They arrived at the Rock and entered the control room to face General Colton surrounded by Duke, Roadblock, Spirit, and Shipwreck.
"Sorry to bring you back so soon," Colton says. "We have been in contact with Stormshadow in Japan. As you know, Stormshadow sought to restore J'Bang to his body, the one currently inhabited by Sei Tin's essence. Apparently Sei Tin had more Ninjas who were lying wait for the right moment to rescue Sei Tin. When Stormshadow arrived in Japan with J'Bang and Sei Tin, Sei Tin's Ninjas saw their chance. Two Ninjas took Stormshadow by surprise and, in his already weakened state from the injuries he sustained while rescuing Snake Eyes, he did not challenge them. Fortunately Stormshadow is ok." He paused and regarded the look of shock on Roadblock and Shipwreck's faces. Kamakura and Spirit looked thoughtful. Duke looked confused, but he had been on another covert mission during the whole Red Ninja Clan episode. And dam, as always, he could never tell what Snake Eyes was thinking and, as always, it made him nervous.
"If that wasn't enough, our intel is pointing to some Cobra splinter cell activity in Europe. We need to neutralize these cells and find out what they are planning. We may be able to get information on the current whereabouts of Cobra Commander. We need two teams. Duke, I need you to head up the team to investigate the cells. Stalker, I want you to lead Snake Eyes and Kamakura to recover Sei Tin and get rid of that slippery bastard once and for all. Stormshadow indicated that you should rendevous with him in Japan."
"Ah, General? Aren't you forgetting one other kind of significant crisis?" Roadblock voiced what the rest of them were thinking.
Colton shook his head. "No, Roadblock, I did not forget about Scarlett. Right now we have TWO situations threatening international security. Cobra Commander obtained sensitive information on GI Joe and the U.S. government during his impersonation of the President's chief of staff. If any of these cells are acting on that information, we need to stop them and Cobra Commander. And the last thing I need while trying to fight Cobra is Sei Tin and his band of merry fucking Ninjas coming out of the woodwork. He was under our authority and we let him get away. We need to get him back."
He sighed loudly. "We don't even know exactly what happened to Scarlett and can't spare men to investigate her disappearance."
"What about what her brother said about who attacked them? Ninjas…red?" Stalker asserted. "Now we know Sei Tin escaped and he has more Ninjas. It's possible he is behind her disappearance."
"When did Stormshadow say that Sei Tin escaped? Was it before Scarlett was taken?" Duke asked.
"It was about the same time." Colton answered.
"Sei Tin could have sent some of his Ninjas to take Scarlett while others helped him escape," surmised Stalker.
"We just can't base our actions on assumptions here men! If Sei Tin is involved with Scarlett's disappearance, then you will find her while tracking him down, right? So I need for you to prioritize finding and stopping Sei Tin!" Colton ordered.
Stalker observed Snake during the exchange with the general, trying to gauge his reaction or see if he would say anything, but the Commando stood still. Finally, after Colton barked his command, Snake lifted his hands, grabbed his left hand with his right, as if calming himself, then started signing.
I am going after Scarlett. That is my priority.
Colton regarded Snake Eyes, his tone lowering slightly. "Snake Eyes I know you have been through a lot…."
Snake Eyes interrupted with a flurry of hands.
With all due respect General, you don't know any of what I have been through. He points down. How is hell for a descriptor? First Scarlett gets kidnapped by Destro in retaliation for GI Joe holding the Baroness captive here, which was kept a secret from us. Then I "die" trying to rescue Scarlett and then mind controlled. This…. stops now!
Most of the time Snake Eyes didn't care about talking anymore, but there were moments, like this one, when it was frustrating as hell. He wanted to yell. He wanted to tear off his mask so they could see the accusation in his eyes, the anger, the pain. But instead he grabbed the chair next to him and threw it against the wall.
The Joes were wide eyed. Snake Eyes was not usually given to outward displays of emotion. And even with his calm demeanor, or maybe because of it, they've always been wary of him and his abilities, even Stalker, who has known him the longest. But now, after the mind control, they were even more wary, worried that he might have become maybe…just slightly…unhinged. They also always knew that it was Scarlett who grounded him, and well, with her capture, who knew what would happen. They had to get her back. If not, they may very well lose Snake Eyes too.
No, I am going after Scarlett. Court martial me. If Sei Tin is involved with her disappearance, then lucky for you and your mission because I will… deal with him. I only came here to track her signal on the computer. I intend to use the computer and then I am leaving.
"Shit." Colton ran his hands through his hair again. "Ok Snake Eyes. Stalker you are still in charge of this mission. Officially, your priority is to neutralize Sei Tin, unofficially, well, I don't want to hear about it." Colton paused. "And Snake Eyes….I want to see her back too."
Snake Eyes had already tuned out Colton and headed for the computer to input the code that would search for Scarlett's signal. They had chips implanted into them a while back for this very reason. That was how Scarlett had found him when he was under the control of Sei Tin. One of the most valuable features of the chip was that it could read and relay the person's vital signs. He would be able to not only locate her position, but tell if she was…alive.
Everyone except Colton joined Snake Eyes at the computer as it began to load the tracking program. Various fields popped up on the screen: altitude, longitude, vitals. Their attention was drawn to vitals. A percent popped up: 15.
"What does that mean?" asked Roadblock. "What the hell does 15 percent mean!" No one replied. They kept staring at the screen, willing the number to change.
As if in response, the number started increasing…20...50...no one breathed...75…83…100 percent.
"That's a good sign. That means she's alive, right?" Shipwreck said excitedly.
Snake Eyes nodded.
"Dam, well how's that for drama!" exclaimed Roadblock as he went to slap Snake Eyes on the back, no, bad idea. He slapped Stalker on the back, relieving some of the built up tension.
"It's showing the location as Japan," says Stalker. Snake Eyes did not reply. "That's where Stormshadow is...and where Sei Tin escaped."
"Well, the Sei Tin coincidences seem to be piling up here." Duke concluded. "Question is why? Why go through all that trouble? What does he want with Scarlett?"
Stalker, Kamakura, Roadblock, and Shipwreck had the same theory running through their heads to explain Sei Tin's motives. When they were rescuing Snake Eyes from the Red Ninja Clan, Sei Tin saw how Stormshadow used Snake's love for Scarlett to break him free of the mind control. Sei Tin must have realized that the ultimate leverage against Snake was Scarlett. If he was behind her kidnapping, then most likely his ultimate goal was Snake Eyes.