Cobra Fortress

Cobra Commander watched the grainy surveillance footage intently. His video intrusion had so far gone unnoticed, so he had a pair of eyes directly into the medical bay of the ruins of the last Terror Drome.

Each day he was given a briefing that usually amounted to nothing. The typical report would recount Mindbender appearing to have a new breakdown before Serpentor would enter and threaten his life. Not that Cobra Commander would have been averse to witness that, he just wondered if the false leader would actually follow through.

Today's footage was a little different. He had already witnessed Zarana present her twin brother to Serpentor. Zandar's betrayal was disappointing, but not entirely shocking. Loyalty from Zartan's siblings seemed to be fleeting at best. Arms crossed and disinterested, he began to wonder what was so important about this stretch of video.

Until he saw the form on the bed sit up and began pulling the artificial airway from her throat.

His blood instantly began to boil. "This! Is! Unacceptable!" Cobra Commander shouted as his fists crashed down on the table.

"I'm afraid so," Tomax said from across the table. He and his brother had arrived at the request of the Commander.

Xamot continued. "It appears that Pythona has awakened."

"How did this happen? What about our assets on the inside?"

"We do not know, Commander," the twins spoke in unison.

His skin crawled as the brothers spoke as one; it still unnerved him.

This was simply a minor obstacle – a simple speedbump on the way to bringing his organization back under his total control.

"How many sleeper agents are still undetected in the Terror Drome?"

Xamot spoke first. "That is… unclear, Commander."

"It has been a few days since anyone has checked in," Tomax finished.

The ruthless leader tilted his head. "A few days?"

Xamot shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly. "Our operatives are in deep cover."

"Any more contact could compromise their positions," Tomax concluded.

"Then why am I wasting my time talking to the two of you," Cobra Commander screamed as he pushed away from the table and stormed out of the room.

Cobra Commander stood before a large crate and stared at the MARS Industries logo. He had been promised something suitable for battle and even though Destro had been working lately for his main competition, the weapons dealer was not one to shy away from a contract or a challenge.

With a few keyboard strokes, Dr. Venom pulled up the schematics and began pointing out the features. "Are you certain you can trust the Scotsman?"

"Destro may play both sides, but that is why I trust him. He knows that excellent cussstomer service is what keeps him in business and that is where his true loyalties lie - his love of money and power."

The scientist nodded, seemingly accepting the assessment and turned his assessment back to the list of features on the blueprints. "Beryllium infused plates for force absorption, puncture resistant Kevlar, remote biometric monitoring. Quite impressive."

"For the price I paid, it should be impressive."

"The helmet has a very intriguing heads-up display which allows for both infrared and night vision capabilities."

Cobra Commander waved his hands in the air. "Yes, yes… when will it be ready for use?"

Dr. Venom looked perturbed. "It is ready for use now. However, I have not told you about the most amazing feature yet! It is one I helped design and integrate myself."

The Commander fought the urge to roll his eyes. Of course, HIS addition would be the most amazing one. "I'll be the judge of that."

"Your serum? The one that is restoring your humanity?" Dr. Venom locked eyes with the maniacal leader. "I have developed, with the smallest of assistance of MARS Industries, a method of delivery that is contained within the suit. You can be on the battlefield or on a remote site for up to two weeks before needing the refill the reservoir."

Cobra Commander tilted his head. "Truly? No routine injections? No more scheduled follow-ups?" He removed the glove from his right hand and winced in disgust as a few loose scales fell away. Soft, pink flesh that was tender to the touch had begun to heal from beneath the spot the scales had been.

"As long as progress continues at this pace, you should be back to your original self within weeks… or months at the latest."

He felt his agitation growing with each passing moment. "Will you just get on with it? I want to see the actual suit, not technical displays and spreadsheets!"

Dr. Venom quickly keyed in the failsafe code transmitted prior to the crate's arrival. "One second, Commander. There we go!"

What had appeared to be a wooden crate began to unfold and the metal supports on the inside betrayed its false outer shell. Cobra Commander's eyes grew wide in admiration when he finally saw his purchase in person.

The Kevlar beneath was blue but was covered by the Beryllium plates which would offer the majority of the protection that was needed for battle. The metallic silver was the most prevalent feature. It was not a color scheme he was accustomed to. He preferred more regal look of a solid blue, but for the power and security the suit promised, he could make an exception. No longer was the emblem of his organization emblazoned on his chest like what adorned the uniforms of his foot soldiers; the Cobra insignia was etched on the helmet. Now, as he stood over his fallen foes and stared at them from behind the safety of his new battle suit, his eyes and the red Cobra logo would be the last sight they would see.

Cobra Commander clasped his hands in glee. "Yes! This will do nicely," he said as he began to try the suit on.

Just a brief note - the following sections do not follow the 4 part structure. The next two chapters are each broken into to parts - one for each point of attack.