Songs and Skeleton Men
Disclaimer: Same as before.
Author's Note: The references to the Princess Diaries are properties of Disney and Meg Cabot.
The Pit, Officer's Quarters
Caitlin Todd and Conrad Hart
06 March 2002, 0622
Conrad Hart smiled slightly as the opening notes to the song Fields of Gold by Sting echoed from the small radio on the kitchen counter. He sipped his coffee as Kate glanced at him.
"Such a perfect love song," Conrad said, wistfully.
"I don't know, Conrad, it sounds pretty depressing," Kate replied before sipping her own coffee.
"How so?" Conrad replied, with a raised eyebrow.
"It's so sad," Kate replied, "I mean the guy's singing about being remembered whenever the breeze blows over a barley field. I mean it sounds like the speaker is dead and wants her to remember him forever."
Conrad's slight smile widened as he spoke, "Au contraire, mon amie, to me the song speaks of a lasting and timeless love."
"I'll give you that, to a point," Kate replied, "But I can't help but feel it's depressing."
"Mademoiselle," Conrad replied, "you are of course, entitled to your opinion. And I can see the basis of it. But I can submit there's a far happier interpretation to the song."
"Okay, Conrad, I'll bite."
"Just don't leave marks, mademoiselle," Conrad said with a thin, yet toothy grin.
"Very funny," Kate replied as she leaned against the kitchen counter, facing Conrad.
"Well, the first verse I see an older couple reflecting on their lives together at different stages of their lives," Conrad replied, "The barley field is something significant, where many of their happiest memories take place."
"I see your older couple interpretation, but the husband is dying and pleading for his wife to remember him," Kate replied.
"Not necessarily, I see them sitting in a swinging chair on their front porch, reminiscing their lives together," Conrad replied, sipping his coffee, "They start at the beginning, talking of walking among the fields of gold."
"I can see that," Kate replied, "It is actually kind of sweet, but still kind of depressing. I mean he's asking her to stay with him, which tells me they had a fight."
"Maybe, but to me they clearly made up, when he speaks of the kiss in the barley field," Conrad countered, "And there's also that line that the man never makes promises lightly, but he's broken some, swearing nonetheless he wants to spend the rest of his days with her. And that he loves her with all his heart. That's romantic to me."
"Its instrumental portions are so melancholy though," Kate replied.
"The vocals describing a lasting love do outweigh that," Conrad replied as he set his now empty coffee mug onto the counter, "I always smile when I hear that line where he speaks of years passing since summer days while they're watching the children playing. Their children."
"It's poignant, but it's vaguely depressing," Kate replied, "I mean the passage of time…"
"But it's growing together," Conrad replied, "Is that not romantic in its own way?"
"I see your point, there, Conrad," Kate replied, with a wan look, "But that song still depressing in its own way."
"I believe that agreeing to disagree is best in this case," Conrad replied.
Kate nodded and then a thought occurred to her, "Are there any romantic traditions in the French Foreign Legion? I mean other than men running off to join it after romantic failings…"
Remembering Conrad's past Kate winced slightly, "No offense."
"None taken," Conrad replied, "After all such a failing is part of my past, mademoiselle, and it did provide the impetus for me joining La Legion."
"Still..." Kate began. He did say he was a man alone when he flew to Paris.
Conrad raised a hand to cut her off, "No offense was taken, mademoiselle, therefore there is nothing for you to apologize for."
"Okay," Kate replied, softly, before turning away towards the sink, turning it on so she could wash her now empty mug.
"If you must know, mademoiselle, there are romantic traditions in La Legion," Conrad replied, "One is the tradition that a legionnaire carries his sweetheart's photo in the lining of his kepis blanc."
"That's so sweet," Kate said with a slight smile.
"In a way it is a bit depressing too," Conrad replied, "Particularly when one considers how many times a legionnaire perished with that last photo of said sweetheart in his kepis blanc on many a battlefield."
Kate blinked as in her mind's eye she could see a legionnaire lying mortally wounded on the desert floor, bleeding from several fatal wounds, laboriously turning over to look inside his upturned kepis to get one last glimpse of someone he would never see again…
"Kate?" Conrad asked, softly. He recalled lying bleeding, wounded, rolling to take one last look at Brook's photo on a night he thought would be his last on Earth...
"Sorry, I just had a chill go up my spine when you brought up that idea about the sweetheart's photo," Kate replied. And clearly yours too. I could see that pause.
"I apologize, mademoiselle," Conrad replied.
Kate looked Conard in the eye as she spoke, softly, "You kept Brook's photo in your kepis?"
Conrad nodded, "For all eight years I served in La Legion."
Their gazes remained fixed on each other for what felt like an hour before Kate broke the silence, a lump in her throat, "I've got a message to send to Baer."
"I'll meet you downstairs, mademoiselle," Conrad replied before he left the room.
Agent Todd,
So you're going on a jungle survival training mission soon? Keep us informed of Tolansky's progress any time you can.
Agent Baer
The Pit, Officer's Quarters
Kate, Conrad, Roadblock
06 March 2002, 0717
"So where's the other half of Team Hart and Todd? Seeing you by yourself can be a bit odd," Roadblock said as he walked down the stairs.
"She's taking care of an e-mail for work upstairs. She'll be down shortly," Conrad replied.
Almost as if on cue Kate came down the stairs and out of the building. She gave a semi sarcastic princess wave causing Conrad to chuckle slightly.
"Not exactly Princess Mia Thermopolis of Genovia, but still serviceable," Conrad quipped.
"Very funny," Kate replied with a slight smirk.
"Evidently, mademoiselle," Conrad replied, "Roadblock bestowed us a new nickname."
"Don't keep me in suspense," Kate replied, "What is it?"
"Team Hart and Todd," Conrad added with a toothy grin of his own.
"Couldn't that lead to some confusion, though?" Kate replied, "After all don't you sometimes call Toad by his birth name, Todd, sometimes?"
"Could happen, but I usually only call the kid Todd when we're not training. During training he gets called by his codename," Roadblock explained.
"How's he doing?" Kate asked, "I mean considering…"
"He's making progress," Roadblock said, "He's got a therapy session with Psyche Out this morning, so I'm letting him sleep in a little."
"We could take you to the infirmary and back," Kate offered, "We've got the whole morning free, because we're training all afternoon and evening."
"I'll take you up on that," Roadblock said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Kate replied.
"So how's the training going?" Roadblock asked.
"It's going well. I'm learning a lot about small team tactics and jungle fighting," Kate replied, "As well as the Legion way of reacting to enemy contact."
"Let me guess, charging forward, firing bursts at full automatic and throwing grenades," Roadblock quipped.
"There is something to be said for aggression," Conrad replied, "A moi Legion!"
"What does that mean?" Roadblock replied.
"It translates as 'To me, Legion!'. It's a rallying cry, uttered in many a bar brawl or a battle," Conrad said, "I recall once in Avignon, one of my fellow Legionnaires, a Moroccan fellow, was being beaten up by some North African toughs. I saw it and shouted 'A moi Legion!' and we laid into the bastards, dragging them out of the bar and giving them twice the beating they gave our mate."
Kate's eyes went wide, "That's pretty…"
"What? Horrible? Hardly. We let those five fellows off with a savage beating, but we didn't kill them. It is the Legion way to protect our own. After all one of our mottos is Legio Patria Nostra, The Legion is our Homeland," Conrad replied evenly.
"That's still pretty brutal," Kate replied.
"Kate, it is the ethos of men cast adrift from society. Our main loyalty is to the Legion and one another," Conrad countered, "Men who will defend their buddies from cowardly attacks in bars will do so on the battlefield as well."
The hard edge from Conrad's tone faded as he gently added, "It is a different world, mademoiselle."
How did a guy with a sensitive soul survive? He had to build that hard man facade to keep from going insane in a place like that. Kate thought to herself, profiler instincts going at a thousand miles an hour.
Kate noticed Todd hopping towards them, saving her from asking Conrad any more questions. The kid looked slightly sheepish as he said, "Sorry I'm late."
Roadblock glanced at his watched, "Actually, kid, you're right on time."
"Really?" Todd asked.
"Really," Roadblock replied, "Want to get some breakfast before your appointment?"
"Sure," Todd replied and smiled.
"Agent Hart? Agent Todd?" Roadblock offered.
"We already had breakfast," Conrad replied.
"Well, we can always get a cup of coffee," Kate interjected.
"I'll have some coffee too," Todd cheerfully said.
"No you won't!" All three adults said.
"Aww…" Todd pouted slightly as they walked across the parking lot to Conrad and Kate's rental car.
Conrad took the driver's seat, after opening the passenger side door for Kate to climb in. Roadblock took the back seat with Todd and Conrad asked, "Where too?"
"There's the Denny's in town, about five minutes from the main gate," Roadblock said.
"You're the best, Dad!" Todd said and hugged Roadblock.
Kate smiled as Conrad started the car and they drove to the aforementioned diner. He put the car into park and they walked in for breakfast. As they walked towards the diner Kate saw Conrad's line of sight snap off to his right. She followed it to find Conrad looking at a man with black hair and a beard wearing a black sleeveless shirt with a red Cobra emblem covered by a slash and circle, blue jeans and hiking boots in company with Sergeant Slaughter.
"You know each other?" Kate asked.
Conrad nodded. Kate noticed the crossed out Cobra logo on the man's shirt and quickly putting two and two together said, "You fought each other, didn't you?"
Roadblock interjected, "Mercer is one of a handful of Cobra defectors we have in G.I. Joe."
"Something I'm rather dubious about," Conrad replied coldly.
"Why?" Kate asked.
"Commando Laroche," Conrad replied, "Let by Adjutant-Chef Reynard Laroche. They had a few former Cobras among the tribal militiamen they trained. Then two of them betrayed him, emptying their weapons on their French comrades. Laroche and three of his Legionnaires paid the price. I was at their funeral."
Conrad was silent for a moment, remembering the sight of four caskets draped in French flags, each borne by six Legionnaires as pallbearers, marching in that slow, solemn way of La Legion. Remembering the resonance of the song. J'avais un camarade…
"There's always risk when you have defectors alongside you," Roadblock said.
"That risk was ours to take, yes," Conrad replied, "But there was Beni Gabor, the ex-Cobra that betrayed Dr. Keller's mission."
"What happened?" Kate asked, recognizing the name of that mission. That mission where the doctor, her staff and patients were all killed.
"There was a Cobra prisoner, wounded in one of our first actions with a bullet to the right ankle. He'd managed to escape to Dr. Keller's mission and we showed up intending to interrogate him once he was treated," Conrad replied, with a wry smirk he added, "Dr. Keller wasn't about to let us do that."
"I can see why," Kate replied. Especially if those interrogation methods were anything like those used during the Algerian War.
"Well, he helped out at the mission on various small tasks Dr. Keller needed. Dr. Keller and her staff treated his wounds, gave him food, and shelter. And what did that scumbag do but betray them," Conrad spat out. Dr. Keller and her people tried to reach out to Beni, but the little bastard betrayed him. I'm glad we sent him to Hell!
"What happened to him?" Kate asked, noticing the rage burning in Conrad.
"We hanged him for his crimes," Conrad replied coldly. The traitorous bastard deserved it!
Kate blanched at the cold menace in Conrad's tone, "What?"
"He deserved it. He bit the hand that fed him. Thus he deserved to swing by his neck until dead," Conrad replied before angrily intoning, "Vae Victis."
Kate noticed the hard expression on Conrad's face, and noticed that the ex-Cobra that Conrad had stared down climbed into the cab of a large black Dodge Ram pickup truck.
"Sans Pitie, mademoiselle," Conrad replied,"That was the doctrine we operated under."
"Wh-what does that mean?" Todd asked. All the while the boy had been listening to the two adults talking.
"Without mercy," Conrad replied, cold fury on his voice.
Enroute to the Pit
Mercer and Sergeant Slaughter
06 March 2002, 0744
"You knew Agent Hart, Mercer?" Sergeant Slaughter asked from the passenger seat of the Dodge Ram.
Mercer nodded, "Back in my days with Cobra."
Sergeant Slaughter nodded with recognition, knowing that Mercer's last assignment with Cobra in the Central African Republic caused him to defect to G.I. Joe. He also knew Mercer almost didn't survive said assignment.
"I was lucky that there were G.I. Joe types with the Legion," Mercer replied, "Otherwise the Skeleton Men might've shot me out of hand."
"Skeleton Men?" Sergeant Slaughter asked the ex-Cobra.
"Oh, that's what we used to call Agent Hart's old French Foreign Legion advisor team and the militia they trained in the Central African Republic," Mercer replied as he took a cigarette from a pack on his vest and lit it.
"You seemed pretty rattled to see the man. What was up with that?" Sergeant Slaughter asked.
"They had a reputation for ruthlessness," Mercer replied, "It was said the Skeleton Men never took prisoners and your last round should be for you."
"I know the French were hacked off at Cobra after the 1994 Pyrenees Incident," Sergeant Slaughter replied, "And that they had the Sans Pitié doctrine."
"The Without Mercy Doctrine, I know," Mercer said, "The one their Minister of Defence went on record with. I was on the receiving end of it."
Mercer blinked, remembering seeing a friend, Beni Gabor, twisting in the breeze. Hanging by the rope around his neck connected to the sturdy tree limb. Tongue lolling from out of a mouthful of broken teeth. A placard around his neck that read, 'I, A Former Cobra, Bit the Hand that Fed Me. The Victims of the Keller Massacre are My Fault.'
Sergeant Slaughter remained impassive, remembering, though the Cobra slaughter of Dr. Keller's mission. He couldn't blame Commando Depuis for its actions in that case. Not a single individual responsible for that massacre was left alive.
"Dr. Keller's Mission," Mercer continued, "That's when it started for me. When I started to see what I really signed up for. And it was a bloody encounter with the Skeleton Men that almost ended me."
Mercer remembered lying wounded in long grass, leg bleeding like sin smelling the scent of burning grass, gasoline, and flesh while the Skeleton Men advanced firing as they came. He remembered seeing them dispatching wounded Cobras with either single rifle shots or slashes with machetes.
"That's when you saw the light," Sergeant Slaughter replied.
Mercer nodded, "Had Lady Jaye and Roadblock not intervened the Skeleton Men would have killed me too."
"Why did you call them Skeleton Men?" Sergeant Slaughter asked.
"They all wore this circular patch with a skeleton wearing a French Foreign Legion uniform with the words 'Commando Depuis. The Devil's Guard' emblazoned on it," Mercer replied, "Believe me, that's not something you forget."
Beni might've been a shifty little incompetent, but even he didn't deserve to be hanged from the nearest tree limb...Mercer thought to himself as they drove along the road. What was it he used to say, 'The Skeleton Men are hunters without mercy'.
TBC