Caught in the Crossfire

Cobra Commander P.O.V.

"Is the serum completed?" I demanded from the quivering soldier in front of me.

"Yes-yes sir." He stammered out. "But-but there were a few complications."

"What complications?" I growled, half rising out of my throne.

"We-we don't know if it'll work, possible side effects, and if-if it's possible for someone to-to survive for the full effect to take place." His knees were now knocking against one another, threatening to buckle under the weight of fear he had when in my presence. I could barely keep in a chuckle, one of the perks of being the most evil and well-known villains, was causing your men to shake in fear.

"So, let's test it on some of the men."

"We can't sir."

"Why not?"

"Because we live in such close one living quarters to one another that if any of the side effects are contagious, it will wipe out every soldier in this Cobra base." He explained trying to stand up correctly.

That would be a problem. If all my men died, who would I use to defeat those insufferable G.I. Joes? I pressed my hands neatly together in front of me as I considered the options. Then something I had being thinking of early before this soldier had interrupted my thoughts popped in to my head. It would be killing two birds with one stone. "Is that base located in New York still operational?"

"Yes-yes sir."

"Set up some quarantine tube cells. And print out our list of people that we want to suffer." I chuckled. "I have an evilly delicious plan for them. They will be our guinea pigs, or at least, their children."

Samantha P.O.V.

It was period 2, English 1 Honors, the teacher was going on about how Shakespeare was a one of a kind writer and how he used so many literary terms and that he created so many of our popular expressions that we use today. I had finished my classwork and homework ten minutes ago, and class had only started fifteen minutes ago. Sometimes I hated being so smart; things academically were way too easy for me. Even shooting ten hoops in a row was harder than this. My best friend right next to me, Stacy, slipped a note onto my desk. Done already?

Yep. I wrote back.

Good thing it's a Friday, eh? I could practically hear her little giggle she does whenever she teases me about being so smart.

Yeah. Can't wait for our sleepover tonight. You sure your parents are okay with you ditching sixth period?

She rolled her eyes as she read he note.

Hey, I'm not the smart one whose parents are so strict she can't even go to her own basketball game without adult supervision.

I blew my untamable Siamese colored and patterned hair out of my face. I had died my hair like that since fifth grade, I had always loved cats, and ever since someone said cats were just plain evil, so I decided to dye my a recognizable cat fur pattern. The fact that my hair looked like a lion's wild mane was just a coincidence.

"Ahem." Said a voice above my head.

"Yes, Mrs. Aquia?"

"Must I read your notes aloud, or will you answer the question?"

"I don't have anything to hide in my notes, no secrets whatsoever, but I'll give that question ago. So, what was it?"

"What's a common literary term used in Shakespeare's work that shows a character's confusion or conflictions?" She smirked, her tight bun standing as straight as ever. She always loved to embarrass her students, especially the ones who didn't pay attention in class, namely me. She thought she had me caught.

I sighed, this was way too easy. "The literary term Shakespeare uses to show a character's confusion or confliction is an oxymoron." I replied using a complete sentence, just the way she likes it.

"Excellent Ms. Callaway. But do try focusing in class from now on." She stiffly walked away, ashamed of being stood up by a mere freshman. Stacy chuckled.

"She looks like she sat on a porcupine." She whispered to me.

I giggled. "You're right."

Three class periods and a twenty minute walk home later, we arrived at my comfortably large house. "Hey sweetie." My mom cooed as we walked into the kitchen. "How was school?"

"Great. We managed to get Mrs. Aquia's bun twisted the wrong way again." Stacy and I couldn't help but giggle as we sat down at our small, round dining room table.

"What did you two do this time?" She tried to sound like she was scolding us. Emphasis on tried. She knew that Mrs. Aquia was just one of those teachers who were out to get the student they absolutely had no reason to dislike.

"Nothing Mrs. Callaway." Stacy giggled. "Samantha just answered another question that was meant to catch her off guard right."

"So a thirteen year old freshman wasn't paying attention, was asked a question, and got it right again, standing the teacher up?" My mother summarized in one question. Yes, I was a thirteen year old freshman. I skipped a grade because I was so smart. Did I mention I was smart?

"Yep." I smirked. "Whatcha baking?" I asked, trying to get a better look at whatever she was stirring.

"Well, while you and Stacy's meat lover's pizza was in the oven, I thought I would make that desert that you to love from Applebee's. I think it's called the Triple Chocolate Meltdown." At that sentence, Stacy and I pretended to feint. The Triple Chocolate Meltdown was our coveted desert favorite at Applebee's, I mean who can go wrong with hot chocolate fudge, stuffed in a chocolate cake with French vanilla ice cream on the side? You can't. There's your answer.

"So, where's dad?"

"He's at work still. He was held up with more paper work." Her face lost its usual cheerful hue as she turned away from us. She never liked this subject, especially since dad still got blackmail mail from Cobra. He had quit his job there when he realized what Cobra real mission was. He originally thought that Cobra was an organization that tried making antidotes to snake bites work faster or to invent antidotes for snake venom that didn't have an antidote, so, when his brother died of a Zebra Cobra's snake bite, he signed up to work there as a research scientist, even though he had a degree in anatomy, and not snakes. Though being an expert in anatomy would help. But he soon figured out that they were a terrorist organization bent on ruling the world. When he had quit, and managed to get away from Cobra alive, they had vowed to find him and make him suffer. That was fourteen years ago. They had just recently found out where he worked, and it was only a matter of time 'til they found out where we lived.

"There was more blackmail today? Wasn't there?" I asked cautiously, as the once cheery room became a gloomy one.

She sighed as she put the bowl down. "You know he doesn't like us talking about that, he's promised that this will all work out in the end, and your father always keeps his promises."

"But-"At that moment my six year old brother, Jason walked into the room, dropping his backpack on the ground. My mother gave me that look that said to act like normal, and then began to cheerily sing as she continued her cooking.

I did the most usual thing I do when my brother comes home from school. I ran and picked him up, spinned him around, set him down, and then I rubbed his short blond hair. "What's up sport? How was school?"

His sky blue eyes twinkled with excitement as he broke into a wide grin and then ran over to his backpack lying on the floor to fish out a piece of paper. He held it up for me to see. "I got a hundred percent on my addition and subtraction test, see? I'm gonna be as smart as you one day." I ruffled his air once again.

"You sure are Jason." I said with a big grin. I loved my brother. He meant the world to me, and more. Unlike most siblings, we got along, laughed, and played together. At that moment, my father stormed into the house.

"Stacy, you have to leave. Mary, Samantha, and Jason, pack our bags, but only the bare necessities. We are leaving now." We all stood up in an instant.

"Why? What's wrong?" My mother asked.

"I can't explain right now. We have to leave now."

"No. You will explain now. You will explain to Stacey why she is being kicked out of our house so suddenly when we have been planning this sleep over for months! You will explain to me why we are leaving so quickly and with only bare necessities." I forced out. I put on my best stubborn look. I was not going anywhere until I was given an explanation and my father knew it.

He sighed. "Today there was no blackmail, only a single letter that said, "We're coming." I don't know how soon, but I know that they will come. That's why we have to leave now." His voice had a strong sense of urgency in it.

"Fine, fine I'll pack my bags. Come on Stacey. You can help me pack as we say our goodbye." Just then our house shook and the kitchen wall came tumbling down, nearly crushing me and Stacey. And before my dad could ask if we were all right, several men came dressed in blue with a red Cobra insignia came charging through the hole in the wall.

"We have a door you know!" I yelled at them from where I laid on the floor, my legs were pinned under some rubble, in a sitting position; I started to move the rubble of my legs.

One of the men spotted me. "There's the girl the Commander wants." He said as he pointed at me. Three men roughly picked me up and started to drag me away as the other four held my family back.

"Wait! Why do you want me? Where are you taking me? Daddy! Help me! Please Daddy!" I cried as I tried to tug myself away from the men.

"Don't worry Kit-kat,"My dad called, using his favorite nickname for me. "I'll save you." A soldier gave him a shove back.

"No you won't old man. In fact, you'll never see your precious daughter alive again. You'll only see her cold, lifeless corpse." And with that, the soldier threw me into a portable prison-like cage that was on one of the tanks they had used to bust down the wall, and drove away from my home, my family, and my happiness.