"It's just as you expected," Scarlett said, dropping the folder onto the table. She turned to the group after addressing Lady Jaye. "It seems our double trouble boys are back in business with Cobra. Since they slithered out of conviction with their cohorts, I'm surprised they jumped back on the bandwagon," she shrugged.
While several of the team made comments, Allie sat, silent, thinking.
She looked up at Scarlett and said in a soft voice, "Do we know if they are doing it of their own free will? Could it be under duress?"
The other Joes grew silent and looked at her, shocked by her question.
Allie stood up and paced, thinking aloud.
"We know they lost their shirts with the original Cobra organization. Obviously, from somewhere, they have replenished their funds. I can't see them backing a losing organization, so either this resurrection of Cobra is something more to contend with than we know of, or they are somehow being forced to become their financial backers."
She turned once again to the group. "It makes our assignment more important, then. We need to figure out what the whole story is. If they are being forced…"
"They'll squeal like the weasels they are," muttered Gung Ho, nodding in agreement. "I agree with Lady Jaye. Once we can get all the pieces and fit them together, we'll have a better idea of what this new Cobra deal is all about."
Allie smiled, grateful for his support. She glanced at the rest of the group, and saw they were all thinking along the same train of thought.
"Gung Ho, Cover Girl, and Snake Eyes will be traveling with me tomorrow to Corsica, since their knowledge of French is the strongest, which is closely related to Corsu, the unofficial language. We'll need the rest of you to remain here and work on testing our new weapons system."
Hawk added a few comments of his own, then dismissed the meeting. When only the mission team remained, Allie spoke.
"We'll leave tomorrow at 0600. We have a stop to make along the way to pick up a few things," she said vaguely. The team members glanced at each other, puzzled.
Allie leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms as she regarded her mission team. "MARS has graciously offered to outfit us with a few of their newer creations. We've signed on as beta testers until the government can figure out our budget. Until then," she shrugged, "we outfit ourselves at the factory."
"This is the company your family owns, right?" Courtney asked, frowning. "The one Destro tried to bring into the original Cobra."
Allie repressed a sigh. Would that stigma ever be erased? "Yes, it's one and the same, although once Destro's intentions were clear, he was no longer working with MARS. You need to remember this is the same company that made our original Skystrikers and Maulers," she pointed out. "You'll be impressed by what we'll be using, since it won't have been released to other customers yet. They do a lot more than vehicles and guns now."
Later, as she and Courtney were looking through her closet at the house she and Beach Head shared for clothes to fit the mission, Allie decided to confess one of her secrets to her friend.
"Just to let you know," she said, flipping through the hangers, throwing a piece on the bed for consideration now and then, "I might have a slight personal issue with this mission."
"Oh?" Courtney paused as she began to pull out her suitcase from the bottom of the closet. "What kind of personal issue?"
"Well," shrugged Allie as she continued to flip through the clothes, "I figure I'd better come clean with you, before we go, in case something is said…" She paused to pull out two dresses, scrutinize them, then throw one on the bed before putting the other back. She backed out of the closet and began to spread the outfits on the bed.
"Definitely this one," she said, holding up a dress with a low cut neck and short skirt.
Courtney giggled. "Yeah, just don't let Wayne know I'm wearing that one. I'm not supposed to be seen out of the house with it on, according to him! Hmmm….so, still waiting for the "come clean" part…." she continued, standing up with the bag in her hand.
"Well," began Allie again, going through the rest of the clothes, forming three piles and studying them. "I might have had a relationship at one time with one of our subjects," she finished, deliberately not looking at Courtney as she hung up the rejected pile.
Courtney froze, staring at her.
"Are you telling me….how could you…I mean, knowing what they are….what the hell, Allie?" she demanded, grabbing her arm.
She sighed. "Court, it wasn't something I planned. The troupe I was in, we had a command performance in Corsica and he showed up backstage. It wasn't like I sought him out. It just happened. His brother was away, I was alone…it just happened," she said again, shrugging, sitting down on the bed. "I just wanted you to know since it will probably come up."
"Which one was it?" Courtney asked. "And are you telling me this was your rebound guy? Good god, Allie, I could've found you a rebound guy that was a little less…dangerous…"
Allie shrugged, getting up again and beginning to fold Courtney's clothes and placing them in her suitcase. She needed to do something with her hands as she talked.
"Dave, I mean, Xamot. Trust me, Tomax's perverted sense of the world scares the hell out of me, but Dave, well, he's…different. It wasn't like I was sleeping with the enemy or anything. Actually, it was quite a nice few weeks," she finished, keeping her back to Courtney.
"A few weeks," repeated Courtney slowly. "Seriously. To be perfectly blunt, Al, I know you were broken up about Flint, but one of the Crimson twins? How many times did they try to go after you when they were with Cobra…and not in a good way! Ohmigod, you didn't with BOTH of them, did you?"
"No!" sighed Allie, sitting down heavy on the bed. "Dave's always been different. His brother, Tomax, he's the insane one and at the time we met up, he was currently a resident at the local sanitarium. We were both lonely, a little lost, and…" she shrugged.
"It was nice!" she continued defensively. "We knew it wasn't anything serious and he was a perfect gentleman! Something I hadn't experienced in a long time, to tell you the truth. He surprised me backstage when he realized who I was when he was in the audience, and we went out to dinner…and it went from there. I don't know why I need to defend myself to you!" she continued, angry now that she had shared the secret with her friend. "I guess you have what you need to take for your cover, so I'll just let myself out."
"Allie, wait!" Courtney said, her tone apologetic. "I shouldn't have jumped on you like that. It's up to you who you're with, especially if you're out on your own. I'm glad you found someone who made you happy, even if for a short while, after the shitty way Flint treated you. I'm just shocked at who it was, that's all. I mean, he's still considered a fugitive, right?"
Allie shrugged. "They were never really able to pin anything on them, but then again, they are both lawyers. It's what they're good at."
"Okay, so let me get my head wrapped around this for a moment," said Courtney, sitting down on her bed. "I think I'm okay now the shock's over. I mean, it's not like you slept with Cobra Commander, right?" she giggled. "They always were good looking," she continued, thoughtfully, "and I am certainly not one to judge. So….was he as good as the two always bragged?"
Allie's smile answered her question and she laughed. "Okay then! At least they had some truth behind all that bluster. Glad you chose the saner option. Frankly, it was Xamot, er, Dave that seemed to be the nicer one. So….any other rebound guys I should know about?"
Allie laughed. "No, no one you would know, at least." Her smile faded. "It would be nice if I had something like you and Wayne have, or what Shana and Snakes have, but," she shrugged. "I guess it wasn't meant to be. So, I guess I'll just have fun while it lasts, then," she said in a false attempt at humor.
Courtney's look was sympathetic. "I'm really sorry it didn't work out between the two of you, I really am. I just don't understand….you two were the ones everyone predicted would make it, and I know Wayne and I, well, everyone thought it was a joke." She noticed Allie's face and stopped.
"Sorry, I'm an idiot. I shouldn't have brought it up," she apologized, but Allie waved her hand at her.
"No, it's okay. It's bound to come up and I just have to learn to deal with it. I mean, I have learned to deal, but with a lot of the same people around…I know there's bound to be talk. He made his choice and it didn't include me. I came to terms with it long ago, but seeing him at the reunion," she sighed. "I guess all the hurt came back, like it happened yesterday, especially with how easy he found someone else to replace me."
Courtney walked over and hugged her friend. "Well, you're better off. Someone's waiting for you, I'm sure of it….not sure if it's Dave," she teased, "which frankly scares the hell out of me…I mean, don't twins usually share everything? I mean, if you're into that…" she raised her eyebrows suggestively.
Allie grabbed a pillow and whacked her on the head. "Get your head out of the gutter, girl! Listen, it was nice to confess it, even without the mission ahead. But, it's over now, but just in case it comes up tomorrow…you'll know how to help me divert him, right? I'd rather not have this whole conversation with Snake Eyes and Gung Ho tomorrow!"
Courtney eyed the clothes on the bed. "Well, with these outfits, depending on whether you're wearing sack cloth or not, I think we can manage to do that!"
"Funny. Listen, I'd better head back and do my own packing. Remember – you're going to be a tourist, with Gung Ho, looking at investments in Corsica. Showing a little leg or cleavage will go a long way to help distract the targets!"
"Gotcha. I'd better get these packed up before Wayne gets home, or he might be locking me in the closet!" she laughed. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow? Can't wait to see those crazy cousins of yours!"
