Chapter 9
"They were aware of the contact procedures, and knew that I was Gatchaman." Ken reported to Dr. Nambu, once they were back aboard the New God Phoenix. "It wasn't Agent Murfitt at all, but a Galactor disguised as him. He claimed to have tortured Murfitt for information."
Dr. Nambu sighed heavily, and he appeared to have aged ten years since that morning.
"I was afraid that something like this would happen." he admitted. "Galactor always seems to be a step ahead of us." The Doctor's tone was bitter.
"Should we return to G-Town?" Ryu asked.
"No." Nambu shook his head. "Agent Murfitt was assigned to a Galactor training facility on the Isle of Corsica. We owe it to him, and his family, to see if he is still there."
"Understood, Doctor." Ken acknowledged, as he received the co-ordinates for the base.
"It's likely that they will be prepared for your arrival," Nambu said, "given that their agents did not return."
"We'll be on our guard." Ken promised, before terminating the communication.
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The training facility was apparently located underneath the Ajaccio Citadel in Corsica. The appearance of Gatchaman on the doorstep of the area's most famous landmark was enough to send the local officials scrambling, and the surrounding ten blocks were quickly evacuated, with the Science Ninja Team being given any assistance they required to locate the Galactor base.
It didn't take long. Deep underneath one of the historic Citadel's bastions, in an underground chamber that looked as if it hadn't seen a visitor in the past few decades, they discovered a surprisingly modern-looking door. The door led to a stairwell, which brought them down into the ground, well below the surface of the Mediterranean Sea. At the bottom they encountered another door, this one locked.
"They're going to be expecting us." Ken said, "Draw your sonic guns, and prepare for engagement."
Grimly, the other four ninjas nodded, following the Eagle's orders. Deploying themselves in a standard attack formation, they arranged themselves behind their leader, as he opened the door by means of his weapon.
As one, the five members of the Science Ninja Team leapt through the doorway, weapons ready for any sign of hostility.
There was none.
The chamber they had entered was completely bare, save for a hallway on its other side, running in two directions. There was no sign of any Galactor activity. It appeared as if the base had been hastily abandoned.
"We have to search the entire base for any sign of Agent Murfitt." Ken said. "We'll split up and meet back here in thirty minutes."
"Right." said Joe, turning to depart the room.
"Not so fast, Joe." Ken called the Condor back grimly. "There could still be troops here. We don't need you running off alone again."
Joe's face turned red at the Eagle's rebuke.
"This is just your way of getting back at me for yesterday, isn't it?" he asked angrily.
"I just don't think you should go alone." Ken said smugly, confirming Joe's suspicions. "Jun has proven that she's sufficiently observant today. She will accompany you. Jinpei, Ryu and I will take the other direction."
"I work better alone." the Condor growled.
"Jun goes with you." Ken ordered.
Joe stalked angrily from the room, not bothering to look at the Swan. Jun cast a worried look at Ken, before running after the Condor.
Joe stormed along in silence for a while, his anger trailing behind him like a banner. Jun stayed out of his direct view, but the Condor was aware of her presence all the same.
"What the hell does the Eagle think he's doing?" he yelled, halting abruptly, causing Jun to nearly run into him. He turned back to look at the Swan, his face a mask of anger.
"Look, Joe, I'm not sure what kind of macho competition you and Ken have going on between you, but in this case, he's right." Jun said quietly.
The Condor stared at her incredulously.
"I thought you, of all people, would understand." he said bitterly.
The Swan blanched, and the Condor could tell that his words had found their mark.
"Yesterday, you took off without telling anyone and nearly got yourself killed… or God knows what else." she hissed furiously. "This is typical of your behavior, Joe. You're always running off into dangerous situations without considering the potential consequences. It's like you want to get yourself killed!"
The Condor grimaced. Jun had hit uncomfortably close to the truth. He considered himself expendable. He was going to die anyway, so why not take down Galactor while doing it? He turned away so that the Swan wouldn't see his secret reflected in his eyes.
"Didn't you just promise me last night that you weren't going to pull away anymore?" Jun asked angrily. "I guess it was all just a pack of lies, wasn't it?"
Joe's face took on an anguished look, as he placed his hand gently on Jun's arm.
"No…" he said quietly, his anger gone. "It wasn't… I don't want to pull away from you, Jun."
"Then let's just carry on with this, together." she replied, uncertain what to make of the Condor's sudden turnabout.
There was still an underlying tension between the pair, but they fell back on the professional detachment they had maintained for years when on missions, and were able to continue with their task.
The corridors and rooms they encountered were all empty. It appeared that the occupants of this base had departed in a tremendous hurry.
"This is interesting." the Condor commented, as the pair came across an abandoned laboratory. A computer console glowed with life, hinting at valuable Galactor secrets.
"It looks like they forgot to turn off all of their appliances when they left the house." he smirked.
As he moved into the room, a panel in the ceiling opened, and a thin black shaft emerged.
"Look out!" cried the Swan, launching herself at the Condor and throwing him out of the path of the weapon. The two ninjas tumbled across the floor, a tangled mess of arms, legs and wings that came to rest at the opposite wall. There was a loud detonation, and the pair looked behind them to see a smoking hole where the Condor had been standing only seconds before. The tantalizing computer console was now dark, its monitor cracked.
"Thanks…" muttered Joe, his surprise still written on his face.
"You're welcome." said Jun. She looked down at their entangled limbs and began to laugh.
"I guess I have a certain sense of style." she giggled.
Joe smiled as well.
"I certainly have no problem with it." he grinned, tightening his arms around her.
For an instant, grey-blue eyes met green ones, and in that brief space of time the tensions between them dissipated.
"Let's finish searching this place." Joe said, standing up and offering his hand to Jun.
"The sooner we get back to G-Town, the better." she winked, setting his pulse racing.
Somehow, the Condor managed to wrench his mind back to the task at hand, and shortly they were continuing down the corridor once again.
"I think this is the only place we haven't checked." Jun said, as they came to a door at the end of the hallway.
Upon opening the door, they realized that they had arrived at the detainment area of the base. Barred cells lined one side of the room, all of them empty.
Except for one.
A body was slumped in the corner of the last cell.
Jun ran over to the still form, then carefully examined his face.
"It's Agent Murfitt." she reported quietly. "He's dead."
The Swan bowed her head in silence for a moment.
"We should take him back with us." she said, reaching out to lift the former ISO agent.
The moment she touched the body, the Condor saw a flash of red light out of the corner of his eye. It looked like… a timer?
"Jun, no!" he cried, grabbing her arm and physically dragging her out of the cell.
There was a loud boom, and the force of a fiery explosion propelled them out of the room and back into the corridor. The cell where Agent Murfitt's body had lain was now a charred mass of blackened, melted metal.
"I guess I owe you one." Jun said, breathing heavily against the Condor's chest.
"No." Joe replied, embracing her closely. "Your safety is all that matters."
"This is what I meant, Joe." Jun whispered, looking up at him. "We operate best as a team. We need to work together; watch each other's backs."
The Condor nodded quietly, at last understanding what she had been trying to tell him. It was a few moments before he broke the silence.
"Let's get back to the rendezvous point."