"At Second Sight" fic by Scarlett Hauser
Chapter 1: "Drink Man"
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to GIJOE, Devil's Due, Hasbro, and Marvel and all the usual disclaimers. I do not own any of the G.I. Joe or Cobra characters, blah blah blah. The only things I own are the figments of my demented imagination.
Rated R - mainly for foul language, violence and adult situations.
*******************
The first female to be recruited to the new G.I. Joe team, what a distinction!
Code Name: SCARLETT
Primary Military Specialty: Intelligence
Secondary Military Specialty: CLASSIFIED
Grade: E-5
Sergeant Shana M. O'Hara had just been assigned to a new special missions forces team: code name G.I. Joe. Hand picked by Colonel Abernathy himself, first in command - code name Hawk. As a member of the new elite anti- terrorist task force, she would have the privilege of having access to the latest technologies and state of the art advanced artillery and military equipment that even regular Army didn't have. But then again, the kind of terrorists they would be up against had weapons far superior to regular Army. Their primary enemy: the new Cobra Command.
Sergeant O'Hara would also be the first female to fight in combat in the new war against Cobra.
She had flown into the nearby city the evening before reporting for duty at G.I. Joe headquarters, and after trying to settle into her hotel room but still restless, decided to visit a nearby bar to get a drink and unwind from her long flight. She walked into the bar in her civilian clothes and took a seat at the bar and ordered a martini. As she quietly enjoyed her drink by herself she contemplated the new phase in her life that was about to start and the rigorous training she had been through to get to this point: Advanced Infantry Training, Ranger School, Covert-Ops School, Marine Sniper School, Special Air Service School, and Marine Tae Kwan Do Symposium just to name a few, not to mention the various weaponry she was a qualified expert in using. Though she really considered her training to have started at age 9 at her father's dojo in Atlanta, receiving her black belt at age 15. Martial arts seemed to be in the O'Hara blood, at least for her father and three brothers.
While she sorted out her thoughts her eyes automatically scanned the room, sizing up every patron in there. It was just part of her defense mechanism and training, which was set to work on autopilot by now. Several men in casual dress playing pool, even a few couples dancing on the small dance floor. A quaint watering hole, obviously a local hangout. One small group of men caught her attention, or actually one man in the group to be precise: Mister Tall Blonde and Handsome. His blue eyes were piercing even from across the room. She couldn't help but notice him; he had a confident, commanding presence about him. She turned her attention away when she realized those piercing blues were looking her way.
As she finished her martini the bartender promptly put another in front of her. "I'm sorry but I didn't order another one," she told the bartender.
"You didn't, but HE did," said the bartender, pointing behind her. She snapped around to find him smiling behind her: Mister Tall Blonde and Handsome! Dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt that was almost too tight to accommodate his large muscles. He was built like a football player. But she could still take him if necessary, she thought to herself as she quickly sized him up and determined his weak points.
"Thank you, Drink Man," she said to the man behind her. "So tell me about yourself."
"I want to be the father of your children," he told her understatedly as he handed her drink to her.
"You don't even know me!" She laughed at him and his charmingly awful pick- up line.
"Yeah, how fucked up is that?" he smoothly replied.
"Very," she replied. "But just as long as you know."
"Knowing is half the battle," he quipped. She rolled her eyes at him. A smooth talker AND a comedian, she thought as she wondered what other surprises he had. "So does she have a name?" he asked.
"Who?" She asked coyly.
"The mother of my children," he casually replied with a smile as he took another sip of his beer. "You."
She laughed at him again, and she could feel she was about to start blushing. She couldn't tell if he seriously believed his pick-up line would work or if he was going out of his way to be so corny. Whatever it was, he had an incredibly charming way about it and she found herself strangely attracted to him despite herself.
"You don't quit, do you Drink Man?"
"It's Conrad," he told her as he held his hand out to her.
"Shana," she said as she gently shook his hand.
"So what brings you here, Miss Shana?"
"An airplane."
"Smart-ass," he chuckled at her.
"Well I'd rather be a smart-ass than a dumb-ass," she replied with a smile, then decided to toy with him some more. "Actually I'm in town because our team is playing here tomorrow. I'm a cheerleader for the Atlanta Falcons," she told him with a straight face.
"I don't believe you. You're too gorgeous to be a cheerleader," he told her matter-of-factly. She almost spit out her martini.
"Oh you are GOOD!" She laughed heartily as she stood up from her barstool and set down the bartender's tip on the bar. "But I really should get going now."
"You're leaving so soon? Don't I at least get one dance with you?" He raised one eyebrow at her.
"Sorry Drink Man, but I have an early day tomorrow," she told him as he walked with her to the door.
"Well, when will I see you again, gorgeous?" He asked her as he helped her into her jacket. She pulled her long red hair out from underneath the jacket, casually tossing it in his direction.
"Try wishing upon a star!" She called out as she rushed out the door, leaving him behind in her dust. She almost felt bad for brushing the guy off, but what was she going to do? Strike up a new romance? Date him? Relationships are tough enough to maintain without her military element thrown into the mix. And from what she had heard about G.I. Joe, it was even discouraged: personal attachments. What was the point of trying? She would be away on dangerous missions most of the time anyway. What guy could possibly understand that? And one-night stands weren't her style. She couldn't deny how drawn she was to him, and not just because of his looks but also his confident demeanor, wit and charm. Unfortunately he also seemed like the kind of man she could fall hard for. No, it was best to cut her losses now. She went back to her hotel room alone to try to get some sleep. Tomorrow would be the first day of the rest of her new life by becoming the newest and first female member of the Joe team.
Her life as she knew it would never be the same again.
*******************
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to GIJOE, Devil's Due, Hasbro, and Marvel and all the usual disclaimers. I do not own any of the G.I. Joe or Cobra characters, blah blah blah. The only things I own are the figments of my demented imagination.
Rated R - mainly for foul language, violence and adult situations.
*******************
The first female to be recruited to the new G.I. Joe team, what a distinction!
Code Name: SCARLETT
Primary Military Specialty: Intelligence
Secondary Military Specialty: CLASSIFIED
Grade: E-5
Sergeant Shana M. O'Hara had just been assigned to a new special missions forces team: code name G.I. Joe. Hand picked by Colonel Abernathy himself, first in command - code name Hawk. As a member of the new elite anti- terrorist task force, she would have the privilege of having access to the latest technologies and state of the art advanced artillery and military equipment that even regular Army didn't have. But then again, the kind of terrorists they would be up against had weapons far superior to regular Army. Their primary enemy: the new Cobra Command.
Sergeant O'Hara would also be the first female to fight in combat in the new war against Cobra.
She had flown into the nearby city the evening before reporting for duty at G.I. Joe headquarters, and after trying to settle into her hotel room but still restless, decided to visit a nearby bar to get a drink and unwind from her long flight. She walked into the bar in her civilian clothes and took a seat at the bar and ordered a martini. As she quietly enjoyed her drink by herself she contemplated the new phase in her life that was about to start and the rigorous training she had been through to get to this point: Advanced Infantry Training, Ranger School, Covert-Ops School, Marine Sniper School, Special Air Service School, and Marine Tae Kwan Do Symposium just to name a few, not to mention the various weaponry she was a qualified expert in using. Though she really considered her training to have started at age 9 at her father's dojo in Atlanta, receiving her black belt at age 15. Martial arts seemed to be in the O'Hara blood, at least for her father and three brothers.
While she sorted out her thoughts her eyes automatically scanned the room, sizing up every patron in there. It was just part of her defense mechanism and training, which was set to work on autopilot by now. Several men in casual dress playing pool, even a few couples dancing on the small dance floor. A quaint watering hole, obviously a local hangout. One small group of men caught her attention, or actually one man in the group to be precise: Mister Tall Blonde and Handsome. His blue eyes were piercing even from across the room. She couldn't help but notice him; he had a confident, commanding presence about him. She turned her attention away when she realized those piercing blues were looking her way.
As she finished her martini the bartender promptly put another in front of her. "I'm sorry but I didn't order another one," she told the bartender.
"You didn't, but HE did," said the bartender, pointing behind her. She snapped around to find him smiling behind her: Mister Tall Blonde and Handsome! Dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt that was almost too tight to accommodate his large muscles. He was built like a football player. But she could still take him if necessary, she thought to herself as she quickly sized him up and determined his weak points.
"Thank you, Drink Man," she said to the man behind her. "So tell me about yourself."
"I want to be the father of your children," he told her understatedly as he handed her drink to her.
"You don't even know me!" She laughed at him and his charmingly awful pick- up line.
"Yeah, how fucked up is that?" he smoothly replied.
"Very," she replied. "But just as long as you know."
"Knowing is half the battle," he quipped. She rolled her eyes at him. A smooth talker AND a comedian, she thought as she wondered what other surprises he had. "So does she have a name?" he asked.
"Who?" She asked coyly.
"The mother of my children," he casually replied with a smile as he took another sip of his beer. "You."
She laughed at him again, and she could feel she was about to start blushing. She couldn't tell if he seriously believed his pick-up line would work or if he was going out of his way to be so corny. Whatever it was, he had an incredibly charming way about it and she found herself strangely attracted to him despite herself.
"You don't quit, do you Drink Man?"
"It's Conrad," he told her as he held his hand out to her.
"Shana," she said as she gently shook his hand.
"So what brings you here, Miss Shana?"
"An airplane."
"Smart-ass," he chuckled at her.
"Well I'd rather be a smart-ass than a dumb-ass," she replied with a smile, then decided to toy with him some more. "Actually I'm in town because our team is playing here tomorrow. I'm a cheerleader for the Atlanta Falcons," she told him with a straight face.
"I don't believe you. You're too gorgeous to be a cheerleader," he told her matter-of-factly. She almost spit out her martini.
"Oh you are GOOD!" She laughed heartily as she stood up from her barstool and set down the bartender's tip on the bar. "But I really should get going now."
"You're leaving so soon? Don't I at least get one dance with you?" He raised one eyebrow at her.
"Sorry Drink Man, but I have an early day tomorrow," she told him as he walked with her to the door.
"Well, when will I see you again, gorgeous?" He asked her as he helped her into her jacket. She pulled her long red hair out from underneath the jacket, casually tossing it in his direction.
"Try wishing upon a star!" She called out as she rushed out the door, leaving him behind in her dust. She almost felt bad for brushing the guy off, but what was she going to do? Strike up a new romance? Date him? Relationships are tough enough to maintain without her military element thrown into the mix. And from what she had heard about G.I. Joe, it was even discouraged: personal attachments. What was the point of trying? She would be away on dangerous missions most of the time anyway. What guy could possibly understand that? And one-night stands weren't her style. She couldn't deny how drawn she was to him, and not just because of his looks but also his confident demeanor, wit and charm. Unfortunately he also seemed like the kind of man she could fall hard for. No, it was best to cut her losses now. She went back to her hotel room alone to try to get some sleep. Tomorrow would be the first day of the rest of her new life by becoming the newest and first female member of the Joe team.
Her life as she knew it would never be the same again.
*******************