Chapter 25
Jun took the controls of the antique fighter jet and tilted the jet in the direction of the lab indicated before they left their mountain base. She loved flying even if she never admitted it to Ken. The marshmallow clouds against the blue sky relaxed her- she could spend hours starring into nothing while Ken directed his Cessna towards their destination. She could never imagine him grounded for good. Something about that idea didn't fit- it was like Ken was born to fly through the blue skies for the rest of his life.
"If I'm right this doctor will be able to reverse the effects of the Hypershoot." Dr Nambu informed her through the intercom.
"I hope so…" She said.
"Jun…I know Ken means a lot to you, and I'm glad you're on this mission I was about to tell you to meet me at the jet before you volunteered." He said quietly.
"I appreciate it Dr. Nambu…you know Ken and I haven't been involved with each other for a long time now." Jun couldn't keep the sadness she felt from saying those words out of her voice.
"I know Jun…" Dr. Nambu hesitated and she heard him draw in a deep breath. In the way he often did when he was about to say something important.
"Know what ?" She asked her heart began to race.
"That you loved each other and my rules tore you apart. I'm sorry Jun…I'm so sorry for what happened between you and I wish I could make it all right but I can't." He confessed.
"Dr. Nambu, it wasn't in your control, we knew the team as whole was more important than our relationship." She said.
"Some things should be more important." Dr. Nambu's voice became distant." I'm a man so driven to save the world that I tore apart and hurt the ones who mattered most to me, yet I still put duty first above all else in my heart. I still drove Ken to put his duty above all else…he was never really like Kentaro- Ken when he was a boy…said he'd never die and leave his family like his dad did…but I wanted him to be more like Kentaro because he was so loyal to the ISO…I drove Ken to be like him."
Jun looked at her navigation equipment. "We're almost there." She informed him.
"Good. Keep frosty Jun, Galactor is likely to be looking for anything out of the ordinary." Dr. Nambu's deep voice returned to his usual commanding tone ending their conversation.
Jun turned the old fighter jet into land on the runway. Jun stopped the rolling momentum of the plane as fast as she could because it was a short runway using a trick Ken taught her many years ago during a training exercise. The jet came to a screaming halt and the two of them jumped out.
"Let's go Jun- we have to see if this sample proves this doctor's equipment is worth it." Dr. Nambu said walking ahead of her. Jun shared the same sentiment.
It wasn't long before they were in his lab and Dr. Nambu had the tissue sample under the ray machine. Jun could only wait…
Never before had he been taken off the team due to an illness. Jun remembered a mission that he was very sick with the flu on. He coughed and spluttered the whole time but he still lead them like he was fit and healthy. She remembered him collapsing in his bed at the shack afterwards while she tried to make him chicken soup in an effort to impress him with her cooking skills. In the end she resorted to a canned version of the same thing she found in his small pantry since she managed to burn the home made soup and smoke up his small kitchen. By the time she'd managed to bring to him, he was in bed snoring away fast asleep splayed out on his still made bed fully dressed in his uniform and shoes.
Ken never backed out on a mission ever. Lost in her memories a vision of a time when he came to her aid during a battle flashed through her mind the way they worked together like could read each others minds and the way he gazed into her eyes afterwards made her feel warm and fuzzy inside as the night sky's stars sparkled like diamonds…
Dr. Nambu wreathed her out of her memories with his excitement.
"It works! The dramatic change in the cells is amazing, come and have a look at this Jun." He indicated for her to come over and look into the microscope, before she could something familiar caught her eye.
"Dr. Nambu, Galactor knows we're here." She cursed. "How did they know?"
"Doesn't matter Jun, we just need to get the doctor out of here and fast." Dr. Nambu said urgently picking up a machine he ran towards the front entrance.
"What! Galactor…here?" He said in panic his dark brown eyes widened.
opened fire on the stunned goons about to walk through the doors ahead of them.
"Go and find the doctor Jun, I'll hold off these goons," He ordered.
"Roger," Jun acknowledged running into the lab while Dr. Nambu covered her. Running at full speed she found him before the goons did.
"Doctor!" she yelled out to the short plump man with a receding hairline holding a very large metal case. He fitted the picture Dr. Nambu showed her before they departed.
"Ahhh" He said fearfully." I didn't know they were watching my lab."
"Neither did we." She informed him taking hold of the heavy case to make him move faster. "That's right all the more reason to get out of here." She insisted as they ran towards the waiting jet that was protecting with more machinegun fire directed towards the advancing goons.
"Jun you must get him back to the base, you can't fit all of us into the jet, and we need the equipment to save Ken." Dr. Nambu shot down more goons and used his fighting skills to take on even more. She hesitated to leave him behind. One glare from her mentor left her no other choice but to hurry to the doctor into the fighter jet and leave to fight of the goons to allow them to escape.