Chapter 8:
Flint was coming out of the box when she returned.
"What happened?" he asked, noting her angry look, her green eyes flashing. "You didn't engage on purpose, did you? They've left the box…"
Allie grabbed his arm and started to steer him down the stairs and out the door. She had forgotten about the communicator. He had heard everything, she was sure. It was a wonder he hadn't been in the middle of it with her.
"What?" he asked her. He had let her lead him out the door, but he stood firm.
"I know who they are, and no, I had no intention of engaging!" she snapped. "This whole thing has turned into a circus!"
The other two Joes were waiting silently outside for them. They hailed a cab back to the docks and rode in silence. The normal, easy-going Lady Jaye that they had known was nowhere to be seen that night and no one wanted to spark the powder keg she seemed to have turned into.
When they were aboard the yacht and had checked to make sure the crew wasn't on board (they had been given the night off since they were docked for the evening), Lady Jaye let loose with a string of curses in multiple languages. The Joes glanced at one another and just let her go, not wanting to be the one to stop her.
She finally turned to them, her chest heaving, her eyes flashing, but seeming calmer. Flint thought he had never seen a woman look sexier than at that moment. He quickly pushed that irrational thought out of his head as unprofessional. If he kept this up, he berated himself, he'd turn into another Ace, and the Joe team certainly didn't need another playboy!
"You done?" Ace asked, the first one brave enough to speak.
"For now," she snapped. "God, what a night!" Her legs felt like rubber and she half sat, half collapsed into one of the deck chairs, burying her head in her hands. She knew she was being totally unprofessional and would probably not be asked on another mission for the Joe team. Vaguely, she realized she had decided to stay on, but of course, after tonight, that was out of the question.
"Your Cobra agents….how much do you know about them?" she asked, her voice soft and deceptively calm.
The men glanced at each other, then pulled the deck chairs over to hers, forming a circle.
Flint was the first to speak. "The masked one we know as Destro, but nothing more than that. He seems to be the scientist and weapons supplier. We think he's associated with a manufacturer called MARS, but we're not certain. The woman we know as "Baroness," and is from a wealthy Eastern European family. We were supposed to learn the identities of the other two tonight, and I guess we now know them as Tomax and Xamot."
"Twins," Allie murmured. "And notice their name is the same, spelled backwards. Cute," she said scathingly.
She looked up at the men. "I can give you the identity of Destro," she said. "Not now, though."
She suddenly got up. "I need to make a phone call," she told them, and walked across the deck. The men gave each other puzzled looks. Who would she be calling? They were even more confused when they heard her speaking another language on the cell phone. She seemed upset, but they weren't sure why, only knowing it had to do with the Cobra agent called Destro.
She snapped the phone closed and returned to the men. She gave them a weary smile and told them she was packing it in for the night.
"What the hell just happened?" Flint asked Ace and Roadblock, watching her disappear down the stairs, who looked just as confused as he felt.
Ace shrugged.
Flint gave him a look. "You're the one who knows her best!" he said, as if demanding an explanation.
Ace held up his hands. "Look, I just knew her from a long time ago, when she came to recertify at the air base I was at! We had some fun, but that was it. I don't even know much about her, other than she does have a temper when crossed. The hellcat we saw tonight was new to me as well!"
Roadblock had been sitting there, silent, looking thoughtful. Flint turned to him.
"What are you thinking, big guy?"
Roadblock was silent for a moment, putting his thoughts together. "The dude, Destro, really seems to bother her. She didn't care for the Baroness insinuating they were lovers. Also, she knew him well enough so that she knew what language to talk to him in, which definitely wasn't English. I'd like to say it doesn't look suspicious, but…" he shrugged, not sure what else to say. "I like her. I'd like to trust her and say she's one of us, but I can't say it looks good right now."
Flint nodded, realizing his thoughts were in the same direction. He really wanted to trust her, damn it. She obviously lost control tonight, which he realized was part of the reason she was so angry. The other men validated his thoughts, saying pretty much the same thing.
"Hawk trusts her," Roadblock reminded them. "I can't see him inviting someone in just so she can play double agent."
"I realize it doesn't look good," a soft female voice said from behind them.
She had to give them credit – they didn't seem too startled. She had changed into jeans and a t-shirt and was feeling a little more herself.
"I can't make you trust me," she continued as they stared at her, obviously wondering how much she had overheard. "You need to make that decision yourself."
She looked up and stared at the moon for a moment, as if channeling energy from it. She glanced back at the men. "This mission was really screwed up tonight and I apologize. I acted unprofessionally and let it get personal. I wouldn't blame you if you went to Hawk and asked not to work with me again," she said, giving them a wry smile. "Just know it doesn't usually go like that, but then again…." her voice trailed off. She straightened up. "Well, a good agent is ready for anything, right? Even unexpected surprises," she said, her voice taking on a bitter tone. "We all got out of there safely without blowing your cover, I doubt Destro connects me with GI Joe, and we now know more information about its agents than before. In a way, we met our goal."
She waited, and when the men remained silent, she sighed. "I'm turning in for real now. Feel free to tear me apart without me overhearing this time," she said, giving them a little smile before turning and descending the steps once again.
"Damn," murmured Ace, echoing the thoughts of his teammates. "What is she, an f'ing mind reader?"
Flint sat silently, leaning back in his chair, his brain going full speed. She was definitely an enigma, he thought. Maybe with a few missing pieces and no picture to go on….but puzzling none the less.
"Well, it's late and I'm going to turn in," sighed Roadblock, looking at Ace, who took the hint and echoed the same thoughts.
Flint was left on deck by himself. He looked up at the sky, thinking. His thoughts kept straying to the woman below deck. What exactly was she? he wondered. Friend or foe? Stable or absolutely nuts? She seemed an expert in her field, as Hawk had praised, but did she react each time like this when something backfired? She would have them believing no, but he wasn't sure. How much did she let her emotions lead her? That was the problem with recruiting women, he thought, shaking his head. They did let their emotions get the better of them. He doubted a male counterpart would have been upset running into a ….what was the man to her? Former lover? Uncle, like he claimed to the Baroness?
He stayed there, thinking, for quite a while before he decided to turn in himself. As he went below, he remembered that part of his cover was sharing a room with Lady Jaye. He gave a quiet sigh. They had not discussed sleeping arrangements. He guessed he would have to take the couch in the room and winced, knowing he would be feeling it in the morning.
He was surprised when he entered the room to find that not only had she left the light on in the adjoining bathroom, the door letting in a sliver of light for him to see by, but that she was curled up in a blanket, sleeping on the couch.
Grateful, he stripped down to his boxers and climbed into the bed, enjoying the fact that he actually had room to stretch out. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep.