If the Shoe Fits…Part 9
Agent Garrison stared through his binoculars at Jun and Madiana eating dinner together inside the house. He tried his communicator once more. "This is Agent Garrison speaking, do you copy?"
Katse rushed over to the speaker. "Yes, Garrison…give us your report."
"I believe I have found the girl we are looking for… she escaped to the village of Danya, in the Himalayas. She appears to be staying with a friend, Sire."
"Excellent. You shall be handsomely rewarded." Katse's breathing quickened with excitement as he formulated a new plan. "Danya will be our next target. Watch her until you receive further instruction."
"Yes, Sire." Garrison put down the communicator and gazed through the binoculars again, waiting for his next move."
"What? Jun's not at the base? You don't think she went after Katse alone, do you?" Joe speculated.
"Wait…maybe she came back to her room…lemme check…" Jinpei opened the door to her dark room upstairs. "Jun?" He turned on the switch only to find it unoccupied. He did, however, notice her bracelet lying on her bed, sitting on top of a hastily scribbled note.
"Aniki! Aniki! Look what I found!" Jinpei came racing back holding the bracelet and note. He handed it to Ken. The Eagle read the note aloud:
"I needed some time to think things through. I hope you'll understand…I am in a difficult position right now. I love you all very much…you are the only family I have.
Right now, the best thing for me to do is to resign from the team…for your safety. I feel terrible that I've compromised your safety by my carelessness…please forgive me. I am going to a place where I can find inner peace. Please don't look for me. I'll return when and if I can. Jinpei, remember what I said…be good for your Aniki. I'll miss you all terribly…but there's just no other way. Love, Jun"
Jinpei wiped tears from his eyes and sniffled. "Aniki, Sis is out there all alone with no bracelet. What if Katse finds her?"
"Where do you think she's gone?" Ryu inquired, stuffing a sandwich down quickly.
"Inner peace…" Ken rubbed his chin, contemplating the letter, "… if I know Jun…she's gone back to Danya. That's where she was trained in meditation. She loved it there."
"Don't worry, Jinpei… we'll find her first…" Joe pulled out a feather shuriken and stuck it between his teeth. "So when do we leave, Ken?"
"As soon as I fix up one more dummy… a live one this time. Katse's not going to fall for the same trick twice." The corners of Ken's mouth turned up as he continued, "We need to have a little talk with Hakase."
The team met in Dr. Nambu's office to formulate their next plan.
Ken walked up to Nambu's desk, leaned in, and plunked his hands on top of it.
"We still have to convince Katse that Jun is not on the team. I want to use a live replacement this time. Who can we use that has security clearance?"
"My secretary, Janet, would fill in nicely…but I don't know if she'll agree to do it. I'll call her in." Nambu walked next door, was gone for a few minutes, and came back with a petite young lady. She was older than Jun, with strawberry blonde hair, but she could easily pass for the Swan in birdstyle.
"Dr. Nambu says you need me to become the Swan for a mission. I'm honored. But don't expect me to fight…" Janet chuckled nervously.
"Don't worry, Janet, we'll keep you safe." Ryu reassured her, placing his hand on her shoulder.
Joe smirked as he whispered to Ken. "Casanova strikes again…"