Chapter 43
Then a familiar arm around her waist told her Joe had found them in the blackness. She let him take control as he led them out of an escape hatch into the open ocean.
During the journey to the surface with Joe pushing them along with all of his remaining strength. Jun breathed her own air back into Ken's lungs until they burned and she began to feel dizzy from the lack of oxygen. The world began to swirl around her just as they burst through the surface into the cool night air above them with Joe. Taking the salty night air into her lungs in big painful gulps she looked around for Ryu and Jinpei across the black waters of the ocean.
"Sis, Joe…Ken." Jinpei yelled from somewhere close by. "We're coming…hold on."
By the light of the moon she saw Jinpei in a life raft rowing over to them. Ryu leaned down to pull her up into the small inflated boat.
"No, Ryu…Ken first." She insisted. "He's still out of it."
"Ryu, get her into the boat will ya, I've got Ken, he's not going anywhere." Joe said taking hold of him- Ryu ignored her protests and pulled her up into the raft. Not knowing how weak she'd become, her whole body began to shake like Jelly and she collapsed into the bottom of the raft and crawled into a corner, curling her legs up underneath her for warmth, while Ryu assisted Joe and Ken safely into the raft.
Jun didn't know how long they float in the cold waters of the ocean they crashed into.
"H…how...d…did…we…end... up…here?" She stuttered while rubbing her gloved hands over her legs trying to warm up.
"I'm not sure." Joe said checking Ken's pulse again for the hundredth time to make sure he was still alive. "The last thing I remember was being hit by a laser beam and then everything went totally black."
"Same here." Jinpei and Ryu nodded in unison.
"Did we win?" Jinpei asked the three of them and then his eyes fell onto Ken. He must have been the last one standing, he was last one any of them saw approaching Sosai Z.
"I dunno we're back on Earth…I think…and it looks like its all still here, a good sign." Joe sat up taller and looked around for a sign of anything that resembled land, a ship…anything. "I did set off a birdscramble just before I left the bridge."
"Who's to say anyone is lookin for it…" Ryu said dismally crouching down beside Jinpei.
"How can you even be sure we're on Earth…we might be on some weird planet that's covered only in water…just like in Star Wars!" Jinpei's eyes widened with fear.
Jun sank back down next to Ken, his face looking deathly shade of white.
He won't last much longer in these conditions. She thought. Still feeling numb she began to rub his arms to try and bring warmth back into his body and blood flow into her arms.
The first rays of sunlight across the open expanse brought with it the sounds of a twin engine plane soaring through the skies above them…
Jun sat up full of hope. Finally someone had found them- they had a chance at life after all. Joe was right- they were not destined to die on mission after all.