UNKNOWN
Prologue: Planning
"I will need you to take care of this for me." The President handed General Colton an antique sword with Japanese markings on the blade and on the sheath.
For their safekeeping, the President entrusts the G.I. Joes with an antique Japanese sword discovered in a dive at the coast of Hawaii.
Looking at it, the General nodded. "We'll take care of it, sir. Just one question: What are these markings?"
"They're Japanese. The general consensus is that it's a formula for changing salt water to gold." The President took a breath. "I haven't had it translated yet so I'm turning this over to you Joes for safe keeping until I have time to be actually there for the translation."
"Nobody will be able to take it from us, sir." Roadblock, commander of Joes reassured.
"That's what I want to hear." The President smiled and clapped the big guy on the shoulder. "I'm sorry gentlemen but I have to go. I'm on a tight schedule. I only came because I wanted to give the sword to you guys personally."
"Count on us, sir." With that, the President entered Halo 1 back to the White House from Joe Base.
- o -
The President sat down on his place at the Oval Office a couple of hours later with the six individuals in the room looking expectantly on him.
"Well they bought it." He said.
"Mr. President, we're doing this because we believe the G.I. Joes think they're unstoppable despite Cobra bringing them down twice." The young man, bit older than some of the other of the President's visitors voiced.
"Their heads are getting too big for their breeches." The man in his sixties that sat by the President's table, voiced in all honesty.
The President sighed. "True enough, Duncan, though I would still trust them with anything."
Dr. Duncan Xavier is a covert-ops, nano-tech expert with an IQ almost on the par with Einstein's and his own free-reign division at the C.I.A. He's also a close friend of the President.
He looked to the young lady standing behind the good doctor. "And… He would be pleasantly surprised to see you."
Twirling a blond strand around her finger, the young lady smiled not betraying her treacherous thought at the concept.