Itineraries and Preparations

Disclaimer: Same as before...

From Conrad's Notebook:

Exterminate the Brutes. Three words I took to heart after first hearing of and later witnessing atrocities Cobra and its allies got up to in Africa. Those who commit such crimes as rape, enslavement, and murder of innocent people must be killed without mercy.

In the Central African Republic, at least in our sector, there were rape gangs frequently paid by Cobra to terrorize civilians, both European and African alike. We went after them with a vengeance and within two months not one of those gangs was active in territory we controlled.

I still remember that we never took prisoners from such groups. If there were any survivors we typically shot them all as a warning to other rape gangs. One a few occasions we hanged the survivors from the nearest sturdy tree limb.

I maintain our utter lack of mercy to those sorts made sure that not a single rape gang was active in our sector. Cobra vipers and their sympathizers used to say 'The Skeleton Men never take prisoners'. It was a truth, to an extent. If we suspected a prisoner was guilty of criminal acts he'd be wasted on the spot. That was it. No slicing, no knifing. Usually a bullet to the back of the skull or a noose 'round the neck.

And the ungrateful leftists call us murderers? They said 'The Composite Intervention Groups Murder Most of Their Prisoners'. Pfah! Those men were guilty of atrocities themselves. They needed to be shot

I do hate those who commit such acts with a volcanic intensity. However I also hate what I became to send such vermin to Hell. Where they belong. May God have mercy on me for my sins.

The Pit, Officer's Quarters
Lady Jaye, Mercer, and Conrad Hart
07 March 2002, 0929

"I've been looking for you," a voice from behind Conrad said.

The former legionnaire turned to face the sound, seeing 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.

Conrad recognized the man on sight, "Well you've found me."

He could see the man wasn't alone, as he recognized Lady Jaye, one of G.I. Joe's intelligence specialists nearby.

After a brief silence Conrad asked, eyes narrowing, "So what the devil do you want? It isn't as though we are old friends."

"So you're in law enforcement now?" the man asked.

"Yes," Conrad replied tersely before he turned to Lady Jaye, "What's the meaning of this?"

"Mercer wanted to meet you," Lady Jaye replied, "And it has been a few years since the Central African Republic."

"So it has," Conrad replied evenly, rising to his feet and turning around.

Mercer regarded Conrad, noticing the ex-legionnaire's eyes flickered to the crossed out Cobra insignia on the right side of his chest, "Cobra has no loyalty from me. They left me for dead in Africa."

Not to mention you nearly shot me. Mercer thought as he remembered the aftermath of the battle. His leg bleeding like sin as he stared up at the blazing sun, smelling burning fuel, grass and flesh. The men around him dead or dying. The legionnaires of Commando Depuis and the African militiamen they trained walking among the battle's aftermath, shooting any wounded among his comrades. Of seeing Conrad approach and leveling his FAMAS rifle before Lady Jaye prevented him from firing the coup de grace.

"Your former comrades got everything they deserved," Conrad replied coldly.

"I wasn't involved with either the Keller or Delaney massacres," Mercer replied, "Your team killed every last one of the people who were responsible. To include executing any prisoners captured."

"They got what they deserved," Conrad countered.

"I don't dispute that," Mercer replied, "Acts like that made me realize I'd made a mistake."

"Every damned one of your former comrades deserved bullets," Conrad replied, venom in every word.

"Even our wounded?" Mercer replied.

"The only good Cobras are dead ones," Conrad spat back, "I've seen first hand what savagery you and the faction you backed were capable of. The Delaney family massacre being a classic example."

Mercer let out a small, bitter laugh, "As if Commando Depuis were any better? You know what we called you? The Skeleton Men. And why we called you that?"

"I'm aware of our reputation, especially among the tribesmen that supported Cobra. They were deathly afraid of us. And that was a reputation we were eager to cultivate," Conrad replied, pointing to the circular patch on his backpack, which was at his feet, depicting the grinning skeleton with the kepis blanc firing at a distant enemy.

"We hated the Skeleton Men," Mercer replied, "Because we knew you weren't inclined to mercy."

"As I said," Conrad replied, "A reputation we chose to cultivate. Frightened enemies are less effective ones."

"Yet you saw yourselves as judge, jury, and executioner," Mercer replied with another bitter laugh, "That just made us fight harder."

"Your fellow Cobras and the faction you supported warranted the harshest treatment," Conrad growled. In any case these are things I will have to answer for at the Gates of Saint Peter at my final judgment.

"Then what about me?" Mercer said, "I defected from Cobra."

"I'll refer to the tale of Commando Laroche," Conrad replied, "They took on a couple former Cobras. One of them killed four legionnaires to include Adjutant-Chef Laroche."

"He didn't get three steps away from their base," Mercer replied, "As the other legionnaires and the Congolese militiamen with them ventilated him with bullets."

"The lowest circle of Hell is reserved for traitors," Conrad icily added.

"Let us not forget," Lady Jaye interjected, "That the information Mercer gave us helped us find out about Moreauseau."

"And I gave that of my own free will," Mercer replied.

"True, but why were you looking for me?" Conrad asked, "Perhaps to put a round through me if you decide to turn back to Cobra? I probably killed friends of yours during the fighting."

"You did kill friends of mine," Mercer replied, "Maybe a lot of them were misguided by the bilge Cobra put out."

"They made their choices. They paid the consequences for them." Conrad evenly replied.

"Did Beni really deserve to be kicked, beaten, and hanged?" Mercer replied.

"Yes." Conrad replied, "Dr. Keller and her mission treated wounded people of all factions, and Beni got her killed. And worse before that. He deserved to swing by his neck until dead!"

"They said the Skeleton Men murdered most of their prisoners." Mercer replied.

"The men we shot weren't exactly choir boys." Conrad replied, "And for Beni, killing him was not murder. It. Was. Justice."

"Justice?" Mercer replied.

"Justice for Dr. Keller and the victims at her mission. He deserved to swing by the neck until dead." Conrad clenched his fists.

Lady Jaye tensed. Should I try to break this up or break away and call the MPs if it escalates?

She noticed Conrad scan his wrist watch, "I'd best be going."

Mercer nodded as Conrad stalked off, with the parting words, "Vae Victis."

"What does that mean?" Mercer asked Lady Jaye, "Is that French?"

"It's Latin and it means 'suffering to the conquered'."

The Pit, Headquarters Building
Kate Todd, Conrad Hart, and Roadblock
07 March 2002, 1000

Conrad walked into the conference room at the headquarters building in a foul mood. He set his backpack down beside his chair beside Kate.

Kate glanced over and noticed the stony expression on Conrad's face. "Bad hangover?"

"More like a moral judgment from a snake." Conrad growled.

"You ran into Mercer again?" Kate asked.

Conrad nodded. "Why the devil he can't get it through his thick skull that his 'friends' committed crimes and deserved to be wasted on the spot for them is beyond me."

Sometimes your brutal sense of justice is beyond me. Kate thought before saying, "Okay, we do have an itinerary to discuss."

Conrad nodded, "So what's the itinerary?"

"We leave tomorrow morning for Panama, landing at Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabrook" International Airport. We'll be staying overnight at the Hotel El Panama before we go back to the airport and fly inland for Fort Sherman after breakfast." Roadblock replied.

"Sounds good," Conrad replied, as Roadblock slid printouts of their hotel reservations to Conrad and Kate.

"Where are our plane tickets?" Kate asked.

"We're not using commercial aircraft," Roadblock replied, "We're flying by Learjet."

"Our tax dollars at work," Kate sipped at a cup of coffee.

"Would you rather fly in a military cargo plane?" Conrad smirked.

"That how you flew into Africa?" Kate asked.

"No, mademoiselle, I flew in a contracted airliner. Aeroflot Airlines to be precise. Not your tax dollars at work," Conrad grinned toothily.

Kate rolled her eyes at the ex-Legionnaire's attempt at humor, yet softened it with a wry grin, "Clearly a hangover isn't going to kill off your attempts at wit."

"It would take death to do so," Conrad quipped.

"Isn't Todd supposed to be here too?" Kate asked.

"He's got a short training session with Stormshadow, but he's on his way. Sergeant Sedgwick is taking him over here and…" Roadblock began.

"Oh boy we're going camping!" The excited shout echoed from down the hallway.

"Speak of the devil." Conrad smirked as he wrote a quick note in his notebook.

The door opened and Todd hopped in, leaping over the table, causing the pages in Conrad's notebook to shuffle with the air movement from his passage. He took the seat beside Roadblock.

"He's been like this since I picked him up from the dojo," Sedgwick said.

"And how many cups of BA's coffee did he have?" Kate quipped as Todd shuffled his feet at his seat before he hopped into the air, head millimeters from the ceiling.

"None. And I didn't have a thermos in the car at all," Sedgwick added, "He's just been excited about the camping trip."

"Just you and me, Roadblock!" Todd replied.

"That's right, Todd," Roadblock sighed.

"Thank God our campsite is about twelve kilometers away." Kate whispered to Sedgwick and Conrad.

"We're not exactly going to be camping," Sedgwick replied, "We'll be training in jungle patrolling which includes how to live in the jungle."

"Six days in the rainforest. With no other human beings around for miles. Lucky me." Roadblock continued as Todd continued hopping up and down.

"Wow!" Todd said, eyes wide, "I always wanted to go camping with my….but this is even better!"

"I wonder just how much sugar the kid had," Kate mused.

"I'm going camping!" Todd shouted excitedly, hopping across the desk as Kate slipped to the left, feeling her hair move with the air current of Todd's passage.

"He could easily have had some of BA's coffee before Sedgwick picked him up," Conrad guessed.

"Camping!" Todd sang out from just behind Conrad. "Oh man I bet the bugs are really big and juicy! I can hardly wait!"

Kate shivered slightly as Conrad grinned toothily, "Well, mademoiselle, bugs do get rather large in the jungle."

"Ugh…" Kate groaned.

"Stock up on your mossie repellent," Sedgwick quipped.

I'm going to enjoy this...Conrad thought, grin widening, "That means plenty of big bugs."

"Ick. That makes me wish Todd and Roadblock's campsite was right next to ours." Kate sighed. Six days of huge bugs. Ick...

"All kinds of juicy beetles, butterflies, and all sorts of bugs I've never even seen before! I can't wait!" Todd shouted, hopping vertically into the air.

"Yippie…" Roadblock groaned to himself.

"And we get to sleep under the stars and swim in the water and…uh-oh!" Todd shouted, jumping towards the conference room door just as it opened.

"Incoming!" Beach Head shouted just as Todd collided with him.

"Sorry Beach Head," Todd replied, hopping away from him.

Beach Head grumbled as he stood up and brushed some dust off his collar, "Kid, go swim with the piranhas…"

Kate and Conrad both glared at him and Beach Head replied, "Pound sand, both of you."

"Just Roadblock and me!" Todd said with another skyward leap.

"Someone's in a bad mood," Kate quipped as Beach Head walked towards Roadblock.

"Me and Roadblock!" Todd sang out, jumping up and flipping in midair.

"How are you presenting this in your report?" Conrad smirked.

"I'm not," Kate whispered, "Baer would definitely not believe this."

"Special training with Roadblock!" Todd hopped into the air.

"I can't believe you're doing survival training with Toad," Beach Head said to Roadblock. "Who's going to survive who?"

"Ha ha," Roadblock said, "What brings you here?"

"I heard all the racket in the conference room." Beach Head replied before walking out of the room, chuckling to himself, "Who's going to survive who...haha."

TBC