Kagaku Ninja-Tai Gatchaman Fan Fiction ❯ The Timepiece ❯ Chapter 15 ( Chapter 15 )

Chapter 15

The evening news had just come on when Joe burst into the recreation room.

It had been a month since the attempted abduction of Yuki and the teams had pretty much stayed on site at the base most of the time. Yuki had been busy with research work and tending to Ken. She had just settled in front of the television with Dobby after a long day.

Before anyone could even muttered "Hi", Joe had planted himself in front of Yuki, his knuckles white with self-restraint. He was this close to picking Yuki up and throwing her onto the floor.

"Why did you do that?" He narrowed his eyes at her and growled dangerously.

"Do what?" Yuki was absolutely puzzled. She looked up to him with shock in her clear blue eyes.

"You know very well what I mean." Joe growled lowly.

"I know nothing of the sort." Yuki could feel her temper rising by the second. She sprang up from her chair and glared at Joe eye to eye. "You'd better explain your behavior, Condor"

Dobby had sprung to his feet at the first sign of trouble and had now planted himself firmly in between Yuki and Joe. He knew that he had to snip this confrontation at the bud. Yuki's feeling towards Joe was obvious and such a confrontation would likely break her heart.

"Come on, you two, be nice. What's the matter, Joe? What happened?" Dobby tugged at Joe's sleeve trying to get them out of the locked-horn situation.

"Stay out of this Dobby! I'll have this woman answer to me for her actions." Joe snarled as he shook Dobby off him.

"What the heck do you mean, Mr. Condor? What actions of mine do I have to answer to you for?" Yuki retorted as she squared her shoulders and pulled her 5'6 frame to her tallest.

Joe slammed a videotape and a pack of white powder onto the countertop next to Yuki.

Yuki hesitated a bit, then picked up the pack of white powder and sniffed at it, "Cyanide?"

"Ha! Are you pretending that you know nothing about how it got left beside Ken's treatment mix?"

Yuki's eyes budged out, "Ken's treatment mix?"

Joe's eyebrows shot up, "And I bet you know nothing about who knocked Pepsi out in the treatment room as well."

Both Yuki and Dobby stared at Joe open-mouthed at that. It was Yuki who recovered first, "What? Pepsi got attacked? Right here in the base?"

Joe snorted.

All the color had drained from her face, "What about Ken? Is he okay?"

"I am fine"

They turned towards the doorway just in time to see Ken entering the room with the rest of the team.

"Phew!" Yuki uttered a sigh of relief. "Oh gosh! I am so glad you are okay!"

Joe smirked, "Some good actress you are, woman. I might have believed in you if I did not see you putting it there in this security tape." Joe waved the security tape in front of Yuki. "You would have succeeded in mixing it into the treatment mix if Pepsi did not walk in on you, I guess. Too bad you are out of luck."

"Let us see it!" Dobby reached for the tape as Yuki remained rooted to the spot.

"No, I am not letting you destroy it for her." Joe snarled back, his flaming eyes glaring at Dobby.

"Calmo, pal, I just want to see it." Dobby raised his hands in submission.

Ken walked over and put his hand on Joe's shoulder, "Let's all have a look." Ken took the tape from his raging second and stuffed it into the nearby Video recorder.

The image on the video clearly showed the back of a figure in a white gown walking over to the table and putting the package there. What was distinguishable was Yuki's signature ponytail. The recording then showed Pepsi coming in from the other door with a surprised expression and the figure in the white gown pulling out a stun gun and shooting her.

"Well, you cannot even see the face of that person. How can you be so sure that it's Yuki?" Dobby turned towards the team in rage as the video recording drew to an end.

Joe narrowed his eyes at the tall dark humanoid, "How? Can't you see that ponytail? And wouldn't the statement of the witness count?"

Yuki had slumped back into the chair behind her as white as a ghost, as her murmured, "Pepsi? She said I did it?"

Joe was close to losing it, he was beyond livid that he had allowed himself to be interested in someone who could have killed his brother. Meanwhile, Dobby was standing his grounds, placing himself protectively in between the raging Joe and the stunned Yuki.

"Get out of my way! I have to get an answer from that woman!" Joe snarled at Dobby.

"I am not allowing you to harm her." Dobby returned his glare with equal determination. "And Hell and Damnation, Yuki would never harm Ken. She loves him too much."

"WHAT?!!!" Ken exclaimed. He and Jun exchanged a shocked glance.

Nobody knew what exactly happened next. One moment, Dobby and Joe were still glaring death at one another. The next moment they were fighting as if their lives depended upon it. Kicks and punches were exchanged at an alarming speed. Ken and Ryu could not even get close enough to pull them apart. Jun grabbed a bucket and quickly filled it up with ice and water. Stepping forward, she threw the water at the two fighting guys.

SPLASH!

The two now drenched guys finally got stunned for long enough for Ken and Ryu to get a hold on them and pull them apart.

As the commotion died down, Jun looked over to where Yuki was sitting. She was no longer there.

"Oh My Gosh! Where is Yuki?" Jun exclaimed.

************************