Episode 19: Time Slip

Athena, still determined to capture the Tokuiten, moves to engage Kei. Olson radios her and tells her not to attack, saying "Kei is your...", but Athena cuts him off. Olson contacts Kei and says, "Kei, I have to talk to you about Athena...". Kei replies, "Do you want a date with her?", and then cuts him off so he can concentrate on not getting killed.

Jaby senses that a gate is about to open in the area. He informs Shaya that they must leave the area. Mimsy contacts Kei, but he is still engaged with Athena and is not certain that he can escape yet. Mimsy watches helplessly as Kei and Athena disappear into the gate.

Kei contacts Athena and asks her to stop fighting, at least until they get out of the limbo zone they have drifted into. "Does this mean you want to surrender?", Athena asks. They continue fighting, but it doesn't last long as they are both sucked through a dimensional warp.

The two of them are deposited in the far past when the earth was still forming. Kei again tries to convince Athena that it is in their best interests to cooperate but Athena is still determined to subdue him. Kei clobbers her and she falls into a crack that is filling with magma. As Kei tries to rescue her, he finally gets to see her. He first mistakes her for Tina, but quickly realizes that this is not the case. Kei successfully lifts her out of the crevice.

Athena asks why Kei didn't let her die (she addresses him as "Tokuiten"). Kei replies that there was no reason to just leave her. Athena tries to fly her mecha, but is unable to control it. Kei catches her at the last moment and carries her again. Over the radio, Kei comments that the scene is rather romantic and they are alone. Athena turns her radio off.

Mome and Jaby worry that Kei is lost. Shaya tells Mimsy that there is no sign of Kei on the Tokuiten sensor and that the area is not safe, they must leave. Mimsy gets a bit hysterical and tells Shaya that they can't leave until Kei returns. Shaya is forced to slap her to settle her down. Within the disturbance, new terrain begins to appear.

Kei and Athena enter another warp and emerge in World War 2 era. They are attacked by U.S. fighters and Kei drops Athena when the hand holding her is damaged. Athena manages to transform and achieve a stable glide, but the fighters fill her mecha with bullets, one penetrating the cockpit and hitting her in the leg. Kei rescues her and flies away. The fighters can't catch him and are force to disengage.

Kei lands on a beach. Athena emerges from her mecha and asks the Tokuiten why he didn't shoot down the fighters. Kei replies that there wasn't any need when they could outfly them. He observes that Athena is hurt and offers to carry her. "Gosh, you're heavy!", says Kei as he lifts her. He introduces himself and says that he much prefers Kei to Tokuiten. Athena introduces herself and Kei comments that he likes her name.

They settle down in a cave above the beach. Athena wakes up and Kei asks how her leg is. She says it isn't bad. Kei tells her that he fixed her mecha while she was sleeping. As they talk, Kei mentions that she looks very much like the girl he loved. She laughs and says that Kei probably tells that to all the girls he meets. He professes his sincerity. "OK, but stop playing with my hair.", she replies. She says that Kei is like her Dad. "Mom told me that Dad used to play with her hair all the time." "Lots of guys like playing with girl's hair" "Yes, but Dad used to do it like you do, wrapping it around the second finger." Kei thinks of Tina, whom Athena reminds him so much of.

As Athena and Kei look out at the ocean, he wonders how Olson is and says that he needs to talk to him again - if they ever get back. "We've got quite a journey ahead of us.", he says putting his arm around her, "And I'm looking forward to it. You have pretty hair." They kiss (it seems much of Kei's infatuation with Athena is due to her resemblance to Tina).

The beach is rocked by another dimension disturbance. "This is not funny.", Kei says as he and Athena are interrupted. They rush back to their mecha and fly into the warp. They reappear in their original place just as the gate closes. Athena thanks Kei and returns to the Terram. As Kei lands outside the Glomar to be welcomed by Mimsy and the rest of the Emaan, he muses on the fact that Athena is so like Tina.