Somewhere, deep in the bowels of the G.I. JOE base, located in Washington, D.C., a lone woman walked down the quiet corridors. The base looked like a war zone. Scarlett could see bullet holes in the walls and on the floor. Empty ammo shells were everywhere. Lights had been shot out and boxes of equipment had been overturned. Scarlett looked down and gasped at the sight of blood on the floor.

Further down the hall, Scarlett saw an open door, and she could hear sounds coming from the other end. It sounded like a wounded man crying out in agony.

"What happened here?" Scarlett asked out loud. She looked around her and realized that Clara was not with her.

"Clara?" Scarlett called out.

"Hold it right there!" someone shouted.

Scarlett froze. The voice sounded awfully familiar. With a jolt, Scarlett realized that she was hearing the voice of Snake Eyes.

Two men emerged from the shadows of the dark corridor and approached Scarlett. Both of them had their rifles trained on her head.

Scarlett blinked in confusion. What was going on here? What was her guardian angel pulling on her now?

"Yeah, that's right, lady, I'm talking to you," Snake Eyes said, coming into the light. Snake Eyes could talk just like a normal person, and his face bore none of the scars from that long-ago chopper accident in the desert. This was not the Snake Eyes that Scarlett was used to seeing.

Standing next to Snake Eyes was Low-Light, holding his sniper rifle.

Scarlett looked to her left and right. As far as she could tell, there was no way Snake Eyes could be talking to anyone but her. How was this possible? The angel had taken Scarlett on a journey throughout her own life, and in this journey, Scarlett had been an unseen observer. What was the meaning of this? Now they could see and hear her?

But I'm not supposed to exist, Scarlett mused.

"Hey, you got a problem with your hearing? Don't move an inch, or we'll blow your pretty little head off," Low-Light said menacingly.

Okay, here goes, Scarlett thought to herself.

"Guys," Scarlett said, holding her hands out toward them, "It's me, Scarlett? What's the matter with you?"

"Scarlett?" Low-Light said, turning to Snake Eyes, "who the hell is Scarlett?"

"How can you say that?" Scarlett cried. "Come on, don't do this to me, guys. Low-Light, Snake Eyes!

Don't you remember me?"

"Listen, Miss Scarlett," Snake Eyes growled morosely, "I've never seen you before in my life."

"Hey, she knows our names," Low-Light said. "What's up with that?"

"I'll tell you what," Snake Eyes said, pulling out a radio. "She's a goddamn spy."

Scarlett was horrified. This was not what she had expected from Clara at all. Low-Light was even more sullen than she remembered, and Snake Eyes… this was not the Snake Eyes she knew at all. No, this Snake Eyes was so mean and cold. What had happened to make him this way?

"Commander Duke," Snake Eyes said, "We've caught ourselves an intruder."

"Put her in the detention block for interrogation," Duke responded.

Commander Duke? What was that all about?

"Roger, Duke," Snake Eyes said.

Snake Eyes turned to Scarlett and pointed his rifle at her again.

"All right, princess, you're coming with me. Low-Light, stay here on guard."

Low-Light nodded.

"Snake Eyes," Scarlett said, "where's Hawk? Where's Flint? They're okay, aren't they?"

Snake Eyes and Low-Light exchanged a glance. Who was this mysterious woman who seemed to know so much about them?

"Flint," Snake Eyes said in a low voice, as if the very name was anathema, "there's a name I haven't heard around here in a long time."

"Why, I haven't seen that damn fool in years," Low-Light said. "Can't say I blame him, after what he did to Lady Jaye…"

"What?" Scarlett said in shock.

"Son of a bitch," Snake Eyes said.

"And Hawk…" Low-Light's voice trailed off.

Snake Eyes shook his head sadly and grabbed Scarlett's arm to lead her away.

"Enough of this chit chat," Snake Eyes said, "let's go."

"Hey, take it easy," Scarlett said. She might have been speaking to a brick wall, the way Snake Eyes handled her.

"I want to know what happened to Hawk, and Flint and Lady Jaye…" Scarlett protested.

And I want to find out what happened to you, Snake Eyes. Scarlett left this last thought unsaid.

Snake Eyes ignored her.

Scarlett could see that several sections of the base had caved in. What remained was a maze of corridors, where only a few pathways led anywhere. Scarlett could tell that they were passing through the infirmary.

Several wounded Joes were in the room. In one corner, Lifeline was performing some procedure on Rock 'N Roll that Scarlett could not make out. Rock 'N Roll was screaming in pain.

"You're not going to die," Lifeline kept saying to Rock 'N Roll, over and over.

As Snake Eyes and Scarlett approached the end of the infirmary, Scarlett noticed two body bags lying on gurneys.

"Snake Eyes," Scarlett said, "who's in those bags?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Snake Eyes said sarcastically.

Scarlett was suddenly gripped by an intense desire to know the identity of the two dead men. She tore herself away from Snake Eyes and lunged for the nearest body bag, not more than ten feet away from her.

"Hey!" Snake Eyes yelled as Scarlett yanked down the zipper of the bag, revealing the face of General Hawk.

"Hawk," Scarlett felt her knees buckle, and she grabbed the edge of the gurney to support herself.

"No," Scarlett said, "no, this can't be happening."

Tears ran down Scarlett's face as she put a hand on Hawk's cold forehead. She felt Snake Eyes put a hand on her shoulder as he stood behind her.

"What happened?" Scarlett said.

"He was killed two days ago in that battle in New Jersey," Snake Eyes said grimly, "along with Stalker."

The man in the other body bag. Both men killed. How could this have happened? Scarlett was at a loss. Were they really killed because she had not been there at the battle? Was this what would have happened if she had not been born and had never been part of G.I. JOE?

"Stalker?" Scarlett choked out.

"Yeah, that's right," Snake Eyes said. "I saw it happen with my own eyes. I was there. Not long afterward, Cobra tracked us down to our headquarters and stuck it to us."

Snake Eyes took Scarlett's arm again, and he led her away. After a few minutes, they reached the detention block. Snake Eyes opened a cell door and shoved Scarlett inside.

"Make yourself comfortable," Snake Eyes said, "you're going to be here a while."

He shut the cell door. A loud clang echoed throughout the entire room. As far as Scarlett could tell, she was the only one in the brig. She looked around. Her cell had no windows and was completely bare. It had nothing but a steel bed, a toilet, and a wash basin. It was a regular prison cell.

"Snake Eyes, wait," Scarlett called after Snake Eyes, who was walking toward the detention block exit.

"I need to talk to you," Scarlett said.

"I'll be back to bring your dinner," Snake Eyes said indifferently as he slammed the door behind him.

"Snake Eyes!" Scarlett cried.

Scarlett was completely alone.