Chapter 42

The weeks that followed they worked on less sleep and at times without Ken…

Jun woke up from her light slumber, she'd been dreaming of weeks of mission after mission with hardly any time to even put her head on a pillow for a good nights sleep.

In that time Ken had been given a mysterious golden amulet left to him by Dr Nambu that none of them knew how to use or what its real purpose is, all marvelled at its detailed carvings that still gave nothing away about its purpose.

The asteroid keep coming towards the Earth and they had to find a way to stop it before all was lost…they had 16 hours…yet they chose to take a nap? All she could see was Dyami and his family watching in terror as it came towards them…and little Jason sat on the ground close by them watching the end coming towards him. A dream, it all had to be dream, just one long nightmare. She reasoned.

Ryu's excitement broke into her dream…"Its Ken, I think he's found a way in." Ryu said in a hopeful voice.

What was he doing out there on his own? He was suppose to be taking a rest break before we tried to go in enter the Satellite, she thought rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her gloved fists. But then nothing Ken did these days surprised her, he'd become totally consumed by his duty to end the war since they left Africa. She understood his reasons, but it didn't stop it from hurting her knowing he was making his illness worse by his own actions, and shortening his life to a whisper. Even after he was told if he used the hypershoot one more time it would kill him he persisted, ignoring any of their protests.

"The stench in this place is horrible." Jun said to Jinpei who adamantly agreed with her when they finally managed to get inside of the 'Poison apple', the name given to the satellite by Kamo.

Where is that sound coming from? She mused becoming annoyed by its persistence…like a tap of water that's been left running somewhere. Dismissing it from her mind she focused on the tunnel ahead of them, it blurred before her like it had become a distant memory... She felt herself being pulled in two different directions…

"Its like we're inside of a living organism." Ken's tone held a sense of awe as his eyes roamed around the living red flesh that surrounded them. Yet he remained focused on the task ahead of them and began running ahead of them down the corridor- Stopping abruptly in front of Count Egobossler pinned up against a wall.

"It looks he's not going to hurt anyone ever again." Joe said satisfied with what he saw before him. Jun agreed with him, but still found the sight gruesome. He'd been run through with his own sword, his pale eyes still wide open from the shock of the death he didn't see coming.

Ken strolled over and looked at the picture and lock hair still grasped in the dead dictators hands. "His mother…"Ken said- pity evident in his tone. "He really did have a mixed up life didn't he…I wonder if this is why he turned on Sosai Z."

"I'm not that surprised he's dead Ken, Sosai Z killed Berg Katse and Gel Sadra his own creations when he was finished with them. It looks like he was done with Count Egobossler too- Which means we're in big trouble and don't have much time left." Joe concluded.

"We have to keep moving…" Ken agreed- Urgently looking down a corridor that led towards the centre of the ship.

Who's running water and why…she kept thinking, hearing the sound grow louder with each step forcing her to work harder to keep her focus, her legs began to feel heavy and cold...

Then an extremely bright light struck Ryu and he fell crashing to the floor forcing her to come to an abrupt halt.

"Ryu," her mind screamed…the Jinpei followed him…Ken ran closer to the source…"No Ken…" She screamed just before the beam struck her she saw the most horrifying creature appear before them…She screamed in pain and the world shattered around her and she felt nothing...

* * * *

A splash of icy cold water on her face woke her up again…

"Jun." Ryu's anxious voice jolted her out of her slumber. No she realized- she'd been knocked unconscious…it wasn't a dream it had all happened just before she was knocked out. She felt his hands on her shoulders shaking her break her out of her trance.

"Wake up, I saw you stirring but the others haven't moved yet." He said frantically. She bolted upright to see the source of the running water jerking her back into reality. They were back on board the Gatchasparten, with water rapidly pouring in through cracks in the ship.

"Where are we?" She asked, to many questions of what happened after she collapsed on the Poison Apple flooded into her brain. She had to push them all back for another time to get a grip on the situation they had currently found themselves in.

"In the ocean, and sinking fast towards the bottom, we have to get outta here." Joe responded, he'd become conscious and was quickly looking at equipment. Jinpei sat up fast, but Ken didn't move.

For instant she felt her heart almost stop beating. He's dead…she thought.

Jumping out of her seat she ran over to him and gently rocked his shoulder to bring him back to a conscious state. He didn't respond to her, his pulse felt like a fluttering butterfly and his breathing so shallow his chest didn't even rise. Temporary relief washed over her, it was short lived when she saw the level of the cold ocean water reach her knees and it kept rising.

"Ryu, get Jinpei out the evacuation shoot." Joe ordered quickly and then joining Jun he to see to Ken.

"Bro we ain't leaving without you…remember if we die, we all die together." Jinpei reminded him frowning at being forced out of the ship first. "Besides…it outside of the bridge…gotta open the doors to get to it."

"I know Jinpei… but we're not dying here…we're going to live, but to do that we need to get off this sinking ship." Joe hollered sharply. "Now do as you're told for once without an argument. Get out of here." He turned his steely eyes onto Jun. "And you're going with them."

"You don't scare me Joe…I'm going with Ken." She said turning her attention back to Ken she tried to pick him up. He felt like a lead weight in her arms and the two of them collapsed into the waist deep icy cold water flowing into the bridge.

Grabbing her mantle to stop her from going under the water, he picked the still unconscious Ken up and threw him over his shoulder, allowing Jun to regain her balance.

"Hold onto something." Joe warned as Jinpei opened the main door of the bridge and a wall of water came flooding in throwing them all off balance.

From that time onward she lost touch with Ryu and Jinpei in the flooding ship as she was thrown against a wall by the force of the rushing water the bridge filled up quickly to the roof forcing her rely on her small oxygen breathing device she kept inside of her mantle . Fighting against the tide she swam towards the opening to leave the bridge.

She felt a mantle swish past her and she grabbed it, only to find it was Ken floating peacefully in the depths of water surrounding them. Her heart racing she pulled off his helmet and her own, closing her lips over his she began breathing the air she had held onto into his lungs in hope of keeping him alive. Her long hair swirling around her kept getting in the way as she fumbled inside of his mantle for his breathing device they used for underwater missions.

She drew in a breath from her device and then another, holding the air in her mouth she placed her mouth over his to breath the oxygen into his lungs. Taking him into her arms Jun began swimming through the ship to find a way out taking turns with Ken to take in the oxygen.

The lights began to flicker, and for a few seconds they were plunged into pitch blackness. Fearing the worst she clung to him with all of her remaining strength. To have him slip from her grip now would mean certain death for him as she feared she never find him again the black water. The ship did a sudden dive throwing them into a wall she realized the breathing device had slipped her fingers, and panic began to set in, without they would both die in a matter of minutes.