GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra

<--Previous Chapter|Next Chapter-->

Chapter Twenty-Six

Doctor Mindbender sat quietly in the small classroom, his hands folded in his lap, while Storm Shadow stood by the window, gazing outside. At the moment, Mindbender’s laboratory was set up in a classroom in the old school that Cobra Commander had chosen as their main base of operations. Some of the other classrooms were used for the subjects still under hypnosis, although most of them were awake now and fully loyal to the cause.

Major Bludd, who was finally making himself useful as far as Storm Shadow was concerned, was in charge of their military training. Most of them were outside now, engaging in rifle practice, and the constant sound of gunfire was beginning to grate. Storm Shadow nothing though, as usual, and did not let his annoyance show.

Doctor Mindbender cleared his throat, but Storm Shadow ignored him, continuing to gaze out the window. He preferred this quaint, natural setting to the hectic, crowded, noisy environment of New York City. If not for the continual barrage of gunfire outside, Storm Shadow would have found this place quite peaceful.

“I did what I thought was necessary,” Mindbender said out loud, trying not to sound defensive. “It's not my fault that your men gave themselves away.”

Storm Shadow said nothing for a moment and then turned away from the window, not even glancing in Mindbender's direction as he walked past.

“Stay here and keep your mouth shut,” he said as he walked out the door.

Cobra Commander was in the school office, leaning over a table covered in maps of the local area. He had his gloved hands folded behind his back, his reflective visor mirroring the maps spread out before him. Standing at attention in the room were five guards wearing crimson uniforms with gold trim, angled helmets with thin silver visors, and assault rifles in their hands. They did not move as Storm Shadow entered the room.

Cobra Commander turned his head ever so slightly to peer at Storm Shadow out of the corner of his eye. He hummed contentedly and continued to examine the maps.

Storm Shadow walked to the office window, which looked out across the field where the soldiers were doing rifle drills. Twenty of them at a time lined up and fired at man-shaped wooden targets.

“I have to admit that I'm disappointed in you,” the Commander said casually. “I thought that the task I gave you was rather simple.”

“It was simple,” Storm Shadow said. “But it got complicated.”

“Yes, I suppose so. Perhaps it was foolish of me to expect you to break into a secured military facility single-handedly and assassinate the commanding officer without being caught.”

Of course, that was exactly what the Commander had expected of him. After all, that sort of work was precisely the ninja's specialty. And almost any other time, Storm Shadow would have succeeded with ease. However, as he said, things got complicated.

“Would it make you feel better if I promised never to fail you again?” Storm Shadow asked.

“It would, actually. Don't worry, you'll have your chance very soon.”

“How long do we have until they discover our location?”

Cobra Commander shrugged slightly, and slid his hand across the surface of a map. “Another day, perhaps less.”

“That soon?”

“We didn't have very much time to clean up in New York. The computer records at Arbco are incomplete, of course, but a teenaged computer hacker with a few hours to spare could easily break into the system and figure out where we are soon enough. The information is there, and I don't expect it to take long for them to put it all together.”

Storm Shadow nodded. “We can thank Mindbender for that.”

“How is Mindbender doing?”

“Scared out of his wits.”

“As he should be.”

“He thinks you brought him out here to kill him.”

Cobra Commander let out a raspy chuckle. “He's probably right.”

Storm Shadow walked over to the tables and looked at the maps. Some of them were topographical, showing the elevation of the surrounding hills and mountains, and others were plain road maps. Certain areas around the town were circled with a red marker.

“You don't sound very angry,” he noted. “If you're right about all of this, the military will be here tomorrow looking for us. I expected you to be in a worse mood.”

“Well,” the Commander said, “I'm trying to view the situation in its proper perspective.”

“Which is?”

Cobra Commander straightened and walked over to the windows, folding his hands behind his back. As if aware that their leader was watching them, the soldiers outside seemed to move faster, speeding up their drills. More gunfire erupted across the open field, more targets were blown to pieces, and the Commander watched it all, his posture relaxed and content. Storm Shadow had long ago learned to read the Commander's mood based solely on his body language, since reading his facial expressions was impossible. And as far as Storm Shadow could tell, his mysterious employer was actually in a good mood.

“I wish we had more time to prepare,” he said softly, sunlight glinting off the edge of his mirrored faceplate. “But I think they will be ready enough when the time comes. It will be their first real chance to fight. Their first test of faith.”

Calling it “faith” was a stretch, so Storm Shadow said nothing. When he did not respond, Cobra Commander turned to face him. “You see, this is exactly what I've been working toward all these years. I knew it would come to this eventually, so there is no reason to be upset that it comes a few weeks earlier than I anticipated.”

“I thought you were going to use this town as a headquarters,” Storm Shadow said.

“Yes, the loss of my town will damage my long-term goals,” the Commander admitted, “But I've already made plans to start another one, with no incriminating connections to Arbco or any of my other operations.”

“So all of this,” Storm Shadow said, waving his arm to indicate the soldiers and their training, “All of this is what? A noble sacrifice?”

“It is a trial,” the Commander corrected him. “A crucible that will burn away our weakness, leaving behind the purity of our belief. This is where the loyal members of Cobra will see first-hand the weapons of tyranny descend upon them. I know that they believe in what I tell them, but now they will actually experience it for themselves.”

Storm Shadow, even though he had served as the Commander's personal bodyguard for several years now, still had lingering doubts about the Commander's sincerity. Sometimes he openly discussed their illegal activities in purely financial terms, giving little thought to any kind of political philosophy, treating the Cobra organization as little more than a tool he used to increase his wealth and personal power. And then, at other times, he would wax poetic about the tyranny of the government, inventing all sorts of noble and meaningful justifications for the varied and numerous crimes that they committed. It was hard to tell when the Commander was being sincere, when he was saying what he actually believed, or if he was just spouting what his followers expected him to say.

When Cobra Commander ranted about personal freedom and justice, Storm Shadow could not help but consider the fact that they were using mind-control drugs to create loyal subjects. Hardly the actions of a leader concerned with the “freedom” of those who followed him. And far too many of Cobra's activities were motivated purely by profit for Storm Shadow to take it very seriously.

Cobra Commander was a man with two competing personalities with vaguely related goals. Part of him was truly dedicated to the cause of personal freedom, fiercely determined to throw off the shackles of the government and create a new system where his people could work together and live as they wanted. Perhaps at one time, that personality had been the dominant one. But the other part of Cobra Commander was fascinated and obsessed with power, control, and domination, turning his organization into a criminal empire filled with corruption and abuse.

Storm Shadow never spoke openly about his opinions. He was not a follower of Cobra, he was merely an employee. Perhaps that was why Cobra Commander gave him such a degree of freedom within the organization. Storm Shadow was smart enough to think for himself.

“So what do you plan do to when they come for us?” he asked finally.

Cobra Commander gestured to the maps spread out on the table. “We will set up a defensive perimeter around the center of town. I suspect they will come from the north, since I doubt they will bother to circle around first. The bulk of our forces will remain in the rear, protecting this facility. We will stand our ground as long as humanly possible.”

“Will you order your men to fight to the death?”

“I believe they will do that anyway,” the Commander said. “Although some will certainly surrender. That is what I meant when I said we will burn away our weakness. Those who survive the battle will be the strong ones, the ones who have proven themselves.”

“How many losses are you prepared to accept?”

“It depends on how much resistance we face.”

“And afterward?”

“I have made preparations, of course.”

Cobra Commander stood at the window for some time longer, watching his soldiers outside continue their practice. Major Bludd shouted the occasional order, and the sound of gunfire continued to fill the air. Storm Shadow did not think that the soldiers out there stood any real chance against the might of the US Military, but it was not really his concern.

“We will come out of this stronger than before,” Cobra Commander said quietly, as if speaking to himself. “They might think that they can defeat us, but they are only going to make us more powerful. The world will know what happened here, and the world will see how the government seeks to crush any dissent and destroy anyone who tries to fight against the status quo. And all those who feel helpless, the downtrodden and the marginalized, will seek us out and join us. And we will accept them with open arms. The government's victory will be a short-lived one. They might believe that Cobra will be weakened, but in reality, their actions against us will only make us stronger.”

<--Previous Chapter|Next Chapter-->