JOURNEY'S
END
BY: THE BARD
Chapter Seven
Lost and Found
How long had she been down in this cold, damp cell?
Days, probably...
It felt more like weeks. No food, little water...no human contact. The only sounds the water dripping down the side of the wall, the scurrying of the mice and rats, the steady rasp of her own breathing.
She had no idea where she was. She had seen no one since her initial encounter with Ripper. He had hit her pretty hard and she had spent a while drifting in and out of consciousness, too dizzy to move, to ill to care. A good thing too, because when she finally tried to get up she discovered that she could no longer support her weight. Her knee was completely useless.
At first she had spent her time looking for ways to escape. No windows, one heavy steel door that was so tightly sealed that no light could be seen along its frame, a small drain on the floor that, from the smell of it, led to the sewers. The walls were solid concrete.
She soon gave up. The only way out was through that door. When it opened, she could rush the guards and make her way out...
"Yeah right...to where? You don't even know where you are." She had taken to talking to herself aloud to break the silence that surrounded her. "And how far are you going to get wounded and unarmed."
They had stripped her of her of everything except for the clothes on her back.
Time had no meaning for her. She didn't know whether it was day or night. She was weak from hunger and spent much of her time sleeping the dreamless sleep of the dead. When she was awake, she watched the door. Waiting.
But no one came.
Her mind started to drift. What was happening on the front? Did they know where she was? Do they know she is still alive? Were they coming for her?
Was Flint coming for her?
She laughed cruelly at herself. "Foolish girl, still dreaming that your knight in shinning armor is going to come rescue you. Haven't you learned that the only person you can count on is yourself? He is with Hawk now... doing his duty...fighting with the team. You are expendable...it's the mission that counts most."
And yet she still imagined that he would come bursting through that door. Flint would never leave any of his men behind. Leave her behind...
But he had. She was in a cell and he had escaped. At least she hoped he had.
Her heart ached at the thought of him lying dead in the jungle somewhere. It tore at her. Why did he still have a hold on her?
An unfamiliar sound broke her reverie. The door...it was opening...
She squinted in pain as light from the doorway flooded her senses. She has been confined in complete darkness for so long that she was beginning to fear that her eyes would never readjust.
Now or never!
She rushed forward blindly in a suicidal effort to escape, only to be caught in he iron grip of her enemy.
"Well, well, well...aren't we the little spitfire?" a voice mocked to her right. Her eyes were beginning to focus again, and she could just make out the figure.
"You have no idea, Thrasher." she smiled menacingly as she elbowed her captor in the groin and went to grab his weapon.
"BLOODY BITCH!" Ripper screamed in pain...
"You never could handle a woman, Rip." Torch laughed, "Here, let me show you..." He grabbed her around the neck and squeezed until she was no longer able to get air into her lungs. Spots appeared before her eyes and she felt herself falling backwards into the Dreadnok.
"There...you see...they all fall into my arms eventually." He loosened his grip and grabbed her arms to keep her from falling.
"STOP FOOLING AROUND DOWN THERE AND BRING HER..." Zartan's bellowed...
"Oi! He's no fun these days..." Thrasher shook his head, "Come on..."
"Ah well, my lovely, looks like I won't have any fun after all...Too bad, you are quite the kitten. Maybe when the boss is through..."
"Don't be an idiot, Thrasher! When the boss is through, there won't be much left to play with."
************************************************************************
Destro sat patiently in the command room, waiting for Cobra Commander to finish with his latest temper tantrum. The man was an idiot...brilliantly evil...but an idiot nonetheless.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE JOESSSSS ARE DOWN HERE! I THOUGHT THEY HAD DISBANDED!"
"Well it seems they have come out of retirement..." Xamot stated matter of factly, stopping to let his brother continue.
"...and are presently knocking on our back door." Tomax yawned and sipped his tea.
"Destro, I thought you said that this Andean fortress was the perfect place to hide our army...completely hidden and undetectable
were your exact words if I remember correctly." The hooded figure turned to glare at him.
"And you will also recall that I warned you that dabbling in the drug trade down here would attract unwanted attention. Stamping your product with the COBRA was a particularly brilliant move on your part..." He was interrupted before he could finish.
"If you had given me credit at MARS I would NOT HAVE NEEDED that little venture to finance this operation in the first place!!!!!"
He sighed. The baroness had warned him not to get involved with this man again. Do it on your own, she had said...you don't need him. True...but the time was not yet right.
"This arguing is useless. The fortress has served its purpose. You have your army. You are ready. The Joes are ill prepared to deal with what we are going to throw at them. We have the advantage."
"Why is it every time you say that, I get nervousssss...How many times have I had the 'advantage' and been routed nonetheless?"
"He has..." Tomax looked up from the paper.
"...A point. Only a fool underestimates his enemy. Especially when Hawk is involved." His brother finished his thought.
A knock at the door caused him to turn his attention away from the conversation. Zartan walked in and nodded. He nodded back.
"...and how the hell are we supposed to find out what they are up to. Has anyone thought to send out some vipers on recon?"
"Actually, Commander...I have something even better...Zartan?" The shape-shifter turned and signaled to someone waiting just outside. Thrasher and Torch came forward, dragging a struggling woman between them. They let go and she fell to the floor.
"Ahhhh...Lady Jaye. So good of you to join us." She turned at the sound of his voice, and gave him a look of such hatred and revulsion that a lesser man might have cringed. He merely smiled back.
"Still playing soldier? I see retirement hasn't dulled your edge..."
She stayed silent, still staring at him. If looks were daggers...it was beginning to unnerve him.
"What is this?" Cobra Commander turned to look at the figure on the ground before him.
"I took the liberty of ordering Zartan to take some men out to capture their scouts. Unfortunately, one of them got away...we are not sure who it was, but this little one will certainly prove very useful."
"I see...yes...very good." He said casually, distractedly, "Have Mindbender ready the chamber. I hope this one proves more malleable than your last victim. We don't have much time..."
He knew the victim to which he was referring.
He walked over to her, grabbed her by the hair and yanked her up so that her face was inches from his.
"Not to worry...this one will bend to our will quickly enough...won't you my dear?" He smirked as he saw the fear alight in her eyes.
"Yes...you know what is in store, don't you? I take it you know what we did to your lover, hmmm? Don't be so surprised, Lady Jaye...I know quite a bit about what goes down among your people. You are not the only ones with 'intelligence'".
"Whatever happened to him? Did he manage to kill himself yet? I wonder what gutter he is lying in now..." Her eyes shifted slightly, catching his attention. Something he had said had registered. What was she hiding? We will find out soon enough...probably still sore from whatever had gone down when Flint 'returned' from his time in their 'care'. He narrowed his eyes and decided to dig the knife deeper.
"Left you, didn't he? You are better off without him. Arrogant, foolish, temperamental. Didn't your mother warn you about men like him?"
"No..." she rasped "She warned me about men like you."
"Ah...yes. Of course...ever the villain...", he looked at her then, studying her. She was quite the beauty...not his type mind you, but lovely nonetheless. He would ask the Doctor to spare her face.
"He was strong, it took a long time to find his weakness, but we did...we broke him." He laughed and grabbed her arm as she took a swing at his face.
"Ha...I see I am hitting a nerve. We will see how hard you fight back once the Doctor is through with you." So, she still cares for that ass...a pity, he thought she would have more sense than that. He looked up and signaled for Zartan to take her away. As his men moved forward to claim her, he decided to give the knife a final twist before sending her off.
"Do you want to know what finally broke him? What caused him to betray his men?" Her eyes darkened as he leaned in closer and whispered in her ear.
"You did."
************************************************************************
"Four guards at the entrance. Two in the trees to my left...another two to my right." Flint lowered the binoculars and crouched down into the underbrush. "Difficult. But not impossible."
The figure behind him shifted slightly. "I sense the same. Eight men...ones to the right seem distracted."
Flint nodded. There was a time when he would have blown off any of Spirits native-magic mumbo jumbo... but not anymore. He had seen too much, experienced too much...learned too much during his year with the shaman. His black and white outlook was shaded gray by the things he had seen.
"There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, " he thought, paraphrasing Hamlet as some of his Oxford education seeped through. He brought out his gun and began to attach the silencer.
He had meant to go this alone. Not only because he didn't want to take much needed resources away from Duke, but because he knew this rescue was a personal mission for him, and the odds were he wasn't going to make it out alive. He wouldn't ask anyone to risk his life on this.
And to be perfectly honest, he was worried about how he was going to handle it. He was fighting an inner battle over his own fears and emotions, and he didn't know how long he could hold himself together. Seeing Ripper take out Jaye had opened the floodgates, causing him to completely lost control...worse than ever before. The drug Lifeline had administered allowed him to rest and get hold of himself somewhat, but last thing he needed right now was the added responsibility of watching over a team. The added worry of losing more of his men.
Spirit, however, had 'insisted', showing up ready to go just as Flint was about to board the Water Moccasin and head back up the river.
"Look...I know what you are going to say, but I need to do this alone..." Flint began, but before the words were out of his mouth he knew that it was an exercise in futility. He had fought him once before, when he was about ready to through his life away on booze and self-loathing, but the Shaman's patience persistence had prevailed in the end.
"Yes, you do...but you might need backup at some point, brother...of the type only I can provide." Spirit raised his arm and Flint felt a familiar wind brush against his skin as Freedom came in close, alighting gracefully on the Indian's arm.
The eagle's powerful, piercing gaze always catches Flint off guard, and this time is no exception. It is like the large bird is looking right through you, prying into your soul...judging your worthiness. Even knowing what Freedom really is doesn't prepare you for the experience.
He met Freedom's gaze as best he could, bowing his head in respect before turning to Spirit and sighing.
"Come on then...lets get out of here before Hawk changes his mind..."
They had traveled up river to the area where they had confronted COBRA two days before. The trail had been easy to follow, and they had managed to track their quarry all the way to their own back door where they now sat, waiting for the opportunity to go in. An opportunity that had finally presented itself in the form of two overtired Vipers.
Flint looked up from his position in the foliage to see Freedom circling overhead before turning to signal Spirit that he was ready to take out their targets. He crouched low, moving through the cover like a cat stalking his prey...focused totally on the victims ahead. Slowly, carefully, he brought his weapon to bear.
Shhhrrrrrrppppt.
The bullet made hardly a sound as it tore through the air and into the Vipers head. He fell, and before his companion could react, Flint had taken aim and fired his second round. The man dropped, the look of fear frozen on his face for all eternity.
He saw Spirit moving forward and joined him, grabbing one of the bodies to drag it out of sight.
"Looks like about my size..." he thought.
As he changed into the COBRA uniform, he began to plan what their next course of action should be.
"Once inside, we are going to have to work quickly. These uniforms are only going to fool them for so long. And once we find her, we are going to have a fight on our hands getting her out...Are you listening? Here, get into this uniform..."
Spirit sat patiently, legs crossed, watching the skies.
"You are going in alone. I can help you best out here..."
"Look...you wanted in. I am in command here. This operation is my baby." He felt his anger flaring. He was running out of time. Jaye was running out of time.
"Trust me, Brother. Have I let you down before?"
"I cannot risk..." Flint paused and collected himself. He remembered the fire, the pipe, the smoke, the drums, the chanting...
He looked down at Spirit, not quite understanding what he was going to do, but unwilling to question the man on matters such as this. He sighed and shook his head...
"Watch my back..."
"That is the idea." Spirit smiled and held out his hand, which Flint took in his, "Good luck Brother."
With that, he donned the Viper's helmet and made his way down to the gate. The Guards at the door looked up as he approached but when they saw the uniform merely nodded and went back to their vigil.
He passed though the large doorway easily, and into the cavernous corridor filled with COBRA soldiers going about their business. He took a deep breath and walked with purpose through the throng, hoping no one would ask him his business. But where was he going? He had no idea where Jaye was holed up...and if she was still alive...
He quashed that thought quickly. No. She was still alive. She had to be.
Suddenly, he saw a flash of red among the rabble. Crimson Guards, and they were heading down a corridor to the far right. Chances are they would lead him right to the command center. There he would be able to get his bearings.
He cut down the hall, following far enough behind as to not be too conspicuous, when suddenly he heard a voice behind him.
"You there, Viper!" he turned to see himself being addressed by another Crimson Guard who was coming up behind him.
"Where are you heading. You are not authorized to be in this area." The guard was practically on top of him. His finger went to the trigger of his gun reflexively before he calmed himself and gathered his wits. He had orchestrated so many of these rescue missions, all successful. This was his element. He knew what to do.
"I have orders to relieve the one of the guards on Dr. Mindbender's lab. I thought I was heading in the right direction."
The COBRA soldier paused to consider him for a moment, Flint felt the sweat beading down his forehead. Come on, come on...
"You are. Second corridor to your left and down to the end of the hall." Flint saluted and turned to go, but was stopped in his tracks by a hand grasping his arm. He tensed.
"And Viper...next time take the long way. I am sick of you guys taking a shortcut through this area. The next one of you I see traipsing through here is going to have to answer to me. Understand." He growled menacingly.
Flint fought down the urge to smash the man's face to a pulp and to look suitably cowed and fearful. This apparently satisfied the Guard as he soon let go and walked off to join the others.
"Glad to see you haven't lost your touch..." He thought to himself as he followed the directions indicated. The corridor went down quite a ways before opening up into a large chamber.
He froze.
Ahead of him, hanging limply from chains attached to the ceiling, blood dripping from her mouth, was Lady Jaye.
Rage surged within him as he struggled against the tidal wave of emotion that threatened to overwhelm his mind. Images began to flash before him, false memories of Jaye lying dead in his arms. Memories planted there by Mindbender and his monstrous machine. A mind probe that worked so well that he might very well have lived the scenes that it had planted deep in his brain. The sounds, the smells, the sights...her blood on his hands...all so real....so very real.
And now it was happening again, now there was no waking up. This WAS real. He had to get her out before they killed her. His torturous nightmares were becoming one with reality. He surged forward only to be stopped in his tracks by a voice in his head.
"No Brother...not now. It is not the time. There are too many of them."
Flint felt the healer's presence in his head and fought to block it out. But Spirit was too strong.
"You must regain control, Flint. I cannot help you if you try and block me. Remember what I taught you. Fight the fear, fight the anger. You *walk with the Cougar*. Such a totem is very powerful, it suggests great strength...but it must also tempered with patience and respect. I have taught you what I can. It is up to you now."
He breathed in deeply and attempted to focus, to regain control. It took a supreme effort but soon he was able to push his demons to the back of his mind and focus again on the task at hand.
"Good, Brother, good...now be patient. I sense things afoot out here. You're opening will come soon enough. I will be waiting to guide you out." There was a pause "And remember what was told to you in the fire...Sometimes your weakness can be your greatest strength."
Flint nodded, not quite understanding the meaning behind the words but signaling his willingness to trust his friend. He didn't know how to communicate this back to Spirit, but knew somehow that the Shaman felt his consent.
He looked up to see the two guards watching him warily. Spirit was right, now was not the time. He tore his gaze away from Jaye's unconscious form and tried to concentrate on the task at hand.
"Hang in there, beautiful..." he thought as he approached the Viper to the left, hoping that in some way his words would reach her "I'll have you out of here before you know it. I won't let them hurt you."
But from the looks of it they already had,
"Which one of you called up for a replacement?" He asked with as much authority as he could muster.
"I didn't, did you?" the Viper he stood facing looked up at his fellow guard, who shook his head no.
"Jeez, they must have sent me to the wrong place. They are so disorganized." He tried to sound convincingly frustrated, acting was never his forte, "Look...I don't feel like making my way back to find out where I am supposed to be. How's about one of you take a break."
The one to the right was staring at him suspiciously. He slowly brought his finger closer to the trigger of his weapon.
"Sounds good to me." The guard he had approached swung his rifle back over his shoulder and nodded his head towards the room, "I can't take much more of this anyhow." He shuddered and continued. "I hate this place...and...jeez...a woman. I just don't know how you do it Earl. I am going to have nightmares for weeks."
His companion shrugged "She's the enemy, Fred. Woman or no...they deserve nothing less." Flint's eyes narrowed as he tried to stop his fist from flying up into 'Earl's' face.
"Yeah...well. I still don't like it." He patted Flint on the shoulder as he walked by. "Have fun, buddy. I owe you one."
Flint took up his position, and immediately began to plan his next move. There were too many people milling about around the lab. He was going to have to find an opening, a time when it was most quiet...his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice. His body tensed reflexively at the sound.
"I tell you, Destro, she knows nothing." The masked man came striding down the hall surrounded by his personal guard, Mindbender close on his heels. "I have tried what I can. She is very weak from whatever she went through before capture. I risk killing her if I give the machine any more power."
They passed him by with barely a glance, intent on their conversation.
"Doctor, I told you from the beginning that she was expendable." He approached Lady Jaye and gently stoked her cheek with his hand. "Incredible...hardly a mark on her...that pain inducing gadget of yours seems to be working well."
"Yes...I am quite happy with it. She will probably have some bruising...and who knows what it has done to her state of mind." Flint felt rage building within him, but quickly quashed it down and continued to observe the goings on in the room. He didn't know how much longer he could remain in control.
Destro studied her face closely and sighed "It would be a shame to loose her, but unfortunately our illustrious leader needs whatever information she can provide."
"I don't know why he didn't use his scouts instead of relying on..."
"Scouts can only provide so much...this young lady might very well have something in her head that might give us the upper hand.
Mindbender turned and walked towards the controls. "Had our last long term guest not destroyed the brainwave scanner I might have been able to pull it out of her by now. However, as I said, I really don't think she has much to offer."
"That remains to be seen. You there, " he indicated to two of his men, "Take her down from there and bring her back to her cell." They leapt forward at his command. Flint heard her moan in pain as they removed the chains that held her up. She fell limply into their arms.
"Let her sit in the cold and dark for a little while." He said as the two men disappeared down another corridor with their charge, "It might break her...if not we can begin again in the morning. You and I have other work to do. The Joes are on the move...it would do well if we are ready for them when they arrive."
They turned and began to make their way towards the door. As they passed, Destro stopped and turned to him. Flint held his breath as the big man studied him intently. Hatred burned in the back of his mind, thoughts of revenge teased his senses.
"Your uniform is a disgrace, man. If I see you again like this you will regret it."
He could blow them both away right here, kill them both and then do as much damage to the guards as he could before inevitably going down himself. These men are the ones responsible for what had happened to him. To his men. To his friends. To his life...
"The prisoner is secured sir," his thoughts were interrupted by the soldiers returning from the dungeons, "She is in bad shape, sir. I was wondering if we would get her some water or..."
The mention of her was enough to stop his suicidal plan in its tracks. He had someone else's well-being to think about now. He would deal with these two later.
"What do you think this is, the Ritz!" Destro fumed. "I will not tolerate weakness in my own guard. You!" he pointed to Flint, "take your companion and go and guard the prisoner. I trust you are strong enough to keep your 'compassion' at bay."
"Yes sir." The Viper next to him answered enthusiastically. Flint merely nodded. Satisfied, the two COBRA leaders walked off.
"Come on then, lets get going." Flint turned to follow the Viper down into the far corridor. Patiently he waited as they walked down a long flight of stairs into the depths of the fortress, marking the route mentally as he wound his way to the cell.
The guard was busy telling him of the highlights of Lady Jaye's session with Mindbender as they made their way down. Flint's mind was red with fury, so much so that when they finally reached their destination he was about ready to kill something.
Before the man could even react, Flint was on him. He pummeled him from behind, smashing his face so hard his helmet flew across the room. Blood ran from the ruins of his nose, as Flint jabbed him in the stomach then again in the face, spinning him around. The beaten guard made a last ditch attempt to reach for his gun, but Flint was too quick...and too enraged. He kicked the Viper's knee out from under him and went in for the kill. Grabbing him around the neck from behind, he twisted quickly, snapping it.
His mind still overwhelmed with anger, he grabbed the keys off the body and unlocked the door. He swung it open and there, lying in the center of the room, was Jaye.
She did not notice him at first, as she was rolled up in the fetal position and shivering madly so he took a step forward and extended his hand towards her. His sudden movement caused her to look up, and she immediately cringed in fear and began to madly pull herself away from him. The look in her eyes tore at his heart. She was afraid of him.
He tore off his helmet.
"Jaye...sweetheart. It's me. Don't be afraid." The frenzy that had taken him over outside was abating quickly. Jaye kept staring at him, her eyes unsure. His heart cried out to her.
"Ali...please...I'm here. You're safe now. I won't let them hurt you again." He tried again to reach out and touch her. This time she didn't move. His hand met her face, caressing it softly as she sat frozen like a deer caught in the hunter's light.
"D...Dash?" she whispered, "Flint..." She began to move towards him, struggling, but before she could get far he had rushed forward and gathered her into his arms. She nestled into him shaking like a leaf, crying.
Tears came to his eyes. Try as he might he couldn't hold them back. Throughout everything they had been through together, through all the hellish battles with COBRA, he had never seen her look this vulnerable. This afraid.
"I'm so sorry, Alison...this is all my fault." He thought as he rocked her back and forth. "I left you behind...I wasn't..." He paused as he felt a soft touch on his face. She had brought her hand up and had wiped one of his tears away.
"It's...not...your fault..." she whispered, looking up at him with her soft eyes for a moment before leaning into him and closing them again. His heart clenched...only she knew him well enough to be able to read him like that. Only she would comfort him when it was she who needed to be comforted.
He kissed her gently on the forehead, forgetting himself for a moment, forgetting that they were no longer together.
Suddenly, there was a large boom from above them. Then another. The cell shook and a red alert siren screamed from the area outside the cell. He felt Lady Jaye flinch. She was drifting in and out of consciousness. He had to get her to Lifeline.
"Shhhh..." he whispered, gently picking her up as he stood to get his bearings. His shoulder was still tender but so intent was he on keeping her safe that he hardly noticed the pain. Another explosion shook the fortress.
"It looks like Duke and Hawk have begun their assault."
He shifted her carefully as he bent to pick up his gun. "I think it's time to go."
______________________________________________________
Continued in Chapter Eight!
Back to The
Bard's Fics!
Back to Authors Page!