GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra

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Chapter Forty-One

Dozens of FBI agents and other federal employees ran around everywhere, as the arduous task of piecing together the Cobra organization's activity in Springfield began. There were bodies to identify, equipment to catalog, surviving Cobra soldiers to interrogate, survivors to send to hospitals, buildings to search, and one gigantic mess to clean up. Almost the entire perimeter of the town was surrounded by the FBI in the hopes of catching more Cobra agents as they tried to escape. Fires throughout the town continued to burn out of control, among them the remains of the underground complex, now destroyed and buried. In time, even that would be excavated and investigated. But for the moment, there were more important matters to deal with.

Hawk crossed his arms and watched as several Cobra members were loaded onto a truck to be transported to a holding facility, hands and feet shackled together like a chain gang, each of them silent and staring at the ground. So far, almost none of the arrested Cobra men had said anything meaningful, other than statements and exclamations that they were independent from the United States and that the FBI had no right to arrest them. A few – the more intelligent ones, Hawk suspected – demanded to see a lawyer.

But the survivors were the minority. Hawk looked down the street to see a unit of investigators already beginning the difficult process of gathering the numerous dead bodies scattered all across Springfield. Hundreds of Cobra agents had fought to the death for reasons that no one completely understood, and identifying the bodies and putting them to rest would be a long, painful job, one that Hawk was glad he was not involved in.

He could not even imagine how all of this was going to play out in the media. Hawk was a military man first and foremost, but achieving his level of rank took a certain political skill, and Hawk was no stranger to the political machinations of the military in regard to domestic missions such as this. Already, his superiors in Washington were debating how much information to release to the press, and when to release it. So far, the entire operation in Springfield was considered top secret, a fact made easier since there were no innocent civilians there to leak information or demand answers. Hawk guessed that within a day or two, news of the operation would reach the major news outlets, although how it was presented was still up in the air.

Hundreds of men were dead, and they weren't foreign terrorists or illegal aliens. They were American citizens, and they were all members of a dangerous terrorist organization. Hawk couldn't even guess how the public would deal with that kind of information.

Duke and Clutch walked over to him. Clutch had a weary, far-away look in his eyes, and he did not have his usual upbeat posture. Duke just looked tired, having spent the last hour giving directions to the Feds.

“How are the wounded?” Hawk asked.

“They're doing okay,” Duke said. “Scarlett has been stabilized, but it could have been much worse. If the bullet had hit her a few inches to the left, it could have paralyzed her. The docs think she'll be okay, though. Shipwreck will need some physical therapy on his arm once it heals, but the damage wasn't too bad. And Gung-Ho is his usual self, you'd barely notice he was shot.”

“That's wonderful news. You should all be extremely proud of yourselves. You pulled this entire mission off without losing a single man. That's a rare accomplishment, Duke. I can't tell you how thrilled I am that everyone made it through.”

He smiled warmly and patted Duke on the shoulder. He then turned to Clutch with a concerned expression and asked, “Are you doing okay, Clutch?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Clutch replied with a sigh. “It's just, you know, gonna take awhile for it all to get sorted out. I really thought that they weren't going to make it out of there, and then we found them and got out just in time. Pretty crazy when you think about it.”

“You did an amazing job,” Hawk said. “All of you did. It took a lot of courage to go into that building when it was about to collapse.”

Clutch smiled awkwardly and ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah, I still can't believe we did it.”

“I'm going to check on Snake Eyes and the others,” Duke said. “We're taking them to the hospital in Crosby, about forty-five minutes from here. The wounded Cobra members are being transported to a prison hospital in Arksville.”

“Sounds good,” Hawk said. “Are you going to stick around after?”

“Yeah, I'll be here all day,” Duke said with a weary smile. “I take it you're heading back to the Pentagon?”

“Unfortunately, yes. I have one big report to hand into the Joint Chiefs in a few hours, so I better get started on it.”

“Good luck with that, sir.”

Duke and Clutch walked off toward the small fleet of ambulances parked on the next street, and were soon joined by Short Fuse and Heavy Duty.

“So what do we do next?” Short Fuse asked. “Do they still need us here?”

“No, you guys can get going if you want,” Duke said. “I'm going to stay here for awhile to help organize the clean up. Hawk is heading back to the Pentagon.”

“I'm going to Crosby with the ambulances,” Clutch said. “You guys are free to come along with me.”

“Count me in, man,” Heavy Duty said. “First I got to to get my Minigun. I left it sitting out there and I don't want no one to take it.”

“I think it will be fine,” Duke said. “No one is going to steal it.”

“That thing is a prototype,” Heavy Duty said with a shrug. “I can't leave a half-million dollar piece of equipment just sitting in the dirt like that.”

Duke and the others laughed, and they headed off into the town while Duke continued on to the ambulances. At least two dozen of them were lined up along the avenue, most of them loaded with injured Cobra personnel, some of them mortally wounded. The last three vehicles were for the wounded Joe team members.

Shipwreck was in a stretcher, his arm tied down and wrapped in bandages. He had taken three bullets in the arm and one more that grazed his hip. As Duke approached, he saw Gung-Ho sitting in the ambulance next to him, chatting animatedly.

“Feeling a little bit better?” Duke asked Shipwreck as he approached.

“They got him loaded with morphine,” Gung-Ho chuckled. “He can't feel a thing.”

“I feel great,” Shipwreck muttered, a sleepy smile on his face. “Don't remember a thing, though. They said I probably got a concussion too.”

“They're taking you to the hospital now,” Duke said. “Clutch, Heavy Duty, and Short Fuse will meet you there, but I have to stay here for a while longer.”

“You're the man in charge now,” Gung-Ho said with a chuckle. “Looks like you finally got used to giving orders, huh?”

“I might be getting better at it, but I'm still not used to it,” Duke said.

“Give it time,” Gung-Ho said. “You're a damn good commander, you just ain't realized it yet.”

Duke didn't know exactly what to say to that, so he just shrugged and said, “Thanks, but I wasn't the only one who did a great job today. All of us deserve some congratulations and a few days of vacation after this.” Then, he added, “Are you going to ride with Shipwreck to the hospital?”

“Yeah,” Gung-Ho said. “They got to check me out anyway cause of that scratch I got.”

“Scratch? Getting shot is a more than a scratch.”

“Naw, it was just a flesh wound.”

Duke laughed and shook his head in amusement. “Whatever you say, Gung-Ho. I'll see you guys later.”

In the next ambulance, Snake Eyes was seated, an oxygen mask in his hand, which he took several deep breaths from. One leg of his black pants were cut open to reveal a bandage wrapped around his thigh. Duke also knew Snake Eyes had a slash across his chest that was already bandaged up, but he had put on a new black jacket already. And of course, he still wore his black face mask.

When the medics had removed Snake Eyes' shirt earlier to patch up the cut on his chest, it was the first time Duke, or any of the other members of the team, had even the slightest clue what Snake Eyes looked like. Since he always wore a full black outfit, none of them, except Stalker or perhaps Hawk, even knew what race he was. Some of the team had suspected he was Asian because of his martial arts skills, but as it turned out, Snake Eyes was Caucasian.

Secretly, Duke suspected that Snake Eyes' identity was not as classified as Hawk had told them. After all, it didn't really make sense for one member of their team to have his identity, and even appearance, kept a strict secret. The entire GI Joe team was built with teamwork and friendship in mind, and having one member always wear a mask did not fit in with that idea. Duke also suspected that the other members of the team, Gung-Ho and Scarlett in particular, shared his opinions. But he did not voice his ideas to anyone yet, although he intended to ask Hawk about it eventually.

He had a feeling that the real reason for Snake Eyes' mask was not because his identity was truly a secret, it was because he simply preferred to wear a mask. Duke knew about his injuries; Stalker had told him in order to explain why Snake Eyes never spoke.

Duke climbed into the ambulance and sat down across from Snake Eyes, who lowered the oxygen mask and leaned his head against the interior wall of the ambulance.

“That other ninja was there, wasn't he?” Duke asked, setting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward. “That's who you were fighting, isn't it?”

Snake Eyes sighed and nodded, looking outside.

“I take it you didn't defeat him.”

A sullen shake of Snake Eyes' head told Duke everything he needed to know about their combat. Duke had assumed it was the case because Snake Eyes' injuries were razor sharp cuts, the kind caused by swords or knives, and the Cobra soldiers were armed with only guns.

“Don't dwell on it. The important thing is that everyone made it out of there alive, and that might not have happened without you. When we found you, it looked to me like you were trying to drag Shipwreck to safety while carrying Scarlett at the same time. That's pretty amazing, what you were doing. I know how you must feel, but it was incredibly selfless of you just the same.”

Snake Eyes shook his head and waved his hand dismissively.

“I know that Scarlett and Shipwreck went back inside to look for you, but I will not let you take responsibility for what happened to them. Don't feel guilty because they were wounded trying to find you, I won't allow it. They risked their lives to save you, and you risked your life to save them. That's what teammates do, Snake Eyes. All of you did the right thing, and no one is to blame for what happened. The only thing that matters is that you all made it out okay.”

Snake Eyes looked at him intently and pointed at the third ambulance, parked next to them.

Somehow, Duke was able to pick up on what Snake Eyes was trying to say, the same way Stalker was able to. Snake Eyes' body language and simple gestures were easy to understand once you got used to them.

“Why don't you go see for yourself,” Duke said with a slight smile. “She probably wants to talk to you too.”

Snake Eyes stepped out of the ambulance and Duke followed him. They walked to the other ambulance, where another stretcher was waiting. Two paramedics outside where getting ready to close it up and leave for the hospital.

Snake Eyes slowly got inside to see Scarlett lying on the stretcher, hands at her sides, a peaceful look on her face, as if she was asleep. When Snake Eyes sat down beside her, she opened her eyes and looked at him, giving him a tired smile.

“Hey,” she whispered.

“How do you feel?” Duke asked, standing outside.

“I feel okay, I guess. Not too bad, under the circumstances.”

“When you get to the hospital, they're going to do some X-rays to make sure that the bullet didn't hit any of your vital organs. You'll probably have to stay there for a day or two before the doctors release you.”

“I know,” Scarlett said. “Everyone else is okay, right?”

“You already know that Shipwreck got wounded. He'll be fine though. The only other injury was Gung-Ho. He got clipped during the firefight, but he acts like it's nothing. Apparently, he thinks getting shot is about as serious as getting a hangnail.”

“I disagree,” Scarlett said, smiling. “Getting shot sucks. Once is enough for me.”

The two paramedics came to close up the doors, so Duke stepped away. “I'll see you in the hospital, okay? Have a safe trip.”

Scarlett gave him a little wave, trying not to move too much. Snake Eyes leaned over her and put his hand on hers, giving her a supportive squeeze. The doors slammed shut and the ambulance drove away, along with some of the others. Duke waved to Gung-Ho and Shipwreck as well as their ambulance drove off.

He walked back to the main street, where the FBI agents were still loading up more Cobra members. He saw Breaker and Short Fuse standing around, talking to each other, so he went over to them.

Breaker, his hands casually in his pockets, blew a bubble with his gum and it popped with a snap. “So what do we do now, Duke?” he asked. “What's next?”

“You mean, what are we doing right now? You can help out the Feds if you want, but I think they have things under control here. We're just cleaning up now.”

“No, I meant what is next for the team?”

Duke crossed his arms and looked out across the wreckage of the town, the bullet-riddled houses, the burned out cars, the blood-stained concrete. He hadn't really thought about it yet, worrying too much about the present to make any plans for the future.

“We did a lot of damage to their organization,” he said. “We must have weakened them, and a huge number of their men have been captured or killed. But we didn't completely get rid of Cobra. We took out the majority of their people, but the men in charge still got away, I have no doubts about that.”

“Even if they did,” Short Fuse said, “It will take years for them to rebuild their organization. They must have put all their effort into building this town, and we took it out in less than day. They might have gotten away, but they lost everything.”

“I'd like to think that,” Duke said, “but something tells me this is only the tip of the iceberg. I think we only discovered one of Cobra's strongholds.”

“You really think so?” Breaker asked.

“Once we have time to excavate that underground bunker, we'll know more,” Duke said. “But I think that we'll face Cobra again soon enough.”

Three hundred yards away, up on a hillside among a dense line of trees overlooking the town, Storm Shadow sat with a pair of high-powered binoculars, kneeling among some bushes. He watched as Duke, Breaker, and Short Fuse walked away, and then raised his head to watch as the departing ambulances drove out of town. He had been watching them closely for several minutes, and had seen Snake Eyes there.

He lowered the binoculars and smiled to himself. Storm Shadow had left the compound right before it self-destructed, through a secret exit that took him down a long corridor and to a ladder that led up to a concealed area a few hundred feet away from the edge of town. He was fairly conspicuous in his white outfit, but he had snuck up the hill without being spotted, and was now just outside the FBI's perimeter.

“Take care of yourself, Snake,” he said quietly. “I'll see you again soon enough.”

A few minutes later, Storm Shadow was gone.

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