RAGNAROK
BY: ANNIEO

Chapter One
Devil's Shadow

For all we have and are,
For all our children's fate,
Stand up and take the war.
The Hun is at the gate!
Our world has passed away
In wantonness o'erthrown.
There is nothing left to-day
But steel and fire and stone!
    Tough all we knew depart,
    The old Commandments stand: --
    "In courage keep your heart,
    In strength lift up your hand."
*From the poem ‘For all we have and are’ By Rudyard Kipling

* * * * * * * *

  The small beam of light that dared to break the cloud cover did little to improve the sight before the group standing upon cliff face. Each figure that stood there on that bitter morning did well in hiding the emotions that flowed through them at the devastation that lay within their sight. Not even a blade of grass dared to grow upon the bare ground now. One man stood apart from the group, his sharp eye taking in everything before him, searching for dangers out of habit more than need. His mind slowly turned back to how this world looked before. The green fields, the bright sun-lit days, the smell of a fresh breeze after a spring rain.

  Now all that remained where the memories of it all, a small piece that each member held inside themselves. He took a moment to turn and glance at the small group that had accompanied him this morning, his few remaining friends…comrades. The few that he would trust with almost everything, but only one among them that he would trust with his life. His vision locked on her form in the group and he took a moment to absorb the changes that had taken place in her over the years. Her long hair now cut to just above her shoulders, the scar on her face where a knife had sliced her in the last battle when they had lost headquarters and been forced into hiding. The look of exhaustion that seemed to cover all of their faces, no matter how much they rested. And the sadness in her eyes. He remembered how her eyes used to light up with humor and the sound of her laughter would infect everyone around her. Now there was little time for laughter, or anything else, except survival. That was even something they were all growing weary of.

  "Conrad?" Scarlett said in a soft voice, "We better head back, the satellite will be overhead in ten minutes."

  He took one final glance at the battered landscape before taking her hand in his to head back to the place they called home.

  As they walked Scarlett glanced at her husband, trying to gauge his mood. She noted the tension that had been present in his face since they had lost headquarters, causing the deep lines that had never faded completely away to become more pronounced. The eye patch he was forced to wear after the loss of his left eye during that battle, and the ghosts of friends he carried inside of him. Roadblock, Hawk, Falcon, Jinx, Lady Jaye…. her thoughts froze. Lady Jaye, they owed her so much. She had died saving her own four-year old daughter and the couple’s two-year old twins. She had hidden the children and then held off the Cobra’s long enough for Flint and Duke to reach the bunker’s exit and get them out. So many had died that day, so many lost forever. The Joes had managed to hide most of the families before the attack, but some of them still had fallen victim to the brutal raid on that cold winter morning. Even though it had been nearly two years ago, Scarlett continued to hear the screams, smell the blood. A small shiver forced itself up her back as the memories erupted within her.

  Duke felt the shiver run up his wife’s back and pulled her into a tighter embrace as they continued toward the camp. "You alright?"

  "Fine, just some old memories in my mind today. You know today is Asia’s birthday. Flint said he would like it if we could drop by tonight."

  "Sure, I need to go get the reports from the patrols, but I’ll meet you in two hours," Duke replied as they entered the cave system they called home.

  She nodded in agreement. "I better go get the girls- I don’t trust Shipwreck not to give them ideas." She gave him a quick kiss and headed deeper into the bowels of the caves.

* * * * * * * *

  "We’re running dangerously low on most of the medical supplies and food packs," Flint commented as he gave his report. "We may need to do another supply run sooner then we thought."

  "Make of list of what is most vital for now Flint, I’ll make sure the scavengers get it. Any news on the transmissions coming from base?" Duke asked as he turned his attention to Cover Girl.

  "None," the once vibrant ex-model spoke in her now gravelly voice. "All we know is that the location is headquarters, but as to who is sending…" She shrugged her shoulders.

  Duke nodded. "Get whom ever you need to help you figure this out. I want answers and I want them fast. Last thing we need is for Cobra to tap the locations of ‘ghosts’." He stated, referring to those family members they had managed to hide before the attack. "Anything else to add?" he glanced around at his officers. "No? Dismissed."

  He remained seated in the silent room after his officers left. He often used the quiet to gather his thoughts on the situation that he and his people were in. He had never wanted to become more than their commanding officer, and now he found himself thrust into the unwanted role of commander, father figure, and confidant. His own life and dreams put on hold so that they could survive. He wondered now, as he often did, if they should be fighting so hard to save a world that in all appearances did not want to be saved. With a heavy sigh, he pulled himself from his contemplation and wearily reentered the hysteria that had become his life.

* * * * * * *

  Shana Hauser quietly entered the small cavern that existed deep within the protective rock-solid walls of the cave system. A place chosen for one purpose… one she hoped that would never be tested. She watched for a moment, smiling to herself at the children playing upon the homespun carpet. Two of the youngest within the room occupied her attention, there was no denying whom their mother was since both had heads topped with stunningly bright red hair and deep sky-blue eyes. They were her one piece of hope that existed in an otherwise unstable world. Her father and youngest brother Sean dead at the hands of Cobra and her remaining brothers, Frank and Brian, in hiding, she had only her daughters and husband to hold her sanity firm in an insane existence.

  She smiled as Shipwreck, whom since the loss of his right leg was often found in the nursery, looked up from the story he was reading to some of the older children. Motioning to him that she was going to take the twins off his hands, Scarlett quickly knelt down to scoop up a fast moving flash of red hair. He nodded and resumed his reading. As she reached for her other daughter, she paused when her eyes caught sight of a young dark-haired girl playing off to the side of the room by herself. Her thoughts turned to how much the girl was looking like her mother.

  The wiggling child in her arms brought her back. "Mommy… go home now?"

  She smiled down at her four year old daughter Kiara. "Yes. You and Audra get your sweaters and say good-bye to Hector."

  "Bye Uncle Hector," Both the girls chorused as they took their mother’s hands.

  Shipwreck grinned at the girls. "See you tomorrow."

  "So what did you girls do today?" She asked as she proceeded down the passageway towards the living quarters.

  "Uncle Hector took us to the hypononics today." Audra smiled up at her mother as she stumbled over the unfamiliar word.

  "Hydroponics," Scarlett corrected. "Did you enjoy your visit?"

  "It was so green Mommy," Kiara’s voice held a hint of wonderment. "Uncle Hector said that outside used to look like that."

  "Yes it did, a long time ago. Before the bad men took over."

  Audra stopped walking. "Mommy?" She asked, her voice taking on a tone of uncertainty, "Will the bad men come here?"

  Scarlett froze in shock at her daughter’s question before kneeling down to eye level with her. "Audra, I promise that the bad men will never hurt you. Your Daddy and I will not let that happen."

  "But they hurt Grandpa and Uncle Sean."

  "I know, but Daddy and I weren’t there to protect them."

  Audra nodded solemnly at her mother’s words and in a sudden movement enveloped her in a tight hug. "Love you Mommy."

  Scarlett quickly fought back the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. This was why she fought. For the hope that in the future, her daughters, and all children, would be able to see a world without the bad men in it. That maybe…just maybe they might have the chance at a future aside from hiding in these caves. "Alright," she stood and reclaimed the girls’ hands. "Let’s go find your father."

* * * * * * *

  Dashiel Fairborne once believed that his dreams had come true. He had met the women he considered his soul mate, married her, and had a beautiful, loving daughter. In his eyes his life was perfect. Then the unthinkable happened, and it all disappeared in one hellish nightmare of a night. Lady Jaye was dead, and his daughter, the one thing he had held more dear than his wife, withdrew from him. What her young eyes had seen in those last terrifying moments before her mother had been cut down she would never reveal. His life had never stopped being that nightmare, and he was trapped within it with no way to escape. Like many others of the survivors, he found himself wondering why they were still fighting, why go on when no one wanted them to win. And every time those thoughts became unbearable, he would sit and watch six-year old Asia sleep and remember that he fought for her.

  "Flint?" A voice called out from behind him. "Sorry t’ interrupt, but I have those reports you wanted."

  "Thanks Dusty." He said as he accepted the pile of papers. "You and CoverGirl going to come tonight? I know Asia would love to see William and Ezra."

  Dusty nodded. "I’ll be sure to bring the boys by if Courtney doesn’t feel like coming. With Kim down with the fever we haven’t been getting much sleep."

  "How’s Kim doing, anyway?" Flint asked, laying a hand on his friend’s shoulder in comfort.

  "As well as expected." He sighed, suddenly looking very tired. "Lifeline says he thinks she’ll pull through, but…well, you’ve seen how the fever has left people."

  All Flint could do was nod as his own thoughts turned towards his daughter. She had survived, which at the time was a miracle, but she had been left with a weakened heart and deaf. His once energetic child couldn’t even walk down the hallway now without running out of breath. However, she was alive, which was more then many of the fever’s first victims could claim. Shana and Conrad had lost their six-month old son Justin to it.

  "Give CoverGirl my love and tell her Kim is in my thoughts," Flint said when he finally found his voice.

  "Will do and I’ll bring the boys by tonight, I promise." Dusty waved in parting and once again Flint found himself alone within the dark passageway.

* * * * * * *

  There were many words to describe the world as it now existed, but privately within his mind Snake Eyes had one: Hell. While he did consider himself lucky to be among those that had survived both the Great Battle and the Fever, he wondered just how much longer his luck would hold out. As a patrol car drove past him upon the otherwise empty city streets, he instantly pulled himself back into the shadows on reflex. He had only another block to go before he would reach the spot at which his contact waited, but with the increased activity of the security patrols, he found himself debating whether to continue on or not. With one last glance onto the again silent street, he moved away from the shadows and onto his rendezvous.

  She waited in the nook of an old building on an alleyway, unsure if her contact would appear as promised. The information she now had within her possession could spell the end of the chokehold Cobra had upon the world, but she had paid the price to get the information. Forced to move sooner than anticipated with the recent upgrade of the security within the city due to the unknown attacks upon the capital and the Commander himself, she harbored a fear of discovery bordering on paranoia. She stiffened, her grip tight on her weapon at the sound of someone approaching. She just as quickly relaxed as she recognized the arrival.

  "I wasn’t sure if you would come." She remarked in low tones as she stepped from the shadows.

  "The information is to valuable to lose." Snake Eyes signed to the woman. "Do you have it?"

  "Yes." She handed him a computer disk. "I hope it is what you were looking for. I lost several friends for this."

  "You have our thanks and we are sorry for your losses." He quickly pushed her back into the shadows and flattened himself against the building as another patrol car speed past. "You are not safe there any longer," He signed.

  "I am in no danger yet. Do not worry about me. I am well able to care for myself." She quickly glanced around the corner. "You should go before the next patrol comes."

  He nodded once and pocketed disk, "Remember if you need us…"

  "I know, now go."

  She watched the masked man disappear into the starless night, and with a sigh, took a moment to quickly compose herself. Stepping out onto the dark street and glancing around to make certain no one had spotted her visitor, she began to walk. With head held high and a small smile upon her face, the Baroness turned herself towards the place she called home.

* * * * * * *

  "Shana?" Duke called into the small, yet functional, area that they called home. They had made the most of what the were able to scrounge and added a few personal touches, from Scarlett’s homespun blankets and rugs to Duke’s hand made furniture. Even the drawings done by the twins decorated the walls. If one wanted to, they might even have been able to forget that it was nothing more than a cave. He smiled to himself as he heard the familiar laughter of his children and with quick steps went to find what mischief they were up to this time. As he surveyed the scene he said, "Well, if it isn’t my three favorite red-headed girls."

  Shana glanced up from the reports she was working on while the girls abandoned their drawing to be engulfed by the open arms of their father. "And what have you two been up to today?" He asked as he released the two bundles of energy. Both girls quickly recalled their trip to the gardens, often tripping over each other’s sentences and adding bits to the other’s narrative. With great pride Kiara and Audra showed off the drawing they each had done. Duke admired the newest artistic endeavor that they had undertook and lifting each one in turn, helped them hang the artwork upon the walls before sending them off to their room.

  "Any word from Snake Eyes?" Scarlett asked quietly after the girls disappeared into the nook that served as their bedroom.

  Duke shook his head in answer as he poured a drink for himself and then her. "He’s not due to check in for another hour or so yet. I won’t start to worry until he misses that. Right now I have to figure out where we are going to get extra food and medical supplies." He handed her the drink and wearily sank himself into one of the few chairs in the room. "We’re running low on just about everything, including fresh water."

  "Do we need to go back to rationing?" Scarlett wondered as she stood and moved behind him to massage the tension from his shoulders.

  "Hmmm…" he smiled slightly as he settled back into his wife’s arms. "Not the drinking water, but bathing and other uses are back to once a week until we get things restocked. How was the rest of your day?" He asked, pulling her down onto his lap.

  She sighed and for a moment fell silent. "Three more are down with the fever and Kimberly Rudat took a turn for the worst today."

  "How’s CoverGirl and Dusty handling it?"

  "As well as any of us do. CoverGirl is calmer then I was with Justin." She again fell silent.

  Duke tightened his embrace, "I know. I miss him too."

  "All this almost makes me wish I had stayed retired." Shana sighed as she pulled out of her husband’s arms. "We better go. I promised Flint we’d bring the girls by." She gave him one last smile before going off to get the twins.

* * * * * * *

  Asia Fairborne had little memory of what the world was like before it fell silent to her. She vaguely remembered faces, voices, and sights that no longer existed in her day-to-day life. The names of most of those faces had faded long ago along with the feelings she may have once had for them. The loss of her mother shattered everything in her young life, and she retreated deep within herself. She did what she was told to help, until she got sick. She found her world further turned upside down after the fever left her body. Once able to dash up and down the passageways without losing her breath, now she could barely walk from her room to the living area without having to stop and rest.

  She glanced at herself in the small looking glass her father had found and hung in her room. She had inherited the best mix of her mother and father’s features. Although she was small for her age of seven years, her dark eyes held a maturity that no child should have. Her long brown hair pulled back in a simple braid was tied with a white ribbon that had fallen across one of her shoulders. Her clothing, a simple dark green dress, was tattered but clean. She glanced over at the one photo of her mother that she possessed and with a longing that would never go away, wished that she were there if only to say happy birthday to her. With a finial twirl of her skirts, she made her way into the small common room and smiled as she caught sight of her father.

* * * * * * *

  Slowly the vehicle made its way through the darkened streets, the woman at the controls glancing nervously about at the shadows that seemed to claim every nook and cranny that existed in the city. She felt a twinge of guilt at having a part in causing this nightmare to happen, and it wasn’t the first time. She had believed in the words that Cobra Commander had spoken and followed his orders without question. In the beginning things did seem better, but the illusion quickly faded as the truth burned through the lies. She began to see the wrong in what they had done, and with the help of someone very dear to her, she had quietly started her own private war against her superiors. She turned her car down into the area that had once been home to the elite of Washington DC, only now the hierarchy of Cobra claimed the fine homes.

  She pulled her car into one of the driveways at the end of the block, and noticed that the house windows were dark. Odd, she thought to herself, Sarah should still be here. She reached into her bag and pulled out her pistol, checking the safety. Cautiously, she entered the house. Nothing seemed out of place, aside from the absence of her assistant and the empty feeling of the rooms. A flash of light reflecting in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned and froze.

  "You," Her eyes narrowed in anger as she recognized her unwelcomed guest as he stepped from the shadows.

  "Baroness." He bowed his head slightly. "Or shall I call you Alexa?" He hid a smile behind a brandy filled crystal glass. "No need for any weapons." He motioned to the pistol still clutched in her hand.

  Anger surged like a tidal wave at the use of her true name, and she did not relax her guard. "What do you want?" She demanded.

  "My dear Alexa, it was not long ago that you would have welcomed me into your home." He leaned forward, his silver mask flashing in the slight lamplight from outside. "Strange how fast the fire dims, is it not?" He raised an eyebrow as he again looked at the gun.

  "I am not in the mood for your games, say what you came to or leave." She reluctantly lowered the pistol and placed it on the table in front of her.

  He took another sip from the crystal glass. "You always were outspoken." He reached over to his left and grabbed the brandy flask and refilled his glass before speaking again. "It seems, my dear, that our beloved leader is beginning to fail in controlling the latest terrorist insurrections."

  She snorted. "As head of security, the failing is yours. You seem unable to even locate the traitors among our own people."

  "I wouldn’t say that."

  He smiled, a smile she knew all to well. She felt her mouth go dry and her heart pound painfully in her chest for a moment before she was able to regain control. "You’ve found something?"

  He watched the cascade of emotions erupt in the eyes of the women before him. If he had not known what to watch for, he would have thought her unaffected by his words, for her face remained the stone mask it had always been. "It has come to my attention that someone with in the very hierarchy of Cobra itself has been involved with the remains of the Joe forces." He took another sip nonchalantly.

  "I find that hard to believe. We are all loyal to the Commander, as you well know, James."

  "Allow me to finish, my dear Alexandra." He leaned back in the chair, disappearing into the shadows for a moment. "Yes we are all loyal to the Commander, or so it would seem on the outside. Day by day our control slips and we lose more power. I for one am tired of the weakness that has…" he paused, as if searching for the correct word. "-Slithered its way to the top."

  She stared at the man in shock. "Are you suggesting that something be done?"

  "Of course not, that would be treason. But if something should accidentally happen to our beloved leader there is little we could do."

  She narrowed her eyes. "Why are you telling me this?"

  He laughed, "Because my dear, we all have our secrets and perhaps I know one of yours." He reached over to the small table and tapped a file lying on it with a finger. "It seems that you disappeared for quite sometime three years ago."

  "A family emergency, as I told the Commander before I left." She moved back and leaned against a cabinet, her hands shaking as she fumbled at the drawer behind her back. Finally she slid it soundlessly open.

  "Ahhh yes, your Mother was it?"

  She nodded.

  "But a year seems to be quite a long time for an emergency, my dear."

  She felt her fingertips touch the cold metal of the small handgun she kept hidden in the drawer. "What business is it of yours if I took an extended leave to care for my dying mother?" A hard edge had seeped into her tone. "What does this have to do with Cobra?"

  He picked up the file and stood, still gripping the crystal glass in his hand. "Nothing and everything." He answered simply as he walked towards her. "I only have one more thing to say and I shall leave you."

  "Then say it and get out of my home." Her fingers wrapped around the handle and clicked the safety off.

  "When the Commander falls, and he will fall, you will swear your allegiance to me, or I shall reveal the one secret you have."

  "You dare to threaten me?"

  He smiled. "As you well know Alexandra Marie Koenigsburg-Navarre, I do not make threats." He placed the file on the table in front of her before turning to leave. "Good evening to you."

  She stood for a moment after he left, just to make certain he had truly departed her home. After several minutes of deafening silence she replaced her backup gun and picked up the file. What she saw made her blood run cold and chased the breath from her lungs.

  He knows! Her mind screamed.

* * * * * * *

  "Now, perhaps you could tell me," The three men stood at server attention and watched as Cobra Commander came around the desk, his voice and posture doing little to reveal his mood. "How did someone manage to smuggle out classified information from a computer system that is supposed to be impossible to access without the codes!?" His voice rose with each word.

  "We’re looking into that Sir." One of the technicians answered, his voice slightly shaky. "But all our attempts at locating the infiltrator have failed."

  "Failed?" The Commander turned to face the one who spoke. "Failed?"

  The suddenness of the gunshot caused the men to jump. The one to last speak took a step back and clutched at his chest. As he pulled away his hand, he look dumbfounded to see it covered with blood. With a strangled gurgle, he dropped to the floor.

  "Y-yes Commander, we have tried…" One stammered as he and the remaining technicians watched the man’s body fall lifeless to the floor.

  "I would suggest," the Commander stated calmly with a deadly overtone as glared at each technician in turn. "That the rest of you try harder. Dismissed!" He holstered his pistol and the technicians scrambled from his office.

  "A waste of a good worker Commander, " the baroness said as she absently kicked the body and motioned to the guards to remove it. "And you just replaced your carpet too."

  "I want the traitor Baroness, not excuses." He flung a report file at her. "I want each of those people brought in and questioned."

  She caught it and glanced quickly at the list. "It will take some time to locate them, Commander."

  "You have forty-eight hours." He turned his back to her. "Now get out."

  She quickly exited the office and made her way down the halls past the security checkpoints. Once inside her own office she called for her assistant. "Sarah, would you bring me file A-4 and then contact Zartan and tell him I have a little job for him."

* * * * * * *

  "It’s no good Clutch," Grunt exclaimed in frustration as he flung a wrench across the motor pool. "We don’t have the parts to get this stuff up and running, let alone combat ready."

  Clutch looked up from the VAMP he was working on. "I know, but we need transportation of some kind t’ get the hell out of Dodge and find the survivors."

  "And what makes you think any of them are alive? You saw the files."

  "Yeah, but whose t’ say they didn’t fake the files t’ stay hidden or somethin’…" he paused. "Did you hear something?"

  "Yeah." Both men reached over and grabbed their ever-present weapons and quietly made their way outside the motor pool. "It’s quiet now." Grunt observed. "Too quiet."

  "Lets head back to the Command Center and-"

  "Drop your weapons."

  Both men froze, then slowly bent down to place their guns on the ground in front of them.

  "Now, turn ‘round, no sudden moves."

  Slowly, they turned, only to stare in shock at who was behind the rifles pointed in their direction.

  "There just kids," Clutch whispered.

  "No talkin’," a familiar voice called from the shadows. "Now pards, I suggest ya tell me who you are an’ what the hell y’all are doin’ here."

______________________________________________________

Continued in Chapter Two!
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