"What happened down there Akiya at that base?" Ken wanted to know, the place blew up in other parts before the mecha exploded Ken had silently observed when he was running for cover with Jun.
"I helped you destroy it, didn't we work well together." Akiya looked over her shoulder at him for a brief moment and she looked insulted at his questioning of something that she helped him with." You took care of that vulgar metal thing and me…I just got rid a few vermin that were controlled by Xeng and I hope it cripples him for some time."
"Akiya I appreciate what you did to help destroy Galactor…"How was going to broach this topic."But you killed Jun's mother…why?" He was torn on this one knowing that Heather had also killed Joes parents, it was a truth that he dreaded telling either of them, the link could be too much for either of then to bare.
Ken sensed Akiya in his mind, and suddenly her tone was less aggressive, it felt like she was searching for something.
Finally she spoke again in his mind softly." I sense your torment regarding that human female at the base…I saw you standing beside her body with Jun…"Akiya sighed as she continued, "Jun deserved better than her as a mother…Jun is nothing like her, how could a female be so cruel to her own."
"Yes her death is on my hands, it is better that way, because I know you would have killed her if you crossed paths and it would have tormented you every time you looked at Jun knowing the truth…" Akiya sadly admitted as a bolt of lightning missed them by a few metres.
The atmosphere around them was very active with Lightning lighting up the clouds and making them in quick flashes look more like a transparent bluish light grey as they flew just above the cloud line.
"Yes," Ken didn't know if he really had wanted an answer, but her lack of wounds stunned him." You were in the base…as a woman weren't you?"
"Yes I can change more easily now…"
"She was going to harm Jun when she found her again…I could feel her contempt and need for power and she didn't have any love for her child or anyone else but herself." Akiya spoke with disgust in her reptilian voice as continued." She is not the kind who should be left to wander the Earth."
"So you feel it's your duty to judge…" He queried her.
"Don't be so self righteous Ken the Eagle, if someone hurts you then you are quick to take it out on others…You sought revenge for her, and if she was harmed again there would no stopping you from seeking revenge." Akiya's voice was vigorous and she was upset with now he could tell.
"Yes…I have sought revenge for the death of my father…" He closed his eyes as he thought of the pain he felt at that time, and then for Jun, but a light of sprung up inside of him, he could at least still prevent her death as he held onto Akiya as the once again entered the cloud.
888888
"What he's back with that oversized bird!" Katse looked at his Captain as if he was telling him tales.
"Yes sire…look." Captain Sorro pointed at the view screen with a shaking finger- his Lightning costume shimmered as he turned away from his leader.
"You fool!!! He's spotted us…and now he's trying to get inside…get some men down there to that section and take care of him, there is no way I'm gonna lose this mecha to Gatchaman do ya hear me…MOVE!" Katse shouted his order as goons scurried to carry it out.
"Go down there personally Sorro, I want to make sure he's taken care of." Katse drawled as Captain Sorro saluted with a shaking hand as he turned to follow Katse's order.
8888888
Ken entered the Mecha finally through a large vent in the odd shaped ship, it wasn't easy to spot the ship in the cloud but this time he knew exactly what he was looking for and with Akiya's sharp eyes they unravelled the illusion that Galactor had put in place to cloak the mecha.
He looked over his shoulder to see that she had changed form and was coming with him.
Silently he acknowledged her as he turned to make his way to the command centre of the ship.
"Strange...where are they?" He said to her as a group ran around the corner, he didn't have time to see what Akiya was up to as he engaged them in single combat, but the fight was hardly fair for the goons as their attack was squashed within minutes.
"They don't fight well." Akiya looked appalled at the bodies of the men as she stepped over them with contempt.
Ken didn't respond he was focused now on what he had to do to destroy the mecha as they walked brazenly down a hallway with not a goon in sight.
Akiya put her hand on his arm and indicated to a window that looked out of the mecha into the cloud, the first time he looked he couldn't see anything more than grey murky sky and the occasionally lightning bolt.
But she pulled him closer to the window, and indicated to his left.
As his eyes adjusted to gloomy light he could see a light misty section that had just opened up and from there he could see below the line of the cloud was not only a change in scenery but they were now over a battle field that had a Roman defensive square as the natives attacked several legions. The bronze Hawks of the Legions were just visible through the mist as it moved again and thick smoky looking cloud came over it.
"Well it could be worse for you Ken the Eagle." She whispered close to his ear. "You could be down there along with them."
"We may yet end up there." He turned and smirked. "A mythical creature such as your self would fit right in…"told her as he broke into a run to cover more ground to the control rooms.
The mecha was strange in the layout compared to other Mecha's that's he had boarded, Ken couldn't put his finger totally on it but something about the way the walls appeared to almost move at times and warp made him edgy.
"The matter of this ship is not holding its form." Akiya told him as she stopped to touch the walls and her hand looked like it was pushing the wall back as it wobbled like jelly from her touch.
"The flooring is still solid." He told her as he did a deliberate stomp as if to prove a point.
"Yes, but it won't be for much longer, the panes of time are slowly wearing on this human creation." She looked at him and a slow deliberate smirk came onto her perfect lips."Ahhh…" Her cool green eyes began to glow with amber fire glints as if she suddenly realized something.
Ken gazed at her for a moment, and he wondered how a creature could make themselves look so perfect and he realized he didn't want a woman who looked so beautiful and flawless. "What is it?" He asked her as touched the wall himself.
"I know…how did they find it?" She said as she looked back with an intense leafy green gaze that had glints of amber fire dancing in the ponds of her irises.
"Find what?" He asked as he spun around to a noise behind them, more goons and another battle loomed before them as they both took positions to go into battle.
"That particular rare metal, it's mixed in with some other type, but Alderunime is not of this Earth…I found some data relating to an experiment on the base we destroyed, the scientist was so close to unlocking the secret of it so I destroyed him and the data… She told him casually as she took down goons like flies.
" My beloved, "she said sarcastically. "He was about to find out and I couldn't have that, now he will think it is a common metal that is just stronger than most…I had the fool sent his leader that information before I destroyed him so he couldn't reveal what he really knew… Alderunime's qualities are even a mystery in many ways to the Firebirds, but-"she grinned directly at him." I know its secrets…and now so do you."
"I do?" This was new to Ken, he'd never heard of this metal. " This extremely rare metal…" He mused."So when I transmute, did that have anything to do with this trip through time?" He quizzed her as he threw a goon over his back into another and then broke the neck of one without even looking at him as he focused on Akiya.
"The sudden electrical current and radiation that is generated may have been enough to disrupt the flow of the planes of time… maybe." She told him as she came closer.
"To your right…" She indicated as she took on one that had managed to break through- Ken figured she hit him just for the sake of it.
This fight lasted longer than the last, there wasn't much room for flight in the corridor but goons seemed to "stick" to the walls as they were thrown against them be either himself or Akiya.
"Stay here fror a moment, your taking far to long…" She gave him a casual side long glance as she stepped ahead of him.
"So you were just being polite?" He let out a stunned breath as he watched her work.
Goons fell under the sheer force of her will as she walked towards them; few seemed to even be able to engage her. Ken watched as she then turned her will onto one that stood out dressed in a typical Galactor Captains uniform that was covered in lightning strikes,
"Wait…I want to question him." Ken said as Akiya consented and she stepped back as he fell to the ground gasping for air, he grabbed the man by the collar and pulled him to his feet.
Ken looked at the rest of the goons that were trying to still attack them in the corridor." Unless you want to join your comrades, then step back…" He ordered through clenched teeth as he looked at the Captain who began to stammer badly. "I'm …I…I…"
"Where is your control room?" Ken demanded as he tightened his grip on the distraught Captains uniform.
"I'm nnnoottt at liberty to sayyy, because I'm well justtt be deahhmoted…" The Captain finally found his courage but he still stuttered with fear as Ken struggled to understand him." What kind of accent is that?" Ken said irritated that he didn't understand a word he was saying.
"Lord Katse asskkedd da same ting…well yer see dis is how it goes…" And the Captain started to list of his family members.
"I really don't have time for this crap." Ken told him as the Captain stopped for a moment and his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and then he fell dead to the floor.
"It's this way." Akiya told him as she almost glided ahead of him as her rainbow coloured gown shimmered as she walked like she was on a Sunday afternoon stroll.
"You didn't need to kill him." Ken said as he followed her.
"His purpose is served, you enabled me to get deep into his thoughts and for your information he would have at any point betrayed you to the Purple clocked fool who he follows like a puppet." She said with contempt for the dead mecha Captain.
Ken shook his head but kept silent, as he followed her to a closed silver door.
Akiya walked up to a computer terminal and it began to filter through data with her touching a keyboard.
"Its time for you to leave me Ken the Eagle." She said without looking at him.
"I stay until it's done." He looked at her as the data seamed to flit across her face.
"Get your revenge on Xeng's tool…" She ordered him. "I have work to do here."
"What are you looking for?" He asked as he stayed put and he moved in closer to her.
"I'm erasing data, and I want to know how far Xeng is at this point…He must have a deposit of this metal somewhere…he will still wants to unlock it's secrets what I did would only delay him…there is more than one way to defeat your enemy…now go."
She leaned in and gave him a gentle friendly parting kiss on his lips. "Look after Jun won't you..."
"Akiya we go together…" But as he said it he turned his back to her and bowed his head.
"You do that when it hurts you the most to walk away… You said it yourself that sometimes you must complete the task no matter the personal cost…but don't despair I might find you again yet Ken the Eagle, so don't think this is the last time you will see me." She lied to him as she continued her work.
"Take care of yourself Akiya." Ken's voice was hoarse, but he forced his legs to move and when he left the room he didn't look back.
Moments later he was entering the bridge and standing in the room was Berg Katse.
"Katse…" He snarled as he moved toward his enemy, but about fifty goons stepped out through side doors to come between him and Katse.
"Get him…I want him to suffer!" Katse sneered as he pointed a purple finger at him.
One by one he began to mow them down- every now and then he glimpsed the enormous view screen and one of the images that confronted him almost made him lose his focus on the fight.
It was like time had opened up its doors and the planes stood looking like a ladies open fan to show the past present and future all in one go, the possibilities of the future were endless and it was like time was not formed in a line or circle but it just was ever changing with the flow like the tides of the ocean, Ken had heard it called the butterfly effect in a training session he attended with Dr.Nambu a few years before.
Two goons that had managed to get a hold of his shoulders drew him back to the fight, but as they tried to corner him against the wall Ken managed to fling them off, he was so close to Katse now he could almost smell his strange aftershave.
"Get him you idiots, he's one one man even if he is Gatchaman !" Katse yelled as he ran towards a door on the other side of the mecha.
"Katse!!! " Ken yelled as he lunged towards him in frustration as he disappeared behind the door shutting out the goons that tried to follow him.
Ken managed another look at the screen- the God Phoenix was just outside of the cloud now.
No matter what happened to him he couldn't let them enter, but he knew for sure he was close to the time he left and then he felt the first shudder as the mecha began to fall apart and the walls were becoming almost transparent.
8888888888
Condor Joe stood at the console looking at the storm cloud that was looming before them with his arms crossed.
"Don't bother flying through it Ryu, were only investigating some strange reports from around this area and I don't see a need to get stuck in a storm."
"Well since Ken hasn't shown up you're the boss." The Owl sighed as turned the ship away from the dark storm cloud.
Joe was worried about Ken, he'd gone out for a mail run two days ago and he hadn't been heard from since, but the Condor didn't like to show it.
"I'm worried about Ken." Jun said as she stared at her console.
Joe looked at the Swan."Don't be too worried Jun, he'll turn up in his own good time."
"Dr.Nambu only told us an hour ago to look for strange clouds, I wonder what he meant by that…" Jun seemed to ignore Joes reassurance about Ken.
The Owl piped up. "That looks like an ordinary storm cloud to me Jun…"
"Well sis, maybe Galactor are up to something…big bros smart and I be he has discovered the secret base already!" The Swallow nudged his sister with some enthusiasm.
"I hope so…Joe look at this." Jun suddenly stood up and pointed to the view screen.
"I think that qualifies for a strange cloud, look at that colourful light."
"I guess so, well there is one way to find out." Joe opened the glass cover of the red button.
"Alright hold your horses Joe, I'll line up the God Phoenix." Ryu pulled the ship of it's current course and then lined it up directly with the cloud again.
"Take this sucker."…and then Joe pressed the red button several times…
