A/N: This story came about after watching Stargate SG-1's 'Window of Opportunity episode'. I wanted to see if I could make a GI Joe version, and here it is.
I want to thank Calcitrix for two awesome (and quick!) beta sessions, and to Nicole who pretty much gave me the whole idea for one of the later chapters.
Prologue
"This looks like the place," Flint announced as he maneuvered the VAMP through the dirt parking lot.
Lady Jaye looked out the open window and quickly wrinkled her nose. "It also smells like it."
Flint smiled as he reached over to squeeze her thigh. He then brought the VAMP to a stop, put the vehicle into park and shut off the engines. The two opened their respective doors and got out of the vehicle. As he walked towards her, Flint extended his arm to point out the rows of tents and booths laid out before them. "Well, it might not be as exotic as the Mediterranean but you can add a carnival to the list of places I've taken you."
A second VAMP pulled into the parking lot, kicking up a cloud of dust. Near one of the smaller tents, about ten yards from where they were standing, Lady Jaye noticed a group of midgets. From their animated hand gestures she guessed they were discussing the arrival of the Joes. She leaned in closer to Flint. "I think the term 'carnival' is too good of a word for this place. 'Traveling freak show' might be more appropriate."
The VAMP pulled up alongside them. Clutch and Gung-Ho exited and walked over to where Flint and Lady Jaye were standing. "This now officially sucks," Clutch said.
"Yes, we know," Gung-Ho replied. "And your constant belly-achin' ain't helping matters."
"Look, I know this isn't one of the better missions, but orders are orders," said Flint. "This little 'freak show' as Lady Jaye has coined it, is the perfect haven for the Dreadnoks. All we need to do is take an hour or two to see if we can smoke out our long-lost buddies. Everyone split up - talk to as many of the residents as possible and then meet back here."
Lady Jaye nodded and walked away to the sounds of Clutch arguing with Flint over the pointlessness of the mission. She agreed with Clutch, but she didn't feel the need to complain about it.
The midgets would have been the obvious first place to start, but they quickly scattered once she approached them. Instead of chasing them down, she took a quick look around the carnival to determine her next move. Towards her left was a series of booths containing the standard mix of carnival games.
She chose the first booth and smiled at the carnie who was sitting on the ledge. "Fair's closed," he told her. "Ain't open until tomorrow."
"I'm not here for the games, I'm looking for a couple of friends of mine," she replied. She kept the big grin on her face while she pulled out the intelligence photos of the Dreadnoks.
The carnie took a quick glance at the first photo. "Friends of yours, eh? Never seen 'em."
Lady Jaye decided to be persistent. "Are you sure? Did you get a good look at the photos? Last I heard they were looking for employment."
"Listen, lady, you and your army buddies should stop sniffing around here. These guys ain't here, and even if they were what makes you think we would tell you?"
"I thought you might want to help out a concerned woman. Sorry to bother you," Lady Jaye replied as she walked away.
As she continued down the path she noticed that as she approached each booth the carnie inside retreated into the shadows. Apparently the one had spoken for them all. None of the Joes had come out expecting to find any leads on the Dreadnoks. They had reports that two of the Dreadnoks, Buzzer and Torch, had for a short time traveled with this circus. They were probably long gone, but the Joes wanted to send the message that they were still on their tail.
After Lady Jaye passed the last of the game booths, she came to a colorful tent with a large sign claiming 'The World's Smallest Horse' was housed inside. She walked inside, and although there was a cage in the center, it was deserted. Shaking her head, she went back outside and noticed a much smaller tent across the way.
The signs on the booth announced that the gifted and talented Madame Fatima had been reading palms for over forty years. It reminded Lady Jaye of the time she was in elementary school, and one of her friends, Denise, had claimed that she developed a palm reading talent. Lady Jaye had allowed Denise to read her palm, but much to her dismay, Denise quickly announced that she would die at an early age. Lady Jaye remembered being quite upset for days afterwards.
"Care for a reading?" asked an elderly voice behind her.
Lady Jaye was startled from her thoughts, and quickly turned around. She came face to face with an old gypsy woman. "No thanks, I'm just…"
"The men you seek are no longer here," Madame Fatima interrupted. "And your friends will be engaged for a little while longer, so why don't you come into my humble home for a few minutes?"
Lady Jaye knew the old woman was harmless, but she suddenly had a bad feeling. She looked over her shoulder to see if she could see the other Joes. They were nowhere in sight. "I don't think so. I still have to look around."
Madame Fatima shook her head. "No one else here will talk to you today. I'll tell you what you need to know about the Dreadnoks, but I need to sit down. My knees don't hold up like they used to."
Lady Jaye hesitated. The woman claimed to have the information she needed, but she couldn't shake the feeling of dread. She then scolded herself with the thought that she could easily take on the old woman if needed. It was at that point that Lady Jaye realized she had never mentioned the Dreadnoks before Madame Fatima used their name. For a moment she wondered if the woman truly was psychic, and then she laughed the thought off.
Lady Jaye took a few steps toward the hut. Madame Fatima held open the beaded curtain that was the entrance into her lair. Lady Jaye walked in and waited for her eyes to adjust to the relative darkness.
"Please, sit down," Madame Fatima said as she gestured towards a folding chair in front of a small round table.
Lady Jaye did as instructed and watched as the old woman sank into a chair on the opposite side of the table. "You said you had information about the Dreadnoks?"
Madame Fatima smiled. "There's no need to rush. I have much to tell you." She picked up a small deck of cards and began to shuffle.
Lady Jaye was convinced she was in the process of being scammed. "I'm not interested in your…talents. I'm just looking for a good lead on…"
The old woman raised her hand. "You shouldn't let one bad experience from your childhood cloud your actions now." She then began to deal out the cards face up on the table.
Lady Jaye was momentarily stunned. "How did you know about that?"
Madame Fatima just smiled. She looked down at the cards and the smile quickly left her face.
"You're not about to tell me I'm going to die soon?" asked Lady Jaye. She meant for her question to be light-hearted but the feeling of dread returned with a vengeance.
"No. Not you. But someone close to you will," the old woman said in a whisper.
Instantly, Lady Jaye began to refute the prediction in her head. Several reasons why it was all a sham began to run through her mind. She tried to beat away the voice that reminded her that the woman knew things she shouldn't have known.
"Do you people ever predict happy events? Or is doom and gloom the standard operating procedure?" Lady Jaye asked.
The woman stood up and began to rifle through a stack of glass jars and boxes that were laid out on a rickety wooden shelf behind her head.
"Lady Jaye?" Flint's voice came from outside the tent.
"In here!" she cried out. Her fear instantly dissipated once she heard his voice. She turned and watched as he ducked into the tent.
He looked from the woman, to the table, to her and grinned. "I see you have some free time on your hands."
"Madame Fatima was getting ready to tell me about the Dreadnoks," Lady Jaye quickly explained.
"Yes. They were here about a week ago, but they are gone now. I don't know where," Madame Fatima hurriedly replied. She grabbed a small box off the shelf and turned around.
Lady Jaye shot her a look of annoyance. This wasn't exactly the hot tip she had been hoping for.
"That pretty much sums up the information we've gathered. If you're done having your fortune told, the others are waiting to leave," Flint said.
"Yes, we're done here," Lady Jaye said as she rose from her chair. Flint left the tent first, but the old woman stopped her before she reached the exit.
"He is close to you, no?" she asked.
Lady Jaye's heart began to pound in her chest but anger quickly replaced her fear. "This is a gimmick. You're about to tell me how for the low price of fifty dollars you can give me the information to prevent his death."
The old woman shook her head and placed her hand on Lady Jaye's arm. "I can't stop tragedy. I can only give you what you need to help deal with it."
Lady Jaye felt the fear rising again, and it made her angry. She pulled away from the woman's grasp. "Thank you for your time," she mumbled as she walked outside.
Once outside, and away from the gloominess of the hut, Lady Jaye relaxed. Flint grabbed her hand as they walked back to the jeep. He waved at Clutch who quickly sped out of the parking lot. The two then climbed into their VAMP. Once they were on the road, Flint asked about her session. "So did Madame What's Her Name tell you the name of your future husband, or the 2.5 kids you will have?"
Lady Jaye scoffed. "No, she wasn't nearly that forthcoming." Now that she was putting distance between her and the carnival, she began to mentally chide herself for her reaction to the prediction. Madame Fatima was nothing more than a much older version of Denise.
Feeling better about the situation, she made small talk with Flint until they returned to base. It wasn't until later than night, when she got undressed in her room that she noticed the gold locket that was in one of her pockets. She felt a shudder go through her body as she saw the initials 'M.F.' on the backside. She once again chided herself for being silly and put the locket in one of her small jewelry boxes.