*Disclaimer: I own none of these fine characters. They all belong to Marvel, Image, Sunbow, Hasbro, Devil's Due, and if there are any others, I STILL don't own any of these guys! This is just a work of fun. I have no intention of making money off of this story. I'm just a penniless fan.
*I am SO sorry that it has taken me so long to update! My muse needed a jump start. MUCH thanks to my bro for the jumper cables and boost!
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Lifeline waited until he actually saw Hawk stretch out on the cot and close his eyes. Then, quietly, the medic slipped out of the door marked HOSPITAL STAFF ONLY and softly pushed it shut. He looked around briefly. "Where's Flint and Kamakura?"
Low Light, leaning against the doorframe, jerked his thumb down the hall. "Nature called." He nodded at the closed door. "Hawk asleep?"
"Well, he's lying down at any rate."
The sniper's posture relaxed slightly. "Thanks, buddy. He needs a little shut eye."
"He's not a young man anymore, Light. What he needs is to go home and get some real sleep, not to mention some good iron and protein in his stomach." The gentle medic scowled at the sniper. "What have you guys been doing in Washington? His shoulder was a mess."
Low Light held up both hands. "Hey. I just started my shift. As far as I know, Hawk, Lady Jaye, and the new Greenshirt's been bouncing between meetings and riling up the paper pushers. That's it."
"Sure it is," Lifeline sighed. "And I suppose if you told me the whole story, you'd have to kill me."
Low Light pushed up his goggles to look at the medic with eyes as gray as tombstones. "Hope not," he said, his whispery voice emotionless. "Good roommates are hard to come by. The next guy might get on my nerves and then I'd have to kill him too."
Lifeline rolled his eyes. "Ha ha. Anyone ever tell you that you've got an awfully macabre sense of humor?"
A small smile cracked the stony face. "Took you this long to notice?"
The medic shook his head. Then a sly grin spread across his face. "Maybe I should warn her about you."
The sniper's face went totally blank. "Her?"
"Didn't you know? You've got an admirer."
"ME?"
"Yep. She knocked on the door this morning and dropped off a present."
"What?" Low Light blinked. "Who was it?"
Lifeline stuck his hands in his pockets and began to rock from heels to toes. "Oh, I don't know if I should tell you. That would be encouraging fraternization. And after what those reporters were insinuating about Hawk and our girls---"
Low Light scowled. "Too bad Flint chased those rats off base before we got back. I would have loved a good hunt."
Lifeline actually smiled wider. "Cut them some slack, Light. They gave the girls a good long laugh. I mean, this is HAWK we're talking about. You should have seen Jinx when she and Scarlet were asked about the General's 'improper behavior.' Once she started laughing, Scarlet couldn't hold in. It was a good long time before they could stop." He chuckled. "It was definitely a statement those reporters weren't expecting." He sobered slightly. "But those questions about transferring all the women out of GI Joe…" He shook his head. "THAT didn't go over well." He looked at Low Light expectantly.
Low Light shrugged. "Don't know what to tell you, buddy. When Flint came to pick us up at the airstrip and debriefed us, Hawk had Jaye and the Captain go down to her office to look into it. That was an hour ago. Haven't heard from her since."
"Guess it doesn't matter," Lifeline sighed. "Either way, the girls win."
Low Light cocked his head. "Oh?"
"Sure. They'll either stay on the team," Lifeline explained, "or they'll be in DHS, safe. Well, safer at any rate." He grimaced. "But a transfer like that is going to be a strain on couples." He gave Low Light an apologetic look. "Maybe I really shouldn't tell you who your admirer is. This isn't the best time to start a relationship."
"Yeah. You're right. Timing's way off." Low Light crossed his arms and turtled into his kevlar jacket. "All of my dates are disasters anyways."
"Hey, they couldn't have ALL been disasters," Lifeline said reassuringly.
Low Light just gave him a bland look.
Lifeline winced. "Really that bad? Well, maybe if---"
The sniper cut him off with a gesture, his posture alert. "Heads up."
Lifeline turned around.
A young man masked in green with a blocky set of red tattoos printed on his bare forearm stormed up to them. It was Kamakura.
He was alone.
"Where's Flint," the three men demanded of each other at once.
Silence.
"Oh boy," Low Light sighed, pulling down his goggles.
Flint exited the elevator and began to head towards the doors of the Wright-Patterson Medical Center's ICU floor.
"Excuse me, Officer."
The Warrant Officer turned to look at the plump, gray haired nurse frowning at him from behind her counter. "Yes, ma'am? Can I help you?"
She tapped a sign nailed to the front of the counter with her pen. "Number one, visits to this floor can only be made by members of the patient's family---"
"Well, I'm like family," he began.
"---number two," she went on, "it's after visiting hours now. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"I just need to check in on Duke," Flint said.
"I'm sorry, we don't have anyone by the name of 'Duke' listed here."
"Look under Conrad S. Hauser."
"No. I won't," she said firmly, crossing her arms. "Because you're leaving."
"Look, lady," he said, trying to be reasonable. "My CO wants me to make sure our guy's being treated right, so he told me to see how he's doing. OK?"
She held out a hand. "Let's see some orders, mister."
"Oh, for crying out loud," he spat, marching right past the desk and grabbing the handles to the big double doors.
They didn't budge.
"Buzz me in," Flint snapped.
"No."
"Lady---"
"That's Nurse Appleton, Officer."
"OK. Fine. Nurse Appleton. Please," he said through grit teeth. "Buzz me in."
"No."
The elevator dinged, dislodging a small team of nurses, orderlies and one doctor shoving a gurney carrying an enormously rotund man. Flint jumped out of the way, pressing himself against the counter. The doctor snapped his fingers. "Nurse. The door."
"Right away, Dr. Hill." Nurse Appleton reached under her desk and buzzed open the door.
The doors opened and the medical staff clamored through.
"AHA," Flint exclaimed, making a break for the door.
A hand like a steel vise clamped down on his wrist and yanked him back. "Not so fast, young man."
The door swung shut.
"Dammit," Flint spat. He twisted out of the hold and rubbed his wrist. "Since when did weightlifting become a part of nursing school?"
"When we learned that we had to deal with stubborn wardogs like you," she retorted, glaring at him over her spectacles. "Officer. Go. Home. Before I really DO call your CO."
The elevator bell dinged again. This time Lifeline stepped out with an irritated Kamakura in tow. Lifeline took one look at the situation and shook his head. "I told you to wait for me," he gently rebuked the Warrant Officer.
The Greenshirt ninja stormed up to Flint. "I was assigned to be your guard, sir. General Tomahawk and the Silent Master won't be happy if something happens to you."
Flint grinned at him humorlessly. "Then you'll just have to learn to keep up with me, won't you, ninja-boy?"
Lifeline walked over and gave the nurse a peck on the cheek. "Evening, Emma. You're here late."
"You're the one who's late, Edwin," she chided warmly.
"Couldn't be helped," he said. "My unit's CO needed some patching up and a few shots."
"Well, I just wanted to wait for your evening visit," she said. She glared at Flint. "And a good thing I did too."
Lifeline grinned. "Flint's OK, Emma. He and Kamakura are just tagging along while I check Duke over."
"Well," she said, giving Flint a doubtful look. "If YOU say it's OK, Edwin. You're the doctor." She picked up her purse and buzzed the door open. "Sally, dear," she called to the back room. "Don't forget about these visitors!"
"I won't," the muffled reply came. "Good night!"
Kamakura held the door open. Lifeline smiled and waved his thanks to the departing nurse. Flint glowered at the nurse one last time before following the medic. "What a battleaxe," he muttered.
"Yes she is," Lifeline said admiringly. "She's one of the reasons I don't feel so bad about having 'Duke' up here instead of," he pointed down, indicating their own Infirmary underground. "Actually, I was thinking of asking Hawk to steal her---"
Flint whipped his head around. "Oh, no," he moaned.
"I like her," Kamakura remarked. "She's formidable."
"Shut up," Flint growled.
The door next to Duke's room opened and a group of relieved nurses and orderlies left, giving a masked man clad all in black and bristling with weapons a wide berth. He scrutinized the medical staff and waved at the Joes from his post in front of Duke's door.
"Snake-Eyes," Flint hailed. "Get your student off my back for a few minutes. He's been driving me nuts."
Kamakura bowed to Snake-Eyes. "I beg to differ with that statement, Master." He shot Flint a resentful look. "I'M not the one being difficult."
The mute ninja cocked his head at Flint. He raised his hands and began to sign, Do not let those reporters bother you so much.
Flint shot Snake-Eyes an irritated look. "Easy for you to say. YOU didn't have to deal with them." Flint jabbed a finger at Kamakura. "Stay out here and keep your Master company." Without waiting for a response, Flint stormed through the door to 'Duke's' room.
Kamakura's eyes narrowed. He was set to march right in after Flint but Snake-Eyes stopped him, signing, Stay. He gave Lifeline a look. I believe Flint and Lifeline have things to discuss.
"Looks like you're right," Lifeline nodded with a sigh. "Wish me luck."
He followed Flint inside.
Lifeline found Flint sprawled in a chair next to the bed, looking broodingly at 'Duke.'
"Snake-Eyes is right, you know," Lifeline said softly. "Don't let those reporters get to you."
"Bad enough they start up rumors about our women getting transferred out of Joe 'for their own good,'" Flint said mockingly, "rumors I can't confirm or deny. They also start THAT garbage up!"
"Lady Jaye will straighten that transfer rumor out," Lifeline said with as much confidence as he could muster. He smiled. "And as for that garbage…if you take a step a back and look at it, you've got to admit it's pretty funny."
"Funny? FUNNY?" Flint sprang to his feet and began to pace the room. "Do you know how many Viagra jokes I've had to shut down? How many goons are doing KP because they had the balls to come up to me and ask when the next orgy is? Or if I've got extra pictures of Hawk and Jaye---" He couldn't finish. He kicked the chair. "Forgive me if I don't find the humor."
Lifeline's smile slipped away. "Flint…you don't actually BELIEVE that garbage, do you?"
"Of course not," he snapped too quickly. At the disbelieving look on Lifeline's face, Flint stopped and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Maybe a little," he admitted.
"Flint," Lifeline sighed, shaking his head.
"I KNOW, it's STUPID," Flint said. He continued to pace. "Hawk gave her away at our wedding for crying out loud! It's just…when those damned reporters asked if he ever had 'improper relations' with the Joe women…"
"You started to doubt," Lifeline stated. "Why?"
Flint dropped back into the chair. "Before the team was re-instated…well, Hawk didn't live all that far away from us. Jaye and I would invite him over for dinner at least once a month…whenever I'd be away on a mission, he'd stop in to check on her, see if she was OK…" He pulled off his beret and scrubbed his hair. "I KNOW he was just being a-a friend…but those reporters and their damned questions got me wondering…"
Lifeline just shook his head.
Flint looked up at him, his dark eyes full of self-reproach. "I'm pulling an Othello, aren't I? Getting jealous over nothing."
Lifeline's eyebrows shot up. "Well, yes. But at least you're not denying it, or keeping it bottled up to fester like you used to."
A soft smile touched Flint's lips. "Marriage teaches you a few things."
"Like trust," the medic hazarded.
A chuckle rolled out of the Flint's throat. "Yeah." A lop-sided grin stretched across his face and he slapped his thigh. "Screw those reporters! They don't know what they're talking about."
"Absolutely," Lifeline beamed.
Flint tapped the arm of the chair rapidly. "Now if I only knew what's taking her so long in her office with that Greenshirt."
The medic threw up his hands.
"Lifeline."
The medic looked at the Third. "Yes?"
Flint flashed Lifeline a grateful smile. "Thanks."
Lifeline grinned. "Just following the General's orders." He spread out his arms. "But seriously, if you ever need an ear…"
"Thanks, pal." Flint jerked a thumb at the fake Duke. "Usually that's golden boy's line." Flint shook his head at the decoy. "Amazing. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that was the real deal." He rubbed his arms. "Kinda gives me the creeps."
"Gee thanks," Lifeline said dryly, checking on the decoy's readings. "That's just what Mainframe and I were striving for."
"It's not a synthoid, is it," Flint demanded.
"No. It's a hand-me down from SHIELD, an old Life Model Decoy. Duke said a contact in SHIELD, ah, 'requisitioned' it for him. Mainframe and I worked to improve it a little. It's not sophisticated, but it doesn't have to be. It just needs to lay there and mimic a human's involuntary responses, like breathing, and react to stimuli like this." Lifeline pulled back the sheet and hit the decoy's knee. It jerked. He grinned proudly at Flint. "See? We even got everything set up to Duke's bio-rhythms. Brainwaves, heart rate, everything."
"'Appearances to save, his only care; So things seem right, no matter what they are,'" Flint quoted softly.
"Shakespeare," Lifeline asked.
"Charles Churchill," Flint corrected. "Whatever Hawk has Duke doing, I hope it's worth it."
Lifeline frowned. "I hope so too." He nodded at the decoy. "It won't take much to land Duke in that bed for real."
"Oh, just great."
A heavy double thud from outside pulled the Warrant Officer to his feet. He motioned the medic back as he reached for his service pistol.
The door swung open and Hawk stepped in wearing green fatigues and his aviator's jacket. He shut the door firmly.
"Sir!" Flint and Lifeline snapped to attention and saluted smartly.
Hawk returned the gesture. "At ease, men."
"Couldn't you sleep, sir," Lifeline asked, concerned.
"I wasn't as tired as I thought," Hawk assured him.
"Didn't expect to see you up here, sir," Flint said. "I thought you were going to join Jaye in her office as soon as you woke up."
"Just visiting first," Hawk told him.
Lifeline looked askance of him. "At least you're moving your shoulder around better now," he commented. "I guess the drugs kicked in." He frowned and shook a pen at him. "But you should really wear that sling, sir. You promised. And it'll save your shoulder a lot of wear and tear. You won't have to get it re-stitched everyday."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Hey, the cleaners did a bang up job on your jacket, Hawk," Flint said admiringly. "I didn't think they could save it. Can't even tell where the bloodstains were."
"Yes, well, I only use the best," Hawk said. "Speaking of which, how's Duke?"
"We were just talking about him," Flint said. "Frankly, we're both a little worried, sir."
"Well…you shouldn't worry about Duke anymore," Hawk told him gently. "He's going to be all right soon. Unlike me."
Flint's brow knotted in confusion. "Sir?"
Lifeline frowned. "Sir, what are you talking about?"
"I'm about to lose everything," Hawk told them matter-of-factly. "So I'm saying good-bye…and I'm sorry."
Flint shook his head, trying to clear his ears. "WHAT? Wait. Sir---Clay, you're talking about going AWOL! You CANNOT go AWOL---"
Hawk interrupted him by whipping out a bizarre looking gun from his jacket pocket. Flint and Lifeline froze in shock. Hawk's next words were dangerously soft. "With you out of the way, maybe Lady Jaye will finally go away with me like she keeps promising."
The words hit Flint like a sledgehammer blow.
Flint felt his blood freeze, his heart stop. The world around him disappeared into a roar of red. Distantly, he felt himself move, heard Lifeline call his name as if from a far away place. Frantic arms wrapped themselves around his waist, trying to hold him back. Flint felt himself roar in rage.
From his other pocket, Hawk pulled out a small gas mask. It clung to his face like a leech.
Lifeline's eyes widened. "Hawk, NO!" He shoved Flint away and leapt for the gun.
Too little, too late.
Hawk fired, discharging a high volume of gas that enveloped Flint and Lifeline. They both dropped to the ground, coughing and gagging. Their bodies began to jerk in seizures.
Hawk walked over to 'Duke.' "Good-bye, Duke," he said softly, replacing the spent gas cartridge. He pointed the gun at 'Duke's' face.
He fired.
The machines monitoring 'Duke' began to beep crazily.
Flint desperately tried to say something. Lifeline made one last grab at Hawk.
Their eyes rolled back.
They became very still.
Hawk pocketed his gun and removed the wrist-coms from Flint and Lifeline. He opened the door and bent over the unconscious Kamakura to remove his wrist-com. Hawk looked down on the unmoving Snake-Eyes.
A slow smile spread over his face.
"Perfect."
Dressed in fresh green fatigues with his bandages replaced and his arm in a sling, Hawk pelted up the stairwell in hastily laced boots with Low Light hot on his heels. They ignored the flashing red lights and the muted trill of the fire alarm, dodging the rush of people fleeing in the opposite direction. Hawk snarled into his wrist-com as he fought his way up. "I don't care how, Mainframe, get this hospital sealed!"
"A lot of people have already evacuated the building," Mainframe told him.
"BeachHead," Hawk barked.
"Here, sir."
"Get the area surrounding the hospital cordoned off. Co-ordinate with the base's Military Police. Don't forget the underground levels. Stalker, Gun-Ho. I want a drag net going. We're looking for Cobras and Dreadnoks, people. Keep sharp." Hawk flattened himself against the wall as an unbreakable tide of people poured past him. "Jinx," he said in a softer tone of voice.
The normally cheerful woman's voice sounded flat. "I'm here, Hawk."
"I know you're worried about your clansmen, Jinx---"
"Sir, we're Arashikage ninjas," she told him. "I won't dishonor them by falling apart."
"Good girl. I need you to keep guarding BeachHead. Be paranoid. Stay with him at all times. Don't let him out of your sight. If that means going into the john with him, do it!"
"Yes, sir."
"And no arguments, BeachHead."
"No, sir."
A small break in the crowd and Hawk and Low Light were back fighting the tide again. Hawk's voice softened again. "Scarlet, Lady Jaye---"
"Here, sir," Jaye said, her Gaelic voice clipped but steady.
"We're both here, sir," Scarlett said thickly. "Just tell us what you want."
"Get together with Spirit and Psyche-Out. I want the four of you to gather a team and sweep this hospital, floor by floor. That son of a bitch might still be here."
"Oh, I hope so," Scarlet hissed.
"If possible, I want this snake alive," Hawk warned her. "But if it's a choice between him or a life, or letting him go scott free, I'll settle for a body."
"Sir," Mainframe said, "the Base Commander's not too happy. He said the fire alarm was set off to evacuate---"
"I will deal with him, just follow your orders, Joe," Hawk snapped. "If the General has a real problem, tell him to call me directly!"
"But he---"
"Listen up, people, and listen good," Hawk snarled. "You either get your orders FROM me or you get them THROUGH me. NO WAY ELSE! AM I CLEAR?!"
"YES, SIR!"
"NOW MOVE IT!"
The crowd finally reached its end and the two Joes shot up the stairwell two and three steps at a time.
Hawk kicked the door to the ICU floor wide open. The Military Police, medical staff, and Hazardous Waste Material Disposal experts cluttering the waiting area stopped what they were doing.
"Not good," Low Light murmured.
"Who's in charge," Hawk demanded.
A white-haired MP Major approached them. "I'm Major Kenner. General Tomahawk?" He saluted at Hawk's nod. "I was the first one to get here after Dr. Hill put out the call. He was tending to another patient on the floor and…well, he found your men. He and some other physicians are looking after them now. They said it was a lucky thing your Joes were attacked in the ICU ward. They didn't have far to go for treatment."
"What exactly happened here," Hawk asked intently. "All I've been told is that five of my boys have been taken out."
"Nerve gas attack," the Major said grimly.
The blood drained from Hawk's face.
Kenner looked grim. "I've seen worse cases…but I won't lie, General. They each got a face-full of the stuff. They're in bad shape."
Hawk took a deep breath. "How bad?"
A non-discript man in a white coat pushed open the ICU doors.
"There's the man to answer that," the Major said. "That's Dr. Hill."
"Thank you, Major." Hawk and Low Light strode up to the doctor. "I'm General Tomahawk from the GI Joe team. Those are my men in there," Hawk said curtly. "What's their condition?"
The Doctor saluted. "Well, sir, we've stabilized them, for now. We won't know how extensive the damage is for a few more hours."
"Dammit, Life," Low Light said, his dry voice almost inaudible.
Hawk looked at the sniper's drawn face and squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "Our men need to stay up here," Hawk told the doctor. "With Lifeline down, there's no one qualified to care for them in our medical facilities down below."
"I wouldn't recommend moving them anyways, sir," the doctor informed him. "It's still touch and go. But…"
"But what," Hawk snapped.
"Your man Hauser," the doctor said, his voice hesitant.
"Duke? What about him?"
"He…he was already suffering from complications from that head wound…General, I'm sorry, but…I'm afraid we're not reading any brain activity. We have him on full life-support now. Sir…if he has any family…I'll need to know what they want me to do."
Hawk paled even further. "I'll take care of it," he whispered.
"If there's anything else I can do…?"
Hawk closed his eyes, and nodded. "Snake-Eyes and Kamakura. Let them keep their masks on. It…it makes them feel less vulnerable. And Flint has a wedding band hanging on his dog-tag chain. If you could put it on his finger…"
"Of course. I'll make them comfortable. Is there anything I can do for Dr. Steen?"
"Lifeline? Yes." Hawk looked at him with redden eyes shining with unshed tears. "Don't let anyone die."
Dr. Hill nodded. "We'll try. I'll let you know when they're stabilized enough to receive visitors, sir." He turned back to the door. "Nurse?"
The teary-eyed young night nurse broke off from giving her statement to an MP. She buzzed the Doctor in.
Hawk sank into a chair. "Major Kenner."
The MP commander walked over. "Yes, sir?"
"My unit will need to co-ordinate with yours in order to catch this bastard."
"Of course, sir. I'll radio in to my CO and give him a sit-rep. In the meantime, my orders are to stay here and keep this floor secured."
"I'll be sending up a team to give you a hand," Hawk said.
"Thank you, sir."
"What do we do until then, sir," Low Light asked.
"The only thing we can do, solider," Hawk told him, closing his eyes. "We pray."
The Major went to the nurse. "Are you OK, miss?"
"Yes," she sniffed. "I just want to go home, if that's alright?"
"We'll see," he said, steering her into the back room. "Why don't you get your bag? I just need to search it. You understand."
She nodded. Obediently, she got her gym bag.
He opened it, shoving aside text books and notepads.
At the bottom, under sweaty gym clothes, was a brown leather aviator's jacket.
His voice dropped. "Is this all he gave you to ditch?"
She nodded.
"Burn it. Quick." He scrawled out a note. "Here's your pass if the Joes give you trouble, but I wouldn't depend on it. Better hurry. And remember," he said, gripping her hand a shade too tightly, "you don't want to screw this up. The Jugglers will be…upset if you do."
She jerked back her hand and scowled at him, stuffing the jacket back in her bag. "Just as long as they keep their promises, I won't forget who pays the bills. I do my job."
"That's all that they ask."
*Note: OTHELLO is a tragic Shakespeare play about a brilliant solider destroyed by jealousy.
