Author's Note: Here is a summary in case you forgot what's happened. In
the present day, Scarlett lies in a hospital bed, on the brink of death,
after nearly being killed in a car crash during a battle with Cobra. As
she lies in bed, her guardian angel comes to show her key moments in her
relationships with various people in Scarlett's life: her father, Snake
Eyes, Clutch, Cover Girl, Lady Jaye, and Flint. We saw how Scarlett helped
bring Clutch and Cover Girl together, how she stopped Lady Jaye and Flint
from attempting to intervene and save Joes imprisoned in Borovia (storyline
from #61-66 of the Marvel comic), how she fell in love with Snake Eyes, who
left her behind (#27 Marvel, #1 Image), and how she saved the lives of
Stalker and Hawk while nearly sacrificing her own. Now, at last, Scarlett
is being shown what G.I. JOE would be like without her, and surprise, it's
pretty dark and intense so far.
* * *
Scarlett seemed to have lost her sense of time. She no longer felt certain as to whether she was in the past or present, or whether she was experiencing an elaborate fantasy or a true alternate reality. She did not even know if she existed in the world anymore.
But gradually, the tumultuous waves of time resolved into a faint set of images, sound, and sensation. Like a polaroid photo slowly developing on its own, the images flooding Scarlett's consciousness grew clearer.
Now, Scarlett felt herself thrown once more back in time, sometime in the mid-1980's. She felt herself in the driver's seat of a Wolverine tank. The tank's canopy swiveled into position and a flood of rockets burst out, sending the target into a bright flare of nothingness.
I'm seeing things through Cover Girl's eyes, Scarlett realized.
Cover Girl jumped down from the tank as Hawk introduced her to Rock 'N Roll and Clutch.
"That was an impressive show you put on there, Cover Girl," Hawk said, smiling as he gestured toward the remains of the practice target.
Cover Girl ran a hand through her hair and smiled.
"Pleased to meet you," Rock 'N Roll grinned sheepishly.
"Hi, fellas," Cover Girl said buoyantly.
The man standing next to him had a long, ugly scar running vertically down the left side of his face. He stared at Cover Girl morosely and said nothing. After a few seconds, Clutch turned and walked away indifferently.
"What's with him?" Cover Girl said.
"Uh, Clutch is pleased to meet you too," Rock 'N Roll said nervously.
* * *
Memories rushed through Cover Girl's mind like a flood, memories of missions she and Clutch had gone on together. Throughout that time, Clutch maintained the most unfriendly and uncaring attitude possible, while still keeping up a front of total professionalism. Once in a while, he turned in a snide sexist remark or two. Frankly, he was simply a repugnant personality. Yet Cover Girl believed that there was more to Clutch than this. He was a quiet person, a loner. Snake Eyes had told her the story of how Clutch had been in that horrible accident. When Snake Eyes told the story, it seemed to Cover Girl as if she detected a trace of guilt in his voice, as if he felt somehow responsible for Clutch's scars. Cover Girl decided that she would make Clutch her personal "project." Somehow, she would bring the real Clutch out of his angry and bitter shell, and she would discover what kind of person he really was. Her efforts met with frustratingly little success.
It all came to a head one day when Clutch and Cover Girl found themselves alone in the motor pool, cleaning and doing some maintenance work on the JOE tanks.
"Hand me that rag, will you?" Cover Girl said.
Clutch put on a stone face as he tossed the rag at Cover Girl. The rag landed on Cover Girl's head and covered her face.
"Thanks," Cover Girl said dryly. She noted that Clutch did not even so much as smile at the sight of Cover Girl with a rag on her head. Sheesh, she thought. Doesn't this guy have a sense of humor? How on earth did I end up stuck alone with this humorless turd?
"You know, it's not much fun working with you," Cover Girl said, trying to get a rise out of her companion.
"G.I. JOE isn't supposed to be fun," Clutch said tersely.
"Don't you ever lighten up? When was the last time you tried smiling?"
"You got a problem with me?" Clutch said.
"Yeah, I have a problem with you. You're such a stick in the mud," Cover Girl said.
Clutch gave Cover Girl a look of supreme annoyance.
"You want a piece of me, bitch?" he said, standing up and brushing himself off.
Cover Girl stood up and looked him in the eye. They stared at each other, standing a few feet from each other, ready to come to blows.
"Just because you got hurt in that chopper accident, doesn't mean you have to be such a prick," Cover Girl retorted.
Clutch shook with fury. Finally, after a few seconds, he waved his hand at her in cold dismissal.
"Ah, forget it," Clutch said, turning away. "I don't fight little girls."
That was the last straw for Cover Girl. Diving at Clutch, Cover Girl knocked him to the ground, and the two Joes rolled around on the floor, wrestling each other. Cover Girl and Clutch traded punches to the face and chest as they cursed at each other.
"You bitch, I'm gonna give you one hell of a dirty licking!"
"You won't feel so macho after I'm through kicking your ass!"
They rolled around some more on the floor until the back of Cover Girl's head knocked against the wheel of a jeep. Cover Girl cried out in pain as Clutch lay on top of her, ready to sock her again in the face and show her who was boss.
Cover Girl shut her eyes in anticipation of another blow, but no blow came. After a few seconds, she hesitantly opened her eyes and saw Clutch staring at her. He still had her pinned to the ground, with her head backed up against the jeep, and something happened for the first time. For the first time, Clutch became conscious of Cover Girl as a woman. He noted her beautiful face, a little bruised from his punches. He observed the way her red-brown hair flowed down past her shoulders. The way her breasts moved upward when she breathed heavily. The shape of her body, the curve of her hips and legs.
What am I thinking? Am I crazy?
Clutch shook his head as if to clear his mind, and he got off. He stood up and wiped the blood off his mouth. Clutch offered his hand to Cover Girl and helped her up.
"Sorry if I hurt you," Clutch muttered.
Roadblock came into the motor pool, out of breath.
"Roadblock!" Cover Girl said. "What's going on?"
"Haven't you heard?" Roadblock said hurriedly. "Everyone's talking-"
He stopped as he noticed the bruises on the faces of Clutch and Cover Girl.
"What the hell is going on here with you two?" Roadblock said. "Watch too much pro wrestling on TV?"
Clutch and Cover Girl shrugged, a little embarrassed by their childish fisticuffs.
"It's Lady Jaye," Roadblock said, continuing. "She's been shot."
* * *
Cover Girl and Clutch walked with Roadblock into the waiting room of the military hospital, where Flint told the story of what had happened.
"It was stupid of me," Flint said miserably. "Lady Jaye and I followed Snake Eyes and Jinx to Borovia to rescue Stalker, Snow Job, and Quick Kick. Snake Eyes was so angry. He didn't want me or Lady Jaye to get involved, but once we were there, he had to accept our help. The four of us popped our buddies from prison, and we were nearing the border. That's when it happened."
* * *
A single gunshot sounded, and instantly, Lady Jaye crumpled to the ground. Flint turned and saw her fall.
"Lady Jaye!"
The bullet had pierced her back and come out through her chest. Lady Jaye lay face down in the grass as more bullets rained down on them.
Lady Jaye could only look up at Flint with a dazed expression. Stalker ran back to their side and saw the enemy soldier who was sniping at them. It was the Borovian Sergeant Mosiev.
"You son of a bitch," Stalker said as he lifted up his rifle, took aim, and fired.
Stalker returned to Flint's side.
"Come on, grab her and let's keep moving! We're almost there!" Stalker exhorted.
Flint draped Lady Jaye's body around his neck and carried her onward. Lady Jaye was barely conscious. She could her the sounds of guns firing and men shouting. She heard the rush of water from the nearby river. The clouds in the sky whirled around her in a disorienting array of blue and gray, with a hint of violet. The colors swirled and danced before her eyes as she saw everything fade to black.
* * *
A few other Joes, including Snake Eyes, Jinx, and Stalker, were on hand to listen to Flint's grim tale.
Snake Eyes said nothing, and his face was a mask of anger and anguish.
The doctor came in.
"Mr. Faireborn?" the doctor said.
Flint looked up.
"Her condition is stabilized," the doctor said. "You can come in to see her now."
Flint nodded, and he got up along with the other Joes to visit Lady Jaye.
Lady Jaye was asleep.
"When she was shot, she said she couldn't feel her legs," Flint said to the doctor.
The doctor nodded gravely.
"Is she-" Flint said, afraid to hear the answer.
"I'm afraid so," the doctor said. "Miss Hart-Burnett's spinal cord was severed at the T-4 vertebral level. She's paralyzed from the chest down."
"No," Flint said, in great pain.
Cover Girl shuddered in horror and bowed her head. Lady Jaye was paralyzed. Her career was over. She would never walk again. She would never bear children.
"No!" Flint cried, his yells of anguish echoing in the room full of somber Joes.
* * *
Scarlett seemed to have lost her sense of time. She no longer felt certain as to whether she was in the past or present, or whether she was experiencing an elaborate fantasy or a true alternate reality. She did not even know if she existed in the world anymore.
But gradually, the tumultuous waves of time resolved into a faint set of images, sound, and sensation. Like a polaroid photo slowly developing on its own, the images flooding Scarlett's consciousness grew clearer.
Now, Scarlett felt herself thrown once more back in time, sometime in the mid-1980's. She felt herself in the driver's seat of a Wolverine tank. The tank's canopy swiveled into position and a flood of rockets burst out, sending the target into a bright flare of nothingness.
I'm seeing things through Cover Girl's eyes, Scarlett realized.
Cover Girl jumped down from the tank as Hawk introduced her to Rock 'N Roll and Clutch.
"That was an impressive show you put on there, Cover Girl," Hawk said, smiling as he gestured toward the remains of the practice target.
Cover Girl ran a hand through her hair and smiled.
"Pleased to meet you," Rock 'N Roll grinned sheepishly.
"Hi, fellas," Cover Girl said buoyantly.
The man standing next to him had a long, ugly scar running vertically down the left side of his face. He stared at Cover Girl morosely and said nothing. After a few seconds, Clutch turned and walked away indifferently.
"What's with him?" Cover Girl said.
"Uh, Clutch is pleased to meet you too," Rock 'N Roll said nervously.
* * *
Memories rushed through Cover Girl's mind like a flood, memories of missions she and Clutch had gone on together. Throughout that time, Clutch maintained the most unfriendly and uncaring attitude possible, while still keeping up a front of total professionalism. Once in a while, he turned in a snide sexist remark or two. Frankly, he was simply a repugnant personality. Yet Cover Girl believed that there was more to Clutch than this. He was a quiet person, a loner. Snake Eyes had told her the story of how Clutch had been in that horrible accident. When Snake Eyes told the story, it seemed to Cover Girl as if she detected a trace of guilt in his voice, as if he felt somehow responsible for Clutch's scars. Cover Girl decided that she would make Clutch her personal "project." Somehow, she would bring the real Clutch out of his angry and bitter shell, and she would discover what kind of person he really was. Her efforts met with frustratingly little success.
It all came to a head one day when Clutch and Cover Girl found themselves alone in the motor pool, cleaning and doing some maintenance work on the JOE tanks.
"Hand me that rag, will you?" Cover Girl said.
Clutch put on a stone face as he tossed the rag at Cover Girl. The rag landed on Cover Girl's head and covered her face.
"Thanks," Cover Girl said dryly. She noted that Clutch did not even so much as smile at the sight of Cover Girl with a rag on her head. Sheesh, she thought. Doesn't this guy have a sense of humor? How on earth did I end up stuck alone with this humorless turd?
"You know, it's not much fun working with you," Cover Girl said, trying to get a rise out of her companion.
"G.I. JOE isn't supposed to be fun," Clutch said tersely.
"Don't you ever lighten up? When was the last time you tried smiling?"
"You got a problem with me?" Clutch said.
"Yeah, I have a problem with you. You're such a stick in the mud," Cover Girl said.
Clutch gave Cover Girl a look of supreme annoyance.
"You want a piece of me, bitch?" he said, standing up and brushing himself off.
Cover Girl stood up and looked him in the eye. They stared at each other, standing a few feet from each other, ready to come to blows.
"Just because you got hurt in that chopper accident, doesn't mean you have to be such a prick," Cover Girl retorted.
Clutch shook with fury. Finally, after a few seconds, he waved his hand at her in cold dismissal.
"Ah, forget it," Clutch said, turning away. "I don't fight little girls."
That was the last straw for Cover Girl. Diving at Clutch, Cover Girl knocked him to the ground, and the two Joes rolled around on the floor, wrestling each other. Cover Girl and Clutch traded punches to the face and chest as they cursed at each other.
"You bitch, I'm gonna give you one hell of a dirty licking!"
"You won't feel so macho after I'm through kicking your ass!"
They rolled around some more on the floor until the back of Cover Girl's head knocked against the wheel of a jeep. Cover Girl cried out in pain as Clutch lay on top of her, ready to sock her again in the face and show her who was boss.
Cover Girl shut her eyes in anticipation of another blow, but no blow came. After a few seconds, she hesitantly opened her eyes and saw Clutch staring at her. He still had her pinned to the ground, with her head backed up against the jeep, and something happened for the first time. For the first time, Clutch became conscious of Cover Girl as a woman. He noted her beautiful face, a little bruised from his punches. He observed the way her red-brown hair flowed down past her shoulders. The way her breasts moved upward when she breathed heavily. The shape of her body, the curve of her hips and legs.
What am I thinking? Am I crazy?
Clutch shook his head as if to clear his mind, and he got off. He stood up and wiped the blood off his mouth. Clutch offered his hand to Cover Girl and helped her up.
"Sorry if I hurt you," Clutch muttered.
Roadblock came into the motor pool, out of breath.
"Roadblock!" Cover Girl said. "What's going on?"
"Haven't you heard?" Roadblock said hurriedly. "Everyone's talking-"
He stopped as he noticed the bruises on the faces of Clutch and Cover Girl.
"What the hell is going on here with you two?" Roadblock said. "Watch too much pro wrestling on TV?"
Clutch and Cover Girl shrugged, a little embarrassed by their childish fisticuffs.
"It's Lady Jaye," Roadblock said, continuing. "She's been shot."
* * *
Cover Girl and Clutch walked with Roadblock into the waiting room of the military hospital, where Flint told the story of what had happened.
"It was stupid of me," Flint said miserably. "Lady Jaye and I followed Snake Eyes and Jinx to Borovia to rescue Stalker, Snow Job, and Quick Kick. Snake Eyes was so angry. He didn't want me or Lady Jaye to get involved, but once we were there, he had to accept our help. The four of us popped our buddies from prison, and we were nearing the border. That's when it happened."
* * *
A single gunshot sounded, and instantly, Lady Jaye crumpled to the ground. Flint turned and saw her fall.
"Lady Jaye!"
The bullet had pierced her back and come out through her chest. Lady Jaye lay face down in the grass as more bullets rained down on them.
Lady Jaye could only look up at Flint with a dazed expression. Stalker ran back to their side and saw the enemy soldier who was sniping at them. It was the Borovian Sergeant Mosiev.
"You son of a bitch," Stalker said as he lifted up his rifle, took aim, and fired.
Stalker returned to Flint's side.
"Come on, grab her and let's keep moving! We're almost there!" Stalker exhorted.
Flint draped Lady Jaye's body around his neck and carried her onward. Lady Jaye was barely conscious. She could her the sounds of guns firing and men shouting. She heard the rush of water from the nearby river. The clouds in the sky whirled around her in a disorienting array of blue and gray, with a hint of violet. The colors swirled and danced before her eyes as she saw everything fade to black.
* * *
A few other Joes, including Snake Eyes, Jinx, and Stalker, were on hand to listen to Flint's grim tale.
Snake Eyes said nothing, and his face was a mask of anger and anguish.
The doctor came in.
"Mr. Faireborn?" the doctor said.
Flint looked up.
"Her condition is stabilized," the doctor said. "You can come in to see her now."
Flint nodded, and he got up along with the other Joes to visit Lady Jaye.
Lady Jaye was asleep.
"When she was shot, she said she couldn't feel her legs," Flint said to the doctor.
The doctor nodded gravely.
"Is she-" Flint said, afraid to hear the answer.
"I'm afraid so," the doctor said. "Miss Hart-Burnett's spinal cord was severed at the T-4 vertebral level. She's paralyzed from the chest down."
"No," Flint said, in great pain.
Cover Girl shuddered in horror and bowed her head. Lady Jaye was paralyzed. Her career was over. She would never walk again. She would never bear children.
"No!" Flint cried, his yells of anguish echoing in the room full of somber Joes.