WARNING: This is a follow up story to Stalked – my first GI Joe story - and this story takes place immediately after the movie, "Resolute". If you haven't seen/read those two things, there are spoilers in this story. You have been warned :)

Disclaimer – I don't own GI Joe...wish I did, but I don't.

Message from the Dead

By Red Blaze 16

Duke was tired. His ribs had healed from Siberia. A new GI Joe command ship was being built, since Cobra had been successful in destroying the USS Flagg . And Bazooka had been buried. A few Joes went to his funeral, in civilian clothing. GI Joe was a secret military organization and, while its focus was to defend the United States, the citizens they defended couldn't know about them, so David Katzenbogen died of "natural causes". Duke had had to lie to David's family. He couldn't tell them that their son had died a hero, killed by Storm Shadow, while doing his duty. Instead, they were told that he had passed unexpectedly in his sleep. It felt like a betrayal to Bazooka, but Duke didn't have a choice.

Raising his right hand, he rubbed at his eyes before he looked back at the computer screen. He had long since finished his own report on Springfield and the final encounter with Cobra Commander. The problem? Their enemy had escaped. Most likely, General Hawk had already read his report.

Duke was going through the other reports which had been sent on to Hawk as well. Beach Head had written the report for the HAARP array, freeing the hostages, and the capture of Destro and the Baroness, while Tunnel Rat had finished his report on destroying Cobra's orbiting stratellite network. Duke was currently reading the report Scarlett had written.

Reading her account of Siberia, Scarlett's report lacked emotion, which was normally a good thing in a report. But Duke was worried. The last time Scarlett had seen Zartan, it was while she had been held prisoner by him at his swamp base. Scarlett had yet to confide in Duke about what had happened. Her report had been sent directly to Hawk. Normally, Duke would be copied on a report, but not that time. He could get a hold of a copy, but he wanted Scarlett to come to him. To talk to him.

"Duke?"

Looking up, Duke watched Flint enter his office, with a small brown package. "This is for you."

"What is it?" Turning his thoughts away from Scarlett, the swamp, and Zartan, he raised a hand to Flint to take the small package.

"I don't know," replied Flint, passing the package to Duke. "It looks like it's been trying to get to you for a while, from all the postage on it."

Studying the package, Duke turned it over in his hands. "No return address."

"It's been scanned and sterilized. Whatever is in there, it isn't dangerous," replied Flint, who was nearly as curious as Duke as to what was in the package.

Taking a letter opener, Duke slit the brown paper on the side and ripped the paper from the package. The brown paper dropped onto the desk. From the package, a small brown box slid into Duke's hand. The brown cardboard box was about the size of a standard envelope, though it was a couple inches thick. With a sigh, Duke opened the little box and looked inside. For a moment, he said nothing as he stared into the box.

"What is it, Duke?" asked Flint, still curious.

Not answering the other man, Duke could only stare at the contents of the box. A few seconds went by before Flint walked around the desk and looked into the box himself. Inside the box was a piece of folded paper on top of white fabric. Duke's name was written on the paper.

"Duke?" asked Flint.

Slowly, the blond man put a hand into the box and removed the paper. Opening the paper, Duke found a short note inside. Wondering at Duke's weird behavior, Flint read the note over the other man's shoulder.

"'It was fun'," said Flint, reading the note out loud. "What does that mean?"

Dropping the note, which fluttered to the floor and under the desk, Duke reached into the box and removed the white fabric.

"It looks like...underwear," said Flint, looking at the fabric in Duke's hand. "And the sides have been cut."

"White underwear," replied Duke quietly. With a shaking hand, Duke placed the fabric back into the box. Though he didn't recognize the penmanship, Duke knew who had sent him the package.

"Who would send you white underwear, Duke?" questioned Flint. "And what was 'fun'?"

"Zartan," growled Duke, clenching his fists. The blond man pushed back from his desk. Not wanting to be run over, Flint stepped out of the way of the other man.

"Duke? Why would a dead man send you a note and underwear?" asked Flint.

"It was the only thing missing," replied Duke, his voice shaking with anger.

"What?" asked Flint, glancing once more at the box and the white fabric before he looked back at Duke. Duke, who was visible agitated, his hands clenching and unclenching, paced around the small office.

"When we rescued Scarlett," replied Duke. "In the swamp."

"Fuck," said Flint, finally understanding why Duke was so angry.

Both men quietly stare at the box and the ruined white underwear. With all the events that had recently taken place, it seemed like so long ago that they had rescued Scarlett from Zartan.

"Did you read her report?" asked Flint.

"No," replied Duke, reaching out and closing the lid on the box, so he wouldn't have to look at the contents.

"Why?" asked Flint, staring at Duke.

"As her commanding officer, I could read the report," said Duke, looking at the other man who had been his friend and fellow Joe for years. "But I'm...more than just a commanding officer. I want her to tell me. Confide in me."

"It would drive me nuts," said Flint, shaking his head. "I'm glad Allie told me what had happened to her."

"I think, when she's ready, she will tell me," said Duke. Turning his back to the desk and the box on the desk, Duke closed his eyes. "Get rid of it."

"What do you want me to do with it?" asked Flint, reaching for the box and the brown paper that had wrapped it.

"Destroy it," said Duke.

Nodding his head, even though Duke's back was to him, so he couldn't see his acknowledgment, Flint took the box and brown paper out of the office. As soon as the door closed, Duke pulled back his hand, clenched his fist, and punched the wall. Pain radiated up his arm and Duke wondered if he broke something. Leaving his office, he headed toward the medical area.

…...

Walking down the hall, Scarlett could see Duke's office door was open. A part of her regretted the recent distance between them. If Duke hadn't forced her hand by demanding she either go with Snake Eyes or stay with him, she probably wouldn't have made up her mind to renew their relationship.

Stepping into his office, Scarlett quickly realized that no one was there. Turning to leave, she noticed a piece of paper on the floor, partly under the desk. Stepping into the room, she bent over and picked up the paper. Reading the note, the red head began to shake.

"Scarlett? Did you need something?"

Turning around, with the note in hand, Scarlett saw Duke entering his office, with a cold wrap around his right hand.

"Where did this come from?" she demanded, her voice shaking, as memories attacked her. She had done so well, forgetting what had happened. Forgetting the assault and Zartan telling her it was fun. Even seeing Zartan in Siberia, she was able to block it out. But seeing the words, it brought it all back.

Looking at the note in her hand, Duke opened his mouth than closed it not knowing what to say.

"Duke?! Where did it come from?" she demanded, her voice began to shake and get louder.

"It arrived...today," replied Duke.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "No. No. No. He's dead. You killed him."

"Shana?" asked Duke, stepping further into the room and shutting the door. If Scarlett was about to lose control, he didn't want anyone walking down the hall to see or hear it. "He is dead."

"The note?" she said, thrusting the piece of paper toward Duke. "How?"

"It was mailed a while ago," said Duke. "It only arrived today."

"I...can't, Conrad," she said, dropping the note as tears slip down her cheeks.

Opening his arms, he stepped up to Scarlett and gently enfolded her into a hug. For a second, she was stiff in his arms, before she finally let herself relax. Finally, she let herself feel safe. Finally, she let herself cry over what had happened to her in the swamp. And, while sobbing onto Duke's shoulder, she haltingly told him what Zartan had done to her.

FIN