***CH 3***

Lady Jaye called in a unit to come and clean up. It wouldn't do if a child came across some parts of a BAT. The robots can be dangerous even in parts. This gave Flint a chance to look at the damage done to the BATs. Honestly, he can't find it impossible that this man is from another world. From the man's eyes, to his obvious combat skills coming from someone so lithe, The Joes have already seen their share of weird things. From Egyptian gods, to alternate timeline where Cobra won, and going back in time. After the call, Lady Jaye inquired about the stranger's guns. , " That's some serious gunpower. Lady Jaye laughed and, once again, Flint felt a little stab of annoyance at the stranger. I know a few guys who would be jealous. "

Flint grumbled, " Yeah, yeah…It's not the size of the gun, but how you use it. "

Lady Jaye just changed the subject, " The clean-up crew should be here in a couple minutes. "

Flint, " Good. " He turned to look at Vincent, " Before we go, I need to know why Cobra was after you. "

Vincent gave a nod and those red glowing eyes seemed to study him before he answered, " As one should. " This was a man who understands protocol, " Would you wish for the long or the short version? "

Flint, " Give me the short version. "

Vincent gave just a small quirk of a lip, that counted as a smile for him. " Friend abducted. I followed."

" That was short. " Lady Jaye said, unable to hold back a chuckle.

Flint crossed his arms over his chest, " Okay, what's the long version? "

Vincent, "My friend is a genius and Artist. His medium is airships. He was contacted by a stranger, representing a company called Cobra, with a fantastic offer to build an airship and lead a whole fleet of them in the future. He wanted to get me on as security for the job. Turns out the job was a trap. A guy shows up in an expensive suit and briefcase, tall, black hair and a strange accent. I showed him into Cid's office and went back to fetch refreshments. I hear a noise and come back to a portal open, and my friend is gone. I leapt through and found myself here in another world. I spent some time searching for him, but all I got were rumors. So I cleaned out a section of where I arrived, chased off the drug dealers and made money robbing the criminals and helping them decide to move somewhere else. I made some inquiries and found out where the local people who represented Cobra were. I spent some money I had acquired and got noticed on purpose and let it be known I was looking for them. I hacked into your government's computer systems at the library and found out what Cobra really was. I calculated the odds of where they would want to meet and then let them set a trap. I sprung it and well you saw the rest. "

Lady Jaye spoke up, " Sounds like you met Tomax. Both him and his brother Xamot have ties to Cobra. Also means they must have been there long enough to know who they wanted to kidnap. What I would love to know is how they could create a portal? "

Flint hummed a small sound somewhere between annoyance and disgust, " That's something we should also look into. It's bad enough when Cobra abducts the people who live in this world. " He would rather not think about the what-ifs on a portal device.

Both Joes then exchanged a look. A fleet of Airships would actually be a game-changer. The last airship Cobra was taken down, but cost them the Flagg. Then there was the fact a civilian from another world is getting pulled into their fight that will never sit well with him. She didn't even need to say it, Lady Jaye was in for helping this guy out.

Flint, " Then we better help you find your friend. We'll give you a lift with us back to the Base. Just heads up. The place we're using is a temporary one. Our main base is far bigger. " They both led Vincent back to their jeep. Flint got into the driver's seat as Lady Jaye took shotgun.

Lady Jaye was curious about a few things, " We haven't even introduced ourselves properly. We go by codemanes. Mine is Lady Jaye. This here is Flint.

Flint, " I'm also one of the people who help lead the teams. "

Vincent decided to go with his old Turk call sign, " Sharpshooter. "

Lady jaye, " So what is your world like, compared to ours? "

Vincent, "Some small ways our worlds are alike. But the differences are far bigger. " Not going much further than that. Then there is a bit of an awkward silence.

Flint," If we're going to work together, I need to know what skills you bring to the table. This way I can properly select my team. " Mostly, he wanted to know what this man could do.

Lady Jaye smirked, " If my eyes fail me, I say he has the look of a gunman, Maybe a sniper?" A woman with keen sight.

Vincent eyed her quiver arrows and a few short javelins. He weighed what he should say. He felt he didn't know them well enough to reveal the entities that lived inside him " I worked in a group called the Turks. Investigation , Protection, Espionage, and Assassinations. I'm skilled in the use of automatic and semiautomatic rifles, handguns, grenades and CQC. "

Flint, " We don't have too many snipers in our crew. " He saw Vincent nod in the rearview mirror.

Vincent "I am the best sniper I have ever seen or heard of." He wasn't bragging just stating a fact

Lady Jaye, " G. does enlist an assortment of people from the different parts of the military. Sometimes it leads us to butting heads, but we make it work. Oh, we better call the base. "

Flint pulled the radio and talked into it with one hand, " Lifeline, this is Flint. We're heading back with a guest! I want the team ready to assemble when we arrive. "

A pleasant male voice sounded on the other end, " I'll let them know. Oh, and heads up, Ship got cooking duty tonight. God help us all. "

Flint winced, " Thanks, Lifeline. " Lady Jaye hooked the mic back for him, " Think it's too late to go back and grab some take-out?" She didn't even bother to answer. Just gave him a look, " I hope you have a strong stomach, Mr. Valentine. Sometimes his food is.. hard to stomach. "

Vincent nodded " I have experience with bad cooking, " He said leaving it at that.

Lady Jaye made a long sigh, " I'm hoping it's just Algue burgers. I can pretend easier. "

Vincent suppressed a wince. At times like this, he wished Yuffie's charges of him being a vampire were true. He would skip a meal, but he needed energy no matter if it was very palatable or not. Given the choice, he'd prefer some kind of carnivore dish rather than vegetarian. The transformations always were hard on his body.

Back at the base, Shipwreck was hard at work making sure every plate he had made came out looking nice. It was a dish he had learned to make while in port in Japan. Tofu and Natto which are fermented soybeans. The dish was very healthy and he was proud of himself.

"Come on Law, it's an acquired taste! It's considered a delicacy!" he said and popped a bowl of rice tipped with his natto and tofu in front of the dog handler.

Law sniffed experimentally. Order who was eager for a treat, jumped up and sniffed the spoon. He then let out a low and mournful whine.

Law gulped and tried to think of a way out of actually eating it. He made some command gestures at the canine trying to get his own dog to attack him . Order just cocked his head confused at his master. Law tried a spoonful and gagged. "I guess I ain't acquired the taste."

The Jeep pulled up to the front gate of the temporary base. Vincent spotted a young man, with an MP printed on his helmet and a dog by his side, look a little anxious. There was also another fellow in all green, with only his eyes showing, who looked a little angry. Flint managed to keep a straight face, " Law, Beach Head, is there something wrong? "

" Sir, can you please pull Ship off cooking duty? " Law pleaded with Flint.

Beach Head, " You know what that pirate made? He should be court-martialed for intentionally trying to poison us! "

Lady Jaye, " If I remember correctly, weren't you the one to insist we all take turns on cooking detail while BA was on medical leave? "

Beach Head, " Well… Yes, I did. But what he served us ain't food! "

Flint, to keep from chuckling, took in a deep breath, " Then Shipwreck is officially off the cooking roster. Just make sure everyone is rounded up in the meeting room. " Lady Jaye didn't even hide the fact she was laughing. She warned Beach Head about letting Ship cook. The disgruntled Joe headed off grumbling but obeying the order.

During the exchange, Order had taken an interest in Vincent and came over to give a sniff. Vincent gave another of his barely perceptible smiles and he held his hand out for inspection. Galian Beast perked up at the sight of the dog and took an instant liking to the canine. The dog in return licked Vincent's hand, earned some scratches behind the ear. This is not lost on the Joes. Lady Jaye, " Looks like Order approves of him. " Law called back his dog and let the Jeep proceed into the base. "

Flint parks his jeep, " Ready to meet the rest of the team? "

Vincernt found himself being led to a storage room that was converted for their needs. There was what looked like a board for pinning notes, a computer with a man sitting in front of it. A table and some chairs filled with other team members. One man looked familiar: A brunette with a trimmed beard and a parrot on his shoulder. There is a woman who's dressed in red ninja-style clothing. She went from relaxed to alert. There was another brunette who's outfit reminded Vincent of a pilot. One last fellow who's in a red and white outfit with what looked like health symbols on his outfit. Lady Jaye made her way to a seat.

Flint, " Look lively! " the group sat up more properly, except for the man with the bird. When they got a better look at Vincent, most of them seemed to look him over a bit curious. The man with the bird reacted a little differently. He's eyes widened as he sat up and finally took interest. " Let me introduce you to the team. You meet BeachHead. " Who gave him a disgruntled look. " Mainframe is one of our computer experts. " The guy at the computer waved without looking up from his monitor. " That fellow is one of our talented pilots, Lift-Ticket." The pilot gave a lazy salute, " Shipwreck is one of our resident navy seals... " Vincent made a note to look up what a Navy Seal was.

The bird protests " I'm here, too, swabbie! " Shipwreck reaches up and closes the parrot's beak. " Oh hush. " Vincent was amused by the bird. After his friend Nanaki he made it a point to never assume an animal was less than.

Flint, " And Polly. " The others laughed, but Shipwreck seemed to just watch Vincent. " We have Jinx from our Ninja unit. '' She gave a friendly wave, " And our medic… Lifeline." Vincent can tell the medic has questions. " This is Sharpshooter. His mission correlates to our own and he'll be staying with the team a while. " Gestures for Vincent to sit down and he takes a seat next to Lady Jaye.

Flint looked over the group, " We all know when Cobra isn't making any threats, they are busy scheming. So far we only had word they were collecting enough resources to build something big. It also seems they're up to their old tricks of abducting specialists. " he gave Vincent a nod, " I'll let Sharpshooter take it from here, but I do ask you all to keep an open mind. "

Vincent stood, " I'm not from this world. " Pulled off what's left of his left glove to show his left hand, it was the pale blue of an oxygen-starved corpse with long black nails. There was a mixed reaction of surprise and one of disbelief.

Lifeline, " Is that why your eyes glow red? "

Vincent, " Not quite..it's due to experimentation " As he always had red eyes, but the glow was due to the mako he was in while his life was being saved.

Shipwreck leaned forward, " That's cause where our matey comes from, that's a normal eye color. Ain't I right? " he said as if he already knew the answer.

Vincent nodded and once again explained what he already told Flint and Lady Jaye. He closely watched everyone's reactions. Most of them seemed willing to give his story credence. Some of them considered possible questions to ask. Beach Head is the most skeptical and already protesting, " You believe that? How do we know he's not a cobra spy? Or something they created?" Vincent gave him an approving nod he could appreciate healthy paranoia when it comes to one's enemies.

Shipwreck was considering questions; he had been shocked the moment Cid's name was mentioned in Vincent's explanation of why he was here. He jumped to his feet, distracting Beach Head from whatever he was about to say, and almost knocked Polly off with his sudden movement, " You say Cid, as in Cid Highwind? A blond guy who walks and jogs funny?!" He knew his brother had loved planes, he let himself hope that for once lady luck was on his side and not just anyone had come to this world but his family was here. Vincent merely nodded, " Poseidon's barnacles... He's in this world, too. " The other Joes looking at him are confused.

Vincent calmly asked, " Hector Highwind?" He mentally aged up the boy he had seen in Cid's photos he mentally added a beard to his mental image of an older version of Cid's brother

Shipwreck, " Aye! Just haven't heard that name in ... ages. Nowadays I go by Hector Delgado. I got adopted and they changed my last name."

" Heartie, be an alien! " Polly sang out as he flaped his wings for extra attention.

Beach Head snorted sarcastically, " That explains alot. '' the remark earned some snickers.

Shipwreck gave Beach Head a rude gesture. " Besides, it doesn't matter. What matters is getting him out of Cobra's clutches!" He was having trouble containing the urge to run right this second and get packed, get information anything to get moving toward a rescue op.

Flint just sighed as he knew he'll need to get more details from Shipwreck about this bit of a bombshell. It did make it easier to find their new friend a partner. " Shipwreck, mind working Sharpshooter for a while? "

Shipwreck was very agreeable, " Yeah, sure Flint! I got a spare bunk for him, too. "

Flint, " Then it's settled. I'm sure everyone has questions. You can ask him later. I expect you all to be professionals. "

Mainframe stood, "Sir, I think we have a spy in the field.. If this Cid guy is involved, Faces will find out. "

Flint nodded, " Look into it. Rest of you are Dismissed!. " He addressed Shipwreck and Vincent, " I would like to talk with both of you. "

Flint wanted to ask questions, the most obvious one was how Shipwreck ended up in this world. Shipwreck insisted on getting some coffee first. His room was passable as sleeping quarters, with two bunks, and enough space for the three men to meet. " So what happened, Sailor? "

Shipwreck closed his eyes, " Goes back to when I was but a kid. Dad had this cottage next to a quiet beach not far from a place called Gongaga. Beautiful shore… with a cliff you could climb for a good view of the stars… Sometimes the moon would rise over the waters and you could see its reflection. " Vincent leaned against a wall. " Then one summer day, just the two of us raced to the beach. I may have cheated.. just a little," he said holding up two fingers with barely a gap. He nursed his coffee and he continued, " We got hit by a giant wave. Tried to escape it up the cliff, but couldn't get high enough. Pulled us right off. While in the water a light enveloped me and I resurfaced outside a beach off in California. Almost drowned. Of course, I tried to tell them where I was from but..." he shook his head. " All it got me was therapy sessions. "

Flint took in the story," And you never told anyone since. "

Shipwreck smirked and he put his coffee mug down, " But I did my best to make sure I never forgot my family. " He pulled out a sketchbook and opened it up to a picture of a family. His art skills were quite good. Vincent looked down at the hand-drawn picture of the whole family.

Flint asked, " Why haven't you ever told us you can draw? " Then he caught a glimpse at another page and flipped to it. A picture of Covergirl in a bikini top and short shorts, He just gave him a look., " Nevermind. "

Shipwreck stole it back, "Hey, I'm a private-teer. " He was rather pleased with his pun.

Flint decided it's better he doesn't know anything else. Rather not get hit in the crossfire when Covergirl saw it. Heck, knowing Shipwreck, the other girls might also be in this and, if he spotted Lady Jaye, he'd have to kill him. " I'll let you two settle then. Tomorrow I expect you both to be ready to work. " Left the two alone.

Shipwreck grabbed his mug to take a swig, " So what did I miss back home? "

Oh wonder where to even begin… Vincent thought.

~ TBC~