GI Joe/Marvel universe crossover.
I don't own Marvel or Hasbro.
Silence
Chapter 19: A Meeting of Heroes
Time: 09:32 local time, Friday
Location: Extensive Enterprises
Warren Worthington III hid a grimace as he faced a set of twin brothers. Xamot and Tomax Paoli both wore identical, Armani suits. Archangel felt that it was rather ridiculous for grown men to dress alike, even if they were twins. However, he kept such thoughts to himself.
"I understand that your company…" one of the men, Tomax he believed, began.
"…is attempting to find a cure…" the other said.
"…for the mutant gene…"
"Mr. Worthington," both twins finished.
Archangel kept his face smooth, even though he found the little exchange a bit spooky. He wondered if one of the men was telepathic or if they had just naturally learned to finish each other's sentences.
"That is correct," Warren answered.
"And why would you want to do that?" One of the men asked. "That mutant gene has given you the power of flight."
"It's not worth it," Warren found himself saying. His mutation had caused him nothing but trouble, even if he did love being able to fly.
"Tsk tsk, do you hear that brother?" Xamot asked. "He thinks that his gift is a disease."
"A shame," Tomax said. "It is not genetics that is the problem, but society."
"Society?" Archangel asked. He didn't disagree, but society would always find a group of people to discriminate against. It just happened to be mutants this time around.
"Of course," one of the twins said smoothly. "Which is why we have a business partnership with Cobra. We intend to change society for the better."
"I'm sure," the X-Man replied dryly. The Crimson guardsmen shared an identical smirk as they studied the blue mutant.
"Come now, Mr. Worthington," one man began.
"Let's cut to the chase, shall we?" the other finished. "All three of us are mutants. However, we seem to be having a disagreement on the best way to help our kind."
"Supporting a terrorist organization is helping?" Archangel asked. One of the men shook a finger at him.
"Not a terrorist organization," Xamot replied. "After all, the UN once recognized us as a sovereign nation. Not only did we have our own country, but also our own embassy."
"You don't anymore," Archangel said. "Besides…Magneto has his own country too. That doesn't mean he's not a terrorist either."
"We're freedom fighters," Tomax told him. "But unlike Magneto, we're willing to work with humankind to build a unified society."
"Under Cobra?" Warren asked. The two men smiled.
"If that's what it takes, Mr. Worthington," they replied. "Your Professor Xavier sure isn't getting anywhere." Warren opened his mouth to argue, but didn't know what to say.
"His way is the best," he finally said. "We're not trying to rule the world under an iron thumb."
"You misunderstand us," the men replied. Warren Worthington waited impatiently as he was forced to listen to Cobra propaganda. He tried his best to glean some information from the twins, but they never let anything slip. The whole time, both men were watching him with identical smirks. They knew he'd come to try to get information and were refusing to give him anything. Even if they did, Warren suspected that it would have been false.
After a while, he finally cut the meeting short with the excuse of having to meet with his board of directors. The whole venture had proven useless, so there was no sense in staying any longer than he had to.
"Just think about what we've said, Mr. Worthington," Xamot told him, shaking Warren's hand. "Perhaps we can find a common cause to work on together." Warren felt an odd sensation in his body, which disappeared. He promptly forgot about it, as if it hadn't happened.
"I'll think about it," Archangel promised. "I just don't promise I'll agree with you."
"That's all we ask," Xamot smiled. "We just want you to think about it."
Warren Worthington nodded his head and exited the offices. As he walked out of the Extensive Enterprises building, his mind kept going over the conversation he'd had. It was true that they did want to work with humans, so that was a plus over Magneto, wasn't it?
Then again, they had brainwashed Storm Shadow, so…
He paused when Cable stepped out in front of him. The telepath studied him for a long moment and Archangel jumped when he felt a popping sensation in his mind.
"One of them planted a hypnotic suggestion into you," the telepath said. "I just removed it." Warren gaped a long moment, not having even been aware of it.
"So much for my meeting," Archangel muttered. "One of them's a telepath then?" Nathan Summers shook his head as he walked next to the winged mutant.
"Maybe…but it could just be plain hypnosis. Xamot had to touch you and verbally say the command," he said. Archangel groaned again. He'd walked into that trap so easily. But then again, the twins had to guess that a telepath would easily recognize it and be able to remove it.
"Perhaps," Cable admitted, reading his thoughts. "They might have even planned on that."
"Why?" Warren asked.
"I don't know," the other mutant answered. "But nonetheless, it wasn't a complete waste of time."
Time: 05: 50 Zulu; 09:50 local time, Friday
Location: GI Joe Pit
"It's over Hector," he heard a beautiful woman say. Clutch nearly dropped a wrench in surprise. The noise in the shop was loud, but it hadn't been loud enough to prevent him from hearing the nearby conversation.
"What?" Shipwreck asked, upset. "Why?"
"I can't believe you'd even ask that," Cover Girl replied sharply. Clutch looked down at the tool in his hand a moment before deciding that this conversation was more interesting than the fuel injector he was about to replace. The mechanic edged closer to the two other Joes so he could eavesdrop better.
"What…because of what I said to Beach?" the sailor asked in disbelief. "Courtney…right now he's a danger to everyone, including himself…"
There was a distinctive sound of a slap. Clutch winced, knowing full well that the tank driver had a strong arm.
"It's not his fault," Cover Girl replied. "You think he asked for all of this? You think he wanted to get a phobia or to even have powers?"
"This isn't about him being a mutant," Shipwreck protested. "I don't care about that…"
"You told him that he should wear one of those damn inhibitor collars!" the former model replied, her voice rising.
"Of course I did!" the sailor yelled. "At least he couldn't accidentally hurt someone if he…"
"It's a method of control!" Cover Girl yelled. "It's no different than wearing an armband with the Star of David on it!"
Clutch felt something inside of him freeze. His grandmother had been forced to wear one of those back in Nazi Germany. It had been the first of many humiliations that she'd had to endure before ending up at a concentration camp in Poland.
"It's not a…" the sailor started to reply, but his voice died down. Clutch leaned against the side of a cargo truck, his mind still reeling from what Cover Girl had said.
"Mutants are discriminated against everywhere," Cover Girl continued angrily. "They can't even do things like go to a bar or a movie if they look different. People like Duke and Clutch want to register them just for being different…"
"But…" Shipwreck stuttered.
"They're hunted by machines specifically built for that purpose…and there're internment camps!" Cover Girl added, "God damn internment camps! And you people wonder why Beach and Lifeline never told us!"
Clutch quietly walked away from the argument, not wanting to hear more. He silently inserted the new fuel injector, feeling sick to his stomach. It was true he'd already begun to question his stance on mutant issues anyway. After all, he'd worked for years with two mutants and hadn't had any problems. Lifeline and Beach Head were also two of the Joes he respected most. He loved annoying the hell out of them, but he still respected them.
"And you couldn't stop there, could you!" he heard Courtney yell. Clutch sighed and wandered even farther into the shop to get away from the arguing couple…ex-couple. He needed space to think.
The mechanic walked over to the small refrigerator and pulled out a Pepsi. He picked up a clipboard and found a place near his cluttered desk to sit down.
What the hell had he been doing?
Clutch sipped on the soda as he stared blankly at the clipboard. Shipwreck had thought it would be a good idea to test Beach Head that morning during PT. While they were going through the obstacle course, they had purposefully slowed down in the tunnel. Rather than chase after them, the irate ranger had telekinetically shook the pipe to drive them out.
However, the sailor hadn't backed down. Shipwreck had brought up the fact that if the ranger wasn't willing to do parts of the obstacle course, then why should they. Everyone had frozen at the obvious challenge to Beach Head's authority. Even Clutch had been surprised at it. He'd wanted to annoy the ranger, hell, even use it as a way to point out that the man needed help, but the mechanic hadn't intended to go that far.
Beach Head had been pissed. After he'd punished the sailor for insubordination, the ranger had run the course himself to prove that he could do it. The ranger hadn't hesitated when he came to the tunnel crawl. However, the man had looked slightly shaken for a few seconds after he'd exited it.
The ranger had quickly recovered however and had finished the course with his usual speed and efficiency.
Clutch heard a large bang, which was followed by female swearing. He guessed that Cover Girl had kicked something out of frustration. The swearing grew louder as she headed in his direction. The mechanic groaned softly. He didn't really feel like dealing with a pissed Courtney Kreiger at the moment.
"I thought you were working on one of the engines," she said sharply, stalking over to him. Clutch looked at her cautiously. The woman was still spoiling for a fight.
"I finished it," the mechanic answered quietly. "I came back here to work on the order forms for the new parts we need." Cover Girl gave a derisive snort.
"Or you're hiding," she said angrily, guessing correctly that he'd overheard the argument. "What's the matter, don't want to own up to being a bigot?"
Clutch didn't answer. The nauseous feeling in his stomach grew. The female tank driver gave another disgusted snort when he didn't reply.
"Stark and Rhodes have only known them about a week," she told him irately. "And they're treating Beach and Lifeline better than you guys are. How many years have you known them?"
The mechanic still didn't answer. She spun on her heels and prepared to stalk away.
"You know why I joined the military?" he suddenly asked. She looked over at him and gave him an impatient look.
"To work on trucks and chase girls?" she sneered. Clutch winced slightly, stung by it. He supposed he deserved it, as that was the impression he usually gave.
"You know I'm Jewish," he said quietly, staring at the clipboard in his hand. "My grandma was at Auswitch. Her brother and parents died at Birkenau." He heard the woman give a slight hiss.
"I'm sorry," she said awkwardly. "I didn't know." Clutch shrugged uncomfortably.
"I joined the military so I could help prevent something like that from happening again," he admitted. "Except…it is happening again, isn't it?" he asked quietly. "And what the hell have I been doing?"
There was a long silence. He heard Cover Girl sigh as she walked over to him. She hesitated a moment before placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You of all people should have known better," she told him. "You should have recognized what was going on, instead…"
"Instead I fell into the trap," Clutch said miserably. "I listened to bigoted propaganda and believed it. I'm no better than the assholes that persecuted people like my grandma."
"That's not true," Courtney said after a moment. "You're better than them. Even though you supported registration, I could tell that you didn't actually want to hurt anyone."
"Didn't I?" Clutch asked. "I was stupid. I was being naïve when I thought that mutant registration was a good thing. I even thought that most mutants were dangerous and needed to be controlled. How's that any different than the Nazis who thought that about people like me?"
Courtney gave his shoulder a slight squeeze before taking the clipboard out of his hand. She seemed much calmer than she'd been a few minutes ago.
"I'm sorry," Clutch said quietly. "I'm such an ass."
"I'm not the one you should apologize to," Cover Girl told him. Clutch sighed deeply at that, knowing that she was right.
"I know," he told her.
"Beach Head's going on leave tomorrow morning," Courtney said. "And Lifeline's leaving for his on Monday. If you want to apologize, you should do it before they leave."
The tank driver walked away from him, taking the clipboard with her. Clutch continued to sit for a long time, lost in his thoughts.
Time: 06: 07 Zulu; 10:07 local time, Friday
Location: GI Joe Pit
Lifeline politely stood next to Beach Head, waiting for the introductions to begin. He and several Joes were lined up next to Flint as Duke spoke with Captain America. Next to the legendary WWII hero, Tony Stark stood with several other Avengers.
The two groups eyed each other curiously.
"All right boys and girls, time for introductions," Tony Stark suddenly said, drawing all of the attention to himself. Captain America and Duke both sent the man a stern 'look', which the billionaire promptly ignored.
"Bout time," Beach Head growled. "Ah ain't got all day to stand around." Nearby, Miss Marvel gave a nod of agreement. Tony grinned as he ignored the very open glares that Duke and Captain America were sending his way.
"What Beach said," Iron Man said. Ever the social butterfly, he began pull some of his fellow Avengers out of line and push them towards the Joes.
"Beach?" Miss Marvel asked dryly, eying the ranger. "What kind of name is that?"
"Beach Head," the ranger in question snarled. "You got a problem with that Marvel?" Miss Marvel crossed her arms and glared over at Wayne Sneeden.
"Beach Head?" she asked. "Why…"
"Cause he's the damn beach head Ma'am," Wetsuit said. "He leads and we follow." The female Avenger thought about that for a moment before smirking.
"And here I thought it was because you're full of hot air," Marvel said. "I guess not." Beach Head glared at her a long moment before Lifeline saw the telltale smirk underneath the balaclava.
"Nah…that's Flint," the ranger told her. "Got to watch those dang warrant officers."
That comment elicited a curse and a threat from Flint, which Beach Head brushed off. Miss Marvel continued to smirk as she offered a hand to the ranger.
"Sounds like Quicksilver," she noted. "Who, by the way, couldn't make it today," she added grumpily. "He complains about having so much damn time on his hands…"
"I said I'm sorry, okay?" the Scarlett Witch sighed. She'd been shaking hands with Lady Jaye and making small talk. "My brother doesn't mean to be jerk." Miss Marvel gave a derisive snort.
"Of course he doesn't," she replied. "Being an arrogant jerk comes naturally to him." The Scarlett Witch bit her lip and sent the taller woman an irritated look, but said nothing else. Lifeline rolled his eyes. He could already tell that Carol Danvers shared a stubborn and ornery streak with Wayne Sneeden.
Edwin ignored some of the small talk as he looked over the small group. Many of the Avengers had been busy, but besides Stark and Rhodes, several had been able to come. Captain America, Miss Marvel, the Scarlett Witch, Thor, Luke Cage, and Spiderwoman politely stood around and spoke with the Joes who were temporarily off duty.
Lifeline gave a start when Tony Stark slung an arm around one of his shoulders. The billionaire grinned at the perplexed look on the medic's face.
"Come on Lifeline…you've got to meet Thor. I think you guys will find a lot in common," he said. Ed doubted that, but he let Tony lead him towards the Norse god. Of course, the medic didn't really consider the Avenger to be a 'god,' but he kept all of these things to himself.
"Thor, Lifeline," Tony said, "Lifeline…Thor. I'm sure you two remember each other." Lifeline looked up into the face of a taller, heavier built man. A pair of blue eyes peered curiously down at him. The medic had fought alongside him against the sentinels, but hadn't been formally introduced.
"Nice to meet you," the medic said. "Thanks for your help against the sentinels." He offered the Norse god his hand and was somewhat surprised by the man's strong grip. Edwin automatically strengthened his grip, not used to shaking hands with someone of comparable strength. Thor's face broke into a grin when he recognized the doctor.
"Lifeline's a doctor," Iron Man added. "And a mutant. He and Beach Head are going to train at Professor Xavier's school for about a month."
"Tis a pleasure," Thor said, still grinning. "I have a…friend...named Donald Blake. He's a doctor too. Perhaps you can meet him sometime."
"Uh…okay," Lifeline told him, having no idea that Thor was referring to himself. Iron Man grinned as he left the two of them and walked over to where Gung Ho, Jinx, Cross Country, and Luke Cage were talking. The medic stepped out of the way as Scarlett and Snake Eyes shook hands with the hulking Asgardian. Scarlett grinned slightly as she looked at Lifeline and Thor.
"By the way Thor," Scarlett said slyly. "Snake Eyes and I are in charge of teaching hand to hand combat for the Joes." Thor's eyes lit up at that. The red haired sergeant flashed an innocent grin at the medic, which sent a warning of impending doom up his spine.
"Unfortunately, Lifeline's powers prevent us from fully testing his combat skills," Scarlett added evilly. "It makes it difficult for us to tell which areas he needs to work on."
"I'm a pacifist…" the medic started to say, but was ignored when Snake Eyes moved slightly in front of him. The medic gaped at the two martial arts instructors, trying to think of a way to stop their evil plot.
"Ah, what a fortunate encounter," Thor said brightly. "I'd be happy to spar with your doctor." Lifeline inwardly swore at Scarlett and Snake Eyes. The two Joes ignored him as they arranged for Thor to meet them around 15:00 so he could help the medic with hand to hand practice. Lifeline scowled darkly at Scarlett when Thor finally left to speak with some of the other Joes.
"Don't look at me like that," she told him sternly. "You need it."
Lifeline tried not to sulk too much as he shook hands with the Scarlett Witch.
Time: 07:15 Zulu; 11:15 local time, Friday
Location: GI Joe Pit
"Rhodes will make a good greenshirt," Captain America said, sitting at the same table as Hawk, Duke, Flint, and Beach Head.
"He already is a good greenshirt," Beach Head corrected. The Avenger gave him a surprised look, but didn't say anything.
The ranger eyed the other man carefully, trying to get a sense of his character. He was seated close enough that he could feel around a bit in the Avenger's mind. Steve Rogers had a reputation, true, but Wayne Sneeden would rather judge for himself what kind of man Captain America was.
"I understand that Stark is doing PT later today," Duke said. "Is that wise?"
"I wouldn't let him do it if I didn't think it wasn't," Beach Head replied. It was true that he was worried about Tony's health, but it was also the man's own choice. The ranger was confident that between himself and Lifeline, they could stop the Avenger's PT session before it became a major health issue.
Besides, Tony Stark honestly wanted to see what his limits were and to prove himself as a capable fighter. Beach Head respected that. If the billionaire wanted a chance to show that he would work hard, then the ranger wasn't going to deny him that opportunity.
"Tony's not a soldier," Captain America pointed out. "Physical training is good for him, but he's not going to be able to handle a PT session." Thought, but unsaid, were also certain doubts about Tony Stark's credentials as a 'hero'. Beach Head debated about letting it slide, but he decided to call the man out on it.
"You don't think he's doing this for a good reason?" the ranger asked carefully. Duke, Flint, and Hawk exchanged looks, clearly recognizing the fact that the discussion might suddenly turn ugly.
"Tony's an Avenger because he likes to fight the good fight," Captain America answered honestly. "But he's addicted to the attention and the adrenaline rush. He wants to help people, sure…he wouldn't donate money to charity and risk his life if he didn't…but his company always comes first. He'd rather protect his weapons than people sometimes. Tony's lived in his ivory tower so long that he doesn't really know how the real world operates. "
"Is that so?" the ranger drawled. The three Joes picked up on the hint of anger in his voice. The lone Avenger didn't. "I hate to point this out Rogers, but if Tony didn't 'protect' his weapons, a lot of people would get hurt."
"I've known Tony a lot longer than you," Steve Rogers pointed out. "He's a good man, but he's got his flaws."
"So do most of us," the ranger retorted. "I don't care if you've known him longer than me…Tony's not like that. Maybe he was before I met him, but that's not the man I've seen."
"That'll do Beach Head," Hawk thought. The general was giving him a stern, even if sympathetic look. His commanding officer understood that he wanted to defend Stark, but didn't want it to escalate into a fight.
"You've only known him a little over a week," Captain America pointed out. "You don't get to know a person in that short amount of time. I'm not bashing Tony…I'm just pointing out the truth. He's still an attention loving playboy, even if he means well."
Beach Head glared at the Avenger, anger boiling in his chest. He decided at that moment that he didn't like Rogers. The man was too self-righteous for his own good. Wayne could also tell that Rogers couldn't understand why the ranger wouldn't agree with him.
The ranger seriously considered punching the man.
"Drop it Wayne," Hawk ordered silently. "I know you're angry, but drop it for now."
Out of respect for his commanding officer as well as the chain of command, Beach Head complied. However, that didn't prevent him from glowering at Captain America for the remainder of the meeting.
Time: 07:41 Zulu; 11:41 local time, Friday
Location: GI Joe Pit
Dusty gaped as he eyed the blonde haired bombshell walking down the hall. A scarlet sash adorned her very nice hips while a mask partially covered her face. The woman in question was talking with Lady Jaye and Cover Girl. Miss Marvel ignored the staring desert trooper as she walked by, deep in conversation.
"You're letting flies in Dusty," Rock 'n Roll grinned. The desert trooper closed his mouth, but continued to gaze after the Avenger striding down the hallway. Rock' n Roll and Tunnel Rat shared a knowing smirk before the former elbowed Dusty in the side.
"Looks like our boy here is love-struck," the blonde grinned. Tunnel Rat slung an arm playfully around Dusty's neck.
"Aww…" Tunnel Rat cooed. "Ain't it cute?"
"First it was Cover Girl…then it was Jinx, and now it's Miss Marvel," Rock 'n Roll laughed. "You're a glutton for punishment Dusty…that girl could crush you like a pancake."
"I was just looking," Dusty told them sheepishly. "She's gorgeous…and strong. That's the best kind of combination." The two other men laughed. Rock 'n Roll poked the desert ranger in the head while Tunnel Rat began to concoct elaborate love poetry.
"My dearest Miss Marvel," the Joe said solemnly, holding his hands over his heart. "How I doth wish to kiss your cheery red lips, though I just be a humble refrigerator repair man…"
Dusty kicked Tunnel Rat in the shin. If Miss Marvel was anything like Lifeline, she might have good hearing. The last thing he wanted the woman to hear was fake love poetry addressed to her.
"I was just looking," Dusty retorted. "There's nothing wrong with looking." The other two men merely shook their heads at him and walked away to do other duties, still grinning. The desert trooper glared after them, though it was hardly effective.
He cast one last dreamy look after the departing Miss Marvel before continuing on towards his original destination.
Time: 09:30 Zulu; 13:30 local time, Friday
Location: GI Joe Pit
Iron Man swallowed the nervousness that was building in his stomach. It was time for the greenshirts' PT session and word had quickly spread that Tony Stark intended to try it. Rhodey's involvement in PT had drawn some curiosity, but when the Joes heard that Tony was going to do it, it had immediately become a spectator event.
To make matters worse, Tony had forgotten that his fellow Avengers were going to be there when he'd asked Beach Head for permission to take part in PT.
He hid a groan when he a saw a large banner with the words 'Farewell Tony Stark, We Hardly Knew Thee' draped across one of the Joes' HAVOC vehicles. Off duty Joes had taken positions around the obstacle course. Miss Marvel was seated next to Cover Girl on top of the Wolverine while the other Avengers were mixed in with the Joes.
As if that wasn't enough, Nick Fury was standing next to General Hawk and puffing on one of his damned cigars.
Rhodey gave him a sympathetic look. The Marine had tried to talk him out of doing PT earlier, but now it was too late for Tony to back out without looking like an idiot. Even if it wasn't, Tony didn't want to risk losing the rapport he'd established with Beach Head if he acted like a coward.
"Alright maggots," Beach Head barked, bringing their attention to himself. "This ain't a damned carnival." The ranger pointedly glared at the onlookers, warning them to keep quiet. Tony pushed down another twinge of nervousness. What the hell had he gotten himself into?
"Excuse me, but I'd like to join," a new voice said. Tony felt his heart sinking as Captain America walked up to the ranger. Beach Head glared at the Avenger, clearly unhappy with being interrupted.
"You want to join PT," the ranger stated dryly. Tony hid a cringe. He hadn't known the man very long, but he'd interacted with Beach Head enough to know when he was irritated. If Steve Rogers caught on, he didn't show it.
"I want to see what kind of training these fine men and women undergo," Captain America told him matter of factly. "And I'd like to see how I measure up."
The greenshirts exchanged looks. A couple seemed awestruck or nervous, but most of them seemed amused. Tony, for his own part, felt the rest of what little confidence he had left drop. He was already going to look like a fool. Steve was only going to make it worse.
Tony gave a start when he realized that Beach Head was looking straight at him. The ranger caught his eye for a moment before looking back at the other Avenger.
"Fine…" the ranger answered curtly, "Get in line with the other maggots." A couple of greenshirts snickered at the surprised look on Captain America's face. The Avenger saluted the sergeant major and joined the greenshirts.
"Higgins, Rhodes, Suwolitz…" the ranger bellowed, "Get your asses ready. One, two, three…go!" The three greenshirts took off through the obstacle course. Tony watched as Rhodey climbed up a wooden tower and rappelled down the other side. One of the greenshirts scrambled underneath some wire and came back up covered with mud.
It was soon Tony's turn. The billionaire was grateful that Beach Head had called him before Captain America. He took off running through the course and jumped up to grab a rope. Tony swung across to the other platform, but missed landing. All of the greenshirts so far had easily landed on the platform on the first try. Tony gritted his teeth and swung back over to the opposite platform. He jumped and landed painfully on it. He scrambled to his feet and took off for the next challenge.
"Move it Stark!" Beach Head bellowed. "What the hell are you doing? Move your damned feet!"
Tony grimaced as he reached the wooden tower. He climbed up as fast as he could, ignoring the fact that he'd fallen well behind the two greenshirts who'd started out with him. The ranger was suddenly next to the tower, screaming his lungs out at the Avenger.
He rappelled down the other side of the tower, grateful for the crash course that Rhodey had given him the night before.
"Ignore everyone Tony," he suddenly heard in his head. Beach Head was still bellowing at him, but the ranger was close enough to be using his telepathy at the same time.
"Just concentrate on the course, nothing else," the ranger added.
Tony Stark dove underneath some strung barbed wire. As he was trying to crawl underneath of it, his borrowed uniform became snagged on it. The billionaire struggled to free himself and somehow ended up making it worse.
"Oh for Gawd's sake!" The ranger yelled. "Gawd dammit Stark!" Beach Head bent down and untangled the struggling Avenger. Face flushing, Tony crawled away from the wire and got to his feet. He sloshed his way through the rest of the obstacle course, heart beating painfully in his chest.
Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Tony finished the course completely soaked and covered with mud. Beach Head was immediately screaming at him again and the billionaire found himself doing pushups. After barely pumping out fifty, the Avenger shakily got to his feet and tried to catch his breath.
Tony watched as Steve Rogers took his turn on the obstacle course. The WWII veteran easily cleared all of the obstacles and finished the course in record time, with only a minimum amount of mud. However, Beach Head didn't seem to be at all impressed. Instead, he bellowed at the Avenger and soon had Captain America doing one hundred pushups.
Very soon, too soon in Tony's opinion, it was his turn to run the course again. His body shook from exhaustion and the billionaire did his best not to collapse right there. His heart continued to beat painfully, which didn't seem to go unnoticed by either Beach Head or Lifeline.
"I don't know if you should let him do it again," the medic told the ranger, suddenly standing next to Tony. "His heart's not sounding great." Beach Head studied Iron Man for a long moment.
"What do you think Stark?" he drawled. "It's your call."
Tony was fully aware that all eyes were on him. He wouldn't drop out. Iron Man didn't care if he felt like he was going to die right then and there. He'd promised Beach Head that he'd give him everything he had.
"I'm fine," Tony said firmly. "I'm not going to quit." The ranger gave a short nod of approval. Lifeline, on the other hand, gave Beach Head a stern look of disapproval.
"His call Ed," Beach Head told the medic. "I'll stop him halfway through if we need to...if he even makes it that far. This'll be his last time through the course." Lifeline finally sighed and stepped back.
Beach Head blew the whistle again. Tony scrambled back through the obstacle course. This time around, he managed to swing the rope and land on the platform on the first try. When his feet touched the wooden planks, a cheer erupted from some of the Joes.
"Come on Stark, keep it up!" Someone yelled, probably a Joe since he didn't recognize the voice.
Tony felt himself stagger as he sloshed through a pit of mud, but he caught himself. A few seconds later, however, he tripped over a hidden wire and went face first into the mud. He struggled to his feet, only to fall again.
"Move it Stark!" Beach Head bellowed. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Tony Stark wondered how the ranger was capable of long bouts of screaming without losing his voice.
Tony slowly made his way through a short tunnel, which was also halfway buried in muddy water. The Avenger barely made it through half of the course before his body collapsed from the strain. The billionaire managed to struggle to his feet, which elicited a roar of approval from the watching Joes.
He made it about ten feet before collapsing again. Tony struggled to get up, but his exhausted muscles refused to move. A moment later, a pair of muddy, military boots stopped in front of his face. The Avenger looked up to see a burly, smelly ranger looking down at him.
"Well I'll say this for you Stark," Beach Head drawled loudly. "You've got heart." Tony looked up, too exhausted to even see straight. His heart pounded painfully in his chest. Lifeline bent down next to him and helped him to sit up.
"Heart?" he croaked, wondering if the man was making a bad pun. The ranger smirked underneath his balaclava.
"I've washed out people who could physically do more than you, but gave me less effort," he said. "You gave me one hundred and twenty percent, on top of a bad heart. There're a lot of people who'd have already quit in your position, but you worked until you couldn't work anymore."
Tony looked blurrily over at where Captain America was standing with the greenshirts.
"Don't worry about him," Beach Head said sharply. "You've impressed me more than he has."
"Why?" Tony croaked. The ranger ignored him as he turned to bellow at the watching greenshirts.
"Alright you danged maggots…we've gotta man down in enemy territory. What do you do?"
"We rescue him, sergeant major!" several greenshirts replied. Lifeline shook his head as he laid Tony back down on the ground, content that he wasn't in any immediate danger.
"Figures," the medic told Tony, "He's still found a way to make you useful, even if you don't have the energy to move."
"Well that's good to know," the Avenger answered. "I hate being useless."
The medic sat with him while Beach Head quickly turned Tony's collapse into a learning exercise. A couple of Joes volunteered to provide sniper fire. Before long, several Joes were armed with paint guns and the PT session soon changed into mock battle scenario. The Joe volunteers provided enemy fire while Beach Head divided the greenshirts into squads and armed them each with only three paintball guns and a little ammo.
"Alright," the ranger explained. "You've got a friendly down in enemy territory. A quarter of you are injured and your ammunition is running low. You also have snipers and enemy troops ready to shoot you down."
Tony Stark marveled at the ranger's ability to so quickly come up with an impromptu training lesson. The exhausted man felt himself chuckle slightly as Beach Head forced a couple of Avengers to participate. Spiderwoman and the Scarlett Witch were roped into adding a superhuman element to the battlefield, though with the instructions to hold back with their powers.
"Guess I'd better get out of here," Lifeline said. "I'd hate to ruin things for him…I can't remember the last time I saw Beach this excited." Tony wondered how the medic was able to tell. But then again, the ranger did seem quite a bit perkier than he'd been before.
"Why'd he say that I impressed him more than Cap?" Tony asked. "I don't get it." The medic raised an eyebrow before quirking his lips wryly.
"I'm sure we'll find out," Lifeline answered, though Tony suspected that the medic already knew the reason. "He's been itching for a reason to yell at Captain America."
Tony Stark sighed and continued to lie on the dirty ground, waiting to be 'rescued.' He wondered what it was that the ranger held against Steve Rogers, seeing as they had only met that day. Iron Man and Captain America often had their differences, but they still respected each other and still considered each other friends. It was a somewhat uneasy friendship, but it was a friendship nonetheless.
He watched as a group of greenshirts were sprayed with paintballs. So much for his 'rescue.'
After several false attempts, a trio of greenshirts finally managed to make it to him. However, two of them were hit by paint balls while the third was hit with some of Spiderwoman's webbing. The unfortunate greenshirt struggled against the sticky substance. Lifeline suddenly appeared and ripped the webbing off. The medic then spent the next minute trying to get it off of himself before Tony suggested that he use heated friction to destroy it. The Joe gave him a surprised look before vibrating his arm at a superhuman level. The webbing disintegrated from the heat.
"I never would have thought of that," the medic admitted.
"Good thing you're going to school on Monday," Tony quipped. The medic gave him a wry look before shaking his head. He vanished a moment later and returned to watching on the sidelines. Tony decided that both Beach Head and Lifeline needed lessons in relaxation and humor.
The next group of greenshirts attempted a rescue and this time, one of them managed to pelt a surprised Scarlett Witch in the chest with a yellow paintball.
"One enemy casualty!" Beach Head bellowed. "I said CASUALTY Maximoff!" the ranger yelled, "Get on the damned ground. You're dead!" The astonished Wanda Maximoff dropped to the ground and played dead. Tony tried not to laugh at the fact that the daughter of Magneto had been taken out by a greenshirt. He didn't succeed and a few snickers escaped his mouth.
Eventually, a single greenshirt made it to Tony Stark while his buddies covered him. The man easily slung Tony across his shoulders and made it back to his 'squad.' The group of successful greenshirts retreated safely out of the obstacle course with their injured comrade. Tony was pleased to find that Rhodey was one of the greenshirts in the squad that had rescued him.
A few minutes later, Tony was looking up at a bemused Lifeline, who was surrounded by grinning greenshirts. Rhodey shook his head and seemed on the verge of laughter.
"Damn it Tony," the Marine grinned. "Only you could manage to turn a simple PT upside down without trying."
"Give credit where it's due," Tony answered. "It was all Beach." He grinned when he saw the ranger in question looking down at him, with his arms folded across his chest.
"He just wanted me for my body," the billionaire added cheerfully. As if on cue, Rhodey, Lifeline, and Beach Head somehow managed to all roll their eyes at the same time. Tony burst out laughing, which of course made his chest hurt even worse.
"Tony…I swear…" Beach Head growled. "You're a gawd damned pain in the ass."
"But I've got heart, right?" Tony asked. The ranger gave him an amused look.
"Damned straight," the ranger told him. "Now get your ass to the infirmary before Lifeline has an aneurism. He's a damned mother hen if he doesn't get his way."
Tony stood up shakily and leaned on Rhodey for support. The Marine grinned as he helped his friend towards the GI Joe infirmary. Lifeline walked on his other side, gently berating him for doing something as stupid as PT when he had a bad heart.
A strong hand suddenly clapped down on Tony's shoulder. A burly looking GI Joe grinned at him. Tony later found out that his name was Gung Ho.
"Good job Stark," the Marine told him.
"Thanks," Tony replied. The Joe nodded again before letting Lifeline and Rhodey escort him to the infirmary. As he made his way tiredly towards their destination, his heart felt surprisingly light.
The Avenger couldn't help but feel just a little bit proud of himself.
Time: 10:27 Zulu; 14:27 local time, Friday
Location: GI Joe Pit
Captain America felt slightly puzzled as he watched Tony make his way towards the infirmary. He had found the greenshirts' PT to be too easy. However, as a veteran soldier, he also recognized that the difficulty level of the course was far above that of a normal Special Forces unit.
Steve Rogers couldn't figure out the Joes…hell, even the greenshirts. He was used to soldiers staring awestruck at him as a living legend, as a poster boy of patriotism even. In the GI Joe Pit, only a few soldiers had done that. The rest, including every single Joe and the majority of greenshirts, treated him politely and with mild curiosity. Most of them were also reserved towards him and the other Avengers.
He was grateful for that, actually. It was nice to meet people who'd rather judge him as a person based on their observations and not on his reputation.
Even so, he'd been surprised at how the skeptical Joes had turned from expecting Tony to fail miserably, to cheering him on, even when he still failed miserably. Captain America admittedly was a bit proud of Tony for making it as far as he did and truthfully it was farther than he had expected.
"Rogers," a gruff voice said. Captain America turned around to see a foul smelling ranger glaring at him. Beach Head was another source of confusion for him. He'd met plenty of ornery and grumpy drill leaders in his life, but this particular ranger seemed to dislike him.
Fine, Steve Rogers didn't a problem with that. He was human after all and could hardly expect that he'd get along with everyone. Even so, he couldn't understand what he'd done to irritate the man. The only thing that came to mind was what he'd said about Tony earlier. Captain America wasn't sure how the man could be angry about that. After all, everything he'd said was the truth.
"What's your problem with me?" Captain America finally asked. He hadn't planned on saying anything, but it was bothering him more than he'd care to admit.
"My problem is that you don't have faith in your teammates," the ranger answered.
"What…is this about Tony again?" Steve Rogers asked, surprised. The other man growled slightly before answering.
"No," Beach Head replied, still glaring. Captain America didn't quite buy it.
"Or is it because your PT course didn't challenge me?" he guessed. The other man's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I suppose it wasn't a challenge for someone who didn't get to where he is through hard work," the ranger replied sardonically. Steve Rogers gaped at him, astonished at the accusation.
"What?" he asked in shock.
"Every person on this team is where he or she is because of hard work and what they were born with," the ranger replied. "Not because of some magic serum." Captain America continued to gape at the man. The ranger was upset because of the physical boost he'd received from the super soldier serum?
"That serum enabled me to fight the Nazis," Captain America replied stiffly. "Because of that, I was able to save lives…"
"Ah ain't question' that," the ranger replied. "You've done our country a great service and you're a good soldier, but that don't change the fact that every person here has busted their chops to get to where they're at. Tony busted his ass out there because he wanted to give his all, not because he wanted to show off. "
So this was about Tony.
Captain America crossed his arms and glared at the army ranger. He as an extremely patient man, but his patience was starting to wear thin. Beach Head seemed to be taking his comments on Tony, as well as his finding the PT course a cakewalk, as a personal insult.
"The Avengers and GI Joe will be working together," the Avenger said diplomatically. "I suggest that we try to get along."
The ranger's glare intensified. Captain America hid a sigh. He honestly had no idea how to deal with the man. Beach Head was so damned prickly that it was like trying to extend an olive branch to an angry grizzly bear.
A sudden shadow fell over them and the two men looked up to see Miss Marvel floating above them. The woman landed and crossed her arms.
"As amusing as it would be to watch you both fight," the Avenger said dryly. "I don't think it would do much to build a strong working relationship between our two groups."
"I don't want to fight," Steve Rogers replied. "He's the one getting pissy." The ranger stepped towards him, but Carol Danvers moved between them.
"Unless the two of you want to join Tony in the infirmary, I suggest that you stop acting like a couple of testosterone charged males," she replied. "Oh wait…"
"Let it go Beach," one of the Joes said, a desert trooper by the looks of it. He and another Joe had decided to get involved. "It ain't worth it." Beach Head scowled a long moment before he backed down slightly.
"Yer right…it ain't worth it," the ranger finally said. Beach Head continued to glare at him and Captain America glared back.
"The Joes are having hand to hand practice at 15:00," the ranger finally said. "Yer welcome to join if you want."
"I'll be there," Steve replied. He was curious to see the Joes training anyway, plus he figured that the irate sergeant major wanted an excuse to have a go at him. Beach Head nodded once before turning around to stalk off.
"Friendly man," Captain America muttered.
"Nah…he's just Beach," one of the Joes answered. "You'll get used to him."
Captain America somehow doubted it.
Time: 11:06 Zulu; 15:06 local time, Friday
Location: GI Joe Pit
Snake Eyes sighed as all eyes watched the pacifist and the Norse god on the parade deck. They should have all been down in the dojo for hand to hand training and this certainly shouldn't be a spectator event. However, the ninja's common sense had kicked in and told him that having two superpowerful men sparring in the Pit dojo was bound to bring trouble.
To save them all the headache, he'd ordered the two men to take the fight outside. This of course meant that he or Scarlett needed to go outside to supervise…and of course both of them wanted to go. None of the other Joes wanted to miss it either. After watching Tony Stark struggle through PT, his teammates were equally interested in watching Lifeline and Thor spar.
Tensions between Beach Head and Captain America had also quickly become common knowledge. Many Joes, and some Avengers apparently, were looking forward to seeing the two men fight. Snake Eyes, however, was going to have none of that. They were going to spar to train, not to beat the living hell out of each other.
"Really, I'm a pacifist…a noncombatant," Lifeline tried to explain again. The Norse god of thunder only gave him a confused look, not quite comprehending.
"But you're in a military unit," Thor pointed out. "And yee fought against the sentinels."
"They weren't living creatures," the medic pointed out. If it was possible, the Avenger looked even more confused.
"Yee wouldn't raise a hand against a fiend attacking you or some other victim?" Thor asked. "Are yee not participating in that vile act if you do nothing?"
Lifeline sighed, apparently realizing that he wasn't getting his point across. Snake Eyes, for his own part, felt that the Avenger had raised a valid point. Of course, the medic was too stubborn to listen to reason.
*You will practice self-defense if nothing else,* Snake Eyes signed. *You will spar as you always have, only this time Thor will be the judge on your defenses.* As much as it irked him, the ninja realized that he wouldn't be able to keep up with their speed once they began fighting.
He also suspected that the medic's self-defense needed a lot of work. It was true he'd trained years now in Aikido and other methods, but he'd always had the advantage of speed. He'd never actually practiced it on an opponent who was about as fast and strong as he was. Scarlett had spoken with Thor about it earlier, so the man knew what to look out for.
*Begin,* Snake Eyes signed. A second later, there was a crack of noise, followed by the sight of Lifeline flying backwards. The ninja realized that Thor had gotten the first hit in and the medic hadn't been able to block it. Lifeline brought himself to a halt before he crashed through a guard shack. Thor was on him an instant later and the medic landed hard on his back. The ground shook slightly from the impact.
It had barely lasted three seconds.
"Your defenses are too open," Snake Eyes heard the Norse god say. "You should have been able to block those." Lifeline sighed slightly as he stood back up. There was a blur and suddenly Thor was thrown away from the medic. Knowing that the medic would never attack and judging from way the other man was thrown, Snake Eyes guessed that Thor must have attacked first, only to have the energy of that attack redirected away from the medic's body.
It was a classic Aikido move. The ninja was pleased that the medic was able to utilize some of his training against Thor.
There was another blur, Snake Eyes silently cursed his inability to follow the fight, and Lifeline was again on the ground. The Norse god helped the medic to stand up and then immediately began to go over what he should have done to defend himself.
The ninja nodded, satisfied that he'd finally found a training partner for the medic. He intended to speak with Miss Marvel as well about the possibility of her helping Lifeline with his training.
He and Scarlett eventually shooed the Joes back down to the dojo. Snake Eyes stayed up on the parade grounds to supervise as best as he could.
Time: 13:23 Zulu; 17:23 local time, Friday
Location: GI Joe Pit
The mess hall was crowded more than usual when Beach Head finally walked into it. Roadblock was cooking that night, which always attracted a large crowd anyway. The visiting Avengers had also drawn fascinated soldiers down for dinner. Beach Head was fairly certain that every single person who happened to be off duty in the Pit had crammed themselves into the mess hall.
Wayne grumbled to himself as he looked at the mass of people, still a bit irritated that he hadn't been allowed to spar with Rogers. On the bright side, however, he'd had the pleasure of watching Captain America lose his sparring matches against Jinx and Scarlett.
Sure, the Avenger had won his other matches. Beach Head gave him that, the man was an excellent fighter. However, he was insufferably pleased that the two women were better.
Beach Head looked around for Lifeline. The medic was talking with Psyche Out and Jinx at the far end of the room. As he looked around, he spotted Tony and Rhodey at a table with Mainframe, Firewall, and several greenshirts. He also couldn't help but notice that Cover Girl was sitting with Pepper Potts, Miss Marvel, and Scarlett instead of Shipwreck.
Wayne felt his stomach rumble when he caught a whiff of Roadblock's chicken parmesan. He'd been waiting all day for this.
Halfway across the room, Beach Head suddenly realized how suffocating the huge room was. The mass of bodies pressed in at all sides, threatening to smother him. Emotions and thoughts also swirled around him and made him feel as if he were caught in a giant tidal wave.
His appetite vanished as a sudden sensation of nausea replaced it. Wayne felt his heart rate speed up as the first beads of sweat began to roll down his neck. He couldn't breathe.
A streak of panic ran through him. Beach Head searched wildly for the exit. He was about to have another panic attack. He had to get out before that happened. The ranger couldn't bear the thought of losing it in the middle of the mess hall.
Wayne headed back towards the entrance, trying to make his way through the crowd without appearing to be panicked. The last thing that he wanted to do was to draw attention to himself. As he tried to escape, the thoughts of passing soldiers floated into his mind.
"Man, I can't believe how Thor…"
"Dammit, I don't want to do guard duty tonight…"
"…best PT session…"
Beach Head tried desperately to block out the minds pressing in on him. Breathing became harder as he avoided walking into a greenshirt, only to accidentally bump against Torpedo. The navy seal cursed a moment as a slightly disoriented Wayne backed away.
"…what's up with him?" the navy seal thought, looking at the ranger in surprise. "Wait…he looks like he's…"
The ranger stepped hastily away from the seal and continued towards the door. He couldn't breathe. The balaclava wasn't helping, but Beach Head didn't want to take it off. If he did, people might notice how terrified he was.
Irritation…Can't wait for Roadblock's…Where the hell is Chuckles…exhaustion, amused…What's Beach Head doing?
Pain. Curiosity. Surprise.
Soldiers continued to mill around the ranger. He was about to push people to the side, propriety be damned, and make a run for the door, but Wayne stopped himself at the last moment. He couldn't…he wouldn't…
Beach Head stood frozen, unable to move another inch. His chest hurt as his lungs gasped for air. He was starting to feel very light headed and his vision became blurry. Why the hell was it so difficult to think? He was drowning in an ocean of people.
A strong hand suddenly gripped his left arm and began to steer him towards the door. The other hand rested on his back. Wayne felt his legs stumble slightly as he allowed himself to be guided.
"Hey, is he okay?" someone asked. The voice sounded distant, as if his ears were stuffed full of cotton.
Someone murmured a reply, which Beach Head didn't understand. He wasn't really sure who the person was, as the minds in the room had since merged together, making it impossible for the disoriented ranger to distinguish them.
People began to step out of the way as the ranger neared the exit. His blurred vision briefly went black and Wayne felt his legs wobble. The hands around his arm and back tightened and continued to pull the ranger forward.
Finally, Beach Head was walking through the mess hall entrance and down the hall. It began to get a little easier to breathe as he got further from the mass of people.
"Gonna throw up," he groaned. The hands, which he now realized belonged to Leatherneck, guided him towards a trashcan. Beach Head pulled the balaclava off just in time to retch into the trash bin. Sweat poured down his face as his body shook slightly. The ranger gripped the trash can until the trembling finally stopped.
"How is he?" Wild Bill asked. The Texan had followed the two men out of the mess hall, as had Law and Breaker. Beach Head's hearing still felt as if the voices were distant, though not so much they'd been a minute before.
"How do you think he looks?" Leatherneck asked sharply, still supporting the ranger. "He almost passed out and he just now threw up."
"I'll get him some water," Beach Head heard Breaker say. "You'd better have him sit down."
"Not here," Wayne said weakly. "Don't want people…" He didn't finish. The ranger was going to say that he didn't want people to stare at him, but it was probably already too late for that.
"You're sitting down," Leatherneck said firmly. The ranger still felt too weak to resist and the Marine knew that. Wayne sat down on the floor and leaned back against the wall. A wave of humiliation washed through him. The Marine knelt down next to him and Wayne could feel the concern radiating from his mind. He was somewhat surprised that it was Leatherneck who had helped him, as the man had still seemed to be irritated with him.
Beach Head groaned internally when he felt Psyche Out, Lifeline, and Hawk heading in his direction.
Breaker returned about a minute later with a glass of water. The ranger took it and sipped the liquid, surprised at how dry his throat was. He was halfway through the glass of water when the three men finally appeared.
General Hawk studied him a long moment before reaching a hand down towards the ranger.
"Come on son; let's take a walk…just you, me, and Psyche Out."
The ranger sighed as he let the general help him back up. Leatherneck squeezed his shoulder a moment before stepping back. Beach Head reluctantly followed the general and the psychologist down the hallway.
They walked for a while without saying anything. Now much calmer than he'd been before, Wayne thought back on what had happened. He'd tried his hardest to get out without drawing attention to himself, but he'd still managed to fail. Beach Head tried to feel around in Hawk and Psyche Out's minds to find out what he'd done. To his immense relief, he hadn't lost much control over his telekinesis. The only thing he'd actually done was break a few dishes.
Of greater embarrassment, however, was that he'd apparently lashed out telepathically. Beach Head cringed when he realized that at least a quarter of the mess hall had actually felt him panicking.
General Hawk opened the door to a stairwell and paused a moment to look at him. Beach Head couldn't quite meet his gaze and the general sighed. They walked in silence up the stairs to the top level and exited the Pit.
"You'll meet Psyche Out twice a week during your leave," the general finally said. "I've already spoken with Professor Xavier about it." Beach Head nodded, knowing that he had no choice in the matter.
"I'm sorry sir," the ranger told him. Wayne wasn't sure when he'd felt as much shame as he did now. He'd been causing Hawk nothing but trouble lately.
"You have nothing to apologize for," he heard Hawk think. "I just want to know what's wrong so we can fix it."
"I…don't know what's wrong," Beach Head told him. It wasn't quite the truth. He'd been having nightmares for the last week about sentinels and prison camps.
"Something triggered this," Psyche Out said. "We can't move forward on this until we know what it is." Beach Head stared down at the near empty glass of water in his hands. The psychologist had tried to pull it out of him before, but the ranger had resisted.
"Wayne," Hawk said. "Talk to Psyche Out."
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Beach Head heard Tony and Ed berating him about not getting help. The ranger thought about resisting, but something inside of him gave in. He didn't want another incident like the mess hall.
"I thought I was going to die," Wayne Sneeden finally admitted. "Or be put in prison. Either way…I wasn't going home." Hawk and Psyche Out exchanged looks.
"Home from what?" the psychologist asked. Beach Head froze slightly as he felt cold, metallic fingers crushing his body.
"One of the sentinels caught me," the ranger said. "It had me in its hands...I've…been having nightmares ever since." It was in the report he and Snake Eyes had turned in, but Beach Head had never mentioned how much it had upset him.
He heard Hawk swear under his breath. A flash of raw anger went through the general. Wayne looked up at him, but the man was staring off in the distance.
"Alright," Hawk finally said. Wayne could still feel the anger inside the man as he patted the ranger on the back. "Now we know and can deal with it. I suggest you get something to eat and talk with Psyche Out for a while."
"I…" Beach Head trailed off. He still didn't feel hungry, or at least hungry enough to show his face in the mess hall again.
"Yes sir," he answered. Hawk nodded his head, knowing his sergeant major too well.
"I'll have Roadblock send something up," the general told him. Wayne pushed down his embarrassment as Hawk walked away. He turned to look at Psyche Out, who was studying him carefully.
"Tell me about these nightmares," the psychologist said. Beach Head hesitated a long moment. If he didn't talk, he'd keep having panic attacks. The embarrassment of talking to a shrink was less than what he risked if he didn't talk.
Beach Head sighed. Slowly, bit by bit, he began to talk about his nightmares. Psyche Out calmly took notes as the ranger began to open up. Wayne only paused when their dinner arrived, delivered by Roadblock himself.
Time: 15:39 Zulu; 19:39 local time, Friday
Location: GI Joe Pit
Clutch gathered up his courage as he neared the den of the beast. He wasn't sure if Beach Head would be in his room or not, but the man was leaving in the morning. It stood to reason that he would be packing.
As he walked down the hall, he saw that the ranger's door was partially open. Clutch walked towards it and tried not to feel like he was walking towards certain death. He had to apologize…he wanted to apologize.
Before Clutch could even knock, the door fully opened to reveal a ranger in the doorway. Beach Head eyed him curiously, but wasn't glaring, which Clutch took as a good sign.
"What do you want?" the ranger asked, a hint of steel in his voice. Clutch tried not to look too uncomfortable as he faced the larger man.
"I'm sorry," the mechanic blurted out. Beach Head looked at him in surprise.
"I…I've said and believed things I shouldn't have," Clutch continued awkwardly. "And I should have known better. I'm sorry."
The ranger didn't say anything for a while. He didn't seem angry, which relieved the mechanic.
"Thank you," Beach Head finally said. The ranger didn't say anything else, nor did he need to say anything else. Clutch stuck out his hand towards his teammate. Beach Head hesitated a moment before shaking it.
"Good luck at Xavier's," the mechanic said. "And try not to kill everyone over there. It might hurt the mutant rights movement." Beach Head snorted at that.
"If they can't survive me, they don't deserve to be called X-Men," the ranger replied. Clutch grinned slightly.
"PT for a month without you," the mechanic said, "It's going to be like a vacation."
"Don't get used to it," Beach Head snarked. "I'll be back."
"I know," Clutch replied. "Hell or high water, you'll be back supervising PT." The ranger smirked when he heard that.
"I have to if I want to keep pogues like you in line," the man said.
"Don't worry, we'll behave without you," Clutch told him. The ranger rolled his eyes as if he didn't believe it. The mechanic laughed.
"Yer a good soldier Clutch," Beach Head told him. "Even though you're annoying as hell."
Clutch grinned again as he said goodbye to the ranger. He felt much better about himself as he walked towards his room for the night.