Chapter 3
The familiar feel of paper under his fingers comforted him as he began to
settle down to read an old friend. He had just let the words envelope him.
In these pages, he could walk, run, and fight; for a brief flash, he was
no longer the broken figure in a wheel chair.
He was about to get to the good part when the fire alarm sounded in his
ears. He struggled to get out of bed. Reaching for his chair in his
haste, he knocked it over. Through the door, he could hear the screams of
the hotel guest. He began to get frustrated when he could not reach it.
Stretching his arm out further, he fell off his bed. There he lay, eating
carpet cursing him and cursing her, wishing she were dead.
His body went still. Had he really thought that? He started to shake with
fear, not for the situation but for the man he was slowly becoming.
Mayhem looked into the crystal blue eyes of the woman beside him. "Some vacation," he grumbled. "You're almost busted by your brother and now Cobra attacks." She pushed a lock out of hair out of his eyes. "I think I'll live." She gave him lopsided grin that melted his bones. He was about to tell her such when another round of automatic fire ricocheted above their heads. His arm went around her neck, pulling her closer to his chest and the precious cargo in his arms.
When the smoke cleared, he looked down at the two faces that meant the world to him. "We have to get Reese and Drew out of here."
Mischief spoke, inclining her head to his brother and sister-in law who were taking cover behind another pillar. "And save the civilians."
Mayhem took all this in smiling at his daughter, trying frantically to show his five year old that everything would be okay. Throwing a look over to Mischief, he sighed, "Let me guess our vacation is over."
Keoni was feeling the heat as more gunfire hit to close for his own comfort. "Any chance anybody has an AK-47 or an M-16 hanging around?"
"Yeah I keep them in my back pocket along with my Sherman Tank."
Keoni glared at the pretty tank jockey. "You know CG sarcasm will get you no ninja move out of me."
"Like I'm scared, bring it on surfer dude," Cover Girl challenged him.
"Cover Girl, Gambler put a sock in it." Jaye growled as she burrowed closer into Gambler as another round went next to them.
"She started it." Gambler wined. "Okay guys, when we get out of this were are going to talk about when the good time is to make witty remarks and when not to." Looking around the pillar, she swore as more vipers came through the skylight. "Right now not a good time."
"Question?" Quick Kick asked as he used his body to shield his girlfriend, Amber. Swearing to himself when a bullet came so close it tore through his Hawaiian shirt. "Hold all questions to the end." Shipwreck grumbled.
"Okay comment." All eyes looked at him. "Why not just circle around and take a few out to get some guns?"
"Not a bad idea Mac." Falcon patted the martial arts expert on the back. "Get going." Quick Kick snarled at the suggestion, "You know I better get paid for this."
Justin Freebanks fought his way through the crowd. Panic had set in when he saw the floor below them. Cobra held fifteen men and women along with two small children. All of them unarmed. There had to be at least eighty vipers and troopers running in the lobby. More were crashing through windows of the other floors. He had to get to the lab; but first, he stopped at the room of his business partner. Trying the door, it he realized it was locked.
Not stopping to think, he backed up with one smooth kick and busted down the door. His business partner and childhood friend lay there on the floor.
"Dash?" He said, running to him.
"I'm okay Justin, just being clumsy," Dash swore.
Justin looked his friend in the eye. Dash looked different. It was almost as if a part of him had come back. Could this be a break through that was so badly need in this man's life?
"Cobra is attacking hotel." Justin watched as his friend's eyes got wide.
***** Mayhem knew what was in his sister's eye the minute she looked up at him. He shook his head to argue but she shrugged him off. He needed to stand with them, someone else could. ."Daddy?" His Five year old cried out. He then understood his sister's decision. Reese had already seen her mother die. He looked in his sister's green eyes, nodding his agreement. He felt Quick Kick come to them with two side arms.
He looked at Mischief, "Be careful." He pleaded with her as she kissed Reese's head. She looked up at him. "Always." With that his lips seared hers reminding her what she meant to him. Giving her a weak Hart-Burnett smile, he adjusted his daughter in his arms. He watched as his brother and sister in law came sneaking up next to him with their son. Kip took Reese and stood up to guard their backs as he moved out of the building to safety. As he reached the door, a cry that choked out the screams of Cobra filled his ears and heart; his voice could not help but join in. ******* Dash watched as the crowds started running outside his door. The cries of Cobra rang in his ears as troops smashed through the windows. "We have to get to the lab." Justin screamed, "If Cobra gets the metal."
"Then go." Dashiell screamed over the den. Something caught Justin's attention in the lobby. Looking down, he was shocked. "My god, Dash, they are going to fight back." Dash looked over the railing. He watched as the smoke cleared. Thirteen men and women stood proud. Arrogance in their stance, he had commanded to glory many that stood there. The Cobra troopers stopped for a moment, watching in wonder as the woman in front smiled. All of a sudden over the screams of Cooobbbrrraaa drowned out. For arms rose fists punching the sky, "YO JOE!" came from their lips.
** Lady Jaye's mouth pulled in to a smirk when the Cobra agents stopped for watching fearful of what the Joes would do. She could not help but wink at a Crimson Commander when Jinx, Quick Kick, and Gambler jumped up and over from behind her and into the middle of the fray.
Through the crimson guards mask, she could see the fear in his eyes. He gained his composure quickly though sending three Vipers to attack. She reacted by sending a low kick to the first viper. The second was screaming his fool head off as he attacked and received a smile and another kick into his stomach sending him to the floor.
A shout filled her ears. She ducked as Shipwrecks fist came over her head to take out the third. Sliding under the sailor's legs, a well-placed high kick to an advancing trooper's groin taught him not to try to sneak up on a Joe.
Mischief skidded to a stop next to Jaye. "Look at whose calling the shots."
Her eyes scanned the fifth floor. There on the top of the railing was Firefly. "Well looks like there's a fly in my soup." Jaye remarked. As the words left her mouth, explosions ripped through the building.
* Mischief watched as the panicking hotel guest started getting more chaotic. "We have to get the civilians out of here. We don't know if Firefly staged bigger explosions or not." Jaye looked back up to where Firefly had been standing. He was gone. "Looks like the Fly is making a run for it too." Her eyes scanned the room quickly landing on Falcon and Cover Girl who were finishing up with two troopers. "Falcon, you and Cover Girl, follow Firefly!" Jaye shouted. "Mischief," she scanned the nearest entrance to the other floors. Gambler and Roadblock were throwing a few Vipers around. Quick Kick was making his way back to them taking down Vipers like they were nothing. "You, Quick Kick and Gambler, go up to the next levels. Have Quick Kick and Gambler try to calm down the civilians and take out the vipers on the other floors. See if you can locate any more surprises that Firefly might have left for us." Jaye said as one particular viper decided to attack them from behind. His fist connects with Jaye's face but Mischief sent him down with a nice haymaker of her own. "Thanks."
Mischief just smiled. "I get to were that new Todd Oldem sweater you bought last week on my date with Mac."
"Sure thing now go."
* In the darkness and smoke it was hard for him to focus on anything, his eyes kept play tricks on him. Mischief and Quick Kick had taken the two floors above him. After sending a scared teenager down the right exit door, he watched as the shadows started to move faster. He stood still; his eyes followed the shadows and for a brief moment, he wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. All of a sudden out of the smoke, three Vipers came rushing at him. He sent the first one back with a spinning back kick. Then springing on his hands, he wrapped his legs around the second viper's neck sending him neatly over, snapping his neck. He took the third out by throwing knife as he righted his body. Stopping for a second when he heard movement behind him, he flinched and cursed himself, feeling cold steel pressed against his temple. "Not so fast," the voice gritted out as the clicking of a hammer cocking back echoed in his ears. * Cover Girl swore to herself as she tried to keep up with Falcon on his mad dash across the beach. She nearly ran into his back when he dragged her to the ground, sliding to a stop behind a dune. "Is this not a good time to remind you people that I drive a tank? You know one of those really, big things that rolls people over. I'm not super secret intelligence."
His hand covered her mouth, silencing her. "Hush." She saw what had grabbed his attention, three hydrofoils slid onto the beach. A familiar face poked his head out of one of them. "Oy, Firefly 'urry up. We got tha' Goodies." Buzzer said, waving a box over his head.
"No, No, NO. I'm a tank jockey." She moaned when Falcon motioned her to follow him. Praying her designer jeans would not get too ruined; she followed him into the water. Silently treading their way through, they made their way behind Buzzer as Falcon climbed up behind him. Buzzer turned when Falcon tapped him on the shoulder, smiling as his fist connected with the face of the Dreadnock.
Cover Girl watched as the box skidded across the hydrofoil and made a mad dash for it. Once the box was in her possession, she tried to run for it but Destro stepped in her way. "Not so fast," he growled out in his thick Scottish-upper-class-lord-of-the-manor accent. Not thinking, she pulled her arm back, hitting him square in the nose. She groaned as she felt the bones in her hand shatter due to the impact.
"Stupid Girl." Destro clucked.
Anger got the best of her as Destro grabbed her by the nape of her neck.
"Question Destro, do you by chance wear a cup?" She gritted out as pain hazed red in her eyes. She got satisfaction when his eyes looked at her strangely, turning quickly to pain induced tearing eyes as her knee meet his groin. *
Flint watched as Justin brought a man through the smoke filled hallway. He stood just a shy less than six foot, weighing in at about a hundred and eighty pounds. The man, Flint could tell, was all muscle and sinew, clad in a bowling shirt over a white wife beater. Black leather pants encased his legs and tattoos covered his arms. The right arm was random ink color here and there but mostly a wash of grays and blacks. On his left arm were flames, bright oranges reds and yellows; the side of his neck had ink also though in the darkness he could not tell what they were. He put man to be only a few years younger then him and with a silver ball under his lip and a hop running through his eye brow black hair spiked with blue highlights, he screamed Dreadnock.
"Listen I am a good guy," he pleaded. "The name's Gambler. My girl and I, with some friends of ours, came here on leave. We just have some skills to help. Trust me getting all violent in times like these is not a good thing. Just make your."
Justin looked at him "Good guy? You expect me to believe that? You look like the poster boy for the Dreadnocks."
"Ever heard of 'don't judge a book by its cover'?" Gambler asked. All of a sudden, a sigh of relief came from him when Mischief's voice was heard coming through the shadows.
"Gambler?"
"Over here."
Through the smoke, she walked up to them and Dash felt the air knocked out of his lungs for the second time that day.
"Justin, it's so good to see you." She smiled, "If you would please not hold my teammate hostage I would appreciated it. I don't think Duke would be too thrilled if you shot up one of his best pilots. Now would he, big brother?" Flint groaned. "Jaye was right Hawk is making the team into some sick twisted family affair."
Mayhem looked into the crystal blue eyes of the woman beside him. "Some vacation," he grumbled. "You're almost busted by your brother and now Cobra attacks." She pushed a lock out of hair out of his eyes. "I think I'll live." She gave him lopsided grin that melted his bones. He was about to tell her such when another round of automatic fire ricocheted above their heads. His arm went around her neck, pulling her closer to his chest and the precious cargo in his arms.
When the smoke cleared, he looked down at the two faces that meant the world to him. "We have to get Reese and Drew out of here."
Mischief spoke, inclining her head to his brother and sister-in law who were taking cover behind another pillar. "And save the civilians."
Mayhem took all this in smiling at his daughter, trying frantically to show his five year old that everything would be okay. Throwing a look over to Mischief, he sighed, "Let me guess our vacation is over."
Keoni was feeling the heat as more gunfire hit to close for his own comfort. "Any chance anybody has an AK-47 or an M-16 hanging around?"
"Yeah I keep them in my back pocket along with my Sherman Tank."
Keoni glared at the pretty tank jockey. "You know CG sarcasm will get you no ninja move out of me."
"Like I'm scared, bring it on surfer dude," Cover Girl challenged him.
"Cover Girl, Gambler put a sock in it." Jaye growled as she burrowed closer into Gambler as another round went next to them.
"She started it." Gambler wined. "Okay guys, when we get out of this were are going to talk about when the good time is to make witty remarks and when not to." Looking around the pillar, she swore as more vipers came through the skylight. "Right now not a good time."
"Question?" Quick Kick asked as he used his body to shield his girlfriend, Amber. Swearing to himself when a bullet came so close it tore through his Hawaiian shirt. "Hold all questions to the end." Shipwreck grumbled.
"Okay comment." All eyes looked at him. "Why not just circle around and take a few out to get some guns?"
"Not a bad idea Mac." Falcon patted the martial arts expert on the back. "Get going." Quick Kick snarled at the suggestion, "You know I better get paid for this."
Justin Freebanks fought his way through the crowd. Panic had set in when he saw the floor below them. Cobra held fifteen men and women along with two small children. All of them unarmed. There had to be at least eighty vipers and troopers running in the lobby. More were crashing through windows of the other floors. He had to get to the lab; but first, he stopped at the room of his business partner. Trying the door, it he realized it was locked.
Not stopping to think, he backed up with one smooth kick and busted down the door. His business partner and childhood friend lay there on the floor.
"Dash?" He said, running to him.
"I'm okay Justin, just being clumsy," Dash swore.
Justin looked his friend in the eye. Dash looked different. It was almost as if a part of him had come back. Could this be a break through that was so badly need in this man's life?
"Cobra is attacking hotel." Justin watched as his friend's eyes got wide.
***** Mayhem knew what was in his sister's eye the minute she looked up at him. He shook his head to argue but she shrugged him off. He needed to stand with them, someone else could. ."Daddy?" His Five year old cried out. He then understood his sister's decision. Reese had already seen her mother die. He looked in his sister's green eyes, nodding his agreement. He felt Quick Kick come to them with two side arms.
He looked at Mischief, "Be careful." He pleaded with her as she kissed Reese's head. She looked up at him. "Always." With that his lips seared hers reminding her what she meant to him. Giving her a weak Hart-Burnett smile, he adjusted his daughter in his arms. He watched as his brother and sister in law came sneaking up next to him with their son. Kip took Reese and stood up to guard their backs as he moved out of the building to safety. As he reached the door, a cry that choked out the screams of Cobra filled his ears and heart; his voice could not help but join in. ******* Dash watched as the crowds started running outside his door. The cries of Cobra rang in his ears as troops smashed through the windows. "We have to get to the lab." Justin screamed, "If Cobra gets the metal."
"Then go." Dashiell screamed over the den. Something caught Justin's attention in the lobby. Looking down, he was shocked. "My god, Dash, they are going to fight back." Dash looked over the railing. He watched as the smoke cleared. Thirteen men and women stood proud. Arrogance in their stance, he had commanded to glory many that stood there. The Cobra troopers stopped for a moment, watching in wonder as the woman in front smiled. All of a sudden over the screams of Cooobbbrrraaa drowned out. For arms rose fists punching the sky, "YO JOE!" came from their lips.
** Lady Jaye's mouth pulled in to a smirk when the Cobra agents stopped for watching fearful of what the Joes would do. She could not help but wink at a Crimson Commander when Jinx, Quick Kick, and Gambler jumped up and over from behind her and into the middle of the fray.
Through the crimson guards mask, she could see the fear in his eyes. He gained his composure quickly though sending three Vipers to attack. She reacted by sending a low kick to the first viper. The second was screaming his fool head off as he attacked and received a smile and another kick into his stomach sending him to the floor.
A shout filled her ears. She ducked as Shipwrecks fist came over her head to take out the third. Sliding under the sailor's legs, a well-placed high kick to an advancing trooper's groin taught him not to try to sneak up on a Joe.
Mischief skidded to a stop next to Jaye. "Look at whose calling the shots."
Her eyes scanned the fifth floor. There on the top of the railing was Firefly. "Well looks like there's a fly in my soup." Jaye remarked. As the words left her mouth, explosions ripped through the building.
* Mischief watched as the panicking hotel guest started getting more chaotic. "We have to get the civilians out of here. We don't know if Firefly staged bigger explosions or not." Jaye looked back up to where Firefly had been standing. He was gone. "Looks like the Fly is making a run for it too." Her eyes scanned the room quickly landing on Falcon and Cover Girl who were finishing up with two troopers. "Falcon, you and Cover Girl, follow Firefly!" Jaye shouted. "Mischief," she scanned the nearest entrance to the other floors. Gambler and Roadblock were throwing a few Vipers around. Quick Kick was making his way back to them taking down Vipers like they were nothing. "You, Quick Kick and Gambler, go up to the next levels. Have Quick Kick and Gambler try to calm down the civilians and take out the vipers on the other floors. See if you can locate any more surprises that Firefly might have left for us." Jaye said as one particular viper decided to attack them from behind. His fist connects with Jaye's face but Mischief sent him down with a nice haymaker of her own. "Thanks."
Mischief just smiled. "I get to were that new Todd Oldem sweater you bought last week on my date with Mac."
"Sure thing now go."
* In the darkness and smoke it was hard for him to focus on anything, his eyes kept play tricks on him. Mischief and Quick Kick had taken the two floors above him. After sending a scared teenager down the right exit door, he watched as the shadows started to move faster. He stood still; his eyes followed the shadows and for a brief moment, he wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. All of a sudden out of the smoke, three Vipers came rushing at him. He sent the first one back with a spinning back kick. Then springing on his hands, he wrapped his legs around the second viper's neck sending him neatly over, snapping his neck. He took the third out by throwing knife as he righted his body. Stopping for a second when he heard movement behind him, he flinched and cursed himself, feeling cold steel pressed against his temple. "Not so fast," the voice gritted out as the clicking of a hammer cocking back echoed in his ears. * Cover Girl swore to herself as she tried to keep up with Falcon on his mad dash across the beach. She nearly ran into his back when he dragged her to the ground, sliding to a stop behind a dune. "Is this not a good time to remind you people that I drive a tank? You know one of those really, big things that rolls people over. I'm not super secret intelligence."
His hand covered her mouth, silencing her. "Hush." She saw what had grabbed his attention, three hydrofoils slid onto the beach. A familiar face poked his head out of one of them. "Oy, Firefly 'urry up. We got tha' Goodies." Buzzer said, waving a box over his head.
"No, No, NO. I'm a tank jockey." She moaned when Falcon motioned her to follow him. Praying her designer jeans would not get too ruined; she followed him into the water. Silently treading their way through, they made their way behind Buzzer as Falcon climbed up behind him. Buzzer turned when Falcon tapped him on the shoulder, smiling as his fist connected with the face of the Dreadnock.
Cover Girl watched as the box skidded across the hydrofoil and made a mad dash for it. Once the box was in her possession, she tried to run for it but Destro stepped in her way. "Not so fast," he growled out in his thick Scottish-upper-class-lord-of-the-manor accent. Not thinking, she pulled her arm back, hitting him square in the nose. She groaned as she felt the bones in her hand shatter due to the impact.
"Stupid Girl." Destro clucked.
Anger got the best of her as Destro grabbed her by the nape of her neck.
"Question Destro, do you by chance wear a cup?" She gritted out as pain hazed red in her eyes. She got satisfaction when his eyes looked at her strangely, turning quickly to pain induced tearing eyes as her knee meet his groin. *
Flint watched as Justin brought a man through the smoke filled hallway. He stood just a shy less than six foot, weighing in at about a hundred and eighty pounds. The man, Flint could tell, was all muscle and sinew, clad in a bowling shirt over a white wife beater. Black leather pants encased his legs and tattoos covered his arms. The right arm was random ink color here and there but mostly a wash of grays and blacks. On his left arm were flames, bright oranges reds and yellows; the side of his neck had ink also though in the darkness he could not tell what they were. He put man to be only a few years younger then him and with a silver ball under his lip and a hop running through his eye brow black hair spiked with blue highlights, he screamed Dreadnock.
"Listen I am a good guy," he pleaded. "The name's Gambler. My girl and I, with some friends of ours, came here on leave. We just have some skills to help. Trust me getting all violent in times like these is not a good thing. Just make your."
Justin looked at him "Good guy? You expect me to believe that? You look like the poster boy for the Dreadnocks."
"Ever heard of 'don't judge a book by its cover'?" Gambler asked. All of a sudden, a sigh of relief came from him when Mischief's voice was heard coming through the shadows.
"Gambler?"
"Over here."
Through the smoke, she walked up to them and Dash felt the air knocked out of his lungs for the second time that day.
"Justin, it's so good to see you." She smiled, "If you would please not hold my teammate hostage I would appreciated it. I don't think Duke would be too thrilled if you shot up one of his best pilots. Now would he, big brother?" Flint groaned. "Jaye was right Hawk is making the team into some sick twisted family affair."
