AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Family will be a series of one shots. Each "chapter" is a separate one shot.

The Business Proposal

The week spent with her uncle was a few months ago, but Lady Jaye hadn't forgotten his warning about Zartan. When she first returned to the base, she spent her off time wondering why he told her. Did the warning come from her uncle? Or from her enemy? Did he care if Zartan attacked her? Or was he trying to distract her? The warning left more questions than answers.

But over time, she thought about it less and less. She was reminded of her uncle and his warning when she saw Zartan from her vantage point, across the street from an alleyway. In the alley, Zartan was talking with some thugs. GI Joe found out that Zartan was meeting with some local criminals, maybe to add some Dreadnoks, maybe to get drugs or weapons. It didn't matter. GI Joe planned to stop him.

Of course, in typical Zartan fashion, when he saw he was out numbered, he ran. She watched him take off toward a condemned three story office building. She knew the other Joes had the petty criminals that Zartan had been talking with, but she was more interested in capturing him.

"Flint!" she called out, pointed toward the red haired mercenary as she ran after him.

Noting Zartan, Flint followed Lady Jaye toward the abandoned building. Pushing into the building, he could see Zartan across the lobby, near the door to the stairs. "Zartan! Stop!" Flint also raised his gun and fired a few warning shots toward the criminal. Ignoring the order, Zartan pushed through the door, glancing over his shoulder once toward the two Joes who were pursing him, than ran up the stairs.

Rushing across the lobby, Lady Jaye and Flint entered the stairwell and rushed up the stairs. Since they didn't hear the sound of running feet, they stopped at the door to the second floor. Lady Jaye stood to the right of the door, while Flint stood on the left. Both drawing a gun, Lady Jaye nodded. Flint pushed open the door and went low as he scanned the hall, while Lady Jaye went high. It didn't take them long to realize that Zartan wasn't there.

"If he's on this floor, he's hiding," stated Lady Jaye.

"He's either on this floor or the next one up," replied Flint. "We'll search this floor first."

"It would make more sense to split up," said Lady Jaye, as she looked around.

"I don't like that idea," replied Flint, as he shook his head.

"Would you rather he get away?" she demanded.

"Fine," he replied, as he turned back to the door. "I'll check out the third floor."

Flint went back into the stairwell and ran up to the third floor. Lady Jaye didn't waste a moment before she started looking around. Glancing into a room just across from the stairs, and noting it was an old bathroom, she examined the room quickly. Finding it empty, she moved back into the hall.

Lady Jaye kept her weapon ready, as she walked down the long hallway. When she got to a closed door, she would step back and kick the door in. With a quick scan, since the rooms were mostly empty, she would move on. If the room's door was already broken, or in some cases, missing, she would look inside the room.

More than half way down the hall, Lady Jaye found another closed door. Stepping in front of it, she kicked in the door. Just as the door hit the floor, Lady Jaye was struck from behind, pain radiating from the back of her head. A moment later, she hit the ground, unconscious.

…...

Hours later at Cobra Headquarters, a bruised and tired Zartan was reporting his failure to Cobra Commander. The newest Cobra Headquarters, an old, rundown manor, was in the middle of nowhere. The trees and grass had grown up around the building and the driveway to get to the building was over a mile long. Cobra Commander, dressed in his normal blue uniform and his clothe mask, was sitting on a dais in what had been the ballroom of the manor. Standing near the dais, but off to the side, was Destro.

"Lady Jaye was unconscious," said Zartan, smiling. The red haired mercenary had gotten to the point of where he had knocked out the female Joe. He seemed to pause and almost forget he was reporting to Cobra Commander, until the leader of Cobra spoke.

"Oh?"

"I dragged her into a nearby room. I figured I might be able to have some.. fun," replied the mercenary, but then snarled. "But Flint showed up. I had to fight to get past that damn Joe."

While the head of Cobra was listening to Zartan's failure, he also noticed Destro's reaction to hearing Zartan report. It did not escape the head of Cobra's attention that Destro clenched his fists when Zartan reported his attack on the female Joe.

"Is there a problem, Destro?" asked Cobra Commander, calmly.

"No problem," replied Destro, his voice tight.

"Getting soft?" sneered Zartan. The red haired mercenary could guess what was bothering the silver masked man. Destro didn't have a problem with attacking Joes, even surprise attacking, but the Scotsman drew the line at sexual assault. A line that Zartan cross on a regular basis.

"Hardly," retorted Destro. "I would think you should be more concerned about your failure than having 'some fun' with a Joe."

"And that's where you and I differ," replied Zartan, with a smirk.

"Enough!" said Cobra Commander. While he enjoyed some animosity between his men, he didn't need them fighting each other. That aggression would better suit Cobra being focused on GI Joe. "The...gentlemen you went to meet?"

"The Joes arrested them," replied Zartan, with a shrug.

"Very well," replied Cobra Commander, getting up from his seat. "I am disappointed that it didn't work out, but I have something else for you, Zartan."

Stepping down off the dais, Zartan and Cobra Commander moved out of the command room. Left alone, Destro seethed with anger. Zartan attacking his niece, Lady Jaye, was unacceptable. Destro realized the warning wasn't enough. He needed to do more to protect her, but what could he do that wouldn't compromise his position with Cobra?

Lost in his thoughts, Destro walked out of the command room and nearly into Xamot and Tomax. The Crimson Twins had been on their way into the command room to speak with Cobra Commander.

"Lost in..." said Tomax.

"...thought, Destro?" asked Xamot.

Staring at the Crimson Twins, a thought occurred to Destro. The twins found Lady Jaye attractive. Destro might even go so far as to say that Xamot and Tomax liked her. While he thought the twins to be foolish idiots who squandered their abilities, their interest in his niece was something he could put to use.

"I have a...business proposition," said Destro.

"Really?" asked Xamot.

"It has not escaped my notice that you...dislike Zartan," said Destro.

"Perhaps," replied Tomax, while his twin nodded.

"And it would please you to see him fail?" asked Destro.

"The man is a bumbling idiot," said Tomax.

"I don't understand what Cobra Commander sees in him," said Xamot.

I've had that very same thought about you two, thought Destro. "Zartan is interested in...assaulting a female Joe," said Destro. "And I am aware you both are also...interested in her."

"Lady.." said Xamot.

"...Jaye?" asked Tomax.

Destro nodded his head.

"Why should we get involved?" asked the brothers simultaneously.

"Two birds, one stone," replied Destro. "You can stop that vile man while keeping the female Joe, that you both find interesting,...safe."

The twins nodded in agreement.

"While we would enjoy seeing him fail..." said Tomax.

"...why would you care..." said Xamot.

"...if Zartan raped Lady Jaye?" asked the brothers simultaneously.

"Torture. Murder," answered Destro. He waved his left hand. "I have no issue with these things, but sexual violence toward a female...any female...is despicable."

"Agreed," answered Tomax.

"And if Zartan is foiled, all the better," continued Destro.

"Of course," replies Xamot, while he glanced at his brother.

"Do you accept?" asked Destro.

"Yes," replied the twins simultaneously.

"Excellent," said Destro.

With a nod of his head, the silver masked man exited the command room and the Crimson Twins were left to their plans on how to stop Zartan from getting what he wanted. And just as Destro was aware that Xamot and Tomax liked Lady Jaye, the twins knew that there was more to this conversation than Destro was willing to admit.

FIN