Under normal circumstances King Randor abhorred violence and killing. Normally he would have his troops subdue the enemy without causing any serious casualties. Normally the soldiers didn't think twice about this pacifistic way of engagement... but these were not normal times.
Randor had held out as long as possible, but finally he had given in to fact. Eternos had to be protected at any cost. Better it to be the enemy than his own people. Reluctantly, he had given the order authorizing excessive force in repelling the invaders. This sudden change in tactics had forced the evil warriors to fall back slightly, but not entirely. Still, it had bought the city a little time.
Teela briefly took her hands off her sky sled's controls and swung her sword two-fisted decapitating another of Skeletor's Air Centurions. As she did this however, two more of the flying troops came up behind her. With a quick twist of the controls she went into a loop, blasted the first one with her wrist gauntlet lasers, then came out of the loop behind the second and shot him down as well.
On the ground below, the Cobra general and international arms dealer known as Destro had been admiring the advanced technology of the Eternian weaponry now at his disposal, when the sound of the battle above caught his attention. He glared up at Teela through his silvery mask.
"You have to admit, she's really good," someone behind him said.
Destro spun around swinging his arm to backhand the speaker but, luckily for him, managed to stop in time when he saw it had been Spikor, one of Skeletor's warriors who could best be described as a humanoid porcupine.
"We'll just see how good she truly is," Destro growled, his voice echoing inside the steel mask he wore in accordance with a family tradition. He turned to his squad, "Flak-Vipers, take her down!"
Instantly the Cobra anti-aircraft troopers began filling the sky with a barrage of missiles. To her credit, Teela managed to hold out longer than most people would have. Flak-Vipers seldom failed to get their targets however. In order to maintain a maximum level of effectiveness, they would spend long hours every day practicing simulated missile engagements via a program cartridge that plugged into their helmets. The helmets themselves contained passive infrared targeting systems built right in. This allowed them to fire their extremely accurate Tail-Biter missiles with absolute impunity. Teela really never had a chance.
She managed to jump clear of the sled as it exploded; however this meant she was now in midair with absolutely nothing between her and the ground. It was quite a surprise to her then when she suddenly found herself going up instead of down. A moment later she heard the beating of wings and a familiar voice.
"It's all right Teela, I have you."
Teela breathed a sigh of relief as She-Ra pulled her up onto Swift Wind behind her. Down below He-Man, having witnessed the whole ordeal, also sighed in relief and turned his attention back to the enemy.
A short distance away an unknown soldier suddenly emerged from the palace. Fully decked out in battle armor and carrying an oversized laser rifle, the soldier dove right into a slew of Cobra Vipers and fired away. Those that weren't immediately gunned down quickly dove for cover.
The fighter, whoever it was, continued to lay down a stream of laser fire, completely unaware of the long serpentine arms coming up from behind. Unaware, that is, until the arms ripped the rifle from its hands and began coiling their way around the soldier cutting off any air supply. The Snake Man wasn't called Sssqueeze for nothing.
Fortunately, He-Man had spotted this and rushed to the mystery soldier's aid. With strength that no one save She-Ra, who was rather busy at the moment, could muster he pulled the arms apart freeing their prisoner who collapsed, gasping for breath.
"Maybe this will teach you to keep your hands to yourself," He-Man said as he began swinging the long armed Snake Man like a shot put. Finally, when Sssqueeze was good and dizzy, He-Man released his arms sending him flying over the wall where the evil creature would have surely broken his neck had he not, through sheer dumb luck, landed on Rattlor.
"You okay?" He-Man asked.
"I'm fine now," the soldier replied looking up. He-Man gasped in shock as he beheld the fighter's face for the first time.
It was Queen Marlena.
"Moth... Your Majesty! What are you doing out here?"
"My job," she smirked. "Once a Joe, always a Joe. Besides, it looks like you can use all the help you can get, and I'm not about to sit around while my people get slaughtered. Not when there's something I can do about it."
He-Man almost protested, but decided against it. He knew that when his mother made up her mind about something, there was no dissuading her. Still, the situation was looking worse by the minute.
"I hate to say so," he sighed, "but I don't think we can hold out much longer. There's still no sign of the G.I. Joes. It would seem our friends failed in their mission."
Marlena shook her head as a hardened look of determination swept over her. "Until they've destroyed every last one of us there's still a chance! The Joes will be here. We've got to give them more time!"
Even as the Eternian forces wondered what was keeping the Joes, Jinx herself wondered what the holdup was. She had explained the situation and the urgency of hurrying. Nevertheless, General Hawk insisted he had to report to his superiors in Washington before any action could be taken.
"You have to understand, there are certain procedures we must follow," he said.
"Fuck the procedures!" Jinx shouted earning various surprised looks from everyone, "We don't have time for this." Jinx wasn't about to give up. There was no way of knowing how much time was passing on Eternia while they were here, nor how many casualties had already occurred. Only when Hawk reminded her that disregarding regulations could jeopardize G.I. Joe's very existence did she back down and agree to wait.
Jinx sighed and leaned her head against the shower wall, letting the water run down her back. She had decided to wash up while she waited partially because she had been wearing the same outfit for nearly two days and was covered with sweat, dirt, grime, and blood, but mostly because she was hoping it would help calm her nerves. It hadn't helped.
It's not the same anymore, she thought to herself, I actually miss the way it was in the old days. Much had changed since Jinx had first been recruited for the team by Snake Eyes. It had been a rare opportunity and she had jumped at it, but in those days G.I. Joe was self-sufficient. Then in the mid nineties the threat of Cobra began to diminish. A good thing in and of itself, however the U.S. government decided that since Cobra was no longer a serious danger there was no more need for G.I. Joe and ordered the whole organization shut down.
They soon realized their error as Cobra resurfaced more powerful than ever. G.I. Joe was reinstated, but whereas before it had been able to act almost entirely on it's own accord, now all Joe actions were monitored and controlled by the government. This led to constant problems such as the one they now faced. They always had to obey for fear if they didn't, G.I. Joe would be shut down again.
Jinx shut off the water, climbed out and reached for a towel. Her mind was filled with rage. The battle between good and evil wouldn't sit still for regulations. True G.I. Joe, while technically not a military organization,was largely run like one and she was strictly speaking a soldier, but she was a ninja first. Jinx had the utmost respect for the army and its ways, but if it came down to a choice between some military procedure and her sense of honor, Jinx already knew which path she would take.
Slipping into a robe, Jinx emerged from the bathroom and went to her closet. Even if she had the time to wash the outfit she had been wearing, it was too torn up to bother with. Selecting a new one wouldn't be hard though. Jinx's outfits were pretty much all the same. In fact she owned only one costume that bore a significant difference and that one she never wore.
"What's the story behind this?"
Jinx jumped in surprise and turned around to see Dree Elle floating in front of the display case containing the costume in question.
"How'd you get in here?" Jinx asked trying to hide her shock. She hadn't even noticed the Trollan when she had entered the room. There was no telling how long she had been there.
Dree Elle waved her fingers in a gesture to indicate she had used magic to enter. That actually didn't bother Jinx. What did concern her was the fact that Dree Elle had not taken her eyes off the costume hanging before her. It must have shocked the young Trollan to see that Jinx owned an outfit with a large black Cobra emblem sprawled across the chest.
"That's my old Cobra infiltrating uniform," Jinx explained. "I haven't worn it for years, and I doubt I ever will again. You see, I wasn't always as well known by Cobra as I am now. So I was selected for a special mission to go in and undermine their operations. I used it a couple more times, I liked the cape, but the last mission I wore it is the one were I lost my friend to Vypra. I've never put that suit on since. I still keep it though... to remember."
"I'm sorry," Dree Elle said, finally looking away from the suit. "I didn't mean to drag out a painful memory."
"Don't worry about it," Jinx said. 'Not a day goes by I don't think about what Vypra did. And why I have to kill her."
Dree Elle lowered her head and Jinx noticed she was fighting back tears, "I'm sorry about that too," she said. "I never should have stopped you."
"Don't think like that," Jinx comforted her. "There's no shame in valuing life. Believe me, I don't like killing, but I've come to accept that sometimes in order to preserve life we must also take it."
"I understand," Dree Elle said. "I know you're a good person Jinx. I wanted to make sure you knew that what happened to Yuckers wasn't your fault. It was mine."
"That's not true!" Jinx shouted, taking the little Trollan in her arms. "I never should have dropped my weapon. I should have made my move then and there."
"You did what you thought would save him," Dree Elle countered.
Jinx shook her head. "Much as I hate to say this, Vypra was right. I knew she couldn't be trusted. I should have realized she would never release Yuckers and attacked. She might have still killed him, but at least he would have been the last to fall. I could have ended the carnage there. How many more are going to die because of my moment of stupidity?"
"No, mine," Dree Elle stated, refusing to be swayed. "I should have let you finish Vypra when you had the chance. Then no one else would have to suffer."
Jinx sighed and held Dree Elle so that they were looking eye to eye. "We can't change what's happened, but I promise you your brother will not go unavenged. No matter what happens I'm going to stand by you, and before this is over we will see the end of Vypra."
"Who is she?" Dree Elle sobbed. "Why does she do these things?"
"Well," Jinx said, "according to Cobra documents we captured her real name is Ann A. Conda, but I'm pretty sure that's an pseudonym. One story I've heard says she grew up in New Orleans. Another claims she lived in Japan and may have been trained by an offshoot of my own Arashikage clan. With her I can never be sure how much is true and what's made up.
"As for why," Jinx went on, "she does it simply because she can. You have to remember, she's not even remotely sane. And that makes her all the more dangerous. No institution can rehabilitate her. No prison can hold her. She will continue to kill and kill again until she's stopped permanently."
Twenty minutes later everyone was gathered in the council room to hear the verdict as it were. General Hawk entered the room late and the look on his face made Jinx nervous. Something was not right.
"I'm afraid I've got some bad news," Hawk sighed.
Definitely not right.
"Are you saying G.I. Joe can't help us?" Dree Elle asked.
"Please let me explain," Hawk started, in a tone that was meant to be soothing, "We've been placed in a rather delicate situation here."
Jinx was not so easily soothed. "What possible reason can they have for denying assistance?"
Hawk shrugged. "Basically the same reason we weren't allowed to invade Cobra Island."
"Which is..." Rockon prodded.
Hawk sighed, "Cobra Island was formed when Cobra set off a fault line causing the island to rise out of the ocean. Then they laid claim to the new land and had it recognized as a sovereign state complete with it's own legal boundaries. We couldn't invade the island because it would be considered an act of war. It's a similar situation here."
"That doesn't make one ounce of sense," Jinx shouted. "Cobra is attacking Eternia. We'll be going to their aid!"
Hawk sighed again, "As far as Washington's concerned to do so would mean involving the country in a war. The President and Congress would have to agree on the action and then deploy troops..."
"And in doing so the government would finally have to admit to the existence of extraterrestrial life," Jinx interrupted. "That's what this is really all about isn't it?"
"What do you mean?" Orko said.
"I guess I should have told you guys earlier," Jinx groaned, "the governments of Earth don't exactly have the best policy when it comes to dealing with alien life. They've been covering it up and denying knowledge for years. Don't ask me why," she added, seeing the confused looks on their faces, "The evidence proving otherwise is overwhelming! I mean those guys from Cybertron have been running around here for years."
Jinx shook her head at the stupidity of it before continuing. "On top of all that, our world is far from perfect and peaceful. Most countries have a habit of taking an attitude of neutrality. They choose to stay out of a conflict unless they feel it somehow affects them personally. They probably figure since Cobra's not on Earth anymore they're your problem now."
"That's enough Jinx," Hawk growled. "You're dangerously out of line."
Jinx would not be silenced. "Like it or not General, everything I've said is true." She turned back to the Eternian heroes. "I'm sorry. I knew we couldn't rely on the government for help, but I didn't think G.I. Joe would take this attitude."
Orko floated over in front of Hawk. "Don't you understand? You're world is in as much danger as ours. If the powers of Grayskull fall into the hands of evil, the entire universe will be plunged into darkness!"
"This wasn't my decision," Hawk said, clearly upset that he had become the bad guy. "I'm just a soldier. I'm given my orders and I follow them."
Jinx stood and addressed all the Joes in the room. "Whatever happened to 'fighting for freedom wherever there's trouble'? We're supposed to be 'The Real American Heroes'! What kind of heroes turn their back on people just because there's no danger to themselves?"
Hawk rose from his chair, clearly on the verge of loosing his temper. "I will not be drawn into an ethical debate with you Jinx! I'm not saying I agree with this decision, but I have to abide by it nonetheless. It's beyond my authority."
Jinx shook her head in utter disbelief. "I never thought I'd see the day when G.I. Joe refused to aid someone in need. So be it then. If you won't help then I'll go back alone."
She turned to the Eternians and started for the door indicating them to follow her. Suddenly their path was blocked by two guards.
"I'm afraid I can't allow that Jinx," Hawk said slowly. "This ruling applies to all G.I. Joes. If you leave you'll be going AWOL."
"You've got to be shitting me!" Jinx shouted loud enough to be heard outside. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Dree Elle was clenching her fists in rage.
Hawk slammed his fist down on the desk before him. "That's enough Jinx! I'm willing to overlook your behavior up till now, but I will not tolerate any more insubordination! There are rules and regulations that apply to all Joes, and as long as you're a member of this team, you will abide by them!"
Jinx stared at the floor and took several long deep breaths to regain her composure. Finally, without looking up, she nodded and spoke calmly. "If that's how it must be then I guess I have no option." She raised her head so that she was staring Hawk straight in the eyes.
"You have my resignation sir."
It was approximately thirty seconds before anyone spoke but it felt more like an hour.
"You can't be serious," Scarlett said rising from her seat near the back. She started towards Jinx but was restrained by Storm Shadow -though he too was staring at her in disbelief.
"What choice do I have?" Jinx sighed. "If I cannot fight as long as I am a Joe, then I must stop being a Joe. Either way I am going back to Eternia and nothing will stop me. You can throw rules and regulations my way. You can burden me with laws and ethics. But there is only one thing I will always obey; My honor."
Feeling a hand fall on her shoulder Jinx turned to see Duke.
"You're a good fighter Jinx," he said "I'd hate to lose you. Are you sure you want to do this?"
Jinx sighed, "I don't want to leave G.I. Joe, but if that's what it takes so be it."
Jinx turned to address her soon to be former teammates. "When I first joined this team G.I. Joe stood for truth justice and, most importantly, freedom. Many things have changed since then, but I always took comfort in knowing that much at least remained the same. But today I saw that belief shattered. Good-bye then my friends. I shall remember you all nobly."
"Hold on there kid. Let's not be too hasty."
Jinx opened her mouth to tell off whoever it was, but as the figure stepped forward out of the shadows the only sound she could make was a slight inaudible gasp. The rest of the Joes followed suit. No one had seen him in the back. No one knew how long he had been there, but every single Joe in the room knew who he was.
"General Colton!"
Colton smiled and calmly pushed Jinx's jaw up and closed as he walked past her. "If you'll just wait a few moments Jinx, I think I may be able to offer a solution that will benefit everyone." Without waiting for a reply he approached Hawk and began conversing with him quietly.
"Who is that?" Dree Elle asked in a hushed tone.
"General Joseph B. Colton," Jinx whispered. "Code name: G.I. Joe!"
"He has the same name as the team?"
"That man created the team," Jinx said, and with that she began relating to her Eternian friends the origin of G.I. Joe.
In 1963, after participating in "ultra" top-secret combat operations and extensive tours of duty in trouble spots around the world, then 1st Lt. Joseph B. Colton had become the most decorated -and most feared- battlefield soldier the world had ever known. Recognizing Colton's innate combat skills and his fierce warriors spirit, President John F. Kennedy secretly selected him to create and command an ultimate freedom fighting force. Colton was issued the code name G.I. Joe and began building his team with the toughest men and women he could muster. From there the G.I. Joe team would change the course of history and redefine the word hero.
When Cobra surfaced and the true nature of the threat it posed became clear, the G.I. Joe team was given the exclusive assignment of bringing down the terrorist organization. No one knew at the time just how large this assignment would prove to be. Colton, by now a four star general, continued to lead his team up till his retirement, but even after he would continue to assist the team in any way he could. He was largely instrumental in G.I. Joe's re-installation following Cobra's resurfacing. Currently he was campaigning -and quickly becoming a front runner- for the next President. There was not a single Joe ever that didn't know, love, and respect him.
By the time Jinx finished her history lesson Colton and Hawk had completed their discussion. Hawk's expression was still stone cold and grim but that was a normal look for him and thus made it impossible to determine anything. Colton however was making no attempt to hide the smirk on his face.
Hawk cleared his throat. "General Colton and I have discussed this matter thoroughly, looking for any possible solution. Any rule or loophole that could be used to our advantage and what it all boils down to is this; I cannot issue an order sending G.I. Joe on a mission to Eternia."
In a panic Jinx's eyes turned to Colton who simply raised his hand as if to say, "Just wait."
"However," Hawk continued, "since we know for a fact Cobra won't be launching an attack anywhere on Earth anytime soon, it's safe to say G.I. Joe is going to have nothing to do for a while. Rather than having everyone sitting around the base on their asses, I am authorized to grant leave to anyone who requests it."
Here Hawk leaned forward and added a less than subtle tone to his voice. "Where you go and what you choose to do while on leave is your own business."
Jinx grinned wide. Leave it to General Colton to come up with a solution so simple yet so brilliant.
"So," Hawk continued, leaning back again, "if any of you plan on leaving let me know quickly. Our guests need to be going soon, as I'm sure they have a lot to do. Oh, and one more thing; Jinx, your resignation is not accepted."
"Consider it withdrawn Sir," she laughed.
The matter settled several Joes jumped up and surrounded Hawk's desk, obviously to submit their "requests for time off". Jinx spotted Snake Eyes, Duke, Storm Shadow, Nunchuck, Roadblock, and Tunnel Rat before there were too many people swarming to make out the individuals. She did notice however that Sci-Fi had chosen to walk out of the room, clearly intent on not going along. It didn't bother her though; they had never gotten along well. Nevertheless, she did note that he had been becoming more secluded as well as developing a very bitter attitude as of late. She could feel that slight nagging sensation in her head but couldn't tell exactly why.
"So let me get this straight," Orko said. "Hawk's not allowed to order G.I. Joe to Eternia, and if you went anyway you'd be in trouble for going away without leave. So the answer was simply to grant you leave?"
"That's about the size of it," Jinx nodded.
Orko nodded back. "Okay then I just have one more question: Why the hell didn't someone think of that in the first place?!"
It was Colton who provided the answer. "Regulations and politics are very difficult to balance my little friend. Even in my time G.I. Joe went through this kind of bullshit, and believe me it drove all of us insane."
"Thanks for your help," Dree Elle said. "Without the Joes I don't think we'd stand a chance."
"Care to join us General?" Rockon smiled. "From what Jinx has told us you're quite the soldier."
Colton shook his head. "I was quite the soldier once, but I'm past my prime now. I wouldn't worry though," he added putting his arm around Jinx,. "As long as you've got Joes like this one your victory is assured."
Jinx could feel herself turning red as he smiled down at her.
"You've made an old soldier proud today kid. It does my heart good to know there are still those who understand what it really means to be a Joe. I promise you, if I win the election I'll see to it G.I. Joe never goes through any governmental problems like this again."
Jinx chuckled slightly. "You can count on my vote Sir."
Soon everything was ready. The Joes who had chosen to go on this unofficial mission stood waiting as Gwildor made some last minute adjustments to the Cosmic Key. A slight alteration was necessary to accommodate the large number about to step through the doorway.
"You ready for this?" Jinx asked Dree Elle.
"I guess so," the small Trollan said. "I'm still nervous I suppose, but I'm glad so many Joes decided to volunteer." Her eyes shifted around the group as she struggled to say what came next. "You do all realize there's a chance many of you may be killed?"
"We wouldn't be here if we weren't willing to take that risk."
Dree Elle looked up at her new friend. "Jinx, were you really going to quit G.I. Joe to help us?"
"I meant what I said," Jinx stated, placing a hand on Dree Elle's shoulder. "I told you, no matter what I'm going to stand by you. That's what friends do."
Dree Elle stared at Jinx a moment then embraced her in a tiny hug. "You're the most honorable person I've ever met Jinx. I'm proud to call you my friend."
Jinx reached into her pocket and pulled out two small pendants each with half of a Yin-Yang symbol on them.
"Here, I want you to have this," she said, slipping one of the pendants around Dree Elle's neck then placing the other on her own. "Yin and Yang. Two parts of the same whole. We each wear one of the halves. It symbolizes our eternal friendship."
Dree Elle turned the small ornament over in her hands then nodded. A special bond had formed between the two. A connection that not even the powers of Grayskull itself could break. Although neither of them, nor indeed anyone, could know at the time it was this bond between two unlikely friends that would ultimately save both of their worlds.
