Berg Katse stood looking at the view screen of the storm mecha full of glee." This is so good- Sosai X is going to so pleased with me." He was so full of joy he was dancing around the bridge.
"We are in a time machine…I did it, I really did it…now all I need to do is control it." He called out as he watched the changing scenery and places in history below him.
"Captain Sorro," Katse turned to address the man who was standing close by.
"Get me data from our computers so I can see why we jump around so much. I guess Gatchaman is no longer a threat to Galactor if we left him in a pre historic time. I hope he likes dinosaurs for dinner…or better yet they like him. Turtle King I left you something special." Katse was so happy that he clapped his hands and chuckled, as Captain Sorro scurried to carry out his orders.
This would be Galactor's greatest achievement.
"I'm gonna get a promotion…world leader…ahhh…ohhh…Sosai Z like he promised me." Katse walked over to the computer that was churning through data. He'd get control of this mecha and then nothing would stop him from defeating the Science Ninja Team and taking control of the Earth and all of its natural resources…
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From the top of the hanger Ken and young Jun looked over a railing down at the mecha. The hanger was open and Ken could see an electrical storm brewing outside as the distant rumble of thunder reached his ears. The blue sky was turning a slight greenish grey as the dark clouds rolled in.
"It's so huge- you mean they will use this to kill people? Gees you know it looks like a Dinosaur from the Jurassic age." Jun said as she looked up at him for a moment and then back down at the mecha that was really Turtle King. "To think I almostbecame a part of that." She muttered, stunned at the mecha before her.
"I didn't see one that looked like this when I was there…"Ken said looking at the mecha.
"Huh, what do you mean by that?" She asked as she studied his face.
"Ahhh never mind." He dismissed his comment with a casual flick of his hand.
"Whatever, which museum did you go to and see dinosaurs?" She said as if they were having a casual afternoon together instead of being in the middle of a Galactor base.
"Focus Jun...right now we need focus." He mused as started to plan out the next move.
"Well as long as we don't run into any Devilstars we should be able to blow it up." Jun said with a smile of anticipation.
"Sounds good to me Jun," He told her and he squeezed her hand.
They hadn't mentioned the near encounter with her mother since Ken threw the mini explosives at Heather and the other Devilstar, but he knew the topic would come up again eventually. Until that time they had a mission to complete and the focus had to be there for then to survive it, after all he had Katse's other storm mecha to destroy as well.
He wondered if he was on the base, as the engines of the mecha fired up and then stopped as engineers ran around below them fixing problems.
"It's too soon." Ken said concerned. "They weren't supposed to launch one of these for a few years yet." And from what he could see this Mecha was ready to go and do its damage. He'd seen many like this mecha before, and Katse was too far ahead of schedule to launch one, besides looking at the Turtle King felt like De jà vous, he was thankful it wasn't the real thing.
"What do you mean Kisho, are you a spy?" She asked as she continued to look at the mecha. "Yes Jun they call me 001, I wonder why they haven't sounded the alarm."
Then the red alert light went on and goons came scurrying from all corners of the base. He watched as the two Devilstars ran out to the base platform below them, Heather looked up and pointed at them.
"They're just slower than usual," he told Jun. As he grabbed her hand and they ran along the balcony to get closer to the mecha.
"Stop them! They are traitors to Galactor!" Heather yelled out and she pointed her finger up at them.
"Kisho," Jun looked at him with pleading green eyes.
"She can't hurt you Jun, I won't let her." Ken reassured her as he squeezed her hand and he looked back down at the mecha.
"We're going to jump on its neck," he said to her holding out his hand. He was still in the goon's uniform but he kept it on so they wouldn't see his face.
"Kisho, can you promise me something?" Jun said as she looked up at him with sober expression that made him stop.
"What is it Jun?" He was in hurry to keep moving.
"That you won't try and harm her again. I…I know I don't like her or want to be like her, but it's not enough reason for me to, well- I don't want to be filled with hatred; it would make me become like her." Jun implored him as she waited for his answer, and this made him respect Jun even more.
"I promise, but if she tries to hurt you, then I won't be able to keep it." He took her hand in his and Jun gave him a nervous nod as she looked down to the levels below them while Ken climbed up onto the railing. He wasn't used to Jun hesitating, but he figured she wasn't exactly used to this at her age, and then some goons loosed a round of gun fire on them. "Jun it's nowor never." He told her as he watched her tighten her resolve and she took his hand and they jumped.
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Akiya heard the noise from the hanger and she knew where Ken the Eagle was, after all she knew he would create havoc if he found Xeng's base.
But Akiya knew that Xeng wasn't at this base, she could tell from the vibes he had sent when they had spoken briefly. But she knew he would come after her now, and he'd be relentless in getting her under his will again.
She walked casually out into the huge hanger and watched the battle that was taking place with great interest.
Then she looked intently at the Devilstar, who was wearing a mask and a wig, and she felt the coldness of this woman's nature. Her mind was totally exposed and Akiya knew that she was the mother of Jun; her name was Heather.
"You would abandon your fledglings…and kill one of your own?" Akiya said in disbelief as she looked at Heather who turned to face her. Heather's smile could have frozen a lake on a hot summer's day.
"Who are you?" Heather demanded as Akiya returned the icy smile.
"I'm your worst nightmare…" Akiya told the Devilstar as the woman collapsed under the weight of Akiya's power.
888888888
Ken and Jun spotted Akiya on the ground as they entered the mecha through one of the open air vents.
"What's Akiya doing?" Jun asked as he pulled her inside it with him.
"It looks like she's helping create a distraction, now look for some-"He began to give the order when he noticed she was looking at a panel that displayed a small screen with a map.
"I've seen blue prints in books, and this looks turbine room…we could blow it up if we could get there." She told him excitedly.
Ken had done that before and silently the set off to find the turbine room. Under other circumstances he would have ditched the uniform and transmuted. But it was too much to explain to her and it was out of habit that he wanted to keep his identity as secret as possible until it was needed for him to become Gatchaman.
So the goon's mask would have to do for now, he figured. They entered the room and Jun ran over to a control panel.
"Mmm," she mused as she looked at it. "In the book it said that if…I…do….this…" She opened it up and took out something, changed it around and then closed the panel. The turbine began to slow down and spin the other way, and as he watched her he wondered what type of books they got in at the orphanage. As if to answer his unspoken question, Jun turned and gave him a radiant smile.
"Kerry-Anne is studying to be a chemical engineer. She lets me read her books, and she does quizzes with me. I love to know how things work…blowing things up looks interesting…just not hurting people by doing it…"
"I can see that, let's get outta here." Ken liked her enthusiasm for the job, even though he had very little stomach for violence unless he had to do it.
Then it began to speed up and smoke started to pour out of it as they ran from the room.
"This way," Ken indicated as to the left as some goons ran around the corner. The smoke that was piling out of the turbine room provided them with some cover as it started to fall apart.
"Bird Go." Ken called out just in time as the turbine exploded just when they were leaving the mecha. He threw himself on top of Jun as they were thrown to the floor and he covered her with his wings. She passed out momentarily from the fall to the ground and they slid across the floor. He managed to pull her into a sheltered corner as the mecha began to collapse, and he transmuted back to civilan just as she began wake up again.
Jun looked out past the sheltered spot and she gasped as she pulled herself out from under him. He watched as she raced across the room."Jun…Come back, it's much too dangerous." He called out and he followed her because she wasn't listening to him.
She knelt down beside a woman with long black hair. It was Heather and she was definitely dead from the way her lifeless green eyes stared at the ceiling.
What struck him as strange was that there were no wounds on her body, but then he noticed dark reddish black liquid that trickled out her left ear. But he didn't have time to wonder what it was as he looked at Jun.
"Why…why?" Jun cried as she knelt next to the Devilstar. "Mothers are supposed to love their children…"
Seeing Jun next to her mother brought back the memory of them together as the Crescent coral base was falling apart around them and they were waiting to die, he had asked her about her family, and he could hear the hesitation in her voice as she had told him." Well, I grew up in an orphanage…I don't know anything about my family…"It was a place in the future: a part of his memories, and it hadn't even happened yet.
Ken took hold of her shoulders as he leaned down and he pulled her close to him and he mussed her hair with his fingers as he planted a kiss in her long locks. He knew they weren't out of danger yet, and she looked up at him with tear brimmed eyes and trembling lips. "Kisho…" In that moment his heart was in his throat as he tried to comfort her.He wanted so much to tell her she was going to be alright, but as the base collapsed around them he couldn't give that type of reassurance when he looked up at the destruction that was happening before his eyes.
Ken helped her stand up, but the ground shook and he took her hand and squeezed it tight as the base began to collapse around them.
The outside world was coming into the open hanger. The rain began pouring inside and it caused some of the hot flames to sizzle as it cooled heated metal, causing it fracture and fall down. Other explosions began as the base disintegrated.
"Jun," He pointed up into the sky as the beautiful Phoenix descended upon them.
"Please…take Jun to safety." He called out to Akiya as he held her up and the claws of the enormous bird took ahold of the young girl.
"Noooo! I don't want to leave you here Kisho…" Jun called out as she looked back at Ken. " Jun listen to me….sometimes you have to leave behind someone you love …even if it rips your heart into tiny pieces…Jun does the good of the one out weight the needs of the many?" Then he thought of something. To reassure her he would escape, he took of the golden medallion from around his neck and he handed it to her. "Give this back to me when I see you outside…if I don't survive then give it to Dr.Nambu." He asked her as Akiya began to lift off with her. That was when he thought of his father and the sacrifice he had made. Ken had wanted to die with him, but Red Impulse wouldn't let him go on that last mission with him.
"Kisho…Kisho…" She called out as her hand reached for him, as she was lifted high up into the sky and they disappeared out of the hanger.
He waited as Akiya came back for him; he knew she would.
She's safe, she told him as he transmuted and leaped onto her back and positioned himself at the base of her neck. She lifted up out of the mouth of the hanger as the final explosions began and flames leaped out after them. The sounds of the explosions were almost deafening as Akiya headed into the storm away from the base.
"Where are we going?" He asked her as he looked back at the ground.
He could see Jun standing in the open field watching the fires rise up from the base and she collapsed onto her knees as she clutched the medallion close to her. "KISHO!!!!" He could just hear her grief stricken scream out into the stormy day as she seemed to ignore the rain pelting down on her.
A slight smile came to his face as he saw Dr.Nambu running towards her with Jinpei by his side and he wondered if they saw him, but the cover of the dark day and storm would have been enough for them to remain hidden from view as they reached the clouds.
"Well if you want to defeat Sosai X, now's your chance Ken the Eagle." She confidently told him as she flew towards a storm cloud that was all too familiar to the Eagle.
"Here we go again." He told her as they approached the storm cloud." This time I can't fail…I won't fail." He clenched his jaw tightly as they were about to fly into the storm cloud…
