Flint sat down in the briefing room, opening the folder that had been placed on his seat. Around him, the other Joes were doing the same as they waited for Duke to fill them in on the upcoming mission. The folder contained a very detailed map of the Greek Islands, information on some of the ruins found there, and a few photographs of Cobra agents who had been spotted in the area.

He looked up as Duke cleared his throat. "As you may have guessed from the information in your folders," Duke began, "Cobra was seen traveling between some of the uninhabited islands belonging to Greece two weeks ago. The government asked us to look into it, but until a few days ago, our agent saw no signs of any Cobra activity." He turned and brought up a map on the overhead screen. "There are 1400 islands in Greece, and fewer than 200 have settlements. Most only have ruins, if that." He advanced the slide to show a close-up of the tiny islands where Cobra had been seen. "This area south of Astipalea seems to interest them, but we don't know why. You're going to go have a look."

Duke advanced the projector again, sat down in his chair, and continued his briefing. "Lady Jaye has been sending back reports for the last two weeks, and it looks like whatever Cobra has been looking for, they found it. They've apparently set up a temporary base on this small island here." He pointed to the screen, which showed a speck that hardly looked big enough to even hold a base. "We've got the Greek government's full cooperation on this. We'll be joining Lady Jaye tomorrow at the home of—" he looked down at a sheet of paper, "Alexios Theophilus." Duke looked up at Cover Girl's sound of surprise. "What?" he asked.

She closed her mouth and shook her head. "Nothing." Scarlett glanced over at her, too, but Cover Girl kept her attention on the map.

"Mr. Theophilus has been gracious enough to let us stay in his mansion, and will even let us use his yacht so that Cobra doesn't notice us. In other words, we're going undercover for now. Tourists, as usual. Let's all be on our best behavior, okay?" He gave a meaningful look toward Shipwreck, who was folding one of the sheets into a paper airplane.

Everyone in the room rose to leave. Scarlett rounded on Cover Girl and asked, "What was that all about?" Flint took a moment to straighten the papers in his folder as the others filed from the room.

Cover Girl giggled. "Alexios Theophilus is one of the world's most eligible bachelors, Scarlett. Don't you ever read magazines?"

Scarlett laughed. "Not those kinds. What, is he good looking?"

Rolling her eyes, Cover Girl replied, "I met him at a party once. He's the most handsome man I've ever seen. He's also funny, smart, and really, really rich. I hear he's a bit of a womanizer, though."

The two women shared a look. "And Lady Jaye's been alone with him for two weeks?" Scarlett asked. They burst into a fit of giggles and walked out the door.

Flint followed, frowning. The women didn't seem to notice his presence. "Do you think she would--?" Cover Girl asked.

"I don't know. Is he really that handsome?" Scarlett replied.

"Oh, yeah. He is drop dead gorgeous."

Scarlett shook her head. "Still. I don't think Lady Jaye's the type…"

Cover Girl laughed. "Scarlett, if she managed to resist his charms for more than a day, she's not human."

Flint increased his pace and brushed by the two women, stalking down the hall. He looked furious. "What's wrong with him?" Cover Girl asked.

The two shared another look. This was going to be interesting.


The flight into Astipalea was uneventful. They had taken a commercial flight, as the Greek government did not want American army planes landing on one of the popular tourist islands. Each of them had packed all the gear they would need, and the Flagg was on route to the Mediterranean and from there had special permission to enter the waters of the Sea of Crete. Until it arrived, however, the team would be on its own.

Shipwreck, Flint, Cover Girl, Scarlett, and Torpedo disembarked from the small plane and followed the signs toward the marina. Mr. Theophilus was to pick them up in his yacht and take them to his mansion on the south side of the island. They would get settled, and in the morning they would take the same boat several miles south to the small unnamed island where Lady Jaye had found the Cobra base.

The five Joes carried their gear down the dock toward the largest of the boats moored there. Flint looked up at the various names painted decoratively on the sides. The Ariadne, Eros, Aeolus, Poseidon… all Greek gods and myths, of course. The most impressive ship at port was a 124 foot Fraser Yacht with all the trimmings. The name on the side read Galatea. Flint was trying to place the reference when he heard someone calling him. He looked up, and there on the deck stood Lady Jaye, leaning over the rail and waving.

"Hey guys! Come on up!" Lady Jaye's head disappeared from view and they continued toward the short gangplank leading to the yacht.

"Wow…this Mr. Theo-whatsit must be loaded," Shipwreck whispered to Torpedo.

"Yeah, well… I wonder why he's working with the government. Who is he?" Torpedo responded.

Cover Girl answered, "He's independently wealthy, and he's in the right place to help us out." She looked over the boat, eyeing the top deck and wondering if it had a pool. "I hear he's also got some close connections in the Greek government. He must have offered his resources for this."

Lady Jaye walked out of a doorway and stood at the top of the gangplank. She was wearing a green bikini with a sheer wraparound skirt. She smiled and said, "Hey, glad you made it. Alex is in the shower, but he told me to show you around the boat. Come on up."

"Alex, huh?" Scarlett said, walking toward her friend.

"We've been working together for two weeks. I'm not going to call him Mr. Theophilus all the time." Lady Jaye led the way onto the boat.

Flint frowned, following the others up to the deck. He didn't know why it bothered him to know that Lady Jaye was working with this man…he hadn't even met him yet. Sure, Flint worked with her often enough that they had become good friends, but there was no reason to be feeling jealous. If the situation had been reversed and he had been working with a beautiful woman…He shook his head. It wasn't the same. He almost lost track of the group as they headed into the main cabin and down the hallway toward the small rooms containing bunks and bathrooms.

"You can leave most of your gear at the mansion, but we'll probably be spending a lot of time on the yacht. It's a three hour trip to the Cobra base, so we'll just stay on board most of the time instead of heading back each night." Lady Jaye turned to Scarlett and Cover Girl. "Why don't you two take this room, and the boys can divide themselves up in the others."

"Where are you sleeping?" Flint asked.

Lady Jaye raised her eyebrows at the hard edge in his voice. "I've got a room down the hall." She missed the small smile that passed between the other two women as they entered their cabin. It was spacious enough for their needs, as they would be spending most of their time on deck anyway. They tossed down their bags and joined the group again.

Flint was telling Shipwreck and Torpedo to bunk together, which gave him a room of his own. "Aw, that's not fair, Flint," Shipwreck whined.

"Next time you lead a mission, you can have your own room," Flint replied, picking up Shipwreck's bag and hurling it through the doorway. He strode to the next room down the hall and jerked open the door.

"And that would be my room," Lady Jaye told him. He managed a quick glance around the space before she pulled the door shut and motioned him across the hall. Unlike the other rooms, he noticed that hers had a large double bed instead of bunks. The sheets were mussed and there had been clothes haphazardly strewn on the floor. He followed her lead without a word and walked into his own room. He was somewhat relieved to see that it, too, had a double bed, which implied that hers wasn't the master bedroom, at least.

"Which one is Mr. Theophilus' room?" Flint asked, emerging into the hallway again. Lady Jaye pointed to the door at the end of the hall. It appeared to lead to a room that was placed at the front of the yacht. He gave a grunt in response and walked back to the stairs leading abovedeck.

Lady Jaye leaned over to Scarlett and asked quietly, "What's wrong with Flint?"

"No idea," was her airy reply.

The group went back upstairs. The main deck held a kitchen, dining room, and living area in the center cabin with the pilothouse at the very front. Around the sides were wide walkways leading to the open front deck. Lady Jaye gave them the quick tour then led them to the rear deck, which had a small pool surrounded by chairs. They sat, and Flint noticed an open book lying on the table next to Lady Jaye, as well as a half-finished drink, condensation still running down the sides of the glass.

"Let me tell you a little about the Cobra base," Lady Jaye started. "It's on a small island about forty miles south of Astipalea. As far as we know, there's nothing there but the ruins of an old temple. Cobra had apparently visited other islands first; an archaeologist called in to report that his dig had been interrupted by soldiers wearing blue and red uniforms. That was just over two weeks ago." She leaned back and took a sip of her drink. "Anyone want anything?" She asked.

She walked to the minibar at the back of the cabin and passed out beverages, then sat down and continued her story. "Duke sent me down here as soon as the Greek authorities contacted us. Alex and I visited every island in the area, and we finally found the base just a few days ago. I don't know how long they've been there, but probably not more than a week. Apparently they found the island they were looking for," she shrugged, "but I have no idea what they want there."

"Knowing Cobra, it's probably some old artifact that they're hoping to sell," Torpedo suggested.

"Or use," Scarlett added. "Is there some significance to the temple on that island?"

"Alex doesn't think so," Lady Jaye replied.

"And is Alex and authority on Greek history?" Flint asked with a sneer.

Lady Jaye glared at him. "As a matter of fact, that's why the government so readily accepted his help. He's written two books on mythology and artifacts. He should be able to help us figure out what Cobra is after." She looked up and broke into a wide smile.

Flint turned in his chair to look up at the figure that had emerged from the doorway. Alexios Theophilus was an imposing man. He was tall and well-built, with black curly hair that fell just over his ears. His eyes were a deep blue, almost startling in contrast to long, dark lashes. He smiled, revealing brilliant white teeth set against full, sensual lips.

"Oh my goodness," Scarlett breathed, feeling her heart flutter. He was, as Cover Girl had said, drop dead gorgeous. Her eyes traveled over his muscular physique, emphasized by the khaki shorts and tight black shirt he wore.

"Welcome, GI Joe," he said in a rich bass voice. "Please, make yourselves at home while you are with me. I trust that Alison has shown you your rooms and that they are comfortable?"

Scarlett and Cover Girl could only nod, unable to find their voices. Flint, Shipwreck, and Torpedo all wore identical expressions, looking like they had eaten something sour. Lady Jaye stood and walked over to him. "Of course—it's wonderful," she told him. "We're really very grateful for your assistance."

He asked her something in Greek, and she glanced back over her shoulder at the others. She answered him with a laugh, and turned to introduce the members of the group. He shook each of their hands as he was given their names, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he felt Flint's crushing grip.

"Pleasure to be working with you," Flint growled through clenched teeth.

They took their chairs again. Flint gripped his drink and took a long swallow as he watched Alexios sit next to Lady Jaye, close enough that their knees were touching. He barely paid attention as they made plans for the next few days.

In a short while, the yacht had pulled out from port and was on its way around the island and to Alexios' mansion.