Cobra Fortress
"Subject appears to be progressing in a rapid manner," the scientist in a neatly pressed lab coat said as he spoke into a small microphone.
Cobra Commander angrily quipped back, "Stop speaking like I am not here! And if you ever refer to me as 'subject' again, I will see to it your last act is to offer me amusement as a competitor in the Cobra Arena of Sport. Isss that clear, Archibald?"
The man lowered the microphone to his side. "Crystal clear, Commander," he replied with dripping sarcasm as he crossed his arms. "And you will refer to me as 'doctor' if you wish to continue to benefit from my brilliance."
"Brilliance? Brilliance?!" Cobra Commander forced a blue sleeve up and revealed damaged skin, pink with hard, golden patches. "I still have groups of scales that keep returning!"
"And yet you have legs to walk on, you no longer have a tail, and you can speak in full sentences! Could any of your flunkies have done this much for you in such a short time?"
Cobra Commander was silent, considering his response carefully as he pulled his sleeve back down. "I doubt any of them could have done this at all."
"Precisely. If you are going to get through this, it is going to be because of my mind. Now, how about some gratitude."
"Fine, Dr. Venom. As for gratitude, I would suspect the insane amounts of money that Extensive Enterprises keeps depositing into your multiple offshore accounts should be enough gratitude."
Dr. Venom nodded his head. "There is that. The pay from your organization has always been far beyond what the American government ever provided for me. And the freedom to further my research is a welcome bonus."
"Yes, yesss. I do run a very magnanimous organization. An organization that must be directed on a specific course. Which I cannot do if I am here all day!"
Dr. Venom jotted a few quick notations on the vials of blood he had taken. "You are free to go, Commander. The samples I took today shall prove useful. Continue to take the extract I have concocted for you; remember, three times a day in precisely spaced intervals." He paused and turned his full attention to his patient. "There must be as little deviation as possible. Your healing is progressing at a much faster rate than anticipated and I would hate to see all your hard work erased."
Cobra Commander pulled his blue hood down over his face and stepped from behind the curtain to address the two Crimson Guardsmen who served as his permanent escort. "See to it that I am undisturbed for the rest of the afternoon."
Before Dr. Venom could say anything else, he heard the door slide closed and then he let out a soft chuckle.
Reaching into his desk, he pulled out a small pencil box, flipped it open, and depressed a small, almost imperceptible button.
He lifted the microphone one more time. "Surveillance dampening measures activated. Cobra Commander, the subject, is returning to his previous form at an accelerated rate. Full return to human form should be no more than one month if everything continues at this pace. Subject appears to be no wiser about true nature of experiment. Weekly appointments to continue, ensure ample supply of extract remains."
The diabolical leader sat alone in his dimly lit chambers staring out the lone window as his forces readied their weapons of war. He watched with pride as the newly delivered HISS tanks rolled out in formation and pairs of Trubble Bubbles swooped in and out from between the larger vehicles effortlessly. These newly created parade grounds gave his soldiers somewhere to practice these maneuvers before heading into a real situation.
Cobra Commander reached into his desk and pulled the small vial out and placed two drops in his goblet of water. Dr. Venom has tried to explain to him what was exactly in the extract, but there came a point when it felt like the scientist was just showing off his knowledge. Although it had been years since he had even thought about the disgraced scientist, the wily fool had stayed hidden away for years and had never been removed from the monthly expenses of Extensive Enterprises. He was now thankful to fully bring Dr. Venom officially back into the fold.
If not for Tomax and Xamot securing him in his altered state during the final moments of the battle over the B.E.T., Cobra Commander had no clue where, or what, he may have been at this moment.
He still shivered at the memories of being directly exposed to the mutation spores and slowly turning into an over-sized snake. Much of that time was a jumble of confusion, but some pieces were coming back to him.
He could recall escaping with a large member of the GI Joe team and then coming back to the inner chamber later to thwart Serpentor. By that point, he was more snake than man. After that, he could recall slithering away in the cold and eventually hearing the voices of Tomax and Xamot. His next truly clear memory was awakening, strapped to a table, and covered by nothing more than a sheet - and looking up at the face of a scientist he had not seen in years.
The twins were the ones who had tracked down Dr. Venom. The disgraced scientist still working away in one of Cobra's abandoned facilities in the Amazon, oblivious that the world, and Cobra, was moving forward without him. He had not heard of the Weather Dominator, the Mass Device, Serpentor, or the B.E.T. Taking all of that into account had made it easy to ensure which side he took after the battle at Cobra-La.
However, while some had remained loyal to their true leader, others in Cobra had instead flocked to the side of Mindbender's creation - Serpentor.
How easy victory could have been if that genetic experiment had just fallen in line! If the Joe's musclebound meat head hadn't destroyed a vital piece of genetic material!
The maniacal leader braced himself against the windowsill; he took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself. He knew there was no sense dwelling on missed opportunities. Now, there was only revenge.
Revenge against the Joes for existing and being a constant thorn in his side.
Revenge against Serpentor and those who dared to follow him, turning their backs on their true leader.
Revenge against any remnants of Cobra-La for what they tried to turn him in to.
Yes… they will all pay.
Cobra Commander moved away from the window and looked around his spacious quarters. Trophies and trinkets lay scattered along the floor, victims of his volatile mood swings. As he was slowly returning to the man he once was, his outbursts seemed to occur more frequently.
"Possibly a side effect of the treatment," Dr. Venom had told him, "but, temporary outbursts of anger are a small price to pay to get you where you wish to be."
A soft, single chime alerted him that someone was awaiting entrance. He quickly took the crumpled hood from the corner of his desk and pulled it over his face. Cobra Commander lowered himself into his chair and pressed a button that caused the door to slide open. "I said I was not to be disturbed!"
A Viper in the regulation uniform stood at attention. "Sir, I have the progress report you requested!"
"Go ahead." He stared menacingly at the grunt as he spoke.
The Viper began speaking rapidly, his voice muffled behind the full helmet. "Our agent on the inside has informed us that Pythona's condition appears to be stabilizing. If everything continues at this pace, she could come out of her coma any day now."
The Commander nodded slowly. "Instruct the Tele-Vipers to inform Zartan that his contacts on Cobra Island need to up her dosage. We can NOT afford her recovery inspiring that impostor who now sits on my throne."
"As you wish, Cobra Commander," the grunt said as he turned, the door closing rapidly behind him.
The Viper walked down the hallway from Cobra Commander's office after delivering his message, the soles of his boots echoing through the large metallic corridor. At the end, he swiped his badge and passed through a checkpoint guarded by two Cobra officers. The two men focused on him for only a split second and then went back to their previous conversation.
As he walked through the courtyard, he could see lines of HISS tanks preparing for more drills. He also watched as a new version of the tank rolled out. He had heard rumors but had never seen one in action before. These were larger and appeared to be more heavily armored. The cockpit was spacious enough for two and the back looked as though it had been modified to serve as a troop transport. This could prove useful in the upcoming battles.
The Viper followed the fence line for another four hundred yards until he reached his checkpoint. He tapped the shoulder of the guard already posted there. "C'mon. I'm here to replace you."
Surprise filled the trooper's voice. "I wasn't notified of this."
Reaching down, the new man slid a hand into his pocket. "I have the orders right here."
The man on guard waved his hand. "Nah, don't worry about it. If the Commander wants me to have some extra sleep tonight, who I am to argue? All these long shifts guarding a base in the middle of nowhere really tires me out."
The new Viper looked around and cocked his head, "Still no cameras out here? They could get us more rest if they would put a little of the funding to electronic security."
The other man shook his head. "I mean, the only traffic we get up here are the monthly supply shipments. Besides - a camera would put me out of a job. Or, worse, have me stuck at behind some monitor like one of those weird Tele-Vipers."
He turned to walk away but as he did so, the newcomer smashed the butt of his rifle over his head.
"Is this the best Cobra has left? Far too easy," he said as he pulled off the helmet and let his orange hair flow free.
Zandar looked back at the huge fortress. "So, the Commander wants Pythona gone, and he's hired my brother instead of me. I guess I'll have to show them both who the true snake of the family is."
That's the end of chapter 1 - the next few chapters all follow this format with two sections with the Joe team and two sections with Cobra. I hope you keep reading and I look forward to any feedback!