Conrad "Duke" Hauser served as the First Sergeant of the elite G.I. Joe team. After a viral infection swept through communities, turning people into flesh-eating monsters, the team worked tirelessly to track the source of the outbreak. Their investigations led them to a remote MARS Industries laboratory.
With a location identified, Duke led a select team hoping to uncover data that could help scientists create a cure. The importance grew as the number of lives claimed by the undead rose exponentially.
Almost immediately, the op was FUBAR. A top-level mole had infiltrated G.I. Joe and was feeding information to MARS. When Duke and his squad arrived at the lab, Destro's elite Iron Grenadiers were waiting for them.
As they breached the lab's outer perimeter, something in Duke's gut warned him of danger. The sound of gunfire erupted, and they met fierce resistance at every corner. But unbeknownst to Destro, the mole was not just working for him; they were also supplying critical intelligence to Cobra.
Just as Duke and his team pressed deeper into the labyrinthine corridors of the lab, fully engaged in a brutal firefight with heavily armed Iron Grenadiers, the worst-case scenario unfolded; Cobra forces descended on the lab in full force. The situation spiraled into chaos, with Duke and his team caught in the crossfire. Ultimately, the Joes and Destro's Iron Grenadiers were overrun. Cobra was bloodthirsty and showed no mercy. In the end, Cobra massacred Iron Grenadier and Joe alike.
Somehow, Duke was the last man standing.
He managed to escape the fighting. He quickly located and secured the information he had been sent to retrieve.
As Duke tried to flee, Cobra Commander stepped out of the swirling gray smoke. His imposing figure cut through the haze as he approached the bruised and battered Duke with menacing confidence, "Hello, Duke," his voice laced with threats.
By his side walked the mole, someone Duke knew all too well. Each step of the mole's calculated gait brought back memories, flooding Duke's already overwhelmed mind, "Chuckles," Duke spit the word out with a mouthful of blood.
"Duke," the name dripped from Chuckle's lips like venom.
Alongside them loomed a formidable Seige of the Crimson Shadow Guard. Behind him, he dragged an injured man. Duke's father looked up; one eye was swollen shut, blood poured freely from his nose, and several teeth were missing. The Seige pressed his pistol hard into Mr. Hauser's head, pushing him down to his knees.
Tension filled the air, replacing the acrid stench of gunpowder.
Chuckles stepped closer, a sinister glint in his eye, "Just give us the packet." He extended his hand.
"Never."
Cobra Commander hissed, "Now, Duke, you don't seem to understand the situation..."
"I understand perfectly," Duke's anger seeping into his voice.
"No, I don't think you do," the Commander continued, "Give us the packet, and I'll let you take your father home alive. Refuse, and you will watch him die."
Duke held his ground, beaten but not broken, "I already told you I'm not giving you anything."
"Very well," Cobra Commander gave a nearly imperceptible nod.
A shot rang out, the sound echoing in the long hallway.
Pieces of his father's head splattered across Duke's face, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Duke collapsed in a heap on the ground, and his father's body dropped like so much trash. Mr. Hauser's blood spread across the white linoleum like a vile Rorschach.
"I gave you your options, Duke."
Duke raised his reddened eyes defiantly, tears streaming down his cheeks, only to see the barrel of the Commander's gun pointed at his head. He didn't feel the bullet as it tore through his face.
The last thing Duke saw before everything went black was Cobra Commander and Chuckles boarding Marine 1 under the guard of Seiges and Marines.
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When he came to, Duke found himself strapped to a table surrounded by the scarred remains of the once mighty Iron Grenadiers.
From the shadows came a voice offering a chance for revenge against Cobra Commander and the United States.
Destro stepped forward, and Duke went wild with fury.
Breaking free of his restraints, Duke attacked Destro. In his frenzied rage, he did not notice that neither his loyal IGs nor Destro offered any resistance. Destro kept repeating the same offer just as dozens of video screens clicked to life, showing the betrayal of CC and the US. Duke was now broken. He released Destro and fell to his knees. All the while, Destro continued repeating his offer in a frighteningly even tone. When Duke rose, it was with the help of Destro's hand. Looking around the room at Destro's forces, something in a display case caught his eye. Walking over it, Duke smashed the glass. When he turned back toward Destro, Conrad "Duke" Hauser was no more. Now, all that remained was Darklon.
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When Duke regained consciousness, he was disoriented, his mind a chaotic swirl of confusion and anger. He realized he was firmly strapped to a cold, metallic table, every movement restricted. The harsh overhead lights cast an unforgiving glare, illuminating the chilling scene around him. The remnants of the Iron Grenadiers, once a formidable and proud fighting force, lay scattered like discarded toys—battered, broken, and disfigured, their tales of courage now reduced to echoes of their former glory.
From the shadows, a voice emerged, smooth yet laced with a cruel edge, offering Duke an intoxicating allure of vengeance. It beckoned him with promises of retribution against Cobra Commander and the betrayal of the United States, stirring something within him—a yearning for justice that had long been stifled.
Duke's heart raced with disbelief and rage as the figure entered the harsh light. Destro loomed before him, clad in his iconic armored suit with his mask gleaming ominously. The sight ignited a flame of fury within Duke, a primal instinct to fight back surging through his veins. The betrayal ran more profound than mere anger; it was a visceral response to the very essence of what Destro represented. Duke's eyes narrowed, and the world around him faded away, leaving only the overwhelming desire to break free and unleash his wrath on the man who symbolized the chaos caused by Cobra.
