*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.
*Once again, I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to update! I hope the next chapters make up for the time^_^ The next chapter will be up in a few more days, I promise!
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There were no privacy curtains in this room. For the sake of security BeachHead had them all taken down, giving everyone a clear, unobstructed view of the room's occupants. Five beds stuck out from the walls like spokes from a wheel, the residents of four were covered under a clear plastic oxygen tent. The steady beeping of the machines, eerily in sync with each other, sounded far too loud in the ward.
Scratching out a heavy counterpoint at the end of the ward was the full life support machine breathing for the very still fifth 'man.'
Hawk watched in silence as Elise Hauser Falcone kissed 'Duke's' sallow cheek, resting her forehead against his temple. Her face---so much like her son's!---crumpled in pain as she tried to hold back her tears. She pulled back, entwining her fingers with her 'son's.' She pressed his hand to her heart and nodded to Dr. Hill.
Dr. Hill nodded his understanding and deactivated the life-support machine hooked up to 'Duke.'
'Duke's' chest rose once, fell once…and was still.
The machines flatlined, their steady beepings reduced to a long, droning whine.
From her beloved Snake-Eyes' bedside, Scarlet bowed her head and crossed herself, letting the tears for her dear friend fall down her face.
Steve respectfully removed his Greenshirt helmet. Low Light took off his cap and Mainframe pushed back his hood.
Stalker stared hard at 'Duke,' as if willing his heart to beat, his lungs to fill with air.
No one said anything for two minutes…five minutes…ten…
Finally the doctor lifted his clipboard and spoke in a deep, clear official voice as he recorded 'Duke's' time of death…and the cause.
Stalker squeezed shut his eyes. With a heavy hand, he removed his beret.
Mrs. Falcone let out a loud sob and buried her face in her 'son's' hand.
Hawk stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Mrs. Falcone's shoulder. He opened his mouth, helplessly trying to find the proper words to say to her…
She looked up.
Hawk froze.
The fury blazing from her green eyes burned all his words of sympathy to ash.
"MURDERER," she screamed. Mrs. Falcone released her 'son's' limp hand and slapped Hawk hard across the face. "You killed my boys! Monster!" She beat against Hawk's chest with open hands, half-clawing at him in her grief. "You were supposed to keep him safe," she cried.
Hawk tried to envelop her in a hug with his unslinged arm. "Mrs. Falcone---"
She shoved him away. "Don't you touch me," she spat. "Don't you ever come near my family again!" She threw herself against her 'son's' still body and wept.
Hawk could feel the eyes of his Joes upon him. He took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. He caught Scarlet's eye and tilted his head towards the grieving mother.
Scarlet nodded and went to kneel next to Mrs. Falcone, her voice a low soothing murmur of comfort.
"Dr. Hill," Hawk said hoarsely. He cleared his throat. "Dr. Hill. May I have your permission to move Duke's body to the GI Joe Infirmary, to wait for proper transport home in the morning?"
"Of course, sir," the doctor said sympathetically. "I'll take care of the paper work."
"Thank you, Doctor."
Stalker remained behind to watch the other Joes still holding onto life. Low Light walked at point as an honor guard, followed by Hawk and the gurney holding 'Duke' being pushed by Mainframe and Steve. Scarlet gathered the unresisting Mrs. Falcone into her arms and helped the older woman walk behind her 'son's' body.
GI Joes and Regular Military troops alike all stood respectfully aside as the procession made their way to the GI Joe Infirmary.
Once inside the Infirmary, the procession kept walking, taking elevators and ramps until they made their round about way to Mainframe's Workshop. Firewall and Daemon, the Joe's reformed civilian hackers, waited for them with a table that resembled an autopsy slab prepped with instruments, tools, cables and various electrical equipment laid neatly around it.
Daemon gave Mainframe and Hawk a thumbs up. "Ready, boss."
"Mainframe, get me Duke on a secured channel first," Hawk snapped. "Firewall, Daemon, do it. That decoy is the only accessible eyewitness we have. I want to know if anything, ANYTHING is recorded in its memory banks. Sights, sounds, I don't care what. Strip it down to its last microchip if you have to, get me some data!" He turned until he partly faced Scarlet and the woman in her arms. "Lady Jaye."
Scarlet kept an arm over the shoulders of the other woman as Elise Falcone reached up and peeled away her face, revealing the more familiar features of Lady Jaye. "Yes, sir?"
"I want you to stay here and try to help them sort through the data."
"Yes, sir."
Hawk's face felt stiff as he said, "Excellent performance, Lady Jaye. I doubt the real Mrs. Falcone would have reacted any differently."
Jaye bit her lip. "Thank you, sir," she whispered.
"Sir," Mainframe said. "I've got Duke."
Hawk nodded. "Duke, are you in place?"
"Yes, sir," the Second said over a speaker. "I'm meeting with some of the Greenshirt covert ops within the hour."
"Good," Hawk said curtly. "All of you, listen up. We believe this new mystery attacker instigated that attempt on my life yesterday. The only problem is that we have no proof. He covered his tracks using patsies yesterday, half of whom we know are dead, the other half are believed to be dead as well." His jaw clenched. "Tonight he slipped up. There are no patsies to take his fall this time. Duke is following a lead. You Joes are trying to dig through the decoy for evidence. Unfortunately, in order to get the decoy away from the Wright-Patterson Medical Staff without a lot of prompt and uncomfortable questions, we had to fake its death." Hawk swept the Joes in the room with a fierce raptor glare. "We're on a timetable, people. It won't take longer than dawn before certain people realize that Duke's mother was never really here. Meaning we have until dawn before those same people realize that Duke, whom this attack was most likely aimed at, is still very much alive and kicking. So work fast."
"YES, SIR!"
"Duke," Hawk said, his voice stern. "You're still injured. Under no circumstances are you to directly engage. I want you to observe, co-ordinate the covert ops, collect their intel, and get the hell out of there before dawn."
"Yes, sir."
"And, Duke?" Hawk's eyes narrowed. "If you die pulling some damned fool James Bond stunt, I will personally keelhaul your ethereal ass up and down the River Styx until Armageddon! Got me?"
"…I…promise not to put you through the trouble of that just yet, sir."
"You better not." The General's voice softened. "Good luck, son. Hawk out." He beckoned for Scarlet to come closer.
The red-haired Field Commander hugged Lady Jaye tightly before making her way to her CO. "Yes, sir?"
Hawk studied the Counter-Intelligence Agent carefully before asking, "Are you up to anymore work tonight? Away from Snake-Eyes?"
Scarlet bowed her head and sighed deeply, briefly showing the General how unhappy she was at the idea of leaving her fiancee longer than a few minutes. "If Jaye can pull herself away from Flint, I can do the same from Snake," she said in a steady voice. She drew herself up proudly. "We're soldiers first, sir. Tell me what you need."
Hawk nodded, pulling her into a corner and dropping his voice even lower. "Apparently, transfer orders for the Joe women DID come in today. BUT," he added quickly before her temper could do more than glint in her blue-green eyes, "Lady Jaye seems to have 'lost' some of them." He gave Scarlet a significant look. "I want ALL of those orders 'lost,' but good."
Scarlet nodded sharply. "I understand."
"Take Stalker with you. Brief him about the real Duke while you're at it. Then," he put a hand on her shoulder, "I need you two to get some rest. I understand that Stalker's wife Lydia wants you and Jaye to camp out at their home tonight?"
"Yes, sir. I…" Her professional demeanor melted slightly. "I think I'll take her up on the offer."
"Good." He looked at Jaye worriedly. "I don't know when I can let Jaye go," he murmured.
Scarlet glanced at the Intel op and softly said, "Tell me what's really going on here, Hawk. I can help."
Hawk inhaled slowly, considering her offer.
He exhaled gustily and shook his head. "No. You're a Field Commander. I need both you and Stalker fresh for tomorrow, to relieve BeachHead and Gung-Ho so they can get some rest. With Flint out of commission and Duke believed dead I need you four up front more than ever now." He touched her chin. "The team's going to look to you for strength, Scarlet. If you can go on despite your pain, the rest of the team will follow."
She smiled weakly. "Great. No pressure."
"I didn't make you a Field Commander for nothing," he told her. "Captain! Low Light! Time to go. Troops…good luck."
The four retraced their steps back to the ICU ward in silence. Hawk nodded to the two guards standing between him and his injured men.
He hoped they would be enough this time.
The black Ranger sitting in the center of the room looked up at their entrance and stood. Scarlet embraced her friend, letting his strength shore up her spirit. "Just let me say good night, Stalker," Scarlet told the Senior Field Commander.
"Take all the time you need," Stalker told her gently. He walked over to Hawk as Scarlet made her rounds, lingering at the side of Snake-Eyes.
"Any change," Hawk asked.
"No, sir," Stalker sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Not a damn thing." He sniffed. "Sorry, sir. Allergies."
Hawk smiled weakly at the lame joke.
"It's just…I never thought I'd see Duke…" Stalker wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Sorry, sir."
"Don't be sorry." Hawk gripped the Joe's shoulder comfortingly, feeling more than a twinge of guilt for deceiving the Field Commander. "Scarlet needs to brief you on something before you two can turn in. Might even make you feel better. Are you up to it?"
Stalker nodded. "Yes, sir."
"Good. Afterwards, I want you to tell your wife I said thank you for letting Scarlet and Jaye bivouac at your home tonight."
"Hell, Hawk, it was Lydia's idea." Stalker's dark brown eyes softened. "My wife knows how hard it is to be alone at a time like this."
Hawk turned his head and took a deep breath. "OK, people," he said evenly, sitting in the vacated seat. "Sack time."
Stalker frowned. "Hawk? Shouldn't you be getting some shut eye too?"
Hawk nodded. "I just want to sit with the men for a little bit. Gung-Ho will relieve me in a few more hours."
Stalker looked at his General sadly. "Whatever you want, sir." He raised his voice slightly. "Good night, Joes. When I come back, your lazy asses better be out of bed." He dropped his voice. "Good night, Hawk."
"Good night, Stalker, Scarlet."
"Good night, Hawk," she smiled. Both she and Stalker murmured their farewells to Low Light, who nodded, and to Steve, who respectfully saluted them as they left.
Once they were gone Steve crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "They're a good bunch of soldiers."
Hawk nodded, still smiling. "The best."
Steve cocked his head. "Hey. How are YOU holding up, Hawk?"
"Me?" Hawk glanced at Low Light briefly and told the Captain. "Fine."
Both Low Light and Steve looked at the General sharply. Steve caught the sniper's eye and tilted his head towards the door. Low Light tapped the plastic draping over Lifeline. "Take care, buddy," he said. To the others, he lifted his whispery voice enough over the machines to simply say, "Wake up soon." He trotted out the door.
"Now," Steve said. "How are you really holding up?"
Away from the eyes that looked to him for strength, Hawk buried his face in his free hand. "I'm tired, Captain. So damned tired." He raised his eyes to look at his men as they fought just to breathe. "We both know who's responsible for doing this to my boys."
"Yes," Steve sighed as he hooked another chair and dragged it next to Hawk. "We do." He slipped off the large backpack he wore, propped it within easy reach against his chair and sat down. "What do you want to do about them, Hawk?"
For a long moment, the General was silent.
"I told the Jugglers I'd run a warpath through them if they screwed with my men," Hawk finally said. "They obviously didn't believe me." Hawk turned to Steve, his brown eyes glinting like agate blades. "I can't let those bastards get away with this. No matter what, Captain, I have to make good on my threat." His jaw clenched. "If I don't, there may be more beds in this room."
"What do you want to do about them," Steve repeated softly.
"Ideally, I'd scalp just a few of them to set an example. Make them toe the line." Hawk shook his head. "But if the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Chiefs know about Hueah, I can guess who else shares that information."
"The Jugglers will try to blackmail you for your silence," Steve said. He looked at his friend with old, old eyes and stated more than asked, "But you won't keep silent."
"I can't, Captain."
"You'll be taken down too," Steve warned.
Hawk smiled with bittersweet triumph. "It doesn't matter anymore, does it?"
Steve's fists knotted at his sides. "Yes it does," he said tightly. "Hawk, there might be another way---"
Hawk shot to his feet and turned away. "We've discussed that---"
Steve jumped up and blocked Hawk. "No, I'VE discussed it. YOU won't listen."
Hawk's scowl became fierce. "You're asking me to trust the man who's using MY DEAD WIFE to get my Command!"
Steve's eyes glittered like harsh ice. "I know what I'm asking you, but you said it yourself. Your personal life has left GI Joe wide open for a coup. You've been diligent in preparing for the fall out, but you haven't dealt with the fact that YOU JUST DON'T KNOW THE REAL TRUTH. I don't care what intel the Secretary and the Chairman have, the only one who can really give us the truth is Nick. Hueah could have been totally innocent and Nick's just slandering her as a ploy to dangle you out as bait for the Jugglers---"
Hawk snorted. "That's hardly a ringing endorsement, Captain."
"---or she could have been as guilty as Nick says she was," Steve continued grimly. "Either way, Hawk, you NEED to know."
Hawk jerked as if burnt.
Shocked comprehension suddenly flared in Steve's blue eyes. "This isn't about not trusting Nick, is it," he breathed. "You'd really rather die than hear the whole truth about her!"
Hawk, bristling with denial, opened his mouth…
Steve waited.
…no words came.
Hawk leaned against the railings of Flint's bed. "Dammit," Hawk whispered without heat. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dammit," he repeated more forcefully. "She's DEAD. How does she keep DOING this to me?"
Sympathy gentled Steve's next words. "You still love her."
"I've loved other women since her," Hawk said harshly. "None of them made my brain slide aft side like this."
A small, sad knowing smile softened Steve further. "But none of them were HER."
Hawk's eyes drooped. "No. They weren't," he said softly. He took a deep breath, fixing his eyes on Flint. "But even when Hueah was alive, she wasn't worth the lives of my men." He nodded sharply. "Very well, Captain. I'll have Low Light arrange a meeting for me with him as soon--- "
The General's com vibrated.
"Hawk here."
"Sir, its Lady Jaye. Is the Captain still with you?"
"I'm here, Jaye," Steve said. "What's up?"
"We think we might have found something but we need clearance to access the data. Some genius in SHIELD decided each memory file should have a security code. The hackers think they can crack the encryptions, but that will take time."
"Time we don't have," Steve said, glancing at Hawk. "With your permission, sir?"
Hawk nodded curtly. "Granted. Let me know what you've got ASAP."
"Yes, sir."
"Good work, Lady Jaye. Give my compliments to Mainframe and his crew."
"Thank you, sir," she said. "Jaye out."
Steve shouldered his pack and gave Hawk a very formal salute. "I'm going to hold you to that promise, General."
"As I'll hold you to yours, Captain," Hawk replied, returning the salute.
Steve grimaced. "I hope you won't have to, kid."
Hawk's eyes softened. "Neither do I, sir."
Steve turned and left the Tomahawk alone with his men.
Hawk sank back down into his chair and closed his eyes. "I'm so sorry, boys," he whispered.
A rustling from one of the beds snapped open his eyes. Quickly he got to his feet, his eyes darting from one bed to the other.
There. Again.
Snake-Eyes was beginning to stir.
Hawk shot to the ninja's side, an ecstatic smile spreading across his face. "Snakes! Thank God!" Laughter bubbled up from his chest. "You tough son of a bitch! I should have known you'd never stay in a hospital for long!"
The mute ninja batted weakly at the oxygen tent.
"I know, Snakes, it's damn annoying, but you were gassed pretty badly. Leave it---"
The man struggled harder.
"Whoa! Snakes, stop it," Hawk snapped.
Snake-Eyes stopped pushing at the clear plastic, but his breathing became labored, as if the confinement was too much for him.
Hawk frowned. "Slow it down, solider, you'll hyperventilate. Do your meditative breathing."
But Snake-Eyes stretched out a trembling hand to Hawk imploringly. To Hawk, the red of the blocky Arashikage hexagram tattoos on Snake-Eyes' right forearm only emphasized the paleness of the man's skin. Hawk couldn't remember the last time he looked so sickly.
"Just hold on," Hawk said soothingly. "I'll call the doctor. If he says you're up to being without the oxygen tent, then it comes off. Alright?"
Reluctantly, the ninja nodded. Then, with effort, he inched his hand under the tent, holding it out to Hawk.
The General smiled broadly and gripped his hand. "Damned good to see you awake, Snakes. Damned good."
Snake-Eyes' hand tightened in response.
Hawk leaned closer. "Scarlet would be here---"
He never got a chance to finish.
Snake-Eyes' foot came whipping around, connecting with Hawk solidly in the head.
The General crumpled to the floor without a sound, held up only by his hand still clutched in Snake-Eyes' own. The masked man let go and the General lay sprawled on the ground.
"Trusting idiot," 'Snake-Eyes' said, pushing away the oxygen tent. With a muffled grunt, he yanked his own catheter out and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
As planned, a red marker pen hung next to his chart at the foot of the bed. He pulled the red pen from its string, then bent down and twisted Hawk's bare right forearm free of the sling. Hawk moaned in pain.
'Snake-Eyes' kicked him again.
Pulling Hawk's arm up straight, 'Snake-Eyes' carefully began to draw the Arashikage hexagram onto Hawk's forearm.
"I would have cracked it eventually," Daemon grumbled as Steve typed one access code after another into what was left of the SHIELD Life Model Decoy, sending each layer of data streaming into Firewall's terminal.
"Sorry, son," Steve said, his fingers flying. "Some people just don't have the time."
Mainframe whistled as Steve continued to type. "Where the HELL did you get clearance for all those codes?"
"Here and there," Steve hedged. "This isn't as impressive as you think. It's an old model. SHIELD doesn't even use these types anymore. These codes are still Classified, but obsolete."
"Those codes aren't the only thing that's obsolete," Firewall said, frowning. "What loser designed this memory program? These files are more corrupted than a room full of lawyers."
"Dammit," Jaye spat, raking her hair from her eyes. She sat at a nearby terminal back in her combat uniform, her javelin pack leaning next to Steve's own backpack. "Can we do anything to fix it?"
"Well, we can network what we have downloaded already to over here," Mainframe said, sitting down at another terminal. He punched up the most recent file recorded. "Let's see how bad it is."
At first, there didn't seem to be anything. The screen, with the exception of static, was totally blank.
Then there was some faint speech.
"That's Flint," Lady Jaye said sharply. "Steve, that's Flint! I think we got it!"
"Time index, 1917hours…Well, let's hear it for dumb Joe luck," Mainframe beamed. "That's it!"
"Let's see it," Steve said, pushing away from his terminal. He joined the hackers and Jaye and crowded around Mainframe.
Mainframe grimaced. "No image, just sounds. Makes sense, the decoy's eyes were closed the whole time it was in use."
"Pump up the volume, boss," Daemon said. "Can't hear a thing."
Everyone winced and covered their ears at the onslaught of crackling and hissing that trebled.
"Sorry," Mainframe said. "Let me try to clean this up."
"Hurry," Jaye said, shivering and rubbing her hands over her arms. "I don't think we have much time."
Corporal Bert McDowell shook his head. "I keep thinking, if I had just stayed an extra shift, if I had just been there---"
"You'd have ended up in there with the others," Low Light said, his whispery voice icy. "Now shut up, you two. We're standing guard, not having a social."
McDowell's cheeks burned at the rebuke. He looked as if he was about to say something.
Lt. Paige Adams cleared her throat noisily and shook her head at her fellow Greenshirt. She jerked her head at the door they guarded, reminding McDowell that the General was just a shout away.
Glaring at the sniper, McDowell settled down quietly.
A buzz at the end of the hall brought them to attention.
The door flung open and Dr. Hill came running with a staff of nurses, oderlies and a gurney.
Low Light brought his high powered rifle up to his shoulder at the same time Adams whipped up her own rifle, just a hair faster than McDowell. All three aimed for the doctor. "Halt," she said crisply. "Who's there?"
Dr. Hill skidded to a stop, barring his staff with his out-flung arms. "It's me," he said, brandishing his ID badge. "Dr. Arnold Hill. I just got a call from the Tomahawk. He said one of the men was in trouble."
Low Light lowered his rifle and nodded curtly to McDowell. "Let them in." He gestured with his weapon. "Let's go."
The medical staff burst into the ICU ward. Hawk knelt next to Snake-Eyes, who lay sprawled on the floor.
"He started to wake up," Hawk told the doctor as he hurried over. "Tore everything out before I could stop him, then he just…collapsed. What the hell is wrong with him?"
Dr. Hill listened to Snake-Eye's heartbeat. "Erratic," he murmured. He felt the ninja's skin. "And hot. He's got a fever. I was afraid this would happen."
"What the hell does THAT mean," Hawk growled.
"It means his condition's getting worse," the doctor said. "Nurse! I need 10cc's of meprobamate!" The nurse quickly passed him a needle and he injected its contents into the ninja and listened to his heart again. "Better," he nodded, "but he's going to need more help than I can give him here." Dr. Hill beckoned to a pair of orderlies, who gently but quickly hoisted Snake-Eyes onto the gurney. "We need to medevac him to another hospital, one more equipped to handle survivors of chemical weapons," Dr. Hill explained. "I already made the necessary arrangements, just in case. We have a helicopter prepped and waiting at the heliport. Dr. Michaels will care for the rest of your men in my absence. With your permission, sir?"
"Permission? Hell, we're going with you," Hawk announced.
The staticky download played again.
"Wait," Lady Jaye said sharply. "Go back."
Mainframe complied.
Steve, with his eyes closed, listened carefully. He frowned. "Is that…? Go back again," he ordered. "Clear that section up more, right from that point."
Mainframe flicked a glance at Jaye, who nodded impatiently. He conferred with Firewall and Daemon in low tones.
Once more, the small audio portion played, still crackling and blank in some areas, but clear in other parts.
"…saying good-bye…sorry."
Mainframe's eyes widened. "Hawk?"
"Shhh," Steve whispered.
"…Clay…AWOL!" Flint's voice exclaimed. "…CANNOT…"
"…Jaye…with me…promising."
"What was that," Lady Jaye skirled sharply.
They all winced as the jealous roar of Flint came through loud and clear…then silenced in a trail of coughing.
"Clean that sentence up and play it again," Jaye ordered.
Mainframe gulped. "There's only so much we can---"
"PLAY IT AGAIN," she shouted.
Mainframe bent industriously over his keyboard, whispering rapidly with Firewall and Daemon. He played it again.
"With you out…Lady Jaye will…go away with me…like she keeps promising."
Mainframe severed the damning recording.
Four pairs of eyes fixed on the white face of Lady Jaye. She clutched at the two gold rings hanging from her chain, one curled around a brightly cut diamond, the other a plain band. She shook her head as she looked at them all. "He's lying," she said hoarsely.
Firewall and Daemon looked doubtful.
Mainframe and Steve didn't.
"I believe you," Mainframe said stoutly. "You wouldn't do that to Flint and neither would Hawk."
"Hawk was wrong," Steve whispered. "There IS a patsy to take the fall here."
"There's two," Jaye said, raking a shaky hand through her hair. "Hawk himself and me." Suddenly she jerked herself upright. "Wait! In order for that to work---"
Lady Jaye's wrist-com beeped.
"Lady Jaye here."
"Ma'am, its Adams."
Jaye swallowed hard, praying this call wasn't about Flint. "Wh-what is it, Adams?"
"Well…you're Commander Scarlet's friend, ma'am," Adams stated reluctantly. "I don't think the General told her yet…so, well I-I just thought you should be the one to tell her…Snake-Eyes is being transferred to another hospital. Dr. Hill, Low Light, and the Tomahawk are going with him---"
"WHERE," Steve thundered.
"They're heading for the hospital's main heliport now. They didn't say which other hospital---"
"A transfer doesn't make sense," Steve said sharply. "Wright Patterson has the best medical facilities in this sector!"
"And Hawk would never leave the base while on red alert, not even for Snakes," Jaye stated hotly. "Hawk WOULD have called Scarlet!"
Steve suddenly paled. "Jaye. Snake-Eyes is masked, right?"
"Yes, he and Kamakura. Why---"
"Jaye," Steve said slowly, carefully. "I left Hawk alone in the ICU ward." Horror shone starkly from his blue eyes. "I'm not so sure that IS Snake-Eyes being transferred out."
Lady Jaye shot to her feet. "MAINFRAME---"
"On it," Mainframe shouted. "Appraising BeachHead and the Field Commanders of the situation!"
"You two," Steve snapped at the two hackers. "Ground EVERYTHING but your most reliable huey---"He looked at Jaye questioningly.
"Wild Bill's Dragonfly," Jaye supplied, slinging her javelin pack over her shoulders and tossing Steve his own pack. "Wake the cowboy and tell him to saddle up NOW!"
"We've got it, GO," Mainframe urged them.
Steve and Lady Jaye bolted from the room, running for the most direct route back to the hospital.
Adams picked up on their alarm. "Should we give Low Light back up?"
"Adams is a sharpshooter," Jaye puffed as they ran. "McDowell an infantry man."
Steve nodded. "Tell your partner to hold his post. You, RUN! Trust NO ONE on that roof, shoot the blades off if you have to but DON'T LET THAT MEDEVAC TAKE OFF!"
"Is there anything you'd like to tell me," she puffed dryly as she began her own sprint.
"We've got an imposter wearing stars!"
"WHAT?"
"The doctor's probably an accomplist," Lady Jaye said. "And if HE arranged for the medevac, there's probably more in the huey---"
"Dammit," Adams spat. "How out numbered will I be?"
Steve and Jaye piled into the elevator and headed for the surface. "Don't know but it won't be for long," Steve said grimly, taking off his backpack. He gripped the straps like a shield as Jaye drew two wickedly sharp javelins. "Lady Jaye and I are on our way up."
