Chapter 10
Even once we had returned to the New God Phoenix, no one spoke. I reported the encounter with Galactor in as few words as possible to Dr. Nambu, who didn't appear to be paying much attention, so absorbed was he in the data he was receiving from the detection device. After some analysis, he instructed us to fly back to the Gera Desert, specifying exact coordinates. He then disappeared from the Bridge.
When we landed, everyone exited the ship, but Dr. Nambu was still nowhere to be found. We waited for a few minutes, but when he did not show himself, I began calling for him, worried that something had gone wrong.
"Dr. Nambu!" I called out.
"Where did he go?" wondered Ryu.
"Why did he have us leave the God Phoenix in the middle of the desert?" Jinpei asked.
The ground began rumbling beneath my feet, causing me to stumble and fall. I rolled out of the way, doing my best to avoid the disruption. Something burst from below the sand, landing with a clumsy thump in front of me. I stood up, brushing the sand from my uniform.
In front of me was the Condor Attacker.
The Condor Attacker had been named in honor of Joe, and had been meant for Getz, however obviously the man had never had the opportunity to drive it. So who was behind the wheel now?
To my surprise, the hatch opened and Dr. Nambu revealed himself to be the vehicle's operator.
"Hakase?" I asked in surprise.
"I'm sorry to frighten you." the Doctor replied.
"This is the Condor Attacker, isn't it?" Jinpei asked. I noticed a pained expression on Mako's face, but she didn't say anything.
"Yes. I found a way to stop the lava flow." Dr. Nambu answered.
"You did?" Ryu gasped.
"Yes." the Doctor said, stepping out of the car and onto the sand. "In order to stop the lava, someone must burrow underground with the Condor Attacker and fire this special Target Device, which will neutralize the flow's pressure." He gestured to the top of the vehicle and we could see a large missile, complete with bird nose, affixed to its roof.
"Can this G-Machine go deep underground then?" I was surprised, not having been aware of this capability before.
"I was researching that very question." Dr. Nambu replied. "Of all the G-Machines, the Condor Attacker is best suited for holding up to the enormous pressure it will be subject to deep in the Earth's mantle. But…"
"But?" I had a feeling I knew what was coming, and I steeled myself against the Doctor's next words.
"Due to the manner in which this vehicle was designed, it can only be properly operated by an excellent driver: someone who has gone through extensive training in its capabilities." Dr. Nambu explained.
"So who's going to drive it?" Jinpei asked nervously.
"Getz could have done it." Mako whispered.
"I'm sure he could have, but he's not here now." I told her, before turning to the Doctor. "Hakase, can the missile be fired from above ground?"
"No." Dr. Nambu shook his head. "Its energy would be significantly diminished by having to travel through the sand. Its power would be cut in half. According to the data from the device you deployed in New Jork, there is a huge underground cave in this desert. This would be the most effective place from which to launch the missile."
"Let me do it, Hakase." I said.
"You can't." the Doctor refused to look at me, instead avoiding my gaze by using the excuse of picking up some sand from the ground and letting it pour through his fingers. "I'm sorry, Ken, but you're not physically capable of doing this."
"Then I'll do it!" Mako pushed forward. "This should have been Getz's job, but he's not here. It's only right that I take his place."
"No!" Dr. Nambu insisted. "I'm looking for an excellent driver: one who has had extensive training with the ISO."
"Such a person would not be used to fighting Galactor." I pointed out. "And they wouldn't get here in time to stop the lava flow from reaching New Jork and Sukarupton."
"I'm the obvious choice!" Mako declared.
"I said no!" the Doctor shouted. Part of me was amazed by this show of emotion on Hakase's part, as he rarely displayed his feelings to us, especially regarding a matter such as this. But these feelings were overwhelmed by my own anger and frustration with Dr. Nambu's attitude. Once again, he was refusing to reveal his reasons to us, choosing instead to harbor his secrets and keep us in the dark.
I wasn't having any more of it.
"What are you going to do then?" I shouted. "Are we just going to let these cities be obliterated?"
Dr. Nambu stared at me for a long moment, his face quivering with emotion. Anger? Disbelief? Disappointment?
I didn't care. All I knew was that there were civilian lives at stake, and the Doctor was preventing me from fulfilling my duty to these innocent people.
"Mako, you're the best candidate here." I acknowledged, not without some damage to my own pride. "Go."
"Roger!" she acknowledged my orders, moving toward the vehicle.
"Stop, Mako!" Dr. Nambu ordered, physically holding his arm up to bar Mako's entrance into the Condor Attacker.
"Let her go!" I cried, moving forward, grabbing at the Doctor's arm to allow Mako clear passage. "You know this is the best option we have!"
Mako stood still, frozen by the scene in front of her, unable to understand what was going on. She wasn't alone. I had no idea what had gotten into Dr. Nambu, but I wasn't about to sit idly by for the sake of mysterious reasons he was unable to disclose to us.
I was about to order Mako to get into the vehicle when I heard something.
It was a soft sound, carried by the warm desert winds, but one so familiar that it tore at my soul. I turned slowly, unable to believe what my ears were telling me.
Whistling… a song… and not just any song… A song that I had learned years ago, as a child, passed onto me from my father and echoing in my memory. A fight song from my father's military unit, from the time he had served in the army with Dr. Nambu, when they had both been young men.
As we had performed our duty as the Science Ninja Team, I had occasionally whistled this song in the face of our enemies: a gesture meant to inform them that I was present, and ready to shed blood, but not before spilling theirs. It had worked: causing Galactor soldiers, and even Berg Katse himself, to quake in their boots.
There was only one person who could be whistling that song now.
I squinted, looking toward the source of the sound, but the desert sun was intense, and it was difficult to see more than a vague, shadowy form cresting a sandy ridge.
And then he appeared, standing in full view, albeit still from a significant distance away. His arrogant posture was so familiar, bringing back countless memories…
But it wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible!
"Joe!" Jinpei cried with excitement, jumping up and down before taking off at a run. "Joe!"
Ryu didn't waste time in following the boy, the two of them racing over to where the man stood. I found myself moving forward involuntarily, albeit at a much slower pace. It was Joe! My best friend, whom I had thought dead… and yet… a large part of me was reluctant to accept what my eyes were seeing as fact. What if it was some Galactor trick?
I glanced over at Dr. Nambu, looking for his response to this unexpected event. Yet all I saw was… relief?
It was as if a bucket of ice water had been thrown over my head. Suddenly everything became clear: the mysterious 'source', the Doctor's secretive behavior.
He had known all along.
A surge of anger filled me. How dare Hakase keep a secret of this magnitude to himself? Didn't he understand how emotionally devastated we had been by Joe's death, not to mention by our glimpses of him over the past ten days? And what about Joe himself? How could he be in contact with Dr. Nambu and not even think about revealing himself to the rest of us?
And then a dark voice inside of me spoke, its insidious words cutting through my heart.
If someone had to have survived… why couldn't it have been Jun?
I pushed the words away, but it was too late. The thought was already inside of my brain, burrowing its sinister poison into my soul. Filled with a white-hot rage, I moved forward.
Jinpei and Ryu arrived first at Joe's location, stopping dead in their tracks as they stared. For his part, Joe simply stood there, as if nothing had changed at all.
It was only when I arrived, Dr. Nambu and Mako close behind, that he removed his sunglasses, taking all of us in with a long, sweeping gaze.
"No one else is able to drive this car." he said simply, a trace of the arrogant pride I remembered in his voice. But it was as if no one had heard him. We were simply too stunned by the enormity of his survival to process anything else for the moment.
"Joe…" I gasped in shock.
"Joe!" Jinpei cried, throwing his arms around him. "You're alive!"
"You've had us all worried sick!" Ryu berated, but the grin on his face was a mile wide. Joe did not respond to these comments, but merely stepped forward, looking me in the eye, gauging my reaction to his appearance.
My reaction was a red haze of anger. Furiously I drew my arm back, before landing a solid punch on his jaw. For all my lower body had lost its agility, my upper body had regained its former strength and power. I channeled all of that into my fist, childishly pleased when Joe went flying, falling onto the ground in a heap.
"You bastard!" I shouted, unable to come up with anything more eloquent to describe my feelings at that moment.
And then… Joe laughed.
"You still pack a mean punch, Ken." he acknowledged, smiling as he rubbed his jaw. And just like that, all of my anger drained out of me. This was Joe, my best friend: the man who had been like a brother to me. He was alive, and that was something for which I should be grateful.
Slowly I walked over to where Joe was still lying on the sand. I wanted to show that I regretted my impulsive action, and my hand twitched to help him up, before I thought better of it. My stability was still somewhat uncertain on soft ground like this, and it was likely that any attempt to help Joe would only result in my falling down too. So instead I simply stood there, watching him get up on his own.
"Joe, I…"
"You idiot!" he grinned, his eyes taking me in. Internally I winced. How much did he know of my injuries? The old fears came flooding back, and instinctively I began to shut down.
"It's good to see you again, Ken." he said, holding out his hand.
"It's good to see you too, Joe." I replied, knowing that it was the truth. Briefly I accepted his hand before he moved away.
"So you were the one helping us from behind the scenes!" Ryu said, distracting me from my thoughts.
"Why didn't you show yourself to us?" Jinpei asked. "Why were you hiding?"
Joe didn't answer, merely turning aside, refusing to look at us. My anger swelled again. I had seen that kind of covert behavior all too often from Dr. Nambu of late, and witnessing it again now reminded me of my many recent frustrations.
The Doctor approached Joe, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"If you don't want to tell us, you don't need to." Dr. Nambu said. "However, why didn't you let us know that you were alive?" There was something strange in his expression. Something… uncomfortable.
Hakase was covering for Joe.
Dr. Nambu had apparently been communicating with Joe for months. Clearly Joe had let Hakase know that he was alive. This reeked of a setup.
"Dr. Nambu…" Joe appeared stymied, as if he didn't know how to respond.
"In any case, we're all very glad that you're still alive." the Doctor smoothed over the moment as he shook Joe's hand. Whatever he was about to say next was cut off as a deep rumbling shook the desert.
"Over there!" Mako shouted. The ground was rolling, and over the sand dunes it seemed as if the distant city of New Jork was rising out of the desert.
"The convection acceleration of the earth's mantle is increasing!" Dr. Nambu shouted in horror.
"No big surprise: Galactor's here." Joe's mouth curled in disgust. Indeed, a massive mecha was rising out of the sand. It was grey and white, and had the appearance of a flying saucer atop an insect's tail.
"Damn it!" I growled. "They're closing in!"
But while we had been preoccupied staring at the mecha's appearance, Joe had been getting into the Condor Attacker.
"I'm going to destroy the mantle junction!" he cried, starting the engine even as he spoke. "You guys have fun playing with Galactor." And before any of us could respond, he was speeding off in the car that had been inspired by his skill behind the wheel.
"Joe…" Dr. Nambu sighed.
"Okay, everyone, we're going to back up Joe!" I shouted. "Into your G-Machines!"
"Roger!"
And Joe did need backup. The saucer-tail mecha was approaching the Condor Attacker, clearly intent on destroying it. But I wasn't about to let that happen. Now that we knew Joe was alive, I wasn't about to let him die before me. Not again.
Bringing my Eagle Sharp around, I shot two mini Bird Missiles at the center of the saucer: where it appeared as if there might be a control room. Unfortunately, the shielding on this thing was sufficient to handle the blast, and when the smoke cleared, I could see that I hadn't even scratched it. However, it had now focused its attention on me, and I had at least accomplished the goal of distracting it away from Joe, so that he could continue on with his objective.
Mako, Jinpei and Ryu all fired at the mecha, but their attacks were as useless as mine. All we managed to do was confuse the thing, preventing it from firing, moving off, or doing any damage. I supposed that in a way, it was a minor victory.
The Earth shook again, this time with a violent crack that split open the desert before our eyes. The ground opened up directly underneath the saucer-tail mecha, and its weakness was instantly revealed: it wasn't capable of flight. Down it went, tumbling into the depths of the Earth, creating a massive explosion of its own, joining another spout of oily flames that had erupted not far away. I surmised that Joe had deployed Dr. Nambu's missile, which had created another violent disturbance underneath the ground.
Hurriedly, we all joined up with the New God Phoenix, meeting Dr. Nambu, who was onboard with Pimer. The moment the ground had settled we landed, rushing down to the landing gear, where an exit ramp allowed us quick access to the ground. I ran, stumbling down the stairs, horrified by the malevolent inferno before me. Smoke and flames rose thirty meters into the air, surrounded by billowing clouds of inky black smoke. Every opening in the ground served only as an avenue for this outpouring of burning destruction. This demonic fire raged forth from beneath the ground… where Joe was.
He couldn't be dead. Not again! Not now, when we had just found him again! There was no way in hell that a man could survive being engulfed in something like that… and yet, I found myself hoping against hope.
Something hurtled into the air, as if the Earth itself were spitting out a piece of noxious trash. It landed on the ground, crashing into the desert floor, the resulting waves of sand dousing the flames on its exterior. I quickly realized that this object was made of metal: debris from the saucer-tail mecha we had been fighting only moments ago. A crack appeared in its side, and from out of that crack… I squinted to see more clearly.
It was Joe. Dragging himself out of this last remnant of the Galactor mecha, using what looked like the last of his strength, Joe crawled out onto the sand, an expression of grim determination on his face that cut me to the core.
"Are you okay, Joe?" Jinpei asked anxiously, his eyes darting over to me. I understood the Swallow's concern. Joe's face was bruised and smeared with dirt and smoke. His clothing was torn and scratched, his body seemingly battered. He truly did look like a man who had escaped from the depths of Hell.
"Yeah, I'm fine." he attempted a smile, but all that came out was a strange grimace. "I just need to rest for a minute before I can walk again."
"The Condor Attacker is destroyed?" I asked curiously. "And yet, you've survived to appear here before us." I hadn't meant to sound so accusing, but something didn't sit right with me, and I was having a difficult time putting it from my mind. I was glad to see that Joe was okay… that he had survived. And yet, a part of me was screaming inside that it wasn't possible… that something was gravely wrong.
"I have the luck of the Devil." Joe shrugged, brushing my comment aside.
"Joe, why didn't you reveal yourself to us before?" I asked, unable to deny the rush of anger that was coming back to claim me. I needed answers, and perhaps Joe would be better able to provide them.
Yet he paused, clearly reluctant to speak.
"Don't take on airs, Joe. Just tell us." Ryu urged with a grin.
"This is just like before… everyone surrounding me…" Joe recalled his painful memory in a quiet voice. "At Karokorum, an old man found me… he rescued me, and brought me to an unfamiliar hospital, where I received a series of operations. It was an excellent facility, and thanks to Dr. Raphael, the operation was successful… he performed a miracle for me."
"Dr. Raphael?" Dr. Nambu repeated, closing his eyes, nodding slightly to himself.
"The man who rescued Ken at Eastern Island?" Mako questioned. "The one who used to work for Galactor?"
"Yes." Joe confirmed, pushing up from the ground and slowly moving away from us. "He's fighting Galactor on his own, now."
"You're the one who helped us at the temple, aren't you?" Jinpei asked, his expression a strange mixture of happiness and accusation.
"I didn't want to reveal myself to you, if at all possible." Joe admitted, turning his back to us. "I wanted to support you in secret. I didn't want to cause you any trouble. I… I still want that."
"Trouble?" Jinpei asked, confused.
"Right now, all I want is revenge against Galactor." Joe continued. There was something in his voice… but since his back was turned to us, I couldn't see his face to read his expression. Something wasn't quite adding up, but I couldn't figure out what it was.
"I'll destroy Leader X and his terrible evil, all by myself!" Joe declared, turning back to us, his face full of anger and determination.
"Joe…" I said, approaching him, my feelings of happiness and anger warring with themselves, "I understand your hatred for Galactor. But this isn't new. We've been fighting Galactor together for so long. It's impossible for me to think of you defeating X alone. You're a member of the Science Ninja Team!" Joe's face twisted in pain as I spoke; it was clear that my words had cut him to the core. He raised his head to look at me, his mouth forcing a smile I could see he didn't truly feel.
"Is this what I get? Another lecture from you?" he joked feebly. "No thanks, Ken. It's better this way."
"Better that you're on your own?" I pushed, sensing that I was hitting a nerve. "Never having anyone to rely on to back you up? I can tell that there are things going on with you beneath the surface: things that you don't want to talk about. I'll be honest: it bugs the hell out of me. But in spite of that, I'm just so glad to know that you survived, Joe. We've… I've… missed you."
"Just because you miss someone doesn't mean that you should stay with them." Joe replied evasively. His face had taken a hard expression, as if he was steeling himself against my words. "Sometimes it's better to be apart, to prevent people from getting hurt."
"Joe, you'd never hurt me, or anyone else on the Team."
"Haven't I hurt you all already?" The words burst out of his mouth in a flood of acidic self-loathing. "You all hurt when I was hiding my illness from the Team. You were all hurt when you thought I was dead, and even more so recently, when you thought I might be alive, but I didn't reveal myself. I've hurt you in ways you don't even realize. If I come back to the Team now, people will get hurt, Ken."
I stood there, my hands clenched into fists, wanting to knock some sense into him. In a way he was right: his actions had caused me pain. His absence from the Team had been strongly felt, and we still hadn't managed to fill the void that he and Jun had left behind. And I was furious that he hadn't contacted us… contacted me… to let us know that he was alive. All of this time I had been living through hell on my own, and he could have been there to pull me out of it…
But an even stronger voice inside my heart reminded me that this was Joe: my best friend. The person who had been by my side through thick and thin. We had never turned our backs on each other, even when we were unwilling to talk about what was going on within ourselves. We protected each other and sacrificed for each other, and damn it all to hell, that was the way it was supposed to be!
"Whatever hurt there is, I'm willing to accept it." I said boldly. "I know I speak for everyone here when I say that we're better off having you with us. You… you don't have to tell us what's going on with you, Joe, if you don't want to. We're barely hanging on here… and we need you." Sweat beaded my brow as I stood there in the hot desert sun, having just bared my soul to someone who was trying to reject me. If Joe still wanted to walk away at this point, I understood that it would probably be for the best.
But I didn't want him to walk away.
I raised my hand, extending it out to Joe, meeting him more than halfway.
"I…" Joe's eyes were wild. He was truly torn about this. I could see that he didn't want to accept my offer to return, yet he couldn't deny what I was saying.
"I know I'm going to regret this." he muttered to himself. "I'm sorry… but they need me too…"
Joe's fingers twitched, and he raised his arm with excruciating slowness. When his hand eventually met mine, he caught my gaze, staring at me intently.
"You said that whatever hurt there is, you're willing to accept it." Joe stated darkly. "I'm going to hold you to that, Ken."
"As long as we're on the same side, I can bear it." I told him.
"There's no going back now, Gatchaman."