Secrets Revealed - Part 2
No matter how often she came to Scotland, arrival still felt awkward to Alison. Of course, her newest arrival had taken place the night before. James, her father's older brother had already been there. He had greeted her when she came through the door and offered her food. It was a normal thing that a family member would do, right? She still didn't feel normal around him.
While she had been hungry when she had arrived, she hadn't wanted to make Cook create a large meal for her. In the end, she settled on a sandwich and some fresh fruit and then went to her room. She had wanted time alone. It had been a long day due to traveling from America to Scotland.
Alison looked around the bedroom and sighed. James. It wasn't the first name that leaped to her lips when she thought of the silver masked man. Destro. Ally to Cobra and enemy of GI Joe. Her enemy. If she were honest with herself, she would admit that she also wanted time away from James because the most recent battle, which had taken place the day before she had left, was still too fresh in her mind.
Before they knew that they were related? She had lost count of the number of times that she had faced her uncle. The number of times that he had tried to kill her. Of course, that changed when they had both found out that they were related. James was careful that they didn't face each other directly on the battlefield. But how long would it last? Could Destro avoid Lady Jaye forever?
But that didn't mean he wasn't facing off against her friends and comrades. She felt like a traitor, keeping the secret from the Joes. She should have come clean about it. It's not her fault that her father was Destro's little brother! But too much time had gone by. If she said something now?
Alison sighed again. If she said something now, most likely she would be removed from GI Joe. Dishonorably discharged. It wouldn't surprise her if she even saw the inside of a jail cell. Would she be charged as a traitor?
Alison slipped on some low heeled shoes. After showering and drying her hair, she had put on a pair of chocolate brown dress pants. She topped it with a long sleeved blouse, which was a mix of green and brown in a splatter paint design. She slipped some simple gold hoop earrings in and left her bedroom.
As she went downstairs, to meet James for breakfast, Alison wondered what today would bring. As she left the stairs behind and walked toward the door, she noticed that the door was closed. With a frown, she stepped up to the door and knocked once.
"James?"
Alison thought it odd that the door was shut. She had never known it to be closed before. Leaning forward, she thought she could hear voices from inside the room. She knocked again.
"...Uncle?" The word did not fall naturally from her lips.
Faintly, she could still hear voices from inside the room. A moment later, the door opened and James, her silver masked uncle known to the world as Destro, glanced out of the door at her. The older man was dressed in a black suit with a dark gray buttoned shirt.
"Is everything alright?" she asked.
James opened his mouth then closed it. Alison frowned again. "If this isn't a good time, I can come back."
Closing his eyes, James shook his head before glancing behind him into the room. "It would be best if you could join us."
Alison took a step back. Something about the way James had said those words made Alison nervous. It wasn't just that she didn't know who was in the room with her uncle, but his tone of voice. It had almost sound like Destro, not James, had been talking to her.
"...Alison," said James. A change in tone and her uncle returned. He stepped out of the room and mostly closed the door behind him. She wasn't sure if it was to keep her from seeing something in the room or to keep those in the room from seeing her. "I need you to trust me."
"It's a little early for trust," she replied. "What are you hiding in that room?"
"You should come inside and see," he replied. James then pushed open the door and Alison could see inside the room.
Immediately, Alison saw what James had been trying to hide. The Crimson Twins! Xamot and Tomax where standing half way into the room and facing the door. Both men kept their arms at their sides, trying to look as innocent as possible, but Alison wasn't fooled. They wore their Cobra uniforms of blue, red, and white. She couldn't see any weapons, but that didn't mean that they didn't have any. Her eyes turned from the Twins and looked at James.
James looked at his niece and saw what he feared she would think. She believed that he had betrayed her. That he used their relationship to capture her and turn her over to Cobra. Alison took a few more steps back.
"We mean you..." said Tomax.
"...no harm," finished Xamot.
"I didn't betray you," murmured James, not taking his eyes off of Alison. "And I did not invite them here."
James knew, if Alison ran, it would be all over. She would never return to this home. Whatever relationship that they had started would be over. She would never believe that he hadn't set her up.
"Destro hired us to keep you safe," continued Xamot.
Alison jerked her gaze to the scarred Twin. "What are you talking about?"
James almost breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't until she spoke that the silver masked man knew how much her staying meant to him. Before she had knocked on the door, James had been willing to kill the Crimson Twins to keep her safe. The option wasn't gone, though it would be more difficult with Alison as a witness.
"Over the last few months, we've been trying to protect you," answered Tomax.
Alison frowned and looked at her uncle. "If you didn't invite them, then why are they here?" she demanded. Alison needed to know as much as possible about the current situation. She still wasn't completely sure whether or not her uncle was a threat also. Just as the thought had crossed her mind when she was getting ready, it crossed her mind again. Destro and her had spent more time as enemies than family. Would his place with Cobra be more important than a newly discovered niece?
While she was talking, the silver masked man could see the tension in Alison. The moment she had seen the Crimson Twins, her body had shifted into fight or flight mode. She had even shifted her body so she could keep everyone in sight.
"We were investigating Destro," answered Tomax.
"We wanted to know why he had hired us to keep you safe," continued Xamot.
"We had thought lovers," murmured Tomax.
Both James and Alison curled their lips in disgust. When the Twins had confronted Destro with the idea originally, Destro had not hidden his revolt at the thought of sex with Lady Jaye. He had tried to pass off his disgust as being due to her being a Joe. Of course, the Crimson Twins wanted to be her lovers and her being their enemy didn't stop them from hoping.
Now, the Twins knew the real reason. It made both Tomax and Xamot feel better to know that Destro and Lady Jaye weren't lovers, though they wouldn't tell either of them that. While Destro was aware that the Twins were interested in Lady Jaye, they didn't want the silver masked man to think that they were as much a threat to her as Zartan.
Loosely, one could say that all three men were interested in bedding the Joe, but that was as close as it came. The red haired mercenary wanted to hurt Lady Jaye. The Twins wanted her to join them freely. No force. No drugs. No manipulation. They wanted her to willingly share her body with them.
"They saw you arrive last night," said James, keeping his voice down. He was still worried that she might run and he hoped that by keeping his own voice calm, she would stay and hear him out.
Alison's mind was racing. The Twins now knew who she was. They had heard James called her Alison. With their resources, it wouldn't take them long to find out her real last name. Her identity was compromised. She would be endangered for the rest of her life. While Destro did not work directly for Cobra, the Twins did. It was only a matter of time before Cobra Commander knew!
"Alison," said James.
She shifted her eyes and looked at him. As much as he always wanted to see fear in the face of his enemy, it made his stomach clench to see it in his niece's face. GI Joe was able to do the work that they did because they kept their identities secret. Code names rather than real names. A terrorist couldn't get personal, if they didn't know the real name attached to the hero. Now, Alison's real identity was exposed.
"I will keep you safe," said James.
Alison glanced at the Twins. Did he mean what she thought he meant? Was he threatening the Crimson Twins? Apparently, she wasn't the only one who had heard the warning.
"Where does that leave us?" asked Tomax.
"That depends on you," replied James. Alison glanced back at her uncle. No, it wasn't James who had made that statement. It had clearly been Destro.
Destro turned and looked at the Crimson Twins. He positioned himself between the brothers and Alison and his movement wasn't lost on anyone. He was clearly making his position known. Destro would protect his niece.
"As we have already told you, Destro..." said Xamot.
"...we wish her no harm," finished Tomax.
"And I am supposed to believe that?" she demanded. "How many times have you attacked me?"
"How many times has he?" asked Tomax, pointing toward Destro.
"You will not pit her against me," said Destro, taking a step toward the Twins.
"That is not our intent," replied Xamot. Both of the Twins put up their hands, palms facing Destro and Alison in a gesture that anyone would recognize. The Twins didn't want the situation to escalate to violence.
"I only meant that, as many times as you've attacked her, now you stand there ready to defend," said Tomax.
"We also have protected her," said Xamot.
"Because I hired you," retorted Destro.
Alison frowned. "What are they talking about?"
"We have been playing..." said Tomax.
"...interference for Zartan," continued Xamot.
"They know about Zartan?" she demanded, looking at James. The Crimson Twins not only knew her real name, but of Zartan's interest in attacking her. How much more had her uncle let be known about her?
"Zartan is not..." said Xamot.
"...subtle in his intentions toward you," finished Tomax.
Alison felt like she was on unstable ground. Based on what the Twins said, Destro had hired them to...protect her from Zartan. And the red haired mercenary was obvious enough about his plan that even the Crimson Twins knew.
"So, where does that leave us?" said Alison, echoing Tomax's earlier question.
"That would depend on them," said Destro. Just as Alison had repeated Tomax's question, Destro repeated his response.
The Crimson Twins looked at Destro and they saw their deaths in his eyes. They knew that, if he felt they were at all a threat, he would eliminate them. The benefit that they provided by protecting Lady Jaye did not outweigh the danger that they presented with their new knowledge of Destro's family relationship to a Joe.
"We won't tell..." said Tomax.
"...Cobra Commander," finished Xamot.
Earlier, when Destro had opened the door to Alison, he had slipped his gun into the waist band of his pants at his back. Now he pulled the gun out again and pointed it toward the Twins.
"Not good enough," replied Destro.
The silver masked man knew how to make a deal and how to make a deal with room to get out of it. While the Twins may keep their word on not telling Cobra Commander, there were other options. They could tell The Baroness, Major Bludd, or even Zartan himself. The Crimson Twins did not have to tell Cobra Commander directly for the leader of Cobra to find out.
Alison took a breath and stepped forward. No matter that some might consider her a traitor for fraternizing with the enemy, she could not stand by idly and watch anyone, even the Crimson Twins, be killed in cold blood.
"No," she said.
Her voice was firm. Just as Alison had known that she had been standing in the hall with not just her uncle, but Destro, a man willing to do anything to survive, the silver masked man knew that that single word had been spoken by Lady Jaye, member of GI Joe.
"Alison, you don't have to watch," Destro said quietly. "Go up to your room."
"No," she repeated.
She walked between her uncle and the Crimson Twins. Her back was to the Twins. She knew it was dangerous position to be in but she wouldn't allow Destro to murder anyone. Not while she was there to stop it. She faced James.
"They're a threat to you and to me," said Destro. The masked man didn't like the idea of keeping the gun pointed at his niece, but he knew it wouldn't take much time for the Twins to take him down if it came to hand to hand combat. Better to keep the gun raised and if need be, push Alison out of the way, than to lower his weapon.
"Might I suggest revising our business proposal?" suggested Xamot.
While he kept the gun up, Destro looked at Xamot. "I am listening."
"We will keep what we have learned last night and today a secret..." said Xamot.
"...from Cobra or any associate of Cobra..." continued Tomax.
"...while we continue to interfere with Zartan's plans for Lady Jaye," finished the Twins together.
Destro considered what was said then lowered his gun. "If you betray me or her, I will kill you both without mercy."
"Agreed" replied the Twins together.
Destro shifted his gaze to his niece, before he returned his attention to the Crimson Twins. He put the gun back into the waist band of his pants. "It would be best if both of you leave. Now."
Alison looked over her shoulder and the Crimson Twins nod. She stepped aside and they left the dining room and walked toward the door. A moment later, Xamot and Tomax were gone. Alison then turned her attention to James.
"I warned you, months ago, I had made a decision, Alison," said James. His voice was quiet. "Family is family and I will not fail as your uncle."
"Would you have killed them, if I had not stepped in the way?" she asked. Alison was fairly certain that the Twins lived today because of her.
"Yes," he replied, confirming his niece's silent belief. "The knowledge that they left here with makes them dangerous."
"And if it had been Baroness who had found out?" she asked. "Would you have killed her?"
Destro did not reply, but she could see the answer in his eyes. Yes, he would have killed his lover. Though he would have grieved him afterward, it wouldn't have stopped him from ending her life.
"Sometimes I wonder how you and I are related," she said quietly.
James looked down and did not answer. He knew how they could be related. In some ways, Alison was like Ian, her father and Destro's brother. Ian had left the only home he had ever known and started over. A new life. A new name. A new family. He had left rather than embrace the cold blooded nature needed to be a McCullen. Ian had had a poet's soul. He had loved and respected life. It had taken him a long time to accept it but James understood that, if Ian had stayed, this life would have eventually crushed his younger brother.
Alison also had that same poet's soul, but she could be fierce. That determined and brave nature of hers, which allowed her to be a Joe and fight, was the flipped side of the coin that allowed Destro to do what he needed to do to protect what he considered his. Alison was family and that made her his. He would do whatever was needed to protect her.
"I make no excuses for who I am, Alison," said James. "I made peace with it a long time ago."
Aware of the gun at his back, James turned away from Alison. "If you give me a few moments, I will return and we can have breakfast."
Alison pondered the hidden meaning of his words. The arrival of the Crimson Twins had brought out a side of her uncle that she only saw on the battlefield. The face of Destro and her enemy. James needed a moment to hide that side of him and return as just her uncle.
She nodded her head and watched the older man walk away.
FIN
AUTHOR'S NOTE: We're getting closer to the end of the story! And don't forget to write a review and tell me what you think!
