GI Joe/Marvel universe crossover.
I don't own Marvel or Hasbro.
Silence
Chapter 24: The Battle for the Pit, Part I
Time: 08:18 local time; 16: 18 Zulu; Friday
Location: Cobra Headquarters; Alaska
Cobra Headquarters was a busy place when Wade Wilson woke up that morning. Cobra troopers and vipers were being assembled for an attack on the GI Joe Pit. There had been one last set of debriefings while the organization prepared for deployment. A small insertion team was to infiltrate the military base first to prepare for the main attack.
"You ready for tonight Wilson?" Zartan asked. Deadpool grinned as he gave the Dreadnok leader a thumbs up sign.
"Sure thing boss," the mercenary answered cheerfully. He was always ready for action. The fact that his best friend Weasel was joining Cobra also had him in good spirits. It had been awhile since he'd had a chance to annoy his friend.
"Good," the other man answered. "We're leaving soon, so make sure you're ready." Zartan and Deadpool were both part of the insertion team, as were Zandar, Mystique and the Crimson twins. Zarana was in command of the Dreadnoks for the duration of the mission.
"Okay," Deadpool answered. "I've got some things to take care of first." Zartan nodded and turned his attention back to Zandar. The two brothers were going over the Pit's blueprints for the umpteenth time. The mercenary whistled to himself as he walked towards his private bedroom. Once there, he closed the door and thought for a moment before activating the teleportation device on his belt.
Now it was time to pay a visit to his other boss.
His surroundings blurred and were replaced by a nice living room in New York City. Wade Wilson looked around for the inhabitants, but didn't see anyone. He shrugged his shoulders and walked into a familiar kitchen. After raiding the refrigerator for a beer and a sandwich, he decided to try to find the people he was looking for.
"Anyone home?" Deadpool called out. "It's your favorite, lovable, wisecracking killing machine!"
Several rooms away, he heard a surprised woman call his name. Deadpool followed the sound and stuck his head into the hallway. A beautiful woman with long, brunette hair was smiling at him.
"Hey Sandi, is Alex around?" the mercenary asked. "I need to talk to him."
"He's in his office," Sandi Brandenburg answered. Deadpool gave her a mock salute as he walked down the hallway.
"You're looking as hot as ever," he grinned. "Where's Outlaw?"
"On a contract mission," the woman answered. "She's in Peru."
"Let me know when she gets back," the mercenary said. "We need to play strip poker again."
Sandi swatted his bottom and Wade grinned happily. He was happy to be back at Agency X again. The group was the closest he felt he had to a real 'home'. Unless he was with Siryn. Siryn was always home, no matter where she was. Deadpool wondered for a moment where the red haired mutant was. There were plenty of hot women in the world that he'd love to score with, but she was the only woman that he'd ever loved. Maybe. Wade Wilson still wasn't quite sure if it was love or not. He liked to think that it was.
"Yo, Alex!" Deadpool yelled, barging into an office. A dangerous looking man covered with X scars looked up at him. Lean, well-muscled and Asian, the mercenary was a mutant who'd clashed with Deadpool in the past. Now they were something close to friends, or at least allies. At least…when they weren't trying to kill each other.
The man in question was Alex Hayden, also known as Agent X or Nijo Minamiyori. He currently sat behind a large desk with a cell phone to his ear.
"I'll have to call you back," the other mercenary said into the phone. He looked somewhat annoyed at Wade for interrupting him. "I'll discuss the contract with the agent you wish to hire and call you back with a price estimate." Deadpool waited while Alex ended the call. The other man raised an eyebrow and grinned at him.
"What do you want Deadpool?" Agent X asked. Deadpool flopped down into an armchair, though not before he snatched a candy bar off of the man's desk.
"Cobra's going to attack the GI Joe Pit later today," Wade Wilson answered, his mouth full of chocolate. "They're inserting a small team before the main force attacks." Alex's grin faded into a grim line. The leader of Agency X pulled out a pad of paper and wrote the information down.
"Can you give me more information?" he asked. "Fury will want to know."
Wade told him everything that he knew of, including the exact coordinates of Cobra's main headquarters in Alaska. Cobra Commander had hired him to work for Cobra. Unknown to Cobra Commander, however, was the Nicholas Fury had secretly hired Deadpool to infiltrate the organization. The way Wade saw it, he was getting paid double and getting a chance to play the hero. Deadpool had always wanted to be a hero. For some reason though, he always screwed up every time he tried.
"Tell Fury that Zartan's supposed to kill him," Deadpool added. It wouldn't do to have his client get killed…plus he kind of liked the old geezer anyway.
"I'll let him know…for a price of course," Alex grinned. Deadpool grinned back as well. He didn't expect a businessman like Alex Hadyn, especially a businessman who ran a small team of mercenaries, to do anything else.
"How're things going otherwise?" the other man asked. Deadpool leaned back and propped his feet up on Alex's desk.
"Fine," he answered. "The Dreadnoks are a lot of fun and I don't think anyone suspects I'm there for any other reason than the money and the fighting." Even if they did, there were plenty of mercenaries associated with Cobra that took other contracts when the terrorist organization didn't need them.
"Hmm," Alex Hadyn replied. The two men chatted for a few minutes about Agency X's recent missions. The other man asked Wade about Weasel, who was supposed to join Cobra in a few days. Destro had agreed to let the man join, especially after Wade told the Scotsman that his friend was his weapons supplier as well as a technological genius. He couldn't wait until his friend arrived, as they had cooked up a rather ingenious scheme.
"I've gotta get going," Deadpool finally said. "I don't want anyone to get suspicious or anything." Alex nodded and waved him out of his office. Wade whistled to himself as he walked back out towards the kitchen. He raided the fridge again and said goodbye to Sandi.
Deadpool tried to kiss her too, but she threatened to kick him in the gonads. Even though he had healing factor, Wade decided not to push his luck. The mercenary blew her a kiss and keyed in the coordinates for Cobra Command. He was back in his bedroom again a few seconds later.
Wade found that he'd arrived back just in time. Someone knocked on his door a couple of minutes later and he opened it to find an annoyed Buzzer standing outside.
"So you were in there," the man said. "I've knocked a few times already."
"Sorry Dude," Deadpool apologized. Wade kind of liked Buzzer, so he didn't want the man pissed at him. "I was taking a nap before we left. I need my beauty sleep because let's face it…I'm not very pretty." The Dreadnok seemed to accept the explanation. He shrugged and pointed a thumb behind him.
"Yeah, anyway…want to grab some coffee and donuts before you head off?" he asked. Deadpool grinned as he draped an arm across Buzzer's shoulder.
"Buzzer man…I've always got time for donuts!"
Wade chattered as they walked down to the commissary. He found himself telling Buzzer about his best friend. Deadpool couldn't wait for his buddy to arrive. As soon as Weasel finally showed up, Wade planned to introduce him to the Dreadnoks and then get him drunk. Heck, maybe they could talk Zarana into playing strip poker.
Yep, that sounded like a good plan.
Deadpool cheerfully began to tell the other man about some of his adventures with Weasel, including some of the pranks they had pulled on each other.
"You locked him in a box?" Buzzer suddenly asked in shock. Wade had been recounting how he'd locked his friend in a box as a prank.
"Yeah, he was kinda pissed after that," Deadpool replied. "He wouldn't talk to me for a while. Weasel got over it though." He hoped anyway. In retrospect, maybe locking him in a box filled with sharp, pointy objects hadn't been the most intelligent thing he'd done. It had been funny though, at least to him. Buzzer didn't seem to know if he should laugh or be worried that Deadpool locked his friends into dangerous spaces. The biker finally chose to grin and shake his head.
"You're mental Wade," Buzzer finally said.
"That's what makes me so lovable," Deadpool replied. "I'm insane like Rorschach, except I'm cuter and my witty repertoire is way better."
"Who?" a clueless Buzzer asked.
"Dude…Watchmen," the mercenary replied. The Dreadnok simply looked confused, so Wade dropped it. Of all the nerve, to not have heard of Alan Moore or the Watchmen. Under his breath, Deadpool began to sing softly.
"Rorschach and Deadpool….a nut and a fool…."
Deadpool absolutely loved YouTube. You could find anything on there.
Buzzer didn't ask him what he was singing. The Dreadnok seemed to think that it would be saner not to know. Wade continued to hum the song as they entered the commissary. They chatted for a while as they ate donuts. They mostly talked about women. Deadpool decided to mention his friends Sandi and Outlaw, who liked to play strip poker.
Buzzer's eyes lit up at that news, especially when Wade told him that both women were hot.
"Really?" the Dreadnok asked. He seemed interested in meeting them.
"Yep," Wade replied. "Maybe I'll set up a poker game with them sometime."
The other man grinned at that. Wade decided not to give him any more information on the women, other than the fact they were both mercenaries. He liked Buzzer, but he wasn't going to potentially endanger the girls.
"Hey…is that Tomax or Xamot over there?" Deadpool suddenly asked, catching sight of one of the twins. Buzzer looked over to where Wade was pointing to see one of the men grabbing two cups of coffee.
"Does it matter?" Buzzer asked.
"Sure it does," Wade replied. "I kinda liked Xamot. " The Dreadnok gave him a surprised look. Buzzer seemed almost amused by that statement. The man finally shrugged as he looked back at the Crimson Guardsman.
"I see a scar…it's Xamot," Buzzer answered. Deadpool grinned as he got up from the table and made his way across the cafeteria. He heard the Dreadnok sigh and get up from the table to follow him.
"Yo…Xamot!" Wade shouted, waving his hand. "What's up?"
He watched as Xamot froze a long moment before sighing. He turned around to reluctantly face Wade Wilson. Deadpool, for his own part, cheerfully punched the man's shoulder.
"What do you want?" the other man asked warily. Wade cheerfully ignored the fact that the man looked like he wanted to kill him.
"Are you still pissed that I kidnapped you?" the mercenary asked. Xamot's face darkened slightly, which Wade took as a 'yes.'
"Okay okay…I'm sorry I kidnapped you," Deadpool lied. He wasn't actually sorry at all. "I just wanted you to have fun since you were having a bad day and all."
"Fun?" Xamot asked, irritation coloring his voice. "You kidnapped me, duct taped me to a chair, and forced me to play poker!"
"But you had fun!" Deadpool retorted. "Don't deny it! Besides…you started the fight dude!"
The other man swore at him in French and English. Wade waited for him to get it out of his system. He was half hoping that Xamot would take a swing at him. However, the man didn't to Wade's disappointment. Fighting him had been a lot of fun.
"How's the nose?" Deadpool asked. Like Buzzer, Xamot still had a broken nose from the fight a few days ago. Xamot glared at him a moment before muttering that it was fine.
"What do you want?" Xamot asked again, growing slightly exasperated. Deadpool grinned at him. The man really needed to learn how to loosen up and Wade figured that he was just the man for the job.
"You want to play poker with us again?" Deadpool asked. "I'm putting together another game after we're done playing with the Joes." Both Xamot and Buzzer gave him shocked looks.
"You can't invite…" Buzzer sputtered. Xamot suddenly looked annoyed, though Wade wasn't sure if it was because he had invited him or because Buzzer didn't want him there.
"It's my game," Wade told Buzzer. He fingered one of his knives and the Dreadnok shut up. The mercenary turned his head to look at the still gaping Xamot.
"Look…I promise not to kidnap you this time," Deadpool promised. "But it would be really awesome if you could come. Thrasher and Ripper suck at cards."
"I…" Xamot seemed to be searching for an answer. He seemed frozen in indecision. Seeing as the man hadn't outright rejected the offer, Deadpool decided to keep pushing.
"Come on Dude," Wade urged. "I mean, what'll you do if you don't come? Count money? Though I could totally see you guys as the Uncle Scrooges of Cobra…"
"Tomax and I have a social life," Xamot responded stiffly. "That's not all we do…I mean…we don't spend our free time counting money."
"Uh huh," Buzzer muttered. The Crimson Guardsman glared at the blonde.
"You don't know anything about me," Xamot told him sharply. Buzzer blinked in surprise as he regarded the Corsican. That apparently hadn't been the reply he was anticipating.
"Oh yeah?" Buzzer countered. "Then what do you guys do? Practice being clones?"
"That's not…" Xamot sputtered, his face growing red. "I mean…just because we're twins doesn't mean we're…" he trailed off and there was a long, awkward moment of silence. Deadpool decided that now was his chance. If he didn't hook the man now, he probably wouldn't be able to…especially if Tomax showed up. The other twin seemed to hold a grudge against him for some reason, even though he wasn't the one that Wade had kidnapped.
That was okay though. He would kidnap the other twin next time.
"Come on man," Deadpool told him. "You can't spend all your time hanging around your brother. You've got to do other stuff, be around other people." Xamot's face froze slightly when he said that. Wade didn't recall seeing the twins spend time with anyone else. They both seemed content to only associate with other Cobra members on a purely business level. Wade Wilson wasn't exactly an expert on mental health, but even he knew that people needed to socialize beyond one person.
That's what his psychiatrist said anyway.
"My brother won't like it," Xamot finally replied hesitantly. His voice was a little more subdued than before. Buzzer snorted at that.
"Who cares what Tomax thinks," Buzzer told him. "Do you need his permission to do everything or can you actually think for yourself?"
"Shut up!" Xamot shot back. The blonde Dreadnok smirked to himself and the Corsican glowered at him.
"You can bring him if you want," Deadpool told him. Buzzer looked even unhappier at the prospect of both twins being at their poker game. Xamot, however, actually cracked a faint grin.
"Yeah right…Tomax hates cards. He's too good for them," Xamot replied. "I'll ask him though."
"So you'll come?" Wade asked hopefully. There was a long pause before the other man finally sighed in defeat.
"Fine…I'll come," Xamot finally promised. Deadpool pumped a fist into the air. Hell yes, today was definitely a good day. First Agency X, then Weasel, and now a new addition to the Dreadnoks' poker group.
"Xay," Deadpool grinned, punching the man's shoulder again, "You're not half bad."
"Uh…okay," the other man answered, not knowing what else to say. Xamot still seemed in shock that he'd actually agreed to a poker game of his own volition. The mercenary cheerfully waved goodbye to the Crimson Guardsman as he and Buzzer left the commissary. When they left the huge room, an astonished Buzzer stopped to gape at him.
"You…actually invited Xamot to poker?" Buzzer asked. "And you got him to agree?"
"What can I say?" Wade shrugged. "It's a gift."
"Am I dreaming?" the Dreadnok asked, still somewhat in shock. Deadpool decided to be helpful by smacking him in the head. Buzzer yelped as he stepped away from the mercenary and held his now aching head. The Englishman swore at him.
"Nope…I guess you're not dreaming," Deadpool told him.
"You're mental," Buzzer said, shaking his head. "Poker…with Xamot…I think I fell down a god damned rabbit hole. And he actually agreed!"
"Should be fun," Wade said cheerfully. "He wasn't half bad the last time he played with us."
Buzzer continued to shake his head and mutter under his breath as they headed back to the Dreadnoks' section. The blonde finally lapsed into silence for a few minutes. To Wade's surprise, he suddenly began to snicker to himself.
"What's so funny?" the mercenary asked.
"Everything. Life is just one big cosmic joke," Buzzer said. "Didn't you know that?"
"Whatever man," Deadpool replied, rolling his eyes.
The two men walked past several Cobra troopers, who were checking their weapons. Neither man realized that one particular trooper would somehow find himself in their lives. This particular trooper, formerly of Hydra, was now wearing a Cobra uniform for the first time.
"I'm just really glad that Hydra merged with Cobra, you know?" the young man asked. "I mean, Hydra didn't even have a dental plan which is partially why I joined and since Cobra does…."
"Uh…right," one of the other Cobra troopers said. "Anyway, have you checked your weapons…uh…what was your name again?"
"B…Bob," the first Cobra trooper answered. He fidgeted a moment before asking timidly.
"D…do you think we'll get killed?" Bob, formerly an agent of Hydra, asked. "I only joined because Alice said I couldn't hold a steady job," he rambled. "I don't w…want to get killed th…though."
The other Cobra troopers sighed and looked at each other. Unspoken, but read on each other's face's was the thought 'This guy will be the first to die.' However, none of them spoke this thought out loud. Instead, they offered the frightened man some false assurances and then turned to ignoring him.
Bob, the Cobra trooper, tried to push down his rising fear. He didn't succeed.
Time: 17:00 Zulu; Friday
Location: Unknown
Tomax silently watched his brother from the corner of his eyes. Xamot had been oddly quiet today, even more so than he had been since the incident with Sinister. Both twins were now positive that the man had something to do with their failing mental connection. Tomax was having a harder time lately knowing what his brother was thinking. Some of it was due to the weakening telepathic bond. Some of it, like now, was because Xamot was purposely blocking him out.
"What's wrong?" he finally asked. His brother shifted uncomfortably. Both brothers were seated inside a Cobra transport plane, which was currently on its way to New York City.
"It's just…." Xamot started to say, but he trailed off. Tomax felt his gaze sharpen as he grew more concerned. His brother hadn't been himself lately and Tomax was frankly concerned about him. The incident with Deadpool and the Dreadnoks had angered him and made him even more protective of his younger twin, who seemed to be struggling with something. He'd had half a mind to leave his brother behind. They were heading into battle and the last thing Tomax needed was for his twin to be distracted.
Distractions brought trouble, especially during a fight. He didn't want Xamot to get hurt.
"Why don't we ever spend time with other people?" Xamot finally blurted out. Tomax blinked in surprise. Why the hell was his brother asking such a ridiculous question?
"What're you talking about?" Tomax asked, puzzled. "Since when do we need other people?" They'd always been perfectly fine on their own. The Corsican knew that while they had to work with other people as a necessity, there wasn't any reason to be friendly with them. The only person Tomax knew he could trust was his brother.
"It's just…." Xamot hesitated. "I mean…we never really do anything." Tomax gaped at him.
"What?" he asked in surprise. "We do things all the time." They went to restaurants, the theater, museums…anything and everything that money could buy was at their disposal.
"But…." His brother protested. Tomax could tell that his brother was troubled about something. He couldn't figure out what was bothering him.
"Nothing," Xamot finally said, trying to drop the conversation. However, Tomax wasn't about to let it go. He needed to know what was bothering his brother so he could help.
"But what?" Tomax asked again, pressing the issue. His twin fidgeted slightly and looked away. Tomax waited patiently, but he couldn't prevent himself from worrying. Perhaps he should have made his brother stay behind.
"Wouldn't….it be nice to do something with other people for a change?" his brother finally asked hesitantly.
"Like who?" Tomax asked. "We don't have any friends." Nor did they need any. They had each other, which was enough. His brother was silent for a time. Tomax suddenly realized that perhaps that was what was troubling his twin.
"We don't need friends," Tomax told him. "We never have. Why do you suddenly care now?"
"It's…just….Deadpool invited us to poker," Xamot finally admitted. Tomax stared at his brother. Of all the nerve…that idiot mercenary had actually had the nerve to invite them after kidnapping Xamot?
"What?" he snapped. Xamot cringed slightly at the anger in his voice. Tomax felt his shock grow as he felt the guilt in his brother's mind.
"Don't tell me you accepted!" Tomax replied, his voice rising. His brother cringed again and refused to look at him. He couldn't believe it. How could Xamot actually agree to it? Something really was wrong with his twin.
"It's…I thought…" Xamot stammered. Tomax glared furiously at his brother. Poker…with Deadpool and the Dreadnoks? Those were the last people on the planet that he'd willingly spend time with. Hell, he'd rather play crochet with Flint or Duke before playing cards with the Dreadnoks. Tomax suspected that the mercenary must have coerced his brother into it, which only made him angrier.
"You're not actually going to do that, are you?" he asked with disbelief. Xamot's shoulders slumped slightly and Tomax shook his head. Honestly, what had gotten into his brother's head? There was no way that he could let his twin actually associate himself with that group.
"If Deadpool asks you again, you'd better say no," Tomax said furiously. His brother looked hurt by his reply, which confused him. Couldn't Xamot see that this was for his own good? Associating himself with riffraff would only bring trouble. Besides, how could he possibly want to spend time with someone who had kidnapped him?
"Alright," Xamot finally said quietly, still not looking at his brother. "I'll tell him no."
Tomax nodded his head. Good. At least he'd managed talk his twin out of doing something stupid. Even so, Xamot didn't seem particularly pleased by it. Neither brother spoke again for the rest of the trip, which bothered both of them. The conversation was the closest they'd ever had to a fight in as long as they could remember.
Unknown to both brothers, an eavesdropping Zartan and Zandar were frowning at them. The whole conversation had been in French, but the two brothers were fluent in several languages and had understood completely. The two siblings looked at each other and raised an eyebrow. However, neither of them said anything.
Nearly forty-five minutes later, the plane landed silently in a hidden base about twenty miles from the edge of New York City.
Time: 12:56, local time; 16:56, Zulu; Friday
Location: SHIELD helicarrier
Nick Fury puffed on a cigar as he studied the information in front of him. Compiled, unofficially of course, were the dossiers of all the generals who belonged to the Jugglers. Both he and Clayton Abernathy were convinced that the group was up to something. Hawk was especially concerned that they might know something about the revived sentinel program, especially since the US government had been involved with it before.
He blew out a cloud of smoke as he thought about General Thurston Crowther. The man was a butcher, a sneak, and had connections to many politicians, military officers, and international leaders. Crowther was also very obviously anti-mutant. Even more troubling was the fact that the man may possibly have political ambitions. Fury highly doubted the general would run openly for political office. Crowther seemed to be the type who liked to pull the strings behind the scene.
If he ran, it would probably be as a running mate with a presidential candidate he could control. Nick didn't like that thought. The next presidential election was two years away and the thought of Crowther being either in office or on a presidential cabinet made his skin crawl.
Nick Fury looked back down at the documents in front of him. He and Hawk had secretly decided to take control of the Jugglers with the eventual goal of disbanding them. Such a goal would be regarded as 'treasonous' by the group of course, but both men knew that it was necessary for the welfare of the country.
Of course, they would be in deep shit if they were caught before they succeeded.
He felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. Nick pulled it out and was surprised to see that the call was coming from Agency X. Alex Hadyn would only be calling him if it was something important.
"What is it?" Nick asked.
"Is this line secure, Fury?" the other man asked.
"As secure as it gets," Nick told him. "But I can come over if it makes you feel better."
"It might," Agent X replied. "Spies can be anywhere…including SHIELD."
"I suppose you'll want payment for whatever information you have," Nick Fury observed dryly.
"Well, you are already of course employing a certain agent of mine. I, of course, being the intermediary expect to take a cut."
"You're a one of a kind Hayden," Nick said, puffing on his cigar.
"I'm a business man Fury. It's what I do. By the way…I wouldn't waste any time getting here if I were you."
Nick Fury hung up the cell phone and sat back in his chair. Alex Hadyn obviously wanted to speak with him now. His own instincts were telling him that something wasn't right. The SHIELD director squashed his cigar in a tobacco tray and got up. He'd better follow the man's advice and see him immediately.
The WWII veteran locked up his office and walked quickly down the hall. Twenty minutes later, he was knocking on the door to Agency X. The door was answered by the team's secretary and assistant manager, Sandi Brandenburg. The woman nodded at him and let him in. Nick strode quickly down the hall and let himself in to Agent X's office.
"What is it?" Nick demanded. This had better be important if Hadyn hadn't wanted to tell him over a secure line.
"Cobra's attacking the GI Joe Pit today," Alex Hadyn informed him calmly. "They're already on their way."
A string of impolite curses left his mouth. Nick sat down in an arm chair and studied the mercenary carefully.
"You trust the source?" Nick Fury asked.
"It came straight from Deadpool's mouth," Alex Hadyn answered. "And that is what you're paying him for."
"I need details Hadyn," Nick commanded. Alex grinned as he handed several sheets of paper to him. The SHIELD director took the papers and skimmed through them. Contained within the documents were coordinates and some detailed battle plans. Some of the plans were sketched with childlike stick figures, which Fury recognized as being Wade Wilson's drawings.
"Wilson wasn't privy to the entire plan," the mercenary pointed out. "He gave me what information he could." Fury nodded as he continued reading. He needed to let Hawk know immediately that the Pit was in danger.
"I have another piece of information for you," Agent X told him nonchalantly. "I expect payment for it of course."
"What kind of information?" Nick asked impatiently, getting up. The other man grinned.
"Zartan was sneaking around SHIELD for about a week. Wilson's not sure what kind of information he got, but he's supposed to kill you the next time he sneaks back in."
Nick's face darkened at that. There was no telling what kind of information Cobra had stolen from his organization. As if that wasn't bad enough, the terrorist group also apparently had detailed information about the GI Joe Pit. That meant that the Joes had a spy in their ranks.
"I'll send you an invoice later," Alex Hadyn told him matter of factly. Nick barely acknowledged him as he read through the documents again. The Joes were still underprepared for a superhuman attack, despite the new training protocols they were starting to implement. From the looks of it, Cobra was employing mutants as well as upgraded BATs. Unfortunately, Deadpool hadn't stated how the new battle android troopers were different than the older versions, other than that they were supposed to be better and that Mindbender 'had been gloating about his demented excuses for Star Wars droid rejects' for days.
"Thanks Hadyn," Nick Fury said, walking towards the door. "Give me the invoice later and I'll make sure the amount is deposited in your account."
"Of course," Agent X grinned. "A pleasure doing business with you, Fury."
But Nick Fury had already left.
Time: 13:37, local time; 17:37, Zulu; Friday
Location: GI Joe Pit
"Hey…Gung Ho, right?" a voice asked. Gung Ho looked up to see Tony Stark grinning at him. The Marine put down the heavy weights he had been lifting. The billionaire looked around the Joes' weight room before looking back at the Cajun. There were only a handful of other soldiers in the room at the moment and most of them were greenshirts.
"Uh….can you spot me while I ask you something?" the billionaire asked. Etienne LaFitte shrugged as the other man put some weights on a barbell. They were lesser weights than any of the Joes and the greenshirts used, but were still heavy enough to show that the man worked out.
"I don't want Beach to accuse me of slacking off while he's gone," the man grinned as he slid under the metal bar. Tony Stark's eyes focused as he concentrated on doing a set of ten reps.
"I want to thank you by the way," Gung Ho said after the man finished his first set. "For being nice to Beach Head and Lifeline." Neither man had fit in easily with the team before their mutations had become public knowledge. Wayne Sneeden wasn't exactly a people person and Edwin's Steen's pacifism, while grudgingly accepted now, still annoyed people.
"Why wouldn't I?" the man asked, somewhat puzzled. "I'm more surprised that more people didn't accept their mutations. I know people are afraid of mutants, but Ed and Wayne have been with you guys for years."
"Believe me, I know that," the Marine growled. Stark was right. The Joes and greenshirts had worked with both men for years before learning of their mutations. It should have been a non-issue. That hadn't been the case unfortunately and there were slight tensions in the Pit now because of it.
"Rhodes is a good man too," Gung Ho added. He liked the other Marine, but like some of the Joes, had kept his distance a little. It wasn't that they didn't want to be friendly, but James Rhodes was still technically a 'recruit' as well as a greenshirt. Beach Head had seemed confident before he left that Rhodes could work himself up to Joe status. Leatherneck, who was supervising PT until the ranger returned, had confirmed it. Rhodes had apparently made improvements since he'd joined.
"Thanks," Tony Stark replied. He took a deep breath and grasped the barbell again. After another set of ten, he sat up and stretched his arms.
"So what'd you want to ask me?" the Marine finally asked. Stark had specifically sought him out.
"I wanted to see if you were interested in helping me with a project," the man answered cheerfully. "It's for Wayne."
Gung Ho felt his curiosity grow. He wondered what the Avenger could possibly be planning for the ornery ranger. The Cajun finally gave up trying to guess and asked the other man. There was a conspiratorial glint in Stark's eyes as he lowered his voice.
"I'm going to help Beach hook up with Cover Girl," he grinned. "I'm calling it Project CGBH."
"CGBH?" Gung Ho asked. The answer hit him an instant later. "Oh...Cover Girl and Beach Head." There was a pause as he thought about it. He'd always suspected that his ranger friend had feelings for the tank jockey, but he'd never been able to get Beach Head to admit it.
"Wait…did Wayne tell you that he…?" the Marine asked curiously. Tony Stark nodded and Etienne gave an impressive whistle. It was hard as hell to get personal information out of Wayne Sneeden. Stark seemed to have the superhuman ability to get the ranger to open up.
Gung Ho grinned as he helped Stark to put the weights away. If Beach Head really did have feelings for the tank jockey, then it was his duty to help his socially inept friend. The Marine knew perfectly well that Wayne Sneeden struggled with regular every day interactions. He could just imagine his ranger buddy trying to handle a romantic relationship.
And seeing as the ranger in question wasn't around to intervene in their plotting, now was the perfect time to come up with a battle plan.
"I'm in," the Marine grinned.
"Glad to have you aboard partner," Tony Stark smiled. "With friends like us, Beach will get a girlfriend in no time at all."
The two men shook hands and left the weight room together. A mission such as theirs required careful tactical planning.
Time: 13:50, local time; 17:50, Zulu; Friday
Location: GI Joe Pit
"Gentlemen, we have a problem."
General Clayton Abernathy gravely explained the situation to his two immediate subordinates. Nick Fury had contacted him barely ten minutes ago. Not trusting that the Joes' communications were secure, the man was sending two of his SHIELD agents to the Pit to explain things further. The two agents should be arriving in half an hour.
"This is bad," Duke finally said. "If we start evacuating the Pit now…"
"Cobra will know we're on to them," Flint finished. "Especially since we apparently have a security leak."
They of course could still evacuate, but Cobra might take the opportunity to step up their plans and attack them when they were in a weakened position. If they knew who and when was coming, they could at least plan for it.
"I'm calling back Beach Head and Lifeline for this," Hawk said. "We need to contact the Avengers and see if we can get any help."
"What about the X-Men?" Flint asked. "The Pit's cover is already blown anyway, so it's not like we can't justify bringing in the help."
"We'll need to do it in such a way that Cobra doesn't know about it," Hawk said grimly. "Fury didn't say what his source was, but he implied that we can't depend on our communications being secure."
"What about Stark?" Duke asked. "He's probably got a separate line that's secure and separate from ours."
"Bring him in," Hawk ordered. The general wasn't happy. They needed to mobilize the Pit without alerting Cobra's mole that they knew of the attack. Clayton Abernathy was certain that none of the Joes were the spy, which left the rest of the base's military personnel as suspect.
Flint asked about the security leak a moment later, which became the next topic of discussion. The three men finally decided that if they were going to bring the X-Men in, then perhaps they could have one or two of the telepaths scan the base. Of course, there was also the possibility that the spy had a telepathic blocker.
About ten minutes later, Tony Stark knocked on the door and walked in. He listened gravely as Hawk told him about the call from Nick Fury. The Avenger paced around the briefing room as he became lost in his thoughts.
"I'll contact Cap and Beach," Tony finally said. "That's not a problem. Mainframe and I can also tweak the Joes' comm system so Cobra can't tap into it."
"But they'll know," Duke pointed out. Stark shook his head.
"Not if we planned it so it only kicked in after the battle started," the Avenger explained. The man frowned as a thought occurred to him.
"Do you think Cobra knows about the modifications I've made to the base?" he asked.
"It's hard to say Stark," Flint told him. "Anything's suspect at this point." The billionaire muttered darkly under his breath and finally flopped down in a chair.
"I'd like to take a trip off base," Tony said, looking at the three of them. "Since I'm not actually part of the Joes, I can do it without anyone being suspicious."
"And do what?" Hawk asked. "If Cobra wants to nab you, you're making yourself an easier target away from the Pit. We know they have your weapons. They might want their creator."
"You forget I'm Iron Man," Tony pointed out. "Besides, if we want to sneak in outside help, I can do it. Pepper and I can go to the Avenger Mansion. It'll give me a chance to pick up a few things and maybe a recruit or two."
"Alright," Hawk finally agreed. "But you're not going by yourself. You're taking Kamakura with you."
"Got it," Tony said, standing up. "I can leave in fifteen minutes."
"Do it," Duke ordered. "We'll have Kamakura meet you by your workshop." Stark nodded and left them. Hawk surveyed the other two men and sighed.
"Until we find where the leak is coming from, we need to mobilize under the table. Let all the Joes know. I don't want to inform the greenshirts until we know who we can trust," the general ordered.
"What about the SHIELD agents?" Flint asked. "We should have one of the Joes greet them if we don't want anyone else to know."
"Send Spirit," Hawk replied. "That will be all gentlemen. We all have work to do." The general stood up and the other two men followed suit. Duke and Flint saluted and left. Clayton Abernathy was left to pace the room silently as he waited.
He hated waiting.
Time: 14:16, local time; 18:16, Zulu; Friday
Location: Xavier Institute of Higher Learning
"Come on Sneeden, block him!" Banshee shouted. The Irish mutant watched as Kurt Wagner leapt nimbly over a glaring army ranger.
"How the danged hell am I supposed to block a guy who can teleport?" Beach Head shouted back. The mutant in question laughed as he dunked a basketball into a hoop. Nightcrawler hung upside down from the basketball hoop for a moment as he grinned at the other men.
"Four to two!" Remy LeBeau shouted, pumping a fist into the air. "Dat's how you win, non?"
"Why the hell did you give me Kurt?" Wayne Sneeden snapped, looking at his teammate. Sean Cassidy glowered back.
"You're the one with TK, I thought you could handle him!" the Irishman shouted back. "Besides, if I let you block Remy then you two would start fighting!"
"Dat's not true!" Gambit denied. "Sides…you're just sore because you're losing, old man!" Sean Cassidy's mouth dropped open and he felt his temper flare up. Old man? Gambit was going to regret that remark.
"Old man?" Banshee bristled. He resisted the urge to throttle the younger man. Just because he was technically old enough to be Gambit's father didn't make him an old man!
"Who's going to start fighting?" Beach Head smirked. "Isn't patience supposed to come with age?"
"Jaa….let us know if the game gets too rough," Nightcrawler added, unable to keep his two cents out of the exchange. Sean gaped at all of them. What the hell was this, Gang Up on Banshee Day?
"I was chasing Soviet agents in East Berlin when all of you lads were still in diapers," Banshee seethed. There was no way he was going to let a trio of wee pups mock him. Old man? He'd show them old man!
"That's not really helping your case…" Beach Head started to say. The Irishman glared at the ranger and pointed an accusing finger at him.
"You're supposed to be on my side!" Banshee snapped. "And if you're calling me an old man just so you can get out of blocking Kurt…it's not going to work!"
"That ain't what Ah'm tryin' to do!" Wayne Sneeden roared back. "Ah kin block him just fine!"
And so the basketball game resumed. The trash talk, however, didn't die down. The insults and counter insults continued as Beach Head finally managed to keep the German mutant from scoring another point. Banshee nabbed the basketball and shot it at the hoop. However, the more agile Remy LeBeau leaped up and blocked the ball before it could sink into the net.
"No!" Wayne shouted, seeing the Cajun score another point for his team. "Dammit Cassidy! That was your fault!"
Kurt Wagner and Remy LeBeau laughed as the two 'teammates' began to argue again. Inside the mansion, Wayne Sneeden's cell phone rang again for the second time. When the ranger didn't answer, the ringer dialed Edwin Steen's number. A few seconds later, the doctor picked it up to find Tony Stark on the other line.
When the GI Joe medic appeared next to the basketball court, Wayne Sneeden had managed to score another point for his team. The ranger gloated about it and was immediately insulted by a mouthy Cajun.
"Wayne!" Lifeline shouted, interrupting a new round of insults. Wayne Sneeden paused and turned around to look at his friend. The ranger's eyes widened when he read what was in the medic's mind. Beach Head immediately dropped the basketball he was holding and raced as fast as he could into the school.
"What's wrong?" Banshee asked, immediately recognizing that something wasn't right. The medic grimaced as he looked at the older man.
"Tony Stark called me…Cobra's attacking our base sometime within the next few hours," Lifeline answered. "General Hawk wants the two of us back. He also wants to know if the X-Men can help."
"Lead the way lad," Banshee said seriously. "We can leave anytime."
The basketball game now forgotten, the three men raced after Wayne Sneeden. Beach Head was already changing into his GI Joe uniform and loading a side arm when Scott Summers convened an emergency meeting of the X-Men.
Time: 14:35, local time; 18:35, Zulu; Friday
Location: GI Joe Pit
Spirit watched silently from the shadows as he waited. Two greenshirts kept a vigilant eye from the checkpoint they had been tasked with guarding. They had no idea that one of the Joes had secretly joined them. The minutes ticked past until an armored military van drove up to the checkpoint.
"Identification," one of the greenshirts asked, stopping the vehicle.
"Nicholas Xavier," the driver answered. Charlie Iron Knife stood up and moved closer to the van. He knew for a fact that the name was a false one. Hawk and Nick Fury had agreed on several code words that only they were privy to. Clayton Abernathy had revealed them to Spirit on the assumption that Nick Fury would use them.
As the greenshirts spoke with the driver, a figure silently rolled out from underneath the van. The figure froze when it spotted Spirit watching it. Charlie Iron Knife nodded at it and motioned away from the military vehicle. While the guards called the Pit to clear "Nicholas Xavier' for entry, two figures walked away from the checkpoint.
Spirit studied the figure as they slipped silently past more greenshirts. It was a man shorter than himself, who appeared to be of Chinese descent. He wore the standard SHIELD uniform as well as a dark jacket. The SHIELD agent nodded to him and held out a hand.
"Jimmy Woo," the man whispered quietly. Charlie Iron Knife took the offered hand and shook it.
"Spirit," he answered just as quietly.
The two men quickly disappeared into the underground base. The military van went through extensive security checks until it was finally allowed to pass all the checkpoints. By the time the van parked, its driver was again subjected to a weapons search. The driver, a thin man dressed in fatigues and glasses, gave a sigh of relief as he finally stepped away from a machine and several soldiers. A red haired woman was waiting for him.
"Follow me," Scarlett told him. The man nodded to her. When they were safely out of earshot, the red haired GI Joe finally asked him his real name.
"Jasper Sitwell," he answered. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss…"
"Sergeant Scarlett," she answered. The blonde haired man nodded as he followed her through the underground base. They finally arrived at the briefing room and walked in. Hawk, Duke, Spirit, and the other SHIELD agent were waiting for them.
Scarlett closed the door behind them as they took their seats. General Clayton Abernathy looked at the two men before folding his hands on the table in front of him.
"Well gentlemen?" he asked.
"Nick didn't tell us who the source was," the Asian man said, standing up. "He didn't want to risk Cobra finding out who it was." The SHIELD agent then introduced himself and his colleague as he passed around copies of the intelligence they had received. The Joes in the conference room read through the documents as the two SHIELD agents waited.
"Who…who the hell wrote this?" Duke finally asked, looking at a childish drawing of a battle plan. Stick figures armed with M-16s were standing next to a figure with a blue cowl over his face. Jimmy Woo smirked as he eyed the same drawing.
"No idea," the man replied. "But if you ignore the…artwork…I think it's obvious that Cobra's been planning this for some time. They have your access codes, blue prints, and communications frequencies. They couldn't have this big of an operation planned if they didn't."
"They upgraded the BATs, but it doesn't say how," Scarlett pointed out. The two SHIELD agents shrugged apologetically.
"Sorry ma'am," Jasper Sitwell apologized. "But we're lucky to even have this much information."
"It says there's a strike force preceding the main attack," Spirit said. "Zartan, Deadpool, Tomax and Xamot, Zandar, and someone named Mystique."
"Mystique's a shapeshifter," one of the SHIELD agents said.
"So's Zartan," Duke grimaced. "Sort of. Son of a bitch."
"The X-Men are sending a team," Hawk said, "And that includes our two people. Including Beach Head, there will be three telepaths."
"We already know that Cobra's put telepathic blockers inside its leaders," Duke pointed out. "Telepaths may not be much good in this situation. We don't even know what kind of mutant powers that Cobra has among its troops."
"It's the best we can do," Hawk pointed out. "We need to find the leak."
"What about Stark's new mutant detection system?" Scarlett asked. "Weren't he and Mainframe working on one recently?" The two men had been testing it out on a visiting Scarlett Witch a couple of days ago. Stark had seemed to think that it would be a good idea to have in case anyone tried to sneak in, especially since there were only two mutants who actually lived in the Pit. It would be suspicious if there were suddenly more than two mutants detected in the base.
"Is it working yet?" Duke asked. "I thought they hadn't finished installing it." Scarlett shrugged.
"I want it up within the hour," Hawk ordered. "Tell Mainframe I apologize since Stark's not here to help him…but we need that up now."
"Understood," Scarlett said, volunteering for the job. "I'll spread the news." Quietly, of course. It really was a pain in the ass not being able to fully mobilize without alerting Cobra's spy that something was up. Scarlett really didn't want any of the non-Joe soldiers to get killed because they weren't informed that they needed to be on full alert…just because the Joes didn't know who they couldn't trust.
She saluted Hawk and left the briefing room to seek out Mainframe. Scarlett found the man working on the Joes' communication system. When she informed him about Hawk's newest orders, Mainframe immediately dropped what he was doing. The soldier muttered darkly under his breath for a few moments before he completely focused his attention on his new task.
Scarlett nodded at him and went off in search of more Joes.
Time: 14:45, local time; 18:45, Zulu; Friday
Location: Avenger Mansion
Kamakura tried not to shift impatiently as he stood inside of the Avengers' headquarters. If the Pit was going to be attacked, he'd rather be back on base. However, he had his orders. The ninja watched silently as an increasingly frustrated Tony Stark tried to contact his fellow Avengers.
"They're all busy?" Pepper Potts finally asked. Tony Stark slammed a fist down next to the computer monitor.
"Kingpin's causing trouble across town," he complained. "Spiderman and Daredevil both said that he started a gang war that's tearing up half the city. Hawkeye and Spiderwoman went to help them."
"What about the others?" Kamakura finally asked. Stark blinked in surprise, as if he'd forgotten that the ninja was there.
"Anti-mutant violence broke out in Chicago and Captain America thinks that the Red Skull was behind it. He went to investigate…and Loki's got Thor, Miss Marvel, Quicksilver, and Scarlett Witch tied up in Singapore."
"That sounds a little too convenient," Kamakura muttered.
"I know," Tony Stark frowned, staring at the computer screen. "That's what worries me. Kingpin and Red Skull both have ties to Hydra, which has now joined Cobra. I don't know if it's coincidence or if…"
"It's a distraction," Pepper Potts said. Tony nodded.
"What about…er…Loki?" Kamakura asked, having no idea who that was. He'd heard the name before from some book of mythology that he'd read as a kid. Tony Stark chuckled darkly and shook his head.
"Loki wouldn't be working for Cobra," the billionaire replied. "He just loves being an insufferable pain in the ass. If it's tied at all, it's just because he thought it would be fun to distract some of the Avengers and piss off Thor."
"So…this was a waste of time?" Kamakura asked, somewhat annoyed. Tony Stark shot him an unexpected glare. The man was almost intimidating for a few seconds and the ninja wondered if Beach Head wasn't rubbing off on him.
"Would you have preferred that I didn't try?" the man asked dryly. The ninja shook his head. He inwardly cursed his inability to keep his mouth shut. Sensei always told him that he was too impatient. He also seemed to have the superhuman ability of constantly putting his foot in his mouth.
"I have some 'toys' I wanted to pick up," Tony Stark added. "And we're taking a couple of X-Men back with us. We'll leave to go back as soon as they get here."
Kamakura sighed as he finally sat in a chair. Tony Stark left and ran up a flight of stairs. After a few minutes, the ninja detected a new human presence. His hand automatically went for his sword. A thin, elderly man with a receding hairline walked into the room. In his hands was a small plate, upon which he balanced three coffee cups.
"It's just Jarvis," Pepper Potts said, noticing the ninja warily eyeing the man. Kamakura relaxed as the man approached. The young soldier watched in surprise as he was handed a cup of black tea.
"Thank you," he said. The man nodded as he handed Pepper Potts a cup as well. He placed the third on the table and looked around.
"Where is Tony?" he asked, a British accent coloring his voice. The woman explained that Stark had gone upstairs for something, to which the man nodded.
"I suppose he'll just let his tea grow cold," Edwin Jarvis observed dryly. As if on cue, Tony Stark came barreling down the flight of stairs with his arms full of equipment. Kamakura couldn't even begin to guess what they were for.
"Let's go," Stark said, huffing. "Cable and Bishop are already by the car. Banshee's there too."
"Please give Mr. Cassidy my regards," Edwin Jarvis said. Kamakura took a long sip from his cup and drained the tea. He handed it back to the older man and bowed deeply. Stark's butler seemed almost amused by it, but he didn't say anything. The man nodded to him and the ninja followed after Tony Stark and Pepper Potts.
"Pepper, I want you to stay here," Tony Stark told the woman. Potts complained, but the Avenger finally convinced the woman to stay. An amused Kamakura noted that the only reason that Tony Stark had succeeded was because he had made it seem like it was Pepper Pott's decision, rather than his own.
He and Stark soon arrived at the car and found three men standing next to it. One was a tall, older man with white hair and a robotic arm. The second was dark skinned and heavily muscled while the third had fiery red hair.
"About bloody time," the red haired man said in a thick Irish brogue. "Could you youngsters get any slower?"
"Youngsters?" Kamakura asked, bristling slightly. Just because he was younger than all of them didn't mean he was…
"Ignore him," the white haired man said, looking at the ninja. "He's still pissed that he got called an old man earlier."
"Speak for yourself," the red haired man shot back. "You're technically older than me, you bloody git."
"Kamakura," Tony Stark smirked. "Meet Banshee, Cable, and Bishop. Now everyone shut up and get in the car."
Kamakura slid into the front passenger's seat while the three mutants sat in the back. The ninja noted that it was a good thing that Stark liked roomy cars. If it had been a standard car like the one his father owned, the three men would have barely fit.
"By the way," Stark added nonchalantly, turning on the ignition. "Two of the three of them are from the future and the one that isn't is old enough to be my father. That's the red haired one with the same first name as you."
"How'd you know my name?" the ninja gaped. The Avenger shrugged his shoulders and explained that he'd 'accidentally' looked at the Joes' files. The red haired man in the back raised an amused eyebrow at the ninja.
"What's your hair color?" the mutant asked curiously. Kamakura refused to say; as there was a reason he wore a mask. Stark, on the other hand, had no qualms about informing everyone in the car that the ninja also had red hair. The ninja found out that Banshee's last name was Cassidy, which meant that both men also shared the same initials of S.C.
"Two red haired Seans?" the dark skinned man asked. "Good God, dealing with just Banshee is bad enough." The ninja heard a telltale 'smack' from the backseat of the car, followed by a colorful swear word.
"Did I mention that the other two are from the future?" Stark asked. The ninja twisted around in his seat to look at the backseat. The red haired Banshee shrugged as he indicated the two glaring men sitting on either side of him. Kamakura somehow doubted that the two men were actually from the future. But then again, he'd seen other strange things in his life.
"I dub thee little Sean and big Sean," Tony Stark smirked, steering the car onto a highway. Kamakura turned his head to glare at the billionaire. The glare had no effect. Apparently he hadn't yet mastered the Arashikage art of glaring menacingly at your enemy, as the Avenger had the nerve to laugh.
"Ignore the smart ass driver, Little Sean," Banshee said cheerfully from the backseat. One of the men next to him snickered. Tony Stark's grin widened as he drove the car towards the direction of the Pit.
"That's right Little Sean," Stark added. "Listen to what Big Sean is telling you."
The ninja silently vowed that he would have his revenge.
Time: 15:07, local time; 19:07, Zulu; Friday
Location: GI Joe Pit
"Stupid thing, you'd better work…there you go, atta girl," Mainframe muttered. He waited for the Pit's newest system to boot up. The Joe hadn't had time to completely install all the sensors for the mutant detection system, but he'd managed to get enough up that it covered three quarters of the underground base. The whole, fully operational system was supposed to scan the whole Pit as well as up to a klick away from it.
But considering it was Stark's baby and he wasn't around, Mainframe was pleased with the results he had in the extremely short time frame that he'd been given to work with.
Three blips appeared on a three dimensional map of the Pit. He leaned forward to study it intently. One was by the armory while a second was in the living quarters. The third was moving near the small nuclear plant that powered the base.
"Uh…Flint?" Mainframe asked, getting on the comm unit. "Could you come to the monitoring room?" He'd been ordered not to give sensitive information over the comm system. The soldier warily watched the three blips on the screen. The one by the armory had disappeared off of the map and into an area that didn't have any sensors yet. He narrowed in on the one in the living quarters. According to the map, it was coming from Short Fuse's room. Mainframe scratched his head in confusion. Why would a Cobra agent be in his room?
"What is it?" the warrant officer asked behind him.
"Are Beach and Lifeline back yet?" Mainframe asked, pointing to the screen. Flint frowned when he realized what the two dots on the map were.
"Not yet, but they should be here any time," he answered.
"There are three," Mainframe told him. "But the third disappeared." He explained the limits of the system and Flint quickly called Snake Eyes. The ninja arrive a short time later. He looked at the map and listened to the two men explain what the system had detected. Snake Eyes nodded and signed that he and Jinx would investigate it.
The ninja was gone an instant later, as if he hadn't been there at all. Mainframe turned his attention back to the map. He watched as the dot in Short Fuse's room moved out of the small area and into the rest of the living quarters.
"Sir…" he asked questioningly. Flint was staring at it as well.
"I don't know what it means," the warrant officer told him. "Short Fuse isn't a mutant, right?" Mainframe shook his head. The Joe had been gone for a while on an extended emergency leave and had recently returned. If he was a mutant, Mainframe was certain that he wouldn't hide it now that Beach Head and Lifeline had revealed their mutations.
"I'll send Chuckles and Mutt to check it out," Flint said. "Good job Mainframe."
"I just wish I had the whole system running," Mainframe admitted sourly. "Then we'd know for sure where…"
"We do the best we can," the warrant officer said, patting him on the shoulder. "I need you stay here and keep monitoring."
"Yes sir," Mainframe answered. Flint left and he returned to watching the map. Several more blips appeared a couple of minutes later. He sincerely hoped that two of them belonged to Beach Head and Lifeline.
Time: 15:21, local time; 19:21, Zulu; Friday
Location: GI Joe Pit
Tomax watched from a shadowy spot underneath a chair as military personnel walked by. It was a rather convenient ability he had. The shadow cast by the chair was small, but he was able to control his body shape and become part of the pool of darkness sitting on the floor.
He suddenly sensed movement near him. It wasn't so much that he felt anything in his mind, as his empathic range was too limited for that. He did, however, feel someone physically move across a shadow in another section of the large room.
Tomax waited as the movement grew closer. He took the time to study his surroundings. A small, nuclear plant stood in the middle of the room, which was reinforced by thick, protective walls. The mutant had considered tampering with it, but that would have meant irradiating himself and the rest of Cobra's troops.
"Do you get the feeling that something strange is going on?" a voice asked. Footsteps walked by the chair. Tomax moved out from underneath his hiding place and into a passing soldier's shadow. The man continued walking without the slightest realization that he'd picked up a passenger.
"I think you might be right," another soldier said. She was dressed in similar green fatigues. The two soldiers seemed to be patrolling the nuclear power room. Tomax listened carefully, hoping that the two greenshirts would give him more information.
"Duke seems to be on edge about something," the female soldier continued. "Some of the other Joes look a little tense too."
Tomax wondered about that. Did the Joes suspect an attack or was it simple instinct kicking in? He followed after the soldiers as they made a circuit around the small nuclear plant. The Crimson Guardsman listened as they compared stories. He learned that a military van had entered the Pit and that its driver had met with Hawk. Neither soldier knew what it was about.
After a while, he slipped out of the man's shadow and jumped into a dark crevice underneath a piece of equipment. When he was certain that he was alone, at least for the moment, Tomax exited his hiding spot. His body reformed and became solid enough that he was able to use the communication link in his ear.
"The Joes may suspect something," he said quietly into it.
"Mystique reported the same thing," the Baroness's voice answered. "Stick to the original plan for now."
"Alright," Tomax answered. His body contorted and blurred into a soft, nearly intangible shape. The Crimson guardsman moved through a crack between a closed door and the wall. He spotted an air vent and easily slipped into it. A long ventilation shaft stretched out in front of him and behind him. It twisted to the left a few feet up. The mutant smiled as he moved quickly through the darkened space.
"Brother…are you there?" he asked telepathically. His younger twin had stayed just outside of the Pit with Zandar and Deadpool while he, Zartan, and Mystique had snuck inside. The two brothers had been concerned that they wouldn't be able to communicate from a long distance apart through their mental link.
"I'm here," his brother answered. Tomax felt relieved that their mental connection was still strong enough to work, even though they weren't physically near each other. "Zandar and I are monitoring the Joes' frequency. And…"
"What?" he asked, pausing in the ventilation shaft. His brother had suddenly trailed off. He could feel a sudden sensation of surprise and dismay from his twin.
"What happened?" he asked again.
"The Joes know we're here," Xamot replied. "Mystique saw one of the X-Men…a man known as Gambit."
Shit. So much for subtlety. If the operation was blown, then he had to move fast.
"I'm almost to the detention center," Tomax told his brother. "I'll be out soon with Bludd and das Chagas."
He picked up the pace and practically flew down the shaft. Tomax sensed movement ahead of him and prepared himself for whoever it was. The mutant rounded the corner and saw a familiar, female ninja inching silently toward him. Tomax didn't know how she suspected he was there, but he slid his body around her and grabbed her ankle.
Jinx swore as the Cobra mutant pulled her into the shadows with him. The woman attempted to fight back, even though her body had now been turned into the consistency of smoky air. Tomax resolidified her body when they were a good distance away from their former position. He smirked to himself as he wrapped invisible, shadowy cords around the Joe. Ninja or not, she had inadvertently met him in a place where his powers were strongest. There was no light in the ventilation shaft, meaning that every inch of the darkness was his to command.
Tomax bound her mouth and when he was certain she was unable to move, he continued on towards his original destination. Unless someone decided to shine a strong light down the shaft, the ninja was trapped.
He exited a ventilation opening a few minutes later. The Corsican took a few seconds to get his bearings. Determining that he was just outside of the detention block, he slipped through a thin crack underneath a set of thick, steel doors. On the other side lay several, highly secure prison cells.
Inside one of the prison cells was a dark haired man with a mustache. Oblivious to the fact that he was being watched, Major Bludd turned the page of a small book.
"Ready to get out of here Bludd?" Tomax sneered. The man jumped and practically levitated out of his bed. The Corsican laughed as he watched the mercenary attempt to calm himself down.
"God damn it," Major Bludd swore, clutching his chest. "Is that you Tomax?"
"Yes," he answered. Tomax returned to his normal body and fished inside his uniform. He pulled out a small device and placed it on the security panel that was controlling a force field around the jail cell. The tiny machine shorted out the power to the cell and the force field around it disappeared. Major Bludd stepped through and stretched his arms.
"Good day for a prison break," the mercenary grinned.
"Freeze!" a voice shouted. Tomax heard a gun click behind him as it was taken off of the safety. He grabbed Bludd and twisted his body to avoid a bullet. The mutant instinctively turned his body back into his other form and slid past several greenshirts. He grabbed the shooter with his free hand and dragged him along.
Tomax turned half of the man's body into a shadow mass and shoved him into a crack between two prison cells. The soldier kicked out with his legs desperately until the mutant resolidified the upper portion of his body. Blood seeped out of the tiny crack and pooled onto the floor. The legs suddenly stopped kicking.
The Crimson Guardsman ignored it as he avoided the spray of bullets being aimed at him. With Major Bludd in tow, he slipped underneath the outer door of the detention block and began to make his way out of the Pit.
He doubted that he'd be able to rescue the drug lord. That was an acceptable loss. Cobra Commander had given priority to Major Bludd's rescue. Sergio das Chagas was just going to have to stay put.
Time: 15:34, local time; 19:34, Zulu; Friday
Location: GI Joe Pit
Short Fuse idly flipped through the television channels as he sat with Rock n' Roll and Heavy Duty. The three Joes were on edge as they waited for the battle they knew was coming. Scarlett had informed Rock n Roll, who had in turn told him and Heavy Duty.
"I'm sorry about your Mom," Rock n' Roll said after a while. Short Fuse gave an uncomfortable shrug. His mother had died recently from lung cancer. Hawk had given him extended leave while she was in the hospital. After the funeral, the Joe had wanted nothing more than to return to the Pit…to return home.
He'd been surprised to find that a lot had happened while he'd been away. Beach Head and Lifeline being mutants, Tony Stark in the Pit, why did all of the exciting things happen when he was away?
Short Fuse was somewhat ambivalent when it came to mutant issues. If two of the Joes were mutants though, then he reasoned that mutants couldn't all be as bad as the press made them out to be.
A happy bark greeted the three Joes and they turned around to see Mutt, Junkyard, and Chuckles enter the small television room.
"Hey, what's up?" Heavy Duty asked. The three Joes froze as the other two pointed guns at Short Fuse. The Joe gaped in surprise for a few moments before he felt a flash of anger.
"What the hell are you doing?" he snapped. Short Fuse glared up at the two other Joes. They looked slightly apologetic, but neither man removed their weapon.
"Mainframe detected a mutant in your room and followed him in here," Chuckles explained. "Flint ordered us to check it out." Short Fuse gaped at them. What the hell were they talking about?
"You mean a Cobra agent was in my room?" he asked. The two men gave each other puzzled looks and returned to eyeing him warily.
"What do you think Mutt?" Chuckles asked. The other soldier studied the shocked man on the other side of his rifle.
"Junkyard seems to think he's fine," Mutt replied. Junkyard hadn't growled at any of the three men who'd been watching television. "I'd say that he's really Short Fuse."
"Of course I am!" the Joe in question replied angrily. "What the hell's wrong with you guys?"
"Flint said that Mystique's a shapeshifter," Chuckles replied. "That means she could probably mimic someone down to their scent." Mutt froze when he heard that. Rock n Roll and Heavy Duty were now warily eyeing Short Fuse as well.
"I'm telling you I'm not Mystique or whatever his name is," Short Fuse shouted.
"Her," Mutt replied.
"Whatever," he shot back. "I'm not a Cobra in disguise and I'm not a traitor!"
"You were gone for a while on leave," Chuckles continued. "Someone could have kidnapped the real Short Fuse and be pretending to be him."
Short Fuse stared in shock. This wasn't happening. Why wouldn't they believe him? He was definitely Corporal Eric Friestadt, a Chicago native who had joined the army to follow in his father and grandfather's footsteps. He wasn't a spy.
"What?" he finally asked. "How can you think…?"
"Maybe we can have Beach Head scan him," Mutt finally suggested. "To see if it's really him or not." Chuckles nodded in agreement. Short Fuse sputtered angrily and repeated that he really was who he said he was.
"Sorry man…if you're really Short Fuse and this is all some big mistake…I promise to buy you a beer later," Chuckles said. "But we've got to be sure."
Short Fuse numbly found himself being escorted out of the Joes' living quarters, with armed Joes on all sides of him. Rock n Roll and Heavy Duty brought up the rear while the other two Joes walked on either side of him.
A sudden sense of foreboding made him stop in his tracks. Short Fuse swore as the feeling grew worse. He'd had this feeling before and something bad always happened when he had it. A brief image of the Pit's detention center flashed through his mind.
Seconds later, the Pit went on full alert.
Not even a minute after that, a sudden explosion shook the base. Short Fuse lost his balance and hit the ground hard. Two of his teammates also fell while Chuckles and Heavy Duty managed to keep their balance.
"What the hell was that?" Rock n Roll groaned, rubbing his elbow. The base shook again and Short Fuse was certain that the explosion had come from the first level, near the motor pool. He wasn't sure how he knew, but the soldier knew from long experience that his hunches were always right.
"I'm guessing that's the attack we've been waiting for," Short Fuse said. The other Joes looked at him for a long moment.
"I'm telling you, I'm not a spy," he said sharply. "Now let me have a gun so I can fight."
"Maybe you're not," Mutt told him. "And personally I don't think you are. Junk says you're alright."
"So give me a gun," Short Fuse demanded. "It's not like we've got time for you guys to decide if I'm a mutant spy or not."
"We'll let Beach or one of the other telepaths make that decision," Chuckles told him. "Now let's get moving."
The five Joes took off down the corridor. When they neared the stairwell, the soldiers spotted Lady Jaye walking down the hallway. Chuckles waved to her to get her attention. The female soldier gave them a surprised look and paused.
"What are you guys doing?" she asked.
"He's a suspect," Chuckles told her. The woman nodded and continued to walk past them. The behavior struck Short Fuse as odd. He turned his head to stare at her as she passed. Something was definitely wrong about….
Junkyard suddenly began to growl, which confirmed his hunch.
"That's not Jaye!" Short Fuse blurted out. The woman froze as his fellow soldiers stared at him.
"What the hell are you yelling about?" Heavy Duty shouted. "Of course that's…"
The sound of a bullet reverberated through the corridor. Short Fuse watched in horror as Heavy Duty's body slumped to the floor. The man groaned as he slipped into unconsciousness. The four other Joes turned to look in horror at the woman who had shot him.
Lady Jaye smiled as her light skin color deepened into a shade of blue. Her eyes brightened into an amber yellow as her short brunette hair turned red.
Junkyard was the first one to recover from shock. The dog growled viciously as he launched himself at the mutant. The woman smirked as she jumped up into the air. Her body twisted in a somersault and suddenly grew larger. Orange and black fur sprouted from her skin as she landed.
A full sized tiger swatted at the dog and sent it sprawling. Mutt gave a horrified wail as he fired his rifle at the mutant woman. Short Fuse pushed him out of the way before the tiger could sink its teeth into him. A clawed paw hit him instead and the soldier went sprawling. Pain cut into him as the claws slashed one of his arms.
He clutched his bleeding arm and looked up into a set of sharp teeth.
Short Fuse felt his mind freeze from fear. The tiger stared down at him and sniffed him carefully. Then, as if he were watching it from slow motion, the animal suddenly changed back into the blue skinned woman it had been before. Blood seeped down one of her arms and the soldier saw that two shuriken were embedded deep into the right bicep and that one was in her left shoulder.
When he saw Snake Eyes suddenly standing in front of him with a drawn sword, he could have cried from relief.
The ninja motioned for them to get away. Still numb from nearly dying, Short Fuse ignored the pain in his arm and stumbled to his feet. He looked over to see Chuckles leaning over the collapsed Heavy Duty. He watched as the soldier pressed two fingers to the man's neck and sighed.
Short Fuse felt his chest constrict when he realized that Heavy Duty was dead.
Author's note:
Here's part I. I apologize for the cliffhanger, but this is something that I've had to split between chapters. I'm also sorry for killing Heavy Duty, but a Joe needed to die for realism and he's a relatively minor character.
The initial plot idea for Short Fuse came from a discussion with Paul Cousins, one of the reviewers for the story. I'm also ignoring the Cable and Deadpool series as that doesn't really fit into my story. I may take certain elements, at least as far as Agency X is concerned, to use here. As for Bob, he still meets and ends up with Deadpool in my story, but the way they meet is different.
Stay tuned as the battle heats up in the next chapter. X-Men, Joes, the Avengers, Agency X, Cobra, SHIELD, Deadpool, and ….Bob; what more can you people ask for?