Return of Jetman Episode 4

RETURN OF JETMAN

"Stalking Wolves"
(Episode 4)
by Christopher Elam
(based on the work of Lewis Smith)
© 2003 Christopher Elam

 

Etsuko Oishi cast a worried glance over her shoulder as she walked briskly down the busy Shinjuku district street. The mysterious man that had been tailing her since the Kabuki-cho section was still behind her. She gripped the collar of the school uniform she wore and picked up her pace yet again.

This was stupid. She had super powers. She should just turn and fight him. But she had caught a glimpse of the glowing red eyes his hat concealed, the glint of metal beneath his overcoat. This was no ordinary stalker. And she couldn't call the others for help. Not here, not now.

So she ran. Full-blown panic consumed her as her training was forgotten. All she desperately wanted was to get away. There was an alley. Maybe, if she ducked into it, her pursuer would lose track of her. He would continue to make his way through the crowd, oblivious to her disappearance.

The alley was deserted. Thank God for that. Etsuko surveyed the scene, looking for an easy route out. Suddenly, a cold steel hand reached from behind her and covered her mouth. Etsuko's eyes widened as she saw the man extend his other hand to display a small egg-like device. The device opened like a flower and there was a burst of blue light. Instantaneously, Etsuko was gone.

The man took the device and returned it to his jacket pocket. He casually strolled out of the alley as if nothing had happened.

One down.

***

Jet Phoenix made the final check of his Phoenix Fighter before takeoff. He had already made the check three times, but one more couldn't hurt. Of course, this rationale didn't convince him at all. The truth was that he was less than enthusiastic about this mission.

The new Fire Bazooka was loaded and ready. The coordinates for Dragon Wyvern's location in an isolated area of Okinawa were programmed. All that was left was to find Green Wyvern and...

Kill her? That was what he had been preparing for these last two days. Her rampage that had crippled Earthship had sealed it. She was far too dangerous a wild card in a game of life and death. He had to take her out of play.

But it felt wrong somehow. She wasn't really evil, that much was clear. She was just angry and lashing out at the world. Certainly, he could understand that feeling if anyone could.

It didn't matter, did it? He had a job to do. That was why he had given the team the day off. It was better if they didn't have to get involved in this mission. No sense in them dirtying their hands with this.

Jet Phoenix climbed into his Fighter and took off, on his way to assassinate Green Wyvern.

***

"Crap! I can't believe I lost again!"

Reiko Hayasaka threw her hands up in disgust as she pushed herself away from the video game. Most of the rest of the arcade's patrons paid her no mind. Only Gohan Oishi cared about her fit. That was because he had just beaten her in ten straight games of TEKKEN.

"Honestly Reiko, I'm really not that good at this old game," Gohan apologized sheepishly. "I must be on a hot streak."

"Or maybe I'm just that bad!" Reiko practically shouted. "How did I let you talk me into this?"

"You going to play again?"

"Are you kidding? I'm not throwing away any more yen getting my butt kicked! You go ahead and I'll just watch you."

Gohan turned back to face the screen and was greeted by an unexpected sight. The "VS." screen had his character pitted against an unfamiliar opponent.

"'King vs. Toranza'?" Gohan wondered aloud. "Who's Toranza? Is this a gimmicked machine?"

The video game match began and Toranza made short work of Gohan's character. As Toranza stood over the fallen King, the game announcer blandly stated, "You...lose...suckers."

Reiko cocked an eyebrow. "That's a new one!"

A burst of blue light came from the game screen and enveloped Gohan and Reiko. They were gone in a flash. Their fellow video game players only noticed that the TEKKEN machine was abandoned.

Three down.

***

Ken fidgeted nervously in his chair as he waited for his appointment to arrive at the outdoor cafe. His research into Gai Yuki, the original Black Condor, had left him with as many questions as it did answers. He needed more information - someone who knew Gai Yuki. He could've asked one of his parents, or one of the other original Jetmen, but that might've tipped his hand. Then it hit him.

His online research had revealed that there had been a whole book on Gai Yuki. As he read the excerpts, Ken realized that the author might be the one to answer his questions. A quick call to the publisher and Ken had an appointment for a personal meeting the next day. That was a lot more than he'd anticipated.

As Ken glanced around, he noticed the impeccably dressed woman carrying a camera case. She seemed to be looking for someone. It was her, it had to be. The info had said she was a photojournalist. What was the name again? Michiru Oshima, that was it.

Ken stood up and tried to wave casually to her. Just enough to catch her eye, but hopefully not enough to draw everyone else's attention. The woman caught sight of him, but gave no acknowledgment as she made her way towards him. Ken was determined to play it cool. He pulled out a chair and bowed. "Hi, my name is Ken Tendo and..."

"Save it," Oshima interjected brusquely as she took a seat. "I know exactly who you are. The 'all-new' Black Condor. That's the only reason I agreed to this meeting."

Ken shook his head for a moment, trying to grasp what she was saying. "What are you talking about?" he asked as he sat down across from her.

Oshima unzipped her bag and produced several photos. They were still shots of Jetman's recent battle with the original Jetman team. Each had one other element in common.

"Look here!" Oshima said as she pointed to one of the pictures. "This is the original Black Condor! I want to know what this cover-up is all about!"

Ken was almost dumbstruck, an uncommon feeling for him, as he stared at what he knew was a robot of the original Black Condor in the photos. "Cover-up?"

Then Michiru hit him with the kicker. "What can you tell me about Gai Yuki?"

Ken sat stunned for a moment and then burst into hysterics. The irony was ridiculous. Michiru Oshima had only agreed to meet with him because she wanted to know more about Gai Yuki!

When Ken calmed himself, he realized that Oshima had left. He assumed she had been offended by his antics and left in a huff. Oh well. She obviously hadn't intended to tell him anything anyway.

"I wonder why she's so obsessed with Gai Yuki," Ken thought as he got up to leave.

***

Gai Tendo toweled the sweat from his brow. His workout in the Skywatch exercise room had been just as strenuous as always. He had to push himself to excel. For him, there was no other way.

Now, it was time for a break. Maybe he'd work on his journal some more. That was always relaxing. It helped him collect his thoughts.

Gai stopped in his tracks. Someone was in there with him. He couldn't see them, but he could sense their presence. Where were they?

An invisible fist struck Gai in the face. Reacting quickly, Gai assumed his stance and attempted a chop at his attacker. The man made himself visible and blocked Gai's blow with two fingers. A flick of his wrist and Gai was slammed against the wall.

The man produced the egg-like device, and, seconds later, Gai was gone in a burst of light. The man chuckled as he playfully tossed the device into the air.

Four down.

***

Ken Tendo's motorcycle raced toward the Skywatch complex, then stopped just short of entering the grounds. Ken's mind was swimming with possibilities.

Should he confront him with what he suspected...no, KNEW? Should he march in there and tell everyone who he was? Should he try to work it to his advantage? Or should he just forget about it?

Ken removed his crash helmet and shook his long hair free. A cool breeze blew and Ken felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He turned and hurled his helmet at...he didn't know what, but it was there.

A laser from nowhere deflected the helmet and sent it to land harmlessly on the ground. A disembodied hand appeared holding an egg-like device. Ken went to activate his Cross Changer seconds too late. There was a burst of light and his motorcycle fell to the pavement. Ken was gone.

Five down. One to go.

***

Green Wyvern made another adjustment to Dragon Wyvern's circuit board, trying to fend off the fatigue that was beginning to overwhelm her. She hadn't stopped since she had gained her powers, and she had no intention of stopping. She wasn't weak anymore. No one would ever put her down again.

Damn Jet Phoenix. She swore to herself she would beat him. How dare he think he was a match for her? Even though the energy she had absorbed from the original Jetman had faded away, she still knew she was his better. She fully intended to prove it.

An alarm sounded and Wyvern jumped up to check the monitor screen. The Phoenix Fighter zoomed into view and she bit her lip hard. It looked like she was going to get her opportunity sooner than expected.

Dragon Wyvern rose into the air. Jet Phoenix opened fire immediately, his shots sparking off his opponent's machine. Dragon Wyvern turned its head and emitted powerful laser beams from its eyes. The Phoenix Fighter dodged them and took to the clouds, but Dragon Wyvern gave chase.

Jet Phoenix had expected that. All he needed was time for the computer to complete its analysis. He flipped a switch on the control panel and looped around so that his smaller craft was behind his opponent. A hatch on the back of his Fighter opened and the Fire Bazooka locked into place. It had been intended as a team hand cannon, but Jet Phoenix had improvised another use for it.

Phoenix sighed to himself. He wished he could engage God Wyvern with his Phoenix Fighter Robo. He would have preferred it that way. But the truth was that his mecha was just too small to match up with Green Wyvern's in a fight. This plan was the only way.

Jet Phoenix readied his flight systems. This maneuver was going to take timing. He activated all of his Fighter's weapons simultaneously, then powered up the Fire Bazooka. He knew he would only have seconds.

"Phoenix Kamikaze Banzai!" he shouted as the Fire Bazooka discharged. He ejected his cockpit and watched as his Fighter burst into flames and struck Dragon Wyvern's weak point.

In her cockpit, Green Wyvern worked desperately to get the situation under control. Emergency systems went into action to minimize the damage. Heavy foam was sprayed on the fires. Wyvern landed her ship, knowing she couldn't possibly stay airborne.

Jet Phoenix worked his way out of the shoulder harness of his cockpit. He had hated to sacrifice the Phoenix Fighter, but it would be worth it if he had crippled Green Wyvern's ship. Several minutes passed and there were no outward signs of activity. Jet Phoenix began to hope against hope that he'd succeeded.

"Did you really think you'd beat me that way?" a voice boomed from Dragon Wyvern's loudspeakers. The vehicle began to shift and reshape itself until it assumed its robot mode.

"God Wyvern Transformed!" Green Wyvern announced. "And now you're helpless!"

That was what she thought. Jet Phoenix sent out a remote signal from his Wing Gauntlet and called forth the Jet Fighters. As they flew at supersonic speed to the battle site, the Icarus Gattai sequence was initiated. Jet Icarus landed directly in front of God Wyvern and Jet Phoenix beamed himself aboard.

"Now let's settle this!" Jet Phoenix said as Jet Icarus slammed a fist into God Wyvern. The two robots began to grapple in a struggle that shook the earth. God Wyvern threw Jet Icarus off and Green Wyvern fired the Devastation Pulse. Jet Phoenix matched it with Jet Icarus' Bird Maser chest beam attack. The two beams stalemated and both robots fell to the ground.

The mysterious man stood on a cliff. What a stroke of luck. He had stumbled upon his target after all. He leapt high into the air and seemed to vanish.

In God Wyvern's cockpit, Green Wyvern brought her robot back to its feet. As she did so, the mystery man materialized directly behind her. He grabbed her from behind and hit her repeatedly, seeming to revel in the brutality as each backhanded blow struck her. She slumped to the floor and he picked her battered body up by the collar and threw her through God Wyvern's control booth window to the ground below.

Jet Phoenix watched in amazement as Green Wyvern flailed helplessly as she plummeted from her robot. What had happened to injure her so badly that she couldn't even fly? He beamed himself down to investigate.

When he arrived, he found Green Wyvern lying unconscious. If it hadn't been for her Birdonic powers, she would've been dead. Jet Phoenix looked up and saw her assailant standing before him.

"Toranza," he muttered, the name dripping with venom.

"Do I know you?" Toranza replied as he cocked his head in curiosity. "I mean, I know you're the leader of the new Jetman, Jet Phoenix. Have we met?"

Jet Phoenix ignored the question. "What are you doing here? I thought you were dead!"

"No such luck," Toranza responded as he kept his guard up. "I went totally insane instead. Lord Xenotos popped up the other day and made me an offer I couldn't refuse."

Toranza tapped the metallic visor he wore. "See this? It lets me think again, but only as long as Lord Xenotos keeps it working. It's to insure I stay loyal while I do a job for him."

"Beating us?" Jet Phoenix asked.

Toranza threw back his head and laughed. "Already did that," he said as he produced the egg-like object which held the five members of Jetman. "I took out your charges with ease. I was tracking you down when I arrived here."

"How? The Cross Changers block the tracking signal."

"Oh my friend," Toranza chided as he playfully tossed the device into the air. "Just because I'm loyal doesn't mean I have to tell Lord Xenotos all of my secrets!"

Toranza caught his device and activated it. There was a burst of blue light and the five Jetmen were freed from their prison. Each fought off the disorientation they felt as they were returned to reality.

"Sir," Gai said, "who is this man?"

"His name's Toranza," was Jet Phoenix's answer. "A Byram invader who fought the original Jetman. He's working for Lord Xenotos now and I want to know what he wants!"

Toranza clicked his tongue. "Isn't it obvious?" he said as he gestured to Green Wyvern. "I want her."

Toranza turned suddenly to Jetman. "Lord Xenotos wants me to execute Green Wyvern for treason against him. Why don't all of you leave? You want her dead, too."

"You attacked us!" Etsuko exclaimed.

"I only did that to lure her to me," Toranza countered, making it sound almost reasonable. "I had no idea I'd find her so fast. My mission has nothing to do with your team. We have no reason to fight."

"Too bad!" Gohan said. "We're nobody's bait!"

Green Wyvern slowly pulled herself off the ground, unseen by everyone.

"How do you propose to stop me?" Toranza laughed. "I've beaten all of you already! Young people these days...no sense of history!"

Green Wyvern stood up, trembling with rage. She saw the one she wanted. She took to the air and tackled Jet Phoenix.

"Now look what you've done!" Toranza complained. "She's awake again. Can we cease this mindless prattle already? I have a job to finish."

"I don't think so," Reiko said as she shook her head.

"Right!" Ken chimed in. "We'll take care of her...after we take care of you!"

"Cross Changer!" the five said as one and they rushed their opponent.

Toranza sighed. "Suit yourselves."

Yellow Owl arrived first, throwing a punch with all his might. "How's that?"

"You reacted almost instantly with great force," Toranza observed. "This is good. But you have much to learn about pressing the advantage!"

Toranza activated a button on his power glove and shot an anti-gravity beam at Yellow Owl. The hero was floating helplessly in the air. A flick of his wrist and Toranza sent him several meters away.

"Next?" Toranza queried as he rubbed his hands together.

Red Hawk drew his Wing Sword and charged at his opponent. Toranza stopped the blade in mid-swing with just two fingers and knocked Red Hawk aside. Then Toranza felt a blow to his jaw.

Hmmm, very good. Using his own tricks against him. Toranza altered the visor's visual setting to detect the telltale heat pattern. Even Black Condor's Condor Stealth couldn't hide from that. A laser burst and Black Condor reappeared as he fell to the ground.

Two blue streaks whizzed past Toranza. Blue Swallows landed on either side of him. Each went to swing at him, but Toranza used his lightning-fast reflexes to step aside at the last possible moment. The two Blue Swallows ended up hitting each other and merged back into a single entity.

Toranza felt a chill come over him. He observed White Swan using her Swan Ice powers on him. How foolish. Didn't the child know anything about superconductivity in ice? He sent a powerful electric shock her way.

The Jetmen gathered together to regroup. They weren't going to back down even if it cost them their lives. Of course, it was looking like that was exactly what was going to happen.

Toranza had an idea. He congratulated himself on its brilliance as he pressed a button on his power glove. A hole in the fabric of time and space opened up under Jetman's feet. They fell through it to who knows where and then it closed with no evidence that it had even been there at all.

"NO!" Jet Phoenix cried as he managed to pull away from his struggle with Green Wyvern momentarily. He tried to confront Toranza, but Green Wyvern grabbed him from behind. Her fatigue and injuries had left her almost delirious. She had no idea what had been transpiring during her fight with Jet Phoenix.

"Forget it!" she exclaimed as she felled Jet Phoenix with a high kick. "You and your buddy won't be double-teaming me again!"

"You don't understand..." Jet Phoenix managed to gasp as Green Wyvern picked him up and heaved him away with all her might. She smiled as she watched him sail through the air, but her satisfaction was fleeting.

Toranza was on her in a flash, delivering a roundhouse kick that levelled her. He reached down and picked her up by her throat.

"You poor little girl, expending all that energy on Jet Phoenix," Toranza mocked as he considered his prize. "I doubt you have enough left to even put up a decent fight!"

Green Wyvern swung her leg back and kicked Toranza in the groin with all her remaining strength. Toranza lost his grip on her as he doubled over in shock more than anything else. As his gaze met Green Wyvern, she seemed to become someone else to him.

Toranza stood up and roared in rage. He attacked Green Wyvern with a newfound fury.

"Do you know what it was like?" Toranza screamed as he punctuated each word by driving a fist into Green Wyvern's body. "All those years, unable to move, unable to think? I won't go into it, but it made me VERY angry!"

Toranza lifted his battered opponent. "You'll pay for this, Maria!"

"My...name's not...M-M-Maria," Green Wyvern stammered.

That snapped Toranza back from his waking dream. "No, it's not. Maria's an old friend long dead. All you are is a sad little human."

Toranza dropped Green Wyvern to the ground. "The beauty of it is that you're so deluded you don't even realize the truth! I learned about you from Lord Xenotos. Watch this."

Toranza snapped his fingers and Green Wyvern's brain was flooded with images. There was her father, badly injured, trying to escape Earthship. There was Earthship, exploding with her father still aboard. And what was that? A strange-looking ship with three figures inside. They had destroyed the station, she could sense it. A regal-looking blue-skinned man, an imposing robot, and a young boy decked out in a cape, goggles, and...and...a power glove.

"You!" Green Wyvern realized as Toranza watched her endure his little show.

"Well, I wasn't directly responsible, but yes, I was there. I was quite the precocious child, wasn't I?"

Green Wyvern felt her bruised cheeks burn as she slowly raised herself. "Kill...you..." she murmured as she hurled her Wyvern Boomerang at Toranza.

A simple blast from Toranza's power glove deflected the boomerang and sent it spinning wildly. Too bad. This wasn't even going to be a challenge.

"Kill you?" Toranza laughed as he generated his arm cannon and locked it into place. The weapon built up a huge ball of destructive energy.

"What a great idea!" he said as he fired.

***

Jetman had a vague sense of displacement as they fell through reality. It quickly ended as they felt themselves arrive...somewhere. They surveyed their surroundings and realized immediately that things were not right.

They were in Tokyo. Only the city they knew so well looked like a war zone. The proud buildings were all burned out and crumbling. What had happened?

"Everyone OK?" Red Hawk asked as he looked to his teammates.

"I think I'm gonna puke in this helmet!" Black Condor replied. "What the hell was that?"

"That guy sent us through a space warp, apparently," White Swan answered. "Maybe a time warp, too. Tokyo didn't look this way a few hours ago."

Blue Swallow felt a sense of despair as she took in the landscape. "You mean this is the future?"

"Could be," Yellow Owl said as he looked up at the red sky, "or maybe this is a parallel Earth."

"You just lost me," Black Condor said. "A what?"

"Parallel Earth," White Swan responded as if it were obvious. "There's a theory that an infinite number of universes co-exist on different planes of reality. Each Earth would be similar, but different based on individual choices that influence history."

"Funky," Black Condor replied. "If that's the case, this was a pretty bad choice."

"What we need is to find a way out of here," Red Hawk pointed out, but further discussion was ended by a laser blast that scorched the earth in front of the team.

"ATTENTION INTRUDERS!" a vaguely familiar female voice boomed from a hovering disc overhead. "YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO SURRENDER OR WE OPEN FIRE!"

Red Hawk took one look at the battalion of discs manned by paramilitary types and decided to buy more seconds by using two. "RUN!" he shouted and his teammates followed, their capes billowing as they narrowly avoided the laser beams that fried the ground behind them. After a lot of running, Jetman took cover behind a pile of stone and concrete that had once been part of a building.

Black Condor turned to his brother. "OK Gai - now what?"

"I'm thinking," Red Hawk retorted, a little annoyed.

"Oh good," Black Condor said. "You do that. I'd hate to die without a well-thought-out plan!"

"You have any ideas?" White Swan asked, knowing well he didn't.

"I do!" a voice responded from behind them. "Raise your hands and turn around slowly. This disruptor pistol can kill even the likes of you!"

Jetman complied with the order and stood face-to-face with the proof that this was indeed a parallel Earth. Ken Tendo was especially unprepared when he saw the man holding a gun on his team. The last person he had expected to see in this war-torn world was Gai Yuki.

 

TO BE CONTINUED

 

NEXT TIME ON RETURN OF JETMAN

Jetman is trapped in a world gone mad! Will they be able to overcome incredible odds to return home? And what is the horrible truth behind the nightmare of this parallel Earth? Jetman faces their trial by fire in RETURN OF JETMAN Episode 5 - "Battlegrounds"! Don't miss it!

 

 

Story © Christopher Elam, based on the TV series CHOJIN SENTAI JETMAN and the original "Return of Jetman" stories by Lewis Smith. JETMAN and all characters from the CHOJIN SENTAI JETMAN series © TV Asahi/Toei/Toei Agency. Original characters © Christopher Elam & Lewis Smith.