GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Destro leaned against the small circular window and looked down underneath the rising helicopter, at the lone figure standing helplessly in the grassy clearing below. Beyond that, he saw the tiny town of Springfield falling to pieces, buildings and vehicles on fire, columns of black smoke rising into the air. Even in the helicopter, he could still hear the sound of gunfire.

“Sorry, Anastasia,” he said softy, to himself.

Below, he watched as the Baroness waved her arms frantically, and then dropped her hands in defeat, staring upward. Even from this height, Destro could see her face clearly, as if she was standing right beside him. The look of devastation was clear on her beautiful, sculpted features, edged with a trace of betrayal.

She knew that he was leaving her behind. Destro could read the realization on her face. There was no way that she could see him, but she knew just the same.

But Destro knew her too well. The Baroness would be apprehended, most likely without a fight, since although she was fiercely loyal, she was surely not stupid. She would rather be arrested than throw her life away. The Feds would take her into custody and charge her with any number of crimes, and without a defense she would probably spend the rest of her life in prison.

It seemed such a shame to throw away such a lovely asset, but Destro could not risk arrest himself, and they both knew it. If the Baroness was captured, there at least remained a chance that she could be set free, but if Destro was caught, then all his wealth and power would be for nothing. The Baroness would serve as a lure, as a distraction, to allow Destro the time to get away.

She would never reveal his identity to authorities. She would probably never even reveal her own, as Destro himself was not entirely sure of her true background. She would remain willfully silent, vengefully uncooperative to the authorities, willing to spend eternity in jail rather than betray him.

She would blame herself for not getting back to the choppers in time. Blame the Feds for interfering in the operation. She might even blame Destro a little bit for not waiting longer. But in the end, she would remain perfectly beautiful and incredibly dangerous, and not give the government even one word of useful information.

Destro watched as the Baroness got smaller, and glimpsed federal agents – military operatives, most likely – come around the nearest buildings with their guns drawn. She didn't even react to them, she simply stared up at the helicopter as it rose above her.

“Sorry,” Destro repeated in a whisper.

He would never find a more loyal or more effective second-in-command. Or a more beautiful companion. The Baroness was like no one else that he had ever known, and losing her would damage his operation in countless ways. She was the enforcer within the Grenadiers organization, as well as Destro's personal assistant within the M.A.R.S. Corporation.

She was violent and ruthless, but still gentle and dependable, she was both wonderfully unpredictable and easily manipulated. Destro would never find someone as perfect as the Baroness again. She was a fierce warrior and a graceful companion. And someday, she might just make a fine wife for the right man.

Perhaps, just this once, Destro would take a chance.

“Land the helicopter,” he said to the pilot.

“What? Sir, this area is not secured.”

“Do what I tell you,” Destro said firmly. He returned his gaze out the window. “We cannot leave the Baroness behind.”

Meanwhile, the G.I. Joe team was advancing on the Baroness, who remained in the middle of the clearing, unarmed and noncombative. She turned to see two armed soldiers appear from around the nearby buildings, guns drawn.

Gung-Ho and Breaker emerged into the clearing from different directions. Breaker kneeled down at the corner of the closest building, a bullet-riddled house, and glanced behind him to make sure that no Cobra troops were coming from that way. He relayed his position to Duke and the rest of the team through his helmet microphone, and kept his M-16 aimed steadily at the woman in the clearing.

Gung-Ho was forty feet away, walking confidently forward with his gun braced against his shoulder. He lowered it slightly when he saw that the Baroness was not armed, but continued looking at her over the barrel of his assault rifle.

“Don't you move, now” he ordered her. “Show me your hands.”

The Baroness did as she was told, holding her hands up, palms out. The wind blew her hair in front of her face and she made no move to brush it away, her head tilted slightly down, so she looked out menacingly from under her brows.

“Step forward,” Gung-Ho ordered. “Get on your knees, and then lie flat on the ground. You understand? Don't make any sudden moves, all right? Don't do anything we're both gonna regret.”

The Baroness took a step forward, glancing sideways at Breaker, who kept his gun aimed directly at her chest. He was too far away for her to possibly make a move against, so she followed orders and got down on one knee, keeping her hands raised.

“Now get on the ground,” Gung-Ho said, motioning with his gun.

Breaker suddenly jumped up and raised his rifle, aiming it up into the air. “Gung-Ho!” he shouted, pointing.

The helicopter hovering over them dropped down unexpectedly, slowly turning sideways as it lowered to the ground. Gung-Ho reflexively raised his gun, but realized that it would be useless to open fire, so he carefully backed away, keeping a close eye on the machine guns built into the front of the chopper.

“Duke!” Breaker shouted into his mic. “One of the helicopters is coming back down!”

The Baroness turned and got back to her feet, looking hesitantly back and forth from Gung-Ho to the descending helicopter.

Gung-Ho waved his gun in her direction. “Don't you move!” he shouted. “Stay right where you are!”

The Baroness smiled wickedly and laughed, her hair whipping across her face. “What are you going to do? Shoot me in cold blood?”

The helicopter created a whirlwind in the clearing as it came down to the ground, the huge rotors blasting wind in every direction. Gung-Ho shielded his eyes and heard a voice in his ear. “Do not engage!” Duke was yelling. “Just let them go! We still have to deal with the Cobra forces, they are the main priority!”

The huge black chopper landed and the side door slid open. Gung-Ho braced himself, expecting armed soldiers to come pouring out, but there seemed to only be one person inside. It was a figure clothed a bulky black military jacket, wearing a shining silver mask shaped like a face. Two small eyes peered out from under the mask.

The Baroness ran to the helicopter joyously and leaped inside, wrapping her arms around the figure. He helped her inside and grabbed the sliding door handle with one hand. Gung-Ho looked on in bewilderment as the figure peered at him and gave him a friendly wave before shutting the door. A moment later, the helicopter raised into the air once more.

Inside, the Baroness held onto Destro, her cheeks wet with tears. She pulled his mask off and looked into his eyes, relief and happiness pouring out of her.

“I thought you were going to leave me behind,” she gasped, half crying and half laughing with joy. “Thank you so much for coming back for me, James.”

“Don't be silly,” Destro said affectionately, touching her gently. “You know I could never leave without you.”

Back on the ground, Gung-Ho and Breaker watched as the helicopter rose out of sight and disappeared.

“That might not be the weirdest thing I've ever seen,” Gung-Ho said. “But it's definitely in the top ten.”

“Come on,” Breaker said, “Let's meet back up with the others.”

“Yeah,” Gung-Ho agreed as they ran off, “We still have a fight to finish.”

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