THE TIES THAT BIND
BY: THE BARD
Chapter Three
Revelations
"Its official," Alison thought to herself sarcastically as she sat back into her father's favorite leather armchair, "William is on my 'people I have to kill' list."
She adjusted herself so that she was facing the roaring fire that Brian had set for her in the large stone fireplace of the library. The temperature had dropped pretty drastically when the sun finally set, and she was feeling a bit of a chill. Pulling the soft throw over her, she reflected that the weather wasn't the only thing causing her to feel this cold.
She had nearly had a coronary when she discovered Flint and the others standing in the stables. What could William have been thinking?
Alison had been 'on leave' since the day she left the GIJOE base, and had made it very clear that she would not be coming back on duty anytime in the foreseeable future. She had had enough. She had served her time, done what they told her to do. It was time for her to continue on with her own life...or whatever remained of it after they had bloody well screwed it up.
She had taken up her riding again with a vengeance, going to the stables to train with almost religious fervor. She had been out of it for so long that it took her and her horse months to get back into competitive form. In fact, this had been a breakthrough week...and her coach Hans though Othello might be ready for the Grand Prix Dressage meet next month outside of Glascow. The activity also kept her mind from wandering to other things...
Leaving without saying goodbye had been hard. Knowing she would be labeled a traitor by her friends was even harder. But the hardest thing had been that she would never see Flint again...knowing he would hate her for what she had done...knowing she could never tell him the truth.
At least she would never have to face him...face his hurt and anger...at least she thought that would be the case until this morning.
"Damn you, Will"
When he called her about this mission she had resisted but eventually consented. He never mentioned whom she would be working with...only that agents from the US would be coming to help. She assumed CIA, not GIJOE.
Not Flint.
Flint had barely said a word to her since their first encounter. He was civil and professional during their meeting in the greenhouse, but Alison knew him too well to be fooled, he was as tense and upset as she was. Shipwreck and Scarlet had been awkward but friendly...they seemed a bit at a loss at what to make of this arrangement. To tell you the truth, so was she. What could Mi-6 had been thinking?
They had gone over the maps and all of them had listened intently and agreed with her plan. Scarlet, Flint and herself were going to proceed on horseback over the back trails towards the castle. She was a familiar figure on the trails and no one would even note their presence. Shipwreck and Snake Eyes were to go to the nearest town, where Will's agents had discovered some enemy activity.
"Thank God," Shipwreck had exclaimed at his assignment, "There is no way you are getting me on one of those animals!"
William, of course, would be returning to London to monitor things at headquarters.
"Your tea, my Lady" Brian had entered the room and was holding out a steaming cup of herbal tea.
"Thank you...that will be all for tonight. I will be off early tomorrow, but be sure to have a nice breakfast ready for our guests at seven"
"You won't be dining with them?"
"No...I have things at the stables I have to take care of" ...damned if she is going to spend more time with them than she has to. Why torture herself?
"Good night then, my Lady"
"Good night, Brian"
And so she was left alone again. She must have drifted off because when she came too she discovered Flint's handsome figure in front of the flames, staring at her. He looked so sad, so melancholy...she just wanted to get up and comfort him.
"Flint...." She pulled herself upright, attempting to shake herself awake. When she looked back, Flint's expression had changed to one of anger and frustration. Here it comes, she thought.
"Jaye...sorry, you are no longer a Joe. So maybe I should call you Ali. No wait, that's not your real name is it? Sarah then, or My Lady."
"No one calls me Sarah. It was my mothers name. When she died so did it. I'm Alison, always was"
"Really. I don't know how I had all this confused, having known you for so long, having been friends...and finding out the whole thing was a farce."
"Flint, I never meant to hurt you...of all people...I"
"Really...then explain why you did what you did, why you left without a trace, without even a goodbye. Explain to me why you betrayed me...betrayed the entire team."
"I can't..."
"Oh yes...you cannot talk about it. I think that is what you said to me a year ago when I asked you the same question, leaving me in the dark "
"You have to trust me on this..." She knew as the words came out of her mouth that they were the wrong thing to say. His face darkened and he erupted.
"TRUST YOU!!!! I hardly know you! Everything I knew about you was a lie. My partner, my friend, the woman I..." he stopped himself and looked away.
"I am the same person you knew Flint...some of the details were changed a bit, but you have to believe that you knew the real me...more than anyone...I was myself with you."
I loved you, she thought but left the words unsaid, I will always love you...
He turned, and stared at her...he was so angry...she couldn't stand it. He turned and started walking out of the room.
"Flint...please"
He paused in the doorway, he didn't even look at her. "I have been ordered to work with you again, and so I will. We all will. But don't expect my trust. Don't expect my friendship. When this is over...don't expect to see me again."
And with that he was gone.
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It was a lovely morning when the three of them set out on the trail. Flint couldn't help but relax and take in the scenery. He was mounted on a big dapple-gray gelding named Tempest, who, he learned, was one of Alison's old mounts. The animal was very well trained and responded to his every move. Flint had learned to ride at Cambridge, as some of his friends had urged him to play polo. Always a sucker for a new sport, he gave it a go.
Behind him, Scarlet rode a chestnut mare named Tanzer, and looked to be enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. It certainly was a nice change from the inside of tanks, jeeps and personnel carriers.
He felt the gun he had been given lying comfortably against his side. It wasn't his weapon of choice, but unfortunately riding around with an m-16 strapped to your back is hardly covert. At least he had something...and it reminded him to keep on his toes. The landscape was deceptive. They were heading into enemy territory after all...a veritable nest of vipers.
Flint looked up at the figure ahead of him. Jaye was alert, scouting the area ahead on Othello. Despite the situation, despite their encounter last night, she was all business this morning. She was always the consummate professional, which is one of the reasons why Flint loved working with her during her time with GIJOE. He could always rely on her...well, at least that was what he had thought.
"Stop it," he thought to himself angrily, "Keep you mind on the mission. Don't think about her."
But it was too late, his thoughts had drifted to the events of last night.
He hadn't meant for it to go so badly.
He hadn't been able to sleep and had been wandering around the house, admiring the old architecture and the antiques that adorned each of the rooms. Deep down, though, he knew he was looking for her.
He was so amazed to see her there in the stable, still as beautiful as ever...more so with he long hair tied back in a loose knot, a stray curl falling in her face. All those feelings that he thought he had long ago disposed of came back in a flood. She was inside his head again, inside his heart...calling...It was all he could do to remain standing.
It took a supreme show of will power to push every thing back down and sit through that meeting over tea. They went over the mission, the maps, the clues and information they had (of which there was very little), and all the while he managed to keep his wits about him. He noticed that Scarlet and Shipwreck were as tense as he, but they managed to keep a civil tongue and stay friendly. As usual, Snake Eyes was the most composed, standing silently in the corner and absorbing the details of the day.
Afterwards, they went with will to collect the weapons and equipment that had been supplied to them by Mi-6, and settled into their rooms...all of which were quite luxurious. When they had finished unpacking, they met in Scarlet's quarters for a meeting...just Joes.
"A fellow could get used to this..." Shipwreck said, leaning back into the sofa, "It sure beats those damn army issue tents and the hard ground. Yup, this is definitely my kind of mission."
"Don't get to comfortable, soldier." Flint answered, a bit more sharply than he intended. "Who knows what COBRA is plotting."
"Hey...don't take this out on me. I had no idea she would be here either. None of us did."
Flint sat down and put his head in his hands before looking up and responding.
"We have our orders. Hawk told us to work with her and so we shall. Let's keep this as professional as possible. There has to be a good reason for teaming us up again. Let's use whatever that is to our advantage."
"But Flint, she is a suspected traitor...how do we know this isn't a trap?"
Flint sighed and shook his head, "We don't. Which is why I've asked Scarlet to keep an eye on her. If anything suspicious should arise, we will act accordingly. Until that time, Ja...Alison and I will lead as a team. Understood?"
"Yes sir"
"Ok...it's been a long day for all of us. I think we should retire early and get some sleep. Snake Eyes, I would like you to discreetly patrol the grounds before you hit the sack. Despite our surroundings, we must stay vigilant."
Snake Eyes nodded and silently slipped out of the room.
"I wonder if you can get the movie channel out here..." Shipwreck mumbled to himself as he followed him out. Flint made to go but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Scarlet, looking concerned.
"Flint...are you OK? This can't be easy on you..."
"I'll manage."
"Have you even talked to her yet?"
"No, and I am not planning on...."
Scarlet narrowed her eyes at him "Don't play macho man officer with me, Flint. I have known you for a long time. I know when you are hurting. I know how you felt about her, how you feel about her, despite your denials..."
"Drop it, Scarlet. It's been a year. I have dealt with it...it was just a shock seeing her again, that's all."
He was lying and she knew it...but she also knew when to drop the subject.
"OK...but if you need to talk, you know where to find me."
He found Jaye sound asleep in a chair in front of a fire. He couldn't remember how long he stood there, staring at her resting form. His mind was awash with emotion, his thoughts drifting back to better days when they were working together on some mission and he would watch over her while she slept.
He knew from the very beginning that what he felt for her was special, something he had never felt before. The intensity of it scared him...so much so that he pushed it all to the back of his mind, denied it. He regretted it now...knowing that he had missed his opportunity.
Too late now, she was beyond his reach. He couldn't help but wonder if she would have confided in him more had he let her know how he felt...treated her less like the fellow soldier she was and more like the lover she should have been.
Suddenly, she stirred and her eyes opened and met his. Flint had to stop himself from going over to the chair and putting a hand on her face, in her hair. From taking her up and holding her in his arms.
He had tried to be civil, but all that anger...all that hurt...it came out in a flood. He let her have it full force. He couldn't hold it back. His doubts about her guilt shadowed in the face of his bruised ego, his broken heart. Here she was, living in the lap of luxury...he the furthest thought from her mind...while he languished for a year worrying about her...missing her...angry at her for what she did...
"She deserved it," He tried to tell himself, but the truth was he wanted to take back his last words.
Up ahead, Jaye gave the signal to halt, and Flint watched her dismount lithely and lead her horse to the side. They followed her on foot up to the top of a grassy hill, where she gestured down into the valley below.
In the mist stood on old, heavily fortified castle. The grounds around it bustled with activity. Cobra soldier mingled with men in kilts and Glengarry's. All were armed to the teeth...
Jaye handed him the binoculars.
"Look, down on the east wall...what do you see?"
He peered through the eyepiece, adjusting the focus until the image came in clearly.
"Well well well...it looks like the commander himself has decided to make a house call."
"Yes...but look at who he is talking to..."
There was no mistaking the man next to him, a huge figure sporting a sliver mask. He took off the binoculars and looked back at her, wondering at the seriousness of her voice "Its Destro, of course, the man of the house..."
"No," she said, "Its not."
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"I don't understand, how can you be so sure it's not him." Flint asked her, "It certainly looked like him. Its not like he is hard to pick out in a crowd."
They were all dining room, discussing their next move over a hearty meal.
Shipwreck and Snake Eyes had returned to report that they had spotted Mindbender coming out of the town archives. They had followed at a distance, but had lost him in a crowd of tourists near the old area of the town. "He looked pretty frustrated," Shipwreck had added, "Whatever he was looking for...I don't think he found it."
Scarlet was watching the two of them, as surprised as Flint was by Jaye's complete insistence that the masked man they had observed was not their old enemy. The fact that she had supposedly betrayed the Joes to the very man made them all wary.
"I lived next door to him practically my whole life...we fought him for years...lets just say it's a gut feeling."
"Not Good enough", Flint gestured at the blueprint on the table. "Not a good enough reason to risk what you are proposing."
Jaye looked angry. "Flint, the only way we are going to find out what is going on is to get into the castle. The only way you can do that safely is with me. I have a set of invitations here to the gala that Destro holds every year at this time to benefit the Symphony. The place will be packed with Britain's social set. I have been before and know my way around the castle. We can pull this off..."
"How did you manage the invite?" Shipwreck asked...
She sighed. "I told you...my family are well known patrons of the arts. We are on the list every year."
"I can't risk it..." Flint added quietly...almost a whisper.
"You think I am leading you all into a trap, don't you?" He didn't look at her. "Don't you?!"
"Ali..." Scarlet began, how to put this..."you have to understand, given the circumstances of your...umm..."
Flint looked at his plate and frowned.
"Oh, by Davy Jone's hairy ass!!!" Shipwreck exclaimed in frustration...startling even Snake Eyes... "What everyone is thinking and no one is saying is that all we know is that you bloody well sold our butts down the river last year to Destro, and now you want us to waltz right into his castle unarmed."
"Not only that, but you also seem to know him well enough to see that the man both Flint and Scarlet confirmed as being the metal
head himself is not him at all, but an imposter. What the hell are we supposed to think if you aren't going to tell us anything"
Scarlet looked at Jaye. Her hand went up to a ring around her neck, which she then held hard in her fist as she stood up.
"I know you don't trust me, I know you think I am a traitor. I guess it is something I am going to have to learn to live with. Keeping this from you any longer is not going to improve the situation, although telling you is probably going to make it worse. But something is going on in that castle...and I have a terrible feeling about it. If this is what will make you move forward on this, then so be it."
"Destro is my mother's twin brother. He is my uncle."
They were all sat there silently, floored by the revelation.
"I don't understand..." Flint shook his head.
Lady Jaye looked at him sadly "When my mother died, my father was devastated. He loved her more than anything in the world. Unfortunately, even at the age of five, I reminded him too much of her. He couldn't...didn't want to...stay with me. He left me in the manor in the care of the servants while he moved from country to country, going where work took him. 'It was for the best', he said...his type of life was no place for a child. I rarely saw him."
"Destro...James at that point, his father was still alive then and head of the clan...took pity on me, and began to help raise me. He took me into his home and into his heart, and was more a father to me than my real one ever was. He told me once he promised my mother on her deathbed that he would look after me. He kept that promise. He and my grandmother were the only family I had. I don't know what I would have done without them".
"Blood is thicker than water..." Scarlet suddenly remembered what Lady Jaye had said to her the morning she returned from to her secret rendez-vous, "You chose family over the Joe team that night. That is why you betrayed us..."
"No...No...I hadn't talked to Destro in over 5 years before that night. We had a difference of opinion concerning his business, a falling out..."
"But then why keep it a secret? Why not tell us..." Flint said...when the look on his face told Scarlet he was thinking "Why not tell me..."
"Isn't it obvious? I had never wanted to join Mi-6...it was a decision that was beyond my control. Nevertheless, I worked hard, I was good at what I did, but that didn't matter. They all knew to whom I was related. They hated me for it and made my stay there miserable. When I was told I would be going to the US, I vowed I would never tell anyone of my relation to him. I knew it would color everything I did there despite my skills. It was far better to keep it a well guarded secret."
Scarlet had to agree with her on that last note. I don't think any of the Joes would have given her a chance to prove herself had they known.
Lady Jaye sighed then, "You probably don't believe me though. I don't believe myself sometimes these days...my life has become such a mess of lies and half truths."
Flint stood up, "Jaye..."
Before he could finish, she turned to leave, "I will call William tomorrow morning and get another agent assigned to you. I am sorry that the organization put you through this. They are notorious for this type of thing. Believe me, I know..."
Then, something surprising happened. Snake Eyes, who as usual had been sitting so quietly that they had forgotten he was there, got up and went after her, stopping her before she could leave the room.
He looked her in the eyes for a long time, then shook his head and gestured toward her chair, indicating that she should take her place at the table...with the team.
Shipwreck smiled. "Well, it looks as though are resident 'strong-silent type' has decided he trusts you. That's good enough for me. I'm up for a party anyways."
Scarlet smiled, "I hope you have something nice to lend me...maybe something in green?"
Jaye turned to Flint. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity...the room was silent waiting for Flint to come to a decision.
"Well, Jaye..." he said gruffly, "Looks like the team has spoken."
It was a curt acceptance to everyone but Scarlet...who saw the hint of relief in Flint's eyes as he turned back to his dinner. He wasn't about to abandon her. Not so soon after finding her. Not without finding out the truth.
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Continued in Chapter Five!
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