submissive under her thumb and Katse knew it.
Taking another large sip before answering, he tried to calm down a bit before facing her. Then stood up and walked towards the mirror to face the woman reflected there before answering, "The last thing I need now is your sarcasm, so be careful how you talk to me or else..."
"Or else, what?" she answered with scorn. Katse only looked at her for a moment before turning his back to her. He knew too well that it was pointless to argue with someone clearly superior in intellect ... his feminine form was obviously smarter than him. So there was only one thing left to do, to keep this posture on her until she disappear for being ignored.
Nonetheless, Katse didn't count on her perseverance and the figure in the mirror crossed her arms in defiance before adding, "So what are you going to do? I mean, now that those kids saw a glimpse of us, you have a plan to avoid any implication we might encounter in the future. All thanks to your stupidity."
It was then that the little patience he had, was completely lost. With his fists clenched with enough force to brake the empty glass in his hand and peering over his shoulder, he shouted angrily, "It's not my fault that I'm surrounded by imbeciles! Gatchaman and his team reached the main quarters in that base because Galactor's goons are bunch of incompetents!" He was struggling to keep himself from breaking down.
For Onna Taicho, this childish attitude was not knew, so she only shook her head slowly as a sign of her disapproval on what she was hearing. This was so typical of Katse, to blame everyone else but himself for his own decisions. So after fixing her eyes on him, laughed bitterly and before adding, "That eternal excuse of yours is not going to help us at all, especially not this time."
He turned to fully face her and the two figures stood proudly squaring off against one an other while they glared at each other in the full length mirror. Both narrowed the eyes at the same time, showing they were indeed a truly reflection of each other.
"So, what are you suggesting we should do?" the feminine voice inquired. Katse knew that he was clueless this time so with his usual arrogant tone, defied her while crossing his arms "If you are so smart as you always claim, then it's time you come up with a solution."
"Not this time, Katse. You always want to be in control and rarely allow me to show myself. Do you really think I am willing to help you and come to the rescue now?"
Losing his control, he couldn't help replying in a very sharp tone, "What do you want me to do? I'm the one who takes Leader X's heat when he's furious! You only show when it's convenient and you don't have to listen his reprimands again and again."
"Let me prove what I'm capable..." she responded, showing no sympathy at all.
Then with a snide smile, a sarcastic comment to Katse came up, "Ha! Why should I bother explaining it to you? Anyway, if you are so smart tell me, do you really think those useless goons would follow any of your orders knowing that the one in charge is a woman? Don't make me laugh. I bet none of them would be as loyal to you as they are to me."
Onna just looked at him with defiance silence.
"Don't give me that look, you know very well what I'm talking about. Should I remind you what happened in Long Park City? Yes, the day you took over control, the very same goons refused to follow the orders from a woman. If I'm not mistaken, those minions obeyed you at the end for the simple reason that you mentioned the fact that I approved the mission. Admit it my dear, without me the power we have in our hands wouldn't be ours!" At that moment his hands were shaking openly while stating his point in the meantime she remained silent, just staring at him knowing that he was right.
Clearly Katse was adopting this sarcastic attitude as he was obviously upset, not only with Onna but mainly with himself.
There were few times in the past when both of them faced each other like this but most of the time he would be left alone by his other half. But in this critical situation, Onna knew that she needed to intervened as too much was at risk, especially if Gatchaman could have another chance to unmask them. This was the main reason behind her bold approach, she knew Katse needed her now more than ever, even if he didn't want to admit it.
Right now face to face in their private quarters, the two were still challenging each other with their glares, it was then that he withdrew. She was obviously a superior opponent. Thus, with his arrogant mindset, he walked away from his own image and headed to the table. He still needed a drink and this time he was aiming for something stronger, a whiskey was his choice.
After a long shot, he felt better. Feeling the golden liquid slide down his throat, made him forget for few moments about all this mess. However, while going back to the armchair, he realized that she continued there, still with a defiant pose. Trying to ignore her, he sat again, bottle in hand, and continued enjoying his well deserved drink.
After a while when he felt uncomfortable with her intimidating presence, he broke the silence between them. "Are you just going to stay there staring at me? Do us both a favor and go away..."
"Not until you assure me that what happened today won't be repeated again. If we don't do something about it, Gatchaman might be successful next time." Her voice was low, menacing, even to Katse.
"It won't happen again." Was his blunt reply at the same time he took another shot of his drink.
"Ha!" was her sarcastic answer. "Just because you say so? Well, allow me to enlighten you. If you haven't noticed it, Gatchaman and his team are becoming more daring in their attacks. More than once they have almost caught you. The Condor is even more desperate to capture you. Something is telling me that their motives have become more personal. Now that they have almost seen us, none of them will stop until we are unmasked."
"Oh...is it?" was his only response while slumping into the armchair. He was not only fed up with the situation and the perspective she was pointing out, but for her being right. For that reason, after taking a deep breath, he looked at her again with rage. With cold, menacing tone, replied, "If that's the case, then I guess there is only one thing to do... maybe something extreme. What about getting rid of what perhaps they have seen of us?"
"What exactly do you mean?" Onna became very defensive as her instinct told her that Katse would use desperate measures and this time, he did.
Smiling while taking another large sip, he faced her with an evil expression, one that would have made any of his subordinates shiver, "Gatchaman and the others saw something that only belongs to you, dear. When he removed the mask, my hands covered our face but something else was exposed ... your precious hair..." His tone was eerily low.
The figure in the mirror opened her mouth in surprise, realizing that in fact, surely the enemy had a glimpse of the long blond hair. Immediately her instinct warned what Katse was thinking of. "You wouldn't dare!" She shouted in frantic panic.
"Why not?" was his blunt reply knowing that now he was again in control of the situation.
"When you took over, you agreed to keep a couple of my features. You can't take away what it's mine; besides, it has been with us all this time...and it's all I have!" Her voice clearly showed desperation. He was playing dirty even though it was against himself, he was indeed enjoying it.
"Now you know who is in charge so before I truly lose my patience with you, shut up and go away!" His last words echoed loudly throughout the room and few seconds later, he found himself alone. Onna was no longer in the mirror and all he could see was his own smiling reflection. This time, he had won.
A series of failures were the result of every attempt in the following missions but this was about to change, due to a strike of luck. Mere coincidence, his subordinates would find something that truly made him worthy before Sosai: a shoe that belonged to one of SNT and most probably, it came from the female member.
Upon hearing the news Leader X was pleased, especially when he designed two simultaneous plans to uncover the identity of their enemies. He appointed the most brilliant Galactor scientist, the famous Dr. Mizouno, to develop a special radar capable of detecting the electromagnetic frequency that the SNT transmitted every time any of them transformed. Furthermore, the device was able to reverse their transformation. Finally, their true identities would be revealed and the Galactor forces would easy get rid of them while in civilian form. At this point, it was Leader X's main concern and goal.
Unfortunately, the two plans were a complete fiasco. This time Katse was directly responsible and found himself apologizing for the millionth time. The mysterious leader was so enraged and furious with his plans' outcome that he showed his great disappointment through a never-ending use of harsh and insulting words.
Once the debriefing was over, feeling miserable and worn again, Katse retired to his private quarters. He was tired and drained after all that had happened in the past two days, he needed to rest and be alone for a while. It was in the solitude of his luxurious private chamber, while he was sitting and feeling defeated in his armchair, that the familiar voice was heard again. There was only one person in the entire world who dared to interrupt the mighty Lord of Galactor, but this time her tone was somehow different as she sounded supportive, even concerned.
"That was close Katse, but you shouldn't give up. Continue with your efforts, almost had them in your hand." Onna's image appeared again in the mirror.
He didn't even look at her as he stared blankly at the floor. Noticing this, she tried once more to catch his attention, "You should try it again, this time follow what I say: build another machine but make sure it's able to handle the enormous amount of power to shoot several times without causing an explosion. Learn from the mistakes!"
Upon hearing this, Katse looked up. She was right. The best chance he had now was to try it all over again. He hadn't come up this far to just give up.
Katse was sick and tired that all his plans were always unsuccessful. Leader X hadn't even showed a little bit of appreciation of his efforts. Not that he expected it every time that an attack was launched but would be nice at least to hear some encouragement once in a while.
This was Katse's true nature, one of a very insecured man trying his best to please others in order to get some recognition. That was the main reason behind his quest for world domination: to prove to everyone that he was the best even though he felt so inferior inside.
Thinking about all this, the tall and slender man just looked into his own reflection and without saying a single word, stood up and left the room. Once outside he let go a long breath he was holding and then, headed for the main lab where his scientist were working nonstop for the cause. Knowing that Onna was right, he decided to try once more the powerful machine. He would give the scientist more time to perfect it. Yes, that was a good plan after all. Thus on his way there, he promised himself that in this occasion he would be invincible and that Gatchaman and the bunch of kids, would really pay for all they had done to him.
"What am I going to tell Leader X?" he asked himself while escaping in his personal ship after another massive failure.
It was at this time that the familiar voice was heard in the otherwise empty bridge. He knew who the person trying to get his attention was, so immediately looked up in front to a familiar reflection in the main monitor.
"You failed again and this time there is no excuse for it!" Upon hearing her, Katse narrowed his eyes and stood up with authority. He didn't want to appear weak to her.
"Do you think it was my fault?" A loud bang was heard when he hit the control panel with closed fists "It was a brilliant plan that even Leader X approved but I'm surrounded by useless troops and..."
The feminine voice interrupted, "So, are you saying that Gatchaman won this time because their skills are superior or just pure luck? Tell me, are they so fortunate for the very same reason you are always complaining: that Galactor troops are incompetent?" That sarcastic remark that made him even more enraged.
"If you are so clever, why don't you take over and face Sosai this time?" Katse shouted.
"As you said before..." she responded calmly, "You, Katse, are the one in charge."
"Shut up then!" he yelled while panting heavily. "You don't know what I have to face every time those imbeciles fail!"
"Oh yes, that I know. Remember that we, like it or not, we are in this together." Both of them stared at each other defiantly once again.
All this was too much for him. His only reaction was to sit down and continue hitting the panel losing all control. He was truly enraged. Before Onna could say anything else, the masked man stormed out of the bridge, only then did she vanish from the monitor. For now, their encounter was over.
The missions continued and even when the plans seemed to be infallible, one by one all of them ended up in a great disappointment. Katse was so fed up with everything that when a new crisis emerged, he just couldn't take it anymore.
So when Leader X called him for a meeting, an unpleasant surprise was awaiting for him. It seemed that one of his former officers, who knew his secret identity, had been the target of Dr. Nambu's investigation. All of this information was true according to his sources.
"Katse..." The menacing voice was heard again while his faithful servant stood in a reverent pose. "This mission you can't afford to fail. The Science Ninja Team is trying to get any information about your true identity and they have turned to our former agent..."
"But Sire, he is mute. I don't think we should worry." Katse interrupted.
"Silence!" Sosai yelled. "As a traitor from our executive ranks, he could revealed your secret, even when he's muted. He's a traitor and for that reason alone he should die. Remember, nobody betrays us!"
Katse knew that if that agent decided to reveal his true identity, the ISO would find the way to do so even when he couldn't speak. Sosai was right, that man in prison needed to be silenced forever.
It was then when the alien being continued saying, "If anyone else discovers your true identity, it's possible that even the minions will betray Galactor. In that case, I won't have any other choice but to destroy the entire organization ... all that we now have will be lost! Do you understand?!" This time his voice echoed all around the room, making Katse shiver with great fear. Just thinking about it made him scared as his only chance to be a true ruler of the world was in the balance and may soon disappear into thin air. So the only choice left was to bow to his master and promise that he would take care of this matter himself and that this time, he would be successful.
It was easier said than done, Katse thought with worried expression. The operation demanded success with no excuses. He needed the right person to help him...this time, he would be the one going to her.
After the encounter with Leader X, the arrogant Lord headed for his private quarters and upon arriving, started to call the person he thought would be perfect for the mission, "Onna, I know you are here. Show yourself now ... we need to talk!"
It was after a while that a figure appeared in the mirror. With her long blond hair and intimidating glare, she answered, "You must be really desperate to be calling me."
"Leave your sarcasm for another time, this is extremely important. Sosai wants me to..." He couldn't finish.
She interrupted with a low voice, "I know what he wants, no need to repeat it. What we need to do is to make sure that our most trusted agents take care of this mission and kill that traitor."
"I will appoint my best men," he replied confidently.
"Yet, you are forgetting a vital piece of evidence." She looked at him with a worried face. "We have to be sure that the people who might have clues of our past are eliminated too." Katse looked puzzled as even he himself didn't think about that before, "You mean..."
"Yes! Those people who knew us when we were young might give away very important and crucial details. Knowing how clever Nambu and his team are, it wouldn't take long before they sort out all the information and get the right answers."
Katse was in shock as he realized that she was absolutely right. He didn't even think about the fact that those professors in their former schools may give away the vital clues that the enemy needed to discovered his true identity, especially after obtaining the old records that the traitor had in his hands when was captured.
"I will take care of those two old professors while you handle the man in the prison before those kids get hold of him. Remember that all traitors must be eliminated according to Galactor's rules." Her intimidating look could had made anyone shiver with fear but it didn't work with the man standing in front. Instead, her attitude made Katse feel really confident about her plan.
"Well, this is new. Finally you agree with me in something. Take this opportunity to show what you are capable of ... and don't fail us!" He added.
"I won't, you can count on me." It was then that an eerie smile crossed her otherwise immutable face. She knew too well how to proceed in cases like this.
After successfully blasting the school in which her former professor was working, Onna was driving confidently to her next destination: Katse's former teacher. Eccentric old man, he should be easy to eliminate him without being discovered.
Upon arriving, the tall slender woman looked up to the run-down building and with sinister intentions, headed to the old man's apartment. Once inside she looked at the fragile looking man: he was her enemy not for what he was but what he knew. So to the professor's surprise, she approached with an evil smile while the poor man froze at the sight of her with a gun. The poor old man couldn't do anything and once everything was over for him, she was about to leave the place when a commotion was heard outside.
"So they are here. Well, once again I will deceive them with my artfulness." She smiled to herself before transforming with a device that Sosai himself gave Katse when he was appointed Lord of Galactor. That was their secret, one truly hidden from everyone: being able to transform at will into anything they wish, disguising in any shape and form, even sounding different. Leader X created this useful tool for Katse to disguise among his own officers and ranks in order to get useful information, especially when it concerned to the loyalty of the goons and agents. Yes, it was so helpful that in more than one occasion, he fooled Gatchaman himself.
With her cunning ways, the woman in disguise passed through the team and none of them recognized or even suspected who was behind the disguise.
Once on her way, it was Katse's voice heard inside the vehicle, "Well done, my dear!"
She smiled with satisfaction and replied, "I told you that you could count on me."
Suddenly something extraordinary happened, instead of the woman driving, the Lord of Galactor appeared laughing at Gatchaman and his team.
This episode had proved once more that as much as the ISO wanted to find out Katse's past, Galactor desperately needed to discover the true identities of the Science Ninja Team in order to destroy them. Sosai had been very clear on that point and for that reason, the entire organization was working around the clock. Both sides knew well that it was only a matter of time before anyone of them would achieve their objective and it was prevailing upon Katse that Galactor be the first one. In the moment one of the sides revealed the other's secret, the balance of war would shift favorably to that side. The race has begun and none of the parties would stop until the other side was defeated.
While waiting for the enhanced electromagnetic machine to be ready, Galactor focused its efforts in finding the Crescent Coral Base in order to destroy it. Once this was achieved, it would be easier for the organization to attack when the ISO was still trying to recover from their headquarters' loss.
However Katse kept failing and it was for this reason and many others, that Leader X himself was questioning his abilities to be successful in his quest to conquer the world. For that particular motive, when another scientist and faithful commander approached Sosai with a plan to destroy the SNT once and for all, the mysterious entity didn't have any doubts and gave him the opportunity to prove himself. So at the end of their meeting, it was said that if Dr. Finger could achieve a much needed victory, he would definitely replace Katse.
This was not good news for the Lord who was obviously upset and very disappointed. He hadn't slept or rested properly while working on various plans and mechas designs to achieve his goals. However, after his encounter with Dr. Finger, he just didn't care much; somehow he knew that his rival would be a complete failure and fortunately for him, at the end he was right. Dr. Fingers' glorious plans were sinking with him at the bottom of the ocean when his mecha was fully destroyed by a single bullet shot by the mighty Condor.
"That was close!" Katse told to himself upon receiving the news. Alone in his private chambers, he was relieved even though Galactor's side had failed. So he decided to celebrate that his post at the top of the organization was again secure with his usual glass of fine wine.
"Don't over estimate yourself." Without even bothering to look at the person talking to him, he replied with a subtle smile, "I don't know what you are talking about. The threat is gone and I'm still Lord of Galactor."
"It's imperative to defeat them and give Sosai a victory, it's extremely crucial to obtain it this time!" she pressured.
"I know, I know. I'm working on that so don't come up and tell me about it. I have enough pressure and problems without you nagging at me..."
"Attack the Crescent Coral Base!" the woman shouted.
Losing his patience, Katse stood up angrily and yelled back, "What do you think I'm doing? If I knew where it was or how to locate it, it would be destroyed by now!"
Her reply was subtle, completely ignoring his outburst, "If you let me plan the next attack, I assure you that it will give us the victory you need ... that we both need."
Upon hearing this, he just raised an eyebrow in disbelief. She had never came up front to offer help in any way. Her role was exclusively being one of the high ranking officers in the organization and being in charge of the female force: the Death Stars. So this was a new turn of events.
Onna Taicho was very smart and a possessed a brilliant mind if not for her gender, she would be the one in charge. Katse knew that very well.
"Ok, ok. Come up with a plan and I promise to look into it." He added with a trifling gesture finishing their conversation while leaving the premises.
The woman in the mirror evilly smiled knowing that this was her chance to succeed and if she obtained the long expected victory, maybe Sosai would think twice before continuing his support for Katse. Yes, this was Onna's chance to prove who was truly the one better suited to rule Galactor ... and the world!
Success! After a blast have destroyed a luxury cruise liner the ISO was on its guard again. Many of its engineers were among the casualties and a high alert was raised all around the world. It was when the God Phoenix was patrolling and monitoring the damage around the wreckage, that a small mini-sub managed to hide underneath the Phoenix itself.
This was a brilliant idea: to disguise as a metal scrounger under their very own noses to finally find out the whereabouts of the Crescent Coral Base. Onna was truly a genius and this time Katse had to admit it when he witnessed the device being attached to the Phoenix without been discovered.
This brilliant plan turned out to be a successful mission and when the enemy's base was exploding under the attack of uncountable missiles, the entire Galactor base was celebrating. Finally the troops had a real victory in their hands. Overwhelmed by the emotion, even Katse himself was in tears.
Nevertheless, Leader X was not satisfied. He suspected that his second in command indeed destroyed the ISO secret quarters but he doubted that the Science Ninja Team perished in the attack. So when Katse once was again called for a briefing, Sosai noticed that the Lord of his legions was a bit daring from the triumph obtained.
"Sosai, why do you doubt of my success?" The masked man asked in a high pitched tone, "After all, Gatchaman and the others are humans too, not immortals. So instead of worrying about them, why don't we celebrate with the troops and forget about the ISO for a while."
"Silence!" The being yelled, "If defeating the Science Ninja Team would be that easy, we could have done it long ago. I'm sure they are hiding somewhere, trying to recover and planning their next move. You must attack now while they are still licking their wounds."
"But I promised my troops a celebration ... and talking about that, it would be really nice if you give me a shiny medal for my loyal service, I'm sure everyone would be..."
"Do what I say!" His red angry eyes were set on Katse. The Lord of Galactor had no other choice but to obey, with his emotions still sore for not receiving the so much desired recognition, Katse left the room.
Leader X's orders were clear, to continue the plan to bring the world under his control but at this moment it made no difference for Katse as he was in the celebratory mood. Therefore after the attack he commanded, he was savoring the pricy wine in his private chambers while listening his favorite music: the classical tunes of a symphony that reflected his extravagant yet refine taste.
It was then when a familiar voice was heard among the subtle music, "You shouldn't contradict Sosai so daringly, this time he looked very displeased."
Knowing who was trying to spoil his private celebration, with an uninterested voice he replied, "Not now, don't you see I'm savoring my triumph ... go away." And continued sipping the very expensive wine.
"Your triumph? ... Ha!" Then with a menacing voice she added, "If it hadn't been for my brilliant plan you would never have finished the Crescent Coral Base. Admit it Katse, you need me more than you think." Onna finished her statement with an evil smile, completely sure of her accomplishment.
Yet Katse wasn't impressed. Even though she had been the one coming up with the brilliant and successful plan, it was he who truly achieved it. Lately he was getting tired of her constant nagging and so far, he allowed her to participate because he reached a point in which he didn't know what else to do. In some way he knew he needed her but no so much.
Thinking about Katse's ungrateful attitude, the female figure was furious and lost her patience, "You fool! If you continue with your arrogant attitude, we will loose all we have worked for!"
At that moment, Katse finally turned his head to look at the mirror and stared at the woman reflected there. With his usual smug pose, he slowly and silently approached the wall, wine glass still in hand, after taking another sip, he added, "For your own good, it's better that I remind you this: no one speaks to me like that but Sosai!" The last part resonated all around the room.
After a brief moment, Katse was again alone in the room. Upon realizing it, a subtle smile appeared and he went back to his chair to continue with his drunken mumbling, "It's clear for everyone, even for her now, to admit who's in charge."
In the days that followed it was the same old story: Katse's plans were successfully stopped by Gatchaman. At that point the Lord of Galactor was feeling the pressure: if he continued with this trend of failure, surely Leader X would replace him as many among his generals were for just waiting for the right moment to betray him and take over the organization.
Fortunately for him, a strike of luck came to his hands when Gatchaman and his female companion were captured while trying to recover the data he just had stolen from the ISO headquarters. But again, his overconfidence and conceit made him lose a great chance to finish them once and for all.
Instead of just killing them, Katse planned a painful and humiliating death: both his enemies were tied behind a vehicle and dragged over the endless swamp surrounding his base. This was at last his moment of victory, looking from his higher position in a control room at two members of the Science Ninja Team being treated like mere animals before the sacrifice. He truly enjoyed every single moment.
Suddenly, Onna made her appearance in the small monitor. "Just finish them now, kill them ... don't waste time and get rid of them!"
Making eye contact for a brief instant, Katse continued savoring his moment, and then laughing loudly, he took a moment before replying, "Let me enjoy it my dear sister. I want them both to suffer for what I went through. It would be too merciful to give Gatchaman a quick death, I want him to pay for all the humiliation I constantly suffered because of his interference with my plans..."
"Kill them now!" She shouted angrily knowing that her brother's stupid self-confidence would be their ruin.
"All right!" He said with a bit of sarcasm. "I will do it now."
Katse ordered his troops through the speakers to finish them both. And to make a clear statement to Onna, he ordered to fire at the girl first. With this action he hoped that his twin would be silenced for a while, as he was really annoyed by her constant presence and getting tired of her nonstop nagging.
However when his goon was about to shoot at the Swan, a gunshot was heard and without any warning a car appeared from nowhere rescuing Gatchaman and the Swan. Furious with the Condor's interruption, Katse ordered his mecha to attack.
Little he knew that Gatchaman's second in command was in a shooting rampage against his troops and all by himself, destroyed not only his Sniper Cobra, but killed all the minions present.
Again Katse was defeated and running away. "I almost did it!" He said over and over again while flying away in the space ship.
"I told you to kill him but no, you have to do it your way and enjoy your stupid games." It was again Onna giving her remarks.
But this time Katse's patience was on a breaking point and he shouted back at her, "Go away before you regret it!"
It was clear that the siblings' relationship was at critical point. Onna and her constant criticism was turning Katse against her. Something that would turn out to be her downfall.
Days later intelligence handed over a very strange report to Katse in the main Galactor base. Katse read it with great interest: it seemed that Nambu was at his residence and for unknown reasons had remained there for over a month.
"Strange," Katse said while rubbing his chin. "He must be planning something important to isolate himself like this." But the more that he tried to come up with an answer for the man's strange behavior, the more nothing seemed logical.
For that reason he decided to turn to her one more time. So few minutes later the Lord was heading through the aisles and once alone in his private quarters, called Onna.
"I know you are here, so show yourself."
A moment later an image appeared in the mirror. He crossed his arms and stated, "I have a special mission for you."
Upon raising her eyebrow in disbelief, she also crossed her arms defiantly. "You really must be desperate to come to me now. All right, what is all about?"
"You really astonish me. Here I am giving you a great opportunity to finish Nambu and what do I get in return? Impertinence! I'm truly losing my patience with you!"
"So for a change of pace, you are letting me have the control." Her sarcastic smile was drawn in that fair looking face. "Don't make me laugh. If you are here asking me to take this mission because deep down you know that I'm the only one who can come up with a plan to finally assassinate the famous doctor and the Science Ninja Team. Am I right?"
Knowing that she was right, Katse just tried to excuse himself. "Stop your mockery and make sure that he is captured so I can proceed with the second phase of my plan. Gatchaman and those annoying brats soon will be eliminated but before that, I will finally reveal their true identities...haha..." His laugh was loud and echoed all around the place.
"I will do what you say but with one condition."
At this point Katse stopped laughing and looked at her while narrowing his eyes. He knew well getting her help would have a cost. "Well, speak!" were his words.
"I want to have more freedom of action." She boldly said.
Upon hearing her, his limited patience was put to the test. "What do you mean by that?" asked yelling at her. "Do I have to remind you that a female commander can't be in charge of the organization? You must understand that a woman has no place at the top!"
Onna was expecting this as he was so predictable. So with calm manners and trying not to lose control of the situation, she added, "I'm aware of that, so don't worry. What I truly want is to have more public appearances and ample authority in all the future decisions and plans."
"Have you lost your mind?" He asked in disbelieved.
"I'm aware how Galactor works, so don't worry. I just want your full support to get more participation and be more involved in the missions. My goal is that everyone in the organization knows that I have your complete support and without questioning, all of them follow my plans. For that I need you...brother." Her tone sounded eerily low.
He glared back at her with aversion. If there was something he truly hated it was to be extorted. This time she was using a very dangerous strategy that easily could be the cause of her own doom.
Katse knew the implications this decision might bring and for that, he didn't like her request at all. However, there were more urgent matters and his priority at this point was to capture Nambu so he could lure the Gatchaman and the others to their doom. Especially now that the improved transformation reversal machine was ready and he knew he was closer than ever to his objective: to finally reveal the true identities of the Science Ninja Team.
Katse just replied in a uninterested manner, faking his emotions. "For that my dear, first you have to get me Nambu."
"If I succeed, will you agreed to my request?" Her eyes were like sharp knives looking at him while awaiting for an answer.
Moments later, the answer finally came with a subtle nod of approval and when Katse left the room without saying anything else, Onna knew that this was her long awaited chance.
Unknown to Katse, Onna's main objective was to prove to Sosai that she was his best option. Once her objective was accomplished, she would have Sosai's full support and in no time, she would be the one replacing Katse. Onna Taicho would be the one ruling the world!
Some days later, a tall female figure was driving a fancy sports car through the city. Her mission was to meet up with the man she assigned to monitor Nambu while the doctor was secluded in his villa.
Unknown to them knew was the fact that Nambu had cut off all outside contact to submerge himself in finding the true identity of Galactor's female commander. Something that he already discovered.
After receiving the information from her agent, she ordered him to execute the second phase of her plan. Finally the mission to capture Nambu was under way. A giant mecha quickly approached the residence of the famous doctor. Before he could run away, Nambu was captured unable to resist. So far her plan had been a complete success.
Neither Onna nor her agent noticed that one of the Science Ninja Team was nearby. By mere chance, Condor Joe had visited the same unlicensed practitioner Onna appointed to watch Dr. Nambu. The shady doctor had run some tests on the young man earlier in the day, not knowing that he was the Condor. His benefactor was unhappy that he was still seeing patients, only devoting part of his time to the task of observing Nambu.
By the time Onna departed, she was unaware that the infamous Doctor Pulshowski lied unconscious on the pavement under the heavy rain and that she was being closely followed by Gatchaman's second.
Once in the mansion that served as a camouflage for Galactor's local headquarters, she was asked to stay aside so Katse could appeared in his full form as he wanted to savor his victory once more. Onna didn't say anything and obeyed her brother not knowing that soon her plans and her existence, would be threatened by a single member of the Science Ninja Team.
Upon regaining consciousness, Nambu realized that he had been captured and confronted his enemy. "Katse, I know who you are. I isolated myself to learn about your true identity. My intentions are to do a presentation and expose you to the world."
Katse looked surprised for an instant but decided to ignore his prisoner's threat. He was truly enjoying his triumph. Not only had he captured the man responsible for assembling his enemies but soon, he would use the transformation reversal machine to once and for all get to know their true identities. His objective was to finish them one by one while they were trapped in their civilian form.
At this point everything was ready, the trap was set and the Lord of Galactor was just waiting for his prey to prove that he was invincible. Now he just needed a member of the Science Ninja Team to come and save their mentor.
As the Lord of Galactor showed Nambu his machine a commotion was heard in the base. Katse smiled with satisfaction and ignored it for a moment to continued with his speech ... he wanted Nambu to fully understand his plans.
"I'm sure your boys told you about my little machine. This device is capable of reversing your ingenious transformation, especially now that it has been improved. From what I saw last time when it was used with the mighty Gatchaman, the detransformation has some side effects so I'm pretty sure it's not a pleasant experience ... let's wait and see what new surprise awaits for them."
Nambu knew well the effects it produced and with the new improvements, for sure they would be far worse. "You are insane!"
"Do you think so?" Katse smiled with irony as he heard his enemy rapidly approaching. "Well, it's time to try it on."
Moments later the doctor was enclosed behind a crystal wall as Katse wanted to make sure that Nambu would be a silent witness of the Science Ninja Team's final defeat.
The Lord of Galactor showed himself to the intruder and successfully guided his prey to the trap. Katse enjoyed the chasing game he was playing against the Condor. His thoughts intoxicated him to the point that he laughed loudly while his enemy showed his fury while following through the base.
At the moment the Condor burst through the door, Katse aimed the weapon and before shooting, mumbled to himself, "This time I won't fail ... at last I will uncover his identity. Nothing can't stop the unavoidable, it's the beginning of the end of the Science Ninja Team!"
With delight, he shot the intense paralyzing ray against the mighty Condor to reverse his transformation. His enemy screamed in pain and when the blinding light dissapeared, it finally revealed the Condor's true self.
Moments later to everyone's surprise, a young man in civilian clothes was lying unconscious on the floor showing the true identity of the team's second in command. The machine had been a total success and ultimately one of them had been unmasked.
Suddenly with no warning, Katse saw his men attacked from behind. Moments later he was realizing with satisfaction that Gatchaman and the rest just arrived, so immediately Katse ran behind the machine to use it against the rest of the team.
He didn't count in the Condor quick reflexes, who upon realizing what was going on, shot at the machine producing a big explosion that tore apart Katse's own disguise. His mask was blown off of his face and it followed by a strange scream.
Gatchaman and the rest were looking at the tall figure with long blond hair on the floor, covering his face. Curious about Katse's identity, Condor Joe quickly stood up and approached him. Taking him by the neck, he was about to reveal to everyone there his real face.
Katse felt that his world was about to collapse as he was about to face his enemies. Even if he tried to hide his face, the Condor would force him to show himself. "This is humiliating!" Thought to himself while trying to resist.
"Do something!" Onna shouted in their mind with panic. But none of the, could do anything against the enraged detransformed Condor.
This was the moment of true and Joe pulled Katse to show his face ... only to be stopped by Nambu himself.
To everyone's surprise Nambu ordered the Condor to leave Katse. "Joe, there is no need for this. I already knew his identity."
The number two let go Katse even against his will, following Nambu's orders. Katse's emotions were full of defeat and again, Onna lectured him. "Try to escape! Save us form them!"
But at that moment he had been unmasked, their body started to react strangely. Somehow his emotions triggered a chain reaction that affected his movements and at the moment, he couldn't think or do anything.
The moment of truth had arrived and with calm voice the famous Nambu revealed, "Katse and the female commander were one and the same, possessing both forms, male and female. Yes, Katse was a man and also a woman!"
This statement astonished everyone in the room and a silence followed the strange revelation: the man on the floor hiding his face was conceived originally as twins but at one point, they both were influenced by an external power to be born as one single being.
Learning that Nambu discovered his well kept secret drove Katse mad. No one in the world should have ever discovered it. Many died while trying to reveal his identity and none were successful. Being defeated by the clever doctor was a humiliating. That's why he entrusted Onna with this mission and apparently, she had failed. All this ignominy he felt was her fault!
However after all the explanation was given, Nambu was still puzzled as one thing that remained unknown to him. "What had caused the mutation?" The question lingered in the air.
While the truth had finally been revealed tone thing was luring in their minds: the mighty Lord of Galactor was in fact a mutant, not a man or a woman.
It was then that Onna couldn't take it anymore and somehow for the first time, both of them, Katse and herself, presented themselves to their enemies with the answer to the greatest mystery of all. Not having to hide anymore, the Lord was slowly turning around while fusing both voices, laughing to show their true nature: a tall slender man with feminine features and long hair.
Katse faced them with anger and he hoped that now that they looked at him for the first time with no mask, made him looked even more threatening. At that moment Onna was free to face them too and enjoyed it.
Then both voices replied to Nambu, confirming that indeed he had discovered their secret. "We were chosen from above all the people of the planet to be its supreme ruler and we were giving this power by Leader X!"
Suddenly a wicked laugh coming from Katse was heard at the same time a mysterious light appeared, making the shattered glass fly around the room. Finally the powerful alien being was making his appearance revealing his true identity to his enemy: he was X, supreme leader of Galactor.
Looking at the menacing head shined in the room gave Katse the confidence to stand against his enemies. He felt safe in the presence of his beloved master. With satisfaction he witnessed Gatchaman and the others meeting face to face with their real and powerful nemesis. But Onna wasn't so sure about it and kept on warning Katse that they should act immediately and scape.
For Katse, this was a triumph in a way as he knew X wouldn't let Gatchaman to capture him. Onna had her doubts and because of this, both suffered contradicting emotions: his usual over confidence overtook her rational thinking.
When all of them saw the image of his master in the past, way back in the Himalayas, Katse thought that for sure X's threatening image had been a part of a terrible nightmare for all of them. Anyone who stood against the alien felt that way.
Katse smiled at the thought and even though Onna kept on telling him to do something to escape, she couldn't do much as she was present only for few seconds at the time. Both needed to act together.
While Leader X's eerie laugh was echoing in the room, he deliver his ultimate message: that his objective was to destroy the earth and oblivion the unavoidable destiny of human kind. But until then, he needed Katse.
Though his last words to Gatchaman were menacing, "When we meet again, I will set my full wrath upon you!"
And to everyone's surprise, overwhelmed by X's presence, Onna finally managed to take over Katse and made an escape and not even Gatchaman could do something to stop them. Both of them ran through the door and while running through the corridors, their body was still suffering the unusual transformation: one moment they were a man and the next, a woman.
While running away from the place, Katse and Onna, as one, quickly made their way through the woods. All that could be seen through the dense forest, was a figure with a long hair and a cape, running at full speed.
Katse's mind was overwhelmed with emotions as the recent events triggered memories of his childhood. Those gloomy years in which he suffered and even cursed himself for his condition while hiding away, fearing people's reactions if they knew the truth. All of this, combined with the fact that his enemies knew about his secret, made him truly feel enraged.
"It's all your fault!" He started saying, "it's all your damn fault!" He kept repeating while escaping from everyone who had just saw their face.
"Who are you blaming this time?" She inquired, but no answers were given.
It was when they arrived at cliff that the man heavily panting stopped, dropped to the floor on his knees, only supporting himself with the arms while the long silky blond hair covered most of his face.
Looking at the horizon, he tried to calm himself but the constant feminine voice talking to him was truly taking Katse to his own limits.
Somehow, after being unmasked, the fusion of both of them made an unexpected turn: for a brief moment, their face became green and this strange phenomenon triggered a chain reaction in their body and by now, both of them seemed to be present at the same time. At this moment their body presented male and female features, both were indeed one.
This phenomenon caused confusion in both as each one of them held control only for few seconds. Katse wanted to regained control but Onna kept on stopping him. This enraged him even more as he was used to hold the power over them. For the first time, she fought back and his brother didn't like it at all.
"Are you going to tell me what was all that? Who is to be blame?" She constantly questioned while she controlled them, but the transformation continued and both reached a critical moment.
Finally, after few uncertain moments, tired of her questioning, at last the mighty Lord of Galactor responded. "You."
This was unexpected, Onna could have never imagined that he would still be blaming on her. So in her defense, she promptly responded, "I don't know what kind of game you are playing now, but let me tell you that it won't work with me."
Upon hearing this, he finally lost any control left and a strange and weird dialogue began while the face features were switching from masculine to feminine while each one was speaking.
"All this would had never happened if I was born alone!" He shouted angrily, "your mere existence made me so miserable to the point of not being consider a human but a mutant ... and now, I have suffered the ultimate humiliation. Because of you, Gatchaman has seen my true form and I have to bare a great ignominy ... it's all your damn fault!"
"Have you lost your mind? I'm the main reason why Leader X chose us!" Now she was the one losing her patience, "Do I have to remind you that it's my superior IQ what made us unique above everyone in this planet."
"I won't take this nonsenses anymore, I'm tired of you and I refuse to continue with this situation anymore." He interrupted with clenched fists and low voice, "I knew that this had to be done a long time ago but now it can't be postponed any longer."
Moments later, he took a knife that was kept in a secret compartment hidden in his right high boot, holding it tight in his hand. Then he placed it right in front of his face while the sharp blade was shining in a threatening way. Not knowing what a troubled mind like his would do, Onna panicked.
She tried to reason with her brother even as a wicked smile crossed his face. "I don't know what your crazy mind is formulating right now, brother, but let me tell you that whatever you do to me, it will reflect directly on you."
Ignoring her words, he just started to laugh. "Katse!" she called trying to make him regain control but it was in vain, he was totally insane by now.
Desperately, she witnessed him slowly pass his left hand behind the neck to hold tight the long silky hair while the other hand firmly held the knife. To her distress, he was about to cut it.
Immediately after discovering his plans, she forcibly tried to stop him but it was futile as Katse was physically stronger. She screamed with horror trying to reason with him and with desperate attempts she even begged him to desist...but it was too late. Onna helplessly witnessed how he was already cutting one of the only two features that their mutant body had from the feminine form, one that it was so precious to her.
With the first cut, a long loud scream was heard all around the place, many more followed. Tufts of the silky blond hair were flying away over the cliff into the sea as he was cutting them off. Tears were shed and mixed emotions were shown in the now constantly transforming face.
In a moment, the girl futures were whining while a moment later, a sarcastic smiled formed with the male ones.
This continued until the silence prevailed, the only sound an occasional gust of the wind and the waves crashing below.
For Onna this was the end, when the last handful piece of hair was cut, her existence cease.
Eventually, the transforming face was giving way to a longer periods in which the male features were dominant until finally, the features of the mutant body belonged to Katse. Strangely for him, this phenomenon was occurring for the first time and the feeling was overwhelming. For the first time in his life, the overwhelming dominant feeling was present while he felt completely alone.
After Katse realized what had happened, he looked with surprise at his hands and for the very first time, he felt absolutely control of his body. Somehow he couldn't feel her presence anymore and after a while, his body remained like the one of a man.
Finally, all the ongoing transformation he was having since his true identity was revealed, was all over.
At last Katse had full control of his body without Onna's presence. What used to be involuntary transformation in earlier years and wthat later on in their adulthood, both of them managed to control thanks to Leader X, at the present moment Katse obtained absolute control. All because she was gone.
Katse had suspected for years that somehow he could get rid of her but was unsure. Many times in the past both fought for control before X gave total control to Katse. It was in his fit of rage, that he got the guts to finally try something he suspected would work, and unfortunately for Onna, it had worked.
For some reason since they were young, his sister was very reluctant to cut her hair, even when it was a hindrance for their disguise. Eventually, Katse became suspicious of her true intentions behind keeping her hair. It was only now that he truly knew the real motives behind it.
After the feminine features were gone, it seemed that he could completely take over and gain total mastery over their body. In a strange twist of events from that moment, she had been confined to the deepest inner self to remain there and probably never be seen again ... until he allowed her to emerge again. Something that he wouldn't do as his intentions were to keep the hair short. So apparently from now on, he was in full command.
Upon realizing this, Katse began to laugh, tears of happiness were at the edges of his eyes. Ultimately, he was the absolute winner and after discovering Onna's true selfish intentions of taking over the power, he had planned her downfall and won. Proving once more that no one, not even his own sister, could challenge him. Finally Katse was more than ready for world domination.
His emotions back in control, much like his body, Katse covered his head with his cape and headed quickly to the nearest base. Once there in a private room, he ordered another set of garments for him.
After changing and while looking his face at the mirror, he could notice the more prominent masculine features. He was pleased at what he saw and with a smile, he was about to take a tissue in order to remove the very last feminine prominence in him: the glossy lips.
But a second thought suddenly stopped him and after few moments in which he was not completely sure to precede or not, decided not to. Then the familiar mask dropped into place and covered his face once more.
"Well my dear..." he said sarcastically with a half malicious smile. "Guess I will leave this in your honor." And with usual arrogance, he turned to walk away from the mirror and stormed out to the main hall where his legions of minions awaited for him.
Upon arriving, he looked down from the balcony over the huge underground base filled up with his troops. Katse felt the adrenaline running high as the men cheered for him. The world was within his grasp again and this time he would be merciless against those who dared to humiliate him. In his wicked mind his hour of triumph was quickly approaching not caring that now that a very important part of him was gone. Unfortunately for him, Onna was the key to realize what X was plotting against him, so in a way his opportunity to uncover it was lost.
In the meanwhile, Katse was ready to command his legions into the final war against earth. "The Grand Black Hole" operation was about to begin. The destiny of the entire human kind was undoubtedly in his hands.
THE END