Lady Jaye boldly strode into the light. The four Joes glanced up from the card table, and Shipwreck swore when he saw who it was.
"Busted," Breaker murmured, placing his cards down on the table.
"What the hell are you doin' down here?" Lady Jaye yelled. "You're supposed to be helping to guard the base!" She crossed her arms over her chest, a typical Beach Head gesture.
"We're supposed to behave like it's just another night," Ace protested. "Besides, this way no one will sneak in down here."
"That's what Duke and I were doing just now," Lady Jaye replied with a growl. She raised her voice. "Duke, is that area clear?"
Quick Kick replied from around the corner in a perfect imitation of their CO's voice. "Yeah, Beach Head. All clear. Did you find something over there?"
Lady Jaye had never seen the four Joes scramble so fast. "Duke's here! Shit, don't say anything, Beach! Please?" Ace looked frantic as he gathered the cards and chips.
She smirked and replied, "If you yahoos get upstairs and actually pay attention tonight, I won't say a word."
"Beach Head, who's over there with you?" Quick Kick called.
Shipwreck grabbed the last chip from the table, and the four Joes ran the opposite direction, toward the back stairs that would take them to the kitchens.
Quick Kick came around the corner, doubled over with suppressed mirth. "Man, I wish I could have seen their faces."
"A little help here, guys?" Tunnel Rat's voice came from one of the grates that covered a heating duct, and Quick Kick removed the inner bolts from the frame. Tunnel rat pulled himself out of the small opening and stood to stretch.
Lady Jaye regarded the small hole. "How did you get through that?" she asked skeptically.
Tunnel Rat gave her a wide smile. "Piece of cake," he replied.
"Let's go get Alpine," Quick Kick suggested.
They headed toward the roof, avoiding the stairs and hallways that had working cameras. They had spent a fair amount of time planning their routes, and the only cameras they passed now were shut off.
Alpine was waiting on the far side of the roof door. He gave them a wide smile and finished re-coiling his climbing rope. "Excellent timing," he said. "Perfect night for climbing, too."
"Wow, Alpine, you actually got up here," Tunnel Rat exclaimed, peeking around the climber to the roof surface. "How?"
"I attached a line to the radio tower and fastened the other end to the trunk of a tree." He showed Tunnel Rat the ratcheting pulley-like handles that could be hooked over a taught line and used to slide up even a steep slope. "The tower is high enough that I went right over the fence and straight to the roof."
Quick Kick laughed. "I had the easy way in, I guess."
"Not easier than Gung-Ho will," Alpine retorted. "Why does he get to walk in the front gate?"
"You wanted him maybe to monkey up that rope or fit through a tiny air vent?" Quick Kick answered.
"Good point," Alpine laughed.
The group moved quietly back down the stairs. They had a few close calls, but none of their teammates really expected any of them to have made it into the base yet, and would assume that the alarms would alert them to a break-in attempt anyway. In years past, most of the mock attackers had waited until the middle of the night before beginning their assault.
They ducked into a storage room near the main offices. "I'll send Gung-Ho your way and then get Duke out of his office. You can download your files, and when he gets back, it'll be done," Lady Jaye told the others. They settled in to wait, and she closed the door again behind her.
She strode openly through the base now, not needing to hide the presence of the others. She headed out to the front entrance again, finding Mutt just where he had been before. He saw her approach, and stood a little straighter as she neared his post.
"Hey, Mutt. Junkyard." The dog waved his tail and jumped, but she stepped back, frowning down at the animal just as Beach Head would have. "Take a break, guys. I've got a sneaking suspicion someone's gonna be heading this way soon, and I wanna be here to greet 'em." She gave a wicked smile that showed through the fabric of the balaclava.
Mutt pulled on Junkyard's leash, and the dog sat, tongue lolling. "C'mon, Junk," Mutt said happily. "I won't say no to a little time in front of the TV." Junkyard looked from his master to Lady Jaye, but obediently followed Mutt back into the base.
Within moments, Gung-Ho walked up to the fence, and Lady Jaye let him in. He gave her a grin and said, "Ya know, that was way too easy. I feel like I'm cheating."
Lady Jaye shrugged a reply. "I could just as easily be Zartan," she said. "And he could just as easily let in Cobra soldiers. But if it makes you feel any better, you can go back out the gate and get in some other way."
Gung-Ho considered her offer, looking out into the now dark night. "Eh, I'd have to find a way in that doesn't involve going over or under the fence. No, thanks. This Cajun will take the easy way this time around."
They traced her earlier path back to the storage room, and the others greeted Gung-Ho with wide smiles. It was almost done. Not only would they be the first group to get in, but they would also make it a hard time to beat next year.
Lady Jaye took a deep breath and moved into the hall. Three doors down was Duke's office. They had decided that it would be easiest for the rest of them to gather there to download their files, but it meant that she had to get Duke out first. And keep him out long enough for them to finish.
She knocked on the door and entered at Duke's weary reply. Lady Jaye stood at attention, but Duke had his eye on the folders in front of him and didn't even look up. "What is it now, Beach Head?"
She cleared her throat. "Sir, some of the cameras aren't working properly, and Mainframe claims they were alright earlier. I'd like you to go to the control room with me and look things over."
Duke sighed. "Can't you take care of it?"
"No, sir. The computer wants a higher passcode than mine."
Duke finally looked up. "Fine, I'll go. But I don't want you bugging me all night, okay? I have work to do."
Lady Jaye nodded, letting Duke lead the way into the hall. Just before the door closed, she slipped a piece of tape from his desk over the latch, making sure it wouldn't lock behind them. She copied Beach Head's long, arrogant stride as she caught up to Duke, letting her boot steps fall heavily on the tiled floor. They reached the control room, which was now occupied by both Mainframe and Flint. Lady Jaye stood behind Duke, not wanting Flint to get a good look at her.
"Mainframe, is there a problem with the cameras?" Duke asked, stepping up behind the computer expert.
"Yes, sir," Mainframe replied. "But I didn't want to bother you, so I got Flint to put in a passcode."
Duke gave Lady Jaye a glare, and she shrugged a nonchalant reply. Before Duke could begin his scolding, the sound of a very, very angry drill instructor could be heard coming down the hallway.