Frontline News.

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"Is there a problem, Airborne?" The other pilot asks while looking over at him.

"If that's who i think it is down there, then there will be."

"Why; what's so bad about getting drunk every now and again?" Slip-Stream asked, then wished he hadn't.

"Airborne calling H.Q., get Hawk on the line... General Hawk, I just spotted Clutch walking in a ga... i mean, uh, a "men's only" bar. Over."

"Men's only? Wait, you're telling me that Clutch is... Understood, I'll have him brought back immediately. Over and out."


Back at the base, Zarana is standing at a corner in the hall looking at the door her objective is behind, which is currently being guarded by Duke. She's just about to reach into her pocket for a blowdart & tube when she hears someone behind her. "Hey, Carol; how's it going?"

"Wha-You again? Don't you know better than to not sneak up on people?!" She says to him with a split-second scowl.

"Is there a problem over there?"/"Nah, just here cause this stopped working." Duke and Mainframe say to each other, the latter holding a Max Backtalk before hearing Hawk on the intercom.

"Attention, all Joes please report to the assembly room; i repeat, all Joes to assembly."

"What's that about, Duke?"

"It's not on the schedule, so beats me."

"Huh... I'll just leave this on the desk. See you later, Carol." Mainframe says as he and Duke walk off. After mentally gagging at the former being so informal, she curses under her breath knowing that she just missed another chance, she decides to follow and see what the meeting is about. After waiting for the last of them to enter, she leans against the wall and listens.

Inside, the Joes all watch as Duke heads up and says something to Hawk before pointing at Clutch, who was seated on stage with his head in his hands. The General heads to the podium. "Joes, it has recently come to my attention that today at 1322 hours, G.I. Joe operative Clutch was found to be in violation of DoD Directive 1332.14, and has been removed from the U.S. Armed Forces."

Amid the mixed reactions, Scarlett, after looking back on all the taunts and beatings one of her brothers got growing up*, stands to object. "General, that's not fair; Clutch's condition has nothing to do with-" She tries to say, only for Clutch himself to interrupt.

"I appreciate the concern, Scarlett; but the fact is i still lied to all of you, and have already voluntarily resigned. I'm sorry, guys."

Hearing this causes Zarana to shake her head and decides to say nothing. it wasn't super important to her, and she's not sure yet what Cobra's stance on the subject is, but Zartan's view was made clear after he once let off a shotgun in a gay person's gut "cause he didn't want to make the gators sick". A half hour later, she headed out to inform Zartan of the interference.


Much later, as the the two carriers are exchanging fire, B.A. LaCarre and some of his staff are putting out fires in the galley. "All clear over here, chief!"/"My extinguisher's out!"/"I'll get anoth-" They are saying before everyone is knocked off their feet.

"Ohh, gonna feel that in the morning... I'm not sure what that was, but we've done all we-" LaCarre is saying, but stops when he sees one of the others a few feet away, badly mangled by utensils and furniture.

He searched for the rest, but only found them dead as well, and ran out. "Hello, is anyone else here? Answer me; please, help me!"

No voices, no help, only bodies.


As the Flagg's crew is fleeing along with the Joes, Hawk is heading to the bridge. "Ledger, we need to go!"

The old Admiral, however, keeps his gaze forward. "Go on then, sonny. I'll just stay here for a while... take care of my boys." He asks, only for Hawk to knock him out.

"No way in hell, geezer. You're not going out like George did." The General says, recalling how he felt seeing his friend shoot himself back on the Montana, and drags Ledger out.


Once back at the base, General Hawk called everyone to the assembly room again. "Now that you're all here, i have an announcement. Effective immediately, i have been placed on indefinite unpaid leave due to the loss of both the antimatter, and the U.S.S. Flagg. Until further notice, Duke, you're in command again."


On the other side of the continent, a man in a black suit is walking into the Oval Office while holding a couple of folders. "Hold on one second; i don't believe i had any appointments at this hour."

"We prefer it that way, Mr. President. This will more then make up for the intrusion, and the lost antimatter." The man replied, and handed over the folders while the President asked who "we" is. The President took them and read the labels, one saying "Silver Star" and the other "AR-90A".


Chapter forty-six.

*Still as made up after my Captives of Cobra chapters.