Frontline News.

Disclaimer: will be slightly A.U. at the end.

The day after the welcoming party for Mainframe that ended with Shipwreck, Rock 'n Roll, Cross-Country, Blowtorch, and Steeler brawling over a football game, and Snow-Job and Mutt getting a R.A.M. stuck in an A.W.E. Striker, Scarlett is listening in on Cobra comm traffic; some about munitions tests, some recruitment ads, and Xamot ordering new office furniture, but then she hears a frantic voice. "Hello...hello, can anyone hear me?, I'm Professor Mullaney, and I've just gotten out of a Cobra facility somewhere."

Scarlett looks around to see herself alone in the room and silently curses before responding. "Assuming this is for real, what does this facility do?"

"Oh, for the love of...It's MB 47, an R&D site for chemical weapons, i nabbed the radio off of my "escort" and shoved him off a cliff, so it's only a-" He says until barking is heard in the background. "We're running out of time, young lady, just trace this signal, hurry!"

After identifying the origin point, she calls Col. Sharp, who calls the monitor room. "Mainframe, I've just been informed that Cobra is looking for an escapee on the British side of the Maldives...i want you to check all U.S. and European missing persons files for anyone named Mullaney." He ordered.

"Yes sir, gimme a sec." The newest Joe says. A dozen minutes later, he calls back. "I did one better for you, sir; i hacked Cobra's systems and found the name in a prison roster, apparently this Mullaney went missing a week or so before Dr. Massey was abducted. Because the former was a chemist instead of a biologist, he was almost killed, but Dr. Mindbender interv-."

Col. Sharp looks at the handset with irritation and cuts him off. "Outstanding; only i didn't order that, did i."

"Um...no?"

"That right. I don't know how they did things at your last post, but we follow orders to the letter, man; is that clear?"

"Sir, yes, sir."

"Good; be aware that you can forget your next paycheck for that." Col. Sharp tells him.

"...Yes sir."

After hanging up, The Colonel calls defense minister Pope to request permission to cross into their territory.

After the Skystriker exploded, Flint and the other Joes watch the Flagg's rounds be joined by additional fire from out of view. "Those tracers aren't from us."/"Where's it coming from?"/"On our left, there's a frigate joining in!" Torpedo, a random deckhand, and Alpine all say, the latter from up on the ship's island.

"Nice, but lets thank them inside, move it, move it!" Flint tells them. Once the last one is in and the hatch is closed, he starts counting heads. "Price?"/"Here."/"Reynolds."/"Here."/"Ripcord...Ripcord?; Blanchet, go check if he came with in a different group."

"Aye, sir."

As the crewman leaves, Torpedo speaks up. "So we're down by two now, Flint?"

"Don't say that, we just have to wait for the fire crews before we can prove anything!" Lady-Jaye said, backing him against the wall with her glare. It was all she could do to avoid thinking how all she could do was stare while the S.H.A.R.C. went down with Shipwreck still inside.

"Awk, hold your seahorses, hold your seahorses." Polly says.

"You ain't helpin' bird, so amscray before...somebody turns you into curd." Roadblock replied, pausing as the ship was rocked from another blast outside. As the parrot fled, Flint shook his head.

"Still, Lady-Jaye's right, the only thing we can do is wait for Blanchet and the Admiral's all-clear; whichever is first." While they were accepting that, the intercom is heard. "Duke to Flint, Rattlers are retreating; head to the bridge if able." Once he arrived, he saw Duke speaking with Ledger, who motions to him. "Hmm...Flint; the ship's doctor gave us Blanchet's message, he's in the infirmary for a bruised knee, by the way."

Flint nods and asks if he or anyone else saw Ripcord leave the flightdeck, but Duke and Adm. Ledger glance to each other before Duke answers. "I'm not going to enjoy telling you this, but the HMS Alacrity's crew found some debris from the jets we lost; part of...part of Rip's flight-helmet was with it." After sighing, Flint tells them about Shipwreck.

After a huff, Ledger picks up the mic. "Radar room, get a fix on that S.H.A.R.C.'s transponder." He says, then turns to the radioman. "Contact Sharp, tell him what happened, then send word to Cmdr. Barton to put some divers on standby."

"Aye Aye, sir."

Not long after, Col. Sharp is in line at the commissary when Mainframe calls him over the intercom. "I'm here, Duke; What's this i hear about you scrubbing the mission?" He asks his 2IC, and watches Lady-Jaye walk up.

"We found Dr. Mullaney, but only temporarily; it's-it's all very complicated, sir." She tells him with a sad look on her face.

"Tempor...Just explain as much as you can, please." He tells her while the Joes behind him all comment on what might have happened.

"Well, he told us that Cobra wanted a formula that can destabilize H2O, then put a little quarter-sized thing on Shipwreck's forehead to do a "memory transfer" according to-" She explains until Airtight shoves his way past Recondo and Heavy Metal.

"Hold it!; You mean that Shipwreck, of all people, knows how to make water explode?" Airtight asks her, making everyone gasp.

Lady-Jaye shakes her head. "I have good news and bad news about that. The good part is that it's in Ship's unconscious and Mullaney told me a phrase to unlock it."

"And, what's the bad news." Col. Sharp asks.

"Sir, both Mullaney and Shipwreck are unaccounted for; and guys...Ripcord~he's dead."

Chapter twenty-five up. Read and review.