GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Chapter Eleven

“This is Hawk. Everyone, please report to the command center. Everyone, please report to the command center.”

Hawk set down the intercom speaker and crossed his arms, looking up at the large computer screens on the wall. Beside him, Breaker was busy clicking away on his computer, and on the screens above, windows popped open and images came into view.

Duke leaned against the console, shaking his head in wonder. “You know, if I’d had access to all this a few weeks ago, it would have made my job a whole lot easier.”

“Yeah, but it wouldn’t have been half as fun,” Hawk said.

An image popped up on one of the screens, a grainy image taken from a security camera. It expanded to fill the screen, but the resolution was very low.

“That’s the best I can do for now,” Breaker said with a shrug. “I can keep digging later, but I don’t want to trip any security.”

“That’s fine,” Hawk said. “It’s fine for now.”

Heavy Duty, Short Fuse, and Clutch all came from the armory, talking to each other as they came in from the hallway. Hawk greeted them and waited for the rest of the team. About a minute later, Snake Eyes, Scarlett, and Stalker all arrived as well. The group stood around the large table with the built-in computer screen, while the screens up on the walls all showed different windows and satellite images.

“Okay,” Hawk said. “Hopefully all of you are getting accustomed to this place, but we have some information on our mission. Breaker here has been kind enough to hack into a Russian agency’s server and get some images for us.”

Breaker leaned back and blew a bubble. It popped with a snap and he began chewing on the gum again. “Hey man, I didn’t say it was hacking. I was just snooping around.”

“What are we looking at?” Stalker asked, gesturing up at the screen.

“This,” Hawk said, pointing, “is a security camera image from a parking garage in Moscow, taken about two years ago. It is currently the closest thing we have to a lead.”

The image showed a row of cars in the underground garage, and a group of people standing in the aisle next to a pair of large vans. It seemed to be some sort of meeting, as the group was split in half, one side facing the other. Two of the men on one side were carrying machine guns.

“According to their records, this is a picture of a Russian arms dealer and one of his foreign associates. The Russian is the one with the beard, on the left,” Hawk said.

Stalker stepped forward and looked closely at the screen. “Is that other guy wearing a mask or something?”

“It looks like he is, but the woman next to him is the one we’re interested in. The Russians have a dossier on her.”

Breaker clicked away and her file popped up, featuring a different grainy image and a list of information. “It says her name is Anastasia, but they don’t have a last name listed,” Breaker said, reading off the screen. “Formerly a German spy, also has ties to the old KGB, which is why they know who she is.”

“Why is she important?” Stalker asked.

“Because she’s currently a resident of the United States,” Hawk said. “Can you bring up those other pictures, Breaker?”

More images appeared on the screen, these ones in color and with high resolution. They showed the front of a large office building, and a tall brunette wearing a black business suit, flanked on both sides by body guards, walking from the front door to a waiting limousine.

“The CIA took these pictures six months ago in New York,” Hawk said. “It’s the same woman. She’s apparently found employment working for M.A.R.S., a company some of you probably have heard of.”

“The weapons manufacturer?” Short Fuse said. “They’re a high-tech arms company. I think they even have some defense contracts with the Pentagon.”

“They do,” Hawk said.

“And this woman, who has ties to Russian arms dealers, is working for them,” Duke explained. “Sounds pretty sneaky to me. And those machine guns that the bank robbers carried in the later robberies? M.A.R.S. got a contract to ship them less than a year before those robberies took place.”

“You think M.A.R.S. sold them the weapons?” Stalker asked.

“No, I think this woman sold them,” Duke said.

Hawk nodded approvingly. “It’s worth investigating. If Cobra is looking to buy weapons, and it’s seems likely that they are, then having an agent working within a major manufacturer would be a huge advantage. We need to find out who this woman is, and who she really works for.”

“And if she’s single,” Clutch muttered. Scarlett laughed before she could catch herself, and then cleared her throat, trying to hide it.

Stalker raised his eyebrows and looked over at Duke. “Not bad,” he said. “That’s excellent work on such short notice.”

“Don’t give me the credit,” Duke said. “Breaker found all this stuff. It’s like he just pulled it right out of thin air.”

“So you want to do some surveillance?” Stalker asked Hawk.

“As soon as possible. I’d like to get some intel on M.A.R.S. first, and then we can go from there.”

Stalker looked over at Snake Eyes and Scarlett. “Looks like it’s time to go to work,” he said with a smile.

“That’s not all,” Hawk said. “We’ve also have the names of some other scientists and psychologists working in the same field as the scientists who were kidnapped.”

“There’s a research facility in New York doing work right along the same lines,” Duke said. “A man named Dimitri Bogdanovich is the facility director. If anyone can tell us what kind of research they’re doing, he can. He’s considered an expert in his field.”

“I’d like to go to New York and meet with Dr. Bogdanovich,” Hawk said. “I’d like a few of you to come with me.”

“I’ll come,” Duke said. “While we’re in New York, maybe we can follow some other leads as well.”

Shipwreck came forward. “I’d like to come as well, sir.”

“You’re welcome to,” Hawk said.

“Is there anything else you want us to focus on?” Stalker asked. “I’m going to help Scarlett and Snake get ready. What about the rest of the team?”

“I’ll keep digging for information,” Breaker said. “We have access to a lot of European files we haven’t even checked yet.”

“I’ll help with that,” Gung-Ho said, stepping over to the computer. “I need some practice working with the computer system here anyway.”

Hawk looked over at Heavy Duty, Short Fuse, and Clutch. “What about the rest of you? Are you still checking out all your new equipment? You probably still have a lot of work to do.”

“Yes, sir,” Short Fuse said. “I think we have enough to keep us busy for now.”

“When will we get to actually test out these weapons?” Heavy Duty asked. “We have a firing range here, correct?”

Hawk nodded and pointed over to Stalker. “There’s the man to talk to. He can show you where everything is. There is a fairly advanced weapons testing area down in the second level.”

“Come find me in about an hour,” Stalker said. “I have some work to do first, and then I can show you the firing range.”

When the meeting ended, everyone split up and went back to what they were doing. Breaker, Duke, Shipwreck, and Gung-Ho stayed in the computer center, working on the investigation. Hawk went up to his office to make some phone calls and prepare for the short trip to New York. He also scheduled a plane to take Scarlett and Snake Eyes on their surveillance mission.

Heavy Duty, Short Fuse, and Clutch all returned to the armory and went back to work. Clutch was still studying the MPAV manual, while Heavy Duty and Short Fuse went though the vast array of weapons at their disposal.

Stalker went back downstairs with Snake Eyes and Scarlett.

“Okay,” he said, “Looks like you’ll be going to work right away. I think I may have some new equipment for you that you might find useful.”

They went past the training area to a row of lockers and upright equipment cases. Stalker flipped open the catch and opened a large double locker packed with outfits hanging on pegs. They were black with dark gray trim, and had no zippers or other fasteners.

Stalker handed a long-sleeved shirt and pants to Scarlett and she rubbed the fabric. “What are these made out of?” she asked.

“It’s a special new material, kind of like nylon,” Stalker said, pulling out another set for Snake Eyes. “They developed it for wet suits and aquatic gear, but it’s also pretty useful for any kind of stealth uniform.”

“It’s so slippery,” Scarlett said. When she rubbed the outside of the cloth, her fingers seemed to slide right off, and she could not grip it firmly.

“That’s the point. Anyone you come up against is gonna have a hard time landing a solid punch, and he won’t be able to grab you at all. It’s also waterproof, of course, as well as thermal and cut resistant. I think you will find it very useful.”

As Snake Eyes took his shirt and pants, Stalker smiled and went over to one of the other lockers. “And I have something else for you, Snake. Had it made specially for you.”

He took out a black ski mask made from the same material as the outfit, as well as a reflective black rectangular visor. Snake Eyes took them with a nod and went off to change.

“Changing rooms are that way,” Stalker said to Scarlett. “Just follow Snake.”

When Snake Eyes came back, he was dressed in the featureless black outfit, although he still wore the same boots and gloves. The pants were slightly loose, but the long-sleeved shirt fit snugly against his muscled torso and arms. The new black visor was completely reflective, hiding his eyes, but it gave him a much better range of vision than the goggles he wore before.

“You look great,” Stalker said with a grin, handing Snake Eyes a utility belt and shoulder strap for attached equipment such as grenades. Snake Eyes snapped the belt around his waist and slung the shoulder strap on, hooking it to the belt. He carefully tugged on his sleeves, making sure his gloves covered the cuff and that there was no skin showing. “So what do you think?”

Snake held his hand out flat and then wobbled it back and forth.

“You’ll be fine,” Stalker said, chuckling. “That new visor of yours is a piece of work too, its got a shading adjuster and a digital readout. I think it will come in very handy.”

Scarlett came out of the changing area in her new outfit, pulling a bit on the bottom of the shirt. Like Snake Eyes’ outfit, the pants were fairly loose but the shirt was a tighter fit. She pulled the bottom of the shirt down farther, trying to keep it from riding up. If she lifted her arms above her head, the shirt would ride up and expose her stomach. “I think this might be a size too small,” she said with a frown.

“Here,” Stalker said, handing her a belt. “Tuck the shirt under the pants and this belt should keep everything in place. It’s designed to be a bit tight. The material is stretchy enough to give you a full range of motion.”

As Scarlett fastened the belt, Duke showed up in the training area. He walked over to the group and took a quick look at Scarlett and Snake Eyes, although his eyes remained on Scarlett for a bit longer. He handed Stalker some papers.

“Hawk already got confirmation for their transport. We’ll have a cargo plane ready tonight at Andrews Air Force Base. You’ll fly out to the M.A.R.S. facility in New York and parachute to the location under cover of darkness.”

“What about support?” Scarlett asked.

“Don’t worry, you won’t be alone,” Duke assured them. “Clutch and Stalker will serve as support. We’re sending one of the MPAVs along with you. After you jump, the plane will circle around and drop the jeep with Clutch and Stalker right outside the facility. You’ll all be equipped with GPS units. Once you’ve taken a look around and gotten whatever surveillance you can, you’ll meet up with the others right outside.”

“I’m sure it will be just as easy as that,” Stalker said sarcastically.

“You shouldn’t encounter much resistance,” Duke said. “There will certainly be some security guards, but nothing you can’t handle. Sneak in, take a look around, and then sneak out again.”

Snake Eyes cracked his knuckles and nodded to himself.

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