Standing behind the glass watching the ISO officials interviewing the pretty dangerous woman in the small room sent shivers through Jun.
Ken was leaning against a far wall like if he moved it would collapse and Joe wouldn't make eye contact with anyone. Brooding as the woman claiming to be Katse told her story in vivid details unfolding before her.
At first Jun seriously didn't believe her. She witnessed Katse throwing himself or herself over a cliff heading towards a stream of lava. No one could survive that kind of dramatic fall.
But then again, they had believed no one could ever survive the amount of gunshot wounds Joe had endured in the final hours of that mission either.
One day she was in the Snack J, overwhelmed with grief and anger. The Eagle walked through door at the wrong moment in her day. Turning her wrath on him in a rare moment of truly standing up to him, in a time when she barely ever questioned an order. Calling him a traitor to his team- and demanding how could he have ordered Joe to be left alone to die. He took her abuse silently. Hand shoved in his pockets and stoic as usual.
Eventually he spoke a few words. "Joe wanted us to save the planet."
"Save the planet?" She fumed at the time hating him for it. "Ryu wanted to take him back, you wouldn't allow it. He could have been on his way to hospital. You only needed me and Jinpei to complete the mission."
"I know you loved him, and-" Kens' tone was almost a whisper, his voice breaking. "Joe… he… loved you… I… Jun… hate me now for his death even blame me, if it helps you feel better." Turning away from her, he walked to the door, turning the handle, and pausing.
"Dr Nambu asked me to tell you there is a memorial for him in a week." His tone even, after that he walked out and it was months before she saw him again.
It was in after math of mission was one long sad two of years of trying to pull her life back together. She was finally at a point where she could live with Joes death, coming to grips with her grief and even forgive Ken for his orders.
The Joe came back, like a ghost haunting them….
Side glancing the Condor, he had a way of turning up back in her life at a time when she could finally live without him.
The interview details didn't change from what Katse had told them on the base. They had performed blood tests on her. The samples were off to the labs to compare DNA with ones they had on record of hair samples and skin that had been picked up from the real Katse during his time in command of the Galactor army.
Kamo walked in closer to the glass, folding his arms across his rounded chest. A knock on the door alerted him. Opening it, she was handed a sheet a paper by a lab assistant.
Taking his time to read it, the head of security in the ISO handed it to Ken, going over the information, not changing his facial expression, he handed it to Joe. Walking over she leaned into read it.
"Confirmation of DNA sample of female named Chiara 100% match to Berg Katse."
Cyborg status confirmed of the subject from examination.
Joe balled up the paper into a tight ball, his biceps standing out from the tension.
"Let me have her, damn it. I wanna talk to the bloody bitch—" He hissed like a deadly snake.
"No." Kamo's tone was firm. "She stands trial now, formally charged for war crimes."
"Fuck." Joe slammed the chair against the walk, shattering it into pieces, bending metal. He stormed out of the room, and down the hall.
"You have our testimonies." Ken straightened, making eye contact with Camo.
"Yes, you can go and rest now." Camo briefly nodded, watching the two of them. "Katse isn't going anywhere. They put in a restrainer device, inside of her systems to prevent escape. If she tries it, she's shut down automatically."
Kamo walked out into the corridor with them, falling into step he had a brief conversation about the process. The Eagle asked a few questions as he was told the testimonies and reports was enough for now. He had done the planet a service once more by capturing Katse alive before she could do any damage.
"Thank Joe for that one." Ken said." No matter how it came about, he exposed her for what she is, he stopped her. I was along for the ride."
Stopping at his office door, Camo bid them farewell, indicating they were welcome to stay as long as they needed to in the underwater research base.
Ken was silent as they strolled through the complex. It was a smaller version of the old Crescent Coral base. With bigger viewing platforms throughout, Ken walked over to one of them. Standing in front of the window staring out like he used to do during the war against Katse. Before the place was destroyed in one of Katse's rare victory moments.
Jamming his hands hard into his pockets she waited for him to say something.
Instead she chose to break the silence laying heavily between them.
"I'm going with Joe to Rome for a few days, he can't be left alone, not now. He's on the brink, and he needs-" She said softly, unsure of what Ken might read into it. He needs me… her thoughts trailed away…
Nodding, he finally turned to look at her.
"I thought you would." He leaned against the glass. Even Ken couldn't hide the full impact of finding Katse alive and trying rebuild Galactor from the ground up.
"I'm not going to make you decide between us." Ken's tone thickened. "I know you still care about him, with him… you could have a life, with me it's not-"
She put a hand to his lips. "It's not about who. I'm not making choices here."
He stood there like statue, watching her with eyes like the ocean. Nothing else betrayed his deeper feelings, but his eyes were like the depths around them. She had learned how to read them.
Slowly her hand dropped away, moving in closer, she could feel his warmth, longing for more of what was starting between them, the forming chemistry and love.
But something held her back.
"I need time alone, by myself completely." She finally said. "I'm not going to get back with Joe we are over- but for now, I…" How could she put her feelings into words?
It had been an amazing ride since she started the journey of becoming closer to Ken. It was whole world of discovery, like exploring lost places, and discovering lost treasure, that only she could see.
Clearing his throat. Lost for words, he simply placed his hand affectionately on her cheek, tender fingers encased her skin warming her soul. That simple action drew her back to moment of them in the old Dojo by the sea, when he confessed he loved. It felt like an eternity since that moment, it was less than two weeks.
Her mouth opened a little, turning slightly and pressing her lips against his palm- inside she trembled from his touch. Releasing her in a single motion by removing his hand, he reached into his pocket, pulling out something, and pressed a warm piece of metal into her hand. Closing her fingers around it, he squeezed them for a second with his own.
"It's yours." He said simply. "One day… if you choose to come back to Utoland. Please live the life you want to live."
Ken walked towards the exit, running a hand through his tangled messy locks.
"I'm flying out of Venice, leaving on the transport sub in an hour." He glanced over his shoulder, she saw a flicker of pain there in his carefully arranged features." I'll make sure your bags are okay at the hotel. Send them back with the sub, should be a few hours. Look after Joe- you're right. He needs you now."
Before she could say another word, he was gone.
###############################3
Joe was brought of his catatonic state by Jun sitting on the edge of the bed. He had expected her to leave with Ken. Instead her she was sitting there with him. A glimmer of hope lit inside of him as to why she stayed behind, a part of him wondered about Ken's words on the relationship she had with him and the depth of it.
The initial shock of the woman he knew as Chiara being truly Berge Katse had dimmed a little. She was in ISO now and have to find a way to accept the outcomes they would find in the official court hearings.
Not in his life had imagined revenge would turn out more bitter than the event of his parent's death. It was going take for it to all sink in and process. His lifelong mission was over, now what?
Turning his grey eyes onto her- Pushing himself up onto his elbows, he tried to sit up more, ignoring her offer to help, he threw his legs over the side, placing his bare feet on the ground.
"You're not going home with Ken?" He said waiting.
Shaking her head, Jun wasn't giving much away, mentioning she would instead being go to Rome with him. He found that interesting, and the possibility Ken had it wrong.
Raising an eyebrow, he asked her way.
"We can talk." She said softly. "You and I need to talk."
"Ken?" He asked. "Does he know where you're going?"
"Yes." She answered simply." He knows, we had a talk too."
She appeared to be contemplative, unsure of something.
"Alright." He said pulling on his shoes." We go to Rome and talk."
He hoped it was about their relationship, and a possible third chance at making it work again, Ken didn't say a lot when he came to see him before he left. He did mention Jun was free to make her own choices and live her own life as she chooses. It sounded like she didn't see it as serious, as he made it all out to be between the two of them.
She stood up waiting. "My luggage arrived a few minutes ago. We can leave as soon as you're ready."
"I'm ready now." He stood up next her, a whole foot and half shorter than him, he couldn't wait to see why she had stayed behind.
###############################3
Joe was brought of his catatonic state by Jun sitting on the edge of the bed. He had expected her to leave with Ken. Instead her she was sitting there with him. A glimmer of hope lit inside of him as to why she stayed behind, a part of him wondered about Ken's words on the relationship she had with him and the depth of it.
The initial shock of the woman he knew as Chiara being truly Berge Katse had dimmed a little. She was in ISO now and have to find a way to accept the outcomes they would find in the official court hearings.
Not in his life had imagined revenge would turn out more bitter than the event of his parent's death. It was going take for it to all sink in and process. His lifelong mission was over, now what?
Turning his grey eyes onto her- Pushing himself up onto his elbows, he tried to sit up more, ignoring her offer to help, he threw his legs over the side, placing his bare feet on the ground.
"You're not going home with Ken?" He said waiting.
Shaking her head, Jun wasn't giving much away, mentioning she would instead being go to Rome with him. He found that interesting, and the possibility Ken had it wrong.
Raising an eyebrow, he asked her way.
"We can talk." She said softly. "You and I need to talk."
"Ken?" He asked. "Does he know where you're going?"
"Yes." She answered simply." He knows, we had a talk too."
She appeared to be contemplative, unsure of something.
"Alright." He said pulling on his shoes." We go to Rome and talk."
He hoped it was about their relationship, and a possible third chance at making it work again, Ken didn't say a lot when he came to see him before he left. He did mention Jun was free to make her own choices and live her own life as she chooses. It sounded like she didn't see it as serious, as he made it all out to be between the two of them.
She stood up waiting. "My luggage arrived a few minutes ago. We can leave as soon as you're ready."
"I'm ready now." He stood up next her, a whole foot and half shorter than him, he couldn't wait to see why she had stayed behind.