Captives of Cobra

"Great!" Alpine huffed as he and Mainframe ran to the car. "They would kidnap the kids during the one period everyone else has class!" They could see the van that carried the students pulling out of the school driveway.

"Follow that van!" Mainframe shouted as Alpine drove.

"Gee there's an original line," Alpine groaned. "What the…Oh great!"

"What?"

"Look behind us, it's the Sunshine boys," Alpine referred to the Dreadnoks riding at top speed on their motorcycles behind them.

"Great," Mainframe instinctively ducked as they shot at them. "That just made my day!"

The Dreadnoks herded the car into an alley. Before they knew it, their tires were shot out and they were careening towards the wall. Then one of them threw in a gas grenade and everything went black.

Sometime later…

"Ugh…my head," Alpine groaned. "It feels like Shipwreck had a party in it."

"Mr. Pine?" Scott's voice rang through his head. Alpine looked up. Scott was tied up to one post with Mainframe while Jean and Taryn were tied up to another. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah nothing that a week in the Bahamas can't cure," Alpine groaned. "You kids okay? Anybody hurt?"

"No," Jean said. "We're okay."

"Speak for yourself," Taryn sniffed. "I'd hardly call being kidnapped and tied up okay!"

"Mainframe?" Alpine asked.

"I'll be fine once the room stops spinning," He groaned. He noticed Jean had a black and gold collar around her neck. "Let me guess, you can't use your powers right?"

"Yeah," Jean admitted. "How did you…?"

"I noticed that suppression collar around your neck," He told her. "A fun little invention Cobra cooked up." He looked at Scott. "But you're not wearing one? Why?"

"I dunno," Scott said. "I guess they figured as long as my hands couldn't reach my eyes I was helpless."

"Well that's a lucky break," Mainframe whispered. "Try contacting your professor. You guys have a mental link. Right?"

Scott nodded and focused his mind. While he was doing that Mainframe looked around. They were in some kind of abandoned warehouse. "They didn't take my watch either," Mainframe realized and started tapping his wrist to the post. "It has a homing device for situations like this. Hopefully the Joes will get the message."

"The Professor says to keep calm," Scott said after a few minutes. "They've got the coordinates and they'll be here in about a half hour. Apparently we're way on the outskirts of town."

"Well that's some good news," Alpine sighed. He heard footsteps coming. "Okay heads up, we're gonna get some company!"

"I told you to bring more than one suppression collar!" Guyrich snapped at Trask as they walked in.

"I forgot okay?" Trask snapped back. "I was a little busy dodging SHIELD agents! Besides, we only needed one for the telepath/telekinetic. This other one…" He indicated Scott. "Is helpless as long as he can't move those glasses. Aren't you freak?" He kicked Scott in the leg.

"Oh real brave Trask!" Mainframe snapped. "Picking on kids that are tied up! What's next? Drowning puppies in a bag?"

"I knew you were nuts Trask but I never figured you for a sadist," Alpine told him.

"You people aren't smart enough to figure out a lot of things," Trask sneered in Alpine's face.

"You people?" Alpine rolled his eyes. "Wonderful! He's also a racist. Why am I not surprised?"

"Where's the other mutants Guyrich?" Mainframe asked.

"They're safely contained elsewhere," Trask smiled. "Don't worry. You'll see them soon enough. Ms. Baron informs me that it's only a pit stop until we take them and you traitors to the human race to the main destination."

"I hate to break this to you slimeball," Mainframe told him. "Wait a minute, I'm going to enjoy telling you this. You're being played for a fool! Do you know who your so-called new friends are? Ever hear of Cobra?"

"The terrorist group?" Trask sniffed. "Please! How stupid do you think I am?"

"Pretty stupid actually," The Baroness entered the room in her black uniform with Cobra insignia, her weapon poised at Trask's head. Zartan and the Dreadnoks were behind her snickering. "Take them!"

"What…what are you doing?" Guyrich gasped as the Dreadnoks tied them up and took the plans.

"Double crossing you of course," She smirked.

"Way to go Trask you just handed Cobra plans to build their own robot army!" Alpine snapped as Trask was shoved next to him.

"What? I don't understand!" Guyrich asked, clearly bewildered at what was going on.

"And people call us dumb," Buzzer snorted.

"Let me explain my dear Mr. Guyrich," The Baroness told him. "And I'll try to use small words so you can understand. I am the Baroness. I work for Cobra. So do all the people on my team. Our mission was to get some mutants so Cobra will have extra weapons for use in the research labs and weapons departments. Thanks to you we also get an added bonus, the plans to build an entire army of robot warriors that will help us conquer the world. Not to mention the two men who helped design them so they can help us make more of them. Now do you understand?"

"The Baroness?" Trask gasped. "I thought you were only a myth!"

"She's real, duh!" Monkeywrench gave him a noogie on the head.

"For an egghead you ain't that smart," Ripper sneered.

"So everything was a lie!" Guyrich snapped. "What about those papers you showed me? Dr. Modrovich? What about the government who killed him?"

"Oh they are real and no his government didn't kill him," She smiled as she put the barrel of the gun in Guyrich's face. "I did."

Guyrich's jaw was wide open, but no sound was coming out. "Don't worry my dear Henry," Baroness chuckled holstering her weapon. "You and Trask are far to valuable to kill. You have information we need."

"We won't tell you anything!" Trask spat out.

"Wanna bet?" Zartan grabbed Trask's throat. His chest glowed red and seemed to make a menacing humming sound. "I think I might be able to get one or two things out of you."

"Oh by the way Trask I should point out that Zartan and Zanya here are mutants," Baroness smiled, clearly enjoying Trask's discomfort.

"Yes I am looking forward to educating you about mutants in the future," Zartan grinned wolfishly. He released Trask's throat and laughed.

"If you're a mutant then why are you helping Cobra capture mutants?" Scott asked.

"If you saw the paycheck he gets every week you wouldn't ask such stupid questions boy," Baroness told him.

"So you used me," Taryn said angrily to Zanya.

"Of course I did," She smiled. "It was so easy to use your jealously against them. Nothing personal dear. Just business. Personally girlfriend, I think your taste in boys leaves much to be desired. Scooter here is too much a stick in the mud for my tastes."

"Oh I don't know, He does have his charms. I think I'm going to enjoy breaking you in," The Baroness purred as she traced her finger on Scott's jaw and down his chest.

"Sexist," Monkeywrench grunted.

"Yeah if we did that to either of them, she'd shoot us," Buzzer grumbled indicating Taryn and Jean.

Torch caught the look of disgust on Jean and Taryn's faces. "Don't worry kiddies, you little bits of fluff aren't our type anyway!" He took a look at Trask and smirked. "You on the other hand mate, might not be so bad after all."

Trask gasped in horror while Alpine chuckled. "Will you shut up and do something?" Trask shouted.

"Like what?" Alpine looked at him. "Help. Murder. Police. Happy?"

"Listen you may have us," Guyrich told them, "But at least let Taryn go. She's an innocent human girl. She has nothing to do with this. She's not even a mutant!"

"Not yet," Baroness smirked. "I think however that our good Doctor Mindbender might be interested in experimenting with her DNA. There might be something we can do with her. Or add to her."

Taryn shrinked back in horror at her evil gaze. "YOU SICK DERANGED MONSTER!" Trask spat.

"Look who's talking," Alpine muttered.

"Why don't all of you relax and get acquainted while we arrange suitable transportation?" Baroness laughed as she and the Dreadnoks left them. "You'll all be together for a long time."

"Don't worry kids," Mainframe told them. "We'll get you out of here. By now Paul must have told the Joes as well."

"Paul is in on this too?" Scott asked.

"Not exactly," Mainframe said. "He sorta just stumbled into this by accident. He's my son."

"What?" Scott yelped. "You mean he knew about us all this time?"

"Yup," Alpine nodded.

"Let me see if I get this straight," Taryn sighed. "Jean, you and Scott are mutants. Everyone at the Institute and the Brotherhood is a mutant. Half the teachers are with Cobra; the other half is with GI Joe. My so-called best friend is a mercenary. The Vice-Principal is a nutcase spy and Paul is your son. Is everyone at school part of some super secret club except me?"

"Unless you count Kelly being a member of the Jackass of the Year club, no," Guyrich spat.

"I thought you and Trask shared that title?" Alpine asked.

"Look if you will stop making jokes maybe we can figure a way out of here!" Trask snapped. "I created Sentinels to save the world, not destroy it!"

"Save it? For who?" Scott snapped. "You caused more damage downtown than any mutant! Most of us just want to live peacefully. What gives you the right to decide who's fit to live and who isn't?"

"Being a member of the human race gives me that right you freak!" Trask snapped. "You deserve to be wiped off the face of the earth, all of you! You're a disease that has to be cleansed! You…"

"OH SHUT UP!" Taryn shouted. "You are such a jerk! Who knows what Cobra's gonna do to us and all you can do is babble your stupid point of view! I don't really care about mutants at this point! I just want to get out of here and go home!"

"That's the first intelligent thing that's been said so far," Mainframe said. "Okay we just have to do a few simple things, like escape…"

"Get the other mutants," Jean reminded him.

"Stop Cobra from using my plans!" Trask snapped.

"Oh shut up Trask!" Everyone shouted.

"Okay, let's review shall we? So all we have to do is escape, save the kids. Get Jean out of that collar. Get the Sentinel plans back from Cobra and keep these two from running off," Alpine said. "Not to mention take on the Dreadnoks and the Baroness and rescue any other mutants we might find. Gee, and I thought this was going to be difficult."