Scarlet's brothers and father bid her farewell at the train station. Her oldest brother says, "you remember to call home everyday. We will miss you so much." The second brother hugs her tightly and says, "you surely you don't want me to beat the crap out of Terry for you?" Scarlet giggles sweetly and shakes her head. Her father hugs her and tells her, "Don't forget, my princess, you deserve the best."
The ride is long, too long. Scarlet keeps remembering the time she spent with Terry. It's depressing. She starts reading her Martial Art magazine. Suddenly someone knock on the window. An Asian man. She then realizes it's her destination and gets off. The man smiles, "must be some book you are reading to make you forget to get off the train. I'm Tommy. You can call me Storm Shadow."
"Scarlet. Reporting for duty. Sir." Scarlet salutes. Tommy salutes back and they get onto a Jeep. On the way there, Tommy asks, "so, what is a pretty girl like you doing applying for Air Force?" Scarlet shrugs, "I need fresh air. No air is as fresh as the air up there." Storm Shadow says, "let me guess, your boyfriend dumped you."
"If I say yes, my boyfriend friend dumped me and that's why I join the air Force, will you say I came for the wrong reason and sent me home?" Scarlet asks. Strom Shadow shakes his head and answers back, "I will be asking you if you like to go dinner and a movie with me tonight." He stops the car, leads Scarlet into a building then the elevator.
Scarlet sighs, "It's just, I love him so much. Everywhere I turn I see him. I think about him when I eat, sleep, walk and even breathe. I am so depressed, and sad, and…" The elevator door opens and shows a gigantic warehouse and people are practicing all sort of hand-to-hand combats. Those people are much better fighter than Scarlet meet at Martial Art competition. Scarlet's eyes open wildly, Storm Shadow swears he sees stars in Scarlet's eyes.
"Welcome. Scarlet. I will show you to your quarter and you can start tomorrow." Storm Shadow says. Scarlet suddenly shouts, "NO!" Storm Shadow jumps and asks, "WHAT?" Scarlet says, "I want to start, I want to start now! I want to do that, and that, I want to try that, too! That looks so cool…" The red hair beauty is as deliriously happy as a kid in the amusement park.
Storm Shadow smiles and says, "You can't do everything all at once. You can pick one to start with. What will you like to do first?" Scarlet walks by all of the training, almost bouncing. "Oh, look! It's the form of Ying Yang, and Cuban Wrestling, and India pressure point attacking…" Scarlet knows every form of martial art. Strom Shadow says, "hey, Scarlet. You were talking about your boyfriend?"
Scarlet looks at him puzzled, "What?" Storm shadow reminds the redhead, "You know…depressed? Sad? Eating? Sleeping? Breathing?" Scarlet suddenly stops. Storm Shadow bombs into her and asks, "Now what?"
Scarlet watches as a man in black kicks and punches the wooden men with amazing speed, force and accuracy. "Kick-Boxing, he is doing Kick-Boxing. He is WAY PASS amazing!" Scarlet murmurs.
Storm Shadow says, "That's Snake Eyes." Now, if it's for any other human being, he or she will never get close to a man as strange and creepy as Snake Eyes. But Scarlet is different, she wants to learn form only the best and she can tell Snake Eyes is the best of the best. She looks at Storm Shadow and says, "I want to learn form him, please!"
Snake Eyes looks at Scarlet, and puts an empty bottle on top of a wooden man. Storm Shadow says, "If you can kick the bottle, break it without it falling, then he will teach you." Scarlet eyes shines with determination. She jumps up, kicks it but missed. She kicks it again and the bottle falls. Storm Shadow catches it and says, "good job." Scarlet says, "I am so bad. You must be laughing at me inside."
Snake Eyes shakes his head. Storm Shadow says, "You are really amazing already. It takes other people a couple of hours to even touch the bottle. You managed to knock it down already. Keep trying. If anyone is laughing you can use my blade…" Storm Shadow taps the blade at his back. Scarlet's eyes lock on the bottle again. She jumps up and kicks it. Still, the bottle falls. Yet, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes can feel something different about the girl already.
"Sorry." Scarlet says. Storm Shadow puts the bottle back, "try again." His word sounds almost like a command. Scarlet kicks again, and still fruitless. Storm Shadow keeps going, "Again! Again! Again!" Suddenly, the bottle breaks. It shatters but the bottom is still on top of the wooden man. Snake Eyes nods and puts another bottle on the wooden man. Scarlet shatters the bottle without knocking it off.
Scarlet manages to do something the top operatives need to practice for months to do. Storm Shadow smiles, "you really got it, not bad." Scarlet asks enthusiastically, "Does that mean you are going to teach me now?" Snake Eyes nods. Storm Shadow sees stars in Scarlet's eyes again.
It's 11:00 at night. Snake Eyes is still teaching Scarlet different moves of Kick-Boxing. Storm Shadow comes in and says, "you need to have dinner." Scarlet says, "but I am not hungry yet." Strom Shadow says, "you will be once you stop. You are so into learning his moves you don't even know you are hungry."
They go to the café and Scarlet asks, "How come Air Force had to learn hand-to-hand combat?" Strom Shadow eats and replies, "oh, this is not Air Force. We are Special Ops. The other troops call us in when the situation got too series. Our head, Duke, he came across your application and asked for your transfer." Scarlet says, "I have to thank Duke. This place is the best!"
"You will meet him soon." Storm Shadow says.
Continue at Ch.3