Zanya had given him a ride to Oregon. After he'd been taken to Vermont to face the wrath of his family for taking off and very nearly getting himself killed. His mother had slapped him before giving him an almost fatal hug. His sister had kicked him in the shin before doing the same. His stepfather had decided they'd punished him enough for it.

"You get lectures from everyone already? Snake-Eyes, Storm Shadow? General Hawk?"

"And Scarlett, and Shipwreck, and General Colton and Duke and Roadblock and-"

"Okay." he grinned ruefully. "Just, consider mine given then alright?"

"Check."

"How are you holding up?"

"Fine."

Then he'd been ferried off to the Pit to be debriefed, and to give his evidence against his father, and explain just how the hell he'd survived.

When he'd been continuing his training this past summer, one of the things he'd learned, was the Arashikage Sleep of the Pheonix. A way to put oneself into a kind of suspended animation that was so like death that even most doctors couldn't tell the difference. It had allowed Storm Shadow to survive being shot six times by the Baroness. It had therefore allowed Billy to survive the venom Cobra Commander had infected him with.

And now Cobra Commander was paralyzed from the waist down, and incarcerated somewhere. Billy neither knew, nor cared where. It was over. Cobra was gone, his father was finished, and he was free. He felt better than he had since he was a kid.

Except now, over a week after the fact, he found his hands shaking.

[Open for calls, texts, e-mails, even visitors.]

The Dreadnocks had joined the fight. Against Cobra. Apparently Zartan had been impersonating Major Bludd and given them the location. There would be a reckoning for this treachery later, but right now, Cobra Commander needed to get away.

His forces were decimated, here and around the globe. It would seem that it would be up to him and Tomax to carry on. And carry on they shall. Even now the Commander's brilliant mind was formulating a new and more devastating plan. Next time there would be no mistakes. Next time G.I. Joe would fall, and the world would tremble. Next time he would be victorious.

As he pelted across the tarmac towards the thick forest that would cover his escape, a roar behind him made him look back over his shoulder.

"What?"

Which was why he never saw Billy step around the corner of a building and lash out with his foot. His artificial, cybernetic foot. Stronger than a hydraulic press. The handiwork of one of Cobra's top scientists, created by commission of the Commander himself.

Billy's foot struck with what seemed like the force of an artillery shell. The crack of the shiny reflective faceplate shattering was louder than a gunshot. And louder even than the sound of the impact of what the Commander had seen coming.

General Hawk, paralyzed from the waist down had gotten hold of a jet pack, and intercepted the Commander. He slammed into the man's back at the same time as Billy hit him in the face. That crack was quieter, but somehow more final than the first.

General Hawk stared in shock at Billy. When they had re-taken Fort Meade they had attempted to find and retrieve the boy's body.

"General Hawk sir." Billy said breathlessly. "Sorry if I'm late."

The general grinned once he collected himself. "Good to see you up and about Son. I guess Storm Shadow's not the only one who can claim the title of Phoenix Master now."

There was a agonized gurgle from the prone, blue clad figure between them.

"I think we broke him."

"I certainly hope so."

[Open to plot people.]

Cobra had been driven from Fort Meade. It's forces in Moscow and London were defeated with the help of the Oktober Guard and Destro and the Baroness' troops. G.I. Joe had thwarted the Commander's plan to devastate the planet's environment with nuclear explosions in key areas.

But Cobra wasn't defeated yet. Even as the Joe team worked globally to bring the organization to it's knees for good, Cobra Commander went to ground in a military base in West Virginia. Where Cobra had first been formed.

It was a final stand perhaps. But Billy's father was already formulating his next plan. One that would be far more dangerous than this one. In the meantime, the battle raged.

[Open for all who volunteered to participate in this last bit of the plot.]

( With much of the country under Cobra control, it'd taken Billy some time to get to his father's base of operations. )

[NFB, NFI, but ooc is perfectly welcome.]

For the second time, Cobra Commander's face appeared on every television screen in the world.

"People of the world, we live in a time of upheaval. Of competing parties, treaties, and creeds. This...chaos threatens your lives on a daily basis. I have come to bring order to that chaos. My order.

"Moments ago, I detonated a thermonuclear bomb in an uninhabited region of the middle east called the Empty Quarter. Consider it a demonstration, and a warning. Cobra now commands nuclear launch facilities on three continents. WE can and will deploy these weapons where we want, when we want. And if world powers to nod accede to my authority...I will begin choosing populated targets."

[Available to be seen if anyone wants to. Coming up, some pings from around the world and the US.]

THE MIDDLE EAST

The US Military Chopper flew across the Arabian Desert. It held only two passengers. Cobra Commander, and the President of the United States. The President glowered resolutely at his captor.

"Your anger is misplaced." The Commander said. "After all, it was men like you who created me. I was once one of the faceless masses. The kind of man you and all the other presidents, premiers, and prime ministers of the world ignored. But that time is over."

In Bogota Columbia Cobra Forces stormed the capital.

"Even now, my forces are rising up around the world."

The Nuclear Research center in North Korea was now in Cobra's hands.

"Striking swiftly and mercilessly."

Russian troops at the Arkhangelsk Russian Nuclear facility were overwhelmed.

"Cutting off world governments from the arsenals that maintain their authority."

Hsi Ning China saw a new flag topping the flagpoles.

"Your empire is over." The chopper landed, surrounded by sand as far as the eye could see, no sign of civilization anywhere.

"Mine is just beginning." Cobra Commander opened the door and threw the president, hands still bound behind him into the burning hot sun. "Welcome to a brand new world Mr. President. Now fend for yourself."

The chopper took off, soon fading into the distance.

[Stay tuned for many posts from around the globe! Fun and excitement!]

Dear Fandom High Students and Teachers,

If you don't know who I am, feel free to disregard this message. For those of you who do know me...I don't remember who knows the truth about me and who doesn't. When I came to Fandom High I told people that my parents were dead, and that I was a ward of the state. The truth is that I was, (and am again) in witness protection, as is my mother.

My father is an international terrorist with global conquest as his goal. And I'm afraid to say that he may be about to succeed. He has taken the White House, and Buckingham Palace. The President has been taken prisoner, possibly killed, and the royal family as well. His forces are in every country it seems, gathering followers left and right, and sowing discord and chaos.

US forces are scattered around the globe, and local militaries are hard pressed. I don't know how long they can hold out.

I have to try to stop him.

I consider my time at Fandom High to be the best years of my life. The people I met there and the experiences I went through made me a better person. I hope to see you all again. But if not, I just wanted to say thank you. And good luck.

Sincerely,
William "Billy" Kessler
Fandom High Class of '08

On the night of November 15th Coooobraaaaa!!! Will invade Fandom. They'll be landing troops at the lighthouse with the goal of securing the entire island. This mini invasion will be repelled by Monday night, and is open to all who want to participate.

It won't be hard to avoid the plot of course if you want to, it won't go beyond the lighthouse.

Oh, and I'll be posting it on Saturday night for great SP of Justice. Questions?

*Whatever people are watching around the world, be it news, or entertainment, the program is interrupted without warning. A stylized logo of a Cobra replacing it.*

"We interrupt this program to bring you vital information for your future, and for the future of your children."

The camera pulled back from the logo to reveal it to be a flag. Standing before the flag was a man in a blue uniform wearing an ominous looking helmet.

"I offer this message to the people of the world. I know many of you fear us. It's what you've been taught to do. Cobra has been labeled a terrorist group. Extremists. Fanatics. But so, too, were the American Colonists. And the French Revolutionaries. Even Nelson Mandela was labeled a terrorist.

"The point is, those in power fear change and will do everything to demonize those who seek it.

"Over the past several months, the great powers have bickered like confused children as dozens of conflicts exploded across the globe. Even now, with Boston lying in ruins, they continue to whimper for negotiation and patience. We have no patience. The world is in need of order and Cobra will bring it. Beginning with the criminals in Russia."

At that moment, as news services would soon report, bombs fell upon Moscow, causing untold devastation.

[Speech transcribed from G.I. Joe World War III trade paperback. Actually okay for broadcast and ooc or ic comments if people want to have seen the broadcast.]

( The White House, Washington DC, Early Friday Morning )

[Scoreboard: Cobra has bombed Boston, and taken the White House. NFB, and NFI. OOC comments are welcome. Dialogue from this and the previous post taken from the G.I. Joe trade paperback, World War III.]