The Interrogator Strikes
[Note from author: I decided to edit this story again because I didn't think it was good enough. Now I believe the story is better. This will the last time I will be posting this story. I have deleted and then posted this story several times and I know that can get annoying, but now it will stay as is.]
Cobra Commander scowled behind his blue hood, he then addressed his command staff in the war room. "Whoever said victory is a palpable endeavour was a fool! We are fighting a battle on two fronts here, one against G.I.Joe and the other with Destro's Iron Grenadiers. And when we do finally gain a successful venture against one the other swoops down and strips it away from us. They must be stopped at all costs!"
"HAIL COBRA! HAIL COBRA!" his officers shouted with pride.
Cobra Commander crossed his arms over his chest and for the first time in three days smiled. Not a pleasant smile but one of self-pride. Because despite most of his high command abandoning him for other more profitable ventures he still managed to keep Cobra alive.
His funds were low, but despite his limited troops and resources there were still people out there that believed in what he was trying to do. He was trying to create a new utopia, a new world order. It was harder now than ever before, but he refused to quit.
"The world will be ours!" he bellowed out.
"HAIL COBRA! HAIL COBRA!" his officers shouted again.
"You are dismissed." Cobra Commander sat down on his throne and watched as his command officers broke up and leave the war room. Putting a closed fist to his cheek and leaning on an elbow, and twitching his fingers on his other hand in a sort of anxious manner, he carefully watched the monitors that were brimming with action throughout the room. But he wasn't pleased at what he saw. Unified militant forces with the help of G.I.Joe were defeating his troops with very little effort. It wouldn't be long before G.I.Joe was knocking on his front door. "Get me Major Bludd," he said, and a Techno-Viper put through the call.
But before the call was received a man Cobra Commander knew all too well interrupted the transmission. He stood up and faced the image of Destro. Destro smiled with a sinister grin. "You have some nerve breaking through my communication lines, Destro," Cobra Commander said.
"Problematic I'm sure, Cobra Commander. But I have a most pressing matter to discuss with you. If you haven't already done so today check your bank accounts in Switzerland, Cuba and Madrid. If I recall they contain the bulk of Cobra's holdings."
Cobra Commander ordered one of his Techno-Vipers to do so and in a matter of moments his account statements popped-up on a screen; they all read zero funds. "No. It can't be. You swindler. Return my money now or I'll send a legion of my troops to your very door--"
"And perhaps with a little cash thrown their way they will join my Iron Grenadiers?" Destro said. "You have neither the money nor the moxie to back up your threats any longer, Commander. But I will give you a sporting chance. Meet me at these coordinates and we will discuss what I have in mind."
"And fall right into an ambush? How stupid do you take me for, Destro?"
"Well, if you don't meet me then say good-bye to you hopes for world domination."
Cobra Commander thought about it, then snarled displeasure under his hood. "Terms accepted, Destro. This transmission ends now." Cobra Commander slammed on the arm of his throne chair as the monitor went blank. "If he thinks he can lure me into a trap then he has another thing coming. I'll make Destro pay for what he has done. Fuel my jet. Prepare the troops. We're going fishing and I'm using Destro as the bait!"
-------
Three hours later Cobra Commander arrived in Paris, France and entered the renown sewers of Musee des Egouts. The sewers were a museum now once used as caverns for fleeing Jews who prayed for a better life from the meaningless slavery under Ancient Roman rule. The remains of their presence could still be seen on the sewer walls; frescos of everyday existence and bones from long ago shaped the catacombs.
Cobra Commander liked what he saw. It reminded him why he formed COBRA. Rule under an iron fist and create the perfect template and power will fall right into your hands. Crush the weak and the world will be yours. Even these resilient Jew slaves were no match for the power that was Ancient Rome. Rome's rule lasted for nearly two centuries. With enough luck Cobra could follow in its glorious footsteps.
He met Destro at the desired coordinates in the catacombs. And like he thought Destro brought reinforcements. Voltar was with him. And no doubt Iron Grenadiers were located in the catacombs too. But that was perfectly fine with him because he had also brought back-up in the form of Croc Master, a known resident to these types of environments, and with him nearly one hundred Cobra Night Vipers hidden within the catacombs. Night Vipers were the perfect match for Iron Grenadiers.
"I demand to know what this is about, Destro!" Cobra Commander said.
"You insufferable swine! How dare play the fool with me. Where is my wife?" Destro, said, squeezing a tight fist at his side and clenched his teeth in pure, unadulterated anger. Destro was notorious for his temper.
"The Baroness? Really now, Destro. Notwithstanding, if you can't keep a leash on that slut of a wife of yours then that's your problem. I've come because you demanded it. But believe me, I'm no-one's lap-dog. When this is over, you're gonna regret stealing from me. Now where's my money?"
"What money? Where's my wife?"
"Don't play stupid with me, Destro."
Suddenly they heard laughter from a near-by tunnel. "Temper, my friends. Your aggressive tendencies will be your downfall." A man dressed totally in black armour exited from a tunnel with the Baroness tied and gagged, and clutched tightly in his arms. It was the Interrogator. He was known by that moniker because he could extract any information from a person's mindset with little effort. He was Cobra's best interrogation officer. But three years ago he had been cast out of Cobra when he was caught selling classified secrets and selling them to the drug kingpin known as Headman. Cobra Commander also harboured a deep hatred for him because Interrogator helped Dr. Mindbender clone Serpentor. Interrogator was the last person Cobra Commander thought he would see here.
"Interrogator, you traitor! I thought I did away with you."
"Obviously the agents you sent to kill me weren't successful or didn't you noticed when they hadn't return? You two are so gullible!" Interrogator said. "Sending each of you a communication of the other telling you to meet here was a long shot, and I didn't really think it would work, but I guessed wrong."
"You sent the communication?" Cobra Commander hissed. "Where is my money?"
"Your money is quite safe, Cobra Commander. It's in my bank account. All 300 million dollars of it." Interrogator laughed. "And as for you, Destro. Your pretty little wife here is quite a handful. She put up a real struggle when I snagged her from your castle in Scotland. But after a little chloroform she went right to sleep like a baby. Now she seems to have perked up a little. Naughty she-devil!" The Baroness struggled against Interrogator's grip, but to no avail.
"Anastasia, are you alright?" Destro asked the Baroness.
"Anastasia? Such a lovely name. And all this time I could've been calling you that instead of 'hey bitch!'" Interrogator said. "However, not knowing your real name was a lot more fun."
"Let her go, Interrogator!" Destro demanded.
"Or what Destro? You'll kill me? I'm pretty much dead already. I haven't forgotten how you tried to have me killed in Afghanistan. You think I'm was too dangerous because I know too much about you, James McCullen. I know more than you think. Your family ancestry and the deep secret your family hides about why you really wear that mask, and it isn't what you've been telling others. I'm not known as the Interrogator for nothing." He paused. "I narrowly escaped a volley of your T.A.R.G.E.T.'s when they attacked me. But what an interesting strategy having your men attack from the stratosphere, then again you always did have an inventive mind. But that's why Cobra Commander wanted your expertises in the first place, to build weapons of mass destruction for him in an attempt to conquer the world. Yet even now as you two struggle for domination over the world and over each other, you still can't attain what you hopelessly had when you were a collective. With strength comes power, remember that."
"Get to the point, Interrogator," Cobra Commander said.
But little did Interrogator know that while he was talking Croc Master had slipped casually into an adjacent tunnel. Cobra Commander had specifically chosen Croc Master to come with him in anticipation of something like this. When Interrogator turned to face Cobra Commander he didn't even realize Croc Master was gone.
"My point being, Commander, is that I intend to put an end to this pathetic power struggle once and for all. I have planted bombs throughout these catacombs and they are set to detonate in five minutes. My life is over. Bounty hunters hunt me down because of the price you have placed on my head, Cobra Commander. And I'm never at peace from the constant bombardment of enemy attacks from you, Destro. So in retaliation for your repeated attempts on my life, I'm giving you the honour of dying with me."
"You're insane, Interrogator!" Cobra Commander said.
"My death is a small price to pay to invoke my revenge on the both of you."
"Your revenge?" Destro said perplexed.
"Precisely, Destro." Interrogator remarked. "I stole strategic secrets from Cobra to sell them off to the highest bidder - Headman just happened to be that person - to get the funds to accomplish this little manoeuvre with the two of you. Explosives are expensive, you know. You just can't buy them off Ebay." He paused for a moment. "You see, during a dogfight over San Francisco after Cobra had kidnapped ten scientists and demanded one billion dollars for their release, a Night Raven missile went astray as it fired upon a G.I.Joe Conquest and destroyed a series of houses along the San Francisco Bay coastline. My home was one of them. My wife and son were killed as they slept. And as for you Destro, you've cost me a lot of money constantly attacking my drug cartels." He paused. "Now you can die with me like my family did under the flag of tyranny you both hold true and have your ashes spread throughout these catacombs with the millions of Jew slaves that rest here. And I can assure you no one will ever identify your bodies."
Suddenly Croc Master snapped his whip from behind Interrogator and wrapped it around Interrogator's neck. Interrogator instinctively let go of the Baroness and grabbed for the whip around his neck. The Baroness ran over to Destro and into his arms. Croc Master pulled the whip taught as he slowly wrangled Interrogator up like he would one of his crocodiles.
"Let me go!" Interrogator said with bated breath.
"I'm afraid not," Cobra Commander said, and went over to him. "There's little I can say to Croc Master that will make him release one of his prey unless amble compensation is exchanged. He doesn't like to lose, and neither do I." Cobra Commander waited for a few moments and watched Interrogator struggle against Croc Master; Interrogator started to choke under the lack of oxygen. "Now, where is my money? And no tricks or Croc Master will get really angry. And you wouldn't what to see him angry. He's more vicious than one of his pet crocodiles" Croc Master made a snarling noise through the breathing tube of his mask.
Croc Master let up on the whip to allow Interrogator to speak.
"PO908-36489-Y757, that is my account in Switzerland." Interrogator said quickly.
Cobra Commander took a moment to address the information on a portable touch screen computer he carried in a pouch on his belt. Accessing the Swiss account bank inventory index he found the account and then did a quick transfer of accounts back to his own Switzerland, Cuba and Madrid accounts including some additional funds that were Interrogator's own private reserves.
"Thank you. And as for the explosives?"
"The control box is on my belt," Interrogator said, "the blue button."
Cobra Commander plucked the control box off Interrogator's belt and opened the protective clear casing covering the buttons. The countdown read two minutes remaining. Interrogator had told him in order to deactivate the explosives he must press the blue button, but above that button was a red button and Cobra Commander pressed that one instead. Immediately the tunnels echoed with the sounds of hundreds of explosives disarming themselves.
"Nice try," Cobra Commander said. "Hoping I would be the triggerman of my own destruction? You take me for a fool, Interrogator. I've known you for far too long to fall prey to any of your dirty tricks. You wanna end your life? I'm more than happy to grant you your wish. He's yours Croc Master."
"No, wait!"
Interrogator quickly plunked a gun from his holster and shot through the whip, then pistol-whipping Croc Master across the face and took off down a tunnel. Croc Master shook off the distraction and growled and then went after him. Cobra Commander thought of calling him back, but if Croc Master managed to catch up to Interrogator and kill him - all the better. He turned to Destro. He felt a little vulnerable being alone with Destro's party, but acted confident and secure regardless.
"It seems all is back to the way it was before, Destro," he said.
Destro finished freeing Baroness from the ropes Interrogator had tied her up with, and then addressed Cobra Commander. "Indeed, Commander. But Interrogator had the correct idea. You are a menace in your own right. Killing you would be a blessing upon the world. Perhaps I'll accomplish that undertaking now." And he pointed a pistol at Cobra Commander. But almost immediately the deafening sounds of weapons being cocked back in anticipation to fire were heard. Voltar shined a flashlight in a circular fashion within the dimly lit catacomb and discovered that they were surrounded by an incalculable number of Cobra Night Vipers.
Cobra Commander crossed his arms over his chest. Destro cleared his throat as if he had been out-manoeuvred and put away his pistol. "Smart move," Cobra Commander said. "I will allow you to leave in peace because we were both duped into coming here. But think about this, Destro. We have the same goal in mind. Why not pull our resources once again and rule together?"
"Intriguing proportion, Commander, but highly unfathomable. The reasons are clear. I don't like you -- I never did. You used my M.A.R.S. Corporation for your foolish whims and when it suited you best you tried to have me killed and my corporation dismantled. We are enemies, Cobra Commander, and never forget that. I will have the world, and Cobra will soon be no more. It's only a matter of time before that conclusion becomes a reality and you understand it for yourself." Destro smiled a sinister grin, much like in the phoney message that brought Cobra Commander here. Suddenly a new sound of weapons being cocked back in anticipation to fire echoed the catacombs. And Cobra Commander saw behind each Night Viper stood an Iron Grenadier. Destro had out smarted him. Voltar smiled. "I will allow you to go in peace, my dear Cobra Commander, but next time we meet I'll destroy you." Destro then addressed his troops. "Iron Grenadiers fall back and retreat out of the catacombs." Destro turned to Cobra Commander one last time. "Good-bye, Commander." He then turned and entered one of the tunnels with Voltar and the Baroness in suit.
Cobra Commander clenched a tight fist. "Someday Destro, I will once again have you under my power and when that day comes you will obey me unconditionally!" he said infuriated, and squeezed a tight fist at his side almost punching finger holes into the palm of his gloves. "Night Vipers, retreat from the catacombs and return to your aircraft. We are returning back to headquarters." He took out a pocket radio and said, "Croc Master, forget that loser Interrogator and return to the aircraft. I don't want to be privy to anymore surprises."
"Understood, Commander," Croc Master replied.
Cobra Commander smiled behind his blue hood remembering the words Destro had recently said. "You're wrong about one thing, Destro. Whether is takes a thousand years, I will restore Cobra back to its former glory." He then returned back into the catacombs from which he came, and blasted off in his aircraft.