Chapter 3
Joe groaned, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms. It had been another sleepless night.
It was happening less and less now, but he still had times when his dreams were haunted by memories… memories of lying on the ground outside Cross Karokorum, his life ebbing away, memories of being found by Dr. Rafael, and memories of what had been done to him…
For a while, after the Team had learned what he had become, the dreams had stopped, but of late, they had begun to return. The others accepted what they saw on the outside: a strong, healthy person. They saw a man who was essentially 'normal', despite his cybernetic enhancements.
What they didn't see was the living death encased within his body.
In the past few weeks, Joe had withdrawn from the others. At first, it had been subconscious, but now, it was purposeful. He understood the others noticed his standoffish attitude, but so far, they had left him alone. Yet, a quiet rift was beginning to develop between him, and the other members of the Science Ninja Team.
He didn't like hurting them… his friends… his family… but he saw no other way. He was expendable, and even more, he was destined to die, in defeating Leader X. There was no point in staying close to them, only to have them suffer later on. He had some comprehension of how they had suffered, when they had thought him dead, before.
On the other hand, it was as if a cloud of gloom had settled over the Science Ninja Team. The lightheartedness, the joking, the camaraderie that had always characterized the time they spent together, was gone.
There were times that Joe wondered if he was doing the right thing.
This was definitely one of those times.
He rolled over, determined to get some rest, if at all possible.
But as he closed his eyes, he sensed it, calling to him.
The Leapwave.
Usually, when Rafael needed to see him, he sent a signal, and Joe was able to follow that signal to wherever the Doctor was currently located.
But this one was different. It was a hodgepodge: a mess of varying frequencies, all vying at once for attention. He felt as if he wanted to clap his hands over his ears, but he knew that wouldn't do any good, as the sound was coming from inside his head. The cacophony was growing stronger, and could not be denied.
This multitude of frequencies bothered him. It was too sloppy. The meticulous Rafael would never send him something so… messy.
Unless… he was in a hurry.
Joe knew that Galactor was no friend of the Doctor's. Was it possible? Could they have found him, and in his haste to escape, Rafael had not been able to send his usual signal? Perhaps this was even a general signal, to all Rafael-created cyborgs.
Except… Joe was the only one left. Kathy had been destroyed, leaping to her death inside the Vesuvio volcano, holding the Magma Solidification Device she had grabbed from him. And the others, those who had been led by Ulf, had been destroyed by the meteorites, sent by Galactor.
Joe was Dr. Rafael's last remaining cybernetic being.
This could easily be some kind of emergency distress call. Even though it was different from the usual signal, Joe felt that he had to follow it, out of loyalty to the man who had saved his life, albeit, for his own ends.
Well, that, and the fact that the noise was driving him insane.
Realizing that there was no sleep to be had now, Joe returned the signal from within his cybernetically enhanced brain, temporarily nullifying the frequencies as he prepared for departure. However, the necessity of canceling a wide range of Leapwaves was causing him a headache. He was used to only dealing with one at a time.
Grimacing, Joe got out of bed, and began to dress.
As he left his room, the Condor looked quickly down the hallways of G-Town. Good, no one else appeared to be up, yet. The last thing Joe needed was to be asked any questions about where he was going.
The emptiness of the corridors, and the grumbling of his stomach, prompted Joe to duck quickly into the Common Area, to forage for some breakfast. Who knew how long he would be gone?
He had just grabbed some muffins and apples when Jun sauntered into the room. She yawned sleepily and proceeded to the fridge, only noticing the Condor as he moved away from her.
Instantly, her sleepiness was gone. The Swan was on guard: wary, not sure what to say, or do.
Joe hated this. He hated the way everyone tensed up now, when they saw him around. He knew it was an unconscious move on their parts: a reaction to his constant rebuffs, and cold attitude.
But this morning, it was to his advantage. He left the Common Area as quickly as possible, acting like he hadn't even seen her. At the last moment, he thought he saw a tear glistening in Jun's eye.
He nearly stopped then, but the noise in his head erupted again, as if reminding him of his purpose, that morning.
Turning his back on the woman he was closer to than any other, Joe rushed to leave her behind.
88888
The signal was apparently coming from halfway around the world, somewhere in the Ural mountain range. Fortunately, with his high level ISO clearance, Joe had access to forms of transportation the average person did not, and he was able to catch a ride on a high-speed UN Forces transport jet.
He didn't bother to cover his tracks. If anyone investigated, it would be easy to determine that Joe Asakura had been on this flight. But the Condor wasn't worried about that. By the time anyone discovered that he had gone, he would be back already. And if he wasn't… he guessed it was probably just as well that they could figure out what had happened to him. The last thing he wanted was to disappear without a trace, and put his team through the agony of not knowing if he was alive or dead.
His team… Joe sighed, leaning back against the wall of the plane, letting the rumble of its engine soak through his body. Much as he tried to distance himself, he still thought of them that way. That was why had had come back, why had let them convince him to stay. He thought of them, now, as the jet passed over western Iropa.
Jinpei. He could be annoying, but Joe knew that the Swallow just wanted to be like him. Although Ken was the one Jinpei called 'Aniki', he complained about the Eagle and emulated the Condor more often than not. Whether or not Joe liked it, he had become the kid's primary role model.
Ryu. The Owl was a good friend: solid and strong, both in body, and in heart. He was always there when Joe needed him, even if it was just to sit quietly, offering his quiet companionship. Once rebuffed, he would never pester Joe for answers, the way Ken often did. Joe appreciated that about Ryu.
Ken. He had been Joe's best friend for so long, but now… their relationship was sometimes close, sometimes adversarial. Unfortunately, that negative side of their association was becoming more and more prevalent. They hardly saw eye to eye on anything anymore, and with Ken holding the leadership role on the team, explosive arguments were only a natural result. What made it worse was Ken's pigheaded nature. He refused to think that someone else might be right, and in the past few months he had nearly led the entire team to defeat, more than once. Still, Joe felt a strong bond with Ken, and knew that he always would.
Jun. It was strange how he thought of Jun last. It was almost as if his mind was trying to get through everything else, so that it could dwell on her. He recalled the look on her face that morning, and the tear that had glistened, unshed, in her eye. Damn, it killed him to push her away, but what else could he do? If there was anyone whom Joe wanted to shelter from pain and heartbreak, it was Jun. She had already suffered enough, because of him.
He remembered when the Science Ninja Team had been re-activated, and he had watched them from the shadows, attempting to help them, without being seen. Jun had been the one who had sensed his presence most easily. Every time she cried out for him, what was left of his heart had nearly split in two, thinking of what it would mean to her… to him… to show them that he was alive.
And then, that day in the desert… Jinpei, Ryu and Ken (after his initial doubts) had been happy to see Joe, but it had been Jun who had overwhelmed him with her emotion. When Joe thought about it, he could still feel her in his arms, sensing her joy at his return as she pressed against him, drawing him close to her.
Of all of them, Jun had been the most accepting of him, and his closed nature. She alone had never pestered him for answers, but left him to tell them on his own, once he had made it obvious that he didn't want to talk. It was different from their previous relationship, before he had 'died', when he had been able to tell her anything, but she had been immediately accepting of the change.
Jun and Joe had been close, over the decade or so they had known each other, and Joe knew that that closeness had only intensified, since his return. Only… he wasn't sure Jun understood that, based on the look on her face, that morning.
Was it really necessary, this self-enforced isolation?
The jet hit some turbulence, bouncing the Condor around, and tearing him away from his morose thoughts.
"We're approaching the co-ordinates you gave us, Sir." a UN serviceman approached Joe.
The Condor checked on the signal in his head. The frequencies were converging, suggesting that he had chosen the right location. He got to his feet, grunting his acknowledgement to the young soldier.
"I'll be leaving you, then."
"Sir…" the serviceman protested, "We can't land here. The terrain is too rugged; there's no safe place to touch down."
"You don't need to land." Joe stated grimly. "Just open the jump hatch at my co-ordinates, and I'll go."
"But, Sir, we're at a very high altitude! You would require special equipment, and you would need to be trained in HALO jumps…"
The Condor stopped the soldier's babbling shock with a glare.
"I have my own equipment. I'm going. Just open the damn hatch."
It was not a request.
The serviceman ran off, conversed briefly with the pilot, before returning.
"We are at the co-ordinates now, Sir." he reported, "I'll open the hatch."
"Thank you." Joe grunted, before turning his back on the young man. He pulled a small oxygen mask out of his pocket, strapping it around his face. It would only give him a few minutes' worth of air, but it was all he needed.
The moment the hatch opened, the Condor threw himself out of the plane, into the open sky. The snow-covered majesty of the Ural Mountains lay below him, and for a brief second he was caught up in the incredible beauty of the sight.
The cold air rushed by his face, and he saw the jet departing from its position above him. He plummeted toward the ground for another twenty seconds before it was gone, and he was able to transmute into Birdstyle.
As he emerged as the Condor, the mask ran out of oxygen, and Joe tossed it aside. He used his wings to control his descent, concentrating on the Leapwave signals inside of his head.
Slowly, he guided himself toward the ground, and to the location from which the signal was emanating. It was definitely there, and as he approached the frequencies were converging into something more familiar. It was still strange however, and definitely unlike any other time Rafael had tried to contact him.
The Condor's guard was up, and he made his approach as stealthily as possible, on the lookout for any sign of Galactor.
Once he hit the ground, he returned to his civilian clothes, and continued his journey.
There were no signs of life; only a bare, mountain landscape. But as Joe followed the signal, he had the sensation that he was being watched. Almost unconsciously, he flexed his fingers, ready to reach for a feather shuriken, should the need arise. But for now, he had to appear unthreatening. It wouldn't do for the Condor to be seen approaching this remote location, if Dr. Rafael was, indeed, on the run from Galactor.
He moved along, at a slow, seemingly unhurried pace, carefully examining his surroundings as he went. About thirty minutes after he had landed, he saw it.
A small red light blinked out at him, from underneath two carefully placed stones. Crouching down, as if to tie his shoe, Joe casually reached under the stones, feeling underneath.
There was a button.
As he rose to his feet, Joe passed his fingertips over the button, pressing it lightly.
At first nothing happened, and he moved to continue his journey, but then, he heard a low rumbling sound. Turning, he saw a portion of the previously indistinguishable mountain rock moving aside, revealing a small entrance barely big enough for a man.
Joe looked cautiously at the entrance, questioning its legitimacy. Was it a Galactor trap?
Sighing, he realized that there was no way of knowing. He had to decide if the risk was worth helping Dr. Rafael.
He had a responsibility: one he wasn't about to ignore. Rafael was counting on him.
Grimly, Joe entered the opening. He wasn't at all surprised to find the door closing behind him.
He found himself in a metal corridor, dimly lit by the occasional fluorescent light. Every few moments the lights would flicker, casting strange shadows onto the walls. Joe's footsteps echoed through the lonely passageway.
The entire place had an air of desertion: as if it had once been a busy place, but no one had been there for some time. Briefly, Joe wondered what its original purpose had been.
The corridor went on and on, and Joe realized that he was walking down underneath the mountains. After about an hour, he began to wish he had brought something more to eat, and wondered how much further he would have to walk.
It was at this moment that the corridor suddenly filled with a billowing, white gas.
Joe covered his nose with his t-shirt, and stuck it into his elbow, crouching low and racing away from the spot, but the gas was apparently being released all along the passageway. After a few seconds of exertion, the Condor was overcome by the powerful substance, and sank slowly to the floor.