Hasbro owns all characters except OCs
A/N: Thank you all for the reviews. Thanks to Betherdy Babe for beta.
Marines:
Sgt Stone-New character from movie-Master Gunnery Sergeant Rick McKay
Clutch-Corporal Lance Steinberg
Rock-N-Roll-Sgt Craig McConnell
Blast-Off-Corporal Jeffrey Thompson
A deafening roar filled Kate's head, which was already pounding, as she attempted to move. Every muscle in her body felt like it had been stretched and tied into knots. The more she willed herself to move, the more she found that she couldn't feel anything other than the hard surface beneath her right side and the cold metal on her exposed face and hands.
Opening her eyes she saw darkness and then a line of light in front of her face. I'm under something. Where am I? Staring intently at the light coming in under the bottom of the covering, Kate noticed the sound of the engine or motor decreasing. The smell of gasoline filled her nostrils and caused her to get dizzy.
Moving her head slightly caused her to bite her lip from crying out as intense pain radiated through her neck from the hit by the Taser. But Tasers don't knock you out. The cops said that at the Crime Labs. It only messes with your nerves, not your consciousness.
More memories began to return. The accident, which was a set-up. But why? Why would someone want to kidnap me? Fear rose through Kate like the pain in her muscles after being frozen in the same fetal position of hours under some type of heavy tarp or blanket riding on something loud and fueled by gas. And out in the open like the back of a vehicle.
"I'm only saying, he's going to be pissed that you hurt her," a high-pitched female voice said from close to Kate's feet. "Why did you zap her in the neck leaving a giant hickey! You could have gotten her in the stomach or anywhere really."
"Well he should have captured her if he was that concerned," the male voice she remembered from the accident scene registered with her. "She wasn't an easy target. She never went anywhere alone. I had to crash into her car since we couldn't pull her out of her apartment."
They've been stalking me? Kate felt an icy cold grip on her heart. Listening as intently as she could, the sound of the motor decreased in volume again as it was throttled back. We're slowing down. The mind that was often consumed with solving puzzles and trivia was desperately trying to put the pieces together. Kidnapping. Staging an accident. Following me. Oh no!
The vehicle engine cut out and Kate bit her lip, tasting blood, as she realized what was going on. She could barely move, but she pulled her arms and legs closer to her body. There was enough feeling in her limbs for her to realize that a thin, hard material bound her ankles and wrists together. Whoever they were was going to pull off this tarp and discover I'm awake. Squeezing her eyes shut, she waited. Her hearing was her only sense that she could rely on and it told her that several people were walking on the metal surface she rested on. It has to be a boat, she thought as she suddenly felt an up and down motion.
Rick held the Tai Chi position of standing on one leg for longer than normal. The pain he felt in his muscles calmed him and made him feel alive. After the last forty-eight hours, he was surprised he still was.
Sergeant Stone, as he went by, and his fellow Marines, Rock-N-Roll, Blast-Off and Clutch, were going off-roading in the Imperial Sand Dunes in California. They stopped at a diner and didn't remembered anything until they woke up in this prison yesterday.
Each man was in his own cell; three cells on each side of the corridor and one at the end. Rock-n-Roll was in the cell on Rick's left, Clutch on his right and Blast-off at the end of the corridor leaving three empty cells on the other side. Luckily they haven't caught any other Joes.
The four men spent hours talking about how COBRA could know their identities. When a Joe joins the program, their real identity is hidden and no one, unless you personally told him or her your name, would have the slightest idea who you were. After coming up with no answers that any of them wished to speak aloud, the men settled into their normal coping mechanism before a battle.
Sergeant Stone did Tai Chi and various other martial arts moves, Rock-n-Roll did push-ups, Blast-Off slept and Clutch complained and whined. All the men fought together on many missions so they easily zoned him out. Clutch was a man of action and speed, hence the reason he drove anything that the experimental labs put out for GI Joe to evaluate.
The sound of the large metal door at the end of the corridor opening echoed through the holding area. A NeoViper stepped into the room, the fluorescent lighting reflecting off the mask covering his face.
"Hey, our wake-up call," Clutch shouted in his thick New Jersey accent. "What's for breakfast?"
The faceless soldier stepped aside to let another enter; this one was carrying a person thrown over his shoulder. When Rick and the other soldiers saw it, they all stepped to the front of their cells with Rock-n-Roll and Blast-off holding onto the bars.
As the NeoViper opened the cell across from Rick, he saw that it was a woman. Her long blond hair hung down the back of the soldier as he held her legs under his arm. She was not very big and he thought for a moment she might be a teenager.
The COBRA soldier dropped her not very gently onto the metal deck.
"Hey, no need to get rough with a lady," Clutch yelled only to have one of the Vipers move quickly to kick the cell door to intimidate the young man.
"Hey, nice boots. I think they're my size." Rick had to smile at the Corporal's retort.
The Master Gunny's attention was immediately drawn back to the woman lying on the floor of the cell. The soldier was leaning over her and he saw the man pull out a knife.
"I wouldn't hurt her if I were you," Rick said in a deathly quiet tone. Even though it was hard to see, the other Marines tensed for action upon hearing his voice.
The soldier turned and looked at Stone; his face hidden behind a mask and raised a large knife for the Joes to see, obviously taunting them.
"We are going to have so much fun carving you up before we leave," Clutch said.
Even though the man was a notorious womanizer, Clutch did genuinely care about people. This woman, who none of them recognized as a Joe, was in real danger and there was nothing they could do except project their attitude through their words.
The woman shifted on the floor behind the soldier and he must have sensed it because he turned from Stone to kneel next to her.
"Trust me, you don't want to do that!" Rick yelled without realizing he raised his voice. The thought that this woman was going to be tortured or worse in front of them while they were powerless to do anything was unacceptable to him.
The Viper grabbed the woman's arms, which were bound, and cut the plastic ties holding her hands and then did the same to her legs. Standing once again, he left the cell and slammed the door.
A collective release of held breaths came from the Joes. The two Vipers left without looking at them and slammed the door to the cellblock behind them.
Silence once again descended only to be broken by the sniffling of the woman who was now in their midst.
"Hey," Rick said kneeling in his cell to put himself closer to the floor and her level. "Are you injured?"
She shook her head with her unruly hair hiding her face and in a quiet voice said, "Not too badly."
"What did they do to you?" he asked, dreading the answer.
The woman pushed herself into a sitting position, finally brushing the hair from her eyes. Looking around briefly, she looked as shocked as they were to find themselves in holding cells that looked like they were used in Alcatraz when it was in use.
Rick's breath caught in his throat as she looked at him. She was beautiful, golden hair, bright blue eyes, perfect nose and kissable lips. Shaking his head at the emotions and feelings this young woman elicited in him during a possible deadly situation shocked him. I must be tired or really do need that vacation.
"I was driving home and… he hit my car. When I got out, he got me with a Taser," she said weakly. Her hands and body visibly shook as she slid herself closer to the cell door. "Or something. Tasers aren't supposed to knock you out."
"That's right. They only stun your muscles," Rock-n-Roll's said. "We all have to take hits from them in Basic."
"Basic?" the woman asked looking at each man who was at the front of their cells studying her intently. "Are you soldiers?"
Rick closed his eyes and shook his head. She didn't need to know that and could be a plant to get more information. "Yes, we're soldiers. Who are you?"
"Kate, Katelyn Callahan."
"I'm…" Rick seldom talked to anyone outside of the Joe organization and had to pause to think of what name to give her. COBRA knows all our names already. "I'm Sergeant Stone, but you can call me Rick." An audible cough came from Clutch in the next cell and Rick vowed to make him attend a refresher on hand-to-hand when they got back, with him and Snake Eyes. "This is Clutch, Rock-n-Roll and Blast-off and yes, they are call signs, so to speak."
Kate tried to smile at them as she brushed her hair back from her face and it made Rick feel like someone kicked him in the gut. A large red mark was clearly visible on her neck where the Taser stunned her and her wrists appeared to have a thin line of blood on them. "Nice to meet you, I think."
"I'd like to say the pleasure is all ours, but I don't think any of us want to be in this shit hole," Clutch said.
"Where are we?" she asked as she reached out to grab the bars and pull herself up. "Ahhh."
"What hurts?" Rick asked without thinking. It appeared this woman caused all his years of discipline to fly out the window.
"I was in a car accident, so my back and neck are feeling it," she said as she gripped the bars to steady herself.
"You should stay seated," he said, looking critically at her. She was wearing khaki pants, brown shoes and a short-sleeve black polo top. She didn't look like a COBRA operative or any type of important person at all. Her face was honest and her eyes were full of fear, but also a quiet resolve to not give into it.
"No, I need to stretch my legs. I've been tied up for a while and the taser or whatever they used to knock me out seems to have stiffened all my muscles." Kate took a few steps away from the door only to turn back and grab the bars with both hands. "Dizzy."
"You should sit down, ma'am," Rock-n-Roll's soothing voice said. "I have advanced medical training. They might have drugged you as well."
Of course, why didn't I think of that! Rick closed his eyes at the fact that his brain seemed to be lost to him at the moment.
"You might be right," she said as she lowered herself only to jump up as they all did when the door opened.
A man in a long black trench coat and bright red hair entered along with several Neo-vipers. He glanced at the Marines with the air of someone who was supremely confident that he had caged the wild animals. "I hope you are enjoying your accommodations. Destro and the Commander will be happy to have four Joes for their latest experiments."
Rick said nothing but stared at the man thinking of all the ways he could kill him if he got a little closer to Rick's cell. After several seconds, the man looked away. Coward. You'll go down easy.
Where he turned his attention next made Rick once again feel an emotion he had not felt before. Fear, fear for the woman who now bore the brunt of the man's hungry gaze.
"Now, Miss Callahan," the man said as his eyes slid up and down the woman trying to stand tall in front of him.
Rick saw her eyes flash with anger, but the fear underlying her bravado shown through and he was positive their captor saw it.
"I am sorry you are locked up. You are our most prized possession. The key, if you will, to unlocking all the secrets of GI Joe." He waved grandly at the four Marines.
"I think you have the wrong person, asshole," Clutch said. "We don't know her. She's not a Joe."
"No, she's not," he said glancing over his shoulder at them before turning his lustful gaze back on the woman.
Rick clenched his hands and felt his insides churn. I will not allow him to harm her. Taking a deep breath, he looked carefully at the way the door attached to the wall of the cell. It was old with fading paint and they all creaked like they had not been oiled in decades. Some well-placed kicks might loosen the hinges.
"I think I know why you took me and I have to tell you that my grandparents won't pay a ransom for me," Kate said.
Rick glanced at the others quickly before looking closely at the woman trying to be brave across from him. Is she bluffing? What is she talking about?
"Ransom? Is that what you think this is about?" the man taunted, making it obvious he had not thought of the idea before and liked it.
"They are very wealthy, but they disowned us. I never even met them," she said with a catch in her voice.
"Ah, yes, the family. I must say that your family is the reason you're here," he said as he motioned for the guards to open her cell.
"What are you doing with her?" Rick asked as he moved to the front of his cell willing the man to come within striking distance of his hand. Knowing which pressure point to incapacitate and which to kill, his hands truly were lethal weapons.
Unfortunately, the red head was not that stupid. He stepped back as the guards opened the cell. Kate moved back into the corner as her fear overcame her, causing her to tremble and bite her lip.
"Kate," Rick called out to her. Since it appeared he would not be able to physically help her, he was hoping to give her some emotional strength. The thought that they might torture her was at the forefront of his mind. "They obviously want you alive."
Her blue eyes connected for a second with his and she suddenly straightened up. The guard, who was about to grab her, paused and glanced at his leader.
"I can walk," she said clenching her fists at her side and trying to glare at the red-haired man.
He suddenly began laughing, the sound echoed in the holding area. "So you can, Miss Callahan. Or should I say Miss Abernathy."
Rick recognized the name immediately. It was the name of his mentor, a man more like a father to him than the drunken excuse of a man who brought him into the world. Abernathy. Holy shit! The General's daughter!
A/N: I know. You can hate me for stopping here, but I love a good cliffhanger.