Take 1
He was flying.
There was nothing else like it in his experience. The feel of the air, the excitement, the rush of adrenaline… it was incredible.
And yet, it was something that he could only share with a handful of others.
At exactly the right moment, a soft hand slipped into his. He turned his head slightly, and saw Jun flying next to him, wings outstretched, her eyes closed, as her enjoyment of the sensation washed over her.
Ken closed his eyes as well, and they drifted together, his white wings fluttering and merging with hers.
Beep! Beep! Beep! The harsh noise spoiled the moment.
Reluctantly Ken sighed and reached groggily towards his nightstand. Why was he never able to finish that dream?
Groping for his bracelet in the dark, he smacked his hand against his bedside lamp.
"Ow!" he grumbled.
Finally finding his communicator, he spoke and answered the summons.
"G-1, here."
"G-1, report for a briefing in exactly one hour. My office. I'll contact the others." came the Doctor's voice.
"Acknowledged." replied Ken, smothering a yawn.
How early was it anyway? He grimaced as he checked the time and found that it was 6 am. A little too early for this Eagle.
Ken stumbled out of bed and toward the shower, still rubbing his sore hand. Blindly turning on the water he stripped and stepped in.
"Yeow!" The Eagle leapt out of the spray after only a millisecond. It was freezing cold. It would seem that his hot water heater was broken again.
Ken pulled on his civilian uniform and shuffled into the kitchen. If he couldn't take a shower, maybe some coffee would wake him up. The smell of the brew appealed to his stomach and he eagerly poured a cup, adding just a bit of sugar.
"Pppppfffffttttthhhhhtttt!" Except it wasn't sugar. Somehow he had managed to pour salt into his mug.
Sighing, Ken already wished that he could go back to bed. But he couldn't ignore the summons. Pulling on his jacket he decided that he could grab some breakfast at the ISO Headquarters. Doctor Nambu usually had some donuts in his office for morning meetings.
Unlocking his ancient car, Ken opened the door and sat in the driver's seat, turning the key in the ignition.
Nothing.
He tried again. No response.
Damnit! How was he going to get to Nambu's office? He couldn't exactly take a taxi. Who knew when the driver might remember dropping off a young male in a Number 1 shirt at ISO Headquarters? Sighing, Ken knew he had to find alternate transportation. Fortunately the City Bus stopped outside of the airfield.
He slammed the car door shut in frustration and began to walk to the bus stop. A few raindrops splashed onto his jacket.
By the time he got to the bus stop it had turned into a steady shower. He arrived just in time to see the bus driving away. Great. Now he'd have to wait for the next one. Checking the time, he realized that he was going to have to hustle to make this meeting on schedule.
Sixty minutes later, a soaking wet Eagle walked up to the security booth at ISO Headquarters and was granted admission. His shoes squelching in the hallway, he made his way to Nambu's office.
Of course everyone else was already there. And as he surveyed his team he noticed Ryu inhaling the last of the donuts.
This was not turning out to be a good day.
"Ken, you're late." said the Doctor in a flat tone. He was obviously displeased.
"Uh… sorry… my car broke down." Ken said apologetically.
"That old heap? I'll bet it was your battery connections. I told you not to let them get so rusty!" volunteered Joe.
The Eagle fixed his second in command with a withering stare. It did nothing to diminish the Condor's mocking grin.
"Regardless of the reason, now that we're all here we can get down to business." snapped the Doctor. "Our scientists have been receiving some strange readings from the Goti Desert."
"What kind of readings?" asked Jun.
"We are picking up signs of temporal and quantum disturbances." replied Nambu. "Either one of these would be of grave concern, but both is immensely troubling."
"So, uh, what does that mean?" asked Ryu, wiping powdered sugar from his mouth.
"Temporal disturbances imply that someone is trying to alter the time-space continuum." explained Jun, "Quantum fluctuations could be the result of a change in the nature of reality. Both together could mean that…" she shuddered at the possibilities.
"We suspect that someone is trying to alter our reality by traveling back in time and changing the past." finished Nambu. "Altering the timeline could have a serious impact that we would have a hard time detecting, much less compensating for. Our reality may have already changed and we have no way of knowing it."
"Who could do that?" asked Jinpei. "Not Galactor?"
"We do not know who is responsible for these disturbances." replied Nambu, "But it wouldn't be the first time Katse tried something like this."
"In any case," he ordered, "I want you all to investigate the area and find the source of these disturbances. I pray for your success!"
The Science Ninja Team stood as one and saluted. "Roger!" they cried.
88888
Within minutes the team had transmuted into Birdstyle and were speeding toward the Goti Desert in the God Phoenix.
"At least our illustrious Commander made it to the God Phoenix on time!" quipped Joe.
Ken whirled to face the Condor. "Like you've never been late to a meeting!" he snapped.
"Seems like I hit a nerve." drawled Joe, "What was really going on Commander? You don't actually expect us to buy that story about your car breaking down?"
"As a matter of fact, that's exactly what I expect." said Ken.
"Approaching Goti Desert!" reported Ryu, interrupting their verbal sparring.
"Any sign of anything, Jun?" asked Ken.
"No, Commander," Jun replied, "but we're just now getting within scanning range of the co-ordinates the Doctor provided."
Just as Jun was about to begin her analysis she cried out in alarm, "Incoming! Missile dead ahead!"
"I see it!" yelled Ryu as he quickly turned the ship. Jinpei went flying across the Bridge.
"Forgot your seatbelt again, huh, Shorty?" winked Joe.
Jinpei just glared at him.
"It's still headed for us!" Ryu shouted, "I think it's heat-seeking!"
"That rules out Science Ninja Technique: Firebird." mused Ken as the ship continued to dodge the missile.
Joe caught Jinpei in a smooth motion, preventing the Swallow from flying head-first into his control panel. "That would fall under the heading of 'Things I Already Knew'." the Condor muttered.
Ken ignored Joe's comments. This was not the time for jokes.
"Pull up, Ryu!" he ordered, "Maybe we can lose it in the atmosphere!"
Even Jinpei buckled up for this ride. Pointing the ship's nose straight up, Ryu urged as much speed as possible from the God Phoenix. But it wasn't enough. The missile was still gaining on them. It was now only two hundred feet behind the God Phoenix.
"90 degrees, starboard!" hollered Ken, as Ryu struggled to perform the maneuver. But it was too late.
The missile hit the God Phoenix from behind, engulfing the G-1 Bay in a ball of flame.
"Eject the G-1!" ordered Ken, "If its fuel tank explodes we'll all be dead!"
Jun completed the ejection process. On a small viewscreen Ken saw his beloved plane leave the body of the God Phoenix and blow apart in a spectacular display of fireworks.
"We're going down!" cried Ryu as the others braced for impact. Showing what he was made of, Ryu managed to straighten out the ship enough to result in only a rough landing, rather than a full-on collision with the ground.
"Is everybody all right?" asked Ken authoritatively, as smoke began to fill the Bridge.
Joe replied in the affirmative and ran for the fire extinguishers. Ken quickly followed.
Leaving the Bridge they were met with a wall of flame. Fortunately their wings and Bird Helmets protected them from the waves of heat emanating from the blaze. Quickly applying their extinguishers, Joe and Ken set to work smothering the conflagration.
As the last flame was extinguished, Ken rubbed a sooty glove across his eyes. Something wasn't right.
"Where are the others?" Ken wondered aloud. "Why aren't they helping us?"
They received their answer upon returning to the Bridge. Jun was bent over Ryu's chair while Jinpei looked on sadly.
The Swan looked up with tears in her eyes. "He's… he's…" She hung her head.
Ken went over to look at Ryu. He looked almost peaceful in his chair, except for the unnatural angle at which his head was bent. His eyes stared sightlessly at the viewscreen of the God Phoenix, his hands still gripping its controls.
"He was trying to save all of our lives, even until the last second." said Joe quietly. "We would probably all be dead if it weren't for his piloting skills."
Ken stared grimly at his team. "We will mourn Ryu," he said, "but not now. Someone sent that missile our way. Someone who doesn't want us to know what they're up to. The best way to honor the Owl is to complete our mission."
Jinpei snuffled and wiped his nose with the back of his glove. Jun nodded tearfully. Joe's eyes filled with a cold rage.
"We'll get those bastards." he muttered.
88888
Since the God Phoenix wasn't capable of flying anywhere, the remaining four G-Force members headed out in their G-machines. Ken rode behind Jun on the G-3, while Joe and Jinpei took the G-2 and G-4 out of the blackened shell of the G-5.
"Let's all split up and see what we can find. Do not… repeat… do not engage the enemy. Report back anything unusual." Ken said into his bracelet.
"Acknowledged!" said Jinpei. There was only silence from Joe's communicator.
Ken sighed. He knew the Condor would not pull back in his current mood. Joe would tear down whatever had launched that missile with his bare hands if he had to. He was affected by Ryu's death as much as any of them.
The Eagle held onto Jun's waist a little tighter as she sped across the desert. Even through her Birdstyle he could feel her warmth and smell her skin. It comforted him in ways he didn't understand, but was grateful for.
After about thirty minutes, Ken was just about to contact Jinpei and Joe for a status report when Jun slammed on the brakes, causing him to lurch forward into her back.
"Jinpei!" screamed Jun, oblivious to nearly crashing the G-3 in her haste to stop. She looked wildly to their left, then raised her communicator to her mouth.
"This is G-3! Come in G-4! Report!" she cried frantically. "Jinpei… please report…" she sobbed.
Ken turned his head in the direction Jun was looking and saw a black cloud in the distance. Quickly he stepped off the bike and moved Jun to the back. Shifting into the driver's position, he took off towards the source of the smoke.
Jun's tears wet his wings as they raced across the sand. They knew what they would find, but they were desperately hoping that they were wrong.
They weren't. The G-4 was on its side, charred and burned from an explosion. A red hand drooped from underneath the vehicle.
"Jinpei!" cried Jun, running to the smoking mess. Grabbing the hand, she peered inside what was left of the G-4.
She gasped, then dropped the hand and backed away. Unable to help himself, Ken looked at the Swallow's body.
What was left of his body. Jinpei had been crushed underneath his mecha. Ken bit his lip, but couldn't prevent a tear from slipping down his cheek.
"G-2! This is G-1! Report!" his voice was urgent. Where was Joe?
But there was no response. Joe had apparently turned off his communicator in his quest for vengeance.
Ken comforted a sobbing Jun in his arms, but his mind was thinking about the enemy out there, so far unseen. This mission was already a disaster. Should he turn back? Order a retreat? But duty came before all else, even their lives. Besides which, Joe was out there somewhere. Ken couldn't turn around and leave without him.
They had to find the source of the disturbances. Whomever, or whatever, was causing them was also fighting to the death to keep their secrets. That just reinforced the importance of their mission.
"Jun." Ken spoke firmly, but softly. "We need to get back on the G-3 and find whatever is causing the temporal and quantum disturbances. We must complete our mission."
"We can grieve later." he whispered.
Jun looked up at him, her emerald eyes full of tears. His heart broke seeing her in such obvious distress, but he swelled with pride when she nodded, and a resolute look came across her face.
"We must complete our mission." she said grimly.
88888
Sixty nerve-wracking minutes later, Jun detected residual quantum signatures coming from underground. Concealing the G-3 behind some rocks, the Eagle and the Swan began to investigate the area.
Suddenly Jun disappeared from view.
"Jun!" cried Ken, rushing to the spot he had last seen her. At his feet was a huge pit, obviously not of natural origin.
He couldn't abandon Jun. Ryu and Jinpei were dead, and who knew what had happened to Joe? Filled with a sudden fear, Ken jumped.
His only thought was to find the Swan… and to find her alive.
88888
He alighted on a metallic floor at the bottom of the dark shaft. Jun was nowhere to be seen.
Ken barely had time to take a step when a brilliant spotlight shone on his position. Shielding his eyes with his hand, Ken could vaguely make out a familiar figure standing above him.
"How nice of you to drop in!" laughed Katse. "So good of you to arrive and help us test Galactor's newest weapon against the Earth!"
"You're insane if you think I'll help you!" spat Ken.
Katse gave a sinister smile. "You won't have a choice, Commander." he snarled.
Before Ken knew what was happening, a dozen goons emerged from the darkness and grabbed him from behind, injecting him with some kind of drug. As his mind slipped into a foggy haze the Eagle was aware that he was being dragged into a nearby room. Shaking his head, he was able to make out Jun's form on what looked like… an operating table? Ken was manacled against the wall.
"Fortunately for you, your little Swan has volunteered to be our first test subject. If anything goes wrong, we'll be able to make adjustments before experimenting on you." laughed Katse.
Ken struggled in vain. He watched as two of the goons approached Jun while Katse began to manipulate the control panel of a nearby machine. The goons reached out with electrode-type connectors, obviously intending to attach them to her head.
At that moment a dark shadow descended from the ceiling, temporarily obscuring Ken's vision. Blinking, he realized that it was Joe. The Condor flashed through the air, striking goons left and right; always making his next attack before his previous victim had time to slump to the floor.
Katse had ducked behind his console at the Condor's entrance, but now re-appeared holding a terrifying weapon.
"What do you think of my new laser cannon?" screeched Katse as a thin red beam shot out towards the swan's body.
At almost the same moment the Condor reached for Jun, in an attempt to pull her body off of the table.
A scream of agony echoed through the room, ripping through Ken's soul.
Joe lay slumped on the floor, clutching a stump where his right hand should be. With a quick look at Jun's body, Ken realized that Joe's efforts had been in vain. The Eagle's mind refused to comprehend what he was seeing.
"And now it's your turn, Commander." hissed Katse.
A feather shuriken flew through the air, hitting Katse in the shoulder. It was enough for him to reel backward, accidentally squeezing the trigger on his weapon, sending a thin red laser at the control panel.
"No!" screamed Katse, "You bastard! Do you know how long I've worked on this?"
"We can still adjust for one day…" suggested a goon who was examining the equipment. He pressed a button.
Ken's body convulsed as electric impulses were sent throughout his brain. The last thing he remembered before he completely blacked out was the look on Jun's face when she had agreed to continue on this mission with him.