Location: Chilean Terror Drome, Chile

Longitude: [██████]

Latitude: [██████]

Altitude: [██████]

Personnel:

1,600 Military

400 Support

1,000 Technical (Temporary)

10 Command

A monument to Cobra's power. That's what Cobra Commander had called his newest Terror Drome. The other Dromes were cheap, prefabricated and transportable. But this, this was a bulwark of Cobra authority, an immovable ziggurat of Cobra's might. The first step to true world domination.

The Commander's speech was quite rousing, but having it repeated every hour on the hour throughout the Drome caused it to lose some of its pull. Teams of Techno-Vipers stalked the corridors, with long lists of new things to be added. Many sections were incomplete; the walls open as the multitudes of construction teams worked day and night on wiring, plumbing and security systems to bring everything to operational standards.

"Hey Myers! Where you off to in such a hurry?" Myers stopped and looked around, snapped from his thoughts about his current home. He swore he'd just heard his n-

"Up here." Myers looked up and jumped back, dropping his stack of files. A dirty, smiling face peered down at him from a missing ceiling panel.

"Dammit Kurt!" he hissed as he bent down to pick up the files. "You scared the crap outta me!" The Techno-Viper smiled as he extricated himself from the ceiling and dropped to the ground to help his friend.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you… much." he said as he help scrape up all the paperwork. He lifted one and began to peruse it. "What is all this st-" He was interrupted when Myers snatched the document from his hand and replaced it in its file.

"Man, I hope you didn't get these mixed up. The Baroness will kill me if they're all out of order." He mumbled as he absently checked and made sure none of the files had been scrambled.

"I said I'm sorry. Hey, if she doesn't kill you, you wanna have lunch later?"

Myers fixed him with a withering stare as he stood and continued on his way.

The elevator doors opened to a pristine corridor. One of the first completed sections, its floors had been replaced with polished marble and the walls with brushed titanium. Unlike the rest of the facility, this wing was quiet. Gone were the ever-present sounds of construction and shouts as the work crews assembled Cobra Commander's newest vision. Myers swallowed the lump of fear in his throat and stepped into the corridor. His boots echoed loudly on the floor as he approached the large wooden doors at the far end from the elevator. When he was but a few feet from the wooden doors, the walls opened and armed Vipers emerged, aiming their weapons.

"Halt."

Myers froze at the barked command. He felt a bead of sweat as it dripped down his temple. He dared not move.

"Name and purpose?"

"M-Myers, Richard. Tele-Viper. Delivery of files for the Baroness." Myers said nervously.

"Hand." Myers swallowed and held out his free hand, palm up. One of the two Vipers moved forward and lowered his weapon to run a hand-held scanner over his palm before nodding to the other.

"Proceed." A Viper said, as they both disappeared into their hidden alcoves and the wall became a flush surface once more. Myers' stood still for a moment, and exhaled slowly before placing his hand on the door and opening it slowly.

The Baroness's chambers were large and opulent. It was also a separate module from the rest of the complex, complete with its own power and life support. Directly across from the entrance, was a large oak desk, and seated behind it was the Baroness, busy looking over a holographic display which was projected from a small inlet on her desk.

"Pardon the interruption, ma'am." he said sheepishly. Without looking up, Baroness extended her hand and curled a finger at him, beckoning him closer.

"I assure you I don't bite." She said. "What have you got for me?" The Tele-Viper quickly hurried to her desk and held out the stack of files. She took the top one and peeled her attention from the display long enough to look it over.

"These just came in from the Commander, ma'am." He said. "H-He'd like you to look them over and decide what should be done w-with them."

The Baroness looked up from the file and peered at the stack Myers held. She sneered and replaced the file she'd been looking at. She returned her gaze to the holographic display. Myers stood there for a moment, before the Baroness looked back at him.

"Set them down. Unless your new position within Cobra is as a filing cabinet." She said. Myers nodded and set the files carefully on her desk.

"Sorry ma'am." He said. She waved a dismissive hand in his direction, not even deigning to give him her full attention once more. He turned and briskly walked out, thankful to be alive.

"This is ridiculous!" The Baroness shouted as she tossed another file onto the stack the Tele-Viper had brought her earlier. She'd been poring over them for the last three hours and each time she thought she'd been suitably enraged; she'd open the next file only to discover that she'd barely scratched the surface. She bent over her desk and glared at the stack, willing them to spontaneously burst into flame.

"Madness, sheer madness." She muttered through grit teeth as she thumbed a button on her desk. The floor slid away and a small oak cabinet emerged. She walked over to it and poured a glass of wine from the chilled cabinet and sipped it.

"Perhaps you need a break."

"Perhaps what needs breaking is a few necks. That would solve this problem instantly." She hissed, taking another sip.

"If it were that simple, the Commander would have ordered it done. If he gave it over to you, death is simply not an option. At least, not yet." The Baroness returned to her desk and sat down.

"My dear Destro, you have not read these files." Her glass was set down and a file took its place in her hand. "Here we have an unstable explosives expert who managed to concoct an explosive capable of reducing an armored Cobra barracks to so much twisted slag. He did so with commercially available chemicals." She tossed the file down and picked up another. "This one is a pyromaniac with the same destructive creativity. Firefly would be proud. Or jealous, I'm not sure which." She picked up another. "And here we have a sniper with insomnia and a temper that rivals the Commander's! I wouldn't wish these people on the Joes, let alone one of our own."

The holographic form of Destro bent over the desk and looked over the arrayed files as Baroness set the last one down and sipped at her wine angrily. It was times like this the Baroness cursed his metal mask, for his face was impassive as ever.

"This… sniper. Her marksmanship is exemplary." He said after a long moment of silence. "Similarly, the explosives expert is clearly outstanding in his field, if a little reckless. These men and women could be genuine assets to Cobra. I can see why the Commander forwent his usual solution." Destro said as he straightened.

"Each one of them is currently detained. All of them are loose cannons. Are they truly worth saving?" she asked. Destro nodded, and the Baroness sighed.

"I believe cases such as these are exactly why we have him in the first place."

"Very well, but I do not have to like it."

"No, but I'm sure he will." Destro's image flickered before the holographic projector died, leaving the Baroness alone in her quarters. She finished off her glass and leaned forward to press her intercom.

"Bring me, Carnage."