Note: I still do not own any of the characters in this story. I do own action figures of Specialist Trakker, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Low Light, Duke, Hawk, and Flint, but that is about the extent of any ownership on my part. I am relatively new to the whole Zombie thing, and Im still not sure if I am a fan of them or not. I did enjoy HOTD, Shawn of the Dead and Zombieland.

Chapter 4: GI Joe

The day before:

"The Pentagon reports that something strange is going on in Jasper, Nevada," General Hawk addressed Duke, Flint and Scarlett, "And this satellite imagery confirms it. Specialist Trakker has already been dispatched as he was in the area on another assignment; I need you to assemble a team, and a plan of action."

"Where did the initial report of Cobra activity come from?" Duke asked.

"That is need to know information only."

"Any potential targets in the area?"

"There is an abandoned Nuclear Missile base outside the zone Cobra has surrounded," Hawk answered.

"Then Jasper is likely Cobra's target," Scarlett surmised, studying the satellite photos.

"That was my assessment as well," Hawk agreed. "It is a small town, but they have it surrounded by a series of Terror Dromes. The satellites only located one or two HISS tanks, but they have several Rattlers on site, along with several lighter vehicles. So far, they are laying low, nobody but us and our source knows that Cobra is there."

"Do you think they are going to turn Jasper into another Springfield?" Flint asked.

"I doubt it," Duke answered, "Springfield was turned from the inside out. This… who knows."

"They may just be planning to turn Jasper into a statement," Scarlett said, "Something to remind us exactly why Cobra is considered a terrorist organization."

Specialist Trakker's truck, looked like a normal big rig, but it was actually the Rhino, an early prototype that eventually led to the very different RHINO the Joe team adopted in 2005. The truck was parked outside truck stop, and was easy for Scarlett, and Snake-Eyes to find.

"Nice to meet you again, Sir" Scarlett addressed Trakker."

"Likewise, Scarlett, Snake-Eyes," he answered, "Did you have any trouble getting here?"

"None, Cobra really is keeping a low profile, not that they would look twice at the rental car I used to get here."

"Same here," Trakker said. "No indication of any Cobra activity within Jasper, but my Radar has shown a lot of Cobra activity outside the city limits. Mostly the arrival of more FANGS and Ratters."

Fangs were small one man helicopters, while the Rattlers were a MARS Industries variant that turned the A-10 Warthog into a VTOL aircraft.

"What about the rest of your team" Trakker asked.

"Duke has taken most of our forces and is dividing them into strike forces to attack each of the Terror Dromes if needed. They are staying well hidden as well. Most of the rest of us have been scouting the area in more detail. Alpine reports that Rock Vipers have taken up positions around the local buttes. Low Light is keeping an eye on our surrounding area here so we don't get snuck up on. Agent Helix reports that the Cobra's seem to be setting up roadblocks along all of the roads leading in or out of Jasper. Also, as we were driving in, Snake-Eyes took a closer look at one of the Cobra airfields. The Rattlers are not equipped with their standard ordinance. They all seem to be equipped with incendiary bombs, they have enough to firebomb this entire city twice over."

"So, should we move on them now, or wait until they complete their plans?" Trakker asked.

"General Hawk wants us to take a wait and see approach to keep them from using Jasper's citizens as hostages."

"Going to be a long night."

The first day:

Specialist Trakker was woken shortly after midnight by a beeping sound from one of the Rhino's computers. As soon as he had checked on it, Scarlett and Snake-Eyes were behind him.

"The Terror-Dromes have gone active," he said.

"The nagging sense of unease in the back of your head should have told you that," Scarlett said.

Trakker and the others climbed out of the truck and he donned his battle helmet, dubbed Spectrum. "Yes I can see it, all of the Dromes have gone active, but still no air activity."

"Let's take a drive," Scarlett suggested, "Low Light, can keep an eye on the rental."

Trakker activated Spectrum to negate the effects of the Terror Drome's subsonic sound within a ten foot radius. The effect was immediate, in that it allowed the Joes near him to think clearly.

Scarlett touched her earpiece, "Jinx just reported in. Cobra has closed all the roads, and they have started patrols to maintain a perimeter around the city."

"What are they setting in motion here?"Trakker wondered aloud, "Other than the standard Terror Drone's subsonics, I'm not detecting any other types of control signals into Jasper."

"There are other signals," Scarlett corrected, "I'm still in contact with Helix and Low Light, but not with anyone else."

Trakker used Spectrum to call his home phone, but that signal was also being blocked. "Ok, Cobra has completely sealed off the city."

Snake-Eye's hand suddenly gripped both Trakker and Scarlett's shoulders.

"Stop the truck!" Scarlett interpreted.

Trakker applied the brake, and found himself staring in the same direction as the silent man dressed in black. Spectrum's enhanced audio sensors picked up a scream. Then another.

They flung the truck doors open and ran on foot through a suburban neighborhood to the source of the screams. Snake-Eyes was quickest, with Trakker right behind him and Scarlett bringing up the rear, mostly because she had not heard the sound.

Rounding the side of a darkened house, they saw three figures at the end of the street. It looked as if a child and young adult had attacked a newspaper delivery man, whose car was idling nearby.

The attack concluded, the victim and his car no longer held any interest for the two attackers, who shambled further down the street away from the rushing Joes.

"Did you see those two? They weren't moving quite right. Drugs?" Scarlett asked.

Snake-Eyes nodded to the first part, but shrugged at the second.

Reaching the victim, Scarlett took his pulse, and tried to reassure him, "It's going to be alright, sir. We will get you medical treatment."

The man was obviously in pain and struggling to breathe, but one glance told each of them that it was a matter of seconds before the man died, no matter what medical treatments they gave him.

With Spectrum in medical mode, Trakker could literally see the life signs as they dropped to zero, and the poor paper delivery man died.

Snake-Eyes placed a calming hand on Scarlett, and she stood, still staring down at the dead man. "This is just senseless, it is as if they tried to eat him."

"Could Cobra have done something to turn the locals into deranged cannibals?" Trakker asked

"I don't know. We will have to wait and see if this is more than an isolated incident," Scarlett said.

"All the same, let's not eat or drink any of the local food until we have it tested."

"Agreed," Scarlett said, before Snake-Eyes abruptly pulled her away from the body.

The dead man was standing up, a blank look in his eyes, and still reading as completely dead to Spectrum's sensors. It lunged at the three of them.

Snake-Eyes moved, and there was a flash of steel followed by the thumps of a hand, a head and a decapitated body fell back to the ground.

The silent man looked back at his companions, but only Scarlett could read the disbelief in his featureless mask.

"That did not just happen, did it?" Scarlett asked.

"I don't believe it, but yes," Trakker said.

Then as one the three Joes took off to follow the attackers.

On the next street they saw the two of them closing in on a woman who was getting into her car, presumably getting ready to go to work.

Scarlett fired off a bolt from her crossbow, striking the older attacker in the back. The attacker did not even seem to notice.

Trakker raised his own gun to fire, but lowered it again when he realized he might hit the woman as well. He settled for the classic line instead, "Stop, or I'll shoot!"

That got the attention of the intended victim, but the attackers paid it not attention.

Snake-Eyes ran faster, trying to close the distance before it was too late.

Finally Trakker paid attention to the readings Spectrum was feeding him on the attackers and their victim. "They are not alive! The attackers are already dead!"

Snake-Eyes was within range, and his sword flashed in the glow of the streetlights. The two headless attackers fell to the ground, and the intended victim was nursing a slight wound to her hand.

"My God, they bit me!" the woman exclaimed.

"Let me see," Scarlett said, and examined her wound. "It's nothing serious, but I think you should stay home with your family today. Something is going on, and you should stay where it is safe."

The woman nodded, and went back into her house.

The unprofessional part of Matt Trakker rebelled, thinking 'Zombies, are we really going to report a zombie outbreak to the Pentagon?'

"It wouldn't be the first time," Scarlett said, as if reading his mind, "Cobra has had Toxic Zombies in the past."

"That was different from this, that was pollution induced mental illness with a touch of leprosy. This is more like an honest to goodness movie zombie outbreak!" How many different Zombie movies had his son forced him to watch over the years? Too many. Why were boys always drawn to R rated movies?

"I wouldn't put Dr. Mindbender past anything. This could be exactly what Cobra has cooking in this town. Lets continue to look around, inform Helix and Low-Light what we found, and find a way to update the Joes outside the Cobra jamming curtain."

"Right," Trakker agreed, then turned to look back at the woman's door. "You know, in the movies, all it takes is a single bite to turn someone into a Zombie."

Scarlett seemed amused, "Look, it was just a scratch. She will be perfectly fine."

Scarlett and Trakker turned back to return to the Rhino, but Snake-Eyes continued to stare at the door for a couple more seconds.

It would take a couple of hours, but Scarlett was wrong. The woman was not all right, and her family paid the price.