Chapter 15
We all assaulted the Cobra trainer at about the same time and actually managed to knock him off of his feet. I wrapped my arm around his thick neck in an attempt to cut off the flow of oxygen to his brain. I had been fortunate enough as a teenager to train in Aiki-jiu-jutsu for about four years. Although I had not achieved the level of black belt, I had learned many valuable locks and holds to assist me in hand to hand combat situations. It reminded me of a time when I was fifteen years old. I had recently been promoted to the rank of blue belt and a new student just joined my dojo. He was ten years older than me and had earned a brown belt in Taekwondo a few years back. He was overly cocky and a tad arrogant, and this day I happened to be the ranking student in the class. As the ranking student, it was my duty to conduct the exercise routine, direct the falls and rolls, and to be the team leader for technique practice. At first, everything was going smoothly, but then he began disrespecting me and some of the other students in the class, saying that he could easily kick any one of us in the head and that our current ranks meant nothing to him.
I was at first insulted, but I was also a bit cocky. So, I goaded him on a little bit.
“Really? Go ahead. Let’s see.”
He looked at me for a moment and began shaking his head.
“You don’t want any of this kid.”
“Oh, but I do.”
I smirked as he stepped forward and directed a high front right snap lick directly at my face. I quickly dropped to one knee and threw up a left high sword sword-arm block, with my right arm, while I swept out his planted left leg. After knocking him to the floor, I sprung upon him and initiated a side choke by reaching deep into the right collar of his gi. I leaned forward with my forearm and applied more pressure which caused him to tap out. I immediately stepped off of him and offered him my hand to hoist him back to his feet, which he surprisingly accepted. I bowed to him and then my Sensei. He never said a word about my rank again.
As I cinched in my choke tighter, Hollow Point locked in a left armbar while the others began kicking at his prone body. It seemed like we might actually have the upper hand until he broke free of my choke and the armbar, and swept out the legs of the other standing Marines. We were quick to our feet and back on the attack before he could fully prepare. He held up his hand and shook a finger at us like we were being disciplined by Mommy for doing something wrong.
“Not bad boys! But let me show you how real men fight.” The trainer whistled and in a matter of seconds, the Crocodile handler joined the fight.
“What happened to you being able to take out all five of us on your own? I taunted him and scowled through gritted teeth.
“What can I tell you, boy? I lied. Get used to it. War isn’t fair!”
* * * * *
The convoy took some outside roads to reach the established Joe units. They had covered the ground rather efficiently and were on time for their scheduled rendezvous. Once visual contact had been established with Beach-Head, Recondo and the others, the formations would quickly be put together for deployment. The convoy would arrive a little early to allow the field commanders to make any final adjustments and preparations. Once the plans were confirmed, the USS Flagg would send in a squadron of Sky Strikers and Conquests. The military vehicle names were new to Zartan and he tried to soak up as much information as he could about the upcoming assault. He began to doubt the military might of the malicious Cobra Commander as the APC began to slow. There was an exchange of salutes and a quick conversation in the roadway. A rather tall, red-bearded man in jungle camouflage communicated the coordinates of the next meeting point to the lead vehicle’s driver, a Joe by the name of Steamroller. The convoy then turned left and continued on its course.
High above the canopy of sparse trees, a Cobra drone was transmitting continuous video surveillance to the terrorist organization. The Commander watched from high atop his throne as the armored convoy moved within striking distance. A second drone was encrypting a live video feed of the activity on the aircraft carrier and destroyer. Had the head snake bitten off a little more than he could chew? The Marine outpost seizure had simply been a ploy to divert attention away from the other actions taking place simultaneously on the African continent. He needed to display strength, but at the same time, he needed to save face if and when the G.I.Joe team overran his small experimental base. He completely expected the Joes to take back the outpost, but he had already succeeded in infiltrating the U.S. government and the anti-terrorist task force on more than one front. He pushed the button to allow the visual panel to contact the good hypnotist once more.
“Yes, Cobra Commander. How can I be of assistance on this wonderful day?”
The hooded Commander leaned in close. “G.I.Joe will be upon your door ssstep shortly, defend the outpost with your troopersss, but do not take any unnecesssary risksss. If the Joes take the bassse, so be it! Get yourself and the other ranking officers out of the area, but do it dissscretely. I already have everything I need to proceed with phase two of my ultimate plan.”
“But of course Cobra Commander, I will alert the others and make it look good. Indeed!” As the screen faded to nothing more than a large, red, Cobra symbol then to black, the illusionist pondered the information and direct orders that he had just been given. He had acquired roughly six dozen troopers at the compound and enough firepower to at least injure the incoming G.I.Joe team. There would be some casualties, and he would not abort the base without making it appear as if there was no other option. He pressed the transponder to signal for the others to meet with him immediately.
As the alligator wrangler and the trainer assumed a back to back defensive, the five of us planned out our next move. Three of us would descend upon Big Boa and the other two would attack the slightly smaller Croc Master. I nodded to Hollow Point and to the others as we lunged in at our opponents, it all seemed kind of pointless. Even if we succeeded in subduing these two behemoths, experience had shown us that they would simply call in for more backup. To hell with it! I launched my attack at the groin of the boxing specialist. My steel-toed boot scored a direct hit and Cpl Perez landed a second kick to his abdomen shortly thereafter. The others were having similar success with their attack on the crocodile wrestler. Croc Master took a step back from his attackers and removed his mouthpiece. Upon doing this he made a sort of snorting/low growling sound. At first, nothing happened, then from the corner of my eye, I saw the first crocodile appear. Then another and another.
“He called his reptiles back up!” I yelled to my companions as the first twenty foot gator rushed into the fray. It was surprising but I knew that the large gators could only maintain their speed in short bursts.
Ironically at about the same time, both men glanced down at their wrist communicators that were emitting a flashing Cobra symbol.
“All right troopers! It’s time to end this!”
A second low growl from Croc Master withdrew and dismissed the large reptiles. The surrounding circle of soldiers leveled their AK-47s at us. We had no choice but to throw up our hands and surrender. As the troopers proceeded to apprehend us, Big Boa repaid my previous valiant efforts with a well-placed kick to the solar plexus. I hit the ground as the wind was driven from my lungs, but there was little more I could do at the moment to return the favor. We were immediately forced at gunpoint back into the stockade. The two ranking Cobra generals could be seen making a beeline into the command center. As the door closed behind us, I distinctly only heard one click on the lock as opposed to the customary two. Pathfinder winked at me, then turned to appoint the mandatory guards.
The convoy arrived early with fifteen minutes to spare. Flint sent a message to Admiral Keel Haul that they were in position and the rescue mission was on schedule. As the news was delivered on the aft deck of the Flagg, a collective “Yo Joe!” erupted from the crew. Several pilots and paratroopers made their way to their respective aircraft. The deck crew also lowered two Devilfish, small single-manned speedboats, from the main deck into the water below. These would be piloted to the shoreline and anchored there in order to curtail any Cobra deserters should they take to the sea. It was just about time to strike.
Crystal Ball delivered the news to his companions. They all nodded in full agreement with the plan, they would fight and cause havoc, but the main goal was to escape and rendezvous with the Commander in nearby Somalia. Holding the base was no longer a priority. It had served its purpose in drawing G.I.Joe out into the public eye. What good was a top-secret, anti-terrorist organization if their faces were plastered all over the television screens of the world?
The first Sky Striker engine broke the sound barrier and took off with its experienced pilot, a man by the code man of Ace, behind the controls. Slipstream followed in his Conquest along with Dogfight, Duke, Maverick and several other highly trained members of the U.S. Air Force. In four minutes, the first depth charges would be deployed, and then the ground troops would be in a position to overrun the seized compound. If all went well, the skirmish would be over in a matter of no more than twenty minutes.
As the Joe air force approached from overhead, the first round of sidewinder missiles took out the northern and western guard towers. The second volley of surface-to-air-missiles from the Conquests hit the roof of the established Cobra command center clearly blowing up the entire rear of the building. Airborne, Rip Cord and Sky Dive had already parachuted out of their aircraft and were providing some air cover for the initial Joe attack. The Warthog had no problem taking out the front gate of the compound and traversing the makeshift alligator moat. US army infantry soldiers then breached the rear wall. We could now clearly see the firefight from the confines of the prison. Pathfinder came around front after the guards abandoned their post, and released the lock in full. He told us to stay in place until he could guarantee our safety, but several of us already had other plans.
Several infantrymen came face to face with the crocodile security detail. One soldier tripped and lost his left arm to the waiting jaws of a twenty-foot gator. The Cobra falconer once again utilized his unique air force and dropped a bevy of grenades from above on the approaching foot soldiers and Vamps.
From a corner of the base, a well-hidden Cobra bazooka soldier leveled his launcher at the threads of the approaching Wolverine, scoring a direct hit on the threads. The driver, a good looking blonde with the code name Covergirl, bailed out right before the devastating strike. All in all, the battle appeared to be going well for the Joes. Several Cobra soldiers had already been eliminated and others were quickly losing ground to the second squadron of US infantrymen. The Cobra trainer was in the heat of the battle and had subdued at least ten of the approaching soldiers. The whole time yelling words of encouragement to his troopers. The attacking birds made a second volley of grenade showers but were unsuccessful in taking out the M.O.B.A.T. Cobra was quickly losing the advantage by the time we escaped from the stockade. We picked up the rifles of some of the fallen and enthusiastically joined in the fray.
I searched the battlefield for Croc Master and Big Boa, but oddly I could not find either of the two large men. Then we felt the ground rumble beneath our feet. My first inclination was to scream “Earthquake!” but did Kenya even have earthquakes?
* * * * *
The first volley of depth charges quickly descended below the surface of the ocean. The initial shockwaves clarified to Captain Seward and the Admiral that they had hit their mark. But the ship’s sonar painted another picture. Several torpedoes had emerged from the underwater base and were on a crash course with the Crockett.
“Red Alert! Battle Stations everyone! We need to take out those torpedoes!” As the ship gunners readied torpedoes of their own, a charge went off on the port bow of the Flagg. Several small Cobra Sting Raiders had emerged from the depths and were firing upon the deck crew and the hull of both ships. Two S.H.A.R.C.S were deployed to contend with the newest threat, and the first round of intercepting torpedoes was fired.
* * * * *
Shortly after the rumbling, a large drill-like vehicle appeared towards the rear of the compound and we watched as several of the Cobra hierarchy entered through a side door. A second bazooka soldier fired on Flint’s Warthog seriously damaging the front end and halting its advance. As the M.O.B.A.T. leveled its 130mm anti-armor cannon at the large drill, the vehicle’s rear axle rose up and it took a sudden nose dive causing it to descend back under the ground leaving a gaping hole in its wake. The Joe tank piloted by Steeler only succeeded in hitting the back end of the strange Cobra vehicle causing little if any damage.
Moments later, the bevy of attack birds disappeared and in just under ten minutes, most of the remaining Cobra troopers began fleeing or surrendering. Delta team had not even entered the battle but was standing ready to intercept any deserting Cobra soldiers. At the conclusion of the battle, we accessed our losses. Twenty-three Cobra troopers had perished in the firefight with an unknown number still buried in the rubble that was the command center. Several G.I.Joes had minor injuries, Clutch had taken a gunshot to his shoulder and twelve US infantrymen lost their lives, with eight others receiving other non-life-threatening injuries.
The USS Flagg had succeeded in destroying three of the four fired torpedoes with only one inflicting any real damage to the USS Crockett. The returning Sky Strikers, Conquests and S.H.A.R.C.s made short work of the enemy mini-subs. Several lone Cobra frogmen had been aerated by the gunners on deck and quickly became shark food. The others that had been captured and forced on board died shortly after they were put in lockup from unknown causes.
“It’s almost like removing them from the water had killed! Are they bloody fish?” Shipwreck was quick to point out that he had heard of similar experiments carried out during the cold war.
The medical examiner would later confirm that they had drowned on land as a result of their gills drying out and not obtaining enough oxygen. The skirmish at sea was over almost as quickly as the land assault, and there were only a few casualties on our side.
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