Well, dagnabit, I'm going to take Gatch in my area of Canuckland however I can get it! :) This multi-part piece of insanity was inspired by a conversation on Center Neptune last night (sorry for those who missed it!), and I just had to post what I came up with before I went to bed and my brains achieved the equivalent consistency of yogurt. The rest will follow after I've had some sleep. :)
Standard disclaimer: Tatsunoko owns Gatchaman and any related figures/names. WEM is its own danged copyright. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gatchaman Does West Edmonton Mall (or: This Is All Julieann's Fault)
Part One: Ken
When Nambu told us in no uncertain terms that the team was being taken off duty, I could hardly believe my ears. After the initial shock, the expected storm of protests arose.
"But Hakase, we didn't trash the city *that* badly," shrilled Jinpei.
"Yeah, I only used one Bird Missile," Joe growled from the wall. "How was I supposed to know the damned mecha could move like that?"
"We still got the data on that Galactor base we were looking for," Jun added brightly.
"And the damage to the Phoenix was only minimal -- " came Ryu's slightly sullen voice from his corner.
Nambu Hakase looked about ready to tear out his hair. "No, no, NO!" he shouted, drowning them all out and glaring with fatigue-reddened eyes. "No protests! You're all off duty as of now!" He turned his glare on me, even though I hadn't said anything yet. "This includes you, Ken. No running off to tangle with Galactors at a whim, no sudden inspirations to blow up everything in sight, no excuses of 'But I saw Katse' or 'I thought it was a base' so you can go on an unabashed rampage through public property." He scrubbed at the bridge of his nose with the heel of his hand. "Do you have any idea how much of a political mess this is going to cause?"
"But, Hakase -- " I began.
"*No buts!*" he thundered at me, the expostulation catching me by surprise. "You're all on the next flight out of the country for the next two weeks!"
I gaped. "Two weeks? But Hakase -- " I stopped and sighed when I saw another impending explosion gathering in his face. "Where are we going?" I asked resignedly.
Nambu sat back in his chair, rubbing his temple. "To the last country on the planet that Galactor would think of looking for you, for the simple reason that it's so peaceful it'd be a waste of resources to invade." He paused to encompass us with another glare. "You leave at 0600 tomorrow. Get packed." His finger pointed us out the door, and out was where we quietly went.
I couldn't sleep well that night. The idea of being exiled for two weeks to another country while the ISO sorted out our screwup kept me awake a good four hours after I'd turned out the lights. When I finally did fall asleep, a mere two hours before we were to leave, it was wishing for a way to fix things somehow, all the while knowing there was just *nothing* I could do this time and feeling helplessness in full measure.