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Last post by KT1972 19 Jun 2012 13:48
ElectricWhite
Gatchamaniac
posted 17 Jun 2012 12:13
Darn it! The only father in my fics is in Vernia, and he's a really crappy daddy! 
Originally posted by ElectricWhite Darn it! The only father in my fics is in Vernia, and he's a really crappy daddy!Nuthin in the rules says it can't be a brand spankin' new fic...get writing!
Another pulled from the Raven-verse, from "Animal I Have Become." It's occurred to me that this could use some setup. Galactor has turned out to be far more competent than originally believed, and they not only have Ken, but have the press turned against the ISO for having such a young team. Red Impulse is the ISO's lip service to adding "adult supervision."
You can imagine how well that news went over. 
Now, for the snip:
Joe stood with Dr. Nambu, watching the submersible lock into place. This was such a bad idea. As Red Impulse stepped onto the dock, just the sight of all that red made Joe want to charge like a bull.
Worse, the man was in uniform, and Joe still didn't have his birdstyle. He felt naked and exposed. But Red Impulse always had them at a disadvantage, didn't he? Why should now be different?
Nambu stepped forward, greeting their visitor, while staff unloaded the supplies wedged into every spare bit of the submersible's space. As Joe watched box after box emerge, he took some pleasure at wondering how a grown man had even fit. He hoped the asshole got muscle cramps.
Red Impulse stepped toward him, extending his hand. "It's good to see you, Condor. I wish it was under better circumstances."
Joe blinked, looking at Nambu. Had Red Impulse been replaced by a cyborg? Still, if the man could play nice, so could he. "Welcome to the media circus."
"Trust politicians to follow the Galactor script," grumbled Red Impulse.
Finding himself in agreement was a little surreal. Joe nodded. "Are they still playing dead? It's hard to tell just from the news."
Nambu started walking. Red Impulse and Joe moved along with him. Their guest answered, "There hasn't been a single attack since they began the media offensive."
"Katse knows it would weaken their position," said Nambu. "If people are dying, they'll want the Kagaku Ninja Tai to fight rather than being sidelined."
Joe got chills. Just how long would Galactor hold out? How far would they get in crippling the team?
"We sorely underestimated them," sighed Red Impulse. "And Gatchaman is paying the price."
An uncomfortable silence fell over them. Nambu lead toward the ready room, where they found the others already assembled, still in plain street clothes. It was a sight Joe hoped he'd never have to get used to.
"Swan, Owl, Swallow," said Red Impulse, nodding to each of them in turn.
Joe noted how they all sat up a bit straighter at their titles. So far, so good. Maybe Nambu had read Red Impulse the riot act or something. He'd have loved to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.
Red Impulse raised his hands, removing his helmet and goggles. Watching in surprise, Joe's first impression was that they'd met unmasked somewhere before. Of course, given the covert nature of their jobs, that was entirely possible.
His second impression was that their new babysitter looked drawn and tired. That was unexpected, especially if Galactor was lying low.
"I want you all to know," said Red Impulse, "that I have no desire to command your team."
Hearing it from the man himself eased some of the tension in Joe's gut. As much as he'd happily hand leadership back to Ken, the idea that they needed some outsider to "take care of them" made him want to shoot something.
"Galactor has gone to ground with disturbing effectiveness," continued Red Impulse. "Pooling our teams' resources is paramount."
Joe half sat on the back of a couch. "So what do you propose?"
"That we spend our time here reviewing our collective data." He offered a thumb drive to Nambu. "Target the most promising suspected bases and investigate."
Dr. Nambu took the drive with a small frown. "We can't rely on our old data. We have to assume everything we learned before the day they took our agents was what they wanted us to learn."
Joe uneasily noted the way their mentor avoided referring to Ken. "So we start fresh."
"I've been going over everything we have," said Nambu, turning to Red Impulse. "Give me the rest of the day to correlate what's on your drive. I'll notify all of you when I'm done."
Red Impulse nodded, and Nambu left.
After an awkward moment, Jun stood. "If we're going to be working together, our titles are a little formal. What should we call you?"
A shadow of indecision passed over the man's face. Joe watched him wrestle with something for a moment before coming to a decision.
"Kentaro," said Red Impulse. "My name is Kentaro."
Familiar again. As Joe puzzled over that, Jun took the lead. "Is this your first visit to Crescent Coral?"
"It is, indeed."
"I'll give you the tour!" Jinpei hopped to his feet.
"We will," said Jun, eying her brother.
Joe felt too close to putting the puzzle pieces together. "You go ahead. I'll catch up."
"We can grab lunch while we're at it," said Ryu, sparking some good-natured ribbing from Jinpei.
At least they'd be in the field soon. Joe itched to get out there and do his own digging.
He waited a few minutes before heading to his room, but found himself stalking the base. Doing his best to avoid the tour, he roamed the halls, then found himself in the gym. Beating the shit out of something sounded like a great idea. After changing, he punished the heavy bag.
"I love you."
Fucking idiot. What the hell was he thinking?
Joe realized he'd licked his lips. That just pissed him off more. Where the hell did Ken learn to kiss like that? Why would Ken want to do that with him?
He kicked, punched, and slammed the damn bag until he was breathless. Grabbing onto it, he rested his forehead against the worn leather. As he tried to catch his breath, an uncomfortable realization nagged at him. He'd spent all this time shoving Jun at Ken. Shimatta. Maybe he was the fucking idiot.
Ken could just have wanted to shock him. If that was the case, there was no need to declare his love, the kiss would have been plenty. At least if this was a joke, his whole world wouldn't have to turn upside down.
Eleven days. Too long, none of them had ever been missing that long.
Feeling a bit calmer, Joe showered, then headed back toward his quarters. Instead, he realized he'd stopped at Ken's door. He hesitated just a moment before punching some possible codes into the keypad, smiling as one caused the door to hiss open.
His mother's birthday? Ken was getting lazy.
Joe stepped into Ken's room and looked it over, not sure what he expected to find. As usual, the room was an organized mess, a mostly utilitarian space. Only a few posters of planes gave it personality. He understood all too well. It was hard to get attached to a space the enemy wanted to destroy.
So why was he here? Joe idly went through the place, trying to find whatever his subconscious was after. He'd just reached the closet when the door clicked. For one crazy moment Joe thought Ken must have snuck home, trying to surprise them. Then he realized Nambu wouldn't keep such important news to himself.
Joe found himself hiding in a closet for the second time in two weeks. Through the slight crack between the doors, he caught the bright red of Red Impulse's uniform and frowned. Was this really Red Impulse? Had they just welcomed a Galactor agent?
A fake would explain the sudden politeness. Joe considered the combination, but knowing it was no clue either way. The whole world knew who Ken was now. It wasn't that hard to learn simple details like parents' birthdays.
As much as he wanted to pounce, now wasn't a time for rash mistakes. Fighting back his instinct to attack first and ask questions later, Joe watched as the man dug through the same drawers he'd just been searching. Except rather than moving on from the nightstand, Red Impulse chuckled.
It took Joe a moment to realize the man had found a false panel. One he'd completely missed. Feeling stupid, Joe kept quiet. Red Impulse pulled something from the nightstand, then sat on the bed, staring at it. Just when Joe was ready to throw caution to the wind out of boredom, the man sighed and stood. He put the item back in the drawer then left.
After waiting to ensure he wasn't returning, Joe slipped out and went to the same spot. Beneath the false panel, he found a few things, but it was the picture on top that drew him.
He'd seen this picture before. Little Ken with his parents.
One look at the man in the picture's face, and all the pieces fell together. "Holy crap."
Red Impulse was Ken's father.
Now, for the snip:
Joe stood with Dr. Nambu, watching the submersible lock into place. This was such a bad idea. As Red Impulse stepped onto the dock, just the sight of all that red made Joe want to charge like a bull.
Worse, the man was in uniform, and Joe still didn't have his birdstyle. He felt naked and exposed. But Red Impulse always had them at a disadvantage, didn't he? Why should now be different?
Nambu stepped forward, greeting their visitor, while staff unloaded the supplies wedged into every spare bit of the submersible's space. As Joe watched box after box emerge, he took some pleasure at wondering how a grown man had even fit. He hoped the asshole got muscle cramps.
Red Impulse stepped toward him, extending his hand. "It's good to see you, Condor. I wish it was under better circumstances."
Joe blinked, looking at Nambu. Had Red Impulse been replaced by a cyborg? Still, if the man could play nice, so could he. "Welcome to the media circus."
"Trust politicians to follow the Galactor script," grumbled Red Impulse.
Finding himself in agreement was a little surreal. Joe nodded. "Are they still playing dead? It's hard to tell just from the news."
Nambu started walking. Red Impulse and Joe moved along with him. Their guest answered, "There hasn't been a single attack since they began the media offensive."
"Katse knows it would weaken their position," said Nambu. "If people are dying, they'll want the Kagaku Ninja Tai to fight rather than being sidelined."
Joe got chills. Just how long would Galactor hold out? How far would they get in crippling the team?
"We sorely underestimated them," sighed Red Impulse. "And Gatchaman is paying the price."
An uncomfortable silence fell over them. Nambu lead toward the ready room, where they found the others already assembled, still in plain street clothes. It was a sight Joe hoped he'd never have to get used to.
"Swan, Owl, Swallow," said Red Impulse, nodding to each of them in turn.
Joe noted how they all sat up a bit straighter at their titles. So far, so good. Maybe Nambu had read Red Impulse the riot act or something. He'd have loved to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.
Red Impulse raised his hands, removing his helmet and goggles. Watching in surprise, Joe's first impression was that they'd met unmasked somewhere before. Of course, given the covert nature of their jobs, that was entirely possible.
His second impression was that their new babysitter looked drawn and tired. That was unexpected, especially if Galactor was lying low.
"I want you all to know," said Red Impulse, "that I have no desire to command your team."
Hearing it from the man himself eased some of the tension in Joe's gut. As much as he'd happily hand leadership back to Ken, the idea that they needed some outsider to "take care of them" made him want to shoot something.
"Galactor has gone to ground with disturbing effectiveness," continued Red Impulse. "Pooling our teams' resources is paramount."
Joe half sat on the back of a couch. "So what do you propose?"
"That we spend our time here reviewing our collective data." He offered a thumb drive to Nambu. "Target the most promising suspected bases and investigate."
Dr. Nambu took the drive with a small frown. "We can't rely on our old data. We have to assume everything we learned before the day they took our agents was what they wanted us to learn."
Joe uneasily noted the way their mentor avoided referring to Ken. "So we start fresh."
"I've been going over everything we have," said Nambu, turning to Red Impulse. "Give me the rest of the day to correlate what's on your drive. I'll notify all of you when I'm done."
Red Impulse nodded, and Nambu left.
After an awkward moment, Jun stood. "If we're going to be working together, our titles are a little formal. What should we call you?"
A shadow of indecision passed over the man's face. Joe watched him wrestle with something for a moment before coming to a decision.
"Kentaro," said Red Impulse. "My name is Kentaro."
Familiar again. As Joe puzzled over that, Jun took the lead. "Is this your first visit to Crescent Coral?"
"It is, indeed."
"I'll give you the tour!" Jinpei hopped to his feet.
"We will," said Jun, eying her brother.
Joe felt too close to putting the puzzle pieces together. "You go ahead. I'll catch up."
"We can grab lunch while we're at it," said Ryu, sparking some good-natured ribbing from Jinpei.
At least they'd be in the field soon. Joe itched to get out there and do his own digging.
He waited a few minutes before heading to his room, but found himself stalking the base. Doing his best to avoid the tour, he roamed the halls, then found himself in the gym. Beating the shit out of something sounded like a great idea. After changing, he punished the heavy bag.
"I love you."
Fucking idiot. What the hell was he thinking?
Joe realized he'd licked his lips. That just pissed him off more. Where the hell did Ken learn to kiss like that? Why would Ken want to do that with him?
He kicked, punched, and slammed the damn bag until he was breathless. Grabbing onto it, he rested his forehead against the worn leather. As he tried to catch his breath, an uncomfortable realization nagged at him. He'd spent all this time shoving Jun at Ken. Shimatta. Maybe he was the fucking idiot.
Ken could just have wanted to shock him. If that was the case, there was no need to declare his love, the kiss would have been plenty. At least if this was a joke, his whole world wouldn't have to turn upside down.
Eleven days. Too long, none of them had ever been missing that long.
Feeling a bit calmer, Joe showered, then headed back toward his quarters. Instead, he realized he'd stopped at Ken's door. He hesitated just a moment before punching some possible codes into the keypad, smiling as one caused the door to hiss open.
His mother's birthday? Ken was getting lazy.
Joe stepped into Ken's room and looked it over, not sure what he expected to find. As usual, the room was an organized mess, a mostly utilitarian space. Only a few posters of planes gave it personality. He understood all too well. It was hard to get attached to a space the enemy wanted to destroy.
So why was he here? Joe idly went through the place, trying to find whatever his subconscious was after. He'd just reached the closet when the door clicked. For one crazy moment Joe thought Ken must have snuck home, trying to surprise them. Then he realized Nambu wouldn't keep such important news to himself.
Joe found himself hiding in a closet for the second time in two weeks. Through the slight crack between the doors, he caught the bright red of Red Impulse's uniform and frowned. Was this really Red Impulse? Had they just welcomed a Galactor agent?
A fake would explain the sudden politeness. Joe considered the combination, but knowing it was no clue either way. The whole world knew who Ken was now. It wasn't that hard to learn simple details like parents' birthdays.
As much as he wanted to pounce, now wasn't a time for rash mistakes. Fighting back his instinct to attack first and ask questions later, Joe watched as the man dug through the same drawers he'd just been searching. Except rather than moving on from the nightstand, Red Impulse chuckled.
It took Joe a moment to realize the man had found a false panel. One he'd completely missed. Feeling stupid, Joe kept quiet. Red Impulse pulled something from the nightstand, then sat on the bed, staring at it. Just when Joe was ready to throw caution to the wind out of boredom, the man sighed and stood. He put the item back in the drawer then left.
After waiting to ensure he wasn't returning, Joe slipped out and went to the same spot. Beneath the false panel, he found a few things, but it was the picture on top that drew him.
He'd seen this picture before. Little Ken with his parents.
One look at the man in the picture's face, and all the pieces fell together. "Holy crap."
Red Impulse was Ken's father.
KT--I have got to finish reading that series...love the use of babies though...can't seem to get enough of them right now.
Chris---Sad...I felt for Ken, that his stuff was being so casually gone through by the folks that supposedly cared the most for him...Would have thought that perhaps Joe would have stopped him...maybe I just have a soft spot for the man...ah well. Nice bit just the same...sucked me right on in.
Originally posted by k2p2 Chris---Sad...I felt for Ken, that his stuff was being so casually gone through by the folks that supposedly cared the most for him...Would have thought that perhaps Joe would have stopped him...maybe I just have a soft spot for the man...ah well. Nice bit just the same...sucked me right on in.I have a huge soft spot for Ken (I know, it's hard to tell with the way I torment him). No, he probably wouldn't like that they were going through his stuff, but at this point in this particular story they've watched Ken be "unmasked" on global television and bodies of ISO agents have been showing up daily. They're waiting with dread to see if the next will be Ken's, and I see going into his room (and yes, even pawing his stuff) as a way to feel closer to him. Plus, I can't see Ken keeping anything intensely private at the base.
Daniella T
GatchaFreak
posted 19 Jun 2012 13:11
I only have a father appearing in one ficlet, from the first Bradbury's Jar prompt. Here's a bit:
Anderson took of his glasses, rubbed his eyes.
"Cronus, your son is only four years old. You cannot do this to him -- or your wife. If you go to Riga now, you might be stranded there for a long time -- or you may be killed, and then the poor boy will have to grow up in my care -- do you really want that for your son?"
Cronus didn't know if his friend was joking or not, but decided to treat his last phrase as a joke.
"Of course not, but all the other potential foster parents were taken. Seriously, Jack, you are the one person I can trust with the lives of my wife and my son."
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