Chapter 32
They ordered pizza and sodas, eating dinner down at the bar, all of the windows thrown open to let out the now cloying paint fumes. They laughed and joked, and Ken couldn't ever remember enjoying himself more. Occasionally their fingers would brush, or their knees would touch, and Jun would blush, while Ken smiled softly.
Jun could hardly believe the way things had changed over the last few hours. In a way, she wondered why she had waited so long to share herself with Ken. But she also recognized that she had needed the time to become the kind of person who would thrive in this relationship: an equal partner, who was not subordinate to Ken's needs.
Ken's head spun from his good fortune. Not long ago, he had been entirely convinced that he had lost Jun, and that she had developed feelings for Joe. Having experienced the misery of being without her, Ken knew he would never take this incredible woman for granted ever again.
"Would you like to dance?" he asked, feeling the need to hold her in his arms again.
"There's no music." Jun replied. "Hakase had all of our things from the old Snack retrieved and put into storage, but they won't be delivered for two more days. Until then, there's no jukebox." She held her hands up in a gesture of helplessness.
Ken knew Jun was anything but helpless, yet the movement made him feel protective of her.
"That's too bad." he leaned over, whispering to her. Jun's cheeks flushed prettily, and Ken gently bit her earlobe.
"I'm sure we could come up with something else…" Jun smiled.
Ken stood up, taking Jun's hand in his, and leading her to the dance floor. Silently, he wrapped his arms around her, as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Why didn't we do this years ago?" Jun sighed.
"Because, I was a blind idiot." Ken replied in an amused tone.
"Oh, good answer." smirked Jun, closing her eyes and snuggling further into the Eagle's embrace. "When did you get to be so smooth?"
"I'm only smooth with you, Jun." Ken answered, softly stroking her hair.
"And there you go again…" she giggled, "This is a part of you I've never seen before."
Ken tilted his head down so that his mouth was next to Jun's ear.
"That's not the only part of me you've never seen."
"And when will I get to see those parts?" Jun murmured softly.
Her eyes shot open as she realized exactly what the Eagle was talking about. Her cheeks reddened and her mouth pursed into a small 'o' shape.
Ken grinned. The Swan's combination of passion and innocence was incredibly intoxicating. In fact…
The Eagle's thoughts were interrupted by a soft chirping. Reflexively, he looked at his wrist, but the noise wasn't coming from his body.
"G-3, here." Jun said, pulling away from Ken to speak into her bracelet.
"G-3, I would like to see you in my office, on Base." came Dr. Nambu's voice.
"Tonight?" asked Jun, glancing shyly at Ken. She was still a little flustered by her initial misinterpretation of his comment.
"Yes. As soon as you can get here." replied the Doctor.
"I'm on my way. G-3 out." Jun sighed.
"I wonder why he doesn't want to talk to you." she mused.
Ken was wondering the same thing.
"Could you be in trouble? Have you been breaking the rules?" he asked, smiling.
"I don't think so." Jun replied. "In any case, there's only one way to find out. I'm sorry, Ken, but I need to get back to Base."
"I'll go with you." Ken offered.
"Thanks, that would be very nice." she smiled.
As they walked outside, Jun got onto her motorcycle, and was surprised to see Ken get on behind her.
"What about your car?" she asked.
"We can come back together, tomorrow." he replied.
"I'd like that." Jun said, her lips curving into a soft smile.
"We have to finish painting the upstairs." Ken continued, wrapping his arms around Jun's waist as she started the bike. "Besides which, I think we need a rematch."
Jun laughed, the sound drifting off into the night.
"I don't know if I want any more colors in my hair." she giggled.
"Then I'll take it easy on you."
"Are you saying that I need you to take it easy on me?"
"No, not at all. Just that I love your hair the way it is…" As he spoke the words, a few ebony strands flew out from under her motorcycle helmet, ticking his face.
"And that smooth part of you comes out again…" Jun giggled, as she started the bike.
The motorcycle zoomed out into the traffic, and out of the city, the two people upon it laughing with their enjoyment of the ride.
Ken had always been comfortable riding with Jun on her bike, but he was especially grateful for the experience now. The warmth and closeness he felt sitting behind her, their legs and torsos pressed together, was an affirmation that this entire day had actually happened, and wasn't just some kind of dream.
All too soon, they arrived at the Crescent Coral Base, and Jun left Ken in the Vehicle Docking Area, with the bike, while she went to Dr. Nambu's office. It was only then that Ken thought again about the purpose of their trip.
For what reason did Hakase want to see Jun?
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Jun was wondering the same thing as she knocked on the Doctor's door.
"Come in, Jun." Nambu said, "I'm glad you're here."
"What is this about, Hakase?" Jun asked, sitting nervously on a chair.
Dr. Nambu didn't mince words.
"We have completed your paternity test, Jun." he revealed, "It has been confirmed that you are the biological child of Berg Katse."
"Oh." replied Jun quietly, shifting in her seat. She hadn't really expected any other result. Did Hakase call her in just for this?
"But there's something else." continued the Doctor, reading her mind. "While we were analyzing the DNA, we found something startling."
He turned off the lights, and flicked on a projector. An image of DNA structures at the most intricate level was displayed.
"Berg Katse has a very unique form of DNA." Nambu stated, "And while we have always known this, we have never actually isolated the difference. It would appear that his DNA has a multifactorial disorder: one that would normally cause some kind of hereditary condition, such as heart disease. But we have never seen this particular disorder before." He pointed to a number of areas on the slide, comparing Katse's DNA with that of a 'normal' person.
"What makes this more unusual is that this disorder appears to be carefully balanced by an abnormal chromosome count. By itself, an abnormal count could result in a condition such as Downs Syndrome. But these chromosomes appear to be compensating for… in fact, enhancing… Berg Katse's chemical functions."
Jun stared at Nambu, her face glazed with incomprehension.
"So… you're saying that he should be sick, and mentally sub-standard, but that these two things cancel each other out?" she asked, confused.
"Apparently so." the Doctor replied dryly. "This condition would only occur naturally in roughly one in a billion people."
"Is this what Leader X 'needs'?" asked Jun, suddenly understanding where this might be going. "Is that why he told us that Katse is 'special'?"
"Quite possibly." answered Nambu, "And that would also explain X's interest in you."
"I have this… this kind of DNA… as well?"
"Yes," confirmed the Doctor, "but in your case, it seems to be more balanced. The disorder, and the chromosome counts, are not nearly so extreme in your body, as they are in Berg Katse's. His cells almost suggest a strange… combination… of DNAs, whereas yours is much more harmonious with your body chemistry."
"Is that why I'm not so…" she searched for the right term, "insane?" Jun cringed even saying the word, but it was the only way to truly describe that madman.
"Perhaps." replied Nambu calmly. "For the record, Jun, I have no doubts as to your sanity."
Jun sagged in her chair with relief.
"We are still studying the implications of this discovery." the Doctor told her, "But there's something else."
"What?" Jun asked nervously, sitting straight up again.
"We have discovered a vulnerability of this DNA combination." Nambu revealed, "A 'crack' through which we could destroy it from within."
Jun's eyes widened with an understanding of what he was telling her.
"We decided to take a page from Berg Katse's book." the Doctor went on, "Using your DNA as a base, we have been able to construct a virus that, if introduced into his body, will eventually kill him." He looked carefully at the Swan before he continued.
"We want your permission, Jun, to deploy this virus."
"My permission?" asked Jun, stunned. "Why do you need my permission?"
"I would never do something like this, without consulting you first." Nambu said seriously. "We are using your body, your DNA, to construct this virus. Additionally, if it is deployed, it is fatal. It attacks the DNA at a sub-nucleotide level, and its progress cannot be reversed, or halted."
"How many people could it kill?" Jun asked, her face drawn.
"Two."
Jun was fairly certain she knew which two.
"So, no one else would be impacted by this?" she asked.
"No. This virus would be completely harmless to anyone without these unique characteristics." the Doctor replied. "Of course, you wouldn't be allowed to get anywhere near the virus. I would have the other members of the Science Ninja Team deploy it in Berg Katse's presence."
"I see…" Jun muttered, still processing everything she was being told.
"If you agree, Jun, then tomorrow morning I will assign the Science Ninja Team to a new mission." Nambu stated.
Jun looked up at her mentor.
"I will order you to assassinate Berg Katse."
In a voice like granite, the Swan gave her answer.
"You have my permission."