September 10, 2014. Prompt for I didn't do it. Late again. This was another hard one. I'd get one or two sentence bunnies and then they would drop the ball.
He had two apprentices in office, sitting ramrod straight and terrified, while he looked them both over. He knew he looked like a very hassled, not happy general… with blue streaks in his hair. He was going to have to take extra time he didn't have to have it re-dyed before he had to attend a meeting back at the pentagon.
"Either of you boys care to tell me why you felt I needed to have blue hair?"
They both shook their heads and said "I didn't do it" at the same time.
His eyes narrowed, gaze becoming sharp. Kamakura shifted in his seat while Billy just kept his eyes on Hawk's desk. "It's pretty sneaky and you two were the only ninjas on base last night."
He could see the proverbial gears turning over in Kamakura's head before he came to a decision and looked over at Billy, who simply nodded.
"Sir, we were AWOL from after dinner last night until about an hour ago. Some of the guys decided to go out for a drink and needed a couple of designated drivers." While not exactly true, they had both been ordered, by their respective sensei, to pick someone to follow around discreetly for training. Billy had chosen to follow Ace around, just to make him paranoid. Partial payback for a prank that had covered him in flour and had the base calling him Mini Shadow. Kamakura had chosen to follow Tunnel Rat, simply because he figured it would be semi-challenging.
Both were surprised when they figured out the other was in the vicinity, and it took a few minutes of hushed whispering to determine that it was merely coincidence and they were not following the same person. A small group of Joes, including the two they were following, had decided to go out after dinner for a drink. They stayed until the bar closed and then, deciding they weren't ready to go back, stopped at a park and played on the playground while talking about things they would probably only half remember the next day. It was only after one of them mentioned the time and that "Beach was going to have them for breakfast" did they scramble back to the vehicle and bust ass to get back. They'd all made it too, just in the nick of time.
"Names?"
"Dusty, Tunnel Rat, Clutch, Shipwreck, Airtight, Ace, and Snow Job."
He noted the names down and decided he'd have Flint investigate. "Dismissed. I'll leave your punishments up to Snake and Storm." Both boys visibly winced at that.
As they both morosely made their way down to the mess hall for breakfast, they passed by a crowd surrounding the bulletin board. The board was currently sporting a picture of a freshly dyed Hawk. Lifeline squeezed his way out, pushing past the other Joes, then catching up to the two apprentices.
"Did one of you do that?"
Billy sighed and Kamakura shook his head.
"I wonder who did. I bet Hawk's none too pleased."
Billy agreed. "He's not happy at all."
"I wonder if Jinx got back early."
Lifeline looked over at Kamakura. "Do you think she did it?"
Both boys looked thoughtful, but Billy spoke up. "It's possible."