Hello everyone! Thank you for taking time to check out my further adventures of the Sunbow universe.

I have the story almost complete and mainly need to finish the epilogue. The story itself is broken into multiple chapters with four sections each - two set in different Joe bases and two set in different Cobra factions. My plan is to upload a section a week until having shared the entire story - so, if your favorite character hasn't shown up just yet, don't give up hope :)

I would love to hear any thoughts and I hope you enjoy my take on these wonderful characters we all love so much.

Fort Wadsworth

"A dastardly attack on the Statue of Liberty, the theft of a top-secret energy device, and reportedly, saving the world from enslavement at the hands of an ancient civilization? Who can give us details about this and more? I will give you the answer to that question shortly. Please stay tuned in tonight. I'm Hector Ramirez and this is a very special episode of Twenty Questions!"

"Are you ready for this?" Lifeline asked, turning his gaze to the senior medical member of the G.I. Joe team. The theme song of the newscast played in the background, filling the room with a cacophony of beats.

Doc eased down in a recliner in the rec room and stared at the television in the corner. "Lifeline, I am still shocked that General Hawk agreed to actually go on this show."

The new medic was kicked back on the sofa and reached for his cup of coffee. "I know what you mean. I remember a couple of the Joes have been on before, but it seems like this could be a real turning point. How in depth do you think Hawk's going to go?"

Doc shook his head. "Not really sure, but looks like we're about to find out." He picked up the remote control and turned the volume back up. "I just hope his questions are legit this time."

The host smiled broadly into the camera as soon as the red light came back on. "Good evening! My guest tonight is the leader of America's most elite fighting force - known to everyone now as G.I. Joe. General Hawk, welcome to Twenty Questions!"

General Hawk nodded his head and waved to the camera. "I didn't realize we would be doing this in front of a live audience, but thank you for having me, Hector."

"My pleasure, General. I guess the live audience part must have been lost in translation, legal mumbo jumbo, and all that. Now, it is no secret that originally I was no fan of your group, but as time went on, you and your fellow soldiers have truly proved that you are all working in the best interest of the American people."

The audience broke into applause at this; Hawk let them quiet down before responding. "That really is what we're here for, Mr. Ramirez. To protect the world from evil groups such as Cobra who would seek to rule the world and strip our freedoms away."

"Please, call me Hector." The host leaned back in his chair and flipped through his note cards. "And that is precisely one of the subjects I wanted to speak about - Cobra. Namely, the attack that the G.I. Joe team thwarted on the Statue of Liberty. There were thousands of civilians on hand, cameras everywhere. How did you know Cobra would strike then?"

General Hawk tilted his head sideways. "Hector, you know there are some questions I just can't answer."

"Not even for an old pal?" the host prodded the soldier a little more. "It was televised for the entire nation… the entire world to see. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say we would love to know more about that day!"

"Patting ourselves on the back is not really something our team likes to do." The audience let out a low sound of disappointment. "However, I know that you are just doing your job and you have an audience here who want to know a little more, so I can debrief you on what I've been given clearance to share."

"Excellent! We will get to that right after this commercial break," Hector said as he looked into the camera with a manufactured grin on his face.

Lifeline took a sip of his coffee. "I can't believe they actually allowed him to go on national television and talk about how that all unfolded."

Doc shrugged his shoulders. "People want to know. They deserve to know in some cases - it's their tax dollars at work. Also, the mission is over and it looks like all the intel we have from that source is now at a dead end."

"True, but at least Mercer's information proved correct. I'm more surprised he's stayed at the Slaughterhouse for so long after being given full G.I. Joe status."

The door crashed open, interrupting the measured conversation.

"Mercer?" Falcon said as he burst into the room and flopped down on the sofa next to Lifeline. "He's more than happy to stay out there roughing it and giving the next guy unlucky enough to be stationed out there a crash course in survival. Besides… with Sarge having to go back to his old job, the Renegades are running the place now." He popped the top on his soda and took a long drink. "Has Hawk started yet?"

"Soon as the network gets back from making money, Hawk's supposed to start answering questions," Doc said and repositioned himself in his seat.

"Looks like it's coming back on. You two chatterboxes keep it down," Falcon said as he sunk deeper into the couch and clasped his hands behind his head.

Doc and Lifeline could only stare at each other in disbelief over how little it seemed Falcon had changed since coming back from Cobra-La.

The middle of the night should be quiet. A time for rest for those lucky enough to sleep or maybe a time for peaceful reflection, Duke thought as he stared at the ceiling. He was thankful on nights like that that the team were finally being afforded their own rooms.

He ran his hand through his short blond hair and took a deep breath. Sleep or reflection - either of those options would have been great, but Duke was still getting used to being stationed at the newest Joe HQ. After the attack that saw Cobra steal the Broadcast Energy Transmitter, not only was the former base no longer secure, but it also most certainly was nowhere near fighting form.

The orders had come from deep within the walls of the Pentagon that G.I. Joe team would now be housed in multiple bases. Some bases were more visible, others, however, would be far from any civilian hot spots. Too many civilians could prove to be a major detriment if, no when, Cobra chose to strike again.

Still, it's been six… seven months and not a single hiss out of them. There's no way it was over. Duke sat up at the edge of his bed. Wait!

His eyes narrowed at the sound of footsteps echoing down the hall. He tried to slow his breathing as spotlights from the watchtowers swept the outside perimeter, causing shadows to creep along the walls of his room.

The pressure in his chest became heavier as the shadows began to sway and merge into a single, looming form against the far wall. There were no eyes, but Duke knew the shadow was peering into his soul.

Sweat began to form on his brow. He knew it was only a matter of time until the terror building within him would become too much, but he refused to let the panic take over. Not yet! The sound of ragged, heavy breaths drowned out the pounding of his heart.

I've got to stay in control this time!

Closing his eyes, he focused on slowing his heart rate. This caused him to realize the heavy breathing was coming from his own body; that realization brought a sense of control that allowed him to regain his composure.

Calm once again.

But this has happened every night since… Duke placed his hand over his chest. He massaged the scar tissue from the spear that was plunged into his chest.

He hoped that this episode was almost over, but he knew better. This was the calm before the storm; just one more battle in the war he seemed to be fighting every night.

And just like every other night he slowly opened his eyes. The shadows were gone, leaving him to wonder when the true battle would happen.

When will Cobra strike again?

He knew it didn't matter, though. Cobra would never get the jump on the Joe forces ever again, not if he were in command.

"No one ever tells you that a large part of leadership is endless requisition forms," Hawk muttered as he stared down at the piles of paperwork scattered around his desk. He glanced up from the endless work when he heard a double knock on the frame of his open door. It took him a moment to recognize the man before him wasn't just another intern with more forms for him to sign. His mood immediately brightened.

"General?" Doc stood in the doorway at attention.

"At ease, Doc and come on in." Hawk motioned to the empty seat across from his desk. "Anything you've got to say has got to be more important than anything I'll find in this mess."

"First off, great showing last night with Hector. He tried to get some highly classified information out of you, but you didn't budge.

Hawk smiled. "I'll take talking to him over the Joint Chiefs any day of the week. But, that can't be the only reason you stopped by."

"No sir, it's not," Doc said, clearing his throat. "I'm actually concerned about Duke."

Hawk studied the physician. "Hauser? Why? Is there something I should know?"

"Ever since emerging from the coma, he hasn't quite been himself." Doc fidgeted with his glasses before continuing. "I thought perhaps his episodes would pass, but they seem to be worsening."

"I figured he was just exhausted from the escalated training we've been doing, but obviously you know something I don't." Hawk clasped his hands together and leaned forward, "What seems to be the problem?"

"Ever since he's recovered from Serpentor's attack during the theft of the BET, Duke just hasn't quite been the same. You can see that for yourself. Sure, he's going through the motions, not missing any drills, showing up to his appointments, but in reality, he's made no practical progress at all."

Hawk leaned back in his chair, mentally going over all the times he had seen Duke the last couple of months. Did I miss something that obvious?

The physician took a deep breath, "Now, to top it all off, he's been by to see me a couple of time. Says he's having a tough time sleeping but refuses to let me give him anything to help him rest. He thinks that someone, some Cobra agent, is always waiting at the edge of the darkness."

The general felt his heart sink and rubbed his temples. "This is not going to go over well with the suits up the food chain. Duke asked to be placed in charge of coordinating our next attack on Cobra. I welcomed that as a sign of him being back in fighting form, but now with what you're saying - I don't know if I can trust him to be in the field."

Doc shook his head, "Unless you can get him to agree to some form of treatment, the sleep deprivation is an accident waiting to happen. And that's just the easiest part of this to manage. The 'Cobra agents' he keeps seeing are most likely a tied to that, but if he won't let me give him a full evaluation, I won't know for sure."

Hawk straightened up in his chair and let out sigh. "I'll have a word with him."

Duke sat before a pile of recent satellite printouts of previously known Cobra nests; he spread the images around his desk so he could try to make sense of all the files his assistant had finally gathered. A week's worth of data, but no movement whatsoever. His body tensed at the pounding from a series of rapid knocks.

Falcon, dressed in his usual camo fatigues, was leaning against the door frame and spoke with his usual bluntness, "You know what I think big brother? I think you need a vacation."

Duke tilted his head and looked up at his half-brother, a defeated expression began to form on his face, but he quickly willed it away. "This operation isn't going to plan itself. Do you know how much time, how much planning, how many requisition forms a strike like this takes?" He felt his temper begin to rise but failed to keep it in check this time. "We need to deliver a decisive blow to Cobra right now! They're splintered and will be easy pickings if we do this right, but you expect me to take a vacation!"

Falcon shook his head quickly. "Whoa, whoa, whoa Duke. Have you looked around this place lately?" He pointed at maps taped haphazardly to the wall and old surveillance photos tacked along the borders of a large cork board. "This is not the proper way to do this. There's no organization to all of this - you taught me that! You need to get away for a little R&R. Take medical leave, anything!"

Duke shot to his feet, stormed across the room, and stopped inches from the younger man's face. "You still don't understand what it means to be a member of this team! Being a Joe is a commitment!" Duke stopped himself mid-thought when Falcon's words finally registered. He growled at the younger man, "What's this about medical leave? What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing… it's just…"

Duke grabbed him roughly by the collar and pulled him close, "'It's just nothing' is right, soldier! I suggest you turn around and walk out of this room before I remove you myself!"

"With pleasure!" Falcon shouted as he slammed the door shut behind him.

It had been a long, frustrating day. Falcon interrupting, missed appointment with Doc, and Scarlett was still away on a mission. Duke was lying in bed, still in his fatigues. He could do little more than just collapse there upon entering his room. He still felt guilty about coming down so hard on Falcon earlier, but he knew there was a good soldier buried in there somewhere if he could take things serious for a change.

That, however, wasn't the only reason for the guilt he was feeling.

He knew he had snapped because of being so worn down. Maybe it was all the drills he had been running his strike team through.

They've got to stay in fighting shape!

Part of the exhaustion was also due to the limited amount of sleep he'd been allowing himself.

Sleeping. Resting? Maybe just staring at the ceiling, he mused.

Duke decided that maybe a quick nap wouldn't be such a bad idea at the moment. Just as he closed his eyes, he heard the shrill echo of sirens beginning to wail.

He scrambled out of bed but reached back beneath the pillow for his loaded 9mm. This is it! They've caught us with our guard down and not even half the team is ready for battle! Rushing out the door, he found the corridor was bathed in red glow from the warning lights.

As he bolted down the corridor, he nearly crashed into Lifeline, a member of the GI Joe medical staff, who was calmly rounding the corner with a coffee mug in his hand.

Lifeline chuckled. "Wow Duke, you almost bowled me right over!" His glanced down to the other soldier's fidgeting hand where he saw white knuckles clutched tightly around the grip of a pistol. Uneasiness crept into his voice, "So, um… where are you going?"

Duke looked up at him, finally registering that someone else was there. He waved his arms frantically. "The alarms! Are you deaf? There's an intruder on base!"

Lifeline could now see the crazed look in Duke's eyes. "Hey pal… I don't know what you're hearing, but there's no alarm going off. Are you sure you're feeling ok?" The medic reached out slowly, "I think you need to put your gun down."

Duke's eyes darted from side to side as he surveyed the hallway before focusing again on the man before him. "How did someone so scared of guns ever become part of this unit! A pacifist soldier? Ludicrous!"

Lifeline was taken aback. Duke had never reacted this way to his beliefs before. "Hey, now -"

Duke leveled the gun quickly and held the medic in his sights for a heartbeat before clubbing him with the base of the grip. "Just stay out of my way! If you're not gonna do anything to help, then I've got to stop the snakes on my own!"

As Duke sprinted out the double doors at the end of the corridor, Lifeline crumpled against the cold metal wall, his vision blurry. His last act before blacking out was to call for assistance over his shoulder mic.

Frantically running to the middle of the courtyard, Duke dove behind the rear bumper of the nearest VAMP. As he poked his head around the corner, he spotted a familiar face coming from the opposite direction. His lungs were on fire from running, but he called out to the man with everything he had left. "General Hawk!" Duke slowly eased himself to a standing position and raised his pistol to shoulder height, his head swiveling quickly from side to side. "Is it too late? Has Cobra already escaped?"

"Lower the weapon, son. What are you talking about?" Hawk asked with a puzzled look on his face. "Come on, soldier. You've got to stop this madness right now!"

His commanding officer's words had no noticeable effect on him. Duke continued to survey the courtyard. "The sirens, the lights! Those snakes are here somewhere!"

General Hawk moved slowly toward the troubled man. "Duke. There are no alarms going off. There hasn't been a hiss out of Cobra in months!"

Duke quickly closed the distance between the two of them and shoved Hawk to the ground as his frustrations finally boiled over. "So, that's the plan! Place someone high enough and then the snakes can come and go as they please!" Anger and paranoia fueled his words. "You're in on it!"

Placing his knee on the fallen general's chest, Duke pressed the barrel of the gun against his superior's temple. "What did Cobra promise you, Hawk? Was it worth it to betray your duty? Your country? Your fellow soldiers!"

"Duke! No!" A familiar came from behind him.

Duke whipped his head around, loosening his grip on his target. "Falcon? Vincent?"

Falcon cautiously moved out of the shadows and into the spotlights that had turned on and illuminated the chaotic scene. He took a deep breath as he saw what was going on. "Yeah big brother, it's me. How about you just put the gun down?"

Confusion and betrayal swam on Duke's face. "Aren't you on my side? Cobra… did they get to you too?"

Falcon shook his head. "Duke, I'm on your side. You know Cobra could never get to me. Remember everything we've been through."

Relief washed over Duke's face. "Thank you. Our parents would be so proud of you." Duke looked down at Hawk and his face contorted with anger once more. "You see that! Finally, another Joe with some honor. Unlike some people! Unlike some traitors! We'll make an example-"

Before Duke could get out another word, a body lunged out of the shadows and tackled him to the ground, separating him from Hawk. As they tumbled on the ground, Duke felt his assailant's shoulder drive into his abdomen and force the air from his lungs. This caused him to lose his grip on his gun and it skidded along the pavement well out of reach.

"Who?" Duke managed to force out as he struggled to break free from the person pinning him down.

Flint locked eyes with his friend. "Easy man! Easy. It's just me, it's Flint!"

Doc burst out of the med bay across the courtyard with a syringe clenched in his fist. "Keep him still!"

"I'm trying, but this isn't exactly what I expected to be doing at half past midnight," Flint said as he struggled to keep Duke pinned without hurting him.

As the confused soldier kept fighting and trying to squirm free, he pleaded, "What are you doing to me?"

Doc looked down at him with a hint of sadness. "Something I should have done a long time ago. This is just gonna help you sleep Duke. Just relax."

"Arg!" Duke winced from the pain of the needle piercing his skin.

"You'll be resting comfortably soon."

Duke weakly looked over at Falcon. "Yo Joe," he muttered as he lost consciousness.