The world was black and full of pain, intense searing pain. He wanted it to stop, to just not feel it anymore but he stayed still, not moving in a state between this world and the next on a grassy field.
Wasn’t the pain supposed to go away in the moments before you die?
It won’t be long now before he was free of it, soon he thought soon…
His death was coming and he longed for it. If only to end to pain he felt through his body and the blinding agony in his mind. Then it seemed to finally come as the pain began to leave and darkness swallowed him up…
Time passed as his body lay there, how long for? Hours? Days? Who knows? He will never know.
Then the world suddenly began to become light once more… He was still alive!
Still he could not move his body; he was back in that state of suspended animation. Then he heard a voice, a woman’s voice that he did not recognize, with a slight accent. “Good, you’re breathing again.” there was relief in her voice. “I have to move you from here, and I’ll have to drag you. I hope you’ll forgive me for any pain I cause you.” He was not a position to argue, nor did he have control anyway.
Why was he not dead yet?
He felt hands on his shoulders and the feeling of movement. Pain shot through his body again, but he still could not voice it. He wanted to scream, cry out in pain, but he couldn’t, nothing responded. Numbness began to take over. Then he heard a deep rumbling sound, at first it was distant and the sound became stronger, louder more intense.
It sounded like an avalanche and it was coming for them. He wanted to tell this woman to run, leave him, he was done for anyway, but his mouth would not respond to the request and nothing moved for him. So he lay still as he felt a body fall over his own and felt hair cover his face.
Was it dust?
Is that what he felt; Dust? He could not tell. Then he heard coughing. She was coughing. “Let me clean some of that dirt of your face, especially your nose.” Then he was being dragged again for how long he could not tell, time meant nothing to him.
Then he stopped moving again. Voices, he heard more voices. “Who are you?” she asked someone. “I am Dr Raphael, and who might you be?” He asked her. “I am an engineer; I escaped from that base before the explosion. The Science Ninja Team is in there so it’s a dangerous place to be.”
Silence for a moment. “I can understand that Madame Oiselle. I have no intention of going in there either, and who is this man?” He questioned her again. “I don’t know… I found him just before the explosion. He would have been buried under the rubble if I didn’t move him. He is badly injured and needs medical attention. Could you help him Doctor? He had stopped breathing just after I found him, but I managed to revive him a little”
She asked intently. “Yes… maybe I could, but why? Is he someone you know? Does it make any difference to you if he lives or dies?” The Doctor quizzed her again; her voice took on an almost angry tone. “No! But does that matter he is another human being who needs my help, I couldn’t just leave him there, and if his life can be saved…” Her voice trailed off. “Good answer. Looking at him, I believe this man could be a ninja. That makes him a dangerous man, and useful too. I can save him. I have longed to flee Galactor to continue my own work and he would benefit greatly from it, help me get him into the vehicle over there.”
He felt himself begin to move again, and then the world went black.
Joe woke up with a start and sat straight up in bed, moonlight was coming in through the warehouse apartment window and for a moment he had to think of where he was. He shook his head as if to come to his senses and looked at the woman lying naked and uncovered beside him.
Joe knew where he was.
He got out of the bed and stood up looking toward the refection of himself in the window. Like a warrior in days gone by he squared his muscular shoulders and stood straight showing full a body that had seen many battles and carried the scars, a hard look crossed his face and his steel grey/blue eyes as his thoughts went back to the dream he just had. He ran his fingers through his shaggy thick dark auburn hair that fell to his shoulders.
His whole body was naked, and perfect muscle tone rippled under his olive toned Sicilian skin. The Condor of the Science Ninja Team moved towards the window. Joe Asakura’s physique was something that women would give anything just to get a glimpse of, and even more to run her hands over.
And many women had tried.
The moonlight bouncing of his body only highlighted his ruggedly handsome face that showed a maturity and experience far beyond his 25 years.
Joe put his hands on the window sill and looked out over the city view of the bay area. He had not had that dream for at least a year now. But before it was hard to remember any real details from it, and the conversations he could not repeat when he was awake. But tonight the voices were clear, kind of, at least he remembered the words. The woman had an accent but he could not pick it.
He looked back at the beautiful woman who had recently come into his life. She did not know him really, so much of his life he could not tell her… so much he wanted to, but feared he would lose her if she knew.
So instead he chose to go to her world instead of bringing her into his. Her apartment, places she liked to go, her life, he walked back over to the bed and looked at her. She was unlike any woman he had ever known. He had fallen in love, and when he fell in love with a woman, Joe Asakura fell hard. Thick dark long wavy copper hair fell onto the pillow; she was lying on her stomach head turned to the side with one hand in front of her face, the moonlight making her fair skin look whiter.
He picked up a bed sheet that they had discarded earlier in the evening while making love, and placed it over her as he lay back down beside her. Madeline moved on her side and he took her into his arms. She lay half across him now and he embraced her, he began to go find sleep again.
He had lost women he had loved because of Galactor. She was far from those women; he looked at her lovely face as sleep began to take him, she was everything to him. Every moment with her was intoxicating for him and he could not get enough of her. He would not lose her, but his secrets could destroy the one real love he has ever had in his life…