America Burning Finale

America Burning Finale Characters: General Hawk, Poise, Dusty, Over Kill, Hannibal, Sinatra, Baroness, Barghest, Lowdown, Wet Down, Cookie Location: Washington, DC

Date: July 19th, 2019

TP: America Burning TP Summary: The Joes put their plan into action to rid America of Cobra. As logged by  General Hawk

All across America, GI Joe teams gather at the perimeter of Cobra occupied cities, ready to strike. General Hawk has personally led the team that is to assault Washington, DC. Far above, the BET satellites await their command. As they get into position, Hawk gets on the radio from within the Kodiak tank. "Attention all Joe units, this is General Hawk. The moment has come, ladies and gentlemen. Cobra has put their heels up in our country for too long. Tonight, we run the snakes out of town, and we go for the head in Washington. When the signal is given, begin the assault. This is what we have trained for. This is what our team was assembled for. Tonight, we retake what is ours and restore freedom to the citizens under Cobra's foot. YOOOO JOE!"

Sinatra's method of entry is unusual, considering he drives a 6x6 truck. He's swum his said ampbhibious Stalwart up the Potomac, relying on the cover of darkness and the noise of the city to keep him hidden as he got himself into position - sending little packs of rats out into the city to cause their own little pockets of havoc when thighs kick off.

As the appointed hour approaches, Kamau readies his AK-47, looking at the four rats who are accompanying him. "Okay, Joy, Ode, Bahati, Jimbo... this is it!" he whispers. "Today kick these invaders out of... well, it's not my homeland. But it's somebody's homeland, and Cobra stolen it."

Lowdown has been camped out within view of the White House for several days, providing reconnaissance and reporting over encrypted channels whenever safe to do so. The security perimeter has broadened since his last incursion, so his latest perch is a little further out than he'd prefer... still, with a little luck, it should offer a good, clean shot. He's just waiting for all hell to break loose...

Hannibal is in the bowels of the White House, preparing for an assault on Charlotte, North Carolina. He's dressed as Cobra Commander minus the helmet. He sometimes appears as Cobra Commandeer in public events as a security decoy. His long black hair, somewhat matted from the helmet, is pulled back into a tight ponytail. The North African clone is bent over numerous physical maps of Charlotte, referencing them against reports coming in on several nearby monitors.

Poise has adopted some aviator goggles that she's replaced her eyeglasses with. Again, she didn't need to wear it, not with her Nebtech helmet on over it. She idles on her Turbinecycle, a floating single occupant vehicle with large turbines on the back that provide its name and motion. Along one side of it, spraypainted reads "Fo Sho Yo Joe" to which Poise was almost in tears of laugher when she added that mark. What can you say, her humor is weird.

The Neb is oddly silent today. It wasn't battle that she was worried about. She's had to fight before, even large foes like Cybertronians. Somehow she'd have to scamper by. No, what weighed on her mind was that for once, she had other people with her. Chances are good some of these people were going to die today, here. How many of them would she know? After a somber moment, she blows out a breath, and says under her breath, "This is why I don't get close to Class 3 Civilizations."

Baroness's arrival is easily seen as she arrives at the White House via a helicopter that deposits her at the entrance. She steps out and scans the area around the building as a large wolf jumps out and stands near her, its fur a dark black.. where it can be seen around the blood-red armor encasing it and the light red glow from its eyes. After giving the area a few quick looks she heads inside the building with the wolf staying close by her side and moves deeper into it towards the command center where Hannibal is.

Cookie sticks close to the shore of the Potomac, ready to do her part and back up the Naval team. She's doing her best to stay relaxed, even though combat will start any minute now. No point in getting tense and giving herself a cramp.

Set with his boys outside the White House, per usual, the arrival of the Baroness's chopper is relayed and even as her chopper sets down, Alley Vipers and Barghest are on deck, watching the femme fatale go even as they visually check the area.

"Boss, you get that feeling?"

"Aye, sumfin's not teasin' the pickle. Flies and spies, chinas." The lot begin moving out, to patrol positions while the former viper stands near the chopper.

[G.I. Joe] Poise says, "You got that inertial compensator activated in there, Dusty?"

Flying silently through the skies above Washington DC, a rather unique aircraft surveils the city streets below. The Shadow Rattler's black armor makes it a mere speck in the sky, and the pilot's neuro-optical link allows him to see through the vehicle's cameras.

[G.I. Joe] Dusty says, "...acknowledged."

Nightgaunt checks in via radio, "No air traffic to report."

Stepping out the RHIB after Cookie is a group of SEALs led by one of G.I. Joe's youngest, Wet Down. He disperses the team with quiet orders and hand gestures before slipping into the shadows as best he can.

Outside in the streets, squads of Cobra Troopers patrol the city. BATs stand on every corner, keeping the peace; the troopers, on the other hand, feel almost superfluous. Many have their helmets off and are smoking or just standing around chatting. Most have their rifles slung over one shoulder or resting against a nearby wall. This is the center of Cobra America. There is no safer place for a Cobra grunt to be, right?

Dusty is with Poise. Even though Poise is well aware of battle schematics, but in terms of the Joes, Poise is still relatively new, hence the pairing off with veteran Dusty. He doesn't need to consult Poise on the military front, but he's just been going over some of the usual Joe-style formations for a formation like this. He checks his assault rifle one more time before he stows it, riding in the Nebulan Turbinecycle along with Poise.

One unfortunate Cobra trooper puts his helmet on, only to find that a rat has urinated in it.

Viper 855 ughs. "Can you believe this? Fucking DC rats, man..."

General Hawk sits within the cockpit of the Kodiak, in almost total darkness except for the bright glow of the monitors around him and the telltales on the control panels. He swivels his chair slightly to another control panel, and brings up a map of the US on it. A flip of another switch, and targeting blips appear on well over a dozen American cities where Cobra has set up camp. After a few seconds, 'LOCKED' in large red letters comes across the screen with a soft buzz. "Time to light this candle.." he says, lifting the cover off a key in a lock. He then keys the radio. "Attention all Joe units. The packages are about to be delivered. As soon as the lights go out, move in, weapons hot. You are authorized full engagement." With that, the key turns, and the screen changes to 'COMMIT' in large letters. Instantly a bright electric blue beam strikes Washington, DC, with a similar spectacle across the US. Electrical systems fail, vehicles stop in their tracks, weapons are drained of power, and above all, BATs stop in their tracks, going limp. As the light fades, he hits the throttle. "ALL UNITS ADVANCE! YOOOOOOO JOE!"

[G.I. Joe] Poise says, "Dusty, just tell me where I'm needed. I get I need to ride skirmish for the slow stuff. You've got temporary clearance to use my optics system, hope you remember how!"

Sinatra watches the blue flash, followed by the blackout that follows. "Mashambulizi!" he shouts. "Ikiwa imevaa alama za Cobra, ni lengo! YO JOE!" He darts to the end of his alleyway, peering around the corner for a moment before sighting on the nearest Cobra target with his AK and opening fire. For the moment, his rats stay back with him, two riding his shoulders as they wait for commands.

His subtitles, helpfully provided for those who don't speak Swahili, read: Attack! If it's wearing Cobra symbols, it's a target!

[G.I. Joe] Leader of the Rat Pack, Sinatra says, "Mashambulizi! Ikiwa imevaa alama za Cobra, ni lengo!"

[G.I. Joe] Geekspeak says, "Hate to intrude, General, but we're experiencing some strange issues here at base. There's an apparent power drain across all systems; we're trying to track it down now."

Lowdown allows himself a brief, satisfied smile as he sees that bright-blue light shine down from the sky. Party time. The key now is patience. While the other Joes move in to engage enemy forces, Lowdown remains calm, slowly settling his eye against the scope of a very special rifle. His mission is to neutralize high-priority targets, and he's not ready to give up his position for the rank-and-file.

[G.I. Joe] Dusty says, "Just provide support. As for your optics - I didn't exactly get to field test everything, so if it's all well and good, I'll keep relying on my eyes - Yo Joe!"

When the lights suddenly go out, Hannibal explodes into motion. As soon as backup power cuts in, Hannibal is bounding upward to the surface. He has a rifle slung over one shoulder and his Cobra Commander helmet under the other arm. << Speak to me, >> he radios his troops. << Give me a sitrep and prepare to repel a full invasion force. We've prepared for this, troopers. Make me proud. >>

Arriving on the ground floor of the White House, he heads for the Oval Office, running past scrambling Imperial Guards and Crimson Guard Immortals. "Get Cobra Commander to safety!" Hannibal yells, motioning the guards along. Donning his Cobra Commander helmet, Hannibal heads out onto the lawn, rifle in hand.

Unseen, Hannibal frowns at the sight of the dead BATs and Joes flooding into his city. Taking a deep breath, he activates the speaker system in his helmet that broadcasts his voice and makes it sound like Cobra Commander.

"Cobra!" Hannibal yells at projected volumes. "The time is at hand to defend our chosen city! The followers of the old guard have come to rid us from their roost. The country of children in cages, record high numbers of incarcerated citizens, a land formerly filled with the homeless and sick, left to die on the streets..." Hannibal raises his fist. "No, I say! We have brought education to the blighted masses! We have brought care to the elderly and dying! We have brought order to their formerly crime-ridden cities! We have made this our home, and we are here to stay! COBRAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Lowering his fist, the Cobra commander raises his rifle instead, targeting the first flashy thing he sees -Poise's fancy bike. Aiming carefully, the Cobra commander fires off a three-round burst, trying take out the craft.

>> Hannibal misses Nebulan Turbinecycle #11095 with Ballistic . <<

The massive blaze of blue just fills her field of vision, the optical compensators on her helmet shift to filter out the brightness. Overall, it was non-violent, and that was acceptable. The last thing she wanted was to help a Class 3 species create a weapon of mass destruction. Certainly the galactic governments would have something to say about that. The battle cry goes out, and Poise's own response was a lot more muted, lacking the passion. She says with a bit of determination, "Yo joe..." And with that, she revs the turbines of her craft with a mute whine and takes off into the city. "So fun fact: This capital is built on an actual swamp. And earth snakes like swamps." She keeps in tow with the tanks when already her combat computer alerts her to enemy fire. She jukes the bike sideways, a hard feat to match by earthbound tech, and rights herself, "Wahoo!" She laughs, "Point me out a target."

Baroness's passage deeper into the White House in a walk that can only be consider a strut, drawing many looks from those inside.. most of which quickly look away at a low throaty growl from Fang. She makes her way into the Command Center finally and stops near Hannibal but as she starts to speak to him the alarms go off as the Joes' attack starts, drawing a sigh from the femme fatale. As Hannibal rushes around she follows him at a more sedate pace and finally makes it back outside she stops to take in the situation

The red armor clad femme kneels down next to Fang and rubs her ear a bit before she smiles, "Oh look, Fang.. the Joes brought some snacks for you." As she stands up she slaps the wolf on the rear and says, "Kill." To which the wolf's eyes glow for a second before she tears off, covering the ground as she charges at the rank and file Joes as the Baroness flips a switch on her weapon, switching it to rifle mode and firing off a few quick shots at a few random Joes as she slips behind one of the pillars of the White House.

If Cookie didn't already know that she's surrounded by SEALs, she'd be a bit more worried. Right now, she's the only person in her area visible, but those SEALS are sneaky bastards. She hunkers down a bit, trying to pick off a trooper or two while sticking to cover. Things'll be hot enough soon.

[G.I. Joe] Geekspeak pops up again. "Found the source of the drain. It's... the brig? Ah crap... checking the brig now.

Power drops all around, and the system cells show emergency lows on his HUD. The lower jaw of his helmet drops to his chest and the canid head of the helm retracts into a thick armored cowl, with a little help from a few manual switch springs. "Bloody 'ell." Barghest checks on the clips in his conventional weapons, and the quintesson tech for his wrist guns.

<"Barghest reportin', Alley Vipers mobalizin'."> The brute switches comms even as he tries to engage the emergency chargers for his suit systems, bouncing on the balls of his feet to try and get the kinetic charges rolling.

<"OI! Meat'eads! Mobilize! Asses n'elbows you rotters"> he brings that massive machine gun of his up with the assists in his armor. "C'man gerrit now you seppo twats! COBRA!!!" Alley Vipers around the city shout their response and the rowdy lot start firing wherever they can.

The Shadow Rattler banks to one side as the beam lances down from space, its engines suddenly going much quieter. Nightgaunt hisses as a spiderweb of pain crawls through his skull, electrical impulses feeding back into his neurons through his prosthetic eye. It takes him a moment to realize that his aircraft is losing power. Swallowing an acrid lump of bile and shunting his feelings back into the locker of his mind, he starts methodically flipping toggles on his control panel. The Shadow Rattler's engines whine as the aircraft switches over to redundant electrical systems. With a roar, the jet reactivates, the pilot expertly muscling the controls to bring it out of its dive. As the Shadow Rattler avoids a rather nasty crash onto the streets of DC, its engines dull to a hiss, and then a whisper as the stealth systems reengage.

[G.I. Joe] Leader of the Rat Pack, Sinatra says, "You know, that speech there, raises a point. Kinda hard to feel like the good guy, you know? I left Africa to get away from that sort of behaviour..."

[G.I. Joe] Lowdown says, "He left out the parts about the brainwashing and human experimentation."

[G.I. Joe] Wet Down says, "Really?! We're debating politics now? Cut the unecessary chatter, focus on the objective, and talk about this later."

[G.I. Joe] Dusty says, "Stay focused, guys!"

Slipping through the shadows the SEAL Commander closes with one of the Vipers; reaching out to pull him into the shadows.

>> Wet Down misses Cobra Troopers with Grapple. <<

>> Sinatra strikes Cobra Troopers with AK-47 . <<

Outside, squads of Cobra Troopers hustle into defensive positions. Helmets down, weapons up, they scan for incoming targets, ready to open fire at the first sight of G.I. Joe. At the edges, a few troops glance nervously at the dead-looking BATs. This was their heavy support, suddenly offline. Now they must place their hopes in Rip It's Tank Corps to protect them as they fight on the ground.

As shots start pouring in, Trooper 938 goes down in a splay of blood and the others duck under cover. As another trooper almost gets grabbed, the rest turn and fire wildly, spraying lead in all directions. "Cobraa!" they shout shakily, not sounding fierce at all. Baroness's Fang wolf leaps ahead, tearing through Greenshirts left and right.

>> Cobra Troopers misses Sinatra with Rifle . <<

>> Cobra Troopers strikes Cookie with Rifle . <<

>> Cobra Troopers misses Wet Down with Rifle . <<

Dusty smirks, happy to be back in action now, hopefully finally to rout Cobra out of D.C. Not the biggest fan of modern technology, he opts to do things the old fashioned way. He brings out his assault rifle and fires it at the supporting Viper troops.

>> Dusty strikes Alley-Viper Squad with Ballistic . <<

General Hawk sees what he thinks is Cobra Commander atop the White House. Accessing the targetting system he brings a reticle up on the video feed which locks onto Hannibal. "Time to cut the head off the snake." he says as he hits the trigger, activating the side cannons that send streams of lead towards Hannibal.

Kodiak #10803 targets Hannibal with its weapons.

The computer beeps. "Target acquired."

>> Kodiak #10803 strikes Hannibal with Side Guns . <<

Wet Down suddenly fades into sight without a sound.

Over Kill flies in with a squad of his Vector Jets, ready to drop BATs once he gets in location "Over Kill Reporting. Which one.dropped the EMP?" He looks for the proper target, ready to eliminate the threat.

Sinatra ducks into cover to avoid the incoming rifle fire, the rounds bouncing harmlessly off the brickwork. "Huwezi kugonga upande wa kiboko!" He shouts. "Huwezi kugonga upande wa kiboko!"

He points, firing his AK in the general direction of the Troopers. But it's just a distraction; as he makes a big show of firing, Jimbo, Ode, Joy, and Bahati sprint out between his legs, Jumbo still wearing Zandar's scarf. The rats don't hesitate, running up the Cobra Troopers' legs and starting to bite and scratch - and, more importantly, steal things, like grenade pins, car keys, and belt buckles.

>> Sinatra misses Cobra Troopers with Grenade . <<

Lowdown is in motion the instant 'Cobra Commander' steps into view. Although an observer might not have noticed the miniscule adjustments to his aim, he's tracking his quarry across the White House lawn. The weapon beneath him is positively massive by human standards, a prototype AMR developed by Steyr. As he centers his scope on Cobra Commander's chest, he slowly lets his breath out, waiting for that natural pause in his breathing before gently depressing the trigger...

>> Lowdown critically strikes Hannibal with Snipe ! <<

The assault is over in seconds, the rats simply grabbing what they can before they run back to Kamau. Unfortunately, none of them manage to grab any grenade pins!

The Cobra commander continues to draw aggro, firing shots at the incoming Joe forces and shouting orders to his own troops on the ground. There is a thundering boom as the Kodiak's side-guns fire, slamming into Hannibal. Blood suddenly pours from a deep wound in the Cobra commander's upper right arm. His rifle drops from his numb arm, landing in a pool of blood. Behind his helmet, Hannibal winces. This might be the end for him, again. If he buys enough time for the real Cobra Commander to get away, however, it'll be worth it. << Rip It! Nightgaunt! Focus your fire on the Kodiak! If we can take out their general, their forces'll be in chaos! >> Hannibal straightens up, looking over the battlefield - and then the top part of his helmet just explodes open. Some of the best high-tech armor money can buy and it bursts open like overripe fruit. A few cm towards the center and it would have been a killshot - as it is, the Cobra commander is seriously wounded, and for a moment, simply stands there in a daze, before falling to his knees...

Poise taps her optical system as she calls out over the comms, <> She frowns and looks up to the sky, <>

Lowdown suddenly fades into sight without a sound.

Baroness stays behind the pillar, leaning against it to keep in cover, a finger flicking another swith on her weapon and it changes from a solid rounds to energy before she moves out from behind it again.. bringing it up to aim towards Sinatra as he fires at the Troopers and a brief flash of red beam flashes out before she ducks back behind cover, her turning just a bit to watch Fang's progress while one hand slips up to touch her commlink, "It seems to Joes have finally grew a pair.. small and wrinkled but still a pair. Do we have anything nearby to support us soon enough, Hannibal?" There is a pause and she yells at Fang, "Stop that! Kill and move on, Fang! No marking your territory!"

Then the situation changes as Hannibal gets hammered and she points towards him, "Fang! Protect!" The wolf pauses from where she was about to attack a Joe grunt then turns quickly and bounds over to Hannibal, physically putting herself in the way of any shots towards him, bristling and growling at anyone and everyone looking in his direction.

Cookie takes an opportunity to crouch down with an AT4. Her supply is limited, but if she can blow a hole to let other people get through, that'll make it worth it.

Outside, >> Cookie strikes Cobra Troopers with Rocket. <<

One of the vipers is gunned down and Barghest turns to watch. It's chaos, rifle fire, heavy weapons... Hannibal getting blasted. "S'turnin' into a right spot o'spit..." he turns and tries to spot the source of fire, seeing... Dusty? "What the flippin'..." He cracks off a shot with his assault rifle even as his suit systems report online, his helmet unfolded and closing into the shape of a snarling back dog.

"OI! We claimed this country! Get yer own y'toff!" DAKKA-DAKKA-DAKKA-DAKKA!!!

>> Barghest strikes Dusty with Ballistic . <<

Shadow Rattler 001 climbs up above the buildings, disappearing from radar as it banks around. As the video systems reboot, Nightgaunt taps into the belly camera once again. Targets begin to light up, and he cycles through them until it locates the one identified over comms. He circles around the battlefield before settling into a gentle dive. There's no scream of engines, no roar of approaching aircraft... just the sudden, alarming *BRRRRRZT* as a 40mm gatling cannon opens fire on the Kodiak.

>> Shadow Rattler 001 strikes Kodiak #10803 with Jawbreaker . <<

Shadow Rattler 001 suddenly fades into sight without a sound.

Collectively, the Cobra Troopers scream and scrabble as they are infested with large, intelligent rats. Some drop their rifles - almost all are distracted to the point of ineffectuality. When the rats run away, some of them realize things are missing. Wallets. Cameos of lost loves. A grenade pin. A GRENADE PIN?! Trooper 1020 realizes almost too late that the pin is gone from one of his grenades. Screaming like a small child, 1020 flings the grenade as far as he can... and smiles as it blasts a large hole in an abandoned food truck, spraying shrapnel and tacos alike.

1020's satisfaction is short-lived, however, as a recoilless rifle shell explodes just behind him, decimating his squad. He crawls forward, armor damaged, ears ringing, covered in blood, wondering what he's done to deserve this day. He only joined Cobra for the dental plan. Now those new crowns just don't seem as worth it.

Wet Down proves 1020's right about that as the Joe opens fire and ends the life of 1020 and most of his mates. The rest break ranks, fleeing into the night, not waiting for the order to retreat.

Dusty's elation of getting back into action and eliminating Cobra from D.C., but that euphoria was cut VERY short by a shot from Barghest. The shot knocks him off the bike he was riding shotgun, and throws him right onto the asphault. He shakes off the blast, thank goodness for body armor, although that blast took pretty much all of it. He summons his pistol and quickly aims it at Barghest.

>> Dusty strikes Barghest with Pistol . <<

General Hawk watches as Hannibal is slammed by repeated bullets. Something in his gut tells him this is too easy... but he isn't going to let that stop him from dealing a decisive blow. The Kodiak rocks as the bullets from the Rattler strike it, but it shrugs it off and remains fully operational. The turret on the Kodiak swivels to target Hannibal, and with a thunderous blast, two laser beams sail out towards their target, just as Fang leaps to shield Hannibal.

Kodiak #10803 targets Fang with its weapons.

The computer beeps. "Target acquired."

>> Kodiak #10803 strikes Fang with Twin Cannons . <<

Sinatra is wide in the open when Baroness fires on him, blasting the Rat-herder into cover. He swears in Swahili, leaning out to fire off a short burst in her direction before once again his rats come into play. While he (hopefully) keeps her attention, the rodents assault the tall, red-and-black woman. This time they don't bother with stealing things - instead, they get to work with their sharp teeth, biting and clawing at her in an attempt to keep her distracted so that Sinatra can properly attack when he gets the chance!

>> Sinatra strikes Baroness with Angry Rats. <<

Lowdown's calm veneer slips and allows a scowl to darken his features. Damn technocentric terrorists ruining a perfectly good shot. He racks the bolt back, throwing caution to the wind and maintaining his position. The 15mmm shell ejects, landing on the rooftop with a hollow, metallic *thunk* and a fresh SABOT round is chambered. He sights in on the mechanical wolf this time, since it's between him and his primary target. "Bad dog..." The Steyer IWS issues another loud report...

>> Lowdown strikes Fang with Steyr IWS 2000 . <<

On his knees, the Cobra commander is protected by Fang from the brunt of the Kodiak's canons, but the bleed through is enough to knock him backward just as Lowdown's SABOT round punches through Fang and tears into his hip. Flopping forward, Hannibal has just enough breath left to gasp, << Cobra... retreat, >> into his radio before he passes out in his own blood. The real Cobra Commander has gotten away, and his stand-in is down. His troops have fled. The city is lost.

Baroness' clothing might /look/ like bodyfitting leather but it proves that it is properly reinforced as the swarm of rats nip at her long enough that the Ratbastard manages to land a solid hit on her shoulder, forcing her fully back under cover again. A slip of a finger and her weapon changes agian, the barrel increasing in length as it takes on a sniper rifle form and starts to aim but stops as Hannibal gives out a last command before collapsing.

Again she scans the situation before she calls out to Fang, "Fang, Fetch and retreat!" The large armored wolf leans down and bites Hannibal enough to drag him back into the White House, maybe a bit roughly but not enough to finish him off headed for the escape route that has been prepared for years now. The Baroness scans around one more time before she herself follows along, stomping and kicking a few more rats away then as she gets to the door in she yells out just before she disappears inside, "Cobra Troopers... we are LEAVING. Cover fire and withdraw! Too slow and you pay for your OWN rescue!"

Cookie chases after fleeing targets for a bit, then slows, finally realizing she's bleeding. "Huh. When did that happen?" She looks around. There's nobody close enough to attack right now, so she tries to stick with her group, getting back to cover before looking at the wound on her leg.

Twisted at the shoulder and forced back as the pistol round flattens against his armor and cracks a plate. Physics wins, as it always does and Bargest finishes his spin on hands and knees. "Ow!" breathing hard and rolling his shoulder. "Corr blimey... damn..." grunting and cursing before he manages to finding his feet. Unlimbering his combat shield, Barghest blinks at the retreat order.

"Whut?!" he tucks the shield close to himself, "Fine... fine." switching to comms <"You 'eard 'im! Back to the bricks my laddos!" The alley vipers start moving into fallback postures, for transport craft even as Barghest starts for his own personal Sky Serpent.

Nightgaunt tilts his head slightly as the retreat order comes in. He checks his ammunition reserves... still above 50 percent. A part of him is very unhappy about this, but the part of him that sees the light of day moves past it. "Retreat acknowledged," is practically whispered into his helmet radio. The Shadow Rattler breaks off from an attack run that would have certainly made the Joes unhappy. Cluster bombs are not exactly an ice breaker at parties. Like a good soldier, Nightgaunt angles his his toward the south, the Shadow Rattler engaging stealth again and heading toward Cobra Island....

Shadow Rattler 001 fades into the shadows without a sound.

Wet Down leads the Cookie and the SEALs towards the Mall; clearing out straggling Cobra troops as they go. Finally securing an area and holding it to wait for other Joes to catch up, and see to Cookie's injury.

Dusty climbs to his feet and catches his breath. As he sees Cobra retreat, he opts not to pursue his attacker, Barghest. He looks around, immediately going into 'what needs to be cared for with the void that was left with Cobra gone. He looks around. "Ohh....now the hard part begins..."

Dusty walks over to Sinatra and catches his breath, wiping some sweat from his forehead and removing his helmet. "Let 'em go - the city's more important - we've got to start gettin' stuff back to normal."

Sinatra recalls his rats as soon as he hears their squeaks of pain and protest, checking them over for injuries a moment before he leans out of cover to fire and... discovers that Baroness is gone. "Mwifuate!" He orders, only to blink at Dusty, when he's approached. "Kusubiri" He says, softly - and the rats, who had begunto follow her at the first order, return to him, instead sniffing curiously at the other Joe. One of them - Ode - is wearing the grenade pin like a necklace.

Lowdown subdues a string of profanities as the Cobra targets retreat, finally standing from his concealed position on the rooftop. He holds a rifle that, when stood on its butt, is nearly as tall as him. Hefting the weapon over one shoulder, he begins to make his way down the fire escape.

With Hannibal calling for retreat before lapsing into unconsciousness, Washington DC is lost. Reports pour in from all over the country - simultaneous attacks from G.I. Joe teams nationwide have freed all US territory from Cobra control. Cobra agents have retreated to secret bases or Cobra Island - those that haven't been captured or killed. For now, the dream of Cobra America is dead... but Cobra Commander lives on, to fight another day. COBRAAAAAAAAAA!