Gathered dark clouds stirred menacingly in the ebony atmosphere. Strong winds formed within seconds and a clash of thunder sounded from a mile away. In a mere moment a heavy downpour of raindrops battered towards the land. The leaves on the tress and the grass moved wildly against the storm's mighty strength.
The wind howled as the heavy rain pounded against the grayish building. A roaring thunderous sound escaped from above followed immediately by a lighting bolt.
Another flash of lighting embraced the stormy sky creating haunted shadowy images on the pavement. The building stood deathly still as a small shadow emerged from a hedge, trending against the massive water puddles that had been produced. Another bolt of lighting flash resulted identifying the creature, a snake. The snake slithered across the hard cement surface traveling towards safety. Steadily, the cold-blooded reptile reached its destination as it crawled under the cross wired fence of the property. The wind gushed as the small serpent made its way on the freshly cut lawn and slithering down a small hole. Safely underground it corralled into a tight round mass as its head stood still listening to the intensity of the fierce storm. A howling sound of a dog embraced the howling wind merging together. Suddenly sharp claws broke against the soil entering the snake's domain.
The snake raised its head for a strike at the unwelcome intruder, but there was no attack as the claws suddenly retreated. Satisfied that the invader had departed and would not return, the creature once again settled in for the long blustery night. The creature wondered why the inhabitants living there hated snakes. There certainly must have been an explanation of the continuous comments of hating snakes and killing them. Lowering its head once more, the small serpent listened to the unnerving storm.
The thunder once again roared as the darkened atmosphere erased the remaining brightness of the evening. Within the gray structure the evening lights began to flicker on, indicating that there was still several personal inside. A larger bright light shined from the second story of the building. A silhouette of a male figure crossed a large window, stopping for a split second to observe the furious weather conditions and rotated back towards the room. His eyes roamed around the largely spaced area. A small group had gathered in the room to retreat from the storm's wrath and to relax for the remainder of the evening. Three woman and four men, including him, occupied the room.
Two of the women sat comfortably in front of the large screen television sharing a large bowl of freshly popped popcorn. Both of the women had short haircuts, one was a curly brown while the other was straight with auburn coloring and looked as it had been "touched up" from the last time he had seen her. Both he noticed were wearing sweatshirts and jeans. If it had not been for the difference in their hairstyles, one would think they were playing the double mint twins. He smiled as he watched them fight for the remote control.
"I want to replay that part!" the brown haired one stated grabbing the remote.
"But we just watched it already three times!" the other one retorted as she retrieved back the remote.
He heard a sigh to his right; the third woman sat on one of the smaller sofas looking at the disagreeable pair as she slowly shook her head. She had put her book down at the sound of the small commotion, shaking her head once more she centered back on her novel. His eyes studied her for a short moment. Her long red hair came down to her waist, and was pulled back in a ponytail, as always. She was wearing a blue cotton shirt with white light weighted pants. In a swift movement her blue eyes caught his, she gave him a quick wink and continued on with her reading. " She does not miss a thing!" he thought. He then stared at the reading material in her hands, the book looked old and tattered. It looked leather bound with a hint of maroon color.
A chuckle coming from his left side made him turn to see the three men playing cards at the table. His mouth formed a small smirk while glancing at the men, how well he knew them now. Two of the men were dark haired while the third one was blond. All three were still in their everyday work outfits, if you could even call them that. He could easily close his eyes and still recall what each man wore. One of the dark haired men wore a dark green shirt with brown pants, as on his head wore a beret type of hat. The other wore a green and black shirt with black pants, next to him on the table rested a balaclava. The third's taste in colors was the opposite of his two teammates; he wore a mustard colored shirt with green pants. Though the others wore black boots, his was brown with golden strips parting in the middle and at the edges.
"Full house!" said the blond, "Read them and weep boys!" as he gently set his cards on the table and smiled at the two open mouthed participants.
"Not again Duke!" cried the one sitting next to him. " You getting too good for this game!"
"For once I agree with Flint here." replied the third.
"Well, you were the one who suggested a nice short card game Beach Head." stated Duke. "Is it my fault that I am such a fantastic, on the roll, none can beat me kind of player?"
Beach Head rolled his eyes. "Sure, but that does not mean you have to make the rest of us go to the poor house!"
"Good thing we are playing for Kisses then." said Flint.
"KISSES!" came the sudden shout of all three women in the room.
The men, including himself, turned towards the three women who were now wide eyed their expressions indicated pure shock. He heard the thump of the remote control as it fell on the carpeted floor.
"Flint! Are you telling us you are playing with Kissing in mind?" alleged the brown haired woman with her hands on her hips and a glare that could even chill a polar bear.
"No no! Lady Jaye, you have it all wrong!" Flint stood up with both arms in a surrender gesture.
"Then what kind of kisses did you mean?" asked the other as she put a reassuring hand over Lady Jaye's shoulder.
"What he meant are these kind of Kisses, Cover Girl." answered Duke as he dangled one of the Kisses. "Hershey Kisses! The chocolate kind." He then unwrapped the small chocolate and popped it in his mouth.
"Oh!" came the reply from the women. They now fully understood.
Without knowing it, he chuckled out loud. They all turned and stared at him. He still he could not believe that he was part of this team. He stood there looking at his comrades' faces as they allowed the scene to set in and they joined him in the laughter. He was truly lucky to have friends, co-workers, and teammates as them. He belonged with them. They all belonged to the special armed force group known as G.I. Joe. A clash of lightning disrupted his thoughts as the thunder once again roared through the dark night. A shiver went down his spine as the gusting wind battered against the building.
"Scared Falcon?" asked Duke as a small smile spread on his face.
"No, Big brother. I am not scared." Falcon answered. "I am no longer ten you know." He cringed at the thought. Thunderstorms always scared in as a child. But he was not a child anymore. He was a soldier. And not just any soldier but a Joe!
"Oh, stop teasing him Duke." came a reply from behind him.
"Sure, Scarlett! In ten to twenty, I will!" Duke replied with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Scarlett just closed her eyes and shook her head. Falcon barely heard her whisper "Men!" as she went back to her reading.
Suddenly another roaring thunder echoed from above the base, followed with a lighting strike. The lights dimmed, and then flickered and lastly they all embraced the darkness!
"Powers out!" said Flint
"Thank you for the brilliant detection Frank Hardy!" answered Beach Head.
"Oww!" cried out Lady Jaye. "Who stepped on me?"
"Sorry." came the reply of Cover Girl.
Something bumped and a large crash echoed in the room. "Drat, I think I broke the lamp." said Duke
"Flint? Where are you?" said Lady Jaye as she had begun to move towards Flint.
"Over here Jaye!" came the reply. "Hang on, I am coming." Flint's footsteps were heard. Then after a small pause "There! Found you!"
"Uhh.. Flint? Can you get your arm around off my shoulder?" requested Beach Head.
"Oops, sorry Beach!" Flint replied.
A large thump made them all jump. "Ouch, that is going to hurt tomorrow!" said Falcon.
"What happened?" asked Duke.
"I think I fell over the couch or Cover Girl.. Not sure.." came the answer
"Couch!" giggled Cover Girl. "I'll send it to the infirmary tomorrow for Doc to check its wounds, Duke."
"Ha ha! Very funny." came from somewhere down on the floor.
"Ok, everyone just hold still and do not move another inch!" Scarlett called out to the rest. "I am going to get a flashlight."
"How you going to find a flashlight in the dark, Red?" asked a perplexed Flint.
"Trust me, I can!" she answered.
The group heard her walk away from them, a small cringing sound could be heard, then some ruffling and small indications of thumps as several objects rattled.
"If she finds that flashlight, I am gonna kiss the ground she walks on!" said Beach Head as more sounds indicated that the red head was slowly returning to the group.
"Hey! If there is any kissing, it will be from me!" retorted Duke. Then they heard him painfully groan "My knee!"
"Sorry Duke, was that you I bumped into?" said Scarlett innocently.
"You did that on purpose!" he replied.
"Did not!" Scarlett replied but her voice signified something else. She continued to move as more sounds indicated that she was still on her mission. Another cringing sound came apparent, and a few thumps followed. "There! Mission accomplished!"
A dash of lighting entered through the window allowing them a split second of light and then it vanished. Scarlett then switched the flashlight on. "Well at least we can see a little now." she said.
"What took you so long?" came Falcon's voice from behind the couch.
"I had to put new batteries." she answered. She smirked at the surprised faces.
"How could you see in the dark?" asked Cover Girl. "Even Flint had trouble!" Looking over at the Warrant Officer, who had a dash of red in his cheeks.
"It pays to practice in the darkness sometime." Scarlett shrugged.
"So, now what?" asked Lady Jaye. "Guess both the main generators and back ups are out. I hope Breaker and Mainframe have them running soon."
"Well.. No movies for now.. How about cards?" suggested Duke
"No!" came the quick reply from the other six G. I. Joes. With Duke's winning streak they all knew that it would be hopeless to play a good game of cards tonight.
The rain continued to thunder down as the wind collided on the building. The six of them stood silent for a split moment. It was Scarlett who broke the silence.
"How about we look at this?" she asked. Scarlett walked towards the sofa where she was sitting before and picked up the old tattered leather bound book.
"What is that?" asked a puzzled Falcon, he had seen her with the book all evening, yet it never occurred to him to identify the article she was holding. "I noticed you were reading that before."
"Not reading, looking." Scarlett replied as the flashlight's light swayed back and forth. She returned and sat next to him on the large sofa. The others followed her lead as they sat around her and Falcon. Though Beach Head decided the couch was too comfortable for him, so he stationed himself next to Falcon on the floor and rested his backside against the wall.
Duke took a seat next to Scarlett. Did he then noticed the tattered article she was still holding. Suddenly, it occurred to him what that thing really was and his eyes became huge!
"How the bloody blue blazes did you find that? I thought I had buried it!" Duke stated in a louder voice than he intended.
"You did." Scarlett answered as he just convicted himself of the crime. " I simply had Mutt and Junkyard unbury it."
A groan came from the Warrant Officer, "I thought we took "care" of that thing." Flint had also just noticed the leather bound tattered book in the red head's hands. "Next time, I think we should just burn it."
"You wouldn't dare!" said Lady Jaye with a stunned look.
"What is that thing anyway?" asked a still intrigued Falcon. For something so old and ready to fall apart, it certainly had Duke and Flint in an uproar. What could they have against this book? But before anyone could answer him, two glowing lights glided in the hall. The lights emerged in the room. There stood a rough looking soldier holding six camping lanterns.
"Glad to find you all here." said the soldier. "Mainframe and Breaker are still working on the generators Duke. They are not sure how long this blackout may last, so we are handing out lanterns." He set down two of the lanterns on the table.
"Thanks Gung Ho." replied Duke. "At least it is brighter in here now."
"Well, I will be off, need to give these four out to the others on this floor." With that he departed the room, as once more the glowing lights glided against the hall.
"Can someone answer my question?" repeated Falcon.
Instead of answering him, Scarlett simply held out the tattered item to him. "Here take a look for yourself."
Falcon studied the hardback tattered article in his hands. It looked like a regular looking book; the cover was lined with golden stripes. A simple title was engraved in the middle, Album. He glanced at Scarlett, and then at the others. Each had a different façade on, from amusement, glee, embarrassment, and fear. He slowly opened the front cover as four small paper articles stared at him. He knew now what this item really was. "But this is only a photo album." he announced.
"I swear we need to open a Detective Agency here." said Beach Head. "What was your first clue on solving the mystery?"
Ignoring Beach Head's comment, Falcon stared at the photographs before him. The first one on the right hand corner pictured a huge massive machine, with a diamond shaped crystal on its top. He recalled Duke once telling him of the Mass Device. In front of the Mass Device stood several of the Joe team's members. He identified Duke, Scarlett, Snake Eyes who was wearing his old costume and next to him Timber, the gray wolf. Stalker, an old Doctor wearing a lab coat, Breaker and two women. One had long blond hair and wearing a green jacket with same colored pants. While the other had long black hair and wore a pink miniskirt dress. Looking more carefully, he also noted that the black haired woman had rested her hand on Duke's arm.
"Who are these two women?" he asked looking at Duke.
"The blond one is me." came the answer from Cover Girl. "Ok! I admit it! I was blond once! Happy?" A few snickers escaped from the other Joes, they knew how she hated to admit that once her hair was a different color.
"What about the other one? The baroness?" he stated again.
"No comment." came the reply from Duke.
"Ok, fair enough." Falcon retorted. He clearly knew not to pressure Duke for answers. That and the small growl that came from Scarlett's vocal chords.
The one next to the Mass Device picture illustrated a large pole with overflowing green vines. Tangled in the vines was an angry face of Cobra Commander staring down at a smiling Roadblock as he tickled the Commander's feet. Next to Roadblock stood Duke, Scarlett, Flint, Lady Jaye, Shipwreck, Gung Ho, Snake Eyes, and a curly blond girl wearing a cowboy hat. Falcon swallowed his "Who is this girl now?" question. He did not want to cause more trouble.
The bottom right picture showed a massive looking black square, maybe 3 stories tall with Flint and Lady Jaye in front of it. He recalled how Cobra's scheme of forming the Pyramid of Darkness by shutting down 3/4th of the worlds power. The Joes succeeded in the end, foiling another plot of the evil empire.
Next to the Pyramid picture was one with Ace, Lady Jaye, Alpine, Scarlett, Roadblock and Wild Bill wearing Space suits. Falcon turned to the second page. More pictures of the Joes stared back at him. One of Snake Eyes, Scarlett, Duke, Rock n Roll, and Recondo in the Jungle, another of Mutt hugging Junkyard in a dark creepy castle, another of a farmer and a 50 pound tomato. Next to that showed the entire team getting reinstated after COBRA had successfully disbanded them by developing Synthoids. Then one of Scarlett and Lady Jaye smiling along with a group of teenagers.
Flipping another page, Falcon noticed one of Gung Ho falling off a thoroughbred stallion. He heard Cover Girl utter a giggle. Apparently she must have been the photographer for G.H.'s embarrassing moment. But then one particular picture caught his eye. It was on the bottom left corner.
"Woah!" Falcon uttered. He was stunned at what the image illustrated. There, standing were three high ranked officers in tight ballet pink leotards, white tights, pink ribbons in their hair. The wardrobe completed with pink tutus and a nutcracker being held in the middle by all three. The rosy cheeks of Duke, Flint and Beach Head gazed back at him. Suddenly, a familiar noise surrounded him. He looked up from the ballet picture to find Scarlett, Lady Jaye and Cover Girl in uncontrollable laughter. Falcon had not noticed the Joe women fall into fits of amusement. His head turned towards the others, Duke was shaking his head, next to him Flint smacked his forehead, while Beach Head kept banging the back of his head against the wall.
"I thought we destroyed all of those copies!" whispered Flint.
"Guess we missed one. " Duke whispered back.
"You missed more than one." stated Lady Jaye between the giggles.
"What does she mean by that?" asked Beach Head.
"She means, there were more copies of these babies printed that you all thought so." said Scarlett as she gave a high five to her teammate.
"What happened?" asked Falcon. "Why on earth did Duke, Flint and Beach dress as Ballerinas?"
Flint groaned as his eyes closed. He did not want to recall that particular day. Lady Jaye gave him a nudge. "Well are you going to tell him or shall I?"
"Do we have to tell him?" asked Duke. Giggles were his only answer. Sensing defeat he rested his head back on the couch staring at the ceiling. He began to listen as Lady Jaye began the gruesome details.
Lady Jaye smiled as she began the tale. "Well it all started with a dare…."