From the Ashes is a backup story that ran in the first four issue mini-series of GI Joe Extreme. It takes place prior to the miniseries.
From the Ashes, Part II: ...Few Are Chosen:
Washington DC, 1996: A woman in a red dress is carrying a briefcase walks down a residential street. She notices a man in sunglasses and a dark suit with trenchcoat watching her. The man has a bandage wrapped around his head, as if he's recently sustained a head wound. As she notices him, he leaps out, tackling her to the ground.
"Down, Dr Johanson!" he yells, as two shots wing past them.
"Who are you?" she asks.
"Compared to those guys in the bushes, I'd say I'm a friend," says the man, firing back into the bushes. He tells the doctor that it's time to get her out of there. He radios for someone to bring up the limo. "Roger, Mr. C," is the reply. Presumably, this is the Mr. Clancy we met in the regular issues (chances are that's made clearer in part one, but again, since I don't have the first issue, I don't have part one so my presumptions are what y'all are stuck with).
When the doctor doesn't answer, Clancy looks over to see her running down the street.
He chases after her, telling her that she should have been an athlete instead of training them. Johanson asks why Clancy is after her, who is trying to kill her.
Clancy tells her that "He" is, the person who has been blowing up "our" (presumably US) military bases. Johanson expresses her sympathy for the murdered soldiers, and then asks what she has to do with this. Clancy says that she can continue her career training athletes or (the scene switches from outside on the residential street to the inside of Clancy's limo) she can help train a special fighting force to stop this saboteur from killing more soldiers...and her.
Johanson asks what happens if she doesn't join. Clancy tells her that the saboteur will never let her rest. Johanson decides to join.
Meanwhile, the saboteur watches, cursing his failure, as Clancy and Johanson drive off. But, he reminds himself, there will be other chances.
Cut to: an office where Clancy is bringing Johanson a stack of printouts. Printouts with the stats of over five thousand of Uncle Sam's best GIs. Mr. C. wants to know how they'll weed them out.
Johanson says they'll do it the old fashioned way: by seeing who's the best.
We get a montage of soldiers training as the caption reads: "And so began an arduous program designed to cull the best and brightest from the military's ranks.
Clancy comes into a room where Johanson is monitoring data: the president's on the phone; there's been another bombing. Johanson tells him to tell the president that they've narrowed the finalists down to twelve and that their real training is beginning tomorrow.
The next day, presumably, Johanson is watching the training. The troopers are running in full packs and being told to get a move on, that they'll have hot showers and hot meals after another 20 miles.
Back at base, the Joe recruits are relaxing when one of their number comes in to tell them about another base being bombed. Apparently the brother of a Sgt. Polaski was stationed there.
Hicks, one of the recruits, says that he hopes the saboteur comes after them. They'll show him who's boss!
The trooper who brought in the news says that the saboteur will come after them alright, but the question is will we be ready for him?
Cut to: graduation day. Johanson tells the new Joes how proud she is of them. And that their graduation gives them a commission and the right to wear these:
She hands over dog tags bearing the symbol of their new unit. The symbol is the letters "G I" embossed on the dog tags.
One of the men, the Lieutenant of the group, says they will wear them for the rest of their lives. The Sergeant congratulates them.
Afterwards, someone lights a circle of fireworks.
"Pretty, huh?" says the girl who lit them. She figured they could use a celebration.
The Lieutenant agrees, saying that it reminds him of watching fireworks with his dad. He mentions that we set off fireworks to commemorate our fight for independence. The "rockets' red glare" and such.
"Thank you, Francis Scott Key," says the lady Joe.
The saboteur looks on at the Joe camp, presses a detonator button and blows the camp up. The unit flag drops at his feet, he picks it up and snaps the stick before dropping the flag again.
There is a slow close-up over the rubble, showing the recruits are all dead, caught completely unawares by the bomb. In the last panel, the saboteur walks off.
Next Issue: Rebirth
# # #
From the Ashes: Part Three: "Rebirth":
"The Star-spangled Banner" plays as we see panel after panel of the wrecked and ruined Project: GI camp: A cracked World's Best Dad mug, a dead female Joe next to a photo of her family; a Joe caught shaving; an unfinisehd letter, someone caught with one boot off; eggs, sunny-side up, burning in a frying pan. The last panel of the first page shows the camp from above, wtih the loud-speaker saying "We now begin our broadcast day."
One Joe, the newly made lieutenant, the one who told us about the rocket's red glare in part two, struggles free of the rubble. He looks about for the others, soon finding that they are dead. As he's walking awa, he hears a voice crying out for help.
The Lieutenant clears the rubble, discovering Dr. Johanson. Both have made it through largely unscathed. The Lieutenant collapses, having lost a lot of blood. The doctor bandages him up, then they discuss what to do next. The LT wants the Doc to leave, but she decides to stay and help him look for survivors.
There are no survivors. the Lieutenant gathers up the others' dog tags. he says that joining Project: GI was his dream, he's not about to let that dream die. He drops down again, still weak.
Johanson thinks that they should wait for help, but the LT says they shouldn't. They've been betrayed and whoever did it thinks that they are dead. If that someone finds out that they're not dead, the saboteur will try again. For now, they need to stay dead and use the fact no one knows they're alive to fight their enemy.
The LT plants the remains of the GI flag before he and Johanson drive off.
Mr. C and an unnamed Army colonel show up. The investigators have found nothing, but Mr. C believes that the incident is the world of their 'friend' in black (presumably the saboteur). The colonel agrees, but there are no witnesses or survivors. One body and Dr. Johanson are unaccounted for, but the colonel presumes they were destroyed in the fire. Clancy wonders, after all, these men were trained to survive at all costs.
Clancy wonders....
The Lieutenant and Dr. Johanson drive their truck up to a cabin in the woods. They're going to use it as an HQ until they can find out who's behind the sabotage. Johanson wonders if it's really safe, since if the Lieutenant knows about it...
The Lieutenant says that no one else knows; there's a brief flashback to the lieutenant's days as a kid. His Dad is taking him to bed, but Li'l LT says he wants a story about GI Joe first.
Back in the present day, the Lt. and the Doc take their gear inside the cabin.
Johanson changes the Lt's bandages. His face is scarred up from the blast, but not that badly. The Doc starts to call the Lt by his full name; she gets as far as "Lieutenant Li--" before he cuts her off. He picks up a toy soldier, telling the Doc not to call him by that name anymore.
"My father said everyone has to make a choice. I've made mine. I'll try to be worthy of the name of a true American hero....from now on, my name is Joe. GI Joe."
End of Part Three
# # #
From the Ashes: Part Four: "Baptism of Fire":
The White House: the phone rings, the President answers. Mr. C tells him that it's very bad and that he doesn't think they'll be able to keep it out of the papers.
"Never mind that," says the president. "How many survivors?"
"None, sir," says Clancy. "I'm very sorry...sir?"
At the cabin, the Doc wonders if they should tell someone that they're not dead. Joe vetoes this idea, since anyone they contact could be a traitor. Until they can find the bomber, it's better for folks to think they're dead.
Joe reminds the Doc not to call him by his old name, again. He's named himself GI Joe after the hero his father told him about.
The Doc wonders how they'll find the bomber, since his identity is secret and they have no idea who or where he is.
Joe says they'll have to intercept him at this next target.
"But how do we know what that is?"
Joe holds up a newspaper with a headline reading: "President to Attend Burial.'
The Doc reacts with shock, surely even the Bomber couldn't break that kind of security.
Joe reminds her that the bomber wasn't supposed to be able to break Project: GI's security either.
"Then how can we stop him?" asks the Doc.
"It won't be easy," says Joe. "But it's possible."
Meanwhile, the Bomber works on a new bomb, singing to himself as he works: "Oh say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?" A pause. "Actually, no," he says. "--at least, not for very much longer."
Beside him is a newspaper with the same headline about the President attending the burial.
Cut to: Mr. C getting ready for the funeral. He tells someone he'll be there in 30 minutes.
There's a knock at the door, Clancy goes to answer it only to be knocked out by a spray of knock-out gas from -- himself!?
Joe, disguised as Mr. C, tells Dr. J to tie the real Mr. C up, just in case he wakes up. Johanson says that if they do tie him up, he may think they're the bomber. How will he know otherwise?
Joe puts a dog tag around C's neck. "He'll know," he says.
The funeral procession pulls into Arlington Cemetery. A group of people mill around, near the grave of at least fie of the members of Project: GI. As a bugler plays Taps, Joe scans the crowd, knowing that the bomber must be there, but where? And how will he make the move?
In the next panel, Joe deduces that the bomb is in a casket and that the moment will be at the end of "Taps."
Yelling for everyone to get down, he dives for the president, knocking him to the ground as the bomb explodes. Joe rises up, saying that the bomber will still be there, having wanted to see his success. Someone asks how they'll find him.
Joe yells for everyone to search, the bomber will have the transmitter on him.
The bugler yells "NO!" and takes off running, but doesn't get far before Joe tackles him and starts whaling on him.
A group of Secret Service types get Joe at gunpoint.
Cut to the Oval Office: the President tells Joe that his story check out but why didn't he tell anyone he was alive?
Joe says that he didn't because he needed the freedom to plan on his own.
The President agrees, saying that he could use a man on his own who answers only to him. Joe agrees, but only if he gets to keep the GI Joe code name. The president agrees, saying he doesn't care what Joe calls himself, and appoints Clancy to be his liaison.
Dr. Johanson offers a toast to GI Joe. Joe says "Not just to me Doctor, but to all the men who've been known by that name -- and all the men who ever will be!"
In an epilogue of sorts: we see the bomber sitting in his prison cell. Someone tells the guard they're there to relieve him, but kills the guard instead. The bomber demands to know who the newcomer is, wondering if they're there to kill him.
"Kill you? I'm here to save you! You have skills, but you need direction! I shall call you "Inferno." You shall serve me. Come, we have much to do."
"But...who are you?"
"When the nations of the earth bow at my feet, they will know -- as with you!" Though, judging by the silhouette and all, it's Iron Klaw.
Commentary: Overall, I think this would have been a better story if it had been a bit longer; as it is, the last section feels a bit forced. Then again, I am operating with having read only three-quarters of the entire storyline so I could be missing some stuff from the first part. Joe goes from having no idea where the bomber could be to *BAM!* he's going to blow things up at the last note of "Taps!" with no real indication that I could see of how he reached this conclusion.
It would have been nice to have gotten to know the trainees a bit more; we're really not introduced to any of them, nor do we have any idea why they've made it into the program when 4,988 other soldiers failed. Considering that that's a drop out rate of nearly 99.76%, these remaining 12 (or 0.24%) have got to be something DAMN special. And, by extension, GI Joe as the only survivor is uber-special.
But, this backup story isn't really meant to tell us more about Project: GI. Instead, it's a set-up for the GI Joe Extreme series that it's backing up. We get a chance to meet Mr. Clancy, GI Joe (who shows up in Extreme Volumn 2, #2) and we get Inferno's origin and a sneak-peek at Iron Klaw.