Chapter 4

"Your target is the Primary Thermal Hub of the ISO's Mantle Project, in the town of Centarra." Lord Katse informed his troops. "You are to take the King Kang mecha there, and destroy it."

"If, by chance, the Science Ninja Team should arrive," Katse continued, a strange expression on his face, "you are to destroy them at all costs. I know that you will not let me, or Leader X, down!"

"Yes, Sire!" the troops shouted, slapping their hands over their hearts, and bowing in unison.

"I, myself, will be onboard King Kang, to lead you all to victory!" cried Katse.

The green-uniformed squadrons below the Galactor Leader let out a rousing cheer, before moving away and heading to their various stations.

"King Kang?" Steungart whispered to Kito, as they walked. "Where does he come up with these names? First the Turtle King, then Gezora, and now this?"

"It was probably suggested by his tailor." snickered another soldier, with the name of Pantillo. He was relatively new, and still inclined to look at life with a jocular attitude. "After all, that guy must have a sense of humor, to make Lord Katse those bizarre clothes!"

"Actually, I think it's from an old movie." Kito replied. "Something about a giant ape climbing buildings and knocking out planes with its bare hands."

"That makes sense." muttered Steungart. "It's pretty obvious that Lord Katse wants this thing to take out the God Phoenix."

"Do you really think we'll see her?" Kito asked.

"It's pretty likely." Steungart shrugged. "Don't they always seem to show up, right where we are, lately?"

"Maybe, they just want to see our new toys." Pantillo suggested. "Seeing as how they use the same ship all of the time, they must get bored."

Everyone rolled their eyes at this. Even for Pantillo, it was a pretty lame joke.

"You all, stop talking!" shouted Sergeant Kyle, as he walked by. "We have a job to do!"

"What a grump!" complained Steungart. "Do you think, if the Science Ninja Team shows up, they'd shove a Bird Missile up his ass, for us?"

"Well, I don't think they'd do it for us," Kito pointed out, "but I certainly wouldn't be too upset, if they singled him out."

"I heard that they're just kids." Pantillo revealed. "My brother was on the Ibukuron mecha, and he said that they didn't look any older than we are: maybe eighteen or twenty."

"That'd really burn Kyle, being taken out by a teenager, half his age." Kito laughed. "Besides, I heard one of them really is a kid; not even a teenager yet."

"Yeah, I remember someone talking about that one." Steungart added, "But from what I've heard, it's Gatchaman you have to watch out for."

"What about that Condor?" Pantillo asked. "Apparently, he's…"

"Shut up!" Sergeant Kyle cried, backhanding Pantillo across the face, sending him sprawling to the ground. "I told you guys to stop talking! Now take your stations!"

Steungart rolled his eyes at Kito, but sat down without further comment.

Kito paid attention to his monitors. There was no point in getting in trouble now. Besides, their job was important. If they could keep the mecha operational for even a few seconds longer, it might make the difference between winning and losing, against the Science Ninja Team.

There were no windows in their assigned location on the mecha, so Kito had to look at monitors to see what was happening outside. The hangar doors opened, and King Kang took giant steps outside of the Galactor base, into the waters surrounding Ghost Island.

Kang walked along the ocean floor for nearly two hours. The men were all beginning to get bored, but every time they tried to talk amongst themselves, Sergeant Kyle yelled at them, enforcing their silence with his fists. Kito couldn't see the point. They were possibly going to their deaths, if the destruction of Galactor's other mecha were any indication of what they faced. What was the problem in letting the soldiers relieve some of the tension, by talking?

Of course, Kyle probably didn't see it that way. He had a small amount of power, and had gone wild with it. He had a reputation for using heavy-handed methods. Of course, knowing the way Katse treated his men, it was probably that aspect of his character that had gotten Kyle promoted in the first place.

Eventually, they reached their target. King Kang slowly walked out of the water, revealing itself to the town of Centarra. Kito could see tiny people running for their lives, as the mecha approached.

Apparently, Lord Katse knew exactly where he was going. The gorilla mecha marched steadily through town, crushing cars, people, and even houses, beneath its feet. Kito tried hard not to think about the innocent civilians losing their lives in the city.

"Whoo hoo! We got that school!" Sergeant Kyle cheered. "Do you think the kids were still inside?"

"It's Saturday." Kito pointed out, his voice a low growl. "I don't think school is in session today."

"Too bad." Kyle said, in a disappointed tone. He didn't appear to notice the dark expression on Kito's face.

Without warning, the mecha stopped. It had reached the cluster of ISO buildings, in town. King Kang began to storm through the complex, stepping on smaller buildings, and tearing down larger ones with its hands. For a moment, Kito was proud that the hand his unit had built was performing so well, until he realized just what it was doing.

Small dots appeared in the sky, headed straight for King Kang. They approached quickly, and before long, Kito could see that they were UN fighter planes. The jets swarmed around Kang's head, shooting at the mecha's eyes, ears, and nose.

Kito felt the mecha rock slightly, but that was all.

"No damage!" laughed Sergeant Kyle. "Those stupid UN pilots! Why do they even bother? You'd think they'd know, by now, that they can't defeat the power of Galactor!"

King Kang opened its mouth, emitting a spray of rockets at the UN planes. The jets quickly burst into flames, falling to the ground.

Kito couldn't help wondering, whether or not those pilots had families, waiting for them at home. He felt sick to his stomach, and wished that he had never had to witness this. Suddenly, spending the rest of his life on Ghost Island didn't seem like such a bad prospect.

Looking around, Kito realized that he wasn't the only one who felt that way. Steungart and Pantillo appeared to be upset as well, and other men stared blankly at computer readouts. Only Kyle was expressing any kind of satisfaction, at what they were doing.

Just as it seemed that Kang would encounter no serious opposition, a blue and red shape appeared on the horizon.

"The God Phoenix…" Pantillo whispered. A sense of awe filled the room. Even Sergeant Kyle appeared fearful, for a moment.

"Pussies!" Kyle said, albeit somewhat unconvincingly, "King Kang can take them!"

The men were quiet, simply waiting for the inevitable.

It wasn't long in coming. Two Bird Missiles streaked through the air, hitting the mecha in the chest and throat.

The entire room jerked, and some of the men fell from their seats. Their monitors showed only smoke and fire.

But after a few moments, the smoke and fire cleared, and it became obvious that there had been no damage to the mecha.

This time, Kyle wasn't the only man in the room cheering. Kito himself was shaken, at having faced his own mortality. He found himself relieved, that the God Phoenix had been unable to hurt King Kang.

"The new shielding is holding!" Steungart breathed, a grateful expression on his face.

Not only was the shielding holding, but Kang's hands had begun to move. Faster than Kito would have thought possible, they reached out toward the God Phoenix, grasping it from two directions.

The ship, of course, attempted to pull away, and the power of its engines was significant. But Kang's grip held.

Almost.

Kito looked at his readouts, noticing that the shielding on Kang's left hand was beginning to buckle. Obviously the unit that had been responsible for that part of the mecha had done a shoddy job welding the pieces together. A quick glance showed Kang that his unit's right hand was still in perfect condition.

Despite the circumstances, a feeling of pride, in his work, surged in Kito's heart.

Kang's grip tightened on the struggling God Phoenix. Kito zoomed in his monitor view on the Science Ninja Team's vessel. He noticed hairline fractures appearing in the side, to the front of its wing. It appeared that this was the weak point on the ship.

Without warning, the God Phoenix began to glow a bright red.

"What the hell are they doing?" Steungart asked, shocked.

"It must be some kind of new weapon of Lord Katse's." Kyle offered.

"No, you idiot!" Pantillo berated the Sergeant, forgetting himself for a moment, "It's the Science Ninja Technique: Firebird! Their ultimate weapon!"

Silence blanketed the room. No one could tear their eyes away from the monitor as Pantillo was, indeed, proven correct. The God Phoenix began to flame, turning into an eerily beautiful fiery bird. A haunting cry echoed from the bird, piercing through the soldiers' hearts.

"What are you doing down there?" screeched Katse, breaking the quiet. His voice was coming through a large loudspeaker on the wall. "Gamma Team, go repair Kang's hands! Now!"

Indeed, the fiery God Phoenix was melting through the mecha's hands, beginning to pull itself free.

It was time to work.