Chapter 13
Raptor had his feathered minions roost in several of the nearby trees while he sent off one special falcon equipped with a spy camera. Within thirty minutes he had gathered enough data from the camera’s infrared feed to narrow down the location of the hidden Joe forces. He radioed back to Crystal Ball that the targets were in sight and requested official permission to engage. The hypnotist rubbed his hands together and answered with a sinister “Indeed!” Thus signifying that permission had been granted to initiate his attack.
The skies above the G.I.Joe team turned dark as they were teeming with several dozen large birds of prey. Recondo and Beachhead were the first to notice the motley looking flock as it swooped in upon them.
“What in tarnation is that?” Everyone’s eyes immediately turned upwards.
“It looks like they're carrying something in their claws!” Recondo signaled for everyone to take cover just as the first grenade landed and exploded nearby. The Cobra falconer watched from nearby, perched in a large tree, as his feathered babies rained destruction down upon his thought-to-be-hidden foes. The attack was quick, concise and effective. Within a matter of just fifteen minutes, Raptor and his birds had not only exposed the Joes but weakened their ranks as well. The last squadron led by two large condors had succeeded in detonating a munitions stockpile and mildly injuring at least four Joe operatives. After each successful run, the birds instinctively withdrew and returned to the safety of the captured Marine compound. A loud “PeKaw!” Recalled any stragglers to the Cobra stronghold and the onslaught was ended almost as quickly as it had begun. As the Joes scrambled to tend to the injured, the bird whisperer was already on his way back to his former roost.
Flint was the first to receive the news of the sneak attack on Alpha and Beta teams. He shook his head in disbelief. How was he going to explain this attack to the brass? Two of his best squadrons had just been decimated by a flock of grenade-wielding falcons. G.I.Joe needed to get their act together and quickly before the chance of saving the Marines was lost forever.
Mainframe established a secured communication link to General Hawk, who listened intently to the report of the attacking birds and then informed the warrant officer that reinforcements would be arriving later that day by both land and sea.
“Tell your squadrons to regroup. Any injured that cannot return to active duty need to return to the Pit immediately for medical treatment. The USS Flagg will be within range for air support by this afternoon. I'm also sending three APCs full of ground troops to you to bolster your ranks. This situation ends tomorrow!”
The General's response to the recent events was reassuring. Flint saluted the screen and then took to the regular channels to relay the information to the rest of the Joe team. Afterward, he radioed Grand Slam. “The first group of injured Joes will be arriving in sickbay shortly. Please inform Doc and Lifeline that their skills will be needed.”
“Affirmative. I'll send them right over.” The radio crackled once more as Grand Slam signed off. Flint left his private quarters to meet up with Mainframe and a recently returned Dialtone. He needed to send word to all involved parties that the threat of Cobra would be dealt with shortly, and that everyone needed to be ready when the orders were given.
Gnawgahyde listened intently to the whole conversation from the safety of the air conditioning vent positioned above the small group of assembled Joes. He thought to himself about how the upcoming battle would further clear out the compound and allow him to more easily search for the cheetah cubs. At the same time, he wondered what the information would be worth to Zartan and the Cobra leadership, but he had no way of sending the message from his current locale. He pondered using the built-in distress beacon in his boot but thought better of it when faced with the level of military technology surrounding him. So far, he had managed to remain undetected, but he had gained only a little footing in the underground Joe base. Zartan would have to wait. He would be of no use to his current employer if he got himself captured.
* * * * *
The USS Flagg had caught up with the Crockett in record time. They each were eager to finally engage the enemy and to repay them for their recent heinous acts. Torpedo and Wetsuit had been sent to retrieve the missing sailor, Shipwreck, and battle preparations had already begun.
Shipwreck glanced at his waterproof watch. He knew he had roughly twelve minutes of oxygen remaining to get back to the Crockett. He peered up at the two dark shadows above him. He smiled knowing that the Flagg had finally navigated into range. He then noticed what appeared to be another S.H.A.R.C. scouring the depths. He pushed himself to get closer to the surface and was happy when he saw the underwater craft turning clearly to intercept him.
Torpedo and Wetsuit were not surprised to see the scurvy sailor swimming towards the surface. If they knew anything about Shipwreck it was that he was resourceful and a survivor. As the small two-man sub approached, the submerged sailor was more than happy to hitch a ride by grabbing onto the rear outside pull bar. Once at the surface, a line was tossed and the prodigal sailor was hoisted on board.
“Awk! Awk! Shiver me timbers. Man overboard!” Polly, the sailor's green and yellow parrot, was excited to see his buddy returning to the ship's deck.
“Yeah I’m happy to see you too birdbrain, but I need to see the Captain, pronto; we’re sitting atop the entrance to Cobra’s secret underwater base. If they have missile silos, we are as good as sitting ducks!”
Shipwreck’s information would be an added bonus. When the order was given to finally attack, the USS Flagg would deploy some fast sinking underwater explosives right on the head snake’s doorstep. G.I.Joe would be hitting them twice. Admiral Keelhaul and Captain Seaward were excited to be more than a secondary presence in the upcoming firefight, but initiated code yellow as a precaution.
* * * * *
The master of disguise had noticed the approach of the three armored personnel carriers from a distance and was more than ready to hitch a ride to the Joe secret base once they were in range. He had managed to acquire the full uniform and dossier of one Lieutenant John R. Alkeenen. The soldier was an army lieutenant had recently been deployed to the area with a good field record and few friends. Zartan had ascertained that he would be joining up with the Joes as part of the government-sent green shirt reinforcements. They would be assisting in quelling the advances of the Cobra army. All he needed to do was grab the underside of one of the APCs as it drove by, and wait until he was inside the Joe headquarters to subdue and assume his identity. If the Joes won the battle, he would remain undercover as one of them; if Cobra won, he would reveal himself at an opportune time to prove his worth to the Commander. It was a win-win situation. Zartan was always the opportunistic type and would benefit regardless of the battle’s victor. He assumed his position in his hidden road trench and awaited the convoy’s approach.
The first APC passed unknowingly over the master mimic. The second followed shortly thereafter. After observing the undercarriage of the first two, he knew exactly where to grab onto the third. Effortlessly and without a sound, the Dreadnok leader positioned himself above the dual rear axles. Now he could rest a moment before enacting stage two. The small group of military vehicles traveled another hour or so before coming to a stop above the Pit’s hidden entrance. The elevator hummed and shook slightly as the troop carriers were delivered to the underground motorcade. Flint and several other members of the G.I.Joe team were there to greet the new personnel. They weren’t official members of the Joe team, but the nice thing about being an elite force is that when a request for backup is requested, it is provided from the branches of the military best suited to the mission. This was no longer a covert infiltration and extraction mission. This had blossomed into an all-out coordinated strike by the United States armed forces to bring home their boys.
Zartan watched with a mirror from his perch beneath the six-wheeled, all-terrain personnel carrier, as close to four dozen army infantrymen and women unloaded and assembled before the warrant officer. Stalker addressed them all first calling them to order with a salute. Flint then proceeded to further instruct them.
“Welcome. Each of you has been called upon to serve your great nation in an act of military valor. Today each of you may be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice and lay down your life for your fellow men and women. I know that this may seem like a daunting affair, but I have faith that each of you is up to the challenge at hand. Know this, we will use every measure possible to limit casualties, but there is a chance that some may still occur. You will have only three hours to rest, reload, and prepare to move out. I, as well as some of the other men and women you see before you, will be joining you in combat today, as well as many of the members of the Navy and Air Force stationed upon the USS Flagg and USS Crocket. Our mission is simple: to isolate and remove an enemy threat, while rescuing some boys in blue. Can I count on you to serve our great nation?”
Flint’s speech was heartfelt and inspiring. A resounding, “Sir, yes sir!” erupted from the assembled troops. The warrant officer saluted and then the Army Ranger led them through a door to the munitions locker.
As the soldiers arranged themselves in an orderly fashion, each walked forward to receive some new high tech munitions, a Kevlar vest, and a state-of-the-art helmet. The master of disguise easily located his new mark from those assembled. Now all he needed to do was wait for the opportunity to present itself.
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