This prompt is Underestimated So do with it what you will!

Okey-dokey. My first prompt of the new year. Here goes: Hope you enjoy! ************************************************ Prompt #210- Underestimated "You....under...estimated meee....." the cackling laugh of the Galactor captain came from the control room of the mecha. It was engulfed in fire, flames dancing upon the wall. "Now you will never get the plans to Katse's Infinitus weapon!" Gatchaman stood and watched from the bridge of the God Phoenix as explosions began to rock the mecha. "What a light show huh, Ken?" Ryu commented, mesmerized by the flames shooting out from various holes within the structure. Whatever was contained on board tinged the flames with ghostly green phosphorous and streaks of light purple. "Good thing Joe and Jinpei got clear before it blew." Jun remarked from her station, where she had been monitoring their progress toward the ship. It was only after the mecha had erupted in flames that their signal had been lost, jammed by the frequencies of the fried electronics. There came a thud toward the rear of the bridge, the hiss of the pneumatic door slipping open to reveal the figure of the Condor. The edges of his wings were singed and ragged, and he sagged against the door frame. "Joe?" Ken questioned, rising from his seat, worry lining his face. "What happened?" But he merely received a thumbs-up in response and their teammate crossed the floor, making a beeline for the gunners station. "Did you do it? You got the plans?"Jun questioned, eyes growing wide with surprise and glancing at Ken. Amazement colored Kens's features. "You really got the plans Joe?" The Condor collapsed in his seat, pulling off his helmet, placing it in his lap. His face was streaked with soot and he reeked of smoke, sweat and cordite. He coughed and cleared his throat trying to talk, holding a hand up, indicating for them to wait. "Jinpei...." he rasped, seized by a fit of coughing again, pounding his chest with a fist as he wheezed. "What about Jinpei?" Ken asked, suddenly feeling unsettled. He grabbed the back of his chair to steady himself as the God Phoenix was hit by an aftershock from the destructing mecha . "Where is he?" Jun looked frantically behind him, toward the entrance to the bridge. "Is he alright?" When the answer was not coming quick enough to her liking, she rose from her seat and crossed the floor with a few short strides, grabbing Joe by the front of his Birdstyle, the fabric scrunched up in her fist and shaking him. "I swear if you've let something happen to him...." Confusion twisted Joe's sharp features, as Ken rushed to grasp her hand and pull her away from him, murmuring for her to cut it out, that he was sure Jinpei was just fine. He had to be. "We had you both on screen before the mecha began to destruct...." he began, mouth pursed in thought. Joe nodded tiredly as he tried to ignore Jun glaring at him, arms crossed tightly over her chest. "Different..air current..." as he continued to cough. "But where is he?" She turned to Ken. "He should have been back by now!" Worry gnawed at him. Deep down, he knew she was right. "Ryu?" he called over his shoulder. "Any sign of Jinpei on outboard scanners?" "Hang on a minute, lemme check.... " The pilot frowned as he scrolled through various screens on the overheard monitor. All of them showed the mecha in it's death throes, or all fire and smoke. "I got nothing Ken." Jun covered her mouth with a gloved hand. The Eagle hung his head. He had to decide how long they were going to wait for their teammate to report. If he didn't arrive soon, he would need to contact Nambu Hakase for further orders. And he knew what those orders would be. "Come on guys, you know Jinpei...." Ryu joked trying to lighten the mood but failing. "He'll be along any second now...." "Hey, did someone call my name?" came a familiar voice from the back of the bridge. They all whipped around to see a very dirty, but very much alive Jinpei come strolling in, like he had only run down to the corner store for milk or back from a double feature horror flick matinee. "Oh Jinpei!" Jun gushed, hurrying over and enveloping him in a bone crushing hug. "Thank goodness!" Ken's shoulders visibly relaxed, and he leaned back against the gunner's station, gaze coming to rest on Joe who briefly closed his eyes with a barely audible sigh of relief. "Ummm....sis ....are you ok?" Jinpei asked suspiciously, voice growing thin. "Sis.....let go....I ...can't...breathe...." "Oh," she mumbled under her breath. "I'm sorry Jinpei.." She released him, only to drape an arm about his shoulders and give him a tight squeeze. "Did ya tell 'em Joe-anki?" Jinpei asked excitedly, pushing away from Jun and standing beside Ken who placed a hand atop his helmet affectionately. Joe shook his head, lips pressed in a thin line. "We got the plans...." the Swallow blurted out, proceeding to turn about in his shuffling victory dance. "Hey...awesome!" Ryu shouted from the controls. "Way to go!" Jinpei popped open a small utility pouch on his belt, and removed a shiny black memory card. He beamed as he handed it over to Ken, placing it in the middle of his palm. A grin split his face, and rocked back on his heels, quite satisfied with himself. "Oh Hakase will be so pleased!" Jun said returning to her seat. "Let's tell him the good news right away!" "Good job, you guys." Ken held up the memory card between his fingers. "If what's contained on this card is what we believe it to be, this could be the information that turns the tide in this war. " He slapped a hand on Joe's shoulder, gripping him tight. "We couldn't have gotten it, if not for your hard work." "No." Joe stated quietly, clearing his throat. "It was all Jinpei. He's the one who lifted the card. Right squirt?" Jinpei blushed and looked at the floor, suddenly embarrassed to be at the center of attention. "Is it true?" Jun asked turning to look at him, studying her little brother intently. "Was it you that got us the memory card?" "Yep," he said somewhat bashfully, but then brightened up more like his normal self. "That's me. Jinpei! The Mighty Swallow!" He struck a comic heroic pose--shoulders back, hands upon his hips, chest puffed out with pride. "Alright Jinpei!" Ken chuckled, reaching out and thumping the top of the kids helmet with his fist. "Great work!" "But Joe-aniki helped! If it wasn't for him blowing off the ventilation panel and holding off the guards I never would have been able to do it!" Ken met Joe's eyes and he nodded in affirmation. "It was in a hidden room, with no visible access points. No door...no palm print readers, zippo. We finally found a ventilation shaft, but I was too big for it, so it was all on Jinpei to retrieve the information." "And you shoulda seen the pile of bodies Joe-aniki left behind! Man!" "So what else is new..." Ryu commented with a snort. "Ken, the mecha's final trajectory is bringing it toward the South Sea. It should hit the water in about 2-3 minutes...." Ken glanced at the forward monitor. "Alright, Ryu. Pull us back to observation distance." "I didn't think we were gonna make it!" Jinpei continued, voice rising, caught up in the memory. "We were totally surrounded at one point, but Joe-aniki grabbed me and flung me over his shoulder as..." "That's enough Jinpei..." Joe interrupted, as a slight smile curled his lips. "Just save it all for Ken's reports...." "Come on 'Mighty Swallow', " Ken laughed as he walked back to his command station. "You'll have to give me all the details for Hakase....." "I think I should be called The Mighty Swallow from now on!" Jinpei quipped, heading back to his own seat. "Galactor will rue the day the underestimated me, Jinpei...." "Ah great, don't get a swelled head kid!" Ryu drawled as he tracked the mecha's fiery descent into the ocean. Jun bit her lip, and slid silently from her chair and stood next to Joe's station as began to put his helmet back on. "Joe, I'm..." He paused and pinned her with a look. "And you underestimated me. He can be an annoying little SOB sometimes, but come on! I'd never let anything happen to him." He finished placing the helmet on, the smoke colored visor hiding his features. "I'd never let anything happen to anyof you." He flipped on his monitor. "I thought you knew that...." he murmured, swiveling his chair away from her, and wrapping his dark wings about him.

Aw, I really love the team dynamics in this one. Jun's panic is so understandable and I bet even Joe gets it or he'd be more angry. Jinpei's antics are right on point like they came out of the show. And poor Joe, he'd have saved himself a lot of trouble if he was able to talk right away!

Happy New Year, everyone! ***** "A cave," Red Impulse said as he pulled himself up onto the ledge next to Jun.  "You dragged me all the way over here for that?" Jun turned and looked at him over her shoulder.  "You didn't have to follow me, you know," she pointed out as she moved forward.  A hand dropped down onto her shoulder. "Now where do you think you're going?" Jun huffed out a sigh and tried hard not to roll her eyes.  "I want to see what's inside.  Isn't that what all of this has been about, all day?  You wanted to see if Reading could be tied to one or more of the landmarks around here, isn't that right?"  When Red Impulse did not immediately answer, Jun went on.  "From what we know of Galactor, they like building bases in and around landmarks and places where a lot of people congregate.  They also like to have escape routes ... like caves." "You think you're so smart," Red Impulse said, a hint of a smile playing at the edges of his mouth, "then tell me why you think this particular cave could be attributed to them and that you're not just going to seriously disturb any wildlife that made this cave their home." Jun looked ahead, at the edges of rock around the mouth of the cave, then into the blackness itself.  It was a hunch, really; she didn't have anything to base it on. Or did she?  Jun thought a moment about why she got the hunch she did. "It's facing the right direction," she answered, thinking out loud.  "From the picnic area, I could see that Reading's factory was just over there, and if one discounted the roads, it's a lot closer to walk than to drive.  It would still be a hike, but it's doable.  And if this was only meant to be an escape route, or some sort secret way in, obviously, and not meant for a lot of traffic, then it makes sense.  Plus, Galactor likes to use naturally occurring things like this to blend in all the time." "Indeed," Red Impulse said with a nod.  "Very well, we'll go in to investigate.  Here, take this." Before Jun knew what he was doing, she felt a cylinder of cold metal pressed into her hand.  Her first thought was that he had given her a small handgun, but when she looked down, she saw that he had given her a small royal blue keychain flashlight with a stylized drawing of a crenelated tower and the words "Witterdon Castle" stamped in white on the side.  She looked up at him in disbelief. "You actually bought one of these?" she asked. "No," he replied with a grin, holding up his hand, "I bought two."  With a flourish, he thumbed the one he held on and a small beam of light pierced through the darkness above Jun's head.  "It never hurts to be prepared." "Let me guess," Jun said, "another rule of spying?" "No, Boy Scouts, I believe, but it applies here as well." Jun shook her head and turned on the flashlight.  The beam was small, but when she added it to his, it was more than enough to allow them to see a few feet ahead of them. The fissure opening was narrow and in just a couple of steps, Jun found her shoulders touching each side of the wall.  When she looked back, she saw that Red Impulse was forced to turn completely sideways.  Still, he managed to keep the beam of light from his flashlight steady above her head, so that she could keep hers trained down at the floor of the cave so that they didn't trip over anything unexpected or unpleasant. The next several yards were slow going, and then the tunnel opened up, widening enough to allow them to walk straight ahead, though still in single file.  Jun kept a constant surveillance of everything she could see; there was evidence that wild animals had taken refuge in the tunnel from time to time, but the tufts of fur and feathers and the small bones lying here and there looked old, as though they had been there for a long time. Jun suppressed a shiver.  She had been sweating from the hike up and outside, the sun was still warm, but here in the tunnel, the air was decidedly cooler.  She was just about to take another step forward, just as the tunnel began to make a small bend to the right, when she froze.  Her eye saw it before her mind could even identify it, but she knew enough to stop.  Behind her, she felt Red Impulse nearly walk into her, his body as unyielding behind her as the stone on either side of her. "What's the matter?" he asked, taking a step back. "I saw something," Jun whispered back.  "Something over there."  She aimed her flashlight in the direction she saw it, carefully sweeping the beam of light over the rock until she saw it again -- a metallic flash, small, but there.  Red Impulse added his beam of light to hers and the object was in a full spotlight.  The lens was buried deep in the rock and were it not for the fact that Red Impulse had kept his flashlight tilted up, Jun would never have seen it. "Camera you think?" she asked. "No," Red Impulse said, moving the beam of light around a little.  "That's some sort of eye, can you see the red coming from it?"  Jun nodded.  "That means it's probably some sort of motion detector or laser trip wire." They looked at the lens for a moment longer.  It was high enough to be over anyone's head, unless they were really tall, in which case, they would be forced to stoop, as Red Impulse was and it was angled, not directly at them, but just slightly off to her right. Jun leaned as far over to the left as she could get and aimed her flashlight to the right, trying to emulate a straight line from the lens to wherever it was pointing.  An answering glint confirmed her suspicions. "It's definitely some sort of motion detector," she said, running the beam of light back and forth between them a few times.  She couldn't see the laser beam itself, of course, but based on angles, she had no doubt that the two were connected.  It would have bisected across anything or anyone who did not know it was there and it was not as if there was any room in the tunnel to get around it. "Probably to alert them to any nosy hikers," Red Impulse said.  "Although the narrow passage should have been enough to discourage just about anyone." Jun smiled as she looked back at him.  "Guess they didn't count on us, huh?" "Someone went to a lot of trouble to protect this place," Red Impulse said, using his free hand to rub the back of his neck, "so in all likelihood, it's a good bet that this and Reading are connected.  Considering the distance between here and there, though, I doubt this tunnel is used often, if at all, but it's a good thing to keep in mind.  Come on, let's go back.  It's getting late." "Back?" Jun nearly wailed.  "But we're here now.  We can figure out a way to get past these motion detectors.  Why not ...." "Because we already have a Plan A," Red Impulse said.  "Let's see how far that can get us in.  There's no point in ruining everything we've worked for just because you're a little impatient." "I am not." Red Impulse gave her a flat look.  "Said the girl who wants to just bust right in.  We'll come back here if all else fails.  In the meantime, I'll alert Masaki and Oniishi to the whereabouts of this place and let them work on the problem." Jun felt let down at this news and she looked down the tunnel with true regret.  They were so close, and this was her discovery, and she didn't want anyone else to figure out.  She wanted to do it. "We'd better be getting back anyway," Red Impulse continued, oblivious to her feelings.  "It'll be getting dark soon and I don't want to rise any suspicions among the villagers." "Why?  Afraid they'll come after you with torches and pitchforks?" Jun asked sarcastically.  Red Impulse frowned. "What's the matter with you?" "What do you think?" Jun burst out, unable to hold it in any longer.  "I find this place.  I figure out that it's guarded and then you just blithely say that you'll let Masaki and Oniishi take care of it while I have to just stand around and do nothing." "First of all, I don't do anything blithely, especially when it concerns a situation like this," he answered, his words clipped and his tone brusque.  "Secondly, Masaki and Oniishi will have far more time to figure this out and not get caught than we will have right now, plus they'll be able to bring the proper tools, something we don't have right now, unless you bought a tool kit at one of the souvenir shops.  And third," he finished, the anger in his eyes blazing, "what makes you think you'll just be standing around?  We have a job to do and you'll damn well do it." He turned as far as he was able to in the small area and began the shuffling step to back out.  Jun took deep breaths, her chest heaving at his outburst.  True, she had yelled at him first, and he did make excellent points, but .... But .... why did she feel like crying?  Or hitting something -- like him?  She had thought they were coming to some sort of ... what?  If not friendship, then certainly some sort of friendly middle ground. Obviously I underestimated that, Jun thought bitterly, and now he was back to the military aloofness that she had come to expect from him.  Did I really expect to change his mind with my little tantrum, she asked herself, slightly disgusted, though at him or herself, she wasn't sure.  She gave the tunnel one last look and then followed him back down the tunnel, her mind still churning. She acknowledged that she could have -- should have -- handled that a lot better than she did.  Okay, she granted herself, lesson learned.  Next time, I have to give him cold facts, things that he can't dispute.  If he always has an answer for everything, then it was about time she did too.

Redbird -- I loved how you portrayed the interaction between the team. You can just see Jinpei thinking he's all that and a bag of chips and now the rest of them are going to be stuck listening to him! Right up until, of course, Jun makes him wash the dishes back at the Snack J...

Redbird, I agree with Chris: you nailed their personalities in this one! I can see this happening on the show itself, except that unfortunately, in canon, they never recovered intel that could turn the tide of the war...

RIgirl: Jun's like me, she thinks people are her buddies way too early.

Aw, thanks guys. Jinpei is usually fun for me to write, the little booger. CW: Yeah, I think Jun is always worrying about Jinpei, even though he's a Science Ninja, and she always will, no matter what. Poor Joe sucked down too much smoke and couldn't explain the situation. But at least he tried! LOL. RIgirl: Of course Jinpei will be back mopping the floors of the Snack once they return, his delusions of grandeur, shattered. TJ: I'm just hoping what they found is something that will actually help them!

RIGirl--Man, that Red Impulse is just too much. I can't stand him which only proves the fact that you write him very well.

*snerk* It's always nice to hear that I'm staying true to character, Redbird! Thanks!

Originally posted by ChrisW RIgirl: Jun's like me, she thinks people are her buddies way too early.

Oh, me too, Chris! I tend to see the best, even in the worst, of people (which usually gets me in a lot of trouble; you'd think I'd learn by now!).

Originally posted by RIgirl

Originally posted by ChrisW RIgirl: Jun's like me, she thinks people are her buddies way too early.

Oh, me too, Chris! I tend to see the best, even in the worst, of people (which usually gets me in a lot of trouble; you'd think I'd learn by now!).

Well, we both have company then.

[unrecoverable text]

Not only was Keyop lying like a mattress, he was risking their covers! Hopefully that girl learned something about not believing everything she hears.

Awww, I think boasting about his role in G-Force is about all Keyop can do to impress the ladies! But yeah, he went WAY over the top. I'm sure the girl would have worked out his exaggerations for herself eventually, and not believed anything he told her.

I agree, it was too much of a risk even implying that he would have anything to do with G-Force. He's lucky Jason cleaned up his mess!

Ah, yes, when the desire to look important in someone else's eyes overrides good sense -- even though Keyop may not agree, it was a good thing Jason was there!

Posted in wrong thread, my apologies!

ditto

sorry about that folks, It has all been moved to #209 Hollow, where it belongs

Well, I did post something here, but on reflection, I've decided to move it too (You'll know what I mean when you read it ) Bradbury's Jar 210 Adult Post