I am SOOOOOO SOOORRRRRYYYY! I know I have not updated in forever but I have had A LOT going on as of late. I have had exams, Band, C.I.T., Uncountable number of family birthdays, and most recently a family vacation to Florida where my Dad and his fiancé(Finally!) got married. I mean I'm 16 and me and my best friend, Snix, saw that coming. OK I'm done rating now.

On to chapter 2!

(Chapter 2: 'Check Up' And Wondering)

Shadow Cobra walked into her room and flopped down on her bed, belly down. She and Storm Shadow had just returned from Canada. Sighing she pulled off her mask and threw it onto the bed.

Shadow Cobras room consisted of simply a bed and a small dresser. She had a small bathroom attached to her room. It consisted simply of a sink, toilet, and shower. There was little color everything was either black, white, sliver, or Cobra red. Not that it matted to Shadow Cobra.

"Next time someone says I have to go on a mission in the dead of winter I'm saying no. Consequences or not." Shadow Cobra muttered to the small, nearly empty room. Shaking her head she stood up, and winced. She rotated her wings carefully. Pain shot threw her back. "I knew that landing would hurt later."

'KNOCK, KNOCK' Someone knocked on her door. Quickly grabbing her mask she slid it on and yelled out irritably, "What?"

The door to her room swished open, "I have come to retrieve you."

"Why Sensie,' shadow Cobra said recognizing her Sensie's voice, 'Do we have another mission?" She mentally cringed she sure hoped not. She had enough of missions for one day. Storm Shadow spun on his heal and she tool the silent signal, follow. The walked for a few minutes. Shadow Cobra following her Sensie's air disruption in order to follow. She could feel the eyes of the new recruits on her and even the not-so-new-recruits eyes.

She had always drawn attention. And the only reason is because of the experiments Mindbender put her threw to make her what she is today. The biggest one when he spliced her DNA with some form of bird, which gave her her wings and some chemical composition of his own creation giving her her fire-like and darkness-like powers.

Her earliest memory was waking up in a lab being strapped down to a table of some sort. She was forced to swear to follow The Commander Cobra to the death. And if she deserted or turned traitor she would be hunted down and forced to suffer the consequences. After she had sworn this the Commander or as he makes her call him the Commander Master, he told Mindbender commence. Then he left.

That been when Mindbender had started to experiment on her. She remembered screaming in pain till she blacked out. The next thing she remembered she woke up with wings and new abilities. And later, as she learned at her first 'check up', Mindbender was any thing but gentle and/or careful.

Shadow Cobra heard a door open. Grimacing behind her mask she perked up her wings, despite the pain it caused her, and flared her wings to test the air around her. She found other than her and her Sensie there were three other people in the room.

"Leave us Ssssstorm Ssssshadow."

Oh no thought Shadow Cobra. "Yes, Commander." Storm Shadow left. "You too Baronessssss." The Commander told The Baroness. "Yes, Commander." Shadow Cobra had a very bad feeling about this.

Shadow Cobra felt all attention on her. She snapped to attention feet together, arms at sides, and wings stiffened and perked.

"Ssssshadow Cobra do you know why you are here?" asked the Commander.

"No Master Commander." It took all of her training to keep the unease out of her voice.

"Mindbender isss here to give you your after misssssion check up,' Ti-Mal* thought Shadow Cobra, 'and he will give you ssssomthing...extra." Now Shadow Cobra knew she was most defiantly in trouble now. She heard the Commander leave and the door swish close behind him.

"Lets get started shale we?" She could practically here the evil grin on his face. She defiantly could here the excitement in his voice. Sitting down she told him, "Kutabare hazu yaro**."

Mindbender looked at her in a very annoyed way and sounding very annoyed said, "I have no idea what you just said."

"Good, ya weren't suppose ta." Shadow Cobra said in a very smart-ass like manner. Which earned her a jab with a needle in the side. Which caused Shadow Cobra to make a hissing like sound at Mindbender. She absolutely hated needles. And he knew it.

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After about twenty minutes of poking, prodding, Shadow Cobra getting cursed/yelled at for straining her wings, and Mindbender getting cursed/yelled at for this or that Mindbender announced, "Alright on your belly." Doing as told she flipped over onto her belly. Shadow Cobra felt metal clamps clamp down her arms and legs. She felt a full wing clamp encase her wings and holding them from her back. Shadow Cobra started to struggle, she was panicking. "What are you doing you yaro!" Shadow Cobra yelled at Mindbender panic obvious in her voice.

"Your addition." Mindbender grinned evilly. "A brand with your name and the cobra emblem branded right here." He taped the back of her exposed right shoulder.

"Brand?" Shadow Cobra asked fearfully. "What's a brand?" The fear was very evident in her voice now.

Mindbender grinned evilly, "You'll see." With that something whit-hot pressed against Shadow Cobras right shoulder. Shadow Cobra let out a high pitch scream at a decabol only adolescent female could reach. Causing Mindbender to flinch but grin anyway. Shadow Cobra soon passed out from the pain.

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The next thing Shadow Cobra knew she woke up on her belly laying on her bed, in her quarters. The back of her right shoulder was throbbing in major pain. She slowly and carefully brushed her up against the sore area. Shadow Cobra bit back a cry of pain. A brand was apparently putting something white-hot on someone and it leaves a sear in the skin. Judging by the way Mindbender and The Commander were talking it was most likely permanent Shadow Cobra concluded. Fighting back tears Shadow Cobra felt the brand.

It was the Cobra emblem with words curving around it. Shadow Cobra felt the word 'Shadow' curving above it and 'Cobra curving below the emblem.

Shadow Cobra carefully stood up and changed from her battle suit into a lose pair of black sweatpants and very painfully changed into a sleeveless black top. Not only did she normally have to work around her wings but the new brand on her shoulder protested every time she moved into one of her odd poisons to get her shirt around her wings. She manged though.

Taking off her mask Shadow Cobra flung it across the room where it hit the wall with aloud 'CLANG.' Tears were falling from her pure white eyes. The eyes of someone who is blind.

Shadow Cobra fell to her knees and punched the floor with her left fist. She silently wondered if this is all there is in life, getting worked hard each day, made fun of, and getting hurt each day at the hands of her masters.

With that final thought Shadow Cobra lifted herself off the floor and flopped down on her bed. She fell into a restless sleep before her head even hit the pillow.

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Translations

* Ti-Mal- Literally means- Mother Shit

** Kutabare hazu yaro- Fuck You You Bastard

*** yaro- Bastard

Note: Remember Shadow Cobra maybe young but she grew up with a tarrerist organization; she's bound to have a mouth on her growing up like that. At least she curses in another language than the one that is most commonly used around her.