Operation, Thunderbolt
Operation, Thunderbolt
https://archive.org/details/operationthunderO000edwa
                LIVE THE
              ADVENTURE!
     The USS Flagg—the giant G.I. Joe aircraft
_ carrier—is your new home. That's because you
  are about to become the newest member of the
  world's greatest anti-terrorist fighting force.
       Your code name: Zapper.
       Your major talent: Electronics. If it can be re-
- wired, overloaded, or short-circuited, you're the
 one who can do it.
    Your assignment: Zapping COBRA’s sinister
:plans.
    A special G.I. Joe squad is about to go into
action.     The mission to reclaim earth's satellites
     from COBRA control will not be an easy one.
      As electronics whiz, you are responsible for the
ike;
wk
 nig
 “Acide:
 Ca
 Ae
 a success     of the mission.
     _ Follow the directions at the bottom of the page.
eaThen make your decision about what to do next.
    If you make the right choices, the G.I. Joe
&Team will score a triumph over the forces of
_ COBRA Command, and you will be recognized
as a hero. If you make the wrong decisions,
iv
OPERATION: DEATH-RAY ,
OPERATION: MINDBENDER
ISBN 0-345-33791-3
OPERATION. THUNDERBOLT
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   “Hey, somebody should teach those guys to play
   football!” yells Leatherneck. “Don’t they know
   this is the Super Bowl?”
         The recreation room aboard the U.S.S.
   Flagg buzzes with football talk as the men watch
   the big game being televised from New Orleans.
 _ The Super Bowl is about the most exciting thing ~
   that’s happened since you came aboard the
   giant G.I. Joe aircraft carrier as a new member
of the Joe Team.
         “Bet you next week’s salary that your team
   doesn’t score again,” Shipwreck goads Leather-
   neck.
          “You're on, seaweed breath,” growls Leath-
  erneck. “Get your wallet ready!”
       Suddenly all eyes are riveted on the TV set.
eA huge bolt of lightning has struck the fifty-
  yard line, hurling the players to the ground. In
  seconds the electricity crackles along the electric
  wires around the stadium.
          The screams of the panicked crowd are
 _ heard over the air as the sportscaster nervously
     describes the scene. “A strange bolt of electricity
   _is traveling through the stad—”
          KABOOM! There is a huge explosion—
  _ and then your TV set goes black.
          What’s going on?
PORTO OHH E HOHE HEHEHE SEES HEE EESH SHEET SESEOESE SHOES HESES SESE SEHESEOEES
                                                1
          Suddenly the PA system of the rec room
    crackles with a message from Duke. “All per-
    sonnel with X-15 military clearance report to
    the briefing room. Situation critical.”
)                You, Shipwreck,                          and Leatherneck                        run       to-
    ward the briefing room. “Never a dull moment
    around here,” Leatherneck mutters.
         When you reach the briefing room, Hawk,
    the G.I. Joe Commander, has already begun his
    briefing. He interrupts himself to introduce you
    to the members                               of the squad:                  Duke,          the G.I.
    Joe Team’s top sergeant; Roadblock, a heavy-
    weapons specialist; Recondo, a jungle infantry- —
    man; Low-Light, a night spotter; Cutter,
    operator of the hovercraft;                                          Deep-Six,              a diver;
    and, of course, you already know                                                       Shipwreck
    and Leatherneck. “Men,” Hawk says, turning to
    you, “I’d like to introduce the newest member
    of our team. This is Zapper, a whiz with elec-
    tronics.”
                 Introductions completed, Hawk                                              turns to a
    large map of the United States. Using a heavy
    marker, he circles some major cities around the
    country.
          “Fantastic,” Leatherneck whispers to you
    sarcastically. “Just what I wanted ...a geography
    lesson.”
          You give him a halfhearted grin. You’ve
    noticed that Hawk has just circled the city of
    New Orleans!
COO COOH EEO EO EHO OE HO TOES THOSE SOSH OOO ES ESEHOSOS OES E SES EE HH ESEH ESSE SESE SOS ESES OOS
                 Go on to page 3.
         “We have a very important mission here,”
   Hawk explains. “The areas I’ve circled repre-
   sent strategic locations that have somehow been
   hit by a gleaming flash of light from the sky re-
   sembling a bolt of lightning which caused an ex-
   plosion.”
         As the other members of the G.I. Joe Team
   stir, Hawk continues. “According to Intelli-
   gence, we were able to detect that the last strike,
   the one that hit New Orleans, came from one of
   our biggest communications satellites.”
         “Hey, that’s probably what knocked out the
   Super Bowl!” Leatherneck shouts.
         “Well, what do you know,” Hawk offers.
   “There is a brain hiding in all that muscle.”
         Hawk waits for the laughter to die down
   before he continues with the briefing. “Fortu-
   nately we were able to pinpoint the satellite’s last
   position. It seems that it was given its command
   from an oil rig just offshore from a suspected
   COBRA base.”
         Hawk shuts the light off, lowers a screen,
   and begins showing slides of the oil rig from
   different angles. “We sent a small recon patrol
   to the rig,” he continues, “and they discovered
   sophisticated electronics systems housed on it.
   It’s possible that those systems are capable of
   controlling our communications satellites. If so,
__ COBRA can attack anywhere in the world!”
   POOH   THREES   RHEE   HESS ESE SESE ES ES OHHH SES ESEEEF ESOS ESESEEE   OSES EHO ESSE ES ESESESEOS
     “Let's go in and blow that rig sky high!” —
shouts Roadblock.
     “T have   a better idea,’ Hawk   announces.
“T’ve decided on a two-pronged attack. The first          —
part of my plan involves searching out COBRA
headquarters near the rig. We think there’s a
base of operations other than the rig and, Duke,
I want you to lead a team inland through the              ©
jungle to find it. Take Low-Light, Roadblock,         —
and Leatherneck with you.
      “The second part of my plan calls for infil-
trating the rig. I want to make sure that its
operations are shut down and no harm can                  ~
come to our satellites—or any cities—before we             |
take out that rig. Cutter, Deep-Six, Recondo,
and Shipwreck—I want you to form the team             —
that heads for the rig.”
      “What do you think COBRA is trying to
do?” you ask.
      “My hunch is that they’re testing out some
new system and when they've perfected it,                     |
COBRA will try for global domination.”
      “Well, it’s our job to stop them!” you shout.   —
Then you realize that you haven’t been given an
assignment.
      “Where should I go, sir?” you ask.
      “Your know-how will be useful on either
 mission,” Hawk answers. “Got a preference?”
         Turn to page 8.
     “Each one of those bubble-like enclosures ©
houses its own antenna,” you tell Deep-Six.    .
     “So what?” Deep-Six says. “I’ve got cable
TV at home and I don’t need an antenna.”
     “Not that kind of antenna, ace. These are
transmitting and receiving dishes. From what I
know of electronics I’d bet my life that the real
COBRA communications command center has
to be right here on this rig—and very close to
those bubbles.”
     “It’s probably somewhere off that hallway
we      just          came           through,”                 observes               Deep-Six.
“Let’s get back up there and try to find it.”
      You run back down the glass hallway and                                                                 |
take the elevator up. Now what? Suddenly you
hear a humming sound coming from one of the                                                                           |
rooms off the hallway. Staying close to the wall,                                                                 |
you make your way to the door and push it                                                                         |
open ever so slightly.                                                                                            |
      “There it is,” you whisper to Deep-Six.                                                                     |
“Look at all those computers. They have great                                                                     |
stuff in there!”                                                                                                  |
      “That great stuff is there to help COBRA                                                                    |
rule the world,” Deep-Six reminds you. “There                                                                 |
are only a few guards, so let’s see what we can                                                                |
do about getting rid of them.”
     “IT don’t think that’s a good—” Your sen-                                                                    |
tence trails off when you realize you're talking                                                                  —
to yourself. Deep-Six has impetuously charged
into the room and is waving his gun at the                                                                        |
guards.
SEHR   OSE   SH OHS H SHH EH SHEE EEE ES SHEE   OHH EE OE SO SEE OOOOH   ESOS   OSES O ESE EEES OSES EEEEES
             Go on to page 9.
        “You lose, COBRA!”      Deep-Six bluffs cou-
_ rageously. “This rig is swarming with my G.I.
_ Joe teammates. You might as well give up.”
7       The guards stand there stunned. They’re
- not sure if they believe Deep-Six. You have no
 _ choice but to back him up.
be      “Okay, Captain!” you yell over your shoulder
_ to an imaginary person as you enter the room.
_ “T’ll take care of these prisoners.”
          “You're in for it now!” Deep-Six tells the
 _ guards. “Here comes Corporal Zapper—the
   _ meanest G.I. Joe in the unit!”
 oC       You shoot him a look that says, “Cool it!”
   _ Then you make your face look as tough as you
 _ can manage. It’s a touchy situation. You can tell
 _ that the COBRA guards are still undecided
  _ about whether or not they believe you.
          You sidle up to the computer, still trying to
 _ look tough. Your knowledge of electronics helps
 a_ you
 ate      find the central power pack quickly. You
    study it for a second. You can dismantle it. But
  _ what’s to stop COBRA from fixing it the minute
| you leave? You quickly program the electronic
| system to blow itself up after a few minutes. Not
 even COBRA Commander will be able to over-
| ride this command. When the electrical circuit
| comes back to its source—KERPLOW!
 Mg
  i      You're almost finished when the intercom
“stars to hum and a voice comes over it. “All
  _personnel be on the lookout for two G.I. Joe
  intruders. Repeat—”
 es
ry
SOO HHOHEES OH OH EHO OHHH OSEH OOOO ESO EO OH EOE T OOS OOOO EEE OOOO OE OEO EOE EE EO ESO SEES
THE END
                            11
                                                                                                        ¢
DERE R EERE EEE EEE EEE HEE EEE HERES ET ESE EEE EHE FETE ES EEE OTOH EEE SESE SEE EEEEEES |
       Go on to page 13.
           As soon as the other Skystrikers take off,
_ the three jets fly in formation toward the coast.
_ Duke is flying solo to coordinate the mission. He
- signals you to head for the mountains. As you
_ leave a billowy jet exhaust behind you, Duke
  signals the last Skystriker to peel off to buzz the
i oil rig.
        Soon Duke is flying right next to you, and
  together you soar over the sandy shoreline.
     Over the intercom you hear Duke order, “Zap-
        per, let’s stay close to the treetops to keep out
        of COBRA'’s radar.”
    .        “Affirmative,” you reply as you push down
        on the control stick. Seconds later you are skim-
      _ ming the tops of the mainland’s tall trees.
           “Hey, aren’t we cutting this kind of close?”
  yells Leatherneck from the rear. “I mean, I’m
no botanist, but I’d guess we’re doing a good job
__ of pruning these trees.”
&          Laughing, you tell Leatherneck, “The lower
| we go, the harder it'll be for COBRA to pick us
/ up on their radar.”
  es     “In that case, Zap,” says Leatherneck,
| “drop her down and keep pruning.”
4        You fly directly behind Duke, skirting the
|! treetops. As you zoom over a small mountain
 | range, Duke says, “The abandoned airstrip is
| dead ahead.”
     .
    en
    Sean
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POCO COLO OOO MOLE OOO OOS COOO 00 COC CRC COEDS OP eCE SECC ES ReOD Ss escleeseeeaueecane
POPC EH ESCO HEHEHE HEHE OE ESES EES ES ESTEE CEES ESOS OEE EEE EO OEE EEE ESE EDESEES OEE ES
THE END
                           19
      Duke points to a COBRA Ferret aban-
doned in the jungle underbrush. “Zapper, see
what you can do about getting this thing fixed.
We'll make up for lost time if we can ride that
Ferret through the jungle.”
      You get to work splicing a frayed wire that
has short-circuited the COBRA vehicle. In min-
utes you’ve got its engine purring. You free it
from the vines that have grown around it. “Let’s
go!” you declare proudly.
      You and the others pile onto the Ferret and
ride through the jungle. “Follow those tire
tracks there,” Duke orders, pointing ahead.
“They should lead us right to the COBRA
base.”
      Duke is right. Soon a COBRA guard tower
looms ahead. Obviously a COBRA Ferret in the
jungle is not an unusual sight, since the guards
don’t react to your approach. “Grab hold of that
missile launcher,” Duke orders Roadblock. “Aim
her right at the guard tower.”
     When you are within fifty yards of the en-
trance of the COBRA fortress, the guards spot
you. One of them sounds the alarm just as
Roadblock fires the missile. It scores a direct hit
on the tower!
CROP O HE OE RESO EH SESE EEE ES OSES EEE SEES ESESESESEES OS ESE SESH ESOS ESS OOSO ESSE OOEEES
                                               20
          Since Hawk told you Intelligence found so-
    phisticated electronic devices on the rig, you
    can’t wait to get at them. You decide to join the
    naval team.
          Hawk summons the G.I. Joe Team to as-
    semble near the Flagg’s communications tower.
    “T’ve decided that the best way to reach the rig is
    by using the G.I. Joe hovercraft and our flying
    submarine,                the S.H.A.R.C.                          I want            the hover-
   craft to make a direct attack on the rig. We sus-
   pect that COBRA probably programmed the
 - satellites to blow up the world’s major cities at
   the slightest attempt to foil their plans. So our
   assault should be swift and decisive.”
         As the hovercraft is fueled for the assault,
   Hawk motions toward the S.H.A.R.C. “I want
   Deep-Six to take one other man on the
   S.H.A.R.C. You'll have to dive under the rig
   and gain control of the computer weaponry be-
   fore COBRA can respond. That’s all, men.
   Good hunting, and remember to keep in com-
   munication with us.”
         What'll it be, Zapper? Do you want to go
   with Deep-Six in the S.H.A.R.C. or do you want
    to join Cutter, Recondo, and Shipwreck on the
    hovercraft?
POPC H HES H OHH THESE HEHEHE ED EE OE SE SEH ESEE SESE SHOE SO EE EES ORESESESEOE SESE SOS
                       22
          Looks like your little charade has just come
    to an end. COBRA guards approach you men-
    acingly. “Okay, guys, so I was kidding,” you say.
    “Can’t you take a joke?”
          Apparently not. No one laughs.
          “Hold it!” yells Deep-Six. He waves a hand
    grenade over his head. “One more move from
    any of you and everybody gets it,” he threatens.
    “J don’t care if I blow myself up in the process!”
          You look at the COBRA guards. “He
    means it,” you tell them. “He’s a real animal.”
          Now you have an important decision to
    make. Should you set COBRA’s electronic satel-
    lite relay in motion now—yjust to make sure it
    really blows? If you do that, you may be caught
    in the explosion yourself.                      |
          On the other hand, maybe it would be bet-
    ter to concentrate on escaping from the rig.
    COBRA will probably go ahead with their plot
    and blow themselves up eventually anyway.
          What do you do?                       .
SPOOR eee eT ee OHHH E EEE HEOEESESESEHESESES ESSE ESSE ESOEESESH SHES ESEEESES EO EEES
POPS HT SHE SO THO SHSSO SHES EOOSEOE SOOO EESEESOSO SESE SESE SHES OSES EEE E SEES ES ESE OEEES
POPSET ESOS HESEEHE SOSH SESE EES EEEHE SESE OESOHH SS EESSSOESE SEE OESEEEESEEEEHESEDS
Go on to page 29.
                                                    28
“4       You and Leatherneck are marched directly
_ to COBRA’s jungle base of operations. It is only
   about a mile from the runway.
         You are thrown into a room with a dirt
   floor and no windows. The two COBRA guards
   stare at you silently.
         You are there for more than an hour when
   the door is jerked open. The sudden light hurts
   your eyes, but you see that a woman has come
   into the room.
            “Aah, Leatherneck,” says the woman in the
      black jumpsuit, “how very nice to see you again,
      especially under these circumstances.”
            “Sorry I can’t say the same about you, Bar-
      oness,” Leatherneck replies.
         So this is the Baroness you’ve heard so
   much about! She is one of COBRA Com-
   mander’s top operatives. You’ve heard she has a
   brilliant military mind—and a few bats in her
   belfry as well.
 .       “You two insects may live if you tell me
   where the rest of your squadron is hiding,” she
     _ sneers.
            “We’re the only two,” you answer her
      truthfully.
            “You won’t cooperate!” she screams. “In
      that case, it’s time for lunch!”
            “I’m not hungry,” you tell her.
            “I’m not serving you lunch, idiot!” she yells
      in your face. “You are lunch!”
a
      “Thanks,” you say, checking your radar
only to find that four COBRA jets are on your
tail. “But I’m afraid they’re just getting started.
Hold on!”
      The brief flight training that you received
taught you the basics. Unfortunately, it didn’t
prepare you to evade a whole squadron of
COBRA Jets.
      As you're deciding what to do a COBRA
missile glances off your Skystriker. Oily black
 smoke streams out of the side of your plane.
 “What the heck was that?” asks Leatherneck.
      “I think they’re crashing our party,” you
reply. As you try to maneuver your crippled
jet, the yellow fuel light on your console begins
to blink.
         “We’ve             got trouble,                   Leatherneck!”               you
shout.
     “Not exactly what I wanted to hear,” he
says.                                                                                           |
      With the Skystriker under limited control |
thanks to the impact of the COBRA missile, it’s
time for another decision.
      Should you hit the ejection button and bail
out or should you try to land the crippled Sky-
striker somewhere?
SPASMS OERS COCO CSCO POCO SSE OCO COCO EOE SEES Cee ESeCeeovEClEsereLesecestoessoee™
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     Your peaceful descent is suddenly inter- —
rupted by the sound of approaching aircraft.
You hope it’s a G.I. Joe squad coming to your
rescue—but no such luck. Closing in on you
and Leatherneck are two COBRA Fully Armed
Negator Gyro-copters (FA.N.G.s).
     A muffled explosion signals that the
EA.N.G.s are blasting your chutes. Unable to
avoid the large shells, you have no choice but to
hang in midair and wait for impact. You don’t
have to wait long.
     The shells from the 30mm cannons of the
EA.N.G.s disintegrate your chute. As you fall
past Leatherneck, you see his parachute being
shredded by a F.A.N.G. shelling.
     As you and Leatherneck tumble, the last
sight you see is that of COBRA Commander sit-
ting in his jeep in the middle of the jungle. As
you hit the ground in front of him, he sneers.
“Nice of you to drop in, fellas.”
THE END
                      32
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POCO HO HES EH ESE OH ESE SESE SEES EOS SHSEESESOEEESOOOSHEHSHS OHS OEEES ESOS OOH ESE SSO OD
POO E CHOSE EEE H SEES H SETH EH EHS ESOS ESEHOOOHSOSSESESODOSFOSOSS SSO SESOT TOSS OSOED
         Go on to page 37.
a
a
       “We're hit!” Leatherneck yells.
       Glancing down at your control panel, you
y
THE END
                           39
vier
Be
         Figuring that it might be safer to head out
under           the cover             of darkness,                     the team               settles
down a few miles inside the jungle. You chow
down on your dehydrated beef jerky and try to
get some shut-eye.
         At      midnight,                under             a full            moon,            Duke
nudges you gently with his boot. “Pack up your
gear,” he says. “We’re heading out.”
      It’s slow going as your team slashes its way
through the dense, dark jungle. Low-Light is in
the lead, since he is an expert in finding his way
in the dark.
      Suddenly the jungle is ablaze with blinding
light. You step back and try to shield your eyes.
You are surrounded by a ring of high-intensity
floodlights aimed at your group.
SOOT SCEH EHS HEHE HEE SESH HED EHE EE HESH OTE H EH OSHOOHS SOO E OO EE HOSE EEHO SEE OES OSES
SHPO H HEHEHE EH TEH TEESE SEHE ESOS ES ESESEEESESOESESES EEE E HEE EEESE SESE ESEO OD
SHOE HHT EE HEE OEE EH ESE HEESESESEEOEEEEE OSES ESESEEEEEE HE EOE EOE SE ESEEEEEES
POCO S EEO SEE EEO ETE SE EEO O HEE S EEE ESS EHEO ETE SEE SOH SESE HOES EEESSESEHESHESEEEES
THE END
                       46
 EAs you make your way down a narrow hall-
; way, you're surprised by the lack of COBRA
_ guards. “Where the heck is everyone?” Recondo
_ asks.
        “I don’t know,” you answer. “They must
_ think they blasted the entire G.I. Joe Team out
 _of the water when they hit the W.H.A.L.E.”
       You approach a small door with a circular
  window. Quickly you drop down to the floor,
  pulling Recondo with you.
        “What’s wrong?” asks Recondo.
           You          motion           toward          the window                 and      say,
 “Behind that window is the COBRA communi-
 cations center.”
           “So? Let’s go in,” Recondo says.
           You grab his arm and say, “Not so fast...
unless you want to be served up to the COBRAS
 on a silver platter.”
      “What do you mean?”
      “Come here,” you say as you quietly crack
open the door. “Take a gander at that.”
           As Recondo stares inside, you look over his
shoulder. In front of a large console, COBRA
_ Commander is talking to his troops.
           “In just a matter of minutes,                                      my friends,
 the reprogramming of the satellites will be com-
 pleted,” he proudly states. “Thanks to our good
friend here.”
      That good friend turns around—and                                                       it’s
 Destro!
PAHO   H   HOH   OEE   EEE   EEE EEE SEES EH EEEHESEEHESESEEES   OSES   ES ESESESEEEEEEESEEEEEEEES
          Deep-Six                 guns the S.H.A.R.C’s                                 engines. |
With         a sudden                   lurch,          the      S.H.A.R.C.                  coasts|
down the runway. It is airborne for two minutes |
and then it dips down and skims along the |
water’s surface.                                                                                                :
      Something about speed brings out the ani- |
mal in Deep-Six. He twists and turns the}
S.H.A.R.C., making the craft do acrobatic|
stunts. With the water splashing underneath,|
you ask weakly, “Hey, do you think you coulal
take it easy?”                                      |
      “What’s the matter, Zapper, can’t take a lit-|
tle roller coaster ride?” laughs Deep-Six.          |
      You begin to turn the same shade of green}
as your uniform. Deep-Six chuckles and pulls}
back on the controls. “Okay, okay, I'll ease her}
up. In fact, maybe it’s time we took a little dip.”
      “Little dip?” you inquire.
      “Sure. This baby’s made for some mighert
swift underwater action. Hold on!”                  |
          With a splash, the S.H.A.R.C. dives be-}
neath the water. Deep-Six switches on the for-}
ward lights. You see a great white shark swim
past the front window.            |
      “I guess it takes one to know one,” Deep
Six says as he steers the S.H.A.R.C. away from]
the large, jaw-snapping killer.                   |
      Soon the S.H.A.R.C. is silently jettingy
through the water, leaving nothing behind it but|
a trail of bubbles. ~
 COO   SO OHHH   SHOE ESOT   LEH HEH OOH EESES OOOO HOES EE OEOODS   OH SOOSOOOO EE ES ESE EEO HESOES   ECOG!
Go on to page 49.
                                                   48
     ey
,!
                Noiselessly, the S.H.A.R.C. glides along
          until you near the rig. Then Deep-Six takes the
          sub down to the ocean floor. “No radar will pick
          us up down here,” he chuckles. “COBRA won’t
          have a clue that they have houseguests.”
                You look out the window and see a long
          glass hallway extending from one of the rig sup-
          ports. “What do you think that is?” you ask.
                Deep-Six follows your gaze. “I have no
          idea,” he answers. “And we won’t find out until
          we get into that rig and see what’s going on.”
                With a dull thud, the S.H.A.R.C. comes to
          rest against a rig support. You strap on your air
          tank as Deep-Six shuts down the sub. Soon the
          two of you are ready to begin your swim. You
          open the hatch but quickly duck back inside.
               “Eels!” you exclaim.
               “I can’t believe you’re afraid of a few little
          eels,” Deep-Six says, shaking his head.
              “Not real eels,” you say, exasperated,
          “COBRA Eels—frogmen! They’re way above
          us, patrolling the surface waters.”
        Deep-Six looks up and dimly sees the ex-
   pert COBRA frogmen swimming lazily by. “I
 _ think we’re in luck,” he says. “Those dummies
   haven’t even noticed us.”
        What should you do? Should you use
   S.H.A.R.C. missiles to blast away the Eels, or do
   you and Deep-Six sit tight until they leave and
_ then try to swim to the rig undetected?
      STP    OOOO   rere essere essere   see ee HHS    EEO OEE HEE   EEEEEEE   SESE EEE   EEE EeEeseseesse
Go on to page 51.
                                                 50
er.    “What kind of diversion did you want from
_ the third Skystriker?” you ask.
 :     “I simply need the Skystriker to be visible,”
_ Duke tells you. “The danger is that being visible
  means you'll probably draw COBRA fire. Then
  again, maybe COBRA won’t want to blow their
  cover and they'll stay hidden. It’s a gamble.”
        Duke looks over his team. “Any volunteers
  to go out in the third Skystriker? It’s probably
  the riskiest part of this plan.”
        What do you do? It sounds pretty scary
to you. But then you knew you’d face danger
  when you joined the G.I. Joe Team. Still, maybe
  you're too inexperienced to handle this. It’s up
  to you.
PPR eee m esse eer sess eee EEE ESE EEH SEH EOS EEO ESS EO HESS EEE ESOE ESE SOE EEO EEEEES
POCO O HH SOSH OO OHH OO HEH OOO ESOSE SESE EHEH OSHS OE OSES ODES SEHESESEHSESOESEDSESESES |
POPC OCHO OOOOH OTE O SOLES EEE EOE E EEE EEEE DCEO OEE E REESE OOO TOO EEE SEES eee oEeeeeeS
         Go on to page 55.
            Craning your neck to watch the flock of
      birds, you suddenly pull back on the joystick,
      causing your Skystriker to swerve to the left.
                “Hey,            what’s        the big idea?”                 Leatherneck
      asks angrily.
            “Take a look at those ‘birds, dummy,” you
    - reply. They’ re COBRA jets and they’re coming
      for us.’
            The COBRA jets close in rapidly. Seconds
      later you can see the fire and smoke shooting
      from their missile racks.
            “Hold on!” you yell as you pull back on the
      stick. “Let’s give these buzzards a run for their
      money.”
           The COBRA jets, flying in combat forma-
    _ tion, swoop down toward your Skystriker. As
     one of them comes into range, you fire a heat-
     seeking missile.
           The COBRA jet crashes in flames. “Nice
_    shot, Zap,” Leatherneck says.
POOR eee eH eH HESS E OSH OHO HE SESE SESE SEES ESEES ESO OSESEHESSODFEHSOSSSSSOOHH SESE OS
THE END
                          58
_
i        :
           The Baroness strides over to a wooden
_ door in the middle of the floor. She snaps her
    _ fingers for the two COBRA guards to lift the
      heavy door. “Hello, sweethearts, hello,” the Bar-
     oness coos into the pit under the trap door.
i          “Untie those two and bring them over
__ here,” she commands the guards. The guards
      cut your ropes and push you forward.
           You look into the pit and see five alligators
      showing off their teeth. You and Leatherneck
      exchange glances. You’d better do something
      now— because it’s now or never! Remembering
      an old Bob Hope—Bing Crosby movie you saw
      on The Late Show, you say, “If I’m going to be
_ alligator stew, let me at least say my last good-
 __ byes to my pal here.”
  .        You turn to Leatherneck and clasp his
_ hand. COBRA guards stand on either side of
__ you, ready to push you into the pit.
‘            “So long, pal,” you say.
        “Bon voyage, good buddy,” Leatherneck
  answers, winking.
        Then one, two, three...POW! You each
: swing around and hit the COBRA guard behind
_ you in the jaw, knocking him cold. You over-
_ power the Baroness and radio Hawk on the
_ Flagg that you’ve located the COBRA base.
5       In ten minutes the air above the base is
_ Swarming with G.I. Joe copters. You’re a true
 <G.di:
     A         real American hero!
4                          THE END
 fe
                               59
     o
        As you approach the landing area, Leath-
  erneck says, “That strip looks awfully short,
  Zap.”
        “Maybe that’s why it’s abandoned,” you
  reply. Following Duke, you clear the mountain
  range and dive down.
        “Zapper,” Duke orders, “follow me. Let's
  pass over this place once and take a closer look.”
  With ear-shattering speed, you and Duke zoom
' the Skystrikers over the strip.
        “What do you think?” you radio to Duke.
        “I don’t like the looks of it,” Duke says.
  “Did you see those fuel tanks?”
        “Affirmative, sir,” you reply. “What the
  heck are fuel tanks doing on an abandoned
  runway? Do you think they’re just left from
  years ago?”                                        |
        “‘Not those tanks,” replies Duke. “They’re
  specially designed to transport COBRA’s new
  disposable fuel cells.”
         “What should we do, sir?” you ask.
         “Just to be on the safe side, one                                              of us
  should make a very low pass over the strip and
  check them out.”                               |
       “Check what out?” Leatherneck asks.
          “Tanks,” you answer.  |
          “You’re welcome,” Leatherneck laughs.
COCO STOO OH EO OHO HHS EO EHO SEEHE SOSH ES OOESEHSESE SO HESESEESES HEHEHE EHESOOESHSOOEO® |
SOCCER ECCS EOE SEH OEHESE SOTO SOOTHES SEEOE EES SOST SHED OSES HEESESE ESE SE SEEEHO HOSES
     Go on to page 65.
.     “Hold it right there!” you shout.
g     “Hey, take it easy, Zapper,” a voice says.
      You lower your rifle as Roadblock emerges
from the jungle holding a pot of steaming food.
Handing the delicious-smelling food to you, he
Says, “A person wasn’t meant to eat that egg-
plant stuff. Here’s something I put together
with some local roots and herbs.”
      You’ve kidded Roadblock about his hobby
of gourmet cooking in the past, but now you
eagerly dig in. how Eight and I buzzed the rig
but didn’t draw any fire,” Roadblock says. “We
figured we'd be anove help if we came inland
and joined you guys.”
      “Have you found Duke?” Leatherneck
asks.
     “Yeah, we sat our Skystriker down next to
his on the airstrip back there,” Roadblock re-
plies. “Then we saw you guys take a hit and bail
out. I volunteered to come get you. Hurry it up,
   ough—we gotta make some headway before
COBRA catches on.”
m     After wolfing down the chow, the three of
you set off into the jungle. The going is slow
through the dense underbrush, but soon you
emerge on a narrow dirt path. Duke and Low-
Light wait for you there.
  _ “Bout time you guys got here,” Duke says.
MRRP   Perce see cecc recor   Ses eesecccsece   ere e cece ees eee eseseeeeeeeeeeesccesoccooece
      Since Low-Light and Roadblock are highly;
trained reconnaissance experts, you decide to:
let one of them go down in the elevator. Road--
block is the one. Uneasy minutes pass. You wait..
More time passes.
     Suddenly, with a low whirring, the elevator:
returns to the surface. Out staggers Roadblock.
He looks dazed and rubs his head.
     “What happened?” Duke asks urgently.
     Roadblock snaps to and jerks his thumb to-:
ward the elevator behind him. “I made some:
friends          while         I was          down            there,”          he eet
wiping blood from his mouth. “Actually, they)
weren't too friendly, but I changed theiry
minds.”
     You and Low-Light drag five unconscious:
Crimson Guards out of the elevator. Roadblock!
must have singlehandedly knocked them cold.
         “Quick, put on their uniforms,” commands}
Duke. “I think we’ve found what we came for."]
back.                                                                                                     \y
      The five of you go back down the clea
—ready for anything. Trying to look like you!
know where you're going, you and the others/
stride confidently down the long hallway you!
find when you step out of the elevator.            |
      Soon you are in a control room filled with!
blinking, humming computers. “This must be
control central,” you whisper to Duke.            |
POPS   OSH OHH   OEE   EO SOTHO OE SO SSE OSESESEOH   SHOES   TO ESESESEESE   SESE EEE SESESE ES ESESOS
POCO Ree ee EEO EOE E SEH EEE SESH ESE SESE EEESEEHE SESE ESE TEE ESESOEESE SEES ESEEES
                                                   67
      Leatherneck jumps forward and grabs the
controls, saying, “Hey, this is kind of fun. I’ve
never flown a jet before.”
      “Just keep her steady,” you reply.
      Under the control panel, you’re surprised
to find that the COBRA rocket just knocked the
rear rudder switch loose. You kick it back into
place and soon you’ve regained complete con-
trol of the Skystriker.
      What looks like an abandoned runway
looms into view ahead of you. As you approach
it, Leatherneck says, “Hey, this is where the
other Skystrikers were supposed to land. Where
are they?”
      “Good question,” you respond. Thinking ©
quickly, you pick up the radio and try to reach |
Hawk back on the Flagg. All you get is static. —
“COBRA’s jammed the airwaves—I can’t reach |
the Flagg,” you tell Leatherneck.                 |
      To make matters worse, your fuel light
goes on. “That machine-gun fire must have torn —
our fuel line,” you surmise.
      Should you land on the airstrip or eject—
with Leatherneck into the jungle? Or perhaps _
you might want to try to keep flying and look” |
for another landing area?
      You'd better decide quickly because your
fuel gauge is almost on empty.
SOHC   OC   HEHE   SHES HEHE ES OEE OEE E EEE EE HE SHEE SEE ETESEEEESE   SHEESH   EEE EE SEES SESE   EEEE
                                                 68
dl        The elevator is dimly lit by a small bulb.
‘
    You tuck the pistol under your shirt and men-
|
    tally prepare for whatever awaits you.
          As closely as you can determine, you’ve al-
    ready dropped about sixty feet. Since you have
    no way of knowing how far down the shaft goes,
   you point your rifle at the door, ready for ac-
    tion!
 .        With an unexpected lurch the elevator
    comes to a halt. The doors don’t open. “Maybe
   they’re stuck,” you quietly mumble.
          “The    doors    are     not   stuck,    you   idiot,”   a
     strange voice cackles over a small speaker. “You
     and your merry band of men have been under
     my surveillance ever since you landed.”
          “Let me out of here!” you demand.
          “I   will,   shortly,”      says   the    voice.   “But
_ COBRA Commander is a little too busy for
v guests. I’m afraid you'll have to be carried out
 _ of there feet first.”
me      Quickly, as if the cable were cut, the eleva-
    tor drops. As you plummet, you hope your
    _ teammates have more success, because for you,
Pee this mission has come to..
THE END
                                 69
        You couldn’t turn on the device even if you’
wanted to. At that moment a COBRA guard:
leaps at you and knocks you to the floor.       E
     When Deep-Six doesn’t throw his grenade,
the guards realize he was bluffing and grab him. |
Then          through             the control                  room         door       strides            |
COBRA Commander himself.                                                                                  |
            “Ah,” he says, “here are the two intruders                                                    |
we’ve been searching for. I should have known |
they’d come right to the source.”
     You figure that this is it. You’re going to be |
blown up here in the rig along with the rest of
them. At least the world is safe. But somehow
you had hoped to enjoy that safety too.             |
            COBRA              Commander                      has a surprise                 for |
you. “I’ve been thinking!” he says. “Who better |
than two G.I. Joe soldiers to bring my message |
to the world. I am going to let you go so that |
you can tell the world that it is I,COBRA Com- |
mander, who now rules.”                                                                               i]
            “Youre insane!” you yell.                                                                 |
            “Silence!”             screams               COBRA             Commander.                 |
“Yes. I want you to return                                         to the cities—or
what’s left of them—and tell                                      the people to give |
up and await my triumphant                                          takeover. If they |
don’t, there will be unlimited                                    destruction. They |
are sure to believe two good                                      and loyal G.I. Joe |
soldiers.”
SOOO SEES HEHE HH OHO HEED ES ESOTSESO OHHH OOOH OOOH HESS EHH SESHSESOSHSEEESESEDSEESESESS |
POOP OOOO eee ETT eA EO EE EE DEES EE EEOEEOEE SEES OE EESEEEEES OEE SEES eeeseseeese
                     THE END
                         72
 COBRA Commander’s decision. You have to act
  -
THE END
      i                   73
          “Since all those electronics may be on the
rig,” you say to Cutter, “the mission has a better |
chance of succeeding if I go with Recondo.”                                                                    }
     The tiny motorboat is lowered from the                                                                      |
W.H.A.L.E. with you and Recondo aboard. You                                                                      |
motor toward the looming COBRA oil rig. In                                                                     |
about five minutes you hear a terrible explo-
sion. Your boat lurches wildly in the waves.                                                                   |
Looking             behind,            you see that the W.H.A.L.E.
 has come under attack from COBRA Rattler |
jets.                                           af
      Recondo and you stare at the flaming hov- |
ercraft in silent horror. Finally Recondo speaks. |
 “There’s nothing we can do for those guys now,” |
 he says solemnly. “Let’s get to that rig before |
COBRA spots us.”                                                                                                   |
     Recondo clutches his M-16. The two of you |
continue to head toward the oil rig. The rising|
cloud of smoke from the W.H.A.L.E. has dis-|
tracted the COBRAS on the rig, giving you the |
chance to tie your small motorboat up to the|
side of the rig without being noticed.
      After climbing a steel ladder up to a trap|
door on the bottom of the rig, you use your ex- |
pertise to spring the electronic lock that stands|
between you and the interior of the rig.              |
      “Good going,” Recondo congratulates you. |
       “That’s just the first step,” you reply. “Now ||
let’s find the controls for those satellites and see:
if we can short-circuit COBRA’s plot.”
PHO PO OH EH EHE SOTO EEE MOT HESO OOOOH ESSE ESOS OSEESEEE ES OEHETE OSES EOE HESES HES ESOEES
SPSS SH OHHH EHO EE EH EEE EES EEE EHH EHE EOE E SOHO THESE EOE OEE EEE eeeeeeeeeseseses
THE END
                                77
     As you lead the team down the side of the ©
volcano, away from the COBRA compound, |
you explain how you fooled COBRA and repro-
grammed the satellites.
     Now, sitting atop a small hill, you point to
the COBRA jungle base and the distant oil rig.
“Keep your eyes open, boys.”
   _ Seconds later a huge tremor of thunder
rocks the area. “Feels like a storm,” Roadblock
says.
      Suddenly a bolt of lightning rips through
the sky and quickly explodes over the COBRA
bases. The energy blast is too much for the
COBRAS. A huge explosion rocks their jungle
base at the same time you see the oil rig break
apart and sink into the sea.
      Back aboard the Flagg, Hawk congratulates —
you on a mission well done. With the COBRA |
plot destroyed, the world has already started re- _
programming the satellites for peaceful use.      |
      Heading back to your quarters, Leather-
neck says, “Hey, I wonder who won the Super
Bowl?”                                            !
      Patting him on the back, you reply, “The |
final score was G.I. Joe one, COBRA nothing!”
THE END
                      78
               “You’re nuts!” shouts Roadblock.
    Ue        “Nuts, am I?” screams COBRA              Com-
- mander, blind with rage. “You'll pay for that re-
         _ mark. To show you just how nuts I am, I will
          now start the procedure required to wipe out
          Washington,   D.C. It will take only one hour to
         set the mechanisms in motion.”
               “Me and my big mouth,” mutters Road-
         block.
     .         “Away with the fools,” COBRA Com-
         mander orders. “They are starting to bore me.”
               Storm Shadow, who has been standing by
         silently all this time, signals the Crimson Guards
         to lead you away. They push you down a long
         hallway and into a jail cell. Two Crimson
         Guards stand in front of the cell.
       .       The situation seems hopeless. In one hour
_         Washington,   D.C.,   will be in ruins.   It might
 _ touch off World War III if officials think it’s a
_ Russian attack. Or maybe COBRA Commander
_ will unleash his weapon around the world and
take total control!
A.         This is a desperate situation that calls for
  _ daring action. But what can you do from a jail
Zeecell?
is         You are struck with a risky idea. You’ll have
     to act alone. Your friends can’t know what you
  _ have planned.
é                                                    5
se         Coughing, you get a guard’s attention.
    “Tell COBRA Commander that I’m a whiz with
   electronics. I’d love to work with his system if
    y_ he'll have me. I could be a real help to him.”
          “We don’t have much choice,” you tell —
    Leatherneck. “This baby is sinking fast. I’m
    going to have to try to land her.”
          Just as the fuel gauge hits dead empty,
    your landing gear touches down on the airstrip.
    “Good work,” Leatherneck congratulates you.
    “Let’s get out of this contraption.”
          You climb out of the cockpit and look at
    the dense jungle all around you. You open your
    collar and wipe your streaming brow.
          “No time to break now,” Leatherneck says.
    “Those COBRAS have a good idea where we
    went down. I’m sure they’re already heading
    this way.”
POPP CHEE EO EHEC OHO EEE ESOS EEE EOE HE SESE SEES ESO EH ESOS EEE EEEEES CEES EE OEES
                                                      80
a
          The two of you grab your weapons and
 _ dash out the other door leading to the rig’s
    center. You are stopped by yet another door a
    few paces ahead. Deep-Six struggles with it un-
successfully. You notice that a small electronic
a locking system is in effect.
 4     “We're stuck like bugs in a bottle,” Deep-
oySix grunts as he heaves on the door.
       You reach into your pocket and pull out a
gadget that looks like a small transistor radio.
i               -   “T like my music too,” Deep-Six says, “but
_ there’s a time and place for everything.” He
. braces his legs against the wall and pulls on the
 _ door. “But this is no time and no place for a
 _ radio.”
     .              “This isn’t a radio, smart guy.” You pull two
             electrodes out of the gadget and snap them into
    place. After you turn the knob on the “radio,”
    the door springs open.
  .       Deep-Six and you are suddenly standing iin
~ another hallway. Two glass doors are in front of
_ you. The alarm is still ringing. You must make a
_ choice. On one door is a sign reading CONTROL
   ROOM. The other door is unmarked. What'll it
_ be? Door number one or door number two?
THE END
                        82
      _____Leatherneck keeps Serpentor in a tight
      Deadlock as you and your G.I. Joe Team move
        out of the computer room. Roadblock spots a
     4Crimson Guard reaching for his pistol and
     _ swings his machine gun around at him.
    “3      The Crimson Guard puts his gun down.
    q When you're all out in the hallway, Roadblock
spots an open supply closet. “Leatherneck,” he
__ yells, “dump snake-head in here and let's go.”
 ‘s      After Leatherneck shoves Serpentor into
 the closet and locks it, you and the others get
i back into the elevator and press the up button.
      .   Suddenly a flood of Crimson Guards spills
     out into the hall and flows toward you.
     ,    Just in the nick of time the elevator doors
     shut. You hear a bullet ricochet off the metal
    _door. Once you are back on the surface, Road-
     block pulls the pin on a grenade and presses the
    _down button on the elevator. “That will put this
     elevator permanently out of order,” he says,
     tossing the grenade through the elevator doors.
      :    You and the others run as fast as you can
    out of the shack and through the jungle. You
     are knocked off your feet as the impact of the
_      exploding elevator shakes the jungle floor.
           You land on the ground next to Leather-
  neck. “It'll take them a while to dig their way
_ out of that mess,” he says.
          “Yo, Joe!” you say with a smile, glad that
    your first mission was a success.
                        THE END
                           83
     “Very funny,” you reply dryly as you steer
your Skystriker in a wide circle.
     “Sir, shouldn’t we make an attempt to
touch down while the other Skystriker is still
causing a diversion at the rig?” you ask.
      “Good thinking, Zapper,” says Duke. “One
jet should patrol the sky to keep an eye out for
COBRAS while the other jet swoops down onto
the landing strip. Do you want to scout or go
down?”
      “Let me check with my partner,” you tell
 Duke. “Well, big guy, what do you want to do?”
you ask Leatherneck.
         “First         of all,” he answers,                           “what          I don’t
want to do is spend the rest of my days flying”
around up here just waiting for COBRA to dis-
cover us.”
         “I feel the same                           way,” you reply. “So,
should we volunteer to fly over the strip again
or do we stay up here and let Duke do the dirty
work?”
     “You have the controls,” Leatherneck aye |
“You make the call.”
          It’s decision time, Zapper. What                                            do you |
want to do?
SEO SOEH EOE HO EHS OTOH EO EHO OOOH EHO OOOH OO SEO EEH OOOOH EHSEH OOOOH EEE HEHE SESE OSOSES
THE END
                             85
           Now, alone in the control room, you begin»
to reprogram the satellite transmission system. |
“If my calculations are correct,” you say to your-
self, “I’ve just programmed the biggest thun-
derbolt ever seen by humankind to strike this
COBRA rig in exactly one hour.”
      Punching in the last set of coordinates, you
laugh. “This should give these guys quite a
shock!”
      You climb the stairs and confront Destro as
he directs the rest of the COBRAS near the
landing deck. “What’s going on?” you ask.
      Pointing to a small boat approaching the
rig, Destro says, “COBRA Commander has de-
cided to join us for the evening movie.” |
      “Oh, really,” you say. “What’s the movie?”
      “We're showing Friday the Thirteenth,” he
says.                                          a.
           Since the COBRAS                              are distracted by the |
arrival of their evil leader, you decide that |
maybe this is a good time for you to make an
exit.                                                                                                   I
           Unseen by the COBRAS, you make your |
way to the monorail depot and get behind the |
controls. Luckily, the throttle is unlocked. With |
a slight push, the monorail dips into the tunnel. _
COOP CCOHCO OOOO OOOO O OOOO OCC COOEOC OCC OOOO CE CEC EDO SCCO CC CODEC COC CCOCCEbOeCeSuET
THE END |
                      88
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                                                                                              \
                 Cobra has pitched theworld
            into confusion. Only the SI Joe Team-
              can prevent the triumpii ef evilin
OPERATION. Dechy La
 You and Leatherneck are in the ‘et: 2ction tsa aboard the Gl Joe
aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Flagg, relaxiiiy “sia watching the last few
minutes of the Super Bowl, when all of a sudden, an explosion rips —
            through the stadium and the TV set goes blank! —
     Hawk calls out the strike force, Roadblock, heavy machine
gunner...Recondo, jungle infantryman...Low-Light, night spotter... |
   Cutter, Hovercraft pilot...Deep Six, driver... Shipwreck, naval ‘
     commando...Leatherneck, your buddy...and you, Zapper,
sharpshooter and electronics expert. Your mission: to pencil the 4
              Cobra Command Center and neutralize it! 4
       But first you must get past frontline Cobra defense ets,
F.A.N.G’s, and waves of Cobra Eels. Be careful, Zapper, but. be quick.
                  Whole continents could perish as you
                                                            Ps,
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