G.I. Joe: New Missions #1: The Resort

RANKED 3rd BY VOTERS IN CHARACTER CREATION CONTEST #15!

Yellow One

The earpieces made the barest squelch as a mic came to life. A baritone voice barked, "This is Yellow One! I'll be in position by the time the rest of you are done!" The man behind the voice gunned a bright yellow Humvee up a rough mountain road, headlights bouncing to the right and left a little bit, but with a firm grip on the wheel. The Hummer sported a big white circle on the hood with the number one in the center. "Let me know where you're at, Joes! Sound off!" The earpieces clicked silent.

Blue Two

Another mic flared and the earpieces this time broadcast the sound of a dirt track motorbike. "Yo Joe! This is Blue Two! One distraction, headed for the hot zone! Be there in ninety seconds! Over!" The rider popped a wheelie just before jumping a small hill. The blue motorcycle bore a white circle on the side with the number two in the center. The engine whined faster just before the earpieces went silent.

Red Three

Immediately following Blue Two, another mic went live and a quiet voice responded, "Red Three, in position. Eyes on Purple Four. Yo Joe." Then nothing. Having already breached the target structure, Red Three crouched in shadows, peering from the side of a window, across the street at the shapely figure of Purple Four.

Purple Four

A tall, ebony woman sat casually at a sidewalk bar table, across the street from the ski lodge. The lodge's main atrium was almost completely glass walls. She took a sip of her beer, and wondered what the place looked like in winter. She smiled demurely as she spoke into her mic. "Purple Four, in position, ready for Green Six. Enjoy your view, Red Three. Yo Joe." Red Three made no response.

Orange Five

Purple Four had barely finished transmitting when another mic squelched, and the earpieces sounded with, "It ain't like that, Four. He's marr...Ouch! Mannn! Sonuvag..." the mic went silent for two beats, then continued, "...Mm! Sorry! Last wire got me! Orange Five in position. Final charge is set, power's ready to go. Eyes on Green Six. Dang! Yo Joe."

Green Six

Green Six smiled broadly at the passersby, and spoke into her mic, "Yo Joe. Green Six, approaching the main door. I'll be there twenty seconds ahead of Blue Two. Orange Five, keep your eyes in your head, hon'. Over." She spied Orange Five in the shadows of the side of the lodge, and saw his shoulders slump a little. She smiled wider as she made eye contact with the first guard.

Brown Seven

From his spot in a tree, the man acting as the squad's sniper answered, "Brown Seven in position. Scope on two bogies upstairs, five bogies downstairs. Might be more outside the atrium. I do not have eyes on objective. Yo Joe." Then it was silent once more.

Black Eight

The earpieces were quiet for another two seconds, and Yellow One cut in, "Black Eight! Are you in position? Over!"

Another second, and the radio came alive with, "She'll be comin' 'round the mountain when she commes! She'll be comin' 'round the mountain when she commmes! She'll be comin' 'round the mountain, she'll be..." The earpieces squelched as the transmission cut short.

Yellow One jumped in, "Then Yo Joe! You're all a go! Get in the mix and bring it home, Green Six!" The radios went silent.

*******

The guard at the door took a moment to appreciate the woman coming his way before waving her off, "Sorry, lady, the lodge is closed. Off season."

Green Six continued up the stairs undeterred, smiling big. She let the Southern drawl drip from her voice as she answered, "Oh honey, I know, but I'm lookin' for a friend, and I simply must use the powder room! Trust me, I am too far away from my hotel to make it back in time."

The guard scowled, "Then use the bar across the street. The lodge is closed."

Green Six scrunched her nose in the direction of the bar. "Oh, darlin', no. That'll never do. Besides, you let him in."

"Who..." the guard started, but was interrupted by the high whine of a motorcycle engine. He turned in time to see a motorcycle jump the ridge and go crashing through the glass on the far side of the atrium. "What the hoog!" he shouted as he went down from a knee to the groin. Automatic weapons fire sounded from within.

"Well there's my friend now, sugah! Thanks for your help," said Green Six, already headed up the remaining steps to the door.

From the ground, the guard reached into his jacket for a gun, but before he could draw it he heard a rich voice with a hint of French warn, "I wouldn't do that, were I you." He looked back in surprise, just in time to see the black boot of Purple Four swinging at his face. His head snapped backwards and he fell unconscious. She picked up his gun and moved along the left of the building, towards the side.

In the atrium, Blue Two had landed on one of the gunmen downstairs with his motorcycle. Rolling into a crouch, he had taken out one downstairs with multiple shots, and one upstairs as he ran for cover behind one of the atrium's support columns. Single rifle shots sounded from outside as Brown Seven fired into the atrium, taking out one gunman upstairs who was trained on Blue Two, one downstairs who was trying to circle around, and two who came in from the side, on the upper level.

At the door, Green Six used a knife to take out a man who had charged her. Using him as a shield to catch several bullets, she fired under his arm and caught her would-be killer in the chest, across the atrium floor. As a lower door swung open into the atrium, she shot the first two that came out, threw a flashbang at the rest, and shot two more before it went off just inside the doorway. The stunned gunmen inside never had a chance to recover. Green Six took the remaining five out with a series of knives, close quarter gunshots, and even one well placed punch to the back of a man's neck, dropping him instantly.

As she started down the hallway, the power went out, and a series of explosions sounded from all over the resort. She tapped her right temple, and the night vision in her contacts kicked in. She definitely liked the unit's technology. She turned the corner and was surprised to see bodies littering the hallway. She heard a sharp crack and another man flew into view from the next corner, laid out on top of one his compatriots. She hugged the wall briefly, until she saw Purple Four step around the corner and give her a thumbs up. Green Six sprinted down the hall, and they took the stairs together, Four scouting ahead, and Six watching their backs.

They opened the door to the second floor cautiously, but were greeted by more bodies, and no sign of Red Three. Four tapped Six on the shoulder. She pointed to her ear, and then to a closed room down the hall, where they heard the loud cracks of punches, and the grunts of the man being punched. They moved swiftly down the hall, stepping over bodies as they went. Purple Four motioned a three count, then kicked the door in. Six popped in at a crouch, and said, "Heya, boys." There was a man in the center of the room, duct taped to a chair, two men working him over, and a third man standing close by with a gun. Green Six fired twice, taking the gunman in the chest and head. Purple Four stood behind her, and took the two thugs out with headshots. She quickly put a hand on Six's head, keeping her from standing, and sent a knife sailing into a fourth man who burst from a bathroom on the right.

The two women advanced into the room and cut the tape from the captive's arms and ankles. Six said, "We're here to get you out, sir."

"Can you walk?" asked Purple Four.

Through split and swollen lips, the man said, "If it gets us out, I'll dance a tango." Green Six decided she liked him. Four slid one hand under his other arm and they helped him up. They started for the door when a gunman burst from an adjoining room. Four moved to shield the man they rescued, but he moved suddenly, grabbing a gun from her waist, throwing her to one side with a palm strike to her chest, and shooting the gunman, all in seemingly one movement.

A second gunman stepped from the door and ordered, "Freeze," having the drop on all three. Something skittered across the floor, and he looked down to see a string of beads, some of which looked like skulls. "What the..." and the rest was drowned out with a bang.

Red Three took three long steps into the room and tossed a flashbang into the adjoining room. He rushed in quickly, popped off one round, and called, "Clear!" Coming back into the room, he snapped, "Go! Get him downstairs!" Then into the mic, "Yellow One, this is Red Three! We have secured the objective and are headed to the front! What's your E.T.A.?" He snatched the beads from the floor before running out behind Four, Six, and their rescue.

Yellow One answered, "I'll be there in ten my friend!"

As he caught up to Green Six, she asked, "A Memento Mori?"

"My son gave it to me," answered Red Three. "He told me I'd 'better bring it back'." He shoved it in a shirt pocket as they ran.

They rushed down the stairs, through the hallways, and burst into the atrium, heading for the front door. Blue Two was holding the door open, rolling his arm like a third base coach, motioning them to keep going. All five hustled down the steps to the yellow Hummer waiting for them in the street. Brown Seven was sprinting from the woods on the other side. They piled in and Yellow One sped forward to meet Orange Five, who was now sprinting from the far end of the street. Green Six swung a door open for him, and he jumped in as soon as the Hummer stopped. Taking off again, One called, "Hey, Five! They all alive?"

Five slapped the back of the front seat, "The charges set off the fire systems all over the resort, and the tourists they were using for cover evacuated smoothly! They were hustled into the 'tour busses' we had waiting, and are on their way down the mountain now! We're good to go!"

Yellow One tapped his mic and barked, "Yo, Black Eight! We're out the gate! Bring the pain and make it rain! LZ in three!"

Just before dipping over the rise, Purple Four looked out the back window of the Hummer, and saw a chopper swinging around the other side of the peak, "comin' 'round the mountain," just like Black Eight had said. Their earpieces crackled, "YEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAHHHHHHH! I got a big can of whoop-it, and I brought enough for everybody! Get some, boys! YOOOOOO JOE!" Firing off several Hellfire missiles, the entire resort was leveled and burning in seconds. Several seconds after that, the Apache was passing them overhead. It was all black, and had a giant white circle on the underside, with an eight in the center.

Approximately three minutes later, they arrived at the landing zone, where Black Eight was already waiting. Yellow One came to a stop, and looking at their rescue, said, "This is your ride, sir."

Brown Seven had jumped out and was getting the man's door, "Sir, if you'll come with me, I'll get you into the cockpit." They rushed over to the copter, and once he was secured, Black Eight lifted off again. Brown Seven ran back to the Humvee and jumped in again. "Alright! Let's get home! Yo Joe!"

"Yo Joe!" the group answered back.

“Home and debrief in fourteen hours,” called Yellow One, and they continued down the mountain.

Story, original characters and content are owned by Chris Bishop. Copyright Chris Bishop 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.

Thanks for stopping in! :^D

The Origins Behind the Origins (or how some of these characters got their names):

That's all for now! Thanks for reading. :^D

@cbishop: I liked the action and the versatility of the characters. However, because the characters are introduced so soon, it feels like none of them are initially flushed out enough for me to connect with them. A second problem relating to this is that it is hard to tell the characters' voices apart from one another, making the first half a little confusing. Fortunately, due to the decent length of the op their is enough story to help distinguish the characters and further chapters can easily make each team member more recognizable over time.

As far as suggestions go I'd recommend opening each mission with a briefing. In any piece of writing it is essential to know why the characters behave the way that they do and since this gives more of a Michael Bay/Tom Clancy vibe it's doubtful I would see a lot from their personal lives. The briefing would just give a direct explanation of what's at stake if the team fails and the good that could come from the team succeeding. Just some food for thought, if you decide to continue this. :)

@dngn4774: Most of the problems you're citing came from trying to keep it a certain length for the contest entry. There's a debriefing scene after this chapter that I'm in the process of rewriting, but I have been thinking about a briefing scene as a #0 for this. The reader really wasn't meant to connect too deeply with the characters in this story, as I was trying to be a little vague with them. ...I didn't quite get out of this story what I wanted from it, but I'm hoping some future chapters will fix that.

I had another problem with this when I was writing the contest entry: I was retooling characters that were meant to be a little darker to make them fit a GIJoe theme. Originally, the character names had a completely different theme. Now, I kind of like the pool themed names (although almost no one did during the contest). I still want to use the other names, and I'm trying to work that out. It's part of what's holding up the rewrite. I'll work it out though. :)

@cbishop: At least now that the contest is finished you'll have more time to polish it. This particular genre is more difficult for character building because it starts with an uphill battle of breaking each character away from the standard image of a walking uniform with a gun.

Character building is just not a top priority of military action stories but if that is your preference I'd suggest rewriting the series by slowing down the momentum (i.e. adding more suspense), naming the characters, and adding individual origins. For example if you told each chapter from the perspective of one team member or gave one of the team members a personal agenda with the target that conflicts with the team's objectives.

However, if you would rather just churn out a solid, well rounded story it make more sense to drop in briefings and just pick up where you left off.

One idea that could work with either route is having them occasionally botch a mission. That would show that they aren't perfect and there are real consequences to their job.

@dngn4774: Nah, these are mostly perfect badasses lol. And as you said, character building is not a top priority here. Pretty much though, my idea here is to have these be Easy Co type stories. Now, knowing me, these won't stay straight military stories- they'll eventually wind up fighting mutated Nazi gorilla-snakes or something.

They'll all get their spotlights eventually, but I intentionally started out vague on characterizations here. There's things about them I wanted to be a surprise for later. It'll all work out in the end. :)

editing bump.