After unpacking and personalizing her bedroom, Lady Jaye decided to find the training room. She could use something to help ease the tension she felt. Closing her eyes, she recalled the map of the base. Along with a photographic memory and a quick wit, she also was an impressive gymnast, which helped her out many a time in combat.

Since the organization had just formed, there were many new faces in the hallways, so hers was not unusual other than the fact that she was female. She had many appraising looks, which she ignored, but answered the friendly greetings she received from many of her new coworkers with one of her own. No one who greeted her realized that this seemingly confident, friendly woman was really tied in knots inside!

She entered the training room and looked around in amusement. Obviously it had been designed for the men on the base. A weight area was on one side of the room and was busy by the look of the men clustered over there. However, their attention wasn't on the weights but on the other side of the room where there was a makeshift ring that was surrounded by a few bleachers. However, the bleachers were empty and the crowd was standing around the ring watching a training session in progress.

Two men were trying to best each other, with a third pointing out faults and mistakes to the others. It seemed the two were an even match and she saw a few dollars exchange hands. Men, she rolled her eyes, and made her way over.

"Can it, Beach Head," one of the men growled as he struggled with his partner, in response to one of the caustic comments thrown out by the man who Jaye now recalled was the drill sargeant. She smiled. She now recognized the face and had worked with this man before in a covert ops training center, back when she had been a recruit. He hadn't been known as "Beach Head" at that point but she couldn't recall his real name other than he had been a staff sergeant. It seemed GI Joe didn't really recognize military rank, other than the commanding officer and his second in command.

Finally the one who had growled at Beach Head managed to pin his opponent and a cheer went up, along with more money changing hands, she noticed in amusement. She rolled her eyes as the winner made some sort of macho remark and beat his chest. Typical, she thought, wondering what exactly she had gotten herself into. She was used to being surrounded by men, but there had always been a few more females than just the three that were stationed here.

She moved into Beach Head's line of sight and gave him a smile. He recognized her immediately and he smirked.

"Okay, Flint, now that you're done crowing, I have a new opponent for you. Come on up here, Lady Jaye," he said, holding out his hand to her as she climbed in the makeshift ring. All at once, the men grew silent, wondering what the hell Beach Head was up to. She could tell that's what the one he had called "Flint" was thinking.

"You can't expect me to fight her!" he exclaimed, surprised. "She's just a girl!"

Jaye narrowed her eyes. She hated when others underestimated her. Then again, it had gotten her out of several scrapes in her career, so it wasn't quite that bad.

Beach Head chuckled. "Flint, meet Lady Jaye, our new covert ops. I had the pleasure of training her a few years back. You still prefer your javelins?" he teased.

She gave him an easy smile. While he had spent most of the time barking at her and the fellow recruits, after she had made it through the first round, they had a kind of mutual respect, which had led to an almost friendship.

She turned to her opponent and held out her hand. "Flint…the Warrant Officer, right? Figure that outranks me," she said with a smile. "I hope you don't mind sparring with a girl," she said in a teasing voice. Her easy voice hid her true feelings. While her emotions were in a turmoil, she knew how to push them down and harness the anger to her advantage.

He gave her a baffled look and turned to Beach Head. "You can't be serious!" he exclaimed. "She even has her arm in a sling," he said, indicating her arm. She shook her head and looked at Beach Head and shrugged. "Should be healed by now anyway," she said and took the sling off, stretching her arm. "So, soldier, we going o' not?" she said, her accent slipping out in her growing irritation of the man's condescending attitude. She had adopted an American tone so she wouldn't stand out, but this man's refusal was bordering on rude. She adopted a stance and looked over at the burly Marine standing by the edge of the ring. "I'll put in 50 that I drop him in less than 5 minutes."

A murmur went through the men and Beach Head couldn't help but grin. He hadn't like the cocky attitude the Warrant Officer had shown so far and he loved the fact that one of his former recruits would put him in his place. "I'll double that," added Beach Head with a grin.

"Are we going o' not?" Jaye shot at Flint. He looked around at the crowd that had grown in size. "Don't say I didn't warn you," he said, a flash of pity in his eyes. That did it. She would drop him in one, she decided. She had enough experience with men like him who thought that just because she was female, she couldn't do the job of a man.

All of a sudden, he came towards her, and she defly moved to the side, twisted his arm back, kicked her leg out, and, to everyone's amazement, flipped him onto his back. It happened so fast that no one was quite sure how she did it. There was a moment of stunned silence and then a cheer rang out from the crowd.

Jaye stood over Flint and offered a hand up. "Rule one," she said, her tone deliberately light (she didn't want to make an enemy of the second in command), helping the stunned officer up, "never underestimate your opponent." At this, Beach Head guffawed. He wiped tears from his eyes and patted Lady Jaye on the back. "Nice job. You never cease to amaze me. Where did you learn that one?"

Jaye gave a cheeky grin. "Not sure. Just something I picked up somewhere." She collected her $50 from the Marine and made her way out of the training room, amid the well wishers and pats on the back.

Flint was left to stare in amazement. "Who the hell was that again?" he said to Beach Head, who was still grinning.

"That would be your new covert ops expert, former MI-6. Oh, did I forget to mention that last part?" he said, still chuckling as he, too, made his way out of the room.