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*ken*

Ken Washio sat on the floor in the middle of his shack, listening to the rain on the roof and wondering how he managed to entangle himself in such a mess. It seemed every time he went to the Snack just to relax and hang out, Jun tried to put the moves on him. And he was such a klutz he didn't know how to handle it. Hell, he didn't even know if he liked her that way. So he treated her with cold indifference and tried to brush her off. He knew it wasn't the best way to deal with things, but he didn't know what else to do. It was bad enough he knew he was hurting her feelings, but now he was really embarrassed because Jun had found out about his escapade with ....what's her name. To be fair, the girl was an absolutely awesome cook and she was quite pretty. As Joe would say, that was a positive, not a negative. Then he remembered Joe was an idiot about women sometimes. But apparently Jun had gone berserk, when she heard the story. Ken wasn't sure how she found out, but he had a niggling feeling it was probably Jinpei. So now he lost his hangout spot, and with nowhere to go, was a virtual prisoner in his own home. A prisoner because....what's her name... had begun stalking him and knew where he lived. He knew he was in trouble when she hinted that she was looking to settle down and started talking about marriage. To be honest he had his suspicions when he saw all the wedding magazines at her place and a book about relationships on her coffee table. It was then he realized that she was looking at him as a merely a prize and not a person. Something to be won and not cherished. At that point he told her he wasn't interested in getting married anytime soon, and that he thought they should stop seeing each other. But his confession had no effect on her and she had made several attempts to lure him out of his shack with promises of home cooked dinners. It was getting so bad that he was tempted to report the whole thing to Nambu Hakase, just to have something on record. Ken felt like a dope, he had fallen for the girl's act hook, line and sinker. He was never going to take Joe's advice about women again. Maybe he was used to women trying to kill him, but Ken wasn't. He was too young for all this! He clutched his head in his hands. It throbbed so badly, he was afraid his brain would splatter the walls. As much as he wanted to blame Joe, he knew it was his own fault. He walked over to the kitchen to make himself some tea, noting his pallid hands, and his weakened legs shook as if there was an earthquake beneath his feet. He really needed to eat something. There was no way he could survive on ramen noodles for the rest of his life. But he had squandered too much money recently on repairs to the shack to afford food, and he was afraid if he went to the Snack that Jun would poison him, intentionally or not. No matter what, it was critical that he get some nourishment into his body. It was so bad that he dreamed of a loaded pizza a few nights ago and woke up with the edge of his blanket in his mouth. The rain showers continued coming down outside. He thought about making rice, but glanced at the burnt pot in the sink, rice cemented to the bottom. Been there done that. Shivering with hunger and cold, his hand wandered over the scar across his shoulder, a gift from Galactor. Ken lay down on the couch, shoving a pillow beneath his head. He thought about calling Joe to see if he could drop off some food, but he knew his friend would erupt with laughter and want to why Ken didn't want to leave the house and who the prime suspect in the stalking was. Ok this was ridiculous! It was time to do something brash. He was hungry and fed up. And he was Gatchaman, dammit. The White Shadow that slipped in unseen. He fought off hordes of Galactor goons with his bare hands! Had faced Berg Katse more than once! And he was afraid to leave his house. Come on man! He could hear Joe's voice in his head. Don't let a skirt get the best of you! Ken rose from the couch once more and padded over to the window. Normally he would be able to see the brilliant blue sky, but he wouldn't today. Everything was cloudy and grey. "Come on Washio." he muttered to himself, tapping a finger lightly against the windowpane. "Stay frosty". He jumped as a reflection on the window winked back at him. His bracelet. It was flashing and pinging like mad. "This is Gatchaman, go ahead." "You must assemble at once! Galactor has launched an attack on Utoland City!" "I'm on the way Hakase.." Ken's mind raced, no longer thinking about his empty stomach or the pleasure of being stuffed from home made dinners. He grabbed the keys to the shack, which were atop a renewal for "In Flight" magazine and a book about stockholm syndrome. Hair flying behind him, he raced out the door all the while praying the G1's wings wouldn't freeze before Ryu picked him up.

*joe*

"Goddammit!" Joe muttered, sucking on the end of his thumb, tongue tasting blood. Carefully, he backed out from under the hood of the G2 and tossed his shop rag aside. He watched the other guys working on their cars, the Preston Team with their fancy yellow and black uniforms talking trash and casting the rest of them dirty looks all morning. He growled low in his throat and leaned back against his car. The track was all up in arms over them, for they had taken the circuit by storm. It didn't sit too well with him, he was stuck in a rut himself, having lost the last two races, coming in second and third. As if the stress of fighting Galactor wasn't bad enough, he had to deal with those posturing clowns on his off time. They usually didn't give him too much grief, for the first day they tried one of their juvenile tricks on him, was also the last day. There had been rumors that members of their crew had been involved in the theft and hijack of some of the fancier cars around town. Apparently a few of these crimes had occurred in the business district during broad daylight. "Hiya Joe!" Cletus called out to him, waving as he passed by to water the little pot of parched roses, that had mysteriously appeared the other day, atop an old oil drum outside his garage bay. How they survived during the winter Joe had no idea. He made a mental note to get rid of them later. He turned back to the car grabbing a socket wrench from his back pocket, when he heard the not so dulcet tones of Stu, the track manager as he stood outside, arguing with someone. "Jesus Christ! For the twentieth time Dave, I'm not hiring a woman to work here!" Who the hell is Dave? Joe thought ducking back under the hood and adjusting his drop light. "Aw, come on Stu! Why not?" "I'll tell you why not! I can see her becoming the entertainment around here that's why not! Your minds should be on racing and your cars, not some woman prancing around in hot pants..." "Well you gotta admit it would put a little sizzle in this old dump...." Joe chuckled to himself as they moved further down the line and out of his range of hearing. Stu was always in a bind over something. From what he heard he was looking for someone to work in the office. Apparently the last guy they had working there had left to go to college rather abruptly, so it was a scramble to find someone new. They really needed someone with experience, who could deal with Stu's grumpy moods, as well as the other horn-dogs and dirtbags that worked and raced there. So he laughed at Dave's anticipation that some chick might actually be hired. If they ever took on a woman for the job he was sure she'd probably be looked upon as a toy, or Stu's knowing luck, would be a speed freak looking to steal high-end parts for money to pay for their habit. No, for a woman to work there, she really needed to have a set of balls, who knew cars and could put up with their crap. His thoughts turned to the red-haired girl on the motorcycle he had met during the spring. They had caught each other's eye at the old Americo Station on Route 6. She had the greenest eyes he had ever seen. Not to mention she was cute and didn't pull any punches. Honestly, he found it refreshing to have someone be so frank with him. They spent most of the summer together. Days and nights. Joe smiled at the memory. He thought he'd never get all that beach sand out of the G2. It had been good, great even, but when October rolled around, she vanished. He tried calling but the connection wouldn't go through. He'd even been tempted to use his ISO contacts to track her down, but thought better of it. If she didn't want to share her reason for leaving, he could respect that. Maybe they'd see each other out on the highway again someday. It was a small world and God only knows stranger things had happened to him. The ISO, Joe snorted, grimacing as he tugged on a particularly stubborn bolt. If he didn't start winning some races, the ISO'd kick him off the track pretty soon. Toss him and his luggage by the side of the road so to speak. One of the other teams had lost their best driver in a crash a few weeks back. There had been a memorial service for him. Joe hadn't known the guy well, but he had been a good racer and he couldn't imagine the devastation the man's family felt after his death. He'd been away for a while and he felt a little bit of an outcast trying to catch up on all the news he had missed. There just wasn't much time to devote to the track, especially when he was trying to vanquish Galactor from the face of the Earth. Part time racer, full time Condor he supposed. One thing he had to admit was that elusive first place finish was tempting him like forbidden fruit. It put him on edge and the other night he engaged in a game of chicken on one of the remote highways outside of town. The speed and the danger was what attracted him to it. It was in his blood. Wiping his brow with his forearm, he straightened up and stretched, wincing as his back cracked. There had been a special Rally in Ameris he wanted to participate in, but Hakase had them take a mission at the embassy in Monalince. When the team returned, the G2 needed a total overhaul. He just couldn't catch a break. If it had breasts or brakes it always gave you trouble. Speaking of trouble, Ken seemed to think he made a fatal mistake in going out with that chick that knew how to cook. The whole thing seemed a little bizarre to him, but Ken was weird when it came to women. He couldn't tell if he was busting his chops or really serious. Jun was angry with him too, for whatever reason she picked for that particular week, so now he was making up little white lies about why he was avoiding the Snack. Joe's thoughts were interrupted by the shrill sound of feedback screeching over the loudspeaker, signaling an impending message. Sure enough, there came an announcement that the days racing was put on delay, because there was a string of bad storms in the area and they were right in their path. He fished around in one of his tool boxes, looking for the new gear shift knob he had sent away for from a specialty shop. A flash of confusion crossed his face, when after a moment's digging, he couldn't find it. Ah well, he probably left it back on the kitchen table at home. Speaking of, it was getting late anyway and he needed to get back to the trailer. While it was no fancy manor, it was his, and he was looking forward to a hot shower and perhaps a nap. The voice over the loudspeaker continued to drone on stating that anyone out on the track during the delay was in violation of the rules, and if caught, they would incur fines and penalties against their team. Not to mention that any participating sponsorships would be frozen until the aforementioned penalties and fines were cleared. The rain was coming down hard and Joe knew before long the whole place would turn into a muddy swamp. He needed to get out of there fast, if he didn't want to get stuck in a flood. He tossed his tools into his toolbox and grabbed his drop light, locking them in the trunk. He was in firm belief of 'get while the gettin' was good'. Joe opened the door, sliding into the car, tossing a T-shirt he had received as a promotion onto the back seat. He was surprised to see one of his feather darts resting on the passenger seat next to him, beneath the shirt. After taking it up between his fingers and scrutinizing it for defects, he jammed the shuriken into the hidden pocket in his jeans. He had just started the car when his bracelet began to chime. The Gatchaman medallion flashing wildly on its face. He briefly wondered what kind of scrape they would have to work their way out of this time. "G2 here." "You must assemble at once! Galactor has launched an attack on Utoland City!" "Roger, G2 out !" Joe shifted the car into gear, hitting the horn as he pulled out of the bay. Torrential rain pelted the G2, making it difficult to see and he flicked the wipers on full blast. He tore through the lot that led to the exit and floored it as he merged onto the highway, the road clear ahead of him. He wondered if he could make it to the coordinates in landmark time. What the hell, he needed the practice anyhow. He grinned and pushed the car into high gear, engine roaring, as the taillights disappeared in the rain.

~fin~

That's very natural for a "use every prompt" story! Well done! Though I wanted it to continue. So many questions!

I agree with Chris, excellent use of all the prompts! I salute you. Still, an attack on Utoland City is a bit close to home for them, I hope they were successful in defeating Galactor!

Great job, RB! It flowed very naturally but I agree - it needs more - keep going!

BRAVO! This is very well-written, and I`m looking forward to reading more, too! (Hmm...could you be holding out for the next multi-prompt challenge? )

Wow! Redbird, I am impressed! You used all of the prompts and it is a great story! I agree with everyone else...I am dying to know how the Ken/Jun feud works out...and I am wondering what will happen on the mission? Great work!

It was a fun challenge! Thank you for all the comments!

Originally posted by mylari but I agree - it needs more - keep going!

Originally posted by ElectricWhite This is very well-written, and I`m looking forward to reading more, too! (Hmm...could you be holding out for the next multi-prompt challenge? )

Originally posted by Springie I am dying to know how the Ken/Jun feud works out...and I am wondering what will happen on the mission?

OMG, you guys are trying to kill me aren't you? LOL.

Originally posted by Redbird OMG, you guys are trying to kill me aren't you? LOL.

Heck, you should have seen it when almost every word of mine got pokey sticks!

"Point" taken, LOL.

Awesome job, Redbird! I like how you broke it up among them and brought them all together in the end. (and Ken having "In Flight" magazines ... )

Thanks RiGirl! In all my fics/prompts "In Flight" is Ken's favorite magazine. LOL.

LOL, thanks TJ