As the men marched away retreating with Cobra; Scarlett, Lady Jaye, and Cover Girl ran after them.
"Duke?" Scarlett yelled worriedly. When he didn't respond to her, she felt like she had been sucker punched in the gut. "Oh no! Duke…" Scarlett trailed off watching helplessly as Duke and other male teammates continued marching away from headquarters.
"Duke *and* Flint are in Cobra's power now, Scarlett. Now it's up to us." Lady Jaye replied closely regarding her suitemate and best friend closely. She watched as Scarlett's eyes fill with tears before immediately letting out an anguished cry as she doubled over, folding into herself. That's when it hit Lady Jaye.
"Oh my god! Oh my god!" Lady Jaye cried her eyes wide as she and waved a pointed finger in Scarlett's direction.
"What?" Cover Girl asked obviously confused, "What is it?"
"Jaye…don't…" Scarlett sternly warned having recovered from her momentary break down. Lady Jaye just stood like a statue, totally shocked at what she had just discovered.
"Could one of you please clue me in? What the hell are you talking about?" Cover Girl cried frustratedly.
"It's nothing. I must have inhaled a trace amount of the gas. I'm okay now." Scarlett quickly replied. "Come on, we better head inside and come up with a plan on how to get our guys back." Scarlett turned her back to them and began to walk back towards the building. Lady Jaye and Cover Girl fell in line behind her.
Once they were inside the control room, they called for all the other non-senior female joe members available to report. It didn't take long for the women to assemble as there weren't that many of them.
"Tonight's attack led by the Baroness was in retaliation of us taking Destro prisoner during our last mission. Unfortunately, she was successful in freeing him from his cell. Not only that but our men have been placed under the influence of Cobra due to a device that sends out an auditory tone that takes hypnotic control over a man's hormonal system making them lose all willpower. We must be vigilant and be on the highest alert as we try and figure out a way to get our men safely returned to us and out from under Cobra's spell." Scarlett began.
A murmur erupted as the female green shirts took in this information, but they quickly quieted down when Scarlett continued speaking, "We are currently calling back all members who were off base or on leave. We're going to need all the help we can get if we want to get the upper hand over Cobra." Scarlett turned her back towards the troops and closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath. "We have to bring them home."
She heard Lady Jaye start to give instructions but her words drowned out as the picture of Duke with a vacant expression in his eyes as he walked away from her played over and over again in her mind. The sound of military boots clicking against the floor pulled her out of her thoughts. Scarlett turned to Lady Jaye looking surprised that the women were leaving.
Lady Jaye put her hand on Scarlett's shoulder, "I gave them orders to be on high alert and all senior joe members will meet at 0900. We'll make an organized plan then. We don't have enough manpower to stage an immediate attack."
"Sorry, I guess I just blanked out for a second." Scarlett shook her head apologetically.
"Yeah, what's going on with you anyway? It's not like you to get so hung up emotionally after a battle." Cover Girl inquired.
"Sorry, like I told you I think maybe I inhaled a trace of the gas. I'm sure in a few hours I'll feel better." Scarlett replied darting her eyes away from Cover Girl.
"Speaking of which, I think the three of us should take shifts just in case Baroness unleashes more hell upon us. Cover Girl, can you take the first shift overnight? I'll come relieve you at 0500. That should give you enough time to get a nap in." Lady Jaye offered.
"Sure. Make sure Scarlett gets some sleep. This is not the time for her to check out." Cover Girl nodded her head towards the door.
"I will. See you in the a.m." Lady Jaye agreed and she pulled Scarlett out of the room and kept a brisk pace back to their suite.
"In a hurry much?" Scarlett asked once she and Lady Jaye were inside their quarters.
"Alright, out with it. How long have you been sleeping with Duke?" Lady Jaye immediately burst.
"What?!" Scarlett cried with a nervous laugh.
"Oh no. You're not getting out of this. I saw your expression out there." Lady Jaye put her hands on her hips.
"Jaye, our guys are gone! And we don't know how to get them back! I'm worried about all of them!" Scarlett cried.
"Ok, but how long have you been sleeping with Duke?" Lady Jaye asked again.
"We're not…" Scarlett trailed off as Lady Jaye stared at her expectantly. Scarlett sighed knowing the only way to get Jaye off her back was telling the truth. "About a month." Scarlett muttered softly.
"A WHOLE MONTH AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!" Lady Jaye shouted absolutely floored by Scarlett's response.
"You were gone on missions for most of it…and when you weren't on assignment you were at Flint's." Scarlett justified her secrecy. "It's not something we want spreading around."
"Oh, like people don't think it already? Please." Lady Jaye rolled her eyes. "Ace has had a pool going on you two from even before I was transferred here."
"Ace has pools going on about a lot of things. No one takes him seriously." Scarlett snarked.
"You'd be surprised at how many people are invested in the love life of you and Top. I could make serious money off of this new tidbit of information." Lady Jaye teased.
"Please! You can't tell! It's taken this long for us to finally make the last connection and we want to keep this quiet. The brass hasn't reported anything about us fraternizing yet and we don't want to give them any reason to." Scarlett cried beggingly. "Of course, it might not matter anymore." Scarlett's voice wavered as she wrapped her arms around herself as her eyes darkened with worry. "How in the world are we going to free our guys from Baroness and the spell?"
"I'm not sure but I know we won't stop trying until we do. Plus, we'll be sending some of our best female green shirts to escort Dr. Blackstone back to base first thing tomorrow morning. I have a feeling she'll be vital in helping us find a solution." Lady Jaye tried to console her friend as best as she could while also feeling desperately worried about Flint. Baroness thrived on power and no doubt would make the leaders of the joe team grovel in front of her. Even with having freed Destro, Lady Jaye envisioned the Baroness making Duke and Flint her personal slaves and humiliating them.
"I'm sorry I lost it earlier in the field. It was hard watching Duke walk away like that. I'm sure you felt the same about Flint." Shana apologized.
"Yeah…" Lady Jaye trailed off "but realizing you and Duke finally screwed each other was a total shock and took my mind off of it real quick." Lady Jaye snarked. "I can't believe it took you this long to get together in the first place." Lady Jaye grinned.
"It might seem slow to you, but for us it works." Scarlett shrugged.
"If you're trying to keep pace with snails." Lady Jaye snorted.
"Duke and I are restrained enough that we can be alone in the same room together without immediately ripping each other's clothes off, unlike another couple I know." Scarlett jabbed.
"But what's the fun in that?" Lady Jaye grinned. Scarlett gave her a playful swat. "Let's rest up so tomorrow we'll be ready to come up with a plan and get our guys back safely." Lady Jaye suggested giving a halfhearted smile.
"Good idea but I don't know how much sleep I'm going to get tonight." Scarlett sighed dreading the idea of being alone, thinking about Duke and the danger he could be in.
"Me either, but we have to try. We need to be on our A game tomorrow if we want to beat the Baroness." Lady Jaye clenched her fists. Scarlett nodded in agreement and the women said good night and slipped into their individual bedrooms.
Scarlett was the first one to jump into the bathroom that adjoined both her and Lady Jaye's rooms and took a quick shower before turning in for the night. It seemed extra quiet in the suite for sure. Scarlett longed for her routine bedtime phone call from Duke where they would talk briefly before wishing each other sweet dreams…and with their relatively new level of intimacy, it never failed that he would to try and coax her into letting him come over to personally tuck her in. What she wouldn't give to be curled up against him at this minute…his strong arms around her holding her close…his warm breath against her neck…
"Get it together, Shana! You need to be ready to hit the ground running tomorrow morning! You've got to get some rest!" Scarlett snarled as she rolled over to her other side trying to get comfortable. Her mind kept wandering into nightmarish scenes of what Duke might be faced with under the Baroness control. It was a good thing she had banked some sleep earlier in the week after coming off a mission because she tossed and turned most of the night until her alarm sounded at 0330. It was her usual wake up time for her pre-dawn run with Duke. Scarlett knew she wasn't going to fall asleep anytime soon so she decided to get up. "Guess I'll need some extra strong coffee today.", she sighed with annoyance as she swung her legs over the side of her bed. She quickly got ready and left her bedroom to see Lady Jaye dressed and sitting on the couch while sipping coffee.
"I didn't wake you, did I?" Lady Jaye asked worriedly.
"Can't wake me if I never fell asleep." Scarlett replied bitterly as she started the coffee maker.
"Yeah, I didn't get much sleep either." Lady Jaye admitted taking a gulp of her coffee.
"Every time I closed my eyes all I could see was Duke's face. I just don't understand it. Duke's been in danger before and of course I've been worried…but not like this." Scarlett sighed frustrated with herself.
"Because in the other instances you knew Duke had a chance to outsmart Cobra by using his brain to overcome danger…but now all of his thoughts are controlled by Baroness." Lady Jaye reasoned, "I was contemplating the same question myself about worrying for Flint."
"I will kill her if anything happens to any of our guys." Scarlett seethed as she poured her coffee into a travel mug.
"Not if I kill her first." Lady Jaye agreed. "C'mon, let's go relieve Cover Girl early so she can get some sleep. At least one of us should be well rested." Scarlett nodded and the two left for the control room.
They entered the control room to find Cover Girl scouring through a file as she stifled a yawn.
"Help has arrived." Lady Jaye announced as they approached Cover Girl.
"Not that I don't appreciate an early dismissal but did you two get enough sleep?" Cover Girl asked worriedly.
"No, but we'll be able to catch up on sleep once our guys are back on base with us. In the meantime, our time would be better spent figuring out how to rescue them." Scarlett answered tiredly.
"If I wasn't so tired, I would argue with you. Jaye might be on her top game but last night you were a wreck, Scarlett. You can't freeze up like that again." Cover Girl warned.
"I won't…and if you know what's good for you, you'll stop bringing it up." Scarlett pounced on her.
"We'll see about that. I'm sure Duke would prefer to be with someone who is calm and collected…no matter the situation." Cover Girl smirked.
"Duke already made his choice of who he'd rather be with…and it's not you." Scarlett narrowed her eyes.
"Doesn't mean I can't try and change his mind." Cover Girl spat just as venomous as Scarlett's previous statement.
"Would you two cool it? We have a real emergency on our hands!" Lady Jaye snapped interrupting the feud, "Cover Girl you're relieved of your post. Go get some sleep. Scarlett, why don't you start looking through the information Dr. Blackstone left with us to see if we can find anything to help us. I'll man the control room. Plan to be back at 0900 so we can get a plan into action. Dr. Blackstone will be here by then too." Cover Girl opened her mouth to say something but instead just spun around and left the control room.
"She has some nerve!" Scarlett exclaimed throwing her hands in the air.
"Look. I know she likes to push your buttons but we have got to work together. There are only 3 of us and we need to pull together." Lady Jaye reasoned. "Just remember it's your bed Duke will climb into after we rescue them…not hers."
"I know," Scarlett sighed, "but man do I wish I could throw that in her face...but I won't. You're right. We need to pull together…as difficult as it might be. I'll go down to the lab Dr. Blackstone was working in and see if I can find anything in her notes."
"Wild Bill, Ripcord, and Recondo all checked in a few hours ago along with a good amount of green shirts." Lady Jaye announced as she looked over a few computer screens. "Looks like Cover Girl contacted Colonel Sharp and he's sending some reinforcement troops also."
"Sounds like a good start. I'll see you in a few hours." Scarlett nodded and headed towards the lab.
XXXXXXXXXX
The small collection of senior members who were available gathered in the control room as Lady Jaye had instructed for a 0900 meeting. Scarlett entered the control room and instantly ran towards Wild Bill and gave him a huge hug.
"I'm so glad our best chopper guy wasn't here to be swooned away by the Baroness." Scarlett replied grinning.
"Well, that's mighty sweet of ya, Miss Scarlett." Wild Bill tipped his hat.
"Thanks for returning so quickly. We're going to need everyone's help to pull through this." Scarlett turned towards Ripcord and Recondo.
"We'll get our guys back, Red." Ripcord nodded affirmingly.
"You know it!" Recondo agreed. Scarlett turned to see Lady Jaye and Cover Girl talking with Dr. Blackstone. She excused herself away from the trio and joined the conversation with Dr. Blackstone.
"Good morning, Scarlett. I'm so sorry to hear more of your teammates fell under the soundwave spell of the Conch of the Sirens." Dr. Blackstone greeted her.
"Do you think you can help us get them back?" Scarlett asked hopefully.
"Possibly. There have been studies done on melodic frequencies and hypnotics. Of course nothing specific to the conch itself. Some of my findings from yesterday when I was trying to help Duke and the others might hold the key. I just wish we had the conch." Dr. Blackstone replied.
"We'll try to get it for you don't you worry. In the meantime, I'll have one of our team members take you to the lab and she'll stand watch. She'll be able to get you anything you might need." Scarlett replied and went over to the phone and made a call. Seconds later, a woman dressed all in green appeared and escorted out of the control room.
Lady Jaye, Scarlett, and Cover Girl walked over towards the three men and Lady Jaye announced they should get started. She filled the three men in on what was going on and about the Conch of the Sirens.
"We need to find out where the Baroness is hiding out with our missing teammates." Lady Jaye began. "Unfortunately looking through current intel, I haven't been able to pinpoint where they might be."
"There's a homing device in Duke's ring. We should be able to hone in on that." Scarlett answered while quickly running up to the control panel.
"I thought he let that slave girl keep it so he'd always know where to find her." Cover Girl snarked. Scarlett felt her body tense up at the comment. Even though more than a full year had passed since that incident, the mention of the slave girl still bothered her and Cover Girl knew it.
"That ring was decommissioned." Scarlett replied tight lipped as her fingers flew over the computer's keyboard "but he was given a new one." A red dot blipped on the map on the screen. Scarlett turned to face Cover Girl, "I guess only his closest friends were privy to that." Scarlett quipped and enjoyed watching Cover Girl's face sour.
"Looks like his signal is coming in somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. How about I take a chopper up with Recondo and Ripcord and try to pinpoint his exact location?" Wild Bill suggested.
"But just to scout. Don't get caught or else you might become the next victims." Scarlett ordered.
"Yes, ma'am." Wild Bill saluted and the three joes ran towards the tarmac.
"What do we do in the meantime?" Cover Girl asks.
"We wait and pray." Lady Jaye replied.
XXXXXX
A few hours later, Wild Bill had radioed back that they had found the Baroness's compound and had seen the captive joes training outside. He sent the exact coordinates back to headquarters and also said they were returning back to base.
"Let's check in and see if Dr. Blackstone has made any new discoveries." Lady Jaye suggested and she called for Dr. Blackstone to report back to the control room.
"Have you found your men?" Dr. Blackstone asked hopefully.
"Yes, thankfully. Now all we need is a way to free them from the spell of the conch." Lady Jaye replied.
"I've been trying to build something to counter the conch's frequency but so far no luck, I'm afraid." Dr. Blackstone sighed.
"Then I guess we'll just have to steal the conch back." Lady Jaye said determinedly.
"How are we going to do that?" Cover Girl asked.
"Tonight. We'll have Bill fly back to the compound and we'll break in and find it. We'll bring it back to base and plan the mission to rescue our boys." Lady Jaye replied.
"It's going to have to be a solo mission. We can't risk us all getting caught. I'll go in." Scarlett offered.
"No way! I'm not about to let this mission rest solely on your emotional sleep deprived ass. I'll go." Cover Girl argued.
"You're about as stealth as a hippopotamus. You'll get caught before you even get inside." Scarlett argued.
"Knock it off, you two. I'm going because it was my idea." Lady Jaye settled the matter. Scarlett and Cover Girl continued to glare at each other.
"I do hope you are successful in getting the conch. Lady Jaye. It may be our only hope in saving your teammates." Dr. Blackstone sighed longingly.
XXXXX
Late that night as planned, Lady Jaye left with Wild Bill on the mission to recover the conch. Wild Bill had just radioed that they had arrived at the compound and Lady Jaye had parachuted out.
"Now we wait." Scarlett nervously replied pacing the control room.
"Glad Dr. Blackstone took us up on the offer of her staying on base tonight. Once Jaye brings back the conch, she wants to get right back to work." Cover Girl replied. "Maybe she'll even be able to break whatever spell you have over Duke."
"Oh honey, that's no spell. It's called attraction. Something Duke will NEVER have towards you." Scarlett sarcastically responded.
Cover Girl balled her hands into clenched fists and she stomped her foot, "You think you have him wrapped so tightly around your finger. We'll just see about that!"
"Wild Bill to base! Scarlett, are you there?" the radio interrupted Scarlett and Cover Girl's squabble.
"Wild Bill! I'm here! What's going on?" Scarlett immediately radioed back.
"Bad news. I think Jaye got caught. Lights are on inside and there seems to be movement of guards outside.
"Damn it!" Scarlett cursed and slammed her fists on the counter, "Bill, you better high tail it out if there before they spot you too. Return to base." Scarlett ordered.
"On my way, Red." Wild Bill replied.
"This is just fantastic!" Cover Girl sarcastically exclaimed, "Now it's just you and me leading this."
"Don't remind me." Scarlett growled. "Go let Dr. Blackstone know we weren't successful recovering the conch."
"Tell her yourself!" Cover Girl exclaimed and stormed out of the control room. Scarlett closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Things couldn't get much worse. Scarlett looked at the time and defeatedly rolled her head back. It was almost daybreak. She was glad she had been able to sneak in a nap in the afternoon because this marked the second sleepless night.
"Morning, Scarlett. Was Lady Jaye successful in retrieving the shell?" Dr. Blackstone asked entering the control room.
"Negative. Bill's on his way back without her. She got caught." Scarlett replied glumly.
"Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that. Let me get back to work and think creatively." Dr. Blackstone replied and left for the lab.
Scarlett let out a huge sigh of frustration and turned back to the control panel. Once Bill returned, they'd have to figure out what to do next.
XXXXX
Scarlett was already sitting around the round table with the other senior officers when Wild Bill came in. Everyone quieted down. Bill took a seat next to Scarlett, looking dejected. No one really knew what to say.
Bill slammed down his hat on the table and said, "Sorry, Red."
"No need to be sorry. This isn't your fault." Scarlett softly replied putting her hand on his arm.
"Sure feels like it. Wonder if they heard the chopper coming. She ain't exactly quiet." Wild Bill sighed exasperatedly.
"Maybe, but it's still not your fault. Our job now is to figure out a plan to rescue her PLUS save our teammates." Scarlett assured him.
"Did you see anything while you were in the air that might help?" Cover Girl asked.
"Naw, place was pretty dark." Wild Bill shook his head.
"Maybe we need to focus on freeing the boys before springing Lady Jaye. This way we'll have more manpower and can split up." Ripcord suggested.
"I checked in with Dr. Blackstone a bit ago and she sounded hopeful that she was on to a breakthrough. Hope it comes sooner rather than later." Cover Girl added.
The group strategized for about an hour when an intruder alert rang out.
"There's someone in the building! Be ready to attack!" Scarlett exclaimed jumping out of her seat and grabbing her crossbow that was nearby.
"How the hell did someone breach our outer defenses without us knowing?" Ripcord asked drawing his weapon.
"Figures it would happen today of all days!" Cover Girl frustratingly growled as she grabbed the pistol from the holster on her thigh.
Everyone aimed towards the one door leading out of the control room. Moments later Lady Jaye appeared in the doorway with Xamot, one of Cobra's Crimson Guard Commanders, at her side.
"Sorry for the scare, folks! He's with me and he promises he'll be a good boy!" Lady Jaye exclaimed entering the room. Xamot followed behind her.
"Forgive me for being skeptical but we've been duped by imposters before." Scarlett replied keeping her crossbow raised. "I need to interrogate Lady Jaye. Keep this Crimson Guard Commander company."
"You got it!" Recondo exclaimed and the others immediately aimed their weapons at Xamot.
Scarlett motioned for Lady Jaye to turn around and they walked single file down the hall into an empty room.
"I know you need to do this, but really it's me. Xamot helped me escape. The Baroness used the conch on his brother and he's pissed. He wants to take her down." Lady Jaye replied as Scarlett slammed the door behind them.
"Tell me what you think about when I mention grilled cheese sandwiches." Scarlett demanded.
"You really want to think back to that night?" Lady Jaye chuckled.
"It's something only the real Lady Jaye would know." Scarlett challenged; her crossbow still raised.
Lady Jaye sighed, "Do you want to talk about the first part when you were so drunk that you kissed Flint or are we talking about the second part when you made the fire alarm go off at one a.m. because you suck at cooking?" Lady Jaye smirked.
"I'd prefer to forget about the first part." Scarlett grumbled dropping her crossbow to her side. "Besides, jury's still out on who kissed who that night. We were both hammered."
"You're lucky I'm so forgiving." Lady Jaye grinned.
"Hey, it's what pushed you two to get together though, wasn't it?" Scarlett retorted.
"Yes, in a roundabout really fucked up way… it did." Lady Jaye chuckled, "And it also made Duke tell you he wanted to be more than friends with you. He didn't want there to be any chances of you kissing anyone else."
"Yeah, after weeks of groveling for his forgiveness. I was so scared that I had ruined everything." Scarlett sighed remembering that awful period of time.
"And look where you are now…underneath him." Lady Jaye snickered.
"Eh-usually I'm on top." Scarlett shrugged as she opened the door. Lady Jaye's mouth dropped open with an audible gasp in response to her comment. "Don't look so surprised. Duke's in charge enough around here." Both women chuckled and returned to the control room.
"Jaye's cleared." Scarlett replied.
"You know, Jaye, you could have brought back a different souvenir from your trip to Cobra Land." Recondo snarled in Xamot's direction.
"This souvenir helped me escape. He's willing to help us bring down the Baroness." Lady Jaye replied. The other joes continued to point their weapons at Xamot.
"Let's take this over to the table and talk this out. I can't imagine he'll pull anything stupid sitting next to me when he knows I know a hundred ways to kill him with my bare hands." Scarlett narrowed her eyes at him. The group began heading to the table.
"If we weren't in such a time sensitive predicament, I'd be interested to find out what else you can do with your bare hands." Xamot grinned leaning in toward Scarlett. She reeled around and punched him in the face. His right eye immediately began to swell up.
"You make any other comments like that and I'll make sure to make your other eye match!" Scarlett spat.
"Point taken." Xamot rubbed his cheek as they all took their seats. "Listen, I'm willing to help you take the Baroness down as long as you once you do, you and your forces leave immediately. Cobra Commander and my brother are to be left alone."
"Now let's get this straight. You'll help us breech Cobra's security…" Scarlett began
"If we promise to leave with our forces…" Cover Girl interrupted.
"once we've rescued the joes." Lady Jaye finished.
"Bah, hog shlog !" Wild Bill exclaimed turning his head in Recondo's direction.
"Why would you want to help us?" Recondo asked unconvinced this wasn't a trap.
"I have my reasons. Trust me." Xamot shrugged.
"Suppose we do trust you." Lady Jaye replied standing up. "We still can't attack in force or we'll hurt Flint and the others."
"Perhaps this will help." Dr. Blackstone walked back into the room carrying a device that looked like a giant radar gun. "A sonic pulsar designed to produce a musical counter vibration. It could break the spell of the conch."
"And if it doesn't work?" Scarlett asked pointedly.
"Well," Dr. Blackstone sighed sadly, "then the joes will remain prisoners of the siren song for the rest of their lives."
Scarlett picked up the device and silently prayed that it was the miracle they were looking for before answering, "Well, it's worth a try."
The three women jumped from their chairs and let out a rousing. "YO JOE!"
XXXXX
As Xamot promised, the joes were successfully able to breach the outer perimeter of Baroness's Cobra Compound.
The three senior women along with Xamot lead the attack riding military style motorcycles. Once they entered the cavern that led under the compound, they encountered Cobra S.N.A.K.E.s that immediately started shooting at them. They were no match for the lasers on the motorcycles and the joe team advanced on them quickly. Xamot rode his motorcycle into one and then disappeared down a side tunnel.
"I knew it couldn't last!" Lady Jaye scoffed. Just then the hypnotized members of the Joe team marched towards them while firing laser rifles. The Baroness, holding the conch, and Destro were standing among them laughing at the sight.
Scarlett reached down and pulled out the sonic pulsar device and aimed it at the joes. Inhaling a deep breath, she pulled the trigger. A strange sound floated towards the hypnotized joes and as the sound traveled through the group, the men froze, lowered their weapons, and placed their hands on the back of their heads like they were suffering from a major headache.
The Baroness couldn't understand why the men had stopped. "What are you waiting for? Destroy!" she demanded. The men, having regained their free will, did not obey.
"You heard the lady." Flint said as he and the others turned around to face Destro and the Baroness, "what are we waiting for?" He brought up his weapon and pulled the trigger a few times sending lazer blasts towards the enemies. The others quickly began firing as well, destroying all the vehicles and aircraft in sight. Destro and the Baroness ran off while smoke poured all around the compound making the air hazy making it hard for the Joes to stay together.
Lady Jaye tailed the pair of villains until they were just about to board one of the last Cobra jets left undestroyed. She took a javelin from her quiver and threw it at the Baroness, knocking the conch out of her hand. The Baroness went to grab for it but Destro stopped her they fled in a different direction. Lady Jaye picked it up tried to catch up with them but they had vanished in the smoke.
"Lady Jaye!" Scarlett called thankful to have found her friend after getting separated during the attack.
"Destro and the Baroness escaped but I managed to grab the conch." Lady Jaye held it up.
"Thank goodness!" Scarlett exclaimed letting tears stream down her face. Flint, Duke, and a few other of the joe men had surrounded them. Scarlett turned around and launched herself onto Duke, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and her legs around his waist. She buried her face into the crook of his neck trying to muffle her loud sobs. He walked away carrying her. The others watched as he continually stroked her hair and whispered something in her ear.
"Okay, there is no way they aren't doing it." Ace interjected. "I'll bet every cent I own on it." Wild Bill smacked him in the back of the head.
"Hey! Scarlett worked her butt off to save all of you! We all have! Show a little respect." Lady Jaye snapped. Ace ducked his head just like a child who had been scolded.
"Lady Jaye's right." Flint agreed and put his arm around her and looked down at her grinning, "We have a lot to thank them for. Let's start by cleaning up this place and heading out."
XXXXXX
"Hey…it's okay…it's all over…I'm here…I'm right here…." Duke whispered in her ear while stroking her hair as he carried her away from the group until they were out of the sight of prying eyes. Scarlett unwrapped her legs and stood unsteadily next to him, still clinging around his neck.
"It's been a really difficult few days and I haven't been sleeping and we weren't even sure if we'd be able to break the spell…and I was so worried I wouldn't…" Scarlett rambled through her sobs. "I'm sorry I made a scene, I just had to make sure this was real…you were real…and the nightmare was over..." Shana took a huge gulp of air, "I've never felt so close to losing you…I love you."
The weight of her words hugged his soul. Those three important words, that until just this moment had only lived in their own hearts and thoughts, had dripped off Scarlett's lips like honey. Duke brought his hands up to the sides of her face and used his thumbs to wipe away the tears streaming down her face as he stared into her eyes, "Make all the scenes you want. I love you too." Duke mirrored her sentiment. He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. Scarlett clenched the fabric of his shirt as she melted into the kiss, never wanting it to end.
"Oh, Duke…" Shana began after they pulled apart, but Duke put his finger up to her lips.
"How about we finish this conversation in my quarters later? I have so much more I want to say, but I want us to be together…privately." Duke suggested. Scarlett nodded and Duke leaned down and kissed her again. Scarlett's tears had totally subsided and the mood felt much lighter so Duke took advantage of it. "Also, make sure you nap on the way back because I have a feeling you won't get much sleep tonight either...at least not in my bed." Duke grinned. A small smile escaped onto Scarlett's lips as she shook her head at his salacious statement. They both started to head back in the direction they came from when Flint came around the corner.
"Sorry to interrupt, but everyone's accounted for and we're ready to roll out. We've got a lot of antsy joes ready to get back to headquarters." Flint announced. Duke and Scarlett put their arms around each other's backs and followed Flint out of the cavern to the fleet of waiting Chinooks.
"Thank god for the reinforcements from Washington. Otherwise, it would be a long walk home." Duke sighed.
"Duke! Over here! I saved you a seat!" Cover Girl called from one of the aircrafts.
"Hope you saved two!" Duke called back and he and Scarlett headed towards the Chinook she was in.
"Actually, there's room for only one. Sorry, Red." Cover Girl smirked from inside once Duke and Scarlett got close enough.
"No problem there, Duke! I'll hop onto a different one." Gung Ho gladly stood up and hopped out.
"You sure Gung Ho?" Duke asked, "I don't want to take you away from your buddies."
"We owe our lives to these women. Spend some extra time with your honey." Gung Ho grinned and then whispered in Duke's ear "If Cover Girl will leave you alone that is."
"Fat chance" Duke muttered back.
"Ugh." Scarlett groaned thinking about sharing the almost two hour ride back to base with Cover Girl. Duke hopped in and then helped Scarlett board.
Once they settled in with Duke sitting between the women, Cover Girl started, "You know, Duke, I kept a cool head the whole time. There was a good chance Scarlett here could have blown the whole thing into a disaster with the way she was carrying on around base moping and all. It was all out embarrassing the way she was acting. A total emotional mess…and she took it all out on me!"
"We're all human, Cover Girl, and humans have emotions. Sometimes they run high. It would be ridiculous to insinuate we should walk around like robots." Duke disagreed. "I'm very proud of Scarlett…and you and Lady Jaye for your actions through this difficult situation. We all owe you are lives."
"Well, I can think of a few ways how you could repay me." Cover Girl huskily replied and moved closer to him.
Duke sighed uncomfortably, "How about I write some accolades in your military record? Hmm?"
"Speaking of accolades, I better radio back to base and let Dr. Blackstone know her invention worked and we were successful in freeing the joes." Scarlett replied and started to get up but Duke pulled her back down.
"How about if Cover Girl does that? After all, you're an emotional mess and probably exhausted. Here," Duke patted his chest, "lean against me and take a nap to recoup some of your strength. Let's let someone who has kept a calm cool head throughout this whole ordeal radio the doctor." Scarlett nodded, snuggled against him, and closed her eyes. Cover Girl frowned and her eyes turned into narrow little slits as she glared at Scarlett.
"Just remember you have choices, Duke. And if you can't remember that, I *will* make sure to remind you." Cover Girl snipped before going to the cockpit.
"God, I hope she stays up there." Scarlett sighed.
"Doubtful." Duke replied with a chuckle. Just then Ace came and sat down in the seat Cover Girl had been sitting in.
"Mind if I sit here?" Ace asked.
"Not at all, please do." Duke replied ecstatic.
Ace leaned over towards Duke and put his hand over his mouth as he whispered, "And you know…for the right price I won't get up if/when Cover Girl comes back."
"Oh yeah? And what price might that be?" Duke smirked.
"Evidence." Ace replied.
"Evidence of what?" Duke asked.
"You know." Ace nudged his head towards Scarlett. "That you and her…"
"My eyes are closed but not my ears." Scarlett replied not moving from her comfortable position.
"Oh…uh…yeah…well…I mean…it's not like you two don't know…you must know…there's a lot of money riding on a bet that…" Ace started.
"Is it too late to have Cover Girl come back?" Duke craned his neck to look around for her.
"Actually, Cover Girl is the only one that is wagering that you two aren't…."
"Will you please leave these lovebirds alone, would ya?" Wild Bill shooed Ace out of the seat before Ace could finish what he was saying.
Scarlett opened one eye and looked at Wild Bill, "Thanks, Bill."
"Yeah, Thanks." Duke agreed.
"You two do whatever canoodlin' you want. I'll just mind my own business and look the other way." Wild Bill replied and turned his back to them, "Just remember when ya'll decide to make this partnership public, you let ol' Wild Bill know first. He has some skin in that pool and could sure use a new pair of shoes." Wild Bill turned slightly and smiled at them. Both Duke and Scarlett chuckled.
"The only thing you're bound to see over here is me catching some 'z's." Scarlett replied snuggling against Duke and closing her eyes again.
"Some well deserved rest." Wild Bill nodded.
"Indeed." Duke agreed and tucked Scarlett's head under his chin.
XXXXXX
"Red, we're home." Duke nudged her gently.
"Hmmm?" Scarlett moaned as she slowly opened her eyes.
"You were out the whole trip. We're about to land." Duke softly replied.
Scarlett yawned as she stretched out her arms and legs, "Thanks for being my pillow."
"Anytime." Duke smiled. The Chinook touched down and the joes disembarked and headed directly to the control room. They entered the room and saw a huge feast awaited them. Chickens, Hams, Roast Beef, and every side imaginable was spread out over the tables.
"Where in the world did all this come from?" Cover Girl wondered.
"Who cares? I'm starving." Gung Ho grumbled and grabbed a plate.
"Looks like Colonel Sharp sent more than just troops. He called in some catering." Flint replied holding a piece of paper in his hand. All the joes whooped and hollered and quickly filled plates and cups and began to chow down. Flint and Duke had gone off together, leaving Scarlett and Lady Jaye to finish their meals together.
"Okay, it's my turn to interrogate you." Lady Jaye announced after they both threw out their trash. Lady Jaye pulled Scarlett out of the control room and into the empty room Scarlett had used to interrogate her earlier in the day.
"Ok, spill girl. What happened back at the compound? I can't believe you threw yourself on Duke!" Lady Jaye exclaimed.
"I know…I don't know what came over me…It was like this surge of emotion and I just…I had to feel him." Scarlett shook her head as she tried to explain what had happened.
"Okay, that is information that I did not need to know." Lady Jaye replied throwing her hands up.
"Nooo! Not like that!" Scarlett hissed before turning her voice soft, "I just…I needed him…and my heart reacted faster than my brain."
"Duke didn't seem to mind though, surprisingly." Lady Jaye replied, "I mean, with you two wanting to keep things on the downlow…that isn't exactly the way to go about it."
"After we turned the corner one of the first things I did was apologize. I figured he'd be furious or embarrassed but he was neither of those things. He was tender and understanding." Scarlett smiled thinking back to that moment. "I told him that I loved him."
"Really? Oh my god! What did he do?" Lady Jaye asked wide eyed.
"Told me he loved me too and then he kissed me." Scarlett shyly bit her lip. Lady Jaye let out a high pitched yelp of excitement and hugged her friend.
"I hope Flint didn't ruin the moment. I told that meat head to give you a few more minutes." Lady Jaye replied after they broke out of the hug.
"No…no…he came in at just the right time. I'm still kind of in shock about the whole thing. Duke said he has more to say but wanted to do it more privately in his quarters." Scarlett finished the story.
"So I guess that means I shouldn't wait up for you tonight." Lady Jaye teased.
"Oh please! Who are you kidding? You're going to invite Flint over and be elated that you don't have to try and be quiet. Not that you ever really try." Scarlett rolled her eyes.
"We try….we're just not good at it." Lady Jaye laughed and Scarlett laughed too.
"C'mon, let's get back to the control room before the boys send out a search party." Scarlett replied still chuckling.
They walked back into the control room to see Dr. Blackstone had joined the crowd. She was holding the conch and the joes were crowded around her. Scarlett and Lady Jaye pushed towards the front of the crowd.
"I want to study the conch. Learn why it works." Dr. Blackstone spoke as she held the conch in front of her.
Scarlett walked up beside her, "I think this thing's caused enough trouble." She took the shell from Dr. Blackstone's hands and called over her shoulder, "Lady Jaye?" Scarlett turned her head forward again and threw the conch in the air. Lady Jaye grabbed her laser beam javelin and aimed at the conch and took a shot. Scarlett shot an arrow out of her cross bow and the arrow and laser beam hit the conch at the same time, smashing it to smithereens.
"Well, What'd you do that for?" Duke asked surprised at the women's actions.
"Just making the world safe for you men." Scarlett replied boastfully.
"Somebody has to." Lady Jaye piped in and the whole room erupted in laughter.
XXXXX
The impromptu party began to fizzle out not too long after Scarlett and Lady Jaye had destroyed the conch. Everyone helped clean up the food and other refreshments and now were beginning to trickle out of the control room, most likely heading to their quarters for much needed sleep. The troopers on night shift had taken over their posts and things were returning back to normal. Dr. Blackstone had been dismissed and was being escorted by helicopter to Washington, D.C to give a full report at the Pentagon. Scarlett and Duke were standing by the door overlooking what was left of the party.
"I see Flint and Lady Jaye already performed their disappearing act." Duke chuckled to Scarlett, noticing the two were no longer in the room.
"Yeah, they're pretty good at that. Unfortunately for me, they usually reappear in the room next to where I'm trying to sleep." Scarlett laughed as they both continued to look out towards the small crowd of joes that were left. "I really thought this place would have been built with thicker walls."
"Good thing we don't have to worry about that at my place." Duke grinned and leaned over and whispered in her ear, "because I love it when you scream my name."
"Oh, you do…do you?" Scarlett batted her eyelashes flirtatiously at him.
"Oh, yeah…in fact I think we should make our own disappearing act back to my quarters." Duke suggested.
"To have that talk you promised me?" Scarlett asked.
"That…and other things…" Duke grinned.
Scarlett leaned into Duke's ear and devilishly cooed, "I like the sound of other things…can the other things come first?" Duke's breath hitched at the double entendre and his whole body seemed to stiffen under her touch. Scarlett smiled as he seemed to be momentarily tongue tied.
"You better believe they'll come first…and over and over again until they're completely exhausted." Duke replied matching her flirtation once he regained control of his vocal chords.
"Then what are you waiting for, soldier? Lead the way." Scarlett's words dripped with urgency.
"Yes, ma'am." Duke replied with a small salute. He discreetly grabbed her hand and they snuck out the door.
Ace was standing with a small bunch of joes and happened to notice Duke and Scarlett slip out of the room. "Busted! Top and Red just snuck out of here! I'm gonna trail them and see if I can get some proof." Ace interrupted the conversation that had been flowing.
Wild Bill put a hand on his shoulder, "I'll give you $100 to leave your sleuthing for another day."
"$150" Ace countered.
"Done." Wild Bill agreed and stuck out his hand which Ace shook gladly. Ace turned back to the conversation.
Wild Bill walked away and grumbled to himself, "Coverin' for them two will be the death of me and my wallet….I better get those new shoes."