GI Joe/Marvel universe crossover.
I don't own Marvel or Hasbro.
Silence
Chapter 17: Mutant Woes
Time: 04:30 Zulu, Wednesday; 08:30 local time
Location: GI Joe Pit
Beach Head scowled as he watched his greenshirts practicing on the firing range. He hadn't slept well again, which left the tired ranger in a cranky mood. His trainees had sensed that and were taking extra care not to upset him.
"Not bad," Low Light murmured. The Joe was one of the few on the team who didn't seem to be bothered by the sergeant major's moods. Beach Head looked over at the 'greenshirt' the sniper was talking about.
"Hmph," Beach Head answered, watching James Rhodes take out a target. The Marine was an excellent shot. Unfortunately, his physical condition wasn't as good as it should be. However, Wayne was confident that that particular issue could be easily resolved.
"Wonder how good Stark is," he heard Low Light think.
"I can drag Tony out here later to find out," Beach Head found himself answering. He froze a moment, surprised that he'd automatically addressed the man by his first name. Low Light was shocked as well, though it was more over having his thoughts read so easily.
"Might be interesting," Low Light finally said, covering up his surprise. Beach Head felt an inkling of irritation from the man before he felt him mentally shrug it off. The sniper silently told himself that his thoughts weren't private around a telepath and that he'd better get used to it.
Beach Head took a few minutes to berate a couple of SEALS that were snickering between themselves. The ranger forced them to shoot a few rounds and then had them doing pushups for not being as accurate as they should have been.
"Look at Rhodes," the ranger growled at them. "He may be slower than a granny, but at least the Marine can outshoot yew two maggots."
That did it. The fabled Marine Corps/Navy rivalry drew indignation from the two SEALS. Both men scowled briefly at James Rhodes before turning their attention back to the firing range. Rhodes, for his own part, was shocked that he'd just been complimented by the fearsome sergeant major. However, the Marine was smart enough not to take his eyes off of the target to look over at them.
"What do you think of Rhodes?" Low Light thought. Beach Head blinked, surprised that the sniper had so easily accepted and taken advantage of his mutant ability.
"His physical conditioning needs a lot of work," the ranger answered telepathically, "But that can be fixed. Rhodes is willing to work." Beach Head had washed out soldiers who'd given him less effort than the Marine.
Low Light nodded and went back to supervising some of the greenshirts. Even though he said no more, as the man wasn't exactly a conversationalist anyway, Beach Head felt that he was at least satisfied with Rhodes' marksmanship.
If Rhodes continued to push himself like he was, Beach Head intended to see that he stayed on with the greenshirts for training.
Time: 05:00 Zulu, Wednesday; 09:00 local time
Location: GI Joe Pit
"How're you guys planning to hold das Chagas?" the voice on the computer screen asked. Duke and Flint looked over at the man dressed in blue. The image of Captain America looked back at them. Tony Stark had felt that it was a good idea to begin coordinating and sharing information between GI Joe and the Avengers and Hawk had agreed.
"Mutant inhibitor collar," Duke answered. The orders had come straight from the Pentagon. When Stalker arrived with their prisoner, they would put one on him immediately. At that very moment, five inhibitor collars were on their way to the Pit to be used for any possible mutant prisoners.
Hawk and Flint both seemed to be split over using the collars. Even though they blocked mutant powers and took away the need to keep sedating their mutant prisoner, neither man seemed happy with having them around. Duke didn't really see what the problem was. It wasn't like they were going to be used on their own people. They needed some way to hold people like das Chagas, or even potential prisoners like the Baroness. In his view, the collars were more humane than continually drugging prisoners.
"Do your two soldiers know that you have those things?" Captain America asked. Duke shook his head.
"Not yet," he answered. Duke wasn't looking forward telling them either. While he knew that both men would understand the need to have the collars on hand, he also expected that Beach Head and Lifeline might also find them distasteful.
"Our medic hasn't come back yet," Flint added. None of them had been happy that he, Recondo, and Scarlett had stayed behind. However, they had agreed with Stalker's argument that befriending the mutants in the Amazon was strategically a good move, especially with Cobra actively recruiting mutants.
"You should probably keep your sergeant major out of the Pit when Lifeline comes back," Captain America said. "I'm sure that your medic will take every precaution, but you should keep them apart until you know for sure that he hasn't contracted the Legacy virus." Both Duke and Flint agreed with him.
"What about Tony's weapons?" the Avenger asked, changing subjects.
"We know where the ones in Columbia are," Duke answered. "But we're waiting to strike until we know were the weapons stash in Arkansas is."
"That makes sense," Captain America answered. It was strategically better to take out both locations at the same time. If they attacked the one in Columbia first, it would alert Cobra to the possibility that the other location was known as well. It would be moved before they even had a chance to find it.
"Stark's decided to hang around until we find his weapons," Flint said. "He and one of our Joes are upgrading the Pit's defense system for us at the moment."
"He driving you up the wall yet?" Captain America grinned.
"Not yet," Duke answered warily. "Should I expect it?"
"You might need some Tylenol," the Avenger replied, still grinning.
"I already take Tylenol," Duke sighed. "You should see my medicine cabinet." He went through more pain relievers than was probably healthy. Unfortunately, the Pit was full of walking headaches.
"Maybe we should compare sometime," Captain America said. "To see who has the larger stockpile of aspirin." Duke raised an eyebrow and Flint laughed.
"You have walking headaches too?" Duke asked. The man's grin widened.
"Yep. You might find it hard to believe, but Hulk is only a headache. I get my migraines from Ms. Marvel, Iron Man, and Wolverine…if he's around."
Duke found himself grinning as well. However bad Captain America's 'migraines' were, Conrad Hauser was fairly confident that they couldn't compare to the ones walking around the Pit.
"Tell you what," Flint smirked. "We'll trade you Beach Head for a day. We'll throw in Clutch and Shipwreck too."
Time: 06:15 Zulu, Wednesday; 09:15 local time
Location: the Amazon
Scarlett silently watched as Lifeline bent over to examine a mutant. It was a young boy, probably not even fourteen. Skin lesions covered his entire body. She didn't want to look, but she kept watching.
"This is terrible," Recondo whispered. They were standing in a thatched hut, filled with dying men, women and children. Lifeline walked among them, with a mask and an air tank as his only protection.
"They won't stop staring at us," she whispered back. "Like it's our fault."
Lifeline had been welcome with open arms by the hidden village. She and Recondo, on the other hand, had encountered suspicion, fear, and on occasion…outright hostility. A few mutants, mostly children, eyed them with curiosity. All of them were from different parts of Central and South America. A few had even fled down to the Amazon from the United States, Canada, and the Bahamas.
"They're afraid of us," Recondo said quietly. "I don't get it. Most of them have mutant powers and they're afraid of us."
Scarlett didn't answer. Instead, she continued to watch Dr. Edwin Steen. She couldn't help wondering if Lifeline and Beach Head were afraid of them as well. Both men were brave and notoriously bull headed when they wanted to be, so it was hard to imagine them being afraid. Beach Head would probably volunteer to sit through 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' before he'd ever admit to having such an emotion.
An old woman near them cried softly. A young man, possibly her son, silently brushed her hair back. From time to time he would shoot an accusing glare at the two non-mutants in their midst. Scarlett looked away.
A handful of villagers had gotten over the initial shock of 'flatscans' being in their midst and had actually engaged them in conversation. Scarlett had never heard of the term before until Lifeline had explained that it was a derogatory term for 'normal' humans. She had been reminded yet again that the medic's world was slightly different than hers.
She and Recondo finally left the hut to wait outside. Lifeline joined them about an hour later when his air tank began to run low. The three Joes left the quarantined area and headed back to the village.
"Tell me the truth Lifeline," Scarlett said after a while, "Do normal people scare you and Beach?"
Lifeline's eyes flashed at her.
"Normal?" he asked angrily, surprising the two other Joes. "Who says we're not 'normal'?"
Scarlett stared at him in shock. She hadn't meant to hurt his feelings. She hadn't even considered what her words would sound like.
"I'm sorry," she finally said. "I didn't mean anything by it." Lifeline gave a Beach Head-like snort. The medic was in an uncharacteristically irritable mood. It didn't take a detective to realize that he was upset from examining the Legacy virus first hand.
"How did your family react when they found out you were a mutant?" Recondo asked carefully, changing subjects. Scarlett watched as Lifeline froze slightly. She had been wondering the same thing. From what she'd gathered, most of the mutants in the village had been rejected by their families.
"My sister's okay with it," he said. "But my father hates mutants."
Scarlett and Recondo exchanged glances. The fact that Lifeline wasn't on good terms with his father was already somewhat public knowledge, but the medic had never gone into details.
"What…happened?" she finally asked. The medic shifted uncomfortably and she wasn't sure if he would answer.
"My father beat me even before he found out I was a mutant," he admitted quietly. "He kicked me out of the house after he found out. I haven't really spoken with him since them. I only keep in touch with my sister."
"I'm sorry," Scarlett said after a moment. Lifeline shrugged.
"What about Beach Head?" Recondo asked. The medic hesitated before answering.
"His parents divorced when he was a kid. Beach's father accepted it, but his mother didn't."
"His dad's dead, right?" Scarlett asked. Lifeline nodded.
"He died shortly after Wayne graduated from ranger school. As for his sister…." Lifeline trailed off and Scarlett had a bad feeling in her stomach. She knew that Beach Head had a sister and that they used to be close, but according to Gung Ho, they had had some sort of falling out.
"She used to accept him too," the medic finally continued. "But after she got married she started to change. Her husband hates our kind so they stopped talking. His sister will send him cards for Christmas, but that's it."
They walked in silence for a few minutes. Neither she nor Recondo really knew how to respond to that.
"What about cousins…aunts…uncles...?" Recondo asked after a while. "Don't you guys have anyone else in your families?"
"I have my sister," Lifeline repeated. "And Beach and I have each other."
"But…" Recondo protested. The jungle trooper trailed off when he saw the pained look on the medic's face.
They stopped when they arrived in the village. Lifeline went on ahead to speak with a few of the village leaders. Recondo and Scarlett waited awkwardly by a fence. A young girl with lizard-like skin eyed them curiously. Shana smiled at her and the girl gave a small squeak. She ducked behind a water barrel. Every now and then she peered around the corner at them.
"Their own families don't want them," Recondo muttered. "I guess I can't blame them for not telling anyone."
"Snake Eyes is worried about them," she told him. "Especially since the sentinel attack."
Scarlett remembered being pissed at Snake Eyes that night. She'd looked everywhere for him, only to discover him finally wandering in at breakfast time with Stark, Rhodes and three other Joes. Discovering what had really transpired that night had shocked her.
Even now, she was a mix of emotions. She was still slightly pissed at Snake Eyes for not telling her he was going to sneak out to visit Storm Shadow. Scarlett had also initially been irritated that he'd known about the mutants and not said anything, but she'd since come to understand why he couldn't tell her. While she was angry that he had been in danger, she was also glad that he and Jinx had been there to help the two mutants.
If there was one thing that her fiancée would never do, it was abandon his friends and comrades.
"I can't even imagine what it's like," Recondo said. "Everyone hating you, sentinels hunting you, an incurable disease…."
"Lifeline never did answer my question," she said. The jungle trooper gave her a curious look.
"Which question was that?"
"When I asked him if he and Beach Head were ever afraid of us," Scarlett pointed out. "He never answered."
"Maybe he did answer," Recondo said quietly. "Sometimes silence speaks for itself."
That response saddened her. Scarlett didn't like the thought that two of her teammates might be secretly afraid of the rest of the Joe team. They had all gone through too much together. But then again, as Recondo had pointed out, both men's families had rejected them. The Joe team was sort of a family as well.
"They probably were afraid of us," she said sadly.
"Sometimes," their medic said. Scarlett and Recondo jumped, despite years of becoming used to ninjas. Both Joes silently swore to themselves, having forgotten about the man's hearing.
"Both of us are more worried about the higher ups…the people that Hawk answers to," Lifeline added quietly. There was a moment where no one spoke. Recondo finally opened his mouth, but the medic brushed it off. Lifeline apparently didn't want to talk about it anymore.
"There's nothing else I can do here," the medic said, turning around. "Let's go home."
Time: 06:15 Zulu, Wednesday; 10:15 local time
Location: GI Joe Pit
"You two look happy."
Iron Man and Mainframe looked up at the bemused Lady Jaye and down at the mass of wires and control panels scattered around them. The two men had been too busy singing about engineers getting drunk to notice the woman approach.
"Can you believe this?" Tony Stark grinned. "Mainframe went to MIT too!"
"Is that why you two were singing about drunken engineers and castrating poor Harvard graduates?" she asked wryly. Mainframe gave her an indignant look.
"It's an MIT tradition," he replied. "Every graduate knows the 'Engineer's Drinking Song.'" Tony Stark nodded his head in agreement. A smile twitched on Lady Jaye's lips.
"Stark…weren't you fifteen when you entered MIT?" she asked.
"Yeah…so?" Tony asked.
"Which means you were underage when you learned the drinking song," she answered, trying to hide a smile. Tony snorted.
"Me and half of the student population," he replied.
"Must have been hard," Mainframe said. "Being the youngest one on campus." Iron Man shrugged, though the other man was right. Being the richest and youngest at the school hadn't endeared him to a lot of people. He hadn't been as involved with many areas of campus life as his older classmates had. Still, he was Anthony 'Tony' Stark, so he had made sure to find ways to party as a student.
"I still found ways to have fun," Tony grinned. "I'll have you know that I was personally responsible for turning the giant dome into the largest disco ball in history." Mainframe snickered at that, apparently being familiar with the prank. Lady Jaye shook her head and left, uninterested in hearing about the infamous pranks of MIT students.
Mainframe and Iron Man exchanged looks and grinned. A moment later, they launched right back into their song.
"And should there be a Harvard man a-strolling our Great Court
We'll fetch a pail of river gunk and make him drink a quart
The water of the River Charles can fix his every flaw
And the Engineers all drink it 'cause it makes us what we are."
Time: 07:41 Zulu, Wednesday; 11:41 local time
Location: GI Joe Pit
"Hey! Beach!" Gung Ho waved his arm to draw the ranger's attention. He watched as the man froze slightly before turning around to acknowledge him. The Marine frowned, a bit confused and somewhat hurt by the man's latest behavior. He and Beach Head had always gotten along very well and the Cajun had considered him one of his closest friends in the Pit. However, the ranger had been oddly distant the last couple of weeks.
"What?" the ranger asked. Gung Ho pointed a thumb down the hall.
"It's almost lunchtime mon ami," the Marine pointed out. "Let's go grab some chow. We haven't really hung out for a while." Beach Head hesitated a moment before nodding his head.
"Fine," the ranger answered. Gung Ho grinned and slapped a hand onto the man's shoulder. He personally didn't give a damn if the other man was a mutant. While the Cajun would have preferred that Wayne Sneeden would have trusted him, he also wasn't blind to the amount of anti-mutant prejudice in their society. If Gung Ho had been in Beach Head and Lifeline's positions, he probably would have kept his mouth shut too.
"How's the greenshirts' training comin'?" he asked. Beach Head relaxed as he discussed the recruits. The ranger had launched into a detailed description of the newest training exercise he was planning when they reached the elevators. Gung Ho hit the button and looked back over at his companion. Beach Head had frozen and was staring warily at the elevator.
"What?" Gung Ho asked. The other man shifted uncomfortably before responding.
"Maybe we should take the stairs," Beach Head suggested uneasily. The Marine gave him a confused look.
"Why? That's four flights up," Gung Ho said. It wasn't that it was physically exhausting, as four flights was nothing to the Marine. There were times that he walked instead of taking the stairs. However, the ranger's obvious discomfort was puzzling him.
The elevator doors opened. Beach Head was still frozen as Mutt gave them a curious look from inside it.
"You guys getting on or not?" the dog handler asked. Gung Ho watched as the ranger took a deep breath and walked in the elevator. The Marine followed him inside, eyeing the man closely. A happy bark greeted the two Joes.
"Hey Junk," Gung Ho grinned, reaching down to pet the dog. Junkyard licked his hand before walking over the ranger. The dog looked up at Beach Head, barked, and pawed at his leg.
"Not now Junk," Beach Head muttered, sounding slightly ill. The ranger stepped away from the dog and stood next to the door. Mutt gave the ranger an annoyed look. Usually Beach Head was willing to pet his dog, but instead he wanted nothing to do with him.
Junkyard whined and stared up at the ranger.
"Come here boy," Mutt said, waving a hand in his direction. "Beach isn't in a friendly mood today." The dog handler blinked in surprise when Junkyard ignored him. Instead, the dog inched closer to Beach Head and pawed the man's leg again.
"Are you okay?" Gung Ho asked him. The normally fearless ranger was staring anxiously at the elevator panel, watching the floor number change from five to four.
"Fine," Beach Head replied tensely. Junkyard whined again as he watched the ranger. Mutt gave Gung Ho a puzzled look. The other Joe seemed to have realized that something was wrong as well.
"You don't look fine," Mutt pointed out. The ranger shot him a half-hearted glare. Seconds later, the elevator door opened. Beach Head stepped quickly for the exit before freezing again. With visible effort, he stepped back to allow a quartermaster to step on.
The door shut again and the ranger shuddered.
By now, both Gung Ho and Mutt were frowning. The ranger's hands had begun to shake. Beach Head seemed to realize it and hid both hands behind his back. Junkyard stood up and pranced uneasily around the clearly distressed Wayne Sneeden.
"Damn it Junkyard!" Beach Head snarled, though his voice sounded slightly raspy.
"Okay, what the hell…" Mutt started to say. The lights suddenly flickered and went off. A moment later, the elevator came to an abrupt halt. There was a short silence as someone muttered a curse.
"Oh Gawd, not this!" Beach Head bellowed. Gung Ho swore as the ranger pushed him to the side as he rushed towards the door. Wayne Sneeden pounded and swore at the elevator door.
"Beach!" Mutt reached around in the dark, trying to find the increasingly frantic sergeant major. "God dammit, what the hell's wrong with you?"
He and the other two men groaned and grasped their heads as an unexpected feeling of terror and panic shot through them. Mutt blinked in confusion after it went away.
"What?" The quartermaster asked.
"Did you guys feel that too?" Gung Ho asked. Apparently they had. As Beach Head continued to bang on the door, the Marine wondered if the ranger had accidentally broadcast his emotions. Etienne wasn't really sure how the man's telepathy worked.
"Let me out!" the army ranger bellowed, panic clearly evident in his voice. The elevator began to shake violently. Gung Ho stared as the man's eyes suddenly began to glow an eerie white. Sparks of what appeared to be bluish-white energy shimmered around the ranger's body. There was a grinding shriek as metal began to rip and twist.
A loud bang reverberated in the tiny space as the elevator's doors blew out and disintegrated into small fragments. The ranger rushed towards the new exit, only to discover a thick wall behind where the door had been. Beach Head groaned and sank down on the floor. The odd light sparkles grew even brighter as the elevator continued to shake even more violently. Gung Ho suddenly realized that there was every possibility of the elevator cable snapping, which meant they would drop about three stories.
The Marine heard another rip of metal. He couldn't tell in the dark, but judging from what little light they had, Beach Head had just torn a hole in another wall of the elevator.
"What's that damn mutie doing?" the quartermaster yelled. "He's gonna kill us!"
Gung Ho heard a click as the man pulled out a handgun and aimed it at Beach Head. The Marine was on him in an instant. He pushed the quartermaster up against the wall of the elevator and felt bones crack underneath him. Gung Ho twisted the man's wrist until he released the handgun.
"Why're you defending that mutie?" the quartermaster snarled. "He's trying to…"
"He's terrified," Mutt said sharply, crouching down next to the trembling sergeant major. The dog handler had pulled out a tiny flashlight so they could see.
"Try to calm him down," Gung Ho told him.
"I'm trying," Mutt said. "He's hyperventilating though. Beach is going to pass out if he keeps this up." Gung Ho gritted his teeth and turned his attention back to the man struggling against his grip.
"I suggest you behave…before I break a rib," the Marine warned him. "You've already done pulled a gun on one of us. That's reason enough for me to break you."
"He's the dangerous one," the other man snarled. "That mutie freak shouldn't even be allowed…"
The man shut up when a Cajun sized fist connected to his face.
The Marine left the unconscious soldier lying against the wall and joined Mutt. The dog handler had an arm around the ranger while Junkyard had put his head on one of Beach Head's legs.
"How's he doin'?" Gung Ho asked. The elevator had since stopped shaking. The lights around the ranger had disappeared, though his eyes were still glowing a bright white. Sweat poured down Beach Head's face as he frantically gasped for air.
"What happened to his mask?" the Marine asked. Mutt shrugged.
"I think he destroyed it. I saw a fragment of cloth over there," he answered, pointing his flashlight at a piece of torn balaclava on the floor.
"Wayne," Gung Ho said, "Talk to me."
"I can't breathe," the man answered weakly. "Let me out."
"We'd like t' do that homme, but we can't," the Marine answered calmly. "We were between floors when the power went out. You also did a lot of damage to the elevator. Even if they've fixed the power problem, we'll probably be in here for a while."
"Ahm gonna die," the man whimpered. "Why the hell did Ah even get on this stupid thing?"
"You're not going to die," Mutt told him firmly. "We're with you…you're fine."
Beach Head seemed to calm down slightly at that and the light in his eyes finally faded. A couple minutes later, however, his body began to tremble again. While Mutt and Junkyard tried to keep him calm, Gung Ho managed to get through to someone on his handheld radio.
"Firewall…get me Flint or Duke," Gung Ho said into the unit. The line crackled as Flint came on the line. The Marine relayed the situation and discovered that the power outage had been a result of the upgrades being done to the Pit's defense system. However, it had only lasted a couple of minutes before it was fixed. Beach Head's telekinesis had rendered the elevator inoperable, even after the power came back on.
"He's passed out," Mutt told him quietly. He carefully laid the ranger down. The soldier took off his jacket, folded it up, and placed it under Beach Head's head.
"Great," Gung Ho muttered.
"What?" Flint asked.
"He's passed out," the Marine said. "I don't get it, what the hell…?"
"Psyche Out thinks he may have developed claustrophobia," the warrant officer answered. "We'll get you guys out as soon as possible."
Well that certainly explained things. Gung Ho and Mutt exchanged glances before looking down at the unconscious sergeant major. Junkyard whined softly as he curled up next to Beach Head. The dog licked the ranger's face a few times before resting his head on the man's chest.
"Good ole Junk," Mutt said. "He knew something was wrong right from the start." The Joe reached out and scratched the dog behind his ears. Gung Ho glanced over at the still unconscious quartermaster before looking back at his friend.
"What d' you think caused this?" the Marine asked. "He never used to be claustrophobic." Mutt shrugged. Gung Ho sighed and checked the ranger's pulse.
"Lache pas la patate," he muttered. While the meaning was probably incomprehensible to other French speakers, the Cajun expression roughly translated to 'hang in there.'
The two men sat in silence as they waited for help. It was about seven minutes before they began to hear noises below the elevator. It shook slightly before it slowly began to rise. When the elevator arrived at the next level, the doors opened to reveal a stern faced Flint.
Gung Ho picked up the still unconscious Beach Head and carried him out. The Marine laid him against a wall while Mutt brought out the quartermaster.
"How'd you guys get it to move?" Mutt asked.
"Stark," Flint answered. The two men looked over as the elevator moved up a few feet. Iron Man's helmeted face peeked out underneath it.
"Everyone out?" he asked. Flint nodded. Tony Stark disappeared from sight as he brought the elevator down to the bottom level. The warrant officer looked down at the unconscious ranger.
"Just 'the flu' my ass," Flint muttered.
Time: 08:10 Zulu, Wednesday; 12:10 local time
Location: GI Joe Pit
Voices floated in and out of his consciousness. Sensations of worry, concern, and irritation drifted around.
"…then he just started hyperventilating and…"
His throat was dry. Was he in a desert?
"…this is bad. He could have seriously hurt himself, the three of you, and…"
"Come on Flint, he was scared! Beach had no idea what he was doing." Was that Mutt talking?
"I understand that, but he also caused a lot of damage. The higher ups are looking for any excuse to lock him and Lifeline up. They might consider this a misuse of his powers…"
Something wet kept touching his hand. Wayne finally cracked open his eyes to see what was going on. The bright lights of the Pit hallway momentarily forced his eyes closed again. He reopened them to see that he was lying on the floor. Mutt was crouched next to him while Gung Ho and Flint were standing nearby.
Something wet hit his hand again and Beach Head slowly turned his head to look for the source. Junkyard whined softly when he saw that the ranger was awake and began to lick his face. Wayne's mind touched the dog's own. Animal minds operated on a more empathic level than human ones, so Beach Head had always had an easier time with them.
The dog cocked his head and stared at him. His tail began to wag slightly.
"Junk?" Wayne croaked. His voice was so dry. The conversation near him stopped.
"You're okay man, see? We told you we'd get you out," Mutt said, beating the other two men. Beach Head blinked his eyes in confusion. After a moment, what happened in the elevator flooded back into his memory. Much of it was blurred, but Wayne remembered enough.
He'd had a god damned panic attack.
Mutt grinned as he petted his dog. Wayne felt both pride and relief coming from the man.
"Good ol' Junk…he never left your side the whole time," he explained. "He knew right away that something was wrong."
Junkyard continued to lick his face and Wayne finally reached out to weakly scratch behind one of the dog's ears. He tried to sit up and was surprised at how weak and exhausted he felt. Beach Head felt his embarrassment grow when Mutt helped him to sit up. The ranger muttered a low thank you, too humiliated to say anything else.
"There're two stretchers on the way," Flint said, eyeing the unconscious quartermaster. "He really pulled a gun on Beach Head?"
"Yeah," Gung Ho answered. "It's a good ting we were there, if we hadn't…"
"Ah don't need a damn stretcher," Beach Head growled. The ranger paused a moment as the previous two sentences sunk in.
"Wait…that damn pogue tried to shoot me?" Wayne asked. He didn't remember that at all. The warrant officer had an unreadable expression on his face. Underneath, however, Beach Head could tell he was simultaneously angry, worried, and relieved.
"We'll help him to the infirmary," Gung Ho promised. Beach Head froze slightly.
"What floor are we on?" he asked warily. He wasn't going on a damn elevator again, he wasn't.
"Third," Flint answered. He studied the ranger and guessed what he was thinking.
"Infirmary's on the second floor," Gung Ho said. "Guess we'll have to take the stairs."
"Ah'm not going," Beach Head replied stubbornly. "Ah don't need to go."
"You're going," Flint told him sharply. "That's an order. You're also going straight to Psyche Out after that."
"Like hell Ah…" Beach Head stopped himself before he said something that bordered on insubordination. He may not like Flint, but the man was still his commanding officer. The ranger growled to himself before pushing up onto his feet. He waved off Mutt, who was trying to help him.
"Fine," he muttered. He may have been ordered to see Psyche-Out, but that didn't mean he had to say a damned thing. Wayne Sneeden knew for a fact that he didn't need any help from a shrink. While he could no longer deny he had claustrophobia, it was also his own damn problem. If he couldn't work through it himself, then he probably didn't belong in the military. A claustrophobic soldier was a useless soldier.
His face burning red, Wayne Sneeden walked as fast as he dared towards the stairwell. Gung Ho, Mutt, and Junkyard followed close behind.
Time: 15:40 Zulu, Wednesday; 19:40 local time
Location: GI Joe Pit
Tony Stark and James Rhodes ignored questioning stares as they made their way through one of the Pit's many corridors. The former cheerfully carried a toolbox in one hand and a tiny handheld scanner in the other. The latter was carrying two pairs of crutches, one which had previously been spray painted green.
It was all part of Iron Man's mad scheme to lure in an obstinate and currently irate ranger.
The two men came to a halt while Tony waved the scanner around before pointing right. Every so often they did this as they hunted for their quarry. Rhodey, for his own part, felt that they were on a suicide mission. His companion had tried to approach the ranger in question earlier that afternoon and had been quickly rebuffed.
Not to be deterred, however, Tony Stark had devised a plan.
Rhodey watched silently as his friend swept the area with his scanner, looking for the currently single Pit occupant with mutant brainwave patterns.
"I think he's at the obstacle course," Tony muttered. Great, they were going to meet the bear on his own turf.
"He barely knows us Tony," James Rhodes pointed out for the second time. "If he doesn't want to talk to his fellow Joes, people he's known for years, what makes you think he'll open up to us?"
"Because I'm Tony Stark?" the other man asked. Rhodey sent him a look and Tony sighed.
"Yeah, I know… Beach Head," he said. Tony didn't say anything else as they took an elevator up to the top level of the hidden military base. Even though Rhodey felt as if they were walking to certain death, he admittedly was worried about the ranger as well. He'd come to respect Sergeant Major Beach Head, as well as to have a bit of a healthy fear of him and, hell…he kinda liked the man.
Even so, he still thought that he and Tony were insane. News of the elevator incident had quickly spread and Beach Head had taken to avoiding people when possible. When he was forced to have human contact, it usually involved angry bellowing and swearing. War Machine wasn't looking forward to the next PT session.
"Besides…I don't expect him to talk about it," Tony admitted. "I just want to get him out of hiding." He didn't mention to Rhodey that he'd spoken with Covergirl earlier. The woman was worried about the ranger and Tony had promised her that he would do what he could to help.
"Okay, so how exactly do you plan to approach a telepath who doesn't want to be approached?" Rhodey finally sighed. If he was going to be involved, he might as well be involved.
"Good looks and charm?" Tony quipped. Rhodey sighed. Even in serious situations, Tony was still Tony.
"I know," Tony sighed. "Beach Head."
"So how?" Rhodey asked. His friend shrugged. The Marine sighed again.
The two men walked in silence as they made their way to the obstacle course. They could easily see their target seated on top of the A-frame, facing away from them.
"Hey Beach!" Tony called out. "Want to help me create awesomely destructive weapons?" A balaclava covered head turned to glare at the two intruders.
"Ga 'way Staa'!" the ranger bellowed. "Ah dun need yer damn pihee!"
Tony paused and looked at the Marine at his side in bewilderment.
"What'd he say?" he asked. Jim thought a moment. The Southern accent had been so thick that a Philadelphia boy like him had barely understood it.
"I think he wants us to go away," the Marine finally answered, judging from the man's angry tone. "I'm pretty sure that he said pity, though it might have been pee."
"Ah said pihee!" the ranger on top of the A-frame raged. "Dun yew two pogues unnerstan English?"
"I gotta tweak this thing so it can understand Southerner," Iron Man muttered, tapping the sensor in his hand. The Avenger's comment elicited another angry roar, which neither of the two men understood.
Tony ignored the ranger as he looked around for a good spot to set up. He finally pointed towards an edge of the A-frame. Rhodey leaned the crutches against it while Tony set down the tool box and opened it.
A ranger peered down at them.
"What're yew two pogues doin'?" an irate Beach Head asked suspiciously.
"Turning the crutches into weapons," Tony replied nonchalantly. "We thought you'd like to help." He was answered by an obstinate snort. Iron Man shrugged and motioned for Rhodey to sit down.
"What's the plan?" War Machine asked. Iron Man smirked as he popped the ends off of one of the unpainted crutches.
"I don't know…I'm thinking flame thrower," Tony answered. "Or a neural stunner." The two men discussed several ideas, including putting miniature missiles into the 'Lifeline 360' crutches. Meanwhile, a balaclava covered head was watching them with a mixture of curiosity and irritation.
"What the dang hell is a neural stunner?" an irate, but considerably calmer voice finally asked them. A tiny smirk played on Tony Stark's lips as he looked up at the ranger.
"Can't tell you," the Avenger replied cheekily. "If you don't want to help, you don't get to know."
"Why the dang hell would Ah wanna help?" Beach Head replied sharply. Even so, the ranger continued to watch as Tony began to feed wires through the hollow inside of a crutch. Rhodey dutifully held the end of the wires so that they wouldn't get tangled up. The Marine was surprised that a certain ranger hadn't kicked them off of the obstacle course.
"Is that like a giant taser?" Beach Head asked, unable to keep the curiosity out of his voice.
"Sort of," Tony answered. He refused to say anything and the ranger gave a frustrated sigh.
"A crutch sized, giant taser?" Rhodey found himself smirking. "You could probably take out an elephant with that."
"Maybe even a medic…" Tony added purposefully. He paused a moment in thought. "You think it'd take out Carol?" Rhodey rolled his eyes. Carol Danvers, otherwise known as Ms. Marvel, was currently the Avengers' resident ornery grouch. The Avengers compound was always interesting when she and Wolverine were both prowling around.
"Don't know…stick her and find out Tony," Rhodey smirked. "Maybe she won't toss you into the Atlantic."
"Carol?" Beach Head asked. Tony shook his head at Rhodey when the Marine opened his mouth to answer. Both men purposefully ignored the ranger glaring down at them.
"Did you hear something Rhodey?" Tony asked curiously, pulling a tool out of his box. "I swear I heard something."
"Just the sounds of a pouting ranger," Rhodey answered. He mentally kicked himself, as the ranger in question would probably kill him for that remark.
"Ah ain't poutin'!" a certain ranger yelled.
"Could've fooled us," Tony replied calmly, taking the rest of the wires from Rhodey.
"Now…" Iron Man continued, ignoring the deadly glare being leveled at them. "You could keep pouting up there, or you can grow up and come down…and join us uncivilized guys." There was a low snarl, followed by a long silence. After a while, they heard a soft 'thud' as the ranger finally jumped off the A-frame and landed in the dirt. He crossed his arms and glared down at them.
"Uncivilized?" Beach Head quoted.
"We're turning medical instruments into weapons of war while sitting in the dirt," Tony replied cheerfully. "Do we look 'civilized'?" Rhodey wasn't sure, but he thought he saw the other man smirk underneath his balaclava.
"What's a neural stunner?" the ranger repeated, looking down at Tony. Tony Stark smiled and held a wrench towards the obstinate man.
"You going to help us?" he asked. "I won't tell you unless you help us. And don't even think of trying to read my mind, because that would be cheating."
Beach Head hesitated a long moment before taking the tool.
"Only if we paint the new crutches camouflage," Wayne Sneeden finally said. James Rhodes found himself smirking as he pointed to the green, brown, and black paints in his friend's tool box.
"Way ahead of you Beach Head," the Marine answered. This time he was sure that the ranger was smirking.
"A neural stunner," Tony Stark finally explained when Beach Head crouched down, "Zaps a person's nervous system and temporarily paralyzes them."
Wayne Sneeden studied the crutch on Tony Stark's lap, as well as the myriad of wires snaking through it.
"Isn't that kinda big for one?" the ranger asked curiously. "Who're you plannin' to zap?"
"I dunno," Tony smirked. "Thor?"
The ranger mused on that a moment before eagerly grapping a wire. The rest of his irritation evaporated as he and the other two men continued to tear apart the rest of the crutches and reconstruct them. When the sun began to set, they gathered up their unfinished projects and headed towards Tony Stark's temporary workshop.
Once there, and after a slight detour to obtain junk food, the three men continued with their work. Neither Tony Stark nor James Rhodes brought up the elevator incident. Beach Head also didn't bring it up and chose instead to ignore it. After they finally quit for the night, the ranger seemed to be in a better mood.
When discussing it later, the two Avengers were satisfied that they had accomplished their mission objective.
Time: 21:30 local time; Wednesday
Location: Mt. Seymour Provincial Park, British Columbia
Storm Shadow stretched on his sleeping bag and looked up at the night sky. Several nearby mountains looked down upon the ninja. He and Wolverine had flown into Vancouver the day before and had begun to make their way north. The two men were currently in one of the provincial parks. Wolverine had immediately taken them off of the normal trail routes. Since then, the ninja hadn't seen another soul.
"Nice, isn't it?" Wolverine asked. "Much better than the city."
"I'll have you know I'm a city boy," Storm Shadow quipped. "I grew up in the jungles of San Francisco and Tokyo." His sword brother was the real country boy.
"Then it's a good thing I've brought you out here," Logan replied back. "There's still time to save you."
That elicited a grin from the ninja. Snake Eyes had once said a similar thing to him, back before he even became a ninja. Storm Shadow had replied with some crack about hicks and red necks. He was fairly sure that Logan wouldn't take well to being called a 'hick', even if in jest. His brother had tried to smack him for it.
"Look," Wolverine said, pointing to a group of stars. "There's Pituaq."
"Pituaq?" Tommy asked. "What's that?"
"Inuit for lamp stand. It's one of their constellations," the older man answered. Storm Shadow studied the group of stars, trying to discern a lampstand. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see it. Wolverine smirked when the ninja admitted to it.
"Look over there, you see that constellation?" the mutant asked instead.
"Orion? Yeah," Tommy said. He wasn't a huge star gazer, but Snake Eyes had always been. When the ninja had been in the jungles with Snake Eyes and Stalker, his friend would always look up at the sky when they had a clear view. It was because of his sword brother that he had a decent knowledge of Western constellations. Tommy admittedly knew hardly any Japanese ones.
"That's not Orion to them," Wolverine told him. "The Inuit call his belt 'Ullaktut'. It's three hunters who got lost while looking for Nanuk, the polar bear."
Storm Shadow silently listened while the older man continued to point out other constellations. Occasionally the ninja would ask a question, growing more curious about the Inuit culture. Logan was a storehouse of information. The man seemed to know everything about the land, its history, and the people who had dwelled there.
At Tommy's request, Logan taught him a few Inuit phrases, which the ninja committed to memory. Storm Shadow wasn't sure if he'd ever need to use them, but wanted to know. He wanted to learn.
Somewhere deep inside, his long buried love of learning reawakened itself.
Author's note:
Translations:
"Lache pas la patate," literally means 'Don't let go of the potato,' but it's a Cajun expression used to mean 'Don't give up.'
"Ga 'way Staa'! Ah dun need yer damn pihee!" is "Go away Stark! I don't need your damn pity!"
"Dun yew two pogues unnerstan English?" "Don't you two pogues understand English?"
Thank you willwrite4fics for the help on how to write a pissed off, Alabama accent.
I'm also going to write a companion piece to 'Silence.' It will be called 'Ninja Walkabout' and will focus on Logan and Storm Shadow's trip to Canada. There will be occasional reference to the trip and events in that story in this one, but most of their trip will be covered in 'Walkabout'. If I fully explored what I want to here it would derail it from the main plot.