G. I. Joe Fan Fiction ❯ A Snake with a Temper ❯ Chapter 14: There's No Time for Grief This is War ( Chapter 16 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 14: Theres No Time for Grief This is War

In no time they were descending and Temper was in the Indus Valley. The convoy pulled up and everybody dispersed, either doing their jobs or helping somebody out. One particular truck opened and two men pulled out a nuclear warhead. They followed other soldiers with the same cargo to the side of the camp to get ready for pick up. Duke then came out of truck, gun in hand.

"Nukes disabled, long range transportation, wheels down at 1900 hours," Duke informed.

"Home in time for Top Chef," Roadblock added, following Duke out of the truck.

"Good job Tiny Time," Duke congratulated Mouse while giving him a slap on the shoulder.

"All that week combat shooting finally paying off sir," Mouse replied.

Duke walked over to another Joe and signed a few papers. When he turned he held his arms open to Temper who came up and hugged him.

"How have you been doing girl?" Duke asked.

"Good," she answered, "you?"

"Successful mission, you're here safe, no Cobra. I'm great!"

"How's Ana?"

"Good, I talked to her a few days ago. She's been caught up with politics so she's been stressed lately. Snake Eyes?"

"He's good, training Jinx."

"Jinx, that's his apprentice, right?"

"He's helping train her," Temper corrected.

"Temper! How is my peanut butter, jelly, banana lovin' girl?" Roadblock asked. Temper looked to the big man and smiled.

"I'm great. How are you and your daughters?"

"Good. Still terrorizing Duke," Roadblock replied.

"Hey, we gotta keep Duke on his toes," Temper said.

"Alright," Duke interjected, "speaking of keeping people on their toes, I think somebody needs to put a certain ninja's nerves to rest." Duke looked to Temper with a serious look. She rolled her eyes and walked to a space in between two vehicles. Pulling out her phone she texted Snake Eyes.

Safe and sound, she stated.

Glad to hear it. I'll see you in four days. She read his reply and went to find Lady Jaye.

"Hey Jaye," Temper greeted the other woman who turned at the sound of her voice.

"Hey Temp whatcha need?" Lady Jaye asked.

"Just wondering where I could set my belongings," she replied. Lady Jaye smiled.

"Come with me, you can set it with my stuff."

After releasing herself from the burden, she came upon Duke and Roadblock staring down a cupcake with a candle on a small pole at least fifty feet away.

"Let me get this straight; one whole weekend, you lookin' after my little girls," Roadblock stated his benefits and handed Duke a full magazine clip. He took and popped it into the rifle he was holding with a smug look on his face.

"Alright look, I love your kids, I do, but they live to terrorize me you trained 'em well," Duke complimented. Temper chuckled and leaned against a shack nearby.

"And if you win?" Roadblock questioned. Duke thought about it.

"You have to take your next promotion," Duke stated. Roadblock crossed his arms, smirked and looked at the cupcake.

"You pull the trigger, I pull the trigger," Roadblock said.

"I don't know if I'm gonna trust a pastry from a gumbo chef." Duke released the safety on the gun and took aim.

"Are you guys really gonna waste a perfectly good red velvet cupcake for a stupid bet?" Temper asked. Roadblock glanced over at her then back at Duke.

"Don't worry, if you're really that upset I'll make you one later," Roadblock promised. Temper smiled at the chef and turned her attention to Duke who was still getting ready to pull the trigger. Duke exhaled through his mouth, trying to relieve tension.

"Think about the wind," Roadblock interrupted his friend's concentration.

"Four knots, left to right," Duke said aloud.

"Humidity," Roadblock reminded him, "I'd say it's about 62 percent-"

"Are you gonna give the barometric pressure too?" Duke questioned in annoyance and took aim again. Temper covered her mouth to keep from laughing.

"It's on the rise," Roadblock answered, "like your panties." Temper could not help when a small laugh escaped through her fingers. Duke smirked.

"You love my panties," Duke teased. Temper mouthed to no one in particular 'what?' Roadblock glanced at him through his peripherals and back at the cupcake.

"That's an interesting choice of a joke-" Roadblock started.

"Okay, alright." Duke looked to the sky, though his face remained neutral, he was starting to get frustrated.

"-Of all the things you could say," Roadblock continued without stopping.

"I'm just-"

"'You love my panties'?" Roadblock questioned.

"Are you gonna shut up?" Duke asked.

"What does that mean?" Roadblock inquired, referring to what Duke had said.

"Are you gonna shut up?" Duke repeated.

"I'm just saying-" Roadblock defended.

"I'm trying to do something."

"-I'm just lookin' out for you." Roadblock continued to talk until Duke interrupted once again.

"Shut up," Duke ordered and took aim.

"Just sayin'"

"Shut up," Duke repeated, trying to get his concentration back. Roadblock cleared his throat, readying for one last diversion.

"How's your heart rate?" he suddenly asked as Duke pulled the trigger, throwing him off and making the bullet hit the pole instead of the real target. Roadblock and Temper chuckled.

"That is not gonna count," Duke started, "I get to go again, because you talked." Roadblock looked at him seriously.

"You pull the trigger, now I pull the trigger," Roadblock said. He leaned down and pulled up a heavy artillery gun that had to weigh as much as Temper.

"No, we're not doing that," Duke reprimanded, trying to stop him. Roadblock took aim.

"Shhhh."

"That's not gonna count," Duke told him, but he did not listen. Temper covered her ears and watched as Roadblock pulled the trigger, Duke plugged his ears, and an onslaught of bullets rained down on the innocent pastry. Roadblock set the huge gun down and looked through the smoke at his victory.
"Cheater," Duke stated.

"I bought my little girls a karaoke machine and they love singing on it," Roadblock informed Duke.

"All night long," he added, "there's no a bedtime/ curfew so they're going to be up all night. Make sure you bring your earplugs." Roadblock hit Duke's shoulder, mocking him in a way. Temper watched as Roadblock came to stand in front of her, holding out his arm to her.

"My lady," he greeted. Temper smiled at his antics and wrapped her arm around his.

"Why thank you, good sir," she played along. All the while Duke turned to the two.

"Come on, best two out three," Duke pleaded.

"Nope," Roadblock answered quickly.

"Best two out of three. C'mon that didn't count! You didn't tell me about the karaoke machine!"

Temper looked at him with pity. He's gonna die from lack of sleep, she thought to herself. The three promenaded toward the middle of the camp. Temper looked over to Lady Jaye and Flint who were coming onto the scene.

"Prepare for extraction," Lady Jaye said to the man next to her.

"Extraction? What are we, teeth?" Flint retorted, the two coming over to the other side, where Temper was.

"You reach HQ?" Roadblock asked one of the Joes.

"No I got nothing," the man replied.

"Go up high," Roadblock commanded.

"Roger Stg."

"Block," Duke called out, coming over to his comrade and Temper. "All have been accounted for, not a single drop of blood." Temper followed the two men as they walked over to the camping tents. Duke caught sight of something on Roadblock.

"Did you scrape your elbow?" Duke asked.

"No! It's sweat," Roadblock corrected.

"That better have been on somebodies face." Duke walked over to check up on things while Roadblock stopped, seeing a firefly. A bug not commonly found in a desert-like place. He watched as it flew away.

"'Ey Duke," Roadblock called for the man's attention. When Duke turned around Roadblock pointed to the insect. "You see that?" The two looked off to the distance and then heard the sound of helicopters and saw lights, Temper looked as well.

"Security's early," Duke commented. Suddenly one of the aircrafts shot at one of the vehicles on a sand mound which broke apart with sparks and fire.

"Get down!" Lady Jaye ordered. All the Joes took cover and watched as the helicopters swept over them and shot at random vehicles where the Joes were.

"Move out!" a man ordered. Bodies hit the ground or were thrown down by the impact of the missiles being shot at them. The Joes took aim and fired upon the enemy. Flint was one that was thrown to the ground as an explosion took place behind him, the sound was deafening, causing a ringing in his ears. Duke took notice of his teammate.

"Flint down!" he informed Roadblock and Temper. "I'm going for him!"

"Go!" Roadblock urged. He and Temper made a cover for Duke as he ran over to Flint, shooting the aircraft. Duke made his way through the smoke and stirred up sand, tackling Flint as another missile was shot in their direction.

"Troops in contact. Request immediate air support!" Roadblock yelled to his communication piece in his ear. "I repeat immediate air support!" Temper moved back, taking cover behind trucks and still covering Duke while Roadblock radioed for help.