Jimmy Hadder & Mike Marion present...
GIJoe:Fusion
Part 1
It was late at night in the Pit IV. The busy day had left
four Joes: Hawk, Roadblock, Low Light, and Tunnel Rat without a break for
dinner. As oh-ten-hundred hours approached, the four soldiers sat
down for a late meal. In addition to their technology and manpower,
the U.S. government supplied the G.I. Joe team with the best food.
As Hawk sat with his men, he looked and saw Snake Eyes in the room as well.
Though he waved at the mysterious soldier, Hawk made no effort
to ask him to join their group. It wasn’t out of rudeness, but out
of respect. Since joining the Joe team, Snake Eyes had always eaten
all of his meals alone with Scarlett. Because of his hideous face,
Snake Eyes kept it covered at all times with a black mask. However,
it was necessary for him to remove it when he ate. Because of that,
Scarlett was one of the only Joes that Snake Eyes felt comfortable eating
around.
“There he goes,” said Low Light after Snake Eyes had left.
“I guess we should’ve told him to say hi to Scarlett for us.” The
other Joes were aware and sympathetic of Snake Eyes’ disfigurement.
They readily accepted his customs and ways. No one on the G.I. Joe
team ever felt offended if the silent soldier declined to eat with them.
“Sometimes,” said Roadblock, “I think he’d give the world for
her.” He took one last look out the door and then went to work on
his mashed potatoes.
Hawk, taking a bite of steak, said, “He almost did!” At
this, all three Joes looked up.
“What do you mean?” asked Tunnel Rat.
Between bites, Hawk began telling the story. “This was
a long time ago, when Cobra still operated out of Springfield. We’d
gotten reports of major renovation in the area. Since we still didn’t
know exactly what Cobra was all about, we decided to send Scarlett in to
snoop around.” He took another bite of his food. “That’s when
it all went wrong. She saw something she wasn’t supposed to see.”
------------
Scarlett sat crouched behind a pile of boxes. It had taken
her hours, but she’d finally found Cobra Commander’s communications room.
“Stay down, Red,” she thought to herself, “It’s not gonna be pretty if
I get caught in the snake hole!” Suddenly, Cobra Commander began
to speak to a face over the vid-screen.
“Well I’ve already taken care of that!” he said. “Since
you wouldn’t supply me with the necessary weaponry, I had to go to another
ally.”
Scarlett looked at the vid-screen and realized who Cobra Commander
was speaking to. It was Cobra’s new weapons supplier, Destro!
She sunk further back into the shadows as she heard his heavy voice.
“Commander,” he said, “I told you when we met that I cannot supply you
with everything you need. You know full well that I do not deal in
nuclear arms. It is a policy of mine.” Destro was a very honorable
man. As such, he didn’t feel it was right to use such devastating
devices. Though just a few nuclear weapons sales could provide him
with considerable wealth, Destro was a man of his convictions.
“Oh my god,” thought Scarlett, “Cobra has a nuke!” She
had to warn Hawk at once. She slowly got up and headed for the ventilation
duct through which she had previously entered. However, Scarlett
felt a gun sticking into her back.
“Not so fast,” said a Cobra Soldier. “Commander!” he yelled,
“We’ve got a spy!” Scarlett’s number was up!
Cobra Commander finished his conversation with Destro and walked
over to Scarlett. “Well hello there!” he said. “It looks like
we’re in the company of a bona fide G.I. Joe!” He looked to the Cobra
Soldier and uttered a command. “Comb the town! Make sure there
aren’t anymore!” With that, the trooper left the room, leaving Cobra
Commander alone with Scarlett.
Drawing a gun, he motioned Scarlett towards a chair in the corner.
“Well my sweet, it looks as though we’re going to be together for quite
awhile.” Then, almost as an afterthought, he said, “Until your execution,
that is!”
Seven hours later, Hawk had gathered five Joes in his office.
Stalker, Snake Eyes, Breaker, Flash, and Rock ‘n Roll were all anxiously
awaiting Hawk’s orders. Finally, he began to tell them why they were
there. “A few days ago, we received reports that Springfield was
going through some major reconstruction. I sent Scarlett in to investigate.”
Hawk stopped for a bit to let the details of the situation to sink in.
He then went on. “Everything was going fine, until about five hours
ago. Scarlett’s missed her last three check-ins.”
The five Joes grew worried, especially Snake Eyes. Stalker
spoke up. “That doesn’t sound like her at all!”
“So we’re gonna go get her out?” asked Rock ‘n Roll.
Hawk nodded in affirmation. “You’ll also need to finish
her mission. Cobra’s still planning something. It’s our job
to know what that something is.” Hawk took a deep breath. “In
fact, the mission comes before Scarlett.” The Joes were quite taken
aback by this. “I’m sorry,” said Hawk, “I know how you feel.
Believe me, I feel the same way. But we’re soldiers first and foremost.
It’s our duty to take care of Cobra.”
The men were visibly torn, but finally Stalker spoke for them.
“We know, Hawk. You can count on us. We’ll find out what Cobra’s
up to, then get Scarlett.”
All of the soldiers exited the room, except for Snake Eyes. He
stood there looking at Hawk. Even through the man’s dark goggles,
Hawk could feel Snake Eyes peering at him. “I-I’m sorry, Snake Eyes.
I know how you feel about her.” After a few more seconds, Snake Eyes
left to join his teammates.
A few hours later, the five-man strike force had entered Springfield.
It hadn’t been easy, though. Snake Eyes had hijacked a Cobra supply
truck and the rest of the Joes hid in the back. Once within the town
limits, Stalker and Rock ‘n Roll had “borrowed” some uniforms to get around
undetected. Soon, however, night fell. “Okay boys,” ordered
Stalker, “Lose the uniforms. The darkness will cover us from now
on.” As the Joes assumed their original appearances, Stalker looked
around. Seeing a bundle of Cobras, he got the other Joes’ attention.
“Lets sneak over there and find out what’s going on. Snake Eyes,
you’re with me. Everyone else, stay here and stay quiet!” With
that, Stalker and Snake Eyes moved towards the Cobras.
As they approached, Snake Eyes found a large bush for the two Joes
to hide behind. They began to eavesdrop on the three Cobra Troops
in front of a large “factory”. “So what’s the Commander gonna use
this thing for anyway?” asked the first Cobra.
The second Cobra looked at the large building and made a remark.
“I dunno, but I don’t wanna be around when it goes off. Any idea
where he got it from?”
“The Russians,” said the third Cobra Trooper. “At least, that’s
what Mahoney told me this morning. But then again, where else are
you gonna get a nuclear warhead?”
As the Cobras chuckled with one another, the two Joes looked on in
horror. “Cobra’s got a nuclear weapon!” gasped Stalker. “Let’s
get back to the others. We’ve got to warn Hawk before it’s too late.”
