After Koji- part 12- Seeing the Light

"Let me offer you some light, my friends…" Spotlights momentarily blinded them, as their eyes adjusted to reveal Gallactor goons surrounding them.

"Katse…you bastard! I knew you had to be behind this!" Joe dropped his weapon and put his hands in the air.

"It seems your little Swan fell in love with me, or was it Koji she fell for?" Maniacal laughter filled the air. Katse had fooled them with yet another of his disguises.

"Very, clever, Katse, but not clever enough…" Ken always had a smug remark, even when things looked bleak.

"Throw them into the cell…but bring their weapons to me…" Katse gave the order and disappeared again into the black void. After stripping them of their weapons, the goons threw them into the cell with Jun, locking them in chains beside her.

After the goons left, the chamber went dark again. Jun remained eerily silent.

It was unusual for her to show no emotion for her companions. It was as though she had nothing left to give. Her heart was left hollow from all of the pain.

Ken was concerned. "Jun… answer me…are you ok? What did they do to you?"

Jun sobbed. Her lips quivered."Ken, I'm so sorry…why did you come for me? You should've left me for dead. I'm no good to you…or to the team anymore…"

"Jun, what are you saying? It's not your fault…we all thought it was Koji…" Joe tried to reassure her.

"Don't give up on us now, we need you…I…need you…to make it through this, I mean…" Ken tried to smooth over his feelings for the Swan.

He was annoyed by the fact that Koji made her so happy, and even more irritated by the fact that Koji turned out to be Katse, playing with her mind. Katse will pay for this…

Ken turned and whispered in Joe's direction. "I signaled to Ryu and Jinpei. They know about the trap…and they should be here any minute."

They heard a crash overhead as the drill from Jinpei's buggy crumbled through the ceiling. Golden shafts of sunlight broke through the darkness. Alarms shrieked and goons appeared from all directions.

The Owl and the Swallow plowed through them in the mini- tank. Jinpei disengaged the cutting blade, and sliced through the iron bars.

While Jinpei kept the goons at bay, Ryu slipped out and drilled through the prisoners' cuffs.

Ken immediately called to Jinpei on his wristband. "Jinpei…we need you to find our weapons…we'll take care of these bastards…"

"No weapons…looks like we'll have to blow them away…"The Eagle shrugged his shoulders, and then motioned for them to begin the whirlwind fighter.

"I can't…no more killing…" Jun resisted, she still wasn't in her right mind.

"Jun…please…just one more time…for the team…for me." Ken looked deep into her eyes. He hoped to catch a glimpse of the old Jun, the Jun he knew before, and loved.

Jun's eyes grew hazy. She still couldn't say "no" to her beloved commander.

"Just this once…"

The goons were devastated be by the force of the attack. They were smashed into the walls with such force, the walls became blood stained.

"Ohhh…" Jun landed in a heap on the floor. She fell out of the whirlwind formation, unconscious.

"We have to get her out of here!" Ken whisked her up and rushed through the opening made by Jinpei. The others followed.

In the meantime, Jinpei came back through in his buggy. He called to the others via communicator.

"Mission accomplished. The Great Swallow does it again! Your weapons are safe with me!" He boasted to Ken.

"Good work, Jinpei, join up with the God Phoenix, we've got something to tell you."