Author's Notes:
Just a quick reminder that this is set in my AU, where Storm Shadow was guarded while in Alcatraz, and knocked his guard out before picking the lock to escape.
Chapter 2: Truly Agree to Disagree
Scarlett paused a moment outside the door to Snake Eye's quarters, her fist raised, ready to knock.
The ninja had arrived back to the Pit from Alcatraz an hour earlier, and had stiffened right up upon seeing her - and not in what she would have considered a good way. He had then vanished.
Scarlett knew her man: some people needed a bit of time alone when they were going through difficult times, some time to sort things out in their heads. Snake Eyes, on the other hand, only thought he did: each time he decided he wanted some time alone, it turned into an attempt at forgetting his worries rather than facing them. This was a man who had lived as a hermit for years when his best friend had lost his head and turned into a murderer, and who still occasionally liked to spend time in a sensory deprivation tank to keep reality at bay. Snake Eyes was an exceptionally good and brave man, but he was no good at all at coming out of a funk on his own; he could snap out of it in half a second flat if someone hinted that they needed him, but if nobody did? He'd just deal with pain by shoving it aside and pretending it wasn't there, no matter how hard he had to work to achieve that.
She was pretty sure that's what he was doing now. Storm Shadow had survived in Switzerland and escaped Alcatraz despite his best effort, and was therefore still a threat. Snake Eyes felt responsible for the man's continued existence, so this had to be extremely frustrating. She honestly felt that it was better for her lover to have some company, whether he realized it himself or not.
She just wasn't sure she was the right company right now; Snake Eyes felt Storm Shadow might eventually target her to get at him, and that worry made his guilt over not doing away with the Cobra assassin when he had the chance even worse. It had spurred him into stepping up her training to a level most people would qualify of insane and which entirely consumed every minute they could spend together. Given that, it was possible that seeing her right now was the last thing he needed.
She frowned at herself and knocked. When in doubt…
The door opened. She stepped in and turned to face Snake Eyes, who was hiding behind the door and closed it after her.
"You're done sulking, Snake Eyes," she announced, crossing her arms. "Fact is it's not your fault he escaped, in Switzerland OR Alcatraz, so I won't have you feel guilty over it."
Snake Eyes shook his head and signed he hadn't been sulking but thinking. After a second, he started to sign again but stopped immediately. He looked at her, hands in the air, obviously uncertain of whether or not he should tell her what he was thinking.
She cocked her head and went to sit on the bed. He followed, turned his desk chair to face the bed and therefore herself, and sat on it.
"Spill," she said the second he was settled, her arms once again crossed and her face set.
He sighed and signed that the guard assigned to Storm Shadow's cell had been lured to that cell's window, then made to turn around to look down the hall, and knocked out by a balled up spring to the sleeping point below his ear. He then stopped.
She cocked her head again. She knew those details, she had read them already in the report on Cobra's ninja's escape.
Snake Eyes started signing again, his movements just a bit shorter and quicker due to his agitation, and explained that once the guard was in front of the door looking into the window, it would have been quicker to kill him using the same balled up spring but hitting the front of his throat with it, or even between his eyes.
Scarlett's eyes widened. "You're saying Storm Shadow could have just easily killed him but chose not to. You don't really think that means anything, do you?"
Snake Eyes shook his head and signed that killing the guard would not have been just as easy, it would have been easier and quicker. Storm Shadow had wasted time to spare the guard's life.
The red head's eyes widened further. That certainly was unexpected from a Cobra agent, but just the same... "Murderers spare people all the time, Snake Eyes. It doesn't help the people they DIDN'T spare."
Snake Eyes nodded, acknowledging the point. Then he signed that ninjas were trained for speed and efficiency.
Scarlett could see where this was going, and had no interest in beating around the bush. "You think this shows your old friend is actually still a decent person? Even though you know he works for Cobra, and killed his own uncle because he was jealous of you?" She couldn't quite keep the anger out of her voice.
Snake Eyes shook his head and signed he didn't know Tommy had killed his uncle. He had assumed it when he'd seen him in Cobra, but didn't actually know.
Scarlett chewed on her lip for a moment, using every bit of mental discipline she had to think constructively rather than get angry at the mere thought of giving the benefit of the doubt to the Cobra Commander's bodyguard. Snake Eyes started signing again while she thought, this time saying Tommy hadn't been attacking back in Switzerland, only defending himself while Snake Eyes was trying to kill him.
Her eyes narrowed. "He's Tommy again, now, is he?" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Getting angry was not helping. This was too important to Snake Eyes for her to just dismiss his concerns. She opened her eyes again. "Just so we're clear... you think he's not bad. So, I assume you figure he's being forced to work for Cobra somehow. Correct?"
Snake Eyes nodded.
"Any idea how?"
The ninja shook his head and signed that if Tommy hadn't changed after all, he couldn't think of what would make him work for the likes of Cobra.
Scarlett sighed and mulled it over for a moment, looking at the floor rather than at her lover. Snake Eyes waited patiently.
"Okay, here's what I think," she finally said. "Maybe you're right, but maybe you're wrong. The way I see it, it's possible he just spared that guard to play mind games with us, or he had a reason we don't know about. Or the guard looked to the side because he heard something down the hall. It's also possible that Storm Shadow did spare him because he's not a complete monster, but that he's still not the person you used to know and he's still generally evil, and that he's working for Cobra of his own free will. But, it's also possible that it's just like you think: he's still good, and he's being forced to work for Cobra against his will, and he didn't try to kill you back in Switzerland, and he went out of his way, took a risk, not to kill his guard."
She paused for breath. Snake Eyes cocked his head, waiting for Scarlett's conclusion.
"If I had to guess, I'd say you're dead wrong and he's pure Cobra," she started back. "But I'm not going to pretend it's much more than a gut feeling. So…"
She looked up and locked eyes with him. "Your call," she declared. "What do we do to find out for sure?"
Snake Eyes' eyes widened and he had to fight down the urge to tackle her and kiss her.
He had expected a long argument ending with her agreeing not to stop him investigating strictly for the sake of his peace of mind. He had known there would be no convincing Scarlett that Tommy was anything more than a Cobra agent. What he hadn't guessed, what he would never have dared hope, was that despite disagreeing with his conclusions, despite being quite convinced he was utterly delusional, she'd go right ahead and help him figure out what was going on, as if there was any real doubt in her mind, because HIS doubts were enough.
It took him about a quarter of a second to decide not to fight the urge to tackle her after all.
It was a while before either of them even thought of Storm Shadow again.
