Chapter 11
Weeks turned into over two months or so since Jun signed the papers for Dyami's adoption and she had chosen Matt and Natasha to be his mother and father. The call that he had been placed with came a month ago.
For a while things picked up with war against Galactor and she found her mind preoccupied with the war against Gel Sadra, the new leader of Galactor… then this disastrous mission came along.
She watched Joe's erratic driving and knew he had to be in trouble, jumping from her Auto Swan cycle she landed in the car with him.
"Joe," She shouted trying to get his attention. Joe didn't seem to know she was there from the way he stared off into nothing while they entered the tunnel. Grabbing hold of him she didn't see him put his foot on the brake hard causing him to lose control of the car and they crashed. The force of it sent them both flying from the wreckage. When the pain of her injuries brought her back to consciousness she tried to stand up, Joe had to be badly injured, since he was still in civilian, not Birdstyle.
She looked around for Galactor, and then she decided they had to move. Pulling the dead weight of Joe down the rough part didn't help her at this point in time either.
He mumbled something incoherent- she stopped dragging him long enough to see that he had a chip that he recovered while on his solo mission. Quickly she put in her secret pocket in her boot.
"You're so heavy," She moaned, but she refused to leave him behind.
Wiping the sweat off her brow, and ignoring the pain she felt from the accident that threw them from Joe's car she looked at his scratched face. "Condor you have some explaining to do." She scolded.
"Like how did you survive 350 volts of electricity running through your body?" She mumbled, "Quit this…"Well you know Jun, it just looks like it happened that way bullshit'…"
She picked him up by the shoulders and began to drag his heavy body once more towards the enormous cave opening, every breath she took seared through her lungs like some poking at them with a red hot iron.
"Almost…there…" She breathed heavily dragging him into the cave entrance.
"Don't die on me Joe…don't you dare." She ordered him, letting him go- she crawled away from him no longer having enough strength the stand.
He began to move slightly."Jun…" Joe's eyes fluttered open- he moved his head to look at her.
"You're alive…I thought I'd lost you again." She said with an exhausted smile. "Those must have been some dreams…you talk in your sleep do you know that?"
"No," Joe looked alarmed, pushing himself up into a half sitting position.
"Don't worry nothing you say makes any sense…" She reassured him.
"Jun the micro chip!" He looked at her wide eyed. The mission would be all for nothing of it had been lost.
"Got it right here," She said producing it from her boot pocket. Joe breathed a sigh of relief.
The sound of an engine caught their attention. Fifty goons moved into the entrance and a mecha blocked any kind of escape.
Jun stole a glance at Joe, instinctually she threw herself over him using her wings to fend of the rain of bullets, something stung her shoulder, she cried out in agonising pain as a bullet penetrated her shoulder sending her flying to the ground.
"Jun," Joe called out in horror, she couldn't respond.
Going in and out of consciousness she watch Joe now in Birdstyle take down all of the goons and then he disappeared into a ball of fire.
The next time she opened her eyes Joe looked down, she couldn't read his face, but she knew he carried her in his arms, feeling safe she closed her eyes.
"Joe, what happened?" Ken sounded worried. "Jun, please talk to me." she couldn't move the pain in her shoulder had intensified.
"We have the micro chip, Jun's badly hurt, and she needs medical fast." Joe said.
"Get her into the God Phoenix medical bay." Ken ordered.
"Joe that was careless… you both could have been killed. Swerving all over the road…" Ken scolded.
"I got the data-"Joe began to say as she drifted off again missing the rest of the conversation.
Coming back to the world again, she felt her body shift, could someone be lying her down? She thought absently.
"Jun, I'm going to take off your helmet." Ken said she felt someone pick up her head, her helmet slid off.
"Jin, she's in good hands…" She heard Joe say. "Ken won't let her die, and neither will I." Jinpei said something else Joe shooed them away, and then Jinpei left the room along with Ryu.
The sting of something touching the open wound made her draw in a ragged breath.
"That hurt…" She muttered to whoever was touching her.
"I'll try not to hurt you." She heard Ken say. "Some of these cuts are deep, and you may have torn some ligaments in your ankle, so hold still while I wrap a bandage around it."
She could feel his hands working on her wounds feeling her ankles and legs for other injuries. "Lucky your wings prevented it from going in far." Ken sounded like he was concentrating as he dressed the wound and he proceeded to investigate her other wounds.
She spotted Joe standing by the door, his facial expression hadn't changed.
"Thanks." She said looking into his guarded tinted eyes.
"Anytime." He with a slight turn of the corners of his mouth, and then he folded his arms under his wings.
"Take some of these for the pain." Ken handed her two white pills, and a glass of water.
Ken sank down beside the bed looking exhausted. "Don't so things like that."
"Like my job?" she questioned laying back down on her stomach.
He huffed, "Your job isn't getting both of you killed. Joe you should have been more on the ball than that."
"Joe saved my life in the end." She pointed out, silently she agreed.
Joe had mentioned something about a headache, could the old wound be back again she wondered.
"Good thing too…but I saw how he began to swerve…" Ken's voice became worried again. "I've noticed some odd things…"
"Me too Ken, that's why I've been keeping an eye on him." She said looking at the back of his helmet.
Ken must have felt her touch the antenna because he pulled of the helmet. He stood up and sat on the side of the bed. "Do need anything?"
"Yes, a hug, even if does hurt." She said joking, knowing it wouldn't happen.
The next thing she knew he picked her up gently like he used to do and arranged her in his arms so her sore shoulder wouldn't have pressure on it. She felt his mantle wrap around her shoulders to keep her warm.
Jun could smell the light scent of his clean hair. Feeling safe once more she snuggled in close to him. The pain began to ease in her body and the warm from his body began to relax her.
She thought about Dyami, at he's safe…with Matt and Natasha.
"Jun…who's…" Ken started to ask, she heard deep concern in his voice. She felt him gently run his fingers through her hair like he did often when they had been a couple. Just as she began to close her eyes she saw Joe standing in the doorway again as she drifted off into a dreamless sleep…
"I've been spoilt." She said smiling at the three men and youth standing around her hospital bed at G-Town. She looked around at the various bunches of flowers producing a ray of bright colours surrounding her bed. Even Joe couldn't keep a smile off his face as she picked a yellow rose with pale red tips running around each petal. The thornless rose stood alone in a bunch of various blooms, out of one of the vases and tilted it to her nose.
Both Ken and Joe smiled at her action making her wonder which one had put the rose in amongst the blooms.
"We're just happy to see ya making a full recovery." Ryu said casually, leaning back in the only chair in the room.
"I don't need a baby sitter…" She insisted looking at each of them. Since she returned she had an operation on her shoulder leaving her out of it because of the pain killers, along with the torn ligaments in her right leg that had to be rested to heal properly.
"We just didn't want you to be here alone." Jinpei said jumping up onto the side of her bed.
"Silly…" She ruffled his messy hair playfully. Inside she felt deep gratitude for waking up in the dark to see one of them sleeping on the floor next to her bed with a blanket and a pillow for comfort.
"We had to run only one mission without you…" Joe said walking over to stand beside Ken.
"Well since that micro chip was useless…"Ken let out an exasperated breath. "And it could have cost the team more lives…fortunately we destroyed the mecha that threatened just outside of Utoland."
Jun looked up sharply. "Was there anything destroyed…people hurt."
"No not really, we managed to trick it into going far away from the towns before we destroyed it." Joe said. "Still it was touch and go there for a while, and it did destroy a factory…"
Jun tried not to let her personal concern show on her face. "They…ahhh took out the stitches this morning from the gunshot wound."
Ken's brows drew in while he took his hands out of his pockets." You're still grounded Jun, for a few more days at least… since there haven't been any more attacks. Dr.Nambu has granted us some time on the surface."
"Wow," Jinpei looked at Ryu.
"Let's go fishing…" Ryu clapped his hands together excited.
"I might want a hand at the Snack J-"Jun began looking at the Swallow whose face changed in and instant to sadness.
"I'll help." Joe and Ken said together making her blush.
They looked at each other in surprise, and then back at Jinpei. "Okay, go fishing."
Jinpei tried to hug her, but she pushed him off the bed.
"I need my clothes…" She asked. Ken picked up the pile sitting on the other side of the room.
"Time for all of us to leave and give her some privacy." He indicated. The four of them left the room.
Testing the weight of her body on her sore leg she found it to be healing well with only a slight aching sensation, unlike the first time she tried it and collapse in a screaming heap on the floor. Doing daily exercises had helped the healing process. Joe and Ken had volunteered to make sure she did them twice a day.
Jun ran her fingers over the fresh scar on her left shoulder. Fortunately she always healed well, after giving birth to Dyami she didn't find one stretch mark. She had put that down to good genetics somewhere in her unknown family.
Dressed once more in her civilian uniform Jun made her way to the docks to get on the next sub to the surface. She had to call Val and make an appointment. She had to make sure Dyami and his family were really alright, and she wanted to see if Val could arrange her first meeting with them at such short notice.