It's Like Being Born Again.  Pt 12

Author chick's notes:  Just picking up where I left off last time.  Also, and this is for future reference…No I didn't screw up his dialog, Torpedo being a local Hawai'i boy speaks Pidgin, which is a mix of English, Hawai'ian, and several other dialects commonly found in the islands.  And uh heh…there be mush here. ^^  I am going to use the blonde version of Diana for this from the comics.  It's the only comic reference I have in this…I think.  The brunette from the cartoon struck me as to much of a complete bimbo to be taken to seriously…but then it's been a long time since I've seen any of the eps with the Guard in it, so who knows?  Disclaimers in Pt 1.

Also, seeing as Frostbite has one hell of a tan in the show and he's from Alaska, (not to mention he thrives in and specializes in cold weather survival, not a whole lot of sunlight there, or opportunities to work on the old suntan) I'm going to assume he's at least part Inuit…my fic my choice.  ;)  Rated R or mildly CS for the bathroom scene.  I plead guilty as hell!  This thing is running away with me!

It's Like Having Born Again. Pt 12

Immediately after arriving with her two new charges, the Baroness called an emergency meeting.  While she had been away in the capitol, a few more Joes had arrived, as well as Diana of the October Guard.  She had gotten through to Frostbite who disguised as one of the local indigenous peoples helped smuggle her out of northern Siberia.  The two made short work of then getting to their current location to join with the rest of them.  Torpedo had also shown up while the Baroness was gone.  He stood at the back of the meeting room, his back against the wall and his arms folded across his broad chest.  She nodded a greeting in his direction grateful that the SEAL been able to join her and their growing efforts to regroup.

"Well it would seem that after he defeated Destro, the good commander has gone even further into madness." The Baroness was about to continue when Diana, Frostbite and Torpedo all looked at her in surprise.  Because of the extra precautions they had all taken to get there, none of them were up to date on the current situation with COBRA.

"What happened wit' Destro?" Torpedo asked, pushing himself from the wall and moving to stand behind Deep Six.  The Baroness sighed then told the three of how she got them into a war with each other.  She then told them of how Destro had been defeated and executed for his treason.  "So, in other words den, he's dead?" Torpedo asked to confirm what she had just said.

"That is correct." She replied.

"Den my Aina* is avenged?" He said to no one really.  His hand involuntarily reached for the polished stone hanging from his neck.  He'd had the stone since he was a child, a piece of lava rock he obtained, honoring the ancient traditions of his people.  It was the last link he had to his birthplace and he cradled it lovingly in his hand as the Baroness' words sank in.

"Your island got more then avenged pal." Deep Six started.  "Ace wasn't even tortured as bad as that bastard got it."

The Baroness winced internally at Torpedo's 'good' before continuing her meeting.  "He has instigated some new changes within COBRA, which explains Zarana's presence here." She said gesturing to the woman seated across from her.  "Zarana's job as far as Cobra Commander knows it, is to keep him informed of what goes on around here, daily.  However…" The Baroness smiled.  "It would seem the fates are being quite generous of late.  Zarana will instead keep that fool thinking that I am but a willing little servant to COBRA, while we in truth move to unseat him and end this travesty."

As she spoke she could see both Steeler and Torpedo taking quick headcounts of the number of Joes and weighing their given abilities.  She knew that both of them were already thinking of what they had at their disposal and how to use those resources to their advantage.  Her smile became predatory as she realized that the two would indeed whip up a deadly cohesive fighting force from those gathered in the room.  She wasn't the only one who noticed.

"You thinking what I'm thinking, Hawai'i?" Steeler grinned at the SEAL.

"You get em hoale*." Torpedo grinned back to his fellow officer.  "After dis, we talk." He added.  Steeler gave him the thumbs up and returned his attention back to the Baroness' presentation.

The Baroness held up the disc Cobra Commander had given her containing all of the new changes he had ordered.  Mainframe played with it for a moment and then got the data to show up on a screen behind him.  "As you see, he's made every effort to be as controlling as possible." She said pointing out.  "Not only with the courier business, but it would appear I also have to attend regular meetings at his palace."  She had Mainframe scroll down a bit then pointed out another detail that she wasn't to keen on.  "Also it looks like I will have to regularly trade off the troops I have here, with those other COBRA officials have.  In order to maintain loyalty to COBRA only, not just to the official they serve."  She explained.

She closed her eyes to concentrate when she saw Steeler fiddling with his lower lip again.  The habit drove her mad and she needed to think.  After a moment she spoke up again.  "I will move my operations back to the city, and leave you the bunker." She said to the gathering.  "The first trade off isn't for another fortnight, so that will give us the time we need." She added as she read the schedule that came with the order.

Tripwire stared down at the table, picking out patterns in the grain of the wood before speaking up.  "Sea and I have been wondering?" He started.  "Do you know of any secret hideaway's Destro might have, besides the ones that Cobra Commander already seized?" He asked her.

"No I'm afraid not.  The Commander is as equally aware of them as I was, including all of his data from his weapons research.  The information I have would be useless, seeing as Cobra Commander already knows of it all." She responded, knowing what Tripwire was getting at and wishing she could have better news then she did.

Tripwire went back to thinking when Sci-Fi spoke up.  "Relax Babe.  We have full access to the lab here. And…" He grinned jerking a thumb at Mainframe. "We got us a hacker." Tripwire smiled at Mainframe and elbowed his lover. 

"Do you still have copies of his data?" Tripwire asked the Baroness.  She said she did and would hand it over to them if they could think of ways to use the information that she had missed.  "Perfect." He grinned.

"If that is all then?" She said as she ended the discussion.  "I am assuming you two have things you wish to discuss?" She asked Steeler and Torpedo.  Both men nodded and she dismissed the meeting, leaving the two men alone to begin their own planning session.

With the exception of Diana and Frostbite who were both exhausted from their travels, the others went about doing research and whatever it was they had been doing before the meeting had started.  Deep Six had offered to let Torpedo room with him and Steeler said he'd show the SEAL the way after they finished up in the meeting room.  Leila led Diana and Frostbite to the personal quarters and showed them both to a suite.  They had said they'd share and thanked Leila before settling in.

Frostbite was shaving, after having showered when Diana entered the bathroom, wearing only a towel.  During their time as resistance fighters the two had grown quite close.  She came up behind him and leaned against his back hugging him as he went about with what he was doing.  Frostbite stopped and smirked at her reflection in the mirror.  "Jenshina*, I've got a straight razor in my hand and you're really running the risk there of me slitting my own throat." He admonished as she used her fingers to comb the faint line of hair on his lower stomach that disappeared beneath the towel he wore.

Diana let go of him long enough to pull the bench from the vanity over to where he was.  Taking the razor from him she made him sit down, offering that she'd finish the job for him.  Frostbite laughed as she pushed him down to the bench.  Inspecting the razor for a moment, then the Inuit man's face, she rinsed the blade in the sink and straddled his lap.  "Don't move." She ordered, smiling as she felt his hands begin to caress her hips.  She finished shaving the stubble from his face and throat, leaving a neat moustache and goatee. 

She got up to clean the blade off in the sink and put it away when Frostbite stepped up behind her.  Closing her eyes she leaned against him and allowed him access to her long elegant neck.  She moaned in pleasure when she felt her towel fall away and his hands cup her breasts, his thumbs teasing her nipples to awareness as he kissed and nibbled at the junction of her throat and collarbone.  Diana could feel his arousal pushing against her and she reached between them to remove his towel, freeing his hardening length.  As tired as the two were from their constant traveling in the past week, they still found the energy to reconnect with each other.  They would fall into bed a little later, fully sated and would sleep solid for the first time in a long while.

Meanwhile back in the meeting room, Steeler and Torpedo were comparing notes. "'K den…we get thirteen Joes." Torpedo started.

"Sixteen if you count Imani, Diana, and Zarana." Steeler interrupted.  "We know what Diana can do, and Dusty can vouch for Imani.  Mainframe can vouch for that Zarana chick too." He added.

"True."  Torpedo scribbled down something on his notes and continued.  "Well we pretty much get a full motor pool wit you, Clutch, Thunder and Cover Girl.  Deep Six and me, though the only ting I can think of water wise for us would be da Potomac." He paused to smirk before continuing.  "Although da L in SEAL stands for 'land'…and we'll add Frostbite to the foot soldier list so that way we get…" Torpedo paused to count the names he had on his list.  "So dat's eleven, no wait ten dere." He finished.

The door opened and another voice popped up.  "You've got eleven foot soldiers there SEAL.  Sorry I'm late, dudes." Footloose spoke as he entered to let them know he had arrived.

"Jesus Christ!  If it ain't the reincarnation of the dead Haight Ashbury hippie who had one hit of LSD to many!" Steeler laughed as he rose to greet the newcomer. 

Torpedo puzzled over what Steeler had said for a moment before bursting into laughter and greeting Footloose.  "Howzit cuz."   The three greeted each other warmly before Footloose excused himself to settle in and leave the commanding officers to continue planning what they had.

"Ten bucks says he finds Rock-n-Roll and Thunder and things get real loud around here."  Steeler laughed as Footloose closed the door behind him.

"Good ting this place is under da ground den huh?" Torpedo said shaking his head.  "Wassup?" He asked when he saw Steeler's face darken a little.

"You heard the story of how we got here?" Steeler asked.  Torpedo nodded and Steeler went on to add that his Footloose was one of the ones who had seen this world firsthand.

"He'd call it karma den." Torpedo offered with a shrug, Steeler just snorted a laugh.

"Okay.  I've been fighting as part of a unified team.  Yins have been at this guerilla warfare stuff and know it a hell of a lot better then I do." Steeler said.  "So in that case, I'll gladly hand over command of this outfit to you…you were a WO-4 right?" He added.

"Made Captain jus before all hell broke loose but yeah, you get a point." Torpedo offered.  "'Sides, dis kinda ting is what I wen get trained for in BUD's." Torpedo stated, referring to the grueling training program that all SEALs had to undergo before becoming a part of one of the most deadly fighting forces in the US military's arsenal.

"Well then.  I concede my second Lt to yer Captain." Steeler laughed.  "We start first thing tomorrow?" He asked referring to retraining the group as a cohesive fighting force.

"You got it." Torpedo said as he began thinking of what he had in mind for a possible training program.  "Hope you no mind getting wet cuz." He added then said he'd incorporate some of what he'd gotten in BUD's as part of the training.

"Yer gonna enjoy this aren't ya?" Steeler said.

Torpedo's smirk became deadly as he repeated the SEAL mantra.  "Attention to detail. It pays to be a winner." He spoke in clear English then broke out again in his preferred Pidgin.  "Cut da crap cuz!  You army!" he laughed when Steeler gave him a salute and an 'aye aye Captain'. 

To Be Continued…

Now for all them funny word you saw in this…^^

*Aina = Hawai'ian for homeland, it's how many in the islands refer to their beloved home…me included and I've been away for a while now. ;)

*Hoale = Hawai'ian term for foreigner, used commonly today to refer to Caucasians, occasionally in a derogatory manner but generally as a descriptive term. 

*Jenshina = Russian for woman. Yes I know Diana is listed as Czech on the file-cards but I'm using the Russian term as a sort of endearment towards her for Frostbite.