Adult-FanFiction.org : Cartoons

Unsung Heroes: Mission Two	By : RavenLadies Category: +G through L > G.I. Joe Views: 1326 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the cartoon(s) that this fanfiction is written for, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Chapter Five

Shuffling the papers on his desk, Duke reached for a nearby manila folder to put them in. Setting the folder aside, the big blonde let out an uncharacteristic yawn as he rolled his broad shoulders before stretching his neck from side to side, hearing a couple of small satisfying pops. Returning to his office after being summoned to the containment lab the day before, Duke had immediately put in a call to General Hawk, the Joe team’s commanding officer, to apprise him of the current situation.

The two men had talked for well over an hour, discussing Devil Dog and the possible threat he posed to The Pit and its personnel. Hawk had requested a written report from his subordinate, and as soon as their telephone conversation had ended, Duke had immediately started on it. The blue-eyed blonde had been sure to include his interviews with Lifeline and Rebecca Chambers regarding the incident; as well as his own thoughts and recommendations for keeping The Pit safe.

# # #

As Rebecca Chambers stopped in front of Duke's door, she heaved a soft sigh and smoothed her rumpled clothing down as well as she could. She was tired. Bone-tired, in fact. She would rather have been curled up in a bed, trying to sleep, but Edwin's remark about Duke wanting to send Billy away to god only knew where, as well as being rattled from the attack itself, guaranteed she saw no rest. Not the night before, and certainly not now. She had nearly worked herself into a panic over the whole situation. She couldn't allow Billy to be sent away.

# # #

Glancing out the window, Duke found himself once again thinking on what Lifeline and Doctor Chambers had told him about Billy Coen’s present condition and the symbiotic parasite that had apparently integrated itself into his body. Despite Lifeline’s later protest that Devil Dog should remain where he was, the hard-eyed blonde had entertained other thoughts. Duke had arrived at the containment lab in time to see the blood splattered walls and smashed equipment. He had also picked up on the shell-shocked expressions that both Lifeline and Rebecca Chambers had been wearing, as they related their individual stories as to what happened. The pair had also filled the Joe commander in on what they suspected regarding Devil Dog. The two had, however, been unable to give Duke any concrete solutions as to how to deal with the parasite – something that the blonde man had not been happy to hear.

# # #

Rebecca blew a wisp of hair out of her eyes and steeled her nerves. She was far from at her best, but she was determined as she reached up and knocked firmly on Duke's door. Duke turned his icy blue gaze away from the window and towards the door at the knock. It was still early in the morning, his Green Shirt secretary having not arrived yet to screen his calls and visitors. Glancing down to make sure that all the sensitive information he had been perusing earlier had been put away, the big blonde called out, instructing whoever it was to enter. Rebecca took a few moments to compose herself before stepping into Duke's office. The blue eyed man’s expression was neutral as he saw the young woman framed in the doorway. “Doctor Chambers,” he said, rising to his feet.

Rebecca gave the imposing blonde a faint smile and stood a little straighter. She couldn't help the odd, blessedly brief sensation that Duke reminded her just a little of Albert Wesker, the leader of her old S.T.A.R.S. unit. Shoving that thought aside viciously, she spoke. "I'm sorry to bother you so early in the morning, Duke."

“We’re early risers around here, Doctor,” the field commander said as he indicated the chair opposite his desk with his hand. “Please, have a seat.”

"Thank you." Rebecca walked over to the chair, and sank down, perching on the edge of it. "I was informed there have been . . . considerations made as to whether or not Lieutenant Coen would remain here."

Duke resumed his seat once Rebecca settled. “That decision is General Hawk’s,” the blue-eyed man said. “He’s the Joe’s commanding officer. I have given him my thoughts and recommendations on the matter however.”

"If I may ask, Sir, just what you've recommended? I realize this is a military matter, but the lieutenant is still my patient."

The blonde regarded the young woman across from him for a moment or two before answering. “That he’s a possible threat to the security of this base.”

Here we go, Rebecca thought. "If I may...I honestly don't think moving him would be a good idea. At all."

“I appreciate what you’ve done so far Doctor, but the safety of this base and its personnel is first and foremost. I’ve already heard Lifeline’s opinion; and while I value his advice as a medical professional, you and I both know that he isn’t completely unbiased where Devil Dog is concerned.”

"I'm aware of that, yes. And I'll admit, I'm not entirely unbiased either, but for an entirely different reason." Rebecca forced her voice to remain even as she spoke. "After what he's been through, I don't believe loading him into a military transport and taking him anywhere is safe. Were he to have another flashback, or get agitated enough to trigger that parasite again..."

“I saw that lab, Doctor Chambers. For whatever reason, the two of you were very lucky. But who's to say that the next time that luck won’t run out?”

"And who's to say a group of MPs in a van would have any better luck if that parasite goes active? At least here, I know he's safe, and well away from the nearest town." Rebecca's tone hardened. "You know as well as I do that it would be a safety hazard to send him anywhere."

“And it’s not a safety hazard to every man and woman in this installation to keep him here?” Duke retorted curtly. The blonde man paused for a moment, his icy gaze softening just a fraction. “This alliance between Cobra and the Umbrella Corporation has caught us all off guard. This is a new kind of warfare, Doctor, one that we’re woefully under-prepared for. Believe it or not, I can sympathize with you. I respect the Lieutenant for what he went through, and for the work he’s done as a member of the Joe’s, but he’s only one man versus an installation of hundreds. My first duty is to this base.”

"Your first duty is to the safety of the civilians, Duke!" Rebecca said. "Even aside from my personal feelings about Billy, I've seen what that virus can do! An entire god damned city was obliterated off the face of the earth!" She was on her feet now, with no recollection of having risen. "I can't...no, I won't watch it happen again!"

Non-plussed, Duke looked at the young woman. “As I said, I do understand how you feel, Doctor Chambers. But the final decision is out of my hands.” The blue-eyed man indicated Rebecca’s vacated chair with his hand, motioning for her to resume her seat. “And despite my feelings on the matter, the general has ordered that Devil Dog remain here for the time being, under quarantine with twenty-four monitoring and posted security.”

Rebecca only resumed her seat long enough to allow Duke to finish his summary of the matter, before rising and giving the blonde a curt nod. “I see. Then if you'll excuse me, Sir,” she said, in a tone that would have bordered on silent insubordination if she'd been a Joe, “I have a patient I need to see to.” Without waiting for an acknowledgment or a dismissal, she walked briskly out of his office.

# # #

Adjusting the surgical mask a bit, Lifeline glanced through the observation glass at Billy's bed. The medic had remained in his office for some time after Rebecca's departure. Taking the photo of he and Billy in his hand, he had sat there silently, staring at it, hoping that the happier memories from the time it had been taken could banish the darker ones that seemed to have settled in his mind.

Wandering through the quiet corridors, the medic had unsurprisingly found himself outside the containment lab. Slipping inside, he nodded at the nurse who was manning the console, his appearance having apparently startled her. Standing in front of the thick glass, he fastened his chocolate brown gaze on the bed on the other side. How long he stood there like that, he didn't know. It took the nurse's shift change to pull him from wherever he had gone, only to find out that it was past midnight. Giving his lover one last glance, the medic had departed silently. Making his way back to the infirmary, Edwin had sought out the staff lounge, settling down on the beat up old sofa against the wall for a restless and nearly sleepless night.

Edwin had been gently awakened by Lydia Sorenson, the blonde nurse having shaken the medic awake shortly after arriving for the morning shift. Without a word, she had passed a cup of coffee from one of the mess hall vending machines into his hand before taking her leave.

After making his way back down to the containment lab, Edwin had waited impatiently for Rebecca, glancing down at his watch every few moments to check the time. After fifteen minutes or so, the medic had used the phone in the outer lab to try to contact the CDC representative in the guest quarters, but to no avail. After waiting for several more minutes, Edwin had let out a weary sound before reaching for a pair of gloves and a surgical mask. Stepping inside the Marine's makeshift room, Lifeline softly made his way over to Billy's bedside, trying to be as quiet as possible in case the Marine was sleeping.

He wasn't.

Billy Coen was lying flat on his back, his head pillowed on one arm, the other thrown carelessly across his middle. At the sound of the door opening, he let his gaze flick over to Edwin, just long enough to register the scrubs and surgical mask, before letting his gaze drop away again as he saw the familiar glasses that marked this set of scrubs as belonging to someone other than the usual chain of nurses.

As he approached Billy's sickbed, Edwin wasn't particularly surprised to see the Marine awake. The chronic pain that Billy had been experiencing had been making it almost impossible for the man to sleep. “Morning,” the medic said as he reached Billy's bedside

"Is it?" Was the soft, weary response; so little changed down there, in the lab, that it was often difficult to tell the passing of time.

“I see that winning morning personality is back.” Edwin replied as he looked down at Billy's prone form.

"You know me, Doc...bright eyed and bushy-tailed," came Billy's reply, devoid of the usual cocky smile that tended to accompany his less serious remarks. The Marine sat up slowly as Edwin stopped beside the bed.

“You probably shouldn't be moving around.” Lifeline said, even as he instinctively reached to assist the Marine.

"Don't worry, I know better than to get out of bed," Billy replied as he got his weight shifted a little better.

Edwin's latex covered hand briefly brushed over the other brunette's; the medic had dismissed the nurse that had been on duty monitoring the Marine before entering the inner chamber of the lab. The feel of that latex running over his skin only doubly reinforced Billy's current feeling of alienation, though he did his best not to show it. He turned his hand palm up as Edwin's fingers brushed across, letting his own fingertips slide over the medic's gloved palm. Billy's gaze, however, remained fixed to the side, unable to bring himself to meet Edwin's gaze. Lifeline looked down at the Marine. Behind the surgical mask, the medic bit his lip as he felt the itch of tears behind his dark eyes. Squeezing them shut for a moment, he took a deep breath to try to regain his composure. God, please give me the strength to do this...

The silence that stretched between them was tense to the point of being tangible before Billy spoke. His voice was soft, but carried easily in the quiet room. "E-Edwin..." he began, then his voice faltered and he closed his eyes; he wanted to know what was going on, but suddenly found that he couldn't ask.

The medic felt something clench in his chest as Billy said his name, the other man's voice laced with fear and uncertainty. Reaching for the safety railing on the side of Billy's bed, Edwin unlocked it and slid it down before peeling off the latex gloves and stuffing them into the pocket of the lab coat he was wearing. Reaching up behind his dark head, he untied the surgical mask, letting it flutter down on to his chest to reveal a jaw shadowed with dark stubble. Silently, Lifeline perched on the edge of the Marine's hospital bed and reached for Billy's hand, lacing their fingers together.

Billy's eyes flew open when Edwin took his hand, looking up and unable to keep the surprise from his face when he saw that the surgical mask was gone as well. Surprise and concern chased each other across his face, and finally confusion settled in. “You're not a leper and I can't treat you like one.” The medic said quietly as he looked at the Marine. Billy once again found words failing him as he started to reach up, then hesitated, glancing toward the the observation window uncertainly. “It's okay, we're alone for a bit.” Edwin said softly.

Nodding, Billy reached up again, touching the stubble on Edwin's cheek briefly, before swallowing hard and letting his hand drop again, only keeping his eyes on his lover's through sheer force of will. He opened his mouth to speak, all the questions tumbling over one another in an effort to get out. "What's...happening to me?" he asked, hating how cliche the question sounded, and how scared his voice sounded to his own ears.

Lifeline momentarily squeezed his dark eyes shut once again. Unconsciously he squeezed the Marine's hand as he steeled himself. Opening up his eyes, he looked at Billy. “There's...” the medic started after a few moments. “There's...a parasite...”

"Parasite? What...kind of parasite?"

“Rebecca is fairly sure that it's something Umbrella created...” Edwin answered quietly.

What little color was left in Billy's face drained away at that. "Oh, god..."

Reaching over, Lifeline covered their joined hands with his other and swallowed as he felt his composure beginning to slip. During his years as a medic, Edwin had been the bearer of bad news, and over time he had learned to keep his personal feelings in check; but as he looked at his lover's pale face, every bit of training he had seemed drain away. “S-she thinks that you've probably been c-carrying it for some time, maybe in some kind of a dormant state until recently.” There was a slight tremor in Lifeline's voice as he spoke.

"How in the fuck?" Billy's voice was barely above a whisper, his shock being overridden only a little as his brain scrambled to try and fit far too few pieces together.

Edwin shook his dark head. “We – we don't know. Maybe when you were trapped in the Training Facility – something that got into your system, or possibly the asylum.”

"...Jesus Christ..." Billy's eyes dropped again and he fell silent, staring at his hand. An image came, unbidden, of that night alone, his hand twisting and turning without his thoughts willing it. He swallowed hard and clenched his fist. Taking the hand that had been covering their joined ones, Lifeline raised it to the Marine's face, touching the side of it gently. The touch broke Billy from his dark thoughts, and he realized he'd been squeezing Edwin's hand quite hard. He eased up on his grip, reaching up with his free hand to touch the hand on his cheek. "How...long have I got? Before this thing kills me or..." His throat seized up, and he couldn't finish the sentence; with Umbrella he knew, there were things worse than death.

Edwin felt tears itching the back of his eyes once again. Leaning in closer, he touched his dark head to Billy's. “I – I don't know...” his voice was barely more than a whisper, a slight tremor shaking it as he spoke. “It's – it's integrated itself into your internal organs...“

Edwin's words hit Billy like a physical blow, and his eyes fell closed. "God...oh god..." he whispered.

Slipping his hand from the side of Billy's face, the medic slid his arm around the Marine and pulled him closer. Billy released Edwin's hand, wrapping both arms around the medic, all but shaking. He understood what was going on, but his brain wouldn't, no couldn't process the information he was being given. Fear and nausea wound together in his stomach, and he felt the uncomfortable burning of tears in his eyes. Lifeline's freed hand came up to slide into Billy's hair, gently combing through the brunette locks as he held the Marine close. Billy grit his teeth hard as he felt Edwin's fingers in his hair, the touch familiar and reassuring in its familiarity. "You're not...I mean, I didn't...you're okay, right?"

The medic nodded his head slightly, “It doesn't look like something that's contagious.”

"Thank god..." The Marine sagged in Edwin's arms as the medic's fingers slid out of Billy's dark hair and he wrapped his other arm around his lover, pulling the Marine as close as he could.

They were still sitting like that when Rebecca entered, too agitated from her talk with Duke to bother with gloves or a surgical mask as she prepared to enter the containment lab itself. She realized that she was violating safety procedures, but she didn't give a damn. Pausing at the console, Rebecca saw the nurse returning, and stepped into the doorway before the nurse could enter. "I'll be taking over Lieutenant Coen's monitoring," She said to the woman firmly in her most authoritative tone. "I'll call when I'm ready for a replacement."

The nurse, a young brunette woman who had only been assigned to Joe Headquarters for a few months, looked at the other woman with wide eyes for a moment. “Y-Yes, m'am,” she stuttered out as she raised her hand to salute, before recalling that Rebecca was a civilian. Nervously, the young nurse dropped her hand before retreating back out the door, which slid automatically closed once she was safely out of the doorway.

That taken care of, Rebecca turned back toward the observation glass, watching Edwin and Billy silently, giving herself the time she needed to let the vision of Billy wrapped in the arms of another man become less odd before she made her presence known.

Within the makeshift room, Billy tilted his head until it was resting on Edwin's shoulder, feeling suddenly very weary, although not at all tired. The initial shock was starting to fade, leaving a numbness in its wake. Relaxing his hold a bit, Lifeline once again brought his hand up to gently comb through the Marine's dark hair. “We're gonna fight this every inch of the way,” he said softly, “I won't let it have you, not without a fight.”

"Neither of us is going to," Rebecca chimed in as she stepped into the lab, walking slowly toward the bed. Billy let his gaze move to the young woman, and he started to pull away from Edwin a little, but she reached out to stop him as she reached the bed. "Don't. You need it."

The medic blushed faintly at Rebecca's sudden appearance. It was one thing to have her know about his relationship with Billy, but quite another for her to actually be privy to a private moment between them. "Sorry to sneak up on you," Rebecca replied quietly, letting her hand drop away from Billy and taking a step back as the Marine relaxed a little against Edwin again.

“I was expecting you earlier,” Lifeline said.

"Uh, yeah, sorry about that...I kinda ended up running late. I had a...meeting this morning."

The medic's eyebrow rose a bit at that. Billy raised his head off Edwin's shoulder and looked back at Rebecca, his own expression curious. Smiling with a confidence she didn't feel, she went on. "Nothing to worry about. It just ran longer than I expected."

Edwin frowned momentarily at the slightly cryptic answer but chose not to pursue it any further, thinking that perhaps it had something to do with the CDC and Rebecca's work there. Billy only nodded a little, and sighed, laying his head back down again. As he did, Rebecca tilted her head to the side; the Marine wasn't moving with the stiffness of pain that had become the norm since his initial collapse. Lifeline was unaware of Rebecca's scrutiny of the Marine, having glanced down at the other brunette as Billy resettled himself. The Marine's thoughts turned inward, and he was silent. Rebecca touched Edwin's shoulder. "I'll be out in the other room when you're done here. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

Edwin looked up at the light touch and he nodded his head, his dark eyes reflecting the maelstrom of emotions whirling within him. Giving Edwin's shoulder a small squeeze, Rebecca turned on her heel and walked out. "I...guess I won't have to ask if she knows..." Billy murmured softly.

“She figured it out yesterday,” the medic said as he looked back down at Billy.

"Oh."

“I couldn't really lie to her when she asked.”

"You mean when she didn't ask?" Billy asked quietly, looking up and trying to give Edwin a shaky smile at the weak joke.

The medic smiled a bit in return, grateful to see some of Billy's old self creeping back into the Marine. “I think she was pretty shocked.”

"...Not surprised...I think she had a thing for me...back then," Billy replied quietly.

“I think she still does,” Lifeline said, his dark eyes on the other man.

"...Really?" The Marine was obviously surprised at the observation. It occurred to him, for a moment, that this was hardly the time to be discussing something so mundane. On the other hand, he also knew that a degree of normalcy was exactly what he needed right now.

Edwin nodded slightly. “I think that's why she's so bent on doing everything and anything she can to help you.”

"Maybe..."

“Whatever her reasons, I'm glad she's here.”

"Yeah...me, too. If anybody can help me...you two can." The medic smiled a bit at Billy as his fingers once again began to gently comb through his lover's brunette hair. "Just...I know I asked you before...but, you'll look after Robby, right? Just in case?"

Edwin nodded his dark head. “He called me a few nights ago.”

"Is he okay?"

“He was worried because he hadn't heard from you; but otherwise, I think he was okay.”

"Good to know. Think...there'd be a way to arrange for me to call him? So he doesn't worry too much?"

“I'm sure we can arrange something,” Lifeline said with a slight nod. His dark gaze softened as he looked at Billy. “He wanted me to tell you that he loved you the next time that I saw you.”

That brought the first true smile to Billy's lips and he nodded. "You'd...better go see what Rebecca wants..." he said quietly. Edwin looked at Billy silently for a few moments before nodding his head as he loosened his hold on the Marine. "Oh...and...one more thing?" The medic canted his head to the side a bit as he looked at Billy questioningly. "Can you talk somebody into bringing me a couple magazines, some paperwork, or something? I'm gonna go completely out of my mind if I just keep staring at these walls...too much like prison."

“I'll see what I can do,” Lifeline said with a smile.

# # #

When Edwin finally exited Billy's makeshift room, he found Rebecca sitting at the monitoring console, her expression dark and her entire manner agitated. She was scribbling away furiously on a clipboard she had started carrying everywhere, sufficiently wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't hear the hissing of the hydraulics in the door as it closed behind Edwin. Not wanting to interrupt the young woman, the medic quietly stepped closer, stopping when he was only an arm's length away from the monitoring station. Standing silently, he watched Rebecca, waiting for her to finish with whatever it was she was writing. Rebecca finished her notes with a period that was more of a stab of the pen than grammatical punctuation. Looking up, she jumped a little. "Sorry, I didn't hear you come back in."

“It's okay,” Lifeline replied. “You looked like you were pretty caught up.”

"I'm pissed, is what I am, Lifeline," Rebecca replied frankly, setting aside the clipboard and tucking her pen back into a pocket of her lab coat. The medic tilted his head a bit as he gave the young woman a curious look. Rebecca double-checked the microphone, to make sure it was off so that Billy wouldn't accidentally overhear their conversation. "I went and spoke with Duke this morning."

“Rebecca...” Edwin started reproachfully.

"If you're about to launch into a lecture," She replied, cutting him off, "don't. What I did goes well beyond trying to do a favor for a friend. Trying to move Billy out of this facility is just asking for another Raccoon City."

Silently, Lifeline looked at Rebecca for a few moments before closing his eyes with a sigh. “And what did he say?”

"That it's out of his hands, apparently," Rebecca replied, and then slumped a little in the chair, the anger finally starting to wear off some. "But Billy's to be kept here under strict quarantine until further notice."

“And any decision regarding moving Billy comes down from General Hawk.” the medic supplied. “He said pretty much the same thing to me yesterday.”

Rebecca nodded, running a hand through her hair. "I know...but considering what I've been through... what I've seen...it wouldn't matter if I knew Billy or not...what he's carrying... We need to figure out something, and fast."

Raising his hand, Edwin pushed his glasses up on his forehead and rubbed at his red-rimmed eyes wearily. “You're the expert,” the medic said as he resettled his glasses.

"Billy was handled as a military prisoner...very likely whatever institution he was placed in would have had some connection to the military. Can you think of any places like that?"

“I don't know...” Lifeline replied after a few moments while he raked his hand through his dark hair. “My mind isn't thinking too straight at the moment...”

"Give it some thought and get back to me ASAP. There can't be too many places like that, and maybe one of them still has Billy's files. Even if the place has been shut down, there's no guarantee the records were destroyed."

Edwin just nodded silently.
- 4
- 5
- 6
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Unsung Heroes: Mission Two