Disclaimer: I do not own GI Joe. This is also my interpretation of the events from GI Joe: RAH, Image comics #24, which probably doesn't reflect the intent of the original writers.

This story is largely concerned with the events of that issue, which took place after the following Joes were captured on Cobra Island by the resurrected Serpentor's forces: Spirit, Firewall, Rock N Roll, Cover Girl, Beach Head, Lifeline, Roadblock, and Snake Eyes. This story focuses on Firewall and Spirit. The spoken dialogue in the first section was pulled directly from the comic, so they are not my creation. It is only until you get to Beach Head that the spoken dialogue becomes mine.

This story is also obviously AU…because I hint at Cover Girl/Beach Head, which isn't from the comics. It also strongly hints at the possibility of Firewall/Spirit. I also like to imagine that Doc, Quick Kick, and etc. are still alive. For the purposes of this story though, I wrote it in such a way that you can either imagine that they are still alive, or believe that they are dead if you would rather go with the more canon universe.

So…I hope that you enjoy.

Make Your Choice

Cobra Island: Firewall

Firewall really didn't understand the Joes. This was unfortunate, as she was supposed to be a Joe herself. Michelle LaChance didn't have a military background. She was a hacker. More than that, she was a hacker who had been "recruited" by the U.S. government and forced to mold herself into a Joe (or go to federal prison…not much of a choice…jerks…).

And the Joes, as she had come to learn, were not exactly standard military. Mainframe often helped her by explaining away unofficial reports of fraternization ("Well...officially…Snake Eyes isn't sleeping with Scarlett…or Beach Head with Cover Girl…Flint and Lady Jaye are at least married now so they can technically get away with it….") or bits of Joe culture ("...we're not all a grim bunch, Firewall. Even the toughest looking Joes need to relax. The Emperor's New Groove and The Road to El Dorado are pretty popular after stressful missions…") She was still convinced that Mainframe was pulling her leg about the movies.

Regardless…she had thought she had a pretty good understanding of the Joes by the time they were captured by Serpentor's Coil on Cobra Island and thrown into a jail cell. Self-sacrifice. Courage. Strength of will. Beach Head had drilled those into her and…Daemon…when they first joined the Joes.

Self-sacrifice.

Well…self-sacrifice and some stupid sense of nobility had led to her current predicament.

"Give me a reason. Please." She pointed the gun at Cobra Commander, who she had secretly followed after their mutual escape from the prison cell. She should have followed her teammates. A Cobra goon had thrown a grenade during their escape attempt. Firewall didn't know if she could kill anyone at point blank…even Cobra Commander…but dammit. She was a Joe and he had murdered people.

Please don't let there be any more wounded, she thought. Cover Girl's already in bad enough shape.

Cobra Commander carefully stepped back from the computer console. She risked a quick glance from the corner of her eyes. The secure channel was still open. Firewall wondered if he'd gotten through to Destro. She had overheard him sending a plea to the Scottish laird to rescue him, in returning for clearing "all debts."

"Now, you just hold still while I make a quick call," she ordered him, still pointing the gun at him. The Commander stood still, with both arms held out. Firewall quickly accessed the open-band distress channel.

"This is G.I. Joe agent Firewall," she said quickly into the receiver. "We're on Cobra Island and need extraction. Cobra Commander is our prisoner and we have wou…"

"Firewall!" Spirit's voice from the door made her jump. Cobra Commander was on her in an instant. It was quite embarrassing really how quickly he overpowered her. The terrorist leader wrested the firearm away from her and shot at the computer screen. It died with a large fizzle, snap, and pop.

Cold metal pressed into her forehead. Firewall hid a nervous swallow as she found the gun pressed against her head while Cobra Commander kept his other arm wrapped tightly against her chest, pinning her to his body. Despite the danger to herself, and the yuck factor of the Commander's arm across her breasts, Firewall found herself staring at her male teammate.

Spirit stood frozen in the doorway. His face was its normally impassive self. However, Firewall had been around him enough now to notice the way his breathing was suddenly very shallow…or the way his eyes and jaw tightened. If she'd known better, Firewall would say that the other man was afraid…

Which was ridiculous. This was Spirit. The man was a veteran of far more battles than she had been in.

"Back away!" Cobra Commander shouted. "Let me pass and she doesn't go home in a box."

A flash of anger shot through her. How dare he? How dare he? How many more deaths was this man going to cause?

"Spirit, do not let him get away!" she shouted.

That seemed to have been the last straw for the terrorist leader. Everything spun as he tossed her over the deep pit that they were currently standing by. She thought she heard him say something to Spirit, but couldn't quite catch the words. As she started to fall, the cynical part of her thought What is it with evil overlords and pits of doom? Which was immediately followed by, I'm going to die. Fuck. A little scream of terror flashed inside of her.

"Ooof!"

The breath was knocked out of her as she slammed face and chest first into a solid, metal wall. Her shoulder screamed in agony as it was nearly wrenched out of its socket. Firewall looked painfully upward to see Spirit hanging halfway over the open pit, one hand clinging desperately to one of her wrists. This time, the terror on his face was more obvious.

"Oh my god, you wonderful, wonderful, sexy man…" she thought somewhat incoherently. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest.

She heard Spirit breathe a sigh of relief as he hauled her back to safety. Firewall forced herself to begin breathing as well.

"Are you alright?" Spirit asked. His voice shook slightly as he asked her. Firewall barely noticed it as she glared after the escaping Cobra Commander.

"I would be a lot better if he wasn't getting away," she spat venomously. Spirit said nothing as he helped her up. She turned back to him, temper suddenly flaring. Firewall knew she should thank him. A part of her wanted nothing more than to hug and kiss him for saving her life. Instead, she berated him.

"Why didn't you just kill him and be done with it?" She asked him. If the Commander was dead, maybe they could all finally go home…maybe more people wouldn't get injured…or killed…she hid a shudder as her recent death experience crossed her mind. "All I hear from you people is 'sacrifice'."

Sacrifice. Sacrifice. Isn't that what they were supposed to do?

Spirit stared at her stone faced and stuttered slightly as he searched for words. "Firewall, I…." Suddenly, her teammate turned on his heels and stalked away silently. Guilt hit Firewall's stomach. He had saved her life and she had pissed him off. Great.

But still, why hadn't he…?

Why had he been the one to go looking for her? If she hadn't been distracted, Cobra Commander wouldn't have…

"What is it?" she demanded. Spirit kept walking silently away from her and she could only see his back. Firewall tried to ignore the way his muscles moved underneath the black body suit and the way his hair moved (damn…that man had fine hair.) Her temper flashed again.

"Am I not enough of a Joe to give my…"

Oh my god.

She gasped and ran into Spirit's back when she saw the scene in front of her. Lifeline looked up from the unconscious Snake Eyes. Half of the ninja's suit had been blown away during the grenade attack. The medic had pushed up his ruined glasses, which sported numerous cracks in the lenses. Michelle looked at Lifeline's bare arm…he had torn one of his red sleeves off…and then stared at the red cloth that Edwin Steen was currently pressing against a gaping hole in the ninja's chest.

"Oh god no," she whispered. Lifeline looked silently at her and Spirit for a long moment and then turned his attention back to the ninja.

Oh god. This wasn't good. They didn't have any medical supplies. Cobra had confiscated Lifeline's med pack when they were captured.

Suddenly, it hit Firewall. In the time that it had taken Spirit to track her down and save her ass, they could have all been escaping together. Instead, they'd had to waste precious time to look for her…because Joes didn't leave their own behind. In her quest to independently take down Cobra Commander, she had failed the most important lesson that Beach Head had drilled into her. "You're not a gawdamn, lone vigilante. Look out for your team. Act as a team."

I'm so stupid.

Firewall reminded herself that she had managed to get a partial distress call out for them. She hadn't completely failed her team.

"We're heading out," Beach Head ordered. The ranger surveyed the group as he counted heads, making sure they were all accounted for. "Firewall, I hope you didn't do anything stupid…"

"She was able to get a distress call out," Spirit answered quickly. He said nothing else and Firewall found herself somewhat grateful that he had left out the part with Cobra Commander. Beach Head nodded at him.

"Good," the sergeant major said. "Roadblock, carry Snake Eyes. He can't walk by himself. Lifeline has Cover Girl. Spirit and Firewall, you're on point. Rock N Roll and I have the rear. Wounded in the middle."

They made their grand escape after that. Everything passed in a blur as they made their way quickly through the Cobra base and finally found what they hoped to be an exit. Firewall held her breath as Spirit silently opened the trap door.

Michelle might have noted the way he shifted his body to shield her from potential fire, but she was too busy admiring the night sky suddenly twinkling down at them. They just might make it out alive.

Things went relatively smoothly for the escaping Joes after that. Spirit jumped a couple of Cobra guards, they stole some weapons (Beach Head was very happy to get his hands on a rifle), and hoped that their teammates would be coming for them.

They were in for a long night.

Cobra Island: Spirit

"Spirit, do not let him get away!"

Things almost seemed to move in slow motion as Cobra Commander nonchalantly tossed the female Joe over the edge and then had the audacity to wave at Spirit.

"Make your choice," the terrorist leader said. There was irritating amount of cheerful sadism in his voice. Spirit didn't even hesitate as he lunged towards the falling Firewall. He had started moving the moment he saw the Commander begin to push her over the edge.

He pushed away blind terror and snatched at the air, hoping…hoping to the Great Spirit that he was fast enough.

His hands closed around a slim wrist. Charlie Iron Knife was forced to grab at the edge with his free hand and compensate for the sudden weight pulling at his right arm. Firewall turned her face up to him. It took a few seconds for her predicament to register through her shock. Her eyes, normally bright with humor and hidden mischief, were suddenly wide with terror.

Spirit silently thanked the kachinas, the Great Spirit, and the Virgin Mary (he had also grown up Catholic, after all, even though he often denied it) as he pulled his teammate back over the edge. They panted silently for a few moments before Charlie dared to ask if she was alright. Irritation quickly overcame her fear as she glared after Cobra Commander.

"I'd be a lot better if he wasn't getting away!" she snapped. Before Spirit could say anything else, Firewall continued on her rant.

"Why didn't you just kill him and be done with it?" she rambled, turning her face to his. "All I hear from you people is 'sacrifice.'" Charlie stared at her, at a loss for words.

That's not how we do things, Firewall, he wanted to say. And your life was more important.

"Firewall, I…." he stuttered, trying to figure out what to say. Her close brush with death, Cobra Commander's almost childish glee at forcing him to choose, and now her anger with him was making Charlie…flustered. Upset. And so…Spirit did what he normally did when a situation upset him. He bottled up his own frustration and turned quickly away from her.

He retreated.

Sue him…he could deal with combat stress. He'd rescued other teammates on more than one occasion and could have dealt with their irritation and puzzlement easily enough. For some reason though, Spirit didn't know how to deal with this situation. How he was supposed to tell Firewall that she was being a bit naïve (he knew it was her inexperience talking, even though her heart was in the right place) without hurting her feelings? He didn't know how to say…I would have saved any teammate over Cobra Commander…but I especially couldn't let you die.

"Make your choice," the Commander had taunted.

Spirit made another choice. He fled the conversation and rationalized it as unimportant to the task at hand. Firewall was safe. Now they had to attend to the wounded and escape.

"What is it?" Firewall demanded of him, still ranting. (That woman did not know how to let a fight go when she was angry. Often he admired that about her…but now it was a trait he suddenly wished she didn't have.)

Spirit came to a sudden stop when he saw how badly Snake Eyes had been wounded. The GI Joe tracker hadn't had time to see the damage done to his other teammates…he had been too focused on Firewall snatching up an abandoned gun and racing hot headed after Cobra Commander. Spirit had instinctively followed after her.

"Am I not enough of a Joe to give my…" she slammed straight into his back and didn't finish the angry question. Firewall muttered an obscenity and backed away. Spirit heard her gasp when she finally saw what had made him freeze in his tracks.

"Oh, God. No," she whispered.

And just like that, the one-side argument was dropped. Spirit placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a comforting squeeze. She looked up at him then. Her face contorted briefly with hidden emotions. Firewall swallowed and stared down at the floor.

Spirit resisted the urge to pull her into a hug. It wasn't logical, he knew. It was unprofessional. She was a teammate…and more than that, she was a good ten years younger than him. And she was a subordinate.

So…he pushed aside an unexpected male urge to protect her. Professional. He was professional. They were professional.

"Make your choice."

Spirit shoved aside the taunting voice. He'd deal with it later, if necessary. For now, they had wounded and they were still trapped on Cobra Island. He and his teammates still had a long way to go before they were back at the Pit.

If they made it back.

"Make your choice."

Spirit silently told Cobra Commander to shut the fuck up and go away.

GI Joe Pit

They made it. They were all home. Firewall breathed a sigh of relief when they landed at the Pit. A couple of greenshirt medics were waiting at the bottom of the ramp as they disembarked from the C-130. They immediately rushed up to assist Lifeline in wheeling the injured Cover Girl and Snake Eyes to the infirmary. Scarlett appeared within minutes, almost-but-not-quite ninja that she was. She followed after Snake Eyes. Beach Head stared longingly after the unconscious Cover Girl. The burly ranger gave an audible sigh and left the group to go find…presumably Duke. Firewall had learned by now that Beach Head preferred to give his reports to Duke or even Hawk, instead of Flint.

Firewall looked around for Spirit. There had been an awkward silence and tension between them during the ride back to the Pit. She didn't like awkward silences.

Michelle especially didn't like them when they involved men that she…possibly…liked.

"Hey…Rock N Roll," she said hesitantly. The blonde Joe turned his head towards her as they stepped together onto a freight elevator. "Have you…seen Spirit?" The tall tracker had somehow made himself scarce in the few minutes since they had arrived. The other Joe tapped his bearded chin for a moment and shrugged.

"Sorry, I didn't see which way he went," Rock N Roll answered. "If I see him, I'll tell him you're looking for him."

"…Thanks," Firewall answered. She nearly asked him not to mention that to Spirit, but that would bring up the awkward question of "Why shouldn't I tell him?"

Oh well. She'd catch him later. Firewall first wanted a hot shower, a clean change of clothes, and a hot meal…in that order. She'd play the "Hunt Down Spirit before I Fall Asleep for a Week" game after that.

She cornered Spirit in one of the Pit recreation rooms a few hours later. Firewall was half-convinced that the man was trying to avoid her. It was hard to tell though. He was a professional spook, so slipping away from unwanted conversations was natural for him…and damn irritating for her.

"No," she told him. Michelle stood between Charlie Iron Knife and the door. A few heads turned in their direction. Fortunately for her, the recreation room was sparsely populated at the moment.

Firewall placed her hands on her hips and glared at the older man. Spirit chewed on his lip for a moment (she'd never seen him do that before…it was adorkable, in a way.) Finally, his shoulders slumped ever so slightly as he gave in.

"Better give her whatever she wants, Spirit," Gung Ho laughed over from one of the chairs. The Marine was lounging in one of the arm chairs and reading a gun magazine. "Don't know what you did to piss her off, but in mah experience, you can't run from angry women." The Cajun came from a matriarchal family, so he'd long ago made peace with the fact that the women in his life ruled everything. That mindset tended to carry over in how he dealt with female teammates.

"I didn't…do…anything," Spirit told him. "Other than what I would normally have done." Firewall cleared her throat loudly.

"Uh…Charlie? I think she's telling you to shut up and pay attention to her," the Marine noted sagely. Spirit glared at his roommate.

"I know," Spirit answered stiffly. He sighed and trudged over to Firewall. (Interesting, she didn't know he could 'trudge' either. Was the man actually sulking?)

"I'm not going to yell at you," Firewall sighed. "I just want to understand, that's all." Spirit didn't say anything (and why did that man have to have such an impossible poker face? She couldn't read him at all.) "And…" Damn this was awkward. "And I did want to thank you for saving me," she added more quietly.

Spirit didn't say anything for a long moment.

"You're welcome," he finally said. His voice was very quiet. Michelle almost had to strain to hear it. She noticed how Gung Ho suddenly put the gun magazine down and stared at his friend.

"You okay, Charlie?" he asked. Gung Ho suddenly looked at the female in their midst and immediately backed down. "Sorry…not getting involved…not getting involved…." He waved his hands apologetically at her. The Cajun seemed torn between not interfering and making sure that his buddy was okay. Firewall found herself groaning.

"There's nothing to get involved about…I just want to know why he saved me instead of going after Cobra Commander," she said.

"I would have done it no matter who it was…" Spirit answered carefully. "My teammates are more important to me than the Commander…and…" he trailed off suddenly. Gung Ho looked from his friend to Firewall and then back again.

"So…what happened?" the Marine asked. Spirit immediately turned his attention to the other man, grateful for the distraction. He gave a very brief summary. Firewall found herself flushing slightly at the memory of being tossed into the pit like a piece of garbage. Her heart beat rapidly again.

If not for Spirit, she would have….

"It's just…I don't understand," Firewall finally said, interrupting Spirit's retelling. "Shouldn't going after the Commander have been the top priority? He was right there….you could have stopped him…"

"Look chère," Gung Ho said, defending Spirit. "If Ah'd been there instead of Charlie, Ah would have done de same 'ting. Besides…you didn't really want to die, did you?"

Firewall shifted uncomfortably, conscious of the silent Spirit still standing next to her. Of course she didn't want to die…but she was supposed to be a Joe now. Maybe she wasn't a very good one and maybe she hadn't earned it like the others, but dammit…

Every time she thought she had figured the Joes out, she screwed up.

"No," she finally answered. "But Cobra Commander…"

"His escape was not immediately relevant to any mission objective," Spirit told her quietly. "Your life on the other hand…" he trailed off. The Joe tracker looked anywhere but at her, which struck Michelle as odd. Then again, she didn't know any of the Joes very well.

She was still a newbie, after all.

Gung Ho looked from Firewall to Spirit and raised a slight eyebrow. It was true that Spirit, or any of them, would have done the same thing in choosing to rescue a fellow Joe over letting Cobra Commander escape. That was especially true given that their immediate objective had been to escape from Cobra. Still…the Cajun Marine couldn't help but notice that his roommate was acting more standoffish than usual. Bashful, even…if one could use that word to describe Spirit. Charlie wouldn't typically avoid someone else's eyes that he'd rescued, even if they were berating him.

Hmm…

Did Charlie…?

The Marine's lips twitched slightly. Well, he'd dig that out of his buddy later. For now, he'd cut both of his teammates a bit of slack. It wasn't like he'd been there anyway. And hey, if Spirit needed a wingman, then Gung Ho was more than willing to step up to the plate.

Gung Ho coughed and drew their attention. He pointed a thumb at the nearby television.

"So…how's about a movie or sometin'?" the Marine asked.

"A movie?" Firewall asked, somewhat perplexed. Meanwhile, Spirit's shoulders relaxed slightly in relief at the distraction.

"A movie sounds good," another voice said. The three Joes turned to see that a tired Lifeline had entered. The medic rubbed at a sore spot in his neck and plopped himself into one of the armchairs facing the television. He leaned his head back into the chair and sighed.

"How's Covergirl and Snake Eyes?" Gung Ho asked.

"We've got them stabilized," the medic answered. "Both of them lost a lot of blood though." He paused a moment and added. "We had to kick Scarlett and Beach Head out of the infirmary. They kept getting underfoot."

"Imagine that," Spirit said dryly. His lips quirked up into a faint grin. "Good luck keeping them out."

"Stretcher and I finished the surgeries, so they can come and go as they please now," Lifeline replied sleepily. He closed his eyes and yawned.

"You sure you're up for a movie?" Gung Ho asked him. The medic gave him a thumbs up sign, but didn't open his eyes.

Firewall shifted again, wondering if she should leave. She could sense the camaraderie between the three male Joes and didn't quite feel she fit into it. It would be better if she politely excused herself.

"What are we watching?" Spirit asked, walking over to the shelf of movies.

"I dunno…one of the usuals? Something funny," the Marine answered. He looked over at the sole female in the group and grinned.

"Don't worry…you'll like it. Why don't you find a good spot on the couch or sometin'?" He asked. Firewall awkwardly made her way to the couch and found a seat. Lifeline mumbled something from his armchair, but didn't otherwise move. Michelle wondered at whether or not they should wake up the dozing medic.

"Aww…he fell asleep already, oh well," Gung Ho said, taking a seat in the other armchair. "Ain't like he hasn't seen it before." They watched while Spirit popped a movie into the dvd player and grabbed the remote. He turned around and saw that the only unoccupied seat was on the couch with Firewall. Gung Ho and Lifeline were both taking up the armchairs.

Michelle didn't miss the thumbs up that Gung Ho not so subtly gave his friend. She did, however, miss the eye roll that Charlie Iron Knife gave the man. The tracker sat down on the couch near Firewall, leaving a space between them.

"So…um…what're we watching?" Firewall asked. Spirit pulled up of the dvd menu and Michelle stared at the television and then looked at her teammates.

"Seriously?" she asked.

"What? Gung Ho asked. "Dis happens to be a post-mission classic."

Huh. So Mainframe hadn't been pulling her leg before. Michelle grabbed a pillow and leaned back into a corner of the couch as the movie began to play. A smile was tugging on her lips within minutes and she found herself relaxing. The recent mission was temporarily forgotten.

"You threw off my groove!" the main character whined.

"I'm sorry…but you've thrown off the emperor's groove."

Seriously, she never would have guessed the Emperor's New Groove. Post-mission classic. Pfff…

And hey…if she found herself sitting closer to Spirit by the end of the movie, she wasn't going to complain. At all.

Author's note:

Cobra Commander does say "Make your choice." to Spirit when he tosses Firewall over the ledge. I didn't have Firewall hear it, because I didn't think it was something she would process given the circumstances. She's too busy falling to certain death and the Commander's face is also turned in Spirit's direction.