She fumed as she stormed down the now-secure hallway. As of this point, the enemy had not breached this part of the compound, but it was only a matter of time. She knew she hadn't underestimated their strategy, but she HAD underestimated their overall tenacity. Maybe that's where the Commander fell short each time, she thought. At least Major Blood was reporting heavy losses with the Joes, so even though the fortress had fallen, there was some victory that they would have to take heart in.

She stopped short, her gut telling her that someone was here. The hallway was shadowy as the power had been out since the battle had begun, the generator being destroyed in one of the aerial attacks. She slowly gestured to her guards and moved her hand to the gun at her side. "Show yourself," she growled.

"Jaye," it was but a mere whisper and for a moment, had her frozen in time. The voice…..a sharp pain erupted in her head and she felt her hand instinctively hold it. Not now, she screamed internally. Her sheer willpower made her bring her head up and glare at the soldier who was stepping into the path of sunlight by a window. It was the beret-wearing soldier. The one she had missed. Figures, she thought sarcastically.

He held his hands up. "I just want to talk."

"I have nothing to say…JOE….." she sneered at him. "Now either get the hell out of my way or I'll be forced to shoot you."

His features showed a range of emotions in only a few seconds. She thought shock might have been one of them.

"Ali, I'm taking you out of here whether I have to knock you out or you come willingly," he said, his tone forceful.

"I don't know who the hell you think you are, but as you can see," she said, gesturing to her guards, "you are clearly outgunned. I don't think you'll be doing anything of the sort. Now, I am NOT in a good mood and I don't give these offers out lightly. Either get the hell out of my way or be shot."

He stood firm. "I don't think you'll shoot me."

She looked at him. "While you may be handsome, Frenchy, I'm sure your good looks are not enough for you to survive a bullet in your gut." She aimed her gun at him and stepped forward.

Jaye couldn't say why she just couldn't shoot him, why she had to try to talk him out of her way instead of just grabbing the gun and shooting it. Maybe it was the fact it was her first combat after so long. She didn't like the weakness. It made her fury grow more so that she growled out, "One last time…..or do you have a death wish?"

He simply looked at her, dropped his gun on the floor and raised his hands. She gave a growl of frustration. She walked right up to him, her gun in his face and willed herself to shoot the trigger. If he was stupid enough to think she wouldn't do it, just because she was a woman, he was dead wrong.

"Lucky for you, I don't feel like getting brains splattered on my outfit today. I have a long flight," she growled, and hit him with the butt of her gun, knocking him out. "Leave him," she growled to the soldiers. "We don't have room for prisoners."

She flexed and unflexed her fingers, mentally playing over that scene again in her mind. What the hell happened to her? What kind of soldier did she make if she couldn't kill one man, even when armed?

Her uncle sighed. Placing his hands over hers, he slowly forced her fingers to relax. They were on a private plane heading for home. Scotland. She couldn't wait. She couldn't even remember the last time she had been home. It had been too long, she sighed. Maybe once there, she could put her mind to rest about the scene that kept playing through her mind.

She also knew she and her uncle had a lot to talk about. Namely, the state of affairs of Cobra.