Chapter 8 Meeting Adjourned
"Oh dear god," Duke said again, voice trembling. He gripped the back of his chair tighter, closing his eyes as his world turned slightly off- kilter. Dimly, he was aware of his teammates clustering about him. As if from a distance he could hear their concerned questions as BowTie forced him back in his chair.
"Is it Flint?"
"What has COBRA done?"
"Is Flint OK?"
Lady Jaye felt her heart pound in her chest. This could be the moment she had always dreaded, one of the reasons she refused to get any closer to Flint. Not the biggest reason, but an important one nonetheless. She reached a trembling hand toward the crumpled note that lay forgotten beside Duke. Slowly, slowly she opened it, not sure if she truly wanted to know what lay within.
"Dear Duke," she read. "I am so sorry, but I ran into your Jaguar while I was leaving the parking lot. You were in your little meeting, so I didn't want to interrupt you. Here is my phone number. I took your front bumper home with me so it wouldn't be in the way. There was a lot of broken glass. Please be careful. See you tomorrow. Tiffani." Lady Jaye's fist clenched over the pink, scented paper. Each little "i" was dotted with a little heart, and Duke's secretary's loopy handwriting was written in her signature lavender ink.
Scarlett snatched the note from Lady Jaye's hand. Lady Jaye's whole body began to shake, her eyes glazing over. Scarlett motioned to Snake Eyes, who put a concerned hand on her shoulder and led her back to her seat. She seemed to come back to herself then. She shrugged off Snake Eye's solicitations and bolted from the room, but not before she heard Scarlett shout, "This is about your car?!! That's it?!!"
Duke didn't seem to hear Scarlett. Baby had been hurt. He was still in shock. He'd had that car since high school. He polished Baby every night with a baby diaper. He worked on her every weekend, keeping her tuned up. She had taken the place of many a lover, and she was needed even more now during this trying time of unrequited love. "Baby," he murmured.
The meeting was effectively over. The Joe team was a finely honed cohesive unit, and each knew his or her place. Everyone would carry out the necessary tasks needed to get Flint back. There was no point in hanging around---Duke was not going to be worth much for awhile. The team felt it odd that he had such affection for a car, considering....But they understood. Flint had Lady Jaye (sometimes), the Baroness had Destro, Scarlett had Snake Eyes, Duke had Baby. Slowly the soldiers filed out of the room, leaving Duke in the care of BowTie. Scarlett threw the pink note at Duke as she walked past him. She was, to say the least, disgusted with him. Shipwreck was the last to leave, having had to chase a deranged Polly around the room. "Dead baby, dead baby, dead baby," he kept chanting. "Bloody---"Shipwreck finally caught him.
"Can it, bird! That's sick even for you!" Polly could still be heard cackling down the hall.
Duke put his head in his hands. This night couldn't possibly get any worse.
"Oh dear god," Duke said again, voice trembling. He gripped the back of his chair tighter, closing his eyes as his world turned slightly off- kilter. Dimly, he was aware of his teammates clustering about him. As if from a distance he could hear their concerned questions as BowTie forced him back in his chair.
"Is it Flint?"
"What has COBRA done?"
"Is Flint OK?"
Lady Jaye felt her heart pound in her chest. This could be the moment she had always dreaded, one of the reasons she refused to get any closer to Flint. Not the biggest reason, but an important one nonetheless. She reached a trembling hand toward the crumpled note that lay forgotten beside Duke. Slowly, slowly she opened it, not sure if she truly wanted to know what lay within.
"Dear Duke," she read. "I am so sorry, but I ran into your Jaguar while I was leaving the parking lot. You were in your little meeting, so I didn't want to interrupt you. Here is my phone number. I took your front bumper home with me so it wouldn't be in the way. There was a lot of broken glass. Please be careful. See you tomorrow. Tiffani." Lady Jaye's fist clenched over the pink, scented paper. Each little "i" was dotted with a little heart, and Duke's secretary's loopy handwriting was written in her signature lavender ink.
Scarlett snatched the note from Lady Jaye's hand. Lady Jaye's whole body began to shake, her eyes glazing over. Scarlett motioned to Snake Eyes, who put a concerned hand on her shoulder and led her back to her seat. She seemed to come back to herself then. She shrugged off Snake Eye's solicitations and bolted from the room, but not before she heard Scarlett shout, "This is about your car?!! That's it?!!"
Duke didn't seem to hear Scarlett. Baby had been hurt. He was still in shock. He'd had that car since high school. He polished Baby every night with a baby diaper. He worked on her every weekend, keeping her tuned up. She had taken the place of many a lover, and she was needed even more now during this trying time of unrequited love. "Baby," he murmured.
The meeting was effectively over. The Joe team was a finely honed cohesive unit, and each knew his or her place. Everyone would carry out the necessary tasks needed to get Flint back. There was no point in hanging around---Duke was not going to be worth much for awhile. The team felt it odd that he had such affection for a car, considering....But they understood. Flint had Lady Jaye (sometimes), the Baroness had Destro, Scarlett had Snake Eyes, Duke had Baby. Slowly the soldiers filed out of the room, leaving Duke in the care of BowTie. Scarlett threw the pink note at Duke as she walked past him. She was, to say the least, disgusted with him. Shipwreck was the last to leave, having had to chase a deranged Polly around the room. "Dead baby, dead baby, dead baby," he kept chanting. "Bloody---"Shipwreck finally caught him.
"Can it, bird! That's sick even for you!" Polly could still be heard cackling down the hall.
Duke put his head in his hands. This night couldn't possibly get any worse.