The Bond

Wolf followed Snake-Eyes coming to a very spacious room and living quarters more styled after that of the traditional Japan. The floor looked made of tiled wood and had walls that were textured like sliding doors containing squares of resilient but fragile rice paper. The bed was one that was off the ground but not by much more like a mat. The back wall had weapons of a personal collection in nature. Turning to her right she saw the stand which Snake Eyes had just put his Clan Sword in. Running her heel against her boot sides they unstrapped and she slipped them off wearing specialized socks that kept the bottoms of her feet cooled, also having the grey texture similar to paw pads. Toe nails a little sharp and half taloned.

Snake-Eyes watched her and felt a sense of regret in a way that she would be trapped confined from the world but more so that she might have been abused by either his fallen clan brother or the cowardly commander of the Cobra organization. She had more respect than most people though and a somewhat basic knowledge to know to take her shoes off before entering. Snake-Eyes showed her around first then at different articles and scraps he had collected. Writing on an electronic pad in the manner of speech to her. She humored him by writing back.

They were interrupted though by his wrist communicator he used to communicate to other Joes, it was the signal for emergency mission. Looking at each other he gestured come on and she went out after him. Both racing for the briefing room where general Hawk was arriving as the other Joes assembled.

"Sorry to pull your kids day off but we've got movement activity from rogue vipers. No indication yet that they are receiving commands from Commander Cobra yet. Regardless they need to be taken out before they reach their target." He brought up the Holo-display and it showed Manhattan heading for the statue of liberty as the projected target.

"They might have more nanites and that thing is full of metal, we don't need a repeat of the Eifel Tower." The Joes remembered and moved out. "Wolf your with Snake-Eyes, follow his commands." She caught a matching wrist communicator and nodded chasing after the team slipping the mask back in place and metal moved locking it in place.

Other Joes were on scene already fighting the Neo- Vipers. The leading crone wore a black business suit carrying a case with its contents having the embolized red cobra symbol. Heading for the statue and waiting transportation. One Joe was hit looking down his death but the Neo Viper didn't fire, his attention and that of the man in the suit, was on something else. Something behind him, sergeant Richmond looked behind him, hearing it before he saw it, a transport rocketing down onto the scene. A distinctive craft that wore a green-camo skin on a body that was sharlike right down to its snout, with four-winged jet thrusters riding high. The craft- known to those who used it as a Howler- rotated ninety degrees, slowing into a hover. The hatch opened and two figures jumped from the hatch-way.

Richmond grinned getting back into the game, taking the chance he leapt to his feet and smashed a forearm into the Viper's throat and sent him and his high-tech rifle into the dirt with the satisfying crack of a breaking neck. The man in the suit wanted nothing of this clearly turning to take off running harder as his legs would take him. Richmond moved right behind them putting just as much effort into the run. A figure in black and another in black and red came quickly down the ropes from the transport, landing nimbly just behind two vipers whose necks got snapped with lethal ease, two chefs halving a stalk of celery.

Richmond tripped up the runner holding on to glance back to see this happen. Damn, they are quick, was the thought that went through his mind, eyes barely able to follow the blurs of black-clad soldiers as the ninja-like figures drew samurai swords, katanas, from shoulder sheathes, burying the blades into another set of adversaries with ceremonial skill.

The weasel operative got a decent kick in getting loose to take off. Enough so Richmond cursed rolling over to get up spitting at the taste of salt that filled his mouth painting the pavement in a paint ball of red. Looking around for the slimy git he caught sight of another viper drawing weapon to take aim but before he could so much as finish the thought to yell warning of the viper out of their blades reach the man did a gun-fighter draw and fired a Glock right at the Viper.

His bullet found home and purchase through the eye slit of the Viper's skull-like helmet, you didn't have to be a genius to appreciate a head shot was the best shot in any case. All of this had happened in only the manner of six seconds. Richmond watched the almost otherworldly figures as they sheathed their swords and the man holstered his still smoking Glock. Both looked at each other. On the triceps of the man's black body armor were red ninja markings, his face hidden by a black armor mask. They female in a way was similar but her markings were contained in the metal of the emblem of her red sash like a belt. She didn't have a visor like the guy but a complete death mask. Both took off to find more prey but the female headed towards him.

She grabbed his arm and wrist yanking that Richmond didn't even have time to catch a breath let alone ask why her hands felt so weird and what was up with her nails! He shook it off and took off with her for the man in the suit. She covered and kept his back throwing out her arm Shriuken Stars took off in simultaneous directions finding homes in the openings of Viper helmets or armor in vital areas that allowed tendons to respond to messages of the brain. She split off from him going around the other way cutting down two Vipers as she went.

Richmond could only shake his head and focus so he didn't feel the pain of breathing through a broken nose. Gun fire from an automatic machine gun grade ozi made the operative skid to a panic halt and turned to get tackled into by Richmond. The case snapped open and he grabbed the activated cylinder tossing it. It would break against the statue and the familiar green yellow liquid would unleash its hellish little nano spawns of bottomless pit envy. Wolf came out of nowhere stopping it from touching the statue but it broke on her. The liquid spreading to consume metals she tossed her sword away so it remained untouched.

Running from the site and into the lab set up and threw a disintegrating Shriuken star hitting the tanks that spewed out a cloud of mist running faster and threw it out the other side. Into the shack and ….nothing.

The Joes cleared the area and Snake-Eyes arrived as the agent was detained and picked up her sword looking for her. Seeing the indentations in the earth and the empty canister, liquid armor had traces of metal. She was wearing a lot of it, what if they got down to touching flesh? Snake-Eyes felt a well sense of panic make his chest tight and moved to run into the shack but was restrained by Duke and Heavy Duty everyone stopping at the sound of something walking towards the entrance of the shack and something like breaking glass. Everyone stilled. The black shape of mass stopped at the doorway unable to be seen. Everyone could practically hear their hearts in their ears at it tried to leap up their throats.

That something started to reach out……..