It's Like Being Born Again. Pt 17
Author chick's notes: Here it is, the final showdown. This is a long one too. blah Denotes spoken Arabic, (blah) denotes spoken Russian. I highly recommend having the tissues handy while you read this (I made myself bawl at this one). Disclaimers are in Pt 1.
It's Like Having Born Again. Pt 17
In two days they would attack. Imani was out in the forest when she slipped in some mud and went down a small embankment. She was about to get up when she heard a low growl. Freezing, she felt the hair on the back of her neck rise as a large beast, sniffed at her. Please Allah let me live. She said in her mind as her eyes closed and she waited for the worst.
"Imani?" She heard her husband's voice call out. "Iman…Timber? Leave her alone boy." He gently chided. Imani felt the beast move away from her as it whined. She opened an eye and saw a huge grey wolf as it made it's way over towards her husband. He seemed to know the creature and greeted it warmly. He'll do nicely too, thank you Allah. She noted as she raised her gaze to the sky for a moment.
"Are you okay?" A soft feminine voice asked as Imani slowly got up.
"That would depend." Imani said to the redheaded woman, as she kept a wary eye on Timber. "Am I considered supper?" She asked. The woman laughed and said that Imani was safely off the menu. "Then I am okay." She said as another figure moved in from the shadows of the trees.
"I'm Scarlet, this is Snake Eyes." The woman greeted. "You are?"
Still watching Timber carefully, Imani answered her. "Imani Tadur." She saw Scarlet's eyes open in surprise and jerked her thumb towards Dusty who was currently on his back getting a very well loved licking from Timber. "Soon to be his widow if that thing is sizing him up for a snack." Imani added.
Scarlet looked over at the scene and laughed. "Timber! Stop it." She chided as the grey wolf continued his enthusiastic greeting of the Joe. Timber looked up at her then back down at Dusty, one more lick and he came over to stand between Scarlet and Imani.
"He's harmless to those he knows, Love." Dusty laughed as he got up and joined the group. Imani raised an eyebrow yet said nothing as he greeted the two newcomers. Imani watched as her husband and his former comrades reunited. "Glad you two could make it here." He smiled warmly. He went about introducing Imani and telling the two of how they had met. Imani smiled and answered any questions Scarlet asked of her, all the while keeping an eye on Timber.
Snake Eyes saw her reaction and moved forward, he nuzzled the wolf and held out his hand for Imani. She granted his request hesitantly and soon found her fingers buried in the course fur around Timber's neck. Satisfied that she wouldn't end up in his belly after all, Imani finally relaxed around the great beast. He rewarded her trust with a huge swatch of tongue across her cheek. "I thought you said I was off the menu." Imani said to Scarlet as she wiped the wolf slobber off her cheek and scratched at his ear.
"He won't eat you, but he will occasionally lick you silly." Scarlet laughed. Snake Eyes' shoulders shuddered as he silently laughed. Soon they left for the bunker to let the others know that Scarlet and Snake Eyes had arrived. Imani knew of the two so she said nothing as she watched them reunite with their teammates and were brought up to date on the current situation.
Later that evening there was a secret meeting in the war room of the bunker. The Baroness went over the detailed plans she'd obtained from Cobra Commander about the proceedings of the celebration to be held in a few days. "It's settled then." Short Fuze spoke up. "We need to figure out how to get Sci-Fi to the pineal of the Capitol building so he can take the main parade out…here." He said as he pointed to the detailed map on the wall.
"Leave that to me." The Baroness said as she continued.
It was decided that Sci-Fi, disguised as a COBRA soldier would have free access to the building with a pass the Baroness would draw up for him. He'd make his way out and up to his position after dark, when the parade was to commence and his initial shot would be the order to charge to the others, who would be stationed throughout the area.
World COBRA Day. The words left a sickening taste in Steeler's mouth as he rose from bed and went to get dressed. The Baroness heard him and came into the bedroom to find him getting ready for the day ahead. She smiled as she joined him and the two ended up arriving a little late to the breakfast meeting in the main hall of the bunker.
In another suite, Imani perched cross-legged on the bathroom counter and carefully made another pass down her husband's cheek. If I'm going to molest you when this is done I don't want your face tickling Me. She teased, before touching her tongue to her lip and sliding the razor down for another pass. Dusty fought the urge to laugh as he took the end of his wife's braid in his hand and tugged playfully at it. Finally he could laugh when Imani reached over to rinse the blade in the sink. What? She asked as she held up the blade again to continue shaving him.
You're something else. He chided before forcing himself to keep a straight face again. She snorted at him and finished up with her chore.
And you are now very handsome. She cooed after he picked her up to love her in their bed.
Like Imani, Cover Girl decided that if her beloved was going to go into battle he'd at least look somewhat civilized. Clutch rolled his eyes as she carefully trimmed up his beard and moustache with a pair of small scissors. "Oh stop it, Lance." She said when she saw his eyes roll for what must have been the tenth time. "You look like some wild man from the woods." She added as she brushed off the last of the clippings from his chest.
"Somehow I doubt COBRA is gonna give a damn what I look like when they're taking pot shots at me." He argued as he rinsed himself off.
"Well they might not care, but I have plans after this is all over and I would like it if you weren't some 'Grizzly Adam's' knockoff when I ravage you to the point of exhaustion." She teased as she stepped over to take a shower. Clutch laughed at her as she shampooed her hair. She came out and got a uniform tossed at her. "Smart ass." She muttered as she got dressed.
"You wouldn't have it any other way." He retorted as he took her in his arms and held her close. He sobered as he looked down and saw her dog tags with his last name on them. "Take care of yourself ok?" He whispered into her hair.
"You too you big galoot." She mumbled against his chest.
In another room, Sci-Fi was feeding sunflower seeds to his newly acquired pet. "You're gonna have one hell of a tricked out cage in Frisco Diz." He explained as he watched the squirrel dive into his breakfast.
Tripwire came out of the bathroom toweling his hair off and saw the two on the bed. "How would he like to meet Timber?" He teased as got his cloths out to get dressed.
"Babe! That is cold!" Sci-Fi said, holding the animal close to his chest. "Just ignore him, he's jealous because I'm giving you more attention then I give him." He added as he nuzzled his nose on the squirrel's head.
Tripwire groaned and rolled his eyes as he sat down next to Sci-Fi to put his boots on. Diz saw him and jumped over to his shoulder and began sniffing around his ear. "Get him Diz! Cute him to death!" Sci-Fi cheered as Tripwire laughed and tried to get Diz away from his very ticklish ear. "Crank up the cute till it hurts Diz!" Sci-Fi added.
"I am eternally grateful he's deaf thanks to you." Tripwire said as he finally got a hold of Diz and handed him back to Sci-Fi.
"That's why we gotta keep him. He'd be owl food in two seconds flat if we let him go." Sci-Fi said as Diz went back to his sunflower seeds. Doc had played a tape of an owl call and Diz hadn't reacted at all to it. They'd tested several other predatory sounds as well and still no response. Doc had concluded that being in the direct line of fire at the test range had deafened Diz.
It was then and there that Sci-Fi declared that he was going to keep the little creature as a pet. Diz's equilibrium at least had returned to somewhat normal after a few days and he didn't seem to mind the attention of the big human who fed him and held him often. Tripwire took a little convincing though, but he too soon found the little creature charming and agreed to let it come home to San Francisco with them when the war was over. Under the condition though that Diz stayed away from his houseplants, or else he'd find himself dumped in a local park.
Tripwire slipped his glasses on and looked over at the man seated next to him, they had already prepared themselves the night before in the event one of them wouldn't be coming back. Sci-Fi rose with Diz in his hand and placed him back in his cage. "Leila said she'd look after you while we're gone little dude." He murmured softly as he scratched Diz's ear once more.
In the room dubbed 'The Triad', Rock-n-Roll, Footloose and Thunder made their final preparations. Thunder was scribbling something on a piece of paper, which he then folded and placed on the dresser. "If something happens? Would y'all make sure she gets that?" He asked, slipping his wedding band off and placing it on the note. Footloose and Rock-n-Roll both said they would then told the tanker that nothing would happen.
"Knock on wood." Footloose said as he rapped his knuckles on the table.
Thunder smiled and took out a small picture he had. The other two watched as he traced a finger down it and place it in his pocket. They knew who was in the picture, Thunder's wife Jane and their two small children. Rock-n-Roll hoped he didn't have to be the one to tell them that their father was killed trying to liberate them. He shook his head to get rid of the dark thoughts before leaving with his friends for breakfast.
Leila was already gone when Grunt woke up. He took a quick shower and got dressed. He bit his lip for a moment before going back to the dresser and finding the small box he had hidden in there. Taking the ring out, he slipped it into his breast pocket, it was then he noticed that it rested just above his heart as he left for breakfast. He promised himself he'd ask her later for her hand, when he came out of the impending battle alive.
Sundown. Sci-Fi had managed to get access to the upper levels of the Capitol building with no problem. It was getting dark as he pulled off the COBRA uniform to reveal his own black and silver one. Hoisting the sonic gun over his shoulder and then his rifle, he got to a window and began climbing out onto the roof. Cautiously he made his way to the base of the pineal and tied a safety line to it. Giving the line a tug, he then leaned forward and took his aim. The parade had started as he made his way to his position and soon the main bulk of the armored COBRA divisions in the city would be in his cross hairs.
Glancing to his left he saw them as they began making the turn down Pennsylvania Avenue and into his sights. The lead of the parade was in his scope as he thumbed the safety off and took aim. Like he did out on the test fire range, he didn't move. The gentle breeze went through him it seemed instead of buffeting against the obstacle his body presented. Suddenly, the whole parade was in the view of the scope. Without so much as a hint of movement, Sci-Fi eased the trigger back and the parade came to an abrupt halt. "Got 'em" Was all he said as he smashed the disabled sonic gun against the roof. He thumbed a switch on the belt the safety line was attached too and rappelled down the side of the building to the ground far below.
Duke heard Sci-Fi over the communication net and gave the order to charge. All over the promenade, waves of Joe and October Guard troops swarmed in to attack. From his throne on a make shift balcony built at the end of the street, Cobra Commander saw the parade erupt into flames as the waves from the sonic gun caused the vehicals to disintegrate. "Who dares to attack me on this day!" He screamed as the COBRA elite around him scrambled for battle. The Baroness used the chaos to slip away and she made her way over to the oncoming rush of Joes.
"He'll try and escape through the Oval Office." She barked as she removed the ceremonial uniform she had been wearing to reveal a solid black version of her own. She heard the distinct rumble of a diesel engine as she spied a Mauler pull out of a stand of bushes. She clambered onto the roof and slid down the access port and took her place at the gunner's seat of the tank as Steeler drove it forward and into the fray.
"Glad ya could join us." He teased as he drove towards the White House and the oncoming wave of COBRA soldiers. She reached back and swatted at him as she took aim and fired.
In an office far from the carnage, Leila sat with her head resting on her folded hands. Her tears fell to dampen a piece of paper Doc had given her earlier that day as she heard the reports coming in from the Joes raging battle in the city. "Please let him live." She prayed into the darkened office. "I need him so much now." She added as she wished for Grunt's safe return to her.
Torpedo and Deep Six spied Dr. Mindbender and Scrap Iron flee into the building. The two charged after them, separating as they began a deadly game of cat and mouse with the mad doctor and his henchman. Colonel Brekhov and Diana charged forward, guns blazing as they systematically took out trooper after trooper, a booming voice however stopped the two cold and they looked up to see Horror Show removing a hood that hid his features, at the top of the grand stairs, his gun aimed at his former comrades.
(Move and I fire!) He barked at the two in Russian.
(Horror Show? What are you doing?) Brekhov stammered at the bear of a man. Diana was behind the colonel and without being noticed she slipped a 9mm handgun out of it's holster and got ready to take her shot.
(Dear Colonel, COBRA made me an offer I couldn't refuse.) He grinned as he leveled the barrel of his rifle at the two.
(You betrayed Mother Russia in other words.) Diana hissed as she jumped from behind Brekhov and took her shot. She missed and only hit him in the shoulder, she was aiming for his heart. He bellowed as the pain ripped through him and he took aim at the blonde woman at the same time she took aim for her second shot.
(How could you?) Brekhov whispered as the decoy plot worked and he fired once. Horror Show never answered him as the bullet ripped through his skull, leaving only a small entrance hole but blowing most of the opposite side of his head out as the bullet exited.
Out on the main avenue, Cover Girl had abandoned her Wolverine after it had taken a paralyzing blow to the driving system. She was racing forward in a duck and cover mode when she was grabbed and a hand clamped over her mouth. In the dark bushes she turned her gaze to see Ripcord holding a finger over his lips in a gesture of silence. She nodded that she had gotten the message and he removed his hand. "You were running right into a trap." He whispered as took his gun in hand again.
"Thanks Red, I owe ya big time." She whispered back. "So what are we looking at?" She asked.
"There's a small group of Crimson Guard snipers lurking in the shadows…oh no." Cover Girl looked over to where his gaze had fallen and saw Imani, Dusty and Lowlight moving towards them. They both heaved a sigh of relief when Imani spotted the trap and motioned to the two men to halt. Low Light scanned the area from their hide out in a similar row of plants and saw Cover Girl and Ripcord. He motioned to the two that he spotted them and they waved back.
Ripcord held his hand up and signaled that he figured there were five, possibly six snipers above them in the shadows of the main entrance. Low Light nodded and Ripcord watched as he told the other two he was with, what they were up against. Cover Girl who was keeping an eye on Ripcord's back saw Clutch as he slinked along the wall and motioned for him to join them. Clutch crept over and was soon hunched down with her and the paratrooper.
"What's up?" He asked as he moved forward. Cover Girl yanked on his shirt at the same time she told him to keep low and quiet.
"I already buried you once buddy, I'm not doing it again." She hissed as she filled him on their current situation. Ripcord was edging his way to corner of the wall and he fired off a few rounds to get the sniper's attentions. He dove back for cover as fragments of building flew away where the sniper bullets hit it. Low Light saw this and he took his first shots. Imani was hunched down on the ground and did the same.
Two guardsmen fell down the stairs, blood seeping from their fatal wounds. Low Light motioned to them again, notifying them that there were three gunmen left. He'd seen the flashing as their weapons had fired at Ripcord and now had a good idea where they hiding. Another round of gunfire broke out when Cover Girl and Imani, both laying flat on the ground hit them at once from opposite sides of the stairwell. Dusty, Ripcord, and Clutch added to the fury as Low Light took aim and picked off the snipers as he spotted them. One by one the men fell and the Joes began to move forward.
Lowlight saw the glint of another hidden gunman and fired once. Tomax fell down the stairs then. The back of his head missing from the fatal shot Low Light had gotten off. The leader of the Crimson Guard landed face up at the bottom and the others could see that Low Light had shot through Tomax's scope, killing the man instantly. "Damn. Remind me to never get on your bad side." Ripcord joked as the group split up and began raiding the White House.
Back at the Capitol Building, Sci-Fi had met up with Tripwire and Short Fuze and the trio began making their way towards the White House. They turned suddenly at the sound of a large explosion only to see that four COBRA troops had found the mortar rounds Tripwire had laid earlier. "That'll teach the stupid shits to watch where they step." Short Fuze joked as they continued to move forward.
Sci-Fi cautiously peered around a corner and then dove for cover. "Fuck there's more of them!" He said as shots rained down on his position. Tripwire and Short Fuze both took cover as they began returning fire. Tripwire heard Sci-Fi hiss as he took a shot. He kept firing until there was nothing left to shoot at, then he turned to see his beloved leaning against the wall holding a hand over his left shoulder. "Aw damn, not the left one again." He said as Tripwire bent down to take a better look at the wound.
"Babe, I swear when we get home I'm gonna go to Berkeley and get that damn bull's eye tattoo…maybe then the fucks will miss it." Sci-Fi cursed as Tripwire removed enough of his shirt to examine the wound closer.
"Ain't that the same one you got shot through before?" Short Fuze asked as he kept watch, his rifle panning in all directions.
"Same spot exactly." Tripwire marveled as he took out the medical kit to treat the wound.
"Yer kidding me?" Sci-Fi asked as he looked down at where Tripwire was treating his shoulder. Sure enough he didn't see the scar of a wound received when he had first joined the Joe team. "Shit and I thought Low Light was a good shot." He commented before grunting in pain as Tripwire applied antiseptic to the wound. Satisfied that he could continue, Sci-Fi got up and joined the other two as they continued their march towards their goal.
Meanwhile Grunt had already made his way in and was prowling the inner halls of the White House when he felt pain ripping through his thigh. Saliva flew from his clenched teeth as he slid down the wall and turned to see Xamot stalking him, gun raised and ready to fire. "Aren't you supposed to be deceased already Joe?" He purred as he moved to stand over Grunt.
Grunt's chest heaved as he breathed heavily and waited for the end. He could feel the outline of the ring he wanted to give Leila pressing against his heart every time he took a breath. 'I'm sorry Leila.' He thought as watched Xamot sneer at him. 'Not again.' He said mentally to himself as he saw Xamot's finger begin to squeeze the trigger. Grunt's eyes remained open as he waited for the end. Xamot suddenly froze and the gun dropped from his slack fingers. Grunt took his chance. He fired once and Xamot joined his twin in the here after. Later Grunt would learn of the miraculous shot Low Light had gotten off and he figured that Xamot had felt his twin's death as he was about to kill Grunt. Grunt reached into his breast pocket and took out the diamond ring he had tucked away there. "I am so proposing to her the second I see her." He said aloud as he kissed the ring and put it away again.
In the Oval Office, Cobra Commander frantically tried to gain access to his escape route. The door was kicked open and he reached for a gun, not in time though as two shots rang out. His killer looked down at the deceased commander as tears slid from her eyes. "That's for all the others you took and tortured you bastard." Zarana spat as she fired once more to make sure he was dead.
He'd found his query. Deep Six hid in the shadows of the library and watched as Dr. Mindbender entered and locked the large door behind him. Mindbender pulled on a book and a secret panel opened. Deep Six could see a large room with shelves full of jars. He took a better look at one of the shelves closest to him and felt his stomach clench in horror. In the jars were pieces of human tissue, organs, limbs or the like, all mounted neatly and labeled accordingly.
Deep Six heard another door open in the room and cautiously made his way to the opening in the wall. He could see the back of the madman as he rummaged through a stack of boxes, looking for something. Deep Six found cover behind one of the rows of shelves and hid himself from view. He tried not to look at what was next to him in the jars but found that his innate curiosity demanded it of him. What he saw angered him instead. Unbelievably, a mere ten inches from his face was a jar that's label caught his eye.
GI Joe, Ace. Executed as traitor to COBRA.
In it was a human heart, Ace's heart the diver figured. The sight steeled his resolve and he quietly slipped his razor sharp diving knife from its sheath. As quietly as he could, Deep Six crept forward until he was almost on top of Mindbender. The scientist was oblivious to the danger until he felt the bite of the knife as it was pressed against his throat. From what he could see of the impressive blade, he knew it to be a diving knife, designed to cut through thick shark hide. One slip and it would go through his throat as if it were made of butter.
Desperation won out over sensibility as he grabbed for the blade. Mindbender was surprised that the sensation was similar to that of a mild sting, not the torturous pain he figured would result as Deep Six drew the blade quickly across his throat. Mindbender's death scream came out as a gurgled sound seeing as his vocal cords were no longer in one piece. The knife had done its job efficiently, slicing cleanly back to Mindbender's spine. The blade caught on one of the madman's vertebrae and Deep Six gave it a quick tug to release the knife. Mindbender slumped to the floor as his life bled profusely from his nearly completely severed neck. Using Mindbender's cloak, Deep Six wiped the blood from the blade and slipped it back into its sheath.
As he was leaving, the sight he'd seen only moments before nagged at him. Deep Six went back for the jar containing Ace's heart and tucked it carefully away. As he left the macabre private museum, he could see Torpedo coming towards him, that's when he heard the shots. Deep Six winced and sank to his knees as he felt the piercing bite of the two bullets into his back. Torpedo had dove for cover and was shimmying his way over to his long time friend. Reaching the doorframe Torpedo glanced quickly and saw Scrap Iron standing over Mindbender's corpse. Torpedo fired once and Scrap Iron fell to the ground next to his fallen master, a neat hole in the space between his eyes.
Satisfied, Torpedo got to his knees and caught Deep Six as he was beginning to fall forward. "Hold on! K, cuz?" Torpedo said frantically as he tried to assess the damage done. Deep Six looked up at the Hawai'ian, tears in his eyes and reached for the jar he had just collected. The diver could feel his lungs as they filled with blood and knew that he would soon join the pilot as he handed the heart over to Torpedo.
"Put him to final rest." Was all Deep Six said as he felt the jar leave his hand. His head fell forward and landed on Torpedo's broad chest, he was surprised that all he could hear was the steady beating of his dearest friend's heart. The darkness that was once at the edge of his field of vision grew larger until it completely covered his view of the world. He could still hear Torpedo's heartbeat as his own slowly stuttered before stopping altogether.
"Oh God please no." Torpedo breathed as he realized nothing could be done to save his friend. "Please, jus' once God?" He begged as his head fell forward and nuzzled the top of the dead man's own. He kept whispering for a miracle as he held Deep Six close. Torpedo was surprised to find the reddish blonde hair so soft, an odd contrast for someone who was known to be harsh and cold towards others. He felt something odd in his hand and looked at the jar Deep Six had handed him before passing away in his arms. He read the label and new tears sprang from his eyes.
Outside the battle slowly began to wind down. They had completely taken COBRA by surprise in their assault and it hadn't taken them long to overwhelm the overlord's army. Duke and Brekhov were going over what each of them had done in the attack. Duke listened as Brekhov told him of Horror Show's betrayal and laid an understanding hand on the Colonel's shoulder.
The others were gathering on the steps of the White House to inventory their losses. It was over, COBRA's reign of terror was no more, and they'd done what they had set out to do. Clutch was holding Cover Girl from behind, his face buried in her hair when he heard her choke and pull from his grasp. He looked up and saw Dusty moving towards them, Imani's limp body cradled in his arms. Clutch was horrified when he saw the entire front of the man covered in the tiny warrior's blood.
"She took a hit to the arm. I treated it best I could." Dusty explained as Cover Girl took Imani's head in her hands and pressed her forehead to the girl's. Cover Girl could feel warmth radiating from the girl and felt an immense sense of relief wash over her when she heard Imani mumble something. Dusty spoke softly in Arabic to her as Lifeline rushed up to take over.
Dusty could only watch as the medic ripped her sleeve open to examine her wound better. Cover Girl hugged him but he could barely feel it as he watched. Her rich brown skin was so pale as she lay there. "The shot went through cleanly, she'll be ok." Lifeline said as he applied pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. "She is going to need a few transfusions though. She's lost a lot of blood." He added as he hooked her up to an IV and Dusty helped him move her to an awaiting vehicle.
Clutch watched as the vehicle pulled away and Cover Girl came back into his arms, this time pressing her face into his chest as she openly wept for the first time. He was grateful that as a precaution a few days earlier, that Lifeline and Doc had drawn pints of blood from each of them and cross matched them, so he knew that Imani had what she needed when they got her to the bunker. He remembered the heated argument Imani had put to Doc when he had told her she couldn't donate. The argument only ended when Doc explained that at her size, a blood donation would debilitate her and that she just didn't have enough coursing through her veins to contribute to the cause.
A slugger pulled up as the emergency vehicle pulled away. Footloose and Rock-n-Roll were kicking back on the front of it as it groaned to a stop. Thunder jumped out and pulled his helmet off, shaking out his hair and reaching back to straighten the ponytail. "Y'all ain't gonna believe this! Them Dreadnoks is real opportunistic when it serves them!" Thunder laughed.
"How do you mean?" Duke asked as he came forward to see if the three were alright.
"Dude we saw them and figured we'd have to shoot it out with them. Instead! They take out a band of snakes heading for us!" Rock-n-Roll laughed. "It was unreal dude."
"Yeah and here's the fun part. After taking out the snake squad, THEN they see us!" Footloose added. They went on to tell Duke that Zartan and his crew could see how things were turning out and decided it was in their best interest to help the winning side.
Clutch heard Rock-n-Roll gasp suddenly and turned to see what was going on now. Torpedo came down the stairs, holding Deep Six to him. The look in his eyes told them that there was no miracle waiting for the diver lying limp in his arms. "Scrap Iron wen' get him." Torpedo spoke bluntly. Rock-n-Roll moved forward to help Torpedo with the burden of the diver's weight but the SEAL declined. "You can take dis though." Torpedo said as he handed over the jar Deep Six had found in Mindbender's lab.
"Oh God." Rock-n-Roll whispered when he realized what he held in his hands. The others that were watching wondered what the small jar contained as Rock-n-Roll held it to his chest and lowered his head to weep. Torpedo explained what he had seen in the lab and told them that they now had the chance to give Ace the funeral he'd been denied. The others lowered their heads as Torpedo finished his story.
The Baroness was getting reports from all over the city as they came flooding in. She knew that there were still the armies abroad to contend with but for now she sighed in relief. The main core of COBRA's command had been defeated. She was going to join the rest of the team where they were gathered when Zarana stepped forward. The Baroness saw the grizzly trophy as Zarana tossed it to the ground. Cobra Commander's head landed with a sickening thud as it came back down to earth. Neither woman said a word as the Baroness went forward to hold the shaking girl. "It's over." She whispered to Zarana who was weeping inconsolably against her breast.
Leila had heard that the battle was over and had rushed to the city. She prayed that Grunt still lived, seeing as the casualty reports were scarce at the bunker. She found him as he came limping out of the White House, a hand over his thigh. Leila rushed to help him walk but was surprised when instead he dropped to his knees. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the ring he had safely tucked away there. "I know this is like really sudden and we've barely met, but I would be honored if you'd marry me." He blurted out quickly. Leila gaped at the small ring and reached into a pocket on her thigh. She handed over the piece of paper still damp with her tears. 'A simple yes or no would have sufficed.' Grunt thought as he read it.
It took him several times to grasp what he saw. "I'm gonna be a daddy?" He choked as he looked back up at Leila. He noticed her hand was gently cradling her abdomen as she nodded her head yes. Grunt shook his head and looked back up at her. "Well how's that for timing then?" He asked as he held the ring up again for her. She smiled and sank to the ground so she could face him better and accepted the ring. "Is that why you've been so tired lately?" He asked after they had separated from their kiss for some much needed air.
"Yes. Doc figures I'm roughly two months along now." She said as she helped him get back to his feet and walk towards the other's so his leg could be tended to.
"Oh man! Steeler's gonna kill me when he finds out." Grunt groaned as he saw the tanker join the rest of the group.
Leila laughed and assured him that he was safe from his commander's wrath. "We have a very good anti-Steeler force on our side." She said as she told him that besides the couple themselves and Doc, the Baroness was the only other one who knew of Leila's pregnancy.
"God I hope so." Grunt muttered as they arrived to their destination.
The Baroness spied Leila's hand and the ring that glinted in the light. "You told him?" She asked her faithful servant.
Leila smiled. "I told him AFTER he proposed." The two shared a warm smile and hug as Grunt was getting his leg tended to.
Steeler overheard the two and glanced at Grunt. "You proposed?" He asked incredulously.
"Uh, yeah…and this was BEFORE I found out that uh…" Grunt stammered. Steeler looked between Grunt and the two women when it dawned on him what else was in store for him.
"When's the kid due?" He smirked
It took Grunt a moment to remember what Leila had told him about her 'condition'. "Seven months I think…something like that." Grunt nearly fainted in relief when instead of the pounding he thought he'd get, Steeler congratulated him.
Their shared joy was short lived however when they learned that not all had made it out in one piece. Leila buried her face in Grunt's shoulder when they heard of Deep Six's death, as tears slid down the wounded man's face. More tears joined them when they also learned of the trophy they'd found in Mindbender's lab. The Baroness hung her head in her pain and Steeler wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair to silently weep for his fallen comrades.
As the sun rose on the first COBRA free day, the Joes began making their way back to the bunker, their home as far as some of them were concerned. There were still the wounded to take care of, as well as the dead to tend too. Then they had to figure out how to rid the world entirely of the COBRA forces that were still stationed all over the world.
To Be Concluded…
