Sit-reps.
This will also be a bit A.U.
Skymaster23 does not condone violence toward women.
At the same time Lady-Jaye and Xamot were heading to Joe H.Q., the captives were being made to do odd jobs. "We should keep this guy and give them Joes LeCar." One Blue-shirt says while she and 40 others were eating Roadblock's meals.
"You said it, 810. This ravioli is the best." A Tele-Viper next to her says, her visor reading: All that and a bag of chips, babe.
"Shh; not here, Karen." The blue-shirt whispers, covering the visor which read: oops.
In other parts of the house, Blowtorch was cleaning the pool with Stalker, Wild Weasel, and Alpine. Shipwreck was dusting a chandelier while Copperhead was vacuuming. Several Green-shirts were washing the outside windows while the Blue-shirts were doing the same inside. Cutter was placing wood in the fireplace. Major Bludd was doing dishes with Flash. Snake-Eyes was doing laundry with Storm Shadow. Flint was rubbing the Baroness's feet, while Destro was watching Duke scrub toilets. The rest were being made to entertain other female Cobra troops; in mundane, or other ways.
Back at Joe H.Q., The two make it five yards before seeing Scarlett, Wild Bill, and a dozen Green-shirts aiming at them. "You still mad about me taking that last miller can?" Lady-Jaye asked while both put their hands up.
"Was that for real, or another code?" Xamot asks from the corner of his mouth.
"Shut it. My beer, no. The double agent crap, yes. I'd know if we had one." Scarlett tells both.
"So i exaggerated; i had to make a deal with him." Lady-Jaye tells her.
"What sorta deal?" Wild Bill asks, keeping his two glocks trained on her and Xamot.
"We free Tomax, he gives us the shell." She replied, and Scarlett glances between her and Xamot before she orders the rest to stand down.
"The Baroness has taken over Cobra?" Ripcord asks Xamot.
"It would appear, though i doubt Destro will let her call the shots alone, he'll get her to spare him from servitude somehow." Xamot replies.
"He would. It means we need to act fast if we want to put Cobra Commander back in charge." Scarlett tells everybody.
"Back in charge?! Why not jest take da whole dang group down, Scarlett?!" Wild Bill asked her.
"Because she's way more of a threat than The Commander is. That house you and i saw can't hold every operative, so even if we do take it out, Cobra will just be kept alive by someone else." Lady-Jaye told him.
After showing the remaining Joes and Xamot the Sonic Pulsar, the latter turns to Dr. Blackstone. "How did you come up with this device?"
"Should i tell him?" She asks Scarlett.
"Concerned about Cobra using sonic weaponry on you?" Xamot tells her in a mocking tone.
"...Tell him." Scarlett ordered, with a sigh.
"Very well. Honestly, i only assisted putting it together; the real work was all Rich's doing." Dr. Blackstone says.
"Who's he?" Xamot asked her.
"Kenneth Rich, our psychiatrist. Turns out experimenting with sonic waves is a hobby of his." She explains.
"The same one who wrote "The Fifth Element: Sound?"." He asks next.
"Yes, exactly. We've been working on it ever since the shell's oil-skin covering Lady-Jaye took was brought back." She replies.
"I see, and this will free my brother?" He asked.
"And our men." Cover-Girl tells him, with a glare.
"Yes, yes; them too." He replied, while waving his hand just to irritate her.
"Enough!" Scarlett yells at them. "We have what we need, now get the Green-shirts to the briefing room."
After informing the troops, they head to the motor pool. "Load Sluggers 1 through 4 in the first jet, and 5 and 6 with the Mirage cycles and the captured Ferret in the second." Cover-Girl orders.
"Yes, sir. Move 'em, girls!" Marissa says.
"Who should lead the reserves, incase Cobra comes calling while we're gone?" Ripcord asks Scarlett.
"I've put Alyssa and Haruna in charge, they're activating the P.A.C./R.A.T.'s now." She replied.
Before she boards the plane, Xamot leads Lady-Jaye to a spot behind a Skyhawk. "What do you need now?" She asks him, and flinches a little when he takes her hand.
"Calm yourself, i just wish to thank you for trusting me." He replies.
"Assuming i am, you mean." She says to him while pulling her hand back and mentally running different scenarios and outcomes.
"Haha, you think I'm unprepared; but, i always have a way to surprise people." He says, and kissed her.
After a few seconds to process what just happened, she sneers and punches him in the face, puts him in a chokehold, and gets her knife out. "If you ever do that again, i will make that scar much bigger, you got that." She tells him through her teeth.
The knife hovers millimeters from him. "Of course...I apologize again, just let go." He says, and rubs his neck.
"Something happen?" Another Green-shirt asks Lady-Jaye.
"Just had to give Xamot one last bit of advice, Sarah." She told her as she sat down.
Once they are loaded, Scarlett turns to the men. "Alright, buckle up. Yo Joe!"
"Yo Joe!" The rest say back.
"Cobr...er, Yo Joe?" Xamot asks them as he sees all the angry looks. "Habit."
"Maybe you should just stick to your norm, our call sounds kinda lousy coming from you." Recondo tells him. Scarlett heads to the cockpit, where Wild Bill, Ripcord, and Alice are. The first two piloting, with the latter as radio operator.
Once the enemy leaders have fled, Lady-Jaye picks up the shell and holds it up. "I got it, Duke. Yo Joe!"
"Yo Joe!" He and the others shout back, but then...
"Over there; Cobra!" She and the other Joes hear from deeper in the hanger, and they see the enemy soldiers, of both genders this time, rushing at them.
"Lady-Jaye, look out!" Marissa shouts as she runs over and shoves her down as enemy, bullets rip through her.
She screams as the Green-shirt fell. "...Damn them. All Joes, return fire!" Duke yelled out as he and the others watched in horror.
"Yo Joe, for Jordan!" They all reply, except for Recondo, who along with Flint, ran to her.
"Marrisa? Baby,~please no." He pleads as Lady-Jaye passes her to him while Flint went prone and covered them along with Rock 'n Roll and Bazooka.
"Rec...ondo, is Lad...y-Jaye safe?" Marissa asks him as she coughs up blood.
"Yes. I'm~I'm fine, you~saved me, Mari~ssa." Lady-Jaye tells her while tears formed. "Doc, where are you!"
"I'm...so glad. What ab...out the shell?" Marissa asked.
"It's fine, sw~eety." Recondo answers while holding it.
"Great. I...I'm so sor~ry, Jun~gle boy. I...don't think~I'll be able to...go on anymore dates with...with you." She tells him as she strokes his face.
He kisses her and begs. "No,~don't you dar~e!, Doc, god dammit, get over here!"
"Wait...Tam~my, Monica?, I see~them, they're wav...ing. We'll~be watc...hing you guys...Danny, I lov-." She tried to say before she stopped breathing.
"Marissa, stop it; Mari~ssa?, Maris~s~a!"/"~Maris~sa?, God please...n~o~o!". Recondo and Lady-Jaye both say before they break down crying. "Fucking scale freaks, I'll kill all of you!" Recondo yells as he runs toward them, firing his rifle, and swinging it and his machete in fury when the former flies out of his grasp. He was followed by Lady-Jaye, javelins forgotten, she unloads her M-16 and slashes away with her knife once out of rounds.
"Get back over here...those idiots; covery fire!" Duke orders as he stands and tosses a grenade.
Once the fight is over, Doc zips up the bodybag with Marissa in it while a wounded and blood covered Recondo and Lady-Jaye watch, the latter in Flint's embrace.
"You have my condolences; both of you." Duke says as he walked over.
"...Thank you. What now?" Recondo asks him.
"I'll have to inform her family, and Col. Sharp." Duke replied.
At the airfield, Dr. Blackstone picks the shell up from the crate. "I want to study the conch, learn why it works."
"I'm afraid this things caused enough trouble; Lady-Jaye?"
Scarlett takes it and tosses it in the air, and the two fire a cross-bow bolt and the grenade from a launcher-javelin at it.
"Well, what'd you do that for?" Dr. Blackstone asked as she watched in dismay before Lady-Jaye explained.
Two hours later, another episode of Gr.i.t.y is aired with Blais and Stall with Recondo as a guest, all three had their headgear off while photo's of the recently lost Green-shirts were in the background. Blais closed his eyes and took a breath. "Today, we must give y'all sad news dat yet anotha of our ranks has fallen. Pvt. Jordan, Marissa Doris; has been killed in action. She done bravely gave her life several hours ago for G.I. Joe operative Lady-Jaye while out restorin' me an' da other menfolk from Cobra's clutches. By order of base commander Duke, she is to be posthumously promoted ta' 1st Lt., codenamed Klaxon." He said to the camera and turned to Recondo.
"Go ahead, sir." Stall said to him softly and he gave a slight nod.
"Klaxon...Marissa, like all the others we lost, will be missed and never forgotten. Aside from boot camp, which is naturally separated by gender, my first time actually noticing her was during that thing about those giant fruits and veggies."
Flashback.
Recondo, Roadblock and Cover-Girl were driving a R.A.M. and a V.A.M.P., respectively, when they see Junkyard barking at a tomato with one arm and a head sticking out. They pull over, and rush to it to see Flash and Mutt. "Good thing is we found you so soon, bad thing is none of us got a spoon." Roadblock says as he and Cover-Girl pull the first one out while Mutt tells him to shut up.
"There's still two more of us in there." Flash says to them before hearing a voice shout nearby.
"No, just Elwood. Get this thing off, my arms stuck under it!"
"...That's...Over there, she must be behind that mondo-pickle." Cover-Girl says after getting some pulp off her jacket.
"I'll get her, guys." Recondo says, and looks into the gap, seeing the person on her back with her right forearm under the zucchini. "Roadblock, move this end, and I'll drag her back."
"Will do, man." He replies and lifts it up.
Recondo grabs under her arms, and backs up. "You alright, not hurt anywhere?"
She rubs her arm and looks up. "Leclaire?...Sure, just two fingers are busted, and might have bruised a rib or two, but I'll live." When he helps her up, she hugs him. "Still, thanks a lot, jungle boy."
Recondo shrugs. "No prob, but who're you exactly?"
"Pvt. Jordan, former federal agent. But you can call me Marissa." She replied with a small salute before seeing the three she was with. "Oh, gross me out." She says aloud.
End flashback.
A few days after that, one of the moes gives Duke a letter. After a moment of deciding, he sighs and turns on the camera.
"All personnel, attention; i have received a letter from Extensive Enterprises. It reads: We have been informed of the outcome from your last battle, i Xamot, give thanks for assisting in my brother's rescue; and our condolences, and that of our entire company, for the loss you suffered in exchange for the shell. That is all."
Chapter ten. Read and review.