Important story note: In regard to whether or not the Blackbird can fly in space, some versions of it can. Thanks to willwrite4fics for finding the following quote for me from Wolverine #75.
"Capable of outer-space flight, the Blackbird is the X-Men's main source of
travel both terrestrial and inter-stellar. In Space on the blackbird. Rogue, Jean Grey
and Professor X are trying to keep Wolverine in stable condition. A fatally
injured, near-death Wolverine is strapped to a med-table, while it works on
him. Bishop and Quicksilver are in the pilot seats of the blackbird trying to
reenter the Earth's atmosphere. Gambit is in the back, working on the back-up
controls of the blackbird. The Blackbird is escaping from Avalon and is
hurling itself towards Earth at speeds and heat that the Blackbird cannot
handle."
GI Joe/Marvel universe crossover.
I don't own Marvel or Hasbro.
Silence
Chapter 14: Open Secret
He was running. The pounding of his own heart drowned out all other noise, save the metallic movements behind him. Bored faces watched as the man ran for his life. The ground shook as thundering steps followed closely. He froze as a second machine suddenly appeared before him. Several stories high, the tall robot glared down at him with glowing, yellow eyes.
Wayne Sneeden gasped for air. It was so hard to breathe. Panicking, he looked around for an escape route. Something hot hit him in the back and he went sprawling. His muscles twitched and his mind screamed at him to run, but his body wouldn't move.
Something wrapped around his ankle and jerked him up into the air. A cold, metal hand enclosed around him. Wayne struggled to move, but the hand only squeezed harder. Fear coursed through him.
"You can't escape," a familiar voice told him. The ranger craned his neck to look at the blonde man sitting on the shoulder of the other sentinel. He wore a tan military uniform.
"Duke," Wayne gasped. "You have to help me." Cold fingers pressed in on him and he thought he felt a rib break. His lungs struggled to breath, but the metal prison only closed tighter.
"I am," Duke smiled. "These sentinels will take you someplace safe."
"Safe?" he asked. Their surroundings blurred and the ranger found himself staring down at a prison camp. Barbed wire and lookout towers bordered the tiny shacks inside. Soldiers and sentinels patrolled the perimeters while frail men and women inside the barrier stared bleakly at him.
"You're a threat to society," his CO told him. "We have to protect ourselves from you."
"You're wrong!" Wayne yelled. The sentinel threw him over the fence and he landed painfully in the dirt. His foot gave out on him when he tried to stand. After trying and failing to get back up, he finally crawled over to the fence and looked up at the blonde soldier.
"Wrong?" Duke asked. He pointed towards the distance and Beach Head saw the lifeless bodies of Snake Eyes and Jinx lying on the ground.
"They died because of you," his CO said.
"I didn't kill them!" Wayne snarled. "It was the sentinels!" He grabbed the fence and screamed when an electric current ran through his body. The ranger pulled back his hand and cradled it. He looked around. Edwin would take care of it. He was a doctor, he would…
"Where's Edwin?" he asked, looking around. He didn't see Lifeline's familiar red uniform.
"We took care of him," Duke answered. He smiled lazily down at the man at his feet.
"What do you mean?" Wayne asked angrily. "Where is he!"
"He was too powerful," the other man shrugged. "And he wouldn't do what we told him. He had to be killed. You will be too, if you don't behave."
"You can't do that! I have rights!" Wayne Sneeden shouted. The ranger reached towards the other man, but pulled back before he was electrocuted again. Two sentinels peered down at him and he shrank back fearfully.
"Why're yew doin' this?" he asked. His voice quavered ever so slightly as his accent deepened.
"I told you already," Duke answered. "It's my duty to protect our country."
"But who's protecting us!" Wayne shouted. Three figures appeared next to him. The first, a tall man in a blue hood, offered his hand.
"I'll protect you," Cobra Commander said. "Come with me. We'll work together to build a new world order."
"No," Magneto told him. "You just want to use mutants. I'll save mutant kind."
"You'll 'save' mutant kind by committing genocide," Charles Xavier reprimanded. The bald telepath looked down at the ranger. "Come with me Wayne, we'll work with humans to bring peace."
"Peace! There will never be peace!" Magneto shouted, pointing his figure at the other mutant. "Your way will never work! Look around you Charles…" he added, waving around at the prison camp. "This is what happened when we tried to do it your way!"
Wayne sat silently as they bickered among themselves. He turned his head and watched as Duke took out a long list of paper and crossed a name off of it. The ranger had a sneaking suspicion that it was his name.
"What's that?" he asked. The blonde smiled.
"Mutant registration," he answered. "This is how we know we got all of you."
"LET ME OUT!" Wayne bellowed, grabbing the fence, which suddenly turned into the bars of a prison cell. The four other men vanished and he was alone.
Panic rose as darkness closed in on him. Something metallic moved behind him and Wayne slowly turned to look at a pair of glowing, yellow eyes. The sentinel's hand reached out of the shadows and grabbed him, squeezing…
Beach Head woke up covered in sweat. He'd kicked his blanket off during the night, but had gotten tangled up in his bed sheets. Wayne took several deep breaths to slow his racing heart beat. He was in his bedroom, he was in the Pit. There was no prison cell; there was no concentration camp or sentinels.
He groaned as he sat up. The ranger telekinetically flipped the lights on and groaned again. The shattered remnants of his night stand covered the room. Splinters of wood were stuck into the wall and the floor. A few pieces had even made it up to the ceiling. Beach Head looked down at himself and saw that none of the projectiles had made it near the bed, which he thought was odd.
In addition to the night stand, his lamp and glass of water had also shattered, adding bits of glass and metal to the mix.
"Dammit," Wayne swore. He must have lashed out in his sleep. This was going to take forever to clean up. The ranger carefully stood up and grabbed a crutch by his bed. Beach Head very carefully avoided putting weight on his ankle as he leaned on the crutch and surveyed the damage.
An X-ray had confirmed that his ankle was badly fractured and would have to be in a splint for a couple of weeks and in a brace for at least eight weeks. Lifeline had sternly warned him to keep weight off of the ankle and Duke had removed him from PT until it healed.
Lifeline and Duke…
Coldness crept into his chest as he remembered the details of his nightmare. Wayne shook it off. Duke may support registration, but would never allow him or Lifeline to be thrown into a prison camp.
Metal hands reaching out of the dark, squeezing…he couldn't breathe…
Beach Head shook it off and tried to ignore how small his room suddenly seemed. A glance at his clock told him that it was nearly three in the morning. The ranger ran a hand through his hair before sitting back down.
He stared at the scattered pieces of wood and very slowly began to use his powers to pluck them up and deposit them in a pile.
Time: 03:45 Zulu, Sunday; 07:45 local time, Sunday
Location: the GI Joe Pit
Clayton Abernathy reigned in his anger as he looked at the man on the screen. He hadn't been able to keep the debacle in New York Harbor a secret, especially as the four Joes in question had been caught on security cameras. Eyewitnesses had also seen Lifeline, whose somewhat blurry image had been captured and shown on news reports with images of the other mutants. As to be expected, the Pentagon had become interested that two mutants were on the GI Joe team.
This of course, meant dealing with the Jugglers.
"We will be meeting tomorrow at 10:00 to discuss this Abernathy," General Thurston Crowther told him. Crowther, the current leader of the secret group of generals known as the 'Jugglers', was concerned about the two mutant Joes. Clayton Abernathy felt his lips stiffen, but forced himself not to glare at Crowther.
"There is nothing to discuss," Hawk told the man. "My men are loyal and are good soldiers. What does it matter what kind of genes they have?"
"It matters a lot," Crowther said. "And you know that. Your medic alone is capable of leveling a city and your sergeant major is a god damn telepath. You know how easily he could get access to military and government secrets?"
"But he hasn't," Hawk retorted.
"How do you know that?" the other general asked. "He's a telepath. Sneeden could be lying to you and you wouldn't even know it. You don't even know if his powers are as weak as he claims."
"I trust Lifeline and Beach Head with my life," Hawk replied, this time showing the first traces of anger.
"You should be careful Abernathy," Crowther warned. "Being a mutant lover could have unfortunate consequences."
"I'm sorry Crowther," Hawk said coolly. "I was under the impression that the American Constitution protected the rights of all American citizens. Silly me, I thought we supported freedom and equal rights."
"I don't like your tone," Crowther warned. "Are you questioning the American government?"
"I don't like yours," Hawk answered. "And no, I'm questioning those who defy the laws of our land." Clayton didn't say anything else, but Thurston Crowther understood what Hawk was implying.
There was a long, tense silence. The two men stared at each other, daring the other to break first.
"We will discuss this matter further tomorrow," Crowther finally said. "When all of us are present."
"Of course," Hawk said with forced civility. "I look forward to it."
"I doubt that," the other man replied. The screen went black as the Jugglers' leader signed off. General Hawk swore and was sorely tempted to throw the laptop across the room. Breaking expensive equipment and the thought of losing his control stopped him.
He sighed. The rest of the Pit also knew of the incident, even if not the full details. Hawk had originally only planned to inform the Joe team, but rumors had quickly spread and he'd been forced to tell everyone. Beach Head and Lifeline had lain low yesterday following their return. Hawk had given them and the two ninjas the rest of the day off to allow them time to rest and recuperate.
Today, however, was another matter. Both men were returning to duty, though Beach Head with his ankle in a splint. Hawk prayed that neither soldier would encounter too many problems. Based on his recent conversation with Crowther however, he knew he couldn't expect there to be a total absence of hostility. He only hoped that military professionalism would restrain any possible persecution.
Even so, he had ordered Beach Head and Lifeline to report all anti-mutant harassment, regardless of who it was or how benign it seemed. Duke and Flint were also under orders to crack down it.
Snake Eyes had also told him that he and the other two ninjas were going to be extra vigilant as well. Beach Head would probably be annoyed when he found out that the ninjas were 'babysitting' them, but Hawk thought that it was a good idea. Even though both men were more than capable of dealing with any potential bigots, the general would rather take the initiative and reduce the amount of incidents as much as possible.
Even if Lifeline chose not to harm another person, Beach Head wouldn't see any reason not to send people to the infirmary with broken bones, especially if it meant that the instigators would have to be treated by a mutant doctor. Once there, Hawk also wouldn't put it past Lifeline to find a non-violent way of exacting retribution if he was angry enough. The man had been known to get creative when punishing misbehaving patients.
The only thing that Clayton Abernathy knew for certain was that today was sure to be a long day. The next day with the Jugglers was sure to be longer.
Time: 05:00 Zulu, Sunday; 09:00 local time, Sunday
Location: the GI Joe Pit
Lifeline hid a frown as he made his way to the infirmary. He'd already passed several greenshirts, who had jumped nervously when he passed them. A few soldiers had only given him curious or disbelieving looks. While the knowledge of him being a mutant was now commonplace, a few still refused to believe how powerful he really was.
Ace and Ripcord eyed him warily as they passed by. The two men whispered to each other, though the medic caught every word.
"I can't believe he's a damn mutant. You think he can really fly?"
"You saw the pictures buddy," Ripcord muttered.
"I'm telling you Rip, it's not normal," Ace whispered back. "I'll bet he's not really a pacifist. He probably just pretends so he doesn't have to help us 'normal' people."
Lifeline froze when he heard that. His eyes flashed with anger and he balled his hands into fists. Not help? What the hell has he been doing all these years, pulling injured soldiers to safety and keeping them from bleeding to death? He'd even used his powers to keep his patients from getting hit from enemy fire when in the field!
"Noncombatant my ass," Ace added. "He's a living weapon. I always knew Beach Head was a freak, I should have guessed he and Lifeline were both muties…"
Lord, he shouldn't have done it. He really shouldn't have. However, Lifeline was so angry that he felt as if his gut were on fire.
"This 'freak' will remember that the next time you decide to bleed all over him," Edwin said quietly. Both men jumped when the medic was suddenly standing in front of them. Lifeline crossed his arms and gave them one of his sternest looks.
"You're welcome, by the way," the medic added. "For all the times I helped both of you when you were injured. I seem to remember a rather nasty stomach wound in Borovia that one of you had."
Ace and Ripcord's faces went white when they realized that their entire conversation had been overheard. Lifeline heard their heartbeats quicken as they stared wide eyed at them.
"Now if you excuse me," Edwin told them angrily, "I have to get to the infirmary. I have patients I need to treat. Non-mutant patients," he emphasized. Lifeline then vanished with a flash of superspeed. The two other Joes gaped at the now empty space in front of them.
"Way to go Ace," Ripcord muttered. "You just pissed off the most powerful guy in the Pit, even if he is a damn pacifist."
Ace didn't answer. Face still pale, he continued on towards his original destination.
Time: 05:00 Zulu, Sunday; 09:00 local time, Sunday
Location: the GI Joe Pit
Beach Head stumped down the corridor, leaning on the crutches that Lifeline had forced on him. God, he hated these things. He'd rather chuck them into the nearest trash bin, but a certain pacifist would have his hide…figuratively speaking of course. Stumbling around without them would also be more humiliating.
Curious eyes followed him as he made his way to the administrative offices. He might as well catch up on damned paper work, seeing as he'd been banned from leading PT, though he could still supervise if he wished. Stalker had temporarily taken over for the Joes training while Gung Ho and Flint were taking turns with the greenshirts.
He paused in front of an elevator as he waited for it to reach his level. Low Light was waiting for it as well. When the door opened, both men stepped on to join a couple of mechanics.
The two mechanics eyed him warily and looked at each other. Wayne felt the disgust and fear in their minds. Both men hurriedly stepped out of the elevator, even though the button they had pressed was for six levels up. Beach Head debated between hitting them with one of his crutches and ignoring them. With an angry growl, he decided to ignore the two bigots, though he mentally filed away who they were. Low Light didn't say anything, but Wayne felt a trickle of puzzlement as he watched them leave.
"You goin' to leave too?" Beach Head asked angrily. "I wouldn't want to contaminate you or anything." Low Light looked at him. His normally stoic face froze slightly when he realized why the men had left.
"Not my floor," the other man answered simply. The sniper didn't say anything else, though Beach Head felt him eyeing his ankle from underneath his visor. Wayne ignored him as he waited for the elevator to reach the floor he wanted.
The door swished open a few moments later and the sniper stepped off. Beach Head waited impatiently as it shut. Was it his imagination or was the damned thing slower today? He'd also never noticed before how uncomfortably small the elevator was. It was almost like a tiny prison cell, closing in on him.
Wayne breathed a sigh of relief when it finally stopped on his floor. He must still be tired from the battle the other day, if he was letting something as insignificant as an elevator ride bother him.
The ranger stepped off and clumped towards his office. A mixture of curiosity and fear stirred around him, though no one said anything. People continued to murmur to each other, even as their eyes followed Beach Head.
"Ahm not the damned circus," he finally growled. His audience jumped and hastily turned their eyes away. Beach Head continued on his way, pausing only to grab a cup of coffee and a donut from one of the tables.
"Need a hand Beach?"
Dusty was looking at him with concern. Beach Head opened his mouth to tell the desert trooper that he didn't need hands to carry a cup of coffee, but closed it. The other man honestly wanted to help. Even so, he wasn't a damned invalid.
"I can carry it," the ranger finally said. To demonstrate, he levitated the coffee pot and tipped it over to pour the hot liquid into a ceramic mug. After it was full, Wayne used his mind to pick up the mug and the donut and held them in the air. Rather than jump, Dusty watched with fascination.
"Wish I could do that," he said wistfully. "It'd be cool to have special powers." Beach Head felt some of his tension draining and he allowed himself a small smirk.
"I'm still learning how to use them," the ranger admitted.
"Really?" Dusty asked. "You mean you don't just sort of know how to use mutant powers when you get them?"
"Nope. Like anything else, it requires practice. You should ask Lifeline sometime how long it took him to learn not to crush everything he touched."
The desert trooper considered that as he followed Beach Head to his office. He was too intrigued to simply drop the conversation. Wayne felt slightly amused when Dusty was still at his side when he came to his office door.
"Did you really pilot a jet?" Dusty finally blurted out.
"Yes," Wayne smirked.
"Into space?" the trooper asked again, not quite sure if he should believe what he'd heard.
"Yes," Beach Head repeated. The other man seemed suitably impressed. After a moment, Wayne added, "Snake Eyes was a bit pissed about that. He kept expecting me to crash into something."
"Just think though," Dusty grinned. "He and Jinx were the first ninjas in space. They should feel honored."
"I guess so," Wayne agreed. "I'll remind him of that the next time he decides to lecture me on the dangers of taking 'unsuspecting passengers out of the atmosphere.'"
Beach Head's mood was somewhat lighter when he finally closed the door. He stared at the hated pile of paperwork and muttered a few swear words. The ranger leaned his crutches against the desk and hopped over to his chair. Wayne decided to first tackle the stack of physical evaluations.
After half an hour of working, he looked up and frowned. The walls of his office seemed to be closing in on him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt metal fingers wrapping around his body. A few drops of sweat rolled down the back of his neck.
"What the hell's wrong with me?" he muttered. Wayne shook it off and went back to work. The small office continued to feel more and more oppressive. The ranger finally chalked it up to him being overtired and a bit stressed over his mutation now being public knowledge.
Beach Head unconsciously pulled on his collar. The air seemed to have gotten thicker, making it a bit harder to breath. It was getting hot as well. Something was probably wrong with the air conditioning. He'd have to get Dusty to look at it later.
Finally unable to take it anymore, he swore and stood up. He grabbed his crutches and levitated the pile of papers and the coffee. The door swung open and Beach Head headed down to the Pit's library to work.
Time: 07:08 Zulu, Sunday; 11:08 local time, Sunday
Location: the GI Joe Pit
"Hey!" the man called, "Courtney Kreiger, isn't it?"
Cover Girl hid a groan when Tony Stark waved at her. She'd previously met the man when she was still a model. Stark had thrown a lavish party at his Los Angeles mansion. Her memories of that night consisted of warding off the advances of a very drunk Tony Stark, who had smelled strongly of wine.
"Yes," she sighed. Ignoring the man and giving him the cold shoulder was hardly productive, though tempting. Stark seemed to sense that something was amiss.
"Something wrong?" he asked, slightly worried.
"No," she lied. From what she heard, Anthony Stark had helped destroy the sentinels. Because of that, Wayne and Edwin had been able to come back safely. Courtney didn't want to be completely rude to him.
"Okay," he answered, though from the way he was watching her, he didn't quite believe it.
"We've met before, right?" Tony Stark finally asked, scratching his head. Grease smudges covered part of his chin and his hair was unkempt. Dark circles ringed his eyes and Cover Girl guessed that he hadn't gotten much sleep.
"I was at one of your parties," Courtney admitted. His eyes lit up.
"Really?" he asked.
"You were drunk," Cover Girl told him. Stark's face froze and he suddenly looked ashamed of himself.
"Sorry about that," he said. There was a slight pause before he added, "I don't drink anymore."
"That's probably good," Courtney told him. Stark's face looked even more abashed.
"I hit on you, didn't I?" he asked carefully.
"Yep," she answered. Stark groaned and slapped his head. By doing so, he unwittingly spread more grease across his face. Courtney couldn't help smiling a bit when she saw it.
"Tony…is there no end to the stupid things you do?" he asked himself.
"We all do stupid things," Cover Girl said. Oddly, she found herself forgiving the man. Something about him seemed much more mature than the younger drunkard she'd met years ago and it wasn't just that he was sober.
"How'd you end up here?" Tony Stark finally asked. "I heard you'd quit to join the army, but I never thought I'd run across you in GI Joe."
"That's because I'm the best damn mechanic and tank driver in the military," she told him proudly. She was too, in her opinion. "GI Joe only takes the best."
"Good for you," Tony smiled. Courtney blinked. Being the man that he was, she'd half expected him to say something corny like 'A mechanic? That's my kind of girl!' Clutch or Shipwreck would have, if they were in his position.
"What?" she asked. The Avenger shrugged.
"Finding your place in the world, a place where you can be useful," he explained. "It took me a while to find mine. I was a little slower off the mark."
Courtney felt a real smile growing. Stark really had grown up. Maybe he wasn't just a rich boy playing hero.
"Where you going?" he finally asked. "You're not on duty?"
"The infirmary," she answered. "And I just got off my shift. I'm heading down there to yell at Lifeline for stealing two of my drive shafts."
"Why'd he take them?" a confused Tony Stark asked. "He's a doctor. What'd he need them for?" When Courtney explained, the Avenger started laughing. Cover Girl felt her own lips quirk up. While she was still pissed that her two axles were never coming back, the medic's theft was rather amusing. The thought of him dragging two ninjas and a ranger through the air with them made her grin.
Her smile faltered when she remembered why she wasn't getting them back.
"Thank you," she told him. "For helping Lifeline and Beach Head." Courtney didn't know what she would have done if that damned ornery ranger and the medic hadn't come back.
"I'm an Avenger," he told her seriously. "I took an oath to protect people."
"Still…thank you," she repeated. "I'm just glad you all came back safe."
"It was a bad situation," the man told her. "We could destroy them, but they put themselves right back together. If Xavier hadn't alerted all of us in time, your friends would probably be dead or off in some secret internment camp."
"What?" Courtney asked, shocked. "Internment camps? That can't be legal! Besides, how would they prevent mutants from escaping?"
"It isn't," Tony said grimly. "The government knows about them, though they haven't done anything to shut them down. I think that some of our politicians are probably involved in operating them. As for people escaping, special dampening fields can be used to block mutants from accessing their powers."
Cover Girl shivered.
"Now you know," Tony Stark said, eyeing her. "That's why your friends never said anything. The world isn't exactly friendly to mutants at the moment. People like Magneto aren't for human genocide because they love to kill, it's because they've been persecuted to the point that they can't see any other option. It doesn't excuse what they're doing, but it's understandable."
"Which is why Cobra's capitalizing on that," Courtney observed. "It's a way out." Tony nodded at her before pointing a thumb behind him.
"Listen…I've got to get back to work," he told her. "Duke wants a report on these weapons by the end of the day. Nice talking to you."
"You too," she said, actually meaning it. Cover Girl watched as he disappeared back into the cargo bay. She stood there for a while before remembering what her original goal was. Courtney no longer felt like yelling at Lifeline, though she figured that she'd still better do it for the sheer principle of it. No one stole from her and got away with it.
Not even superpowerful medics.
Time: 08:47 Zulu, Sunday; 12:47 local time, Sunday
Location: the Fantastic Four Headquarters
Storm Shadow stared out of the window at the New York City skyline. He was tired, but ecstatic. The nanomachines inside him had been deactivated. Tommy hadn't understood the specific details. When Reed Richards had explained it, it sounded as if he were speaking a foreign language.
What he did understand though was that the nanomachines had somehow latched onto his healthy cells and integrated to form a sort of mechanical virus that had quickly spread. The nanomachines had also fed off of the proteins in his body to power themselves. Once Richards and Hank McCoy had figured out how the tiny machines worked, they had created some kind of chemical reaction to detach the nanomachines from the cells. Once detached, they lost their source of power.
According to Dr. McCoy, the now dead machines would naturally be disposed of by the body with other dead cells.
Tommy found himself smiling. He was free. He was finally free.
It had admittedly been a long night. He'd been unable to sleep after the two scientists had finished running their tests. The ninja had ended up watching two Errol Flynn movies. Storm Shadow was starting to see why Kurt loved them so much. They were just plain entertaining, even if not remotely realistic.
Tommy had watched the second movie with Ben Grimm, who had been having a bout of insomnia. The ninja had been surprised to learn that the orange giant had once been in a pilot in the Marine Corps. Grimm had been equally surprised to find that the ninja had been an army ranger.
The two men had ended up talking through the night. Ben had explained how he and the rest of the Fantastic Four had gained their powers. At some point, Tommy had asked him why he called himself the 'Thing,' as the ninja felt that it was a rather demeaning superhero name. He was afraid he'd somehow offended the man, but instead he'd gotten a faint smile.
"I suppose," Ben Grimm had admitted gruffly. Tommy had mentally kicked himself for his inability to keep his mouth shut at times. The Thing hadn't seemed upset by it however. Instead, he had become even friendlier.
Storm Shadow turned when he heard several footsteps. Hank and Reed came in, both looking exhausted but pleased. Both men sat down at the kitchen table and sighed. The ninja bowed towards them.
"Dr. Richards, Dr. McCoy, thank you very much," he said. Hank smiled at him while Reed only nodded before motioning for the ninja to sit down.
"Susan ordered pizza for lunch," Reed Richards told him. "You might as well stay and relax a bit.
"Thank you," Tommy said again, sitting down. He felt a twinge of nervousness when the two scientists exchanges glances.
"What?" he asked.
"Thomas," Hank said. "In addition to the nanomachines, your body was experimented on." Storm Shadow felt his breath quicken slightly.
"It's nothing as serious as the nanos," Mr. Fantastic told him. "Your cells have been regenerated at least twice to reduce the effect of aging. They have also been reinforced with trace amounts of mutant dna. Nothing that will give you powers, other than slowing down the rate of cellular decay."
Tommy stared at him, not quite comprehending.
"What's that mean?" he asked carefully.
"You'll age more slowly than a normal human," Hank explained. "I'd say you'll have at least twice the natural lifespan, if not three times." Storm Shadow gaped him, not wanting to believe it.
"It's true," Reed said, noticing the look on his face. "Cobra probably wanted a tool they wouldn't have to throw away because he got too old too quickly."
Great. As if brainwashing him and lacing tiny machines into his body wasn't enough. Tommy felt sick when he thought about just how much he had been violated. A flash of anger ripped through. How dare they? He and his sword brother were supposed to grow old together. They were supposed to become the next generation of honored and elderly Arashikage clan leaders. During the war, the two of them and Stalker had even joked that they would all retire to an old folks' home together and raise hell.
All of that had been denied him now. While his friends and comrades grew white hair, he would still look the same.
"When are he and Logan leaving?" Reed asked, looking over at Henry McCoy. Tommy drew himself out of his thoughts and listened with interest.
"Probably tomorrow, I imagine," the Beast answered. "He's rather anxious to be on their way."
"That's probably for the best," Mr. Fantastic said. "A walkabout in Canada will probably do him good. It always helps Logan."
"You think so?" Tommy finally asked. He was starting to doubt what good it would do. He had so many issues to work through and the ninja was wondering where to even start.
"You never know until you try it," Beast pointed out. "My advice is to sleep well tonight, as the two of you will probably be up at the crack of dawn."
Storm Shadow was admittedly a bit worried about it, though more because he didn't know what to expect. Even so, he felt the first twinge of excitement. Finally, his life was moving forward. He had no idea where he was going, but he knew where he wasn't.
Cobra could kiss his ass goodbye. In fact, Storm Shadow rather felt like painting a big, red banner that said 'Hate you, Goodbye!' Maybe he could add a few Cobra Vipers as decorations.
Yes, he mused, that sounded like a very good plan.
"Pizza's here!" Johnny Storm yelled from downstairs.
"Then stop dawdlin' and bring it up here!" Ben Grimm bellowed, walking into the kitchen to join them.
If Tommy had gotten anything out of all of this, it was an interesting group of people to hang around with.
Time: 10:16 Zulu, Sunday
Location: Cobra headquarters; Dr. Mindbender's laboratory
Dr. Mindbender waited cautiously as the man in front him of listened. It didn't take long for him to get the reaction he expected.
"We lost him?" Cobra Commander shouted, pounding his fist on the table. Mindbender hid a wince as several tubes of chemicals shifted from the disturbance. He continued to watch as the Cobra leader fumed loudly for a couple of minutes before finally calming himself.
"How?" he finally asked icily, glaring at the scientist.
"I'm not sure," Dr. Mindbender answered. "But we tracked him from Xavier's school to the Fantastic Four compound before the signal vanished. If I were to hazard a guess, Reed Richards and possibly Henry McCoy were involved in destroying the nanomachines."
Cobra Commander paced the laboratory, still angry at losing his precious pet ninja. He stopped before a glass tank before giving a small sigh.
"Nothing we can do about it right now," he finally admitted. "We have other matters of more pressing importance."
"Agreed, my esteemed leader," Dr. Mindbender told him. "You received my report concerning the sentinel attack?"
He saw the other man smile underneath the blue hood. Cobra had reactivated the sentinel program, though not without help from various American government leaders. Several senators and a couple of generals were very interested in the program. For obvious reasons, Cobra Commander was taking every precaution to make Cobra's involvement a secret. They were currently running the program through a dummy corporation, which was cosponsored by Hydra.
"Indeed I did," Cobra Commander smirked. "Two mutant GI Joes…you've done well Mindbender. That is useful information."
"Yes, Commander," Mindbender answered. The scientist wondered what the other man planned to do with the information. Planning for future missions of course meant taking the two Joes into account. The fact that such information had previously been unknown meant that both man had rarely used their powers.
"I talked to one of my informants," Cobra Commander said, looking at him. "Hawk never told anyone about his mutants. The Jugglers are pulling him in for questioning tomorrow."
"Perhaps…with some pushing, Beach Head and Lifeline could be forced off of the team," Mindbender pointed out. "It would leave GI Joe at a strategic disadvantage and possibly lead to dissension in their ranks."
"Yes…" Cobra Commander thought. "That would indeed be advantageous for us." Mindbender realized that the other man had already considered it.
"Of course, they would probably join up with the X-Men," Mindbender added. "I highly doubt we would be able to recruit either of them."
"Unless by force," Cobra Commander smiled. "If we can't get Storm Shadow back, we can always 'recruit' one of Abernathy's mutants."
Dr. Mindbender smiled. Such a feat would be difficult, but not out of the realm of possibility. Having willing mutants in Cobra meant that capturing unwilling mutants was now much easier.
"That would be an interesting project," Mindbender said.
"I'm glad you're pleased Mindbender," the Cobra leader said. "I also may be recruiting a new associate…one that shares many common interests with you."
"New…associate?" Mindbender asked. Cobra Commander nodded.
"I've sent Mystique to free the Hydra leaders that Bludd failed to do. When she returns, she has promised to put me into contact with a man that calls himself Mr. Sinister."
Sinister. Mindbender had heard that name before. From what he knew, the man well deserved his name. Working with him as a colleague would be interesting, even if only to see how their skills compared with each other.
"Interesting," Dr. Mindbender grinned. "I look forward to it."
"I thought you might," Cobra Commander said. "Keep me posted on your current 'projects.'"
The Cobra leader walked out the door. Dr. Mindbender found himself smiling as he looked through the designs of his new Battle Android Troopers. The scientist was currently in the process of installing some of the sentinels' designs. When he was done, his B.A.T.S. would be a force to be reckoned with.
Time: 10:20 Zulu, Sunday; 2:20 local time, Sunday
Location: the Xavier Institute of Higher Learning
Charles Xavier sat quietly as Magnus stared out of his office windows. His long time friend, and unfortunately, often times enemy had come seeking information and advice.
"Even though we disagree on a great many things," Magneto finally said. "I am forever grateful to the school you have provided for members of our kind."
Charles continued to watch him silently, waiting for him to speak his mind. The other man turned around and walked back towards the desk.
"But this isn't enough Charles, you know that," Erik continued.
"We've had this discussion before," Charles Xavier sighed. "I do agree that more schools like this are needed. The institute was only supposed to be a beginning, not the end."
"Things are getting bad," Magneto told him. "Hundreds of mutants arrive in Genosha by the day, most infected with the Legacy virus. Now that MacTaggert is dead, that leaves only Dr. McCoy working on the cure."
"I know," Charles sighed. "Cobra's involvement and the sentinel attack only make it worse."
Magneto snarled at the mention of Cobra. He was still angry over Cobra Commander's public condemnation of him, as well as the insinuation that only he could help mutants.
"They killed MacTaggert, killing one of the few humans sympathetic to our kind," Erik growled. "Reduced the time it will take to find a cure…and blamed it all on someone else. He's manipulating innocent people." Charles sensed that Erik was also angry that Cobra had pointed accusing fingers at both of them.
"Cobra will pay for this," Magneto said angrily. "I will make them pay."
"Be careful," Charles warned him. "Cobra Commander already has the trust of many mutants. They view him as someone who's willing to 'work' with both mutants and humans, as well as someone who's willing to take a more militant route in forging better relations. You risk alienating those mutants who already view your methods as too extreme."
"Too extreme? Come now Charles," Magneto said.
"Regardless…I agree that Cobra is a problem we should work together on," the professor told him. "People also need to be aware that it was behind the attacks at the G8 Summit."
"You already have proof," Erik told him. "You captured one of their agents." Charles sighed at that.
"He was brainwashed…for years Erik. Thomas was a slave to Cobra Commander. The last thing I want to do is feed him to the wolves and make him a topic of public discussion. He needs peace and quiet…he deserves it."
"Then how else do you plan to do this?" Magneto asked in irritation. "People will want proof. You have it."
"Thomas would be made a scapegoat," Charles pointed out. "We saw glimpses of the assassin named Firefly. I can mentally reconstruct the images and show them to the public." There was a long moment of silence as the other mutant thought that over.
"Fine," Magneto finally agreed. "But Cobra's crimes should be publicized. If they were willing to experiment on and brainwash a human, what will they be willing to do to one of us?"
"All the more reason for us to act quickly," the professor said. "And work with GI Joe."
"The U.S. military?" his friend scoffed. "Charles, they take their orders from the government. How long before that unit is turned on us?"
"Two of them are mutants," Charles pointed out. "They are both new students and I have mailed them both formal acceptance letters."
"They hid their mutations," Magneto argued. "Because they knew what would happen. Even if their general is sympathetic to us, that doesn't mean the rest of the military is."
Charles didn't say anything. He knew how difficult life was going to be for both men. There was every possibility that Beach Head and Lifeline would be kicked out. If they weren't, the military was likely to crack down on both men and keep them under heavy surveillance.
"This is a good opportunity for them to teach their fellow soldiers that mutants aren't a threat," he finally pointed out. "When Truman desegregated the military after the war, it helped pave the way for the Civil Rights movement."
Magneto frowned slightly. Charles could tell that he wasn't sure what to think of the two GI Joes. He felt angry that they'd been forced to hide themselves, as well as angry at them for not having pride in their mutations and for hiding them. Erik was worried for their safety, but also angry at what he felt as a 'betrayal', as they had chosen to serve a country that was largely denying them equal rights.
"Teach them well Charles," the other mutant finally said. "It will be good for them to be around members of their own kind for a change."
"I will," the professor said. "And please Erik…please don't challenge or attack GI Joe. Cobra is our common enemy. If you fight them, you will also make things even more difficult for Beach Head and Lifeline."
Magneto gritted his teeth, but finally agreed with great reluctance.
"Cobra is more important," Erik said. "But if GI Joe mistreats those two, I'm going after them as well."
"I can assure you that General Hawk won't let that happen," Charles said.
"Unless he's replaced," Magneto pointed out. "That is a possibility."
"Let's hope it isn't."
Time: 11:00 Zulu, Sunday; 3:00 local time, Sunday
Location: the Fantastic Four Headquarters
It was three o'clock when Storm Shadow finally left the Fantastic Four compound. An X-man named Bobby Drake had come to pick up him and Hank McCoy. Jubilee was also sitting in the car, peering out the window and waving at them.
Tommy waved back at the girl before turning to look at the giant man next to him. Deformed from the accident that had given him and the others powers, Ben Grimm easily stood out in a crowd.
"When you n' Logan get back, come on over and we'll have a movie night," Ben Grimm offered. "I'll show you some good, classic movies other than Errol Flynn. You like Clint Eastwood?" The ninja looked at him in surprise. He hadn't expected to be invited back.
"You want to spend time with me?" the ninja asked. "Don't you know the things I've done?" True, he'd been brainwashed for much of it. However, he'd also done questionable things when he'd first joined Cobra to find his uncle's murderer.
It was Ben's turn to look surprised.
"Course I want to spend time with you," the Thing grunted. "Wouldn't have offered if I didn't. Yer not half bad…for Army."
"Then I guess I can stomach spending time with a Marine," Tommy replied, the beginnings of a smile on his face.
"He's not a Marine anymore," Johnny Storm piped up. He received two stares. "What?" the younger man asked.
"Once a Marine always a Marine," Tommy quoted, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world. The Thing laughed and slapped the ninja's back, nearly pitching him over. The two men shook hands. Ben's hand dwarfed Tommy's own and he rather felt like a child shaking hands with an adult body builder.
"See you Jarhead," Tommy grinned. A large grin formed on the other man's face when he said that.
"Watch it you damned ranger," Ben Grimm warned. "This Marine can take you out, ninja or not."
"Oh puh-leaze…" Tommy grinned. "I'm a ninja. We're not easy to take down." He turned and said goodbye to the rest of the Fantastic Four before he and Hank walked down to join Jubilee and Iceman. After he and the X-Men left, Ben Grimm stared out the window and watched the car drive away.
"Can you believe that guy?" he muttered. "Didn't even blink when he saw me and he was more concerned that I wouldn't want to spend time with him. That n' he was more interested in me bein' a Marine than in the way I look or bein' in the Fantastic Four." He looked over at Mr. Fantastic.
"Reed," the Thing said, smacking his massive fists together. "When we meet Cobra, there's gonna be some clobberin' time. I'll wring that Mindbender and Cobra Commander guys' necks."
"There's probably a line, Ben."
"Then everyone else can get behind me."
Time: 14:07 Zulu, Sunday; 18:07 local time, Sunday
Location: the GI Joe Pit
Beach Head glared at the cook in front of him. He and Lifeline were currently grabbing dinner in the mess hall. The soldiers dishing out dinner, however, didn't want to serve him or Lifeline. The problem, however, was one of the cooks on duty for dinner. Previously, the other cooks had glared, but served the two mutants out of fear of reprisal.
The man in front glaring at them, however, wasn't going to back down…even if he risked getting kicked out.
"I said I don't serve muties," the man repeated. Beach Head and Lifeline both gaped at the man. Not only was he refusing to serve them, but he was even daring to cross the fearsome sergeant major glaring at him. The entire mess hall had gone eerily silent as everyone watched the exchange.
"On the floor, now," Beach Head growled dangerously. "I want two hundred pushups." The other man flinched and fear welled up inside him. However, he stubbornly resisted and crossed his arms, daring the ranger to punish him. Lifeline was watching in disbelief, fully believing that the man was committing suicide.
"No," the cook repeated. Beach Head and Lifeline looked at each other. The ranger both felt and saw the raw anger boiling inside the medic.
"I'll handle the trays," the medic finally said calmly. "I'll let you take care of this."
"Agreed," Beach Head said, somewhat surprised that the pacifist was giving him a free pass.
"I don't want any injuries," the medic added, eyeing him knowingly. "Not only does it violate my beliefs and give me extra work, it also only reinforces the perception that we're dangerous."
"We are dangerous," Beach Head told him, though he sent it telepathically.
The cook jumped when Lifeline was suddenly standing next to him. The medic ignored him while he calmly piled food on his and Wayne's trays. He even gave them each an extra helping of beef stroganoff. The cook grabbed the medic's arm and pulled, but he might as well have been trying to pull a truck. Lifeline carefully pulled his arm away, so as not to injure the man.
"ON YOUR DAMN HANDS POGUE!" Beach Head bellowed. The cook reacted out of instinct and fell to his hands. "YOU CAN GIVE ME THREE HUNDRED!"
The cook pumped out pushups while the sergeant major glared at him from across the counter. When the man tried to stop at one hundred, Beach Head pushed him back down telekinetically and wouldn't let him back up until he finished.
"Now what do you have to say?" Beach Head snarled. The cook refused to look at him and stood silently.
"I'm not hearing anything," the ranger told him. Finally, the man looked up at him with a look of pure hatred.
"Go to hell you damned piece of genetic trash!" he shouted. Wayne felt a shiver of pure shock run through the mess hall. Beach Head lifted a crutch and brought it down hard on the man's head.
"Damn it Beach Head!" Lifeline yelled from across the room. Wayne ignored him as he levitated the cook into the air and turned him upside down. The man's green eyes widened in terror and his face paled.
"What do you have to say?" the ranger repeated calmly. He felt as the cook debated internally between self preservation and supporting his beliefs. The man finally gave in to self preservation.
"I'm sorry," the man muttered. He spoke so quietly that Wayne barely heard him.
"What did you say?" Beach Head asked, leaning in and putting a hand to his ear. "I can't hear you."
"I said sorry," the man repeated more loudly.
"I'm sorry what?" the ranger snarled. The cook quavered from both fear and anger. He hesitated before speaking again.
"I'm sorry sergeant major," the man finally said.
"I'm not the only one you have to apologize to," Beach Head growled, still glaring at the man. The cook gulped.
"I'm sorry sergeant major and Lifeline," he said. Wayne studied him silently. He knew the man didn't mean anything that he said, but forcing an apology out of him was enough for the moment. Beach Head finally dropped the man, though he rotated him enough that he didn't fall on his head…tempting though it was.
The ranger spun around and stalked away as best as he could with a pair of crutches. He joined Lifeline and the two men began to eat quietly. The rest of the mess hall watched them silently before turning back to their own meals. No one dared to speak.
About five minutes later, Tony Stark, James Rhodes, and Pepper Potts strolled into the mess hall. The three seemed confused by the eerie silence, as well as the obvious tension in the room. Beach Head was surprised when they joined him and Lifeline for dinner.
"What happened in here?" James Rhodes asked, sitting down. While Lifeline quietly explained, Beach Head pushed his food around on the tray before finally taking a bite. The incident had taken away most of his appetite. He felt anger and disgust growing in their three companions and Pepper Potts turned her head to glare in disgust at the cook.
"I suppose it's to be expected," Tony Stark finally said. "I'm sorry that the two of you have to deal with people like that."
"We just have to do the best we can," Lifeline shrugged. He turned a stern look on the ranger sitting next to him. "Nonviolently." Beach Head snorted.
"The only violent thing I did was to hit him with my crutch," he retorted. James Rhodes and Tony Stark both grinned at that. He also sensed a flash of amusement from Pepper Potts, though she also seemed to disagree with the violence.
"Nothing wrong with that," Rhodes grinned. "Crutches make perfectly good weapons, don't they Tony?"
"Of course," Tony nodded. "In fact, if you like…I can upgrade them and add some lasers or poison dart guns." Wayne's eyes lit up at that. He knew the man was joking, but also knew that Stark was perfectly capable of doing just that.
"Please don't," Lifeline groaned. "I don't need a medical instrument armed with death rays, especially if Beach Head has it."
"Yes I do," Beach Head smirked. He felt some of his humor returning. "Don't I Stark?"
"Of course," Tony added, "But then again, you can already use it with deadly lethalness."
"Tony…" Pepper warned. The man ignored her and Wayne's smirk widened when he read the man's mind.
"Projectile missile?" Wayne asked.
"Projectile missile," Tony grinned. Beach Head levitated one of the crutches and flipped it over so it was floating horizontally.
"I get it," Rhodes said, impressed. "You can use your TK to launch it."
"Oh Lord…." Lifeline groaned. "Stark…please stop giving Beach Head ideas. He's creative enough without your help." Beach Head ignored him as he pondered launching the 'missile' over at the cook.
"Behold…" Tony Stark said, pointing to the crutch. "The Lifeline 360, the world's first crutch missile."
"Did you just name a weapon after me?" Lifeline asked, aghast. "You know I'm a pacifist, right?" Rhodes snorted out a spray of soda through his nose and started coughing. He and Beach Head laughed while Tony gave the medic one of his most innocent looks.
"I think it needs racing stripes, what do you think Beach Head?" Stark asked, turning towards the ranger.
"You're not painting my damn crutches!" the medic shouted.
"Good luck stopping him," Pepper told him, smiling. "Tony tends to do whatever the hell he wants."
"It should be green, with 'Lifeline 360' painted on the side," Beach Head smirked, enjoying how irritated the medic was getting. He rather liked the idea of decorating his crutches.
"Green?" Tony Stark asked. "I was planning on hot red."
"No, I think green's a good choice," Rhodes smiled. "With him being army and all."
Lifeline sighed, realizing that there was no point in arguing. He couldn't just confiscate the crutches, as the ranger needed them.
"Cheer up," Tony told him, poking the medic in the side. "We're just teasing you."
"No we're not," Beach Head said. "I'm painting it green tonight."
"If you paint it green," the medic warned him. "Then I'm repainting it hot pink while you sleep and I'm going to name it the 'Beach Head Love Cane.'"
Tony and Rhodes laughed. Even Pepper smiled and shook her head as she listened to the men banter back and forth. Wayne felt some of the tension evaporate out of the mess hall, though it was still much quieter than usual.
"Seriously though," Tony said after awhile, looking at Beach Head. "I can make a special brace for your ankle. It would let you move around like normal until it healed." Lifeline was starting to object to it, but the Avenger politely cut him off and explained how he could build it to support the ankle and let Wayne use it without putting weight on it. The medic finally agreed to it, though with some reluctance. He seemed unsure if he should trust a strange piece of technology.
"Did you get that report done for Duke?" Beach Head asked after a few minutes. Stark devoured the rest of his apple sauce before answering.
"Yeah," he answered.
"Well?" Beach Head asked. He would get Stark's report as well, but he was interested to hear what the man had discovered.
"It's definitely based on some of my past designs," Tony Stark frowned. "I destroyed my blue prints and all of my weapons…or at least I thought I did. Cobra must have gotten a hold of some of them."
"If that's true," Lifeline said. "Then who knows what else of yours they got."
"Have you read Bludd's mind yet?" James Rhodes asked. Wayne shook his head.
"Psyche Out and Mainframe were working to remove, or at least deactivate, the mental implant today," the ranger answered. "I'm going to scan him tomorrow."
"See if they've got anything else of mine," Tony told him. "Or Forge's….God…it would be bad if Cobra got a hold of any of his stuff or even Shi'ar technology."
"Who's Forge and what's a Shi'ar?" Lifeline asked.
"The Shi'ar are an alien empire," Beach Head answered, having learned of them from Xavier and Kitty Pryde. "The Blackbird has some of their technology incorporated into it." The medic gaped at him.
"Okay…how do you know that?" Edwin asked.
"I got it from Professor Xavier's mind," Beach Head said. "And Kitty Pryde's, when I read her mind to learn how to fly the Blackbird."
"That was good flying by the way," Rhodes told him. "Though none of us could figure out who was flying it."
"Anyway," Tony said, interrupting them to answer part of Lifeline's question. "Forge is a mutant like you. His mutant ability helps him to invent and create machines that no one would have dreamed possible." There was a pause before he added smugly, "Of course…I don't need mutant powers to build awesome things."
"Humility is a virtue," Pepper told him. Tony grinned.
"I'm always humble," Tony retorted, acting as if his feelings had been hurt. Both Rhodes and Beach Head snorted, not buying the act. Lifeline rolled his eyes.
"Whatever," Rhodes said. He turned to look at the army ranger. "I want to do PT with the Joes," he said. "I might as well be useful while I'm here. I'll do guard duty or whatever you guys need me to do." Beach Head nodded his head, glad to see that the Marine was willing to work.
"I'll put you with the greenshirts first," he told him. Rhodes was about to argue, but Wayne cut him off. "I don't know what you're capable of Rhodes," he explained. "Believe me though, PT with the greenies isn't an insult. They're the elite and were handpicked from the entire U.S. military and law enforcement agencies. It's just that the Joes are a step above them."
Rhodes finally agreed. Beach Head allowed himself a small smile. As soon as Stark built him the special brace, he could get back to PT weeks ahead of schedule.
"By the way," Wayne suddenly said, looking over at the medic. "You're heading out on a mission tomorrow, right?" Lifeline nodded.
"With who?" the ranger asked.
"Leatherneck, Wild Bill, Stalker, Scarlett, and Recondo," he answered.
"Good luck," Beach Head told him. He knew that Leatherneck was angry at both of them for hiding their mutations. The Marine didn't seem to be upset about them being mutants, but rather that they hadn't used their powers to help with previous missions. He was also angry that the two mutants hadn't thought to trust their teammates with their secret.
"Thanks," Lifeline said. The ranger had already told him what he'd sensed from the Marine. Leatherneck had gotten angry with the medic in the past over his pacifism. He had a feeling that his mutant powers had only added fuel to the fire.
"When are you guys going to Xavier's?" Pepper Potts asked them. Both men shrugged.
"As soon as Hawk gives us leave," Beach Head answered. "Which probably won't be for a couple of weeks at least. The duty and mission rosters need to be drawn up to compensate for who's on leave and who isn't."
"Well, good luck when you both go," Tony Stark told him. "You know…if something happens here, the two of you would always be welcome there or with the Avengers."
"Thanks," Lifeline told him.
"Yeah, well, just say hi to the X-Men for me when you go," Tony grinned. "Especially Beast."
As they all finished their meal, Beach Head felt reassured that there were friendly faces in the Pit, despite some of the negative encounters he and Lifeline both were having. He couldn't exactly count Stark, Rhodes, or Potts as friends yet, but they made good allies to have.
For the moment, that was enough.
"Prepare to die in PT, Rhodes," Beach Head warned the Marine. "Especially when Stark makes me the brace."
"Bring it," Rhodes grinned. "And you can call me either Jim or Rhodey."
Author's note: Here you all go, a new chapter, even though I'm battling some kind of virus on my computer. If the tech guys on campus can't get if off my laptop, I'm going to have wipe my hard drive and reinstall everything. Fortunately, I had my chapter and story notes backed up so I could continue working on it.