Author's note: A big thank to everyone who reviewed the work. You're a very encouraging group.

***

Bright orange stung her tired eyes and she turned her head away from the glare. Lady Jaye turned back to the sun, shaking off weariness and propping herself up an elbow. The orange ball disappeared behind a dark figure.

"Sleep well?" Beachhead asked.

"Like a princess," she smiled, trying to smooth out her wild hair. "Best 20 minutes of sleep I've ever had."

"You going to get up?"

"Is that a question or a statement?"

He grinned. "Statement."

She stood up and stretched, reaching her hands up to the sky and leaning back. Then she bent forward, curling her back the opposite way. "Can't believe I gave up Broadway for this," Lady Jaye sighed.

"Broadway," Beachhead repeated, shivering at the thought.

"Yes, Broadway," she said. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, I guess. If you like that stuff - singing and skipping and whatever."

"I never skipped," Lady Jaye said.

"I'm talking about the guys."

She rolled her eyes, but remained silent.

"So, Corporal, you're always itchin' to lead. You make the call - do we head back or keep on going?"

"You're letting me decide?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, you're right - stupid move," Beachhead smirked. "I say we keep going."

"That's exactly what I was going to say," Lady Jaye mumbled under her breath. She grabbed her backpack.

Beachhead surveyed the area. They were in the Outback, no man's land, full of things unfamiliar. The whole point of the competition was to battle the unexpected and the organizers were definitely giving them a run for their money. They'd lose serious points for Roadblock's disappearance and Scarlett's evacuation, but he'd be damned if they quit. Beachhead was going to finish this time, even if it killed him.

"You know what, Beach?" Lady Jaye said quietly, coming up from behind him.

"No. But I'm not sure I like that tone you're using."

She laughed. "God, you even know my 'tone.'"

He squinted into the bushes, still concentrating. "It's not hard to miss. Must make Flint -" Beachhead stopped himself: Don't get personal, Wayne.

"Must make Flint crazy?" Lady Jaye finished for him, hands on hips.

"Whatever. None of my business. Let's get moving." He took a swig of his canteen bottle and grabbed the rest of his things.

"Beach, I was going to say that it might help me - as a competitor - to know what happened last time."

"Corporal, zip it. Get your stuff."

She didn't move. "Beach, you want to win, don't you? Fill me in."

He turned round to give her a piece of his mind, but stopped when he saw the look in her eyes. It was the same fierce look Jaye gave Hawk when the general asked for her 'honest' opinion and she let him have it. Mouthy soldiers weren't high on Beachhead's list, but there was something different about Lady Jaye. She was intelligent - more than intelligent - clever. And while she'd never climb the ranks with her rogue-like nature, she was definitely an important member of the Joes. The problem is, Beachhead thought, she knows it.

Still, he couldn't deny the logic behind her words.

"Sit," Beachhead said.

She did as she was told.

He stood. "Last competition, as you know, our team didn't finish." Beachhead took a deep breath in: "It was my fault. Totally my fault and it still bothers me. I hate to fail. I don't fail - usually."

"I know," Lady Jaye smiled reassuringly.

He looked into her green eyes and, for a moment, their warmth pulled him in. He'd never noticed how beautiful and kind they were; eyes that could melt away worries in one glance. Beachhead turned away quickly. His tone turned harsh: "Whatever. Not important. Anyway, the reason we failed - I failed - is because I was weak. That's the long and short of it."

Beachhead swallowed hard and set his jaw in determination. "We came across this town on day three of the race. At first, I thought we'd made a mistake and gone the wrong way. Wasn't supposed be any civilian settlements. The course is designed to be secret, right?"

Lady Jaye nodded.

"Then, I thought to myself, this is a trap. I know it's a trap. I told my men to get ready. So we crouched down, got real low, and waited. Nothing. It was like the town was deserted - rows and rows of houses with white picket fences and nobody outside. I decided to check it out myself."

He stopped, frowning.

"Tell me, Beach," Jaye said softly.

"I don't know what happened, Jaye," he said. "I snuck into this house and I was almost sure - no, I'm positive I saw a Cobra goon. He pulled out a gun so I fired. Didn't think twice, it was instinct. But then, when I got closer I realized he wasn't from Cobra. It was a young boy. Christ, he couldn't have been more than fifteen. Jaye, I'm telling you, I saw the Cobra insignia. He had to be -"

Beachhead turned to face her for the first time. "How could I have made that mistake, Jaye?"

"It's not like you, sir."

"No, it ain't," he said, shaking his head. "Anyway, suddenly all mayhem broke loose. These shots rang out. I thought the rest of my team had come in firing. I ran outside. the whole town was armed . I don't know who they were firing at. It's like I woke them up with my gunfire and they all went crazy. I couldn't see my team anywhere.

Then I saw her."

"Who?" Lady Jaye asked.

"I saw a little girl hit the ground," he said softly. "I rushed to her and blood was pouring out a hole in her chest. and she looked at me, with this expression of pure - god, I don't know, hatred? Fear? - and she said, 'Look what you did.' She -" He shook off the thought. "All around me was screaming. Everywhere. It was like all the people's screams turned into one whirlwind that howled in my ears. and at some point I realized I was screaming too. People - children, all around me were being blown to bits and I couldn't figure out what was going on. Nothing made sense. I couldn't see my team members anywhere."

"And then I heard it. I heard someone ask: do you give up?"

Beachhead hung his head. "And I said, 'yes.' I didn't even really understand what they were asking. all I knew is that it had to everything had to stop. Thought I was responsible for screwing things up. Wanted to fix it, that's all."

"Aw hell!" He said suddenly, kicking the dirt.

Lady Jaye jumped up and put her hand on his shoulder. "Beach, it's not-"

"What?" Beachhead spat, spinning round. "Not my fault? Is that what you were going to say, eh?" He grabbed her wrist and pulled her close. "Give me a fucking break!" She looked up at him, again with the green eyes that held him, that comforted him. Beachhead felt the anger draining from him and suddenly felt hollow. Empty. He let go of her and forced himself to look away. "I'm sorry, Jaye. Anyway, I blacked out after I gave up. Next thing I knew I was on the ground, still screaming and rocking back and forth."

She stopped him, feeling the memory was too painful. "Beach."

He ignored her. "Turns out the whole damn thing was some twisted 'illusion,' designed to test our ability to keep cool. I didn't know it, but my team members had led me to the town. Except they weren't my 'real' team members, they were actors. Everyone was a bloody actor. I'd been separated from my 'real' team the night before while I slept. They all faced different challenges and passed with flying colors."

"How in the hell did.?"

"Don't ask me, Lady Jaye. They've got the top technology here and some pretty damn good actors. Even managed to replace my gun with these crazy- ass blanks. This time round, we're not allowed weapons - if we were, I wouldn't trust them. Those creatures out there probably aren't real also. Hell, you're probably not real."

"No, I'm real," Lady Jaye said. "Nobody could play me this well."

He grinned. "Naw. Me neither. So that's it, Jaye Bird. That's the story and you keep it quiet, understand? Lesson learnt: don't trust anything out here."

"That must've been awful," Lady Jaye said.

"Lose the pity. Now you're turn."

She looked up sharply. "What?"

"What's going on with you?"

"Nothing."

"You're sick. I can tell."

She remained quiet and stared at the ground.

"Great, so I tell you what's wrong and now you won't tell me," Beachhead sighed, shaking his head. "Double standard."

"Double standards are fine only if they work to my advantage," Lady Jaye said.

Beachhead looked at her for a moment, his mind computing, then burst out in laughter. "Goddamnit. alright, Jaye Bird, I won't push on two accounts. One, you tell me if you're in serious trouble - don't konk out and make me retrace my steps, I hate that. and two - hey! YOU!" He snapped his fingers in front of her face to make sure she was listening. She bolted upright. "NUMBER TWO, Jaye. When we get back, you get yourself checked out. I mean it! No pansy-assin' around, no singing Broadway tunes in front of the mirror using your hairbrush as a microphone and all that crap."

"I don't do that!" she protested.

Beachhead stared at her.

A shy smile broke across her face. "Much."

***

He was a leader. He'd always been a leader, ever since he could remember: the responsible older half-brother, the quarterback, the top-ranked student and the commanding officer. He wore achievement well, with assurance and just the right amount of humility. But for the first time in his life, Duke wanted someone else to lead, someone else to make the difficult decisions and let him go after her.

This is what you get for always taking the spotlight, golden boy, Duke thought grimly, as he drove the jeep across the red desert.

Snake Eyes sat up front with him, Spirit and Quick Kick in the back. In a sense, Duke was happy to have Snakes sitting next to him; he didn't ask questions. On the other hand, the ninja was more perceptive than the others and knew something was up. Duke caught him glancing over a couple of times as if he could read his thoughts.

You look over here one more time, Snakes, and I'll kick your ass American- boxer style, Duke thought and then laughed at himself. Way to lose it, Conrad.

"Something funny, sir?" Quick Kick asked from the back.

"Nothing."

"Come on. We could use a joke."

"I don't know any jokes," Duke said and then realized with a tinge of regret that it was true.

"I got one," Quick Kick said.

"Sure, you do," Duke sighed, wishing he'd be quiet.

"How many Cobras does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"

Snake Eyes held up two fingers.

"Two? Why two?" Quick Kick asked, confused. "Why the hell would you say that?"

Snake Eyes held up three fingers.

"Okay, I could maybe understand two but why three, man? Come on!"

"Which way is the wind blowing?" Spirit asked.

Quick Kick shook his head in frustration. "Dudes. Comrades. You're missing the freakin-" "Everyone shut up!" Duke growled, feeling a headache setting in. "Keep your eyes pealed for danger. You see anything, you say so. Anything at all." No sooner had the words come out of his mouth, than a figure emerged in the distance. Snake Eyes pointed ahead. "I see him, Snake Eyes."

Duke hit the gas and the jeep jerked forward violently, climbing over rocks and crushing any small plants in their way.

The man in the distance spotted them and started waving frantically. Duke sped towards him and skidded to a halt.

"Jesus, I am glad to see ya'll," the man said, running up to the window. Recognizing Duke's rank, he saluted: "Corporal Colin Kregger, sir."

"Just call me Duke, son," he said. "This is Snake Eyes, Quick Kick and Spirit. Where's the rest of your team?"

Colin's face fell. "I - I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"The monsters came and took them."

Duke studied the man. "Son, I think you've been out in the sun too long."

"No sir! No!" Colin said, shaking his head. "I swear there's monsters! You gotta believe me. They're out there. They took them."

The radio crackled: "Duke, Flint here. We've got a body. Mauled to death. Don't know by what. You copy?"

Duke swallowed hard and stared into Colin's eyes. They were wide with fear. Hallucinations or not, he's seen something, Duke thought. Something awful.

"Duke, Flint here. You copy?"

Duke shook himself and brought the radio to his mouth. "Yeah, I copy. I think we're going to find out who's got the big teeth. Over."

"Duke, we're-"

The transmission cut out.

"Cobra's doing some jamming," Spirit said.

Duke put down the radio. "Colin, you think you could show us where you last saw these monsters?"

The young soldier gave him a weak but brave smile. "Yes, sir."