Several of the Joes spoke to her on the way out. They knew that she was leaving, and they were aware of the consequences, but they knew better than to try to make her stay. She did her best to act the tough, cold-hearted soldier, waving away their indignation and anger as though the whole situation didn't mean much to her anyway—but her friends' regard for her, what they were willing to do for her, made her heart feel as though it was being squeezed in a giant fist.
They would all think she had betrayed them; that they meant so much less to her than was the case. And yet she couldn't tell them that, couldn't tell them that the time she had spent with them in and out of battle had been the best times of her life. The other Joes sensed her turmoil, and after a few final farewells, drifted off one by one.
By the time she reached her personal vehicle, parked in the corner of the garage, only Flint, Scarlett, Cover Girl, and Ripcord remained. They all watched quietly as she took the tarp off her car and placed her duffel bag in the back seat.
There was an awkward silence until Cover Girl finally stepped forward to give her a hug. "If you need anything, let us know," she told her.
Scarlett and Ripcord nodded, each embracing her in turn before stepping back. The two girls pulled Ripcord away to give Flint a last few minutes alone with her.
"I'd come with you, you know," he said quietly.
"I know," she replied, stepping into his embrace. "But I can't let you. I know what this team means to you. More than it ever meant to me, I guess."
"You think that now because you're angry. But I'll bet that two days from now you're going to be wondering how even Duke could drive you away from it." He made an effort at his trademark grin, but it was forced. "Call me tonight. Let me know you're okay."
All she could do was nod. Her throat felt too tight to speak. But she managed a whispered farewell, and added, "Whatever happens next, promise me you'll remember all of the good times instead of the last few weeks. Don't do anything to get yourself in trouble, okay?"
He gave her a final squeeze and bent down to kiss her. It was all she could do to pull away from him and get in her car. She watched in the rear-view mirror as the closest friends she had in the world disappeared from view, perhaps forever.
She left the compound with no difficulties; Duke should have ordered the greenshirt at the gate to stop her if she tried to leave, but if she was to be accessible to Cobra, she had to be off base. She hoped the other Joes wouldn't give him too hard a time over her departure, but they had both known the likely outcome of their game from the start, and were prepared to deal with the consequences.
She drove southwest, stopping for a meal along the way since her lunch had ended up decorating Duke instead of in her stomach. She figured on driving to Las Vegas; there was a suspected Cobra base somewhere nearby, and Extensive Enterprises had an office there. It was close enough to make it by late that night, but far enough from the base not to endanger its location.
Lady Jaye spent the time analyzing the information she had spent so long studying. Why would a traitor help Cobra by giving out locations of other military installations but not the Joe base? Why not just give the entire list of Joe members and their home addresses to Cobra? It must be someone who agreed with Cobra's objective, but refused to be the means of the Team's destruction.
She herself was loaded with false information for Cobra, data that seemed important but was out of date. Locations of bases that had recently been shut down, decryption programs that would seem to work but send up red flags whenever used, and even the location of a few Joe safehouses that were deemed expendable. She hoped it would be enough to gain the confidence of her enemies. If they doubted her for a moment, it could mean not only the failure of her mission, but also the loss of her life.
She reached the city at one a.m. Everything was in full swing, but she had no problems finding a room in one of the seedier areas, which was basically everything not located on the main strip. Funny how one block in either direction looked like a war zone compared to the glitz and shine of the main drag. She hated the town, and hoped that she didn't have to spend an entire two weeks there.
When she had settled in, she called Flint as promised, giving him her hotel information and reinforcing her instructions that he not endanger his position on the team. Although she and Duke had the full go-ahead to do pretty much anything to accomplish this mission, and the situation would be taken into account as far as the rest of the team's reaction was concerned, she feared that Flint would cross the line and truly jeopardize his career. He promised to behave and wait things out, but told her that he could only hold out so long. She could only hope that Cobra would move in on her quickly enough to pull Duke and Flint, and the rest of the team, back together. Even if it meant that they were united against her.
Lady Jaye spent the following morning catching up on sleep, luxuriating in the fact that she no longer had to rise at five a.m. for PT. She wandered around after lunch, not really doing much of anything, knowing that it was too soon to expect any contact but not interested in the sightseeing or casinos.
The evening she spent at a small, dingy bar that looked like a recruitment center for the Dreaknoks. She put her game face on, scaring away would-be suitors with a glare and sometimes a few well-chosen words. Despite the crowd, no one gave her a very hard time, possibly because the amount of alcohol she consumed made it clear that she was there only for the inanimate companionship of a glass and the distanced conversation of the bartender. By the time she left she was feeling distinctly ill, but had accomplished what she had intended: the customers would all remember the hard-drinking sullen woman who had spent four hours tossing back whiskey like she was trying very hard to forget her past.
Of course she paid for it in the morning, but repeated her rounds of the previous day nonetheless, feeling shabby and thick tongued.
It took four days of wandering the streets during the day and sitting at the same bar at night to realize any results. It was getting fairly late, and she was thinking about getting up to weave her way back to her hotel when two men sat on either side of her at the bar. She looked up groggily and squinted into the face of Tomax on one side and Xamot on the other.
"The Hell do you want?" she slurred at one of them, unable to distinguish them in her daze.
"We've heard on the grapevine that you've left the Joes under rather difficult circumstances," said one.
She swung her head around as the other continued, "We came to offer our condolences…"
"And our services." the first finished.
"Stop talking like that," she told the one on her right. "You're making me nauseated. I'm in no mood. Tell me what you want or leave." She slugged back the last of the liquor in her glass and ordered another.
"We're here to offer you an opportunity to get back at your CO. He has ruined your life," he answered, "and we are certain that you might desire a little… revenge."
"Bah. The kind of revenge Cobra offers gets me nothing but deeper into the shithouse."
The other twin replied, "Do you know that there has been an investigation into what happened, and that Duke appears to be getting off scott-free?"
She had known, in fact, having talked to Flint earlier that day. But she scowled and remained silent.
"You're going to be court-marshaled, and that arrogant man in charge of the Joes is probably going to get another promotion. I suppose you could stay here and drink until they come to pick you up…" One of them started.
"But consider an alternative." the other continued. "Cobra can give you all of the protection you need from your government, and give you the chance to pay Duke back in spades."
She shook her head, causing the scene to blur uncomfortably, and told them, "I won't hurt the rest of the team. They're still my friends."
"And yet here you are, while they remain untouched and untarnished. Your friends didn't help you much." the one on the right said.
"Why don't you meet with someone to discuss the possibilities. If you remain unconvinced, we will bring you back here," he gestured with disgust at their surroundings, "and not bother you again."
She sat silent a moment, sipping at her glass. "I don't know how you could do anything to hurt Duke and not the others," she said.
"Why don't you come with us and find out?"
"Shit," she muttered. "Can't get in much more trouble, can I?"
She tried to stand and nearly fell over. The twins each grabbed an arm to steady her as they led her to the car waiting at the curb.