Chapter 25

Despite their victory, the Science Ninja Team was quiet for their return journey to G-Town. Joe retreated to the Medical Bay to sit with Jun, and for some reason known only to himself, Ken did not follow, but merely sat in silence at his station. The tension that had existed before the mecha attack was still there, although somewhat more muted, and the usual jocular commentary between the Swallow and the Owl was not present on the Bridge.

The moment they returned back to base, a still-sedated Jun was escorted to the Medical Center and placed under Dr. Nambu's care, while the rest of the team gave their reports to Dr. Pandora. After the required medical exams, Jinpei and Ryu headed for the Common Area for snacks and video games, while Ken took Joe aside.

"We need to talk." the Eagle said quietly. His tone was not condemning, but his manner suggested that this was more than just a casual chat.

Joe nodded. He had been expecting this, and figured he might as well get it over with. So much the better if Jun was not present; he could at least spare her this confrontation. She had been through enough without having to deal with Ken's wounded ego.

The two men walked into a nearby conference room. After confirming that it was empty, Ken carefully closed and locked the door behind them.

Joe leaned against the wall in his usual pose, waiting for the Eagle to make the first move. After all, this was Ken's problem, and not his.

Ken paced the length of the room three times, not certain where to begin. Joe waited patiently, not giving any indication that he was aware of the delay.

"This afternoon, when Jun and I…" Ken began, but then he stopped. He took a deep breath, and began again.

"This drug that Gel Sadra gave to you, and to Jun… it enhances sexual desire, doesn't it?"

"That's one way of putting it," Joe shrugged, "but your description is pretty mild, as compared to the actual experience."

"And what is that experience?" Ken's voice revealed the anger simmering below his calm exterior. Despite the warning sign, Joe chose to answer the question honestly.

"It consumed me." he said bluntly. "It was all I wanted, all I thought about, and nothing else mattered. The slightest touch set me off, and I felt like I would die if I didn't get what I needed."

The impassive look on the Condor's face as he said this chilled Ken's soul. The Eagle was getting into things that, deep down, he didn't truly want to know. And yet, a sadistic part of his nature pressed on, demanding that he find out exactly what had happened between the Condor and the Swan.

"And did you?" he spat.

"Did I what?"

"Did you… 'get what you needed'."

"Not exactly."

This was not the answer Ken had been expecting. He stood in silence for a moment, digesting this piece of information before speaking again.

"What happened, in the Medical Bay, after we pulled you out of that Galactor Base in the Urals?"

"Jun realized pretty quickly that I was drugged, and she gave me a mild sedative."

"But that's not all she gave you." Ken accused.

"What are you implying, Ken?"

"You know damn well what I'm implying!"

"I do." the Condor acknowledged. "I just want to hear you say it."

The Eagle took a deep breath, speaking slowly through gritted teeth.

"Did you, under the influence of this drug, have sex with Jun?"

Once the words were spoken aloud, Ken realized how ridiculous they sounded. But it was too late to take them back now.

"No."

The Eagle let out a long sigh of relief, the tension beginning to ease from his body.

"Not that I didn't try." Joe added.

Ken's head snapped up, glaring at the Condor.

"Jun was surprised, and somewhat… accommodating… given the circumstances, but it didn't go that far." Joe finished.

"How far did it go?" Ken asked angrily, his fists clenching at his sides.

"Do you really need to know that, Ken?" Joe asked, staring icily at the Eagle. "I could ask you the same question."

"What the hell do you mean by that?" shouted Ken. He hadn't expected Joe to turn the tables on him.

"This afternoon." Joe elaborated. "You were alone with Jun for quite awhile after she had been drugged. And you seem to have some insights as to the drug's effect on her."

"And your point is?"

"My point is, how accommodating were you to Jun?"

"That's none of your business!"

"Then why is what happened between Jun and myself any of your business?"

"It's different!" Ken retorted. "Jun and I, we have… had… an understanding…"

"What kind of understanding was that Ken?" Joe asked, his eyes flashing dangerously. "She told me that you two had no obligations between you. That those were your exact words."

"We… we don't."

"So, why all of the questions?"

The Condor smiled grimly. He had forced the Eagle into a corner, and he knew it. Ken would either have to back off, or admit some painful truths.

To his credit, the Eagle chose the latter course of action.

"I need her." Ken said quietly.

"Then we have something in common." Joe replied calmly. "I need her too."

"I'm not really in a position to have a relationship." Ken tried to explain. "Jun understands that. But she's always been there for me, when I needed her."

"I don't think she's interested in that arrangement any longer." Joe said.

"No, in fact, she…" The light of understanding dawned in Ken's eyes. "It's because of you, isn't it?"

"What's because of me?"

"She turned me down… because of you."

"I'd like to think so, yes."

"But you said that things didn't go that far…"

"I think you're confusing sex and love, Ken." Joe lectured. "And frankly, it doesn't surprise me that someone with such repressed emotions has trouble telling the two apart."

"Who the hell are you to be talking about repressed emotions?" Ken demanded. "Seems to me that you're the one who's been hiding away from the rest of us. It's practically like you're still dead!"

"Touché." Joe gave a wry grin. "I'll admit, I haven't dealt with certain… changes… very well."

"You haven't dealt with them at all!" Ken cried, moving closer to the Condor, angrily shoving him in the chest. "You've just shut yourself off from the rest of us… except Jun. Instead of shutting yourself off, you took advantage of her!"

"I did not take advantage of Jun." growled Joe, his hands trembling. He very much wanted to smash his fist into the Eagle's face at this moment, and only a hair's breadth of restraint was holding him back.

The Eagle apparently had no such compunctions.

"The hell you didn't!" he shouted, pulling back his fist, only to smash it into the wall as the Condor moved his head aside at the last second.

Joe's leg shot out for a sweep, knocking Ken to the floor. The Eagle landed in a crouch, gracefully rolling back up to his feet and sinking his fist into Joe's gut, as the Condor's foot landed on his side.

The two men pulled apart, breathing heavily and glaring at each other for a moment.

"You may not believe this, Ken, but Jun doesn't do anything she doesn't want to." Joe spat.

"So, you're claiming that she wanted you in her bed?" Ken asked bitterly.

"I would never be with a woman who didn't want me, Ken." Joe said angrily. "I don't have to force anyone, and I wouldn't want to."

"I didn't mean to imply that you forced her into anything." Ken said.

"But that's what you did imply." Joe pointed out resentfully. "You can't imagine that Jun would want to be with anyone but the mighty Gatchaman."

To hear his innermost thoughts laid bare like that sent the Eagle into a rage. He thrust his arm out to hit the Condor, but Joe had anticipated the move, and expertly blocked it.

They stood in this stalemate for a long moment, each staring the other down: their eyes, their expressions, their body language communicating the anger that existed between them.

Eventually, Joe realized that Ken was too emotional to back down, as long as the Eagle felt that the Swan still had those kinds of feelings for him. The Condor knew that he would have to explain what existed between himself, and Jun.

"Things didn't go that far… at first." Joe said bluntly, "But once we had crossed that barrier, we realized that there were certain feelings between us, that had been there for some time. Something more than just sex."

Ken felt as if he had been punched in the gut. His worst nightmare had just come true.

Jun was in love with someone else.

That it was Joe, his best friend, that she was in love with, only made things worse.

That afternoon, as Ken had held her in his arms, Jun had said, 'I love you, Joe.'

Jun loved Joe.

The realization splashed him in the face like icy cold water. Ken backed away, dropping into a chair, his face pale and drawn.

"This afternoon… when I was waiting for Pimer to pick us up… she asked me to touch her." Ken whispered. "But… she wasn't asking me."

The Eagle looked up at the Condor.

"She was asking you." he admitted.

"How do you know?" Joe asked, an intent look on his face.

"She… she said your name." Ken confessed. "She said that she loved you."

An expression of relief crossed Joe's face. A second later it was gone, but it was too late. Ken had seen it.

It suddenly occurred to Ken, that despite the Condor's cool demeanor, Joe had been as afraid of what had happened between the Eagle and Jun, as Ken had been of what had happened between Joe and Jun.

Comprehension dawned in the Eagle's mind. Joe didn't care that Ken had touched Jun.

The Condor only cared that Jun had said that she loved Joe.

Joe's statement about the difference between love and sex was suddenly made clear.

"I guess…" Ken paused, his emotional pain reflected in his eyes, "I guess you're the one she really wants."

"And how do you feel about that, Ken?"

"It kills me."

The words left Ken's mouth before he could stop them, but they were obviously the truth.

There was silence for a long moment, and then Joe spoke again.

"So, how are you going to feel when Jun and I are obviously together?" Joe pressed him. "Now that you know, it's going to be difficult to hide it from everyone else."

When.

Joe hadn't said if they were together. He had said when. This was obviously much more of a reality than Ken wanted to admit.

But Ken had to deal with this. What was he going to say? He could rail and protest, but was that really going to change anything, or just cause more tensions among the team?

Ken could go to Jun, and offer himself as an alternative to Joe. He could be the man Jun needed, instead of just someone who was only there occasionally.

But Ken wasn't ready for that. He wasn't sure he ever would be.

So there was really only one thing to say.

"I'll deal with it."

The Condor gave him a disbelieving look, but didn't refute the Eagle's statement.

"I appreciate that, Ken."

"But if you ever hurt her…"

"I won't."

The Condor's face was steadfast, and the Eagle recognized his determination.

Joe held out his hand. Ken stared at it for a long time, before taking it in his own.

They had come to an understanding.