Chapter 2: A Window, A Virus, and The Freak

-Storm Shadow-

After our little detour, we saw neither hide nor hair of that freaky little freak for the whole trip back to my apartment. I mean, it may sound cool to call your hideout a warehouse when you're threatening some kid, but in reality, warehouses are big, bulky, obvious, and nowhere near as comfortable as my home. However, that doesn't mean I'm going to just wander in the main doors of the building. No way. Security would freak if they saw two ninja randomly ride an elevator up to their floor…

Instead, Snake and I slipped in the window and quickly removed our suits, weapons and other various things normal people do not wear on a regular basis. After painfully changing into street clothes, I plopped onto the couch and imagined the sorts of torture I could inflict on The Freak, (as I was now calling him) should I ever see him again… provided it not be within the next ten or so hours. A lot of the pain I was planning to cause involved me using my torso in some way, and my ribs were not yet up to the challenge. Leaning back, I glared at the ceiling and sighed. "This stinks."

Snake glanced at me and shrugged. "Sorry about your ribs," he said.

I shrugged. "At least we'll never see him again." For a few moments, we were both silent, just thinking.

Then the window started talking. "Are you Storm Shadow?" The window asked.

"Yes, that's me," I replied before realizing that windows don't talk. I sat up, wincing. "What the-" I glared at The Freak, who calmly slid into the room.

"Yo," He said, as though people are always sliding into my room through my window and brazenly tooting my secret identity for the entire world to hear.

"What-what?! Who, how, where, why…?!" I sputtered.

"When. Don't forget 'when'," The Freak said, as though finishing my sentence. "It's the five W's and an H, not the four W's and an H." He cocked an eyebrow in my direction. "So this is the infamous Thomas Arashikage? You're not exactly on top of things if I can follow you all the way here."

"How dare you?!" I snapped, and then realized something. "How do you know my name?"

The Freak shrugged. "I know a lot of things. There are a lot of things to know."

"That doesn't answer my question." I shot back.

"Ninja are supposed to be masters of the art of deception. I wasn't fooled once. You've lost your touch," The Freak said, ignoring my comment.

"Oh, shut up!" I snapped. "Who are you, what do you want, and how do you know the Arashikage?!"

"I know a lot of secret organizations- or, well, know about them." The Freak shrugged. "They tend to fight over me. I've been stuck in a couple of interesting situations-- the four SWAT teams don't count, they were easy to get rid of." He frowned. "Come to think of it, so were the FBI guys, and those fancy-suits from the US Military didn't do so well either. It's far easier to escape from a Navy SEAL than they would have you know," He commented, talking as though he'd actually done stuff like this.

"What are you talking about?!" I demanded.

"But I can't keep doing this. I need sleep, after all," he glanced at me. "Besides, you're also wanted by most world governments, right?"

-Snake Eyes-

I watched Thomas grow bright red as he glared at the high-school age kid before him. "I don't know what you're talking about!" He snarled.

The kid shook his head and grinned. I noticed that behind the very nerdy glasses and bad haircut, he really didn't look half bad. Sure, he was a little short, but then, so is Thomas, though not that short.

"So, you think I honestly would let you stick around here? You practically broke my ribs!!" Thomas snapped, and I tuned back into the conversation.

"I'm sorry," the kid said honestly. "I'm still having trouble gauging my strength. I didn't mean to kick you that hard."

"Of course you didn't," Thomas muttered.

The kid leaned forward, eyes flashing. "Look, I'm sick of worrying. I need someone who won't rat on me. I can't just be alone anymore- too much is at stake!!"

Thomas yawned. "I missed the part where this is my problem."

"I know you were a terrorist, but you aren't anymore. I'll tell you where the problem is: It's when some other terrorist organization gets a hold on the information I have! No one can know- no one!!" the kid was practically shouting, and it sounded like his voice was breaking.

Thomas blinked, face still. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Shrieking in a sudden burst of fury, the kid turned and slammed his fist into the wall. I felt the floor shudder slightly beneath my feet.

Thomas closed his eyes, reclining languidly. "How about we make a deal," he said slowly. I recognized the tone. Thomas was trying to negotiate with this…emotional bomb just waiting to explode. I felt like slugging the moron.

The kid turned around, shoulders heaving. "What?" He snarled.

"You get me the kind of strength you have, and I'll help you out." Thomas opened one eye. "Whadda' you say?"

The kid looked ready to burst, and I got ready to jump for the trench knives I'd hidden under the couch. After a moment though, his shoulders slumped and he stared at the floor. "Believe me," He muttered, "You don't want the strength I have."

"I believe I do," Thomas replied, eyes once more closed, still leaning back, looking totally at ease. Probably because he was used to dealing with crazy people. He'd had enough experience, what with working for Cobra and all.

"All right then… you don't want the side-effects," the kid replied, turning and glancing out the window.

I wondered what he was talking about.

Thomas opened one eye. "What, is it like steroids? You don't look like you're on 'roids."

The kid sighed. "I'm not," He frowned. "I would never put any synthetic hormone in my body unless absolutely necessary, and even then, never one that could cause the kind of damage that steroids do."

Thomas closed his eye again. "Okay then, why are you complaining about your stuff's side effects then?"

"Because it isn't a synthetic hormone," the kid replied. "It's a virus."

I frowned. I knew some things about viruses, and I knew that they usually made you sick, not strong- for one thing. There was probably more, like the fact that an out-of-control virus can kill you, and that this kid was obviously not sick…except for maybe a little sick in the head. I mean, he didn't exactly seem like a normal high-schooler. Way too conniving, like he hadn't spent enough time in front of the television. He seemed, I don't know, older. Almost… sinister. I don't know. But he wasn't normal, you could tell.

"How interesting," Thomas said. "A virus. A virus that gives you super-strength and doesn't kill you, but still has side effects." He sat up suddenly, both eyes open. "What kind of moron do you take me for?!" he snapped.

-Philip Masterson-

I just stared at Storm Shadow. If he didn't believe me, that wasn't my problem. "Have you ever heard of Invectus?" I said.

"Uh, no," he replied. "I think you mean 'infectious'."

Glaring at him, I continued. "I know what I said. Invectus is a virus. The name is an acronym that stands for Infecting Viral Entity Commencing Threatening Unparalleled Symbiosis."

"Wow. A kid who talks like a dictionary," Storm Shadow said. "Mind giving me a translation?"

"It's the only virus in the Symbiovirus classification. It's a virus that, when it attacks your body, does something very different from a normal virus. Instead of simply hijacking a cell, it…" I trailed off and sighed. Then, forcing myself to continue, I glanced up. "Instead of hijacking the cell and forcing it to create viral parts, it completely merges with your DNA." I looked at them and realized they didn't understand. "I'm not completely human anymore!" I snarled. "I'm a virus. A walking, breathing, feeling, living virus!"

-Storm Shadow-

I was having a hard time deciding whether to be angry or laugh. I finally decided on the latter and snorted. "Ha!" I crowed. "Now you want me to believe I'm talking to some sort of Freakenstein? I don't think so. Did Mindbender send you? You're one of his latest projects, aren't you?"

"I'm not a project." The Freak snarled.

"They all say that," I replied. "They all think they're special, somewhere deep inside. But the truth is, you're a mutant. You're a freak." I frowned. "Not that I don't pity you, but I make it a point to never sympathize with anyone outside my own species. Although, I seem to have issues with mercy even for those of the same species," I glanced at Snake Eyes. "Am I right?"

Snake eyes stared at me accusingly. "He's just a kid," he signed. "You don't have to go into the whole cold-hearted act."

"He tried to kill me," I snapped at Snake. Some friend, I thought. All he ever does is accuse me of being insensitive anyway. I don't know why I ask him anything!

"I didn't try to kill you!" The Freak cried. "It was an accident!"

"Yeah, yeah, Mr. Accident. A couple inches closer and that would have been…" I paused and glared at him. "Way more than just an 'accident'."

"I didn't try to!" He yelled. "I just wanted you to go away!"

"Then why did you follow me?!" I snapped.

"Because I could. Because you couldn't hurt me," he replied, "Because I wanted to."

I sat up, wincing at the pain in my ribs. "Just get lost! Go away! Now!" I snapped.

He turned his head, glancing at the floor. "I can't," He murmured. "I don't have anywhere to go."

"I missed the part where this is my problem," I snarled. Hadn't I already said this before? When was he going to listen to me?! I had lost all patience when he'd tried to murder me, and now all he was doing was grating on my last nerve. "Just get lost!" I snapped.

"Please?" He said, looking not at me, but at SnakeEyes. Like he knew he wouldn't be getting sympathy from me. Well, he had that much right.

"This is my apartment, and if Snake wants to rent one of his own, you can hang out there. But so long as you're here, it's going to be my word that makes the law and my word is that you're leaving…now!" I snarled.

The Freak's eyes narrowed. "Fine," He said shortly. "But I'll be back. And I'll remember this. Forever." Without another word, he swung through the window and disappeared into the twilight-- hopefully gone for good. But there was one thing I did know for certain. When he came back, I would be ready also. And next time, the outcome would be different… very, very different.