GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Chapter Nineteen

Hawk set the phone down and leaned back in his chair, taking a relieved breath. It had been a long, aggravating day, but thankfully it was almost over. “Okay, we finally have something,” he said. “They ran the license plates on those trucks.”

“So we have names?” Stalker asked, sitting in a chair across from Hawk’s desk. No one else was in the office, and only a few other Joe team members remained in the Pit this late in the evening.

“No, we have a company,” Hawk said. “The trucks were registered to a marketing agency in New York. Their main office is only a few blocks from the neurological institute we visited.”

“Well, isn’t that an interesting coincidence?”

“Yes,” Hawk said. “Although I’m not really sure exactly what it means. How could a company like that be involved? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Maybe the trucks were stolen?”

“Doesn’t seem that way.”

“What about the Cobra agents?”

“They haven’t said a single word,” Hawk said exasperatedly. “As soon as they woke up in the hospital, they clammed right up. The police can’t get any information out of them. They just refuse to talk.”

“Do we even know who they are?”

“Not yet. The police took fingerprints, but they won’t get results until tomorrow at the earliest. Their fingerprint lab is months behind schedule.”

Stalker shook his head slowly and thought about it. “Well, that doesn’t leave us with much to work with. What’s the plan of action, then?”

Hawk leaned forward and put his elbows on the desk, folding his hands. “First thing tomorrow, we’re heading to that marketing agency with a team of FBI agents and putting the place on lockdown until we find out what’s going on,” he said. “It seems to me that someone at that company works for Cobra, and they managed to get access to those trucks. We just have to find out who it is, and hopefully they’ll lead us in the right direction.”

“Alright then,” Stalker said, getting up. “Is the whole team going to be a part of this?”

“Yes, I want everyone here tomorrow morning.”

“Okay, I’ll take care of it.” Stalker stretched his arms to the ceiling and yawned loudly. “I think I’m going to head home now. I need to get some sleep.”

“I’ll be right behind you,” Hawk said. “I have to make a few more calls first.”

“I’m glad you’re the commander of this team,” Stalker chuckled. “I hate talking on the phone. I’m glad you do all that sort of thing.”

“You’ll get promoted to General one of these days, just you wait and see. And then you’ll be on the phone just as much as I am.”

“Man, I hope not.”

They laughed and Stalker headed out of the office. “See you tomorrow, Clay.”

“Have a good night, Lonzo.”

Stalker walked down the hallway and headed to the main command area of the Pit. The place was quiet now, as most of the team had gone home for the night already. Snake Eyes and Breaker were still there, or at least Stalker thought they were, but everyone else was gone. Breaker seemed content to stay in the computer area and work online most of the night, and Snake Eyes didn’t really have a home to go to. He was probably in the practice area working out.

Stalker walked out into the command area and glanced toward the computers, but Breaker wasn’t there, and all the computer monitors were turned off. He must have gone home too.

As he approached the elevator, Stalker glanced at his watch. He would have to be up early in order to get the team ready and tried to estimate how much sleep he was going to get. Ever since he had climbed the ranks and gotten a post in Washington, he had been able to get plenty of sleep on a regular basis, the kind of luxury he could not afford back when he was still commanding troops in the field.

The elevator opened and he stepped inside, pressing the button for the main floor. He sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets as the elevator rose. When it reached the main floor, the doors opened with a click and Stalker looked up and took a step forward.

He barely had time to react as someone rushed into the elevator and slammed into him, knocking him back into the wall. Something stabbed into his stomach and he tried to cry out, but the intruder slapped a hand across his mouth and pressed him against the wall. His gun was holstered at his right hip, but his right arm was pinned in between the two of them. His left arm flailed uselessly against the intruder, who was dressed in all white, including a white hood and face mask. The long wakizashi blade in his hand was currently stabbed into Stalker’s stomach all the way up to the handle.

Pain erupted across Stalker’s torso and seemed to creep up his spine, the agonizing sensation making it hard for him to think straight. He gasped for breath, the intruder’s hand tight across his mouth, and stared hard at the man’s face, which was only a few inches from his own. Only the intruder’s eyes were visible above the mask.

Their eyes locked, and a flash of recognition came across Stalker, who stared in stunned disbelief. The man in white braced himself and moved his mouth closer to Stalker’s ear.

“I could kill you right now,” Storm Shadow whispered. “But today is your lucky day. I don’t want to kill you.”

Very carefully, Storm Shadow pulled his arm back, sliding the wakizashi free of Stalker’s body, the short blade smeared with blood. All he had to do was move the blade sideways and cut through the side of Stalker’s body, and it would have killed him instantly. But instead, the ninja pulled the blade out precisely, leaving nothing more than a tiny cut barely an inch long. A widening circle of red began to spread across the front of Stalker’s shirt.

Stalker groaned in agony and felt his legs give out from under him. But Storm Shadow held him fast, and he remained standing, but just barely. It felt like his insides were on fire, and he tried to focus, sweat pouring down his face.

“You’ll live, if they find you quickly enough,” Storm Shadow said. “If they don’t, then you’ll bleed to death. You better hope they find you.”

He lifted his arm and then swung down hard, cracking the handle of his sword against Stalker’s temple. He quickly backed away, and Stalker crumped to the floor of the elevator, unconscious. Blood began to pool around the wound.

Storm Shadow checked the controls and pressed a button, and the doors slid closed. When they opened again, he looked out at the command center of the Pit. He looked to the left and right, and seeing no one there, walked out, his blood-stained sword still in his hand. Blood dripped from the edge of the blade onto the gray carpet. Somewhere nearby, he could hear a voice.

He moved silently across the entrance and through the computer area, glancing around at all the blank computer screens and advanced computer equipment. He could hear someone talking, and followed the voice to some offices off to the right of the computer area. Storm Shadow paused and looked around, but there was no one else anywhere near him. He silently walked toward the offices, seeing a man talking on the phone.

“Yes, we’re going to need as many as you can spare. I want every exit covered,” Hawk said, leaning back in his chair. His desk faced sideways, and as he talked he casually looked at the far wall of his office, not watching the open door. “No later than nine o’clock. We’ll need local departments involved in this too. Police to direct traffic, that sort of thing. Yes, I’d appreciate that.”

On the far wall of Hawk’s office were several framed documents, awards and commendations he had received in his long military career. As Storm Shadow moved silently to the doorway, Hawk caught a glimpse of the ninja's reflection in one of the pictures.

He turned and immediately jumped from his chair as Storm Shadow slashed down with his katana blade, slicing right through the top of his desk chair. Hawk tumbled to the floor and fumbled with the gun at his hip. As Storm Shadow tried to slash at him again, he swung up and fired twice, the bullets going over Storm Shadow’s head and striking the ceiling.

There was the pounding of footsteps, and Storm Shadow spun around, swinging up his blade just as Snake Eyes leaped through the doorway, his own katana blade extended. The two swords slid against each other with a shrill scraping sound and then parted. Storm Shadow backed up and parried another thrust from Snake Eyes before swinging down in an overhead slash, which Snake Eyes blocked skillfully. They faced each other for a brief second before Storm Shadow launched into another furious attack, his blade whistling through the air. Snake Eyes dodged to the side and slashed sideways, and Storm Shadow had to alter his attack in order to block the thrust. The two of them spun around each other as gracefully as a pair of trained ballet dancers, changing positions in the narrow office without either sword managing to touch its target. The swords whipped through the air so fast that the blades were invisible.

Hawk crawled up and hit the alarm on his desk. He raised his gun but couldn’t shoot because Snake Eyes was in the way.

The two ninjas’ swords clashed again and they pressed against each other, the handles touching, their faces mere inches apart. Storm Shadow stared at his opponent’s masked face and suddenly, his eyes opened a bit wider.

Snake Eyes pushed him off and kicked forward, slamming his foot right into Storm Shadow’s sternum. The ninja in white flew through the doorway, crashing to the floor and doing a backwards somersault to get back to his feet. He brought his sword up just as Snake Eyes leaped at him, and their swords clanged loudly off each other. Storm Shadow had to retreat back as Snake Eyes went on the offensive, his blade swinging down over and over. Each attack was blocked, but the frenzy of the attack wore down Storm Shadow’s guard.

They fought through the computer area, and Storm Shadow stumbled into one of the computer chairs. He lost his balance for just a moment, and Snake Eyes charged him. He slammed his sword into Storm Shadow’s guard, and the other blade went flying from its owner’s grasp. Now defenseless, Storm Shadow jumped forward, grabbing Snake Eyes’ sword arm, keeping the weapon held in the air above them.

Storm Shadow braced himself and pushed hard, his hands locked on Snake Eyes’ arm and the handle of the sword. Snake Eyes held fast, but was off balance, and had to move backwards to keep from being pushed over. Storm Shadow slammed him back against one of the long computer desks and slammed his wrist down on the glass partition between the computer stations. The edge of the glass did not cut into Snake Eyes’ wrist, but it nearly broke it, and he was forced to let go of the sword. Storm Shadow let go with one hand and immediately clamped down on Snake Eyes’ throat, forcing him down onto the desk.

Snake Eyes’ one hand was immobilized, but with his other hand he pulled back and slammed his fist as hard as he could right into Storm Shadow’s stomach. The ninja groaned and gritted his teeth, but did not move. Snake Eyes pounded again and again into Storm Shadow’s gut and finally he weakened his grip. Snake Eyes grabbed his collar and pulled him closer, then jerked forward and slammed his forehead right into Storm Shadow’s face.

The ninja in white staggered backwards, stars spinning in his vision, and Snake Eyes kicked out, striking him in the ribs. As Storm Shadow stumbled away, wincing in pain, Snake Eyes managed to get up, gasping for breath, his wrist aching and sore. He ran straight at his opponent and launched into a series of fast punches. Storm Shadow easily defended against them, his own hands flashing through the air, deftly deflecting each of Snake Eyes’ attacks. The two of them danced across the computer area, trading blows.

Hawk finally ran out of his office and aimed his gun at the pair. “Snake Eyes! Get out of the way!”

Storm Shadow immediately twirled around, keeping Snake Eyes between them, and then aimed a jump kick right at Snake Eyes’ head. He dodged the kick, but even before Storm Shadow hit the ground he was already aiming his next strike. Snake Eyes blocked two more punches before one slipped past his guard, and Storm Shadow’s fist slammed right into his neck. He staggered back, choking and gasping for air, trying to defend against a rapid blur of kicks and punches. Storm Shadow almost easily swung his leg up and slammed it right into his opponent’s stomach, and when he doubled over, the ninja swung his other leg up to smash him in the face with his knee.

Snake Eyes reeled backward and tried to regain his balance, rushing forward with a fist aimed at Storm Shadow’s face. The ninja easily dodged it and slammed his elbow into Snake Eyes’ shoulder , knocking him off-balance again. Storm Shadow laughed as his spun around, planting a vicious spin-kick right into the center of Snake Eyes’ chest.

The kick knocked the wind right out of him and he sailed backward, crashing into another of the glass partitions. The glass shattered as he went through it, and he flipped over the desk and crumpled to the floor.

Hawk pulled the trigger and three rapid gunshots echoed in the computer area. Storm Shadow jumped out of the way, the bullets hitting nothing but empty air.

He ran out in to the open area near the entrance and pulled a small metal spike from the back of his belt. He swung it up into the ceiling, where it stuck. A red light on its handle began to blink.

He raised his arms and backed away toward the elevator as Hawk ran out into the open area and aimed his gun. “Don’t move!” he barked. “Stay right there!”

Storm Shadow did as he was told and stood perfectly still. The metal spike was directly above Hawk’s head, and its red light began to flash faster.

Before Hawk could react, Snake Eyes jumped out and slammed right into him, knocking him out of the way. The two of them fell to the floor and Snake Eyes rolled them both under one of the tables.

The ceiling exploded in a huge burst of debris and smoke, the shockwave blasting into them and the whole Pit rattling with the thudding impact. Chunks of ceiling tile, wood and insulation, and bits of glass and plaster rained down on them, the table cracking in half as a huge wooden beam smashed down on it. The spot where Hawk had been standing was now covered in rubble, and directly above it was a huge gaping hole in the ceiling. Wires hung from the destroyed ceiling and the entire area filled with smoke.

Storm Shadow leaped up on top of the pile of debris and shouted, “Until next time, Snake Eyes!” He soared up into the air, grabbed a hold of the edge of the hole, and pulled himself up and out of sight.

Snake Eyes rolled to the side and tried to get up, but he could barely catch his breath. Hawk crawled out from under the table and looked down at him.

“Jesus, Snake Eyes, are you all right?”

Snake Eyes could only manage to shake his head.

“Okay, listen. Help will be here soon. I hit the alarm. Just stay here, I have to try to go after him.”

Hawk got up on wobbly legs, dizzy from the shockwave, and ran over to the elevator. He hit the button and the doors opened up.

Stalker’s body was still there, the puddle of blood underneath him much wider than before. Hawk decided that he wouldn’t be able to chase after the intruder after all. There were more important things to take care of. He waited in the elevator with Stalker until help arrived, four minutes later.

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