*Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from GI Joe
**Author's note: This story was initially intended to be only a few chapters, but I ended up making changes to the story after I posted it. I hope everyone has enjoyed it so far. Reviews and input welcomed and encouraged.
Strange Turn of Events - Chapter 4
The next day, more official word filtered down to the Joes that yes, make no mistake, by the end of tomorrow, the Joes would no longer exist. General Hawk was arranging a "Retiring of the Colors" ceremony and moving boxes were coming in from all over the place. You could not turn a corner without seeing brown boxes lined up and down the hallways.
Scarlett worked at packing her office things, and then helped Mainframe and Dial Tone in the control room. Duke had been acting very strange all day and almost seemed to try to avoid her. She was so confused. With him acting peculiar and no word from Doc yet, her mind was a space-case.
(Earlier that morning)
She had woke up in her bed about 3:00 this morning, drenched in sweat. Way to early for anyone to be up, but she could not go back to sleep. She got up and took a shower since she was soaked. She felt better, and at least the dizziness and headache had left her. She put on her workout clothes and headed out the door for her morning run. It was very dark out yet, but she didn't want to go to the gym to work out. The insomniacs confiscated the gym at nights. Even though the Joes were disbanding, most of the team would continue on to a different branch of the military or a special team.
As she headed by the obstacle course, a dark figure appeared out of nowhere. The figure startled Scarlett until she realized it was Beach Head. "What the hell are you doing sneaking around here? I know you love this course, but man, get a life!" Scarlett shrieked at him.
"Sorry. What are you doing out here so early anyway? Shouldn't you be getting your beauty sleep?" He retorted.
She slugged him on his shoulder for his comment and continued on her run. Sometimes that man really irritated her. He made the fact clear that he didn't think woman should be in the military, but Scarlett tolerated him anyway. He wasn't a bad guy, difficult to connect with, but he could be a sight for sore eyes in the heat of a battle.
She had finished her morning run and took a long bath letting her muscles relax in the hot water. As she wondered out to the kitchen to fix some coffee, Flint was exiting Lady Jaye's room. "Hey, Red, you're up early. Everything okay?"
"A lot on my mind. You want some coffee?"
"Would I? You bet. You really should have taught Allie how to make coffee. I miss your coffee on the mornings you are not here." Flint said referring to the many mornings that she stayed at Duke's place. They laughed and chatted a bit before Flint left to return to his quarters. Shortly thereafter, Allie came out of her bedroom.
"Good morning sleepy head. I hope your bed was much more comfortable than that couch would have been."
"Did you guys move me? I don't remember what happened. I was thinking about going online to do some research, but just kind of passed out, I guess. I woke up this morning in my bed, so thank you for moving me."
"No problem. You've done the same for me before. Hey, what did Doc find out? Everything ok?"
Scarlett debated as to how to tell her. "He didn't have any accurate results yet. He wanted to take some more blood and send it to town for them to analyze."
Allie could sense the fear in Scarlett's voice, but she said optimistically, "I'm sure everything is fine. Doc is just being very thorough."
Scarlett shook her head, "I don't think everything is fine. He was really puzzled at the results, and could not or would not even give me a hypothetical reason or result. I just can't seem to shake this worried feeling."
Allie put her arms around her friend and gave her a much needed hug. "Whatever it is, Doc will find out and get you all fixed up. I'm sure of it. You know he has worked miracles on more than one occasion."
"Yeah, I know. Thanks for the pep talk. I better get going. A lot needs to be done in the next few days."
Scarlett hoped that Allie was right about Doc's carefulness and Doc was right about the machines being messed up, but this nagging feeling kept haunting her.
(Present time)
Scarlett was finishing packing up some computer equipment when those strong arms encircled her waist. She melted in his embrace. She turned around to face him. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes had a distant look in them.
"You doing alright?" Duke asked.
"Yep, just finishing helping Mainframe and Dial Tone pack up some of this computer and communication equipment."
"I know we have tons of things to pack from our quarters, but tomorrow after the ceremony, can you come by my quarters? I need to talk to you."
"Sure."
He gave her a light kiss and left the room. Scarlett finished packing her box and was about to excuse herself from the guys when the main phone line rang. All base personnel had direct phone lines to their quarters and offices, but all unanswered incoming calls were transferred and handled from the control room. If a caller could not reach his intended target and did not wish to leave a message, he could opt to be transferred to the control room and from there the person handling the control room at the time would see if they could track down the wanted person. Scarlett was closest to the phone so she grabbed the line.
"Headquarters," she answered.
The caller replied, "Yes, I'm looking for Sergeant O'Hara."
Scarlett was a little stunned. That voice sounded so familiar, and what was the odds that she would answer a phone call intended for her when she was not in her own quarters or office. "Speaking."
"Aye, my dear Blaze. So good to hear your voice after all of these years. I assume this line is secured. Can you talk?"
"No sir." She answered. She now knew who the caller was and why his voice sounded so familiar. This was part of her past that she had left prior to the formation of GI Joe. She had left on strained terms.
"Fine then, I'll make this brief. The team needs you. We have a situation here that has spun out of control. I'm recalling a few of my past specialists to lend a hand and repay any favors delivered to them in the past. I'm sure you understand me. You have one hour to tie up loose ends where you are and meet your contact person in the garage of your base. You will know him when you see him. Don't tell anyone what you are doing or why. I have forwarded transfers to your General effective immediately. Because you are unable to talk, your contact will fill you in on what the nature of this revolves around."
"But, I..." Scarlett tried to interrupt.
"This is non-negotiable, Blaze. Your current assignment has been disbanded, and you are needed here."
"Yes sir." She knew better than to talk back to General Richardson. Those that knew General Richardson knew that they should never undermine him. And those that did not know him, learned who he was very quickly. No one ever questioned him or his motives. He was the fiercest and shrewdest General in all of the world's military branches. He was also one of the biggest vigilante protectors and supporters in the world.
Luckily, Mainframe and Dial Tone were too busy arguing about the proper way to pack the media disks and cds that they did not pay much attention to Scarlett's one-sided telephone call.
"Guys, I've got to run. This station is all packed up. I even made sure to mark my box with a 'this side up' warning."
"Good idea, not that the movers will pay any attention to it though. You know how the movers will come in here. They will just start shoving and tossing things. I think one of us needs to supervise their handling of all this stuff," Dial Tone said to Mainframe.
Mainframe nodded his head and rolled his eyes, "Thanks for your help Scarlett, and if I get volunteered to baby sit the movers, I'm calling you to accompany me," he yelled after her.
She waved a farewell and laughed at the guys as they continued to now argue over the moving people's ways of handling boxes. It was true. The movers didn't care one way or the other of what the contents of the boxes were. It could say "Fragile - Handle with Care", and they still would toss it down two stories to some big guy supposedly able to catch it. Yeah, right. The moral of this lesson was to use lots and lots of packing material.
She hurried off to her office to pick up a few things, and then on to her quarters. One hour did not leave her much time to gather her belongings that she would want to take with her. Obviously, her remaining stuff will be left for the Army to pack and ship to her father's home in Atlanta. She would not be back, at least not here. If this would have happened at any other point during her career at GI Joe, her stuff would have been stored on base until otherwise advised.
She couldn't shake the feeling that the General had a hand in the timing of the disbandment of the Joe team. He could pull many strings. Who was going to say "no" to a man with as much clout at General Richardson? She was sure that Colonel Sharp would assist with any unanswered questions as to her departure. Because of the circumstances, he would do his best to protect her and keep her name clear, but it didn't sound like she could expect to return to the US military any time soon.
For the first time today, Scarlett didn't think about her failed blood tests and unknown health issue, if there was one. Where she would be going and what she would be doing within the next 24 hours, there may not be a need to know of her medical condition. Anytime she was involved with this vigilante team, her life was in danger. There was always the chance that this time, she may not see the next sunrise.
*To Be Continued
**Author's note: This story was initially intended to be only a few chapters, but I ended up making changes to the story after I posted it. I hope everyone has enjoyed it so far. Reviews and input welcomed and encouraged.
Strange Turn of Events - Chapter 4
The next day, more official word filtered down to the Joes that yes, make no mistake, by the end of tomorrow, the Joes would no longer exist. General Hawk was arranging a "Retiring of the Colors" ceremony and moving boxes were coming in from all over the place. You could not turn a corner without seeing brown boxes lined up and down the hallways.
Scarlett worked at packing her office things, and then helped Mainframe and Dial Tone in the control room. Duke had been acting very strange all day and almost seemed to try to avoid her. She was so confused. With him acting peculiar and no word from Doc yet, her mind was a space-case.
(Earlier that morning)
She had woke up in her bed about 3:00 this morning, drenched in sweat. Way to early for anyone to be up, but she could not go back to sleep. She got up and took a shower since she was soaked. She felt better, and at least the dizziness and headache had left her. She put on her workout clothes and headed out the door for her morning run. It was very dark out yet, but she didn't want to go to the gym to work out. The insomniacs confiscated the gym at nights. Even though the Joes were disbanding, most of the team would continue on to a different branch of the military or a special team.
As she headed by the obstacle course, a dark figure appeared out of nowhere. The figure startled Scarlett until she realized it was Beach Head. "What the hell are you doing sneaking around here? I know you love this course, but man, get a life!" Scarlett shrieked at him.
"Sorry. What are you doing out here so early anyway? Shouldn't you be getting your beauty sleep?" He retorted.
She slugged him on his shoulder for his comment and continued on her run. Sometimes that man really irritated her. He made the fact clear that he didn't think woman should be in the military, but Scarlett tolerated him anyway. He wasn't a bad guy, difficult to connect with, but he could be a sight for sore eyes in the heat of a battle.
She had finished her morning run and took a long bath letting her muscles relax in the hot water. As she wondered out to the kitchen to fix some coffee, Flint was exiting Lady Jaye's room. "Hey, Red, you're up early. Everything okay?"
"A lot on my mind. You want some coffee?"
"Would I? You bet. You really should have taught Allie how to make coffee. I miss your coffee on the mornings you are not here." Flint said referring to the many mornings that she stayed at Duke's place. They laughed and chatted a bit before Flint left to return to his quarters. Shortly thereafter, Allie came out of her bedroom.
"Good morning sleepy head. I hope your bed was much more comfortable than that couch would have been."
"Did you guys move me? I don't remember what happened. I was thinking about going online to do some research, but just kind of passed out, I guess. I woke up this morning in my bed, so thank you for moving me."
"No problem. You've done the same for me before. Hey, what did Doc find out? Everything ok?"
Scarlett debated as to how to tell her. "He didn't have any accurate results yet. He wanted to take some more blood and send it to town for them to analyze."
Allie could sense the fear in Scarlett's voice, but she said optimistically, "I'm sure everything is fine. Doc is just being very thorough."
Scarlett shook her head, "I don't think everything is fine. He was really puzzled at the results, and could not or would not even give me a hypothetical reason or result. I just can't seem to shake this worried feeling."
Allie put her arms around her friend and gave her a much needed hug. "Whatever it is, Doc will find out and get you all fixed up. I'm sure of it. You know he has worked miracles on more than one occasion."
"Yeah, I know. Thanks for the pep talk. I better get going. A lot needs to be done in the next few days."
Scarlett hoped that Allie was right about Doc's carefulness and Doc was right about the machines being messed up, but this nagging feeling kept haunting her.
(Present time)
Scarlett was finishing packing up some computer equipment when those strong arms encircled her waist. She melted in his embrace. She turned around to face him. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes had a distant look in them.
"You doing alright?" Duke asked.
"Yep, just finishing helping Mainframe and Dial Tone pack up some of this computer and communication equipment."
"I know we have tons of things to pack from our quarters, but tomorrow after the ceremony, can you come by my quarters? I need to talk to you."
"Sure."
He gave her a light kiss and left the room. Scarlett finished packing her box and was about to excuse herself from the guys when the main phone line rang. All base personnel had direct phone lines to their quarters and offices, but all unanswered incoming calls were transferred and handled from the control room. If a caller could not reach his intended target and did not wish to leave a message, he could opt to be transferred to the control room and from there the person handling the control room at the time would see if they could track down the wanted person. Scarlett was closest to the phone so she grabbed the line.
"Headquarters," she answered.
The caller replied, "Yes, I'm looking for Sergeant O'Hara."
Scarlett was a little stunned. That voice sounded so familiar, and what was the odds that she would answer a phone call intended for her when she was not in her own quarters or office. "Speaking."
"Aye, my dear Blaze. So good to hear your voice after all of these years. I assume this line is secured. Can you talk?"
"No sir." She answered. She now knew who the caller was and why his voice sounded so familiar. This was part of her past that she had left prior to the formation of GI Joe. She had left on strained terms.
"Fine then, I'll make this brief. The team needs you. We have a situation here that has spun out of control. I'm recalling a few of my past specialists to lend a hand and repay any favors delivered to them in the past. I'm sure you understand me. You have one hour to tie up loose ends where you are and meet your contact person in the garage of your base. You will know him when you see him. Don't tell anyone what you are doing or why. I have forwarded transfers to your General effective immediately. Because you are unable to talk, your contact will fill you in on what the nature of this revolves around."
"But, I..." Scarlett tried to interrupt.
"This is non-negotiable, Blaze. Your current assignment has been disbanded, and you are needed here."
"Yes sir." She knew better than to talk back to General Richardson. Those that knew General Richardson knew that they should never undermine him. And those that did not know him, learned who he was very quickly. No one ever questioned him or his motives. He was the fiercest and shrewdest General in all of the world's military branches. He was also one of the biggest vigilante protectors and supporters in the world.
Luckily, Mainframe and Dial Tone were too busy arguing about the proper way to pack the media disks and cds that they did not pay much attention to Scarlett's one-sided telephone call.
"Guys, I've got to run. This station is all packed up. I even made sure to mark my box with a 'this side up' warning."
"Good idea, not that the movers will pay any attention to it though. You know how the movers will come in here. They will just start shoving and tossing things. I think one of us needs to supervise their handling of all this stuff," Dial Tone said to Mainframe.
Mainframe nodded his head and rolled his eyes, "Thanks for your help Scarlett, and if I get volunteered to baby sit the movers, I'm calling you to accompany me," he yelled after her.
She waved a farewell and laughed at the guys as they continued to now argue over the moving people's ways of handling boxes. It was true. The movers didn't care one way or the other of what the contents of the boxes were. It could say "Fragile - Handle with Care", and they still would toss it down two stories to some big guy supposedly able to catch it. Yeah, right. The moral of this lesson was to use lots and lots of packing material.
She hurried off to her office to pick up a few things, and then on to her quarters. One hour did not leave her much time to gather her belongings that she would want to take with her. Obviously, her remaining stuff will be left for the Army to pack and ship to her father's home in Atlanta. She would not be back, at least not here. If this would have happened at any other point during her career at GI Joe, her stuff would have been stored on base until otherwise advised.
She couldn't shake the feeling that the General had a hand in the timing of the disbandment of the Joe team. He could pull many strings. Who was going to say "no" to a man with as much clout at General Richardson? She was sure that Colonel Sharp would assist with any unanswered questions as to her departure. Because of the circumstances, he would do his best to protect her and keep her name clear, but it didn't sound like she could expect to return to the US military any time soon.
For the first time today, Scarlett didn't think about her failed blood tests and unknown health issue, if there was one. Where she would be going and what she would be doing within the next 24 hours, there may not be a need to know of her medical condition. Anytime she was involved with this vigilante team, her life was in danger. There was always the chance that this time, she may not see the next sunrise.
*To Be Continued