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Gloria zipped up her travel bag and dumped it on the bed. Raven-haired, with the bronze skin of her Indian heritage, she was dressed in sandals and a pale blue sundress.

I think that's everything...

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts and she looked up to see Matt Trakker standing in the doorway. Dark-skinned with his hair cut short, he wore a smart shirt and trousers, his collar undone, which was about as casual as he got.

'How's it going?' Matt asked and she shrugged.

'I'm just about ready. Are you sure you're okay with this?'

'After everything that's happened over the last few weeks, we deserve some downtime...'

'Mayhem is still out there...'

'G.I JOE's hunting for him. He'll show himself sooner or later...'

'That's what worries me...'

'Let me worry about that...'

'Alright. I'll only be gone for a few days. Just promise you'll call me if anything happens...'

'Of course...'

##################

Leaving her room with her bag slung over her shoulder, Gloria headed down to the garage where four vehicles were parked. There was Thunderhawk, Matt's red Chevrolet Camaro, Condor, Brad's Motorcyle and Rhino, Julio's black 4x4. However, she made her way over to Shark, her Porsche 928. Dumping her bag in the trunk, she got into the driver's seat, smiling to herself as the engine roared to life.

Okay. Here we go...

Putting her foot on the gas, she guided Shark out of the garage and onto the street. A few minutes later, she was on the freeway and she put her foot down, feeling the surge of power as Shark accelerated.

It feels good to put her through her paces without being shot at. Matt's right. After spending the last few weeks on the run, we've earned some time to ourselves...

#################

An hour later, Gloria arrived at Miami Beach, pulling up outside the apartment that she had rented. Shutting down Shark's engine, she took out the apartment keys and let herself in, making a quick sweep of the rooms.

Just because I'm on vacation doesn't mean I can afford to get careless...

Once she was satisfied that everything was secure, she returned to the bedroom. Dumping her bag at the end of the bed, she opened the window, looking out at the beach.

Perfect...

Turning away from the window, she pulled her dress over her head, reaching into her bag for her bikini.

#################

'Hey! Stop!'

Gloria opened her eyes when she heard the shout, looking round from where she was lying on the sand to see a man racing along the beach with a rucksack slung over one shoulder, a blonde man and a dark-haired woman running after him.

'Stop him,' the man shouted. 'He's stolen our bag...'

Gloria leapt to her feet, sprinting towards the man, blocking his path. His eyes widened as he saw her and he tried to dodge round her, but she swept his leg, dumping him to the ground. Before he could react, she dragged him to his feet, twisting his arm behind his back just as two police officers arrived.

'We'll take it from here, ma'am,' one of the officers said, handcuffing the thief. 'I'm arresting you for attempted theft. You have the right to remain silent...'

Gloria watched him escort the thief to the squad car, picking up the bag that he had dropped just as the man and woman arrived, panting heavily.

'Thank you,' he gasped. 'Thank you. My laptop's in there and our passports...'

'You're welcome,' Gloria said, handing it over as the police officer returned.

'We'll need you to come down to the station later to make a statement,' he said and the man nodded.

'Of course.'

Gloria watched them walk away before heading back to where she had been lying, just as her laptop beeped. With a sigh, she flipped open the lid and an image of a red-haired woman in a military uniform appeared on the screen.

'Scarlett...'

'Gloria, I...are you wearing a bikini...?'

'...yes...'

'...okay. I have some data that needs decrypting...'

'I'm on vacation, Scarlett. You have people who can do this...'

'Breaker's on assignment. It'll only take you a few minutes...'

'...fine,' Gloria said, bringing up the file, her fingers flying over the keys. 'There. Done. I'm sending it to you, now...'

'Got it,' Scarlett said. 'Thank you...'

She signed off and Gloria shut down the laptop, lying back with a sigh. She had only just closed her eyes again when a shadow fell over her and she looked up to see two men staring at her. One was tall and skinny with blonde hair and the other was heavily built with a paunch. Both of them were dressed in loud beach shorts and cheap sandals, the blonde one having sunglasses pushed up on his head.

'Yes?' Gloria said and the blonde one grinned.

'I'm Mike and this is Andrew,' he said, gesturing to his companion. 'How'd you like to have a drink with us...'

'No...' Gloria said and Andrew leant forward.

'C'mon, babe. Why not...?'

'Because I only go out with men...'

'What d'you say?' He asked, stepping forward as Gloria fixed him with a steady stare that stopped him in his tracks.

'You heard me,' she said, sweetly and Mike put a hand on his shoulder.

'Come on. We can do better than her...'

Gloria watched them go, shaking her head as they made their way over to a couple of surfers that were coming out of the water.

'Don't mind them,' a voice said and Gloria turned to see a blonde woman leaning on the rail of the lifeguard station. 'Those two are...very predictable...'

'I can imagine,' Gloria said and the woman grinned.

'I'm Cassie...dammit!'

Her voice trailed off and she vaulted over the rail, racing towards the water, pulling out her radio.

'This is Gray at Station 3. I've got two swimmers in trouble. Requesting assistance...'

Gloria scrambled to her feet and raced after her, catching up as they neared the water.

'What are you doing?' Cassie yelled.

'I can help you,' Gloria retorted and Cassie hesitated.

'...alright. You get to the closest one. Just get him back to shore. Help's on the way...'

Together, they reached the water and waded into the shallows, striking out for the swimmers. Gloria kept her eyes focused on her target, a black-haired youth who looked to be still in his teens. As she watched, his head disappeared beneath the water, resurfacing a few seconds later. Putting on another burst of speed, Gloria reached him and put one arm under his shoulder.

'Relax,' she said. 'I've got you...'

Together, they struggled towards the shallows and Gloria half-dragged, half-carried him up the beach where he collapsed onto the sand, gasping for breath.

'Move!' Someone snapped and Gloria looked round to see another lifeguard racing towards them, his black hair tied back with a bandana, a large rucksack on his back . Gloria stepped back as he dropped on his knees next to the youth, rolling him over and pressing his ear to his chest.

'How is he, Jovani?' Cassie asked and Gloria turned to see her helping the other swimmer, a brunette, up the beach.

'He's fine,' Jovani said. 'His lungs are clear, but I want to get them both checked out properly..."

'Come on,' Cassie said, grabbing a blanket from Jovani's bag and putting it round the girl's shoulders. 'Let's get you inside, okay...?'

#################

'Thanks for your help,' Cassie said, coming into the lifeguard station's office where Gloria was drying her hair with a towel.

'You're welcome,' Gloria said, as Cassie sat down in the seat opposite her, folding her arms across her chest.

'It's not really accepted procedure to accept help from the public, though...'

"...yeah. What will happen...?'

'...probably not much. The other guards wouldn't have got here in time and nobody died. Anyway, here,' she said, grabbing a thermos and pouring two cups of coffee.

'It's not the best, but it'll warm you up...'

'Thanks,' Gloria said, accepting the cup and taking a sip.

'You're in one of the apartments down the beach, right? How long are you staying for?' Cassie asked and Gloria hesitated.

'...just a few days. How did you know where I was staying...?'

'I saw you coming in. Nice car...'

'...yes," Gloria said, standing up and finishing her coffee. 'It is. Anyway, I'm going to freshen up. It's been a long day...'

'Okay," Cassie said, taking back the cup. 'Have a good night...'

#################

Gloria was sitting outside her apartment when she saw the boat making it's way towards the beach, a darker shape against the night sky.

No running lights...

As she watched, it turned and began to head along the coast.

It's probably nothing. You're on vacation. You should just ignore it...Right...

Heading indoors, she quickly changed into her yellow and green jumpsuit before leaving the apartment and getting into Shark. Starting the engine, she drove towards the beach and into the water, transforming Shark into submarine mode. As she slipped below the waves, she powered up Shark's sensors and got a fix on the boat as it reached the beach.

They've stopped...

Shutting off her headlights, she surfaced a few metres away from where the boat had moored. Even at this distance, she could see the crew unloading crates onto the shore.

'Aura,' she said, her Mask being lowered onto her head. 'Magnify...'

The view enhanced and she focused on one of the crew who had opened the crates and her eyes widened at what she saw.

AK-47s...

The man turned the gun over in his hands before putting it back in the crate and Gloria pressed a button on the dashboard, activating Shark's comm system.

'911 emergency...'

'I need Police to Miami Beach,' Gloria said. 'There's a smuggling vessel unloading about two kicks east. At least seven perpetrators, armed and dangerous...'

'...Very well. May I take your name?' She asked and Gloria shut down the link, turning her attention to the beach where the smugglers has nearly finished unloading.

I can't wait for the police...

Easing Shark up onto the beach, she flipped her headlights on as she pressed the accelerator to the floor. Shark roared to life, speeding out of the water and the gunrunners froze like rabbits in the headlights. Slamming on the brakes, she opened the door and stepped out.

'On your knees,' she said, her voice amplified by Aura as she advanced towards them. 'Hands behind your heads.'

The smugglers stayed frozen for a moment and then a dark-skinned bald man with a scar over his left eye drew a knife from his belt, slashing it at her. Gloria caught his arm, driving her knee into his stomach and he collapsed with a groan, the knife dropping for his fingers. Then, there was a click and she glanced left to see another smuggler drawing a pistol and aiming it at her.

'Aura On!' She said, just as he pulled the trigger and Aura's force field intercepted the bullet.

'Shark,' Gloria said. 'Flashbang.'

Aura sealed just as Shark released a defeating, blinding wave of light and sound that sent the gunrunners reeling, collapsing with their hands over their ears and eyes. As the shockwave passed, Gloria heard the groans of the smugglers and the sound of sirens in the distance.

Police should be here in less than 60 seconds...

Quickly, she got back into Shark and drove into the water, just as lights and sirens filled the beach behind her.

#################

Gloria stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself, sitting down on the bed and turning on the TV.

'...and, in local news, Miami Police reports that they have arrested a smuggling ring in an operation following an anonymous tip-off...'

She shut off the TV just as her phone rang and she picked it up, flipping it open.

'Hello...Oh, hi, Matt...'

'Hey, Gloria. I just wanted to see how you were getting on...'

'I'm fine,' she said, with a smile. 'It's been pretty uneventful, really...'

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms are very welcome.