Snake Eyes was silent - always silent. Whether he was battling on the field as a ninja, hanging out with his quasi-girlfriend - Scarlett - or remembering the horrors of the Vietnam War or the grief of his family's deaths. Silence was now his trademark.
The other Joes tried to make light of it; but every time he was asked what he thought of this or that, his throat burned. He felt a brief rush of panic as he nearly saw the flaming helicopters collide once again, as he nearly saw himself desperately trying to free the trapped Scarlett. Nearly.
There was only so much life could throw at you before you started to show the scars, he reflected bitterly.
But he was supposed to be the rock. The ninja. The one with the plan. The one who always knew the right thing to do.
And so, his silence - what had once been the final straw - became his greatest asset. No one heard a silent man scream in his sleep. When he learned he was going to have a bunkmate, he used his skills as a ninja to train his body to be silent as well. He did not thrash around in the grip of his nightmares. He did not betray himself when the fear came.
He could never laugh at it, but he refusedto quake before it.
And the funny thing was... without the silence, there might not be the fear. But because of the fear, the silence was a blessing.