Chapter 2
Jun stood in front of her closet, trying to decide what to wear. Unlike most girls her age, she had precious little to choose from, and most of the items still had price tags attached. She had five identical numbered shirts, and pairs of striped jeans, and of course these were the items that most often saw the light of day. She also had a few black shirts, and jeans, for wearing at the Joint at night, but that was it. Besides, this… dinner… with Ken, deserved more than jeans. It was a special occasion, and Jun wanted to show Ken that she had made an effort.
She looked through her meager wardrobe, finally selecting a sheer, blue blouse, with a matching camisole, and a tight black miniskirt. Of course, Ken saw her in a miniskirt all the time, but this was different. She got dressed, and admired her reflection in the mirror.
Yes… this was it. Sexy, but not sleazy. A little dressy, but not so dressed up as to imply that this was a date. Jun knew that she was walking a fine line, and didn't want to scare Ken off.
Grinning, Jun sat down and stared at the makeup she had purchased that afternoon. The lady at the cosmetics store had suggested a number of things to 'enhance' her natural beauty, but since she rarely wore any of this stuff, Jun had only selected a couple of items. She looked at the instructions she had written down, carefully following them as she applied the blush, mascara and lipstick to her face.
She was paying so much attention to the mirror, that she didn't notice the sound of footsteps behind her.
"What are you doing, Onechan?" Jinpei asked.
Jun nearly jumped, her lipstick falling to the dresser with a loud clatter. Fortunately, it had missed her outfit. She turned, looking at Jinpei, a blush staining her cheeks.
"Uh… I was just…" she searched for words.
"Wow, you sure put on a lot of that stuff!" Jinpei exclaimed. "Are you going to a clown convention?" he teased her. Actually, she looked very pretty, but there was no way he would ever tell her that. He didn't want his Onechan getting full of herself.
"Actually," Jun mumbled, "I'm going out to dinner."
"Dinner?" Jinpei asked, surprised, "Does that mean the Joint is closed tonight?"
"Yes." Jun confirmed, "You can play all the video games you want."
"Cool!" Jinpei whooped. "Thanks, Onechan!"
"You deserve a break, Jinpei." Jun smiled. "You've been working really hard, lately."
"Wait a minute…" Jinpei said, suddenly suspicious, "Why would you close the Joint, just to go to dinner? Unless…" a sly look stole across his face. "You're going out with Aniki! Aren't you?"
Jun's face turned a bright red, answering Jinpei's question.
"Wow, he actually went for it!" Jinpei crowed, "I can't believe it! About time, too. When's he showing up?"
"No, Jinpei, you can't tease him about this!" Jun exclaimed, a look of panic crossing her lovely features. "I don't even know, if it was that kind of invitation."
"All right, all right…" Jinpei grinned, holding up his hands. "I won't say anything. I'll even make myself scarce when he shows up." He was actually thrilled that Ken had finally made a move. He had been trying to get Onechan and Aniki together for years. There was no way he'd mess this up for Jun.
"Thanks, Jinpei." Jun sighed, looking relieved. She glanced at the time. "Oh, no! I have to meet him in half an hour!"
"Got it!" Jinpei smiled. "I'm out of here!" He gave Jun a 'thumbs up' sign, before dashing off to his room to turn on his Nintendo system. He even closed the door. Anything he could do to give the two lovebirds a little privacy. There would be plenty of time for spying on them later, after they finally admitted how they felt about each other.
Jun gave herself a final once-over. She looked pretty good. She just hoped that Ken thought so, too. Humming to herself, she ran down the stairs, into the Joint. It was dark, and the closed sign showed on the front door. She was just rummaging through her purse for her keys when she heard footsteps behind her.
Whirling around, she saw a strange man approaching her.
"I'm sorry, we're closed." she said, in a cold voice. "How did you get in here?"
"Are you Jun Matsuo?" the man asked, ignoring her question.
"What business is it of yours?" Jun asked angrily. She didn't like this man's attitude. She contemplated the best way to deliver a swift kick to his head, without ripping her skirt.
Roughly, the man grabbed her wrist and yanked her purse from her grasp. Jun had had enough. She lifted her leg, executing a perfect side kick into the man's abdomen. His grunt of surprise was satisfying, and she was just about to crush his windpipe with a hand strike when another set of arms grabbed her from behind.
Her training took over, and she jammed her elbow into the assailant's solar plexus, before digging her high heel into his foot. He cried out, and she evaded his grasp, spinning around to strike his neck.
"She's a live one!" a third voice called out. Jun was momentarily surprised, and the first man managed to jam something into her side.
A wave of electricity surged through Jun's body. She fell to the floor, her body convulsing in massive spasms of pain. She was just pushing the pain aside and preparing a counterattack when she felt a needle pricking her arm. Her mind felt foggy, her limbs were numb.
It took only a few seconds for the blackness to claim Jun's mind.
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Ken grabbed a towel as he came out of the shower, drying off in a haphazard fashion. He was on the verge of running late, and this was a night where he definitely wanted to be on time.
He nearly cut himself shaving, in his haste to finish. He had to force himself to slow down, lest he show up to dinner with pieces of toilet paper on his face.
As Ken automatically reached for his number 1 shirt and jeans, he briefly debated the possibility of wearing something else. Something different… something to show Jun that he didn't think of this as an 'ordinary' evening.
On the other hand, he was so used to his civilian uniform, that he usually felt uncomfortable in anything else… other than Birdstyle, of course. And he didn't need anything making him uncomfortable tonight. As it was, Ken was starting to wonder if he had done the right thing, inviting Jun to dinner.
But the more Ken thought about it, the more he pictured Jun sitting across from him at table for two, the faster his heart beat. His mind was getting anxious, but the rest of his body shivered with anticipation.
Nervously, Ken got dressed, and ran a comb through his hair. It would have to do, because if he dawdled any longer, he would be late. He grabbed his car keys and made his way out the door.
In the car, Ken turned on the radio. Surprise! It was actually working tonight. He found a station playing soft rock, and tapped his fingers on the wheel in time with the tune. He felt a strange urge to whistle.
It suddenly dawned on him that he was happy. Really happy, not just content, the way he usually was. It was a strange feeling, especially as it had nothing whatsoever to do with his fight against Galactor.
Fleetingly, Ken wondered if this was dangerous; if this kind of happiness was a distraction, from the ever-present threat of attack. But then he realized: the mere fact that he was pondering this, meant that he wasn't distracted. He was still alert, and ready to assemble his team. But in the meantime, he was looking forward to dinner with Jun.
He found a parking spot right outside the restaurant. There were some advantages to going out on Sunday night. Locking his car, he realized with a smile that he was right on time.
Ken entered the restaurant, his eyes sweeping the room for Jun. The place was more than half-empty, given the night, and he didn't see her. He decided to wait for her at the bar, where he could have a 'bird's eye view' of the entrance.
He ordered a drink, but seeing as how he actually had to pay here, he sipped it slowly.
Two hours later, he was still nursing the same drink.
The door opened, and Ken looked up to see a familiar numbered shirt walking through the doorway.
Unfortunately, it was Joe.
Joe was surprised to see his Commander sitting at the bar, in his favorite restaurant. Even more, he was startled to see the condition Ken was in. He looked… worried.
"Hi, Ken." Joe said, walking cautiously up to his friend. "What's up?"
Ken saw the concerned look in Joe's eyes, but didn't bother to hide his feelings.
"I'm… I'm waiting for Jun." he muttered, staring into the remnants of his drink.
"Jun?" asked Joe, surprised. "Was she meeting you here?"
Joe wondered what was going on. Were Ken and Jun on some kind of date? That wasn't Ken's style at all, although, lately… Lately Joe had begun to think that Ken's attitude was changing. He was… loosening up, a bit.
"Yeah." Ken admitted, "She was supposed to be here, two hours ago."
"Two hours?" Joe exclaimed. "So what are you still doing here?"
"Huh?" Ken looked confused, as if he didn't understand what Joe was saying.
"There's got to be something wrong." Joe stated firmly. "Let's go see if we can find her!"
"But… what if there's nothing wrong?" Ken asked quietly. "What if Jun just…"
"Stood you up?" Joe laughed. "Ken, if there's one thing I know about Jun, it's that she's been waiting for years to go out with you. She would never stand you up."
"You're right…" Ken said, shaking his head. "I guess… I wasn't thinking…" He couldn't believe that he'd been sitting here for two hours, worrying that Jun wasn't interested in having dinner with her Commander. What was wrong with him?
Ken stood up and walked out of the restaurant with Joe, activating his bracelet on the way. Once he was outside he raised it to his mouth.
"G-3, this is G-1. Come in, G-3."
There was no response.
Joe tried to contact Jun as well. There was still no response.
"She must have turned off her bracelet." Ken said. "Let's check out the Joint."
Quickly, they walked the down the block to Jun's Joint. The bar was dark, and the closed sign showed in the window. But the door swung open when they tried it.
Ken glanced at Joe, and saw a grim look in the Condor's eyes.
Joe flicked on the light switch, ready for danger. But the bar was empty.
Ken swept his gaze over the room, his eyes alighting on a few spots on the floor. He knelt down, and brushed his fingers lightly over them. They were a little wet, and sticky.
"Blood." he said curtly. He was in full Eagle mode now.
Joe nodded, and pulled a few shurikens from his jeans. Ken nodded to him, and silently they crept up the stairs.
There were only three doors on the upper floor of the joint. The doors to the bathroom and Jun's room were open. Quickly, Ken looked inside. They were dark, and empty. The door to the other bedroom was closed, and a thin line of light glowed from underneath the frame.
Ken looked at Joe, and in unison they kicked open the door, leaping inside the room, battle ready.
"Aaaaaahhhhh!" screamed Jinpei, jumping up from the overstuffed chair in which he had been playing video games. A large bowl careened off of his lap, sending popcorn flying everywhere.
"What do you guys think you're doing?" Jinpei huffed as he pulled off his headphones and glared at his teammates. "Can't you come up with something better to do?" He brushed angrily past the two ninjas to examine the door.
"Jun is going to kill me when she sees this!" he muttered. "You guys are in such trouble!"
"Where's Jun?" Joe asked in a flinty tone.
"Jun?" Jinpei looked confused. "She went out to dinner. Hey…" he swung his gaze to Ken, suddenly realizing who was in the room with him. "Are you guys back already? I thought for sure you'd be…"
"She didn't show up." Ken interrupted Jinpei.
"What do you mean?" asked Jinpei, confused. "I saw her, and she told me she was going to dinner with you. She closed the Joint. She got herself all dolled up and everything…" His voice drifted off as he began to understand his teammates' concern.
"Did something happen to her?" Jinpei asked, in a worried voice.
"We don't know." Joe said, "That's what we're trying to find out."
"She never showed up at the restaurant, and she's not answering her bracelet." Ken sighed, running his hand nervously through his hair. "And… I found some fresh blood on the floor of the Joint."
"When did you see her?" Joe interrogated the youth.
"At about six-thirty!" Jinpei replied nervously. "She was almost ready to leave. I… I shut my door… to give them some privacy… you know. Of course," his tone became slightly accusatory, "I just assumed that Ken would come pick her up."
Joe sighed. The kid had a point, but this was hardly the time for a lecture on dating etiquette.
"You didn't hear anything?" Ken asked, ignoring Jinpei's comment.
"No… I had these on." Jinpei answered, gesturing to his headphones. "Onechan said that I could play all the Nintendo I wanted."
"What do you think happened to her?" he asked cautiously, shuffling his feet.
"I don't know, but I'm sure as hell going to find out!" Ken growled. He left the room, Joe and Jinpei following behind him.
The bar was just as they had left it. Ken directed Jinpei to get a sample of the blood spots, while he and Joe looked at the back door. It had obviously been forced open.
"Damn!" Ken cried, slamming his fist into the doorframe. "I was just sitting there, in the restaurant, while Jun was…"
"We don't know what happened, Ken." Joe interjected. But his tone was worried. "I think we need to contact the Doctor."
Ken nodded. As he raised his bracelet to contact Dr. Nambu, he wondered how the evening that had been anticipating had turned into this nightmare.
