Chapter 15

Wrap-Up

1.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door. It was something he never liked to do, but he accepted it as something he had to do; as something he needed to do, if not for himself, then for the guys who would fight to the end for him.

The beds were all full. The small crew of Navy shipmen that were assigned to the Jane had been thrown around like a set of dice, but they were forced to lie on cots while the superstar G.I. Joes got the beds.

Duke didn't have time to feel guilty.

Seven of his men, some of them the cream-of-the-crop, laid out on the beds, wounded, some almost to death.

Dammit! This mission was supposed to be easy!

"Hey, Duke, didn't expect to see you here." Said Lifeline, rather quietly.

"Thought I'd come check out the guys. How are they doing?"

"Most of the guys just have broken bones and burns." Lifeline walked over to Roadblock. "The ones that worry me the most are Cutter and Roadblock. They got blasted pretty badly out there. If Doc hadn't been right there to work on Cutter…well…"

"Yeah." Duke grit his teeth.

"And Roadblock." Continued the Joe rescue medic, "He lost a lot of blood and was severely wounded by some arrows into the arms and chest."

Damn.

"Well, good work, Lifeline. Keep an eye on 'em, and let me know if anything happens."

"Is that all, sir?"

"Actually, Lift-Ticket and his crew should be landing in just a few minutes. We need you on deck to help with the wounded."

As he grabbed his gear, Lifeline asked, "How many?"

"Rock'n'Roll, Wet-Suit and Repeater. All gun shot wounds. I'm not sure how bad they are."

"Okay."

As Duke turned around to exit, Lifeline grabbed his shoulder.

"Duke. I just wanted to say something."

"Go ahead."

Lifeline looked back at Roadblock. "Back on the Tomahawk, my personal beliefs nearly cost the group their lives. If it wasn't for Roadblock's heroics, there would be four Joes in the morgue now, instead of two injured ones here." Lifeline sighed. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, and I understand if I need to be discharged from G.I. Joe."

Duke thought for a moment, then said, "I was already informed of the flight situation by Updraft. Look, everyone here knows the way you feel about violence Lifeline. I have to admit I'm not sure it fits in with an Armed Forces unit, but I also know there are a lot of Joes that owe their lives to you, and your own style of heroics. You're the best Rescue Medic in the whole damn Army, Lifeline, and that's why you're part of the G.I. Joe team. Don't sell yourself short."

Lifeline looked up with a little more hope in his eyes. "Thanks, Duke."

"It's alright, Lifeline." G.I. Joe's Master Sergeant turned to leave, then looked back, "But from now on, make sure you've always got an escort with you, understood?"

The doctor stood at attention, a little paler. "Yes, sir."

"Good."

Walking back to the deck, Duke watched the Tomahawk land on the helipad. It was more of a crash-landing, considering how badly the chopper was shot-up. Everyone available helped get the injured Joes off of the helicopter and down to sick-bay.

Since there were no more helicopters left to go collect the troops left floating in the ocean—both Joe and Cobra, Duke ordered a group of lifeboats to head out and pick them all up.

The day was far from over.

2.

The rumbling on the ground woke Wild Weasel up, elevating the level of his headache ten-fold. Opening his eyes, he thanked the gods that it was night-time, and that there was no bright light shining on him to escalate the headache even more.

Rolling over, he looked down the beach to see a Dominator treading towards him. Was this a rescue? Where is Zartan?

Standing up, Cobra's Ace Pilot waved his hands, and was answered with heavy cannon fire. Dropping to the ground, the pilot cried out, "Wait, you idiots! I'm on your side!"

The Dominator continued to roll up to him and eventually stopped about ten yards from his flattened body. "Stay on the ground, Joe! You are now a prisoner of the Cobra Empire!"

"You idiot! I'm part of the Cobra Empire! I am Wild Weasel, commander of the Cobra Air Force!" More cannon fire rocketed over his body.

"Silence, Joe!" The Iron Grenadier popped open the cockpit and jumped out, carrying a sub-machine gun. "Wild Weasel wears a red flight suit. You're wearing nothing but underwear and a t-shirt! You're more likely a surf-junky than a Joe agent. Get up and get in the cockpit. You're going to Cobra Island as my prisoner. When we get back, you're going to be interrogated, and I will be greatly rewarded."

"Fool. When we get back, you'll be dead in fifteen minutes."

After another order to silence himself, the Iron Grenadier took Cobra's Ace Pilot free of that damning little lump of land called Cobra Outpost Seven.

3.

"Fellow Joes," began Duke from the helipad of the G.I. Jane, with the trashed Tomahawks behind him, "We have suffered a harsh pounding today, but also completed a difficult mission. Is that a victory or a defeat? The best I can think of it is as a draw. We destroyed a Moray. They destroyed a WHALE. We destroyed a huge portion of the Cobra Air Force, they took a good bite out of ours. We hurt the Dreadnoks, but is that really anything to brag about?"

Some Joes mumbled, a couple snickered.

"The mission was to explore Sammeston Island and get Cobra off of it if they were there, but now look at it! It looks like Bikini Island did in the '50's! Mainframe and Snake-Eyes managed to get the computer hard-drives out of the mansion before the bombing got too heavy, and hopefully we can get some information off of them. It's too early to say.

"Whether you feel that today was a victory or a defeat, let me tell you this: you guys fought your asses off out there, and I appreciated that more than I can ever say. General Hawk appreciates it even more than I do. We know that you guys are the best damn troops in the world, and have only one more thing to say to you guys…"

"Steak dinner's for everybody when we get back to the PIT!"

"Yo Joe!" The battle cry was so loud, every downed pilot around the island heard it and turned their heads.

After all the lifeboats had returned, and the Joes went their separate ways about the ship, Duke looked back towards Florida, thankful that he was finally free of that damn little lump of land called Sammeston Island.