Chapter 1

The largest department store in Utoland didn’t have it. He had been everywhere, and it was nowhere to be found.

He would never find a Christmas gift for Jun. Ken sighed heavily, mentally checking off the places he had already been.

Clothing was out. Giving Jun something she could never wear would be a cruel joke. Jewelry posed a similar problem, as unknown metals could interfere with their transformation fields. Stuffed animals were too cutesy, books too impersonal.

Of course, it didn’t help that he had certain restrictions. For months he’d been hoping to give Jun a special Christmas gift and declare himself, telling her how she occupied his thoughts, day and night.

A nearby television set was tuned to the local news, and tired shoppers sat at tiny tables, drinking overpriced coffee as their weary eyes unconsciously watched the nightly parade of tragedies crossing the screen.

“The cause of riots in Ifriqia has been traced to a scarcity of food, caused by the fraudulent dealings of two Igyptian businessmen. Arrested and interrogated, the two men admitted that they had been working for the benefit of the Galactor terrorist organization.”

And there was the rub.

Ken could not allow himself to be with Jun as long as Galactor threatened the world. Jun was an officer under his command. When he had first noticed her as a woman, he had casually put off any serious thoughts of approaching her, anticipating that their war with Galactor would be over in a matter of weeks. Yet all too soon he had realized that it would take a little longer than he had expected. He had soothed his desire for Jun by allowing his thoughts and fantasies free rein, as he had lain alone in his bed, night after night.

Too late, he had discovered that this secretive behavior had only intensified his need for her.

Barely noticing where he was going, Ken trudged through the department store, trying to reach the exit. As he made his way amongst the tide of frenzied holiday shoppers, he suddenly stopped, looking around.

Was someone talking to him?

“I know what’s bothering you, young man!” smirked an older woman. Her nametag proclaimed her to be a sales associate for the store. “You are trying to find the perfect gift, for the perfect young woman, aren’t you?”

Ken’s mouth fell open. How did she know?

“I see it all the time.” the woman whispered in an exaggerated fashion. “Young men who can’t find a gift. But don’t worry, I know exactly what to do for you!”

“You do?” Ken asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable. His eyes shifted around nervously, searching for an escape.

“I know exactly what every young lady needs.” said the sales associate, pulling Ken physically out of the path of holiday shoppers and into a small niche lined with shelves full of glossy boxes.

“Cosmetics!” crowed the woman, her face bursting into a wrinkled smile as she gestured to her wares. “What girl wouldn’t simply adore a Lanel No. 8 lipstick selection? And just for today, it comes packaged in this lovely silk purse, sure to adorn her arm beautifully as she carries it about town.”

Ken nearly choked. He couldn’t see Jun needing even one lipstick, much less a ‘selection’. And the thought of Jun carrying a purse…

“Uh, I don’t think so…” he muttered. “Thanks anyway.” He darted quickly back into the crowd, rushing as fast as he could for the exit.

No sooner was he out on the street than he began to hear the calls of sellers lining the market square, doing their best to lure in seekers of Christmas gifts. Ken looked around the area, searching for a store that he had not yet visited; one that might yet hold the thing he sought.

And there it was: a place he had not yet been. It was a small building painted dark green with artfully pebbled windows. It looked fresh and inviting on the cold December day, and Ken moved forward eagerly, opening the door and stepping into the warmth of the small shop. A pretty young girl turned to smile pleasantly at him.

“Good afternoon, Sir.” she said politely. “Were you looking for some flowers?”

Ken froze, as he suddenly realized that he was indeed in a florist’s shop. Brightly colored blossoms surrounded him. As he turned, a fiery red flower in a pot caught his eye, and he stared at it, transfixed.

“That breed of poppy is beautiful, isn’t it?” the salesgirl gushed. “So unique, and this kind has been crossbred with other strains for strength and hardiness. It would make a lovely Christmas gift… for a lady friend, perhaps?”

Ken coughed and sputtered as he thought of giving Jun this flower that bore such a strong resemblance to the Jigokiller that had swallowed her whole the previous month.

Suddenly, lipsticks and a purse didn’t sound like such a bad idea.

*****

“So what did you get?” Joe asked, as Ken sank down into his seat at the Snack J. “Show me.”

“There’s nothing to show.” Ken grimaced, wishing for the millionth time that Joe wasn’t so damned perceptive. They had grown up together, and while they didn’t always see eye to eye, they could usually read each other instantly. In the heat of battle, and during missions, this came in handy. But in their personal lives, it drove Ken crazy. Joe would confront him about something, and not let up until Ken admitted what was wrong and did something about it. But when something was bothering Joe, the Condor would just retreat behind a stone faced mask and not say a word, no matter how much Ken challenged him. On occasion, Joe would open up, but it was always on the Condor’s own terms.

How different it was with Jun. She could always sense Ken’s moods, but she let him come to her, and made herself available to him when she knew he needed it. Often Ken found himself seeking out her company when something was on his mind. Even if he couldn’t tell her what was bothering him, she still had that innate instinct that allowed him to feel as if the weight on his shoulders had somehow lightened.

“What you mean, ‘nothing to show’?” Joe’s indignant snort interrupted Ken’s train of thought. “You’ve been out all day! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. You don’t have any more time.”

“I know!” Ken snapped. “You don’t need to remind me.”

“All I’m saying is…” Joe paused as Jun came into the room, then ‘resumed’ his sentence, “you can’t expect Galactor to take a break, just because it’s the holidays.”

“You’re right, Joe.” Ken said quickly, moving over toward Jun. Once again, she had provided what he needed, which in this case was a way to get Joe off of his back.

“How’s business, Jun?” Ken asked.

“Slow.” Jun said, leaning her elbows on the bar. “I thought that with everyone doing their last-minute shopping, I’d have a bunch of customers. But no one has come by at all today.”

“What am I, chopped liver?” Joe grunted from the back of the room, but Ken ignored him.

“Why don’t you get outside?” Ken asked. “Come out for a walk. Get some fresh air.”

“Okay.” Jun said, a gentle, pink flush staining her cheeks. She was so beautiful when she smiled; so happy with such a small, simple thing.

And it made Ken happy to do that for her.

“Let’s go to the park.” he suggested, knowing how she liked seeing the green space in the center of the city.

Jun went upstairs to talk to Jinpei about taking over the Snack for about an hour, and Ken found his thoughts drifting to ‘what ifs’… What if the war were over? What if he could actually be with Jun? What if…

He blinked as Jun came down the stairs, then helped her with her jacket. As they walked out the door, Ken glanced over at Joe. The Condor winked quickly, before lowering his head to stare into his drink.

“See you later, Joe!” Jun called.

“Don’t hurry back.” Joe mumbled.

Chapter 2

The baby in her arms stirred, yawning silently in the special way that newborns do, then settling back down again into sleep. But his mother wasn’t fooled. She knew that the little boy would want to nurse again, and soon. Part of her longed to put him to her breast again, and feel a physical connection to her son once more. But she had already become too attached, and increasing that attachment could only lead to more heartache.

She had been sitting in the bushes of Utoland Central Park for nearly an hour. She knew what she wanted to do… what she had to do… but she was finding it difficult to actually go through with it.

Of course, sitting here, wanting a few more moments with this child in her arms, was only making it more difficult with each passing second.

She heard voices coming up the path. It sounded like a couple: a young man and a young woman. She looked at their faces, which bore friendly expressions. They would be good to her little boy.

They had to be.

Choking back a tear, the young mother smoothed the wrinkled skin on her baby boy’s forehead, placing a soft kiss on his brow.

“I’ll always love you, little Stephen.” she whispered, her eyes stinging with emotion.

Quickly, she stepped out of the bushes, just as the young couple turned a corner, temporarily passing out of sight. She placed her baby in the middle of the path, then moved back into the bushes, so that she could ensure that everything happened as it should.

But that was hardly right. If things had happened as they should, she would have given birth with Stephen by her side, and watched his eyes light up as he beheld his son: his namesake. Perhaps it was dangerous to have given the boy his father’s name, but it was the only connection he might ever have to his biological parents, and she thought it was important that he have at least that one slim thread, even if he would never know it.

The young couple turned the corner, and the woman cried out as she saw the baby lying in the path. She came running to Stephen, picking him up and reading his name on the piece of paper pinned to the blanket wrapped around him.

The tears began to flow freely now, and the memories came flooding back. Had it really been only a year ago?

*****

She looked up as she heard the door open. There were not many visitors to the Galactor Archives at Cross Karokorum. But that wasn’t such a bad thing. While she had been born into the Galactor organization, she wasn’t truly comfortable with many of the methods she knew the Syndicate used. She wasn’t able to leave Galactor, but at least she had made herself useful in a quiet position: one that demanded her complete attention and lack of assistants. Her skills as a librarian had been noted by those who assigned people to the numerous menial tasks that allowed Galactor to operate without interruption. She had quickly been promoted to Head Archivist, and then transferred to Cross Karokorum, where Galactor Headquarters was based. She maintained the vast databases of information that were required by Galactor officials in planning out various strategies and tactics as they furthered their goals around the world. From time to time, an aide in a green uniform would visit her, requesting information, and she would provide what was needed. But more often than not, such requests were made electronically, and at times she had gone for nearly a month without seeing anyone while at her job.

The sound of footsteps echoed across the room, and she stood up from her workstation, moving toward the reception desk to greet her visitor.

“Hello?” called a voice. “Is there anyone here?”

It was a man’s voice, which wasn’t unexpected, as there were few women at Cross Karokorum, and most of them were in administrative positions such as hers. But this wasn’t the voice of an average Galactor soldier. It was… cultured. Its smooth, slightly accented tones were almost melodic, and she found herself curious as to her visitor’s identity.

“I’m coming!” she called, hurrying forward. “I was just in the back, organizing some new data files.”

She stepped out into the reception area to find a tall, slim man leaning elegantly against the desk. His pale skin seemed highly suited to this underground room with no natural illumination, but his blue eyes blazed with warmth and light. Long, blond hair spilled down his neck, neatly tied back with some kind of leather cord.

“Hello.” she whispered, taken aback by this unexpected vision. “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

“The pleasure was all mine.” the man smiled. “Are you the Head Archivist here?”

“Yes, well, the only Archivist, really.” she replied. “Victoria Williams, Head Archivist to a staff of none.”

“You shouldn’t disparage your position, Victoria.” the man said kindly. “Staff or not, the information you hold here is valuable to Galactor, and without someone to sort and access it for us, our decisions would not be as grounded and well-informed as they need to be.”

“Oh.” Victoria blushed. She had never received a compliment quite like this before. Not that she had ever received many compliments. She was a quiet sort of girl, and had never been one to socialize much, even at school. “Thank you.” She gulped nervously. What was it about this man that set her pulse fluttering nervously in her throat?

“How can I help you, Sir?” she asked, somewhat more composed.

“How rude of me; I haven’t introduced myself.” the man replied. “I’m Stephen Lancaster, and I was looking for information about the previous Lords of Galactor.”

“Previous… you mean, before Berg Katse?” Victoria asked, her interest in the question at hand momentarily pushing aside her simple delight in knowing the man’s name. “Well there is a very short answer to your question, which is to say that there is none.”

“What?” Stephen’s face appeared confused.

“There have been many leaders of Galactor.” Victoria smiled, explaining her statement. “Even Chiefs and Ministers. But no one before Berg Katse has held the title of Lord of Galactor.”

“Ah.” Stephen smiled, his face lighting up with… something. She couldn’t quite identify what was behind his eyes, but she found it… attractive.

“Did you have a specific person in mind, or did you simply wish to view a brief history of Galactor Leadership?” Victoria asked. “If I have more specifics, I’ll be able to help you find the information you seek.”

“Let’s begin with the history of Galactor leadership.” Stephen replied.

Victoria pulled up the requested information on a nearby computer console, and before long the two of them were discussing the strengths and weaknesses of previous Galactor Leaders. She was surprised to discover that Stephen already had a fair bit of knowledge about this kind of history, but it was jumbled, and without anything to tie it all together. Gradually, she sifted through his questions and insights, adding her own and clarifying various issues for him. They were deeply involved in a debate over the benefits of socialism versus democracy as the basis for an ideal world governance, when Victoria heard a soft chime.

It was time to close the Archives for the night. She had spent most of her day in conversation with Stephen.

“Oh, my!” she exclaimed, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. “I didn’t realize how much time had passed. I’m so sorry to have wasted your time, Stephen.”

“Not at all, Victoria.” he smiled. “Perhaps we should continue this conversation over dinner.”

“Oh, no… I couldn’t.” she shook her head. “It would be inappropriate.”

“I have a little pull around here.” Stephen told her. “It doesn’t have to be inappropriate to share a meal.”

“I can’t…” Victoria turned away. Technically, there might be an impropriety in having dinner with Stephen, but generally that kind of thing wasn’t frowned upon by Galactor officials. No, the real reason was more pedestrian than that.

She was shy.

She had just spent three hours speaking with this man, completely forgetting herself, and now her shyness had suddenly come to the fore. She could hardly believe she had been so forward already, and the idea of having dinner with him… alone… and all that it might imply…

It frightened her.

Victoria had never been a very brave person, and so she went with her instincts, and refused Stephen’s request politely. But he wasn’t about to take that as her final answer.

“Next time, then.” he said, smiling into her eyes.

“Next time…” she murmured, secretly wondering if there would ever be a ‘next time’.

*****

But there had been a ‘next time’. And not just one. After that first meeting, Stephen had come to visit her every week or two, always with an obscure question in tow that they would spend hours discussing and researching together, their two blond heads bent over the computer data displays. Many times he had arrived in a frustrated and tense mood, but he had always left with a smile on his face.

After his third visit she had checked on his personnel file: the public version that was a part of the Galactor Archives. His records hadn’t said much, but she had found herself lingering over his image.

It had been on his fourth visit that she had finally agreed to have dinner with him. And it had been just that: dinner, with the same fascinating conversation they enjoyed at the Archives. Of course, neither her workplace nor the staff cafeteria were romantic venues, but somehow Victoria had found her heart fluttering whenever she was with Stephen, regardless of location.

She had been aware that she wasn’t experienced in dealing with men, and she had tried to keep that at the forefront of her mind. But more and more, it had seemed that Stephen had felt the same way she did. And then there had been that night…

Victoria shook her head, clearing it of these thoughts. There was no use going through her memories right now. She needed to pay attention. The couple was moving away, her little Stephen cradled in the young woman’s arms.

Victoria knew she wasn’t stealthy, so she stayed as far back as she dared, while still keeping the couple in view. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but that didn’t matter if she could see where they were going.

She had to follow them. She had to know where they were taking her son, and make sure that he would be all right. It was nearly killing her to abandon little Stephen, and the only thing that would allow her to do it was to be certain that he would be well cared for.

Even so, she knew that the pain she was feeling at this moment would never leave her.

Chapter 3

“He’s so tiny.” whispered Jun, gently rocking the baby in her arms as they walked.

“His skin is all wrinkled.” Ken frowned. “And he’s so thin. I thought babies were supposed to be chubby?”

“He’s a newborn.” Jun explained. “Babies look like this for the first couple of weeks, and then they begin to develop fat, and get that more plump look you’re thinking of.”

“You mean, he’s only a couple of weeks old?” Ken was shocked.

“I’d guess a couple of days.” Jun sighed. “He reminds me of some of the babies who were born at the orphanage, and then abandoned.”

“Just like he’s been abandoned.” Ken added, before lowering his voice to a whisper. “Although I’m pretty sure whoever left him on the pathway is following us.”

“I thought so.” Jun nodded. “Whoever it is, they’re not very stealthy. But I’m glad. It’s probably his mother, and she wants to know where we’ll take him.”

“Why didn’t she just leave him at a hospital, or an orphanage, herself?” Ken wondered.

“Maybe she doesn’t know about the immunity law in Utoland.” Jun shrugged. “She thought she might be prosecuted for child abandonment?”

“I guess so.” Ken said, surreptitiously glancing back behind him. He supposed it was the nature of his job; that being followed made him feel uncomfortable, no matter the reason.

“This is what Christmas is all about, isn’t it?” Jun said quietly. “A newborn baby, and all of the love in the world unable to keep him from tragedy…”

“It’s hardly the same.” Ken pointed out. “There isn’t any tragedy…”

“Except the tragedy of losing his mother.” Jun replied hotly. “I know what it’s like to grow up without knowing who you are, or where you came from. Children deserve better than that.”

“I guess they do…” Ken looked at the ground to hide his discomfort.

“He’s adorable.” Jun said, as she cuddled the infant. “I wish I could keep him…”

Ken felt a tightening in his chest. This was what Jun wanted for herself someday. It was what she deserved. But Ken didn’t know if he would ever be able to give her a baby of her own. How could he tell her how he felt, when he couldn’t even guarantee that he’d be alive to see the end of the war? His own father was now truly gone. If Red Impulse had to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the Earth, there was no guarantee that Gatchaman wouldn’t have to do the same.

Ken was ready to make that sacrifice, if necessary. And he knew that Jun was as well. But he couldn’t make any promises to her, knowing that he might not be around to fulfill them.

“You know that’s not possible, Jun.” he told her. “You can’t keep him. This isn’t like when you took care of Jinpei as a baby.”

“I know, Ken.” Jun grimaced. “I just don’t like it. But I agree that we should take him to the Utoland City Orphanage.”

It only took them about ten minutes to reach their destination, and the entire time, Ken felt prickles running down his neck. They were still being tailed. It was only the sheer ineptitude of their follower that prevented Ken from turning around and confronting him. Or her…

A wave of pity washed over Ken, as he recalled what Jun had said about their follower likely being the child’s mother. As they came to the front of the orphanage he turned to Jun, speaking loudly enough for his voice to carry back.

“We’ll leave him here. He’ll be safe, and they’ll find him a good home.”

A small rustle caught his eye from around a corner. Briefly, he saw a woman wrapped in a heavy shawl, her efforts to hide almost comical to his trained view. Inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief. This was no Galactor assassin. Jun had been right. It probably was the baby’s mother. Ken noticed that she didn’t follow them into the building as he and Jun entered the orphanage.

“How can I help you?” asked a plump, matronly woman at the reception desk. Her eyes fell on the infant in Jun’s arms. “Is this about…?”

“Yes.” Jun said. “We found him in the park, in the middle of a walking path.”

“You found him?” the receptionist asked sharply. “I’ll have to call the police, then.”

“The police?” Jun asked, surprised. “Why?”

“It’s against the law to abandon a baby.” the woman responded. “Legally, I have to contact the authorities. I know they will want to ask you some questions.”

Ken frowned. He didn’t want to get the baby’s mother in trouble, and clearly she had her own reasons for not leaving the baby at an orphanage or hospital herself. Additionally, he didn’t want to draw attention to himself, lest it put his civilian identity in jeopardy of being linked to his identity as Gatchaman.

“I’m sorry, you must have misheard me.” Jun said slowly. “I meant that in the park, we found that we couldn’t take care of him. He’s our baby.”

Ken fought back an urge to choke as he heard Jun’s words.

“Yours?” the woman looked back and forth from Jun to Ken, understanding dawning in her eyes.

“Yes. There’s an immunity law in Utoland, isn’t there?” Jun asked. “I can drop my baby off at an orphanage or hospital, no questions asked, right?”

“Yes.” the receptionist agreed. “That’s right. And it’s very… thoughtful of you, to take care of this little one.”

“His name is Stephen.” Jun said, handing the infant over to the woman. “He has his name here.” She pointed to a piece of paper pinned to the baby’s blanket, upon which the name had been written.

“Looks like little Stephen needs to be changed and fed.” the woman noted, as she picked up the baby. “I’ll take care of that.”

“Thank you.” Ken said, taking Jun’s elbow and steering her toward the door.

“No, thank you.” the receptionist answered meaningfully. “You’ve done a very kind thing.”

Jun smiled at the woman, before she and Ken left the orphanage.

“Who was that, Frannie?” asked the Head Nurse, as she came into the reception area.

“A young couple, dropping off a baby boy.” the receptionist replied. “He needs to be changed and fed.”

“I can do that.” the nurse said, taking the baby from Frannie and moving into an adjacent room. “You’ve had a long day.”

“Thanks, Nancy.” the receptionist sighed, following the nurse and watching as she placed the baby on a changing table. “It’s been hard. It’s depressing, around the holidays, when money is tight, and everyone is hoping for a miracle… especially the children.”

“Did you say that this baby was a boy?” Nancy asked absently, as she found the right size of diaper.

“That’s what the couple told me.”

“This is a girl, Frannie.”

“What?” The receptionist started. She glanced over at the now-bare infant, who was indeed female. She supposed she shouldn’t be surprised. It was obvious that those two hadn’t really been the baby’s parents, and had simply felt sorry for whoever had abandoned the child. And Frannie had chosen to look the other way.

“I guess I misunderstood, when they brought him in.” the receptionist covered for her lapse. “And there was a name pinned to the blanket…”

“Yes, I see… Stephen.” the nurse said, glancing at the note. “The paper is torn on the end. It probably said ‘Stephenie’.” Frannie nodded in agreement.

“Yes, I’m sure that’s it.”

*****

When they exited the Utoland City Orphanage, there was no sign of the woman who had followed them. Ken made a point of checking around for her for the first few minutes after they had left, but she was gone.

“I need to be getting back to the J.” Jun said, her breath visible as white puffs in the chilly air. She rubbed her hands along her arms as they walked, despite her jacket, but Ken could tell that there was more than the cold and the Snack J on her mind.

“He’s going to be fine.” Ken said in a low voice. “They’ll take care of him. And he’s so young, he’s likely to be adopted quickly into a good home.”

“I know…” Jun said, her voice drifting off as she stared sightlessly out into the twilight. “I just wish…” She stopped, and she turned to look at Ken, her eyes full of a pain that Ken had never seen before. He felt helpless, not knowing what to say or do to make it go away.

He was saved from having to respond by the sound of beeping emanating from his wrist.

“Yes?” he said, answering the call.

“Ken, I need you to come to my office downtown.” Dr. Nambu instructed.

“I’m on my way.” he replied, terminating the transmission.

“Will you be all right?” he asked Jun. Her back was to him, so he couldn’t see her face. Tentatively he reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but she shifted and he ended up awkwardly pulling his arm back, before she saw what he had been trying to do.

“I’ll be fine.” Jun said, turning around and quickly swiping at her face. “Go see Hakase, Ken. He needs you.”

“I’ll… I’ll see you later.” he promised, and Jun nodded silently.

But even as he left, Ken couldn’t help feeling as if he had let Jun down.

Chapter 4

The woman pulled her shawl tightly around her. It didn’t snow in Utoland, but tonight it was coming awfully close. There were only two days until Christmas, and the weather seemed determined to make visitors from the North Pole feel at home. Fortunately it was dry, and there was no sign of rain.

She checked the address again. It was written on a small slip of paper that she held in her hand. The location was in an unremarkable middle-class neighborhood, and she could see the lights on in many of the homes she passed by. Behind those closed curtains, families were having dinner, and mothers were asking children about their day…

Victoria squeezed her eyes shut and took in a deep gulp of air. She wasn’t going to think about little Stephen. It would accomplish nothing. She had stayed with him as long as she could, and now she had to return.

Reaching the address on her paper, she walked up the small stone pathway and knocked on the door of the home there. Halfway through her third knock, the door opened and a man appeared.

“Are you lost?” he asked her.

“I am only seeking to find my way home.” she answered with the words she had previously committed to memory.

“Good, you’re on time.” the man said, pulling her inside. He closed the door behind her. He held up a retinal scanner, and Victoria obligingly allowed her identity to be confirmed.

“There are two others, and they’re already here and ready to go.” he informed her, once the test was complete.

“I am ready as well.” Victoria replied.

“Then we’re off.”

The man signaled to two others sitting in the small living room of the house, and the four of them walked down the hall and through a door, into an attached garage. Inside was a van with darkened windows. The three passengers got into the back, while the man who had answered the door got into the front.

The van pulled out of the driveway and into the street. Fifteen minutes later they were on the outskirts of Utoland, where traffic was light, and it was easy for the driver to get off of the main road and transform the van into a light transport vehicle. An hour later, they were in San Frangeles at an underground base, where the three passengers boarded a large transport plane bound for Galactor Headquarters at Cross Karokorum.

When the transport plane took off, Victoria leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, finally allowing her emotions to overtake her, and letting her mind wander.

But she didn’t think of her son. She thought of his father, and that fateful night nine months before…

*****

“Victoria! It’s wonderful to see you!” Stephen said, coming into the library and practically whirling her around in his arms.

“You’re in a good mood.” she observed, laughing as he greeted her. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“I’ve had a very successful trip.” Stephen smiled. “Everything went as planned, and Leader X is pleased with us.”

“That sounds… wonderful…” Victoria replied, somewhat uncertainly. Stephen had never said much about what he did for Galactor, which wasn’t unusual in this organization. She had had no idea that his work would be subject to the scrutiny of Leader X himself. The Supreme Leader of Galactor was a mysterious being, who spoke directly to very few, but at Cross Karokorum, all could sense his undercurrent of power. It permeated the entire base, almost like a vibrating hum, making the hair on the back of one’s neck prickle with the energy filling the very air. After a few days, she had gotten used to this strange environment, but now it all came back to her in a rush, making her feel uncomfortable in her own skin, as if something wasn’t quite right.

“It is.” Stephen grinned. He lowered his head, pressing his mouth to hers.

Victoria sighed, enjoying this unexpected delight. They had kissed a few times, usually at the end of an evening spent together, but this was the first time Stephen had ever been so bold. Not that she minded in the least. Over the past six months she had overcome her shyness with him, and the two of them had become quite close, discussing a number of topics, both personal and general. They never spoke much about Stephen’s specific work for Galactor, but everything else had been available for conversation.

“I want to celebrate.” he breathed in her ear, embracing her tightly.

“I…” she gulped nervously. “I’d love to celebrate with you, Stephen.”

He held her more tightly for just a moment, then pulled away, his face beaming with delight. His mood was infectious, and she found herself grinning foolishly back.

“If we were able, I would take you out on the town.” Stephen declared. “Dinner and dancing! But here…” He looked around the Galactor Archives, his mouth wincing slightly with distaste at the utilitarian metal walls and floors.

“I’ll pull some strings.” he said, turning back to look at her. “I’ll pick you up at your quarters in an hour?”

“My shift doesn’t end for another three hours.” Victoria pointed out. “I can’t leave the Archives until then.”

“As I said, I’ll pull some strings.” Stephen laughed. He kissed her quickly again, before sweeping out of the room as quickly as he had come. Victoria laughed softly, pressing her hand to her mouth. Whatever was in store for her this evening, she knew it would be thrilling. Just as every moment with Stephen was thrilling.

She had never expected to fall in love. That kind of thing wasn’t for girls like her. What was that old song, about love being for beauty queens?

But it had happened, all the same.

A small part of her wondered if Stephen was using her… if there were other women he enchanted; other women he kissed. And yet another part of her didn’t care. Stephen made her feel wonderful. He made her feel something she had never thought she would be capable of. Even if things turned out badly, wasn’t it better to have experienced joy such as this? To have something to hold onto? She was destined to spend the rest of her life working for Galactor, and there was little for her to look forward to, much less cherish.

Her console chimed quietly, and she saw the flashing blue light that indicated that she had a message waiting. When she opened it, she gasped in surprise.

The message was from Commander Ritsu, the Head Administrator for Cross Karokorum Operations. She had been granted two days’ leave, beginning immediately. The Galactor Archives were to be closed down until further notice.

Was this what Stephen had meant by ‘pulling strings’? Commander Ritsu was at least three levels above her station. Normally she wouldn’t even be in the same room as an officer of that rank. Stephen was only an aide to one of the Galactor Generals. Surely he couldn’t… Well, perhaps he was on friendly terms with the General for whom he worked. That could be it.

Still, the sheer unexpectedness of this sudden development made her head spin. But as always, she did as she had been told, shutting down the Archives and posting a notice outside of the entrance. She made her way back to her quarters, the problem of what to wear never more pressing in her life than it was right at this moment.

Stephen was at her door exactly when he had promised, wrinkling his nose distastefully at her utilitarian garments.

“It’s all I own!” she laughed, and a determined look came to his face.

“One day, I shall buy you something that is as beautiful as you are.” he complimented her.

She blushed, looking down at her hands. Was she truly beautiful? No one else had ever told her so. And yet she had never really been in a position where someone might have an opportunity to say such a thing. Still, the surprise of such a fulsome, yet genuine, turn of phrase set her heart beating rapidly.

“Let us go to dinner.” Stephen said, tucking her hand into his arm in a gentlemanly manner and leading her down the corridor. Victoria was surprised when they arrived at a small conference room. She had never been to this part of the Karokorum Base before, as her job duties didn’t require her to attend meetings of the type that would normally be held here. She was therefore surprised to see that the chamber, unlike the rest of the base, seemed warm and inviting.

However, it turned out that Stephen had created the welcoming atmosphere. The room was lit by numerous candles, and the table had been covered with a fine linen tablecloth. Comfortable chairs, fresh flowers, and elegant silverware added a special touch. It was easy for Victoria to imagine that they were in an intimate restaurant, instead of an underground base beneath frigid Himalayan mountains.

“The Galactor Generals have access to a private dining room.” Stephen explained, as he pulled out her chair. “I got permission to borrow a few things, and order our meal.”

“It’s lovely.” Victoria smiled, her eyes bright as she surveyed the scene. “No one has ever done anything like this for me before.”

“Then you have been woefully unappreciated.” Stephen said, sitting down in his chair with a flourish. She blushed again, overcome by an experience she had never dreamed would happen to someone like her.

It wasn’t the last time she blushed that evening, nor the last time she felt as if she was floating in a dream world. Stephen was as fascinating and intelligent as always, yet tonight he somehow seemed more open, more attentive, more… loving. She blossomed under the light of his adoration and discovered to her surprise that she was enchanting him with her conversation, and her innocent reactions to his honest, yet effusive, compliments. His eyes never left her face, and his presence wrapped itself around her like a warm glow. Victoria knew that as long as she lived, she would never forget this moment. She didn’t know what Stephen had done in his work to bring about such a mood, and she didn’t care. This night, all that existed was the two of them, alone together in this small conference room.

Of course, they didn’t spend the entire night in the conference room. At some point Stephen walked her back to her quarters and, reluctant for this magical evening to end, she invited him inside. It was daring of her, and she understood where such an action might lead her, but Victoria suddenly found that she was ready to proceed in new directions.

On this night, nothing could be wrong.

And nothing was.

The next morning, she awoke to find Stephen caressing her soft skin, and she quickly discovered that these new delights could be shared at any time of day. It was close to midday before he rose from her bed, apologizing for his need to depart.

“I will return as soon as possible.” he told her. “I have no official duties today, but I must check in with my superior.”

“I understand.” she smiled. “I will be waiting for you.”

“And I will be waiting for the moment when I can see you again.” he smiled, kissing the tip of her nose gently.

After he had gone, Victoria retired to her shower, dreamily reliving the events of the past twenty-four hours. She had never imagined that her life could feel so complete. She was living her most wonderful fantasy.

Less than thirty minutes later, she was living her worst nightmare.

She had barely finished dressing after her shower when Stephen rushed into the room, his pallor a sickly white and his skin beaded with sweat.

“What’s wrong?” Victoria cried, rushing forward to meet him.

“I didn’t know…” he said, his words coming out in a rush. “I didn’t know it would be like this…”

“What?” she asked, struggling to keep her fear from her voice. She had seen Stephen angry and frustrated with his work before, but never so afraid. “What is it?”

“I would never have done this to you if I had known. I didn’t know! You have to believe me!” he babbled. “He’s gone crazy! He’s possessed! I’ve seen him angry before, but never like this. I didn’t want this to happen… really I didn’t… Please believe me…”

“I believe you.” she said soothingly, pulling him down to sit next to her on the bed, where he laid his head on her shoulder and she stroked his hair as she would for a small child. “Just tell me what’s wrong. Whatever this is, we can work this out.”

“But that’s just it…” he told her, his voice sounding slightly more calm. “We can’t work it out, because it’s not our issue to work out. It’s Leader X, you see…”

“Leader X?” Victoria exclaimed. At first she was merely surprised, but then a finger of fear crept up her spine. There was very little first-hand knowledge of Leader X, but even in her isolated position, she had heard rumors… and even the best of them were unsettling. Was it possible that Stephen had somehow incurred the wrath of Galactor’s ultimate leader?

“But yesterday, you told me that Leader X was pleased with your work.” she said.

“He was.” Stephen agreed. “But he’s not pleased with you.”

“Me?” Victoria was astounded. What had she done?

“Not so much you, but my involvement with you.” Stephen tried to explain. “Leader X doesn’t approve…”

“So… we have to keep our involvement a secret, then.” she struggled to understand.

“No, it’s too late for that. He already knows. And he knows how I feel about you…”

Absurdly, Victoria felt a rush of warmth at this last. Stephen truly did care for her. Even the mysterious Leader X could see it.

“Your life is in danger.”

“Wha… what did you say?”

“Your life is in danger.” Stephen said slowly, his eyes meeting hers with a cold seriousness that felt like a lead weight on her heart. “He knows that I care for you, and that if you’re nearby, I will want to be with you…”

“So he’s going to kill me?” she cried softly, the blood draining from her face as she attempted to process this entirely new and confusing development. “He’s going to kill me, because we spent the night together…?”

“No.” Stephen shook his head. “He’s going to kill you, because I love you.”

His mouth found hers, and she responded eagerly to its urgent demands, her mind whirling with this confirmation that she was loved. The knowledge filled her with strength, and the will to carry on.

“I won’t let him.” Stephen said firmly, cradling her head in his hands. “I’ll do everything I can to prevent that. But… my abilities are limited. I can’t control him, and his powers are far stronger than you could ever know.”

“So… what are we going to do?”

“You’re going to leave here.”

“Leave?”

Her voice caught in her throat. She had just found happiness of a kind she had never dreamed existed. And now she had to leave?

“If you don’t leave, if I don’t send you away, Leader X will never believe that I’ve turned my back on you.” Stephen told her. “But if you’re gone, he may forget about you; assume that he over-estimated my affections…”

“But I don’t want to leave!” She knew the words were absurd the moment she said them. The Karokorum Base was a horrible, dull place. She had never found any joy at Karokorum before, and there was certainly nothing to keep her here.

Except Stephen.

“I don’t want to leave you.” she clarified.

“I don’t want you to leave either.” Stephen sighed. “But if it’s the only way that you can escape Leader X’s notice… I want you to live, Victoria… even if it’s without me.”

And then she finally understood. Leader X wanted to kill her. If she left, she had a chance of avoiding this fate, but if she didn’t…

“I’ve arranged for you to be transferred to Galactor’s Iribian Base this afternoon.” Stephen was saying. “You’ll take a transport there and be assigned to the task of establishing a branch of the Galactor Archives in that region of the world.”

“Iribia?” she gulped nervously. “That’s not exactly a place for a single woman…”

“I know, Iribian customs are antiquated, and patriarchal.” Stephen agreed. “But don’t you see? It’s perfect! In that part of the world, women are anonymous. No one notices a woman, because she doesn’t matter. In fact, Galactor almost exclusively uses Devilstar Agents in that area for that very reason. Women are treated as second class citizens, but at the same time, no one remarks on what they do.”

And she did understand. She could blend in with a sea of nameless, faceless, Iribian women. She could hide from Leader X and make no mark in this location, secreting herself in plain sight.

“How… how long would I have to be there?”

“Six months.” Stephen grimaced as he saw the pained expression that crossed her face. “I know, it seems like an eternity to me as well. But in six months, this war will be over, and Galactor will have conquered the planet. Then Leader X won’t care what I do…”

And she agreed.

Chapter 5

Looking back, she knew she had made the right decision. What other choice had she had? She had left that very day for Iribia, and within an hour of her arrival had been introduced to the dark blue, shapeless garment known as a burqua. She had been told to wear this garment over her regular clothing at all times, except when she was alone in her quarters.

Of course, the burqua had turned out to be a blessing in more ways than one. Not only had she been anonymous, but she had been able to completely hide her pregnancy from the few people with whom she had interacted at the Iribian Base.

She had discovered that she was pregnant approximately six weeks after she had left the Karokorum Base. Her first instinct had been to contact Stephen immediately, but she had understood that she must do so with caution. She had carefully investigated his messaging information… only to find that it was no longer active.

Concern had suddenly become paramount, and recklessly she accessed Stephen’s public personnel files, as she had done at the Karokorum Base.

They were gone.

With cold clarity, Victoria had suddenly realized what had happened. The only time personnel files were removed was if someone left Galactor. And no one left Galactor alive.

Stephen was dead.

That night, she had cried for him, pouring all of her grief out into her pillow, which was the only solace she had had left. The following morning, she had decided upon her new course of action: devoting her life to their child.

Before her six month stay in Iribia had ended, she had requested, and been granted, a two month extension. Once she had completed her tour of duty, she had applied for vacation leave. Such leave was typically granted to non-military Galactor personnel on extended assignment away from their home bases, and was not considered remarkable or unusual. In her desire for a hasty departure, she had limited choices of destination, and she had chosen Utoland primarily because it was far from both Iribia and Karokorum.

Once she had arrived in Utoland, she had felt like a stranger, re-assimilating into an independent Western culture with which she had become unfamiliar. But she had been able to locate a halfway house for unwed mothers, where they had readily accepted the falsified identifying information she had given. It was there that she had given birth to little Stephen.

She could have left the baby there, but she had been afraid that somehow Galactor might track her down, and that it would be safer if she left her son at a completely different location, that had no ties to her whatsoever. Of course, ideally she would have kept the boy with her, but she knew that was impossible. If she took him back to Cross Karokorum, they would know who he was… know who his father was. And then Leader X would kill them both.

Victoria Williams was part of Galactor. She could not just disappear. But if they didn’t know little Stephen existed, then he might have a chance.

She had had to give her son that chance.

The transport bumped its way through a small amount of turbulence as they approached the Himalayan mountains. The ship made its way into an underground passage, moving along hidden corridors as it headed toward the secret Karokorum Base, location of Galactor Headquarters. Victoria’s hands worried nervously at her skirt. She didn’t know what would happen to her once she returned to Cross Karokorum. But her assignment was over. She had extended it as long as possible. She had taken the maximum leave allowed.

She had no other choice but to return.

When the transport docked, she lingered as long as she dared, letting the other passengers disembark before her. Finally, she moved into the crowd of returning soldiers and administrative personnel, keeping her head down and doing her best not to draw attention to herself. Still, a wave of anxiety washed over her as she stepped out into the Main Hangar, knowing that she had finally returned to the place she had come to dread.

She had forgotten how it felt to be here: that uncomfortable prickling at the back of her neck, the weight that bore down on her at being so close to Leader X’s presence. She stiffened her shoulders, dealing with it as best she could. Yet there was something else.

Someone was watching her.

As carefully as she could, she looked around the room, her eyes darting back and forth. And then she saw him.

Berg Katse, Lord of Galactor, was staring at her.

The purple-masked man was across the massive hangar, speaking with his generals, but she somehow felt his eyes upon her. Nervously, she quickened her pace, doing her best to hide behind a group of soldiers, but she could practically feel his eyes boring into her.

It had been a mistake to return.

*****

Ken walked into Dr. Nambu’s office in the Crescent Coral Base. He shuffled his feet, staring at the institutional metal floor.

“Ken, thank you for coming.” Dr. Nambu said, looking up from his desk as the Eagle entered the room. “There’s something that I need to discuss with you.”

“What’s that?” Ken asked, forcing his mind to the situation at hand.

“We’ve received reports from two of our agents that Galactor is likely planning a Christmas Eve attack.” the Doctor got right to the point. “From two different sources, we have heard rumors that something is ‘in the works’ for tomorrow evening. Unfortunately, we don’t have anything more concrete than that, at the moment.”

“Is that why I’m the only one here?” Ken asked, gesturing around the empty office.

“Yes.” Nambu said bluntly. “You’ve all had a tough year, working as the Science Ninja Team. I know that you all expected this fight against Galactor to be over in a matter of weeks. Even I had expected that by now, this conflict would have been put to rest. But instead, we find ourselves embroiled in a war against a terrorist organization about whom we know little more about than we did twelve months ago.”

The Eagle nodded curtly, his heart contracting as the Doctor so easily put into words everything Ken himself had been feeling for the past few months.

“If possible, I’d like everyone to have as peaceful a holiday as possible.” Nambu said, his stern visage softening for a moment. “You all deserve that much. But since we’ve received this advance warning, you’ll all have to be ready for deployment at a moment’s notice. I’d like you all to spend the holiday here, at the Crescent Base.”

“Here?” Ken was surprised. “So you want me to tell everyone that we’re going to be on alert?”

“No.” Nambu shook his head. “Tell them that I’m a sentimental old fuddy-duddy who wanted you all close by. Tell them that you wanted to get away from everything. Tell them whatever you like, but let’s try to preserve this holiday for the others, if at all possible.”

“I understand.” Ken sighed. “I’ll contact them now.”

*****

Victoria Williams had returned to Cross Karokorum.

He had always known that it would happen. He had actually planned for it to happen. But she had changed those plans. She had requested an extension to her assignment in Iribia, and then a few weeks of leave afterward. She had delayed her return as long as possible. And that only meant one thing.

She wanted to avoid him.

It made sense. Her departure had been a whirlwind of emotion and confusion. Upon reflection, she could easily have disbelieved his story, and come to the conclusion that once he had gotten her into bed, that he merely wanted to be rid of her.

Nothing could have been further from the truth.

The sad thing was, despite the fact that their entire relationship had been built on a lie, everything he had told her that day had been the truth. He had been worried for her safety, and so he had sent her away, determined to act as if he had forgotten about her. And yet, he had not.

He only hoped that she hadn’t forgotten about him.

Unfortunately, his plan to have her return had been based on the idea that by this time, Galactor would control the Earth, and his duties would no longer be so taxing or demanding; that Leader X would have less of an objection to his ‘distraction’. But that damned Science Ninja Team was thwarting Galactor at every turn, and despite the recent success of the V2 Plan, the war was no closer to ending then it had been when it had begun, just over a year ago.

He had watched Victoria as she had debarked the transport, concocting an excuse to be in the Main Hangar at the same time as the vessel had landed. And she had seen him. He knew she had, because her instant reaction had been to hide herself; to shrink away from his gaze.

Of course, she had no idea that the man who had been staring at her was not only Berg Katse, but also Stephen Lancaster.

Everything in him cried out to see her. It had been far too long. Perhaps now he could explain…

But recalling her face in the Hangar that afternoon, he knew that an explanation would not be well received. Besides, Leader X would know of this development, and be watching him. Katse had erased his identity as Stephen Lancaster, and not evinced any regrets for Victoria Williams while she was gone. And now he had to continue the charade that he had forgotten about her; that he no longer cared.

What he hadn’t counted on was Leader X’s persistence.

“I understand that Victoria Williams has returned to Cross Karokorum.” the Leader said during their usual evening discussion. “You were there to greet her, when she arrived.”

“She has?” Katse asked, doing his best to shield his mind and feign surprise. If Leader X probed deeply into his thoughts, the alien entity would know all, but such a thing was a significant exertion for him. X did not read Katse’s mind to that extent except when absolutely necessary. Berg Katse hoped that tonight, his Master would not wish to expend the effort.

“I was in the Main Hangar this afternoon.” Katse admitted. “My Generals and I were reviewing our troop and vehicle strength…”

“I do not believe you, Katse.” X said smugly. “When she was gone, you could forget about Victoria Williams, and concentrate on your task on conquering the Earth. A task at which you are failing, quite badly. Now that she has returned, she will be a distraction once more.”

“No.” Katse shook his head. “I would never allow such a thing to happen! My first loyalties are to you, Leader X!”

“We shall see.” X replied smugly, and then the alien entity went on to speak of other matters.

Katse gratefully allowed the subject to be changed, but in the back of his mind he worried. What was Leader X up to? He knew his Master well enough to have some idea of his nature. The alien entity was plotting… but what? He needed to send Victoria away again. That was the only option available to him.

But even as he planned this new course of action, the unexpected happened.

“Our visitor has arrived.” announced X.

Before Katse could mask his shock, the door opened and Victoria was pushed into the room by a pair of Blackbirds. The men quickly retreated, fearful of the power of Leader X.

“How lovely to see you, Victoria Williams.” sneered Leader X. “I am glad that you have returned to Cross Karokorum of your own free will.”

“My assignment in Iribia had ended.” Victoria said, doing her best to stand in the alien entity’s overwhelming presence. Katse felt a small surge of pride when he saw her slowly straighten her back, facing the bizarre, blue visage floating above her.

“Yet you delayed coming back.” X noted. “You asked for leave. Why?”

The last word was shot sharply at her, the power behind the question nearly bowling the young woman over. She lurched, her knees suddenly giving way, yet her face remained impassive.

“I had been on a long assignment.” she said. “I wanted a vacation.”

“It wasn’t a vacation.” sneered X, all pretense at politeness gone now. “There was a reason. You went to Utoland. Why?”

“I chose Utoland because the transport ship to that location was leaving at the time I wished to depart…” Victoria began, her voice shaking. Katse’s heart went out to her.

“There was another reason.” X insisted, his tone ominous. Victoria was close to tears, but she held onto her composure by a thread.

“She gave you a reason!” Katse cried, astonished by the outburst. “Leave her alone!”

“So, Katse,” X sneered, turning on his mutant creation, “you do care for her. I thought as much. But it does not matter.”

“Why did you choose Utoland?” X shouted, bringing the force of his power to bear on Victoria.

“Because it was on the other side of the world from you!” she screamed, suddenly unable to resist any longer. “I wanted to be away from you! You’re a monster, who killed my Stephen! There is nothing good in you; nothing! Because of you, my Stephen is dead…” Victoria collapsed to the floor, sobbing hysterically.

Dead? She thought he was dead? In an instant, it all made sense. She hadn’t returned to Cross Karokorum, because she had thought there was nothing to return to.

“He’s not dead…” Katse said, desperately trying to reassure Victoria without incurring his alien Master’s ire.

He should have known that wasn’t possible.

“You lied to me, Katse.” X raged. “She has a strong emotional connection with ‘Stephen’, and you can’t tell me that connection is unreturned.”

“It has faded, with time…” the Galactor Leader offered feebly, but his eyes darting at the stricken woman on the floor betrayed him.

“Stephen, my Stephen…” Victoria mumbled, her arms wrapped around her knees as she rocked in a fetal position on the floor. For a few moments she appeared to be unaware of what was happening around her, but suddenly her eyes cleared and she stared at Leader X, her anger emblazoned on her face. Despite himself, Katse was impressed at the sheer defiance etched into Victoria’s features.

“You killed him, because he loved me!” she accused. “You’re a horrible monster; cold and unfeeling! Why, because of you…” Victoria stood up, running toward the wall where the massive bird-like visage of Leader X was displayed, and began pounding at any equipment she could reach.

“Stop her, Katse.” X snapped. “I’m trying to keep her alive, but my patience is wearing thin.”

His Master didn’t want to see Victoria dead! This revelation lifted a weight from Katse’s heart. Even if they couldn’t be together, at least she would be alive. And then, there was always the hope that someday, things could be different.

“Please, you must stop this foolish behavior.” Katse said, gently pulling the enraged woman away from the computer panels. “It will be easier for you if you don’t resist.”

“I have to resist!” she hissed, whirling on Katse. “My Stephen is gone. I am the only one left to fight!”

“He’s not gone.” Katse said softly, looking into Victoria’s eyes.

“He’s not…?” Victoria scrutinized his mask, an expression of confusion on her face. He could see her mind putting the pieces together. “You…”

But before she could finish her sentence, her eyes rolled back into her head. Her hands grabbed at her ears, and she fell to the floor, moaning in pain.

“You tricked me…” she accused Katse, the venom returning to her eyes even as the rest of her face was contorted in agony.

“No…” he shook his head. “I would never…” But even as he attempted to make excuses, he realized that what he was saying wasn’t true. He had deceived her, by not telling her who he truly was, even after he had known that he could trust her. He had been selfish, wanting her to love him for himself, and not fear him because of his position.

“Open your mind.” X urged, as if he were casually asking her to move a little to one side. “I want to see…” The alien entity suddenly went silent, his eyes narrowing.

“You had a child.” he hissed.

“No…” Victoria protested weakly.

“Your body does not lie!” X indicted her. “Even now, your physical form is recovering…”

Katse’s jaw dropped to the floor. A child? Could it be? His child?

“No…” Victoria sobbed, covering her head with her arms, in a futile attempt to ward off the powers of Leader X. “You can’t…”

“Where is it?” X demanded, and the very air shimmered with the force of the power the alien entity was bringing to bear upon this woman. “Tell me!”

“I won’t!” she screamed, even as she writhed in pain on the floor.

“Stop!” Katse cried, his arms open wide as he fell to his knees. “You cannot do this! You promised to keep her alive!”

“I made no such promise!” X sneered. “She is resisting me, Katse. I have to know what has become of this child. Do not interfere!”

“But, Sire…”

Katse’s words were cut off as his body slammed back against the wall, his hip crashing into the side of control panel. He crumpled to the floor.

“You were in Utoland…” the alien entity said thoughtfully. “The child is there.”

“No!” Victoria cried, and the sound was heart-rending. “I won’t let you do this!” She pulled herself up, running again toward Leader X, raging and pounding at the walls, attempting to climb up onto the computer equipment so that she could reach his bird-like image.

“Stop!” X shouted, and the word tore through the chamber like a sonic boom. Katse grabbed the sides of his head, the echo of that command reverberating in his head like a nail gun pounding over and over into his brain.

Victoria! Katse had been trained since adolescence, and he was able to resist some of his Master’s mental abilities, but Victoria had no such advantage. Desperately, he pulled himself over to where she now lay upon the ground.

“Victoria…” he whispered, dragging her into his arms. He grabbed at his mask, yanking it from his face so that she could see who he truly was. “I’m here…”

But it was too late. A trickle of blood ran out of her ear, and her eyes stared sightlessly up at the ceiling. He felt for a pulse, even knowing before he did so that he would not find one.

“She is gone.” he said, his tone emotionless. His knees shook as he forced his body to stand.

“It is just as well, Katse.” X replied in a bored tone. “She would simply have distracted you from your work, as she did before. The only matter that remains to be dealt with is this child. It is probably in Utoland, given her reactions.”

“Shall I find it, Sire?” Katse asked, everything within him fighting to keep his anger from his voice.

“First, you must launch Diablica, and attack UN Headquarters tonight, as we have planned.” X ordered. “The image of a Galactor devil attacking UN Headquarters, on the very night half the planet is celebrating peace, will be devastating to civilian morale.”

“Of course, Leader.”

“Once this task is complete, you may then proceed to Utoland and search out this child. You will bring it back to me, so that I may deal with it.”

“Leader, perhaps I could…”

“No.” X sneered. “You aren’t capable of dealing with the child; of doing what is necessary. You will follow my orders, and bring it here.” The weight of the alien entity’s power accompanied this command, and Berg Katse knew that he was helpless to resist.

“Yes, Sire.” he bowed. It was only the rote familiarity of the gesture that allowed him to accomplish it gracefully as he seethed internally with frustration. He left the chamber, doing his best not to notice when the two soldiers guarding the entrance were called in for ‘cleanup duty’.

It did not matter what happened to Victoria’s body. What mattered was what happened to her child.

Their child.

He couldn’t let the child slip away. Neither could he let another Galactor agent seek the infant. If Leader X took control, the results could be disastrous. Berg Katse knew firsthand what could happen when his alien Master decided to experiment on a human child. If the baby survived, it would be warped beyond all reason; a monster, only fit to…

He stopped in his tracks, stunned at his sudden realization.

He didn’t want his own child to end up like him.

At the same time, there was no one else who understood; no one else who could protect it as he could. He had to find the child, and hide it away. He could take another infant, and present it to Leader X in his own child’s place.

But he had to move swiftly on this. To hell with UN Headquarters! He would go to Utoland first, and find the babe. It was Christmas Eve, and Berg Katse was damn well going to get his holiday miracle.

Even if he had to kill every person in Utoland to do it.

Chapter 6

Jinpei struggled with the large pieces of PVC tubing that normally served as various conduits for the Crescent Coral Base water and drain waste systems. The blue and white colors of the tubing provided perfect camouflage for the pants that accompanied his civilian uniform, and at times the Swallow appeared to be a legless torso floating above a sea of plastic pipes.

“Whose crappy idea was this, anyway?” Jinpei moaned, as he put the tubes together. “Whoever heard of a Christmas tree made of sewage pipes?”

No one answered, but that didn’t prevent the young boy from continuing with his complaints.

“Or ornaments made of test tubes!” he shouted, gesturing dramatically across the room to where Jun was carefully tying strings of the glass containers together in as festive a pattern as she could manage. “And then there’s…”

“Just shut up, Jinpei!” Jun finally snapped, turning to face her little brother, her hands on her hips. “Hakase asked us to be here. It means a lot to him that we all spend Christmas together.”

“But why couldn’t we bring a real tree?” Jinpei asked. “Or our presents? This is going to be pretty lame, if you ask me.”

“Nobody asked you.” Jun smirked. “It didn’t stop you from giving us all your useless opinion, though.”

“You see what I have to put up with, Aniki?” Jinpei complained, turning to address Ken.

Ken rolled his eyes, refusing to look up from the small hot plate on the floor where he was attempting to make popcorn. Of course, he couldn’t explain the real reason that they had had to drop everything and get to the Crescent Base, but all the same, Jinpei was beginning to get on his nerves. Theyall understood that being on the Science Ninja Team required sacrifice, and as sacrifices went, this one was pretty minor.

“At least the lights look nice.” Jun said, glancing over at the makeshift ‘tree’. As the structure had been erected, she had pulled through small bundles of fiber optic cable, then stuck it out the open ends, splitting each cord into a spray of twinkling, colored, LED lights.

She looked at Ken, and he smiled at her, something inside of him suddenly fluttering out of hiding and bursting forth to fill him with a sense of warmth. For just a moment, he felt…

“Hey, I got it!” cried Ryu happily as he burst through the door and into the large lounge they had taken over for their holiday celebrations. “They had some in the cafeteria!”

Ken looked down again, as Jun turned her head to regard the Owl.

“What did you get?” Jinpei asked, turning around excitedly. “Cookies? Cider? Hot chocolate?”

“Aluminum foil!” Ryu grinned triumphantly, brandishing a roll of Reynolds Wrap. “They let me borrow it, ‘cause I’m such a good customer!”

“Aluminum foil?” Jinpei’s face fell. “What’s that for? You could at least have gotten some cookies.”

“We can make tinsel from it!” Ryu explained, not in the least perturbed by the Swallow’s mercurial emotions. “See? Just cut some strips…”

“Some lousy tree,” Jinpei grumbled, “plastic pipes, test tubes, and aluminum foil.”

“I’ve got something.” Joe drawled as he entered the room, a satisfied smirk on his face. He held up a small box with a glass cover. “It’s our tree-topper.”

“What is that?” Jinpei asked, pushing past a flabbergasted Jun and Ryu for a better view.

Ken’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he realized what Joe held in his hand. That familiar white arrow… the bright red circle…

“It’s a missile-launder for the God Phoenix.” the Condor smirked. “You can’t get much more festive than shooting off a bunch of Birds and setting off some fireworks.”

“How did you get that?” Ryu squeaked.

“In the Maintenance Bay storage area.” Joe shrugged casually. “They had a whole bunch of extras in there. Go figure.”

“I think it’s perfect.” Jun said, recovering from her initial shock. “I can even make it light up.”

“That would be fucking awesome.” Joe grinned, moving off to help her with this new project. Ken watched in stunned silence as Jun pulled out some of the fiber optic cable through the top of the PVC tubing tree, wiring it through the missile-launching mechanism.

Even doing something as mundane as wiring lights, Jun was a vision of grace and beauty. Ken was momentarily mesmerized by the sway of her hips as she leaned forward. Her hair fell over her shoulder, and she absently pushed it back from her face, her cheeks glowing with color as she worked.

He was spellbound by the sight.

Joe turned, catching Ken’s eye, and the Eagle quickly put his attention back on his work. But there was a knowing smile on the Condor’s face, and something…

Oh no. He wasn’t going to…

“Oh my!” Ryu exclaimed in mock surprise, interrupting Ken’s train of thought. “What’s that over there?” The Owl pointed toward the other side of the room.

“What?” Jun hummed absently, standing up and looking over at the area Ryu had indicated. “I don’t see anything.”

“Over there.” Ryu said, moving toward the corner and looking up. Jun took a few steps, and looked up as well.

“It’s…”

“It’s mistletoe!” Ryu interrupted Jun, his face breaking into a huge grin. “And you know what that means, Junie.”

“That’s not mistletoe!” Jinpei argued, coming over to take a look for himself. “That’s a piece of spinach salad from the cafeteria!”

“It’s mistletoe!” Ryu laughed good-naturedly, while at the same time delivering a swift kick to Jinpei’s shin.

“I suppose you’re right, Ryu.” Jun smiled, as the Owl leaned over and bussed her heartily on the cheek.

“What was that?” snorted Joe derisively. “You call that a kiss?”

“What?” Ryu’s face turned bright red.

“That’s not how you kiss a girl.” Joe announced smugly.

“Is that so?” Ryu huffed angrily. “I’d like to see you do better!”

The room suddenly went silent. Too late the Owl realized what he had said.

“Well, um… I mean…” Ryu glanced apologetically at Jun.

“I accept.” Joe smirked cockily. “Watch and learn, Ryu.”

The Condor took two long, fast strides over toward the Swan, pulling her toward him and bending her back over his arm as he leaned over her body, pressing his mouth against hers. A red haze appeared in front of the Eagle’s eyes. He could practically see the smoke coming from Joe’s kiss, not to mention the steam emanating from Ken’s own ears.

For her part, Jun remained silent, but she certainly didn’t seem to be protesting the situation in which she suddenly found herself.

After a long, breathless moment, Joe stood straight up, pulling Jun along with him before he unwrapped his arms from around her body and stepped away. The Swan gasped softly, raising a hand to her mouth; her knees wobbling slightly.

“Wow…” Jinpei breathed, before self-consciously attempting to regain his usual composure. “I can do that…”

“She’s your sister, Squirt!” Joe laughed. The small joke broke the tension in the room, and suddenly everyone was smiling again.

“I didn’t mean on Onechan…” Jinpei mumbled shamefacedly, but his face bore a wide grin.

“Of course,” the Condor, went on, turning his gaze squarely toward the Eagle, “I believe there is one other challenger.”

Four pairs of eyes immediately swiveled to look at Ken.

K’so.

Ken’s eyes darted frantically around the room. How was he going to get out of this one? Part of him desperately wanted to sweep Jun into his arms and kiss her… but an even larger part of him ran screaming into the night at the thought. How could he lay himself bare like that, in front of everyone? And damn Joe for even suggesting it!

But he had to say something. Everyone was staring at him. This wasn’t the way they usually did this: looking to him for guidance. Instead, everyone was now anxiously waiting to see what he would do. Joe appeared smug, Ryu looked thoughtful, Jinpei was bouncing excitedly, and Jun…

Jun was staring at him with a cold fear in her eyes.

Ken had seen that look on her face before. It was the expression she wore when they entered a situation from which they might not emerge alive. It was her ‘life or death’ demeanor, when she would resolutely go about her tasks, doing her best just to keep her head above water. On these occasions, Ken always tried to look out for her, and appreciated her cool head during such stressful situations.

But he had never expected to be the source of Jun’s worst fears.

Why was she staring at him like that? Was she afraid that he actually would kiss her? Maybe she didn’t want to be kissed by him. She had certainly seemed to enjoy Joe’s demonstration…

He had to stop this! Jun could just as well be afraid that Ken was going to embarrass her in front of the others. Of course, that thought didn’t make him feel much better.

“Uh… Aniki?” Jinpei asked meekly.

“I…” Ken’s mouth opened, but no more words came out. He didn’t know what to say. “I…”

A soft, but insistent beeping sound filled the air, echoed around the room from five different locations.

“Everyone, I’m afraid I’ll have to cut short your holiday celebrations.” came Dr. Nambu’s voice. “Gather in my office immediately!”

“We’re on our way.” Ken replied, ending the communication for all of them. He rose to his feet, staring at the others.

“You heard, Hakase!” he said. “Let’s go!”

Never had Gatchaman been so grateful for an emergency call.

*****

“You all know I would never have called you here if it weren’t an emergency.” Dr. Nambu told the Science Ninja Team. Despite having been pulled from their holiday celebrations less than a minute before, they were all clad in Birdstyle, standing at attention, ready, and waiting for deployment.

“A Galactor mecha was spotted moving west across the continent a few minutes ago.” the Doctor informed them. “During the time it took to confirm this information, the mecha arrived at its destination, and began deploying ground troops.”

“Ground troops?” Ken asked in surprise. “That’s not like Galactor at all. They usually just come in and threaten everyone.”

“Or start blasting the hell out of everything.” Joe added grimly.

“We’re not sure what it means.” Nambu admitted. “You’re right, it’s a big change from their usual policy. The reports are that these troops are intimidating civilians, and that they aren’t afraid to shoot anyone who doesn’t cooperate. I think you’re going to have to change your tactics on this one.”

“Not necessarily.” Joe smirked. “If we take out their mecha, those Galactor goons aren’t going to be too excited about taking over buildings anymore.”

“We can’t destroy a mecha over a populated area, Joe.” Ken lectured. “We don’t want to lose more civilian lives.”

“I wonder what they’re looking for.” Jun mused. “If Galactor is taking over buildings, they must have some special goal in mind.”

“We’re trying to figure that out.” the Doctor replied. “But in the meantime, we can’t sit around and wait. You all must deploy immediately and do your best to drive these troops out of the city.”

“Which city is it, Hakase?” Jinpei asked. Dr. Nambu frowned, and his expression was grim.

“Utoland.”

Chapter 7

“The first data streams have been initiated, Lord Katse.” reported a green-uniformed soldier. “We are receiving them now.”

“What took you so long?” Katse ranted. “We’ve been in Utoland for nearly five minutes!”

“The men encountered some resistance in taking over the hospitals, Sire.” the goon replied.

“Resistance? No one resists Galactor! Shoot anyone who gives you trouble!” Katse ordered.

“Yes, Lord Katse!” the guard saluted.

“And send the data to my terminal immediately!” snapped the Lord of Galactor. “I want to review it myself!”

“Yes, Sire.” the guard replied, bowing low. He practically ran out of the room.

The man’s subservience temporarily soothed Berg Katse. His nerves were rubbed raw, and he was frantic with worry. As Leader X had ordered, Katse had taken Diablica from the Eastern Ameris base and had begun his mission. But rather than attacking the UN Headquarters in New Jork, he had turned the mecha westward, moving across the continent toward Utoland. Katse hadn’t dared risk getting involved in a battle with the Science Ninja Team, as would surely occur if he attacked UN Headquarters. But if he went directly to Utoland, there was a chance that he could find the information he sought and get out of there quickly, returning to Cross Karokorum with his child.

It was his only hope. As it was, Leader X would be furious to learn that Katse had disobeyed orders, and then to defy his Master in the matter of the child’s welfare…

The truth of the matter was, Berg Katse didn’t quite know what he was going to do. But there was an urgent desire in him to locate his child as quickly as possible, before Sosai could do so. Having the child in his possession was the only way Katse had a chance of creating any kind of desirable outcome.

Utoland had seven hospitals of varying sizes, and so far Galactor troops had taken control of the three largest facilities, which happened to be grouped close together at the eastern end of the city.

Rapidly Katse scanned the data, looking for recent births in the records whose details matched the little information he knew. Within a few minutes, he had already found sixteen single women who had delivered babies in the past week. None of them were named Victoria, but then that didn’t really mean anything. Victoria had clearly been trying to hide the fact that she had a child, and she would likely have used a false identity.

Looking at the new data that had just streamed in, Katse quickly located another three hits.

He sighed in frustration. This was going to take longer than he had thought.

*****

“Everyone, launch your G-machines.” Ken ordered. “Since the Galactor troops are moving on foot, we’re better off scouting along the ground as well. Ryu, you need to remain here in the God Phoenix, ready for action.”

“Tell me about it.” sighed the Owl.

Ken pointed out the three greatest areas of disturbance on a map of Utoland, and assigned each G-machine to a different location.

“I’ll go with you, Jun.” the Eagle told the Swan. “The G-1 isn’t exactly appropriate for this situation.”

Jun nodded, and Ken followed her to the G-3 pod. Was it his imagination, or was she carrying herself more stiffly than usual? It wasn’t like he had never ridden with her on her motorcycle before. Hell, he had even taken Bird Flight from the back of her bike!

She wasn’t still upset about the mistletoe… was she?

A flicker of doubt crossed Ken’s mind. Perhaps he should have… well, it was too late for self-recrimination now. He got on the back of the motorcycle, ignoring the feel of Jun’s body in front of him, or the warm rush he got from placing his arms around her waist, instead concentrating on the deployment of the G-3 out of its Docking Bay and down to the ground.

The moment they were clear of the G-3’s loading ramp, the Swan shot off in the direction of her assigned location. Less than a minute later, they saw their first enemy troops. For a second Ken’s blood ran cold, seeing Galactor goons rampaging through his home town, but he steeled himself against those emotions and coldly took control. He pulled out his boomerang and launched it at the green-uniformed soldiers, dropping them where they stood, despite the continuous velocity of the G-3 beneath him.

A red and yellow yo-yo shot out to the other side of the bike as they plowed through the green-uniformed men, not leaving a single soldier standing in their wake. It gave Ken a sense of grim satisfaction to see their bodies being crushed beneath the G-3’s wheels.

“Damn, that’s ugly!”

Ken couldn’t help the exclamation that shot forth from his mouth as he got a good view of the Galactor mecha that had brought all of these soldiers to Utoland. It was nearly two kilometers high, made of a red metal, and vaguely man-shaped. Its head was an all-too familiar devil symbol that he had seen at countless Galactor bases before.

“They’re definitely trying to take credit for this one.” Jun shouted back as she drove. “It makes me wonder what kind of horrific act they plan for this thing.”

Ken had the same question. But for the moment, the mecha wasn’t attacking the city, while its soldiers were. Perhaps this was nothing more than a glorified troop carrier. In any case, they had to deal with the immediate threat.

Ken and Jun’s progress was only slightly delayed by a few other groups of Galactor soldiers before they reached their destination, which turned out to be Utoland General Hospital. Ken nodded at Jun and she parked the bike in the shadows, in a side alley, so that no one was likely to remark on it. The two white-winged ninjas ran inside, and together they began to exterminate the green-uniformed threat that had taken over the building.

It was at times like this that Ken actually felt closest to Jun. Their minds were in perfect sync, and their fighting styles showcased this better than words ever could. The two of them moved almost as one when they were together; but their individual tactics altered as necessary when the heat of battle drove them apart. They merged and flowed, coming together and edging away, moving in complete confidence, knowing that the other would be exactly where they were needed, doing exactly what they were trained to do.

He was the White Shadow, appearing suddenly and executing a graceful dance of death. But the Swan bore an elegance all her own, her limbs moving in a perfect ballet as she performed for her audience, stunning them both literally and figuratively with her skill.

She took Ken’s breath away.

Time slowed down, and the conflict seemed to last for an eternity. Yet in the back of his mind Ken understood that it had only been a few minutes. It wasn’t long before they were escorting the Hospital Administrator out from underneath his desk, assuring him that the building was now secure.

“We’ve called in UN troops for reinforcement.” Ken told the shaken man. “They’ll provide additional defenses, inside and out.”

“Thank you, Gatchaman.” the Administrator replied, dropping unsteadily into his chair.

“Administrator, what were the Galactor soldiers doing here?” Jun asked. “What was their purpose in taking over the hospital?”

“They wanted to get to the Maternity Ward.” the Administrator told her. “It’s in a separate wing, with its own standalone computer system. They wanted to access the records, so they came here first. But federal privacy law requires that maternity records not be intermingled with other hospital data.”

“I understand.” Ken said, looking at Jun. She nodded grimly in silent reply.

Moments later, Jun was at a computer terminal in the Maternity Ward, while Ken was speaking with the frightened nurses there. He was surprised to learn that for the most part, the Galactor soldiers had not bothered the women who were delivering, but had confined their activities to the computer records.

“They seemed to be in a big hurry.” one of the nurses offered shyly. “They had some kind of schedule to keep.”

“Commander, I need you to look at this.” Jun called. Ken walked over to the area where Jun was working.

“This is the terminal the Galactors accessed.” she told him. “They used it to send a data stream to an outside source…”

“An outside source on the edge of town?” Ken asked. “About two kilometers high, and in the shape of a devil?”

“That would be my guess, based on its location.” Jun nodded. “And here’s what’s more interesting. They sent all data on babies born in the past week, but not including today. They’re looking for a woman whose baby has already been born, and has left the hospital.”

“Why is this woman so important that they have to stage a full-scale assault?” Ken wondered.

“I don’t know, but I don’t think we have time to figure it out right now.” Jun said. “We have two more Galactor targets to deal with.”

“Let’s go.” Ken agreed. “The UN Forces have arrived, and I’ll direct some of their troops to follow us.”

The other two Galactor targets were hospitals as well. One was a specialist hospital for women, while the other was a university hospital. But in these medical facilities, the story was the same. Galactor had headed straight for the maternity ward and transmitted data to the mecha at the edges of the city. They were just leaving the Ikihiro Uto University Hospital when a brilliant flash appeared in the night sky.

“The mecha is attacking the UN Air Force!” Ken said, transmitting through his bracelet to the other members of his Team. “Everyone regroup at the God Phoenix!”

But even as they raced back to meet up with the G-5 mothership, Ken couldn’t help wondering what Galactor could want with a woman who had so recently given birth.

Chapter 8

“What? The UN Forces are attacking?” Berg Katse cried in shock. “But we haven’t done anything! Diablica is just standing still! Why are they attacking us?”

“Probably because we’re here.” the goon who had reported the news mumbled under his breath. Katse heard the snide comment, but didn’t have a spare moment to discipline the man as he normally would have.

“I don’t have time for this shit!” the Galactor Leader ranted. His forces had just transmitted the data from the last hospitals in the city, and Katse hadn’t even had time to fully analyze it. A fight with UN Forces, while eminently winnable, took time, and that was the one thing Berg Katse didn’t have. When Sosai realized what was happening, he would recall Diablica immediately.

“Just fire back and hold your ground!” Katse shouted at the goon. “I have to analyze this data!”

“We’ve been doing that, Sire.” the soldier gestured to the main viewscreen across the control room, where exploding UN fighter planes could be clearly seen. “Do you want us to move position?”

“No, that will only make them follow us.” Katse spat. “Just get rid of them as quickly as possible, and make sure we continue to send out scouting parties! I’ll have the first wave of names for them in a moment.”

Quickly, Katse scanned through the last two data streams, seeking out the information he required. He had pulled out the first list of names and had just sent them to the on-ground scouting parties when he heard a cry from one of the green-uniformed soldiers at Diablica’s controls.

“It’s the God Phoenix!”

“What the hell?” Katse swore. How had that damned Science Ninja Team gotten here so fast? He had counted on at least an hour before they interrupted him, and had been scheduling his troop deployments to accommodate that. Wasn’t it a holiday? How had they managed to assemble this quickly?

Clearly this was just another obstacle he had to get past, in order to find his child. But the clock was ticking, and he didn’t have time for a full-on encounter with the God Phoenix.

He would have to leave that to these men.

“Soldiers!” he announced in a loud voice. “You have all done well in the service of Galactor. For this, you are all being promoted! You…” Katse pointed at the arrogant goon who had been bringing him reports.

“You are now the Captain of this mecha.” Katse grinned nastily. “And all of these men here are promoted to first class rank. Take out the God Phoenix.”

“Yes, Lord Katse.” the soldier responded, only a slight hint of nervousness revealing itself as he spoke.

“I can see that this mecha is in good hands.” Katse yawned. “I’ll be leaving now.”

“Leaving?” the new Captain’s face turned white. “But, Sire, I will require your guidance…”

“I just made you Captain, didn’t I?” Katse asked. “And it isn’t up to you. I’m leaving.”

The Lord of Galactor smirked to himself at the sight of the goon’s crestfallen face. His disappointment would be even greater when he realized exactly how Katse was about to leave.

Berg Katse exited the Main Control Room, heading up two decks in the elevator that ran along Diablica’s spine. Enroute, he contacted the waiting troops below, asking them to meet him at his destination.

He emerged from the elevator onto the Battle Bridge: a secondary Control Room for Diablica’s head, to be used in combat to confuse opponents, when the mecha split into two parts. Of course, Diablica’s main weapons systems were housed in its eyes and mouth, which meant that the body was reduced to missile fire and physically grabbing at attacking vessels. This was a perfect compliment to the head’s long-range attacks, but of course the Galactor Leader didn’t plan to stick around for the fight.

Katse sighed heavily. In the grand scheme of things, the loss of a mecha was a small price to pay for locating his child. And that would be the least of his worries when Leader X discovered what he had done.

And there was a silver lining. That arrogant goon he had left holding the bag now had a life expectancy of about five minutes.

The troops he had been waiting for arrived, and Berg Katse detached Diablica’s head, just as the God Phoenix fired a Bird Missile at the mecha’s body.

The head shot away into the night, its red demon face laughing at both the Science Ninja Team, and the hapless mecha Captain’s remains. Even as Berg Katse watched, Diablica's body burst into flames, the resulting smoke surrounding the cavity where its head had been only seconds before.

It was a fitting end for the demon mecha.

The Galactor Leader cut off all light sources, landing Diablica’s Head in the darkness on the opposite side of Utoland. He turned, addressing the soldiers who had accompanied him.

“I took all of you with me, because you are the best Galactor has to offer.” he lied smoothly. “We are searching for a specific child. I will distribute lists to each unit. The hospital records have yielded results, which have been used to generate search lists. You will visit every residence on your list and test the infants at their locations.”

“Excuse me, Lord Katse…” a young Sergeant stepped forward, a fanatical and reverent expression on his face. Kate knew the type. This was one of those men who had been raised within Galactor’s embrace, who would follow orders without question.

“What is it, Sergeant?” Katse asked impatiently. He was eager to get back to work.

“Are we certain that the child is at a private home?” the Sergeant asked. “If the mother left the child behind, wouldn’t she have left it at an orphanage, or adoption agency?”

Damn it, he had a point. Inwardly, Katse cursed. If Victoria had left their child at such a place, he had wasted his time searching the hospitals. He should have gone directly to these organizations for abandoned infants.

“I will be creating another set of locations for your units to investigate.” Katse replied loftily. “These will include the organizations you mention.”

“Of course, Lord Katse.” the Sergeant bowed respectfully. “I should have known that you would already have thought of this.”

The man was right. Katse should have thought of this. But he had been too flustered, too caught up in the necessity of finding his child. If he had been able, he would have used his female persona to command this mission. Onna Taicho was much calmer, more logical, than Berg Katse. But his troops didn’t always recognize her authority, and he had required the ultimate, unquestioned control that came with being Berg Katse.

The Galactor Squadrons ran out into the chilly Christmas Eve air, while the Lord of Galactor began to search for Utoland’s orphanages.

*****

“Katse abandoned the mecha at the first sign of trouble.” Ken reported to Dr. Nambu. “It only took a couple of Bird Missiles to destroy it.”

“I still don’t understand why he would leave it so quickly.” the Doctor commented. His stern gaze seemed to jump out of the computer monitor at the front of the God Phoenix, demanding answers that Ken didn’t have.

“I’m also confused about Galactor’s objective.” Ken admitted. “Joe and Jinpei found the same results that Jun and I did: the troops were taking over hospitals and stealing data regarding women who have delivered babies in the past week.”

“I have a little light to shed on that.” the Doctor replied. “We were just notified that the Utoland Police Department has received a large number of calls regarding home invasions in the past twenty minutes. In each instance, the invaders were described as men wearing green, who demanded access to an infant residing at the home. The men apparently withdrew blood from the infant, tested it, then left the premises.”

“The infants?” Princess gasped. “So Galactor wasn’t looking for a woman who had given birth… they were looking for the babies?” Blood drained from the Swan’s face as she contemplated what Galactor could possibly want with newborn infants.

“Apparently so.” Nambu confirmed. “And just now we have received reports of troops invading the Central Adoption Agency, and two small orphanages on the western edge of the city.”

“Orphanages… Stephen…” Jun whispered, her hands shaking.

“Who is Stephen?” the Doctor asked, confused.

“It’s not important.” Ken replied, shooting a look at Jun that warned her to agree with him. The Swan bowed her head.

“These troops have to be coming from somewhere.” Joe pointed out. “Galactor goons don’t stick around when their mecha has been destroyed. They’ve got to have some other base of operations.”

“I agree with your analysis, Joe.” Nambu replied. “I want you all to find this base of operations and find out what Galactor hopes to accomplish with these infants.”

“Roger!” shouted everyone, saluting in unison.

When the Doctor’s image had faded away, Jun placed a soft hand on Ken’s shoulder.

“Ken… do you think Stephen will be okay?” she asked quietly.

“You heard Hakase.” Ken replied. “They’re testing the babies. Not taking them. They’re leaving them where they find them.”

“I hope so…” Jun sounded worried, despite Ken’s words.

“We have to locate wherever those troops are coming from.” Ken reminded the others. “It’s likely some kind of base.”

“A Galactor base in Utoland.” Joe snorted with disgust. “There’s nothing those bastards won’t do.”

“If we find it and destroy it, there won’t be a base any longer.” Jinpei said gleefully. “We have to protect our turf!”

“And how is ‘our turf’ different from anywhere else on the planet?” Jun asked hotly, her hands on her hips. “We have to drive Galactor out, no matter where they are!”

“You’re right, Jun.” the Eagle said calmly. He knew the Swan’s emotions were running high, because she was worried about Stephen. She had developed an attachment to the infant, even during the brief time she had been in charge of his welfare. Gatchaman turned to address his Team.

“I think our best bet is to find these troops and follow them back to their base.” Ken said. “We may never find it, otherwise. We’re all familiar with Utoland, yet we’ve never had a hint of anything like a secret base in the area.”

“But once we get to that base, all bets are off.” growled Joe, slamming his fist into his other hand.

“Joe, you go with Jinpei, and I’ll go with Jun.” Ken ordered. “We’ll report in with each other when we find something.”

“Roger!”

And so once more, Ken found himself riding behind Jun on the G-3, searching for any sign of Galactor soldiers. But this time, when they located a trio of the green-uniformed men, they pulled back into the shadows.

“They’re going into that apartment building.” Jun noted.

Silently they dashed over to the building, jumping up the walls and using their wings for lift. Even looking through windows, it was relatively easy to follow the goons, who were more interested in their computer pad than their surroundings. It appeared that they were getting directions from the pad, as they entered the elevator.

Ken and Jun alternated monitoring the elevator stops, and before long the Swan waved the Eagle over at the 12th floor.

“They’re going down that hallway.” she said, pointing off to the left.

Carefully, the two ninjas melted into the shadows, checking each apartment window they passed for any sign of the Galactor soldiers. The fifth window was open slightly, and they could hear voices inside.

“What do you want?” asked a frightened female voice.

“We can give you some food.” said a calm, voice, that sounded as if it belonged to an older man. “It’s Christmas. No one should go hungry.”

“We don’t want your stinking food!” came a harsh shout. There was the sound of breaking ceramics. “We need the baby.”

“No…” the female voice moaned. “You can’t take my baby…”

Ken and Jun edged closer, until they were able to see the scene in front of them. A grandfatherly-looking man had his arms held protectively around a young woman, who was doing her best to shield the infant in her arms from a pair of guns being held in her face. The third Galactor soldier was pulling at the child, and after a few moments was able to rip the now-squalling babe away from its mother.

“We’ll give it back.” grinned one of the goons nastily. “Probably…”

The soldier holding the baby pulled out what looked like a hypospray syringe, and withdrew blood from the screaming child. He attempted to deposit the sample into his computer pad, but was clearly unable to do so with only one hand available to him.

“Here, one of you, take this thing!” he cried, thrusting the child out toward the other two guards. One of the goons grabbed clumsily for the infant, nearly dropping it.

Ken grabbed Jun’s hand, squeezing it firmly. He knew that she longed to rescue the small family, but right now it was more important that they see what the Galactor soldiers were up to, and follow them back to their base. If the Science Ninja Team couldn’t stop Galactor, it was likely this scene might be played out many more times this evening.

He felt Jun shiver next to him, and he squeezed her hand again. This time she returned the gesture, albeit with a sense of reluctance.

The goon had pressed the hypospray syringe into the computer pad, and after a few moments a series of beeps emitted from the device.

“Negative.” the green-uniformed soldier muttered. “Big surprise.”

“Here.” snarled the goon holding the infant, as he tossed it into the air. With a scream, the young women dove beneath the child, her body slamming into the floor and acting as a cushion for the baby to land upon.

“Nice catch!” laughed the third Galactor nastily, before the three soldiers exited the apartment.

“Are you all right?” asked the older man, rushing to the woman’s aid.

“I think so.” she replied weakly, “But we should take Jennifer to the doctor. Who knows what those sickos did to my little girl?”

Ken tugged on Jun’s wings. The two people and the infant were fine, and they had to keep following the Galactor soldiers. Jun turned and nodded reluctantly, following Ken down the side of the building and into an alley. They caught sight of the goons moving off in a different direction.

“How many more places do we have to go?” yawned one.

“We only have three more on our list.” said another, who was studying the computer pad. “But the last one’s a doozy.”

“Can’t we just take a break, and just say that we’ve been to all of these places?” whined the third.

“The computer pad holds all of our data!” lectured the man holding the device. “If we don’t put the samples into it, Lord Katse will know that we haven’t been doing our jobs!”

“But this is boring.” complained the first goon. “Can’t we even have any fun with these women?”

“There’s no time for that.” the third soldier explained. “We have to be back within the hour, or Lord Katse will leave without us. He wants to get out of here before the Science Ninja Team locates our ship.”

A ship! Of course! Ken mentally smacked himself on the forehead. The Science Ninja Team hadn’t overlooked Galactor building a base in their own backyard: these troops were coming from a ship!

Now all they had to do was find it.

“I want to get my hands on that computer pad.” Jun whispered. “It would answer a lot of questions.”

“Let’s let them finish their work and lead us back to their ship.” Ken replied. “After that, it’s all yours.”

The next two stops the Galactor soldiers made were very similar to the one the two ninjas had just witnessed. The goons broke into private homes, forcibly taking young babies away from their mothers and testing blood samples. In both cases, the infants tested were ‘negative’.

Negative for what? For the life of him, Ken couldn’t figure out what Galactor would want with an infant.

Unlike the previous locations, the Galactor soldiers’ final stop was not a private residence.

It was the Utoland City Orphanage.

Jun gave a sharp cry when she realized where they were headed. Ken held her hand, doing his best to reassure her.

“It will be like the other places.” he told her. “They’ll test the babies there, and they’ll all be negative.”

Whatever that meant.

Jun nodded silently, but she refused to look at Ken. Her hand felt limp in his, almost as if she didn’t even notice his presence.

When the Galactor soldiers entered the orphanage, Ken and Jun did their best to listen at the windows as they had done before. But the Utoland City Orphanage was housed in a newly constructed building, and the glass was virtually soundproof. So they merely watched as the goons threatened the nurse at reception, two of them leaving the area to go into another room. Ken and Jun were unable to locate these guards through the windows, and so they returned to watch over the reception area.

One soldier was still there, pointing a gun at the sobbing nurse’s head. The green-uniformed man appeared to be bored. But that all changed when his two companions came running back into the room.

They were holding a small, white bundle.

The goons’ faces lit up with excitement, and they rushed out of the building, barely taking notice of the nurse who had leapt for the phone the moment she was no longer under their surveillance.

Ken and Jun were on the move as well, following the three men more closely than before. But the guards didn’t notice in their eagerness to return to their ship.

“I can’t believe we found it!” one was saying. “This will be a promotion for sure!”

“I never thought we’d be the ones.” said a second goon. “This is the first thing that’s gone right for me since joining Galactor!”

“I wonder what Lord Katse wants with this stupid kid?” asked the third, who was holding the white bundle. His face bore a somewhat dubious expression.

“Who cares?” laughed the first. “It tested positive, didn’t it? That’s good enough for me.” He suddenly appeared nervous.

“It did test positive… right?” he asked.

“Yes.” the second goon nodded vigorously. “We checked the results again. Two out of two.”

“Good.” the first goon sighed in relief.

“Let’s just get back quickly.” said the third. “Then we can get our reward and I can dump this smelly brat.”

As quickly as they could, the three men ran to the edge of the city, where they appeared to hotwire a small car that had been left in a strip-mall parking lot. Jun and Ken followed some distance behind on the G-3, barely remaining in sight of the vehicle. After a quarter of an hour, the car pulled up next to a large, stylized devil head that looked to be about the size of a house.

“I think we’ve found where they’re coming from.” Ken grimaced, initiating a communication on his bracelet.

“Joe, Jinpei, we’ve located their ship. Rendezvous immediately at our location.”

Chapter 9

“Lord Katse! Lord Katse!”

The Lord of Galactor looked up, his red-rimmed eyes blinking rapidly. He had gone for far too long without sleep, and his lack of success was only causing his frustration with the entire situation to grow into something of monumental proportions. He had discovered nothing, and with every passing second, Berg Katse knew that Leader X’s wrath would only grow more severe.

He had to return to Cross Karokorum. But how could he do so without his child?

“Lord Katse!” cried a soldier, running into the room with two other guards. “We found it!”

“You… what?” Katse stood up rapidly, pushing himself away from the control panel at which he had been working.

“This child!” the man said, holding out a white bundle to the Galactor Leader. “It tested positive. Twice.”

“Twice?” Eagerly, Berg Katse took two long strides over toward the soldiers, holding out his arms. But once the child was deposited in his arms, a sensation of awkwardness overtook him.

“I want to see the test results!” he demanded haughtily, to cover his discomposure. Hurriedly, one of the soldiers stepped forward, downloading the data from the computer pad into the main computer system. Once this task was complete, he pulled up the last two test results on the main monitor.

Katse stared at the data, his eyes widening in surprise and delight. It was true. This child was a match for his own DNA. And thanks to the mutations Leader X had made to this fundamental core of his physical makeup, Berg Katse knew that there was no possibility of any mistake.

“Good work. You’ll all be commended when we get back to Headquarters.” Katse dismissed the men with a wave. “And a week’s leave.”

“Thank you, Lord Katse!” the men answered enthusiastically, bowing and scraping as they departed.

Berg Katse looked down at the white-wrapped bundle in his arms. Gently, he pulled back the edge of the nubby blanket to peer at a tiny, wrinkled face, framed by a loose, pink, knitted cap.

Pink. A girl. He had a daughter.

She was sleeping. His daughter sighed peacefully, her lips moving slightly as she dozed, completely unaware of the strange path her life had taken in the last hour. He shifted his arms, jostling her slightly, and her eyes opened slowly, still heavy with sleep. He saw a deep blue color peep out from underneath her delicate eyelids, and her exquisite rosebud mouth opened in a tiny, toothless yawn.

She was perfect.

His control panel chimed softly, and he realized that it was midnight. It was now Christmas Day, and he was holding a miracle in his arms. A perfect gift. It seemed as if he was at the center of a magical circle, emanating from the core of his angelic daughter.

A sudden feeling of possessiveness took hold of Katse; but there was something more. There was a sense of devotion, of care, similar to what he had felt for the child’s mother, but also… a connection. There was a bond between them that he innately sensed; something shared.

Berg Katse had never felt such a thing before. He had always known that he was different from every other human being on Earth; that he would never find another who was exactly like him.

And yet somehow, he had.

A sense of isolation and detachment that he hadn’t entirely been aware of began to dissolve. For the first time in his life, Berg Katse wasn’t alone.

He had someone with whom he could share. And now that he had found her, he was never going to give her up.

A loud whooping sound came from a computer panel on the other side of the room, and a red light began to flash. The Galactor Leader whirled quickly, his purple cape flying out behind him. The movement was so sudden that his daughter’s knit hat fell off of her head, and onto the floor. Katse pressed a button next to him, bringing up images from security cameras around the ship. It only took him a second to see winged figures darting quickly about, easily dealing with the few green-uniformed troops they encountered.

“The Science Ninja Team!” Katse hissed, his eyes burning red with his hatred. How dare they find him now? He had succeeded; he had accomplished his goal! He held his child in his arms. How could they be bothering him now?

And yet, the visual evidence was not to be denied.

“Guards! To the Control Room!” he shouted into the communications system, already knowing it was too late. Most of the troops he had taken with him were in the city, tracking down the leads he had given them.

Perhaps he still had time to make it to his escape pod. Diablica’s head had been designed as a secondary attack ship, and knowing that he would probably be commanding this vessel in the event of a separation, Katse had had a special rocket built into it. Quickly, he wrapped his cape around himself and his child, then strode across the room toward the exit.

Only to find himself face to face with Gatchaman.

“Going somewhere, Katse?” his nemesis smirked, his blue-gloved fingers pushing forcefully against the Galactor Leader’s chest. Katse stumbled backward slightly, afraid to put his arms out for balance; instead using them to clutch his daughter more closely to his body.

“How good of you to visit, Gatchaman!” Katse sneered, doing his best to bluff his way out of this situation. “And right on time! I have a little surprise for you…”

“Can it, Katse!” the Condor growled, stepping into the room, followed by the Swan and the Swallow. “You’re not getting away this time. You’ve got nowhere to run.”

The Galactor Leader’s eyes darted left and right. He considered grabbing for the gas pellet he carried in the side of his mask, near his mouth. Yes… that could distract them long enough for him to get away.

He shifted slightly, moving the precious white bundle to his left arm while his right hand slowly reached up toward his mouth…

His daughter began to cry.

The noise started out as a breathy moan, then quickly escalated to a loud wail, the plaintive cry echoing off of the metal walls. Everyone froze for a moment, uncertain of how to proceed under these unexpected circumstances.

“Give the baby to me, Katse.” Gatchaman said. His voice was no longer arrogant, or mocking, but carried a note of desperation.

It seemed that Berg Katse had one last card to play.

Chapter 10

“I’m not going to give up this prize.” Katse mocked the Eagle, taunting him with the child, pulling the blanket back from its face and using that as a weapon to torment Ken. The room fell silent again. Even the infant seemed to be soothed by the smooth movements the Galactor Leader was making.

“The baby… it’s Stephen!” Jun blanched. Her choked gasp was relatively quiet, but in the noiseless room, it carried too far.

“Stephen, you say?” Katse laughed, his voice suddenly bright and brittle. There was something wrong. Something was tangibly amiss behind the Galactor Leader’s words, but Ken couldn’t put his finger on it.

“What do you want with a baby?” Ken asked reasonably. “He can’t hurt you.”

“It’s a child of Galactor, isn’t it?” Joe asked bluntly. Everyone turned to stare at the Condor. Even Katse was agape with this accusation.

“What…?” Katse seemed to be having trouble forming a complete sentence.

“Galactor never lets anyone leave its organization.” Joe stated angrily. “People who try are killed, along with their families… and their children.” The Condor glared at the Galactor Leader, his venom nearly tangible.

“You’ve gone to all of this trouble to locate this child, in order to kill it!” Joe hissed.

“I…” Katse’s eyes swept the room again. Ken noted that the Galactor Leader appeared to be having difficulty coming up with a response to the Condor’s words. Or perhaps he was just too focused on finding a way out with his tiny hostage.

“Give Stephen back to us.” Ken said quietly, taking one slow step toward the Galactor Leader and holding out his arms. “Don’t hurt him. It’s not worth it. He can do nothing to you.”

Berg Katse lowered his head, his eyes locking onto those of the Eagle. For a brief instant, there was something there… something Ken couldn’t identify, yet something that he had never before associated with the Galactor Leader.

“Please.” Ken whispered, moving another step closer. “Just give Stephen to us. We’ll make sure he’s kept far from Galactor. Give him to us… and you can go.” Ken held his breath. His offer to let Katse go had been sudden and spontaneous, and he wasn’t sure where the thought had come from. One look at Jun’s face had convinced Ken that the most important thing in this entire equation was not Katse’s life, but Stephen’s.

“The hell he can!” Joe snarled. Jun and Jinpei nearly had to physically restrain the Condor from leaping forward. “You’re not just going to let Katse go!”

“That’s enough!” Ken growled, snapping his head back to lock eyes with Joe. “I gave my word.”

“And you honor your word; don’t you, Gatchaman?” Katse asked softly. Unlike usual, there was no mocking tone in his voice, and the Eagle sensed that his answer was important to the Galactor Leader. But words alone wouldn’t convince Berg Katse.

“You know me, Katse.” Ken replied steadily. “What do you think?”

For a long moment, no one spoke. Even Stephen had stopped crying, as if he sensed that his fate was hanging in the balance. The Galactor Leader looked down at the infant, whispering something that Ken was not able to hear.

“Take the brat!” Katse snapped suddenly, thrusting the child into the Eagle’s arms and dashing around the White Shadow. He twisted his body, pushing past the other three members of the Science Ninja Team and diving for the exit.

“Not this time, Katse!” the Condor snarled, lunging for the swirl of purple that moved past him. Joe reached out, seizing hold of his enemy…

Only to end up holding nothing more than a red-lined cape.

“Damn it!” Joe spat, ready to give chase, but a low rumbling sound gave him a moment’s pause.

“Thanks for keeping your word, Gatchaman!” Katse’s voice taunted them over the communications system. “And to repay the favor, I’ll tell you that the ship you’re standing in is set to explode in the next fifteen seconds.”

They didn’t stick around to hear the rest.

*****

From his rocket, high in the air, Katse watched Diablica’s head burst into flames as the self-destruct sequence initiated. His eyes widened with relief as he saw the fleeing members of the Science Ninja Team; Gatchaman himself carrying a small bundle in his arms as he ran.

It had all been for nothing…

And yet, it had not. He had disobeyed his Master’s orders, the Diablica mecha had been completely destroyed, and Leader X’s Christmas Eve plans for UN Headquarters would have to wait for another year.

But his child was safe.

When the Swan had cried out the child’s name, Katse had at first been disbelieving. But the coincidence of the infant’s name was too great to be denied. He could easily imagine Victoria naming her child after its father.

If it had been a boy…

In that moment, the Galactor Leader had understood why he had felt such an instantaneous connection with his child. He didn’t have a daughter. He didn’t have a son.

He had both.

With that realization had come another: if Leader X knew that this infant also possessed the DNA mutations that made Katse so well-suited for control, then there was no question what would happen to the child.

Above all, Berg Katse knew that he could not put his own child through the torturous hell that had been his own upbringing. If he was able to do nothing else for his offspring, he could spare his child the fate that its parent had been dealt.

Gatchaman had promised to keep the child safe, and far from Galactor… and Berg Katse had trusted in that promise. Without Leader X to ‘nurture’ it, the child would cease any spontaneous gender changes or mental telepathy, returning to the gender of its birth and mental capacities of a normal human within a few months.

It was the greatest gift he could give.

Feeling more alone than he could ever remember, Berg Katse, Lord of Galactor, set a course for his Master’s lair, steeling himself against the retribution he deserved for his disobedience. His audacity in searching for his child was deserving of the worst punishment. Yet what Leader X did not know was that Katse was already suffering through a harsher punishment than the alien entity could ever devise.

The Lord of Galactor buried his face in his arms, and he wept.

Epilogue

He couldn’t sleep.

Ken turned over in his bed for the third time, his exhausted body desperately seeking the rest it needed. And yet somehow, it eluded him.

He thought of Stephen, and the way Jun had held him in her arms once they had gotten back to the God Phoenix. She had wanted to return him to the orphanage, but Ken knew that Galactor would find the child there again. Gatchaman didn’t trust Katse’s sudden change of heart. Once the Galactor Leader realized what had truly occurred, Stephen had to be far from Katse’s clutches. After a careful discussion with Dr. Nambu, the child had been sent to the Falklands, to a large UN Military Base located there. Unlike most UN bases, this one was not defensive in nature, and merely served as a temporary home for the numerous personnel who made their way through its facilities. The population there changed quickly, never the same from one week to the next. Stephen would be passed from temporary home to temporary home for at least a year, before finally settling down with a real family. It wasn’t the best situation, but both Ken and Dr. Nambu had agreed that this kind of muddled trail was necessary, in case Galactor ever tried to trace the child’s whereabouts.

Even with this dilemma settled, Ken could see that Jun was far from happy. He had tried to approach her, but she had moved away. They had all gone to their assigned quarters on the Crescent Coral Base for some rest, but Ken’s troubled emotions had held sleep at bay.

He sighed, turning over to look at the time. The small, glowing readout informed him that it was 0400 on Christmas morning. Around the world, children were waking to discover that their dreams had come true. But the joy that they must surely be feeling seemed a million miles away to him.

Sighing, Ken sat up, pulling on his clothes and opening his door. He squinted at the bright light in the hallway, the lowered his head to stare at the ground as he trudged down the featureless metal corridor. After a few moments, he arrived at his destination.

He opened the door, finding the room dimly lit by a few computer displays, but he didn’t switch on the overhead light. Instead, he found his way over to a squat structure made of white PVC tubing.

Carefully, Ken found the end of Jun’s fiber optic network and fiddled with the wires for a moment. The LED system came to life, filling the room with soft, colored sparkles of light. The red button on the top of the ‘tree’ lit up, adding an atmospheric glow.

It was actually kind of pretty.

Ken supposed that there must be something wrong with his mental state, to think such a thing. How could some plumbing pipes, cables and a missile launcher have any aesthetic value? But for the Science Ninja Team, it was the perfect tree.

Even if he was the only member of the Science Ninja Team here to appreciate it.

Ken sat down on a couch in the corner of the room, his gaze taking in the tree, its lighting, and the faint, dark shapes of fish moving outside of the windows. Something about the entire scene set his thoughts at ease, and while he wasn’t sleepy, he found that his mind could finally rest. He closed his eyes, letting his thoughts wander.

A soft swoosh announced that the door had opened, and he heard footsteps so silent that most others would have noticed nothing at all. He cracked an eye open, curious as to which one of his Team was intruding on his solitude.

“I’m sorry, Ken.” Jun said, turning to leave. “I didn’t know anyone was here. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“That’s okay.” Ken replied, opening his eyes but maintaining his relaxed posture on the couch. “You can stay. I just couldn’t sleep.”

“Me neither.” Jun admitted, cautiously approaching the couch. She sat down awkwardly at the other end, a few feet away from Ken. “Too much on my mind, I guess.”

“I know.” Ken said, turning his head to look at her. “You’re worried about Stephen.”

“I don’t think it’s right, sending him from home to home like that, at such a young age.” Jun sighed. “But you were right. I can’t think of any better way to hide his tracks from Galactor. I just wish…” Her voice drifted off.

“I wish that too, Jun.” Ken told her. “I wish that everyone could have a proper home; grow up into adulthood with two loving parents. But look at us. We turned out okay, didn’t we?”

“I guess…” Jun said, staring straight ahead at the tree. “Sometimes, I wonder.”

A strained silence stood between them. Both of them recognized the truth in Jun’s words, but neither of them knew how to address it.

Ken looked surreptitiously at Jun, studying her elegant profile in the dim light of the LED display. Her smooth, soft skin was youthful, but there was an aching sadness there that spoke of a woman far older. He sat frozen in place; wanting to reach out to her, to ease her pain, but uncertain of how to go about it.

His gaze moved away, flickering upward, and then he knew. Slowly he rose to his feet, moving over to her end of the couch, then reaching out for her. When Ken touched her hand, Jun’s head jerked up, startled, but she did not protest. Gently he pulled her to a stand, and once she was there in front of him, he placed a single finger under her chin, tilting it upward.

“Mistletoe.” he whispered, indicating the now-wilted piece of greenery that Ryu had attached to the ceiling hours ago. Before he could lose his nerve, Ken bent his head down, capturing Jun’s mouth with his.

Their kiss was innocent and sweet, but full of a longing that he would never dare put into words. She sighed, her body relaxing into his, and he pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her waist. Gently, he pulled his lips away, drawing her head down to his shoulder, stroking her ebony tresses.

“Merry Christmas, Jun.” he whispered, her hair feeling like silk underneath his calloused palm.

“Merry Christmas, Ken.” she smiled, her eyes glazing over dreamily as she rested on his shoulder. They stood together, supporting each other both physically and emotionally, the light from the makeshift Christmas tree falling around them.

As Ken stroked Jun’s hair, a surge of possessiveness passed through him. She was the most dangerous woman he knew, and yet he wanted to hold and protect her. Such a contradiction in terms… and yet, wasn’t that how he had always felt about Jun? She was an officer under his command, a strong, independent woman; and yet he wanted her to need him, in the same way that he needed her.

But none of that could happen until the war with Galactor was over.

His mind told him that he had to wait, but his body and his heart railed against it. He ached to kiss her again; to join with her. He had to practically lock his muscles into place to prevent himself from doing so. Yet that created its own dilemma, as her soft form snuggled against him, setting his nerves alive in a way they had never experienced before.

Carefully, he extricated himself from their embrace, moving back slowly until they were no longer touching, and Jun was standing alone underneath the wilted spinach leaf. But the one part of himself he could not tear away from Jun was his eyes. He stared at her hungrily, desperate for the sustenance only she could give him.

Her face bore an expression of confusion. She began to take a step toward him, then thought better of it, pulling herself back and simply rocking slightly on her heels. Her eyes widened, and then she frowned at him.

“Ken…” she said hesitantly. “This… this isn’t just the mistletoe… is it?”

He froze for a second, uncertain of how to answer. For a long moment, his emotions battled with his mind, and in the end, he decided that his only recourse was honesty.

“It’s just the mistletoe.” he said evenly, his eyes locked onto hers. “For now. But when Galactor has finally been defeated…” He focused his feelings into his gaze, begging with her both to understand… and to wait.

“I see…” Jun bowed her head as she whispered, breaking their visual connection. Ken’s shoulders sagged, his disappointment dragging him down.

“Jun…” He reached out toward her, then let his hand drop.

“It’s… it’s more than I had expected.” she breathed. He froze, his mind grasping at what she had said.

“I know you have to stay true to your duty, Ken.” Jun said softly, her head still lowered. “I have always understood that. But to know that after it’s all over, that we want the same thing…” She looked up again, and this time she was smiling, her face more brilliant than the sun; her happiness radiating through the dark room.

“I can wait.” she murmured. “A gift like that is worth waiting for.”

Ken smiled at her, relief flooding his entire being. He had spent so long searching for a present for Jun, only to stumble upon the most wonderful revelation of all.

“But you know…” she glanced shyly at him. “It’s still Christmas, and the mistletoe is still there…”

And since at that moment there was nothing he could deny her, he didn’t. She was his perfect gift, and he was hers.

And giving a gift was the greatest joy of all.

The End