Joe and Jun jumped up from the table reaching the same conclusion at the
same time. They had just found their man, or rather he had found them.
He took off around the corner with the Huntworl units in pursuit. The Huntworl police didn't seem to care about Joe or Jun at all.
They ran rapidly in the opposite direction. Joe yelled as soon as they were alone. "Go bird style and up to the roof!"
They changed and went after the Huntworl units and their mystery man.
"Well, he hasn't changed," Joe griped as they followed the police vans across the rooftops. "just follow the trouble."
"There he is!" Jun pointed down an alleyway where Huntworl security had trapped the man. He was giving them one hell of a fight. He couldn't take them all though."
Joe signaled for Jun to take the officers on the left. She nodded and waited for his signal.
"I hope we aren't making a huge mistake." He echoed her thoughts as they swooped down on the Huntworl officers.
They took out the row of officers surrounding the man. He jumped back startled, but adjusted quickly. They made quick work of the units that had trapped him.
"Well it's all or nothing." Joe grumbled as he took off with the man in tow.
Soon they were on the rooftops away from the alley and safe from the security units for the moment.
Joe dragged the panting man to his feet. This was not Red Impulse. They could see that now that they were close to him.
"Who are you?!" Joe demanded shaking the man before dropping him on the roof.
"Ease up!" Jun yelled "Give him a chance to answer."
Joe nodded and stepped back a little.
The man caught his breath and then began.
"I work for a friend of yours who sent the lady here the letters." He said.
Jun nodded understanding and Joe interrupted.
"Do the police know who we are or who we're looking for?" He demanded.
"To the first question: no, not yet. If you go back though they will come after you eventually. To the second question: He told me to tell you this. Only you know his and his son's real identity. He said you would understand. He would like to meet with you as soon as possible."
"Either Red Impulse is being very careful, or this is a very elaborate trap." Jun thought.
"We need to go back and get our equipment first." Joe stated.
"That won't be necessary. Our friend has already collected it from your room. I was sent to provide a diversion."
As proof he pulled a camera and several weapons out of his pocket. He handed them to Joe.
"Our friend has the rest of your equipment at a safe location. It isn't safe for you to go back to the hotel. If you would follow me, I'd like to get to a safe location as quickly as possible." The man stated waiting for a response.
"Our car is special we need to collect it." Joe added.
"I'll make sure it is done." The man promised.
"You won't be able to collect it. I'll tell you how once we meet with our friend." Joe said agreeing to go along for now.
The man seemed satisfied with that answer.
"Thank you by the way. My name is Jones."
He led the way across the rooftops into a seedy old part of town. Once they were clear of the search perimeter, they went back to street level.
They went down an old rickety flight of stairs into an abandoned building. Jones hit a hidden panel on the wall. It slid back to reveal a hallway with several guards posted at the entrance.
Jones placed his thumb in a scanner, and then waited while his retinal pattern was scanned.
Joe was impressed. "The technology is first class. Not revolutionary, but whoever runs this is careful." He thought.
They were led down several levels to an office and asked to wait. Jones left saying he would return shortly. He came back about ten minutes later with all their equipment and weapons.
"I think you'll find it all in order. Our friend said you'd want to inspect it to make sure it was untouched." He handed the DNA scanner to Jun and the weapons to Joe.
Jun checked it over. Everything was as it should be. She verified that no one had tampered with the machine. Red Impulse's records were there and complete. Nambu had encrypted the records, and no one had tried to access them.
Joe looked the weapons over and gave Jun a gun. She had the yo-yo, but took it in case.
Jones left and they waited. Jun looked around the room. Ken had taken her to Red Impulse's cabin once. She looked for any similarities.
The office was austere like the cabin. It had a similar color pattern, an oversized oak desk like at the airfield, and a leather couch and chairs.
It felt similar to the cabin. "But any office could be decorated this way." Jun reminded herself.
Jones came back and apologized that their friend would be another thirty minutes.
That did it for Joe. He was already on edge. They were too exposed in his opinion. He exploded at Jones.
"You tell rat bastard if he wants to talk to us he has five minutes or we're out of here!" Joe screamed as a shocked Jones jumped back.
Joe reached for his weapon with one hand and grabbed Jun with the other. Joe went for the door before Jun could stop him.
Jones went to the desk and set off an alarm.
Joe pulled the door open to find men running at them guns drawn.
"Please stop!" Jones yelled at Joe.
Then a familiar deep commanding voice came from down the hall.
"Back down and leave them alone." The voice ordered from around the corner.
Joe and Jun froze. They would recognize that voice anywhere. Joe stood his weapon pointed at the corner.
The men stood down with their guns at the ready. Then he walked around the corner. He wore an all black outfit with a visor.
Jun and Joe stared at him in shock. He looked, sounded, and moved like Red Impulse.
He saw them and came to a dead stop. He just stared at them for a moment, and then a smile slowly covered his face.
Then he spoke.
"Rat bastard is it after all this time, Condor? I thought by now you would come up with something more creative." He spoke condescendingly.
"It definitely sounds like him." Jun thought.
Joe voiced Jun's thoughts exactly.
"Well, at least he's still the same egotistical bastard he always was." Joe said grinning at him as he holstered his gun.
Red Impulse laughed that hearty laugh that they remembered so well. He had taunted them mercilessly with it during training years ago. It sounded absolutely wonderful at the moment though.
He took off around the corner with the Huntworl units in pursuit. The Huntworl police didn't seem to care about Joe or Jun at all.
They ran rapidly in the opposite direction. Joe yelled as soon as they were alone. "Go bird style and up to the roof!"
They changed and went after the Huntworl units and their mystery man.
"Well, he hasn't changed," Joe griped as they followed the police vans across the rooftops. "just follow the trouble."
"There he is!" Jun pointed down an alleyway where Huntworl security had trapped the man. He was giving them one hell of a fight. He couldn't take them all though."
Joe signaled for Jun to take the officers on the left. She nodded and waited for his signal.
"I hope we aren't making a huge mistake." He echoed her thoughts as they swooped down on the Huntworl officers.
They took out the row of officers surrounding the man. He jumped back startled, but adjusted quickly. They made quick work of the units that had trapped him.
"Well it's all or nothing." Joe grumbled as he took off with the man in tow.
Soon they were on the rooftops away from the alley and safe from the security units for the moment.
Joe dragged the panting man to his feet. This was not Red Impulse. They could see that now that they were close to him.
"Who are you?!" Joe demanded shaking the man before dropping him on the roof.
"Ease up!" Jun yelled "Give him a chance to answer."
Joe nodded and stepped back a little.
The man caught his breath and then began.
"I work for a friend of yours who sent the lady here the letters." He said.
Jun nodded understanding and Joe interrupted.
"Do the police know who we are or who we're looking for?" He demanded.
"To the first question: no, not yet. If you go back though they will come after you eventually. To the second question: He told me to tell you this. Only you know his and his son's real identity. He said you would understand. He would like to meet with you as soon as possible."
"Either Red Impulse is being very careful, or this is a very elaborate trap." Jun thought.
"We need to go back and get our equipment first." Joe stated.
"That won't be necessary. Our friend has already collected it from your room. I was sent to provide a diversion."
As proof he pulled a camera and several weapons out of his pocket. He handed them to Joe.
"Our friend has the rest of your equipment at a safe location. It isn't safe for you to go back to the hotel. If you would follow me, I'd like to get to a safe location as quickly as possible." The man stated waiting for a response.
"Our car is special we need to collect it." Joe added.
"I'll make sure it is done." The man promised.
"You won't be able to collect it. I'll tell you how once we meet with our friend." Joe said agreeing to go along for now.
The man seemed satisfied with that answer.
"Thank you by the way. My name is Jones."
He led the way across the rooftops into a seedy old part of town. Once they were clear of the search perimeter, they went back to street level.
They went down an old rickety flight of stairs into an abandoned building. Jones hit a hidden panel on the wall. It slid back to reveal a hallway with several guards posted at the entrance.
Jones placed his thumb in a scanner, and then waited while his retinal pattern was scanned.
Joe was impressed. "The technology is first class. Not revolutionary, but whoever runs this is careful." He thought.
They were led down several levels to an office and asked to wait. Jones left saying he would return shortly. He came back about ten minutes later with all their equipment and weapons.
"I think you'll find it all in order. Our friend said you'd want to inspect it to make sure it was untouched." He handed the DNA scanner to Jun and the weapons to Joe.
Jun checked it over. Everything was as it should be. She verified that no one had tampered with the machine. Red Impulse's records were there and complete. Nambu had encrypted the records, and no one had tried to access them.
Joe looked the weapons over and gave Jun a gun. She had the yo-yo, but took it in case.
Jones left and they waited. Jun looked around the room. Ken had taken her to Red Impulse's cabin once. She looked for any similarities.
The office was austere like the cabin. It had a similar color pattern, an oversized oak desk like at the airfield, and a leather couch and chairs.
It felt similar to the cabin. "But any office could be decorated this way." Jun reminded herself.
Jones came back and apologized that their friend would be another thirty minutes.
That did it for Joe. He was already on edge. They were too exposed in his opinion. He exploded at Jones.
"You tell rat bastard if he wants to talk to us he has five minutes or we're out of here!" Joe screamed as a shocked Jones jumped back.
Joe reached for his weapon with one hand and grabbed Jun with the other. Joe went for the door before Jun could stop him.
Jones went to the desk and set off an alarm.
Joe pulled the door open to find men running at them guns drawn.
"Please stop!" Jones yelled at Joe.
Then a familiar deep commanding voice came from down the hall.
"Back down and leave them alone." The voice ordered from around the corner.
Joe and Jun froze. They would recognize that voice anywhere. Joe stood his weapon pointed at the corner.
The men stood down with their guns at the ready. Then he walked around the corner. He wore an all black outfit with a visor.
Jun and Joe stared at him in shock. He looked, sounded, and moved like Red Impulse.
He saw them and came to a dead stop. He just stared at them for a moment, and then a smile slowly covered his face.
Then he spoke.
"Rat bastard is it after all this time, Condor? I thought by now you would come up with something more creative." He spoke condescendingly.
"It definitely sounds like him." Jun thought.
Joe voiced Jun's thoughts exactly.
"Well, at least he's still the same egotistical bastard he always was." Joe said grinning at him as he holstered his gun.
Red Impulse laughed that hearty laugh that they remembered so well. He had taunted them mercilessly with it during training years ago. It sounded absolutely wonderful at the moment though.