GI JOE Porn Story: Rift – Chapter 1

Undercover work could
be interesting and exciting, but it wasnt usually fun. Tonight
was an exception. And tonight undercover was meant
literallyeveryone was in costume, masked and anonymous. It was
Halloween, and it was New York, which meant that any costume that
could be conceived of was seen at the party, so long as it rendered
the wearers identity unknown.

How are we supposed
to identify Cobras contact if everyone is masked? Flint
whispered out of the corner of his mouth. He took a sip of punch and
glanced at the throng of guests who filled the old warehouse to the
brim. The corner they occupied was dark, but it gave a good view of
the rest of the room. Flint sounded annoyed already, and Lady Jaye
didnt blame him. The assignment was supposed to be an easy one,
but by the look of things, they would be here much later than they
had planned.

Lady Jaye smiled, her
white teeth showing beneath the edge of her mantilla, the traditional
Spanish headgear slightly altered to cover more than just her hair.
Hes supposed to meet Major Bludd tonight. Look for the mask
with only one eye underneath.

Is that a joke?
Flint replied. There must be three hundred people here. He
frowned, trying to look at the faces nearby.

Relax. Weve got
two hours to find him. Lady Jaye turned to face her partner, the
long, heavy skirts following her movement with flowing grace. At
least you dont have to spend the evening in a dress. Her own
costume, that of a Spanish dancer, was thick with creamy layers of
lace. She eyed Flints costume, wishing that she had the freedom
of pants as well. He was dressed as Zorro, and the outfit clung to
him, clearly defining the muscles in his legs and torso. Not that
you could run in those pants, she teased.

His cheeks colored
slightly, and he raised the glass to his lips, muttering, I told
you, blame Duke. He picked out the costumes. His eyes wandered
down her own rather tight fitting clothes, eyebrows drawing together.
He could have chosen something a little less revealing for you.

She rolled her eyes at
him and turned out toward the crowd. This is a five hundred
dollar ticket event. One does not show up dressed as Dorothy from
the Wizard of Oz. She saw him open his mouth to reply, and spoke
before he had a chance. Time to split up. Lets meet back here
in half an hour to compare notes. Lady Jaye waited for his nod
before moving off into the crowd, heading toward the far side of the
room.

She made it only a
short distance into the crowd before being accosted by a man in a
Greek god costume who wanted her to dance. She managed to escape his
attentions, but before long found her way blocked by another man,
this one dressed as a pirate. Some ten men later, she realized it
was already time to meet up with Flint again, and shed hardly made
any progress across the room.

He was waiting for her
in the corner, and she could tell by his expression hed had no
luck. Half an hour? he asked wryly.

Sorry, I kept
getting asked to dance, she replied offhandedly. His face
darkened, and she continued, I take it you had no luck?

Flint shook his head.
I didnt see anyone who looked even remotely like Bludd.

Lady Jaye sighed. Me
either. I guess we just keep looking. Lets give it an hour this
time.

She started forward,
but Flints hand on her arm stopped her. I think we should
stick together.

She looked up into
Flints eyes, confused for a moment at the fierce possessiveness
she saw there. Flint, Im fine. These men are harmless. Even
Major Bludd wont try anything in a crowd of people.

Thats not why
he started, then gave a shake of his head. Fine. One hour.
He stalked off, nearly plowing through the edge of the crowd.

What is wrong with
him tonight? she wondered, heading the opposite direction. She
nearly ground her teeth in frustration as yet another man stepped in
front of her with a wide smile. Giving up on her polite faade,
she sidestepped him completely and continued through the throng.

There was no sign of
Major Bludd. None of the costumed men walked or spoke like him. No
one wore a mask that could hide an eyepatch. Lady Jaye had nearly
reached the far wall when she was brought up short by a hand on her
shoulder. She turned without looking to see who it was and snapped,
I dont want to dance.

The voice that replied
was deep and rich. I doubt you do, since youre obviously
looking for someone.

Her gaze moved over the
broad chest and sculpted shoulders and settled on the bright blue
eyes behind the plain white mask. The man was dressed in the fashion
of colonial America, all velvet and lace frills. Somehow it didnt
look silly on him. Then please allow me to continue, she told
him.

Hes not in here,
the man said as she brushed by him.

She stopped abruptly
and swung back around, eyeing him warily. And how would you know
that?

Youre looking for
the man with the eyepatch, yes? he asked, a glimmer of a smile on
his lips. He didnt quite have an accent, but his speech sounded
strange. Hes outside, waiting for another man.

Lady Jaye regarded him
for a moment. He didnt strike her as military or even government,
but there was no one else who would know that a member of Cobra was
at this party. For that matter, supposedly only a select few even
knew that there was an informant in the government, supplying
sensitive information to the terrorist organization. It was at
functions like these that the information was passedone of the
reasons it was proving difficult to pinpoint the traitor.

She wondered if this
man might be the one. But why would he expose himself? How did
you know who Im looking for? she asked warily.

The man shrugged.
Youll miss them if you dont hurry, he said. Theyre
at the docks out back. He nodded toward a door that presumably
led to the water.

But how did you
she turned back toward the man, but he was gone. She could try to
find him again, or she could blindly follow his information. She
chewed her lip, scanning the crowd, but there was no sign of him, nor
of Flint.

On the possibility that
the man might be right, Lady Jaye headed toward the exit. She could
check the docks and be back with enough time left to find her quarry
inside if he proved to be wrong.

The cold air hit her
immediately, her breath rising in a white cloud to join the fog that
blanketed the night. She shivered, walking as quickly and quietly as
possible through the jumble of broken crates and rusted machinery
that littered the concrete between the old warehouse and the docks.
The cover lasted to the foot of the docks themselves, and she kept to
the shadows, invisible.

There were two men
midway out on the second dock to the left, but she couldnt see
enough detail through the fog to identify either. Hoping it wasnt
a trap, Lady Jaye crept along the wharfs edge, able to hear
nothing over the sound of the water far below her.

The fog swirled around
her legs as she moved, leaving her skirts and head piece damp and
heavy. She removed the lace veil completely and left it on a coil of
rope. She could see clearly enough now that one of the men was
indeed Major Bludd. He wasnt in costume, which meant that he
hadnt been inside the building at all tonight.

The other man was
dressed as a Roman warrior, although he didnt quite have the build
to pull it off. Lady Jaye tried to note any distinguishing features,
but the costume obscured him entirely. She moved closer, abandoning
the cover of shadows to step onto the dock itself. The men werent
paying attention, and with luck, she could get close enough to take
them by surprise.

Lady Jaye wrinkled her
nose at the smell of tar and pitch as she crept out on the dock. She
idly wondered at its source, but mainly concentrated on keeping her
footsteps as quiet as possible. The sound of the water changed as
she moved farther out, becoming louder as the fog carried the echoes
of the waves striking the pilings. There was a sudden creak and
snap, and she froze as the two men looked up at the sound.

Bludd raised a hand and
pointed at her, and she started to run, pulling out the gun that had
been concealed in the thick frills of her dress. The wet fabric
caught at her legs, and she cursed her speed. At least there was
nowhere for them to go.

She heard Bludd shout
into a radio, ordering whatever back up was nearby to come to his
rescue. Lady Jaye kept the gun trained on him, expecting him to
bring his own to bear, but he appeared to be unarmed.

They stood facing each
other, unmoving. Lady Jaye gestured with her gun for the two to
stand closer together. They complied, and the fog carried Bludds
angry hiss to her ears. This is why I dont like to meet you
unarmed, fool.

Take off your mask,
Lady Jaye demanded. The second man complied hastily. He was nothing
exceptional; just another of the multitude of government workers. He
looked more like a secretary than a military man. Who are you?
she asked him.

The man glanced at
Bludd, but didnt answer. She stepped closer, feeling the dock
shift beneath her. A huge shadow appeared out of the darkness and
nudged the wood, sending a shiver down its length. Lady Jaye looked
up, thinking that the Cobra backup had arrived, but she could see
nothing through the fog.

The night burst into
life around them. The fog swirled around figures that moved and
shouted, carrying sacks, chests, and barrels. Lady Jaye stared,
trying to make sense of the abrupt change. It had to be a Cobra
trick. She shoved past a man carrying a sheaf of papers in time to
see Major Bludd step off the end of the dock and into an awaiting
Cobra boat. She fired, but the shot glanced harmlessly off the metal
hull, and the boat turned, accelerating.

She ran toward Bludds
contact, who was staring around him, eyes wide with shock. She
reached his side, prepared to use force, but the man was obviously
terrified and in no shape to fight back. Its just Cobra,
she told him. They set up some kind of a distraction. And it
worked, she thought. Bludd got away.

She grabbed the mans
arms, and he didnt resist, allowing her to pull them behind his
back. He didnt see them, the man whispered hoarsly. I
swear, he didnt see them!

Lady Jaye glanced
around uneasily. To her eyes, the dock was bustling, full of workers
unloading the huge old ship that was now moored at its side. The
workers ignored the two of them, moving purposefully about their
business. Whatever it is, it will stop now that Bludds gone,
she told him, giving him a push back toward the wharf.

The man resisted,
shaking his head. You cant make me walk through that, he
protested.

Its not real,
she growled, shoving harder. He stood his ground. She debated the
effort it would take to drag him all the way back to the building.
Would you rather stay out here with them?

At least theyre
not close. Twenty feet separated them from the path of the
workers, and to get back, they would have to walk right through the
middle of the crowd. Lady Jayes uneasiness grew. Whatever Bludd
had done, it wasnt stopping. Could Cobra have set up a hologram
device? Why would they, when they didnt know she and Flint would
be there tonight? Why continue it now that Bludd was gone?

A familiar figure
pushed its way past the throng. It was the man from the party. He
strode toward the pair, stopping a few feet in front of them. You
need to leave, he told Lady Jaye. His voice sounded frightened.

I was trying to,
she replied. But I need to bring him with me.

The costumed man shook
his head, pleading. Leave him. You need to gonow.

Why? Whats
happening? She was starting to feel more than uneasy. This
seemed like too much effort for Cobra.

Its Samhuinn,
he said. She recognized the Scottish term for Samhain. Halloween.
The veil between time is thin. This is a result. He gestured
to the men and the ship behind him. Itswerefrom the
past. These men dont even know theyve gone through time. To
them, its just another night. The hole is closing again, though.
The men, this dock, the shipit will all return to its own time
very soon.

If this was a set-up,
it was very elaborate. Lady Jaye took a step closer to the masked
man. I dont understand. I was out here when thisthis thing
opened. Now it will close again, and Ill take this man into
custody.

No! It doesnt
work like that. He was starting to sound desperate. You will
be taken back with them. I shouldnt have sent you out here. I
thought there was more time Beside her, the informant gave a
small whimper and closed his eyes.

Lady Jaye looked along
the length of the dock. It sounded incredibleand yet, some of her
own experiences since joining the team sounded just as insane. If
what he said was true, she didnt have enough time to make it off
the dock while dragging her captive. But she couldnt leave him,
either. The purpose of her mission was to capture this man.

The decision was taken
out of her hands. With a cry, the masked man threw himself against
her, and she toppled off of the end of the dock and into the water.

It was bone-chillingly
cold. The shock hit her immediately, and she struggled to force her
rapidly numbing limbs to take her to the surface. Her head broke
through the water, and she gasped for breath. She managed to tread
water for a few moments and stole a glance up at the dock. She
couldnt see the man she had captured; in fact, the entire length
of dock shimmered in the fog, which seemed to be getting thicker.
The weight of her now sodden dress pulled at her, and she went under
again.

The currents around the
pilings pulled at her, driving her deeper under the water. It was
impossible to do anything more than close her eyes and pray that she
would live. She hit something hard; sharp edges bit into her shoulder
and she cried out involuntarily, losing the last of her precious
breath. Darkness claimed her.

It seemed like an
eternity passed. Something else was tugging at her, insistent. She
ignored it, unwilling to open herself to the pain in her lungs and
body. She heard her name spoken, forcing her brain to respond. She
struggled to open her eyes.

Salt water stung them,
and she blinked rapidly. Her lungs and stomach burned. She managed
to turn just in time to throw up onto the sand. Gentle hands lifted
her, and a quiet voice soothed, Shh, honey. Youll be okay.

When Lady Jaye next
regained her senses, she was sitting up against a wall, and someone
was rubbing her chilled fingers. She cracked an eyelid and saw Flint
crouched over her, concern etched in his features. What
happened? she croaked. Flint, how did you find me?

He smiled to see her
awake. Someone dressed like Ben Franklin told me you were outside
with Bludd. When I came out onto the wharf, there was no sign of
anyone. I was looking for a Cobra boat when I caught a flash of
white under the water. He gave a small smile. If you had been
wearing anything else, I probably wouldnt have seen you.

Lady Jaye noticed now
that Flint was as wet as she was. They were still outside, although
the building protected them from the worst of the wind. Still she
shivered, as much from the experience as the cold. Flint noticed and
wrapped his arms around her. She relaxed into his embrace.

You had me worried,
he whispered. She felt the tenseness in his muscles, heard the
quaver in his voice. She looked into his eyes, noticing for the
first time that night how he looked at her.

Oh,she said in a
small voice.

What happened to
you? Did you see Bludd?

She nodded against his
chest. I captured them. I had them at gunpoint She
shivered again, aware of how close she had come to deathor
something else. Bludd got away. The other man she wondered
what to tell Flint. I dont think youd believe me. But hes
gone. Permanently, I think.

Did you find out who
he was? Flint stood and pulled her up. Wrapping his arm around
her waist, he steered her around the corner of the building and
toward their car.

No. But I could
identify him if I saw a picture.

Flint nodded. I
suppose that will have to do. Ill let you rest on the ride back
to the hotel, but then I want to hear what happened tonight.

Lady Jaye felt drained.
A mix of emotions was running through her, complicated by what she
suspected about Flints demeanor. She was too tired to work it out
just then. She would have the whole trip back to base to think about
it. As for the rest of the evening, shed rather not think about
it at all. She gave a small laugh, causing Flint to look down at her
in concern. She met his gaze and smiled. Happy Halloween.
And have I got a ghost story for you, she thought.