My Hubby the Action Hero

Chapter 11: Second thoughts

Joe wasn't sure what happened last night but the strange memories that crossed his mind were giving him a serious migraine.

"I don't suppose you could whip out some more kungfu?"

Joe retreated to a bench and squeezed his eyes shut.

"And will you Joseph Aboringo take Jack Bullet as your Big buff Potato Baby?"

Joe opened his eyes. "Jack..."

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Jack stood over Kana as she scrolled through Joe's public records.

"So he is, or was in Miami. Can you bring up the last few images of him?"

"Uh huh." She opened several windows.

Joe walking down the boulevard, Joe on the boardwalk, Joe sitting on a bench, Joe being approached by a man in a green suit...

"Chau..." Jack narrowed his eyes at the screen.

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Joe felt like his head was about to explode. The memories were getting more vivid. Posing at Madame Tussauds, playing slots at the lotus casino, making out on the strip...

"Greetings from Chau."

Joe opened his eyes. "What?"

He looked up at the green-suited man.

"Oh..."

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Jack stormed into Commander Okumbe's office.

Okumbe was not surprised to see him. "I was just getting ready to brief you. It appears that Chau has kidnapped Aboringo."

Jack slammed his fists on the desk. "Damn it! Where is he!?"

Okumbe turned to the wall behind his desk, which shimmered, revealing itself to be a large screen. A video began to play. Joe was shown in a bright green leather chair, unconscious. The one known as Chau stood behind the chair, smiling wide. "I'm sure this video will make its way to you, Jack Bullet." Chau rested a hand on Joe's head, dragging fingers through Joe's hair. "I've got your precious little friend. And you've got an important object of mine." Chau's fingers suddenly twisted in Joe's hair, but he didn't move, which scared Jack. Had he been drugged? "Joe..."

"I'll give you 24 hours to return it to me." Chau waved. "Ta ta!"

The video ended there.

"Do we know where it was uploaded from?" Jack asked.

"We're working on it." Okumbe replied, looking wary.

"But what does he want?" Kana asked, drawing attention to herself. "Oh, um. Don't mind me..."

Jack looked down. "The ring...That's the only thing we retained. The computers can't be of much use to Chau—We've found one of his bases before, and it didn't change a thing. It's gotta be his ring. Joe was wearing it."

"It was confiscated." Okumbe admitted. "We still have it."

Jack was back to fuming, and Kana decided some restraint would be best. Though she didn't speak with Jack often, she knew what could happen if he got angry. He wasn't violent, just...menacing.

"Let's give the commander some time." Kana said, patting Jack's arm. "You're going to need to get ready to head out."

"What? Right..." Jack nodded. "Commander, I'll be needing those coordinates as soon as possible. Don't even think of stopping me."

Okumbe rubbed his temples. There was no point in lying. If Jack was going to be boiling over, he might as well put that energy to good use. "The team going is already topside,  Go give him hell."

With that he let Kana lead him out of Okumbe's office.

Jack nodded.

"I'm going to join intel on tracing that video." Kana said. "You go on with the crew. During the ride you've got a lot of thinking to do."

"About what?" Jack asked as they briskly walked down the hallway.

"What you're gonna say to your husband." She rolled her eyes. "This is your chance to impress him with a daring rescue!"

"O-Oh..." Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "You're right...I guess."

With that, they went their separate ways to prepare for the impending mission.

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Jack was less concerned with impressing Joe and more concerned with rescuing him. The mission was done under the cover of night. The video's point of origin was linked to a remote island, deep in the tropics. Based on satellite footage, the only structure on the small island was a three-story house on a hill, overlooking a small beach. 

 After the arrests made the previous day, it wasn't known how many men Chau had left. They weren't even sure if Chau was on the island. Therefore Jack would be going in on his own. His team would remain on standby, still in the jet. Jack was sent down to the island in a backpack and parachute. His trajectory had him headed not directly towards the house, but the beach below.

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Joe woke up to green of all shades. It only took him a moment to process what had happened. The iguana green color. Green was bad. Green meant Chau. He was sitting up in a green leather chair, at the end of a long green dinner table.

"I trust you enjoyed your sleep."

He turned. Chau appeared behind him, draping an arm on the chair. Chau was missing a finger. 'The ring...' Joe decided to play dumb. True, he remembered some of the night, but not all of it. "Who are you? Where is this?"

"Pretending to be confused won't work." Chau said. "I must admit you are very different from the other operatives sent after me. What are you? CIA? MI6? FBI?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I got drunk and followed some guy around last night. I kinda remember some green stuff, but that's it."

Chau snapped Chau's fingers. "You're saying you don't remember this?"

A screen popped out of the table, displaying Joe fighting off an army of green-suited people. Joe gaped. 'That's me? No way!' 

"P-Psh.."Joe looked away. What's that? A-After effects? I don't even know karate...Look at these noodle arms..." Joe looked down and saw he was in a green suit as well. "DID YOU DRESS ME!?" He held his shoulders. "Dude! That's frickin' weird! Don't do that!"

"The proof is right in front of you and you're still playing coy? Interesting."

A woman in a green suit appeared on the screen.

"All is Chau. West sector is not responding. How shall we proceed?"

"Send a party to check the area." Chau responded. "It seems we may have company." Chau looked down at Joe. "Maybe its your partner."

Joe shrunk down in his chair. ' Jack...'