Hello all! Sorry for the long wait, college has restarted and I loose myself in my work all the time. Nursing is not easy!
Enjoy this chapter, and I will try to update as I can. Please stick with it and let me know what you think!
The first time Cat stood with her prototype legs, she had her two nurses on either side of her and only Breaker in the room, watching her. She didn't want anyone from the JOES there, not even Snake Eyes, to see her do this and possibly fail, which was why the meeting was scheduled after hours. Cat wanted to succeed herself. She had all the tools, now she just needed her willpower.
Despite the sweat, she was soon standing by herself, the legs feeling ghostly familiar. The nurses helped her take a step, and then another, and Cat had never felt anything as exhilarating. This was rediscovering her freedom for a third time, and this time would be the charm.
A month later, after extensive therapy, Cat was released to the custody of the JOES, Roadblock in particular. He moved her into the base as a guest, as per the president, he had stated. Cat hadn't cared, but the underground facility did make her nerves act up. She still wasn't fully recovered yet, so that meant no traipsing outdoors, so she had been instructed.
Roadblock had thought the base would be good for Cat; it wouldn't leave her outside as she still recovered. He soon found that, while she made no complaints, he hardly ever saw her after the first month of her being there. She was never in her room when he went to check, was never seen at meals, and he couldn't find her about the base. It worried him.
He never found her because Cat didn't want to be found. Immediately she had found the plans of the base with CIRIS, downloading them onto her secure server and mostly using the vents, beams, and maintenance grates. It put strain on her still healing muscles, but she welcomed it. She had caused this, and she wasn't going to get better without work. And, to be honest, she was still ashamed of how she had acted during the battle; while Snake Eyes had assured her she had nothing to worry about with the JOES and their judgment, she still preferred to stay out of sight. This wasn't her home, this was theirs, and she still didn't feel any attachment.
Cat was already conditioning herself; the time she wasn't sneaking around, she was on the indoor track, running lightly even though the doctors had advised strongly against it. She knew better, however, and the only way to get used to her new legs was to push them. So she did, rebuilding all the lean muscle she had lost over the three months in the hospital.
Cat had been attempting some free running one night when she was sure that everyone had gone to sleep when she discovered the first flaw of her new legs. The foot part didn't have enough traction to get her up the wall. Her hands were already bleeding from scraping at the brick all for traction, and she was tired. Climbing this wall was not happening and she felt herself get frustrated. She could do this before, so why not now?!
Of course she knew the answer; she wasn't the same human, and she only had herself to thank for that. Before the tears could start, she pushed herself up and sprinted at the wall again, scratching at the ledge that was just out of reach before crashing, hard, to the ground.
"Great, just goddamn GREAT!" Cat yelled, pounding her fist against the floor. Tears pricked her vision but she got right back up, determined to make this run. Through blurry vision, she launched herself at the wall, her fingertips brushing the edge before she felt herself begin to loose momentum.
A gloved hand caught hers and held on, heaving her to the top of the ledge, and she looked into the mask of Snake Eyes, immediately feeling embarrassment. She hadn't even sought him out when she first got to base; all she was focused on was becoming better. He looked hard at her hands before looking at her, disappointment evident in his body language. Cat adverted her eyes, ripping her hands out of his in the process.
Snake Eyes knew why. Cat hadn't even approached him once since she had arrived on base, but he had seen her, heard her; sneaking through the vents, running at awful times of the night. She was trying to repair what was broken, he knew; but she was doing it for all he wrong reasons. She would only end up dead the next time she attempted to take on Cobra Commander again. She had promised, when she had gotten used to her legs, that she would take it easy.
They sat in silence, Cat wondering if she could escape and Snake Eyes waiting to see if she would talk. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she sighed, pulling her titanium legs close and impulsively scratching at it, like she had an actual itch. "I need to get back up to speed, Snake Eyes."
He handed her a notepad with the words 'In time' written on it. She huffed, looking at her bloody palms, and felt her cheeks redden. Obviously, this was evidence that she couldn't get to where she was without some sort of assistance. But she didn't want any; anyone who had ever helped her before had disappeared. But this was Snake Eyes, and Cat had seen what he could do; no doubt he could take care of himself. With the way she was going, she knew she was running downhill, but like always, she couldn't depend on anyone, lest COBRA found them.
She listened to her heartbeat before closing her eyes. Maybe, it was time to change.
A beat of silence occurred before she felt CIRIS beep curiously from her pocket, wondering about her increasing temperature. Cat tucked a loose strand behind her ear and cleared her throat before looking directly at Snake Eyes with courage she didn't know she had. "I need your help. I know... I know you already have done so much for me, and I hate asking, but... I need help. Your help."
He stared at Cat quietly, impressed she had enough confidence and trust in him to ask this major favor. He motioned for the notepad back and jotted down a quick 'Why me?' before handing it back.
Cat scratched at her palms, irritating them more, feeling her confidence waning. "Well, you've seen me in action and know my style, and I just don't think anyone else could keep up with me, even in this state. So," she bit her lip and wrung her hands together, but remade eye contact. "Will you help me?"