Time: Unknown. Location: Off the coast of Cobra Island.
"Commander. We have made the necessary repairs and shall be underway shortly."
"Very good."
For several weeks now, a small escape submarine has been floating without power far out in the unfriendly waters of the Pacific Ocean. They have heard evidence that THEY are capable of surviving at sea. More than once, upon opening the top hatch the occupants were surprised to see one of THEM clinging to the capsule. On one occasion, one was able to get halfway through the opening before being eradicated.
Just how did they end up in this predicament? While undertaking the rescue and escape of their heralded Cobra Commander, Tomax and Xamot had hoped to escape unhindered. Their plan seemed to be working until a Cobra Moray Hydrofoil caught their radar signature and immediately adjusted their course to attack. The small escape sub the twins commanded had little in the way of offensive weaponry. It had been designed for escape and evasion. That meant little when the pursuing watercraft was the swiftest of the Cobra Navy and heavily armed.
Had the craft been captained by Lamprey and manned by EELs the three fugitives would have had nothing to fear. However, this was not the case. The Moray had been commandeered by Storm Troopers after the release of the Nemesis Enforcers. No doubt fleeing the Island in an attempt to escape almost certain death.
"They have locked on to us, Brother."
"Then we must submerge."
As the Twins prepared the craft to plunge beneath the depths of the cold water they were bombarded by 23mm cannon fire.
"We have to submerge now, Brother!"
"Almost ready. I need another minute."
"We may not have one."
"Then, by all means, find me one."
Tomax turned back to preparing the sub for its dive while the Commander watched his men in silent approval. He should have never allowed Eisenkopf's Storm Troopers to replace the Sieges of his Colonels.
"Tomax."
"Yes, Xamot?"
"They have missile lock. We need to get the Commander to safety."
"Just a few more moments."
"20 seconds to impact."
"15 seconds to dive."
The sub begins to submerge into the briny depths as a single HE-J-180 "Jumpstart" air-to-water missile headed towards them. Directly behind their impending doom raced the Moray. Ready to continue the attack.
Water rushed over the top of the sub at the same moment Xamot engaged the ship's countermeasures. A small net laced with explosive det-cord floated to the surface entangling the pursuing missile detonating it before impact. While they were safe from the direct impact, they fell victim to the shock waves. The explosion rocked the vessel, knocking out power and sending the three men inside to the floor. They all quickly regained their feet and re-took their stations.
"Status check, Brother."
"Working on it."
Red lights flashed within the small cabin as warning alarms buzzed.
"Hull integrity at 80%. We have lost power to the main engine. Life support systems are all in check. Rerouting power from auxiliary engines to main."
"Better make it quick. They are right above us."
"Engines are a go. Diving."
The nose of the craft plunges into the depths.
"We shall be safe shortly, Commander."
"Very good, Tomax."
As the ship delved deeper the sounds of explosions could be heard. Again shock waves shake the sub.
"They are using depth charges."
"Thank you for that very astute observation Xamot. Thankfully our sonar jammers are online, thus they are being forced to guess our depth and set each charge manually. We should have no fear…"
______________________
Xamot was the first to come to. He awoke in the cabin awash in red lights, alarms buzzing, water seeping into his clothing. His first thought was of the Commander. He found him face-down in the ever-deepening seawater. Raising him up, he felt for a pulse. Life had not left his leader yet. Tomax awoke to see his brother tending to the Commander. "Is he dead?"
"Not yet, Brother. But I fear none of us shall live much longer."
"There must be something we can do. Perhaps if we purge the ballasts, we can surface and attempt repairs?"
"And die of the bends. Or worse yet, be eradicated by the Moray which has no doubt summoned reinforcements. I feel our mission ends here."
"You have always been a pessimist, Xamot." Tomax leaves the care of the Commander to his brother. He turns to several gauges, sits at a control console which at the flip of a switch comes to life. For some time, he sits checking and double-checking various instruments and readings. "We're in luck, Xamot."
"How so, Brother?"
"While we are too deep to ascend via a full purge of the ballasts, should we do so slowly, we should be able to break surface long before we are fully flooded."
"What about the Moray?"
"Our sonar shows there is nothing above us. We still have a chance."
____________________
"Commander. We have made the necessary repairs and shall be underway shortly."
"Very good."
It took several hours for the craft to break the surface of the ocean. Days passed before the Commander awoke only to find himself aimlessly adrift at sea. The escape pod had been badly damaged. Tomax and Xamot did all they could to ensure the Commander's comfort as they went to work making repairs. They had no worries for food or freshwater as they had equipped the ship with plenty of both as well as a desalinator, which they had put to good use. It was a weary Commander who sat within wondering the fate of his men, his Island, and his plans for domination.
By now, he should have been secure in the Amazon listening post surrounded by his men, preparing for the long battle he knew must come. A battle he must lead, not from afar, but from the field of combat.
He felt sub shutter as the engines coughed to life. They had been adrift for so long that neither of his Colonels could give him an estimate of when he might arrive at their destination. While at one time, that would have caused him to rise to anger, now he valued the time. No doubt his enemies thought him dead. So he sat patiently like a snake coiled in the brush waiting for the rat to show itself.