Author's note: I don't own the G.I. Joe franchise. This is merely a fanfiction. I own only those characters that were created for purposes of this story. Have a nice day!
Under the Cover of Night
Low Light was sitting alone at a table in the mess hall. It had been about 96 hours since he had last slept. His hands shook ever so slightly from the copious amounts of caffeine running through his system to keep him awake. He was silently grateful for the large red goggles he wore as a part of his uniform, as he didn't want anyone else to see how tired he really was. He desperately needed to go to sleep, but he was afraid to for fear of what dreams he would have once he was asleep.
Silently, Lifeline observed the nighttime sniper from across the room. Ever since Dr. Mindbender's dream machine incident, he had watched Low Light very closely. He could tell that Low Light was reaching his sleep deprivation threshold. He quietly stood up, got himself two cups of fresh coffee, and walked over to where Low Light was sitting. Low Light did not move at first when Lifeline sat down across from him and slid one of the cups of coffee over to him. Low Light slowly looked up at the medic. Lifeline gave him a weak smile.
"You looked like you needed a fresh cup," he said.
"Thank you," Low Light said plainly as he reached for the cup.
"Ever since Dr. Mindbender used his dream machine on us," began Lifeline. Low Light just looked at him with a frown. Lifeline shifted a nervously in his seat before continuing. "I have done some research into dreams and the like. There have been drugs developed to block out dreams."
"I don't like drugs," said Low Light. "Drugs never solve problems."
"But you could finally get some sleep at night without worrying about having nightmares," said Lifeline.
"I said no," said Low Light. With that he stood up and walked out of the mess hall. Lifeline just shook his head sadly.
Low Light walked off back to his quarters and lay down on his bed. His eyes were barely closed before he was asleep.
"Dad, don't leave me alone in the dark! Dad! Please come back!"
"Cooper, you are such a disappointment to me. If it's the last thing I do, I'm going to make you a man!"
Rats closed in on young Cooper McBride from all sides as he screamed for his father to save him. One of them jumped at Cooper's face, but before it could touch him Low Light sat bolt upright in his bed in a cold sweat. "Damn it!" he cursed. In a fit of anger, he picked his alarm clock up off the nightstand and threw it against the far wall. Then his head slumped into his hands. "Damn it."
To be continued…