Chapter 14
"No…please don't hurt them." Matt yelled as he stepped out of his car. He felt the desperation to act fast building up inside of him. Men with guns surrounded his wife and son on the side of the road. To his horror he could only as the car swived of the tared road onto the gravel and barely missed crashing into a tree head on, eventually Natasha's car stopped in a ditch, with the green clad goons pulling her out of the drivers side screaming for her father and son to left alone.
The last thing he saw before pulling was Natasha pulling Dyami out of the arms of a Galactor goon. Her father wasn't anywhere to be seen.
"Matt…what's going on? Do you have a plan?" Natasha looked both relieved to see him and scared at the same time.
"Honey…working on it…just sit tight with Dyami." Matt went through several plans of escape in his mind. The problem being all would end in bloodshed.
"Just do what Mr Gearer wants and nobody gets hurt." A goon with a gravelly voice and stinking breath moved in closer to him.
"This is ya last chance, surrender and cooperate they'll live, if not, they die, very simple to undera stand don't ya think?" He smirked arrogantly at Matt.
"Where's the old man?" Matt's drew his lips into a straight taunt line, and rained in his emotions that threatened to unleash his built up anger at anyone forcing him to betray all the things he believed in and almost died for many years ago.
"Don't need im, so he's in the car…unconscious…happened when they crashed it looks like." The goon's contempt enraged Matt, still he maintained his control.
"Dadda…" Dyami cried and tried to break free of his mother tight grasped on him. "Want dadda."
The sound of Dyami's distress made him put his hands in the air. "I'll do what Mr Gearer wants- just leave my family out of this."
One of the goons walked over to car and pulled out the bag Natasha kept with Dyami's basic needs in it."I think the kid'll need this…my woman has one of theses she carries around for my kid."
Three goons stepped forward and brought Matt down to his knee's and tied his hands, two small transport crafts landed close by.
"Well… well…I finally have my engineer." Matt looked up to see a man with a long flowing cape and wearing a white mask to cover his features.
Matt grimaced but didn't say anything- he knew this man had to be Galactors new leader.
"I expect great things from Matt Butler…and for insurance I'm going to keep your lovely wife and son in a safe place. You can have them back once I'm world leader and the Science Ninja Team are dead."
"Let me introduce myself…I'm Count Egobossler, future leader of planet Earth."
"Matt struggled with his bonds, being separated from Natasha and Dyami was that last thing he wanted in all of this.
"I work better with them close by…" Matt tried to bargain with the masked man before him.
He sniffed in contempt." I believe you'll work better knowing that the only way to see them again alive is if you produce results. I'm a cautious man Matt- you'll soon learn that I do treat people who are loyal to me very well…"
Turning to address his men, Matt watched with a heavy heart as Natasha and Dyami were dragged into one of the waiting aircraft.
"I hope I don't regret hiring you Mr Butler. Put him on board my aircraft." Count Egobossler abruptly ordered.
* * * *
"Joe do you see them, those helicopters have to be Galactor." Ken yelled frantically into his bracelet.
"What the hell are those cops doing…didn't they get message the first time they tried to block us in?" Jun didn't try to keep the irritation out of her voice- Ken deflected the police car moving in front of him and moved past it. He stayed focused on the task and waited for Joe's response.
"Sure do, I'm going into hover mode it might just cut them off." The Condor confidently said through his bracelet.
"Shit!" Ken swore and slammed the steering wheel hard as he crunched through the gears to speed up- police cars in meantime had begun to chase after the speeding red sports car.
"Its time to change into birdstyle to tell those cops to back off, and let them know who we are." Jun grimaced looking over her shoulder. She didn't bother to even suggest he drive more calmly, or less dangerous than break neck speed they had picked up as soon as they saw the helicopters coming into land further up the road.
Internally she cursed the slow moving cars in the way and the oncoming traffic that had prevented Ken from overtaking even cars in the right hand lane on the two lane old tar highway.
Her desperation had become as great as his.
"Joe what the hell are you doing, your closer than us and there getting away." Ken screamed into the bracelet releasing the full extent of his fury.
Jun saw his face and for the first time in her life she felt afraid of her commander, afraid of what he might become if something happened bad to them.
"Ken…" She gathered her strength to stay calm, one of them had to remain in control of their emotions and the way things looked it wouldn't be Ken.
Joe spoke to Ken again, his voice became deadly calm. " Jinpei's closing in but they're flying faster than he came move in a hovercraft…get a grip on yourself Ken we don't have all five Mecha's to form the Gatchasparten and you know it's the only we can catch them mid flight."
"Bullshit Joe, keep on the course, tell Jinpei too move or get out of the way…and get your butt into gear you're slowing down Condor…" Ken's hardened insulting tone caused Joe to accelerate past the Swallow bringing him in a direct line moving towards them at a ninety degree angle to close the space between them and the escaping Galactor helicopters. The helicopters moved towards Ken and Jun, giving them the advantage. Suddenly the large transport choppers angled upwards.
Jun watched Ken tighten his grip in the steering wheel and then they both transmuted into birdstyle.
"Jun take the wheel." Ken ordered leaving no room in his tone for disobedience. "Go off road, its mostly flat from what I can see and get in as close as you can."
"Got it." She responded gripping the wheel, and taking over the driver's seat while Ken stood up and held onto the windscreen of the roofless sports car in the passenger's seat.
They hit the gravel a loud thud and dust went flying up around them- the dim sound of the sirens could be heard still coming up behind them. Ignoring them she kept the fast speed up.
Morons, she thought frantically, can't they see its Gatchaman hanging off the windscreen, how obvious could it be we really don't need hindrance right now.. In another time and another place Jun would have thought those thoughts would have been unlike her.
Ken poised himself to launch into the air…
She watched him take flight in a heart beat spreading his wings wide to gain momentum-The Condor positioned himself on the top of speeding G-2 racing mecha followed the flight path of the Eagle.
Jun didn't have time to see if they made it, she had her own problems to deal with. Joe's G-2 was seconds from slamming into her car.
She jumped from it just in time to see the two vehicles collide, followed by a dramatic fire ball explosion below her of brilliant orange flames and black smoke. Spreading her mantle the Swan landed close to wreckage… with the Eagle and the Condor gliding down to join her.
Ken's graceful landing was marred by the heated fist thudding into the raw dirt sending bellows of dust to mark his anger.
"Missed them by inches…" Ken said furiously.
Joe didn't say anything- he just starred closely at his commander's anguished face.
"It's not over yet…" Joe met his eyes with a steely Condor grimace.
"They'll hold him for ransom." Jun forced the words she had feared from the moment Dyami had been born. "If we don't comply with any demands they make they'll-"
"Don't say it Jun…" Ken put his hand over her mouth- she fought back her terror as her worst nightmare began unfolding before her eyes. Gingerly he removed his hand from her mouth- the helicopter had long disappeared into the distance.
The police cars pulled up and a young Utoland enthusiastic office stepped out of the marked car.
"Would you like assistance?" He offered innocently. His partner opened the side car door and put one boot out onto the dirt road.
The look Gatchaman shot him made the smile run from his face to be replaced with a scared one.
"Guess not." He whimpered. "Larry get back into the car… Gatchaman looks like he's in control of the situation, let's go and check out that abandoned car someone radioed in further up the road."
Ken's anguished face changed as he looked sharply at Jun and then Joe.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Joe stood up fast, without a word Ken, Jun and Joe ran past the Owl and the Swallow to get the car the police officer mentioned.
"It's their cars." Jun exclaimed.
"Move fast, try and find anything that could lead us to them." Ken instructed running over to Matt's car he opened the door and began to rummage through it. Joe opened the boot to begin his search.
Jun walked around to the passenger side of Natasha's car. The sight of the empty toddler car seat stabbed at her heart. A moan tore her eyes away from the evidence of their capture.
Gently she opened the passenger side door…
"Anthony." She gasped. Gently she cupped the old man's face as he fought to regain consciousness.
"Over here…" Jun called out the Ken and Joe.
"Tash…Dyami." He mumbled.
"Where are they…did you hear anything that could lead us to them." She asked a glimmer of hope sparked inside of her.
Anthony's disoriented old eyes searched her tinted face from her visor.
"There's something familiar about you young girl." He said softly.
"I'm G-3 the Swan… that's why I look familiar to you." Jun offered hoping he wouldn't see through her.
"Ninja…oh that's why…" He muttered- he closed his eyes again. "They took em… a man with a white mask and mocking voice."
His eyes opened wide, like the realization of what had just happened slapped him across the face.
"They took my daughter and my grandson…and her husband…why would they want them, what did they do to anyone?" He questioned with trembling lips and tears forming in his pale blue eyes. His words confirmed Ken's hunch had been right when he said the helicopters had to be Galactor and they had attacked the Butlers before they could reach them on the highway.
"I don't know." She lied. "But we'll find them I promise."
Ken stood behind as Anthony hung his head and fell back into his unconscious state once more. Gently Jun let his head rest against the car seat.
"He needs medical- he's got a bad concussion." Jun said seeing the police car pulling up.
"Sheesh you ninjas move fast!" The young office said out the open driver's side window.
Ken ignored the comment. "We have a man here who needs and ambulance, see to that you get one here fast or I'll find you…got it."
The young office trembled. "Sure thing Gatchaman…onto it now…." He picked up his radio…"Can we get an ambulance to location15 on the main highway….."
Ken ran his eyes over their faces with a steady semi controlled glance. "I failed…we failed to protect them…let's get back to the base, and tell Kamo we need new equipment since the G-2 is written off. Move it." The burden weighed heavily on the Eagles shoulders.
Ken turned his back on the team and headed towards Jinpei's mecha for a ride back to the base.
Joe put a steady hand on Jun's trembling shoulders. "We'll go with Ryu…"
She nodded grimly- it was all she could manage considering the circumstances and she allowed the Condor to guide her silently towards the Owl's Mecha to return to the base.