Chapter 10
The tension in the conference room was thick. Ken had kept his eyes glued to the window, refusing to speak to anyone after they had all verbally disapproved of his outburst. The Eagle had picked his bracelet back up off of the desk and replaced it on his arm, while everyone else had pretended not to notice.
Jinpei and Ryu sat dejectedly on the sofa, occasionally sighing as they glanced regretfully at Ken.
Joe couldn't stand it. He had been pacing the other side of the large room for a while in silence, until Jun had come over to join him. She had addressed him in a low whisper.
"What do you think Hakase is going to do?" she asked quietly. "When he left here…"
"He's going to cool down." Joe reassured her. "He's used to dealing with things analytically. He can't understand the emotional attachment we have to this job. We couldn't just sit here and watch Galactor ravage innocent civilians."
"That's true." Jun sighed. "I just wish that Ken hadn't been so… volatile."
"It's a side of him I haven't really seen before." Joe admitted. "It's not entirely a bad thing, but Ken seems to be a bit out of control."
"At least he put his bracelet back on."
"That shows he's still got some sense."
"Ken's scaring me, Joe. I don't like seeing him so erratic. It makes me wonder…"
The Swan didn't voice what she was thinking, but the Condor could tell. If she couldn't understand or predict what the Eagle's reactions would be, then she didn't necessarily trust his judgment as a leader.
"He'll work through this, whatever it is." Joe promised. "Ken is our friend. Whatever he needs from us, we'll help him through it." The relief flooding Jun's face told him that he'd said the right thing. Clearly the Swan depended on the Eagle in more ways than one.
The double doors to the room opened, revealing Dr. Nambu and Red Impulse. The Swallow lifted his eyes to take in the newcomers, and the Condor heard him mutter to the Owl.
"What do you want to bet it's another lecture?"
"Listen up everyone." Dr. Nambu said, ignoring Jinpei's comment. "I have decided to send you all for training with the Red Impulse Squadron."
That got Ken's attention. He turned away from the window and gasped.
"You heard the man." lectured Red Impulse. "I'm going to be putting you all through some intensive training and get you back into shape."
Joe bristled at this comment. Did this Rat Bastard mean to imply that they were 'out of shape'? The Condor was willing to concede that they might be able to learn some new techniques, but this was a slap across the face.
"What are you talking about?" Ryu demanded, coming to his feet. "We never needed training before, so why now?"
"Prepare for immediate departure." ordered Dr. Nambu, ignoring the Owl's question as he turned and left the room with Red Impulse.
"You've got to be shitting me!" Joe burst out, his anger boiling over as his hand clenched into a fist. "We don't need any stinking training!"
"Cool your jets, Joe." Ken approached the Condor. "This will give us a chance to check out Red Impulse and see what makes them tick." Joe gaped in astonishment as Ken rushed out of the room. What the hell had gotten into him? The Eagle's anger had completely dissipated, and he almost seemed… eager.
"What's up with Ken?" Ryu asked. "He almost looks happy about going! What the cheese is going on?"
Joe looked around at his teammates. With Ken off in some weird place, it was up to him to lead them.
"We're going with Red Impulse." he announced grimly. "I don't like it, and I expect none of you do either." Jun, Jinpei and Ryu nodded in agreement.
"But we're going to do this, so that Ken can get through… whatever the hell he's going through." the Condor ordered. "He needs to do this, and we're his Team. We're going to support him."
"I'm with you, Joe." Jun said softly, placing her hand on his arm in support.
"Me too!" Jinpei chimed in.
"You know I'm all for getting Ken back to normal." Ryu said. "These mood swings of his are really starting to freak me out!"
"Just remember, no matter what those Rat Bastards ask us to do, we're going to do it." Joe reminded them. "We're going to show them what the Science Ninja Team is truly made of!"
88888
The Condor slouched in his seat, dozing lightly all the way to their destination. He was only mildly surprised to discover that they were being taken to the Red Impulse Squadron's secret base. He let Ryu worry about flying the God Phoenix behind the red jet in front of them, and caught up on as much sleep as he could. Rat Bastard was vindictive, and Joe didn't doubt that he wasn't going to get much rest during this entire 'training session'.
His supposition was right. As soon as they had landed, the members of the Science Ninja Team were met by three men in red uniforms.
"You four," Red Impulse ordered haughtily, pointing at Joe, Jun, Jinpei and Ryu, "will go with Captains Masaki and Oniishi. They will be in charge of your training." Joe was surprised. So the Rat Bastard wasn't going to train them himself? That meant that…
"Ken, you'll be with me." The vicious smile on Red Impulse's face had the Condor thinking that the Eagle had drawn the short straw in this arrangement.
Yet amazingly, Ken appeared to be excited by the prospect of spending time alone with Red Impulse.
"Yes, Sir!" he said, his posture so crisp that he was on the verge of snapping his heels together and offering a salute. It nearly made Joe sick. He just hoped that Ken got… whatever this was… out of his system soon.
"This way." Red Impulse ordered, and off Ken went behind the bastard, almost like a little puppy dog. What the hell had gotten into him?
"Now listen up, you wimps!" Masaki barked. "We're going to see what you're made of! Give me two laps around the island, now!"
Joe's first instinct was to belt the man for his insolent tone, but he recalled what he had said to the others back at Crescent Coral Base. They were all looking at him. He was their leader now, and they would follow him, whether it was the right path or the wrong path.
He had to get through this. Ken deserved the opportunity to work through whatever it was that was going on with him, even if it meant that the rest of them were suffering. That was what being part of a Team was all about.
Without a word, the Condor turned and began sprinting away, and less than a second later he heard Jun behind him. Jinpei and Ryu quickly followed.
How bad could this be?
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Sixteen hours later, Joe had a feeling that he was only just starting to understand how bad it was. The minimal rest he had gotten on the God Phoenix while traveling to this dismal place had barely been sufficient for the Condor to drag himself through the grueling paces that Masaki and Oniishi had devised for the members of the Science Ninja Team.
After their two laps around the island, Masaki had had them all doing pushups, and then working through a series of gymnastic exercises, followed by yet more running, and then some sparring practice. Whenever they had 'slacked off', Oniishi had been there to prod them back into action. Ryu had been bawled out more than once for falling behind, but Joe had not intervened. They were the Science Ninja Team, and it was expected that they be capable of anything that was demanded of them.
But damn, he hated these Rat Bastard flunkies.
The Condor had stumbled to the bed that had been assigned to him. They were all sleeping in a large room housing little more than five cots and five blankets. Joe didn't speak, and neither did anyone else. He simply dropped onto his cot, gave a half-hearted tug to pull the blanket over him, and fell asleep.
They were woken up by a loud clanging sound, which turned out to be Masaki banging a metal pot right next to Joe's ear. Instinctively, the Condor leapt out of bed and attacked, his hands closing around the man's throat. It took him two seconds to realize that this wasn't how he was supposed to react.
Grunting an apology, Joe removed his hands from around Masaki's neck and stepped into line with Jun, Jinpei and Ryu. Curiously, the bed assigned to Ken appeared not to have been slept in.
"You'll pay for that little insubordination." Masaki grinned cockily. "Although I'm pleased to see that your reflexes are in good condition, G2. You can put them to good use in a few rounds of boxing."
And so began the pattern of their days. Each morning Masaki woke them in the most obnoxious manner possible, and then put them through their paces like a drill sergeant from Hell. They ran around the island more times than Joe could count, did pushups, went through gymnastic exercises, practiced boxing and wrestling, and anything else that came to the twisted minds of their two captors.
As punishment for momentarily attacking Masaki, a few days later Joe was assigned the duty of washing the man's red jet while the others ate lunch. Once he was finished, he rejoined the rest of the Team, tired and hungry. Unfortunately for the Condor, the meal had already concluded.
"And now that you've all eaten, we have a special treat for you." Masaki smirked. "You're going to get to sit down and relax for awhile."
The expression of intense relief on Ryu's face was almost comical. But Joe knew that something was up. He was proven right when they entered a massive chamber housing a pair of centrifuges. For a brief moment, he had a recollection of the last time he had been in a centrifuge. Dr. Nambu had been attempting to extract shrapnel from his brain, to save the Condor's life.
It suddenly occurred to Joe that Dr. Nambu cared about him a great deal more than the man usually let on. Perhaps when the Doctor had been reluctant to let them go to their deaths, it had been more than a strategic decision.
But that sudden insight was of no help to him now.
"We'll see how you wimps withstand G-forces." Masaki laughed. Oniishi's silent smirk merely added to the unease that the Condor felt.
The compartments each held two occupants. Since Ryu was larger than average and Jinpei smaller than average, they were assigned to the same unit. That left Joe and Jun together.
"Hope you didn't eat much at lunch." Joe grunted as they got into the tiny chamber.
"I had a feeling something was up when they were pushing real food at us." Jun replied. "I had some plain bread and ginger ale, so I should be okay."
"I hope so, for both of our sakes."
"Should we transform? Our uniforms act as G-suits."
"Good idea."
Joe was glad for Jun's common sense at that moment. In his exhaustion, he had forgotten this important fact. As soon as they were strapped in, the Condor and the Swan performed a joint transformation.
The transformation, usually only slightly uncomfortable, today felt almost pleasant. The prickly tingling over his skin as the garments on his body changed their material form was sheer pleasure after the aching torture he had been through for the past forty-eight hours. And from an emotional standpoint, using their uniforms as a way to better endure whatever Masaki and Oniishi had in mind felt as good as flipping them the bird: another brand of 'Condor Special'.
The capsule began to move, and within a few seconds the indicator on the monitor revealed that they were rushing around the testing chamber at a speed fast enough to simulate three Gs of acceleration. Joe concentrated on his breathing: slow releases and intakes of air. In and out. In and out.
And that was just the beginning.
At five Gs, Jun began to moan uncomfortably. Joe didn't feel very well himself, and the unpleasant sound didn't help matters any.
"Keep your eyes open." he told her through gritted teeth. "Focus straight ahead."
"I… can't…"
"That's an order, G3!"
He hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but his vicious tone had the desired effect. Jun's eyes snapped open and she stared directly at the wall in front of her. The effort of speaking at this acceleration was too much, and the Condor was unable to state his approval. Blindly, he groped to his right for her hand, squeezing it gently. Her return grip was weak, and disappeared altogether when they moved up to six Gs.
Even staring straight ahead was not helping Jun now. Desperately, Joe tried to recall everything he had learned during his brief course on emergency medicine. Something emerged from the depths of his brain, and blindly Joe did his best to recall it.
The Condor moved his fingers down from the Swan's left hand to her arm. Probing for a moment, he found the two hard tendons in the center of the inside of her wrist, then applied a strong pressure in between the tendons about one finger's width up from the base of the Swan's wrist. He continued to work on her pressure point for a count of ten seconds, releasing and repeating while taking slow, deep breaths.
Focusing on this nearly-forgotten technique helped take his mind off of the physical distress his own body was feeling. Staring straight ahead, he let his mind be filled with the slow rhythm of his breathing, and the measured count of pressure and release on Jun's wrist.
After what seemed like an eternity, but was likely only a minute or two, the capsule came to a stop. It took Joe a few moments to realize that they had ceased moving, a fact that was confirmed by Jun's soft moan.
"Thanks…"
It was then that Joe realized that he was still pushing on Jun's pressure point. He dropped her arm into her lap, pulling his hand back.
A short while later, the capsule door was opened, and Masaki stood there, smiling at them. Strangely, his expression was not harsh or mocking, as it had been for the past two days, but rather one of indulgent pride.
"You two did pretty well." he admitted. "Neither of you passed out, and you kept your capsule clean."
"Clean?" Jun's face wore a look of confusion for a moment, until she understood the implication of Masaki's words.
"G4 and G5 will be cleaning out their capsule for the rest of the day." the red-uniformed man told them. "You two can rest for an hour, and then practice your katas in the training room until dinner."
Practicing katas sounded like a dream. While stressful for the average person, the members of the Science Ninja Team had performed them so often that they had become a form of relaxation and stress release.
Masaki was rewarding them.
As grateful as he was, Joe refused to acknowledge the pleasure he felt. He simply nodded and unbuckled himself, assisting Jun and pulling her out of the capsule with him. Together, they made their way back to their 'quarters' for their promised hour of rest.
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After dinner, Masaki and Oniishi gave them an assessment of their performance over the past few days.
"For the most part," Masaki said, "we have been impressed with the discipline and endurance you Science Ninjas display. Of course, there are some exceptions…"
Oniishi smirked at Ryu, who turned as red as Masaki's uniform. Joe felt a rush of sympathy for the Owl. He had been the last of them to begin training for the Science Ninja Team, and wasn't in the same physical shape the rest of them were. Additionally, he had been left behind in the God Phoenix on so many missions that he didn't have as much field experience as he could have done.
"We work well together as a Team." Joe pointed out. "We merge our individual strengths to form a cohesive fighting unit."
"True enough, G2." Masaki nodded. "In fact, I was impressed by how well you and G3 worked together in the centrifuge unit. I have also noted that the others seem to follow your lead, in the absence of G1."
"Joe is an excellent leader." the Swan supported the Condor.
"Perhaps." Masaki agreed. "But you are not always together. There are times on missions where you must work separately to achieve your goals. Every single one of you needs to achieve a minimum level of skills."
Joe didn't disagree, but it angered him to see these Rat Bastards humiliating Ryu in this manner.
"At the moment, I am leading the Science Ninja Team." the Condor said coldly. "I am responsible for everyone being up to task. And I promise you that we all meet your standards."
"We shall see." Masaki smirked.
88888
The following morning they were unceremoniously hauled out of bed by Oniishi and forced to strip down to their underwear. The man's silence as he grimly directed them with hand signals was somewhat eerie, and Joe wondered if it was all an act, or if the man truly couldn't talk. None of the ninjas had ever asked, and the information had not been volunteered.
The four of them were marched outside, shivering in the cold morning air. At first, Joe thought that they had been denied their clothes to prevent them from transforming, as he and Jun had done the day before. But the further they hiked, the more he began to wonder if this was truly the case.
Oniishi led them up the side of the mountain that dominated most of the island. Despite the southern location of the Red Impulse Squadron's secret base, the temperature was cool; uncomfortably so. Joe felt his skin prickling in the cold, and found himself working hard to resist the urge to rub his hands along his arms to warm his skin.
After perhaps three quarters of an hour, the man in red finally turned off of the main trail, gesturing the ninjas ahead of him. They could hear a deep rumbling sound, and as they moved closer, the wet spray in the air confirmed that they were approaching a waterfall.
The watery mist was bone-chilling, and the Condor was unable to prevent himself from shivering, yet still he continued along the narrow path. He only stopped when they were so close to the waterfall that to continue any further along the path was to enter into the frigid rush of liquid ice.
"No breaks!" came Masaki's voice from behind them. When the hell had he gotten here?
"Keep going!" Masaki insisted.
Joe swore softly under his breath. Those Rat Bastards! But then, this wasn't anything he couldn't deal with. It would be uncomfortable, certainly, but no more so than the centrifuge the day before. Gritting his teeth, he plunged into the icy waterfall.
He had never imagined that he could be so cold, or so soaked to the skin. It was like going ice-fishing, except he was the fish. The Condor hurried along the path as much as he could, but when he reached the other side of the waterfall, he found a gleeful Oniishi blocking his path.
They would have to remain inside the freezing rain.
Joe turned back, coming face to face with Jun, who raised her head to look at him, her large green eyes pleading with him for assistance. His physical discomfort was nothing compared to the emotional agony he felt at having to shake his head and indicate that the nearby red-uniformed man was blocking their exit.
The Swan sighed, but nodded as she accepted their fate. She passed on the message to Jinpei, who related it to Ryu. They all stood there, staring at their feet, attempting to shut themselves off from the harsh environment their bodies were being forced to endure.
It wasn't until that moment that it occurred to Joe that neither he nor Jun was wearing much in the way of garments. His eyes opened wide, taking in the sight of her lithe curves through the curtain of water cascading over her body, before common sense kicked in and he tore his gaze away. Yet still the image remained, locked behind his closed eyelids.
After that, the Condor no longer noticed the cold.
Joe's eyes jerked open when he felt a light lashing on his arm. Turning his head, he saw that Oniishi had his whip in his hand, and was using it to indicate that Joe should exit the waterfall and follow him. The Condor turned, tugging gently on the Swan's hand and urging her to follow him, knowing that she would do the same for Jinpei and Ryu.
Stepping out into the open again was only slightly warmer than standing within the waterfall. Liquid icicles streamed down his face, and the chill of the sharp, cutting wind that moved across his skin kept the Condor's body temperature low and his physical discomfort at the forefront of his consciousness. He numbed his mind to the miserable sensations he was experiencing.
A short way further down the path, Oniishi led him into the mountain itself: inside what looked like a cave opening. Anticipating even colder temperatures inside, Joe was pleasantly surprised to feel a warm humidity rising up from the interior of the mountain. Before long, clouds of steam fogged up the passageway, and the Condor realized that there must be some kind of underground geothermal spring that emerged here.
He was right. Oniishi led the four ninjas into a large chamber. In the center of the chamber was a deep crevasse, approximately four meters across, filled with water so hot it was practically boiling. Joe's body temperature had completely returned to normal, and he now found himself beginning to sweat. Whether it was from the intense heat or nervousness at what Masaki and Oniishi had in mind, he didn't want to contemplate.
Oniishi indicated that the four ninjas should stand in a line and they did, still in their wet undergarments, but no longer shivering.
"You have passed the endurance test." Masaki announced, stepping forward out of the shadows. "You may get dressed again in your clothes."
"But, where are they?" Jinpei looked around, confused.
"Over there." Masaki smirked, gesturing to the far end of the chamber.
Their clothes were on the opposite side of the steaming crevasse.
"But, how…?" Ryu whispered.
"You have two minutes to retrieve your clothes." Masaki informed them, before he stepped back into the shadows. Joe had no doubt that the Rat Bastards were observing them, but he didn't care. He just wanted his dignity back. He eyed the four neat piles of civilian uniforms hungrily.
Immediately, Ryu ran over to the edge of the crevasse, clearly intent on swimming across. But the moment his toe touched the water, he yanked it back out.
"Damn nearly burned my skin off!" he swore.
"Over here." the Condor called to the Owl. He indicated that everyone should step close to him, and once they did, he told the others what he wanted them to do. Jun nodded, her eyes brightening as he quickly detailed his plan.
"I can do it." she smiled grimly.
"We're counting on you, Jun." Joe told her, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Quickly, he moved over to the edge of the water, with Ryu next to him and Jun in front of them both. The Condor and the Owl squatted, lifting up the Swan by the soles of her feet, and she bent her knees, flexing lightly. Jinpei stood behind Joe and Ryu, a hand placed on each of their backs for support. Joe whispered a countdown.
"Three… two… one…"
The Condor and the Owl thrust the Swan's feet up and forward, while Jun leapt off of their hands, using their added momentum to arc across the steaming water and flip her body around. She landed feet first on the other side of the crevasse, arms raised. She turned and grinned widely at the others, her excitement visible even through four meters of cloudy humidity.
"Now, Jun!" Joe ordered.
Quickly, Jun ran to the piles of clothes, rifling through them. Her smile broadened when she found what she sought.
"They're here!" she announced. Her fingers flew rapidly, adjusting things to her satisfaction, and then she stood, her arm outstretched in a graceful throwing motion.
"Catch!" she called.
The Condor leapt into the air, grabbing ahold of the yellow and red Yo-Yo that flew toward him, carrying its payload to his position. Quickly, he untied the two cableguns and tossed Ryu's weapon toward the Owl, handing the end of the Yo-Yo to the Swallow. Within seconds, the three ninjas were across the crevasse, laughing with an exuberant Swan.
"We make a good Team." Ryu grinned.