What You Leave Behind/Strange Bedfellows part 1

[Red Laser]

What You Leave Behind Part 1

Gorgon Island

The Baron Ironblood had resided here on Gorgon Island ever since his defeat at San Rivera he had his prisoners the drugged men of Chalk One brought here for his scientists to work on. The Kraken’s team of Gleb and Rostislav Zukov and Red Cross were hard at work on recreating an old project of the Baron’s but this time using reptilian and amphibious DNA and grafting procedures instead of cloning from a core specimen. Some subjects had suffered from decompression sickness and so had to be put out of their misery or cannibalised as Mutons which amounted to the same thing. The twins and the Kraken had worked together for many years with the former Soviet Union and after the fall they quickly went independent and worked for the highest bidder which in this case was the notorious Baron Ironblood.
Gleb and Rostislav were working on the latest member of Chalk One injecting the bound prisoner with skin grafts from a komodo dragon. The twins were of muscular build both were 6 ft 5” tall and had light brown closely cropped hair Gleb had a goatee while Rostislav had a full beard they both wore black lab coats, black pants and boots with medical equipment hanging off their belts and red armoured vests designed like the Kraken’s own. Red Cross who wore a white variation of the Red Shadow helmet and a white lab coat was checking cell samples under a microscope. The Baron was overlooking proceedings from a balcony with the Black Major and the newly recovered Black Scarab. With the Baron now were the imposing figures of Tako and Red Fang both were his personal bodyguards they both looked on impassively.
On the grounds of the Base Red Shadows were doing basic drills some were now garbed in urban camouflage and been put together as a sabotage unit there were also the Red Torchs, Black Shadows, Laser Riflemen and the basic infantry Red Shadows. The new Security officer Night Adder was patrolling the grounds with his Bull Mastiff Ragnarok.
Red Scorpion had finally got the Mk II Shadowtrak up and running and had it prepared for mass production elsewhere.

Australia

Major Bludd was on an independent contract executing an aboriginal leader on the orders of an overzealous Australian politician in Anangu. He was just now enjoying a cold beer on a particularly hot day in a bar when he notice the stranger looking at him intensely from the other end of the bar. He looked over and said “Buy you a beer mate?” The stranger carried on looking at him the major loosened his gun holster expecting trouble. “Oi mate you at the end of the bar buy you a beer?” he repeated so everyone could hear him. The locals looked round expecting trouble the stranger realised he was being spoken to and had an audience so he approached the Major. The Major said “What’s your name mate?” The stranger said “Steve but everyone calls me D-day!” “Nice wound you have there how did you get it?” replied Bludd. The locals turned round seeing nothing was going to happen. D-day eyed the stump remembering San Rivera and lied saying “Lost it in a meat grinder”. The Major motioned the bar man over and said “Two beers!” The bar man poured them and passed them over the Major paid and carried on saying “I lost mine too to some uppity yank in a fight, you know I could fix you up with a good doc who could make you a new hand” he rolled up his sleeve and took his glove off revealing the workmanship on his hand. D-day thought this was his lucky day maybe he could wring this strange Major for info on the whereabouts of Zartan.

Action Force HQ

Quickfire was getting restless he wanted to go out and find his brother he had heard rumours of Black Scarab rampaging round the world in the name of Baron Ironblood. He had set up a training session with a stand-in for his brother trying to pinpoint how he was beaten in their last fight in San Rivera. Eagle saw how tense Hans was getting and had referred him to therapy sessions all of which he had shrugged off. Buckingham went up to Hans and said “Look, until you can resolve your anger I am striking you off any missions that is an order!” He continued, “The team needs you but not like this you are a liability, you have some leave owed you I want you to take it Hans…no I order you to take it is that understood Soldier!” Hans stiffened up and said “Yes Sir!” he hesitated then said “Herr Hauptman will you inform me if you hear more about my brother?” Buckingham shook his head then stirred right at Hans “I am ordering you right now pack up, take your things and get the hell off my base you are not to go looking for him or enquire about him, if you do it will lead to a court martial!” Hans just stood still and saluted before heading off to the shower room.

Cobra

The ARBCO Star was being loaded with crates on the dock while regiments of naval marines were marching on board. In his cabin Cobra Commander had Zartan and former General Rivera now resplendent in a blue uniform with red piping down the sides and his characteristic boots he looked healthier than he did months earlier. They had been making plans not just to take San Rivera but the whole country which was rife with corruption and had been fed up with the UN and its interference. In the dock were other ships of varying sizes all emblazoned with ARBCO on their sides each one had legitimate registration each one were being boarded and loaded. Cobra was on the move.

End of Part 1