*Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from GI Joe.
**Author's note: I didn't forget this story, just caught up in my other one. New characters are introduced here, although they were mentioned in earlier chapters. Scarlett is known as Blaze, and Beach Head is known as Rebel. However, I will continue to use the Joe names for clarity. Also, I guess there is a Joe from the comic series whose name is Hardtop - not the same person. Reviews welcomed.
***Also a BIG thanks to my beta reader – SapphireMind.
===== This chapter is happening in the same time frame as chapters 8 and 9. =====
The Calm Before the Storm – Chapter 10
The flight attendant had made the announcement that they would be descending shortly and land in a half hour. The passengers needed to turn off all portable electronic devices and store them for the upcoming landing. Beach Head and Scarlett had resumed their search for their captive friends. Scarlett had some early luck in pinpointing a possible location, but now was not picking up any new leads. Frustration was becoming apparent as she was continuously going in circles and ending up on the same screen, which taunted her for the password. Normally, she could bypass the security failsafe but not this time.
She let out an annoyed huff and closed the computer. "I'm just going to have to wait for the computer guys to point me in the right direction. By the way, who are the computer experts now for the teams?" She asked a very bored looking Beach Head. He had no comprehension of what she was trying to do with that computer of hers, nor did he want to know.
He cleared his throat, "Well, Silver helps team Omega, and Hotshot helps team Alpha. Gopher taught them both well. He had spent the past few years assisting Livewire in the Intel department. I guess Gopher picked up a lot of intelligence from you as you picked up computer stuff from him?"
Scarlett was silent, thinking about her lost friend, "Gopher was a fantastic computer guy, and he had the mind for Intel work. We worked great together. He reminded me of Mainframe and Dial Tone."
Beach Head nodded and continued, "The rest of the team consists of Hardtop, Dante, and I working the weapon and training aspects, and that leaves Vee and Olive for communication work. Of course, Bear and Livewire organize and lead the two teams."
The plane was approaching the runway. Soon Scarlett would be deplaning and the life that she had left over six years ago would be back to greet her. She was nervous in seeing the team, especially Angel if he was there. She would not know the new team members since those that she worked with before either were captives or hospitalized. Beach Head read her unease and tried to reassure her that whatever happened when she left, whatever the reasons, there were no grudges against her. "The entire time I was with the team, no one ever mentioned the reason why you left. They referred to you frequently as the best Intel and undercover agent that they had ever had. There was talk of having Angel recall you years ago, but he never did."
"Until now, when he knew I couldn't say no," she mumbled, but she was grateful that Beach Head hadn't pursued in asking her the reason that she had left. She had left on her own accord after a deranged mercenary almost killed her, and she had said some bitter words to Angel regarding his chosen method of fighting crime.
It was early in the morning when they landed, and the airport was very quiet. Beach Head and Scarlett had no problems locating the team members waiting for their arrival. Two men stood against a wall, trying to blend in with the crowd, but to a trained intelligence agent's eye, they looked out of place; Scarlett pegged them as part of the team immediately. Before Beach Head could inform Scarlett who the men were, one of them had left his post and was heading their way. He eyed Scarlett from head to toe, but before she could offer her hand in a friendly gesture, he had enveloped her in an enormous hug. She refrained herself from tossing this stranger away from her. He grabbed Beach Head's hand and shook it heartily. "Great to have you two home. I wish it was under better circumstances though," the man said.
The other man had made his way over to the newly arrived team members and was shaking their hands. He offered his thanks for the two of them helping out on this unfortunate task, but he was much less expressive then his teammate. With urgency in his voice, he said, "Let's go. Angel is waiting in the car."
The foursome left the airport and headed for the black limo parked along side the curb, away from the crowd of departing passengers. As they approached the limo, a slender man got out and opened the back door. A nicely built man exited the car. His appearance and build reminded Scarlett of General Hawk except for the jet-black hair. General Richardson still looked just like he did six years ago. The two men who met Scarlett and Beach Head in the airport had slowed their gait a bit to allow Scarlett and Beach Head to be front and center.
"Welcome back Rebel, nice to see you." Angel shook Beach Head's hand and gave him a pat on the shoulder. He then turned his attention to Scarlett. "My dear Blaze, you are just as beautiful as ever, and I assume just as deadly," he said with a wink and shook Scarlett's hand. "Nice to have you back."
Just from the look in his eyes, Scarlett knew that bygones were bygones. Angel had wiped her slate clean. "Thank you, Sir," she said as she breathed a sigh of relief.
Angel smiled and continued, "I would like you to meet some of the team. This is Silver, an Omega computer specialist. He is also a damn fine driver. These two," he pointed to the two who greeted them in the airport, "Are Hotshot and Hardtop, my best Alpha computer and weaponry specialists."
The overzealous man, Hotshot, who had hugged Scarlett earlier, quickly interjected that he too was a remarkable driver. The other, more reserved man, Hardtop, told him to 'stow it' for later. However, this prompted an argument to ensue between Silver and Hotshot as to whom was the better get- a-way driver. Hardtop shook his head and apologized for their adolescent behavior. Scarlett smiled, remembering that just the day before, she had listened to Mainframe and Dial Tone arguing amongst themselves the same way. Meanwhile, Beach Head had placed his bags in the trunk and was waiting for Scarlett to follow suit.
"Let's get this show on the road team," Angel said, ending the argument and shuffling everyone inside the limo. "I take it that Rebel informed you of our bleak situation. Any leads yet, Blaze?"
"Well, I started checking on different sites while we were on the plane but kept running into roadblocks. The only constant that my searches kept leading me towards was the Northern Derry area."
Angel seemed to agree with Scarlett's deduction of a possible location. He explained to her that some past undertakings had leads that pointed in that direction, but the terrain was very rugged, and navigating the area was dangerous.
"Isn't that part of Derry still pretty unfriendly?" Scarlett asked.
This time Hardtop jumped into the conversation. "You bet. No one wants to go in there alone and unarmed."
Beach Head nodded his agreement. "Before I left, that place was a ticking time bomb. It makes sense that Tamar would have connections there. Evil place for an evil man."
Hotshot moved over next to Scarlett so he could work with her laptop. "Here, let me show you something." Scarlett watched as Hotshot started typing and bringing up various links and web pages. He got to the same spot she had come across on the plane, but she hadn't been able to go any further. "See what you do when you get here is this and go over here and bingo. In you go."
Scarlett was impressed. She could definitely see Gopher's training in Hotshot's computer actions. Breaking into city and governmental records was not easy, but to a trained computer expert, it was second nature.
Scarlett and Hotshot spent the next few hours tracing unusual activity and abandoned warehouses. The search took much longer due to the abundance of empty buildings in the Derry region. She let Hotshot manipulate the computer as she brainstormed with the team and used her training and knowledge to point him in different directions.
When the car was approximately 30 miles from her new Headquarters, a breakthrough occurred. A perfect location with an empty warehouse and an easy escape route fit the criteria that Tamar looked for to run his multiple operations. With the team in agreement, Angel sat back against his seat and congratulated the team for its hard but successful work. "Looks like we will be headed in for a 'search & rescue' tonight. Any takers?"
The entire team present in the limo nodded their agreement. For the first time in a long time, Scarlett had a genuine smile on her face. She and her new teammates had just found their friends, and tonight, she was about to participate in their freedom. Of course, locating the captured teammates was much easier than the rescuing part. That could get messy and deadly.
*TBC
**Author's note: I didn't forget this story, just caught up in my other one. New characters are introduced here, although they were mentioned in earlier chapters. Scarlett is known as Blaze, and Beach Head is known as Rebel. However, I will continue to use the Joe names for clarity. Also, I guess there is a Joe from the comic series whose name is Hardtop - not the same person. Reviews welcomed.
***Also a BIG thanks to my beta reader – SapphireMind.
===== This chapter is happening in the same time frame as chapters 8 and 9. =====
The Calm Before the Storm – Chapter 10
The flight attendant had made the announcement that they would be descending shortly and land in a half hour. The passengers needed to turn off all portable electronic devices and store them for the upcoming landing. Beach Head and Scarlett had resumed their search for their captive friends. Scarlett had some early luck in pinpointing a possible location, but now was not picking up any new leads. Frustration was becoming apparent as she was continuously going in circles and ending up on the same screen, which taunted her for the password. Normally, she could bypass the security failsafe but not this time.
She let out an annoyed huff and closed the computer. "I'm just going to have to wait for the computer guys to point me in the right direction. By the way, who are the computer experts now for the teams?" She asked a very bored looking Beach Head. He had no comprehension of what she was trying to do with that computer of hers, nor did he want to know.
He cleared his throat, "Well, Silver helps team Omega, and Hotshot helps team Alpha. Gopher taught them both well. He had spent the past few years assisting Livewire in the Intel department. I guess Gopher picked up a lot of intelligence from you as you picked up computer stuff from him?"
Scarlett was silent, thinking about her lost friend, "Gopher was a fantastic computer guy, and he had the mind for Intel work. We worked great together. He reminded me of Mainframe and Dial Tone."
Beach Head nodded and continued, "The rest of the team consists of Hardtop, Dante, and I working the weapon and training aspects, and that leaves Vee and Olive for communication work. Of course, Bear and Livewire organize and lead the two teams."
The plane was approaching the runway. Soon Scarlett would be deplaning and the life that she had left over six years ago would be back to greet her. She was nervous in seeing the team, especially Angel if he was there. She would not know the new team members since those that she worked with before either were captives or hospitalized. Beach Head read her unease and tried to reassure her that whatever happened when she left, whatever the reasons, there were no grudges against her. "The entire time I was with the team, no one ever mentioned the reason why you left. They referred to you frequently as the best Intel and undercover agent that they had ever had. There was talk of having Angel recall you years ago, but he never did."
"Until now, when he knew I couldn't say no," she mumbled, but she was grateful that Beach Head hadn't pursued in asking her the reason that she had left. She had left on her own accord after a deranged mercenary almost killed her, and she had said some bitter words to Angel regarding his chosen method of fighting crime.
It was early in the morning when they landed, and the airport was very quiet. Beach Head and Scarlett had no problems locating the team members waiting for their arrival. Two men stood against a wall, trying to blend in with the crowd, but to a trained intelligence agent's eye, they looked out of place; Scarlett pegged them as part of the team immediately. Before Beach Head could inform Scarlett who the men were, one of them had left his post and was heading their way. He eyed Scarlett from head to toe, but before she could offer her hand in a friendly gesture, he had enveloped her in an enormous hug. She refrained herself from tossing this stranger away from her. He grabbed Beach Head's hand and shook it heartily. "Great to have you two home. I wish it was under better circumstances though," the man said.
The other man had made his way over to the newly arrived team members and was shaking their hands. He offered his thanks for the two of them helping out on this unfortunate task, but he was much less expressive then his teammate. With urgency in his voice, he said, "Let's go. Angel is waiting in the car."
The foursome left the airport and headed for the black limo parked along side the curb, away from the crowd of departing passengers. As they approached the limo, a slender man got out and opened the back door. A nicely built man exited the car. His appearance and build reminded Scarlett of General Hawk except for the jet-black hair. General Richardson still looked just like he did six years ago. The two men who met Scarlett and Beach Head in the airport had slowed their gait a bit to allow Scarlett and Beach Head to be front and center.
"Welcome back Rebel, nice to see you." Angel shook Beach Head's hand and gave him a pat on the shoulder. He then turned his attention to Scarlett. "My dear Blaze, you are just as beautiful as ever, and I assume just as deadly," he said with a wink and shook Scarlett's hand. "Nice to have you back."
Just from the look in his eyes, Scarlett knew that bygones were bygones. Angel had wiped her slate clean. "Thank you, Sir," she said as she breathed a sigh of relief.
Angel smiled and continued, "I would like you to meet some of the team. This is Silver, an Omega computer specialist. He is also a damn fine driver. These two," he pointed to the two who greeted them in the airport, "Are Hotshot and Hardtop, my best Alpha computer and weaponry specialists."
The overzealous man, Hotshot, who had hugged Scarlett earlier, quickly interjected that he too was a remarkable driver. The other, more reserved man, Hardtop, told him to 'stow it' for later. However, this prompted an argument to ensue between Silver and Hotshot as to whom was the better get- a-way driver. Hardtop shook his head and apologized for their adolescent behavior. Scarlett smiled, remembering that just the day before, she had listened to Mainframe and Dial Tone arguing amongst themselves the same way. Meanwhile, Beach Head had placed his bags in the trunk and was waiting for Scarlett to follow suit.
"Let's get this show on the road team," Angel said, ending the argument and shuffling everyone inside the limo. "I take it that Rebel informed you of our bleak situation. Any leads yet, Blaze?"
"Well, I started checking on different sites while we were on the plane but kept running into roadblocks. The only constant that my searches kept leading me towards was the Northern Derry area."
Angel seemed to agree with Scarlett's deduction of a possible location. He explained to her that some past undertakings had leads that pointed in that direction, but the terrain was very rugged, and navigating the area was dangerous.
"Isn't that part of Derry still pretty unfriendly?" Scarlett asked.
This time Hardtop jumped into the conversation. "You bet. No one wants to go in there alone and unarmed."
Beach Head nodded his agreement. "Before I left, that place was a ticking time bomb. It makes sense that Tamar would have connections there. Evil place for an evil man."
Hotshot moved over next to Scarlett so he could work with her laptop. "Here, let me show you something." Scarlett watched as Hotshot started typing and bringing up various links and web pages. He got to the same spot she had come across on the plane, but she hadn't been able to go any further. "See what you do when you get here is this and go over here and bingo. In you go."
Scarlett was impressed. She could definitely see Gopher's training in Hotshot's computer actions. Breaking into city and governmental records was not easy, but to a trained computer expert, it was second nature.
Scarlett and Hotshot spent the next few hours tracing unusual activity and abandoned warehouses. The search took much longer due to the abundance of empty buildings in the Derry region. She let Hotshot manipulate the computer as she brainstormed with the team and used her training and knowledge to point him in different directions.
When the car was approximately 30 miles from her new Headquarters, a breakthrough occurred. A perfect location with an empty warehouse and an easy escape route fit the criteria that Tamar looked for to run his multiple operations. With the team in agreement, Angel sat back against his seat and congratulated the team for its hard but successful work. "Looks like we will be headed in for a 'search & rescue' tonight. Any takers?"
The entire team present in the limo nodded their agreement. For the first time in a long time, Scarlett had a genuine smile on her face. She and her new teammates had just found their friends, and tonight, she was about to participate in their freedom. Of course, locating the captured teammates was much easier than the rescuing part. That could get messy and deadly.
*TBC