Title: Scarlett and the Dragons
A/N:If you've read Promises to a Friend, then you're familiar with my use of Witchblade characters. Promises to a Friend is my first GI Joe fic. This is my second; I'm still kind of new at this so please bear with me. Reviews are appreciated. Please don't flame me too bad, this is just what takes place in my mind.
Disclaimer: None of the featured characters are mine. The characters of Ian Nottingham, Hector Mobius, and the Black Dragon unit is from Witchblade. I did name the other five Black Dragons but other than that they are not mine.
Takes place before GI Joe. Also takes place before Promises to a Friend. Explains Scarlett's knowledge of the Black Dragons and Ian Nottingham.
Summary: Shana O'Hara spends some time in an internationally recruited Special Forces unit called the Black Dragons. There she meets some interesting people.
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Chapter 1: The Black Dragons
Shana O'Hara had just gotten out of her last military unit. After a year of waiting for a transfer she'd put in last April. It wasn't as if she didn't like her current unit, she just wanted a change; something that offered more time in the field. She wanted to see some sort of action. She wanted a chance to really do something for her country and this was going to be it.
She had only put in for a transfer to another unit, she had never expected this. She had been surprised when her CO had called her into his office to tell her.
Apparently he had been asked about her by a General Thorton Smith; who was recruiting for a new special forces unit. This new unit, codenamed The Black Dragons, is an internationally recruited unit. The Black Dragons were supposed to be the absolute best that their countries had to offer. And she was the only woman to meet the criteria General Smith was looking for in members of the unit.
Shana could not believe her luck; being in the Special Forces was one thing, but being assigned to the new Black Dragon unit was completely something else. To say she was surprised by it would have been an understatement.
As she got her stuff together for the trip to her new base, she wondered how the other members of the unit would react to a woman in their group. She knew not many men are open to the idea of a woman in the military, but the fact that she's stayed should count for something, she thought.
The helicopter's ETA was about 7 hours, the pilot was nice and so was the man who was also in the craft. He spoke with her at length about her new unit.
"You have a specialty, O'Hara?" he asked softly, his Asian features were defined by his dark hair.
"Intelligence, Sir." She answered. "Are you the unit's General, sir?"
"No, I'm not. I'm just a CIA agent, so you don't have to call me 'sir'. I just handle the intelligence reports that the unit will be receiving. Since you're intelligence too, it looks like we may be working together at times. My name's Daniel Woo, but you can call me Danny."
"Shana," she replied to him, offering her hand; which he shook firmly.
"I was assigned to collect the American members of the unit and answer any questions I can about your new unit. Do you have any?"
"Actually, yes. There had to have been a number of people who are qualified for this unit, some probably better qualified than me, why did they select me?"
"Well, General Smith liked the report your CO gave him, and he wanted at least one woman in the unit. You're the best qualified to fill his criteria. Not only that but you have knowledge of the martial arts as well."
"What about the men, what did they say about my being in the unit?"
"Most of them are comfortable with it, with the exception of one. Other than him, everyone in the unit is all for you."
"What's expected of us? What will we need to do?"
"Well, as far as I know the unit is a Special Forces; you'll do covert and black operations, gathering intelligence, going in where no military can officially go, freeing hostages, save the world; that sort of thing."
"That's not expecting too much at all." she mutters sarcastically.
"I like you already." Danny says, laughing. "At least you're real about this, the other two Americans in the group are too over confident about it. One doesn't say much at all, unless he's speaking in riddles and the other seems more of a poet than a soldier. Here's what's going to happen when we arrive at the base. First, you'll be required to spend 48 hours in the base's infirmary and submit to a series of tests. Then, you'll meet the other members of your unit and spend some time with them. There's one more thing I need to tell you before we get any farther."
"What's that, Danny?" Shana asked.
"The members of the unit are required to take certain controlled substances..."
"You mean drugs? What sort of drugs?"
"I haven't been told exactly. Psychotrophic, I think. they're designed to increase stamina, physical strength, speed, agility, visual acuity, those sorts of things."
"We have to subject ourselves to that? What if we don't want to?"
"I won't lie to you, Shana. You really have no choice, General Smith has ways of getting what he wants; half the time you don't know what it is, until you're doing it. You can be the best, cleanest cut person in the armed forces, but you cross him and he'll find something to use against you. He'll get you a court martial and a dishonorable discharge, if you're lucky."
"He can do that?"
"Can and will, he's done it before. Another one won't really make any difference to him."
"So, I guess I have to do it. Are the effects of the drugs permanent? Or will they eventually wear off?"
"I'm not sure if the effect are permanent or not. After some time; a tour of duty with the unit, you can request a dismissal from the unit, as far as I've been told. Are you willing to go through this, to be in the Black Dragon unit?"
"Yes. I don't think I've got much of a choice after what you've told me."
"I know. The General liked what your CO had to say about you to much, he would've gotten you in this unit one way or another."
In compliance to regulations for the unit, she had spent the past two nights in the infirmary to run various tests; and the first of the drugs had been administered. All the recruits for the Black Dragon unit had the same, Shana wondered if any of the others had also woken up disoriented and dizzy the next morning.
The others were all in an activity room, they could do what they wished with down time. She had been told the others were aware that she was to join them. Standing at the door to the room, she took a deep breath and entered.
She walked into the room; all around her, men sat, the other members of the unit, busy with their various things. A quartet of them sat working some very complicated jigsaw puzzles, two played a serious game of chess, another looked up from his book at her, his hazel eyes met her blue ones. He had an olive complexion and dark hair pulled back in a short ponytail.
In an instant he was next to her. ~No way, he could move that fast~ she thought.
"Shana O'Hara?" he asked.
"Yes."
"We were told you'd be joining us." he stated simply. "I am Ian Nottingham. That is Hector Mobius." he motioned to the black man playing chess.
"That is Christian Blair," He motioned to the other man playing chess with Mobius. Naming all the people in the room, gesturing to each in turn:
"Alexander Crastronoff, Lucius Diamonte, Antonio Franchetti, and Jonathan Leger."
"This is no place for a woman." Blair said bluntly, walking up to Shana.
"Don't mind him, Chere. He is, how is it said, primeval in his thinking." Leger spoke, his soft French accent evident in his voice.
"I, for one, am pleased to see such a beautiful senorita in this room." Diamonte added. "Don't the rest of you agree?" Diamonte's question was meet with most of the others words of agreement.
Shana smiled at the compliment. ~Aside from that Blair guy, they seem like a nice group of men. Half of them aren't bad looking either.~
"I will show you to your quarters, My lady." Ian said offering her his arm. She took it.
"Thank you."
As he walked her to her quarters he spoke again;
"Unfortunately, Blair's people skills need some work; you spent last night in the infirmary like the rest of us, right?"
"Yes. And I was told about the drugs when I was coming here." she replied.
"Did you feel dizzy or disoriented, in general?"
"Actually, yes. I felt like I had been on a Tilt-a-whirl going at mach 5."
"The others experienced the same thing. A side effect of the drugs, I believe."
"Makes sense, I just hope I won't be addicted to them when I leave this unit."
"That will not happen, My lady. The drugs have never proven to be very addictive, I believe you will not become very dependent on them."
"How do you know that?"
"I was placed in this unit by the order of my employer, the real person behind the Black Dragon unit; he provides the drugs for this unit."
"Danny wasn't sure, but maybe you know. Are the effects of the drugs permanent?"
"I won't lie to you, My lady. The effects can be very permanent."
"So, General Smith is not in charge of the unit?"
"He is in charge of making sure we are all kept up to speed but other than that, my employer is."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I will not keep secrets from my allies in command. You, Mobius and I are the triumvirate. We are the unit's commanders. I chose you to be the second in command and Mobius to be the third." Ian said, stopping at the door of one of the rooms.
"I didn't think the ones in command would be chosen for a few months," Shana said softly. She searched Ian's eyed for any sign of him toying around with her, but found none.
"No, I was certain that I wanted you to be my second, the second I was finished reading your file and your CO's report on you." he paused, "Here is your quarters, My lady."
"Why are you calling me that?"
"Simply because I wish to, My lady. If you wish me to stop, I will. Do you wish me to stop?" Ian asked.
"If you want to call me that, I'll have to come up with something to call you. If you're going to continue, I'd rather you not call me that too often."
"Very well, I'll try not to call you that to often, Lady Shana." Ian said with a smile. "We are all choosing codenames to use on our missions, will you join us, now that you know where your quarters are?"
"Sure, Knight of Nottingham,"
"Knight of Nottingham?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"It fits you." Shana reasoned. "If you're calling me 'Lady' and 'My lady', I'm going to call you 'Knight of Nottingham'. You kind of remind me of all the stories about knights and chivalry, the Round Table and all that."
"As you wish, Lady Shana."
They walked back to the recreation room where the others were all seated in various couches and chairs. Mobius, upon seeing Shana enter the room, stood from his chair and offer it to her. She refused but he continued to stand, stating that if Lady Shana could stand so could he.
~Now two of them are calling me 'Lady' these guys are unbelievable, they both are really like the knights of medieval times.~
"Okay, men. Time to chose our codenames." Ian stated simply. "Christian Blair, you first."
"Firebird"
"Alexander Crastonoff?"
"Thanatos."
"Lucius Diamonte?"
"Terron"
"Antonio Franchetti?"
"Armon"
"Jonathan Leger?"
"Bastille"
"Hector Mobius?"
"Moby" Everyone stared at Hector. "What? I wanted to keep it simple."
Ian laughed, before he continued. "I will go by Dragon. O'Hara?"
"I hadn't really thought about it yet." she admitted.
"May I make a suggestion, Lady Shana?"
"Okay, Knight of Nottingham." She said, the other members got a kick out of the fact that she was playing Ian's game. ~I could start to enjoy being around these guys.~ she thought.
"I think you should go by 'Scarlett', it is perfectly suiting to you, you are from the Southern region. You are beautiful, and your last name is O'Hara."
"I'm nothing like the character from that movie." she said.
"I'm aware of that," Ian said, "I never believed for an instant that you were."
"I think I will use it though, not like I can think of anything better at the moment. Thanks, Ian."
"You are welcome, Lady Scarlett."
A/N: This is a work in progress, I hope it's good so far.
If you want to know why Ian Nottingham calls Scarlett 'Lady' and 'My lady' it's just the way I thought he should be portrayed. He is like the knights of medieval times, from what I gather from the Witchblade show and many of the fics in the Witchblade section at this site.
Jonathan Leger's last name if you want to know is pronounced 'Lee-jay'. At least in my mind, it is.