Chapter 44
Aprox 2 days later; Location G-Town underwater base just outside of Utoland.
"I thought you were told to get some rest." Joe scolded her as Jun picked up some clean clothes laid out for her on the table next to her hospital bed and headed towards her private bathroom to change out of the uncomfortable gown she'd just been sleeping in.
"So were you Condor Joe…"She scolded him back. "But I see you're up and about…what about Jinpei and Ryu?" She asked.
"Waiting for you…Even though I told them you needed more rest." He called out from behind the door. She didn't waste any more time, her only thought was to get to the intensive care unit to see Ken. From the time they arrived at the base none of them had been allowed to see him.
"You know I can still feel that muck on my skin from that strange interior of the satellite. Scary place…I'm glad we made it out of there." Jun called from behind the door.
"I know what you mean, slimy, and smelly- I'm still having nightmares." Joe agreed, and then brought the topic back to the present. "After yesterday's brief meeting I'm not sure what will happen to all of now." Joe sounded lost. "All the Galactor bases that we know of have been destroyed…and they're sending the army to take care of the rest of the few militia that have sprung up since the idiots are still wearing their green goon uniforms…You know its like Galactor just fell apart overnight…along with their need for us…"
"They didn't waste any time disbanding us for good did they." Jun didn't keep the disappointment out of her voice, and didn't know if Joe heard her. They'd been de-commissioned before, but this felt different. This had a permanent feeling to it, without Dr Nambu, the people in power could do anything they wanted regarding their status.
Jun eventually walked out of the bathroom ready for anything.
"We left an impression with the firebird…I didn't even know the ship was capable of going into Firebird mode!" Joe's voice lightened up a little as she pushed away the depressing feelings that had begun to rise inside of her.
"Yeah, it apparently was amazing," She said smiling." It's a shame Ken's medallion was lost, do you think its still on the Gatchasparten?" She asked.
"I'm not sure- Come to think of it I don't recall seeing it on him when we woke up." Joe mused and his face became distant. Another unsolved mystery Jun thought.
"Kamo's waiting there for us." Joe said softly looking back at the door. "We'll know more of what's happening with him, Kamo won't lie to us."
Jun's heart skipped a beat, they knew nothing at this point, only that's he's still alive beyond that no one was talking to any of the members of the Science Ninja Team about the condition of their Commander.
Following Joe she walked quietly with Jinpei and Ryu beside her towards the higher security medical section of G-Towns hospital bay.
To her surprise Jafaru was standing next to Kamo. His dark features looked drawn and sad, and he looked liked like he hadn't slept in days. She knew why, Ken is his friend too, and the man who rescued his son a few years ago.
"I know you all want to see him…" Kamo said gravely putting his hand on the door to open it.
The room was dimly lit with a single bed in the middle of it. Ken lay there with his face covered in a mask with a tube going down his throat to help him with breathing and so they could feed him fluids- dressed only in a white clinic gown his thick dark brown hair looked black and dull against the white sheets.
Gently she picked up his limp hand in hers weaving her fingers through his. "We're here Ken." She leaned down and whispered into his ear.
"Get to it, and don't try to pretty it up for Kamo and Jafaru, what's happening with Ken." Joe burst out impatiently. Taking in the sight of best friend and brother he pulled a shuriken out of his pocket and began to chew on it hard like he was praying for a Galactor goon to show up so he could take out his anger and worry on someone.
Kamo slowly nodded and began to pace like he was struggling to find the right words.
"Just give us the truth Kamo…we can handle it." Jun promised, drawing her breath she waited for him to speak.
"Ken's barely alive, the only thing keeping him with us is the life support unit…the cell disruption is bad…so bad his body has gone into a state of shock sending him into a deep coma. Its not likely he'll ever come out of it." Kamo stopped pacing and looked directly at Jun.
The tears she'd been holding back flow like a river down her cheeks at this news blurring her vision she didn't take her eyes off him.
You have to live Ken…you have to, how dare you die and leave me here. She mentally shouted.
"There's something you have to know about the implants in Mark and Jason's brains." Jafaru jammed his hands into his white lab coat. The four of them stood and waited for him to continue.
"It's done amazing things with the cells in the two boys. Dyami or Mark…Sorry I get it mixed up sometimes… fell over the other day and badly cut open his leg. It was totally healed the next day, not even a scar. The same goes for those surgical scars on their scalps. There's nothing left of them now. I have an idea that might just save Ken…if we put one of the implants into his brain them it might just reverse the cell disruption." Jafaru looked hopeful. "We have to try-"
Joe stopped chewing his shuriken and glared intensely at Jafaru."--Or kill him or leave him with permanent brain damage a vegetable with no life…causing his organs to shut down. I saw the reports we brought back from the lab on what it did to older patients yesterday when you put this to me the first time…" Joe folded his arms and glared at Kamo and Jafaru.
"He's a genetic match to Mark, that's in his favour." Kamo pointed out.
So Joe has already been talking to them about this, She though angrily. Why not wait for all of us to talk about something this important?
"It won't make it worse than dying which is what will happen eventually…one day very soon you'll all be asked to switch off his life support forever…he has only a small amount of brain activity registering…Ken's time is running out fast we don't have time to debate over this." Kamo's face became deadly serious. Nothing of his usual jolly manner remained in that moment.
After that a loud heated debate between the others started about what should be done about Ken and the implant. Jun listens silently to the way they were all trying to decide Ken's future. Closing her eyes she remembered all the times Ken was the one making the choices regarding their lives. He was the one who made the hardest choices when it came to the team and following their duty. For once she felt thrusted into his shoes and she hated it with a passion. Would Ken want then not to take the risk, opening her eyes and looking into his face she knew the answer…
"We do it…put the implant into his brain." Jun's voice silenced the rest of them." Ken was a fighter, and if there's a way to save a life Ken would do it…if there's a way to save his then we try it."
"Well the whole world thinks we died when you gave that news conference the day before you found us floating in the Atlantic Ocean." Jinpei shrugged his shoulders looking at Kamo. "I'm for doing whatever it takes to save big bro."
"Me too Jinpei, this implant is a gamble I know, but what other options does he have?" Ryu agreed.
"He has to live with this Jun and may well hate you for it." Joe warned.
"He can if he wants to Joe, I don't own his life, he does and it'll be up to him to keep fighting the odds once this is done." Jun held her ground with the Condor.
"I'm with you Jun, I just wanted to be sure you understood that's all." Joe gave her his backing. That's all he'd been waiting for was Jun's go ahead with the operation.
"It will take about eight hours of surgery, and then he'll be in intensive care for possibly weeks afterwards- Depending on Ken really." Jafaru said. "There a few brilliant surgeons on this base that I knew a few years ago when I was working at the ISO main building in Utoland, I'll make sure the right ones do the operation."
Jun drew in a regard breath. "Okay, we'll be here if you need us."
"I suggest you go out of this base for a while, you can't do anything for him exhausted and sapped of life." Jafaru walked over to Jun and said "I know what its like to worry about a loved one…My wife- she worried about our son so much it made her sick. I know Mark is Ken's son, how could I mistake it. Matt and Natasha told me about his adoption…Ya know Ken has a lotta of things in his life worth living for. Let him wake to seeing you looking beautiful…not drawn and thin and a train wreck like I see you becoming if sitting around here waiting for news about the surgery and from here on in afterwards. This isn't going to be a quick fix to his health problems Jun"
Jun went to protest, but the look in his eyes told her not to. "I'll contact you straight away I promise."
Kamo's face became graver and he glanced at the personnel standing on the other side of the viewing glass. "Thank you…I know the people of Earth thank you for your service…"
"Our service?" Jinpei looked at him suspiciously and he looked a Ryu. "Is that all we did…so they got rid of us and that's their way of thanking us…"
"We feel you've sacrificed enough. And it's time to give you back your privacy." Kamo looked into each of their faces.
Jun felt her world begin to spin wildly at the news, what will they do now? She thought. Looking up she saw at the glass viewing window military officers observing them. They were discussing something out there and she knew it had to do with them. They had outlived their usefulness now that Ken was dying…