CHAPTER NINETEEN: Scarlet's Log- Loss and Ghost Stories
It's been a few days since the attack, we're drifting in the Pacific Ocean in one of the smaller submarines. Found more dissenters among us, locked them in the brig. Most are recent recruits to the program, all former US citizens and army personnel. Don't know who sent the kill order, don't know who else survived.
Duke stored Ana's body in one of the fridges, he's been camped there since we left. Ripcord's having a hard time speaking with him, must ask his relationship with Ana.
Running low on food and supplies, I can only enjoy shooting down seagulls for so long. A few men jumped ship when we breached the surface, couldn't rescue them all. A bunch of us have been getting sick, probably the seagulls. Been throwing up all morning, Ripcord too. Everything down here stinks. Duke hasn't been eating anything. We'll try fishing for food later. Hopefully making a stop in Hawaii for supplies, letting people off as well. Don't know if they're quitting or simply going into hiding.
I'm going to throw up again.
In Hawaii. Got a rogue transmission ordering us to Australia, sender goes by "Sea Witch".
Dropped off a dozen or so Joes, undecided if they'll join up again if we rebuild. Nothing from General Hawk.
Got more supplies, force fed Duke this morning. Planning on locking him in the brig soon.
Heavy Duty's in charge of our prisoners, they are gone now as well.
Stopping in Colombia soon for more supplies and more people want out. Wish I had the option but I need to know what's happening with the others. Breaker picked up coded message (Roadblock?), something about a safe house in D.C. Definitely not worth it now. Something's up with the Commander and Chief, Breaker's investigating leads.
Drifting in the South Atlantic, someone's been tailing us. Can't say who but they're an enemy now regardless. On radio silence, swimming blind. Duke's been yelling in his sleep, caught him opening the fridge last night. I wish I'd gone with Snake Eyes, at least then I wouldn't have killed Ana.
Ripcord's been hanging out in my cabin much to my chagrin and he keeps reading over my shoulder. And he needs to stop before I punch him in the throat.
…
It was a US sub. They were looking for us. Used up a lot of power for the cloaking device, lost several systems in the process. I don't think we can paddle this sucker to Australia.
Transferring power to rudder and steering, gave up lights and most other appliances. The corpse in the fridge needs to go but Duke's guarding it like some rabid dog. Ripcord can't get through to him, we think he's going mad. Will hopefully get Heavy Duty to lock him in his cabin.
…
Minor incident today. Found a bunch of assholes trying to sabotage the system, we shot them out of the torpedo chute. I almost feel better about it but still…What has been gained by scattering us? Breaker managed to get a TV signal and we now know the President ordered our termination. General Hawk's been labelled a traitor, there's a bounty on his head but no one can find him. There's a hit on Snake Eyes…
No one knows how many of us survived and the government's attempted to publish our information on the Internet. Amazingly, Anonymous has been stopping that from happening by crashing government websites. Breaker seems awfully pleased with himself.
Oh, Fox News has labelled Joe survivors as "terrorists". We laughed for a good thirty minutes. Felt nice.
Landed on African continent, took what we could carry and headed inland. Duke's in slightly better spirits but we need a coffin and fast because he's been carrying her around in a bag. I feel sick just looking at it. Transmission from Sea Witch, wants us in Kenya for pickup, providing transport for us to India. Don't know who yet.
…
Met up with one of the "Abernathy Angels" as Ripcord is officially terming them. Note: Explain that later for journaling's sake.
Operative is named Whisper, doesn't work in the field much due to disagreement with Hawk. NOTE: Apparently an illegitimate child of Cobra Commander, animal trainer. Strange seeing her without her dogs, looks like she took a hit. Came with a huge jet with a shit ton of animals on board. I believe Ripcord's verbal ticks on wearing off on me.
Smell isn't that bad.
…
NOTES:
-Abernathy's Angels: General Hawk has been sponsoring certain persons for a number of years, helping them accomplish certain goals in return for their services. Play on "Charlie's Angels" (never saw the TV show or that disaster of a movie). Origin, Ripcord, though I'm sure he's not the only one to think it up.
-Whisper: One of Abernathy's Angels. Trains exotic and domestic animals for combat, espionage, assassinations, and the like. Also works with trauma dogs, will be very useful for Duke. Former sniper but due to an accident, now works in close-combat. Doesn't have a good relationship with Hawk, he doesn't call her to do much because of undisclosed reasons.
Spent Halloween in India, more Joes left us. Can't say I blame them.
Whisper knows about Ana, says it's agitating the animals. Duke and her had a small fight which resulted in noticeable bruises and some small scars. For someone who's partially blind, Whisper has one hell of a punch.
…
We're hiding out in an abandoned industrial building but I think everyone in the city is aware of us. We'll be leaving as soon as Sea Witch sends transport.
I've decided that I thoroughly dislike flying.
Finally in Australia!
Escorted to the hidden village run by "Jungle Cat", acquaintance of Whisper. Very large man but also very kind, still wouldn't want to get in a fight with him. Met with the Sea Witch who is Sedna, another of Abernathy's Angels. Not much known about her, might ask if she's in a good mood.
No one can ignore Ana now, a funeral will be held later tonight and her body will be burnt. Duke was completely unhinged and nearly clawed out Jungle's Cat's eyes. Sedna intervened and knocked him out. We'll have a few days rest before a plan is concocted, this has General Hawk written all over it. He is in hiding but only to protect his family.
…
Duke's inconsolable. I feel like shit…again.
Been a few days since the burning, Duke's gone into a sort of catatonic state. Sedna is for some reason insulted by his demeanor and the two of them have been at each other's throats. I feel like she's fighting him on purpose, he hasn't been very active unless Sedna picks a fight with him.
Ripcord and I are sharing a tent…He's not leaning over my shoulder but very much enjoys laying on my stomach. He's warm so I'll allow it. Worried about Snake Eyes, haven't heard anything from him and Breaker has been trying since we landed. Roadblock's team just arrived...all of three of them.
Scarlet closed the leather bound journal and shoved it under her pillow, affording Ripcord a short glance before leaving the tent. Roadblock was warming himself by the fire as his other two teammates took a trip to the watering hole to wash up. If it was even possible, he was even taller than Heavy Duty and twice as broad. Scarlet hadn't gone on too many missions with Roadblock but he and Duke had struck up a strong friendship since he joined up. He looked up at Scarlet's arrival and waved, she then noticed the small pouch between his feet. Catching her gaze, Roadblock opened the pouch and stuck his hand inside, pulling out a handful of bloodied dog tags.
"Couldn't just leave them behind," Roadblock said thickly. "I'll find a way to send them back to their families when this ends."
"Won't be easy," Scarlet conceded, taking a seat next to him. "Seen Duke yet?"
"Plan on it once Jaye and Flint get back. Jaye's been pretty tough through this whole thing but I know it's eating Flint up inside that we couldn't do more. How are you?"
Scarlet opened her mouth tentatively then shut it. She'd taught herself emotional control ever since losing her father and ever since Snake Eyes took her on as an apprentice. It wasn't as if she viewed emotions as wrong but in her experience, they hampered her ability to think straight. Duke became the Alpha Team's leader through his connection to Cobra Commander and had proven himself as a level-headed and dedicated leader…but this entire ordeal had cracked open a very big weak point. Scarlet knew Duke planned on marrying Ana once she was clean, and Cobra definitely knew given the absolute massacre on the ship.
And Duke's fragile mental state forced Scarlet into the leader role which would've been fine under completely different circumstances. She felt tired. Looking after everyone was nothing new but…the kind of mental trauma was not…she didn't…
"Could be better." She admitted finally. "Could be better."
"We've never been hit like this before."
"Yeah."
Scarlet looked at the other tent where Duke had isolated himself from the group, she couldn't quite hear him but she knew he had been sleeping for most of the day. If there was a plan, she sorely hoped he wouldn't be part of it. Turning her attention back to Roadblock, Scarlet peered at a vague shape melted out of the shadows and heading towards. Roadblock followed Scarlet's gaze and stood up, reaching out his hand and clasping the bicep of a tall woman.
"Sedna," he intoned with a low, surprised voice. "It's been awhile."
"I remember you being shorter…far shorter." She whispered in a husky voice, her icy blue eyes coolly appraising him. "Your team's just finished up. A couple of the elders are with them, you should go too."
Sedna's eyes flickered towards Scarlet as she spoke, her order was clearly directed at Roadblock. Sighing, he nodded and she patted his arm, coming down and taking his place around the fire. Her fingers and all the way up to her elbows were wrapped in coarse bandages marred with dirt and dried blood. A long hunting knife was strapped to her side, and her face was decorated with two red marking that started under her eyes and dripped down her cheeks. Her darkened skin was flecked with white scars, and her long dark hair was streaked with silver.
Scarlet shifted away as discreetly as possible when Sedna turned and stared at her, those piercing eyes glowing strangely in the firelight.
"Cold?" she questioned in that low, rasping tone.
Scarlet shivered involuntarily.
Sedna rose from her log and strode into the tent where Ripcord was sleeping, and returned with a soft blanket. She dropped it onto Scarlet's shoulders and sat back down, pulling out a canteen of water and splashing its contents over her face. Scarlet raised an eyebrow curiously.
"On custom, not Inuit necessarily. Jungle Cat started it, painting the trails of tears on our faces to express our grief without showing it. It's a choice, not an order."
"So, you're Sedna then?"
The woman smiled savagely and Scarlet thought of an old greying wolf prowling the frozen tundra's of Northern Canada, and shivered again.
"Hmm." She answered, gazing into the fire.
"General Hawk sent you?"
"Yes. He's taking care of his own, leaving the rest to his nieces."
"No nephews?" Scarlet wondered coyly, smiling only when Sedna did.
"Oh, they're around. They're not planners or speaker though, not that I am either. Whisper's still bitter about the past."
Scarlet was tempted to ask about that but judging from the brief look of condemnation that warped Sedna's face, she held her tongue. Sedna stretched out in front of fire, her sharp eyes flickering towards Duke's tent as he moaned a name in his sleep.
"Tell me he's not involved."
Sedna raised an eyebrow, slowly turning her head away.
"He going to be. Everyone carries dead people but they can't carry them forever."
"Dead people?" Scarlet murmured and the fire sparked dangerously, a cool wind blew across the deserted, rough terrain of Australia's Outback. Jungle Cat's village was brilliantly set within a large crater, anyone looking straight over the landscape couldn't see it unless they walked all the wall to the sloped entrance; of course, they'd also have to be willing to face a hundred or so spears.
"Yurei, banshee, dybbuks, ghosts. We all carry the spirts of those we've lost and those we've kill, do we not?" Sedna angled her entire body in looking at Scarlet. "I'm aware of that woman's death."
Scarlet kept her mouth shut and Sedna kept talking, looking up at the sky.
"I mean, I've been carrying my father with me for ages and I still can't get rid of him."
"You were that close?" Scarlet flinched as the other woman let out a laugh.
"No, I killed the bastard a few years ago. He still won't leave me alone." Her face was oddly soft for a moment, perhaps expressing fondness for his dedication but it was gone a moment later.
Behind them, Duke let out an ear-splitting scream and Scarlet turned as Ripcord bolted out of the tent. Sedna was on her feet and glided pass Ripcord into the tent, the two of them watched and listened intently as Sedna spoke quietly to their friend.
"I should've saved you…"
"Sleep soldier boy, sleep…"
Duke mumbled something else but they couldn't hear. Ripcord, still plagued by sleep, offered Scarlet a lazy wave before returning into the folds of the tent, falling spectacularly onto the ground with a muffled snore. Scarlet sunk lower on to the ground, her back awkwardly propped against the log. The fire sparked again and Sedna drifted towards it with more wood, tossing them in all at once and sitting down again.
"Guess everyone has daddy issues then; Whisper, you…"
"Do you know the history behind the name "Sedna"?" Stop changing the subject.
"Vaguely, she created all the sea creatures." Scarlet sighed, her eyes growing heavy as Sedna started speaking again.
"Legend says Sedna was a beautiful Inuit woman, so beautiful she had suitors coming to her home every other day, but she refused them. Her father, fed up with her attitude, prayed for someone to marry his stubborn daughter. The Crow heard the father's prayer and presented himself. Now, whether he was driven to hand over his daughter by fear or greed (because sometimes the Crow had mountains of gold on his little island), depends on who's telling the story."
"Regardless, the father took Sedna out on his canoe and over to the Crow's island. Receiving his payment, the father hurried back to shore but not before Sedna found out the plan. She left her husband and swam out after her father, grabbing the sides of the boat. Again, either the boat was filled with treasure or he was afraid, the father struck off his daughter's fingers and left her to drown. The Crow then sought revenge for the loss of his bride and killed the father."
"Lovely story, what's the point?" Scarlet muttered and Sedna smirked.
"My father was not in my life for a long time and my mother grieved for him as if he died. I would learn he worked for a certain man of power, and I hunted him down and killed him without remorse. Yet he lingers over my shoulder."
For half a second, Scarlet could see the shape of a man with striking bright blue eyes lurking behind Sedna. Scarlet yawned, shaking the fog out of her head as she leaned back and stared up at the stars glittering in the inky blackness above her head.
"You fully accept your actions, so even though the ghost persists, you're strong enough to look past it."
"Exactly, and that's something both you and soldier boy need to do: get over it. There will be time to cry over your mistakes but right now, your minds need to be clear."
-Sedna: One of Abernathy's Angels. Unhealthy relationship with father. Skills include monologuing despite her self-proclaimed lack of speaking prowess. Likely a strong hand-to-hand fighter. Intense. Relationship with Hawk presumed better than Whisper's. Not a team player. I will probably value her talk when I'm not overly tired. Or seeing ghosts.
This village is definitely messing with my head, have to ask Jungle Cat if this village is built over Nasca Lines or something.
Alternate chapter title would've been "Linebreaks Galore" but I wasn't feeling that cheeky :)
So now you guys are mostly caught up to me, I'm working on Chapter Twenty-Four and in the process of plotting a sequel, so yay!
Whisper is of course MustangLover97's character, and you'll be seeing and hearing more from her in the next chapter!