This is set shortly after the final episode of Gatch I; it was meant to be from any of the remaining four team members' points of view. I leave it to the reader to decide who is speaking.
Disclaimer: If I owned them, why would I be writing fan fics about them. Hence, they are not mine; they belong to Tasunoko Productions and ADV
Numb. That's what I feel right now...the way I've felt most of the time since we lost Joe. G2, the Condor. Pain in the ass, stubborn, hot tempered. Brother, friend, confidant. Aniki. Joe. He's gone and sometimes it feels like he took the rest of us with him, at least in spirit.
I do feel, sometimes. Sorrow comes in great wracking sobs, the kind Joe would give you hell for if he ever saw them, then sit with you until they were gone and offer a beer to help dull the pain and loosen your tongue to get you to talk about it. Anger comes too, a soul deep rage that makes me wish we were still fighting so I could bash some damn green goon heads in to relieve it. I won't do that to civilians though, so all I can do is rage silently until it passes and I go numb again. The numbness is safe; it doesn't hurt me and I don't want to hurt anything. It's nice and quiet, other than a big Joe sized hole in my heart that won't go away.
Happy, you say? I should feel happy that the war is over? Yes, I suppose I should be happy that that bastard Katse is finally dead and a whole hell of a lot of his goons went with him. But to tell you the truth, it's awful hard to be happy when you've just lost one of the few people in your life that you were close to. Relieved? Yeah, there is that; we're not racing off to fight goons every other friggin' day and dodging bullets coming from every damn direction. Sure, the rest of us came back, a little battered and bruised but physically intact. But you know what? I don't give a damn. I'd dodge bullets any day if it meant Joe was back with us, cracking jokes and going crazy with the Bird Missiles. You fucking bastard, why the hell couldn't you wait for us? Why did you have to die?
President Anderson wanted to hold a memorial service for him, something to recognize his sacrifice, even though we still haven't found his body, but we won't let him, not yet. It's too soon. The world leaders and the UN want to do parades, ceremonies, a bunch of formal bullshit, but Hakase's stalling them for now. Who gives a damn about all that crap; the one who pulled off that last mission, that crazy feat, isn't here to see it. We all agree right now...keep your praise and your medals, all we want is for you all to leave us the fuck alone.
That giant hole I told you about isn't just in my heart, it's in the rest of the team too. We're no longer 'sometimes five, sometimes one'...it's only four now. The Tornado, the Hinotori, Joe's damn missiles...none of it's the same anymore. The after mission blowing off of steam, briefings, the family we formed...nothing will ever be the same again. So don't tell me what the fuck I should feel. I'm quite content to be numb for now.