Disclaimer: GI Joe is the property of Hasbro. I made Karen up, so she's mine for whatever that's worth. And Steve Buscemi is the scariest thing in Con Air.
Spoilers: If you haven't read issues #42-#43 of the Devil's Due GI Joe comic and/or heard about the big spoiler, don't read this fic. Though, how you could read a fic in a cave, on Mars with both fingers in your ears while going LALALALALALA in a loud voice, I don't know. Some minor spoilers for Con Air, but as that movie is 8 years old I feel pretty safe on that one.
Note: Takes place in my Joe universe which is similar to the comics universe, but also draws from both the Sunbow and DIC cartoon series and which ignores stuff I don't want to deal with in my fics. Since I'm not sure how I'm dealing with the restart, the disbanding of the Joes' mentioned at the end of #43 has not been dealt with here.
Joe HQ
Wright-Patterson AFB, Fairborn, OH
May 28th, 2005
0137 am
Low-Light lay on the breakroom couch, head propped up on one armrest, feet on the other. On the TV, Con Air was playing. Nicholas Cage's down-home Ranger character Cameron Poe had just been sent to prison on a technicality, thereby establishing that an asskicker with a heart of gold would be able to save the day once the meat of the movie got started. Low-Light watched with only half an eye as Poe's first eight years of prison life flashed by in a voice-over montage sequence. His attention was focused on the ringing phone in his hand. Ring one, ring two, ring three...
"Hello?" said a sleepy voice.
"Hey," he said, feeling the muscles in his back relax as he heard Karen's voice.
"Hi Cooper," Karen said, stifling a yawn. "What's up?"
"You, now," he said, grinning. "Sorry for waking you up. You got time to talk?"
"It's okay, don't worry about it. I'm used to it," she said. He could hear the sound of her getting out of bed. "If it wasn't you, it would have been my bladder. Sure, I've got time. Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, yeah," he said. "It's all good. Just watching Beachhead get paroled."
"Con Air, right?"
Low-Light grinned. "Right," he said.
"So, have you gotten him to say "Put the bunny back in the box" yet?"
"Nope, he doesn't appreciate the comparison. Says Nicholas Cage is as much an Army Ranger as the queen of England's tits."
Karen's laugh was followed by a flush. The sound echoing over the cellphone. Low-Light raised an eyebrow. "You're in the bathroom?"
"Very observant, Coop," Karen said.
"Y'know, that's kinda gross," Low-Light said. "I mean...I miss you an' all that but, Christ there is a limit."
"Coming from someone who once made a dead skunk say "He can call me Flower if he wants to" I consider that a complement," Karen said. "I'm seven months pregnant Cooper: I eat, I sleep, I pee. Sometimes all three at the same time, just for convenience."
There was a pause as Low-Light looked over at the TV, as if for guidance. Nicholas Cage looked back at him, all sad-puppy eyes and stringy hippy hair. On the phone, Karen snickered at him. "Uh-oh, I broke him," she said, then her tone became serious. "What's wrong, Cooper?"
Low-Light jumped -- at least as much as he could jump while laying prone on the clapped out breakroom sofa. "What makes you think anything's wrong?"
"Well, either something's wrong or you let me win -- and if you let me win, something's going to be wrong," she said. "So...what's wrong?"
Low-Light rolled his shoulders, hearing the faux-leather upholstery creak and shift under him. "We lost somebody else," he said, simply. "Jaye died -- they just gave us the news today."
Karen inhaled sharply. "Oh God, Cooper I'm so sorry. What happened? What can you tell me?"
Low-Light grunted, a verbal shrug. "She was killed by one of those terrorists who we cleaned up in New York City. You saw the news, right?"
"Yes," Karen said. "I'm so sorry, Cooper. She was the one who was married, right?"
"Yeah, to Flint." Low-Light frowned. "One of them was trying to capture Flint and Jaye went storming in to the rescue. She managed to save him but she bought the farm in the process." He sighed, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "We're having ceremony for her and the others in D.C. on Monday. I ain't looking forward to it. I don't know what to say, y'know? The others...I mean, sure they got family that might be there but that's different. Flint's one of ours. What the hell do I say to him?"
"Tell him you're sorry," Karen said. "Just, be honest."
"If I'm honest, he's gonna slug me," Low-Light said. "I have that effect on people."
"So I've noticed. You didn't like her?"
"I didn't know her! There's over a hundred and fifty of us. We worked together, sure but that was about it. We didn't socialize, we weren't buddies. Hell, I'd miss Adams more. She was nice enough, I guess, but she wasn't part of the crowd I hang with. She was part of the "couples' only" crowd. Flint and her and Snake-Eyes and Scarlett." He thought a moment. "And Duke, for some reason. Y'know, most of the higher-ups. I mean, nothing wrong with it and I'm pissed that she's dead but it ain't like we were buddies." Low-Light grumbled, rubbing a hand over his face. "I sound like a damn prick, don't I?"
"For once...no," Karen said. "Not at all. I understand, Cooper."
Low-Light continued on, the words coming out in a rush. "I mean, I'm as mad about her getting killed as I am about Glenda or Rampart. They were ours, damnit. Teammates. Brothers and sisters in arms and they're dead because we weren't able to stop the fucking bad guys fast enough. Jaye's not any more important than them but her being killed scares me most, y'know?"
"Why?"
"Because Flint's still here. Rampart and Glenda and Hardball, I don't have to look at their families after Monday. I don't have to be around them, see them on the team, talk to them, watch them suffer y'know? Quick-Kick's mom, I don't talk to her maybe once or twice a year. Firewall wasn't married to Daemon or Mainframe. But Flint's? Him and Jaye were together for fifteen years! He going to be here, walking around and reminding us all that she's gone and..."
"And reminding you that you guys aren't supermen and you actually can die, right?"
The pause this time was longer. "That's not it. Okay, it's not all of it. I've known that for a long time already. It's more...seeing what it's like, y'know? For the ones left behind."
"Oh, Cooper..." Karen's voice mixed sympathy and exasperation. "We've talked about this..."
"I know we have!" Low-Light snapped. "And it's easy to talk about it when you don't really think it's going to happen but..."
"But there's no sense in making yourself nuts over something that you cannot prevent, Cooper," Karen said, calmly.
"I don't want to hurt you." Low-Light's voice dropped to almost a whisper. "I don't want to leave you behind."
"And I don't want you to...but Cooper, we both know it could happen. God doesn't hand out "Get out of Death Free" cards to anybody, military or civilian. You're not the only one who could die. I could get shot by a poacher or hit by a semi or have a heart attack."
"...you'll tell me when this is supposed to make me feel better right?" Low-Light said, wincing as his voice cracked.
"Cooper, you could leave the Joes right now and you would still die one day."
"I know, but..."
"Do you want to leave the team?"
"Hell no, but..."
"Do you want to leave me?"
"NO!" The sound of his own voice made Low-Light jump. Face hot with embarassment, he growled into the phone. "You're stuck with me, you know that! I just...I-I don't want you to have to be alone. Or me. I couldn't live with it."
"Yes you could," Karen said. "You'd do it because you had to. Just like I would. We'd make do."
Low-Light pulled the phone away from his ear and glared at it for a long moment before speaking into it again. 'You make me nuts sometimes, you know that?"
"I know," said Karen. "I love you Cooper."
"I love you too, Karen. Thanks."
"You're welcome. Have they wrecked Chief O'Brian's car yet?"