Chapter IX

"Follow me if you will" Destro said leading the Joes out of C&C outside of the main building only to see 'Franks' with an entire army with armor support included. "Do you believe now?"

"Oh it so nice to be wanted!" Wolf quipped.

"Yeah, but not that wanted! I won't look good with an extra hole in my head!" Dagger responded.

"We can't surrender!" Flint said

"Yeah, we ain't even French!" Wolf quipped again.

"Can it, all of you!" Grey Fox snarled, the situation just went from worse to shot to hell, and sideline comments were not helping.

"You must fly to my private island in the Caribbean. I'll provide you with the coordinates."

"You have one minute left before we commence fire!" 'Franks' ordered.

"Get to the hanger!" Fox ordered

At the hanger, Matilda got into the pilot's seat, just as Wild Bill finished warming up the engines in the co-pilot's seat. "Let's get out of here!"

"Roger that Lt." Wild Bill replied to Matilda.

"Fire!" Franks ordered. Tanks and Self propelled artillery rained steel around the hanger and airfield as the Skystrikers and Medea transport taxied out onto the runway.

"We'll never make it!" Cypher cried watching the explosions rained around the fighters and transport.

"This will buy you the time you need." Destro pressed on the medallion hanging from his neck; Destro personally designed it to as a transmitter. Out of the sky multiple UAVs swooped in and landed between the Joes and the Army. Once landed, each drones deployed a pair of antennae extending above the drones. Soon an I-field was deployed. Destro smiled knowing MARS was much farer ahead in Minovsky research than either the US or Cobra. The US has only experimented with the beam rifle and saber; Cobra has developed the mega particle cannon and a crude version of the I-field that was being tested on the Apsalus. MARS managed to develop an I-field that was capable on not only deflecting fire beam weapons but also conventional weapons.

"Continue firing!" From HEAT, to heavy machine, to small arms; fire from the Army punched at the I-field. "The I-field will hold them for a few minutes!"

Pushing on the throttle, the Medea sped down the runway followed by the Skystrikers as the I-field collapsed and the drones destroyed.

"Should we have tem pursued sir?" A colonel asked 'Franks' as he watched the Joes escape from his grasp.

'Frank' grumbled to himself that the Joes escaped him, and the 2nd time for the Knight Sabers. How was he going to explain this to Berg Katse? But there was a chance to rectify the situation with his other mission. "No we have more important work to attend to."

Pursued by a Cobra Water Moccasin, Mutt and Junkyard ran through the swamp. From the mangrove, Duke watched as his friend and dog were hunted down, he readied his weapons.

Collapsing against a tree Mutt panted for air, the Vipers on the Water Moccasin trained its weapons of Mutt, but a trio alligators approached on him as well. "Looks like them gators are gonna get a nice, hearty supper!" Cackled Copperhead.

From the swamp's treeline, several bazooka rounds flew over Mutt's head killing the alligators. "What the hell!" Copperhead's yell drown out by machine gun fire ripping through the Vipers, along with their dying screams. He saw the eerie glow of a mono-eye sensor of a Cobra Hardsuit, he didn't know if it was a Zaku I or II or a variant of the Zaku II.

In the confusion, Junkyard charged for Copperhead. The dog pounced on him with his teeth bearing. "Help! He gonna bite!" He screamed at the approaching HS-06F Zaku II, once it came out of the mangrove.

Grabbing for an AK-47 off a fallen Viper, Mutt pointed it at the Zaku. "Take it easy Mutt! Its me!"

"Duke? You're operating that Zaku?' Mutt asked, lowering his rifle recognizing his friend's voice. "Destro got you too?"

Duke pulled off the helmet to his Zaku. "No, some nut job named Katse. Did you hear about the Synthoids?"

"Syn…which?"

"It's a long story, Mutt. First let's get to the Cobra launch base."