Disclaimer: I do not own G.I. Joe, it belongs to Hasbro. But I do own this story and my own created characters... which is pretty much everyone in some way…
"Magnus"
By J.T. Magnus, "Turbo"
With luck, no one will ever see this record. That's because with luck, it'll never exist. At least outside of my personal copy. Tomorrow Checkpoint, Blast-Off, Mirage, Ravage, Artemis, and myself, Skywarp, we're all going to use the Dimensional Tuner to try and travel into the past. We've got to go back to 2004 when the team was reborn and stop something from going right; we have to keep Major John Thomas Magnus, codename: "Turbo" and Erin Townsend from making up. If it wasn't for the Micro-Tuners in our armors, Artemis and I, and maybe the others wouldn't exist. Turbo's our father. And if he and Townsend fall back into love, Artemis and I won't exist.
This will possibly be my last mission. Probably be my last mission. I doubt that I'll be able to come back, and if I can't, and if I fail, someone will need to know what the mission was, what they might need to do.
I have to go back in time and try to tell the soldier whose thick skull I inherited who he should love.
If you're reading this, you're either a Joe or a SHIELD Agent, and if you're going to fix this screwed up world, you need to know the whole story.
My father was born in 1986, in Dalton, Georgia, United States of America to a soldier and a scientist. The soldier, my grandfather, was Colonel Wesley Magnus, codename: "Buzzard", leader of the G.I. Joe Team's Steel Brigade reserve. The scientist was Dr. Sidney Biggle-Jones, in a way it shames me to say that my father and his brothers were the result of a fling, Dr. Biggle-Jones might have given birth to them, but they never called her their mother.
The woman they did call mother was born Ardara O'Reilly. The O'Reillys had been the servants of the Magnus's ever since Tiernan Magnus had been named Lord of Denny back in the 1500's. In fact, according to some accounts, the two families were closer than the obvious household/servants relationship long before Ardara O'Reilly was married to Wesley Magnus.
The story behind that is that not long after my father and his brothers, John Henry Magnus and Thomas Kael Magnus were born Wesley took them to the family's ancestral home in Denny, a town in Northern Ireland, yeah, the area that he was the hereditary Lord of. Wesley was a professional soldier, something he had inherited from his uncle, William Magnus, who had raised him and would pass on to my father. Because of that, he knew that he couldn't raise his sons himself. The ones he asked to do that was Ardara and her sister and brother-in-law; Margaret and Seamus McIntyre.
It wasn't until 1993, when Steel Brigade was disbanded that Wesley finally took all the leave he had accumulated over the last decade in the form of a semi-retirement to his ancestral home. Within a year he and Ardara were married. The next four years, until 1997 when he was called back to active duty along with the surviving members of the Original Fifteen Joes and Major Bradley 'Ace' Armbuster for one last mission, Wesley and Ardara lived in Dalton raising my father and uncles. After what I've heard The Colonel call "The Last 'Yo, Joe!'" ironic since it wasn't the last and it was his own son, my father who was one of those to sound the battle cry again, Wesley did go off active duty, moving back to Ireland. That lasted for two years before the family moved one last time, back to Dalton.
It was two years after this last move, the year of 2001 that my father stopped being J.T. and started being Turbo. It was the year the United States and the world was rocked by a terrorist organization's attack on American soil. The ironic part of that tragedy was that it wasn't Cobra, who those who know about it would have expected to be the ones to launch such an attack, it was a group called Al-Queda. Three days later, General Joseph Colton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff met with President George W. Bush to discuss the resurrection of G.I. Joe. G.I. Joe wasn't brought back right off the back, instead a twelve-member squad, a sub-unit of G.I. Joe was created. The designator for this sub-unit was G.I. Joe: Frontline.
But before that, Colton had spoken to General Clayton Abernathy and Colonel Wesley Magnus among other former members of G.I. Joe for suggestions on membership in the unit. It was my father, taught various skills, even if only the basics by his father and learning more any way he could who was selected to lead this, even though he was out-ranked and out-experienced by some of his troops. I can't tell you Colton, my grandfather, the President, and General Hawk's reasons, I don't know them. But if you want my own, unofficial opinion, I think that they wanted him because he hadn't faced Cobra, he didn't see them as anything more than something rotten to be disposed of, and they kept his rank down to that of a Major to give him the rank to be the command officer, but at the same time keep him low enough to protect him and the unit if the Jugglers ever found out about it's existence.
There's one thing I have mentioned yet about my father that I really need to, about my uncles too… They possessed the X-Gene. All of them had a psychic link to each other, directed messages, which, they've told me, gave them major headaches, the occasional stray thought, and strong thoughts and emotions. John Henry, "Havoc" had a spatial sensing X-Factor, Thomas Kael's, Blaze's was the ability to amplify those of his brothers, and my father's was an enhanced healing ability, one that could, even unamplified, affect those he shared some connection with, the blood relationship with his brothers, the sexual and emotional relationship with my mother… There was only one time that he affected anyone he didn't have a connection to without Blaze's ability to amplify X-Factors, but that time he had his own amplifier: Extreme anger. But that wouldn't happen until 2005, after my parents were married in the proper timeline. In this corrupted one, it never happened. As far as I can tell, this corrupted timeline came about because someone went back into the past and changed how my father and Erin re-encountered each other after their breakup, but I'll get to that.
Change the past to change the present; Cobra fights dirty even after almost a half-century of existence. That's what I have to fix. But my story's still back in 2002, we've got another three years for me to explain the events of before I go into depth on that. What I'm gonna go into depth on here and now is the relationship between John Thomas Magnus and Erin Townsend.
The two of them met not long after my grandparents and father and uncles moved back to Dalton. My father was a loner, interacting with his brothers and a few others, interested mainly in stuff like computers, literature, history, and for some reason, cooking. Erin was a grade below him, an extrovert, a music major with the dream of being a music teacher, even a member of the school band. They met over a club that was forming regarding their only shared interest, a TV show called Mystery Science Theater 3000. After a few months he asked to speak with her in private and told her that he thought he felt something for her. The next couple months they spent messing with the minds of their friends because they never told them that they were together. The next two years were… nice, I believe is the best way to describe it. Fine, if you want my honest opinion, I think that my father had his head so far up his six that his chin was scraping his chest bone. He admitted later on in life that he worried so much about keeping her happy that he was losing himself. When Colton asked him to lead Frontline, his thoughts weren't of her and what she'd want, but instead of his dream, to be a member of G.I. Joe. And from what Blaze has told me, she was not happy about it. For a while, my father tried to keep the relationship going, but in November of 2002, days before his birthday, Erin gave him the worst present of all: He was going to surprise her and had gotten leave for his birthday and planned to spend it with her, but when he arrived in Dalton and at her house on the Rapid Attack Motorcycle mark II, he did so just in time to see her dropped off by another band member. And it didn't take a rocket scientist or the Spec-For member my father was to figure out from the kiss he saw that it was over for the two of them. He gave her just enough time to get inside and for her new boyfriend to drive away before he knocked on the door and without saying anything to her when she answered it, slipped off his high school ring with her initials on it and handed it to her. He then drove off and left her in the dust.
And here's where things go differently for how reality should be and how it is.
In this twisted reality, Zanya attacked Dalton in 2004, why we don't know. What we do know is that it resulted in Erin being taken as a hostage, my father saving her, and their romance rekindling. And if it weren't for the Micro-Dimensional Tuners worn by the Joe team starting in 2007, several of us, including my sister and myself would have blinked out of existence because of it.
Now here's what SUPPOSED to have happened, and believe me, if questioned, I will deny any knowledge of these events for the simple reason that I have an intense distaste for screwing up missions. My parents first met during the G.I. Joe Reunion, there have been others since then, but that one was the first and the worst; Cobra's activates became overt again and it resulted in the loss of two government agents and a member of the Arishikage ninja clan. It also resulted in the reinstatement of the G.I. Joe team as a whole. They had each heard of each other, but that was the first time they were ever able to actually see each other face-to-face, and it was NOT love at first sight. The terms "Hot-Headed Broad" and "Stubborn Dumbass" come to mind. It wasn't hatred or even as much dislike as they thought, it was simply a case of being too much alike.
About three months after Erin dumped my father, the Dreadnok Devastator, formerly Daniel Maxwell, codename: "Sabre", my mother's then-boyfriend raped her.
Two determined people, each recovering from being betrayed by the one they loved and who they thought loved them. And both were members of the team's command staff, my father was made the Second-In-Command/Field Commander due to having led a unit against Cobra more recently than anyone else and my mother was the team's Command Sergeant Major. Over the next year or so, the animosity died down to the point where they began to rely on each other to back up their decisions. But if you're expecting me to tell you something like they looked into each other's eyes one day and saw their futures reflected or that one was injured and the other suddenly realized they cared for them and stood a vigil until they were healed, as my father would say, "As Heinlein would say, 'Brother, you're drooling like one of Doctor Pavlov's dogs.'" That only happens in novels and TV shows.
What happened was a mission. Intelligence showed that Cobra was supplying arms to the more radical elements of the two sides in the Northern Ireland conflict in an attempt to reignite it. G.I. Joe's solution was a long-term mission involving meetings with both sides. Having spent part of his life in Ireland, my father was the one chosen to lead the mission; under the guise of retirement and marriage, the 'wife' actually being his partner for the mission. And that partner was my mother. The two of them traveled to my family's ancestral home in Denny and began their work. Two months into the mission, they traveled to London to meet with Basil Charleston, head of MI-5, Sir John Ryan, the CIA's liaison in London, and other high level members of the British government. To keep up the mission's cover, the meeting was disguised as a ball. While my father met with Charleston and Ryan, my mother was engaged in talking to Lady Caroline Ryan and her and Sir John's daughter Sally. From the Ryans, old family friends, my mother began to learn more about my father than he talked about. After the meeting was complete and they had returned to Denny, my mother spent several hours on battlements of the manor thinking about what she had learned and learning more when Margaret came to check on her. And what bothered her was that who she knew didn't seem the same as who she was being told about.
So she slipped into his bedroom, sat down on the edge of his bed, still in her dress from the ball, and watched him. She watched him until she fell asleep. When he woke, my father took her dress off of her and laid it over a chair to keep it unwrinkled, then he took a risk and laid back down beside her. When she awoke, my mother noticed the care he had taken to make sure that her dress, one of her own, was undamaged. He woke up as she sat there in the bed thinking. Gathering her courage, she asked him about his life. After she heard it, had gathered up her dress and as preparing to head back to her own room, she paused in the doorway and told my father that if he asked her to marry him, she'd say yes. My father answered that he knew and that that was why he couldn't. When she asked him why, he went into greater depth on his relationship with Erin Townsend. My mother listened intently, then slapped him for assuming that she didn't want the life of both a soldier and another soldier's wife. Then she kissed him for caring. I don't know if I should add this, but this isn't an official document, so I will; they made love for the first time that night. Before the mission was over, they were married. They didn't tell their troops, however, because they weren't sure they'd understand. This was in 2005.
In 2006… reenter Erin Townsend. Like something out of a country song, my parents traveled to Dalton for my father's Five Year High School Reunion, which was on the same day as the school's homecoming football game. To just summarize to you the events that happened that night wouldn't do them justice… I think my father made me a recording of the story because I loved hearing him tell me about it, now where did I put it? Let's see…. Signed photo of Indira Parker… My mask… Ah, here it is, what happened in his own words…
You're my son alright, most kids want to hear stories of knights and princesses or puppy dogs or such, you like hearing about when I took your mother to my High School Reunion… I can just imagine the fun you have whenever someone asks you what your parents do for a living, and I'm glad it'll be a few more years before any "Go To Work With Your Parents" days… Come to think of it, it probably wouldn't be so bad; you've scored better than some of the Joes on the shooting range…
Your mother and I might have gotten leave for it, but out of habit I was wearing my Frontline BDUs and we were both armed since we were on fast-recall. I wasn't a big fan of football, still ain't, but it was a chance to reconnect with old friends. That's the only reason I was there. Well, that and I'm a bit of a fire-hound, so the bonfire caught my eye…
Can it with the under your breath 'a bit,' John Robert Magnus. I don't think Roadblock and Barbeque are ever letting you near steaks again after you used Blowtorch's blowtorch on them the one time they let you help at a cookout.
Your mother had gone off to use the restroom leaving me leaning against a tree waiting when I heard I voice I really didn't care to.
"Still playing soldier-boy, I see."
I closed my eyes and felt inside for your mother's presence before wrapping myself in the formality I normally reserve for Brass Hats I'm not friends with.
"Ms. Townsend, I understand we no longer have anything to do with each other, but I'd thank you not to dishonor and disparage the uniform."
"You still need to stop living in a fantasy world, J.T."
I was so glad to feel your mother come up behind me. It isn't an extension of the psychic link X-Factor my brothers and I have or anything, we just had been working together for two years and between that and being in love we could just… feel the other.
"Something wrong, Johnnie?"
I turned and held out my arm, your mother stepped into it, not needing me to tell her that I needed her that close, "Actually, Kella, I'd like you to meet Ms. Erin Townsend. I'm sure you remember hearing about her."
"Ah, yes, the music major. How are you, Ms. Townsend?" One thing I love about your mother is how she can pick up on my moods; she was able to tell that I didn't exactly want Ms. Townsend around.
"I'm fine…" She trailed off.
"Magnus, Jessica Magnus. His wife."
And 'natcherly', as your 'Uncle Nick' would put it, the yaro went after me, I don't even know why, I can take a lot of things, but that's usually because I can take it out on some Snakes or Ratzis…. Or Nick in a pinch.
I know it sounds dumb, but one of the things I love most about your mother is how she watches my back.
"So, what do you do these days, Ms. Townsend?"
Ms. Townsend shrugged, "I'm a secretary at Shaw. With the school systems firing, not much work for me to find. How did the two of you meet?"
I shrugged and gave your mother a smile that she sometimes described as 'Ares's Own,' "Over work."
"Oh? And where's that?"
"Worldwide, but we're based in Utah." Your mother added.
"Computers?"
At the moment my wrist-com buzzed, "Uh, sorry, I've got to take this. Magnus?"
"Yes, Major."
I gulped, I'll be honest, shrimp. I'd met the president a couple times, but wasn't something I was prepared for. It'd be like World War Two and Ike Eisenhower chatting with a Private…
"I'm… Sorry, Mr. President. I wasn't expecting your call."
Behind me, I heard Ms. Townsend snorting that I needed to get out of my fantasy worlds and into the real world and your mother telling her to be quiet.
"So I understand, Major. General Colton told me you were on leave. I simply wanted to check something about the Ireland Mission's report. There are a lot of inconsistencies in it…"
At that moment, Ms. Townsend grabbed my arm and yanked it around, "J.T., when are you going to be serious about life."
I'm not going to say I don't hit females, since Cobra's an equal opportunity employer that'd be a good way to fill a flag-draped metal coffin. But that night I didn't have to. Your mother yanked her hand off my arm, unfortunately not before Ms. Townsend saw that I really was talking to the President.
"Major, who's that there with you?"
Your mother stuck her head into the area that he'd see on his end, "'Athena,' sir. Just getting a civilian out of the way, sir."
"Oh my god, it really is the president…"
The Joes had basically given up on joking about my habit of switching between a relaxed and off-duty J.T. and an all-business Turbo, but they would later, when the found out we were married, start them up anew directed at your mother when they found out that she had picked up that habit. She got busy keeping Ms. Townsend out of the way so I could finish up with the President.
"Magnus… What would Sergeant Major Parker be doing there with you while you're on leave."
"Mr. President, respectfully, do you remember what you called to ask about?"
There was a moment's pause, then, "I see."
"Yes, sir. We were married while we were over there, sir."
"And by this report, I would be correct in assuming you don't want your teammates and superiors in Task Force Delta to know yet?"
"If you would, please, sir."
"It would be no problem, Major. I'll tell Colton that it was a long term mission, there was bound to be some mistakes in the report and that he shouldn't think much of it."
"Thank you, sir."
"It's the least I can do, Major, for what you and she did for us and for the world over there."
"Again, thank you, sir."
"You're both welcome, Major, Sergeant Major, good luck together."
"Thank you, Mr. President," your mother added without turning away from standing between Ms. Townsend and myself, "That means a lot to us."
"Have fun, you two." The president finished as he ended the link.
With an expression that was mostly seen on the battlefield before she inflicted severe casualties to the enemy, your mother looked at Ms. Townsend, "'Computers?' No, Ma'am, U.S. Military, Ma'am."
Without a word, Ms. Townsend walked away, leaving me looking at your mother.
"Kella, have I told you lately that I love you?"
"Yes."
"Have I done anything about me loving you?"
"No, maybe you should fix that."
"Maybe I should," I whispered, wrapping my arms around her, "Know what's funny?"
"Her expression?"
"That. But I'm thinking of something else. She could have had the world, because I would have changed it for her, but I won't change myself as much as she wanted me to for her for anyone."
"Yeah, I remember… Literature Professor." She laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"She wanted you to give up your dreams completely and instead she failed to reach hers, but you're living your dream."
"Even beyond what I originally dreamed…"
"Being one of G.I. Joe's commanding officers?"
"No," I whispered closely in her ear, "…You. I never dreamed I've have a beautiful wife and an amazing second-in-command, all in one."
Turning her head and turning in my arms so that she could face me, she whispered back, "I never was a fan of football"
Son, I would hope that living on the same base as some of the world's best has given you a good enough tactical mind that I don't need to go any farther. Suffice to say we didn't stay for the game.
There you have the story in my father's own words. Even when I was younger I could see the love they had for each other. Even after two decades together it's still obvious how much they loved each other… I wish that I could find someone to love and be loved by like that….
"Last I heard, brother mine, they were cracking down on command staff found sleeping on the job."
"I'm not sleeping on the…" I paused and looked at Artemis, "Just what time is it?"
"Sabre's waiting."
"Merde." I commented, grabbing and pulling on my mask.
"You are our father's son…"
"Let's GO, Artemis."
"Race you."
"You're…"
"…On." She replied as we popped back into existence in the Helicarrier's control room.
Sabre, Major Daniel Maxwell, shook his head, "Do you two have to teleport everywhere?"
"Yes." We replied in synch.
"What's the word, sir?" I asked.
Sabre put his cybernetic hand on my shoulder, "The word is 'go.' The others are waiting with the Tuner."
"Well, Uncle Dan, we'll see you, I guess." Artemis added as we walked into the staging area.
But I overheard him whisper, "With luck, no, you won't."
Being the last one to enter the staging area, I took a moment to pause and look at my team. Artemis, my own sister, one of the best light infantry… uh, people I've served with. Mirage, Blast-Off, and Ravage, the Mega-Marines. And Checkpoint, an MP with a strong belief that 'Dead or alive' means dead and that 'Come along quietly' involves 'if you don't, I'll break your jaw.'
With a sigh I took the last step into the room, "Ready?"
"WE have been, YOU're the one who's been dragging." Checkpoint grumbled.
"Shut up, Checkers, you don't have the personal stake in this mission that he and Artemis do." Blast-Off commented.
"Glad I don't. Means there's less chance of me fouling things up."
"You're a dick, Sneeden." Artemis retorted.
"Thank you so much, Magnus, it just makes my day to hear that."
I really shouldn't do things like this, but I enjoy getting on Checkpoint's nerves, "Hey, Sneeden, is there something going on between you and my sister that I should know about? …And probably gut you for?"
As Checkpoint and Artemis both sputtered, Mirage shook his head, "That's it, I'm activating the Tuner before someone gets hurt…"
Mirage reached out and flipped the switch on the paddle-shaped device and as it started to glow it felt like hot needles were being pushed right into my brain through my mask. When I came to, it was to the sight of a clear blue sky, rolling tan sand, fluffy white clouds, birds singing, and the barrels of various G.I. Joe-issue weapons pointed at the others and me…
What a way to meet your own father and his teammates…
"Beach, get that headgear off and let's see who Cobra's new recruits are."
Luckily I had landed on my chest with my right hand under me so they couldn't me draw my gun before I jerked up to my knees.
"BACK OFF, SERGEANT! There's six different ways for me to injure you without killing you from this position, and don't think I won't." I'll admit, I was going a bit overboard, but if they saw our faces and the resemblance to some of themselves, we were screwed. Besides, I really don't like people messing with my mask; it's quite literally irreplaceable.
"'Warp," I heard Checkpoint groan from beside me, "Don't go overboard, they kill us, we have problems."
"Beachhead, hold your fire."
"Major, they're still armed and threats."
"No, Beachhead, they're not."
"Turbo…"
"Trust me, Beach. I can't say, but I know they're if not on our side, not on Cobra's." My father said, lowering his captured Viper-issue rifle.
I knew what his reason was… my mask was once his when he was keeping his identity secret in SHIELD.
The door to my father's office in the Pit slammed shut behind him, shutting my troops and I in with him.
"Alright, I know for a fact that only two of those masks exist," he half-snarled, opening a wall locker in the room, pulling out the mask from the time period we were now in and slapping it down on his desk, "And the other's in Top Security Three at Stark Industries. So who the hell are you and how do you have one?"
I didn't answer him at first, but instead turned to Mirage, "Mirage, report?"
The weapons expert winced, "Problem. We were planning on arriving in January or so, give them a couple months to be prepared."
"And how much time DO we have?"
"None."
"Damn." I looked at each of my team in turn, "Everyone, our mission plan's gone pear-shaped, therefore, I am exercising my command authority to rescind mission order two regarding anonymity." I reached up to the neckline of my mask and lifted it off.
"You gave it to me, dad. Or will, in about eighteen years when I join the Joe team."
He took it well, closing his eyes and looking towards the ceiling, and then looked back at me before commenting, "I take it you take after your mother…"
His wrist-com buzzed, "Magnus?"
"Problem, Turbo, we've got a hostage situation… Dalton. It's the Dreadnoks, Zanya at least."
"Ok, Sparks, I'm on my-"
"Wait."
"Give me a moment." He said before lowering his wrist-com. "Ok, what? I can believe you're my son and that you're from the future, God knows that compared to some things I've encountered in the past three years that's fairly tame. But you haven't said why," he gestured towards the others, "Why there's these others, OR why you're holding me up on a mission."
"Do you trust me?"
"If you're my son…"
"I know, you don't trust anyone completely. Let me rephrase that, do you think I'd put you, and thus me and my sister," I stepped back and rested my hand on Artemis' shoulder for emphasis, "at risk?"
"…Not if you're telling the truth."
"Let us take this mission. Please."
He had a look like he suspected something was up, so I had to do something to prove who we were.
"You never told anyone, and you never did until about ten years from now that the reason you changed your uniform when Erin Townsend and you broke up was because you felt darker inside, dead and without a future and you changed your uniform to something darker to match."
There was a sharp intake of breath, then, "They're gonna expect me to lead."
"You will… Blast-Off, do you have the emergency supplies I told you to pack."
"Contacts, hair dye, and two vocal synthesizers. Now will you tell me why?"
I saw Turbo do a double take when I gave a carbon copy of his own 'Ares' own' grin, "How about we show you?"
A few minutes later Turbo turned his head to the left and I turned mine to the right in a mirror of the move.
"Perfect," Artemis commented, "It'd fool anyone."
With a chuckle, I brushed a hand through my temporarily black hair, speaking in my father's voice, "Except mom, but that's the idea."
Wearing my mask and armor, my father tilted his head and replied in my own voice, "So, have I met this bravest of ladies yet? And do I know it?"
"Yes and no."
"So who is she?"
"Mrs. Magnus."
"Claptrap."
Artemis smiled under her own mask, "Now if we told you, that'd take the fun out of finding it out, wouldn't it?"
"You're my daughter, alright…"
Slipping into Turbo's vest, I stretched, "Major, you stay here," at his annoyed look I added, "Please. You don't know what's happening, I do."
"Ready when you are… Turbo."
I nodded, "Teleport when ready, Artemis."
Just before we faded away, I heard my father whisper, "Just remember, 'Yo, Joe.'"
It was an old saying among members of G.I. Joe, that you didn't need luck as long as you could cry 'Yo, Joe.'
I could only hope it'd hold true today…
The green-haired Dreadnok shoved Erin Townsend to the ground, doing so hard enough to knock her unconscious, "Just shut up, crybaby. It'll all be over soon."
We blinked into existence right as she said so.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Devastator's old target."
"The only thing 'old' around here, Zanya," Artemis snapped, "…is you."
"Yeah," I added, "And how soon it'll all be over depends on whether you prefer to be beaten to death or within an inch of your life."
With a flick of her wrist, Zanya brought out a knife from her arm bindings and held it to Erin's throat, "Look here, Redneck, either you and your new sci-fi convention rejects drop 'em or she dies."
I closed my eyes, then drew the Beretta M-93R from the holster on my right thigh, "Ok, Zanya…" Then I leveled it at her, "Drop the knife or I drop you."
She froze for a second, "This isn't how it's supposed to go, you're supposed to surrender."
"Bad news for you, bitch, G.I. Joe doesn't surrender." Checkpoint snapped back.
I nodded a firm agreement, this was why I had to disguise myself as my father and come instead of him, I had no history with Erin Townsend to affect my decision, "Go right ahead and kill her, because if you do, we have no reason not to open up full-auto on you."
Artemis pulled out her own Berettas, a gift from our mother when she and I joined the Joe team like Turbo had given me my mask, "If it costs one civilian to make sure that one of the highest Dreadnoks is taken out, the books'll balance in the end."
"NO!" Zanya screamed, dropping Erin to the ground and drawing something from her boot, "I've come too far to fail again!"
"Look out!"
I hadn't seen what it was clearly, but obviously Ravage had because he imposed his armored body between Zanya and me as she fired. Even protected by the adamantium alloy armor Ravage was wearing, I could still feel the force of the blast.
As soon as the blast ended, I shoved Ravage aside and took a firing stance only to see Zanya had already been taken down. I looked to Mirage to confirm my suspicion and he nodded, stun grenade. I walked over and knelt down beside her, pulling the weapon from her grasp and looked at it a moment before tossing it to Mirage.
"You're our weapons specialist… so, specialize."
He looked at about as long as I had before nodding, "Definitely from our time, sir."
Artemis looked her over, "You're from the future, and I bet I know why you're here… When Turbo and Athena fell in love, she experienced a rebirth, you failed to destroy her spirits completely."
I picked up on what she was saying and continued, "Keep them from falling in love and keep her from being reborn, but you didn't predict one thing. You didn't predict Sabre and the Dimensional Tuner and Micro-Tuners."
Checkpoint actually chuckled, "And you know what they say about what you never predict is always what happens."
You might want to say that I could have made a choice then, but there was no choice to make, if I simply destroyed whatever she used to travel back in time, she could still return to the past…
No… I had to fire that three-round burst. There could be no next time.
"So you fixed the timeline, why are you still here?"
Ravage shook his head, "Our Dimensional Tuner burned out, one way trip."
"So you're stuck here?"
"Yes, Sir, Major. Unfortunately, the moon in this time doesn't have the Microwave Power Transmission Station that it will in our time, so the armor systems of myself and the others have maybe three hours of power for their systems before we have to recharge, PROVIDED we don't use any of the non-standard systems which will SEVERELY shorten that time."
"And the teleporting your sister displayed?"
"We both can… or rather could do it. Without the Microwave Power Station, those two coast-to-coast teleports burned out the system in her armor. The farthest I can go, without the Power Station, is probably only a few miles without risking a burn-out of my own."
"Now," Turbo said, standing up and stepping around his desk to look me in the eye, "Mind telling me why you shot Zanya rather than take her into custody?"
"Because that wasn't Zanya. Or at least the Zanya you thought."
"Explain."
"That was… our Zanya for lack of a better term." I started, "Artemis was the one to figure it out."
She stepped forward, "If you had been the one to go on this mission, you would have fallen back in love with Erin Townsend."
"Then I take it she's…"
"Not our mother, no."
"Then why would Zanya…" He paused, "Can't tell me, can you?"
"Nope." I shrugged.
"Had to try."
Artemis and I looked at each other, then chorused, "You're our father, alright."
"It's so sickening I'm wondering why I helped make sure of it."
Turbo looked at him for a moment, "Balaclava… bad attitude, and no sense of humor… You've gotta be Beachhead's son."
"Yeah," Artemis added, "It's unfortunate that he didn't inherit anything from his mother, her looks especially."
"It's unfortunate," Checkpoint countered, "That you inherited your looks from your father."
Turbo paused, "Sneeden, is there something going on between you and my daughter I should know about? And borrow Blaze's shotgun about?"
With a snort, Checkpoint turned and stalked out of the room.
"Yeah… Yeah…" Blast-Off muttered.
"'Yeah' what?"
"Like father, like son, Ravage. Like father, like son."
"Aw, get out of here, all three of ya. Get Sparks to assign you all and that balaclava wearing bozo some quarters."
With a salute and a 'yes, sir,' the Mega-Marines left with Turbo calling out behind them that Major or not, he worked for a living.
"What about us?" wondered Artemis.
"We," Turbo answered, "Have a lot to discuss, young lady."
"Uh, news flash, we've traveled back in time, you're as young as we are."
"And after leading this bunch and Frontline for three years, you think I can't handle a pair of teenagers?"
"In a word, 'Hai.'"
"Very funny…"
"Lieutenant."
"Lieutenant."
"Butterbars?"
"In a few years, you'll say, and I quote, "There will NOT be ANY 'Butterbars' in THIS family." Of course, you're also get drunk at a team New Year's Eve celebration and shoot a bottle rocket out your ass, so that's not saying much."
"Don't count on it."
"I never count on anything except the most important thing you ever taught me."
"And what's that?"
"Always count on G.I. Joe."
"I must become a very wise man."
"You become a bird brain."
"Ok, you two," Artemis said, stepping in between us, "Break it up. ONE of you," and here she glared at me for emphasis, "knows how bad it can get when you two really get going."
"She's probably right. You don't want anyone to know who you are that doesn't have to, do you?"
"Not if we can help it. You, Checkpoint and the Mega-Marines, Sparks and Lifeline if we can keep it down to that."
"Well, in that case, you'd better call me…"
"TURBO!"
"Uh-oh…"
"I KNOW you're in there you sniveling little worm, come out and die like a man, you stubborn Dumbass!"
Looking at him with his eyes closed and cast upwards, I shook my head, "Shaving cream bomb?"
"It still my favorite in the future?"
"Oh, yeah," Artemis chuckled.
"Yeah, I bombed her quarters."
"Oh well, Turbo," I grinned as Artemis and I pulled our masks back on, "Boots on?"
"Check." Artemis answered, "Have fun, dad."
The two of us stepped to the side as Athena slammed open the door and charged in with Sparks on her heels.
"It's alright, Sparks," I said, putting my hand on the Chief-of –Staff's shoulder, "He'll survive."
I turned to look back into the office and nodded to myself. Yeah, I thought, they made a nice couple. And if I did say so myself, they'd raise a great couple of kids together.
Adjusting my mask, I walked out of the command offices with my sister behind me.
"Things," she commented, "are gonna be just fine."