Back To Reality Part 7
As the black Sedan pulled out of the underground parking lot and then screeched down an abandoned street safe from the battle happening near the Parliament Building, a lone warrior stood watching its departure.
A series of explosions rocked the battlefield as it departed and destroyed Cobra's line of defense against G.I.Joe. The man knew this battle had no purpose and Serpentor was foolish to undertake it. This was Karma, but it was difficult to see Cobra Commander as Buddha.
He was angry. Because he knew who the occupants were in the car and who they had as unwilling passengers. So he followed them, jumping across rooftops. But when he could no longer follow them on the rooftops, he jumped down from a two-story building to the street below and climbed onto some poor man's motorcycle as he made a call on a pay phone.
"Hey!" the man shouted, but the man ignored him as he put on a helmet. The owner of the motorcycle grabbed the thief's arm in an attempt to stop him, but it was bad mistake. The thief grabbed the other man's wrist and twisted it. The man screamed in agony, and the thief pushed him away. The man grabbed his wrist and watched in horror as his bike was stolen by what looked like a man wearing a white ninja outfit.
Storm Shadow pulled out into traffic and raced after the black Sedan, but he stayed a safe distance from the vehicle so not give his position away. He didn't know what Cobra Commander had planned for Snake Eyes and Kamakura. But he wanted to know.
He was hired to distract Kamakura while Wraith fought Snake Eyes. But now it appeared Cobra Commander had his own agenda. And after seeing the carnage that took place outside the Parliament Building, it was clear to see that he was duped and had been used as a pawn for undue gains.
Inside the vehicle, Snake Eyes' head leaned against a thin plate of bullet proof glass. He knew this because he was awake and he could see a tiny sticker and the initials ARBCO in the bottom corner through his visor. He also saw a curious tagger via the side view mirror.
Several cars behind them Storm Shadow followed on a motorcycle. Why he was following them he didn't know, but it must have something to do of him and Kamakura being in this car and Cobra Commander at the helm. He didn't want to give himself away and moved his head slowly.
He saw Kamakura laying unconscious beside him and Slice sitting beside him. Then there was Cobra Commander in the driver's seat and Firefly was in the passengers side.
He didn't know what Cobra Commander had shot him with, but it must have been some sort of stun or paralyzing weapon because his entire body felt numb. But he managed to twitch his fingers beside his right legs which was closest to the door, so the agent wasn't permanent or habitual.
And he was thankful he wasn't dead, which was his final thought before Cobra Commander shot him in the face with the weapon. But the question rose, why didn't Cobra Commander kill him?
Slice turned his head and noticed Snake Eyes' head was turned towards him. He looked further and wondered if perhaps his head had just moved from the movement of the car, but then he sensed something, something only a ninja would, and knew Snake Eyes was awake.
But before he could say anything, Snake Eyes lunged at him and punched him in the mask. The back of his head hit the glass with such impact that it made a crack. Then Snake Eyes unlatched the door and opened it, pushing Slice out. Slice fell out of the car and rolled behind the car.
Cobra Commander turned briefly to see Snake Eyes was free. "Get'em, you idiot!" Cobra Commander ordered, and Firefly pulled out a gun and reached over the back seat. But Snake Eyes grabbed the gun as it came within reach and both men struggled for control over it.
The car swerved through traffic as Cobra Commander attempted to keep control of it as he was constantly bumped by the fighting. But he was only lucky so many times as a sudden bump caused him to turn the wheel hard to the left and the car hit a curb and flipped. It rolled several times, its body crunching as it went, and then came to rest on its roof.
No one moved for what felt like minute and then Snake Eyes twitched his fingers and found the car upside down and him laying on his back with Kamakura still unconscious on his stomach.
The door he pushed Slice out of had been ripped off its hinges as the car flipped and Snake Eyes reached for some leverage from the side of the door frame to pull himself out of the car. He stood up and felt his head, he then saw where the car had landed. It was upside down on the shoulder of a busy highway. Traffic had slowed due to the accident.
He looked back into the car and saw the rest of the occupants unconscious. Cobra Commander was latched in with a seatbelt and Firefly was laying flat wedged in between the roof and the passenger seat.
Snake Eyes grabbed Kamakura by his uniform and pulled him out of the car. He then checked his pulse and hoped his apprentice hadn't broken anything in the accident. He draped Kamakura over his shoulder and went through a hole in the stone encampment that followed the length of the highway that was made by the car smashing into it.
Storm Shadow screeched the motorcycle to a halt when he saw the horrific scene on the shoulder of the highway. Several cars were in front of him, but he could see the accident from where he was. He got off the bike and then ran between the cars to the scene.
Storm Shadow looked in the car and saw Cobra Commander and Firefly unconscious, but Snake Eyes and Kamakura were no where to be seen.
Suddenly he smelled smoke and a fire erupted near the back axel, and gas was leaking from the car. It would be easier to allow Cobra Commander and Firefly to die in a car fire, the world could do without them, but he was a better man than that to allow two men to burn to death. So, instead of going after Snake Eyes, he pulled Cobra Commander and Firefly out of the car and to safety. Seconds later, the car exploded!
Firefly moaned. The sound of the car had awakened him. He looked at the car and then at Storm Shadow. "Good riddens to bad rubbish," he said.
"Snake Eyes and Kamakura were not in that car," Storm Shadow said.
Firefly got to his feet. Cobra Commander began to regain consciousness. "They weren't? Then where the hell are they?"
"They appeared to have escaped."
Firefly looked at Cobra Commander. Cobra Commander rubbed the back of his neck and looked at him. He nodded to Firefly and Firefly punched Storm Shadow in the face. "You fool! You let them get away!" He took out the trigger to the explosive device he had planted on Snake Eyes' armor and placed his thumb over the push-button head. "Doesn't matter, he's dead now."
Storm Shadow feeling the sting of the hit turned to him. He then unsheathe his sword and placed it within a quarter of an inch from Firefly's nose. "That would be very unwise, Firefly," he said, and Firefly had a fearful look in his eyes as he looked across the steel blade of Storm Shadow's sword so close to his face. Storm Shadow then plucked the explosive device Firefly thought was on Snake Eyes armor off his grenade belt. "If you had used that trigger, you would had died."
Storm Shadow took a step back and tossed Firefly the explosive device. Firefly caught it. "That sneaky bastard," he said with an almost admiration for the man. "He must've put it on me when I was in the car."
Cobra Commander growled angry. "You idiots made me loose him," he said. "And I had such plans for Snake Eyes this time."
"Not to worry, Commander," Firefly said. "I always have a back-up plan." He took out a mobile tracking device from a pouch in his belt across his chest, it was the size of a palm pilot. He activated it and it displayed a map of the city and a red blip where Snake Eyes position was. "He's not far from here, half a click that way. I planted a tracking device on him. No matter where he goes in the city, we can find him." Firefly pointed through the hole in the stone wall.
Cobra Commander and Firefly ran through the hole and Storm Shadow reluctantly followed. Even though they were sworn enemies, he felt a certain urge to protect his blood brother. But, of course, he was also curious about Cobra Commander's plan. What did he have planned?
-- TBC