Learning to Breathe
Disclaimer: "Your career is in the hands of those very assholes." Kelsey Grammar in Down Periscope.
Chapter Forty- five: There's no such thing as a simple diversion
"The Commander wants us to do what?" Regan yelped.
"Calm down!" Andi hissed. "It's just a diversion, nothing more."
"Easy for you to say." Mitch grumbled.
"No, it's not. I have to lead you nuts in a diversion while Virus over there hacks the Joes' files." Andi corrected. "We all clear on that?"
"Sounds like fun." Bryan rolled his eyes.
"When do we leave?" Neal asked.
"Tomorrow." Andi answered. "Now all of you get your stuff together. I don't want to spend half an hour preparing for this in the morning."
"You got it, Boss." Mitch saluted as the group left. Andi rolled her eyes.
This had long day written all over it.
The following day, the team of seven huddled in a van bound for the G.I. Joe's Hawaiian base.
"Does everyone remember the plan?" Zartan asked. The teens all nodded. "Good, any questions?" Regan's hand immediately shot up.
"Do I have to go with him?" she glared at Virus, whose sour expression deepened.
"Yes." Zartan said. "He needs someone to keep guard while he's hacking, not to mention get him into the base's hub in the first place."
"I don't need backup." Virus grumbled.
"I will be the judge of that." Zartan said, glancing out the window. "Ah. This is where we get out. Everybody in positions."
The Joe's Hawaiian base had long awakened. Especially a certain household...
"Girls! Put that down and get back here!" A man in a sailor's uniform bellowed, chasing a trio of identical black-haired girls. His name was Hector "Shipwreck" Delgado, and the three girls were his triplet daughters.
"But we like dynamite." The one with a ponytail on the left side of her head wined.
"It's fun to play with." Her sister with a right sided ponytail added.
"And you like to watch stuff blow up, Daddy." The final girl, sporting pigtails, looked up at him.
"That doesn't mean you can blow up the officer's tent." Shipwreck groaned. "Now all three of you go back inside the houseboat! One of the officers has offered to tutor you this morning."
"More like was volunteered." A blond-haired man commented as he walked up.
"Good morning Duke!" The triplets smiled innocently.
"Don't play cute with me. Do as your father told you to." Duke glared at the three. This met with a chorus of "Awes.
"Go!" Shipwreck ordered. His daughters groaned, but complied. "Good lord, they're getting harder to reason with by the day!"
"They're geniuses." Duke groaned. "I wouldn't want to be in your shoes with them."
"I don't even want to be in my... Holy Toledo! Air strike!" The SEAL shouted, running for the officer's tent.
"Those are BATS." Duke frowned.
"And we have troops storming the base!" A greenshirt shouted. "They're coming over the walls!"
"Looks like we've got a fight on our hands." Duke grimaced. "You go make sure those little maniacs stay where they are."
"No promises there." Shipwreck called as he ran back to his boat.
"This is fun." Chaos grinned as he flew above the majority of his team, wiping bullets off like swatted flies.
"Easy for you to say!" Thunderbird shouted. "You're frikkin' bulletproof!"
"Golem!" Atlantis shouted. "Cover Thunderbird and make your way to the aircraft hanger! Destroy as much as you can there!"
"Got it!" both boys shouted, making a run for the large building in the distance.
"What now?" Vampira asked, taking cover behind a jeep. "All of this blasted sun is making me weak, blocker watch or no!"
"Lead officer, two o'clock!" Chaos shouted from the air.
"Hey!" Vampira exclaimed. "That's the man from the office building!"
"Looks like we're about to get up close and personal with him." Atlantis replied. "Stay where you are and recuperate, Kris. That man is mine."
"Keep firing!" Duke shouted. "Don't let those snakes break through our defenses!"
"Two of them are setting fire to the hanger!" One greenshirt shouted. "We can't get to them!"
"I hate Mondays." Beach Head grumbled.
"And your day is about to get much worse." Called a female voice. The men turned around to see a tall teenage girl with black-striped blond hair and blue eyes. Duke recognized her instantly.
"Atlantis." He said, staring down at the girl. "Where is Zartan?"
"Oh, you won't find him here." She grinned.
"Who is this?" Beach Head asked.
"Remember the Chronotech shooting?" Duke asked. The Army Ranger nodded. "She's the shooter."
"She's a kid!" Beach Head grumbled. "How dangerous can she be?"
"Let's find out." The girl smirked, her eyes glowing blue. The two Joes watched in awestruck fear as the moisture in the air around them converged into a ball of water.
"Oh crap." Duke gulped as the sphere split in half and blasted into each of the officers with ample force, knocking them back a few feet.
"I think I win this round." She stated.
"Not likely." Atlantis glanced behind her to see a Native- American woman pointing a gun at her.
"I don't have to win the battle, silly." She smiled. "Just keep you on your toes."
"Duke! Someone's hacking into the mainframe!" A blond man shouted. "We can't get in to stop them!"
"Shoot." The female Joe hissed. "Alright you little snake! Tell me what you're planning!"
"And I want to do that because?" The mutant girl asked. What the Joes said in response, she heard not. Regan's update preoccupied her attention.
We have the files. Regan 'said'. Running back to exit B, but we'll need some cover.
Don't worry. Chaos will be on his way. Andi replied mentally. All you need to do is tell him.
Got it. Lady M out.
Andi smirked as her friend's presence left her mind. "I think we're done here."
"No, we are not!" Duke ordered. "Don't let her escape, Raven."
"I won't." The woman growled, grasping her gun tighter than before.
"Let me decide that." Andi stared. "Vampira! Retreat! Spread the word!"
"On it!" The black-haired girl shouted, flying overhead the battlefield. Her sudden jump to the air distracted most of the Joes long enough for Andi to run, but not all enemies were so easily deterred.
"Get back here!" Beach Head shouted drawing and discharging his handgun at the fleeing girl. She stumbled as his bullet struck her shoulder, but never fell or screamed. She just kept running. He fired again, nailing her leg and causing her to drop to her knees.
"I'll make sure you don't..." he prepared to shoot again.
"Beach Head! Put that down!" Duke ordered sharply. The Ranger turned on him immediately.
"She's our enemy!" He said. "If it were any other Cobra..."
"It would still be a last resort." The commanding officer admonished. "If she'd wanted to kill us, she'd have done it already! She's just a kid, and for now there's nothing we can do to stop her without further endangering her safety."
"And we just let the snakes leave?" Raven growled.
"This time." Duke said. "Don't worry. I'm sure you two will get another chance to take out your frustrations on Cobra in the near future."
Inside the main computer room, Regan and Virus finally finished downloading the files necessary for their next mission. The task now was to leave without getting caught.
"Damn shame you can't take anyone else through that computer with you." Regan grumbled as the pair exited through an air duct.
"If I could, you wouldn't be my first choice." The Englishman grumbled. "Did you honestly need to hit me over the head?"
"If you had shut up when I told you to, no." The telepath retorted. "Do you even know what the phrase means?"
"I refuse to answer that on the grounds that I am a superior mutant and... Ooff!" He exclaimed as Regan kicked him in the shoulder (she crawled in ahead of him).
"Just hush and keep crawling." She ordered. "I can see the light. We're almost there."
"I hear them in the vents! This way!" Someone shouted from outside.
"Shit." Regan grumbled. "I don't suppose you have any ideas?"
"We're bloody trapped in this tin tube!" He growled.
"Jeez, you don't have to bite my head off. That's Vampira's job." She exclaimed, pushing on the nearest outside grate. The two fell out to the feet of about six Joes.
"Gotcha." One sneered as he pointed his weapon at the two.
"Not for long!" Before the Joes knew what hit them, Chaos barreled through them like a bowling ball, grabbed his teammates, and took to the sky.
"Don't suppose you could have beaten them to us?" Regan grumbled. Her older teammate never looked at her.
"Hey, when you're the one dodging flamethrowers and bazooka shots, then you can talk!" He said, flying them up to a hovering craft. "Vincent, did you get what we came for."
"That and more." The electronic-possessing mutant replied. "Their entire mainframe has been copied onto this disk." He pulled the disk out of his pocket as soon as the trio was aboard safely.
"Atlantis is calling the others back." Lady M observed. Indeed, all the Cobra troops mysteriously retreated as the aircraft flew away. "I daresay this mission was a success."
"Don't talk yet!" The pilot shouted. "We have some wounded reports. I think one of them belongs to your friend."
"Crud." Bryan hissed. "Hope she's okay."
"Neal's out too." Regan said, using her abilities to check in on her teammates. "He's hurt his shoulder somehow. I think it may be dislocated."
"That's not good." Bryan winced.
"Forget them!" Virus snapped. "How is Andi?"
"Her blocks are up strong." Regan focused. "But she's in pain, for sure. Oh my God, she's been shot!"
"What???" Both boys shouted.
"How is she?"
"Is it serious?"
"She's been shot, you dimwit! Of course it's serious!"
"You know what I meant you cocky slimebag!"
"You can't even spell the word, caveman!"
"S-l-i-m-e-b-a-g. Slimebag!" Bryan shouted defiantly.
"That's enough!!!" Regan roared, pinching both males in the ear and dragging them to her.
"Owie." Virus whimpered.
"Good!" She scolded. "You two should be ashamed! Arguing over something as trivial as spelling! Think what Andi would do if she saw you right now."
"I'd rather not." Bryan winced. "It's as painful as the reality."
"Exactly!" Regan shouted. "From now on, no conversation until we get back to base! Understood?"
"Yes!" The boys exclaimed.
"Now will you please let go of me ear!" Virus exclaimed. Regan did so, pulling both boys too her and letting them drop to the ground.
"Remind me not to piss you off again." Bryan groaned as he got up. Regan stomped over to the nearest "chair" and sat down, completely ignoring everyone in her presence.
Two wounded? What will happen to the team with Atlantis and Thunderbird possibly sidelined? Will Beach Head receive a tongue- lashing from General Hawk regarding his actions? And what will happen in New York? Stay tuned to find out!