Stifling a yawn, Ken blinked and rubbed his eyes. Looking at the others in the room with him, Ken realized that they had been awake for the better part of a day and fatigue was beginning to set in. "Hakase, we've been trying to sort this out for hours and gotten nowhere. Now might be a good time for a break. We could all use some sleep."
Nambu nodded slowly as Ken spoke. "You're right Gatchaman; perhaps this will begin to make more sense in the morning when we are all fresh. Will you escort Niccolo back to his quarters?"
"Hai, Hakase. I'll have the others stand guard in shifts." He turned and started to make his way to the door only to be brought up short by his mentor's voice.
"That won't be necessary, Ken. Let the other rest as well."
Ken opened his mouth to argue, but a quick glance at Joe changed his mind. "Let's go, Niccolo," Ken ordered quietly.
Joe silently fell into step behind Niccolo as the ninjas ushered the cyborg to his room. The silence was only broken by the staccato clicking of boot heels on the tile floor of the corridor. As they neared his assigned quarters, Niccolo stopped and turned to face the Condor. "Joe, you haven't said a word in hours."
"What would you have me say?" Joe glared into the face of the cyborg before him. "Don't expect me to just take what you say as truth. I don't trust you. I have no reason to trust you." Joe's voice deepened into a growl as he finished speaking.
Ken stood quietly observing the exchange as he reflected back to his last interaction with his own father. He only hoped that Joe's reunion would provide a more pleasant result. He cleared his throat to break the tension that had formed between the two men. The ploy was successful. The sound caused Niccolo to take one last long look at Joe's scowling expression before turning on his heel to face Ken once more. Ken nodded in response and resumed their trek.
A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination. Ken reached out and tapped in an access code. The door slid open with a gentle swooshing sound. Niccolo turned his gaze to Joe once more and opened his mouth as if to speak before thinking better of it. Sighing softly, he turned and went inside without another word. As the door closed behind him, Joe stepped forward and positioned himself against the wall. He pulled out a feather shuriken and slipped it between his teeth before crossing his arms and legs.
Ken stared at him for a moment before speaking. His words, when they came, were quiet, his voice low. "Joe, I understand your suspicion, but you need rest. You can't just stand here all night."
"I'll be fine." He lowered his head and closed his eyes. Ken almost missed the next words that issued from his second's lips. "My father died years ago. I can't accept that some flesh covered machinery would be able to take his place."
Ken closed the distance between them until he stood next to Joe. He slid down the wall until he was seated on the floor with his knees drawn up to his chest. His visor slipped between his knees and he wrapped his wings about himself as he settled in to wait with Joe.
"Ken, what do you think you're doing?"
"Waiting with you," came the muffled reply.
Joe sighed and rolled his eyes before assuming a position on the floor similar to Ken's. "Go get some rest, Ken. I can handle this myself."
"No. I can rest just as easily here as anywhere. And I don't think you should be alone right now."
"What do you think I'm going to do? Go in there and hold a pillow over his face?"
"No, not specifically."
"Ken…" Joe drawled as he took in Gatchaman's smirk.
Before Ken could utter another word however, the door behind the ninjas opened to reveal Niccolo. Two helmeted heads looked up in surprise at the interruption.
"Niccolo, did you need something?" Ken asked solicitously.
He received no response other than a blank stare. Niccolo turned his head from side to side stiffly before choosing a direction and striding down the hallway.
"Niccolo!" Ken called out sharply. "Where do you think you're going?"
He received no response to his call. As he rose to his feet and opened his mouth to call out once again, a white blur whizzed past Ken's head.
"The man asked you a question, Niccolo. It would only be polite to answer." Joe admonished. "Be warned, the next feather will do more than shave a few hairs from your head."
This time the cyborg slowed, though it did not come to a full stop. The ninjas sprang into action as Niccolo hesitated, fighting an internal battle. As they tackled him to the ground, the cyborg fought back. His enhanced strength proved an advantage as he freed himself from their clutches. The Eagle and the Condor stood up and turned to face Niccolo once more.
Gatchaman called out once more. "Niccolo, where are you going?"
Once again, the cyborg slowed, but did not stop. His motions continued to grow more jerky and sporadic as Ken and Joe watched. Suddenly Niccolo whirled around to face the two ninjas, his face unreadable. He reached out one hand and whispered, "Stop me. Please. I can't fight this much longer. Don't let me lose control."
Ken stepped forward and addressed Niccolo quietly. "Stop you from doing what? What are you fighting, Niccolo?"
Niccolo ignored Gatchaman, instead looking to Joe, his eyes pleading. "Joe, please. End this now. I can't resist the urge much longer. Set me free from this prison, Giorgio. You were right, Galactor did want me to infiltrate and attempt to destroy any ISO base I could gain access to. Don't let me do it, son."
Tears flooded the Condor's eyes before streaming down his cheeks. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to be right. Forgive me." Joe closed his eyes and took a deep, settling breath. When his eyes opened once more, there was no sign of emotion in the blue steel of his gaze. Taking aim with his gun, there was no waiver in his arm. "Good-bye… Father," he said softly before pulling the trigger.
Ken stood and watched helplessly as the projectile made impact and the cyborg fell lifelessly to the ground. A single tear rolled from Niccolo's right eye and disappeared into his hairline. Dropping to one knee, Gatchaman checked for any sign of life from the figure lying still on the floor. Finding nothing to indicate that Niccolo was still alive, Ken slowly rose to his feet once more. He turned to face Joe only to find an empty corridor. Sighing, he lifted his wrist to his mouth and initiated contact with Nambu, informing him of recent events.
Standing on the beach above Crescent Coral Base, Joe looked across the ocean waters. Tears filled his eyes as he reflected on the last twenty four hours of his life. Suddenly he was an eight year old boy again. He sank to his knees as grief flooded though him. Tilting his head back to face the darkness of the night sky, he let out a loud, strangled cry before collapsing onto the sand. For a few minutes, he sobbed helplessly, his entire body heaving with each breath. Slowly he regained control and pushed the sadness back into the recesses of his heart, focusing instead on the anger he felt. He stood up and wiped the tears from his face. His sorrowful expression had been replaced with a grim determination.
On the surface, he was right back where he had started from. His parents were dead and Galactor was responsible. Yet now, he was more resolved than ever to find a way to defeat the evil organization. They would pay for making him pull the trigger this time. What was personal before had become more so tonight. He swore that he would have his revenge even if it cost him his life.