Chapter 20

Ken finally emerged at the mouth of the shaft, only to realize that the oppressive heat outside made it a better idea to stay just inside the entrance to the mountain. The Eagle sat down on the ground, cradling the barely conscious Swan in his arms, then activated his bracelet.

"Pimer!" he called, "I need you at my location, now!"

"G1," came the autopilot's mechanical voice, "I have priority Birdscramble pickup orders from G4. Override?"

Priority Birdscramble? That protocol was only used in case of real emergency. For the moment, Jun appeared peaceful, and there was no immediate Galactor threat.

"No override." Ken sighed. "But pickup at my location ASAP!"

"Acknowledged." Pimer replied, before the communication was terminated.

Briefly, Ken wondered what had happened to Joe, Jinpei and Ryu, that they had called in that level of emergency, but the thought was pushed out of his mind as Jun began to moan and convulse in his arms.

"It will be all right, Jun." Ken told her, pulling her closer to him. "Pimer is coming. You'll be back on the New God Phoenix soon."

"Touch me…."

At first, Ken wasn't certain that he had understood Jun correctly. Her voice was quiet, and her words were slurred.

"Touch me…" she said again, her voice taking on a pleading tone. "I need you…"

The Swan moaned, pressing her body against the Eagle.

Ken's mouth went dry. The way Jun was acting right now was having a significant impact on his physical state. No matter how much he tried to push the feelings aside, they continued, growing ever stronger as she continued to writhe and moan in his arms, her bottom pressing into his lap.

Jun's head rolled back, as if she lacked the strength to hold it up, her chest heaving with her labored breathing.

"Please…"

The Eagle was frozen, unable to move; held prisoner by the tidal wave of arousal that was crashing through him. His body ached, needing to feel the Swan's satin skin against his own.

But a shred of restraint remained. Jun had refused him when he had last approached her. And obviously this wasn't the right time to be thinking about anything of this nature.

But it appeared to be all that Jun was thinking about.

The Swan's gloved hands were running over her breasts and down her torso, almost with a life of their own. She writhed and moaned as she stroked and caressed herself, her fingers teasing her body before the Eagle's astonished eyes.

Jun's eyes were glazed with lust, her head cradled in the crook of his arm. Her face wore a mask of physical longing, her desire becoming more intense with each movement of her hands. Ken had never known that Jun had such an incredibly passionate nature.

He had never been more turned on in his life.

Tentatively, he reached out, almost without realizing what he was doing, to touch her breast. Even through their Birdstyles, the softness of her body evoked memories of their previous intimate encounters. Almost of their own accord, Ken's hands traced her feminine curves, brushing across the red symbol emblazoned on her chest. The Gatchaman symbol. His symbol. It was almost as if the Swan had been branded as belonging to the Eagle, and a primal emotion of possessiveness and desire raged from the core of his being.

Unaware of the feelings her actions were evoking in the Eagle, Jun's gloved fingers moved downward, reaching beneath her skirt to stroke at the heart of her femininity. Ken was unable to tear his eyes away as she thrust her hand into her panties, pleasuring herself with a wild abandon he could never have imagined.

"Oh… feels…. so good…"

She moaned in the back of her throat, and the Eagle found himself desperately wishing that his uniform allowed him to touch his own body in the way the Swan was demonstrating. His protective cup was digging into his skin, but somehow the pain only enhanced the incredible sensation of lust washing over him. Ken had to satisfy himself with unclasping Jun's belt and slipping his gloved hands up her dress, to caress her sensitive breasts.

"Oh!" Jun gasped, her soft cries of pleasure only encouraging the Eagle onward in his attentions. Her soft bottom writhed on his engorged length, and he felt her frenzied movements even through the protection of his Birdstyle.

Ken found himself not caring about where they were, or who might come across them. All that mattered at that moment was Jun, and way she was making him feel. Unconsciously, he thrust his hips against her, gratified to find Jun adjusting to accommodate him, pressing herself against his body even as her fingers moved in an increasingly fast rhythm.

The Swan cried out, and the Eagle had never heard a more beautiful sound. It was apparent that Jun was rapidly approaching her crisis.

"Joe!"

An expression of peace graced Jun's face, even as one of horror crossed Ken's visage. His hands froze in place, his ardor instantly replaced with a cold rage.

Joe?

He must have heard wrong. That couldn't be what Jun had said.

The Swan appeared to have satisfied the immediate demands of her body, and she curled up against the Eagle's chest, closing her eyes and sighing happily.

"You always know how to please me, Joe."

Jun continued to murmur soft endearments to the Condor, even as the Eagle held her in his arms. His mind was temporarily stunned by what he was hearing. Ken was still trying to process Jun's words; his thoughts attempting to grapple with the reality that was being thrust upon him.

"I love you." she breathed, her chest rising and falling an easy rhythm as she fell into a light sleep.

These were words Ken had longed to hear from Jun for as long as he could remember, although he had never really thought that circumstances would permit it. But now, to hear them coming from her lips, knowing that the feelings she expressed were not for him…

It was almost too much to bear.

One thing was for certain: Joe had a hell of a lot to answer for.