Okay I'm glad this is already on someone's favorite list! Hee hee. Thank you now how about reviewing???! Anyway hope you like this chapter just as much as you enjoyed the other one. Tell me what you think and remember I am going to turn this into a book but change things to make it original then post it under Misc. books. R&R please but most importantly enjoy. Oh and I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far. Three reviews in one day! Whoot!!!
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Faith, Trust, and Hope Chapter 1: Awkward Confrontations.
It had been three years. Three long years with no sign of Snake Eyes. Not even a threat or ransom from Cobra for his safe return. During the first year of his disappearance the team looked almost nonstop for him. They had even captured ad interrogated several Cobra agents about the whereabouts of Snake Eyes. But nothing turned up. During the second and third years they had consulted Snake Eyes' sword brother, Storm Shadow, On what might be going on. They went to all the places Snake Eyes might have been but found nothing. They had even traveled back to his clan and talked to one of his old masters.
Duke at this point suggested that they check his cabin in the mountains.
"Why didn't I think of that before?!" He shouted as he slapped his forehead.
So they made their way from Japan's northern mountain range to Snake Eyes' mountain cabin.
"Hang on. He usually leaves a spare key around here somewhere." Duke muttered as he felt along the walls and lifted the mat. "Oh, now I remember! Can you give me boost HD?" He pointed towards the roof.
Heavy Duty shrugged his shoulders lightly and placed his hands down around Duke's knees, creating a sturdy platform. As soon as Duke stepped on he was lif5ted onto the roof. He leaned over the top and the rest of the team hear him tapping on the roof.
"Okay tenth one up, third one over." He muttered to himself.
Storm Shadow vaulted to the roof just in time to see Duke peel back one of the shingles on the roof to reveal a shining house key. He then got down and unlocked the front door of the cabin.
"Snake Eyes keeps his spare key on the roof?" Scarlet asked, a little perplexed.
"Ninjas have spare keys?" Tunnel Rat put in.
Everyone turned to stare at him, with looks that read 'Are you really that stupid?' He shrank away from their burning gaze, letting out a small squeak as he did so.
They all filed into the cabin slowly, glancing around to view the wrecked house. It was obvious he was taken against his will and a large struggle took place.
There were throwing stars and knives embedded in the walls, the coffee table was snapped in half, and chairs lay on the floor in splinters. Blood was splattered along the walls and carpeting leaving bloodstained smears to tell the tale of the battle that took place here. Claw marks marred the curtains and walls of the house and bloody paw prints littered the floor. A pot of stew had been spattered against the wall and carpet when it was thrown at the beginning.
Timber whined sadly as he sniffed the gigantic paw prints.
"You smell something Timber?" Spirit asked as he kneeled down.
Timber whined again as he clawed the floor anxiously.
"He says that the prints smell of Snake Eyes. He also smells fear and desperation." He stood and stroked Timber comfortingly. "Something has happened in this house. Something only the Spirits can explain."
Timber trotted off into the back room as all eyes turned towards Spirit.
"What do you mean?" High Tech asked the Shaman.
"I sense a lot of spirit energy. I recognize the feeling but from where I cannot remember."
Suddenly a howl broke through the tension in the air. The group turned and ran into the back room following the howl. They stopped for a second to take in the sight of broken door laying in a crumpled mess on the floor. They continued past into the master bedroom. The air heavy with the scent of death they stepped over the door. They glanced about the room to take in the sights it held.
The bloodied paw prints lead back here. Blood was smeared and spattered along the walls and floor. A trail of the crimson fluid went from the middle of the room and out the door. Signs of a body, or bodies, being dragged away. The bed was in tatters, windows shattered leaving glass shards along the floor, and several darts were embedded in the wall opposite the door as if they fired the moment the door had been smashed down.
Timber yipped again and they turned towards the wall by the door the had entered. He looked back towards the wall as they came in closer to decipher the words carved into it.
When blood stains the Queen of Night,
And all mortals quake and quiver at her sight,
When those who seek to own the Spirit,
Tremble in justly fear of it,
When the Violet Alpha howls,
And once again prowls,
The Seven Tails shall awaken.
The Children no longer forsaken.
A Mother reborn.
Her child scorned.
All the Children harken to her sound,
But whose blood shall stain the ground?
The message was carved deeply into the wood on the wall. Upon closer inspection the carved lines were revealed to be jagged and uneven. As if the writer had been in a great hurry when he carved the words.
Their breath caught in their throats as each laid eyes on the words in front of them. As they read the words seemed to summon a demon of darkness with infinite power. Their eyes widened and hands began to quiver for reasons unknown to even themselves.
"Why would Snake Eyes give us a riddle?" Scarlet asked the first to break the cold silence that had overcome them.
"It's not a riddle." Spirit whispered. "It's a prophecy and what makes you think that Snake Eyes did this?"
"Who else and I recognize his handwriting."
"How can you tell it's a prophecy?" Heavy Duty asked.
"The way it is written. It is written like a prophecy."
The cold silence enveloped the group again as they took in everything around them.
"He can't still be alive." High Tech whispered as a tear fell to the floor.
"Don't say that!" Storm Shadow shouted as he grabbed High Tech by the collar.
"Snake Eyes is strong! How can you say that he's dead!?" Duke shouted.
"Yeah man Snakes has got more endurance than all of us put together!" Heavy Duty put in.
"Snakes can take anything anyone can dish out!" Scarlet added to the mix of shouts.
Everyone kept shouting and yelling at High Tech about how Snake Eyes couldn't possibly be dead. While Tunnel Rat hung back silently and watched as High Tech tried to say something over the torrent of words but without success.
"WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP!!!!" Tunnel Rat shouted suddenly. "Let the guy speak he's got reason to say or do whatever he does."
"You're on his side aren't you?!" Storm Shadow glared at him.
"I'm just saying let the guy talk."
All eyes turned back to High Tech waiting for the explanation. High Tech took a deep shuddering breath as his feet touched the wooden floor of the cabin.
"Just look at the facts. Can't you see what's right in front of your face? Snake Eyes goes missing for three years. Three years with nothing from him or about him. We come here and his place in ransacked. Coated with blood. I mean there are trails of blood where somebody dragged a body for goodness sake!!! The only logical reason only outcome is that he's dead. Someone killed him. Someone....murdered Snake Eyes."
"He's not dead!" Scarlet shouted as she restrained from hitting him.
The argument grew steadily louder and more intense as the seconds flew by. Duke lost control and soon fists were flying. The only thing that kept the fight from becoming an all out brawl was the fact that Duke's cell phone began to ring.
The room fell silent as Duke answered. Everyone stared tensely with the slight hope that the call held news of Snake Eyes.
"Hello?"
"Is this Conrad S. Hauser?" A woman's feminine voice asked on the other line.
"Yes it is. What is the reason you are calling?"
"Am I correct that you have a man in your squadron that goes by the name Snake Eyes?"
Duke's eyes grew happily wider and his face brightened considerably. He placed his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone and whispered to the rest of his team.
"It's about Snake Eyes!" He then turned back to his phone call. "Yes you are correct. He went missing have you heard from him?"
"Yes actually he's right here." suddenly the background exploded in shouts and crashes. "I don't care if it takes an army get him into that cell!!" The woman on the other line shouted.
"Is something wrong?"
"He was picked up last night. He got into a severe car wreck and emergency personnel were contacted. I'll tell you now this isn't pretty."
"Is he alright?"
"Oh yes as far as physical wounds go he's fine. But I think you need to get down here. We might need your help."
"Sure, sure ummm who are you anyway?"
"Dr. Gramm of Lancaster Sanitarium."
"Wait. What!? Why is he there?"
"When he was picked up it was obvious he had some head trauma but that didn't account for his behavior. It's quite obvious that he cannot determine fact from fantasy anymore and he is a very violent individual. This facility was deemed the safest place to put him and here he shall stay until we ascess what's wrong and begin treatment but we can't do that when he's like this." Another crash rang out in the background.
"Yeah we can be there." Duke growled into the phone. "As soon as possible. We'll get this thing straightened out in no time at all. Thank you for your call."
Duke hung up the phone with a rather serious expression on his face. He turned to the rest of the group, their eyes gleaming with excitement and curiosity.
"He's alive."
A cheer went up around the room as this news was given out. Duke took a moment to look at the overjoyed faces of his teammates. It was something to celebrate but this joy was not to last.
"A Sanitarium? Snakes what happened to you?" Duke thought as he braced himself for the question that would surely squash this wonderful moment.
"Where is he?" It was Storm Shadow's smiling face that he had to answer.
"Lancaster Sanitarium." He let out quietly and with a hint of regret.
"Wait you're telling me that Snake Eyes is in the loony bin? Why? He may be a lot of things bet he's not crazy."
"I know but what we need to do is get down there and see what we can do for him. You should have heard the war going on in the background of her phone call. He does not want to be there and if Snakes is somewhere he doesn't want to be he lets you know it. Usually with a mark or two."
"What happened?" Scarlet asked as she stepped forward.
"From what she told me, they picked him up last night after he got into a rather serious car crash. He had some head trauma but she says he was acting very strangely and violently towards the doctors and anyone who tried to get near him."
"Well let's go then!" With that Storm Shadow turned and headed back towards the helicopter that was waiting in a clearing outside.
One by one they all filed out of the bloodstained cabin. Duke remained and took one last confused glance at the prophecy carved into the wall. It would play a key role in this tale as the mystery unraveled on itself he knew that much. Heck this whole scene in the cabin would play a key role. He was standing in their biggest clue.
His eyes suddenly grew wide as he caught sight of something underneath the bed. He moved towards it and picked up a single human finger. He pulled out a small plastic bag and put it in. Maybe they could do a DNA analysis later right now Snake Eyes was their top priority.
He moved from the bedroom and through the living room but as he crossed the carpeted floor he stopped when and odd sound reached his ears. Just as he placed that last step a strange sound rang out from the floorboards. The sound of two wooden planks hitting each other. He thought about looking into it but decided not to. He had a soldier in trouble. Snake Eyes wasn't just a soldier either, he was a friend and his friend needed him right now. So he would be there.
With a determined expression on his face he walked from the cabin, locked the door, placed the key in his pocket, and boarded the chopper. As they flew off everyone couldn't help but wonder just what it was they were getting themselves into.
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Lancaster Sanitarium:
"We were wondering when you were going to show up. Though I never expected you to be this quick to be honest." Dr. Gramm stated as she led the group through the high security hallways, high heels clacking and auburn hair setting gently atop her head.
She wore a simple grey shirt and blouse with black high heels. A clipboard was hugged to her chest. Every now and then she would pull out a pen and make a few quick marks on it.
"He's calmed down considerably since I called you but we don't dare open that door. He's a very intimidating man."
"Yes he is." The Joes said in unison.
She lead through several different hallways before stopping and snapping her fingers in the air.
"Oh, I just remembered this." She pulled a small slip of paper off of the clipboard. "He had this in his hand when he was found do you have any idea what it might mean?"
Duke took the note, read it, then passed it on to the rest of his teammates.
It read:
Floor number 5, hallway 17, Door number 7.
You'll know him when you see him.
"I have no idea what it could mean." Duke responded as he handed the note back to her.
"I thought that you might have had a clue as to what it was. Anyway just follow me."
She continued to lead them down the different hallways until she reached a sliding glass door that read Observation Cells. She took out her keys and opened the door. She lead them down the rows of glass cells. Until she reached the one that contained Snake Eyes. She signaled to the glass cell and backed away.
The group turned to see a man sitting in the cell by the glass and leaning against the wall. His blonde hair reached down to his shoulders, which to be honest didn't look right on him. His expression was hardened into a look of annoyance and anger. His lips were pressed into a firm line as his blue eyes stared straight forward. His eyes were almost scary they looked more dead than anything else, it was ghostly and unnatural. He was wearing a black tank top with camouflage cargo pants and black, steel toed, combat boots. Fitting for him to be prepared like that.
He didn't seem to notice them. In fact he didn't seem to notice anything other than the wall in front of him.
As soon as Storm Shadow set his eyes on Snake Eyes a panic set itself deep within his gut. He tapped Duke who turned towards him as did everyone else.
"His eyes aren't right!" He whispered.
"I know they look....I don't know....empty?" Scarlet whispered back.
"No...well yes but that's not what I meant. I mean his eyes aren't blue. Well they weren't."
"What color were they?" Duke asked.
"I don't remember it's been a long time since I've seen them."
"Were they brown? Green? Come one try to remember."
"No. I remember they were an odd color. I used to tease him about it. They were unique. Very bright too. But his eyes weren't blue! I don't get why they are now! Something's really wrong here!"
"I'm sure it's okay Storm Shadow now are we going to talk to him or what?" Heavy Duty asked.
Scarlet kneeled down next to him and rapped on the glass softly. He blinked and turned his head to look at them. As he did this everyone let out an involuntary gasp.
He had no scars. His face and neck was perfectly healed.
"Snakes." She whispered as she traced where the scars should have been through the glass.
When he saw them his face brightened but his eyes remain empty and devoid of emotion. It was almost as if half of his soul wasn't there anymore. He stood to meet them and pressed his hands onto the glass. For the longest time the group just stared at each other. It had been three years since they had seen Snake Eyes and here he was. A little worse for wear but he was okay.
"If you guys don't mind could you help me out I need to give him some meds. Keep him calm. He's already hospitalized seven of the nurses here." Dr. Gramm put in as she stepped forward.
At her statement Snake Eyes couldn't help but smile evilly. Then he gave Duke a look that said 'well they deserved it!' But as soon as he saw her his entire attitude changed.
His features hardened into the most ferocious glare anyone had ever seen and it was focused solely on Dr. Gramm.
"That look alone is proof enough."
"He's fine. Snakes has always been like this. It's how he's been trained you don't hold him against his will or heads will roll." Duke turned on her angrily. "Is this what you do with every violent hospital patient? Oh he hit the nurse lock him in the loony bin!"
"If you will permit me I will explain his condition. He was diagnosed at the hospital with a severe case of schizophrenia. People with this illness tend to not be able to tell the difference between fact and fantasy because of the realistic hallucinations their mind creates. Sometimes as a result they are very violent toward those that their mind has told them are the "bad guys". It's only law. I have to keep him in here. There's nothing you can do until the state decides that he's cured."
A bang interrupted the argument that was about to ensue. Everyone turned to see a fuming Snake Eyes. Fists curled at his sides his gaze remained on Dr. Gramm.
"Well that's certainly not helping." She said as if talking to a child.
He hit the glass again, this time with both fists.
"I'm gonna get you out of here Snakes don't worry." Storm Shadow said through the glass.
About five nurses came through the sliding door each one carrying a needle in their grip. Snake Eyes stiffened as he caught sight of them. His gaze froze on the needles in their hands, his breathing halted, and fear gripped him. Needles were bad. Needles meant pain.
"I'm just going to go in try to get him to take these." Dr. Gramm stated as she held up a clear cup with five pills rattling inside of it.
As soon as the door was opened Snake Eyes bolted. He was immediately clothes-lined by one of the nurses as another moved to grab him. Both went flying into a nearby wall. It eventually got to where Storm Shadow knew he had to intervene.
He looped his arms around Snake's shoulders and dragged him kicking back into his cell where he pinned him firmly on the bed.
"I'm on your side Snakes but we have to play by their rules." He said as he stared his sword brother in the face.
Snake Eyes started to calm but one of the nurses ran into the cell with a needle. Storm Shadow watched as his eyes grew wide in fear but only when he caught sight of the needle. He began thrashing and fighting with a renewed vigor. But as much as Storm Shadow wanted to he couldn't help him. He held Snake's arm while they injected him.
"I'm on you're side brother. I'm on your side." He whispered as Snake Eyes slowly stopped struggling and lay still.
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A little while later:
Once the whole ordeal with Snake Eyes was over Duke demanded to speak with him once he was conscious. It was a right that was not denied him seeing as they were the only family Snake Eyes had left. A room was set aside and soon enough Snake Eyes arrived still a little fuzzy from the tranquilizers though.
Once there he gave Duke a look and began to pace back and forth in deep thought while analyzing the room he was in.
"This is a pretty sticky situation Snakes." Duke started. "The only way your going to get out is if you let them help you. The only way that's going to happen is if you trust them, or at least trust us."
As Duke's words registered in Snake Eyes' mind he approached Duke with an angry expression on his face. He leaned over the table, grabbing the attention of the guards outside, and stared him dead in the face.
"How can you trust someone who thinks you're crazy?" He hissed at Duke with an icy sting in his voice.
He then turned and left the room without another word.
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Whoo! Man check that out. Two chapters in one night. I'm sorry if it was too long for you I'm trying to get a feel for what the chapters are gonna be like in the actual book. R&R please thank you!