Michiru Oshima by DJ Nebulous (2005)

Michiru Oshima by DJ Nebulous (2005)

Artwork © DJ Nebulous. Originally completed May 2005.

Based on "Michiru" from CHOJIN SENTAI JETMAN (© TV Asahi/Toei/Toei Agency).

"Wild" Bill Jackson

"Wild" Bill Jackson / ワイルド・ビル・ジャクソン

"Konnichiwa tomodachi-san!" is not the usual way that a Texas cowboy would say, "Good afternoon, friends!" But then, "Wild" Bill Jackson is anything but the usual. He's an American pro wrestler who absolutely loves Japan and everything about it. He is always eager to demonstrate his fluency in "Nihongo" ("Japanese") to anyone willing to listen.

"Wild" Bill Jackson artwork © Sara Duffield (Sara Denny).

"Wild" Bill Jackson and related characters © Christopher Elam.

Return of Jetman Episode 8

RETURN OF JETMAN

"Lost Souls"
(Episode 8)
by Christopher Elam
(based on the work of Lewis Smith)
© 2003 Christopher Elam

 

Gai Tendo sat at his desk, poised to jot down the events of the day. He glanced over at the framed photo of himself with Kei Mizuno. They had gotten silly one night and dropped a lot of yen into an instant photo booth. They were both smiling and making a "V" sign in the picture. Gai picked up the photo and studied it closely. Sometimes, it was hard to imagine that Kei Mizuno was also Green Wyvern.

Had it really been six months since that sparring session in the training room? A lot had happened in that time. Jetman had been busy fighting the rest of the Chaos Beasts that had been unleashed. Green Wyvern had proven herself a valuable ally time and again, but working with Jetman had done nothing to quell her killer instinct. He still recalled vividly their battle with the lion monster Shishigone.

The Chaos Beast had ambushed his team and was beating them soundly. Gai had scarcely had time to call for Green Wyvern with the signal device she had given him before he was knocked into unconsciousness. He was awakened shortly afterward by Shishigone's claws gripping his throat in a stranglehold. He was barely aware when Green Wyvern arrived.

Green Wyvern's attack was more savage than Gai would have dreamed possible. She pummeled and slashed the monster viciously. Then she activated her Wyvern Power Drain and directed it at the Chaos Beast. She siphoned more and more of the creature's energy until there was none left. Shishigone simply ceased to exist.

Reconciling Green Wyvern's brutality with the smiling face of Kei Mizuno in the picture was difficult for Gai. But he had learned as he had gotten to know Kei that she was an exceptionally complex person. The stories she had told him, the feelings she carried around inside her - her rage was a little easier to understand now that he knew.

Yet, spending time with him had seemed to bring out a different side of Kei. She was more relaxed, more easygoing. She had told him more than once that she had never been so happy in her life. And he had to admit that he felt the same way. In fact, he was starting to think...

No. He had responsibilities. Downtime was enjoyable in its place, but he couldn't allow personal feelings to distract him from Jetman's job of defending the Earth. He had maintained discipline throughout his life, and it was crucial to keep it up during the crisis.

Gai placed the picture back on his desk. It was time to start writing.

***

Ken was roused from his peaceful slumber by a loud banging on his door. The clock read "3:00 A.M." through his bleary eyes. Who the hell was that? And what was so important at this time of night?

Ken stumbled to the door and opened it. There stood Etsuko, wearing her glasses and a mean expression, holding something under her left arm. Oh geez. What had he done now?

Etsuko pushed her way in. "Care to tell me about this?" she demanded as she shoved a paper into Ken's hands.

Ken took a look. It was a computer printout, a masthead at the top proudly proclaiming "The Official Black Condor Home Page". Ken couldn't help but smile.

"So you know," he chuckled. "Yeah, I started up my own fan site in my spare time. Kinda silly, I know. What's the problem?"

"This is," Etsuko curtly came back as she produced another paper. It was labelled "White Swan - My Teammate & Girlfriend *^_^*".

"Where do you get off?" she pressed angrily. "You had no right!"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Ken said in bewilderment. "It's a page declaring my love for you! Why should that make you mad?"

"The pictures!" Etsuko practically screamed. "You swiped those pictures on it from my room without telling me! How could you?"

"Look, I did borrow them to scan them," Ken admitted, "but I put them right back. It's not like I took them."

Etsuko exhaled in frustration. "You just don't get it, do you?"

"I guess I don't."

Etsuko cast her eyes downward. "You ever hear of Kitty Sugoi?" she asked in a defeated tone.

"Should I have?" Ken said as Etsuko handed him a thin softcover book. A cursory examination showed that it was unmistakably Etsuko's beaming face on the cover. Yet, the name of the model was, in fact, "Kitty Sugoi".

"I get it," Ken declared as he started to glance through the book. "You did some modeling on the side and you're embarrassed. Well, don't..."

Ken forgot how to speak as he got further into the book. He noticed that the nature of the pictures changed as he went along. Specifically, the amount of clothing Etsuko was wearing diminished greatly.

Ken's mouth fell open as he realized what Etsuko was trying to tell him. "You're a nude model," he whispered.

"Was a nude model," she corrected. " I quit after I hooked up with you. I couldn't find the time to balance everything, so I gave it up."

"You're wearing bunny ears in this one!" Ken babbled.

"Dammit, would you listen to me?" Etsuko yelled. "Take a good look at that first set of shots in there."

Ken did as she told him. The outfit she was wearing - well, taking off - in them looked familiar. Very familiar.

"It's the outfit I was wearing the day Toranza attacked us," she confirmed. "He caught me on my way back from a photo session. Those pictures you used were proofs from it that I had kept."

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Ken pleaded in desperation.

"Because I wanted to keep it to myself! I'm not ashamed of it, but I don't want to answer all the questions that go with it! That's why I used the fake name! And you took that away from me!"

"What?"

"Now people can connect those pictures directly to me! There's no way I can deny them because you attached my name to them!"

Ken didn't know what to say. What could he say?

"Ken, I've put up with a lot of crap from you these last few months. I let it slide because I thought we had something special. But this is too much. I can't even trust you."

"Etsuko, what do you want from me?"

"Nothing. We're done, Ken. It's over."

With those words, Ken and Etsuko's eyes met and they exchanged one last look. Then, Etsuko departed, leaving Ken standing all alone. He felt the conflicting emotions welling up inside him. He wanted to punch a hole in the wall - something to release the tension. But in the end, what good would that do him? It wouldn't bring Etsuko back to him. Plus, it would get him in trouble and he'd probably have to fix the wall himself.

Ken crawled back into bed, but he didn't sleep the rest of the night.

***

"Ho hum, another day, another meeting," Gohan fake-yawned. "Wonder what the news is today."

"Cut it out," Reiko warned. "Jet Phoenix just got here."

Jet Phoenix entered the room deliberately, taking time to note the little details another man might miss. He took his seat at the conference table and addressed his proteges.

"The Japanese government has asked Skyforce for our cooperation in a delicate situation," he began. "Children are disappearing around the country. A preliminary investigation of one of the abductions indicated traces of Birdonic radiation at the scene."

"And that means we have a good idea of our suspects," Etsuko said thoughtfully.

"Indeed," Jet Phoenix agreed. "Chaos. Probably another Chaos Beast plot, the purpose of which is anyone's guess."

"Wow, what a difference a few months make," Ken remarked disdainfully. "Not too long ago, it wouldn't have surprised me if they'd try to pin it on us. What did you say to that Oshima woman anyway?"

"I'm not sure I'm following you, Ken," Jet Phoenix responded.

Ken rolled his eyes. "Oh come on! You talk to her and her attitude changes completely! She backs off her accusations and writes a story supporting us! I mean, what's up with that?"

"We reached a mutual understanding," Jet Phoenix answered simply. "Now, let's try to keep this meeting on-topic."

"I'm all for that, sir," Gai said, "because I haven't got the faintest idea of how to go about tracking these Chaos kidnappers."

"We'll be using this," Jet Phoenix replied as he produced a remote control and flipped a switch on it. What appeared to be a young boy clad in shorts and a red "Snoopy" shirt entered the conference room.

Ken snickered softly. "Oh, you're kidding."

"Meet Roku-san," Jet Phoenix said as the "boy" walked up to the table. "He's a highly realistic drone created by my friend Dr. Komyoji. Within his body are sophisticated mechanisms that will allow us to track him at all times. We'll be sending him out round the clock as bait in an attempt to lure the Chaos Beast into snatching him."

"That's...a great idea," a skeptical Etsuko said as she tried to avoid eye contact with the unnervingly real-looking android. "Only how will you keep him on the streets for so long without people getting suspicious?"

"Yeah, how?" Ken echoed as he covered his mouth to stifle his chuckling.

Jet Phoenix flipped another switch and a man in a yellow sweater entered the room. "This is Goro - Roku-san's 'older brother', so to speak. He'll accompany him at those times when a boy being alone might raise eyebrows."

Ken took one look at Goro and slammed his head on the table. He beat his fist repeatedly, in a hopeless attempt to stop laughing.

Jet Phoenix crossed his arms. "Get it off your chest."

Ken looked up with tears of laughter in his eyes. "So he's to make sure no one thinks Roku-san wants to 'put on the red light'?" he guffawed.

Everyone else at the table groaned at the joke as Ken fell out of his chair.

***

Etsuko squinted as she attempted to decipher the tiny type in the book she was trying to read. She looked around the Skywatch library quickly, making sure no one else was present. She donned her glasses and, almost magically, she could see.

Why did she insist on this charade? It was a simple matter to get contacts or surgery. It wasn't as if her family couldn't afford them. But doing that would mean admitting that she couldn't solve the problem herself. She wanted to be in control at all times. So she suffered in silence.

Stupid Ken. Why'd he have to go and do that? She had closed that chapter of her life completely and he had to dredge it back up. He was lucky she didn't lay him out again. She just prayed no one would make the connection before he took them down. That was a headache she didn't need.

"Etsuko?"

Etsuko jumped in her seat at the sound of Reiko's voice. She quickly whipped off her glasses as she greeted her teammate.

"Hi Reiko," she said as she tried to regain her composure. "I was kind of involved in this espionage book and didn't hear you come in."

"I can go if you're busy," Reiko replied apologetically.

"No no, that's OK. Have a seat."

Reiko sat down and looked at Etsuko nervously. "I...I wanted to talk to you about Gohan."

"My brother? Is he bothering you hanging around all the time?"

"No!" Reiko yelled reflexively. "Ooops. I mean, I like having him around. He's fun."

Etsuko rested her arms on the table and leaned forward. "So what is it?"

Reiko blushed slightly as she brushed the hair from her eyes. "Well, I think there's a chance I might, y'know, like him. Really like him."

"Are we still talking about Gohan?"

"Sure! He's a really sweet guy!"

"So what's the problem?"

Reiko slumped back in her chair. "It's just - he doesn't seem to show any signs one way or the other. I was wondering if he might be..."

"What?"

"Well...gay."

Etsuko threw back her head in laughter. "Oh Reiko! Gohan's definitely not gay! He just doesn't have a lot of experience with women."

"Whew!" Reiko sighed in relief. "That's different. I can relate to that. See, I make out like I'm a real party girl, but I'm not that experienced either."

"You mean you're...?"

"Uh huh," Reiko answered before Etsuko could even finish. "Funny, huh?"

"Oh no, not at all," Etsuko said. "There's nothing wrong with waiting."

Reiko's eyes roamed the library. "Maybe so. I just feel like I'm missing out sometimes. You and Ken make this stuff look so easy."

Etsuko shifted around a bit. "Don't envy us, Reiko. We broke up this morning."

"Oh!" Reiko gasped. "I didn't mean anything by that."

"It's all right," Etsuko reassured. "It's just going to take awhile to get used to it."

Reiko took Etsuko's hand in hers. "You can always talk to me if you need a friendly ear."

Etsuko smiled slightly. "Thanks. I think now might be a good time."

***

Ken took another sip of Diet Mountain Dew as he sat in the darkened monitor room with his feet propped on the console. Only the light of the active screens served to illuminate the room. And that was exactly the way Ken liked it.

What a crappy day. Etsuko wakes him up, drops a frickin' bombshell, and then breaks up with him. Jet Phoenix chews him out again for disrupting another meeting. Then, to top it all off, he gets "randomly" assigned overnight monitor duty for the little twerp robot. He wondered how long it took Jet Phoenix to rig the draw to stick it to him.

Why hadn't she just told him? It wasn't as if he was going to go out and spread the word. He had confided in her so many times. Why couldn't she have been just as honest with him?

"Ken?"

Ken sprayed out his soft drink as he nearly fell over backwards. He hadn't exactly been expecting Gohan to wander in during the night.

"Gohan!" Ken welcomed as he tried to wipe the Diet Mountain Dew from the screen. "What brings you to Fun Fun Central?"

"I, ah, needed to talk about some guy stuff," Gohan mumbled. "Gai and Phoenix are so straight-laced that I figured you'd be my best bet."

"Gosh, I'm...touched," Ken joked as he pulled up a chair. "Have a seat and lay it on me!"

"Well, it's about Reiko," Gohan began.

"Oh yeah, she's a real cutie even with that freaky hair," Ken said. "You two got a thing going on?"

Gohan scratched his head. "See, that's just it. She said months ago about just being friends. And that was cool, because she turned to be the best friend I've ever had."

"I sense a 'but' is coming."

Gohan nodded. "Lately, I'm starting to think I might want to be more than just friends. I'm scared that if I tell her, I might lose what I have already."

"Do you think there's a good chance that's what'll happen?" Ken inquired.

"I don't know," Gohan replied. "I've never had any luck with women. Even having one as a friend is new to me. I was just hoping you could give me some advice."

Ken sat quietly, rubbing his pinkies together as he rested his chin on his hands. "Gohan, I'm not sure I'm the guy to ask about love problems."

"But you and my sister..."

"That's just it. Etsuko and I called it quits."

"Oh man, Ken," Gohan said. "I didn't know."

"That's OK, we didn't want to make a big deal out of it with everybody."

"Well, is there anything I can do for you?"

Ken thought for a moment. "Yes. Yes, there is."

Gohan's face brightened. "Name it."

Ken smiled slightly. "Hang around here for awhile. I could use a little company."

***

Gai looked over at Kei as she used her chopsticks to lift the noodles to her mouth. A light breeze made the red paper lanterns of the akachochin bar sway lazily in the night air. He reached over and lifted his glass of water to his lips.

"Are you sure you don't want some sake?" Kei asked as she lifted her tiny cup. "I'll get it for you, if you want."

"No, I'll pass," Gai responded. "Sorry that this place isn't too fancy."

"Don't be," Kei reassured. "I've got no problem with it. Nice to get back to our roots sometimes."

Gai twirled a finger on the bar. "So, how are things working out for you now that you've moved to Tokyo?"

Kei contemplated the question for a few moments. "Not bad," she shrugged. "Apartment's OK and a job is a job. How about you? You seem kind of far away tonight."

Gai weighed his options. What should he say? Tell her that things were going along as usual, that nothing was different? Or should he tell her what he had been thinking the last few days? About the two of them and...

No. He had made up his mind. "Well, we've started work on a new case," he finally managed.

"Really? Tell me more!"

Gai rubbed his forehead. "Kei, you know I can't do that. You're still officially a civilian. I've already said too much."

Kei looked down at her empty sake cup. "I know. I chose not to join your team, but it's hard sometimes."

"Hard?"

"You're the only one on the team that trusts me, even after all these months. I want to help you out as much as I can, but I can only do that if I see what's happening or you signal me. And you hardly ever signal me."

"I don't want to put you in danger!" Gai explained. "I use that only as a last resort!"

"Well, I don't need to be protected," Kei said, somewhat agitated. "I'm more than willing to take risks. You should know that."

"I do. I guess I just try to forget sometimes."

Kei inched closer to Gai. "I want you to promise me something."

That made Gai extremely nervous. "I'll do my best."

"Your next mission - signal me as soon as you can. I want to be there from the beginning."

Before Gai could answer, his Cross Changer emitted a signal tone. He knew what that meant.

"I have to go," he apologized. "Something's come up at Skywatch."

Kei grabbed his arm and looked up at him as he went to leave. "Promise me."

Gai bit his lip. "I'll try."

***

Gai hurried into the monitor room to discover the rest of the team, including Jet Phoenix, huddled around the terminal.

"The robot was taken earlier," Reiko informed him. "They're tracking him right now."

"Already?" Gai queried.

"Yeah," Ken said as he studied the screen. "I thought it was a hare-brained plan myself, but Gohan and I were here when the alarm went off."

"Quiet," Jet Phoenix shushed. "I think it's stopping."

The team watched as the yellow dot flitted across the world map screen. Finally, it came to a stop.

Jet Phoenix pointed to the area on the screen. "There we go. One of the Ogasawara Islands."

"Also known as the Bonin Islands," Ken smirked as he emphasized the word.

Jet Phoenix ignored him. "It's time for a strategy session. We're going after them right now."

And so, a short time later, five Jet Fighters in full stealth mode whizzed across the Pacific Ocean. When they reached the designated coordinates, they converted to aqua mode and dived into the waters.

"How far are we going like this?" Etsuko questioned as the Fighters navigated the ocean's depths as easily as they did the skies.

"Until we're in range to beam ourselves directly to the island," Gai answered. "Remember, we don't henshin until absolutely necessary."

"Dandy," Ken grumbled to himself.

When the team was close enough, they beamed themselves to their island destination. As Gai had instructed, all were in powered-down form. A quick exploration of the island revealed the apparent object of their search - a futuristic base where no base should have been.

"I think we've found it," Gohan whispered as the team peered over a rocky hill.

"Everybody set?" Gai checked, looking over to his comrades.

"Speaking of hare-brained plans..." Ken said as he tossed his hair to one side.

"Let me change," Reiko requested as she stood up. She twirled around and she was no longer clad in her Skyforce uniform, but rather a school uniform complete with a black wig in pigtails.

"I will never understand how the 'quick change' works," Gohan marvelled.

"Let's review," Gai said. "Ken will use his Condor Stealth to sneak himself and Reiko in there. Since Reiko is the smallest, she'll pose as a child and infiltrate their holding area. When we insure the safety of the children, the rest of us bring our forces to bear on them."

Alas, Jetman would never find out the true effectiveness of their plan. Moments later, all of them were stunned into unconsciousness.

***

Dawn broke and the captive Jetman team was marched into the center of the base by a battalion of Garo armed incongruously with ordinary rifles. They fully expected that the mastermind of this scheme would greet them and explain his goals before trying to execute them. Only they weren't quite prepared for the mastermind's identity. It turned out not to be a Chaos Beast at all.

"Toranza!" Gai exclaimed as he sighted the villain standing atop a metal scaffolding some 10 meters off the ground.

"Welcome Jetman!" Toranza declared grandly. "Long time, no see! I've been expecting you!"

"Expecting us?" Gai responded.

Toranza placed his hands on his hips. "Oh come now! The chief purpose of the child-snatching was to lure you here. I know how your kind operates. That was why we took your bait so quickly."

Toranza materialized the broken remnants of Roku-san and threw them at Jetman's feet. "Unlike the Chaos Beasts, I don't have a single-minded 'bad guy' mentality. I wasn't fooled for an instant by this toy."

Ken looked down at the pile of scrap metal. "Oh Roku-san, we hardly knew you."

"Enough," Gai hissed to his brother. He was in no mood for jokes.

"I'm sure you were expecting one of those Chaos Beast morons here," Toranza said. "Funny story that. You see, you've defeated all of them."

Jetman looked at each other in confusion. "We have?" Etsuko asked.

Toranza laughed heartily. "I guess they didn't give you a scorecard! Well, Chaos is going back to the drawing board. Lord Xenotos intends this complex to be the base for his new breed of monsters and put me in charge of building it!"

Gai was struck by Toranza's choice of words. "Why do you say 'intends'?"

"Well spotted!" Toranza congratulated. "We have other plans for it!"

"We?"

"Yes, we!" Miira announced as she strode up alongside Toranza. "It was I who convinced Xenotos to free Toranza for this project. He has no reason to question his consort's loyalty. His mistake."

Miira draped herself on Toranza. "I've grown tired of these constant failures. Toranza and I will use the weapon we are building here to overthrow Lord Xenotos and then take the Earth ourselves!"

"The children weren't just to lure you here," Toranza explained. "I do need human lifeforces to power this weapon. I just chose the victims most likely to bring you here so I could eliminate Jetman too!"

Alarms began to sound throughout the complex and Garo scrambled to their stations. On the horizon, Jetman saw the intruder causing the commotion. A single flying war machine silhouetted by the rising sun. Dragon Wyvern.

Ken leaned over to Gai. "Wonder how she knew about this?"

"It's not as if I signalled her or anything," Gai replied as he watched her relentless approach.

"Oh, you deluded fools!" Toranza shouted. "Did you think we were unprepared? BIRD BREAKER!"

On Toranza's command, an immense cannon erupted from the ground behind the Jetmen. It immediately fired a powerful force blast at Dragon Wyvern. Incredibly, it pierced the hull of the colossal ship. Jetman watched in shock as the Bird Breaker continued to fire on Dragon Wyvern and inflict damage.

Finally, it was too much. The smoking, badly-damaged Dragon Wyvern fell out of the sky and crashed with a deafening explosion.

"KEI!" Gai screamed as he attacked the Garo guards holding his team. He grabbed a rifle and beat his captors down.

"Everyone!" he cried. "Cross Changer!"

Jetman activated their henshin bracelets and stood in the middle of the base, ready for action. After a moment's hesitation, their foes girded themselves.

Then all hell broke loose.

***

Red Hawk called forth his King Saber and flew onto the scaffolding to battle both Toranza and Miira. Toranza used his power glove to generate an energy sword and met him toe-to-toe. Red Hawk fought furiously, in a way he had never fought before. The burning wreckage of Dragon Wyvern filled his mind. He had called Kei to the island and now she might be...

On the ground below, the rest of the team fought off the seemingly endless stream of Garo. "Etsuko!" Black Condor yelled. "I'm going up there too! You find the kids! Gohan, Reiko - cover her!"

White Swan wanted to protest being bossed around, but Ken was already gone. With Blue Swallow and Yellow Owl on either side of her, she made a mad dash for the complex's main facilities. She called forth her Swan Mace and used the weapon to batter Garo as she headed for the iron door she had been escorted out scant minutes earlier. That had to be the holding area for the children as well. All she had to do was survive a gauntlet of henchmen. Little did the Garo realize the seething frustrations within White Swan.

Blue Swallow fired an apparently inexhaustible supply of arrows at the hordes of Garo with her Swallow Bow. Yellow Owl clobbered even more with his Owl Axe. But it was White Swan herself, the woman they were supposedly covering, who attacked with the most zeal. Garo after Garo fell before her prodigious blows.

When the trio reached the door, White Swan pulled on the handle to no avail. Unwilling to find a finesse method of getting inside, she began to whack it with her Swan Mace. With each swing, she seemed to grow stronger and angrier. She only had to imagine the door was Ken's face.

The door finally yielded to the punishment and cracked open. As the Jetmen made their way into the holding area, they were surprised that there were no guards at any stations. They had all scattered into the complex. All the team had to do was find the children.

After a brief search, the Jetmen discovered the cell holding almost two dozen desperate, frightened children. Knowing she would have to contain herself in their presence, White Swan dematerialized her Swan Mace and unsheathed her Wing Sword. She left it in dagger mode, because that was exactly what she needed. Jamming the weapon into the cage's lock, she began to work diligently to break the lock and get the cage open. When she met with resistance, she propped her left leg on the door's bars for extra leverage.

A telltale snap told everyone that White Swan had succeeded at her task. Entering the cage, Yellow Owl and Blue Swallow rounded up the children as White Swan used her Wing Gauntlet to summon the Jet Fighters from the Pacific by autopilot. They would be the safest place for the innocent bystanders until the battle was finished.

White Swan bent down on eye-level with the children. "Everyone, follow us!"

The children, not to mention Yellow Owl and Blue Swallow, followed White Swan as she ran through the maze of corridors.

"I hope Etsuko knows where she's going," Yellow Owl panted as he tried to keep up.

"I'm thinking she's just winging it," was Blue Swallow's response and she was quite accurate. Etsuko was operating totally on instinct. In the end, it paid off - even if they did reach a dead-end.

"C'mon Reiko, let's pull our weight here!" Yellow Owl said as he and Blue Swallow used their Birdonic Wave enhanced strength to dig their fingers into the wall. Both pulled with all their might and ripped the wall apart. On the other side was the island. They had made it out.

The three Jetmen made sure all of the children were safely loaded into the Jet Fighters and sent them to the other side of island - away from the madness within the base.

White Swan eyed the cold steel of the base. "Let's get back in there and teach Chaos about paybacks!"

***

Black Condor landed on the scaffolding and pulled the nearest opponent away from his brother. That it was Miira, armed with her Chaos Trident, was of little importance to him. He punched her in the face all the same.

"Mmmm, not bad," Miira admired as she rubbed her jaw. "But I'm better!"

With one hand, Miira jerked her Chaos Trident in an attempt to catch Black Condor off-guard. "Condor Lance!" he exclaimed and he was able to block her - barely.

Black Condor swung his Condor Lance at Miira's head. She ducked down and swatted him in the neck with her Chaos Trident. He stumbled but righted himself in time to meet her next strike.

"Such a shame, all this wasted effort for that Green Wyvern whore!" Miira taunted as she was locked in a stalemate.

Black Condor cocked an eyebrow. "This has nothing to do with her! I've got no love for her!"

"Oh?" Miira queried as she dropped her defenses for a moment. "Is that why she's played you all for fools?"

Black Condor raised his Lance to strike her, then stopped short. "What did you say?"

"Did you really buy that whole line about turning on us and being hunted down? It was all a set-up!"

"A set-up?" Black Condor asked.

"That's right! Green Wyvern pretended to turn on Lord Xenotos so she could worm her way into your confidence. Only the two of them knew the truth. Toranza and I learned we had been duped just like you humans!"

"That makes no sense!" Black Condor exclaimed. "Wouldn't she join the team if she wanted to spy on us?"

"And take the chance of being caught? Better to just associate with your group and learn as much as possible before turning on you!"

Black Condor was understandably puzzled. "It was...all a lie? Then why are you telling me?"

"As if I care," Miira scoffed. "We'll destroy Lord Xenotos after we deal with you five! And besides, your precious Green Wyvern is dead anyway!"

"You're just trying to confuse me!" Black Condor shouted as he thrust his Condor Lance at her.

Miira met Black Condor's blow. "You can think whatever you like."

Miira and Black Condor had only resumed their duel for a few seconds when an unholy scream rang out across the island. Something whizzed past them and knocked Toranza to the ground below. From atop the scaffolding, Red Hawk, Black Condor, and Miira saw a solitary figure, still smoldering from escaping a fire, standing before Toranza.

Green Wyvern was not happy.

***

"Toranza!" Green Wyvern bellowed as she drew her Wing Sword and leapt into the air to finally kill the man who had helped murder her father. Toranza rolled out of the way in the nick of time.

"My God, you're tough to kill!" he complained as he tried to hit her with an energy burst to no avail. She bounced off her left leg and kicked him in the side of the head with her right.

Red Hawk flew down from the scaffolding, King Saber at the ready. He stood aside, letting Green Wyvern have her crack at her hated foe.

"Two against one?" Toranza observed dryly as he finally blasted Green Wyvern aside with a burst from his power glove. "I thought you were supposed to be the good guys!"

"Shut up!" Red Hawk yelled as he threw a left uppercut at his opponent and then drove a knee into his midsection. "Just shut up!"

"Ooooh, touchy!" Toranza chided as he grabbed Red Hawk by the sides and tossed him to the ground. He regenerated his energy sword and stalked toward his prone enemy.

Green Wyvern jumped at him, grinding an elbow into his neck as she clung to him. Red Hawk regained his footing as she twisted herself around Toranza's neck. Exerting uncanny muscle control, she used her legs to fling Toranza away.

Red Hawk took that opportunity to attack. Toranza was only narrowly able to match the King Saber with his energy sword. As the two swordsmen squared off in an evenly matched contest, Black Condor continued to battle Miira while White Swan, Yellow Owl, and Blue Swallow fought their way back into the complex through the persistent Garo.

Sparks flew as Red Hawk and Toranza's weapons clashed. Each sought the opening that would turn the fight to their side. As Red Hawk went to drive his blade home, Toranza moved slightly and the King Saber caught itself in his power glove. Circuitry was ripped apart as the glove was torn.

Toranza suddenly stopped and lifted his hand to examine the damaged glove. He stared intently at it, seeming to be in shock. Then a crazed, hysterical laugh escaped from his lips and everyone froze.

"You idiots!" he screamed. "You've destroyed the glove's controls! It's going critical! It's going to blow up the entire island! You, me, those stupid children - we're all going to die!"

On the scaffolding, Miira decided to exercise the better part of valor upon hearing those words. She teleported back to Helldevil, deserting her co-conspirator before Black Condor could grab her.

Toranza continued to cackle maniacally as no one else knew quite what to do. Then Red Hawk recalled what he had been told months ago. Sometimes you have to make the hard choices.

Red Hawk exhaled a bit and looked up at his brother. "Ken, take care of this for me," he called as he tossed Black Condor his King Saber. Then, before anyone could try to stop him, he grabbed Toranza and took to the air.

Red Hawk pushed his suit to its limits as he flew as fast as he possibly could. Higher and higher into the stratosphere he climbed. He couldn't get too far.

Toranza was saying something. He couldn't hear him anymore. The voices of his friends and family were all he could hear. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to do. He closed his eyes. There were his teammates. His brother. His parents.

He opened his eyes and jerked the power glove from the still jabbering Toranza. With his super strength, he hurled it away. Even then, he knew it wouldn't be far enough.

Oh Kei. If only...

Then it happened.

On the island below, the Jetman team saw the explosion. All of them pulled off their helmets, not truly believing what they had seen through their visors. None of them could find the words. The only sound was Green Wyvern's mournful wail.

As they stood there, the team saw something heading for them from the sky. Instinctively, they knew what it was. They rushed into the courtyard when the fireball that Gai Tendo had become made impact.

"Etsuko! Use your powers on him!" Ken shouted as the team gathered around his flaming body. Etsuko directed her Swan Ice powers at Gai, the coldness melting before it even reached him. She taxed herself to her absolute limit as the moisture extinguished the flames. Gohan and Reiko steadied her as she collapsed from the strain.

Despite his grave injuries, Gai Tendo was still alive. He struggled to move his broken body, but it didn't respond. He weakly reached up and took Ken's hand.

"Make...me...proud," he gasped. "All of you."

Gai dropped his hand. He was so very, very tired. He tried to move his head, but couldn't. "Kei? Where are you?"

Kei Mizuno, still clad in her Green Wyvern uniform, knelt down beside Gai and took his hand in hers. "I'm here," she choked out as tears streamed down her face.

"I just...wanted you...to know," Gai struggled to say as it grew harder and harder to hold on. "I love you."

Kei managed a sad smile as she gently kissed his hand. "I love you, too."

It had been a good life, Gai thought as he felt himself slip away. Full of adventure and good friends. Just too short to do everything he had needed to do.

Moments later, it was over. Gai Tendo took one last breath and then let go.

Red Hawk was dead.

 

TO BE CONTINUED

 

NEXT TIME ON RETURN OF JETMAN

Jetman must cope with the consequences of this overwhelming tragedy. Can they carry on without their leader? And what strange fate awaits Green Wyvern? Learn the answers in RETURN OF JETMAN Episode 9 - "Things Falling Apart"!

 

 

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.