Prologue: Mindbender

Author's Note/Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or G.I. Joe. Those are the properties of their respective creative owners. I was rather inspired by reading Max Brooks' graphic novella G.I. Joe, Hearts and Minds when writing this and cherry picked a few aspects from various G.I. Joe cartoons for this writing.

Norfolk, Virginia
24 May 2005

"Wow. I thought I'd die before I ever heard a compli-." Those were the last words Special Agent Caitlin Todd's co-workers would ever hear before a single .308 caliber bullet would puncture her forehead and leave a rather good sized exit wound afterward.

As far as her friends, her family, and anyone else knew on the 24th of May 2005 Caitlin Todd, Kate to her friends, died in the line of duty. The truth, however, would be a tad more complicated.

Channel Islands, United Kingdom
25 May 2014

The first thing uttered by Caitlin Todd when she awoke was finishing her last sentence, namely because she hadn't had a chance to complete it, "-ment."

The next thing Kate became aware of was harsh, bright light. As much as it hurt her eyes it was a sight she was glad to see because that meant that she was still alive. She felt lightheaded, a stark contrast to her arms and legs which felt like they were lead weights instead of functional limbs.

Then she felt the cold, not the sort of biting cold of winter but cold nonetheless. That sort of cold associated with a science laboratory or a morgue. The latter send a chill up Kate's spine as she sat up on the padded bench she evidently had been lying down on. She sat up and her head felt light.

"Where...?" she asked.

"Success." a voice sounded and Kate looked up just in time to see a large, powerfully built bald fellow with thick, black handlebar mustache wearing a white lab coat over a blue silk shirt and a red necktie and brown slacks and black shoes.

Flanking him were two men in blue uniforms with a red logo across their chests, one that she instantly recognized as the head of a cobra.

"Agent Todd, are you capable of movement?" asked the man.

"I don't know, my arms and legs feel heavy..." Kate replied.

"Oh, as to be expected. After all you have just made history as the first human being to have ever been brought back from the dead." the man replied.

"The first what?" Kate said, mouth open with surprise. This can't be true? Can it? But...

"Don't get too excited. We don't want your heart rate climbing too rapidly. So soon after resurrection could lead to a heart attack." the man remarked.

"Resurrection!?" Kate asked, jerking her head towards the man, the man and two guards stood behind a plate glass wall.

"That's right." the man replied, with a smile, "A work of certifiable genius by me, Doctor Mindbender."

It was around then that Kate could feel the punch of the rounds that hit her in the chest, jumping in front of Gibbs to try and save his life. Of thanking Gibbs for a compliment and then the round that punched through her forehead, the sharp, piercing stab and then the blackness.

"I'm sure you're reliving the moment of your death. A very powerful memory, to be sure. I wouldn't be surprised if you relive your death repeatedly over the next few weeks." Mindbender replied.

"Resurrection? What are you talking about Mindbender?" Kate replied.

"Doctor Mindbender." the scientist corrected, straightening his tie, before continuing, "And isn't obvious? For an NCIS Special Agent you certainly don't appear to be very bright. Anyway, you were dead and we brought you back to life..."

"Wait? How?" Kate asked, "I was shot in the head and..."

"There was enough of your brain left intact for cloning." Mindbender said, "And yes I know you were quite, quite dead when we dug up your body and kept it 'under ice' so to speak until we had our chemical solution perfectly worked out. That took somewhere on the order of nine years, actually before we took you out of 'cold storage' and immersed you for regeneration."

Regeneration? What? Lizards regenerate lost tails. Starfish regenerate lost limbs. Human beings? Regeneration? Is that even possible? Kate thought. That was impossible by every biological law she knew. But she had been given a new lease on life.

She felt a rush of joy then. She could see Gibbs, Tony, Ducky, McGee and Abby again. Her family. And then realized. No, I can't. As far as they know I'm dead and buried. Almost ten years have passed. It's not like I can walk back into their lives again...

"Agent Todd, are you even listening." Mindbender said.

"I'm sorry, but what's going to happen to me? I can't go back to Washington, D.C. can I?" Kate asked.

"No, you're staying here, because the first person resurrected from a gunshot to the head we have tests to run on you to see just how well the process worked et cetera, et cetera." Mindbender replied, as his lips curved up in a two millimeter grin.

"Tests? Like some sort of science experiment?" Kate asked, dumbfounded.

"That's exactly what you are." Mindbender said, "We brought you back to life and thus we own you. However, I'm afraid I must bid you good night, it is quite late."

"No!" Kate said, running towards the glass wall and pounding on it as the lights went out. Am I ever going to get out of here? Is the only human contact I'm ever going to have is this Mindbender character?

What good was being brought to life if she couldn't even leave this lab, wherever it was? The only company she had were two guards and there was no way she was going to break down in tears with them watching.

Channel Islands, United Kingdom
2400 26 May 2014

Two Royal Air Force Puma HC1s flew low and fast in the darkness, the turbines whined as they headed towards the island.

Staff Sergeant David J. Bennet, also known as 'Big Ben' of the 22 Special Air Service checked his equipment as the aircraft began to flare before coming into a hover. Sliding down the rope, after checking his C8 carbine was out of the way. Landing on the roof, moving past the corpse of the sentry that the snipers in one of the other hovering aircraft had picked off.

An explosion as one of the other troopers detonated a breaching charge and the assault team charged in. David threw a flash bang down the stairs and right after he went down with the rest of the team, shooting a COBRA henchman dead with three rapid single shots.

More shooting coming from downstairs as the other assault team was flooding in through the bottom floors.

Bennet looked down a hallway as one of his other team members attached a breaching charge to the door marked 'Lab' and with a loud boom the door was blown off its hinges. Then a flash bang was thrown into the room.

Bennet was first into the room, seeing one of the COBRA soldiers attempting to raise his weapon. Firing his C8 in rapid shots, killing the COBRA soldier. The number two man into the room fired his own weapon in a short burst, killing the other.

Bennet noticed a large room with an examination table and a woman in a hospital gown sitting atop the thing. She was blinking her eyes, clearly the flashbang had affected her.

"Get behind something solid!" Bennet shouted.

Another SAS trooper attached a small explosive charge to the electronic lock of the cell and Bennet saw the woman get behind the table, lying on the floor. The demolitionist exploded the lock. Bennet headed into the room towards the woman.

He knelt beside her, searching her to make sure she wasn't carrying weapons as a precaution before helping her to her feet.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

"Yeah." the woman said.

"Right, this way..." Big Ben directed, "stay with me."

Kate had heard the vicious bang that clearly wasn't thunder. Several in fact, enough to tell her that someone was storming the building, whoever they were, they were heavily armed. She could hear smaller bangs, flashbangs or possibly fragmentation grenades, and shooting.

The shooting was a mix of short controlled bursts and rapid single shots which told her whoever was raiding this place were professional soldiers. Oddly enough if this was a rescue party she felt safer. They're less likely to shoot me by accident. Kate thought.

Then she saw four men in black assault rigs charging into the room, shooting the guards dead. The British accent of one of the men was telling her as to who her rescuers were. Great Britain's SAS. Professionals.

She heard the commands and complied before the door was exploded open and one of the operators went into the room. She was checked for weapons, she knew that was a standard hostage rescue procedure from her Secret Service time.

She followed the British soldier, hearing the radio on his belt squawk, "Labatt, Labatt, Labatt..."

"Oh Bollocks. They've rigged this place to explode." the Brit said, as he grabbed a hold of Kate's arm and said, "Run."

Adrenaline coursed through her system. That's just great, get blown to chunks not even a day after being brought back to life. Not gonna happen. I'm getting out of this...Kate thought as she ran, keeping the back of the British soldier's head in view as they sprinted upstairs.

She felt her vision narrowing, feeling woozy before managing to grab the back of the Brit's assault vest. She was barely conscious of two strong arms looping behind her shoulders and under her knees as she was carried up the last flight of stairs towards a hovering helicopter.

The voice of the first commando that she encountered said, "Hold on, we're going to get you help...just hold on, it won't be long..."

Those would be the last words Kate would remember before she slipped into unconsciousness...

To Be Continued...