G. I. Joe 1. Snake Eyes Captured

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Snake Eyes vs. The Crimson Guard Part 1

He pulled at the chains shackled around his wrists, but he couldn't rip them from the wall.

He had been captured and there was nothing he could do to free himself from the clutches of Extensive Enterprises and The Crimson Guard.

He had infiltrated Extensive Enterprises under loan from G.I.Joe. The C.I.A. wanted to know where one of their agents was because he had gone missing when the agent went undercover at EE. Two days ago they lost contact with him and have not heard from him since.

They had asked Snake Eyes if he would poise as a new employee and do some snooping for them. And the reason why they specifically asked for Snake Eyes was because he was the best infiltrator G.I.Joe had. But there were two problems, one could be rectified, the other couldn't.

His face was scarred which would make him stand out and he was mute, but steps were taken to insure he fit in. They did a plaster mould of his face and designed it so it would be average looking. But they couldn't do anything about his voice, so Snake Eyes applied for a desk job, where no one would talk to him, which was perfect! He could snoop around and not be missed, because if he had an insignificant job, no one would care about him.

But the ploy didn't last long when Cobra Commander made an unscheduled, surprise visit to Extensive Enterprises and accidentally bumped into Snake Eyes in the parking lot when he was about to leave. Snake Eyes was on his way home that evening, with Scarlet picking him up in a beautiful sports car. Seeing them both together triggered a mindset in Cobra Commander and he demanded them be held for questioning, believing them to be spies from a government agency or some other rogue agency.

He would find out later that it would be his nemesis in disguise.

Now Snake Eyes, still masked, was shackled to a brick wall in a dungeon-like atmosphere, underneath Extensive Enterprises. It was actually a jail cell, and in the jail cell with him was the missing C.I.A. agent.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this buddy," the C.I.A. agent said to Snake Eyes. "These people are crooks and the people I work for knew it!" Snake Eyes nodded. "Can't you speak? Say something." He shook his head. "Oh, you can't? You're mute?" Snake Eyes nodded. "Tough brake."

Snake Eyes shrugged his shoulders.

"'Ey! E'nuff talkin' in there!" A guard on the other side of a metal door shouted at them, and the C.I.A. agent was immediately quiet.

Suddenly Snake Eyes cocked his head up as he hear a collection of soft voices talking beyond the door. Due to his inability to speak, his other senses were enhanced, and trained as a ninja, he had learned to adapt those acute senses and use them for anything he wished. He could hear three voices, two of them sounded the same, one was different. He had heard these voices before: they were Tomax, Xomat and Cobra Commander.

"Your plan better work, twins, or I'll be very displeased," Cobra Commander expressed. "The Joes will no doubt make an attempt to rescue him, but I'm not ready to give him up without a fight. Are your Crimson Immortal troops ready for such an assault of that precedence?"

"Extensive Enterprises is ready…"

"For anything, Cobra Commander."

"Good," Cobra Commander said plainly. "But I'm not keen on your plan, there's a fatal flaw. The Brain Wave Scanner has never worked on Snake Eyes in the past, how do you intend to rectify this problem so you can condition him to work for us? I'd just kill him and get it over with!"

"A ninja's mind is the most disciplined of any martial artist…"

"But with enough conditioning, every man reaches his breaking point."

"I already have Storm Shadow, Slice, Dice, the Red Shadows, Firefly, and Zartan, why would I possibly need another ninja in my organization?" Cobra Commander said.

"True genius takes time to cultivate, Cobra Commander," Tomax said.

"Snake Eyes is to become our newest obedient super soldier."

"Go on," Cobra Commander insisted. "You have my attention."

"By utilizing memory ingrams…"

"And altering the brain chemistry…"

"We have the technology…"

"Via research done by Dr. Mindbender…"

"To bend a person's will…"

"To become our willing, obedient servant."

"In short, Commander…"

"Not even a ninja…"

"Such as Snake Eyes…"

"Will be able to overpower…"

"This new brainwashing technique."

"So, you're saying it's foolproof?" Cobra Commander asked.

They both said, "Yes," in unison.

Cobra Commander crossed his arms across his chest. "I'll believe it when I see it," he said. "But if anything goes wrong, I want him dead!"

"Understood…"

"Commander."

And Cobra Commander left them.

"Well, dear brother, how should we proceed?"

"I believe we should soften him up a little."

"After you…"

"No, after you, I insist."

Tomax and Xomat went to Snake Eyes cell and the guard standing outside opened the door for them. Snake Eyes was still shackled to the wall, and on another wall was the C.I.A. agent he was sent to rescue.

"You're probably wondering…"

"Where your sweetheart is."

"She's safe…"

"In our office."

"And she'll…"

"Continue to be safe…"

"If you're…"

"Cooperative."

The sheer mention of Scarlet suddenly gave Snake Eyes the strength of ten men and he ripped one of the shackles from of the wall, a piece of wall came with the chain. He then yanked hard on the other one and it too ripped out of the wall as if it were tissue paper. Snake Eyes stood there with a chain attached to each wrist, and now with weapons to use.

"How the hell…" one said.

"Did he do that?" the other one finished.

"Those chains are…"

"Unbreakable!"

"He heard your sinister little plan and he's not going along with it," the C.I.A. agent told them. "Atypical criminals, you enjoy talking."

"Shut up!" They said in unison.

Snake Eyes swung one of the chains around and the twins ducked out of the way. He then swung the other one and it narrowly missed the C.I.A. agent. Both twins pulled out their laser pistols and pointed them at Snake Eyes. This made Snake Eyes stop his attack. But only for a moment. He quickly analyzed the situation and found a tactical error in the twins position. He knew he was faster with the chains than the twins were with their lasers. So he swung both at the same time and disarmed both men. Their lasers landed on either side of the room. One landed next to the C.I.A. agent and he tried to reach it with his foot, but it was just out of range. Both twins held their gun hand, they felt the same pain.

"You'll pay…"

"For that!"

But Snake Eyes wasn't going to wait for his punishment and ran at them, opening his arms wide. He closed-lined both men. They landed with a thud on the ground and were out cold.

"Nice work," the C.I.A. said.

But the danger wasn't over yet.

The guard who was outside, looked through the bar window of the metal door, after hearing the scuffle, and saw Snake Eyes free. He then saw the Joe had incapacitated the twins. So, he unlocked the door and kicked it in, with his rifle's safely lock off. But when he looked inside the cell, Snake Eyes wasn't there. Only the C.I.A. agent was, still shackled.

"Where is he?" the guard demanded from the C.I.A. agent.

"My father always said, look right, look left, look down, look up."

The guard looked up and Snake Eyes tackled him. Snake Eyes had jumped up and had used the walls of the small cell to balance his weight. It was a simple trick any ninja could do. After knocking the guard out, he took his rifle and shot off the chains attached to his wrists. Then he aimed at the C.I.A. agents shackles and freed him to.

"You're a handy guy you have around," he said to Snake Eyes. "Let's get movin' before more of these creeps in red uniforms come." They ran out of the jail cell. "I learned of Extensive Enterprise's connection with Cobra while I was searching through some computer files one late night, and that's why they grabbed me and brought me down here." They ran down a long corridor to an elevator and Snake Eyes pressed the button. "What's your story?" Snake Eyes didn't reply. "You don't say much."

When the elevator reached their level Snake Eyes heard a rustling of voices on the other side. He quickly grabbed the C.I.A. agent and started running back down the hall. "Hey! What's going on?" he asked. His reason soon become apparent when they were shot at by more guys in red uniforms. Crimson Guard Immortals ran after them.

Snake Eyes dragged the C.I.A. agent into an open doorway and returned fire. This held the Crimson Guard Immortal troops at bay. But it would be only a temporary measure as he saw his rifle power source was getting low on energy. He backed into the room all the way and barricaded the door with anything he could find. Then he quickly looked around and found a sizable air shaft, big enough for an average sized person. He pointed to it. "You want me to go in there?" the agent said. "Are you nuts? I won't be able to fit in there." Snake Eyes pointed insistent. "Awright, awright! I suppose you want me to climb through the vents for a way out and then bring help back?" Snake Eyes nodded. "Gimme a boost!" So the agent climbed up on Snake Eyes shoulders and removed the vent cover, then climbed inside.

Laser blasts hit the door and soon the four C.G. Immortal broke through, but all they found was Snake Eyes. "Freeze!" one of them said. But Snake Eyes didn't like the tone of his voice and gave him a roundhouse kick to the head. He then gave another a punch to the face, and barreled through the other two, throwing them against the wall in the corridor. All but one of the them were rendered unconscious. And as Snake Eyes fled, the last one fired off a blast and hit him in the shoulder blade.

Snake Eyes felt the pain, but kept on running and soon reached the elevator. He entered and pressed the button to the top floor of Extensive Enterprises. His shoulder ached, burned from the laser blast, but he chose to ignore it, to deal with it later at a more appropriate time. Right now, he had to get to Scarlet whom the twins said was in their office on the top floor.

Meanwhile, Tomax and Xomat were waking up from their beating from Snake Eyes, and the C.G. Immortal who had shot Snake Eyes, came into the room. "Sir," he addressed both of them. "Are you alright?"

"Of course we're not alright," one of them said.

"Implement security procedures for the building," the other one said.

"Make sure nothing…"

"Gets out!"

"Right away, sir," the C.G. Immortal said, and he left the room.

"He won't get away…"

"From us!"

-- tbc


	2. Scarlet To The Rescue

**__**

Snake Eyes vs. The Crimson Guard Part 2

Snake Eyes rode the elevator and was a couple of floors from the top level of Extensive Enterprises when the it abruptly stopped. He looked at the control panel and noticed that the illumination behind the buttons was gone, so he knew the power had been shut down. They were trying to trap him between floors, but it wasn't going to work.

He looked up and saw the emergency hatch in the roof. He wasn't tall enough to directly lift it open so he crouched down and then jumped up, punching the hatch open. He dropped down and felt his shoulder, and felt blood oozing from the wound. It was the kind of pain that would stop any ordinary man, but it was nothing to a ninja with his discipline.

He leaped and grabbed onto the edges of the open hatch and lifted himself through the opening and onto the top of the elevator car. He looked up and saw the cable leading all the way to the top. Suddenly the car started to move back down, the power had been turned on, probably because the Crimson Guard had gathered a force in an attempt to apprehend him believing he was trapped in the elevator. But they were wrong, and grabbing onto the cable he held on and allowed it to haul himself to where he wanted to be, to the top floor of the building.

He pried the metal elevator doors open with his hands and planted his feet on solid ground. Once here he quickly recalled the blueprints to the building and took a right down the next corridor, because that was where Tomax and Xomat's office lay. As it was late in the evening, the secretary and any other workers had gone home as he passed a large reception area on his way to two heavy set wooden doors that lead to the Crimson Twins private inner sanctum, a.k.a. their office.

He mentally said, "Knock knock," took a few steps back from the doors, and then shouldered them open, breaking their hinges. And there sitting in the middle of the room was Scarlet tied to a chair and gagged. But he stopped before he went any further. There were no guards.

Scarlet shook her head violently and made "mmm mmm" noises. But Snake Eyes knew something was wrong even before she physically told him. He knew a trap when he saw one. But where was it? He looked at his feet and thought he saw a red flash of light illuminated by the dust of the doors, but he couldn't be sure. He then looked around and saw tiny holes on either side of the wall to his left and right, and he knew instantly what they were, it was a sensor net. Any other person wouldn't notice them, but with his keen senses, he saw the trap. But what did it trigger, he wondered? Or perhaps it was merely an alarm? So if he triggered it, Tomax and Xomat would immediately know where he was?

He took a pocket knife he had stashed in the heel of his boot and started to shave part of the wooden door off, making dust particles. Then he blew them into the beams to see how far apart they were. Between each beam there was a distance of half a meter, more than enough room for him to slip through. So he rolled between to bottom beams and made his way to Scarlet. He released her, cutting her binds with the knife.

"Snake Eyes," she said, hugging him. And then they embraced in a kiss. They broke away. "We were captured before I could tell you, the C.I.A. agent is really a double agent."

"Thought so," Snake Eyes mouthed. Then he thumbed to leave.

"Now why did you have to go and spoil the surprise?" the agent said. He stood at the broken door beyond the sensor net with a laser pistol in his hand. "Just like a woman, you can never keep a secret." He used a control box to deactivate the net. "You over there, and you over there."

Snake Eyes and Scarlet moved to opposite sides of the office.

"I thought it was only a matter of time before my cover was blown," the man said. "I bet the C.I.A. sent you two in to bring me back because they suspected I was a double agent. Pity you won't be able to tell anyone." Snake Eyes and Scarlet gave each other a brief glance. "Oh, and you, take off that stupid mask, whoever you are," he said.

Scarlet nodded to Snake Eyes and he willingly obliged. And the shock of seeing Snake Eyes scarred face was a horrific sight to the agent. Snake Eyes was so badly scarred he looked inhuman.

Scarlet saw the agent's reaction and said, "He gets that a lot, but didn't your mother ever tell you it's not polite to stare?" And as the agent was distracted by Snake Eyes face, she took a chair and threw it at him. The agent didn't see it until the last moment and it hit him in the hand, disarming him. His gun flew behind him. Then Snake Eyes ran towards him--the agent screamed seeing a monster run towards him--and finished him off with a sick kick to the face. The agent flew back a few meters and landed with a thud on the ground in the reception area. He groaned and then his head fell the side. He fell unconscious.

Scarlet picked up the control box the agent had used to deactivate the sensor net, and Snake Eyes pointed to the holes in the wall that indicated laser beams. "Yes," she said. "They set a trap for you. And if you had triggered those beams, both of us would be dead now. There are gun torrents in the walls. And they would eject themselves and set about a barrage of laser fire that would kill anything in the room."

Snake Eyes extended a hand for the control box and she gave it to him. She then looked at him and smiled. "I get you, use it to our advantage," she said, unfazed by the appearance of his scarred face. She was used it, and she didn't care. She was in love with him.

Snake Eyes looked back at the office and saw his mask and went to get it. Scarlet went to him and gently touched his face with a hand. "You know, despite the business we're in, you are the sweetest and gentlest man I know, and in all these years you've never even told me your real name; your records are so highly classified no one can access them," she said, and he smirked. Then she gave him a passionate kiss on the lips. When they broke, Snake Eyes licked his lips and smiled. "I love you." It was then that he mouthed her his name, and she smiled. "I think I like Snake Eyes better." She chuckled. Snake Eyes rolled his eyes. He then put the mask back on, and they prepared for eventual company.

****

-- tbc


	3. No One Beats The Crimson Guard

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Snake Eyes vs. The Crimson Guard - Part 3

Inside Tomax and Xomat's office, Snake Eyes and Scarlet prepared for a heavy reception when they were discovered, and if the double agent found them this quickly, then the Crimson Twins and their Immortal troopers weren't far behind. So, the duo had to get ready for their arrival.

"You're injured?" Scarlet said shocked, finally noticing Snake Eyes' shoulder. Blood drenched his white shirt and dripped to the floor. Snake Eyes waved her off, but Scarlet wouldn't have it. Scarlet found some scissors in one of the desks in the office and cut the right arm of his shirt off and tied it around the wound. "If I wasn't around you'd bleed to death, wouldn't you? Men! You have to be so macho. You'd lose five pints of blood and still you'd keep fighting to the end."

When Scarlet went into Nurse Mode Snake Eyes didn't stop her. She got vicious and angry when he fought her--and when she got angry, she really got angry! It was like a cat hissing at you. And no man enjoyed a woman scorn. So Snake let her do her thing.

She tightened the bandage around his shoulder and he grunted a little. "You big baby!" she said. He looked at her and smiled.

Suddenly Snake Eyes cocked his head and directed his attention towards the door. He pointed. "What is it, are they coming?" Scarlet asked. Snake Eyes nodded. "Behind the desks, hurry!" They did exactly that and once there Scarlet threw him the control box for the sensor net and he activated it.

It didn't take long for the twins and their troops to find them.

As the Immortal troops came storming into the office, the invisible lasers beams came to life. "No…" "Wait!" the twins said, ordering their troops to stop remembering the sensor net. But it was too late, and the Immortal troops broke the sensor net.

Holes in the walls opened up and gun torrents open-fired on the Immortal troops, killing them instantly by reading their heat source. They then returned back into the wall when the job was done.

The twins stood just outside their office and they were angry. Scarlet and Snake Eyes looked up from behind the desks. "Nice defense system you have there," Scarlet said. "You did our work for us."

Tomax and Xomat unholstered their pistols and began to fire on them.

"The sensor net may be up…"

"But we can still kill you from out here."

As the laser bolts shot through the sensor net, the gun torrents came out from the wall and started firing at the laser bolts, detecting their heat source, eliminating the threat. Then suddenly they located another heat source and started firing on Snake Eyes and Scarlet. The duo ducked behind the desks as the laser blasts hit the tops of the desks.

The twins laughed.

"Who's in trouble now?" one twin said.

"Now we'll have the last laugh," the other said.

A laser blast came within a inch from Snake Eyes ear, but he didn't jerk away. He wasn't afraid of them, but Scarlet was concerned. "We've got to do something about those gun torrents, Snake Eyes," she said. "They've homed in on us and they won't stop firing until they kill something."

Another blast ricocheted off the top of the desk Snake Eyes was hiding behind.

Snake Eyes put a finger up indicating he had an idea. He pointed at the gun Scarlet took from the double agent.

She smiled, nodded, and knew exactly what he wanted her to do.

She pulled it from the gun and programmed the power cell to overload.

She then threw it over the desk and Snake Eyes jumped behind the desk she was and smothered her.

The gun torrents followed the movement of the power cell and fired on it. The power cell erupted in a huge explosion, overloading the sensor net, and caused all the gun torrents to explode in a series of blasts, causing massive damage to the walls and to the office.

When it was over, Snake Eyes lifted his head and peaked over the desk to see if the coast was clear, and all the gun torrents were destroyed. Scarlet also took a peak. "They better have a good insurance agent," she said.

Tomax and Xomat were out in the reception area when the explosion occurred and were thrown back a few meters from the blast. But when they got up and took a look at their office from where they were they were shocked beyond belief.

"You Joes…"

"Are so destructive!"

"We just had this office…"

"Refurbished."

"It needed a woman's touch," Scarlet said back.

Snake Eyes gave her a thumbs up. Then feeling Snake Eyes body pressed against hers, Scarlet said, "I wish we could stay like this all day, I like it when you're this close to me."

Snake Eyes smiled, and then mouthed, "Later." Then got off her.

They kept hidden due to the fact that Scarlet had thrown away their own weapon and Tomax and Xomat still had their laser pistols. But they knew their hiding spot would not last forever. "We have to find a way out of here, Snake Eyes," Scarlet said. "Have any suggestions?"

Snake Eyes shrugged his shoulders and shook his head in an I-don't know motion.

It was then that more Crimson Immortal troops arrived, and they stormed the office, climbing over their fallen comrades to secure the room. They aimed their guns at the desks, because that was the only place the Joes could be hiding, and that was precisely where they were.

Soon after, Immortal troops began to remove the dead as Tomax and Xomat entered their office. There was a lot more damage than what they saw from outside. The office was completely destroyed.

"Animals!" one of them said.

"Agreed, brother," the other one said.

"C'mon out, Joes!"

"There is no escape."

"We have the room…"

"Completely surrounded."

There was an uncomfortable silence as all attention focused on the desks where Snake Eyes and Scarlet were hiding. Tomax extended a hand and pointed a finger at the far desk and a laser blast craved a deep gash on the top. "You're only delaying the enviable, Joes…" he said.

"We have no qualms about turning those desks into dust," Xamot said.

A few more seconds past without a response. "Fine," Tomax said. "Took both our decks into woodchips."

"Destroy them!" Xomat said.

"Wait!" Scarlet said. And both came out of hiding. They stood with their hands in the air.

The Crimson Immortal troops surrounded them with their rifles at the ready. They then brought them before the twins.

"You've cost us a lot of money today," one said.

"But we'll soon get it back," the one said.

"Don't underestimate them," Tomax said.

"They are more assertive than they appear," Xomat said.

"You may have eluded us once, Joes…"

"But you'll regret staying behind."

"Take Snake Eyes…"

"To the doctors."

The Immortal troops separated them, and Snake Eyes was lead out of the office, while Scarlet was kept with the twns. She was again tied to a chair.

"So what's the plan now? We've already missed our check in, G.I.Joe knows we're here. You better let us go or before long they'll storm the building and there won't be anything left." Scarlet said.

"I'm afraid not, my dead Scarlet," Tomax said.

"If they do, they'll have our newest soldier to content with," Xomat said.

"It was an amusing little attempt to escape our clutches…"

"But we don't mind the damage you did to our office…"

"It'll be worth it when…"

"Snake Eyes becomes our…"

"Unrelenting…"

"And obedient…"

"Servant," the said in unison.

"What do you mean?"

As the twins spoke, in secret labs inside Extensive Enterprises, several levels below the offices, what they were saying, was happening.

"Right now, Snake Eyes is being strapped to the Brain Wave Scanner…"

Snake Eyes' wrists and ankles were bound with metal clamps to an upright device known as the Brain Wave Scanner. It was a machine that tapped into the recesses of the human brain and had the ability to read that person's thought and visualize it on a monitor. Neuro stimulators were stuck to his temples which would be used to condition his mind.

"And it will effectively brainwash…"

"For a lack of a better term…"

"And fashion his thoughts to whatever…"

"We desire. Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Mindbender."

"That sadistic monster should have been killed long ago!" Scarlet said.

"Come, come, dear…"

"Scarlet. Very harsh words…"

"From such a lovely flower…"

"As yourself."

She startled to chuckle.

"And what is…"

"So funny?"

"Your plan won't work," she said.

"And why…"

"Is that?"

"Because Snake Eyes' mind has been trained to prevent what you plan to do to him."

"I'm afraid this time you're gravely mistaken," one said.

"It's already being done!" the other one said.

"The Brain Wave Scanner has been enhanced…"

"And no one on earth can resist it now!"

The twins looked at each and smiled sadistically.

"And with Snakes Eyes with Cobra…"

"No one will be able to stop us…"

"From ruling…"

"The world!"

-- tbc


	4. Scalpel Loves His Work! PG13

**_Snake Eyes Vs. The Crimson Guard Part VI_**

Four Crimson Guard Immortal soldiers dragged Snake Eyes out of the elevator and down a corridor and into a lab. The lab was situated on the thirteen floor of the Extensive Enterprises building.

They secured him into the Brainwave Scanner, a strange looking device that manipulated the brainwave patterns of an individual and turned it to mush. It was a metallic machine that was evasive, painful, and nasty, designed by the late Dr. Venom. It invaded deep into the mind of whom ever was plugged into it and retrieved valuable information through horrible means. It was also a way to brainwash an individual into complete obedience, which it had been used several times in the past to do so to scrabble some of the most powerful minds in existence!

Snake Eyes was a little groggy. After the guards had lead him out of Tomax and Xomat's office they had beaten him in revenge for their dead comrades killed by the security laser beams that triggered the laser torrents that sliced them to ribbons.

After clamping his arms, legs, waist, chest and neck down with thick metallic clamps into the Brainwave Scanner, in a cross formation: his legs together and his arms out to the sides, the two soldiers left him and stood guard in front with their rifles cocked and at the ready.

Moments later, Scalpel, Cobra's newest chief interrogator, walked through the lab doors, and proceeded over to him.

He was insane. He was blonde and had a large vertical scar over his right eye. But that wasn't what made him insane. It was the sinister, fiendish grin on his face, and the reputation of the man.

He was trained to save people. He was a medical doctor, but he enjoyed killing and mutilating them more. Survivors subjected to his madness told of his cruel techniques. And he thoroughly enjoyed to experiment on them. He was like a mad doctor, and his horrors were unspeakable.

Even Snake Eyes felt a little nervous in his presence.

Scalpel stood in front of Snake Eyes and looked at him with an admiring stare. He ripped Snake Eyes shirt open and then touched Snake Eyes chest with one hand and softly brought his fingers down to his stomach. "Such a lovely specimen," he said smiling, continuing to move his hand over Snake Eyes' body. "You're a good looking man, well, so much as for your face as I hear. But there's nothing I haven't seen as a medic."

He told the guards to leave, and they did. They stood outside the lab.

Scalpel then went to a medical tray that was standing next to the Brainwave Scanner control console and picked up a scalpel, a thin medical tool used to cut human flesh. He returned to Snake Eyes and raised it so he could see it. "I've been ordered to kill you by destroying your mind with the Brainwave Scanner, but from what I hear you're not the kind of man who will just lay down a die. The Brainwave Scanner is a crude method in getting results, but it's not fun. So I'm going to use another approach. My favorite in fact."

Scalpel grinned sinisterly and then sliced across Snake Eyes naked chest with the scalpel. Snake Eyes rolled his head back in god awful, sharp pain. Moments later, blood oozed from the cut and dripped down his chest. Scalpel took a finger and sampled it, putting a drop in his mouth. His rose his eyebrows and said, "Delicious and delectable!" He licked his lips. "You're quite tasty. AB Negative. Such a rare blood type. But of course you're a rare man. I will enjoy torturing you!"

Scalpel swiped the scalpel across Snake Eyes' forearms and thighs in quick, fluent motions, and with every cut the muscles tensed and blood poured from the wounds. Scalpel smiled amused as Snake Eyes gritted his teeth in pain. As he couldn't scream, that's all he could do. "There's nothing more painful than a thin paper cut," he said. "I enjoy using this tool, it's so intricate and it can be used for so many applications other than slicing through human skin."

It was then that Scalpel noticed a tattoo on Snake Eyes right forearm where he had sliced. He had exposed it. The symbol was blood red and had three solid lines with three broken lines between each. "Ah, the infamous Arashikage Clan symbol, given to the ninja elite and the chosen worthy of such standing excellence in skill." He looked up at Snake Eyes. "Once I kill you, I'll take this as a prize. It will go well in my collection of rare human oddities. But first things first. Back to the task at hand." He returned to the medical tray and rolled it near the Brainwave Scanner. "I have something very special in store for you, and believe me, it's going to my best work ever!"

-

Tomax and Xomat supervised as several Crimson Guard Immortals fixed their office to its original state before the attack by Snake Eyes and his lovely companion, Scarlet, who was now tied up and sitting in a metal chair next to a wall.

But she knew she wouldn't be here for long.

"You're just wasting your time," she said. "Snake Eyes can't be manipulated. You've tried it countless times before, unsuccessfully. He'll escape your torture chambers and come rescue me."

Both twins laughed.

"Not this time," Xomat said.

"We decided to try a different approach," Tomax said. He had a control box in his hand and pointed it at a wall, it slid back reviewing a huge widescreen TV. Suddenly an image appeared on the screen and it was Scalpel, their chief interrogator and Cobra's chief doctor. He had a scalpel in his hand and it was covered in blood. "Scalpel, I trust you're having fun? Remember, we don't want the prisoner killed."

"Just softened up," his brother finished.

Scalpel, who looked like some scarred freak out of a monster movie, stood in front of a man who was secured to a metallic device. His shirt was ripped open and his chest, arms and legs were cut. Blood covered Snake Eyes chest and clothes. Scarlet was horrified and speechless.

"Not to worry, Tomax and Xomat, I won't kill him. . .yet!" He said with a sinister smile. "I'm just amusing myself before I get to his mind."

The screen went blank, Tomax ended the transmission.

"What are you doing to him, you monsters!" Scarlet said in horrified disbelief. "I thought you were going to brainwash him with the Brainwave Scanner, not mutilate him!"

"It was a surprise," Tomax said with a smile. "He _will_ be our newest agent, but first Cobra Commander wants to convey a little remuneration on him for all the years he's been a thorn in his side."

"So he brought in Scalpel, Cobra's chief interrogator to commence with the torture," the other said. "After he gets through with his body, he'll be in so much pain, his mind will be easily done with."

"You see, Scarlet, this time we will succeed, and there's nothing anyone can do to stop us. Snake Eyes will be ours!"

The twins laughed.

Scarlet bowed her head and a tear dropped down her cheek. This was supposed to be a simple infiltration and recon mission, but it may turn out to be Snake Eyes last stand. _I'm sorry I talked you into this… _she thought, as if he could hear her. _If I'd known, I wouldn't have._

-

Snake Eyes sensed a heavy weight on his heart, as if someone was sad. Scarlet--she was crying!

He had a special bond with her. Not only were they engaged, but they also had a spiritual bond that no one could match, and like Tomax felt when his brother Xomat was in pain, he too sensed Scarlet's emotions.

She had obviously seen the video feed when Scalpel was speaking to the Crimson Twins, and he was in the background all cut and bloodied.

He had to get out of here, kill this freak, and stop whatever the Crimson Twins had planned for her.

"Your mind is somewhere else, I can see it in your eyes," Scalpel said. "Even with that mask on your eyes tell me all I need to know. You want to kill me and rescue Scarlet, don't you?" He smirked. "Don't worry about her. Once I'm done with you, she's next."

Snake Eyes struggled against the metal clamps that restrained him, but his efforts were unsuccessful.

"I do love it when my victims squirm. They say actions are louder than words, but with your actions you speak volumes. I'm going to enjoy working on you. You're about to become Cobra Commander's little pet and his willing and obedient servant. You're going to be a challenge, but I never fail. My track record is very high in these kinds of endeavors, and I aim to keep it!"

Scalpel reached to the medical tray and picked up four scalpels. "There is a central nerve that controls all the functions of the body and allows motion to happen. But if this nerve is somehow blocked and the limbs are unable to send their signals to the brain, the body is unable to function properly and can not move, leaving the person paralyzed. There are certain pressure points in the arms and legs that if tapped correctly can cause this to happen and I know where they are."

Scalpel smirked and then plunged a scalpel into Snake Eyes right bicep and then one into his left. Then another one into his right thigh and the other into his left. He then stepped back and enjoyed the man's expression as he must have been experiencing the greatest pain of his life.

"Are you in pain?" He smiled. "Good. Before I was a medical doctor I was an Acupuncturist, but I was kicked out of the profession when I accidentally killed one of my patients by accessing the wrong pressure point. The Japanese believe Ki is the energy which flows through the body. I effectively cut that off and killed the man. I've just done the same to you. You're now paralyzed from the neck down. But don't fret, it is reversible. All you have to do is remove the scalpels in the same sequence I inserted them to regain full motor skills." He chuckled.

Scalpel stepped back and watched Snake Eyes struggle, but only his head could move. No matter what he did, he couldn't move. But that was also due to the fact that his body was restrained by the metal clamps.

"Too bad," he said snickering. Then he said, "Oh, I almost forgot." And he pressed a button on the back of the Brainwave Scanner and released the clamps that held his arms. "There's no need for these."

Snake Eyes arms dropped to his sides and he mentally hissed in pain as the bang by his arms against his thighs caused him tremendous pain. His muscles felt like they were on fire. But that was a good thing, he thought. If he could still feel them that meant Scalpel didn't properly connect the pressure point nexus used to block the flow of Ki.

With all his strength and mindset his left arm started to move slowly up from its position. And he reached over to his right bicep and pulled the scalpel out from his bicep. Then he pulled the one from his left bicep and then removed the other two from his thighs in the correct order they were inserted. And suddenly he felt the numbness start to disappear.

Scalpel couldn't believe his eyes. "What? But that's impossible!"

Snake Eyes reached back with a hand and found the master switch to release the metal clamps to the Brainwave Scanner to release his legs, chest and neck.

"Guards!" Scalpel shouted.

The four Crimson Guard Immortal came running into the lab with their rifles at the ready. But they were quickly dealt with as Snake Eyes threw the scalpels at each of them, penetrating their chest armor and embedding them in their hearts. They dropped dead instantly.

Scalpel went to run away, but Snake Eyes grabbed him. "How'd you do that?" Scalpel wondered scared, as Snake Eyes turned him to face him, making reference to how Snake Eyes managed to move after he inserted the scalpels into the pressure points of his arms and legs. "There's no way I missed the right pressure points."

Snake Eyes grabbed Scalpel by his shirt and then lifted him up a good foot off the ground. Then he reached over and took a scalpel off the medical tray and brought it to Scalpel's face.

"Please no," he pleaded. "Don't kill me."

Snake Eyes grinned sinister-like. He then had a thought, and plunged the scalpel into Scalpel's right bicep; the man screamed horrible in pain.

Then like Scalpel had done to him, he then did the same to Scalpel, and stuck a scalpel in his other arm and then two more in both thighs. But unlike Scalpel, he did get the pressure points correct.

Once Scalpel couldn't move, Snake Eyes dropped him to the floor.

"You can't leave me like this," Scalpel said, unable to feel his body from the neck down. "I'll die!"

But Snake Eyes was already halfway out the door with one of the dead Crimson Guard Immortal's rifles.

Time to rescue Scarlet.

-- TBC


	5. Snake Eyes Has A Plan

_**G.I.Joe: Snake Eyes Vs. The Crimson Guard Part V**_

From the lab, Snake Eyes ran down the hall to the elevators. But suddenly he stopped, and thought. With Scalpel predisposed and there was no one to alert the Crimson twins of his escape, he had the element of surprise. He couldn't let that pass, and devised a plan to rescue Scarlet. And it would take all his cunning and skill to do it.

No doubt the twins still had a rudimentary shift of guards roaming the Extensive Enterprise building on alert; Tomax and Xomat were never ones to let down their guard, and especially with a member of G.I.Joe on the premises, so he had to travel somewhere incognito and inconspicuous.

He looked at an elevator, but the elevator itself wasn't what he was thinking of, it was the shaft it resided in. Like before, he could climb up the cable and make his way to the top floor of the building and no one would know he was there, unless someone used an elevator. But as they were all temporarily shut down, he wouldn't have a problem.

He inserted his fingers into the gap between the doors and pulled them back to reveal the empty shaft. He looked down and saw that the car was below the thirteen level. He took the strap attached to the rifle he took from one of the dead guardsmen in Scalpel's lab and slipped it over his head and around his shoulder. Then he leapt and grabbed the thick middle cable that held the elevator car and started to climb upwards.

Just then, bad luck struck.

He heard a power surge regenerate life to the elevator shaft, and suddenly the car below him started to move upwards. He hung onto the cable tightly and allowed its momentum to propel him upwards. But he was moving at a dangerous speed and suddenly he saw the gear box that held the elevator cable approaching him very quickly. He jumped down onto the car and kicked at the trapdoor. He managed to brake the lock on the third kick and slipped inside before the car reached the top.

No one was in the elevator.

He breathed a sigh of relief and got to his feet, but his feelings of phew! was premature, and when the doors opened, two Crimson Guard Immortal stood on the other side. They were just as shocked to see him as he was to see them. But the shock wore off very quickly as both of them stormed into the elevator to attack him.

They pinned him up against the back wall. In his depleted condition he didn't have enough strength to take them both on, but in a moment of adrenaline rush he managed to push one of them off him. The guardsman hit the elevator control panel and the doors closed.

The other guardsman pulled out a pistol and Snake Eyes grabbed the man's wrist and struggled for control of the weapon.

The first guardsman returned and punched Snake Eyes in the stomach to weak him further, but Snake Eyes refused to let go of the second guardsman's wrist or he'd be shot, and did something completely beneath a warrior of his standing. But he was desperate. He sucker kneed the man in the crotch. Then when the man bent over in reaction to the pain, he kneed him in the mask and knocked the man out cold. The guardsman dropped unconscious to the floor at his feet.

He was then free to focus all his attention on the second guardsman.

Snake Eyes pushed the man back as the elevator carried them down to what the control panel indicated, and ironically enough it was the thirteenth floor. The first guardsman must have hit that button. He stomped on the man's foot and relieved the guardsman of his pistol, then he used it on him. The guardsman dropped to the floor on top of the other, dead.

Snake Eyes felt his chest and saw his hand covered in blood. His wounds were still open and he started to feel a little weak and exhausted. He was losing a lot of blood. But he pushed his feelings of exhaustion aside and carried on with what he was doing before the two guardsmen attacked him. But instead of going up the elevator shaft, he'd use the elevator this time and pressed the floor button closest to his position. It happened to be the fourteenth floor. The elevator doors opened, and he tossed the guardsmen out. Then he took the elevator back up.

Now he had a pistol and a rifle to use in his rescue attempt.

-----

Several minutes had passed since Snake Eyes had left Scalpel's lab, when one of Scalpel's lab technicians walked into the room with a tray of test tubes. And as soon as he entered he stared in horror at the litter of dead Crimson guardsmen on the floor. Next to them was Scalpel. But he was alive. He put down the tray on the nearest counter and quickly went over to him, he knelt down. "Sir, what happened?" he said.

The technician went to pull a scalpel out, but Scalpel screamed at him, shouting, "No! STOP! Don't touch it!" The technician froze. "They must be taken out in a specific order or they'll leave me paralyzed."

He told the technician how to remove them properly.

After the scalpels were removed, Scalpel got to his feet and rubbed his arms and legs where the scalpels had been plunged into his body. They were stinging from the pain, but his pride stung even more.

"What happened here?" the technician asked. He looked around and for the first time noticed that there were scalpels sticking out of the chest of each of the dead Crimson guardsmen. There was no blood however.

"A mistake," Scalpel explained. "I underestimated him."

Scalpel pulled off his shirt and made sure there was no permanent damage to the muscle tissue where the scalpels had penetrated. He was wearing a black T-shirt underneath. He checked his arms first and then his thighs. "Good, he failed to hit the arteries," he said.

He cleaned the wounds with an antiseptic to prevent infection and then wrapped white bandage tape around his arms and thighs to close off the wounds. Then he picked up one of the dead guardsmen's rifles and cocked the manifold. "I never fail," he said.

"Who did you underestimate, sir?" the technician asked. He really wanted to know. But he didn't get an answer. Scalpel made his way out of the lab without any acknowledgement to his lesser. "Wait sir!" he said, running after him. "What should I do? Should I inform Tomax and Xomat of this incident?"

Scalpel looked back at him, and said, "No, this is my problem. I'll handle it. Just have this place cleaned up before I return."

He left to follow Snake Eyes, and he knew exactly where he was going.

**-- TBC**


	6. The Final Confrontation

**_Snake Eyes vs. the Crimson Guard Part VI_**

The elevator arrived at the top floor and before the doors opened Snake Eyes inserted the pistol down the front of his pants, then readied the rifle. When the doors slid back he looked left and right for Crimson guardsmen, but there weren't any in sight. He then exited the elevator.

The Crimson Twins office was right down the hall, so he cautiously made his way down to the reception area just outside their office. He peaked around he corner and saw no one was there, but one of the office doors was wide open and he could see straight into their office. And what he saw was Scarlet tied up with black duct tape in a chair and gagged.

Furthermore, even though he didn't see them, he heard the sound of men working in the office. Then he saw one Crimson guardsman pass by the open door and walk to the other side of the room. He didn't know how many there were, but he was tired of this game and wanted it to end. He had infiltrated Extensive Enterprises because he thought a CIA agent was missing, but he turned out to be a double agent. Now Tomax and Xomat had Scarlet as a hostage, and he wanted her back!

He was about to storm into the office with his rifle blazing when the elevator beside the one he took dinged. Someone was arriving.

He pointed his rifle at the elevator and to his surprise Scalpel walked out; his rifle was also at the ready.

"Well, well, well. . .You're so predictable, Snake Eyes," he said. "I knew you'd attempt to rescue your beloved sweetheart, Scarlet. You may be a man of many trades, but you have one unrelenting, indistinguishable, nasty habit: you're in love! And that can get you in trouble, and it has. Women are so troublesome, and men are often blind to the invisible hold they have on us; we would do anything for them. Isn't that right?"

Snake Eyes didn't move, his rifle still on Scalpel.

"I'm surprised a man of your character would be so deep in love with a woman that you'd risk your very life for her survival. I would think you could be doing far more interesting things with your time. If only you worked for Cobra, you'd have a much more exciting and rewarding life."

Scalpel and Snake Eyes were at a stand off.

"You wish to kill me," he said. "But what will you do then? Battle your way through a dozen Crimson guardsmen to rescue Scarlet? You wouldn't be able to make it pass the office doors. Your situation is hopeless. Surrender now and I'll be gentle with Scarlet when it comes her time to join me in my lab. I'll make sure she's well taken care of." He chuckled fiendishly, like the mad doctor he was.

Despite it was a mask, Scalpel saw a fleet glimpse of the man behind the mask, the warrior behind the facade, and saw a very dangerous, but also a very scared man, before Snake Eyes pulled his rifle's trigger. But to Snake Eyes utter shock the rifle didn't fire. It jammed.

Scalpel chuckled again. "Not having a very good day, are you?" he said. "My rifle is working perfectly." It was then that he saw a suspicious bulge in Snake Eyes pants. "Is that a gun in your pants or are you just happy to see me?" He smiled.

It was then that Snake Eyes remembered the pistol in his pants. He had hidden it there as a precaution just in case he needed it for just such an occasion. He reached for it and quickly pulled it out with lighting speed. And like a Western shootout, he shot Scalpel in the upper left arm before he could fire his weapon. Scalpel went down, but he wasn't dead.

Snake Eyes went over to him and pointed the pistol at him, yanking the rifle from his hands. "Take it, it's yours," he said. Snake Eyes took a couple of steps back from him and like the coward he was Scalpel slowly dragged himself into the elevator he had exited from and allowed the doors to close behind.

Snake Eyes inserted the pistol back into the front of his pants.

Snake Eyes turned back towards the office and threw caution to the wind, and stormed the inside. He laid out a volley of weapons fire, taking out all the Crimson guardsmen, until it was only him, Scarlet, and the Crimson Twins, Tomax and Xomat, left.

Tomax and Xomat had taken cover behind their desks, and now, seeing they had no place left to go, they stood up and faced Snake Eyes.

Tomax came around his desk and out in the open, and looked at all the men Snake Eyes had killed. "What a waste," he said. He then looked back at him. "You're such a nuisance. Only a brute like yourself would bring upon such calamity and bloodshed, but what else would I expect from a member of G.I.Joe. America's freedom fighters are always willing to do what must be done to preserve the sanctity of what's so-called best for the country, even if they have to kill all who stand in their way."

"I agree," Xomat said. "We have his dear Scarlet, so we were expecting this. Scalpel obviously failed in his task to torture information out of you; we'll deal with him later. But as for you, one more step and you'll be torn to sheds by our automatic torrent guns embedded in the walls. They're now activated. Any movement from this moment on will begin their sequence and kill every living thing in this room. So attack us if you want your beloved fiancée to die for a futile cause."

They had to be buffing, Snake Eyes thought. They'd be killed too if the torrent guns fired. Unless they knew something he didn't, which was a distinct possibility seeing this was their office. But if he could get to Scarlet in time before the guns fired, they'd be okay. But he couldn't take that chance. He then nodded indicating his surrender.

Xamot pressed a button on his desk to deactivate the torrent guns. Tomax took out a pistol from his blue jacket and pointed it at Snake Eyes. "Drop the rifle now," he told him, and Snake Eyes did so. "Some people are so uncivilized, brother," he said. Tomax kicked the rifle away from Snake Eyes and then backed off to give himself distance from his enemy.

"We're back to square one," Xomat said. He went over to Scarlet and stood behind her, he also had a pistol in his hand. "Shall we try again to extract information from him or kill him as Cobra Commander said?"

"I so detest throwing away valuable merchandise, but for the good of our most influential and subsequent client, I think we should abide by his wishes and do away with these irritates. They've caused enough grief."

Xomat put his pistol to Scarlet's head.

It was then that Snake Eyes pulled out the pistol from his pants and shot Tomax in the right hand, making him drop his gun. This in turn brought the same pain to his brother, and he too dropped his weapon. Snake Eyes then fired a shot at the ceiling and both brothers looked at him stunned. "I can't believe you shot me," Tomax said, holding his right hand. "You're insane!"

"My sentiments exactly, brother," Xomat said, holding his right hand as well. Even thought he wasn't shot, he felt the same pain. "The man's unstable."

Snake Eyes waved the pistol and Tomax and Xomat came out into the open.

Snake Eyes then went over to Scarlet and ripped off the duct tape that gagged her. "Ow!" she said. "Not insane or unstable, just in love." He then proceeded to cut the rest of her binds while still covering them.

"What do you intend in doing with us?" Tomax wondered.

She looked at Snake Eyes and he shook his head. "Nothing," Scarlet replied, looking back at them. "We have nothing to hold you on."

They looked confused, and then they smiled. They knew she was right. Both returned to a certain smugness.

"Despite everything you've done, it wouldn't hold up in a court of law. It will just be waste of time and taxpayers money and end up being dismissed due to lack of evidence. Pressing charges would only be a bother, and testimonies are not enough to convict you. We came to find a missing CIA agent and we did, he was in your pocket. That is what we'll tell the agency. But that was his choice, and the only person that can held accountable is himself. But that doesn't mean we won't be watching you. Every step you take, every move you make, we'll be watching you."

"You sound like a old eighties song," Xomat said.

"Do you want to get shot?"

Xomat smiled, and then backed off.

"Then if our business is concluded, please vacant the building," Tomax said. "I believe you know the way out. And would you be so kind as to leave the pistol, it is our property." Snake Eyes looked at him with a snarl on his lips. "Fine, take it. Be our guest."

Scarlet helped Snake Eyes out of the office and into the elevator where they went to the garage. They got into Scarlet's car, the same car they were getting into when they were first captured, and sped away out of the underground parking lot, and headed for the nearest hospital to attend to Snake Eyes wounds. Their excuse would be he was in a bar fight, because their mission was highly classified.

After everything that had happened, they had virtually accomplished nothing other than learning that money is a very powerful catalyst that can turn even a good-hearted man into cold-heart traitor to his country.

----

Tomax and Xomat viewed Scarlet's car with binoculars from their office as it sped away down the street, and knew she was right. Any evidence, even the marks on Snake Eyes body given to him by Scalpel, wouldn't hold up in a court of law; it would all be circumstantial evidence. They had nothing on them. Without the CIA agent, they came out with nothing.

And besides, two agents of G.I.Joe weren't enough to topple the mighty economical power that was Extensive Enterprises. It would take a lot more than what they could do.

END


End file.

G. I. Joe, Adventure