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
- 7
- 8
- 9
Chapter Eight

The tunnels underneath Lakeview were damp, cold, and infested with spiders and other vermin. While the above building seemed devoid of life, the tunnels were teeming with it. Much to Rebecca's surprise, the tiny lights set into the ceiling every few feet were still glowing, albeit with a weak, occasionally flickering light. She assumed they were being powered by some emergency generator that just hadn't quite died yet. To either side of the light, lengths of pipe ran up and down the length of the tunnel, presumably plumbing or something similar. The smooth walls were covered with water stains, the concrete floor dotted here and there with puddles of water.

In spite of her earlier push to come down here, Rebecca couldn't quite shake the uneasy feeling that was sitting in the pit of her stomach as they walked along, their boots making dull sounds in the bare corridor. She suddenly wished Billy were there, and at the same time, glad he wasn't. She wondered, briefly, if he had ever seen these tunnels. Then she shook herself sharply from her thoughts as she realized the shadows were deepening as the main tunnel began to branch off into other corridors where there were no lights.

Lifeline's own thoughts were running down similar lanes as the team slowly made their way through the tunnel. Ever since they had entered the institution, the medic tried not to think about Billy having been a patient there and what he must have endured, assuming that he had been here at all. There was no credible information to confirm that Billy had been there, only the circumstantial links between the facility and Umbrella.

The seemingly long march came to a halt as the hall ended in a single door, marked with stenciled letters that read simply, "STORAGE". The door was slightly ajar, and the broken remains of a padlock could be seen on the floor, rusted away in a puddle. Rebecca fought the urge to sigh; if the water had somehow gotten into the room, then there was a good chance that even if they found Billy's files, they wouldn't be in any condition to be useful.

Stepping forward, Gung Ho moved to the matte gray steel door and pushed it open, the metal hinges squealing in protest. As the door was opened, the group was greeted by darkness, the interior of the room black as a starless night. More than one of them wrinkled their nose at the dank, moldy smell that crept out into the hallway towards them. Slipping a palm-sized mag-lite from the belt around her hips, Scarlett switched it on and pointed it into the room.

The room was mostly uninhabited, save for a few rats and a thick coating of spiderwebs that could be seen here and there. Rebecca shivered, retreating a step involuntarily at the sight, and bumping gently into Lifeline as she did. Nearby, Strong looked over at Hopper, who only gave her a calm look back. Reaching out, Lifeline put his hand on Rebecca's upper arm, both to steady her and reassure her, giving it a light squeeze. Flipping on his own flashlight, Gung Ho swung its pale beam into the room next to Scarlett's. “Looks like somethin' outta an old Dracula movie,” the big man said as the light flicked over the dull metal of what appeared to be a filing cabinet.

Turning to regard the rest of the team, Scarlett's eyes swept over them. “One hour, people.” Adjusting her laser rifle on her shoulder a bit, she stepped forward into the black maw of the room.

Exhaling a slow breath, Strong headed into the room, Hopper just a few steps behind her. The two were almost invisible in the darkness as they pulled out flashlights of their own. Rebecca glanced back at Lifeline and gave him a faint, shaky smile. "Sorry," She said softly, then headed for the door herself.

Gung Ho brought up the rear, following Lifeline into the dank room, pale columns of lights from the team's flashlights flicking around the interior like the beams from a strobe light. Spreading out inside the room, the group made their way towards the bank of dust and cobweb covered filing cabinets. In spite of the smell of mold and water, Rebecca was astonished to find that the papers inside the filing cabinets were dry. There were the faded remnants of labels on each drawer, but they were so faded by time and moisture, they were almost impossible to read. Once again, Rebecca was struck numb by the state of decay the whole complex seemed to be in. Had they really kept patients here, in such a run-down place? Hopper and Strong were having similar thoughts as they each searched through one drawer after another, before Strong finally called out, "I think I found it!" There was a note of triumph in her tone.

Almost as one, the myriad of flashlight beams swung to the young Sergeant's location as the rest of the team moved towards her. Strong held up the folder in her hand, trying to block some of the glare with it. "Uh, little less light, please?" Several of the lights dropped down towards the floor as Scarlett, Lifeline, Rebecca and the others gathered around her. Strong stood from where she had been kneeling down, holding the folder out to Rebecca. "Here, Doc," she said. "Why don't you do the honors?"

Rebecca took the folder and gave a brief, faint smile of thanks before opening it. She gasped as her eyes fell on a familiar photograph, and a set of stats she knew at least as well as her own. Moving up behind Rebecca, Lifeline glanced over the young woman's shoulder, looking down at the file in her hands. “B-Billy...” The whispered name escaped his lips before he realized it.

Her blue eyes on the civilian doctor, Scarlett watched the play of emotions that flickered over Rebecca's face. “What is it, Doctor?”

Rebecca didn't reply right away, flipping back the first page to reveal the second, and then the third, her eyes widening with each line she read. Several of them were recommended treatments, from different kinds of drug cocktails to recommended treatments in the facility's deprivation tanks. Many of the hand-written notes were difficult to read, smudged by hasty hands or by the wear and tear of time. Pointing to the list of "attempted treatments" she looked up at Lifeline and asked, "What do you make of that?"

Raising his flashlight a bit, Edwin's dark eyes flicked over the page, a faint frown on his face as he read. “Good God...” the words were whispered out as he raised his eyes from the folder in Rebecca's hand and looked at her upturned face.

“Lifeline?” Scarlett's voice prodded at the medic. “What is it?”

The medic turned his gaze towards the red-headed woman. “Bil...Devil Dog was here.”

“And?”

Lifeline's eyes glanced back down at the folder before looking back at Scarlett. “It's kind of vague, but it looks like he was used as a subject in at least one of the studies that Lakeview was doing for the Umbrella Corporation.”

"It's not much," Rebecca said, flipping and glancing at the next few pages. "But it proves he was here, and it means he's in Umbrella's computer banks somewhere..."

Scarlett looked at Rebecca for a moment before turning her attention to the rest of the group. “We got what we came for. Time to move out.”

Rebecca closed the file and tucked it back in the small pack she was carrying, wanting a chance to look it over later in better lighting. Hopper and Strong both swung their lights back toward the doorway, and started heading for it, clearly relieved that they would be able to go topside again. Gung Ho and Scarlett where only a few steps behind the two younger soldiers, the big Cajun brushing cobwebs from his broad shoulders as they moved towards the doorway. Standing next to Rebecca, the medic reached out and lightly touched her shoulder, as he swung his flashlight towards the retreating lights of the others. “C'mon. The sooner we get back to the Tomahawk the sooner we can start in on the file.”

"Right," Rebecca said, starting to walk toward the door as well, when a soft sound gave her pause. She reached out, touching Lifeline's arm lightly to stop him, listening intently. "I heard something move," She hissed, very low.

“Probably just a rat or something. I wouldn't be surprised.” Edwin said, non-plussed. “C'mon they're waiting for us.”

"If you say so," Rebecca said, her hand dropping away as she headed toward the door again.

Falling into step behind the young woman, Lifeline didn't even give it a second thought, just as grateful as the rest to be leaving the dark, tomb-like room. As they passed into the corridor, there was the sound of something heavy hitting the floor, and the sudden sound of skittering. Rebecca's eyes widened at the sound and she spun on her heel, one hand dropping to her gun, as she backed out of the room. “What th' hell?” Gung Ho's head swung back towards the darkened doorway.

Scarlett's laser rifle instantly slid from her shoulder and into her hands, the red-head raising the muzzle of the weapon up and training it back inside the room.. “Move it! Now!” she barked, her sapphire gaze never wavering from the darkened maw as she started to move backwards.

As they watched, a dark mass moved slowly into the dim lighting, revealing first one leg, then two, then four and Rebecca swore loudly. "Go, go!" She cried out, gesturing back in the direction they had come before.

Strong and Hopper could only stare in mute shock as a massive spider moved into the tunnel. The arachnid was easily the size of a small horse, and quick, as it started skittering toward them. The unmistakable sound of laser fire filled the tunnel as Gung Ho brought his rifle up and opened fire on the creature. “Rebecca!” Lifeline reached out for the young woman's arm before turning towards Strong and Hopper.

At the sound of her name, Rebecca turned, immediately moving into a sprint that carried her past Lifeline, and toward the two members of Billy's unit as they overcame their shock and began to run. "Be careful!" She cried out. "There may be more of them!"

Gung Ho's fire was soon joined by that of Scarlett, the fiery-haired Joe pumping out short blasts at the spider as she quickly retreated down the tunnel, the big Cajun at her side. Rebecca didn't stop moving, catching a slight shift in the shadows from another of the corridors that branched off from theirs, and had no time to call out as another spider moved into the tunnel. Strong, at the front of the group, shrieked and brought up her shotgun, squeezing off a shot as the spider reared up. Strong yelped again as a strong arm wrapped around her waist, and Hopper hauled her back out of the reach of the creature. "Shit!" he called out, "Be careful, girl!"

Behind the others, Scarlett and Gung Ho continued raining fire on the first spider. Hearing the cry from the front of the group, neither could spare so much as a glance as they squeezed off bursts, the bright red lasers leaving smoking holes in creature's hairy hide. Maddened by the pain being inflicted upon it, the spider reared up, it's front legs waving in the air. The Joes could clearly see it's gaping maw, the creature's mandibles clicking together in agitation. With a blood-freezing screech, the creature lunged at Scarlett and Gung Ho just as a glob of milky fluid shot from it's mouth. “Gung Ho!” Scarlett had just enough time to cry out a warning to the big Marine before throwing herself to the side to avoid the viscous-looking glob that landed on the floor of the tunnel only a few feet where she had been standing.

Rolling, the titian-haired Joe was on her feet almost immediately, her dark blue eyes flicking over to where Gung Ho had been. The bald man had apparently managed to dodge as well, a disgusted look on his face as he looked at the spider which was still coming towards them. “Man, where's a giant can of Raid when you need one.”

"Thanks," Strong said softly, as Hopper set her down, and then she cried out again as Hopper went suddenly stiff, his eyes widening in surprise and shock just moments before he collapsed to the ground, a smoking hole in the back of his fatigues. Strong scrambled backwards, nearly knocking Rebecca over in the process, watching in horror as the spider rushed over to the downed man, and began to quickly wrap him in a thick and sticky looking webbing "HOPPER!" She cried out, abandoning her shotgun for her pistol, trying to get in a decent shot to make the spider release her teammate.

Lifeline's voice mirrored that of Kenya Strong, the medic watching horrified as the pilot's big body was quickly encased in a cocoon of milky white strands. Sparing a glance over her shoulder, Scarlett's blue eyes widened as she saw Hopper fall, the spider swarming over his prone form. Swearing, the red-head turned back around to face the creature in front of her once again. Raising her rifle, she trained it on the thing's head before firing off two quick staccato bursts, the red arcs of laser burning into one of the spider's eyes. The wound Scarlett inflicted seemed to do the trick. The spider let off another unearthly screech, before retreating into the darkness of the file storage room again, leaving only the creature attacking Hopper. Strong's hand came up, and she fired her pistol twice. The first shot went wide, the second sinking into one of the spider's legs. The thing shrieked in response, and began to rapidly retreat, dragging Hopper behind it like a child's rag doll. The pilot didn't so much as struggle or cry out as spider, webbing, and man, all disappeared around a corner. "HOPPER!" Strong screamed again, jamming her pistol back into her belt, scooping up her shotgun, and preparing to head after them.

Only Rebecca's tight grip on her back kept her from getting far. "Let go of me!" Strong cried, trying to struggle loose. Rebecca didn't loosen her grip at all, and once a few moments passed, Strong looked back at her, eyes a mix of fear and fury. Rebecca met that gaze with a pained one of her own.

With Gung Ho covering them from the rear, Scarlett and the big Marine hastily scrambled towards the others, the blue-eyed Joe managing to squeeze off a couple of shots at the retreating spider dragging Hopper's bound form. Unfortunately her shots went wide, striking the side of the tunnel as the creature disappeared.

“We have to go after it,” Lifeline said without preamble as Scarlett and Gung Ho joined them. The Cajun had his back to the others, his rifle up and ready as he swung his gaze from one end of the tunnel to the other.

"All of us together, if we go at all," Rebecca said softly, looking to Scarlett for her call on the matter.

Her dark gaze traveling from one face to the other, the red-head shook her head. “We're out of here.”

"But—" Strong started to say.

Rebecca cut her off. "Kenya, those things are going to be all over the place. We've gotta move, and now, before the rest of them come to see about finding an easy meal. "

Even as they spoke, the sound of things moving in the tunnels could be heard, the corridors filling with inhuman screeching and Rebecca shivered.

“Our orders were to get the hell out at the first sign of trouble.” Scarlett's gaze shifted to Strong. “We get back to the chopper and radio in for some back up. Now let's stay together, be ready and move out,” she continued as she adjusted her hold on her rifle. “Gung Ho, take the point. I've got the rear.”

“You got it,” the bald man said before moving in front of the others, his finger on the trigger of his rifle as he looked around, trying to peer into the shadows that surrounded him.

Strong stiffened, and then her shoulders sagged; orders were orders, after all, and she knew Scarlett was right. She gripped her shotgun tightly and fell into place behind Gung Ho. Rebecca fell in behind Strong, silent and feeling the first tell-tale grip of guilt settling in on her. Lifeline was silent as he followed Rebecca, the medic feeling a bit numbed by what had happened. With a grim set to her mouth, Scarlett brought up the rear, her sapphire gaze sweeping the shadowed recesses of the tunnel as the skittering sounds around them continued.

The skittering grew louder, until all at once, a screeching sound burst from the tunnel ahead of them in a flurry of spiders, some the size of a small cat, to others the size of very large dogs. They scurried along the walls, the ceiling, and the floor. They ran over the lights, making them flicker and flash. "Back up...back up!" Rebecca said. "Don't let them close us in!"

Without hesitation, the group hurried backwards, retracing their steps in a scramble. As soon as the first of the creatures appeared, Gung Ho wasted no time in opening fire on them, his laser rifle burning holes in the wiry-haired hides of the creatures as he swept the muzzle of the weapon from side to side, but still the spiders scuttled towards them. "This way!" Rebecca hissed, pointing to a side corridor that wasn't dark.

Her eyes going to the ceiling of the tunnel, Scarlett raised her weapon as she watched the spiders that scurried above them. “Go!” Scarlett yelled just as one of the spiders dropped from the ceiling towards them. Squeezing the trigger of her rifle, the woman shot off a burst that blasted off two of the creature's legs and a good chunk of it's side before it hit the floor several yards away with a wet thud.

Following Scarlett's orders, Lifeline herded Rebecca and Strong down the corridor, the words “Yo Joe” bellowing out behind them in Gung Ho's deep voice as another rain of laser fire echoed in the main tunnel. The new tunnel was blessedly clear of the spiders, although they were still being followed, and Rebecca's eyes shot this way and that, trying to find some safe place to go, her stomach sinking. Darting into the tunnel a few moments after Lifeline and the others, Scarlett and Gung Ho ran, twisting around after few moments to take shots at the spiders that were pursuing them; yet for every one of the creatures that they managed to hit and stop, three more would spill into the tunnel, the floor and walls disappearing under a sea of dark furred bodies.

As they passed under an archway, Gung Ho's eyes glanced up at the ceiling above them looking for spiders when a thought hit him. Raising his rifle, he aimed it at the middle of the archway and fired. Seconds later, large chunks of mortar and cement broke free and rained down on the floor below, crushing several of the scuttling dark forms and blocking the path of the rest. A shrieking went up from behind the rubble, but none could be heard in the tunnel they were in now, and so they were all afforded a chance to relax just a little and breathe. "Is...is everyone okay?" Rebecca said, just loud enough to be heard.

Lifeline had his hand to his chest as he gulped for air. “Yeah...” he managed to get out before looking at the others, his dark eyes settling on Kenya Strong. Strong said nothing, remaining just a little removed from the group, listening intently but staying silent.

“Good move,” Scarlett said approvingly to Gung Ho as she and the Marine caught up with the others.

“So what's the plan now?” Gung Ho asked after a few quiet minutes, his finger still on the trigger of his rifle, the muzzle of which was now pointed up at the ceiling.

Shifting her rifle to her other hand, Scarlett reached and retrieved the map that Main Frame had provided for them. Shaking out the folded page, she looked at for a few moments before swearing softly.

"What is it?" Rebecca asked, pushing aside her own fright and threatening numbness as she moved closer to Gung Ho and Scarlett.

“There aren't any tunnels marked on this map.” The red-head replied grimly as she looked up at the others.

"Well, we can't go back the way we came...so I would think forward is our only option. These tunnels all have to let out somewhere."

The expression on Scarlett's face was grim as she regarded the remaining members of the team. “We'll take a breather here for a few minutes,” she said. “Nobody wander off. I want us to stay within visual range of one another.” Her eyes flicked to each of the others as she spoke, as if to emphasis her point. “Stay alert.”

There were curt nods all around as those assembled found places to lean or sit. Strong remained removed but in sight, Rebecca remaining near Lifeline as she lapsed into silence herself. Shrugging his med kit from his shoulders, Edwin set it down and opened it and retrieved a small canteen of water. Rising back to his feet, the medic moved towards Kenya. “Sergeant?” he said as he approached her, the canteen in his hand. The young woman's eyes flicked over to Lifeline, but she remained silent. As he reached her side, Lifeline held out the canteen, offering it to the young woman. There was a moment of hesitation, before Strong took the canteen. "Thanks," she said quietly. The medic nodded his head with a faint smile.

Strong took a small sip of the canteen, then capped it again and looked up at him, her gaze was lost. Reaching out, Lifeline gave Kenya's upper arm a slight squeeze. There was a faint smile on the young woman's lips before she looked away, handing the canteen back. Edwin took the canteen from the young woman, his dark eyes on her for a few moments before he made his way back to where Rebecca and his med kit were. Rebecca was checking over her own pistol methodically, looking up from her work as Edwin reached her again.

Scarlett watched the silent exchange between Lifeline and Strong. Judging from the younger woman's movements, Scarlett could guess that she was bordering on the edge of shock. Truth be told, the red-head guessed that they all were to some extent. It had been quite some time since the Joes had lost one of their own, and even though Hopper had not yet become a full-fledged member, his loss would be felt by everyone just as keenly.

The one who would feel it most however, was Scarlett herself. While she couldn't allow herself to grieve for the soldier that had fallen under her command due to their present circumstances, there would be time enough to shed tears for him once they had found their way out of the tunnels beneath Lakeview and back to Joe Headquarters.

Kneeling down on his haunches, the medic replaced the canteen and closed the med kit. Looking up at Rebecca, Lifeline's dark eyes caught a shadow on the wall behind the woman – a shadow that seemed to be moving downward. “Rebecca!” Jumping to his feet, the medic launched himself at the young woman, wrapping his arms around her slender frame and rolling the two of them to the side just as a spider the size of a Saint Bernard sprang from the shadowed ceiling of the tunnel to land within a few feet of where Rebecca had been sitting.

At Edwin's shout, Gung Ho spun on his heel and lifted his laser rifle, his finger pumping the trigger in short, staccato blasts that burned holes in the creatures wiry hide. The big Cajun had only just popped off a few shots when Scarlett's rifle joined his, the two of them focusing their weapons on the spider's head, particularly it's eyes.

Rebecca barely had time to cry out before she and Edwin were moving, and her eyes widened when she saw the spider, a shudder running through her. Strong was on her feet in moments, shotgun in hand, pumping shot after shot at the spider's head as well, hoping the shotgun might have the kick that the laser rifles didn't.

Enraged by pain, the spider reared up, it's front legs weaving in the air as it's mandibles clicked together. One of Scarlett's shots had blinded an eye, while several of Gung Ho's had managed to burn away a large swatch of hide, a sickly bright green ooze dripping down to the floor of the tunnel to pool around the spider's legs from the wound. Letting out a screeching wail, the creature suddenly spun around towards Lifeline and Rebecca, the two still huddled off to the side.

Rebecca gasped, her eyes wide. Then she gave herself a visible mental shake, raised her gun, and fired off several shots from a pistol that looked remarkably like the Magnum Billy had given Edwin to carry. The gun's retort was deafeningly loud in the room as the bullets tore into the spider. Die, will you! she thought frantically.

Rearing up in pain once again, the creature's entire body seemed to quake before a final shot from Kenya Strong's shotgun sent it crashing to the ground, it's long legs twitching feebly for several moments before stilling. “And stay down, you no good son of a bitch!" Strong snarled, tears standing in her eyes as she watched the spider's corpse.

Rebecca let her gun drop wearily. "Ugh...and to think Billy uses this thing one-handed..." She muttered, mostly to herself.

“Are you okay?” Lifeline asked Rebecca as he started to rise to his feet.

"I think so," Rebecca replied, standing herself. "Thanks. . ."

The medic gave the young woman a small smile before moving over to retrieve his med kit, stepping warily around the body of the spider. Her finger still on the trigger of her laser rifle, its muzzle now pointed at the floor of the tunnel, Scarlett stepped over towards Strong. “Good shooting, soldier,” she said giving the younger woman a nod. Strong favored Scarlett with a wan smile, and lowered her own shotgun from where it had been trained on the spider. Rebecca switched the safety of her gun back on, and slipped it into its holster, sighing softly.

“Man, I ain't never gonna be able to watch Charlotte's Web again,” Gung Ho intoned as he approached the motionless creature, a look of obvious distaste on his mustachioed face.

“Breaks over.” Scarlett said, her voice echoing slightly in the dimly lit tunnel. There were no arguments from any of the others assembled. Immediately falling back into formation, the group started down the tunnel, alert and wary.
- 7
- 8
- 9
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