Blast from the Past- 20
Neil released himself from his mother's grip for a moment and motioned toward Jun.
"Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet my sister, Jun."
"Your sister?" His father looked puzzled. "Son, you don't have…"
"I do now." Neil interrupted. "I have blood tests to prove it. Do you remember when I told you that I dreamed that I had a baby brother or sister?"
The Collins' just glanced at each other briefly; then looked back at their son and nodded.
"Well, Jun was the baby I remembered. I've found her! I really do have a sister! Isn't that great?" Neil beamed.
His parents still appeared confused, but they hugged and congratulated him anyway.
Jinpei's grin faded and he snarled as he listened to Neil call Jun his sister.
Jun turned around to observe Jinpei's reaction. It wasn't good.
"Did you hear that, Jinpei? Neil is my brother!" She bent down and looked him in the eyes; her face glowed.
Jinpei went through the motions as best as he could. "Yeah, congrats, Sis."
He then walked up and shook Neil's hand. "I'm thrilled … really."
Jinpei tucked his hands in his pockets and shuffled to his room. Jun watched as he lumbered sadly up the stairs. She was visibly shaken by Jinpei's sudden shift in attitude. She touched her fingers to her chin as she wondered what to do. She was suddenly caught in an awkward situation. Jinpei will be ok with this, I just think he needs some time...
A few seconds later a voice called out from upstairs. "Hey! Who broke my bed???"
Several goons poured out onto the deck of the ferry and rushed toward Joe. He balanced himself on the railing and let loose with a storm of daggers. Each one landed in a different adversary, stopping them cold.
When the "goon-cloud" finally cleared, the Condor pulled out his gun and made his way upstairs to the Captain's quarters. The Captain was ready for the intruder; standing in front of the ferry controls with his gun drawn.
Joe mockingly smacked himself in the forehead. "Oh, not again! What is it with you assholes? Do all of you Galactor morons share one brain, or something?"
The Captain nervously chattered, "Don't move, or I'll shoot!"
Joe's eyes narrowed as he slipped closer to his opponent. "Okay, I give! How about we have a duel? I'll even give you a head start.You can keep your gun pointed at me…just like that, and I'll pull mine out of my belt. Sound fair?"
The Captain nodded. "You'll be dead by the time I count to three…"
The Condor's face lit up. "Start counting, El Capitan!"
Now trembling, the Captain began, "One…two…"
BANG! The Captain fell backward over the control panel, a moon shaped blade sticking out of his neck.
"Sorry Capitan, I forgot to tell you, I don't know how to count!"
Great, I've escaped in one piece…Joe thought…now…how do I drive this thing?
Joe managed to keep the boat going forward, but he shuddered as he drew closer to land. Docking wouldn't be easy.
Joe flipped a few switches, and pulled a few levers. This is nothing like the GodPhoenix…
The dock grew closer, and closer, until finally the boat collided into the dock at full speed, crushing everything in sight.
Joe rushed down to his car, forgetting to pull down the ramp. Oh shit… here goes nothing! He revved up the engine, sped off the deck of the ferry, and made a jump for land.
The car flew over the heads of some of the dock guards, who had been ordered to detain the troublemaker once he reached them. However, they weren't quite expecting him to leap through the air in his car.
A few guards gave chase in their own vehicles, but Joe took the opportunity to run them off the road, leaving them in a cloud of dust.
A feral grin spread across his face. "Sorry I can't stay and play, boys; but I'm late for an appointment in Jutland."
Later, the reunion continued as everyone met at Dr. Nambu's house, and discussed their recent good fortune.
"We can't tell you how appreciative we are that you helped our son. We had to survive, just to see his face again." Mrs. Collins shook the Doctor's hand and smiled.
Mr. Collins cut in, "…And to find that Neil has a sister, well, that's even better!"
Ken walked out in the hallway. It had been way too long since Joe has checked in. They had agreed to maintain "radio silence", but this was ridiculous. He raised his communicator.
"Joe…come in, Joe…"
"Well, if it isn't the long lost Commander? How ya doin' these days?" Joe remarked, dripping with sarcasm.
"Cool it, Joe. Why haven't you checked in?"
"Let's just say I was detained. Big trouble on Paradise Island."
Ken watched from the hallway as the group stood up to leave the room. "Ok, fill me in when you get here. We're at Nambu's right now, but we'll probably go back to the Snack in a bit."
"Right. I'll be there in a couple of hours."
Back in Nambu's living room, Jinpei had finally had enough of everyone's good cheer, and wandered out into the yard without anyone noticing.
Mrs. Collins leaned on her husband and brushed her hand across her forehead.
"I'm sorry, I'm just so excited; I need to step out for a breath of fresh air." She exited the house slowly and slipped out of sight.
Jinpei observed the entire scene from behind the hedges. Mrs. Collins fumbled through her purse and removed a small compact.
She flipped it open casually and began speaking into it. "Lord Katse, we've located the traitor. We'll be bringing him to you momentarily."
Jinpei wasn't able to hear what Mrs. Collins was saying, but he knew that things weren't what they seemed with Neil's parents. He knew he'd have to keep an eye on them.
Back inside, Mr. Collins addressed the group. "I hope you don't think we're rude, but we were hoping to spend some time with our Neil alone. It's been so long since the three of us were together."
Nambu spoke up, "Of course, Mr. Collins. It's totally understandable. Enjoy your time with your son."
The others all nodded in agreement and smiled. Neil and his father joined Mrs. Collins outside, and they climbed into the family car.
Watching the trio exiting together, Jinpei took matters into his own hands. He opened the trunk of the car, and slipped inside. He'd find out what they were up to.