Lady Jaye found Scarlett and Snake Eyes in the training room. She smiled, watching them practice. She knew Snake Eyes had already sensed her presence, but waited till the end of their match. They bowed to one another and turned towards her.
Scarlett gave a yell and came running towards her. "What are you doing here? We thought…" her voice trailed off, breathless.
Jaye smiled. "Saying goodbye." She was really going to miss her best friend, she thought with an inward sigh.
"Goodbye?" Scarlett exclaimed, looking at Snake Eyes, who shrugged.
"I've decided not to reenlist, so I'm leaving in less than an hour," she said, her voice cracking. Be strong, she told herself. Think of all the opportunities that you are being offered!
"But, why?" Scarlett looked confused.
Jaye shrugged and gave her a smile. "It's time I moved on," she simply said. She gave her friend a hug and then turned to Snake Eyes and did the same. "I hate goodbyes, so I just wanted to say thanks for everything and how much you mean to me, both of you."
Scarlett frowned, glancing at Snake Eyes, a silent communication passing between the two of them. "I mean, it's your decision, but I can't say I'm not confused by it. I thought you were happy here. Anyway," she said, not wanting to have to beg her to stay when her mind was made up, "is there a way we can keep in touch? Email? Cell number?"
Jaye smiled. "I'll email you. You still have that general address, right?"
Scarlett nodded. "Just take care of yourself," she whispered to her friend as she hugged her again. "And please, keep in touch."
Jaye smiled. "I'll be busy," she said, thinking of her new life, "but I'll definitely try!"
"Have you seen Flint yet?" Scarlett asked, watching Jaye's face closely. She was disappointed to see that it remained guarded.
"Not yet. I'm not sure how…well, it might be best if I didn't," she said, focusing on one of the pieces of equipment on the far side of the room.
Scarlett took her hand, forcing Jaye to look at her. "You need to, at least for closure if nothing else."
Jaye smiled sadly. "I know," she said, barely audible.
"Look," she continued in a normal volume, "I've pretty much have my things packed and I really hate goodbyes, so I'll leave you two to spar some more, ok? We'll be in touch," she said, giving her friend one last hug. She turned and walked away, afraid of what she might say next. Little prickles of guilt seemed to be stabbing at her heart. She wished she could will them away, but knew with time, it would get better. This was something she had to do.
She thought about what Hawk said as she made her way back to her quarters. Maybe she needed to leave a note to say goodbye, just so the whole brainwashing thing didn't come up again. She had been chosen for a great honor, but of course, she couldn't tell them anything about "The Organization" or even brag about her Genesis. Boy, she would have loved to rub Ace's face in it, she thought with a chuckle.
She was so deep in thought she ran into a solid wall of muscle as she turned the corner to enter the female barracks. Looking up, she was terrified to see Flint, the one person she was trying to avoid.
"We need to talk," he simply said, grabbing her arm and steering her to her room. Deciding not to fight it, she let him lead her into the shared living space area.
End it with him, the voice seemed to echo in her head.
As soon as the door closed, she stepped back from him, startling him enough that he released her arm. She glanced at her watch, which she knew would annoy him. "Yes?"
He stared at her for a moment, as if trying to figure out who she was. Jaye had taken a defensive stance and everything about her, from her position to the expression on her face looked more like she was ready to face an enemy.
"You're leaving." It was more of a statement than a question.
She nodded her head. "Yes," she replied, not wanting to say more than she had to.
"Were you even going to say goodbye?" he asked angrily. "Is what we have that easy to throw away?"
She sighed. This is why she had wanted to avoid him. "It's not like that. I have to do this for me. You don't understand the kind of opportunity that I have! This is not the place I need to be right now!" She didn't know how to explain it to him without giving away too much.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean? Where should you be? Germany?"
She frowned. "How do you know about that?"
He closed his eyes, gathering as much patience as he could muster. "Look, I'm not supposed to tell you like this, but it's likely you've been given a hypnotic suggestion while you were in your coma. It's probably related to your trip to Germany. If you would just come and talk to Hawk or Duke about it…"
"No," she said quietly, but firmly. "I told you before I left I was thinking of not reenlisting. I'm sorry it has to end between us like this, but it is. As of today, I am a civilian as far as GI Joe is concerned."
"So, where are you going? What are you going to do?"
"That's for me to decide," she said quietly, a calm control coming over her as if someone else was guiding her words. "I'm not your concern any longer."
Flint looked at her, stunned. It looked like Lady Jaye but he had never heard her talk this way before, especially to him, even in their early days when their relationship had been rough.
"I really think you need to see Lifeline before you go," he said, trying to remain calm. Maybe if the medic could find something that was controlling her…
"No, I don't think so. You're no longer my superior officer and I don't have to take orders from you, Duke, or Hawk. As far as GI Joe is concerned, Lady Jaye no longer exists!" With those last words, she turned her back on him and walked away. She'd send for her things later on. Right now, she just wanted to get out of the room, and to get away from him!
He was so stunned by her words and her actions, he just let her go. He shook his head and felt like pinching himself, to make sure this wasn't a bad dream.
"We can't hold her against her will and we have nothing on her," sighed Duke as the two met later in his office. "Sorry, Flint. We have to let her go. I feel the same as you. It's not like her, but our hands are tied."
Flint paced the room. "So there's nothing GI Joe can do."
Duke stopped his friend's pacing by putting a hand on his shoulder. "There's nothing we can do," he emphasized. "I know you don't want to hear this, but let her go. Get her out of your system."
Flint looked at his friend. "So, what if she doesn't?"
Duke shrugged. He had no answers for that.
