Chapter 11
Ken began to slow down the powerful roaring engines of his fighter jet to prepare for landing it on the black tarmac that had come into view.
"Eagle eye, do you copy." Roy the flight controller's formal voice came through his helmet.
"This is Eagle eye, I read you tower, Alpha squadron is on its way in." Ken's professional tone had become automatic over the past few months. He had never spoken to Ryu like that when he came into land on the God Phoenix.
"When you land you have a visitor Commander." Roy said.
"Where are they waiting?" Ken asked. The heat shimmered off the runway as he came into land making him think it would stick to his wheels as he pulled back on his controls and turned down the flaps to slow the jet down.
He'd been doing observation flights for weeks looking for Rebels that had been causing unrest amongst the civilians. So far from his reports alone the managed to find several fringe groups planning raids on villages for boys to use as soldiers for their armies.
I wonder who it is? He thought. Immediately picturing Jun waiting there to see him, and brief hope ran through him that she had changed her mind and wanted them to mend the rift in their relationship that had formed just before he left.
He tried to call when he wasn't dog tired or caught up in pre-fight meetings about missions the squadrons would be running, and the training programs. The first time Jinpei answered, then no one. Each time he hung up the phone with a heavy heart and depressed, wondering what he done so wrong that she'd avoid him. Jun had never been a person to unforgiving, or hold a grudge.
Those thoughts were dashed when he saw Dr.Nambu waiting at a nearby hanger he taxied into.
He got out of the cockpit as the technicians ran over and began to look over his fighter. Waving to his other squadron comrades from different parts of the world all working with the United Nations he began walking casually walked over towards Dr.Nambu Carrying his flight gear.
"Hello Ken, I've been hearing good things about your missions." Dr.Nambu's moustache turned into a smile.
"Well, you know the problems still here with all those rebel groups wanting to control the country, but we did find that there's an arms dealer in Europe looking for weapons for some Count they refer to as Blue." Ken looked at the Doctor his serious expression told him he took in everything Ken told him.
"I got your report about that, have managed to find out who he is?" Dr Nambu inquired looking out at the fighter jets coming and going from the base.
Ken just shook his head annoyed that it came to dead end each time they came close to finding out who Count Blue could be and why he wanted all those weapons. He knew the name to be fake- but just who is the man he wondered.
"We need to keep an eye in Europe- someone's bound to know who would be building up a secret army." Ken said as they walked towards the elevator that led underground.
Dr.Nambu put in his security codes, and they began to move downwards. When the reached the 6th level they got out. Dr.Nambu indicated that he follow him into another elevator. This one held higher security. The Doctor did an eye retina scan before it showed the buttons for them to indicate the right level.
He selected a level and the elevator began to make its way downward. Ken knew not to ask too many questions, he had been aware of a secret base beneath them. No one on the base talked about it.
Silence fell between them while the lift finally came to a halt and opened. They walked out into a huge auditorium.
The sight that met his eyes floored him.
"What do you think?" Dr.Nambu broke into a smile at his reaction.
"What happened to our old warship?" Ken looked at the skeleton before him. "It has too many stress fractures. Ken basically it's falling apart- I know you want to keep the G-2 machine…"
Ken didn't respond, as long as the G-2 remained with the ship, Joe would be flying with them.
Walking around the ship Ken studied the design- it looked like they had decided to a full make over.
A jolly looking man with a thick brown moustache came running over. "Dr.Nambu everything's going well, we should be up and running in a few months."
"Thanks Kamo." Dr. Nambu shook his hand.
"I'll be moving onto another project soon, it's been a pleasure working with you." Kamo said smiling at Dr.Nambu and then he went back to another part of the ship
"What about our Mecha's?' Ken questioned ducking underneath to get a closer look at something that caught his eye.
"They're in the production line new…"
"All new designs?"
"Yes, even hand held weapons."
Ken walked out from under the ship, his quizzical frown prompted Dr.Nambu to walk over to a table. Picking up a disk like object he handed it to Ken.
Ken turned it over in his hand. It felt strange to be holding the object, yet it felt good.
"It looks like my birdrang is going into retirement." Ken said handing it back to Dr.Nambu.
"They still have some work to do on the new equipment…and base." Dr.Nambu said.
Ken looked up sharply. "New base?"
"Yes, I'm not revealing too much at this point… but it's better than ever before, and it'll be active as soon as we work through a few details." Dr. Nambu turned and he began walking back towards the elevator.
Ken followed the doctor out of the elevator and back to the top levels of the base. Parting at this point in time because Dr.Nambu had a meeting to attend Ken headed back to his quarters.
Tired from a full day flying he put his flight gear, and stripped down to his basic army pants and tight T-shirt. Throwing the rest into his locker and then headed down the rows of single beds towards his allocated bedding.
When he first arrived at the base he had a house, but he soon learned one the other pilots couldn't bring his family because of the lack of houses close by. So Ken gave approached him and changed accommodation with him.
Jumping up onto his top bunk bed, Ken laid back putting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. His mind reeling with images of the new equipment being put together for them, was there something Dr.Nambu hadn't told him? Ken thought. There had to be. Putting the thought aside for one moment he pulled out a picture he kept under his pillow. Jun looked so beautiful that day on their short holiday together. He long black hair caught by the wind sweeping strands across her face, soft joyful smile touched her pink lips while she looked at him with her sparkling green eyes… Tomorrow, if he had a chance he'd try one last time to call Jun.
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Standing in the crowded pastry wholesaler Jun waited for her order of fresh cakes and pastries for the Snack J afternoon opening, Jun suddenly felt something in her abdomen. A tiny flutter, she had felt it the week before but now it had become more prominent.
Smiling she put her hand over the swelling part of her belly to feel it again. "Well, there you are…" She said to growing child.
"Miss…" An impatient lady called out to her from behind the counter, Jun was so absorbed in feeling the tiny flutters that she didn't respond at first.
"Miss, your order is ready. Snack J." The lady called to her again, Jun looked up abruptly.
Walking briskly to the counter she picked up the stack of boxes and she began walking back to the Snack J. The tiny flutters kept making her smile. "Your active." She said to her growing child. The sickness she felt had eased up a few weeks back. And she'd picked up some more books on pregnancy.
She had toyed with the idea on going to a doctor, but then she'd have to give medical information and information about herself. Even now in peacetime if they felt ill they needed to go the ISO doctors. Their identities had to be protected. So she started to read about the stages, if something really didn't feel right, then she'd find a regular doctor to go to for a check up.
During the months she had been on her own she had plenty of time to think, more so in the evenings, waiting for Ken to call, but he never did. Jinpei had called her while he had been away. Often she looked at the phone to see several missed calls from a private caller. Could the private caller be Ken? She thought.
Awkwardly she put the key into the door of the Snack J she could hear the phone ringing, hurrying she managed to open the door without dropping her boxes of cakes. She put them down on the counter. By the time she got to the phone it had stopped.
She looked at the number listing, Private caller.
Taking a breath and sitting down on stood she looked at the screen again, whoever the private caller was, they left her a message.
She dialled into her message bank and put the phone to her ear. She could hear jet engines in the background.
"Hi Jun…It's me Ken." He paused. "Jun I know I said some things that upset you when we went out to dinner…I…I…" He paused again awkwardly. "Shouldn't have pressured you to come with me…if it's over just say so… I don't know what went wrong between us…I….love…" His voice broke and then it took on a desperate tone that she'd never heard before. " Jun- please pick up the phone….please we just need to talk to-"
The message cut out. She put down the phone. "Ken, I do know…I'm so sorry." She realized she had been deliberately pushing him away. She had ignored some calls she thought would be Ken, she still felt confused about why she couldn't answer the phone if it was around the time he would call.
Jun had begun to feel like another person since she first discovered she had fallen pregnant. She had even begun to question her devotion to the team.
Slumping in her chair Jun put her hand over her growing belly, if Ken walked through the door now she'd fall into his arms and tell him. They could find a way to keep a child safe she thought. Sighing heavily she knew that wasn't about to happen.
Could she give up this child she wondered, walk away? Jun hadn't allowed those thoughts in her mind for since she walked out of the abortion clinic.
From using her books she managed to keep track of the progress, she had to be almost six months, but not quite she mused. Truthfully Jun couldn't be certain- the scan they did at the clinic indicated a different time frame from what she had figured out. But she couldn't risk a regular doctor.
Is this how Joe felt? All alone…with no one to turn to- or had he tried to find someone to confide in that night he invited her over for dinner…the way he looked at her…? She thought with a heavy heart.
"Well little one." She resolved for now. "It's just you and me, lets get this place opened up for the afternoon."
Jun got busy then; it helped her to not think about the inevitable.
She had changed the hours of the Snack J. to times when she'd have minimal food orders. Her income had dropped but she could survive. After all during the war she had to kick customers out at times when they got called in for duty.
Watching ladies come in for afternoon tea she thought about how much longer she continue to run the snack J on her own, in a matter of a few months she'd have to close the doors for a while.
Looking at her waistline Jun could really just see ball shape of her womb forming, from now on it would only grow bigger. So far she had managed to keep in shape with the walking machine she picked up on EBay and she still did her yoga exercises to keep flexible. The less fat she put on during the pregnancy the less she would have to try and deal with afterwards in trying to get her body back to normal again.