Frontline News.
Disclaimer: Skymaster23 has no connection to the Super Mario series.
While Leatherneck is on his way to the event he's been invited to, Hawk is going over designs for an experimental humanoid P.A.C./R.A.T., as well as a replacement for the base's "big gun", when he is informed that the recruits for the Green-shirt division have arrived. "Okay then, I'll be right there. Thank you, Breaker."
Once his welcoming speech is done, the new soldiers are led through the base, where they walk past some Joes shoving carts of S.H.A.R.C. parts. One of the recruits stops and looks back. "Wasn't thet... Iz thayure uh gourmet chef around these-hare parts?" She asks outloud before removing her helmet, causing Roadblock to go wide-eyed.
"Well if it isn't li'l Honda-Lou with a howdy-do." He says while patting her shoulder.
"Is this a friend of yours, Roadblock?" Hawk asks as he walks over.
"That she is. She got caught up in the Weather Dominator incident when Cobra took over some of her semi's." Roadblock explains, only to pause for a second and glance to Honda-Lou as Barbecue is telling Hawk that it was her trucks that brought the furniture for his R&R spot in Keystone before and after it was destroyed in the Christmas ordeal. "How come you ain't doing that any more?" He asks, and she explains that the repair bills for all the trucks got too expensive, so she sold them off a year ago. "That don't explain why you'd pick a job this insane."
"Now, don't yawl go thankin' i went fahwar thus wun monly. Ah put in resumes at fower other places; but in thuh end, haulin' stuff around iz thonly lahf Ahv evur known." Green-shirt West replies.
"You don't say. How's about you let me give you a few pointers, then." Cover-Girl offers as she leads Honda-Lou to the motorpool.
"Oh, jeez."/"I'll go let Rich, and/or Doc know." Cutter and Green-shirt Alexander say.
"Know about what?" Hawk asks Roadblock, who's about to explain when Beachhead is heard over the intercom for Gung-Ho and Mainframe* to join him at the airfield for the flight to Parris island.
Once the four Joes make it back to base and it's revealed that the McCann at Leavenworth was replaced by a synthoid during a power-out, Hawk is requested to have his tech Joes come up with a method to deal with them. "So, do either of you have any ideas on how to keep one of them contained?"
After a week of arguing and designing simulations; Breaker, Mainframe, and Dial-Tone come up with a triangular cell with high intensity energy beams instead of physical bars. "Well, that sounds fine, but will heat alone make a difference?" Duke asks them.
"Airtight brought that up too, Duke." Breaker replies. "The solution we came up with is for the emitters and mirrors to both be on a rotation mechanism so that the beams move so fast the synthoid can't get all stretchy."
A while later, in Flint's office.
"Huh... Well, i guess this means that old case is closed for good." Lady-Jaye says aloud, causing Flint to raise a brow.
"Old case?"
"I didn't tell you? I was one of the agents tracking McCann's smuggling plot before i was assigned here." She explains.
"Oh... That wouldn't happen to mean you know all of the new guys, does it?" He asks her.
Putting on an exaggerated look of annoyance, she replies. "I didn't actually meet Leatherneck, ditto for Slip-Stream and Sci-Fi."
"Alright. Sorry again about that remark earlier."
"That's ok." She told him before sitting side-saddle on his desk. "Just between you and me, I'd have rather watched him bop those mushrooms with the tiny feet, anyway."
In the Terror Drome.
Once Cobra Commander got over the loss, he begins work on a replacement class of operative. He draws a figure with a blue short-sleeve jacket, a black and orange vest, orange arm guards, black boots, and finally, the helmet. "Sso, what do you ttthink?"
"It's like you made out vith a blueberry and a pumpkin at the same time." The Baroness states.
"And what's with the goggles if they already have a visor?" Scrap Iron asks him.
"You two are jussst upset becaussse it's better than what you would have come up with!" Cobra Commander shouts while shaking the sheet in irritation.
"There's also the matter of what they are to be called." Destro says.
"Our suggestion is that they..."/"...be called plain old Vipers." The Twins add, and explain when Storm Shadow asks the obvious. "Mostly due to it being..."/"...the anniversary of..."/"...that mess that cost us..."/"...the Antarctic resort..."/"...the West Point attack..."/"...and the raid on our corporate headquarters."
"Exxxcellent point." Cobra Commander said to get them to stop talking. "I hereby order the immediate creatttion of the Viper corps. Cobra!"
Chapter forty-one.
* Originally it was Roadblock, Wet-Suit, and Low-Light who went with Beachhead.
