THE GUARDIAN
BY: DIANA M.

Chapter Four

 
  Duke eyed Scarlett appraisingly, “Red, I have to honestly say, I can’t think of any answer I could give you that you’d believe.”

  “Try me.”

  She met his stare; their eyes locked. She could sense Duke looking deeply into her. Searching, for what she wasn’t sure. He seemed concerned, as if on shaky ground. He put his hands on hers, and moved closer. His gaze drew her in, and she felt herself falling. The outside distraction of the busy commissary faded away. His eyes seemed to glow electric blue. She could feel the electricity flowing to her through his hands and into her. The hair on her arms stood up with the crackling tingle that coursed through her. Her toes and fingertips buzzed with a pleasing pins and needles feeling. Scarlett thought she could smell pine trees and musk; spicy and warm, yet new and refreshing. Faintly, almost beyond the boundaries of perception, she could hear the blowing of the pipes. Duke smiled. Whatever he had been searching for, he had found deep within her, and perhaps himself. Scarlett felt amazingly at peace. The world could have ended for her then; she wouldn’t care. Never had she been as complete as she was at that moment.

  The alert blared like a banshee on speed, bringing them back to the outside world.

  Duke pulled his hands back and jumped up; their connection was broken. Scarlett sat dazed. She had wanted the electricity to course through her endlessly. Now she felt oddly removed, disconnected.

  Hawk’s voice grumbled through the intercom, “All active Joes report to the briefing room immediately! Duke, Flint, Beach-Head, begin collaborating your team rosters.”

  Scarlett came to and saw Flint standing next to Duke, “Saved by the bell, hey pal?” He slapped Duke on the shoulder and chuckled, “we’d better move, if its what we were expecting.”

  Scarlett made an attempt to clean up some of the lunch dishes. Duke grabbed her arm gently, “No time for that, Scarlett. Flint’s right. This could be a big one, and I have you on my team. If its going to get nasty, I need you prepared”

  His hand slipped away, and he nodded to Flint. Together they walked towards tactical planning. Scarlett joined the Joes flooding out the other side of the commissary, towards the briefing room. She met up with Cover Girl halfway there.

  “Well, THAT was interesting!” Cover Girl grinned her Maybeline smile. How often the men on the base had fantasized of jealous fighting between the two. It couldn’t have been farther from the truth. As the two original women on the team, Scarlett and Cover Girl had a closer relationship than most. Lady Jaye had become the third point to thier triangle when she was recruited. Together, the three of them had forged a strong and unbreakable friendship, one that had weathered many trials.

  They walked quickly; the briefing room was on the other side of the base, far away from the living quarters. “What do you mean?” Scarlett realized that she had brought her drink with her. She guzzled the last of it, and set the glass down on a trash can by the pool. She made a mental note to remember it when they returned.

  “You, Duke, gazing everlastingly into each other’s eyes,” Cover Girl batted her eyelids and sighed dramatically, “Ah sweah, ah could heah the blue birds a - twittahing!” She snorted and rolled her eyes, “it’s about God-Damned time! Turtles in January move faster than you two.”

  “No one can move at your speed,” Lady Jaye had caught up with them. They were almost there. They had reached the brig, and only had three buildings to go. “Talk about the speed of light! So Scarlett, what’s the next step?”

  “I don’t think it was anything like you two imagine.” Scarlett said thoughtfully.

  “I don’t know,” Cover Girl grinned, “I can imagine a lot.”

  “He was...He was trying to tell me something, or get me to tell HIM something,” Scarlett frowned to herself, “Pretty weird things have been happening.” She couldn’t forget the way his eyes glowed. They haunted her, reminding her of the way Timber and Junkyard’s eyes reflected in the night. Something tickled at the back of her mind.

  “So tell him yes and get it on,” Cover Girl opened the door to the briefing hall and held it for the others.

  Lady Jaye chuckled, “Just because he ignored you the first time he met you...”

  “Oh God, that was embarrassing. Scarlett, remember? I came in wearing that tiny BDU t-shirt, and he wouldn’t look twice. I tried so hard. I was AWFUL back then!” Cover Girl blushed at the memory. “The next day I ran into him in the laundry, and he told me to use a colder cycle! He didn’t want me at all.”

  “That’s because he saw Scarlett here first.”

  “Oh you bet. I had NO chance. Then again, I sort of came to realize that he’s WAY too intense.” They picked three seats near the front, “He wants everything just so. I don’t think I could handle that. I like a man I can control mercilessly. It’s too bad he’s so damn good looking.”

  Shipwreck sat down next to her, “Can’t stop talking about me, can ya, Doll?” He stretched and dropped his arm around Cover Girl’s shoulders, “You’d better, my ears are burnin’ up!”

  “Shipwreck, the only way I’d ever burn your ears would be to set them on fire!” She shrugged off his arm. “Go find some mermaid to drag you under the sea!”

  Shipwreck’s face turned a beep shade of red. He stood up and stormed off to the back of the room. Polly screeched loudly..”Sore spot sore spot Frogs in Winter!”

  Cover Girl looked amazed, “Wow. THAT worked better than I expected. What’s up with him? ”

  The lights dimmed and Stalker and Snake Eyes stepped up on stage.

  “I’ll fill you in later,” Lady Jaye whispered.

  The briefing was about to begin.

***********************************


  Scarlett had trouble focusing on Stalker. Her mind kept wandering back to the way Duke had searched her. Her spine was still tingling. It was almost as if he had sent little probing tendrils of himself into her through her eyes and fingers. Why had no one else noticed the supernatural way his eyes had shone. They certainly had been watched, if Flint and Cover Girl’s comments were anything to judge by.

  She snapped to when Stalker flipped on a slide of Stonehenge.

  “Bring me up to Speed, Jaye,” Scarlett leaned over and whispered in her Lady Jaye’s ear. Lady Jaye looked surprised; Scarlett was usually ahead of most others.

  “Stalker and Snake Eyes have been following British Surveillance reports for the past week. Cobra’s been really interested in the old ruins lately. Yesterday they took a supersonic over and saw for themselves. They scouted three possible Cobra hideouts in the area,” Lady Jaye hissed under her breath. “Maybe they’ll get naked and dance around the Samhein fires.”

  “That is exactly what we think is going on,” Duke, Flint, Hawk and Beach-Head had Joined Stalker and Snake-Eyes on stage. Somehow, Duke’s keen ears had picked up on Scarlett and Lady Jaye’s conversation. He picked up a pointer and lightly tapped the screen. “Stonehenge. One of many odd stone circles that dot the British Isles and parts of Europe. Scientists and Historians have been arguing for decades what they could have possibly been used for. Many agree they were some sort of Druidic or Celtic marker. Of what has been anybody’s guess. Stonehenge itself is thought to be a calendar, marking times of the four most important Celtic feast days, Beltaine, Samhein, Oimelc, and Lughnasadah. Tonight is Samhein eve, people. All Hallow’s Eve,” Duke swept his gaze over the troops assembled in the hall, “It is the equivalent of the Druidic new year, and the Druids party hearty. According to legend, tonight the spirits will open the gates to the other world, and let people in, or out.”

  Scarlett couldn’t believe she’d forgotten Halloween.

  “Do we get to dress up?” Nervous laughter filled the hall. Ship Wreck could always ease an odd situation with a well-timed comment.

  “Just make sure you dress up as someone who can kick ass,” Stalker stepped forward, “Snakes and I found out a few things on our sneaky-trip last night. Cobra has hired one freaky dude to help them at midnight.”

  “Ladies and Gentlemen,” Hawk silenced the last straggling titters of laughter, “We believe that Cobra has classified Stonehenge as one of these gates. Flint and Dial Tone can testify that they’ve already attempted to capture something from this ‘other side’. Tonight they’ll try again. This time, they’ve hired a mage.” Murmurs of disbelief washed through the briefing room in gentle waves. A picture of a slick looking man replaced Stonehenge on the screen. Duke slapped it with his pointer.

  “This man is, believe it or not, one Chester Copperpot of Llelwyn, Wales,” Duke looked at the picture with utter disgust and contempt, “He has a police record of ritualistic animal torture, strange night disturbances, real spooky shit. He calls himself a mage. Claims to have supernatural powers. Cobra has hired him to work his voodoo tonight at Stonehenge. He’s their ‘insurance policy’, so to speak. He’ll be pretty much out in the open. Expect to see a lot of circles and pentagrams. Rub them out. Mess with him. Stop him from whatever he’s doing. These gates are said to have a lot of power, and stinkin’ damn mages love to suck ‘em dry.”

  Hawk cleared his throat. Duke blinked, then corrected himself, “So the historical, um, mythological report, ah...well, that’s what they say.” Her regained his composure. “We’re headed into some gaping unknowns, gang. Keep your wits about you. Don’t turn your back on the rocks. Flint’s got the particulars.”

  Flint grinned. “All right, boys and girls. Three battalions of regulars, each backed up by two Hiss tanks. Air support is doubtful. Too far away from any possible Cobra airstrips. Maybe a fang copter or two to make it fun. Look out for Mindbender, Destro, and ol' Fang Face. Serpentor is there, but he’ll be safely beyond reach until the gate pops. Last time I was there, there was a big green slimy monster they pulled out. We took care of him, but I wouldn’t want to meet his family, if you get my meaning.”

  “If this dog and pony show works out, Cobra will be the least of our worries.” Duke cracked his knuckles loudly.

  “Troops, meet up in your teams and prepare for transport.” Hawk turned off the slide projector and turned off the lights. “Dismissed”.

  Lady Jaye tuned to Scarlett and smiled, “Here we go!”

______________________________________________________

On to Chapter Five!
Back to Diana M.'s Fics!
Back to Authors Page!