General Lawrence J. Flagg, General Joseph Colton, and Major General Clayton M. Abernathy rush into the West Wing’s John F. Kennedy Conference Room. Joint Chiefs of Staff members are seated at the Situation Room conference table. They include Secretary of Defense Donald M. Levine, Deputy Secretary of Defense Christy J. Marx, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army General Leonard T. Panzica, and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Admiral Everett P. Colby.

General Flagg addresses the Joint Chiefs. “Thank you very much for meeting me on such short notice. Please allow me to introduce Major General Clayton Abernathy; most of you know him as General Hawk. I am sure you all know General Joseph Colton. My covert ops division is under their direction. Their operatives have uncovered shocking information essential for our nation’s defense and our global union’s stability.”

Vice President Lisa R. Mason rushes into the room and sits at the head of the table. “I am sorry, but President Pryce will not attend this meeting. The Prime Minister of Slovenia has detained him. I am here in his absence.”

“Madam Vice President, thank you for coming,” General Flagg replied. “I requested this meeting because we are facing a growing threat of terrorism. General Hawk, you have the floor.”

“Thank you, General.”

General Hawk distributed green dossiers marked with bright red “TOP SECRET” letters. He began familiarizing everyone with the Vagner Group, which is affiliated with C.B.R. Vagner and led by Mikhail Prigozhin. He reminded them that the Vagner Group was a paramilitary company funded by the Russian state that supported their military during the Ukraine campaign. The Vagner Group is responsible for several crimes, including instigating a near civil war in Russia, contributing to the fall of Afghanistan’s legitimate government, and orchestrating coups in Guinea and Burkina. They are currently in exile in Africa.

“General, we are all aware of this fact.” Vice President Mason scowled as she recounted the five-year-old story that Mikhail Prigozhin died in a plane crash. “Did you call this emergency meeting so we can reminisce old intel?”

“Excuse me, Madam Vice President, we have received updated information. The Russian authorities were the only ones providing any details about Mikhail Prigozhin’s death. We have long suspected there is more to it than what has been disclosed. Our intelligence suggests that he and other high-ranking Vagner officers were killed by one of their own,” General Flagg informed the others. “General Abernathy’s report will provide information that the military’s intelligence team has not discovered alone.”

A digital video wall lit up as the lights dimmed, displaying various militant mercenary groups worldwide. These included J.E.O.S. and Ragnarök from Germany, STEEP from Gibraltar (which employs former S.A.A.N.D.F. forces), K.E.N.O.T. Corp., Partisans, and Redoubt from Russia, as well as the Proud Ones, Progressive Soldiers of Fortune, Honor Keepers, Socialist States of America, Warriors of Odin, the Shadow of the Nine Angels from the United States, the Arashikage Clan from Japan, and an extremist biker gang known as the Dreadnoks.

“What are you showing us, General?” asked General Panzica.

General Hawk explained that all the groups shown on the screen are affiliated with the Vagner Group. He pressed a button on the video wall, and it displayed a large group of men in blue uniforms being trained. The Serpents of Cobra-La gradually infiltrated these organizations before the Pandemic. In the years since, they have manipulated and pushed their agenda to the point that these groups no longer know what they once stood for. It is feared that they may plan to act soon. Now that they have become dissatisfied with their governments and countries, they are willing to sacrifice their lives to join a new world order.

Secretary Levine smirked. “So, you are saying we should be concerned about this clandestine group of what? Cultists?”

Trying to hide his frustration, General Hawk said, “With all due respect, sir, my operatives have uncovered…”

“Let’s talk about your operatives,” Vice President Mason said, interrupting General Hawk. “Who are they? Where does your funding come from? Who do they answer to?”

General Flagg informed them that the Department of Defense funds General Hawk’s team. The President has granted them special clearance to operate outside the standard chain of command due to their significance to national defense and its allies. The Espionage and Cyber Security Act governs Hawk’s team. Flagg has credited Hawk’s operative, codenamed Data Stream, with uncovering Russian interference during the 2016 elections. During their investigation, operatives infiltrated Russian servers and uploaded a back-channel TSRB (Trojan Self-Replicating Infiltration Bug) to counter this interference. They also collected cyber information about Russian-funded mercenary groups through the TSRB. Once those groups were contacted, the bug spread to their servers. Flagg added that Hawk’s team monitored their activities and used the information to embed operatives in the Vagner Group and other extremist groups.

As Hawk touched a different part of the video wall, a world map with six red blinking dots appeared. The General clarified that these dots corresponded to recognized locations of recruitment cells. The Joint Chiefs were taken aback to find one on every continent.

“Where is that dot?” Deputy Secretary Marx asked.

General Colton said. “Madam Deputy Secretary, that is Springfield, Vermont. That location is a point of interest to us, and we have seen a lot of activity in that area. We have two operatives embedded there.”

“Why have we allowed a terrorist organization to set up a recruitment location on American soil?” Secretary Levine asked.

Vice President Mason interjected, “A better question is why our only course of action has been to embed operatives?”

General Hawk was well-prepared for the questions. He swiftly moved all the images on the video screen to a small box in the top left corner. They were replaced with documents demonstrating land purchases, diplomatic immunity orders, court records displaying precedents for the ownership of ‘Company Towns,’ and the profiles for Extensive Enterprises, as well as their CEOs Tomax and Xamot Paoli. Beneath the documents were folders highlighted with Banking Accounts, Transactions, Holdings, Property Assets, Known Associates, and Affiliations.

General Hawk shared his concerns with the Vice President and Joint Chiefs. He revealed that Springfield, Vermont, is a town privately owned by the Paoli brothers, who purchased it in 2013. The Corsican government granted diplomatic and consular immunity to Extensive Enterprises and the Paoli brothers in thirty countries, including the United States of America. Unfortunately, things get more serious from there. Extensive Enterprises holdings have the lien on two-thirds of our national debt. If we take any action against their company or subsidiaries, we risk the United States falling into bankruptcy.

General Panzica, visibly enraged, forcefully slammed his fists on the table. He demanded an explanation of the alliance between Extensive Enterprises and the Vagner Group. It is illogical for a company such as Extensive Enterprises to join forces with a militant group that received state funding from a hostile country.

General Colton revealed that Extensive Enterprises did not support the Vagner Group but the entity they were becoming. He said their operative, codenamed Chuckles, provided vital information regarding the C.B.R. Vagner Group, which was systematically eliminated from within. After the failed insurrection in Russia, the group leader was supposed to be exiled to Belarus. However, he disappeared from everyone’s radar for 48 hours. At that time, a plan was devised to remove top officials and establish a new order. Thanks to Chuckles, we know where the remaining Vagner Group members hid.

General Hawk brought the world map back up on the video wall. He began punching in the coordinates 45°15’N 30°12’E / 45.250°N 30.200°E. The map transposed to a small island in the Black Sea located around 22 miles (35 kilometers) off the Ukrainian coast.

On the video wall, two images of the island were displayed side by side. The first image, from 2022, shows a barren island with a few military structures. The second image, dated 2025, shows a remarkable transformation of the island. It had almost tripled in size and was now covered by a dense forest. In the middle of the island, there appeared to be a large structure with a runway stretching out from its eastern side.

General Colton said, “If you will indulge me. This is Zmiinyi Island, also known as Serpent Island. You may remember it from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As you can see, it has undergone some changes. However, it is the same island where the Ukrainians told the Russian Naval fleet to go ‘F’ themselves. They fought bravely, but, in the end, the Russian fleet seized control over the island. We didn’t know then that the Vagner Group, specifically the Serpents of Cobra-La, took control of the island. We have ascertained this is where Prigozhin went before he ultimately boarded the Brazilian Embraer Legacy 600 model executive jet that exploded north of Moscow.”

The General received a report from Chuckles stating that Mikhail Prigozhin went to the island while ‘missing in action.’ Prigozhin relinquished control of the Vagner Group to his successor on what is now being called ‘Snake Island,’ with some of his men remaining under his leadership. Although Prigozhin was expected to retire in Belarus, the new commander had other plans.

“Do we know who this new leader is?” Vice President Mason asked.

“No, Madam Vice President, we do not. However, we believe the new commander is responsible for the significant transformation of Zmiinyi Island,” General Flagg said. “So far, none of our operatives have found any information on this new commander. As far as we know, no one has ever seen his face, and no one, not even his closest allies, knows his true identity.”

“With all due respect, sir,” General Hawk said again, adding a digital dossier to the video wall. On the video wall, the images of three men appeared. “Thanks to our operatives, Agent Helix and Mainframe, we believe we have narrowed the possible commanders down to these men.”

The initial file presented pertains to Baron Eisenblut, aka Baron Ironblood, the head of the Red Shadows, the organization responsible for the destabilization of Central America. The Red Shadows consist of numerous indoctrinated extremist soldiers equipped with advanced, cutting-edge weaponry. The United Nations Security Council once labeled this group the top global adversary.

Admiral Colby interjected, “Ironblood betrayed the Shadows, leaking information about their bases and intentions to the U.N., which led to the Shadows’ demise.”

“Yes, sir,” Hawk said. “However, our undercover agent within the Shadows of the Nine Angels has reported that Ironblood has gone into hiding and created a new persona for himself. The Nine Angels believe he has taken on a leadership role and is the force behind the unification of various militant groups.”

The name on the second file was Christopher Lawrence Latta, also known as Christopher Charles Collins. The file appeared on the screen. Large red letters superimposed over Latta’s name read, ‘PRESUMED DEAD.’ According to his bio, Latta was supposedly a stand-up comedian, actor, and advertisement executive. However, the truth was that he worked as a spy for hire and a mercenary. Latta possessed many skills, including expertise in strategy, marksmanship, multiple martial arts, and advanced technology. It has been nearly seven years since Latta resurfaced in Prague selling a drug called Venom, then disappeared after a fatal car accident while being pursued by two of our undercover agents. Bodies were found in the car, but forensics could not confirm his death.

The third file, also ‘PRESUMED DEAD, belonged to Major Rexford G. “Rex” Lewis. Lewis was a military scientist. During a classified operation at Monolith Base in Budakistan, Major Lewis’ commanding officer sent his team into the enemy’s research and development building. They were sent to retrieve information on some mysterious robotic battle trooper weapon being constructed. After securing the plans, Major Lewis found documents for an experimental tank. In the process of securing the plans, his five-minute window expired. The building was targeted for an immediate airstrike. Due to the dampening field surrounding the building, he did not know a GBU-57A/B MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) or ‘bunker buster’ was set to destroy the building. Major Lewis’ body was never recovered.

According to the dossier, an operative codenamed Hi-Tech saw a man claiming to be Rexford Lewis at a gathering of the Honor Keepers. Hi-Tech could not confirm whether this was Rexford Lewis or not. ‘Rex’ expressed his anti-military and anti-government views at the event, accusing the United States of leaving him behind during a military campaign. He stirred the crowd by spreading conspiracy theories about the government intentionally turning citizens into passive individuals through fast food, social media, and streaming TV.

“Generals, I have a question?” Deputy Secretary Marx asked.

“Deputy Secretary,” General Colton replied.

“You said Extensive Enterprises is funding this coalition?”

“Yes, Madam Secretary,” General Hawk said.

“If that is the case, where are they buying their weapons? We would know if they were purchasing from a rogue state. We are monitoring all nations who might be selling arms on the black market.”

General Colton explained that their team is also closely monitoring them. “Since they are officially a military security force, they have secured a contract with MARS Industries, thanks to substantial funding from Extensive Enterprises.

M.A.R.S Industries (Military Armaments Research Syndicate) is the leading weapons supplier worldwide. It was founded in 1752 by James McCullen I to sell weapons to warring countries for profit. In recent years, James McCullen XXIV has legitimized the company and sells advanced arms to—”

“MARS Industries?” Vice President Mason shockingly asked, cutting off General Hawk. “We have munitions contracts with them.”

“Yes, Madam Vice President, so do most members of the P.N.A. (Peaceful Nations Alliance).” General Flagg added.

Admiral Colby retrieved a Top-Secret document from his secure touchscreen communications datapad. The document was provided by one of his agents, codenamed Hard Drive, and was decrypted just before the meeting. With a simple gesture, he projected a redacted file onto the video wall for everyone to view. Admiral Colby touched his datapad again, causing the redactions on the video wall to disappear from the titled document ‘MARS Industries C.E.O. dead.’

Admiral Colby said his team intercepted and decrypted an email sent to MARS shareholders about an hour ago. The email reveals that the CEO of MARS Industries, James McCullen, was involved in a plane crash while approaching his ancestral home in the Scottish Highlands. The recovery team had discovered McCullen and his pilot’s bodies in the wreckage. There is no successor to McCullen’s position. Unfortunately, the company appears to be in the process of collapsing and terminating all current military contracts.

Generals Hawk and Colton exchanged glances. They couldn’t help but wonder why their team hadn’t uncovered this information. This revelation confirmed their worst fears; MARS Industries had joined forces with the new commander. Admiral Colby had reached the same conclusion.

General Colton announced, “This new information confirms that the Vagner Group is planning something significant.”

Slamming his hands down on the table, General Hawk exclaimed, “General Colton is correct! Cobra is about to strike, and we need to be ready!”

“Cobra?” General Panzica asked.

General Hawk stood at attention. “Yes, sir. Cobra. It’s an acronym for Conversion Orchestrated by Blackmail, Revolution, and Anarchy. Sir, if we do not act now, they will become a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world.”

A Cobra symbol appeared at the top of the world map on the video wall. The Joint Chiefs watched as the red dots representing their recruitment cities began to pulse. The red dot indicating Snake Island started flashing brightly and soon expanded to cover the entire map.

“What do you propose, Generals?” Secretary Levine asked.

General Hawk spoke again. “We activate the Global Initiative Joint Operative Enforcement protocol.”

“You want to activate G.I. Joe?” Admiral Colby asked.

“Yes,” General Flagg said. “I will oversee the team here and report to the President of the United States. General Colton will remain the Covert-Ops and Special Forces commander, and General Hawk will be G.I. Joe’s Commanding Officer.”

The Joint Chiefs took a moment to contemplate the new information. Secretary of Defense Levine asked about the financing behind G.I. Joe. Due to current government expenditures, they could not allot more resources to an international security force. Additionally, he acknowledged that no other PNA country could afford the expenses.

“I present a comprehensive proposal for funding and equipping G.I. Joe. A portion of the financial support will come from private funding. The DOD has been budgeted to fund G.I. Joe since the protocol was last initiated, and it will not be up for congressional review for another six years. The Cyber Security Act funds the Covert-Ops division, which operates independently from the rest of the unit. This will allow the government to deny involvement in any actions G.I. Joe may take that come to light.” General Hawk stated. “And believe me, in today’s world, everyone carries a camera and an opinion. It is only a matter of time before G.I. Joe’s activities become public knowledge.”

General Hawk began laying out a detailed plan for such a scenario. He had everyone turn to page ninety-five. Hawk said that G.I. Joe would have a team of specialized public relations, social media, and journalism operatives to handle media coverage. While quite detailed, his plan needed to be completed and would still need revising and help from an outside PR firm.

“General.” General Panzica ordered.

“Yes, General Panzica?”

“Can we get back to your funding?” the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs impatiently asked.

General Hawk nodded and then asked the Joint Chiefs to turn to page twenty-three of the dossier. This section contained a comprehensive budget plan for G.I. Joe. The plan outlined salaries based on current rank, hazard pay, personal leave, medical benefits, family bereavement support, and various insurance options.

The following section details facilities, equipment, uniforms, medical gear, vehicles, technology, and research and development. Science and advanced technology budgets are discussed on several pages. Subsequent pages also provide budget breakdowns for air, sea, land, and space programs.

As soon as page forty-four of the document was reached, everyone looked up in unison as the identity of the individual and corporation financing the G.I. Joe initiative was revealed. The page stated that Matt Trakker, the Trakker Foundation, and the Peaceful Nations Alliance (P.N.A.) would provide additional monetary support for the Global Initiative Joint Operative Enforcement Protocol (G.I. Joe). While Trakker’s involvement will be purely financial, P.N.A. liaison Duane Kennedy has authorized G.I. Joe to intervene in all Cobra-related matters, including deployment to any P.N.A. country under attack. All P.N.A. members signed the document.

“Matt Trakker? Why do I know that name?” asked Deputy Secretary Marx.

Secretary Levine leaned over to his colleague and said that Matt Trakker developed the M.A.S.K. technology. Levine also mentioned that the previous administration had vetoed the MASK initiative due to a falling out between Trakker and his developmental partner, Miles Manheim.

“G.I. Joe versus Cobra,” Vice President Mason chuckled. “This sounds to me like a bad Saturday morning cartoon. Are you expecting us to take this seriously, General?”

General Hawk smiled, “Madam Vice President, I would say it is more of a weekly afternoon animated action/adventure show.”

“General!” General Flagg scowled.

“Sorry, Sir… Madam Vice President.” General Hawk apologized. I know this sounds outlandish, and the names are pretty juvenile. But look at it this way, Madam Vice President. When the public does get wind of this, the name G.I. Joe will sound more heroic than some military jargon. And let’s face it. In this day and age, we can use all the heroes we can get.”

“He does have a point. The government has notoriously dropped the ball with acronyms. Remember MANPADS (Man-Portable Air-Defense System)? How about DICC (Defense Intelligence Collection Cell)? And let’s not forget the Strategic Defense Initiative, nicknamed the “Star Wars program,” Admiral Colby joked.

Vice President Mason snickered, drawing General Hawk’s attention.

Admiral Colby spoke again. “Madam Vice President, the G.I. Joe protocol has been an asset. Earlier action by prior administrations could have prevented tragedies like 9/11.”

“General, are you sure the world needs G.I. Joe?” The Vice President asked, addressing General Hawk.

“Yes, Madam Vice President,” General Hawk said, snapping to attention. “And knowing is half the battle.”

“Cute catchphrases aside, General, let’s hope the world won’t need G.I. Joe and that this terrorist threat you think is imminent never materializes,” the Vice President said as he rose from the table. “One more thing. Find out who this Cobra Commander is!”