It all started when First Sergeant Conrad "Duke" Hauser tapped me on the shoulder in the mess hall.

"Law," he said.

I turned around and saluted. "Yes, sir?"

"Come with me."

The field commander of Special Counter-terrorist Group Delta led me to a table, where I saw three people waiting. One was Master Sergeant Shana O'Hara, codename Scarlett; another was Sergeant First Class Marvin Hinton, codename Roadblock. The third was Chief Petty Officer Hector Delgado, codename Shipwreck.

"Sit down, Law," Duke said, using my codename.

I took my seat, and Roadblock, an enormous and easy-going black man, remarked, "While you're in Dallas, if you see Tony Romo, tell him hi for me."

"Dallas?"

Duke nodded. "Yes, Dallas. Scarlett, the mission file?"

Scarlett, an attractive woman whose codename was derived from her hair color, handed me a tablet that was open to a file marked McELROY, DWAYNE. It contained a picture of a lanky blonde man with rough features.

"Dwayne McElroy," Scarlett explained, "is a notorious drug dealer in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. We recently discovered that he is working for Cobra, and the drug money helps fund their terrorist activities."

"Cobra, huh?" I frowned. The secretive organization known as Cobra conducts terrorism and espionage operations all over the globe, working toward worldwide political and financial domination. "So you want me to take down McElroy's operation?"

"You and Shipwreck," Duke replied. "You have experience with the area, and Shipwreck…well…"

"I heard the word 'travel', and I was in," the Navy man said. "It's kind of like sailing the open seas, just without any seas."

I looked at the file, trying to memorize everything I could about McElroy. "When do we go?"

Duke handed me and Shipwreck each a plane ticket. "3:19 in the morning."

-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-

We boarded at 3:18.

"The nerve of some people," Shipwreck complained as we found our seats. "They're already making us get up at ungodly hours, and now we have to board a whole minute early? Scandalous."

"What's one minute?" I replied.

"I was counting on that minute to sleep some more outside the gate."

"But now you can sleep on the plane and not get interrupted."

"It's 3:18 in the morning. I don't think logically at 3:18 in the morning."

I checked my watch. "3:19 now. Boarding time."

"Shut up."

-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-

My unit, commonly referred to as G.I. Joe, is based in a secret installation underneath the desert in Utah. Flying from Salt Lake City to Dallas, we landed at 5:22 in the morning. After getting our luggage and retrieving Order, my German shepherd, from the cargo hold, we went to the car rental place and checked out a silver 2013 Toyota Camry.

"I heard about a really nice hotel in Fort Worth," Shipwreck said as I drove the car around, looking for a place to stay. "There's, like, fifty stories, a giant swimming pool, and unlimited free room service."

"Oh, the room service is free, is it?" I asked sarcastically. "What about the room itself? Is that free?"

"That's another discussion." Shipwreck waved the comment off. "Oh yeah, and there's also a little dumbwaiter that I can ride in."

I raised an eyebrow. "A dumbwaiter…to ride in?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Used to do that all the time as a kid. My parents owned an apartment building in California, and I loved to give the tenants surprise visits when they took out their laundry."

"Sounds fun, but I'd rather not get evicted."

"What's a hotel stay without getting kicked out?" Shipwreck looked seriously confused.

I grinned and shook my head. "You have a strange way of thinking, Delgado."

A minute later, I pulled into an EconoLodge parking lot.

"No", Shipwreck said, shaking his head vehemently.

"Yes," I replied.

"No. I won't stand for this. I outrank you, Lavigne!"

"Duke put me on lead for this mission. Welcome to EconoLodge."

-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-

After Shipwreck and I convinced the hotel staff to turn a blind eye to our bringing in a large dog and a parrot, and we settled into a small, musty EconoLodge room with one-and-a-half beds and a serious cockroach problem, we drove to the Dallas Police Department with Order in the backseat.

At DPD headquarters, we were met by a tall, dark-haired officer with lieutenant's bars. "I'm Lt. Michael Norwood," he introduced himself. "You must be Specialist Lavigne and CPO Delgado."

"And this is Order," I added. For some reason, Norwood looked slightly disturbed when the dog leapt at him.

"It's ok," I told Norwood. "That's how he says he likes someone. Of course, it's also how he takes down criminals. You can never be quite sure."

Apparently, that didn't comfort the lieutenant.

It was just then that two men in cowboy hats walked our way.

"Cordell Walker!" I exclaimed.

"Christopher Lavigne?"

"Long time no see, buddy!" I shook my old friend's hand firmly. "This is Hector Delgado. You can call him Shipwreck," I said, gesturing to the sailor standing next to me.

Walker's partner, an athletic black man with round glasses, spoke up. "Ranger Sergeant James Trivette."

"Nice to meet you."

Once we all got to know each other, Walker said, "I heard you're on the McElroy case."

"That's right."

"That's why I'm here, too. I guess we'll be working together once again, Law."