Chapter 26

Ken lay on the bed trying to rest after he had been ordered off the team he had led through three wars against Galactor.

Then he began to think about Jun… she was out there in danger and he knew it. That thought didn't allow him to rest, between them they had lost so much already and to lose her now would make his life meaningless. Watching her sleeping on the floor beside his bed after she insisted it was comfortable warmed him. Her tenderness made him whole, why had he taken so long to see why she was the only woman he could truly trust and love with his whole heart. Folding his arms behind his head he stared at the bland metal ceiling awaiting news of the mission. His restlessness only served to make him more anxious and wanting to something, anything other than lay around helpless in a war not yet won.

Joe's voice caught his attention.

"Under attack, do you need us?" Joe said into his bracelet.

Ken jumped up knowing he had to be talking to Jun, she was in danger, and he couldn't just lay around any more if she needed him.

"Okay, we'll sit tight." Joe said looking over at him.

"Common Joe, let go." Ken said sternly.

"What." Joe said in disbelief grabbing a firm grip on his arm. "You can't go Ken- you'll probably pass out before you even take off from the base."

"Try and stop me." Ken snarled wreathing his arm free he ran towards the roof top landing bay.

Joe's only option was to follow him. "Jinpei, Ryu get yourselves to the roof we have a situation involving our fearless leader."

"Roger Joe we're coming." Ryu said.

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Ken felt the first gust of fresh air hit his face as he ran onto the landing strip to reach his G-1 that sat ready and waiting for him to take it into the clear blue skies above.

The grew stronger as the jet Jun had taken earlier almost landed on top of him, Ken held his arms over his face to stop the wind from drying out his eyes.

Before he knew it she was walking to wards him, anger etched on her soft feminine features beneath her helmet.

With a scientist following behind her that could only be the one with the equipment to treat his hypershoot illness.

It was like she read his mind, and knew he was about to put himself back into action.

The harsh sting of the slap across the face that followed stunned him into instant shame of his lack of trust in her ability to complete the mission without him.

"How dare you." Jun ridiculed him. "Weren't you the one who lectured me once many years ago that it was wrong to so casually throw away my life? …and look at what you're about to do."

Ken hung his head in shame, not knowing what to say, with the force of the blow still stinging his cheek. He remembered the lecture she was referring to it was the night after they defeated the Jigokillers and that's when he told her to never run off on her own like that again. Inside he wanted to tell the devastating effect the thought of her dying had on him. But at that time his focus was his duty, and he worked hard to create some kind of emotional distance between after that.

She's never lashed out like that before, and inside of him he felt a new kind of respect growing for the strong beautiful woman standing before him showing her pain in his actions only by the trickling tear that escaped from her eye and the slump of her shoulders after she hit him.

"I had to leave Dr. Nambu behind to bring back a doctor with the equipment to save you Ken, and you'd just throw it in his face for any sacrifices he made to save your life." Her voice became heavy with the burdens she bore for him. "I'm going back, I have to bring him home- I hope he's still alive when I get there."

Jun turned away from him and straightened her shoulders and walked briskly back towards the jet while Ken stood frozen with Joe saying something to him but Ken wasn't listening his focus was on the woman walking away from him with each step she drew him into her tangled web entrapping his heart and soul once more into it.

"Jun…" He howled to the skies as the jet lifted off taking her away from him and back into danger. Closing his eyes he tried to blot out the pain of watching her leave him and being unable to tell her because his commitment to his duty stood between them like a thick wall.

Joe, Ryu and Jinpei headed towards their vehicles to

Balling his fists until they indented the palms of his hands with his nails, Ken couldn't let her do it alone- if she died in battle then he was going down with her.

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Jun didn't have time to think any more about her emotional outburst with Ken, he had it coming and she was still fuming with him for being so careless when the rest of the team had been trying so hard to save his life. Did he care about it that little? She thought during the flight back to the base to save .

Ahead of her she could make out something in the shape of very large panther sitting just below the short landing runway of the cliff based lab up ahead of her.

Her heart began to race, the panther had to be a mecha owned by Galactor, and its presence could mean that was already lost.

Jinpei's G-a hovered just below her and kicked it into gear to speed ahead of her to begin his attack.

"Got it Sis, just watch it go belly up when I fire a few of my missile into it." He gloated.

Jun cringed internally, how many times had she heard that before from her brother…

Instead Joe dove in front of the giant panther allowing them to shoot anything they at it to try and direct it away from the lab. The panther only stopped long enough to swat the G-2 mecha like a fly before it resumed its attack.

Joe's reckless nature grated on her at times, and he often fobbed her off when she tried to talk to him about it after a mission, Ken had always had more caution until recent times in his approach and she longed for it to be with them now.

Drawing in a deep breath she kept up her end of the attack on the beast to try and draw it away. If they didn't find a way to defeat it soon they were all in serious trouble.