Target: Snake Eyes Part 2

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Target: Snake Eyes Part 2
Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow #18
SnakeEyes-18 regcvr.jpg
"Target: Snake Eyes Part 2"
Publisher IDW Publishing
First published October 17, 2012
Cover date October 2012
Written by Chuck Dixon
Art by Alex Cal
Colors by Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Letters by Neil Uyetake
Editor John Barber and Carlos Guzman

Cobra seeks to buy its way to legitimacy, but must contend with the Arashikage sabotaging its every move.

Synopsis[edit | edit source]

Led by Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, the ninja of the Arashikage clan sneak throught the sewers of Budapest, on a mission to break into a Cobra vault containing over a billion dollars' worth of treasure and currency. The ninja cut through the wall into the vault, but on entry, they find it to be completely empty, seconds toxic before gas begins pouring from the ceiling, causing the Arashikage to drop to the ground. A unit of Cobra soldiers enters the vault to clean up the mess, but are shocked when the ninja spring to life, having been wearing breathing masks to protect them from such gas; slaughtering the men, they leave only their sergeant alive, whom Storm Shadow holds at swordpoint with questions over the location of the vault's contents.

From a Budapest rooftop, G.I. Joe team Blue Horizon observe the roof of the bank across the street; it seems like there's nothing there until they switch to thermal cameras, which pick out the outline of a ninja on the other roof. Spearhead wants to shoot the target, but Hightower insists that they're there for recon only, and calls the observation in to Scarlett... which gives the ninja the chance to cross the gap over the street and kill both Joes with her sword, though Hightower is able to shoot her dead as she kills him. Scarlett is unable to send in a recovery team to assist, however; they're recieving reports of activity at multiple Cobra money drops, while the Snakehunter program says that Cobra is moving money around for some unknown purpose.

That purpose is, however, known to the Baroness, currently in the process of negotiating purchase of the country of Tryolvia from its owner, Prince Rudolph. "Rudy"'s opening bid is of forty billion pounds, which the Baroness finds ludicrous, and gives a counteroffer of forty billion dollars; she points out that Rudolph hasn't even visited his castle in a long time, and pledges to let him keep his title, leading to the two agreeing on a final price of forty billion euros. Later, the Baroness presents the soon-to-be Cobra-owned nation and its capital Fineske to Cobra Commander: Tryolvia has a population of 1.5 million and access to the Aegean Sea through its port, and with it, Cobra would have a seat at the world table, free access to banking, and possibly even membership in NATO. However, Rudolph insists on a hard cash or equivalent payment...

Serpentor awakens with a yell, having dreamed a strange dream in which he came across an obelisk carved with arcane symbols, only to feel a hand place on his shoulder. He goes to interrogate the Soft Master once more, but his prisoner refuses to answer him, instead pointing to a "greater" question — and claiming that the answer is carved on the stone from his dream in a language he will one day be able to read, a statement to which Serpentor has no answer.

Duke, Spreadsheet and Mainframe go over their current status — Cobra is moving huge amounts of cash to spend on something assuredly bad for the Joes, while the Arashikage tries to steal it. The logical next step is to follow the money to find the ninja pursuing it, which is a task ideally suited to the talents of Agent Helix; however, at that moment Helix is missing, having tracked the Hard Master to Baxter Park. The master startles Helix as she sneaks towards their camp, but has no intention of fighting her; instead, Alondra offers her a cheeseburger as they work out their next move.

At Ferenc Liszt International Airport in Budapest, Snake Eyes and his ninja observe Cobra forces loading the contents of their vault into an aircraft. Juro wishes to secure the cash, but Snake Eyes has bigger plans, wanting to follow the Cobras back to their own base; the silent warrior runs off alone to plant a tracking device on the plane, forcing the other ninja to engage the Cobra forces as a distraction. Snake Eyes succeeds in planting the device, but in the process, the other Arashikage are cut down by a huge man with a gatling gun; Juro, the only one of the other ninja to survive, calls Storm Shadow to update him and cautions that Snake Eyes is spending their lives too freely. The clan's leader is blinded by his affection for Snake Eyes, and threatens Juro's life if he questions the former Joe's loyalty again.

Serpentor dreams that the Soft Master has escaped his chains, and has surrounded him with an army of sword-wielding ninja. Awakening in terror, Serpentor demands that his prisoner get out of his thoughts, only to find that the Soft Master's student Tomo has infiltrated the sanctuary and silently killed his men, and now has him at swordpoint. The now-freed Soft Master has no intent of killing the Coil's leader, however; he does not see them as captive and captor, but as allies... and their mutual enemy is Snake Eyes!

Featured characters[edit | edit source]

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

G.I. Joe Cobra Arashikage Others

Quotes[edit | edit source]

"Your trap has failed. You underestimated the Arashikage. You will tell us where the contents of this vault have gone or join your comrades on the floor."

Storm Shadow gives an ultimatum

"Where is Golobulus, Serpentor? Where is your god? Perhaps your faith in him is weak. Or misplaced."

—The Soft Master

Notes[edit | edit source]

Continuity notes[edit | edit source]

G.I. Joe references[edit | edit source]

  • Spearhead is an existing G.I. Joe character, though he appears without his bobcat Max. Hightower, on the other hand, was invented for this issue.

Real life references[edit | edit source]

Other notes[edit | edit source]

  • The "Vipers" in this issue are drawn identically to their Crimson Guard leader, but colored as Vipers.
  • Baroness's rundown of the country ("Tryolvia. Capital city of Fineske. Population one and a half million.") makes it seem like Fineske is the country and Tryolvia the city, but later issues make clear that Tryolvia is the nation that Cobra is purchasing.

Covers (2)[edit | edit source]