Chapter 45

Jun's daily trek into Utoland began that day, only for a few hours and back again to be with Ken sitting his room starring at him willing him to wake up. The serene marine life outside the window's only brought back memories of their early enthusiastic days together at the Crescent Coral base when they were once the Science Ninja Team led by Gatchaman.

Joe, Jinpei and Ryu all took turns being with him so Ken was never alone for a minute. He remained in a coma for months after the operation in a delicate balance between life and death.

It was on one of those days where she felt down and depressed that Joe showed up with Jason.

Jafaru had brought the little boy with him when came to Utoland when he heard that news that they'd been found through a source working in the ISO. Joe spent as much time with his young son as possible.

"Jun!" Jason ran into the room and bounded into her lap like a jack rabbit." Daddy and I went and had pancakes." He announced smiling.

"Really." Jun smiled back.

Joe didn't look that happy. "What's wrong Joe?" She asked setting Jason back down onto the ground.

"You're not gonna believe this buddy." He walked over to Ken and addressed him like he often did when he came to visit. "The bank damn well foreclosed on the Airfield due to lack of payments for the past few months. Why didn't you tell us there was a debt against it? "He scolded Ken. "We would have taken care of it for you, now they won't budge and have already begun to sell it off."

Jun jumped to her feet." They can't do that! After all he's done for the world..."

"The bank can and they have. Apparently he put every cent he earned towards paying it off from his mail run. Kentaro had taken out a loan against it before he vanished the first time- his mother only paid back the interest since she couldn't work from a pension. Ken kept this all to himself thinking he would do on his own."

That explains why he never had any money to pay off his tab." Jun thought wildly.

"We have to fight it Joe." She declared.

"I tried, but I found out too late, I managed to save some of his personal things just before they went to board up the shack." Joe grinned for a moment. "Jason was wonderful, he bit the man hard on his leg who was trying to kick us out and then he tripped him over."

"Joe!" Jun scolded him. "That's not what you teach children to do."

The smile ran from Joe's face. "I know, he's got my temper that's for sure." He said softly." He's strong willed Jun, more than I ever was I bet, sometimes out of the blue he's just cries and punches and kicks walls and he creates dents in them too…I don't know what to do when he's like that…then he'll run to me and cuddle me, and cry more…He talks so well for his age, they say its part of the implant's influence…and the cybernetics are growing with his muscles making him stronger than a kid normally would be for his age…"

They still didn't know anything about his mother since he found him. Jason was a mystery yet to be solved by Joe.

"We'll buy it back from whoever bought it." Jun decided. She had enough money to do it from her inheritance from Dr Nambu, her new restaurant could wait she decided. She'd only put a deposit down on the site, she could afford to lose it if she had to help out Ken.

"No," Joe shook his head. "I tried to stop it from happening, I spent the last two days talking to bankers and trying not to lose my temper….A developer brought it, and it looks like the old airfield is about to become exclusive apartments…we were too late…damn it Ken we could have helped you if we knew." Joe looked like he wanted to punch him…like he hoped Ken would jump up out of his coma in anger at hearing the news his beloved airfield was lost forever, another change in their lives and a further separation from the old days.

"Jun, can you come out of the room for a minute, there's something I wish to discuss with you, Jason will be right in here for a few minutes, besides Ken there's nothing eh can break in here." Joe's face looked haunted by something. Reluctantly she left Ken and walked outside with Joe leaving the door open so they could keep an eye on the three year old boy.

"What is it?" She asked.

Joe sat down on the lounge close by and Jun joined him.

"Remember how I just told you Jason can be out of control sometimes…well, I've done some thinking about his future." Joe clasped his hands together tightly.

"What about it…" She waited for him to continue.

"Jun, there are something's I want to tell you, but I feel you'll think poorly of me afterwards…" He looked nervous, the great Condor was nervous about something she thought.

"Its about Jason's mother…I have feeling I kinda know who she is…but I don't." He struggled with his words, and Jun waited for him to keep talking.

"One night, when I was so depressed about dying I went down to a bar in the worst part of Utoland. I sat with a scotch wondering why me…why was I dying when I had to live to fight Galactor…I…I ahhh met this girl- She was gorgeous with long dark hair, pretty eyes. Well all she did was indicate she was interested in me and I…went to a hotel room with her and ahhh you know we…" He stopped talking and sat back and looked at Jun. "I had sex with her…"

Jun didn't respond at first. "Why are you embarrassed about that?"

"Its not my usual form to sleep with a girl I don't even know, I never knew her name, I didn't ask, she didn't know mine, we just had a few hours together and that was it. Before that I'd never made love to a woman..."

Now that shocked Jun, Joe had a reputation as a ladies man, she couldn't imagine him a virgin. Ken confessed to her just before the first time they made love that's she was his first, that didn't surprise her like Joe's confession just did.

"Don't look so shocked." He said standing up he began pacing. "Just because a guy has a reputation doesn't mean its true, in my case I just got it because I look tough and act it."

"Its just that Joe…you always had a girlfriend of some kind I just assumed that you…well had slept with a few of them along the way." Jun stood up and walked over to him, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I don't think badly of you at all Joe- you had a lot going on at that time…"

"She might have died, according to a report from the labs he's an orphan, that's why I've decided to stop searching for her. For all we know Galactor killed her because of his good DNA. There was nothing else, not even a name- he may never know who his mother is." Joe placed his head into his hands and ran his fingers through his unruly caramel hair.

Jun put a comforting arm around his shoulders as Joe worked to keep his dignity.

"Its okay, I won't tell anyone, it's between you and me." She reassured him.

"Daddy." Jason stood in the doorway pointing back inside the room excitement bursting from his little body. "Ken woke up from his sleep…he's looking at the ceiling…"

Joe and Jun looked at each other and they ran into the room to see Ken finally awake and indeed staring at nothing.

Jun didn't know how she'd feel when he finally woke up. Relief maybe, but it wasn't. She worried more when he didn't focus on her or Joe- he just stared at the white ceiling.

"Ken." She spoke softly. "His head turned at the sound of her voice but he didn't say anything. Joe ran to the nurse's quarters to find a doctor.

Jason climbed up onto the bed and began poking him. Ken didn't respond to him.

"Jason, stop that." Jun frowned at the cheeky three year old boy.

The doctors assigned to looking after Ken and a nurse hurried through the door with monitoring equipment.

"Check his monitor's." One said picking Jason up off the bed and handed him to Joe.

"We need space, its time for you leave- we have to check the implant to see if it's waking him up. Or it was just a random response, coma patients are known to open their eyes and then go back into a deep sleep for a period of time afterwards." He said looking over the top of his glasses at the monitor.

"I want to stay." Jun began to protest at being fobbed off by the busy doctors.

"Come with me Jun, we'll wait outside, let them do their job. We need to contact Ryu and Jinpei, they'll want to know about this." Joe said gently taking hold of her arm- he guided her out the door carrying Jason on his hip with the little boy starring at Ken over his shoulder.