GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra

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Chapter Fifteen

Duke pulled up behind a line of cars at a red light. The line of cars continued behind them, as people waited to get to the on-ramp to the highway. The entire street was packed with cars and trucks in both directions, and so was the street heading to the left and right at the intersection ahead of them.

“I hate rush hour in this city,” Duke said.

Shipwreck chuckled in the back seat. “Yeah, man. You already told us.”

“You’ve mentioned it a couple of times, actually,” Hawk added, leaning back in his seat, holding a folder in his hands.

“Well, it’s true,” Duke said, smiling.

Shipwreck leaned forward, resting his arms on the two front seats. “So do you think this trip was worth it? I mean, we don’t have much more info than we had to begin with.”

“I’m afraid the doctor wasn’t very cooperative,” Hawk said, scanning the sheets of paper in his lap. “But at least we have some idea what Cobra kidnapped those other scientists for.”

“I was wondering about that,” Shipwreck said. “Do you think Cobra might try to kidnap Dr. Bog-whatever his name was? Does he know that he’s at risk?”

“Of course,” Hawk said. “But it says here that he turned down extra security, even when they warned him. This is one of the reports we have on him. I didn’t get around to reading it earlier.”

“Does it tell us anything we don’t already know?”

Hawk scratched his cheek absentmindedly. “I haven’t read the whole thing yet.” He glanced up and said casually, “Duke, the light is green.”

Duke looked forward and saw that the cars were moving. He drove slowly through the intersection and veered right onto the highway on-ramp. The highway was just as packed with cars as the city streets, and he could see the gridlock from here, but it was still the fastest way to the airport. Their private plane was waiting to take them back to the Pit in Maryland.

“We have to talk to Snake Eyes and Scarlett as well when we get back,” Duke said. “They took photographs of the inside of the compound and those weapons they saw. Maybe we can get some information from the pictures, like some kind of shipping label on the containers.”

“Possibly,” Hawk said, nodding. “But I think they were too far away to see details like that. I’m more interested in those soldiers they ran into. I think Breaker was trying to dig up information on them.”

As they drove up the on-ramp, Shipwreck heard car horns blaring behind them. He glanced over his shoulder and looked out the back window to see a pair of black trucks zooming through the intersection after the light turned red. Cars going the other way had to slam on their brakes to avoid a collision. The two trucks sped through and headed up the on-ramp as well. Shipwreck shrugged and faced forward again.

Duke merged into the right hand lane of the highway and squeezed in among the rows of cars and trucks. He glanced in the side mirrors and fell into line with traffic.

“What kind of information?” he asked. “I assumed they were just the special security force for M.A.R.S.”

“Remember those Russian pictures Breaker found?” Hawk asked. “The guards in those pictures wore body armor very similar to the guards at M.A.R.S. I’m wondering if maybe that woman named Anastasia has been working for M.A.R.S. all along.”

“That changes things,” Duke said. “That would mean that M.A.R.S. has connections with black market weapons dealers.”

“And if Scarlett was right about those rocket launchers they saw, it’s a lot more than just a connection. If M.A.R.S. is dealing weapons on the black market, then what’s to stop them from selling to Cobra?”

“They have contracts with the Pentagon too,” Shipwreck added. “They have designs and plans for all sorts of prototype weapons. They could be selling that information too.”

“And we thought that woman was the key to this,” Duke said, shaking his head in amazement. “If we hadn’t found out about her first, we never would have investigated M.A.R.S. in the first place.”

Hawk nodded, still reading the reports in the folder. “Funny how things work out like that.”

Duke stayed in the right lane the entire drive, never moving out to pass another car, even as numerous cars and trucks swung out into the middle lane to pass him. Shipwreck, sitting in the back seat, watched as car after car moved past them. They didn’t talk for a few minutes, as Hawk focused on the reports in his lap, and Duke focused on driving. Shipwreck kept his silence for several minutes, as more cars passed them and Duke did not speed up or move out of the right hand lane.

“You know,” Shipwreck finally said, “the speed limit here is actually 65. You don’t have to go 45 the whole way.”

“Very funny,” Duke said. “Are you in a hurry or something?”

“No, but I’d like to get back to base before my next birthday.”

“I’m going the speed limit,” Duke said, pointing at the speedometer on the dash. “All these other drivers are speeding.”

“Sure thing, man. You drive like my great-grandmother.”

Hawk laughed at that. “We should have asked Clutch to drive us. He’d have us at the airport by now.”

“Yeah,” Duke said. “And he’d have a dozen speeding tickets too. Our entire budget would go to paying his fines.”

Shipwreck laughed and looked around. He sat sideways in his seat and watched out the back window. More cars were swinging out into the middle lane to pass Duke, and as the traffic shifted, Shipwreck noticed two black trucks far behind them, staying in the right hand lane. They were about ten or fifteen car lengths behind and maintained that distance. He watched them for a few moments and realized that they were the same two black trucks that had run the red light to get to the on-ramp behind Duke.

Shipwreck reached under his seat and pulled out a gray plastic case. Most military trucks, even civilian ones, carried supply packs with items ranging from flares to medical kits to guns. He flipped open the case and took out a small pair of binoculars that was packed in with the other items.

Raising them to his eyes, he looked out the back window at the pair of trucks, getting a closer view through the front window of the first one. There were several men in the truck, but he could only see the two in the front seats clearly. Both of them were white men with short brown hair, and both of them were staring right ahead. Although he couldn’t be sure, Shipwreck got the impression that they were looking right back at him. They were watching the truck that Shipwreck and the others were riding in.

“Hey, Hawk,” he said, lowering the binoculars.

“What is it?”

“This is going to sound crazy. But I think we’re being followed.”

Hawk turned quickly in his seat to look at Shipwreck. “What are you talking about?”

“Back there,” Shipwreck said. “Those two black trucks got onto the highway right after we did, and they ran a red light to do it. And they’re still right on our tail, even though everyone else is passing us.”

Hawk looked out the back window and narrowed his eyes. “How could anyone be following us? No one knows we’re here.”

Duke looked in the rear view mirror. “There’s only one way to find out,” he said, and flipped on his turn signal. He glanced to make sure no one was beside them, and then swerved out into the middle lane and sped up. He passed a semi truck and several other cars, and then quickly switched back into the right lane.

“There they are,” Shipwreck said, pointing. From beyond the semi, they could see the two black trucks going out into the middle lane as well. “They’re not professionals, they’re being way too obvious about it.”

“Most people would never think to look for someone following them,” Hawk said. “I didn’t even think of it.”

“So what do you think we should do?” Duke asked. “Just go to the airport as planned? It’s not like they can get on the plane with us.”

“I want to know who they are,” Hawk said firmly. “We have to stall them somehow.”

“Get back off the highway at the next exit,” Shipwreck suggested. “Drive on the city streets, it will take longer to get where we’re going.”

“Do it,” Hawk said, pulling out his cell phone. He quickly dialed the Pit and put the phone to his ear. When Breaker answered, Hawk said, “We’re in New York. We just left our meeting with Dr. Bogdanovich, and now we’re being followed on our way back to the airport. Who is there at the Pit right now?”

“Gung-Ho and Heavy Duty are here, and Clutch is too” Breaker said. “Are you in danger?”

“Not right now, but we need back up. How long would it take to get them on a plane to New York?”

“Twenty minutes, tops. We have priority clearance at Andrews.”

“Okay, get on that. We’re going to drive the long way through the city to buy some time.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll call you back when they take off.”

“Okay, talk to you soon.”

He hung up and turned around again to look out the back window. The two black trucks were still there, about ten car lengths behind them. Shipwreck had pulled out another plastic case from underneath the back seat and now held a pistol in his hands.

Duke left the highway at the next exit and slowed down as they approached the stop light at the end of the ramp. As they expected, the two trucks followed them through the intersection and into traffic, slowing down enough to keep a few car lengths away. Other cars merged in between them.

“Drive to the airport, but take the scenic route,” Hawk advised Duke. “Clutch, Heavy Duty, and Hung-Ho are on their way here now. They’ll meet us at the airport.”

Shipwreck still sat sideways in his seat, one arm draped over the back of the seat, and his other hand gripping the pistol in his lap. He casually watched out the side window. “What do we do until then?” he asked.

Hawk rubbed his chin and looked in the side mirror. “Nothing,” he said. “We just keep going and hope they keep following us.”

“What if they try to attack us?”

“I don’t think they want to, or else they probably would have done it already.”

“Maybe they just don’t want it done in public.”

“Well then,” Hawk said. “Once we get to the airport, I guess we’ll find out.”

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