What happens in Vegas...
He stared at the paper in his hands. He couldn't believe it, he was getting his wish come true. Not only does he get to attend Red Flag, the Air Force's fighter weapons school. The place where pilots from all over the world came to learn how to fly against each other in combat, to sharpen their flying skills. But, that wasn't what had Ace excited. No, it was that Red Flag is held at Nellis Air Force Base outside of Las Vegas, Nevada and a world poker tournament was being held the same time they were to be there!
"Hot Damn!" He hollered causing several other members of the team to look up at the fighter pilot.
"What are you excited about?" Lady Jaye was the first to ask.
"We're going to Ve..I mean, Red Flag!" He responded.
"Isn't that near Vegas?" Alpine asked suspiciously, knowing how the pilot truly earned his code name.
"Uh, yeah, it is. I was stationed there for a while." Ace replied.
"Uh huh, thought so." Alpine rolled his eyes.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means we're putting a fox in the henhouse. You and Vegas, not a good combination." Lady Jaye responded.
"Okay, so there's this poker tournament going on at the same time. But, we still have to work, don't we?" Ace shrugged.
"Yeah, we do." Flint strode into town. "According to Duke, we're not going to have a lot of time to play in Vegas. We get one or two nights at most." He informed the pilot. "Cobra's been learning some new air tactics and we need to learn how to combat them. And we're flying with the Oktober Guard."
"What do ya mean, we're flying with the Oktober Guard? I don't want to fly with those dumb Russkies." Gung Ho said grudgingly.
"Well deal with it Gung Ho. We're flying with the Oktober Guard and the British equivalent of us, the Tommies[i]." Duke admonished as he strode into the room
"I didn't know the British had a G.I. Joe Team, Duke." Scarlett said looking up from the book she had been reading. Her pink painted toes were propped up on the coffee table in front of her. She rarely walked around with flip flops, but clearly today was one of those days and Duke loved it when she had her lazy days.
"They do, they're fairly new so, they've asked for help in training. That's part of this exercise as well. Now, this will be for ALL flight qualified Joes. The ground troops are staying here to protect the PIT. " Duke announced. "So, we leave at 0600 tomorrow. I highly recommend you get a good night's sleep." With that, he walked out of the room.
Meanwhile in Russia…..
Col. Ivan Brekhov strode into the room containing most of his Oktober Guard team. "Comrades, Ve are going to Amerika to take part in Red Flag. It is Amerikanski Air Force training program to learn to fly against us in Mother Russia."
"So, Ve are going to show Amerikanskis how it is done, da?" Horror Show was the first to speak up.
"Not exactly, Horror Show. We're going to learn how to fly against Cobra vith G.I. Joe." Brekhov said.
"Ve have to vork vith the ugly Amerikanskis."
"I vor von think it vill be interestink." Daina spoke up. "Ve can also learn how Amerikanskis fly."
"I think you vant to see that Amerikanski you liked again." Horror show said.
"No, I am thinking about flyink against Amerikanskis." Daina said
"Get ready, Ve leave for Amerika in ze morning." Brekhov said as he left.
At RAF Brawdy: Southern Wales:
"All, I have an announcement. We have been invited to the United States to take part in their Fighter Weapons School, Red Flag. We will be leaving at 0430 hours, be ready." Commodore Catherine Flynn, Royal Naval Fleet commander and commander of the United Kingdom's newly formed Special Operations division, code named: Tommies. A name that came from as far back as World War I as a term for the British military.
"Ma'am, isn't that in Las Vegas?" Megan O'Leary, the team's premier tornado pilot stood up.
"Yes, Squadron Leader." Flynn narrowed her eyes at the young pilot. The woman was well known for taking most of her squadron for their life savings in poker. "But, we are there to learn to fly against Cobra, not play poker. Is that clear, Squadron Leader?"
"Yes Commodore. But, we will have some down time, correct, ma'am?"
"Possibly. But, no poker, Squadron Leader." With that, Commodore Flynn turned on her heel and strode out of the room.
"O'Leary, don't think about it, you know Flynnie won't let you out long enough to play poker." Group Captain William Forsythe advised the young woman.
"Ah, Billy boy, you know I just have to play poker in Vegas. Besides, it's a world championship game this week. I know I can walk away with it all." She waggled her eyebrows at her superior. Megan said as she waltzed out of the room, waggling her hips, knowing the Group Captain was watching. She was bound to get him where she wanted him.
"Good lord, we're going to pulling that wanker out of the casinos every day we're there, aren't we?" Corporal Thaddeus "Taddy" McIntosh groaned.
"Yep." Major Margaret Bannister, commander of the Royal Army contigent replied looking up from her British tabloid.
[i] Tommy is a slang term for a British soldier….there are no references to a British G.I. Joe team….so, this is a figment of my imagination