G.I. Joe Headquarters

Mojave Desert

June 25th, 1984

Colonel Clayton Abernathy, codename: "Hawk", was standing in the air traffic control tower overlooking G.I. Joe's airfield, observing the final test flight of their new Skystriker fighter jet. The modified F-14 Tomcat swooped low over the runway as the pilot made a series of flamboyant loops before coming back in for a rapid landing. Several Joes were unknowingly right in the landing path and had to dive out of the way. Once the plane was on the ground, the other officers in the tower cheered and several gave Hawk a pat on the back.

"Damn fine work, Colonel", a gruff older gentleman said as he congratulated Abernathy, the four stars on his lapel glinting in the Nevada sunlight. Hawk shook his hand and smiled. "Thank you, General Colton... I can only hope I'm doing an adequate job filling your shoes."

Joe Colton chuckled and shook his head. "Don't compare yourself to me, Hawk. You're the best commander this force has ever had. Dare I say it, better than me."

Hawk chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "Well, we can only hope those dirty snakes don't have a leg up on us already", he joked as they left the tower and walked down to the airfield.

The pilot of the Skystriker stepped out and removed her helmet, whipping her hair as she did so. "Phew... old girl handles like a bike." One of the Joes who she almost flattened walked over. "Damn, Shana, you almost turned me into a pothole patch." It was First Sergeant Conrad Hauser, codename "Duke". Shana O'Hara, codename "Scarlett", chuckled and hugged her old friend who had been away on an undercover mission for months. "I sure missed ya, Duke." He laughed and held up is index finger and thumb. "Ya sure did. By about that much."

They were interrupted by Colonel Abernathy and General Colton's group, who walked over to congratulate Scarlett on a successful test. The two lower-ranked Joes snapped to attention and saluted, which Hawk returned and they stood at parade rest. "At ease, Joes. Sergeant O'Hara, exemplary work behind the stick."

"Thank you, sir", the Georgia native said humbly as she shook her commanding officer's hand. Hawk then turned his attention to Duke. "First Sergeant Hauser, welcome back. How was your mission in Afghanistan?"

"Soviets are neck-deep in sand with no shovels in sight, Colonel. Luckily I was able to prevent Cobra from supplying them with a shipment of weapons that would have broken the stalemate."

"Excellent work, Duke", General Colton said as he patted the First Sergeant on the back, "Keep this up and you'll be behind Hawk's desk in no time." Everyone laughed, Scarlett the loudest by far, until Duke saw one man in the General's entourage pull an old-fashioned Zippo lighter out of his dress blues pocket. He flipped open the cap and pressed a button, and the control tower went up in a ball of smoke. The entire group ducked for cover, and the man ran towards the Skystriker and plugged a data storage device into the plane's flight computer. He turned to see an array of weapons pointed at him. Duke had an M16A1, Scarlett an M14, while Hawk and Colton had their trusty M1911A1 handguns.

"Step away from the jet!!", Hawk ordered, "Slowly!!"

"Easy there, Colonel", the man hissed as he stepped down the boarding ramp, "Who knows how many more bombs I've laid around your base?"

"Who are you?!", Duke shouted as he kept the double agent in his sights.

"Just a messenger for an old friend." He removed a silver disc from his jacket and slid it across the ground. It stopped in front of the Joes and a holographic projection of Cobra Commander. "Cooobraaaa!!!!", he shouted triumphantly before pointing down at his adversaries, "G.I. Joe, you are arrogant fools!! You allowed your headquarters to be infiltrated by my best spy!!" The man in disguise bowed like a sick twisted thespian who just delivered his finest performance.

"Zartan", Cobra Commander hissed, "Once you've downloaded the schematics of the jet, transmit them to me. And Joes, be warned, the data drive is equipped with a dead man's switch. So whether or not you kill Zartan, the schematics will be sent directly to me." The transmission ended, leaving everyone at a loss for words. Hawk and Duke shared a look of concern as they pondered their next move. Zartan removed his disguise and returned to his normal appearance as he stepped back up to the cockpit of the Skystriker. After removing the data drive, he kept his thumb pressed tightly to the transmission button. "Well, Joes, it's been fun", he said sarcastically as he pulled a Walther P38 from his holster and kept it trained on the Joes as he walked towards a nearby VAMP. Before he could enter the vehicle, however, there was a loud swooshing and a black blur. The gun was knocked from Zartan's hand before a strong hand was wrapped around his wrist and a katana was held across his throat.

It was Snake Eyes. He had a habit of dropping in at the most convenient moments. Zartan grunted as he tried to break free of the ninja's grip, but it was no use. Snake Eyes wrenched the data drive out of the master of disguise's grip and managed to press the dead man's switch quick enough for it not to transmit. He proceeded to knock Zartan unconscious with the hilt of his sword and sheathed it before walking over to Hawk.

"Thanks, Snake", the Colonel sighed as everyone lowered their guns, "I was worried our goose might have been cooked. If Cobra had gotten their hands on the Skystriker's schematics, who knows what they would have done?" He took the drive and held down the switch. "I'd better get this to Mainframe to see if he can disable it."

Duke and Scarlett patted Snake Eyes on the back and congratulated him on his swift action, which he of course didn't respond to.

Cobra Headquarters

Springfield... which one? That's the point, we don't know.

Cobra Commander angrily slammed his fist onto his computer console as Destro and Baroness watched from a distance. "Those blasted Joes and their wretched ninja!!! I was certain I had them beaten!! Certain of it!!!", he exclaimed.

"Why do we take orders from this tantrum-throwing buffoon?", Baroness murmured to Destro. The silver-faced arms dealer groaned. "Because he writes my paychecks and because you owe him your life. He may have a temper but his tenacity is admirable."

"Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it", the spectacled assassin said snarkily as she walked away.

Cobra Commander finally calmed down and caught his breath, walking over to Destro. "Those Joes have foiled my plans for the last time. We need a definitive strike to catch them off balance."

"What did you have in mind?", Destro inquired.

"You'll see soon enough, my friend. You'll see."

G.I. Joe will return after these messages...