The Final Countdown
"This is Trish Tilby reporting live," The reporter spoke into the camera. "At precisely 8:30 this morning two military bases fell victim to a mysterious phenomenon. The entire arsenal of weapons, vehicles and supplies has been disintegrating. This same phenomena is reported to have been spotted at 32 federal buildings, 13 national ISP providers and more reports are coming in by the minute. As you can see by the footage, objects are literally crumbling away into ashes after a burst of strange lights."
The footage was shown as tanks and jeeps turned into ashes. "In addition, Wall Street has been completely shut down due to a similar malfunction. Several power outages across the Eastern seaboard have been reported. It's all getting jumbled. This just in, hospitals in Washington DC are crammed with patients suffering from a strange disease which has stopped nearly all motor functions. Doctors are baffled. Something else has come over…Now nearly all communication out of Washington DC has been stopped. We're trying to establish a link with reporter Jeff Jarens. Jeff can you tell us what's going on out there?"
"This is Jeff Jarens here, and I am in what can only be described as a war zone," Jeff tried to remain on the air. "As you can see in the background several tanks are disintegrating as if they were made of straw. Can you get a shot of that? I don't know how much longer we'll be able to remain on the air. Some kind of bomb that annihilates everything in sight is being used but who or what is using them…"
BOOM!
A shot of Cobra helicopters flying by and Cobra forces fighting could be seen. "Oh my god!" Jarens shouted. "Cobra forces have invaded Washington DC.! It's chaos. The military can't seem to stop them. What's that? Oh my god, get a shot of this!"
A shot of Sabertooth throwing around several soldiers like rag dolls could be seen. "It's a mutant! Trish! Cobra is using mutants to fight as well! The mutants are in league with Cobra! Repeat! Mutants are fighting with Cobra!"
Several Cobra soldiers surrounded the reporters and herded them towards a stand. "It seems although we have been captured we're still allowed to report. It seems that we are expected to hold some kind of impromptu press conference. Over there I see someone in some kind of gold helmet. Obviously the leader of Cobra…Could be the famed Cobra Commander himself. I also see the Speaker of the House and the Secretary of Defense. They're about to speak."
The Speaker of the House spoke first, flanked by Lillian. "Ladies and Gentlemen, this phenomenon we are experiencing is due to the incompetence of our government and military leaders. We have learned much too late that terrorists have created a weapon specifically made to disrupt our way of life."
"We in the Department of Defense had no way to prepare for such an attack," The Secretary of Defense spoke. "But thanks to the assistance of Destro and Mistress Armada…" He indicated Lillian. "We have been given a way to counteract it."
"Cobra's organized ways to improve our lives while we in Washington wasted time with partisan squabbling," The Speaker of the House said. "I give you the commander in chief of Cobra, Destro."
Alexander stood at the podium. "Greetings. I am Destro, leader of Cobra. Right now I am allowing the transmission of this broadcast through my personal satellite. This country has been divided for too long. Divided over ideas of race, religion, wealth and recently genetics your so-called leaders have created the ideal climate for chaos. I am here to put a stop to it. As of now I am assuming temporary leadership of the Pentagon and the Government until this crisis has come to an end. I have full authority given to me by the Speaker of the House and the Secretary of Defense to do whatever it takes to stop these outrages. Please do not be alarmed. Cobra is here to help. To all remaining fighters resisting I order you to surrender to Cobra. Everyone return to your homes and remain there until further notice. More information will be given to you later."
"Destro! Destro…" Several reporters called out.
"He said LATER!" Lillian snarled at them. With a wave of her hand the soldiers ushered the reporters away. When the four of them went into a secured building she grinned. "Not bad."
"I thought it was a trifle melodramatic," Mystique remarked as she shifted from the form of the Secretary of Defense to her normal mode.
"What's wrong with that?" Zartan removed his mask of the Speaker of the House.
"Uh you do all realize that technically neither the Speaker of the House nor the Secretary of Defense has authority to hand over the government to anyone they want right?" Mystique said.
"So?" Lillian scoffed. "The majority of people in this country don't even know the capitals of their own state they live in."
"God bless the uninformed public," Alexander grinned.
"Too bad the President was out of town," Mystique grunted. "He had to go to Maine to visit his Daddy on spur of the moment!"
"A minor setback," Alexander waved.
"Minor?" Mystique asked. "Why the hell at least you don't cover the entire country with the nanites or something? Instead of those little bombs you keeps sending out?"
"Because the nanites have a limited life span outside the human body," Alexander told her. "And even less time in inorganic structures with the exception of the Gajin satellite of course."
"WHAT?" Mystique shouted. "Exactly how limited how we talking about?"
"Twenty to thirty seconds," Alexander shrugged.
"TWENTY OR THIRTY SECONDS?" Mystique shouted.
"Why the hell didn't you inform us of this earlier?" Zartan snarled.
"Because it is information on a need to know basis, and you did not need to know," Alexander snapped. "Just play your parts and…" Something exploded outside. "Oh what now?"
"Looks like the Joes are playing Calvary again," Lillian looked outside. "I must admit they're putting up a fight despite the nanites."
"I want to capture any Joes alive," Alexander snarled. "As many as possible."
"What for?" Mystique asked.
"So I can kill them on national television of course," Alexander snapped. "Ah it looks like the nanite bombs are working."
"I want to watch this," Mystique shifted back into her disguise. "After all the trouble they've caused me I deserve some payback."
Zartan arranged his disguise as well and they made their way to an area. Several Joes including General Hawk were seemingly frozen surrounded by Cobra Troops.
"Sir," One soldier saluted him. "They took a lot of us out before the nanites kicked in."
"Rather anti-climatic isn't it?" Alexander sighed as he overlooked the Joes. "How easily you were all defeated. It's hard to believe you gave my father such trouble. Oh yes I know you know who I am. You must have figured it out by now thanks to your little Misfits and friends wandering back. What to do with you? Which ones do I kill first? Hawk you obviously, then Duke here. Flint. And you are…Captain Ahab?" He looked at Shipwreck. "I'm a bit rusty on my Joe trivia I'm afraid. Oh no matter."
He looked at the glares he was given. "What's wrong? Can't move or speak? Let me help you," He viciously kicked Hawk in the stomach and knocked him down. "Far be it from me to kick a man when he's down. Oh wait," He kicked him again. "I just did. All right fun's over, somebody get a camera and record this for posterity." He turned his back on Hawk. "I can replay your execution for my Father over and over again. He'd like that."
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"What is that infernal noise?" Alexander cocked his head. "I do believe it's coming from your…" He went to inspect Hawk's watch and was promptly punched in the gut by Hawk. "OOOFFH!"
That second was all the Joes needed to take the Cobras by surprise. The Joes sprang on their captors quickly. What stunned the Cobras was that several of them started to stiffen up and their weapons were disintegrating.
"What's going on? How the hell can you move?" Alexander shouted.
"When you sent your little broadcast we were able to trace the main signal back to the Gajin satellite and reprogram it," Hawk told him. "Right now all those little nanites are eating each other and repairing the damage they've caused in all the people they've infected."
"Except of course for the ones you've infected your own troops with," Flint grinned. "I love it when plans of double dealing scum like you backfire."
"Yeah and I'm gonna beat my name into you," Shipwreck made a fist.
"It doesn't matter," Alexander snarled. "You don't have enough troops to stop me!"
"Actually we don't need them," Hawk pointed behind him. To Alexander's horror the Misfits and the X-Men were attacking the Cobras and mopping the floor with them.
Sabertooth was the only one holding his own against Logan. "I should have known you'd throw in with scum like this," Logan snarled.
"Don't be so cocky Runt," Sabertooth snarled. Then he sensed someone rush up behind him. He barely missed X23's claws. "What the hell is this? Oh no, this is the mini-you isn't it? Just what the world needs, a pink Wolverine!"
"Stay out of this kid!" Logan roared at her. "This is my fight!"
"I can help you!" X23 snarled.
"We'll finish this some other time," Sabertooth snarled as he darted past them. "When it's not 'Take Your Clone to Work Day'." He ran past several Cobras who tried to fight off the mutants. With all the Cobras to fight, Sabertooth easily eluded them.
"He's getting away!" Logan roared in frustration as he shredded several rifles out of the hands of some terrified Cobras."
"So? We got plenty other friends to play with," Fred called out as he trashed a Cobra tank. Soon the fighting stopped with the Cobras as the losers.
"It's over Alexander," Hawk and the Joes surrounded him and Lillian. "Get away from the Speaker and the Secretary of Defense."
Quickly the two 'politicians' moved away. "Oh thank god!" Mystique put on her best fearful voice. "They threatened to kill us if we didn't do what they said."
"Please get us out of here," Zartan followed.
"Get them to safety," Hawk ordered.
"Wait a second…" Logan sniffed the air. "I know that scent…" He flashed his claws and charged at Zartan.
"Logan what are you doing?" Peter held onto him.
"That's Zartan!" Logan roared.
"Of all the times…" Zartan quickly took out a smoke bomb from under his jacket and threw it. Soon the area was covered in smoke. Zartan and Mystique ran off in the confusion, discarding their disguises. Mystique quickly changed into an American soldier. "I really hate Wolverine and his bloody nose."
"I'd love to give him a bloody nose," Mystique said. "You'll have to pretend to be my prisoner." Then a huge ATV sped up to them with Sabertooth driving it. "Or not…Come on!"
They both managed to barely jump in time in the moving vehicle. "Thanks for slowing down," Mystique said sarcastically.
"You made it didn't you? I should have known this stupid plan would have failed!" Sabertooth snapped.
"Just shut up and drive!" Mystique snapped. "Besides we have bigger fish to fry."
"You still wanna go after Creed huh?" Sabertooth asked. "Yeah I wanna piece of him too."
"Why the hell not?" Zartan grunted. "Something tells me it will be a while before Cobra Commander forgives me of this anyway."
"You think he'll really forgive you for this?" Mystique asked.
"He's forgiven me for worse," Zartan pointed out.
Meanwhile Lillian and Alexander somehow had made it to a section of the park. "Just take off the damned mask and leave it!" Lillian snapped.
"Lillian this thing has sensors wired into my brainwaves as well as vocal manipulators and optic sensors to help me pass for Destro," Alexander snapped. "It simply does not just 'come off' like it was a child's Halloween costume."
An unmarked car sped up to them and the door opened for them to get in. "Any port in a storm," Alexander said as he and Lillian jumped in. "Thank you for your assistance whoever you are."
"Oh there's no need to thank me Alexander," The Baroness purred as she pointed her weapon at them. "It's your dear Father who sent me. He's feeling much better now and wants to have a chat with you."