THE GUARDIAN
BY: DIANA M.

Chapter Five

 
   The Joes broke up into four groups and loaded themselves into the super-sonic cargo carriers that would jet them quickly over the Atlantic. Vehicles were prepared for drop and loaded onto a fifth carrier.

  Scarlett and Cover Girl followed Duke and the rest of their team towards the front of their carrier and found their parachutes. Duke picked up his and began inspecting the rigging.

  "Triple check your chutes, troops." Duke pulled open the pack and looked closely at the material, "It’s not nice to get a nasty surprise several thousand feet up." He repacked his main chute carefully, and started in on the back-up.

  Scarlett and followed suit without comment. Cover Girl wrinkled her nose sulkily and eyed her pack with distaste, "C’mon, Duke. The government pays millions of dollars buying us the best equipment possible. We have this nifty speedy carrier jet, I’m pretty sure something as simple as a chute couldn’t be too fouled up. Why waste time on this?"

  "Saving your own ass is never a waste of time, Cover Girl," Duke sat down and stowed his chute under the webbed bench, "Never forget, Uncle Sam buys from the lowest bidder. Besides, you got better things to do?"

  "Here, I’ll help. God forbid you should break a nail," Scarlett finished her own inspection and grabbed Cover Girl’s chute. She could feel the rumbling of the carrier as it taxied down the runway to take off.

  "Thanks Scarlett," Cover girl looked relieved, "I don’t mean to be a bitch. Its nerves, I guess." While Scarlett checked all the rigging, Cover Girl pulled out both chutes and checked the material. They sat and packed the chutes as the carrier rolled into final position.

  "Sit down, strap in, and shut up," Wild Bill’s cheerful voice crackled over the intercom, "We’re taking off, and this baby kicks like a mule!"

  Scarlett strapped in and gritted her teeth as the carrier sped down the runway. It wasn’t a smooth ride. The millions Cover Girl attributed to military spending didn’t go towards suspension or seat cushions. The ride smoothed out once the carrier was fully airborne.

  "We’ll go supersonic in a few minutes kiddies. I’ll give you a little travellin’ music to hold you over ‘till we get to where we’re goin’," Wild Bill must have set his boom box near the intercom. The twangy voice of Loretta Lynn drifted into the hold.

  "...In a shack in the town of Butcher Hollow..."

  Gung Ho was joined by other Joes in a deafening holler of protest that drowned poor Loretta out completely. Recondo took the butt of his rifle and began pounding on the hold ceiling.

  "Enough!" The noise stopped. Duke glared angrily at his troops, "Nervous tension is one thing, but I expect to get to the battlefield without a headache."

  ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ continued to drift through the hold. Duke rubbed the back of his neck and looked up towards the cockpit.

  "I think I left something of mine up there during our last war games," Duke walked to the ladder that led up to the cockpit and opened the hatch, "I’ll go put that on." He smiled as he climbed up.

  Scarlett and Cover Girl looked at each other. Scarlett rolled her eyes heavenward and sighed.

  "What’s with the rolling eyes?" Leatherneck leaned over Doc.

  "Obviously you don’t know Duke’s taste in music," Cover Girl shook her head as she muttered, "I’d almost prefer Loretta."

  "I actually kind of like it, myself," Scarlett smiled, "But he always blasts it so loud. It’s sort of grown on me, I guess."

  "Let me guess, some sort of opera stuff?" Leatherneck mused, "Something by that crazy German guy...Pogner?"

  "Wagner," Doc smiled, "Pogner was an elf."

  "Yeah, that guy. Him, right? Just like in ‘Apocalypse Now’, right? Loving the smell of Napalm in the morning and shit." Leatherneck nodded to himself.

  "You’ll see," Scarlett always enjoyed watching new Joes get used to Duke. She had watched others get used with his eccentricities. Thisnew lot seemed to be taking longer, not developing quite the intimate relationshipenjoyed by the older Joes. Perhaps it was because of Hawk’s influence. The newer Joes had yet to knit closely with the old.

  Scarlett smiled at Duke as he slid down the ladder and secured his seat’s safety harness. He waved the Loretta Lynn CD and grinned at her, " Well, Red, it was a bit of a fight, but I got it from him."

  "What did you have him put on, Duke?"

  "This will definitely get you in the mood for warfare." He fastened her belts for her, "we’re about to go super."

  "Valkyries, Duke?" Leatherneck shot Duke a thumbs up.

  "No thanks, we’ve got Scarlett," Duke grinned, " Besides, I’m not ready for Valhalla yet."

  "I meant-"

  "Prepare to go supersonic" Wild Bill’s interrupted. Buckles clicked throughout the hold as the Joes strapped in. Scarlett felt her self once again pushed back into the seat’s webbing as the supersonic jets kicked in. At the same time growling guitars screamed over the intercom. Cover Girl plugged her ears with her fingers. Gung Ho and Recondo cheered.

  "Metallica?!?" Leatherneck’s mouth gaped open.

  Doc smiled , "An opera man he’s not. We’re lucky he lost his Motorhead CD."

  Scarlett leaned across Doc, "You should hear him play! I never knew he had ever touched a guitar ‘till that Cold Slither escapade." She shouted to be heard above the corrosive guitar solo. Gung Ho and Recondo joined in on the next chorus, making up for tone-deafness with overwhelming volume.

  The carrier sped with its four mates towards Stonehenge and the battle that awaited.

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  They quickly arrived at the preplanned jumping place. Scarlett felt slammed forward against her straps as the jet came out of supersonic. Duke was the first to free himself and stand up. He turned to address his troop as the blazing music over the intercom faded to silence.

  "O.K. troops, we’re jumping a half klick from the battle site. Wouldn’t want to be shot out of the air now, would we?" he adjusted his jump goggles. "Remember, we’re the point. Its our job to right to the gate and keep it closed, or, if we’re in the shit already, take care of whatever comes out. Flint’s got our backs with his unit. Hawk and Beach Head will take care of keeping a way out clear. Any questions?"

  Iceberg raised his hand, "What exactly are we expectin’ to skip on out of this gate to say hello?"

  Scarlett could see Duke’s eyes begin to burn with that mysterious glow. "Nothing you’ve seen before. Nothing you’d want to remember seeing. Things that make your worst nightmares look like ‘Its a Small World’. Hopefully, they’ll come out nice and slow. If you’re lucky, they won’t be hungry."

  Iceberg looked pale. Gung Ho laughed, " We’ll bring you a didee, mon amî."

  "One last thing," Scarlett was hypnotized again by Duke’s eyes, they were smoldering like blue fire. "Leave the mage to me. He’s mine, you hear?"

  Scarlett watched with mixed feelings as the jump doors slowly swung open. Cold air rushed in, stinging her cheeks as she pulled herself out of her seat and made her way towards Duke. Jumps were always frightening. The thought of throwing herself at the ground several thousand feet below into an unknown quantity of danger was both daunting and exhilarating at the same time. Duke had once told her he considered it some sort of birth process.

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  "You’re thrust out into something new. What’s gonna happen?" He had stood behind and whispered into her ear in some long ago predawn exercise, "Damned if I really know. We plan, and hope, but battles have a way of biting you in the butt when you’re not looking. You’re an helpless baby ‘till you hit the ground"

  "Babies don’t carry automatic machine guns, Duke," She whispered over her shoulder, hoping Colonel Sharp wasn’t noticing how close Duke’s lips had come to her ear. His breath tickled the tiny hairs inside. He had laughed quietly.

  "Not that they wouldn’t want to, given the chance," she felt him triple checking her chute from behind. Duke always triple and quadruple checked her gear, no one else’s. "One thing’s for sure. Once you’re out, there's no way in Hell you can get back in. Out you go!" With a final chuckle, he had gently shoved her out the door.

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  Scarlett smiled to herself at the memory, and made her way into position next to Duke. He had chosen her as his "Buddy" in the first Joe mission. They had covered each other for years. It seemed natural to her now, to follow him into all sorts of dangerous situations, never looking back, never questioning his judgment. She knew it was one of the reasons she was still alive.

  "Ready, Red?" He moved over for her to take her place at his side.

  They would be the last out the door, watching the troops flood out the door in a cascade of pre-fight apprehension and rage mixed. Sometimes, someone balked. Duke was there to give whatever push was needed. Only a few times had he ever had to get physical. Usually, a few words of encouragement did the trick. If that failed, he would threaten. Finally, he would bully a reluctant Joe into the sky. Scarlett smiled to herself as she thought of the time Duke had been driven to gently apply his foot to Lady Jay’s rear and push her out. She couldn’t help her fear of heights, but Duke couldn’t have a Joe give in to phobias. The next time she hesitated, Duke simply pointed to his boot. Lady Jay had flung herself quickly out the door without a backwards glance.

  "GO!" The green light above the door flashed as Joes flung themselves into the great wide open, two by two. Duke slapped shoulders as they passed. Scarlett felt the tickling in her stomach grow as their turn neared. Then, before she knew it, she and Duke were alone in the doorway. She could still see his eyes glowing with the mysterious blue flame that signified some unfathomable passion. Whether it was for her, or the coming battle, she couldn’t tell, and wouldn’t dare to guess.

  "Let’s go, Red, out and down," and they were out the door, speeding towards the earth, and Cobra.

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