Disclaimer

G.I. Joe and all of its characters are the intellectual property of Hasbro and are used in a non-profit manner for the purpose of entertainment. G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra and all of its character portrayals are the intellectual property of Paramount and are used in a non-profit manner for the purpose of entertainment. I own no rights to their creations.

This is a work of fiction. All unique characters, organizations and factions are either from the imagination of the author or, if real, are represented in a fictitious manner without the intent to represent actual conduct. Any similarities to any existing persons, alive or dead, are purely coincidental and not the intention of the author.

G.I. Joe: Paradise Lost

A G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra fanfiction

Rated M for violence, frequent coarse language and adult scenes. Each chapter will have a warning header to indicate what is to follow. Please read at your discretion.

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Prologue

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O man's first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste
Brought death into the world, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden.

~ John Milton 1608 – 1674
Paradise Lost (Book 1, 1.1)

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Some time, not too long ago, somewhere in South America

It was impossible to know when the stones had last seen any form of light. Certainly natural light had not caressed their damp surfaces for near to two thousand years, if not more. Instead, it had been lost to darkness and obscurity, the magnificence of the structure forgotten from the memories of man and the pages of history.

Until now.

Hiking boots carefully picked their way along the uneven, unstable rocks that had been thrown loose from the excavation, spilling the artificial illumination from the massive lamps beyond into the cavernous room behind. Every scrape of stone, every whisper of cloth, every sharp breath echoed impossibly around them, giving an indication of the sheer scale of the cavern that was lost to darkness, impenetrable to even their powerful lights.

Torches swept back and forth like spears of white, intangible and untouchable but looking like weightless pillars of blessed discovery. The cavern should have been utterly still, but their entrance had kicked up dust that had remained undisturbed for centuries, filling the air with swirling motes that glowed like fae lights with the passing of the torches.

"I can't believe it… we found it. We actually found it…"

The words were distorted by the echoes, even though they had been merely a hushed whisper. Hiking boots moved with utmost reverence from tumbled, rough stone to the hewn smoothness of an artificial structure, laid with cut stone, fitting perfectly against one another. Torchlight swept from the toes of those boots, up and up, to reveal the steps of what had to be a massive structure, before the torch light could go no further and everything was darkness once more, the discovery reluctant to show itself from the shadows in which it had been clad for all this time.

"We found it!" The exultant cry came back at him a dozen times, his voice echoing in his ears, mocking him with his own exuberance. "It really exists!" Not that he cared.

"Congratulations," came a female voice from behind him. "This is truly a marvel."

"A marvel? A marvel? This is the fruit of my life's work, realized! We're re-writing history just by standing here!"

The woman turned her torch to the area around her, allowing the man to banter on, uncaring for his words or his excitement. He moved forward like an eager child, stopping to examine glyphs carved into stone and effigies of warriors rising from the rock. She followed at a more leisurely pace, her torch dancing over the temple's vastness and disappearing into the darkness high above. It as a vast cavern, the rock threaded with just the right combination of mineral deposits to render the cavity invisible to technological detection, regardless of the method. It was the reason that the discovery of the temple that lay within it had taken so long. But discovered it had been.

Of course it had not been without dramas. Not just the loss of his wife, but the withdrawal of funds time and time again, leaving him without resources and means to locate the temple, a temple they said did not exist. But it was more than doubt, he knew. More than jealousy. They feared the temple. Feared what it represented to their established understanding of the history of man. Until she had approached him. With her faith and her beauty and her smile. She gave him money and men and allowed him free reign to find the temple. She had believed in him, and her reward for her faith was before her. Finally, he stood at the base of the steps, almost hyperventilating with his excitement.

"I am about to take the first step… the first person that has ever set foot upon them since before the birth of Christ himself." He swallowed, shaking violently at the prospect of the discovery before him. Shaking at the idea that he, of all people, would be able to make such a monumental discovery. "We are going to rewrite history!"

"I'm more interested in the future, myself."

The gunshot echoed out through the cavern, transforming the reverent whispers into a noise so violently loud that the temple itself seemed to sit silent in shock afterward. The sound of a bullet striking stone and blood splattering the ground was the precursor to the distinct sound of flesh-wrapped bone collapsing on rock, cloth whispering against the surface.

Serafina Montag lifted her gun as her torch swept over the man's fallen form, taking in the ruined mess of his face, one eye hanging out of its socket, the other gone completely. His upper lip and nose were gone, but his lower lip and his jaw still held the look of reverent joy that had frozen in its last moment of existence. Even in death, he was exultant, unable to realize the depths of the betrayal that had taken his life.

Good for him.

Her patience, investment and indulgence of the old man had rewarded her well. Her gaze swept over the temple once more and she gave a very satisfied nod. Well done, you worthless old bastard. Well done. Now it was time to step aside and allow the true purpose to come to fruition. She dropped the gun and turned to look over her shoulder, seeing the silhouette of the rest of the group against the backdrop of brilliant white illumination, burning through the hole blasted in the stone.

"Get to work." Serafina spared the corpse a glance as she stepped over it. "And get rid of him."

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Author's note (Die hard G.I. Joe fans please read):

This will be the first fanfiction where I can honestly say I am not comfortable with my basis of knowledge. It is the reason that I am going with the G.I. Joe film as opposed to the cartoon/comic continuity, because I don't have the resources/time to research everything as I do with my other fictions (and I am aware that the canon continuity is massive). I have, however, done some research for the G.I. Joes franchise, mostly because I need to do that sort of thing. This fiction will be drawing on an amalgam of knowledge from the film (which did not have enough info as far as I am concerned), and the comics/cartoons where applicable. As such, some things might be a nudge nudge to those who know what I am talking about, or something interesting and new for those who have only seen the film. I hope this works.

I am aware that Snake Eyes/OFC fictions are about as common as ham and cheese sandwiches, but I am hoping, at least, to make a good go of it and have a plausible relationship build. As such, please be aware that the fiction is centred at being a romance, pure and simple. It is a G.I. Joe fanfiction, so there will be action and plenty of it, but the focus will be around Snake Eyes and the original female character. There will be a few squicky scenes, but I will warn for those.

When it comes to reviewing, I welcome all comments. Flames will be taken with a pinch of salt. After all, if you hate it enough to make a comment on it, there has to be a reason. If you hate it, please at least do me the honour of telling me why, so maybe I can improve it. Creative criticism is more than welcome. Dissect me. Tear me apart. Anywhere. Everywhere. Especially G.I. Joe fans and people who well know Snake Eyes' personality and traits. I will try and portray him as best as I am able, but I foresee it as being an incredibly difficult task, so I welcome all the help I can get. In fact, if at any point the characters appear too OOC (or, rather, OOC at all), please let me know and I shall do my best to rectify it.

Now that the boring part is over, please enjoy the rest of G.I. Joe: Paradise Lost.

Thank you

Anne