Sorry. I know I've been a bit slow on this update. I aim to get them up weekly, but it's not always possible. It's a busy summer and I am enjoying the time with my family. Hope you're all enjoying your summers, too.
Please let me know if you catch a mistake. I always check and recheck for errors and typos, but it's impossible to catch them all.
For those waiting to see D/S, this is the chapter.
As always, thanks for reading and reviewing.
Disclaimer: I don't own...you know the rest.
Breaker was popping his gum, flipping through channels, when he sat up suddenly. Cobra Commander was sitting in a plush chair, one leg crossed over the other casually. Hector Ramirez was in a seat across from him.
"Hey, guys. Check this out. That CC character is on the news," he said, pointing at the screen.
"Cobra Commander. What's he doing on TV?" Duke asked, coming up behind him with Scarlett.
Lady Jaye and Flint joined them.
"Turn it up Breaker," Lady Jaye said, leaning over his shoulder.
He nodded.
"…This only proves, Ramirez, how dangerousss the Joes really are," Cobra Commander said. "For yearsss they have pursued us without reasonable cause. We have been framed over and over. Blamed for their infractionsss." Cobra Commander spread out his hands in a gesture of innocence. "As we all know, the decommissioning of G.I. Joe and itsss members will only ensure the future safety of this great nation…"
"Decommissioning?"
"Future safety of this nation?"
The Joes grumbled angrily.
"That two-bit liar," Scarlett hissed.
Lady Jaye crossed her arms over her chest. "This just confirms one thing," she said.
"What's that, Lady Jaye?" Duke asked.
Her eyes narrowed to slits. "Cobra is the one behind all this."
That night, the Joes received more news, leaving everyone shaken. They'd lost two more Joes: Iceberg and Wet-Suit. They had been making their way to Lighthouse when communications stopped. The Joes had been anxious, waiting for days, hoping they'd hear from them or that they'd just show up. They didn't. Then, the Joes heard that they'd been shot and killed. The official story was that they had resisted arrest, forcing the police to fire in defense. Scarlett and Lady Jaye discovered a truth that was much darker. Iceberg and Wet-Suit had been lured by citizens who surrounded them and started shooting.
They never had a chance.
If the Joes thought Lady Jaye and Scarlett were driven before, the events of the night only added fuel to the fire. They barely slept. Tempers flared over the littlest thing. Scarlett and Lady Jaye worked around the clock, breaking only to grab a bite or catch a few hours of sleep. Scarlett was wound tight. Lady Jaye was a loose cannon. She shot angry glances whenever Scarlett yawned. She glared when Scarlett dropped her pen. The Joes might have been grieving but they were not stupid. Everyone gave the two women a wide berth. Hawk left them alone. Even Flint poked his head in their office less often than usual.
So far, however, they had little to show for all their effort.
Scarlett glanced wearily at Jaye. Lady Jaye's fingers were flying back and forth across the keyboard, her eyes glued to the screen. Empty coffee mugs littered the top of her desk—just like her own.
Scarlett stood stiffly and rubbed her gritty eyes. "Another coffee, Jaye?" she asked.
Lady Jaye's fingers faltered and she looked up from her computer in irritation. "Imeacht gan teacht ort!" she snapped. Then, her eyes went back to the screen, her fingers picking up where they had left off.
Scarlett scowled. "A simple no would have sufficed," she muttered. An image of Lady Jaye gagged and hanging by her toenails came to mind. Scarlett smiled before shaking it out of her head and counting to ten.
Scarlett's searching had yielded nothing, leading only to brick walls and dead ends. The information she'd worked through and sorted was a jumbled mess in her exhausted brain. She decided to go back further, digging into older files. Maybe she could find a lead there.
Suddenly, Lady Jaye made a half-strangled squeal.
Scarlett hurried to her side. "What is it?" she asked.
"I think I've found something." Lady Jaye pressed her lips together, her fingers clicking through screens. "Maybe. Give me a few minutes..."
Scarlett nodded, the thin threads of a tentative hope forming. She'd seen Jaye like this before. She walked away slowly, watching Lady Jaye over her shoulder.
The few minutes stretched into two long hours as Scarlett waited. Jaye continued scribbling notes madly as she crosschecked the information she had already gathered. She didn't slow down, but neither did she say anything more. Scarlett didn't know what to think. She wished Jaye would open up. She might provide another angle, or some new perspective that would give better insight. But all she kept saying whenever Scarlett asked was "Soon, not yet."
It was beginning to wear on her nerves.
Scarlett stifled another yawn. She could feel knots forming in her neck and shoulders. When this was all over, she was definitely going to need a 24-hour nap. Raising her arms over her head into a stretch, she groaned aloud.
Lady Jaye looked up with eyes narrowed, her pen frozen in her hand.
Scarlett met her gaze and her own eyes narrowed. They stared at one another, letting the seconds slip away. Then, Lady Jaye looked away to return to her work.
Scarlett, staring incredulously, found herself counting to ten again. She rose in a huff and crossed the room to begin searching the older files. Imagining all the ways she could torture Lady Jaye, she forgot to step over the soft spot on the floor. The wooden boards let loose a creak like a banshee's wail.
Lady Jaye's head snapped up. "Scarlett, a herd of elephants could tiptoe more quietly than you!" she cried.
Scarlett spun around in a fury and shouted. "Enough with the hen-pecking, Jaye!"
Lady Jaye clamped her mouth shut and glared. Scarlett could actually see her nostrils flaring. It might have been funny if the situation hadn't been so serious.
Scarlett took a deep breath. "I could help, you know. With whatever you are looking into." Her voice was flat, controlled. Almost threatening.
Lady Jaye shook her head. "Soon. Not yet." Then, she had the nerve to smile.
"That does it!" Scarlett yelled, throwing her hands up. "You won't let me in on what you're tracking. You won't let me help you search. You react to every little sound I make. Argh! I'm taking a break before I end up throttling you."
"Good—" Lady Jaye shouted back. "Maybe, I can finally get some work done!"
"Good."Scarlett yanked open the door and stalked out, slamming it behind her. Stupid stubborn woman. Her breath came in angry pants. She automatically counted to ten but this time it yielded no results.
Clenching her fists, she decided to head to the mess.
It was late and the mess was quiet when she arrived. Only one person was in the entire room, seated at one of the smaller tables with his back toward her. Scarlett took in the set of wide shoulders, the short blond hair, and the nearly immaculate uniform, and smiled. Things were already looking up.
She walked over.
"Hey, Duke."
A mug and a stack of files were spread out in front of him.
"Scarlett." He turned around in surprise. "I thought you and Jaye were holed up in that office of yours." His eyes darted around as if expecting to see Lady Jaye with her. "Find something?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No. Just taking a break. Jaye might be on to something, though. She was like a rabid dog after a bone." She shrugged. "I was afraid of getting bit. I figured giving her some space might be safer. With any luck, she'll find something—or at least stop foaming at the mouth by the time I return." She smiled.
He chuckled. No one ever wanted to be on the receiving end of Lady Jaye's temper. And when she was in one of her "states", well, her temper became the stuff of nightmares.
"I'm glad you found me." He grinned. His blue eyes twinkled. "I have to confess I came here hoping I might run into you. Can I get you a cup of coffee?" he asked, already rising from his seat.
"You read my mind." She smiled.
"Sit, then. I'll be right back."
A few minutes later, he brought her a cup and set it in front of her. "I don't know how fresh it is." He frowned. "It was the bottom of the pot. But at least it's still warm."
"Thanks." She wrapped her hands around the mug and inhaled. The strong odor of burnt coffee made her eyes water. But he had added milk and sugar just the way she liked it. She took a tiny sip and then tried not to make a face as the bitterness spread across her tongue. She put the mug back down on the table.
"Not so good, huh?" he asked, reading her expression.
"Not really," she admitted. "But at least it's hot." She smiled, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand. "Thanks for trying."
"Anytime, Red." He smiled back.
She pulled her hand back slowly, reluctant to break the contact. "With all our searching and then the news about Iceberg and Wet-Suit—" Her sad voice grew wistful. "We haven't had much time to just talk, have we, Duke?"
"No," he said softly. His eyes glanced at the darkness beyond the windows. "Care to take a walk?" he offered his arm. "The fresh air might do more for you than that coffee." A blond eyebrow rose. "Besides, I've never been comfortable being a sit-at-a-desk kind of guy."
"I know." She rolled her eyes at his reference to their private joke. "You're a man of action."
"And don't you forget it," he said with a grin.
She laughed and then sighed, looping her arm through his. "A walk sounds wonderful, Duke."
He escorted her from the mess. The air outside was fresh and cool. It was late enough for the stars to be out, but it wasn't yet cold. They walked arm in arm, enjoying one another's company, listening to the sounds of their feet crunching the dry grass.
Duke was first to break the silence: "You know, Red, all the time I was in that prison, my thoughts kept going to you—worrying." He confessed. "We didn't get any news in there. I had no idea what was happening on the outside."
She nodded. A faint smile came to her lips. "I was worried about you, too, Duke. All I knew was that I wasn't going to let you stay in that cell." She laughed softly.
"Scarlett—" He stopped and turned toward her. Reaching out, he fingered her short hair. "What happened?" An eyebrow raised in question.
"I had to cut it. Lady Jaye and I—" She looked away.
He touched her chin and lifted it. "How bad was it?" He stared down into her eyes.
She swallowed. "We couldn't trust anyone. We were on our guard constantly. There were times I wasn't even sure if we'd make it. And then when Lady Jaye was shot—"
"I heard about that—" His lips pulled tight. "And how you saved her life."
Scarlett gave a forced laugh. Even under the starlight, he could see her flush red. "I'm no hero, Duke." She shook her head. "There was so much happening at the time, including Lady Jaye, but all I was thinking about was my hair." A half-laugh, half-sob caught in her throat. "It was like a piece of myself was gone. It's silly, I know. I felt so guilty..." Her voice faded. A tear slid down her cheek.
"Not silly at all," he said gently, wiping away the tear. "I love your new haircut."
"Duke, I—"
He silenced her with a finger to her lips. "Long hair or short hair, you're always beautiful," he said softly. Then, as if to prove it, he drew her to him and kissed her deeply. Scarlett felt herself relax in his embrace.
When the kiss was broken, she sighed and rested her head on his chest. A sadness washed over her. "Will we come out on top this time, Duke?" she whispered. "I'm so tired—of everything. Poor Cross-Country, Bazooka, Torpedo, Barbecue and Cutter. And now Wet-Suit and Iceberg..."
"I know," he murmured, running his fingers through the short ends of her hair. Determination edged his voice. "We'll get those who are responsible, Scarlett. All of them. I promise."
She looked up, studying his face. "How can you be so sure?"
He cupped her face gently with his hands. "Because I'm tired of being tired, Red. In fact, I'm mad. We can't lose anymore." He clenched a fist. "We won't." He stared into the distance, his eyes darkening. "It's personal now."
When Scarlett returned to the office it was to a laughing Lady Jaye.
"This is it, Scarlett!" she said excitedly, looking up. Her eyes were rimmed red with exhaustion, but bright. "What we've been looking for."
"You mean you found something?" Scarlett asked, her excitement growing quickly to match Lady Jaye's.
"Oh, have I—" Lady Jaye grinned. "Pull up a chair, Red, and I'll fill you in."
Scarlett smiled.
It's beginning.
Hector Ramirez is a recurring character who hosts the show "Twenty Questions." He appears in several G.I Joe episodes including "Twenty Questions", "The Traitor", and "Not a Ghost of a Chance."
Imeacht gan teacht ort = (Go away and don't come back - with attitude :))