Sorry for the delay. I've been busy with a summer class and my computer officially died, leaving me without one for a while. No fears, however, because now I have a new laptop.
GI Joe/Marvel universe crossover.
I don't own Marvel or Hasbro.
Silence
Chapter 16: Jungle Trouble
Time: 00:14 Zulu, Tuesday; 0:14 local time
Location: Castle Destro; Scotland
"You wish to work for Cobra?" Destro asked carefully. He studied the red and black garbed mercenary sitting across from him. Deadpool cheerfully downed a small glass of beer, revealing grotesque skin around his mouth.
"Yep," the mercenary answered. "I hear you guys pay good and I need the money. Those Chinese jerks wouldn't pay me for my last job."
"Which was?" Destro asked.
"Trying to kidnap Major Bludd," Deadpool answered nonchalantly. "Stupid ninja got in the way though. Batman wannabe."
The mercenary blinked suddenly in thought. Destro hid a sigh. Just talking to the man gave him a migraine. He was somewhat familiar with the man's work however and knew that the man was good, even if a bit insane. The Baroness was currently digging up whatever information Cobra had on him.
"How long do you think Brangelina will be together?" the mercenary suddenly asked. Destro stared at him blankly.
"What?" the Scotsman asked.
"You know," the mercenary explained. "Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie."
Destro sighed again. If Deadpool worked for Cobra, he definitely wasn't working for him. Fortunately, the arrival of his wife proved to be a good distraction.
Deadpool eyed the Baroness and gave a long whistle under his breath. The man's eyes seemed especially focused on her chest and legs. Destro briefly contemplated the possibility of blowing the man's brains out. He settled on a deadly glare.
"May I introduce my wife, the Baroness," Destro said coolly. The grin underneath the mercenary's mask widened.
"Wife?" Deadpool asked. "You lucky bastard. I want a sexy librarian in a catsuit too."
Destro almost reached for his handgun. Almost.
"This 'sexy librarian' will tear your tongue out if you don't shut up," the Baroness threatened. Deadpool seemed aghast at the thought.
"My tongue? I need my tongue! I can't talk without my tongue, or eat, enjoy beer, or some other nastily awesome things I once read in Playboy maga…."
The Baroness flicked a finger towards the mercenary and a small burst of red hot flames shot out. Deadpool ducked underneath the table, narrowly avoiding the fire. The tiny flames began to eat through the chair he'd been sitting at, but the woman extinguished it with a snap of her fingers.
"Cool," Deadpool said from under the table. "A sexy librarian who can shoot fire. Do you have a sister?"
The Baroness sent the mercenary a withering look. She flexed her fingers and Destro knew that she wanted to burn the man to a crisp. His wife forced herself not to, however.
"I found what files we have," the Baroness said finally, looking at her husband. "He's Canadian."
"Yay Canucks!" Deapool shouted, peeping over the edge of the table. The Baroness held an open hand towards him and the mercenary ducked back under the table.
"His name's Wade Wilson," she said through gritted teeth.
"Ryan Reynolds," the mercenary corrected.
"Wade Wilson," the Baroness repeated, growing more agitated.
"Nuh uh," came the response. "Ryan Reynolds…unless that bastard Hal Jordan steals my actor."
The Baroness growled under her breath while Destro wondered if he had any aspirin in his pocket. His migraine was getting worse. The man was absolutely insane. The faster he was out of his castle, the better.
"I will contact Cobra Commander," Destro said stiffly. "He will decide what to do with you."
"You've got great thighs," Deadpool said, still eyeing up the Baroness from under the table. On instinct, the Baroness fired a wave of fire at the mercenary. The table, chair, and part of the room was engulfed in a fiery inferno. The mercenary danced out of the way, ignoring the fact that his own costume was on fire.
"That was a compliment!" the mercenary explained, waving his hands at her thighs. "You've got great thighs!"
Destro cleared his throat before his wife could attack the maniac again. She took a deep breath and then extinguished the flames. The Scotsman forcibly ignored the charred remains of his antique table.
"My guards have prepared a room for you," Destro told him stiffly. "You are to remain there until I have spoken with Cobra Commander."
"Only there?" Deadpool asked. "What if I have to pee?"
Destro sighed.
Time: 07:30 Zulu, Tuesday; 12:30 local time
Location: Somewhere in the Amazon; North region of Brazil
Stalker silently observed his team as they walked through the jungle with Recondo in the lead. They had landed the Tomahawk about 115 miles inside the Brazilian state of Roraima. After camouflaging the helicopter, they had headed out into the jungle.
The ranger silently studied his medic and Marine. Leatherneck and Lifeline had been at odds since the beginning of the mission. On the entire trip down to the Amazon, the Marine had spent his time alternating between ignoring or glaring at the medic and arguing with him. Leatherneck had repeatedly lambasted the mutant for not coming clean about his powers and for not using them to help with previous missions. Lifeline had tried to defend himself, but had eventually given up and taken to ignoring the Marine.
Tensions had reached a new level however when Leatherneck accused the medic of being personally responsible for the deaths of some of their fellow Joes, as he could have used his powers to help save their lives if he'd bothered to. Lifeline had become uncharacteristically angry and had finally stepped out of the helicopter for some 'fresh air.' The medic had flown along side the aircraft and hadn't come back in for a good forty minutes.
Stalker had been forced to take both men to task.
"We're all angry about that, okay?" the ranger had told the Marine. "But according to Hawk, they did use their powers, even if not as much as we would have liked."
"But Doc, Quick Kick, and the others," Leatherneck shot back. "He's got damn superstrength and speed. He could have saved all of them. Pacifism be damned, he's a doctor and a soldier. That damned coward should have used his powers to…"
"And what would have happened if he did?" Stalker had countered. "In case you haven't noticed, our country hasn't exactly been friendly to mutants. You think he would have been able to stay in GI Joe or even have been around to save them? The Jugglers pulled Hawk in for questioning…seems they don't like having mutants on the team."
"We're teammates!" the Marine had shouted. "They should have trusted us! We wouldn't have told anyone!"
"And how long could we have kept it a secret?" Scarlett had finally interjected. "It hasn't really been that long since Snake Eyes and Hawk first found out about Beach Head. Despite their best efforts, they couldn't keep a lid on this very long."
"But…" Leatherneck protested.
"And how long would we have been able to keep Cobra from finding out if they had openly used their powers?" she had added.
The helicopter had become silent. Lifeline was still flying outside, but Stalker had a sneaking suspicion that the man had probably heard the entire argument. The Marine hadn't said anything else, other than to grumble and swear to himself. Wild Bill had finally spoken up and advised that regardless of what they all felt, they couldn't afford to alienate two members of their own team.
"It's better to forgive and move on," the pilot had drawled. "Those two fellas had their own reasons fer keeping silent. They've never failed in their duties before; we shouldn't start doubting them now."
"Agreed," Stalker had said, glaring down at the Marine. "Focus on the mission. You don't have to be best friends with Lifeline, but I expect you to be civil towards him for the remainder of the mission."
The ranger had made it an order when Leatherneck had tried to protest. When Lifeline had finally come back in, it was his turn for a tongue lashing, as Stalker hadn't given him permission to leave the helicopter. The medic's face had darkened, but had finally apologized and agreed to not leave the rest of the team, even just to 'step outside.'
Stalker sighed as his eyes carefully watched the surrounding jungle. So far the two men were following orders, though that meant not speaking to each other. Lifeline had offered to take the rear position, as he was invulnerable to bullets. The ranger had agreed, eager to make use of the man's powers in any way that didn't contradict his pacifism.
"Stalker," the medic suddenly said. Years of being best friends with a ninja had its benefits, as the ranger didn't jump when Lifeline was suddenly standing right next to him.
"What?" Stalker asked calmly. The medic pointed southwest of their position.
"I hear men that way," Lifeline said. "They're at least a klick away. There are only four of them."
"Hear anything else?" the ranger asked. It was almost like having Storm Shadow on his team again, though the medic's hearing was much better.
"I hear vehicles further out and more people, but I can't tell how many," the medic answered. "There's so much noise in the jungle that it's hard to tell."
"Can you have a quick look without being spotted?" Stalker asked. The medic hesitated and started to protest, but the ranger cut him off.
"I'm not asking you to fight, I'm asking you to do reconnaissance," he told him sharply. Lifeline frowned slightly, but finally nodded his head and disappeared from sight. Leatherneck had started to swear again, something about this being an example of how the medic could have helped before.
Stalker silenced him with a glare.
"We should take this time for a short breather," Recondo advised. "Until Lifeline gets back."
It was good advice, especially if they came into contact with their quarry soon. According to Intel, the leader of one of Brazil's largest drug trafficking gangs, the Third Command, was operating out of the Amazon. The Brazilian government had been trying for years to cut down on the drug trade, but it was difficult to police jungle areas where traffickers liked to operate.
"So how long do you think it'll take Lifeline too…" Wild Bill started to ask. The team, save Scarlett and Stalker, jumped when the medic was suddenly stand next to Stalker again. The man didn't even appear remotely out of breath.
"They're definitely traffickers," the medic told them. "I saw them packing up automatic weapons and narcotics. I saw Cobra and Hydra uniforms too, so it's probably the guys we're looking for."
"Hydra?" Recondo asked. "They've got people here too?"
"They must be working together," Scarlett said. "I suppose it makes sense for them to pool resources with Cobra." As the team had left before Beach Head had scanned Major Bludd, none of them had yet been informed that the two organizations were merging.
"What about the four men you heard?" Stalker asked, looking at the medic.
"They looked like they were part of the same group," Lifeline told him. "They're concealed high up in some of the trees. They're armed with sniper rifles."
Stalker thought about what to do. He could ask the medic to take out the four watchmen, but he would probably balk and say it would be a breach of his beliefs. While the ranger could probably convince Lifeline that he could just knock them unconscious or sedate them, there would be the problem of the drug gang becoming suspicious if they didn't check in.
"We'll leave them be," Stalker finally said. "We'll go around them."
"Could you move us past them?" Recondo asked, looking at the mutant in their midst.
"Yes," the medic replied, finding nothing wrong with that idea. "I could take one or two of you at a time and move you."
"Do it," Stalker ordered.
The ranger watched as Lifeline grabbed Leatherneck without warning and vanished from sight. Stalker raised an eyebrow, but figured that the medic wanted to get the most unpleasant task out of the way first. If he were to hazard a guess as well, Lifeline was also probably getting a little bit of revenge by taking the Marine first.
Lifeline was suddenly back. He placed a hand on Scarlett and looked slightly embarrassed.
"You won't tell Snake Eyes if I hold you, will you?" he asked. The red head smirked.
"Even if I did, he couldn't actually do anything to you," she pointed out. A small smile appeared on the medic's face and disappeared.
"Hold on then," the medic said, picking her up. "This might not be a fun ride for you."
"Did you tell Leatherneck that?" she asked.
"No…was I supposed to?" Lifeline replied innocently. Stalker shook his head. Wherever the Marine was, he was probably swearing up a storm. The medic vanished and was back in a few seconds. With another flash of speed, he was gone again with Wild Bill.
After Recondo it was finally his turn. Stalker felt his heart jump and felt his body slam into the medic's chest. Colors blurred around him and the wind whistled loudly in his ears. Suddenly, he was standing in a different area of the jungle.
Slightly disoriented, the ranger blinked his eyes and ignored the slightly nauseous feeling in his stomach.
"…goddamn mutants and they're goddamn mutant powers, don't even warn a guy when they're going to use them…"
Yep, Leatherneck was pissed. The man's face was red as he shook his fists at the medic, who looked positively innocent and even a little pleased.
"Stalker told me to move you," the medic replied calmly. "I was only following orders."
"You didn't even warn me," Leatherneck hissed. The Marine had enough sense not to bellow at the man when they were trying to keep from being discovered.
"I'm sorry," Lifeline replied. "I didn't mean to startle a Marine." Leatherneck's face turned a shade of purple. Stalker wondered if perhaps the medic had been spending too much time around Beach Head, as he usually wasn't so sarcastic.
"Enough," Stalker ordered. The two men shut up.
He sighed. While Lifeline's powers were making things logistically easier, trying to keep the tension between the medic and the Marine under control was difficult.
"We need to know exactly where we are," the ranger finally said. "And I want you to describe the camp to me."
Lifeline nodded and launched into an explanation of the size, position, and number of people in the camp. From what the medic described, Stalker suspected that guerilla fighters from Columbia were present as well. FARC, or Columbia's Revolutionary Armed Forces, were known to supply drugs and weapons to trafficking gangs in Brazil.
"Did you notice any mutants?" Scarlett asked. The medic paused and looked at her in surprise.
"There's no way I can tell if they don't have any major physical mutations," he explained. "Neither Beach Head nor I have any."
"We should be careful then," Stalker suggested. "We know Cobra's been actively recruiting mutants and there's probably a few floating around in the drug gangs anyway."
"Lifeline probably shouldn't go out again then," Recondo said. "We don't know what kind of powers they would have. He might not be as unnoticeable as we think."
Stalker agreed. It was best not to take any chances. The first thing they had to do was to get close enough to observe what Cobra, Hydra, and the traffickers were up to. Their primary objective was to gather intelligence. If they had a chance to disrupt the operation, then they would.
"Alright," Stalker ordered. "Move out."
Time: 08:21 Zulu, Tuesday; 13:21 local time
Location: drug trafficking camp; the Amazon
Sergio Michikazu das Chagas surveyed the camp. Raven black hair, courtesy of his Japanese grandmother, was combed neatly back. His dark Armani suit and sunglasses stood out among the men and women in the camp. He was also armed with a single side arm, though he rarely needed to use it. The Beretta served more as a reminder to his subordinates that he wasn't a man to be crossed lightly.
Second in command of the Third Command drug cartel, he had been tasked with supervising the temporary base. With the help of Hydra, FARC guerillas had brought in cocoa leaves that were bound for Mexico. The finished product was also in his camp, destined for markets in Europe and the Middle East.
He continued to watch as men and women busily unloaded crates of weapons cartridges from a truck while Cobra and Hydra troops patrolled the camp.
"Sir," one of his men said, "Cobra said that that they have a private jet ready and waiting outside of Duque de Caxias and are waiting for our arrival."
"Good," Sergio replied. "Load the shipments and after you've swept the area for observers, take off. We don't want to keep our customers waiting."
The man nodded and left. Sergio returned to observing the men and women at work. Working with Cobra and Hydra had long been profitable. The groups often helped to provide security and transportation, as well as the occasional pilot or safe house for traffickers on the run. Now that the two groups were working together, that made things much easier for him.
Sergio heard what seemed to be the call of a macaw. Knowing better, he walked casually in the direction of it. When he was behind a tent, a woman jumped down. Her green hair and light brown skin blended easily into the jungle.
"What is it?" he asked in Portuguese. Sharp teeth glistened in her mouth when she opened it.
"I picked up a new scent," she explained. "It's fresh and definitely human. It's hard to tell with all the smells in the jungle, but I don't think it belongs to any of ours."
"Take Davi and go investigate," Sergio ordered. "Don't engage if it's an enemy presence, report back to me first."
The mutant nodded. Before she left, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Sergio on the cheek.
"See you later," she promised. Sergio briefly brushed a hand across his lover's face.
"Be careful Yara," he told her. She grinned at him before reaching out to pinch his rear end. Sergio carefully hid a wince from the long claws, though she was careful not to pinch too hard.
Yara Berneque jumped up into a tree and was gone. A pair of amber eyes watched her leave, hidden carefully underneath a pair of sunglasses. Only Sergio Michikazu das Chagas's inner circle and immediate subordinates knew he was a mutant. It was information that the drug lord carefully hid, as it was his ace in the hole.
The mutant returned to his former activity. There was little he needed to do at the moment, as his subordinates had everything under control.
Time: 10:47 Zulu, Tuesday; 13:47 local time, Tuesday
Location: near drug trafficking camp; the Amazon
Lifeline lay silently on the ground as they observed the drug trafficking camp. He estimated that there were at least two hundred people in all. Cobra and Hydra undoubtedly had more troops in the vicinity that they could call on in an emergency as well.
He let his mind wander slightly while the others studied the camp. Edwin was a bit ashamed that he had let Leatherneck upset him as badly as he had. Lifeline knew he shouldn't have left the helicopter and knew that he was guilty of goading the Marine. There admittedly was a part of him that wondered if the other man was right. Maybe if he had been more open about his powers, he could have found a way to save Doc and the others without breaking his vow of nonviolence.
Stalker motioned away from the camp and the team silently followed after them. When they were a fair distance away, the ranger ordered Lifeline to move them all a half a klick away.
"I didn't see Jatoba, but das Chagas was there," Scarlett said when they were safely out of earshot. "He's the number two guy in Third Command."
"Yeah, I was hoping to catch the boss, but das Chagas is a big enough fish," Stalker said. "We need to figure out where those trucks are headed and then destroy them."
"I can do that," Lifeline volunteered. The others stared at him and he shrugged uncomfortably. "I won't attack anyone, but I don't mind destroying weapons and drugs."
"Okay, fine," Stalker ordered. "When the time is right, you can handle the weapons and narcotics shipments. We'll nab das Chagas and try to blow up a few Cobra vehicles while we're at it."
"How're we going to do that?" Recondo asked. "The place is crawling with armed troops."
Lifeline watched as Stalker thought about that. The ranger drew lines in the dirt as he considered what the best strategy might be.
"Lifeline, I want you to take Wild Bill back to the 'copter," Stalker finally ordered. He looked over at the Texan. "I want you to be ready to extract us once we have das Chagas."
Lifeline nodded and blinked. He zoned out what else Stalker was saying as he listened again. Something that had sounded suspiciously like two different human heartbeats was nearby, but it was difficult to tell.
"Lifeline, are you listening to me?" Stalker asked, annoyed. The medic held up a finger to silence him and he listened again. He sniffed, but couldn't clearly pick up anything through the scent of animal life and decaying plant matter. His nose caught a faint whiff of two people, then it was gone again.
"I think we have a tail…probably two," the medic finally said, still listening to the heartbeats. "They're nearby…"
He heard a very slight gasp and a foot lightly hit a tree trunk as it fled in the opposite direction. The other heartbeat followed the first one a short ways before stopping.
"She heard me," Lifeline swore. It had been a woman's voice.
"Follow her!" Stalker ordered. "And bring her back for questioning."
"There's another person that way," Lifeline told him. Stalker cut him off and pointed away from the team.
"We'll handle the other one, get her!"
Lifeline flew off after the fleeing woman. Whoever she was, she was fast. Far faster than a normal human, save perhaps a ninja. Within moments he saw a green haired woman leaping from tree to tree. She froze when he was suddenly in front of her, floating in midair.
She said something to him in Portuguese, which he didn't quite catch. Lifeline knew Spanish though and the two languages were probably close enough that they could make each other understood.
"What did you say?" he asked in Spanish. Lifeline studied her carefully. She was a beautiful woman, with sharp claws and teeth.
"Mutant?" she asked again, this time switching to Spanish.
"Why were you spying on us?" Lifeline asked. "Do you work for the drug dealers?"
She jumped about two stories up in the air and attempted to escape, but the medic flew up alongside her. The woman swore in her native language as she landed on a top of the tree. The green haired mutant balanced carefully on a thin tree branch as she warily eyed the man floating next to her.
"I'll take that as a yes," the medic said. "Could you please answer some questions for us?"
"No," the woman replied. She raked her claws at his chest, but Lifeline moved his body so that she missed. The woman growled, turned around, and spit something out of her mouth. The medic stared as what appeared to be acid ate through the tree leaves. She tried to use the opportunity to escape, but the medic gently grabbed both of her arms and held them behind her back.
"Please miss," he told her. "I won't fight you, but I can't let you get away if you're working for those people."
"Don't want to fight your own kind?" she sneered. Lifeline sighed as he wondered if he had anything strong enough in his medical pack to bind her arms. Seeing as the other mutant seemed to have above average strength, though not anywhere near his level, the answer was probably no.
"No, I'm a pacifist," he answered. "I'm a doctor and a non-combatant. I won't fight other people."
She gaped at him as he held her two wrists together with one hand and held her up with his other one.
"You're joking," she said. "How can you be an American soldier and a mutant…and be a pacifist?"
"I don't like violence," Lifeline answered simply, flying back towards his team. "Like I said, I'm a doctor. It's my job to heal people, not break them. Those drugs and weapons your friends are selling hurt people."
The woman didn't respond, though she seemed deep in thought as she craned her neck up to study him. Within moments, Lifeline was standing with the rest of his team. They had spread out in search of the other spy, but hadn't found him or her. As the medic no longer heard the other heartbeat, its owner had probably slipped away. Very likely the person had also been a mutant.
"A mutant?" Leatherneck asked, looking at her. "Should have figured."
The woman growled in her throat and Lifeline wondered if she actually did understand English. She glared dangerously at the American soldiers and struggled against the medic's grip.
"Who are you?" Stalker asked in Portuguese. "And where's your friend?"
The female mutant kept her mouth closed as she stared insolently at the ranger. Leatherneck growled and pointed a gun at her.
"Talk lady," he ordered in Spanish. Lifeline frowned and turned his body to put himself between the woman and the assault rifle.
"She may be a prisoner, but I won't let her be threatened with violence," he said. The Marine opened his mouth to yell, but Stalker cut him off.
"If she gives us good information we'll let her go," the ranger said, making sure he spoke it in Portuguese. The green haired woman alternated between looking at Stalker and up at Lifeline with a confused look on her face.
"They'll know you're here," she said after a moment in Portuguese. "By now, my friend will have informed das Chagas."
Stalker frowned. She was very likely telling the truth, which meant that search teams were going to be sent out to look for them. The drug lord would also disassemble the camp as quickly as possible and move out.
"I'm prepared to offer you a deal," the woman told them.
"I'm listening," Stalker said, after he finished translating for the others.
"I won't betray my comrades or help you fight them," the mutant said. "But I will take you someplace to hide from the troops that will be looking for you…if you let me borrow your doctor."
"That depends," Stalker replied suspiciously. "On why you want to borrow our doctor and where you want to take us."
"There are…sick people in my village," the woman answered. "I want him to have a look at them."
"Sick?" Lifeline asked. He looked over at Stalker to confirm that he'd interpreted her right. The ranger nodded as he translated what she'd said.
"She's lying, she's just trying to get us to let her go," Scarlett said sharply. While she wasn't pointing her weapon at the captured woman, she was ready to do so at a moment's notice.
"I'm not lying," she replied, this time in heavily accented English. "There's…a hidden community of my kind near here. Some of us have come down with a strange disease. I think it may be the Legacy virus."
Lifeline felt his face pale. If she was telling the truth, there was nothing he could do except possibly get infected himself. There was no cure for it. Still, he was a doctor and he had a duty to help people.
"Why would the virus be in the middle of the Amazon?" he asked warily. "Shouldn't you be isolated from it? Non-mutants can't carry it."
"Most people in the village are refugees," she explained. "They fled from the urban areas to escape persecution. We wanted a community of our own that was hidden from them," she added, looking at the other Joes. Leatherneck and Scarlett seemed taken aback as being addressed as 'them.'
"They won't bother you," Lifeline said quietly. "They don't hate mutants." His teammates silently listened to the exchange. The doctor bit down on his lip. If it was the Legacy virus, then someone must have carried it from one of the cities.
"These people, what are their symptoms?" Lifeline asked. The woman looked up at him. From the pain in her eyes, Edwin knew instantly that her story wasn't a lie.
"Skin lesions, fever, body aches, fatigue, difficulty controlling their powers," she replied. Lifeline felt an icy chill creep into his chest. He had done extensive reading on the disease and those were the very symptoms that had been described.
"There are two strains of the disease and the second is airborne," he finally said. "You could be infected as well and not know it yet."
"I'm hardly ever in the village," she replied. "And we keep the infected people in a place away from everyone else." Good, at least they had the sense to quarantine the infected mutants.
"Just because you're hardly ever there doesn't mean you don't have it," Recondo told her. The jungle trooper was eyeing Lifeline with concern. "You're asking us to hide us in a place where our medic might become infected with a deadly disease."
"The answer's no," Stalker said firmly. "Besides, we don't have time for Lifeline to examine them anyway. We have a mission to complete."
"But…" Lifeline protested. The ranger silenced him with a stern look, but Edwin detected a hint of sympathy in his eyes.
"There's no cure for the Legacy virus, right?" he asked. Lifeline nodded. Stalker sighed.
"The disease is airborne, right?" the ranger asked again. Lifeline confirmed it with another nod. The medic saw Leatherneck frown at that. No one spoke for several long moments.
"There're emergency air tanks on the Tomahawk," Wild Bill finally said. "Maybe after all this is done, Lifeline could use one while he looked at them."
"If you find a place for us to hide…other than your village," Stalker conceded, looking at the woman, "We'll have our medic look at your people."
"I'll agree to that," the mutant answered. "If you let me go, I'll find a spot for you to hide."
The Joes looked at each other, wondering whether or not to trust the woman. Lifeline could already hear men and dogs heading their way, so they didn't have long before they were discovered.
"Alright," Stalker ordered. "Let her go."
Lifeline let the woman go. She turned around to look at him a long moment before nodding her head. The woman turned around and headed towards their left, moving slow enough that the Joe team could follow them.
Time: 11:20 Zulu, Tuesday; 14:20 local time
Location: drug trafficking camp; the Amazon
"Hurry up and get the trucks loaded!"
Sergio shouted orders as he moved through the camp. Cobra and Hydra troops disappeared into the jungle while the Columbian guerillas guarded the merchandise. The drug lord paused when a dog came trotting up next to him.
"Davi," Sergio ordered. "Find where the Joes took Yara."
The 'dog' nodded its head before trotting off into some underbrush. He watched as it shapeshifted into the form of a seventeen year old boy. The boy looked around before transforming into a monkey and disappearing up into the trees.
"Sir," a voice said. The drug lord looked over at a Cobra in a red uniform. The Crimson Guardsmen held out a satellite phone.
"It's one of my bosses," he said. "They're worried about the shipment." Sergio grabbed the phone. He was hardly in the mood to speak with one of the damned Corsicans.
"What?" he asked sharply. "I'm rather busy right now."
"So we've heard," Tomax answered. "Will there be a problem with meeting your scheduled flight?"
"No," Sergio answered. "I've loaded the crates and they're on their way to Duque de Caxias. You'll get your money and Mindbender will get his precious specimens."
"Good, I'd hate for things to go too badly. I hear that some American soldiers found you. Let's hope that they aren't the Joes," Tomax said. Sergio grimaced. Davi had shapeshifted into a small bird and watched one of the soldiers capture Yara. While he hadn't seen the man's full abilities, it was obvious that he could fly and probably had superspeed.
He hadn't even known that mutants were willing to serve in the American military.
"I'll manage," the drug lord said calmly. "Like you and your brother, I am a businessman after all. I'll make sure the shipments get through."
"Of course," the Corsican said smoothly. "There is another matter I'd like to discuss with you before…"
"This isn't exactly the best time," Sergio replied sharply. He heard the man chuckle on the other end of the line.
"This won't take long," Tomax replied cheerfully. "It's just that there have been rumors of a hidden mutant community somewhere in that section of the Amazon. You wouldn't happen to know anything about it, would you?"
"And why would I?" Sergio asked evenly. "It's just a rumor." An obvious lie and the drug lord was certain that Tomax knew it, otherwise he wouldn't have brought it up. Sergio often used his private funds to buy medicine and needed supplies for the village.
"Come now das Chagas," Tomax said, this time more seriously. "You know that Cobra is reaching out to our kind. I would hate ignore those poor bastards hiding in the middle of the jungle."
This time Sergio did swear, though in a mixture of Japanese and Portuguese. Somehow the man not only knew of his mutation, but also that he was involved with the hidden community.
However, he wouldn't willingly give up information on it. Even though the Corsican brothers were also mutants, they still represented Cobra. It was Sergio's belief that individual mutants should make their own decision if they joined Cobra. They shouldn't be forced into revealing their hidden sanctuary and forced to join against their will.
"If there is such a community," Sergio replied coolly. "Then they are fully capable of making their own decisions. We are, after all, rational thinking beings."
"Of course," Tomax said. "My apologies. Please make sure that the shipment is on time."
"Of course," the drug lord replied, eager to get rid of the man. "I will speak with you later."
"Have a good day, Mr. das Chagas," the man replied.
Sergio clicked off the phone and handed it back to the Crimson Guardsman. The mutant swore again before stalking off to supervise some of his men.
Time: 11:57 Zulu, Tuesday; 14:57 local time
Location: the Amazon
Scarlett took a sip of water as they crouched inside a camouflaged hideout. She guessed that the mutants living somewhere nearby had built it. Her eyes flickered over to the medic speaking quietly with the green haired woman.
She watched as Lifeline reached under his shirt and pulled off his dog tags. He hesitated a moment before handing them to the woman.
"What the hell are you doing?" Leatherneck snapped.
"She wants proof that we'll honor our end of the bargain," Lifeline replied calmly. "She can hold on to my tags until I go with her."
"Those tags are how the Pit tracks us," the Marine frowned. "If something happens to you, they wouldn't be able to track you by satellite."
"It'll be fine," Recondo said, coming to the medic's defense. "If she wants proof she can trust us, then we should give her proof."
Leatherneck didn't look happy, but he also didn't press the issue. As irritated as he was with the mutant on their team, he still cared for his safety.
The woman nodded at them before slipping off into the jungle.
"What now?" Wild Bill asked.
"We stop the operation and capture someone we can interrogate later for information," Stalker answered.
"Das Chagas?" Recondo asked.
"If we can," the ranger answered. Stalker reached into a pocket and pulled out several tiny machines. Each one contained a tiny computer chip that could be tracked via satellite. The ranger handed them over to the medic.
"Don't destroy all the transports," he ordered. "Leave a few and hide some of these on them. We need to find out where the rest of the group is operating from." Lifeline nodded and pocketed the tiny transmitters.
"What about us?" Scarlett asked.
"Lifeline will take Wild Bill back to the helicopter to be ready for extraction. Meanwhile, we'll destroy what shipments we can and capture a couple of prisoners."
After a few more words of instruction, the Joes took the opportunity to grab a quick bite to eat and a few minutes of rest. Time was of the essence, however, as the drug operation was currently dismantling.
Lifeline soon left with Wild Bill and headed towards the Tomahawk. The rest of the team cautiously left the hideout as they kept their eyes open for patrols. After about ten minutes, the team paused and hid just before a small unit of Hydra agents came walking through the jungle. Scarlett noted that Hydra, like Cobra, didn't seem to train their foot soldiers very well for combat.
After a nod from Stalker, the Joes swung into action. Scarlett fired a cross bolt into one man's chest as she planted her heel into another man's collar bone. A flick of her wrist sent shuriken flying into two throats.
She wasn't quite a ninja, but she was close enough.
The others quickly incapacitated the rest of the Hydra soldiers. The entire attack had only lasted a few seconds, which wasn't enough time for the poorly trained men to react or call for help. They quietly hid them in the brush and continued on their way. Before they left, the Joes took the Hydras' radio units.
"Any sign of the Americans yet?" a male voice asked.
"Negative, no sign by us," another answered.
It was about ten minutes before the camp realized that one unit of Hydra agents wasn't responding. It was another five minutes before they realized that it wasn't communication problems.
By that time, the Joe team was a good distance from the unit they had killed. They were now hiding under cover and watching a long line of personnel and transport trucks move away from the camp. No one spoke a word as they waited for a sign from Lifeline.
A large boom exploded up ahead. Men and woman ran screaming as a tank was thrown up into the air. An instant later, it blew up over the rainforest canopy. A red figure appeared briefly in the air before vanishing.
The sound of twisting metal reverberated through the jungle, sending squawking birds in the opposite directions.
"Good thing the pacifist's on our side, huh Leatherneck?" Scarlett whispered dryly.
"Got nothing against his powers, just the fact that he lied to us," the Marine answered back. Both soldiers returned to silence as Stalker and Recondo slipped away. Now was hardly the time for conversation.
A sonic boom cut through the jungle. Scarlett and Leatherneck grabbed their ears in agony, as did the fleeing people in front of them. Something exploded up in the sky and the noise briefly subsided. Scarlett winced painfully as her ears continued to ring.
"What…what the damn hell was that?" she swore.
Time: 12:27 Zulu, Tuesday; 15:27 local time
Location: the Amazon
Lifeline clutched his ears, temporarily deafened by whatever that strange noise had been. His sensitive hearing hadn't taken well to what had sounded like a man screaming at an extremely high frequency.
He blinked his eyes, realizing with a start that he was being hit with bullets. Cobra troops and guerillas fired on him, but only succeeded in tearing apart his clothing. Lifeline pulled the transmitters Stalker had given him out of one his pockets before they were destroyed. The medic was glad that he had taken the precaution of removing his medical pack. It wouldn't have survived his speed, let alone the bullets striking him.
Edwin was also glad that he had decided to wear the X-Men uniform underneath his red one. He had almost left it behind, but the idea of possibly losing his clothing again had been too humiliating.
Lifeline flew over to a transport truck and pulled its driver and two armed men from it. After they were safely away, he smashed the vehicle and destroyed the crates of cocaine. An artillery shell blew up next to him, but he barely noticed it.
His hearing was starting to work again, though sounds were far dimmer than he was used to.
The medic floated in the air as he observed the retreating trucks. He'd already destroyed most of the weaponry and drugs. Lifeline flew down and ran past a few of the trucks, pausing only for a few microseconds to plant the transmitters underneath the vehicles.
Edwin then grabbed a hold of a Cobra Hiss tank and pulled its occupants out. Just as he was tearing it apart, something hit him from behind and sent his body tumbling through several trees. A high frequency sonic blast drilled into his skull and overwhelmed his still impaired hearing.
Another sonic boom destroyed a section of the rainforest, as well as the rest of his red uniform. Lifeline shot up into the sky and away from whatever was attacking him. Even though he couldn't hear it, his body felt the force of another blast.
The medic twisted his body and flew backwards as he looked for the source of it.
A man was flying towards him, with his mouth wide open. Lifeline realized after a moment that the high frequency sound was coming from the man's mouth. The medic grimaced as another blast knocked him out of the sky. He caught himself just before he hit the tree line and landed on the jungle floor.
As powerful as he was, he was slightly disoriented from the force of the attack. His hearing was still out of commission, which further handicapped him.
Lifeline swore again. He didn't want to fight anyone. The only thing he had been willing to use his powers for was to destroy the narcotics and enemy weaponry. He looked up and saw that the other mutant was still flying around, probably searching for him.
The medic realized with a start that the man was Sergio Michikazu das Chagas himself.
Time: 12:34 Zulu, Tuesday; 15:34 local time
Location: the Amazon
Sergio closed his mouth as he landed on top of a tree and looked around for the other mutant. The American had landed somewhere on the ground. Fortunately, the drug lord had excellent hearing, in addition to his sonic scream. It shouldn't take him long to find…
He watched in surprise as the other mutant was suddenly floating in front of him. The drug lord studied him silently, not having had an opportunity to get a good look at him before. The American soldier had dark hair and a slight build, which was somewhat surprising considering his immense strength.
Sergio curiously noted the blue and yellow uniform the man was wearing. A red belt, emblazoned with an 'X' inside of a circle adorned his waist. He'd seen images of that uniform before.
He was fighting one of the X-Men?
"I don't want to fight you," the X-Man said. His voice sounded odd, a bit too loud for the distance between them.
"You attacked us first," Sergio replied. The other man didn't respond. He felt a trickle of annoyance.
"What?" the drug lord asked sharply. "You going to ignore me now?" Sergio noticed that the other mutant was watching his lips. He realized with a start that the other man couldn't hear him. His sonic scream must have deafened the man, though Sergio had no idea if it was temporary or not.
That was one thing to his advantage at least. The drug lord hadn't been confident of his ability to fight a mutant with superspeed and strength. He had a business contract with the Crimson twins to honor however, as well as making sure his men weren't harmed. If he could at least delay the X-Man, he had a better chance of salvaging some of the disaster.
"I'm a medic, a noncombatant," the other mutant finally said. "I don't want to fight you or anyone."
"You just took out all of my shipments and you're a noncombatant?" Sergio asked dryly, making sure to speak in English. The medic hadn't destroyed all of his shipments, however, as there was still the one heading for Duque de Caxias.
"You sell drugs and weapons," the X-Man answered after reading his lips. "I'm a doctor. I can't let you do that."
Sergio opened his mouth and sent a sonic blast at the medic. The other man disappeared in a flash and was suddenly behind him. The drug lord felt himself losing consciousness when the mutant pressed a several pressure points.
"Damn you…" he managed to say before slipping into blackness.
It was a long while before he woke up again.
Time: 12:50 Zulu, Tuesday; 15:50 local time
Location: the Amazon
Wild Bill hummed to himself as he flew the Tomahawk in a circle around the battle and headed towards the west. Stalker and Leatherneck had captured and interrogated a Cobra agent, who had informed them of an important weapons shipment heading towards a village called Duque de Caxias. According to the man, a Cobra transport plane was waiting near it.
"Wild Bill, I've located your village," Mainframe said, back in the Pit. "Head three klicks southwest of your position."
"Ah'm on it," the Texan drawled. He turned the helicopter left and flew at full speed towards his destination.
"Wild Bill," Stalker said over the radio, "We've got das Chagas. What's your twenty? Lifeline's going to fly us up to you." The pilot gave him the information. Wild Bill muttered a curse when he spotted a couple of Cobra Rattlers heading his way.
The two jets swooped low and strafed him with several rounds of ammunition. Wild Bill praised the Lord for the helicopter's armored plating and did the best he could to avoid more shots. He targeted one of the Rattlers and fired a rocket at it. The jet swerved, but the rocket managed to clip it in one of the wings. The Rattler left the fight in search of a place to land.
Wild Bill barely noticed the helicopter door open and close as the aircraft shook from the attack. Machine gun fire continued to explode around him. The pilot realized with a start that none of the rounds were now hitting the Tomahawk.
He watched as the last Rattler suddenly stopped in midair. Wild Bill could just barely make out a blue and yellow figure holding the jet. The flying figure took off with the Cobra aircraft.
"What in tarnation?" he asked in confusion.
"Probably Lifeline," Stalker said. He and the unconscious drug lord were currently inside the helicopter. The ranger was proven correct when the medic pulled open the helicopter door barely a minute later.
"I'm going to get the others, I'll be back," the medic said loudly.
"Sounds good!" Wild Bill responded cheerfully. Lifeline didn't answer. He simply shut the door and left.
"He can't hear," Stalker told him.
"What?" the pilot asked, shocked. "What happened?" Stalker pointed to the unconscious das Chagas. Lifeline had pumped the man full of a tranquilizer before bringing them to the Tomahawk. The drug lord shouldn't wake up for a while.
"Das Chagas is a mutant. He did something to Lifeline's ears and he can't hear at the moment," the ranger replied.
"Great," Wild Bill muttered. "A deaf medic. Hopefully it's not permanent."
The rest of the team joined them a few minutes later. Not long after, Wild Bill sighted a Cobra transport plane parked outside of a village. Cobra tanks fired on the helicopter, but fortunately Wild Bill had Lifeline to help him. The medic destroyed the weapons while the Texan targeted the transport plane.
It blew up seconds later and the medic rejoined them inside the aircraft. Wild Bill flew for nearly twenty minutes before he heard Lifeline remind Stalker that he had promised to look at the sick mutants in the hidden Amazon village.
"You don't have to all go," Lifeline said loudly. "You guys keep going and I'll go back."
"No," Stalker replied firmly. "We don't leave any of our own behind. You're not going alone."
"You can't all go," the medic pointed out. "You need to get das Chagas into custody. Make sure you guys keep him sedated."
"Then one or two of us can go with you," Stalker replied. The ranger looked around. "Recondo, you'd better go since the jungle's your territory."
"I'll go too," Scarlett volunteered. Stalker nodded.
"Fine. You two go with Lifeline and then meet us at the rendezvous point."
"Don't forget the air tanks," Wild Bill called out, keeping his eyes on the horizon. They couldn't afford to have their medic come down with the Legacy virus. The Texan still wasn't too keen on having Lifeline exposed to it, even if he took precautions.
The pilot listened as they strapped the air tanks to Lifeline to free up his hands. The helicopter door opened.
"Ya'll take care now, you hear?" Wild Bill called out.
"We'll be fine, just get this bird home," Recondo told him. The door shut and it was just Wild Bill, Stalker, Leatherneck, and das Chagas.
It was silent for a long time.
"I don't like this," Leatherneck growled.
"I don't either," Stalker said. "But even if Lifeline can't help those people, it'll be good for us if we can establish good ties with those mutants."
Wild Bill said nothing as he continued to fly the helicopter. He silently said a prayer for his fellow Joes and prayed for their safe return.
Author's note: Sergio Michikazu das Chagas is my own creation, but the Third Command is a real drug cartel.
Don't worry, there will be more Beach Head and Storm Shadow next chapter.