Cobra Fortress
Cobra Commander sat at his desk pouring over satellite photos; there was evidence of GI Joe troop movements, but Serpentor's forces were also showing signs of life on Cobra Island. Out of his peripheral vision, he noticed a familiar figure standing in his open doorway. "Yes Zartan, what is it?"
Zartan stepped fully into the room and closed the door behind him. "Some distressing, but not overly monumental news. It appears my sister has chosen to follow the usurper that I am to hunt for you."
Cobra Commander let the revelation hang in the air momentarily. "You will not just hunt him – you are to kill him. I want Serpentor completely out of the picture. There can be no middle ground for what he has done. As for your traitorous little sister, what do you say we do with her?"
Zartan met his leader's gaze. "She will be of no concern."
The hooded man tilted his head slightly. "Are you certain?"
The master of disguise laughed slightly. "I taught her all she knows. There's no way she could stop me if she wanted to."
"Yes, but she has also apparently strayed from your teachings, has she not?"
Zartan shook his head. "Perhaps not as far as you or anyone else would believe. I always taught her to look out for herself; I guess I also should have given her the lesson that blood is thicker than water."
"Very well, but be aware of this - I will deal with all traitors when the time comes no matter what bonds they have or what lies they wish to tell. I have been far too lenient in the past. There are lines that cannot be crossed again, I'm afraid."
"You have made your point – numerous times. If she stands in my way, she will become one less traitor for you to deal with." With that said, Zartan turned and left to make his final preparations.
"Who are these mercenaries you expect me to hire?" Cobra Commander demanded, looking down at Firefly. "Are you no longer confident enough in your own skills?"
The cruel words bit at the evil man's pride, but with half a dozen Crimson Guardsmen in the enclosed space, now was not the time to make a scene. "Cobra Commander, my skills are never in doubt. What I have done, as any savvy businessman would, is taken out a couple of insurance policies."
Cobra Commander considered the response for a moment and looked over the two people that flanked the man dressed in his usual gray camouflage. One male, one female, both in black outfits with a variety of tactical equipment attached to belt loops and web gear.
"This is Blackout," Firefly said, motioning to the stocky man with thick, red hair. "He's new to me, but his work speaks for itself. Crack shot and sadistic."
Cobra Commander looked the man over, the red goggles he wore made it difficult to read his eyes.
Firefly stepped behind the second person, a smaller figure, female. "This one calls herself Munitia." She nodded, as if rehearsed.
Cobra Commander took stock of the second person. Her long black hair and dour demeanor made him think of the Baroness, but he could see a coldness in her eyes that was beyond anything he had ever seen from his longtime associate.
"And you just expect me to pay for additional resources you require?" he questioned, glaring at the newcomers.
Firefly shook his head. "I require no such thing. However, if you wish to acquire my services from here on out, you will be required to attain the services of these two individuals as well." Firefly could see the rage boiling in the Commander's eyes.
"I will not pay without seeing results." Cobra Commander stood. "I should have you shot where you stand, but I know your value. If this is how contracts are going to be moving forward, so be it. However, your two associates will not see a coin from me until they prove they are worthy of being on the payroll. Payment will not be sent until after the first successful job."
The lead mercenary turned to his two comrades and titled his head slightly, waiting for a signal. The two exchanged glances and then nodded in agreement. Firefly began walking and motioned for them to follow. "Looks like you have a deal. Wire my payment and send your instructions through the usual means. I'll be in touch."
Cobra Commander lowered himself back into his throne and watched as the door slid closed. He turned to the nearest Crimson Guardsman. "Contact Tomax and Xamot. Let them know we will be requesting a distribution of funds soon."
"What is it that MARS Industries can do for you, Dr. Venom?" Destro asked, his voice measured.
The scientist flipped through paperwork on his desk and found what he was looking for. "I know the Commander has asked you for something special-"
Destro put a hand up to silence the man. "Dr. Venom - while I may be appreciative of the work you have done with Cobra in the past, MARS is my personal project. I find it unwise to speak of purchases my other customers have made."
"This request comes from the Commander, actually. He is hopeful that you will be working with us on a more regular basis and he has asked for a slight modification. That is, if his order is still in production."
Destro's image was still for long enough that Dr. Venom had believed the connection may have frozen. The voice of Baroness came from the background as she moved into view. "Destro would never cancel an order - business always comes first."
"That is correct, my dear Baroness. You can tell the Commander that his 'project' is nearing completion and if he wishes any last-minute alterations that he should send them immediately through the usual channels."
Dr. Venom nodded. "Very well. It will only be a minor modification that he hopes will not delay shipment."
"Although the Commander and I may not always see eye to eye, his business is valuable to me. Assure him that he will have his order in a timely manner and please pass along that I look forward to sitting down with him to discuss any future purchase needs."
Before Dr. Venom could reply, he was greeted with a static MARS Industries logo.
Irritated, he pressed a series of buttons and summoned a Tele-Viper. Within minutes, the door slid open and in walked a troop with goggles and a large headset.
"Your orders?"
Dr. Venom handed the small schematics to the communications specialist. "See that this is transmitted in an accelerated manner to MARS Industries. Treat this as a direct request from Cobra Commander."
The Tele-Viper grabbed the papers, turned on his heel, and headed down the hallway.
"At least something around here is efficient," Dr. Venom muttered to himself as he began digging through the results of the latest lab tests. "Fascinating. This looks promising."
This is the half-way point of the story - there are 3 full chapters left and an epilogue. Thank you for the reviews so far - I really appreciate them! I hope you've been enjoying the story so far and would always love to hear any feedback!