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It was just before sunset when they arrived. This city block was in a part of Utoland none of them were very familiar with -mostly nondescript brick apartment buildings, three or four stories high. All four of them were in their civvies, to not attract attention. Ryu was up there high in the air, somewhere, in the God Phoenix. They couldn't alert Galactor to their presence here -Ken would call him in only when the hostages had been located and freed. If they could be located, that is. But this was the last known location of the cab that Virtanen and his two research assistants had taken from the airport, ostensibly to get to ISO headquarters. Dr. Nambu had found out that much by accessing both security camera footage from the airport and a report of a stolen cab filed with the Utoland police. The cab that the scientists had gotten into at the airport had the same license plate number as the cab reported stolen that same day. The cab had, by luck, been equipped with an anti-theft beacon, and once activated, it had led the police to this city block. Except that, according to Dr. Nambu, by the time the police had gotten here, the beacon had ceased transmitting, and the stolen cab was nowhere to be found... Finding a stolen cab wasn't the police department's biggest priority, so they'd shelved the matter. But then, they didn't know about its connection to the missing scientists. Whoever had been driving the stolen cab when it picked up the scientists at the airport seemed all too likely to be a member of Galactor as well as a car thief. Ken looked around. The light of the dying sun gave a warm glow to Jun's face and made her hair glint as it moved in the gentle breeze... Concentrate, he reminded himself sternly. There were four apartment buildings here, all about the same distance from where the stolen cab had apparently been when its beacon had stopped transmitting. "Virtanen and the other two scientists," said Ken, "They're most likely being held captive inside one of these buildings." "So what are we standing around for?" muttered Joe. "I say we sweep the buildings, kick in some doors -we'll find out pretty quick what the deal is here, and catch any Galactor scum by surprise." A typical Joe "plan" -just go storming in... "And which building do we start with?" said Ken, feeling his voice tightening. Joe shrugged. "We can't just guess!" Ken snapped, unable to keep his anger from showing, "We have to get it right -we need those scientists, alive and well, to save the world -in less than five days! We have to have a real plan!" He could tell Jun was looking at him, even as he and Joe glared at each other. He could imagine her face -there'd be a hint of worry amidst the beauty, but also understanding. Compassion. He couldn't look at her. Not right now. "Fine," said Joe, after a moment, through clenched teeth, "Then we start with that one." He gestured to the building he meant. "Only that one's got a basement parking garage, and that unit on the second floor is the only one with all its window blinds down." "I think I saw someone peeking through the blinds there a few minutes ago," piped up Jinpei. Finally, some logic. "That's better," said Ken. "In about fifteen minutes, it's going to be dark. Gatchaman and the Condor will quietly sweep that unit." "Ken-" started Jun. "You and Jinpei," continued Ken, staring covertly now at the windows of unit in question, "You two stay out here -if anyone slips past Joe and me, follow them." Again he didn't have to look at Jun to know what her face would be revealing; she wanted to come with him. And he wanted her with him. And he didn't. She was safer out here... The plan worked though, and much better than he'd expected. Not exactly quietly, because Joe still did kick the door in, but at least the unit's occupants -half a dozen Galactor goons and three prisoners- were all very surprised. It was quick and easy work to take down the goons before they could escape or harm the prisoners. Ken contacted Ryu and told him to bring in the God Phoenix to pick them up. No need for subtlety now. Joe contacted Jun and Jinpei. Dr. Virtanen, found tied to a chair in the kitchen, was a tall, thin man with dark hair greying at his temples. He was taciturn, even grumpy, providing only one-word answers to Ken's questions and not even bothering to thank his rescuers. Proud, thought Ken. That would go along with what Dr. Nambu had said about him. Probably deeply embarrassed to have been in need of rescue. The other two scientists, though, were different -a man and a women, younger than Virtanen. Once liberated from the bedroom where they too had been tied to chairs, and gagged, they rushed into each other's arms, foreheads briefly touching as they embraced. The man was whispering to her, "I was so scared for you, thought this might be the end for us. I love you, I love you..." between kisses. Uh... this was awkward. They seemed oblivious the presence of anyone else here, but it was time to be getting the hell out of here, not making out. Ken cleared his throat, glad his visor hid his face, but saw that Virtanen was staring at him, a strange expression on his face... "Are you in love with anyone?" he asked Ken. What? "No," said Ken reflexively. "Wise man," replied Virtanen, even as his eyes looked past Ken to the apartment's door. Ken turned around quickly. Jun was standing in the doorway. How long had she been standing there? Too long. Jun's head was slightly bowed. Her visor hid her face, but he didn't need to see her face to know what it would show. He hadn't meant to say- Damn it... Would he ever be able to get it right? XXXXXXXXXXXX

The rocket was cramped with five of them packed inside it, and if there was a viewscreen, he couldn't see it. But then, he and Jun were strapped in at the back of the compartment, with Dr. Virtanen and his two research assistants, Dr. Uriah and Dr. Silva, in front. He could tell they'd reached high orbit though, as the strain of liftoff had long since been replaced with smooth, easy sailing and the wingtips of his and Jun's capes were now floating around them. "Docking in approximately five minutes," announced Dr. Silva. Some of her curly brown hair was hanging out the back of her helmet, and it too was floating about. She and Dr. Uriah were holding hands, Ken noticed. He should be holding Jun's hand -he wanted to. But he wasn't... She wasn't really supposed to be here. Dr. Nambu had wanted to send him and Joe up to the orbiting space station to guard the recently-rescued scientists and prevent any other Galactor-created incidents from interfering with the plan to redirect the meteor away from a collision course with Earth. It was only at the last minute, when Dr. Uriah pointed out that Gatchaman and the Condor's combined body mass, added to that of the three scientists, would exceed what the orbiting station's life support system could handle, that Joe was replaced with a smaller Science Ninja. Stop thinking about Jun, he berated himself. Think about the mission, about the fact that they had not quite not quite three days now to save the world -anything! How well did Dr. Virtanen's anti-grav repelling technology really work? Just how much money did Dr. Virtanen have, anyway, to have been able to afford to build an orbiting space station and have a rocket ship? And for a billionaire-genius, he didn't strike Ken as a very happy guy. Granted, Gatchaman wasn't a very happy guy either; and what he would need to be happy, no amount of wealth could buy. Even though she was sitting right beside him... But that was a dream, not reality. Reality was that they were on a mission of such critical importance, all previous ones paled in comparison. He had to be completely focused here, totally on top of his game. No excuses. "Docking commencing," announced Dr. Uriah, as he and Dr. Silva ceased their hand-holding to begin pushing lots of buttons and pulling levers, and Ken heard clanking and thunking sounds from somewhere within the rocket. They had arrived at the space station. XXXXXXXXXXXX The door of the sleeping compartment slid shut and clicked. Ken glanced around; it was small in here, but at least it was private. He raised his left hand towards his face and said "Bird Go," and he was out of his birdstyle and into his civvies. That felt somewhat better. He ran his hands through his hair, then raised his arms over his head, stretching out the kinks from a long day with much of it spent in a cramped rocket. He'd been handed some sort of standard-issue packet by Dr. Uriah, which upon examining now, he found contained some basic toiletries -yay, a toothbrush- and an outfit resembling yoga garb, made of some silky, synthetic fabric that was the same shade of silvery grey as the walls. He could imagine what Joe would say about them if he were here, but they did look comfy... He didn't plan to sleep much -he was on guard duty here, after all, but as long as he kept his civvies close at hand in this compartment... Yup, he realized, upon donning the garments. Comfy. They'd arrived less than an hour ago, but Dr. Virtanen's instructions were for everyone to get some rest and start work, fresh, in the morning. Not that there was really a "morning" here, thought Ken, looking around. For all he knew, he could be in a windowless closet somewhere on Earth. Living space and working space were clearly both scarce at this station, from what Ken could tell, though he hadn't yet seen much of it yet. It was shaped like a wheel with spokes, he'd been told, upon disembarking from the rocket. Now, looking around the sleeping compartment, he could see that the ceiling of the room was noticeably smaller than the floor, and that the floor and ceiling were both slightly curved instead of flat. So that meant that "up" was towards the center of the wheel, and the floor was the wheel's outer surface. And it was a real floor -he wasn't floating around, weightless. That had been one of his first questions, as soon as he was on board -how did they have gravity here? "It's anti-grav," Dr. Virtanen had told him, smiling faintly. There's no attraction pulling you towards the 'floor' here. Rather, you're being repelled away from the 'ceiling.'" He'd left it to Dr. Silva to explain that that the anti-grav generator was located at the very center of the wheel, where its spokes converged in a hub, so that its force was even all throughout the space station. There was a single corridor that ran throughout the entire wheel, so you could reach any section of the space station by going in either direction. He wouldn't have to worry about getting lost -if you kept going along the corridor you'd always come back to where you started. "The spokes are hollow tubes with ladders in them," Dr. Silva had also explained. "We can access the anti-grav generator by climbing 'up' any of the spokes. And if it were ever to become dangerously unstable, we could eject the generator's reaction core away from the rest of the space station." Well, the scientists had less than three days to configure the anti-grav generator to emit a big pulse that could be directed towards a specific, distant-but-closing-in-rapidly object -the meteor. And it was his job to make sure Galactor didn't prevent them from succeeding. His and Jun's job, he corrected himself. Where was Jun now? He hadn't seen her since shortly after they'd disembarked... The door to his sleep chamber emitted a chime sound. After a couple repetitions, he realized it meant someone was outside the door and that he should open it. But he was out of his birdstyle now... "Ken?" He could faintly hear Jun's voice on the other side of the door. God knows he hid a lot from her, but at least he could let her see his face, and find out whatever she needed to tell him. He hit the door's "open" switch. She was still in birdstyle, but holding a packet identical to his. Standing somewhat stiffly, she looked a bit uncomfortable. "This station only has three sleep compartments," she said, "I thought I'd be bunking with Dr. Silva, but she's with Dr. Uriah instead. And..." Ken felt a little dizzy, and realized he'd stopped breathing. Get a grip! They were professionals, on a mission. Space was limited here, so they'd share; that was all. And it was logical -with anyone else here, she'd have to stay in birdstyle the entire time. "Uh," he said, stepping back from the door and wishing very much he'd stayed in his civvies. "Right. Come on in." XXXXXXXXXXXX

He'd done the gentlemanly thing; he'd turned his back to her so Jun could change from civvies to the same outfit he was wearing. And he didn't even peek. Yes, he could handle this... Except the silky grey fabric looked a whole lot better on her, clinging softly in all the right places. Quit staring at her -look at something else, anything else! Talk about something normal; he used to be able to talk to Jun. So many conversations, at the Snack J, at the Crescent Base -never about anything too personal but whether she knew it or not, her companionship had fed his soul when he could gaze into her eyes... But that was before he started falling apart, started failing as leader of the Team. He realized he was breathing a little too quickly, clenching his hands. Stop that, act normal. But what the hell was "normal" these days, much less right now? He occupied himself by folding his civvies very neatly and stacking them on top of his belt and shoes, in a corner of the floor. Jun was exploring the compartment. "It reminds me a bit of a sleeper car on a train," she said, examining one of the walls and pressing some buttons, "There are probably things that fold down to make..." She didn't say the word "bed," but that was indeed what now folded out from the wall -with just enough room for two though it filled half the room. Damn it! Ken had to fight down a surge of almost-panic. Relax! He'd already decided he wasn't going to sleep; he was on guard duty here. Yes, on duty. But in a tiny room with only Jun and a bed. And she looked so beautiful. The sterile greyness of the room only enhanced the rich green of her lush hair and luminous eyes and the warmth of her lips, as her silky garments did the curves of her body. He sat down, perched on the very edge of the bed. He would treat it like a chair. Jun sat down too, but thankfully, not too close to him. He knew he should say something but he couldn't think of anything, couldn't think clearly at all. This horrible awkwardness between him and Jun now, it made him feel sick. It shouldn't be this way! But how... "It's been a long day," Jun said, "Don't feel like you have to keep up a conversation." He glanced at her. She looked wistful, even sad, but managing a small smile. So, they were silent, which was okay... How very Jun, though, he realized, now that he was getting his thoughts back in some semblance of order. He'd been such a complete jerk to her yesterday, and here she was, as ever, trying to make him feel better. He didn't deserve her. He was an incompetent leader who couldn't defeat Galactor, and now he had lied to her -the worst lie he could tell. He was feeling sick again... trapped. Trapped in this small room and trapped in the reality of his life, his duty. He could go patrol the corridor, and walk in endless circles. But then Jun might think he didn't want to be near her and that, really, would be another lie... He did. Always. But... More silence. Jun had turned slightly towards the wall, tentatively pressing some of the other buttons. The compartment lights shut off, plunging them into the blindness of total dark. "Oops," she whispered. But then there was a click and a wall panel slid away, revealing a window before them that filled the entire wall and bathed them in gentle light. They both gasped. There before them was Earth, so far away that they could see complete continents and oceans. And further away, the moon, with its eons of craters and dry seas. And stars too, made fainter by Earth's reflected sunlight but so many of them, shining steadily in the utter blackness of space. How many minutes did they sit there, in a silence now filled with celestial awe? There were no words for how wonderful it all was. How beautifully and infinitely serene it all was... All the suffering and death he'd seen down there on Earth, you would never know it from where he sat now. He felt as if the Earth were telling him that it was eternal, that it had always been here and always would be here in this panoply of vast grandeur. Telling him that he shouldn't worry. He'd found glimpses of peace and hope, sometimes, flying in his plane, detached from reality on the ground, but from up here... it enfolded him in an embrace. "Everything will be okay," whispered Jun, "I believe it." Ken looked at her as she gazed, her face glowing in Earth's light. She felt it too, she understood. Really, she'd always understood, better than him. Faith, hope and love. He reached for her hand and held it in his. She turned to look at him then, and the open vulnerability in her beautiful face made him catch his breath. And then she smiled at him, light and joy in her face and the warm clasp of her hand. What was she seeing in his face? No, he knew. He knew. No more lies... "I love you, Jun," he said. "Ken..." He pulled her toward him, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close against his chest as her fingers found his neck, entwined in his hair. "I love-" He kissed her before she could finish. Jun didn't have to say it, she'd never had to say it. It was his turn now. He lay back on the bed, taking her with him, still holding her close, still kissing her. Now their bodies were together. His heart was pounding; he was on fire, as their mouths, hips, thighs, joined in intense caress. Her shirt had slid up, the skin of her stomach so smooth and warm, moving beneath his fingers' touch, so much of Jun he'd never touched, except in his dreams. Jun was his dream. But what about his reality? He was still Gatchaman. There was still a war, far down below, yet be won. He broke their kiss but stayed close enough to feel her breath on his face, her breasts against his chest. "Jun, when we get back -until the war's over, we won't be able-" "It's okay," she whispered, stroking his face so gently, "This is our moment -here and now- and it belongs only to us." She'd closed her eyes, and he kissed both their lids, tasting tears. "Yes..." she was whispering as she kissed his mouth, slid her hands beneath his shirt, wrapped her legs around his hips... Here and now, they would be one; he would share his dream with her, make it all real... if only here and now. XXXXXXXXXXXX

He was floating, flying. So peaceful... Yet there were distant shouts, a scream. Harsh metallic stomping. Ken opened his eyes, not to peace, but to chaos. He was floating. So was Jun. So was everything in the entire compartment! Another distant scream, more stomping, from somewhere out in the corridor. The anti-grav was shut off? What the hell was going on? He tried to swim through air, to reach Jun. No good; he had to push off a wall with one foot to get to her, fumbling to shake her, wake her up. "Jun!" Her eyes flew open; he didn't give her a chance to speak. "We're under attack -get your clothes on -now!" He pushed away from her; he had to get his civvies on, get out of this room -fast! But it was a nightmare; everything was spread around the room, floating. It took forever for him and Jun to get everything back on and change into Gatchaman and the Swan. Every time he moved his arms, his cape floated up and obstructed his view. He couldn't even walk! Worst of all, he'd been caught off guard. Caught with his pants down -literally! He was the worst excuse for a leader; he should never have let this happen! He should have stayed vigilant, on duty! Somehow they both made it over to the compartment's door and Ken hit the button to open it. Nothing was going on in the corridor in front of them but there were still distant banging noises. He couldn't tell what direction they were coming from; in a circular corridor, it was both directions. "We split up," he said to Jun, realizing his tone was harsh but not able to care in the midst of his panic and anger, "You go that way, I'll go this way." "We should stay together," she said, her own voice raw, "We're stronger together." Hell, this was no time for clinginess and hand-holding! What was she thinking? "Damn it -just do it," he snapped, "That's an order!" Holding the doorframe, he pushed away from her, giving her a shove in the opposite direction down the corridor and not looking back. At first, he made terrible progress, but then he managed to alternate between pushing off the right wall and then the left wall, over and over, trying to keep his cape out of his face, until he'd left the sleep compartment, and Jun, far behind. Periodically, there were little round doors in what should have been the ceiling -entrances, he realized, to the spoke-tubes that led to the anti-grav generator. He wondered if he should climb up one of them. It was all quiet now, but he was pretty sure the noise he'd heard earlier and been from inside the main corridor, and whatever had been done to shut down the anti-grav -which they needed to repel the meteor- it was already done and he had no clue how to get it going again. Galactor must somehow be here; he had to find and protect the three scientists! Then he heard screaming -female screaming- and sounds of a struggle, stomping. Angry male voices. Getting closer. What to do here? Think. Harsh metallic footsteps.... Magnetic boots? There was a door to one of the spokes, above him here. Could he open it? Yes. And get inside the spoke, out of the corridor and out of sight, though he kept the round door slightly ajar so he could peer into the corridor. A moment later, two Galactor goons came into sight; they were indeed walking normally, on the floor, courtesy of magnetic boots, but they were dragging a struggling and floating Dr. Silva between them. "I'm telling you, there's no one else on the station," she was saying, "You've got all of us!" "Bullshit," said one of the goons, "We heard other voices only a couple minutes ago." They were going to be directly below him, Ken realized, in just a moment. With their magnetic boots on, might they forget that no one else here had gravity? Might they forget to be looking in all directions -including looking up? Fortunately for Ken, they did forget. As soon as the backs of their heads were towards him, Ken opened the door fully and propelled himself out of the spoke with a shove of his legs against a ladder rung. He grabbed each of their necks, and in their surprise they let go of Dr. Silva -and that was Ken's chance to slam their heads together as hard as he could, several times. They didn't collapse on the floor -no gravity for that- but they were definitely not going to be moving again. Ever. "Thank God!" gasped Dr. Silva, her face streaked with tears, "Quick, get to the launch bay. They have Nathan, and David too -they must have come here in a rocket of their own -don't let them leave!" Had Jun, going in the opposite direction, already reached the launch bay, Ken wondered. He had to get there, fast. He pulled a gun from one of the goons' holsters and put it into Dr. Silva's hands. "You remember the launch bay?" she said, trembling even as she floated, "It's where we disembarked yesterday." "Wait here," he told her, yanking off the same goon's magnetic boots and stuffing his own feet into them, and taking the other goon's gun, before storming down the corridor as fast as he could... He thought he could hear sounds of heavy doors sliding shut, even over the clatter he was making by running. When he got there, the launch bay doors were closed. He found the control to open them, and saw that Virtanen's rocket was still in the launch bay, but there was no other rocket and no one else in sight. He was too late... Damn it! Galactor now had two of the scientists, and it was all Ken's fault. He had failed again. And it got even worse, after he and Dr. Silva had searched the entire space station. Not only were Dr. Virtanen and Dr. Uriah gone... Jun was gone too. His dream had truly become his worst nightmare. "I don't understand how they knew how to turn off the anti-grav," Dr. Silva said later, once she'd restored it, and she and Ken were in one of the station's labs. "Maybe they grabbed Dr. Virtanen, first thing upon arriving, and forced him to do it," was all Ken could suggest. "That must be it," she replied, "When Nathan and I woke up, it was already off, but almost immediately, Galactor soldiers broke down our compartment's door. They'd already captured David at that point. They were going to leave the station immediately, and take all three of us with them, but then they heard voices -yours and the Swan's- and two of them went to see who they'd missed, and dragged me with them." "Probably wanted you as a guide," said Ken, "Or a hostage if a standoff situation ensued." Dr. Silva pushed her hair back from her face, which was haggard with anxiety. "If anything happens to Nathan..." she whispered. He knew exactly how she felt. And his added guilt and shame were an even more crushing weight. Jun had been right -they should have stayed together; they would have done better. But he'd been so ashamed of himself, so quick to push her away. After their beautiful time together in the compartment, the last words he'd said to her had been so harsh and cold... How could he have let everything go so disastrously wrong? He was supposed to protect the scientists, and now he'd failed everyone. He'd failed to protect Jun too. Dr. Silva stood up, tentatively touching Ken's gloved hand. Her eyes were beseeching. "I will stay here at the station," she said, "I think I can still make the anti-grav keep the meteor from striking Earth, even working by myself. You must take the rocket and go rescue the others. Please." XXXXXXXXXXXX

Ken rubbed his eyes. He felt like complete crap. Had he eaten anything since he'd returned to Earth in Virtanen's rocket? He wasn't sure... No one was saying much to him. The shock of learning that Jun had been kidnapped by Galactor was still sinking in. As soon as he got back to Earth, Dr. Nambu had summoned them to the Crescent Base. Ken hadn't seen Jinpei since they'd arrived... poor kid. But Ken wasn't sure he could face him anyway, after failing his sister -all of them- so very badly. Dr. Nambu had gruffly pointed out that his rescue of Dr. Silva meant that at least the redirection of the meteor with anti-grav could still be done. According to all of her calculations, the optimal time for that would be tomorrow. Dr. Nambu was apparently in contact with her by radio, and said she seemed confident that she could pull it off. "But she will be working alone, and she's clearly very upset about Dr. Uriah..." He didn't have to say that it was imperative that Jun and the two scientists be located and rescued immediately -Ken had no higher priority than that! But he couldn't find out where she had been taken. Somehow the Galactor rocket had evaded tracking and detection upon its return to Earth; no one had any clue where it might have landed. Memories of holding her in his arms, kissing her... he couldn't keep them from his thoughts. And they were now utter torture. He stood up, looked around the room. Joe was staring out the window at the fish. Ryu was sitting in a chair, slumped forward and holding his head in his hands. He should have stayed at the space station, Ken realized, or go back there now. He was completely useless here, and who could say that Galactor wouldn't send another rocket there to kidnap Dr. Silva? But he would have to tell her to her face that he'd failed to rescue Dr. Uriah. Minutes dragged into hours... Until Dr. Nambu suddenly entered the room. "Everyone, we've finally found a lead on Jun's location. Launch the God Phoenix!" XXXXXXXXXXXX Ken sat, staring at the viewscreen on the bridge of the God Phoenix. Desert, some mountains -they were in the middle of nowhere. "How close are we now?" he asked. "Very close," said Joe, "Slow up, Ryu -don't let Galactor know we're coming." Ken closed his eyes. "And you're sure it's a signal from one of Jun's tracking beacons?" he asked. "Yes," said Joe, his voice grim, "Dr. Nambu was right. And it's coming from an abandoned air force base near the southern end of the Berulean Mountains." Jun, you are wonderful, thought Ken. "We're coming to get you, Sis!" crowed Jinpei. This was good news, thought Ken. Why did he still feel the tightness in his chest, the knot in his stomach? Because he no longer had any faith in his ability to rescue her. "Here's the deal," said Ken, standing up and turning to face his remaining team members, "Ryu, you're going to land the God Phoenix near the air force base -and I don't care if Galactor sees us coming. Joe, you and I are going to go storming in there, kicking down doors and busting heads." Silence, and blank looks. "Ken..." said Joe, after a moment, his voice thick with sarcasm, "Don't you think we need a 'real plan' here?" "Oh, you and I aren't going to rescue Jun," replied Ken, as everyone looked bewildered. "Jinpei will," Ken continued, "He's going to leave now, in his helico buggy. While you and I go barging in the front door and creating a distraction, Jinpei is going to sneak in a back door, find Jun and the scientists, and get them out of there." "That's a big load," said Joe, after a pause, eyes narrowing, "For a bean-sized buggy." "I can do it!" insisted Jinpei, "...I hope." You can't do worse than me, thought Ken. "Hope is all we have, kid," said Ryu. And love, thought Ken. If only he could find some faith... XXXXXXXXXXXX Ken's boomerang sliced across the throats of two goons, even as he kicked another one into a concrete wall before catching his boomerang. More were rushing in; one tried to grab him from behind but Ken flipped him over his back and then stomped on his face before spinning a roundhouse kick into yet another goon, while punching a third one in the face. He couldn't see Joe, but what he was hearing -goons' cries of pain, blows and crunching of bones- let him know his friend was doing just fine. But more goons were pouring into the room. And these ones had machine guns... "Take cover!" he yelled to Joe, as he tossed a handful of explosive charges in their direction and dove behind a desk. The room erupted in explosions, smoke and rubble everywhere. Yes, he and Joe were creating one hell of a distraction for Jinpei. And the more goons that came rushing their way, the better. He had less than a minute here, before the smoke cleared. Had Jinpei been able to find a way to infiltrate this base? "Jinpei," he hissed into his bracelet, "Anything to report?" "I found her," said Jinpei's voice, several seconds later, making Ken's heart leap before his brain could process the fact that Jinpei sounded far from happy. "What's wrong?" demanded Ken. "She's been drugged, I think," said Jinpei, "She's barely conscious and she can't stand up!" Oh no... "What about the scientists?" "I can't find them!" Jinpei sounded like he was suppressing sobs. "And Sis is in bad shape!" With the smoke clearing, Ken realized Joe was crouching beside him now, listening in. He could hear shouts, the sounds of more booted feet approaching. "Listen, just get Jun to the God Phoenix then. Get her out of here -can you get her to your buggy?" "I... I'll do it!" "Don't set any big explosive charges. We can find the scientists later, but not if we've blown them up." "What do we do?" Joe was asking him. "We get the hell out of here too, back to the God Phoenix." He and Joe stood up. Courtesy of his explosive charges, there were now some new holes in the walls by which he and Joe could leave, but they were filling up with goons. "Ryu," he barked into his bracelet, "Jinpei's on his way out -look for his buggy and pick him up! Then come find me and Joe." Joe was already charging the goons, tossing handfuls of shuriken. With a cry of rage that must have been building inside him for years, Ken leapt into the fray as well. He would not fail Jun again. XXXXXXXXXXXX

The God Phoenix touched down on the ground outside the air force base just long enough for him and Joe to leap up to its dome, its glass sealing around them as Ryu took the God Phoenix back up into the sky. "Jinpei has her in the med room," said Ryu's voice from Ken's bracelet. "Go to the bridge, Joe. Help Ryu, and fire missiles at anything that pursues us." "Roger that," growled Joe. When Ken got to the small med room, Jinpei had Jun on a stretcher, and had an IV in her arm. Jinpei had taken her helmet off; it was lying on the floor. Her face had never looked so ghastly white, and there were dark circles beneath her closed eyes. Jun... He wanted to embrace her, he wanted to scream. None of that would do any good. "What are you giving her?" he asked Jinpei. "Just stuff for shock," said Jinpei, his own face nearly as pale as Jun's, "I don't know what else to do." Until they could get a blood analysis and find out what Galactor might have drugged her with, there wasn't much else they could do. "Ken, come to the bridge." Ryu's voice was coming through his bracelet again. "Dr. Nambu wants to talk to you." "I'll be there," replied Ken, "And keep us heading for the Crescent Base, Ryu -as fast as we can go." He gave Jinpei a pat on the shoulder. "You did good, kid. You saved her. The medics will know what to do when we get there." You did better than me. Dr. Nambu's face was on one of the bridge screens. "Ken," said, the instant he walked onto the bridge, "Report!" "We can't find Virtanen or Uriah. We found Jun, but she's been drugged with God-knows-what. We're bringing her in, now." Dr. Nambu didn't look thrilled but he didn't try to contradict him. In fact, he seemed to be looking at some other screen." "I've got Dr. Silva on-screen here; I'll patch her through to the God Phoenix as well." In a moment, Dr. Silva's face appeared on another of the small bridge screens. "In two hours," she was saying, "It will be the optimum time for me to try to redirect the meteor. I've got the computer that controls the anti-grav generator programmed for what it needs to do, as best as I can calculate all the parameters and limitations." But now she was looking out of the screen and right at Ken -clearly she had their comm feed now too. "Gatchaman, have you found Nathan? David?" Her heart was in her eyes. It was terrible that he had to tell her "Not yet -we've only found the Swan. We'll try again." She winced, and closed her eyes, but nodded in acceptance. "We must save our beautiful Earth, and all its people, from that meteor. No matter how much I love Nathan-" she said, now holding her hands as if in prayer, "I know he would want that." A chill ran through Ken. Jun was rescued; today was not a day he'd have to choose saving the world over saving her. But if that day ever came... Could he do it? How would he ever cope? And it was his love for Jun, last night, that had kept him from noticing that the space station was under attack. Was Gatchaman allowed to let himself be in love? Would it just bring down heartbreak and disaster? He forced himself to take some deep breaths. Don't think about this now... "He'll be okay," said Ken. "I believe that," replied Dr. Silva softly. Ken wasn't so sure he did though. He wanted nothing more than to return to the med room to see Jun -but Dr. Nambu began talking from the other bridge screen. "Can you do a dry run, a simulation, Dr. Silva?" asked Dr. Nambu, "To test your calculations' accuracy?" "I have," she said, and Ken could hear that she was hitting computer keys, "But there are some variables regarding the meteor itself that I... I'm going to have to push the anti-grav harder than we've ever tried before, to its maximum. There won't be enough energy for more than one pulse in the time that's available -no second chance-" "Damn it!" she cried, frowning, and Ken could hear her frantically hitting keys, "What's going on?" "Is something wrong with the anti-grav generator?" demanded Dr. Nambu. Oh no, thought Ken, please no. "It's not that!" she said, struggling to keep her voice steady, "It's the anti-grav computer system here -it's just locked me out! "How can that be?" demanded Dr. Nambu. Ken could only stare at Dr. Silva's horrified face on the screen, as she kept typing. "We do have remote access to it, from Earth. Someone's locked me out and now they're controlling the anti-grav system!" "Who?" said Dr. Nambu, eyes blazing, "If we don't redirect that meteor in two hours, there'll be no tomorrow for millions of people!" It was then that Ken heard that terrible and all-too-familiar laughter... Dr. Silva gasped. She was staring to one side, as if at a different comm screen. "Who are you? Are you..." "Berg Katse," snarled Joe, and Ken realized he'd left his seat and was standing beside him. "It's me, of course!" Katse's voice was thick with gloating. "Though I did get a little help -from one Dr. Nathan Uriah." Chaos erupted -Joe was cursing, Dr. Silva was crying "What did you do to him?" and Dr. Nambu was shouting at her to copy Katse's comm feed through to him. "Oh, I didn't torture him, my dear," sneered Katse's voice, "He was a most willing traitor." "Liar!" screamed Dr. Silva, as Katse began laughing again. "Dr. Silva," demanded Dr. Nambu again, "Let me deal with Katse." She dropped her face into her hands, even as Ken heard Katse's voice asking "Oh yes, do put me through to Dr. Nambu too, if you don't mind?" And she did, for a moment later Ken saw Dr. Nambu scowling furiously. "Berg Katse, how dare you do this!" "Ken," said Ryu, "The Doc's copying Katse through to us too now." Dear God, the conference call from hell -Ken was looking at three comm screens now, with a weeping Dr. Silva, an outraged Dr. Nambu and a laughing Berg Katse. "Of course I dare!" said Katse "You've had the ISO assuring all the world leaders that you've got the whole meteor problem completely under control -but now I'm about to inform every major global media outlet on that Galactor is now in control of that meteor!" "You'll plunge the world into chaos! And for what?" Dr. Nambu shouted. "Ready to talk price, Nambu?" replied Katse smoothly, "This is going to cost the ISO and the UN everything they've got." "You're bluffing!" Ken shouted. Katse glanced down, but a second later his eyes locked onto Ken's. "So you're here too, Gatchaman -welcome to the party. You too, Condor." "You're a piece of shit," hissed Joe, teeth clenched. "I say you're bluffing," repeated Ken, "You won't destroy the world!" "Are you really so sure," laughed Katse, "Galactor thrives on disaster and human misery, after all." Ken couldn't think of anything to say; he could only glare helplessly. Nothing was going to be okay. Nothing. Jinpei's voice was coming from his bracelet. "She's sort of awake now -wants to talk to you-" Ken cut the Swallow off, and ran from the bridge to the med room. There, Jun was still horribly pale, her hair damp with sweat, various electrode patches stuck to her, but her eyes were open. As soon he put his face near hers, she tried to smile but her eyes glazed over... "Jun, Jun, are you okay? What happened? Talk to me?" He pulled both her hands into his. Her gaze refocused but she closed her eyes and took a few shallow breaths before she could speak. "After we separated... on the station. First person I found was Virtanen. Never dreamed he'd be with Galactor..." What? "He caught me by surprise, stuck a syringe in my arm... I could hardly move. Took me to the launch bay, some goons were there, they had Dr. Uriah captive already. Virtanen shot him -killed Uriah, tossed his body in the Galactor rocket. Shoved me in there too..." Ken felt frozen, staring into Jun's bleary eyes. How could this be.... Virtanen a traitor and a murder of one of his own researchers? Jun's eyes were closing as she whispered, "Managed to get one of my tracking beacons into his pocket though... he didn't notice..." "Jun? Jun?" She didn't answer him, didn't open her eyes. "Jun, stay with me here!" He pulled her hands to his lips; her hands were cold. "Her pulse is getting weaker," said Jinpei, face tight with strain, "How much longer till we reach the Crescent Base?" "It's going to be-" Ken couldn't bring himself to say okay this time. Keep us flying, Ryu. As fast as we can go.... He had to get back to the bridge; he had news to impart. As soon as Ken was on the bridge again he stalked up the screen with Katse. He would have loved to smash it -smash anything with that face on it. "Why don't you bring out Virtanen? I know now that he's in on this with you -not Dr. Uriah!" On their respective screens, Dr. Silva lifted her head, and Dr. Nambu looked stunned. Even Katse was silent, for a moment... "So, the Swan isn't dead yet?" he said, looking sideways, offscreen, "Looks like your secret is out of the bag, Virtanen." "You bastard -I never should have trusted you to keep your side of the deal!" That was Virtanen's voice all right, Ken realized. He was with Katse. "My God..." Dr. Nambu looked sick. "I knew Nathan would never betray me!" Dr. Silva looked suddenly triumphant, "I never believed that lie." Katse made some hand gesture, and then two goons dragged Dr. Virtanen into view on the screen with Katse, holding his arms behind his back. Virtanen looked almost paralyzed -didn't talk now, wouldn't look up at the screen.

"Oh, but you should be so flattered," Berg Katse said, "You see, Virtanen here wanted Dr. Uriah out of the picture, and forever tarnished in your eyes as a traitor, so that he could woo you into loving him instead!" No one spoke. Everyone had to be looking at Dr. Silva -and never had Ken seen horror, rage and grief manifest so fiercely in anyone's face. "Monster!" She practically spat the word. Virtanen still couldn't look at her, or anyone. A broken man, Ken realized. Broken and now utterly humiliated. Dr. Nambu put his hand over his eyes, as if her couldn't bear to see a fellow scientist brought so low. "Gee, I thought it was kind of romantic." Katse was grinning widely. Ken could hear faint typing noises though. Not Katse, not Nambu -was Dr. Silva doing something on her computer? "But aren't we getting sidetracked here? Time's a wasting," continued Katse, "I believe you were about to offer me a big and desperate bribe not to let the meteor hit the Earth, Nambu?" Ken's thoughts raced... According to what Dr. Silva had said, it was still about an hour and a half until the right time to hit the meteor with an anti-grav pulse. If that didn't happen, then impact would result about two hours later. Time was running out. Dr. Nambu was shaking his head, but Ken could see in the slump of his shoulders that he was beginning to despair. But he was certain Dr. Silva was doing... something at her console up there on the space station... Suddenly, a voice was telling Katse, "Sire, we've just lost control of the anti-grav computer!" "What?" demanded Katse, "That's not possible!" The goons were still holding Virtanen's arms behind his back. Katse belted him in the face, hard. "Tell me that's not possible!" Virtanen only gasped in pain; it was Dr. Silva who spoke now. "There's an override protocol -and I've found it!" Virtanen actually looked up then. Was that hope or despair in his face? Ken couldn't tell. "The... password?" he whispered. Katse it him again. "You never told me anything about any override protocol!" Dr. Silva, even in her triumph, was looking appalled. "My name... your password was my name." "Do something!" Katse screamed at Virtanen, "Get back control of the anti-grav, here! Or you'll face the most drawn-out, agonizing death I can devise!" "I... I'll try," gasped Virtanen, "I think I can-" "Too late for you!" Dr. Silva was practically yelling, even as tears streamed down her cheeks, "I've charged up the generator to the utter max, and I'm sending the pulse towards the meteor..." She paused, looking down... "Now!" She dropped her face into her hands, shaking. Ken could hardly breathe; she'd done it too early... Would it still work? Katse continued to scream at Virtanen. "All the funding I've channeled to your research -wasted!" "I never would have accepted the money if I'd known it came from you!" cried Virtanen. "Why don't you just rot in hell with Dr. Uriah then?" declared Katse, pure venom. "Hold him still, boys..." He pulled out a handgun and shot Virtanen in the head. Then, the comm feed from Katse cut out; the screen where he'd been went dark. Dr. Nambu looked stunned. Dr. Silva still was slumped forward. Everyone on the bridge of the God Phoenix seemed dazed. Had the pulse worked? Ken was dying to know, and afraid to ask. If it had worked... they had to be almost to the Crescent Base. Jun would get immediate, expert medical care, and millions and millions of people would be spared death and misery. If it hadn't... Dr. Nambu had come to his senses first; he was speaking rapidly into his desk phone, demanding an update on the meteor's trajectory. Dr. Silva had also lifted her head, her eyes blank and weary... and then they focused tightly as she frowned. She was typing again. "It worked!" Dr. Nambu practically sang the words. "The meteor is no longer going to hit Earth!" He, Joe, Ryu -they actually all cheered "Hurrah!" Relief flooded through Ken's body. He felt tired enough to sleep for a week, and also like dancing. It was crazy. Jun... Time to go see Jun and try to tell her the good news. "I have some bad news, I'm afraid," said Dr. Silva quietly. No. Would this never end? "I will be the one joining Nathan -not David. Though surely not in hell..." Her voice caught on a sob. "What are you talking about?" asked Dr. Nambu, "What happened?" "I've overloaded the generator's reactor core -I made the pulse too strong; I was so afraid it might not work. And I've fried the circuits -I can't eject it." A cascade of sub-atomic explosions that rapidly escalate to dangerous levels... That was how Dr. Nambu had first described the anti-grav process, and why experiments with it were conducted up in high orbit, away from Earth. Was the space station going to blow up in a massive atomic explosion? Is that what Dr. Silva was trying to say? "Oh no..." said Dr. Nambu quietly, "And you've no rocket to leave with -it's down here." "It's worse than that," she said, "I gladly go to join Nathan again, but the pulse has also pushed this station into a rapidly degrading orbit. When the reactor blows, it's probably going to dangerously irradiate the entire atmosphere." "Ohh..." Dr. Nambu sagged. "I'm sorry," she whispered, tears again running down her face. "Don't be sorry," Ken told her. His heart was racing. "You are one of the bravest women I have ever known." But not the only one. Jun was brave; brave enough to love, brave enough to hope. He couldn't give up here -not now! There had to still be a way to stop the space station from falling out of the sky... "Thank you," she said, "And you too, Dr. Nambu. I... think I need to be alone now." She cut off her comm link with them. The immortal Phoenix, Ken found himself thinking, Even as it burned, it was reborn, eternally. "We'll be at the Crescent Base in a little over an hour," said Ryu quietly. Joe had gone back over to his chair; he sitting with back to everyone, silent. "Ryu, take us up -way, way up!" "What are you talking about, Ken?" "As high as this bird can go -the very edge of the atmosphere!" Joe was looking at him now. "What the hell are you talking about, Ken?" "Now, Ryu! We have to do this now, or it will be too late!" "Too late for what?" Dr. Nambu was frowning at him. "We're going up to meet the space station, at the edge of the atmosphere, in Firebird mode. We're going to give it a push -keep it from falling to Earth!" "Ken, you'll do no such thing!" declared Dr. Nambu, "That's-" Ken shut off the bridge screens. "Ryu, take us up! Fast!" "Ken, this -this is insane!" Joe was on his feet, staring at him in... awe? "What have we got to lose?" XXXXXXXXXXXX

The air was so very thin up here... Any second now, all the God Phoenix's engines could fail. The sky visible in the view screen was black, the stars barely twinkling at all. "I still think you've lost your mind, Ken," muttered Joe. "Just get as precise a radar fix on the space station as you can." "The God Phoenix was not designed for this altitude -we cannot stay up here long!" said Ryu, looking terrified. "I know you want to save the world, Ken, but there are limits!" argued Joe. "What about Jun?" "Jun would want me to do this. She'll be okay!" Ken could hear his own voice fraying around the edges. "The stress of this altitude, and then the Firebird on top of that? Ken, she's barely conscious -she needs to be in a hospital. How do you think she's going to handle this?" "Joe's got a point..." added Ryu. "She's going to be okay!" Ken couldn't manage to say anything else. "Stop saying that!" yelled Joe, "You don't know that!" Joe was right; and he was so very wrong. Ken closed his eyes. He could remember how he'd felt, holding Jun in his arms -how she'd looked, with her milky skin bathed in the light of the Earth, moon and stars. Above all, he could remember how he'd felt. Faith, hope and love... He opened his eyes again. He felt like he was on fire. "You're right, I don't know that," he said. Joe sighed, glowering. "The space station is close; if we're really going to do this, we'll need to go Firebird soon." "Ken," asked Ryu, "Care to tell me how I'm supposed to push a space station hard enough to get it into higher orbit without hitting it so hard we smash to bits?" Ken shrugged, "You're the pilot. Make a guess." "Oh man, he really is insane..." whispered Ryu. "We go Firebird in ten seconds," said Joe glumly, "Ten, nine, eight-" "Ken!" It was Jinpei's terrified voice, from the med room, "I think she's having a seizure!" "You hear that?" yelled Joe, "We have to abort this stupid plan -now!" But he couldn't give up now -he couldn't! Every bit of his reason told him he was going to get them all killed and to no avail. But Jun would want him to try to save the world -every time- and he had to trust her strength and courage, her love. She would survive too... He could see the space station on the view screen, just beginning to glow with reentry, on the edge of the atmosphere. They were closing in fast... "Do it," he screamed, "Firebird -now! Ryu, you're on!" XXXXXXXXXXXX At some point, while they were in Firebird, Jun had stopped breathing. At least the God Phoenix was still in one piece, was all Ken had been able to register before he staggered back into the med room. Not even knowing if they'd succeeded or not, he'd performed CPR, weeping... At some point, Joe had been there too, helping him. Jinpei had been slow to regain consciousness. The air on the bridge had been smoky -probably small electrical fires- and the engines had sounded terrible, while the whole ship had flown unsteadily in the air. But their ship had still been flying -an immortal Phoenix. Jun had been whisked off by the medics the instant they'd docked at the Crescent Base... an hour ago. Six hours ago, Ken realized, looking at the clock in his quarters. Had he been asleep that long? He snapped upright in his bed. He remembered Dr. Nambu telling him that the space station had exploded, as Dr. Silva had said it would, but that its orbit had been high enough that it wouldn't hurt the Earth's atmosphere. He couldn't remember much of anything after that -the stress of the day must have finally taken its toll on him. Someone should have woken him up! How was Jun? Ken leapt from the bed and into the corridor, running to the med ward. He didn't encounter anyone on the way, and when he got there, as quick glance showed him every bed was empty. Did that mean? No... One of the doctors was approaching him... Ken's heart was pounding. "I think I know who you're looking for -we discharged her," said the Doctor, "On the condition she rest quietly in her quarters." XXXXXXXXXXXX He ran all the way to the door of her quarters, and was about to pull it open... But he stopped, and just stood there. She was in there -the woman he loved, the woman who loved him, His dream, and now, his... reality. He didn't deserve this joy; he hadn't earned it. But then, he realized, Jun's love wasn't something that could ever be earned. It was a gift. She hadn't done anything to earn his love -she had simply been Jun. He opened her door. She was in her bed, lying on her back, so very still. But then she opened her eyes, and smiled at him as she sat up. He moved towards her, almost stumbling, and dropped to his knees beside her bed, reaching for her as she reached for him. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, his face buried in her hair and his lips touching her neck, "I could have killed you..." Tears were welling in his eyes; he couldn't have stopped them. "And you were right, on the space station -we're stronger together. You make me stronger." "Ken..." She moved him back from her with her hands, but now he could see her face. Tears in her eyes too, but still smiling. He kissed her, and kept kissing her... XXXXXXXXXXXX Later -much later- her door flew open. "Sis, we came to see -Oh!" He and Jun were both startled awake, to the sight of Jinpei standing in the doorway. Momentary panic, until he saw that he and Jun at least had the sheets over themselves. Joe appeared behind Jinpei, grinning. "About time," he said. But he grabbed Jinpei's arm and pulled him away, shutting the door. Ken lay down again, and Jun snuggled up to him. Yup, she was "resting quietly." They weren't on a mission; they could stay in here all day... Berg Katse had escaped, Galactor would continue its assault on world peace, and its headquarters remained undiscovered. But he was with Jun. They would win the war. He didn't know that, but now, he believed it.

I can really feel Ken's frustration and self-doubt here. So much responsibility for such a young guy, against such a terrible foe. He's always seemed to me to be a character who needs love and doesn't know how to accept it. As always, Jun was just waiting for him to be ready, quietly sharing her strength. All delivered in a riveting, death-defying mission!

Ooh, romance -always nice to see Ken "come to his senses" where Jun is concerned -though I agree, his job and his personality so often work against him there.

This certainly is an action-packed adventure! It feels like a canon episode, and I could practically see it unfolding in my mind as I read it. And of course, I loved the scene between Ken and jun on the space station! I can see how they would both be fascinated by the sight of the Earth, and what they were fighting for, and realize that they were fighting for each other. And I agree with Chris: Ken's angst over his ability to defeat Galactor is very believable and consistent with what we know of him and his devotion to duty.

I agree with everyone here thus far! It's written very much like an actual episode. And Ken's doubts about defeating Galactor are very believable in this piece! Well done author! Nicely done!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is the best present ever ... really above my expectations! A brilliant author ... you have done a great job in digging into Ken's character so deeply, showing his vulnerable side and his constant, inner conflict, which always transpire in canon and which he struggles so much to hide. I so empathise with him! What could I wish more than this? ... Ken's character in the limelight, romance between him and Jun, a tragic love story (tissues were needed!) and a happy ending, both regarding the mission and the well-being of all the members of the team, with Ken and Jun finally sharing their love! I feel like a child in a candy store! You really kept me hooked ... agreeing with all the others, it was just like watching a real, detailed episode! Great job ... and, did I say thank you?!!

to all the above comments, I really don't know what else I can add, other than I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Oh, that scene is space with Ken and Jun is ingrained in my mind forever! What a fantastic, romantic tale! Thanks to Gatchamarie for the prompt that started this and thanks to the author for such a great story!!

Wonderful story and I agree with Springie the scene from space and Ken finally telling Jun he loved her breathtaking. Loved it all.