Nothing could have prepared Cover Girl for what she saw on the other side
of her door. Determined to discover the identity of her admirer, Cover
Girl had stayed up late. She had been sitting in a chair near the door,
listening for any sounds of movement in the hall and looking for any
shadows in the small space that separated the bottom of her door from the
ground. Clutch was just about the last person she expected to see on the
other side.
"Clutch?" Cover Girl said incredulously, in a low voice so as not to disturb the neighbors down the hall.
Clutch stood in front of her dumbly, fumbling for something to say.
"Hi Cover Girl, I… uh…"
Talk about the letdown of the century. This unkempt, abrasive-mannered, all-around repellent piece of pond scum was her admirer? What sort of horrible offense had she committed to deserve such an indignity? The more Cover Girl contemplated the stuttering buffoon standing in front of her, holding the red rose for her, the angrier she grew. It was all she could do to keep herself from shouting at him right then and there.
Cover Girl looked both ways down the hall to make sure no one was observing them.
"Get in," she hissed to Clutch, yanking him by the collar and shoving him into her quarters. She shut the door.
"You heartless son of a bitch," Cover Girl cried as the door shut behind her. She roughly pushed him onto the chair she had been sitting in for the last few hours before the hapless admirer could even get a word in.
"I get flowers on my door all month. I get notes telling me how wonderful I am. I'm left guessing who my admirer could possibly be. And after a whole month, to find out it's YOU—that it's just some jerk, who doesn't even care about me at all—playing some kind of cruel joke on me! I have feelings too, you asshole! Did you ever stop to think about that before you decided to try your mind game out on me?"
Cover Girl, pacing in front of a bewildered and stunned Clutch, began to cry. She was positively mortified that she was crying in front of her hated teammate, but she couldn't help it. Her feelings were hurt. It wasn't that she was disappointed in the identity of her admirer, but she had at least thought the sentiments were genuine and heartfelt. Her heart had been touched, and now it felt like someone had poured a bucket of frigid water over it. She put her hands up to her face and attempted to curb her tears, but within seconds, her walls broke down, and she began sobbing uncontrollably.
"But I—but I did mean it," Clutch said, "I love you, Cover Girl. Maybe I always have and never even knew it."
Cover Girl, still sobbing, looked at him. Their eyes met.
"I was trying to show you how I felt about you but couldn't tell you face to face. I was afraid. I thought I'd try to soften you up a little. And the longer I went on giving you these flowers, the more afraid I was to say something."
Cover Girl was again surprised. She never thought she would hear Clutch professing love for her. Cover Girl never thought of Clutch as the kind of person to have tender feelings for anyone, and she felt as if she was seeing him in a new light.
"I'm sorry for all the times I teased you," Clutch said, getting up and walking toward her. Cover Girl stared at him, wide eyed, as he held the rose out for her to take. Slowly and hesitantly, Cover Girl reached a hand forward and accepted the rose. She wasn't sure what to say. So she said nothing.
"I'm trying to turn over a new leaf, Cover Girl. I'd really like for us to be friends. When I look at you, I see a kind and gentle woman. We've been together in G.I. JOE for a long time now. I've seen how you are with your friends, like Scarlett, how nice and considerate you are with them. I just hoped things could be more like that between you and me."
Clutch turned toward the door. "I hope it's not too late."
Clutch's voice was beginning to falter. He needed to get out now.
"Clutch," Cover Girl stopped him.
"You love me?" Cover Girl said.
Clutch shrugged, embarrassed, and nodded.
"I don't know what to say…" Cover Girl said.
"If you don't feel the same way, it's all right," Clutch said. But Cover Girl could see him bracing for disappointment. The look on his face was one of sadness.
"Well, I better go," Clutch said. "Good night."
Without another moment's hesitation, Clutch opened the door and made his exit, leaving Cover Girl behind in her room, alone with the flower, thinking about the things he had just said to her.
* * *
"He is known only by the moniker Rouge."
General Hawk's words echoed through Clutch's mind as he sat alone in the conference room the next day. After asking for Hawk's permission, Clutch had obtained the grainy, ambiguous photo of this man and now inspected it. He laid it on the smooth table and got up, pacing around the room. He couldn't shake the vague, persistent feeling that he had seen this man's face before, perhaps in an earlier photograph.
"Rouge, Rouge," Clutch said, turning the man's code name over and over in his mind. He was certain that his memory held the secret of this man's identity. Who was this man who had been able to erase his identity well enough to infiltrate secret government laboratories and steal information and materials?
But the mind is a curious and frustrating thing, and it often refuses to yield the buried secret, no matter how desperately we pore through its dark recesses. Clutch had no clue.
The door opened, and Cover Girl came into the conference room. She hesitated at the door for a moment, debating whether she should enter.
"What is it?" Clutch said, not looking.
"Clutch," Cover Girl said.
Clutch jumped in his seat in surprise at the sound of Cover Girl's voice, and he turned around to face her.
"Cover Girl?"
He didn't know how to talk to her now, especially after last night's awkward episode. The cat was out of the bag now. Cover Girl knew that he loved her, and her response had not been terribly encouraging. How could he work with her again, knowing that there was a new emotional barrier that stood between them? It was an unspoken wall that pretended not to exist, but Clutch and Cover Girl knew better.
"I just want to say I'm sorry for the way I acted last night," Cover Girl said in a soft tone. "I didn't think you were serious at first and I yelled at you. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, don't be sorry," Clutch said.
"It's just that we've hardly ever said anything genuinely nice to each other in ten years," Cover Girl said. "I was really shocked. Maybe I was even a little scared, too. It was all so sudden."
Clutch looked at her and said nothing.
"Thank you for the flowers and everything," Cover Girl smiled shyly, holding out her hand. "We can still be friends, right? It's not too late, is it?"
"No," Clutch said, extending a hand. The two of them shook hands warmly. "It's not too late."
Clutch did not fail to notice how soft and warm Cover Girl's hand was. It was a sensation that he wanted to absorb and store up, and he regretted that he could not hold onto Cover Girl's hand longer. He wanted to squeeze her hand in affection but forced himself to suppress the urge.
"That's good," Cover Girl smiled, taking a seat next to Clutch. She joined him in contemplating the old black and white photo. "We're going to be teamed up again this time."
"Really?" Clutch said in surprise. Secretly, he was pleased to be paired with Cover Girl on this upcoming mission. Just being near her and knowing she was safe, was a comfort to him. They had worked together many times over the years, and this would be no different.
Tomorrow, the meeting between Rouge and Cobra would take place near the Hudson River. It was a suburban location, so only a select few Cobra agents would be there, in order to avoid drawing too much attention. It would be a small operation, and Scarlett would be in command. Clutch and Cover Girl would stake out the known exchange site, and when the time was right, they would alert Scarlett. Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye, and Rock 'N Roll would move in from hiding, several blocks away. With any luck, they would take the Cobra agents by surprise, capture Rouge, and prevent the transfer. It would be a delicate affair.
Clutch looked into the eyes of this wonderful woman, who in some ways was as much of a mystery to him as the man called Rouge.
"It will be a piece of cake," he said.
* * *
In the darkness, Clutch and Cover Girl sat in the car across the street from the house they were assigned for surveillance.
Crouched in the driver's seat, Cover Girl tried to stay as low as possible in her seat so as not to be seen. A large tree near the curb of the street offered a great deal of shade for the two Joes. It was nearly time for the appointed nighttime meeting between the mysterious spy and the Cobra agents. Cover Girl felt a butterfly in her stomach as she anticipated the event with some anxiety. She peered through her binoculars at the house. The lights were on, but the window shades were drawn. They could see nothing. As far as she could tell, Rouge was the only man home.
"How do you like driving?" Clutch asked softly, with a hint of irony in his voice.
Cover Girl smiled with exasperation. Usually, Clutch was the one who always drove, but on this occasion, he deferred to Cover Girl. Actually, he insisted on taking shotgun this time.
"Why should I have to drive all the time? Why is it that men always do the driving? Maybe we shouldn't be so sexist, huh?" Clutch had said during their preparations back at Headquarters.
"I feel so empowered now, Clutch," Cover Girl whispered sarcastically. "Thank you for being such a gentleman."
Cover Girl peered down the street and saw a pair of headlights looming in the distance.
"Someone's coming. It could be the Cobras we've been waiting for," she said.
"Give me the binoculars," Clutch said, taking the binoculars from Cover Girl and looking at the house. The window shade pulled up, and for the first time, Clutch had a good look at the man's face.
"Son of a bitch," Clutch muttered in surprise as a tremendous realization dawned on him.
"What is it?"
"I know this guy," Clutch whispered, leaning in closer toward Cover Girl's side of the car.
Many years ago, when Clutch had been a teenager, his grandmother had shown him a black and white photograph of a man. His name was Klaus Zimmer, and he had been a Nazi guard at the Auschwitz concentration camp.
"He killed my parents and my brother," his grandmother told him. "Beat them and shot them. When he was through, he was laughing, as if it was all for sport."
Lance Steinberg's grandmother put a hand on his own.
"Lance," she said, "I saw it happen with my own eyes. I was there. He's a war criminal. He has never been brought to justice. I like to think that I would never wish evil on any man, but when I see this picture, sometimes I doubt my own heart. There is so much anger, so much pain..."
The frail elderly woman traced a thin finger on the borders of the photograph. He looked young, but he had the same thin mustache. The same hair. The same intense pair of eyes.
Clutch felt a tug on his arm, and he turned to face Cover Girl.
"Who? Who is he?"
"His name is Zimmer. He's an old Nazi war criminal," Clutch said, grabbing Cover Girl and trying to pull her lower in order to avoid being seen by the oncoming car. The car pulled to a stop on the opposite side of the street, not more than twenty yards away from their position under the tree.
Clutch's face assumed a grim and hardened expression. Cover Girl had never seen him look so intense and passionate before.
"He killed some of my family members at Auschwitz."
Cover Girl was shocked. She had no idea what to say. Knowing little about Clutch's personal history, this little revelation about his family's links to the Holocaust was an eye-opener. Suddenly, this was more than just another job or mission. In Clutch's eyes, the mission had elevated itself to the status of moral duty. His heart burned with anger and hatred. He could envision his deceased grandmother looking on the scene now, watching with high expectations that he, Lance Steinberg, would complete his duty and bring a just resolution to the unclosed book on his murdered relatives.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive," Clutch answered evenly.
Cover Girl raised herself a little and peered out the driver's side again with her binoculars. She turned her attention to the front door of the house, which now opened.
The man named Klaus Zimmer appeared, his face half-concealed in shadows. Four men dressed in navy blue suits strolled up the front door.
"What do we do now?" Cover Girl asked nervously.
"We stick to the plan. The moment must be perfect."
"I'm worried about you," Cover Girl now said as she put down the binoculars and reached down for the portable eavesdropping equipment they had brought along. She carefully maneuvered the small, long-range microphone into a suitable position protruding just a little bit out of the driver's window and angled it toward the house.
"That's something new. You, worried about me. Who would have thought it," Clutch said with a laugh.
"What, you don't think I care about you?"
Clutch did not answer that question. He said nothing and only looked back into her eyes.
"Friends are friends," Cover Girl said. "And I'm worried, as a friend, that you're too close to this."
Clutch understood that Cover Girl was concerned that he would allow his personal feelings interfere with the mission at hand. He shook his head.
"Come on, you know me better than that. I'm a complete pro," Clutch said as Cover Girl fumbled for an earphone, plugged it into the eavesdropping machine, and listened in on the conversation taking place inside the house.
After a few moments, Cover Girl said, "Tomax and Xamot are definitely here. And two other guys I don't recognize."
"Could be Crimson Guardsmen," Clutch suggested.
Inside the house, Klaus Zimmer opened a briefcase for the Crimson Twins. One of them opened a briefcase of their own in turn.
"Excellent," Tomax said, "We'll take it."
"We trust you will find the transaction to your satisfaction," Xamot added.
It was time to act. The moment was right. Cover Girl looked to Clutch and nodded, sending him the silent signal he had been waiting for. Still hunched low in the passenger seat, Clutch reached down for his walkie talkie and turned it on. As he put it to his mouth and prepared to utter the signal for Scarlett's team to move into action, he suddenly heard a loud car engine's roar.
Both he and Cover Girl poked their heads above the dashboard in alarm. A second car was racing down the street at high velocity. Its headlights were turned on high. In a split second, Clutch saw an assault rifle protruding from the rear passenger window. It was aimed straight at them.
"Get down!" Clutch hissed. Instinctively, he grabbed Cover Girl and yanked her down toward his side of the car, trying to bring her as low as possible and out of sight of their assailants. The listening equipment and the headphones bounced harmlessly onto the floor of their car as rapid gunfire bore down on their position.
It was a driveby shooting, and Clutch and Cover Girl were the unhappy targets. The bullets pierced the windshield, then the door on Cover Girl's side of the car. The sound of gunfire, breaking glass, and tearing metal erupted in the calm night. Clutch shut his eyes, praying for the madness to end. The five-second burst of fire seemed like an eternity. In that eternity, Clutch was able to process what had just happened. Somehow, Cobra had known that the Joes would attempt a raid on the Zimmer home, and they had been prepared. The second car of Cobra troops lay in wait in ambush. It had been a setup from the very beginning.
Still keeping his eyes shut, Clutch yelled into the walkie talkie, "Scarlett, we're under attack! Help us!"
The second car came to a screeching halt, ten yards away, having overshot Cover Girl and Clutch. Clutch opened his eyes. He listened and heard the sound of four doors opening. Four enemies. Cover Girl was nearly lying on top of him.
"Cover Girl, they're coming," Clutch whispered. He looked down and saw with horror that while he had not been hit, Cover Girl had been shot up very badly.
Cover Girl moaned in pain.
"Clutch…" she gasped with great effort. Clutch, trying to stay as low as possible, gently pushed Cover Girl off of him. The walkie talkie came to life again. Clutch heard Scarlett's voice.
"Clutch," Scarlett said, the strain in her voice evincing the obvious fact that she and her teammates were running toward the scene as fast as they could, "talk to me!"
Clutch tucked the walkie talkie into his shirt pocket and felt for the passenger door. He could see that Cover Girl was in no shape to fight. From what he could tell, Cover Girl had received bullet wounds to both of her thighs, her lower left abdomen, her left shoulder, and her head. A bullet had evidently grazed Cover Girl's left temple. One of her leg wounds was bleeding particularly badly. She needed a med evac, and soon.
But the enemy was seconds away. Clutch picked up one of Cover Girl's hands and pressed it on her wounded thigh to slow down the flow of blood.
"Put pressure on it," Clutch whispered fiercely in her ear, hoping that Cover Girl was in possession of enough of her mental faculties to understand his instructions.
The door was open, and Clutch was ready to exit the car, holding pistol in hand. At that moment, a dark form appeared in the driver's window. It was one of the enemy soldiers. Clutch immediately squeezed off two rounds at him, dropping him to the ground in agony. He tumbled backwards out of the car on the passenger's side, just in time to see a second enemy approaching from the rear. Clutch turned on the enemy and fired at him. He did not hit him, but he did send the enemy in retreat, presumably to regroup and re- attack.
Clutch had no idea what the situation was. There were three left from the second car. In addition, he had no idea what was going on inside the house, with Zimmer, Tomax, Xamot, and the other two Cobras. His position was compromised and vulnerable.
"We're in deep shit here," Clutch yelled into his walkie talkie, "Get over here fast!"
Moments later, Clutch heard more yells and gunfire. He heard Scarlett's voice, ordering Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye, and Rock 'N Roll to attack Clutch's assailants. Clutch moved around toward the front of the car to get a view of the situation.
Scarlett and her team was situated further down the street, using parked cars and trees as cover to fire on the three Cobras from the second car, who were now forced to use their own car as cover. From Clutch's position, he immediately saw that he did not have a shot on those three Cobras. While he stopped for a moment to figure out his next move, he saw the five men emerge from the house.
From across the street, Clutch immediately opened fire on the two Crimson Guardsmen, who were in the lead. Clutch dropped one of them, but the other dove to the ground and returned fire with an Uzi, forcing Clutch to duck behind his car in order to avoid getting hit by the spray of bullets. The Guardsman emptied an entire clip. When Clutch looked up, he saw the second Guardsman charging his position, firing a handgun at him. Clutch reacted instantly and fired at him simultaneously. A bullet whizzed past Clutch's head, missing by inches. But Clutch's own bullets had not missed, and the second Guardsman lay dead on the middle of the street. Meanwhile, Zimmer and the Crimson Twins were quickly getting into the first car.
"Zimmer!" Clutch cried out, as if in challenge. Zimmer instinctively, almost in spite of himself, turned toward Clutch at the sound of that familiar name. And at that moment, Clutch knew the truth. This was the man who had murdered his relatives and so many other Jews at Auschwitz. This was the man who had laughed in the face of truth and right, and who had evaded justice for nearly fifty years. And as the two men, for just a split second, locked eyes, Clutch knew that he might never have this opportunity again. Was this perhaps his once in a lifetime chance to bring a small measure of peace to the angry souls of an entire generation?
Zimmer quickly got into the car, the engine started, and the tires squealed in protest as the car lurched forward, then in reverse, away from the firefight that was still taking place between Scarlett's team and the three trapped Cobra soldiers. Clutch ran around to the driver's side, yanked the door open, and hurled himself into the car. One hand was on the steering wheel and the other was on the key to the ignition. Clutch hoped that the car would still start and run. Just as he was about to turn the key, he suddenly remembered the woman slumped over on the seat next to him.
The choice was clear, unequivocal, and once made, irrevocable. There was not a second to lose. He could go after Zimmer and hope that Cover Girl didn't die on him. Alternatively, he could forget Zimmer, help Scarlett's team defeat the remaining troops, and try to help Cover Girl.
And as the two of them looked into each other's eyes in a moment of eternal and wordless understanding, Clutch knew in his heart that his decision had been made. His choice had been made irrevocably for him by the glassy eyes looking into his own. He was her only hope at this moment, and they both knew it. Cover Girl was bleeding heavily and weakening by the minute. Cover Girl's breathing came in heavy, intermittent rasps. Her hands were soaked in her own blood. She could die if she did not receive medical attention soon. Yet something in her eyes let him know that if he chose to go after Zimmer and pursue their mission and duty, she would not blame him. Cover Girl was ready and willing to sacrifice her life, just so Clutch could complete the mission. And perhaps she was ready to do it all the more because she understood just how much it meant to him.
Clutch shut his eyes and withdrew his hand from the ignition key.
"I won't leave you," he said firmly and with resolution. Clutch glanced at the back seat and noted that they did not have any bandages of any kind. Without hesitation, he took off his shirt and swiftly ripped it to shreds. The one wound on her thigh was the one that called for immediate attention. Clutch removed Cover Girl's bloodied hands from the wound just long enough to wrap the strips of cloth of his shirt around her leg. The field dressing was good and true. With any luck, it would hold up long enough to save Cover Girl from bleeding to death. If he had the time or the right, he would have said a prayer.
Cover Girl looked at Clutch and nodded weakly at him, as if to thank him. Clutch smiled. He turned his attention to the firefight still raging on the street.
Just as Clutch got out of the car to join the fight, he heard Lady Jaye yell out, "Grenades!"
Seconds later, all four of the Joes, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye, and Rock 'N Roll hurled grenades at the Cobras hiding behind their car. Clutch hastily armed a grenade of his own and lobbed it at the enemy car for good measure. Rock 'N Roll opened up with a heavy and prolonged burst of suppressing heavy machine gun fire at the car. The explosion rocked the whole block with its tremendous loudness and violence, and Clutch saw a Cobra soldier's charred body flying toward him through the air, landing a few yards away from his car.
The battle was over. Clutch looked around and saw many lights on in the houses up and down the block, and the silhouettes of alarmed residents looking on.
"It's all right," he yelled, "We're members of the United States Army."
Scarlett and the other Joes ran toward Clutch, who was standing just outside of the car.
"Clutch!" Lady Jaye called to him, out of breath, "what happened? Are you all right? Where's Cover Girl?"
The wailing of police sirens could now be heard. The authorities would be here in moments.
"She's wounded. She needs to get to a hospital ASAP," Clutch informed her. Lady Jaye and Scarlett looked in through the open driver's door and saw Cover Girl on the verge of unconsciousness. They understood the situation immediately.
As Scarlett walked toward the approaching police cars, her military ID in hand, Clutch climbed back into the car and sat next to Cover Girl. He took her bloodied hand in his own and squeezed her hand tightly, trying to comfort her in any way he could.
"It's over now," Clutch said softly to Cover Girl, not knowing for sure if she could hear him or not, "you're going to be fine. Everything's going to be just fine…"
* * *
One week later, Cover Girl lay in a hospital in upstate New York, recovering from her injuries. She had survived the battle and for several days, she had been in critical condition. Now that her condition had stabilized, Cover Girl's teammates could visit her. Clutch, Scarlett, Lady Jaye, Snake Eyes, and Rock 'N Roll all came together to see how Cover Girl was doing.
Although she was weakened somewhat and covered with bandages for her wounded areas, Cover Girl was able to speak with her friends. She felt so grateful to her friends for caring so much about her wellbeing, but most of all, she felt indebted to Clutch, who had sacrificed the mission along with his own personal interest, in order to save her life.
"Go on, I'll meet you outside in a few minutes," Clutch said to Scarlett and the others as they turned to leave. Scarlett looked at Clutch and nodded, motioning for Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye, and Rock 'N Roll to join her outside in the hall.
Clutch and Cover Girl were now alone together once again.
"Thank you," Cover Girl said, "for saving my life."
Clutch smiled and shrugged. "You're welcome," he said. "I'm your knight in shining armor now, ain't I?"
Cover Girl smiled at Clutch's wry remark.
"I'm so sorry," Cover Girl whispered.
"For what?"
"It's because of me that we failed our mission."
"No," Clutch said, pulling up a chair to Cover Girl's bedside, "it's not your fault. Anyway, there will be other Zimmers, other briefcases to recover, in the future. There always will be. And we'll always have a chance to be there and try to stop the bad guys."
Clutch leaned in closer to Cover Girl and locked eyes with her.
"But I only had one chance to save your life. And all that stuff we think is so important—I'd give it all up if it meant having that one chance."
Cover Girl smiled tenderly at him. She reached a hand toward him, and Clutch took that slender hand in his own. For a moment, they clasped hands, and Clutch closed his eyes, savoring the moment, memorizing again the feel of her hand. The warmth of this hand reminded him that life still coursed through the owner's veins, and that alone was a comfort and a consolation to him.
"I'm going to be here for a while," Cover Girl said, "Come back and visit me. Will you?"
She hardly needed to ask.
For the next month, whenever Clutch got off duty for any extended period of time, he would drive up to the hospital where Cover Girl was staying. He always brought flowers, the same types of flowers he had surreptitiously given Cover Girl when he had been too afraid to be open with her about his feelings.
Cover Girl would smile knowingly and say, "Ah, today it's roses," if Clutch happened to bring in roses that day. Clutch in turn would pretend not to notice the subtext behind Cover Girl's greeting, and the subtle way she was teasing him.
Their feelings toward one another remained unspoken. In the hours that they spent alone together in that hospital room, Clutch and Cover Girl would share their lives and dreams.
"So why did you join the army? I never understood how you could go from fashion modeling to driving tanks. It just sounds kinda… strange."
"I guess I felt I needed some kind of new direction in my life," Cover Girl replied. "All my life, people around me have judged me on my appearance. I looked good on a magazine cover, and so everyone loved me. They all wanted a piece of me. My parents thought I was on the road to everlasting success and fame. I was going to be famous. Years down the road, people would see my face and remember the days when it was splashed on magazines and television screens all over the country. It seems that is what gives a life value, isn't it? Being famous? Doing something that people will remember you for? When you're dead and gone, that's all you have left… that's the mark you leave behind… how people remember you, if they even remember you at all. I was always afraid that I would die forgotten and unnoticed. I wanted to be noticed.
"But it was an empty feeling. I reached the top of the industry. I was a cover girl, rolling in the dough, and men were falling in love with me left and right. I had gotten what I wanted, and yet it was not enough. I couldn't escape the feeling that something was missing. The success and the fame were empty pleasures. I thought I was happy. I thought I knew what happiness meant, but I was wrong. All the people who loved me—they never knew the real me. They only cared about the way I looked. They never took the time to understand me… to really listen to me with their hearts.
"That's why I wanted to do something to change my life. I was somebody famous, somebody important. I wanted to turn the other way and become nobody. There's nothing better than the army to submerge your individuality. That's why I enlisted. I became anonymous. And I started to like the feeling that I could do something good for others and not just myself. I started to enjoy the feeling that I was doing something from within myself, rather than just letting my looks do the work. I had something to prove. Maybe I still do."
"Something to prove?" Clutch asked.
"Prove that I have something meaningful to offer to the world," Cover Girl finished.
"Wow," Clutch said, smiling.
"What do you mean? What is it?"
"Oh, nothing, just a thought I had," Clutch said shyly.
"Come on," Cover Girl said, "I just told you my life story. I think I'm entitled to a little something here."
"Well, it's just this," Clutch said, looking into her luminous eyes. "I always knew there was a beautiful person under that pretty face of yours."
Cover Girl smiled and felt her heart skip a beat. That was about as deep a sentiment as she was ever likely to get out of her onetime chauvinist arch nemesis, and she was touched. It was just another one of the many times that this man had touched her heart.
"Clutch," Cover Girl said, gesturing for him to draw nearer to her, "come closer. I have something to tell you."
As Clutch leaned in closer to Cover Girl, he was surprised as she put a hand behind his head and drew his face toward her own. Their lips touched gently. Clutch looked into her eyes and saw infinite softness and something that he now joyously perceived for the first time. They both closed their eyes and gradually deepened their kiss. And as Clutch tremulously held Cover Girl as he had long dreamed of holding her and felt her wondrous arms holding him close over the hospital bed rail, a powerful, radiant, pulsating thought ran through his mind.
She loves me
She loves me
She loves me
And at that moment, Clutch believed in his heart for the first time that dreams really do come true…
The soul of Scarlett had now seen all of this with her own eyes.
"Are you beginning to see the pattern here? First, your father, then Snake Eyes, now Clutch and Cover Girl."
The angel Clara said this to Scarlett as they stood at the far end of the bed, watching Clutch and Cover Girl share their kiss of true love.
"I don't know about that," Scarlett said, a little skeptical. "I'm sure they would have gotten together eventually without my doing anything. It doesn't seem like I really had anything to do with it."
All the same, Scarlett did admit her fascination with the romance that had just unfolded before her eyes. Was it really possible that she had helped such a beautiful thing come about?
The hospital room with Clutch and Cover Girl gradually faded out of view, and the scene now transferred back to the Pit. And Scarlett saw that she was no longer in a hospital room in 1993. Now she was in the G.I. JOE headquarters, and the year was 1985. Scarlett and Clara now saw the 1985 Scarlett and Grunt together, going over some business and being interrupted by the arrival of two new Joes, Ripcord and Lady Jaye.
"Hold it right there, you two," Scarlett pointed at the two newcomers, "you just wandered into a restricted installation, and you're in more trouble than you want to know about! You better have some healthy ID!"
"My ID's pretty healthy," Lady Jaye said in an equally confrontational tone, putting her hands on her hips and facing off with Scarlett.
"Care to see it?" Lady Jaye said.
"ASAP."
"I just changed my mind."
"Why you little—" Scarlett burst out indignantly, before Ripcord broke in, explaining that Lady Jaye could get a little "uppity" every now and then.
"Uppity?" Lady Jaye scoffed. "I just don't like this tawdry redhead's attitude, that's all!"
Scarlett's eyes opened wide with even more indignation. Why, she was ready to strangle this impetuous upstart, she was so incredibly pissed!
"TAWDRY?"
As the ghost of Scarlett stood by with her guardian angel, she knew what was coming. To tell the truth, she wasn't completely sure she wanted to relive the whole thing, as there were many moments of mutual animosity between her and Lady Jaye. But there was no turning back now.
A new story would be told…
"Clutch?" Cover Girl said incredulously, in a low voice so as not to disturb the neighbors down the hall.
Clutch stood in front of her dumbly, fumbling for something to say.
"Hi Cover Girl, I… uh…"
Talk about the letdown of the century. This unkempt, abrasive-mannered, all-around repellent piece of pond scum was her admirer? What sort of horrible offense had she committed to deserve such an indignity? The more Cover Girl contemplated the stuttering buffoon standing in front of her, holding the red rose for her, the angrier she grew. It was all she could do to keep herself from shouting at him right then and there.
Cover Girl looked both ways down the hall to make sure no one was observing them.
"Get in," she hissed to Clutch, yanking him by the collar and shoving him into her quarters. She shut the door.
"You heartless son of a bitch," Cover Girl cried as the door shut behind her. She roughly pushed him onto the chair she had been sitting in for the last few hours before the hapless admirer could even get a word in.
"I get flowers on my door all month. I get notes telling me how wonderful I am. I'm left guessing who my admirer could possibly be. And after a whole month, to find out it's YOU—that it's just some jerk, who doesn't even care about me at all—playing some kind of cruel joke on me! I have feelings too, you asshole! Did you ever stop to think about that before you decided to try your mind game out on me?"
Cover Girl, pacing in front of a bewildered and stunned Clutch, began to cry. She was positively mortified that she was crying in front of her hated teammate, but she couldn't help it. Her feelings were hurt. It wasn't that she was disappointed in the identity of her admirer, but she had at least thought the sentiments were genuine and heartfelt. Her heart had been touched, and now it felt like someone had poured a bucket of frigid water over it. She put her hands up to her face and attempted to curb her tears, but within seconds, her walls broke down, and she began sobbing uncontrollably.
"But I—but I did mean it," Clutch said, "I love you, Cover Girl. Maybe I always have and never even knew it."
Cover Girl, still sobbing, looked at him. Their eyes met.
"I was trying to show you how I felt about you but couldn't tell you face to face. I was afraid. I thought I'd try to soften you up a little. And the longer I went on giving you these flowers, the more afraid I was to say something."
Cover Girl was again surprised. She never thought she would hear Clutch professing love for her. Cover Girl never thought of Clutch as the kind of person to have tender feelings for anyone, and she felt as if she was seeing him in a new light.
"I'm sorry for all the times I teased you," Clutch said, getting up and walking toward her. Cover Girl stared at him, wide eyed, as he held the rose out for her to take. Slowly and hesitantly, Cover Girl reached a hand forward and accepted the rose. She wasn't sure what to say. So she said nothing.
"I'm trying to turn over a new leaf, Cover Girl. I'd really like for us to be friends. When I look at you, I see a kind and gentle woman. We've been together in G.I. JOE for a long time now. I've seen how you are with your friends, like Scarlett, how nice and considerate you are with them. I just hoped things could be more like that between you and me."
Clutch turned toward the door. "I hope it's not too late."
Clutch's voice was beginning to falter. He needed to get out now.
"Clutch," Cover Girl stopped him.
"You love me?" Cover Girl said.
Clutch shrugged, embarrassed, and nodded.
"I don't know what to say…" Cover Girl said.
"If you don't feel the same way, it's all right," Clutch said. But Cover Girl could see him bracing for disappointment. The look on his face was one of sadness.
"Well, I better go," Clutch said. "Good night."
Without another moment's hesitation, Clutch opened the door and made his exit, leaving Cover Girl behind in her room, alone with the flower, thinking about the things he had just said to her.
* * *
"He is known only by the moniker Rouge."
General Hawk's words echoed through Clutch's mind as he sat alone in the conference room the next day. After asking for Hawk's permission, Clutch had obtained the grainy, ambiguous photo of this man and now inspected it. He laid it on the smooth table and got up, pacing around the room. He couldn't shake the vague, persistent feeling that he had seen this man's face before, perhaps in an earlier photograph.
"Rouge, Rouge," Clutch said, turning the man's code name over and over in his mind. He was certain that his memory held the secret of this man's identity. Who was this man who had been able to erase his identity well enough to infiltrate secret government laboratories and steal information and materials?
But the mind is a curious and frustrating thing, and it often refuses to yield the buried secret, no matter how desperately we pore through its dark recesses. Clutch had no clue.
The door opened, and Cover Girl came into the conference room. She hesitated at the door for a moment, debating whether she should enter.
"What is it?" Clutch said, not looking.
"Clutch," Cover Girl said.
Clutch jumped in his seat in surprise at the sound of Cover Girl's voice, and he turned around to face her.
"Cover Girl?"
He didn't know how to talk to her now, especially after last night's awkward episode. The cat was out of the bag now. Cover Girl knew that he loved her, and her response had not been terribly encouraging. How could he work with her again, knowing that there was a new emotional barrier that stood between them? It was an unspoken wall that pretended not to exist, but Clutch and Cover Girl knew better.
"I just want to say I'm sorry for the way I acted last night," Cover Girl said in a soft tone. "I didn't think you were serious at first and I yelled at you. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, don't be sorry," Clutch said.
"It's just that we've hardly ever said anything genuinely nice to each other in ten years," Cover Girl said. "I was really shocked. Maybe I was even a little scared, too. It was all so sudden."
Clutch looked at her and said nothing.
"Thank you for the flowers and everything," Cover Girl smiled shyly, holding out her hand. "We can still be friends, right? It's not too late, is it?"
"No," Clutch said, extending a hand. The two of them shook hands warmly. "It's not too late."
Clutch did not fail to notice how soft and warm Cover Girl's hand was. It was a sensation that he wanted to absorb and store up, and he regretted that he could not hold onto Cover Girl's hand longer. He wanted to squeeze her hand in affection but forced himself to suppress the urge.
"That's good," Cover Girl smiled, taking a seat next to Clutch. She joined him in contemplating the old black and white photo. "We're going to be teamed up again this time."
"Really?" Clutch said in surprise. Secretly, he was pleased to be paired with Cover Girl on this upcoming mission. Just being near her and knowing she was safe, was a comfort to him. They had worked together many times over the years, and this would be no different.
Tomorrow, the meeting between Rouge and Cobra would take place near the Hudson River. It was a suburban location, so only a select few Cobra agents would be there, in order to avoid drawing too much attention. It would be a small operation, and Scarlett would be in command. Clutch and Cover Girl would stake out the known exchange site, and when the time was right, they would alert Scarlett. Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye, and Rock 'N Roll would move in from hiding, several blocks away. With any luck, they would take the Cobra agents by surprise, capture Rouge, and prevent the transfer. It would be a delicate affair.
Clutch looked into the eyes of this wonderful woman, who in some ways was as much of a mystery to him as the man called Rouge.
"It will be a piece of cake," he said.
* * *
In the darkness, Clutch and Cover Girl sat in the car across the street from the house they were assigned for surveillance.
Crouched in the driver's seat, Cover Girl tried to stay as low as possible in her seat so as not to be seen. A large tree near the curb of the street offered a great deal of shade for the two Joes. It was nearly time for the appointed nighttime meeting between the mysterious spy and the Cobra agents. Cover Girl felt a butterfly in her stomach as she anticipated the event with some anxiety. She peered through her binoculars at the house. The lights were on, but the window shades were drawn. They could see nothing. As far as she could tell, Rouge was the only man home.
"How do you like driving?" Clutch asked softly, with a hint of irony in his voice.
Cover Girl smiled with exasperation. Usually, Clutch was the one who always drove, but on this occasion, he deferred to Cover Girl. Actually, he insisted on taking shotgun this time.
"Why should I have to drive all the time? Why is it that men always do the driving? Maybe we shouldn't be so sexist, huh?" Clutch had said during their preparations back at Headquarters.
"I feel so empowered now, Clutch," Cover Girl whispered sarcastically. "Thank you for being such a gentleman."
Cover Girl peered down the street and saw a pair of headlights looming in the distance.
"Someone's coming. It could be the Cobras we've been waiting for," she said.
"Give me the binoculars," Clutch said, taking the binoculars from Cover Girl and looking at the house. The window shade pulled up, and for the first time, Clutch had a good look at the man's face.
"Son of a bitch," Clutch muttered in surprise as a tremendous realization dawned on him.
"What is it?"
"I know this guy," Clutch whispered, leaning in closer toward Cover Girl's side of the car.
Many years ago, when Clutch had been a teenager, his grandmother had shown him a black and white photograph of a man. His name was Klaus Zimmer, and he had been a Nazi guard at the Auschwitz concentration camp.
"He killed my parents and my brother," his grandmother told him. "Beat them and shot them. When he was through, he was laughing, as if it was all for sport."
Lance Steinberg's grandmother put a hand on his own.
"Lance," she said, "I saw it happen with my own eyes. I was there. He's a war criminal. He has never been brought to justice. I like to think that I would never wish evil on any man, but when I see this picture, sometimes I doubt my own heart. There is so much anger, so much pain..."
The frail elderly woman traced a thin finger on the borders of the photograph. He looked young, but he had the same thin mustache. The same hair. The same intense pair of eyes.
Clutch felt a tug on his arm, and he turned to face Cover Girl.
"Who? Who is he?"
"His name is Zimmer. He's an old Nazi war criminal," Clutch said, grabbing Cover Girl and trying to pull her lower in order to avoid being seen by the oncoming car. The car pulled to a stop on the opposite side of the street, not more than twenty yards away from their position under the tree.
Clutch's face assumed a grim and hardened expression. Cover Girl had never seen him look so intense and passionate before.
"He killed some of my family members at Auschwitz."
Cover Girl was shocked. She had no idea what to say. Knowing little about Clutch's personal history, this little revelation about his family's links to the Holocaust was an eye-opener. Suddenly, this was more than just another job or mission. In Clutch's eyes, the mission had elevated itself to the status of moral duty. His heart burned with anger and hatred. He could envision his deceased grandmother looking on the scene now, watching with high expectations that he, Lance Steinberg, would complete his duty and bring a just resolution to the unclosed book on his murdered relatives.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive," Clutch answered evenly.
Cover Girl raised herself a little and peered out the driver's side again with her binoculars. She turned her attention to the front door of the house, which now opened.
The man named Klaus Zimmer appeared, his face half-concealed in shadows. Four men dressed in navy blue suits strolled up the front door.
"What do we do now?" Cover Girl asked nervously.
"We stick to the plan. The moment must be perfect."
"I'm worried about you," Cover Girl now said as she put down the binoculars and reached down for the portable eavesdropping equipment they had brought along. She carefully maneuvered the small, long-range microphone into a suitable position protruding just a little bit out of the driver's window and angled it toward the house.
"That's something new. You, worried about me. Who would have thought it," Clutch said with a laugh.
"What, you don't think I care about you?"
Clutch did not answer that question. He said nothing and only looked back into her eyes.
"Friends are friends," Cover Girl said. "And I'm worried, as a friend, that you're too close to this."
Clutch understood that Cover Girl was concerned that he would allow his personal feelings interfere with the mission at hand. He shook his head.
"Come on, you know me better than that. I'm a complete pro," Clutch said as Cover Girl fumbled for an earphone, plugged it into the eavesdropping machine, and listened in on the conversation taking place inside the house.
After a few moments, Cover Girl said, "Tomax and Xamot are definitely here. And two other guys I don't recognize."
"Could be Crimson Guardsmen," Clutch suggested.
Inside the house, Klaus Zimmer opened a briefcase for the Crimson Twins. One of them opened a briefcase of their own in turn.
"Excellent," Tomax said, "We'll take it."
"We trust you will find the transaction to your satisfaction," Xamot added.
It was time to act. The moment was right. Cover Girl looked to Clutch and nodded, sending him the silent signal he had been waiting for. Still hunched low in the passenger seat, Clutch reached down for his walkie talkie and turned it on. As he put it to his mouth and prepared to utter the signal for Scarlett's team to move into action, he suddenly heard a loud car engine's roar.
Both he and Cover Girl poked their heads above the dashboard in alarm. A second car was racing down the street at high velocity. Its headlights were turned on high. In a split second, Clutch saw an assault rifle protruding from the rear passenger window. It was aimed straight at them.
"Get down!" Clutch hissed. Instinctively, he grabbed Cover Girl and yanked her down toward his side of the car, trying to bring her as low as possible and out of sight of their assailants. The listening equipment and the headphones bounced harmlessly onto the floor of their car as rapid gunfire bore down on their position.
It was a driveby shooting, and Clutch and Cover Girl were the unhappy targets. The bullets pierced the windshield, then the door on Cover Girl's side of the car. The sound of gunfire, breaking glass, and tearing metal erupted in the calm night. Clutch shut his eyes, praying for the madness to end. The five-second burst of fire seemed like an eternity. In that eternity, Clutch was able to process what had just happened. Somehow, Cobra had known that the Joes would attempt a raid on the Zimmer home, and they had been prepared. The second car of Cobra troops lay in wait in ambush. It had been a setup from the very beginning.
Still keeping his eyes shut, Clutch yelled into the walkie talkie, "Scarlett, we're under attack! Help us!"
The second car came to a screeching halt, ten yards away, having overshot Cover Girl and Clutch. Clutch opened his eyes. He listened and heard the sound of four doors opening. Four enemies. Cover Girl was nearly lying on top of him.
"Cover Girl, they're coming," Clutch whispered. He looked down and saw with horror that while he had not been hit, Cover Girl had been shot up very badly.
Cover Girl moaned in pain.
"Clutch…" she gasped with great effort. Clutch, trying to stay as low as possible, gently pushed Cover Girl off of him. The walkie talkie came to life again. Clutch heard Scarlett's voice.
"Clutch," Scarlett said, the strain in her voice evincing the obvious fact that she and her teammates were running toward the scene as fast as they could, "talk to me!"
Clutch tucked the walkie talkie into his shirt pocket and felt for the passenger door. He could see that Cover Girl was in no shape to fight. From what he could tell, Cover Girl had received bullet wounds to both of her thighs, her lower left abdomen, her left shoulder, and her head. A bullet had evidently grazed Cover Girl's left temple. One of her leg wounds was bleeding particularly badly. She needed a med evac, and soon.
But the enemy was seconds away. Clutch picked up one of Cover Girl's hands and pressed it on her wounded thigh to slow down the flow of blood.
"Put pressure on it," Clutch whispered fiercely in her ear, hoping that Cover Girl was in possession of enough of her mental faculties to understand his instructions.
The door was open, and Clutch was ready to exit the car, holding pistol in hand. At that moment, a dark form appeared in the driver's window. It was one of the enemy soldiers. Clutch immediately squeezed off two rounds at him, dropping him to the ground in agony. He tumbled backwards out of the car on the passenger's side, just in time to see a second enemy approaching from the rear. Clutch turned on the enemy and fired at him. He did not hit him, but he did send the enemy in retreat, presumably to regroup and re- attack.
Clutch had no idea what the situation was. There were three left from the second car. In addition, he had no idea what was going on inside the house, with Zimmer, Tomax, Xamot, and the other two Cobras. His position was compromised and vulnerable.
"We're in deep shit here," Clutch yelled into his walkie talkie, "Get over here fast!"
Moments later, Clutch heard more yells and gunfire. He heard Scarlett's voice, ordering Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye, and Rock 'N Roll to attack Clutch's assailants. Clutch moved around toward the front of the car to get a view of the situation.
Scarlett and her team was situated further down the street, using parked cars and trees as cover to fire on the three Cobras from the second car, who were now forced to use their own car as cover. From Clutch's position, he immediately saw that he did not have a shot on those three Cobras. While he stopped for a moment to figure out his next move, he saw the five men emerge from the house.
From across the street, Clutch immediately opened fire on the two Crimson Guardsmen, who were in the lead. Clutch dropped one of them, but the other dove to the ground and returned fire with an Uzi, forcing Clutch to duck behind his car in order to avoid getting hit by the spray of bullets. The Guardsman emptied an entire clip. When Clutch looked up, he saw the second Guardsman charging his position, firing a handgun at him. Clutch reacted instantly and fired at him simultaneously. A bullet whizzed past Clutch's head, missing by inches. But Clutch's own bullets had not missed, and the second Guardsman lay dead on the middle of the street. Meanwhile, Zimmer and the Crimson Twins were quickly getting into the first car.
"Zimmer!" Clutch cried out, as if in challenge. Zimmer instinctively, almost in spite of himself, turned toward Clutch at the sound of that familiar name. And at that moment, Clutch knew the truth. This was the man who had murdered his relatives and so many other Jews at Auschwitz. This was the man who had laughed in the face of truth and right, and who had evaded justice for nearly fifty years. And as the two men, for just a split second, locked eyes, Clutch knew that he might never have this opportunity again. Was this perhaps his once in a lifetime chance to bring a small measure of peace to the angry souls of an entire generation?
Zimmer quickly got into the car, the engine started, and the tires squealed in protest as the car lurched forward, then in reverse, away from the firefight that was still taking place between Scarlett's team and the three trapped Cobra soldiers. Clutch ran around to the driver's side, yanked the door open, and hurled himself into the car. One hand was on the steering wheel and the other was on the key to the ignition. Clutch hoped that the car would still start and run. Just as he was about to turn the key, he suddenly remembered the woman slumped over on the seat next to him.
The choice was clear, unequivocal, and once made, irrevocable. There was not a second to lose. He could go after Zimmer and hope that Cover Girl didn't die on him. Alternatively, he could forget Zimmer, help Scarlett's team defeat the remaining troops, and try to help Cover Girl.
And as the two of them looked into each other's eyes in a moment of eternal and wordless understanding, Clutch knew in his heart that his decision had been made. His choice had been made irrevocably for him by the glassy eyes looking into his own. He was her only hope at this moment, and they both knew it. Cover Girl was bleeding heavily and weakening by the minute. Cover Girl's breathing came in heavy, intermittent rasps. Her hands were soaked in her own blood. She could die if she did not receive medical attention soon. Yet something in her eyes let him know that if he chose to go after Zimmer and pursue their mission and duty, she would not blame him. Cover Girl was ready and willing to sacrifice her life, just so Clutch could complete the mission. And perhaps she was ready to do it all the more because she understood just how much it meant to him.
Clutch shut his eyes and withdrew his hand from the ignition key.
"I won't leave you," he said firmly and with resolution. Clutch glanced at the back seat and noted that they did not have any bandages of any kind. Without hesitation, he took off his shirt and swiftly ripped it to shreds. The one wound on her thigh was the one that called for immediate attention. Clutch removed Cover Girl's bloodied hands from the wound just long enough to wrap the strips of cloth of his shirt around her leg. The field dressing was good and true. With any luck, it would hold up long enough to save Cover Girl from bleeding to death. If he had the time or the right, he would have said a prayer.
Cover Girl looked at Clutch and nodded weakly at him, as if to thank him. Clutch smiled. He turned his attention to the firefight still raging on the street.
Just as Clutch got out of the car to join the fight, he heard Lady Jaye yell out, "Grenades!"
Seconds later, all four of the Joes, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye, and Rock 'N Roll hurled grenades at the Cobras hiding behind their car. Clutch hastily armed a grenade of his own and lobbed it at the enemy car for good measure. Rock 'N Roll opened up with a heavy and prolonged burst of suppressing heavy machine gun fire at the car. The explosion rocked the whole block with its tremendous loudness and violence, and Clutch saw a Cobra soldier's charred body flying toward him through the air, landing a few yards away from his car.
The battle was over. Clutch looked around and saw many lights on in the houses up and down the block, and the silhouettes of alarmed residents looking on.
"It's all right," he yelled, "We're members of the United States Army."
Scarlett and the other Joes ran toward Clutch, who was standing just outside of the car.
"Clutch!" Lady Jaye called to him, out of breath, "what happened? Are you all right? Where's Cover Girl?"
The wailing of police sirens could now be heard. The authorities would be here in moments.
"She's wounded. She needs to get to a hospital ASAP," Clutch informed her. Lady Jaye and Scarlett looked in through the open driver's door and saw Cover Girl on the verge of unconsciousness. They understood the situation immediately.
As Scarlett walked toward the approaching police cars, her military ID in hand, Clutch climbed back into the car and sat next to Cover Girl. He took her bloodied hand in his own and squeezed her hand tightly, trying to comfort her in any way he could.
"It's over now," Clutch said softly to Cover Girl, not knowing for sure if she could hear him or not, "you're going to be fine. Everything's going to be just fine…"
* * *
One week later, Cover Girl lay in a hospital in upstate New York, recovering from her injuries. She had survived the battle and for several days, she had been in critical condition. Now that her condition had stabilized, Cover Girl's teammates could visit her. Clutch, Scarlett, Lady Jaye, Snake Eyes, and Rock 'N Roll all came together to see how Cover Girl was doing.
Although she was weakened somewhat and covered with bandages for her wounded areas, Cover Girl was able to speak with her friends. She felt so grateful to her friends for caring so much about her wellbeing, but most of all, she felt indebted to Clutch, who had sacrificed the mission along with his own personal interest, in order to save her life.
"Go on, I'll meet you outside in a few minutes," Clutch said to Scarlett and the others as they turned to leave. Scarlett looked at Clutch and nodded, motioning for Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye, and Rock 'N Roll to join her outside in the hall.
Clutch and Cover Girl were now alone together once again.
"Thank you," Cover Girl said, "for saving my life."
Clutch smiled and shrugged. "You're welcome," he said. "I'm your knight in shining armor now, ain't I?"
Cover Girl smiled at Clutch's wry remark.
"I'm so sorry," Cover Girl whispered.
"For what?"
"It's because of me that we failed our mission."
"No," Clutch said, pulling up a chair to Cover Girl's bedside, "it's not your fault. Anyway, there will be other Zimmers, other briefcases to recover, in the future. There always will be. And we'll always have a chance to be there and try to stop the bad guys."
Clutch leaned in closer to Cover Girl and locked eyes with her.
"But I only had one chance to save your life. And all that stuff we think is so important—I'd give it all up if it meant having that one chance."
Cover Girl smiled tenderly at him. She reached a hand toward him, and Clutch took that slender hand in his own. For a moment, they clasped hands, and Clutch closed his eyes, savoring the moment, memorizing again the feel of her hand. The warmth of this hand reminded him that life still coursed through the owner's veins, and that alone was a comfort and a consolation to him.
"I'm going to be here for a while," Cover Girl said, "Come back and visit me. Will you?"
She hardly needed to ask.
For the next month, whenever Clutch got off duty for any extended period of time, he would drive up to the hospital where Cover Girl was staying. He always brought flowers, the same types of flowers he had surreptitiously given Cover Girl when he had been too afraid to be open with her about his feelings.
Cover Girl would smile knowingly and say, "Ah, today it's roses," if Clutch happened to bring in roses that day. Clutch in turn would pretend not to notice the subtext behind Cover Girl's greeting, and the subtle way she was teasing him.
Their feelings toward one another remained unspoken. In the hours that they spent alone together in that hospital room, Clutch and Cover Girl would share their lives and dreams.
"So why did you join the army? I never understood how you could go from fashion modeling to driving tanks. It just sounds kinda… strange."
"I guess I felt I needed some kind of new direction in my life," Cover Girl replied. "All my life, people around me have judged me on my appearance. I looked good on a magazine cover, and so everyone loved me. They all wanted a piece of me. My parents thought I was on the road to everlasting success and fame. I was going to be famous. Years down the road, people would see my face and remember the days when it was splashed on magazines and television screens all over the country. It seems that is what gives a life value, isn't it? Being famous? Doing something that people will remember you for? When you're dead and gone, that's all you have left… that's the mark you leave behind… how people remember you, if they even remember you at all. I was always afraid that I would die forgotten and unnoticed. I wanted to be noticed.
"But it was an empty feeling. I reached the top of the industry. I was a cover girl, rolling in the dough, and men were falling in love with me left and right. I had gotten what I wanted, and yet it was not enough. I couldn't escape the feeling that something was missing. The success and the fame were empty pleasures. I thought I was happy. I thought I knew what happiness meant, but I was wrong. All the people who loved me—they never knew the real me. They only cared about the way I looked. They never took the time to understand me… to really listen to me with their hearts.
"That's why I wanted to do something to change my life. I was somebody famous, somebody important. I wanted to turn the other way and become nobody. There's nothing better than the army to submerge your individuality. That's why I enlisted. I became anonymous. And I started to like the feeling that I could do something good for others and not just myself. I started to enjoy the feeling that I was doing something from within myself, rather than just letting my looks do the work. I had something to prove. Maybe I still do."
"Something to prove?" Clutch asked.
"Prove that I have something meaningful to offer to the world," Cover Girl finished.
"Wow," Clutch said, smiling.
"What do you mean? What is it?"
"Oh, nothing, just a thought I had," Clutch said shyly.
"Come on," Cover Girl said, "I just told you my life story. I think I'm entitled to a little something here."
"Well, it's just this," Clutch said, looking into her luminous eyes. "I always knew there was a beautiful person under that pretty face of yours."
Cover Girl smiled and felt her heart skip a beat. That was about as deep a sentiment as she was ever likely to get out of her onetime chauvinist arch nemesis, and she was touched. It was just another one of the many times that this man had touched her heart.
"Clutch," Cover Girl said, gesturing for him to draw nearer to her, "come closer. I have something to tell you."
As Clutch leaned in closer to Cover Girl, he was surprised as she put a hand behind his head and drew his face toward her own. Their lips touched gently. Clutch looked into her eyes and saw infinite softness and something that he now joyously perceived for the first time. They both closed their eyes and gradually deepened their kiss. And as Clutch tremulously held Cover Girl as he had long dreamed of holding her and felt her wondrous arms holding him close over the hospital bed rail, a powerful, radiant, pulsating thought ran through his mind.
She loves me
She loves me
She loves me
And at that moment, Clutch believed in his heart for the first time that dreams really do come true…
The soul of Scarlett had now seen all of this with her own eyes.
"Are you beginning to see the pattern here? First, your father, then Snake Eyes, now Clutch and Cover Girl."
The angel Clara said this to Scarlett as they stood at the far end of the bed, watching Clutch and Cover Girl share their kiss of true love.
"I don't know about that," Scarlett said, a little skeptical. "I'm sure they would have gotten together eventually without my doing anything. It doesn't seem like I really had anything to do with it."
All the same, Scarlett did admit her fascination with the romance that had just unfolded before her eyes. Was it really possible that she had helped such a beautiful thing come about?
The hospital room with Clutch and Cover Girl gradually faded out of view, and the scene now transferred back to the Pit. And Scarlett saw that she was no longer in a hospital room in 1993. Now she was in the G.I. JOE headquarters, and the year was 1985. Scarlett and Clara now saw the 1985 Scarlett and Grunt together, going over some business and being interrupted by the arrival of two new Joes, Ripcord and Lady Jaye.
"Hold it right there, you two," Scarlett pointed at the two newcomers, "you just wandered into a restricted installation, and you're in more trouble than you want to know about! You better have some healthy ID!"
"My ID's pretty healthy," Lady Jaye said in an equally confrontational tone, putting her hands on her hips and facing off with Scarlett.
"Care to see it?" Lady Jaye said.
"ASAP."
"I just changed my mind."
"Why you little—" Scarlett burst out indignantly, before Ripcord broke in, explaining that Lady Jaye could get a little "uppity" every now and then.
"Uppity?" Lady Jaye scoffed. "I just don't like this tawdry redhead's attitude, that's all!"
Scarlett's eyes opened wide with even more indignation. Why, she was ready to strangle this impetuous upstart, she was so incredibly pissed!
"TAWDRY?"
As the ghost of Scarlett stood by with her guardian angel, she knew what was coming. To tell the truth, she wasn't completely sure she wanted to relive the whole thing, as there were many moments of mutual animosity between her and Lady Jaye. But there was no turning back now.
A new story would be told…