THE TIES THAT BIND
BY: THE BARD

Chapter Nine
Confessions

  "Are you coming?" Scarlet asked as she passed by Flint's office and poked her head in the door.

  She found him sitting there, papers piled high, staring out into space. It had been a week since they had returned from Europe after a successful conclusion to the joint mission with the British. Flint and his team had received well deserved praise for their efforts, but despite this Flint didn't seem content.

  "Hey...Flint. 'all Joes to the auditorium'" She tried unsuccessfully to emulate Dial Tone's voice over the PA system, but Flint didn't even crack a smile. "Come on, Dash...it isn't like you to sulk."

  "I'm not sulking...." Red smiled, that got him.

  Scarlet knew what had gone down on the island. Shipwreck had told all the juicy details to her and anyone who would listen. The old sailor tended to add embellishments here and there, but always stayed true to the tale. Her fellow Joes were all talking about Jaye again, but this time with a hint of respect and affection. Scarlet had to say she was impressed too. What she had done, being held at gunpoint...well...she hoped that in the same situation she would be as cool.

  Even Beachhead, her most adamant and steadfast opponent during the past year was now the fiercest protector of her reputation. God Forbid anyone should say anything negative about her when he was in earshot. Actions speak louder than words, and Jaye's bravery and selflessness pretty much wiped the slate clean as far as the ranger was concerned.

  Of course, what interested Red the most about the whole thing was the kiss. She wished she had been there to see that, and still couldn't believe that Jaye finally had the backbone to grab the bull by the horns, so to speak. As far as Shipwreck and everyone else was concerned, it was about damn time.

  "I nearly killed her, Red." Scarlet looked up to see Flint staring right at her, "I had my gun cocked and ready...I was going to do it...I was going to let her die."

  She paused. She knew something was bothering him, but she had to admit she was a bit surprised that Flint had brought it up with her. Mind you, with Duke away he probably saw her as a good substitute.

  She had known him for a long time, and knew him to be a very private person. He rarely talked about anything 'personal' with anyone. Not even Duke, who was one of his oldest and closest friends. In fact, as far as she knew, the only person he had ever confided in was Jaye...an early sign that his interest in the woman in question was more than merely professional.

  She moved over and sat on the corner of his desk.

  "You did what you had to do. What any soldier, any commanding officer is expected to do. No one said the job would be easy..."

  "And what about my duty to get everyone out alive? What about my duty to my men? To her..."

  "From what Shipwreck has told me, our little aristocrat knew very well what she was getting into. She knew very well what the right decision was...we put our lives on the line every day, Flint. You know that as well as anyone..."

  "I knew it would mean her life but I didn't back down...I nearly did, I was going to surrender..."

  "But you didn't"

  "Only cause she..."

  She ignored him "This is why you are third in command of this team and the sky's the limit," Red gestured at the medals on the wall..."You are one of the best leaders this team has ever had. You make the tough decisions under pressure, you can put business before personal issues...'

  He stood up suddenly.

  "And what if that's not what I want? What if I can't put the personal issues aside anymore? What if I said to hell with my duties...all I want to do is make sure she is safe. To keep her alive. Before I met her, all I could think about was my career, my rank, my performance on this team. That was what drove me. And now..." He paused, collecting himself, unused to sharing his feelings with anyone.

  "Flint..."

  "I am in love with her, Red."

  Silence filled the room. Scarlet knew it at along, but was still shocked to hear the words coming out of his mouth. For Flint to say something like that was beyond imagining...three years he had held it inside. Duke wasn't kidding when he told her Flint was a very shy and private person.

  She didn't believe it at first, he had all sorts of girls hanging around him. In fact, when she first met him...pre-GIJOE, she thought him a bit of a braggart and a gigolo. He was a very handsome man, keenly intelligent, charming when he wanted to be...the women just fell all over him. He never needed to make an effort. However, none of them lasted very long.

  As Scarlet got to know him better, she realized that Duke was right. Underneath that rough, battle-hardened exterior was a very vulnerable, sensitive soul. Inside beat the heart of a poet, and as his relationship with Jaye grew, more and more of this side of him was revealed. She knew then he had fallen hard.

  "I have known for a long time now." She whispered.

  He laughed softly, "Yeah...so why didn't you bother to tell me."

  "I tried. You were just too stubborn to admit it. Too busy being the perfect soldier..."

  "And because I am always the 'perfect' soldier, I nearly got her killed...so much for being her knight in shinning armor..."

  "You're being very hard on yourself."

  "I just don't know how to deal with this. Ever since I met her it's been a struggle to balance my feelings for her with my duty to this organization. That year without her was absolute hell. I got through it as I always do, by denying my feelings, but now...jeez, I came this close to loosing her..."

  "You never get used to it...believe me. But holding back is not going to make it any easier."

  He looked at her then, his eyes sad. "Its all a moot point anyhow. She is untouchable. She's officially a criminal in the eyes of the US military, and related to a high-ranking COBRA official. I cannot even talk to her without getting into crap up to my eyeballs. And even if I could, what's the point? She's a member of the British bloody noble class, born with a silver spoon in her mouth. We are from two different worlds. I went to school with people like that at Oxford. I mean, you saw how she lived out there...what in the world can I give her that can compare to that? She doesn't want a farm boy from Kansas."

  "You are HARDLY just a farm boy from Kansas, Dash...Mr. Rhodes Scholar. And as far as what Lady Jaye wants..."

  She was interrupted before she could spill the beans about her roommate's feelings for him by a couple of heads popping in the door. Stalker and Snakes.

  "You two coming? You're holding up the show."

  "Yeah, yeah...keep your shirt on, Stalker." Flint grabbed his beret and placed in on his head as the two soldiers continued down the hall.

  "Thanks, Red. For listening."

  She smiled at him as he held the door, "Hey, what are friends for." In fact, she was kind of honored that Flint thought enough of her to confide his feelings. God, she hoped everything will work out for them, but she was also a realist. Flint was right when he said she was untouchable.

  "Duke," she thought to herself, "I really hope your trip was a success. For your friend's sake."

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  "Hey, Breaker...make some room." The auditorium was packed, and as he had come in late Flint decided to keep a low profile and sit in the back rather than make his way to his customary spot at the front of the room.

  "What did I miss?" Hawk was busy with the power point slides and hadn't noticed his tardiness. Thank God for that. The last thing he needed was a glare from his CO.

  "Nothing much, sir. So far it's just an update on our status, ongoing missions and stuff. But take a look at the brass up in front..."

  He scanned the men on stage. Sure enough, General Anderson and General Derringer were quietly talking at the far end of the podium. He was surprised to see them here, they were political players...military reps that spent their time battling in DC rather than in the field against COBRA. He hoped they weren't here to announce funding cuts.

  Two other men in civilian power suits stood with them. The younger one he recognized immediately as John Campbell, a major player with the CIA. He had met him before joining GIJOE, when he was considering his career options. They had tried to recruit him but he turned them down for that very week Duke had approached him and asked if would be interested in joining a crack anti-terrorist group.

  The older gentleman was unknown to him. He stood quietly, confidently, and observed the goings on in the room. He was dressed immaculately, his gray hair brushed back, his hand resting gently on an elaborate waking stick. He had an aura of confidence about him. Flint wasn't as good at reading body language as Psych Out, but he could tell that the three others were deferring to him.

  "Who's the old man at the back?" Breaker was a keen study of the political ins and outs of the US and if anyone would know who it was he would.

  "I'm not sure. I've seen him before, though...I just can't place him. It will come to me though. From the looks of it he is someone of note..."

  Flint tensed as he noticed a fifth figure standing amongst them, starring right at him. William.

  "What was he doing here?" He didn't realize he had said it out loud until Breaker turned to him and answered.

  "Head of Mi-6? I don't know...maybe another joint mission? I take it you two are well acquainted now, you would know better than I."

  Flint grunted in reply. Lifestyle choice aside, he did not like the man. As far as he was concerned he was the reason the LJ did what she did. His thoughts of revenge were interrupted as Hawk turned to address the crowd.

  "Ok...now on to the main item on today's agenda. It seems some new information has come available that sheds new light on an incident that took place last year."

  Last year? Flint could only think of one thing he could be talking about.

  "As you well know, our intelligence operative was caught giving classified information to the enemy. That operative was Lady Jaye, a mi-6 agent working in our midst. She was recruited by myself with full knowledge of her position with the foreign nation. The powers that be felt that we needed a representative from Britain/Europe and after an extensive search I chose her. I have never regretted that choice."

  "At the time, it was felt that her true identity should be kept a secret, for reasons that now seem a bit trite. In any case, she served in that position for just over two years and proved herself to be an indispensable member of our family. As far as I was concerned, she was a Joe."

  "The incident that involved her last year caused me to have to terminate that commission. She left the country and returned home to continue he work with mi-6. Orders from above prevented further investigation and the case was closed. Guilty as charged."

  "It seems, though, that our little troublemaker was not working on her own. Gentlemen?"

  He gestured to the men at the corner of the room and they made their way to the stage.

  "You all know the generals, and of course some of you know Sir Harcourt. He is here today representing Mi-6. John Campbell of the CIA is here to monitor the proceedings as well. The gentleman to the right is Lord Andrew Burnett, British Ambassador to the US and Duke of...."

  Flint didn't hear the rest. "Burnett?", he studied the man more closely now and saw subtle resemblances. "That must be Jaye's father!"

  "You're right! Look at his eyes, it's like I am looking at Ali..." Scarlet whispered

  "You're kidding right? Andrew Burnett is Jaye's dad?" Breaker looked shocked, "My god, the man is a legend in political circles. He practically runs the show in Britain! 'The man behind the throne'. He has been causing quite a stir since he took this position in DC...not someone you want to cross. Jaye is from one powerful family, Flint."

  "Great. That's just great. Why can't things ever be simple with her..."

  Scarlet laughed quietly, "If it were she wouldn't be Jaye, Flint. And you know it!"

  General Derringer stepped forward. "Men, last year we received word from the Brits that Destro was preparing to break with COBRA. They had been monitoring the situation for some time and the intelligence they had gathered in the field was quite extensive."

  William continued. "However, we were missing the subtle bits of information that could help us crush the organization once and for all. We needed someone on the inside to help. We had worked with Destro before on other 'operations', but this one was a tough nut to crack. The danger was great and Lord McCullen is not one to betray his clients confidences so easily. We did, however, feel the time was right to make our move. We had a small window of opportunity. We needed to act fast."

  "Hold on a second," Leather Neck was up and looking angry, "You WORKED with the metal head?"

  "COBRA is not his only client. His family have been military contractors for a very long time. Both my government and your own have dealt with the MARS at one time or other. He is also quite well connected. Most recently we have used information from him to break up an IRA weapons ring."

  General Anderson cut in quickly, looking flustered "This is off topic."

  "Of course, General," William bowed and Jaye's father smiled enigmatically, "In any case, Destro was willing to help us if we were to help him first. He needed to get the upper hand, and to do so wanted information on the Commander that could only be found in the US. In the GIJOE database."

  "When mi-6 approached us, we refused", General Derringer added, "It was very risky. Destro could end up playing us all for fools, and we knew for damn sure that Hawk wasn't going to let anyone near the data, orders or not. His first priority was for the safety of his men. If the information in that machine ever fell into the wrong hands, the Joes would be sitting ducks. There is a reason this organization is top secret."

  'That said, the CIA along with several prominent politicians from both sides of the ocean decided that it was worth the risk to be able to bring down COBRA without the expense of an all out war. As you well know, there are people on the 'Hill' who would be more than happy to close this team and its expenses down for good. Here was an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone."

  "The question remained, however...how were we to get the information without letting the Joe team know of our plans AND keep the whole thing under wraps. If word got out as to what was happening, there would be major repercussions. What we were doing amounted to treason in the eyes of some. Then there was the danger of COBRA getting wind of it."

  "Fortunately, we had an ace up our sleeves. Lady Jaye."

  William cut in at this point. "She fought us on it at first, and I myself was not keen on the idea. However, people higher up from both mi-6 and the US Military gave her the order, and she had no choice but to obey."

  Flint frowned in anger. So...they used her. Bastards...

  "She, and everyone else involved...were sworn to secrecy. Not that Jaye would reveal anything of the plan, as it would endanger her uncle, who despite his position with COBRA was still her family, and of course GIJOE."

  "Unfortunately," this from General Anderson, "our operative was caught. We should have expected as much, GIJOE is made up of our finest. They wouldn't let an infiltration such as this go unnoticed. We had no choice then than to let her take the fall."

  Flint gripped the arm of the seat so tightly that it cracked. Scarlet put her hand on his shoulder to calm him.

  William frowned at the general, "Yes...but they did concede and let us bring her home. She was, after all...not under your jurisdiction to prosecute. And that was your plan, wasn't it? It would have covered up any US involvement and placed the blame solely in the lap of the British..."

  "Ahem," John Campbell, who had been standing quietly observing all of this finally stepped forward, interrupting before the argument between the two men could escalate. Flint knew that even now there was something being held back...Anderson was agitated. What was he hiding?

  "What's done is done. Needless to say, we got the information we needed and were able to help Destro weaken COBRA from the inside. Had he not had a mole in his own camp, we might very well had brought them down without so much as a bullet."

  Wild Bill stood up. "So, I reckon y'all are telling us that the little lady has been innocent all this time."

  "Well...technically, yes." General Derringer nodded to the pilot. "She was following orders from her superiors."

  "That doesn't change the fact that she is still related to Destro and didn't tell anyone" Leather Neck grumbled.

  Beachhead looked up. "Who she is related to has no bearing whatsoever."

  "I think it does. Blood is thicker than water."

  "She is also related to me, young man. Where does that leave this train of thought, hmmm?"

  It was the first time the Ambassador had spoken throughout this whole proceeding. His voice, heavy with a very aristocratic British accent, was hardly raised beyond the volume of normal conversation, but it carried with it an air of authority. Leather Neck was no fool, he picked up on this right away.

  "Sorry Sir."

  The old man nodded and Leather Neck sheepishly sat back down.

  "Thank you, General Derringer, General Anderson, John, for coming down here and clearing up this mess." Hawk gestured to the door. He looked mad as hell. Flint was sympathetic. He had been played but good. There were going to be some waves among the brass these next few days. Flint smiled. I'll let Hawk deal with these chumps...he could do more damage.

  The three men left the building, leaving only Hawk, William and Lord Burnett on the podium. As they were leaving, Duke came through the door, saluted the departing brass, turned to Hawk and nodded. He then took his seat, allowing Hawk to continue.

  "Well, Joes... There you have it. The truth. In any case, this all leads up to the next item on the agenda. It seems that the Brits were very impressed with our performance the other day. So much so that they would like in on the action. Lord Burnett has approached me personally to ask that we bring on an agent from Britain to replace the one we lost last year."

  "Replace?!"

  Hawk turned to Flint and smirked. Oh Christ, did he say that out loud? He had to stop doing that.

  "Sorry, Flint. But we need someone here from the UK immediately, and you need a new partner. Shipwreck has been complaining. It seems you are running him to hard."

  "Yeah," Shipwreck exaggerated a yawn and a stretch, "Sorry, Flint, but these old bones need a rest. I figure a posting to Hawaii will do the trick."

  Hawk continued over the laughter that followed. "With William's help and Lord Burnett's approval, we have found someone we think you will find suitable. Well trained, intelligent and fully capable of holding her own as part of this team. She arrived with Duke just now and is waiting outside. I think we should all give our new member a warm welcome. Duke?"

  "Yes, Sir." He got up and made his way towards the door. Flint was angry, he turned to Scarlet to complain about this whole 'new partner' idea and found her grinning from ear to ear.

  "I don't know why you find this so amusing...I do NOT need a new partner. When this meeting is over I am going to march myself right into Hawk's office and..."

  He didn't finish his sentence. All the Joes were getting up and cheering. He couldn't see what was up as Gung Ho and Roadblock were blocking his line of sight, so he stood up, then nearly fell over again when he saw what had got their attention.

  "Well, men. I see you approve of my choice. Welcome back, Lady Jaye!"

  She was stunning. Her hair was down and she was wearing a black combat uniform that showed off her figure. It looked like the bullet she took on the island did more damage than she had claimed, for her arm was in a sling, but other than that she looked ready for anything.

  The Joes crowded around her, welcoming her home. Even Beachhead came up and squeezed her shoulder, smiling. Shipwreck was the most exuberant as usual, grabbing her in his arms and swinging her round. Flint fought down a twinge of jealousy.

  When he put her down, she looked up and scanned the crowd, catching his eye. He smiled at her, and she winked back.

  "Ok, men...back to your seats. Jaye, could you come up here, please?"

  "Yes sir," her English accent and Gaelic lilt were apparent when she spoke. She didn't need to hide her true identity anymore.

  She walked up to the front, nodding at William and then pausing at Lord Burnett, tensing up.

  "Father," she bowed her head. He nodded back.

  "Alison."

  Hawk interrupted. "Agent Harcourt tells me that you are no longer with mi-6. That you handed in your resignation a week ago."

  "Yes, sir."

  "That means you are pretty much a free agent."

  "Yes sir."

  "Good. I would like to officially welcome you to the team then. You are a Joe again, and this time its for real. Go get yourself settled. You have tomorrow off but I expect to see you on duty the next morning."

  He turned to the crowd.

  "Duke, Flint, Beachhead...my office. The rest of you, dismissed."

  He watched as she hugged William and shook hands with her father before she was lost in a crowd of Joes. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to face a smiling Duke.

  "We had you there, eh?"

  "Very funny, Duke. You could have let me in on this!"

  "What, and spoil my fun? I don't think so, old friend. Come on, Hawk is expecting us. We are meeting with the ambassador to discuss that last mission. The sooner this is over the sooner you can go and get yourself 'acquainted' with your new partner."

  Acquainted. Flint stood up and followed Duke and Beachhead towards Hawk's office. The thought of seeing Jaye alone excited and terrified him at the same time. He wasn't sure how to handle it. What was he going to say...what was he going to do. Actually, he had a very good idea of what he wanted to do.

  "Flint, would you hurry up...you are going to be late again." Beachhead passed him by and he realized he had stopped in the middle of the hall outside Hawk's office. He pushed all other thoughts aside and stepped into the room, ready for business.

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Continued in Chapter Ten!
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