Echoes in the Dark
Echo could feel his teeth rattling in his jaw as the helicopter flew out over the ocean, his CD player cranked up pretty high in order to help drown out the drilling sound of the prop above the tin can he was in. He never got an iPod because it would have spent too much of Father Francis money and he was content with just a CD player; he just made a lot of mixed CDs and had a case full of songs that suited his various moods or needs when he was on the move. Across the hull of the copter was Snake Eyes, still as a statue but that was probably due the lack of conversation to be had.
After all, there was much conversation to have when one doesn't speak and the other doesn't know sign language.
At his feet was a medium sized duffle bag, maybe four and a half feet long, and it held all of Echo's possessions. Jeans, t-shirts and muscles shirts, a couple of books and some notebooks that held half attempts of poetry and drawings were what just filled half of the bag, but that was all he had in the bag. It was all he had, period. The black turtle neck, the neat jeans, a relatively intact leather jacket that Francis had given him and his soft sole black shoes were all he owned as far decent dress attire went and he was wearing them now. He wasn't one to buy loads of crap for the sake of owning something, only keeping things that held some emotional attachment to him.
The bag was mostly collapsed at his feet and he had kicked it under his seat after acquiring his CD player, tossing a random disc on only to be rewarded with rap tunes that had been a favorite of Wesley's. Right now, the track Beautiful by Eminem was racketing in his ears and Echo was honestly indifferent to it. He didn't mind the artist and he didn't mind the music, he just preferred stuff known as grunge rock, nu metal or symphonic metal.
They had been flying for about a couple of hours and all he saw was a lot of sand when he looked out the window. The pilots barely said hello to him when he boarded and he doubted that they would say much more now on route to…wherever they were going. He wasn't even sure where this base was but he could tell that it was either on a carrier or in the middle of the dessert. The young man sighed and gnawed on the inside of his lips again, his mind still in limbo after this morning.
The previous evening had been spent with Francis, Snake Eyes and another soldier that was cryptically introduced as Sergeant Wayne. They went over the details of Echo enlisting with the unit and what this would mean for the young man, since Francis had remained his legal guardian all his life. While Francis was initially shocked at his young charge's decision to join the army, he ultimately agreed to support him through his efforts. He knew that Echo's teachers and the members of the military were right, that it was well past for the young man to leave his home and experience the world. And when he heard what GI Joe wanted to offer him, the priest was even more forthcoming.
The three men sat around the desk of the priest, Echo's chair pressed up against the wall as he was just there to listen. He had already made his choice, now it was the U.S. Army's turn to fill in some blanks for Father Francis.
"Father, we aren't just talking about furthering the young man's martial art's abilities and training him to be a soldier." Sergeant Wayne informed the devout Christian. "We intend to give him the equivalent of a college education while training with us, pay him the equivalent of a staff sergeant, and we would provide room, board, clothing and other equipment for daily life."
"Really? Is that standard practice in the army?" Francis asked, out of genuine interest but also to see what his charge was getting into.
"Honestly, no. Young Tobias is being enlisted in a very special and elite unit of the U.S. Army, one that is called in when all other options are exhausted. It will be hard and it will be hell for him initially, but Snake Eyes believes he can do it." The Sergeant looked at Echo and then at Father Francis. "And if the most talented special forces ranger of his division and the head instructor of unarmed combat thinks the kid can cut it, that means he can."
"Is there a reason that this man doesn't speak?" Francis asked dubiously, noticing now after a few silent nods and shrugs.
"This is Snake Eyes and his silence is due to a vow of silence he under took when his master was killed." The Sergeant explained, Francis leaning towards him a little in curiosity.
"Ah, so that is the connection that you share with Tobias." Francis mused before he stared pensively at the masked man. "Snake Eyes, I am to understand that you are the one I will be entrusting a young man that I have raised as my own son. Is that right?"
His response was a swift and curt nod, Echo watching the banter as Francis leaned back and removed his reading glasses, running a hand through his thinning hair. Time was wearing on the old pastor, his step lacking a spring in now that he was turning seventy something but his face was still somewhat youthful. He wore his glasses more now and he need to stop every once in a while to catch himself, Echo often there to offer his support.
And what Francis had said was true. Tobias had been raised like he was the son of the priest and Echo had been grateful for the all of the care, wisdom and generosity that the old man had bestowed to him over the twenty year of being in his care. Echo felt his face tighten as a slow tightness crept into his chest and that the knowledge of leaving him hurt him the most because it meant Francis would no longer be there.
"Snake Eyes, I am an old man, I know that. It's getting harder and harder to keep up with someone like Tobias and I know he has so much left to achieve." Francis said to him, speaking as though the mute man and he were the only people in the room. "I do believe that you could be someone to continue teaching him and helping him grow into a decent man, a brilliant man. But I wonder, in that course of teaching him, will you be able to keep him safe?"
The uniformed man was about to respond when Snake Eyes slowly stood up and took a small notepad from the table, a pen suddenly appearing in his hands. His gestures were long and smooth, the pen seemingly dancing of its own accord on the paper until he tapped it to leave a dot. He handed the paper, the priest replacing his glasses on his face and smiling as he read the note.
"I understand, young man." Francis said and stood up, offering his hand to Snake Eyes. "In that case, with that understanding between us, I offer all my support and blessings to you and to you, Tobias."
Echo looked at his father, his father, and smiled, standing as he turned to face him. The older man's eyes twinkled and the two embraced, both gripped the other tightly but their coats. Now, with the Father's blessings, he felt it may be a little easier.
It didn't make the departure from his home any easier
It had to be the hardest meal that Echo ever sat through, his stomach unable to really digest anything as he sat with his orphanage family one last time until he had to walk away. He just spent the night wandering around the orphanage, remembering all the odd little memories that he had throughout the old building. It was surprising that he would remember so many vague and various details that he thought he would never linger over, eventually ending up outside as he continued his walk through his memories.
His first lesson in reading in the reading room, Father Francis and he pretending to sail around the world with their imagination and pictures in books, Simon giving him first black eye in the hallways to the bathroom, the first time he saw Jessica and when she first smiled at him in the classroom, the dusty patch that had served as setting for his defiance against Simon in the mud and rain, the tree he had help a younger orphan climb so he could see across their small city…
He couldn't argue that he did held a deep spot of love for some of the younger students and when they had woken up early enough to see him off, it had brought a tear to his eyes. He gave them all a warm hug and even accepted a small photo album they had hurriedly put together last night, as a way for him to always remember them. As the head nun ushered them inside for class, Father Francis remained behind and asked him if he wouldn't mind that the young man give the older priest his crucifix. Reluctantly, Echo handed over his silver cross that he had been given on his confirmation and was shocked to see the father removing his pendant from his neck.
It was the St. Michael's cross he always wore, a cross design inspired by the mightiest of angels, and he held it out to Echo. It was a black crucifix with a gold center, a pair of wings folded at the back of the cross and was on a black cord that was clasped by a silver chain. The priest said that he now had a way to never forget his father and his father had a way to always keep him close to his heart. Despite Echo not being overly religious, it still brought tears to the young man's face as he hugged his adopted father tightly.
The reserved young man felt his body tilting as the helicopter shifted its course slightly and he was bumped out of his reverie. The track filled with the rapper's disillusioned lyrics were replaced with a slightly more somber tone with a rock bands song, Let It Die by Three Days Grace, and it came just as he dared to remembered the only other person that had bid him a personal farewell…
There he had been standing in the middle of the playground, after he had just finished taking one last walk around the old grassy pitch and had stopped by an old tree. It was a beast of an old thing, Francis telling him that it had been erected well before his time as a priest in the facilities and Echo was sure that it would still be here well after he passed away. He sighed as he traced his fingers over the old bark and remembered the first time he had managed to climb to the highest branch in the tree.
"I'm not surprised to find you out here, Tobias." A voice called out to him, his heart skipping a beat at the sudden presence of someone else and who it was. He turned to find Jessica standing behind him with a small smile, her denim jacket buttoned up against the cool night as her blue dress floated in the wind. "You always liked being outside, except in the dojo."
"Their both places I feel at peace." Echo explained softly, shifting his weight as he felt his curiosity grow in him. "Shouldn't you be inside? I mean, you got that placement test tomorrow."
"What? I can't come out and say goodbye to a friend I grew up with?" She asked sadly, the young man nodding wordlessly.
They had grown up a great respectively, her change more noticeable than his. While she had been a childhood crush, she had slowly become a more gentle beauty over time and he slowly felt that desire for her wane as he was introduced to other people outside of the orphanage. She had kept her brown hair at her shoulders and now her blue eyes were much brighter than in her youth, her pale face and dark lashes offering a flatter background to her eyes.
It was funny, especially now that Abby had so tactfully revealed her feelings to him, that he felt that former attraction churn in him briefly. He tried to pass it off as he was going to miss her once he left, but the reserved student knew his thoughts better and it was even more obvious when he watched her as she walked around him.
"So, drafted into the army? Sounds like you're going to be off in the dangerous part of the world, Tobias." She said in worry as she leaned against the tree and he fell back as well, his back resting near her.
"Not really. They said I would have to spend a considerable amount of time training first before they would send me out and even then, they said it would be simple enough stuff." He said assumingly, his green eyes searching the stars above them. Hoping they would offer some answers to any questions that she might ask.
"How did they recruit you? Did you sign up at the Army reserves?" She asked curiously and he figured the truth couldn't hurt.
"Nah, a friend of my master came to the dojo and was impressed with my skills." Echo explained, glancing at her. "Master Dogen said that I would benefit from training with a younger and more exuberant teacher."
"Sounds to me like he had trouble keeping up with the resident ninja." Jessie teased and Echo chuckled.
"Well, maybe sometimes." He confessed, remembering some times when he had worn out his teacher. "Mind you, that old man was crafty enough to keep me on my toes every class."
"So, he was a good teacher?"
"One of the best, hand down." He glanced to her and nodded in remembrance. "I highly recommend him to anyone looking to learn."
"Cool."
He and Jessica never really talked about his training because he wasn't sure if she would like to hear about the martial arts. Since she disliked fighting so much, he had wisely kept many details of his training a secret from her and mainly told her it had been a way to keep himself under control. The truth, just not the whole truth.
"Hey, Tobias?" This time her voice was soft, with the same hesitance as he normally had.
So he looked at her in concern. "What is it, Jess?"
"Did…jeez, I don't know, did we do something wrong?" She asked sadly, her hands tightly laced together as distraught appeared on her face. "Are you joining the army cause of us?"
"No, of course not." He said in surprise and confusion, but she took that as he was just trying to placate her.
"I know we haven't been the best family for you and you were treated the worse, b-but please…" She lost her nerve and words, her hand trying to speak for her until she grabbed his hands. "Please, please don't go."
"Jess…"
"We can make things better, I promise." She begged and he closed his eyes as he felt tears prick his eyes. "I…we, I don't want you to disappear…"
"Jess." This time his voice was firm and solid, her face collecting as he stared at her deeply with a faint smile on his face. "I'm going because, because it's time for me to move on."
"Tobias…"
"I'm not leaving because of you, not because of anyone here or at the high school." Echo assured her, his hand now gripping hers tightly. "Those that are here now will always be my family no matter what. But I need to go. I need to move on and this seems to be my best choice."
Jessica clearly disagreed, turning her face from him and he slowly let her hands go. She glanced at him quickly and slid her arms around his chest, pulling him close for a hug. Father Francis, Abigail Dawson, Jessica and Wesley Plymouths were the only people he knew that he felt safe hugging, which was why his arms wrapped around her as well. He could feel her sob and slowly she took a breath.
"Promise that you will be safe, no matter what." She whispered and he nodded against her. "So many of us have just left and never looked back, I don't know what's going to happen."
"Have faith, like Father Francis says." Echo said to her, the young woman giggling as she pulled back and looked at him with a sad smile. "I'm sure we'll meet again. Jess."
"You promise, Tobias?" She asked, her eyes begging him to and he conceded with a nod.
"I promise, Jessica."
He knew he had lied to her, he knew he had to.
But what was he suppose to say? That he was being drafted into a secret paramilitary division of the army that only took on the most extreme of situations? No, that would have broken her and she never would have forgiven herself for letting him go, possibly even following him to make sure he was alright. He had said what he knew was the right thing to reassure her and to make her believe that he might be back at some point.
It was a horrible lie, but it was one that was better than the truth.
He rubbed the crucifix under his shirt and sighed deeply as he leaned back in the firm seats. The orphan knew that he had made the right choice in coming with Snake Eyes; his life had been going no where back home and he was wasting what potential he had, whatever he had to begin with. This was a chance for him to gain some sort of structure in his life and possibly amount to something, maybe even find a goal for himself at some point. The training would definitely be an enlightening procedure for him and he felt that with him learning some much at a higher level, that he hoped it could funnel his interests into something other than martial arts.
Because really, what else was he good at?
Echo pondered this, looking back at his education at high school experiences at the local high school. He had been very apt when it came to physics and chemistry, his attention to all details allowing him to adjust the slightest things can catch many variables that were off. His physically education was irrelevant to mention, seeing as how his physicality had gotten him this audition with the army, and he never really had much love for English, other than his passion for reading and his occasional dabbles in poetry. He never liked analyzing books all that much, rather keeping his insight and thoughts about the developments to himself. History was much like reading, just without the descriptive excitement and anticipation in each page, and Geography was just looking random pieces of dirt to him.
Now, he did like Art, learning the techniques to illustrate what he was thinking and hearing people's various interpretations was always fun. Math was also easy because once you had the formula everything else was easy and Echo was very good memorizing information. But still, Math seemed to cold for him to get too involved with; it was too logical, too wrapped up in numbers and statistics for any creativity. So, again, he was left to ponder what his talents were.
But another tilt in the aircraft and a jerk this time disrupted his thoughts and he looked out, something new finally in his sight. A massive hole was opening up in the ground, like some sort of fantasy monster that dwelled in the sand for unsuspecting prey and it's role in the world was something akin to Greek legend of Cerberus. A grotesque guard dog to protect a hidden world from the ignorance of mortals and ambitions of foolish heroes.
Somehow, Echo didn't think he was that far off as the helicopter began its winding decent into the depths. For a few feet, he didn't see anything other that yellow lights that were some sort of guideline along the path. They had to drop for about thirty, forty feet until the windows were flooded with light and Echo was greeted with a massive steel structure that was hidden beneath the sands of the dessert.
There had to be close to a hundred people running around, tending to machines or various weapons. The aircraft touched down as Echo craned his neck around the small window and something firm tapped his knee, looking over to see his new teacher. Snake Eyes beckoned to him and turned to the opening hatch, the young man quickly disengaging the safety harness so he could follow his teacher. Hurrying down the steps, Echo was just in awe of all the coordinated movements around him and the sheer precision of the military.
He spotted the masked ninja waiting for him a few feet from the steps and hurried after him as he stuffed his CD player in his duffle bag, Snake Eyes moving to a nearby door when his new apprentice was close enough. Shouldering his duffle, Echo soon matched his new master's stride and took quick glances around him as they proceeded through the complex. He felt a serious unease as people gave him questioning looks but quickly adverted their gaze from him and continued their duties. Some of the groups would whisper about him, wondering about what he was doing here and why he was following Snake Eyes.
The two martial artists turned sharply into a pair of door, entering a small room that Echo guessed to be an elevator and the masked man pressed a button labeled two. He looked around, hoping for some kind of legend or guide to see what was happening but he wasn't so lucky. He sighed as he shifted the weight on his shoulder and his ears caught the sound of someone quickening their pace, even more so when the doors started to close.
"Snakes! Hold the door, please!" A voice called out, the orphan catching the hints of a different accent from the normal tinted British or toned American.
The silent ninja complied with the request and tapped the 'open door´ button, the doors jerking a brief moment and then opened again. A man shorter than Snake Eyes and in a similar looking shape hurried in. His skin wasn't dark but more so of a deep caramel color, his tone almost as though he was born with a perfect tan. He wore a dark blue sweater and green camouflage pants, which seemed normal attire for what he had seen so far, but the headset that he had strapped to head was a little far out.
He looked back at Echo in almost confirmation and his eyes widened, turning more to the youngest person in the small metal box. He seemed genuinely surprised but in a sort of pleased way with the way he smiled welcoming to Echo.
"Oh, hi! You must be a new recruit." The older man greeted, offering his hand to the younger man. "I'm Abel Shaz, but everyone calls me Breaker here and in the field."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Shaz, I'm Tobias." Echo greeted, hesitating as he shook hands with Snake Eye's friend. "But, I'm also called Echo."
"Well, nice to meet you, Tobias." Abel then looked at the silent ninja as the elevator began to ascend. "Is this your choice in a recruit, Snakes?"
The silent man gave a few signs with his hands and the other man blinked. Echo looked confused as he watched the exchange. The accented man looked back at the young man and he nodded.
"If he's that good, I can't wait to see him in action." Abel said eagerly, putting his back to the wall so he could look at them both. "So where did you serve before this? I was stationed with the Moroccan Army before coming here."
Echo uneasily shifted his weight and shrugged, not seeing any reason to lie. "I wasn't stationed anywhere. This is going to be my first time signing up with the army."
The surprise on the other man's face wasn't hidden at all and Echo's fingers suddenly decided that playing with the strap over his shoulder was a good idea. His new master glanced at his new charge and then looked to newcomer, making quick gestures in sign language. Echo didn't care who taught him or how he learnt, but he was goanna learn ASL even if it killed him.
Whatever was being conveyed it seemed to impress the headset man and he looked at Tobias, nodding in either acceptance or satisfaction. "So, Tobias, where are you from?"
"I'm from Pittsburg, from a little city a little outside of Detroit." Tobias explained, that life seeming so far away from him. "You said you were from Morocco?"
"Yeah, it's where my parents met." Abel said, Echo smiling fondly at the mentioning of parents. "I joined up with the Army there and fell into information management and communications, up until the Joes recruited me."
"Cool, so you deal with computers a lot?" Echo asked, nodding to the man's headpiece. "That kind of explains the hardware you got."
"Ah, yeah. I do deal with a lot of the technology that goes into the Joes. It's really fascinating to see how technology comes together to help us in the Alpha unit." Breaker replied enthusiastically, something he said bringing up a question in Echo. "Snakes doesn't always share my enthusiasm, but then again technology is not really his specialty."
"Does this mean that everyone in the Joes has some sort of focus?" The newcomer asked and Breaker, happy to explain things to the new recruit.
"Well, we all just seem to have things that we have a better understanding of. One of the guys in the unit, Heavy Duty, is our heavy ordinance support, while Snakes is more of an advance scout and close combat specialist." Breaker said, the perspective helping Echo to understand things better. "But we all do a little bit of everything just to make us a better team. I'm sure that General Hawk will explain things better."
General Hawk. He had heard Sergeant Wayne mention that name to Father Francis and later, when they met at the airport, he told the young man more about the leader of the Joes. A four star general who had served in the Vietnam War and the Cold War, he was a veteran from the original Green Beret program and had seen more combat that half the men his age. He had commanded troops for over half his life and he was the one who designed and petitioned for the GI Joe program to be put through, stating that there would come a need for those troops that were above the Special Forces standard.
Apparently, some of the tactics that he had employed were still used as training exercises in Fort Bragg.
"Hey, Mr. Shaz?" Echo's questioning tone broke the technician's ramblings and he looked at the younger man with an appreciated smile.
"Please, Tobias, call me Abel or Breaker. No need for such formalities."
"Ah, okay, Abel. Um I was wondering….what kind of person is General Hawk?" Both men looked at him as the elevator slowed down, neither really expecting that question from the young man.
The technology gifted man paused in whatever response he had and his features pulled inwards. Echo could see that he was trying to find the right words to use in his description of his boss. It was sometimes difficult to describe a superior because you didn't want to be too biased if you liked them or too negative if you didn't get along with your boss. Most people liked professional responses and a relatively general feeling of the boss, leaning towards the positive never really a bad thing.
"I think he's great, honestly." Abel said fairly, shrugging before he folded his arms. "He leads us with the utmost tactical precision and he knows when to kid around with us a little bit."
Echo nodded and smiled. He didn't sound so bad.
"So, you're the kid that Snake Eyes seems to think will be fit to join one of GI Joes squads?" And now Echo recanted that opinion, as the older man stared at him over his desk and he felt a wave of nervousness enter him like never before. This was a man who commanded hundreds of men with surgical precision and chess like tactics, something to respect if anything. "Well, if anything, you might fit the physical requirements."
"Yes, sir." Echo said softly, wishing that Snake Eyes wasn't standing behind but more so in his line of sight.
General Hawk didn't look as hold as Echo had imagined him to be but his cool dark eyes, that just seemed to peel back his skin and read his soul like an open book, were almost devoid of warmth. They had seen so much pain, defeat, victory and sacrifice, his real age revealed in the pits of his brown eyes.. His hard face was carved out with deep facial creases, lines that showed that he was as every bit hard as his position demanded him to be.
The older man eased back in his chair, his eyes searching over the younger man before him. Echo knew that he was looking for something in him, to see if the reserved young man would get irritated or start to act nervous. He was nervous but he had learnt that if there is one thing you never show, it was uncertainty; so he kept his back straight, his face neutral and his hands neatly folded in his lap while he met the eyes of the general.
The door opened and Echo watched as General Hawk waved someone in, an attractive brunette walking past the young man and handing the general some files. The older man nodded his professional thanks and sifted through a selection of some four folders and then slid one out, opening the tanned vanilla folder up with a quick glance to Echo.
"Tobias, no official last name recorded and no official date of birth ever recorded or discovered; even your biological parents are unknown, people you have never tried to find despite them being the only family that you might have." General Hawk listed off, and Echo realized that the man had some how gotten a hold of his record. He didn't even want to know how he had managed that, keeping quiet as he watched the older man patiently. "O- Blood type, left handed, you graduated last year with a B+ average, with an A in physics, but you choose to do another year at the high school to gain some prerequisite credits in psychology, physics and mathematics after you were denied acceptance to you colleges of choice. They said this was due to…" General Hawk frowned as he read the script and then looked up at the young man. "and I quote, 'due to an aggressive incident involving you and three peers'. Could you explain what that means?"
Echo could feel his cheeks burning with a blush and he actually couldn't meet the General's eyes because of it. He knew exactly what incident the report was referring to and while he wasn't exactly regretful of what he had done, it was still embarrassing to hear someone mention. The scout from the University of Notre Dame had informed him that a red flag came up on him in regards to that one incident as well and regretfully informed that he would be unable to attend due to that incident.
The reserved young man sighed, running a hand through his lengthy, brown spikes and his composure slumped a little bit. He turned his forest green eyes back to his new master's superior, his gaze dropping slightly.
"It was my second year at high school; I had to be about fifteen, sixteen at the time, so I had been training for some seven or eight years." Echo explained, figuring he had to start at the beginning or else nothing would make sense. "I didn't have many friends from my first year but I was pretty close with this one kid. He was a real smart guy too, a bit of nerd and didn't do so well with physical demanding things. So, third week into school, some members of the football team were giving him some serious hassle and I happened to walk down the hallway when…"
Echo rounded a corner in the hallway, not caring too much about the pace that those around him were setting or about his possibilities of being late for lunch.
Wednesdays were always his lackluster days, filled with next to none excitement; he had mostly double periods and left him with the four classes of Art, Chemistry, Math and PE. Having just finished attempting to draw still life for more than an hour and then working out various angles and degree with his protractor, Echo was thankfully looking forward to the PE lesson at the end of the day. Chemistry was interesting because they got to look at the organic chemistry for the first time and the science behind it was actually kind of interesting; sure, it was just a sneak-peek for now for his final year but it was still something to look forward to.
He was actually looking forward to meeting up with his friend Ian Radcliff this lunch. Ian was the only real friend that he had made, despite them being close to visual opposites. While Echo was in the process of showing the he in the early stages of having well developed body and carefully toned muscles from many hours in the dojo, Ian was more so of a slender build and shorter stature. He actually came up to the orphan's chest and was a little more than half his friend's build, his long, almost spider-like, fingers were as smooth as the day he was born with them. While Echo often cam dressed in jeans, t-shirts and a hooded sweatshirt, Ian was much more presentable in his beige pants, polo shirts and sweaters; it wasn't that he felt he was better than his friends or peers, it was just his preference of dressing attire. Even the sun kissed bronze skin that the orphan naturally seemed to retain was in opposition to the sweet milk chocolate brown that Ian was given.
But what he lacked in physical strength and relaxed clothes, he made up with his vast and fierce intelligence. Ian was easily far smarter than Echo, probably a vast majority of the school as well, and just understood things that made the orphan's head spin so fast, that he felt he would pass out. He could read and retain information like a computer, generate equations that teachers were yet to introduce and he just seemed to get bored in the classes that he was put into. He could have gone up a grade or to but he preferred to just take him time in high school; he told Echo later that it was a great time to read and learn things that would help in University, so he was going to enjoy it as much as possible.
How that the orphan martial art prodigy and the young intellectual genius came to be close friends? Well, it was during an English class in the school library and they both were reading books by Stephen King and following along his Dark Tower series at different paces, Ian engrossed in The Gunslinger and Echo intently reading The Wastelands. The reserved young man happened to note how much his reading buddy was enjoying the book and after class, told he would enjoy the next book in the series. This sparked a long and lengthy discussion between the two of them about other King books they had read. Over their first year in high school, they just fell in pace as friends as they discovered similar interests and their close bond was there for formed.
In fact, today was because of a similar interest they both happened to have; scale models. Ian had gotten a small model of a fantasy beast or some such from a cousin and they two of them had spent hours painting and constructing the small being, both of them adding snippets to their collective story they had in their minds. While Echo may not have been very found of art classes, he did find that the acute attention to detail that was needed for the painting was exquisite and the sheer imagery that was created was beauty beyond imagination. Ian had gotten a magazine with several model kits that were available in the world but not in their city, so they would need to order in more exotic kits if they wanted to build them. This lunch they were going to look at which model kit they would want to get between the two of them; Echo had a certain fondness for the dragons and phoenixes while Ian tended to favor more chaotic beings and woodland animals.
Echo blinked a few times when he saw several people gathering around some lockers and he felt a slight unease when he saw that it was where Ian's locker was. He stilled himself in the groups of kids as he tried to see what was going on. When he saw that Ian was up against his locker and the beefy front linesman of their high school football team was holding him there, pinning him there like a collector does with his favorite butterflies. He could see another jock had his friend's backpack and only one other was there, leaning against the lockers as if he dared somebody to challenge his teammate in what he was doing.
"So, think about reconsidering yet? Huh, ya scrawny, little weasel?" The overbuilt teen snarled at the less built boy between his hands, Echo subconsciously noting the athlete's number as thirty two.
"No! I'm not going to subject myself to your abuse anymore!" Ian said firmly, the reserved orphan nodding proudly at his friend's resolve. Sure, he wasn't exactly meeting the bully's eyes and he was fidgeting a lot, but at least he was taking a stand for himself. "I'm not going to get you grades that you don't deserve!"
"Don't deserve? I'm on the football team, you fucking imbecile!" The jock was not endearing himself to any goodness that may have come from Tobias. "I got better things to do that work on lame-ass paper from these half-wit teachers! That's the only reason you worthless brain-heads are in this school, to make sure that useful people like us pass these worthless classes."
And with that statement, which had already set Echo into a simmering anger, the jock went and put the final nail in his coffin. Because he had no respect for his fellow peers and treated them like objects that were just there to facilitate him passing through school, not even bothering to think that there was some other kind of life outside of his brutish sport. What was even more, this guys and his two friends were seniors, so their actions were completely uncalled for.
Number 32 scoffed and dropped Ian to his feet, swatting him across his face in what Echo would have called a half hearted slap. The young boy staggered under the unexpected blow and his glasses fell from his face, hitting the locker and sliding from the confrontation. "Just get your act together and stop trying to be more than a little bitch."
And Echo's pot of simmer anger boiled over in burning rage, shoving past those in front of him and dropping his backpack behind him as he went.
The one jock that was leaning against the wall saw the furious entrance by the orphan and moved to put a stop to what this silly second year may have in his head. While the jock though that puffing up his chest and maybe shoving around would intimidate this new arrival to their game, he was woefully unprepared for what came next. Because as he squared up roughly two feet away from Echo, the young martial artist, not even coming up on his ninth year of training, had just finished placing his right foot on the ground and had begun to pick up his left foot to step forward.
Without even needing the thought or command to do so, Echo's leg pulled up between him and his opponent bent and then shot forward, the balls of his toes striking the jock just bellow his first set of abdominal muscles while his heel followed suit around his lower abdominals. This was before pushing him back as the leg finished extending and slamming his back against the lockers he had been so casually leaning on. The other boy was lucky to have had such a well developed core, because the blow pushed all the air out of him and he curled over against the metal containers and he was left gasping for air.
If he had been in any less shape, the blow could have had some serious side effects but the enraged Echo had made sure not to put all his strength into the attack. This wasn't a fight for his life, he didn't want to incapacitate these guys for life or over do it. He just wanted to give them what they dishing out.
The one who had Ian's backpack and had been rummaging through his stuff, who had the numbers fifty seven embroidered on his jacket sleeve, threw the open book bag at Echo's face. Echo dropped under the cheap shot and saw that the jock had decided to charge him, the reserved man pivoting back as he side stepped the rampaging jock. As he did so, he dropped down on his right leg and let his left leg sweep out and wide as he spun around on the floor with surprising speed as he kept his chest close to his bent knee, guiding his body around with his hands.
His heel caught one of the boy's ankles and knocked it so far behind his other leg, that both his feet shot out from under his body. Number 57 had to watch his legs rise up as his back collided with the floor, the young fighter already turning to face the main source of his anger, Number 23. He had apparently caught on to the fighting after his first friend hit the lockers and then his second friend the ground, deciding that he would try to be smart about fighting this new weird kid. He lunged out and managed to grab Echo's hand but wasn't expecting the young man to grab his wrist in return for the grab. He actually met the reserved orphan's face, his piercing green eyes and tightened face an unexpected sight for him.
Echo, however, needed no such pause of surprise and continued on with his counter to this poor attempt at grappling. If Abby had seen such a pitiful effort, she would have taken over for Echo to show the jock how it was really suppose to be done. But since she was not here, the orphan went ahead with his own plan; his right hand was holding the jock's wrist, so he brought his right elbow down on other student's forearm and pushed down to pull him inwards as he leaned forward. Twisting and jerking his trapped limb, his left hand broke the unprepared grip and he brought his left elbow up to strike Number 23 across the face.
The poor jock was thrown in even more disarray and Echo gave a small hop as he changed feet, pulling his arms away and drawing his hands near his chest. As soon as his feet landed, both of his hand unfurled and caught the jock on the chest with open palms; the double blow sent him stumbling back until he tripped over himself and crashed on the floor.
A flicker of movement from the corner of Echo's right eye caught his attention, stepping back as a fist swung in a great gaping arc. Number 57 was more diligent that Echo had given him credit for and as he saw another hook coming in on his left side, grimly thought of an appropriate way to show his admiration for the jock's attempted efforts.
He went with the blow, his upper body swinging around and down to his right side as he took a slight step with left leg and pivoted around as he pushed weight atop of his left leg. The right leg curled up, came around and the flat of his foot slammed along the right side of the jock's face in what some people could have called an amazing hook kick and others would have called an awesome "bitch slap-kick". The poor jock went with his foot all the way to the ground and lay there, prone and prostrated, on the floor while Echo stepped back with both hands raised, open and held at chest height in a loose, open stance.
Those other students, the ones who had so casually watch Echo's friend being so cruelly tormented, now stared at the orphan, hushed whispers filling the air as the young man walked over to his friend. He stopped short of Ian and knelt down to pick up his friend's glasses, Echo looking up at him with worry as he handed his friend his glasses back.
"Sorry I wasn't here sooner, Ian." Was all he said and Ian, speechless from his friend's aggressive defense for him, knew there was nothing appropriate to say…
"…and they agreed to not expel me since there were so many people there willing to support Ian's and my story about what happened. I was also a really good student and up till then, I had not had any complaints against me." Echo concluded, watching the contemplative and brow creased look on General Hawk's face carefully. "So, I was suspended for a week and I had to give a written apology to each of the guys I had knocked around."
The general leaned back in his chair and tapped his finger to his lips sagely, the rest of his hand rest on the side of his face as he silently thought. He was clearly carefully sifting through the details that Echo had enlightened him to and the young man could only wait till the older man had decided how to take this new information about the prospective soldier before him.
The person that Echo was really worried about was the silent ninja standing behind him. He wasn't sure just how much about his history his new master had been briefed on and he didn't want his new teacher, who had taken so many measures to take him under his wing. He was aware now of how dangerous some of those moves had how lucky his opponent had been that they had not faced the man he was now and that they had been able to take such an abusive beating. If Echo was now put in the same situation to do the same moves, he actually couldn't guarantee the safety of his classmates.
But he honestly couldn't say that he would have done anything different. Ian was his only friend at the time and he still was Echo's best friend, despite the fact that he was now miles away from home and attending MIT while the orphan was now being interviewed for the army. He could have almost guaranteed that if Ian was in danger or that his friend needed his help that direly, he would have crossed over hell and high water to rescue him.
He resisted, almost over-consciously and painfully so, to not sigh and slouch in his chair and remained sitting straight up. Now that he actually gave it some thought, the fight with Simon and the incident in school with the bullies had all be a result of anger at their mistreatment of others. Maybe that was why he really like physical meditation that was taught through martial arts; to release your anger and frustrations through the physical arts of unarmed combat so that your mind was clear and calm for those around you. He loved what he had learned and the physical abilities he now had were amazing, but the sheer mental aspect of the arts that he had been trained in was absolutely stunning and extremely versatile for his personal use.
Just like what he was doing right now.
Master Dogen had called it Breathing With Eyes, where you relax your senses and visually observe the world ever so carefully while displaying an appearance and sense of mind of absolute tranquility. It was supposed to be a method that could allow you to spot a change in your environment that your enemy made or to notice a crucial weakness in an opponent that was coming for you. But it was great in situations like this because he could now take in the general's office, though it was despairing sparse of any emotional connection, while making sure he didn't miss the general call for his attention.
"Did you regret your actions?" General Hawk asked and Echo felt his face contract slightly as he thought. He knew that he had to answer this question appropriately, so he decided with just saying what he felt.
"I regret that I had to injure three boys that were in no way prepared for what I was about to do." Echo said evenly, pausing slightly and then continued speaking without noticing that the general was about to speak. "I do not regret coming to the aide of my friend or responding physically to their abuse."
The older man raised a brow at this and nodded, looking back to the folder. He must have decided that reading aloud the boy's records would be a good choice to summarize his character. "Yes, your martial art talents are repeatedly mentioned in your documents. A student in the arts from the age of eight, your focus was majorly in two styles called Wushu and Ha…Ha…"
"Hapkido, Sir." Echo gently offered and the older man, surprisingly, nodded.
"You have received your second degree black belt in Hapkido at the age of eighteen and you have received a black sash, something similar to a black belt I assume, in Wushu." Echo just wondered how the general and his men could have gotten all this information on him. He knew that a lot of it could have come from documents in his school and dojo, but those were still legal documents; maybe legal inquires with the military reached further than he ever suspected. "You have competed in a interstate competition known as the Extreme Martial Arts Tournament, where you placed first place in sparring and second place in your forms, though it was due to a minor technicality. You've taken up Ninjutsu studies in the past three years due to a teacher's recommendation." General Hawk looked up at Echo with a very passive gaze and raised his brows together. "Sounds about right so far?"
"Yes, Sir."
"I understand that you also go by a nickname more so than your real name." General Hawk stated as he rested his portfolio down and laced his fingers over his desk. "Echo, I believe it is? Why would you have such a nickname?"
Echo shrugged and glanced to the side. "It kind of goes back to my earliest days at the orphanage, sir. I was slower in my younger years and I would just repeat things that were said to me and do things exactly as I had been shown. Like I was a robot following orders or…" Echo paused and glanced up. "Like a I was an echo everyone around me."
"You must have hated the name then."
"Not really, it could have been a lot worse of a name, and I realized I could live up to the name in other ways. I could focus and recreate an action or sentence that said around me, gradually strengthening my memory and ability to recall thoughts." Echo explained, his tone never racing or fumbling, just calmly and quietly speaking as he explained a small portion of his past.
"Interesting…." The general trailed off before sighing and leaned more forward to the young man. "Look, I'll be honest here, kid. You have some impressive talents and skills on your hands that would make you ideal for us. Your physical prowess is developed to a rare level for entry soldiers and you've managed to match your intelligence with your fighting abilities. You just so happen to lack any previous military training."
"Oh, that does make me a bit of a liability to my coworkers and teammates." Echo said, his shoulders slumping slightly in a silently defeat. "What does that mean for me?"
"What that means is, you're going to have to put in double the time and effort of the Joes here." Hawk said sharply, Echo blinking in misunderstanding and the general willingly elaborated. "Each man and woman here has earned their place and rank here, mostly by what has been done on the battle field. You have no such experience so you are literally going to have to train with us to be a Joe from jump."
"Seriously?" Echo said in disbelief, looking at Snake Eyes for the first time since entering the room before turning back to Hawk. "You're really going to give me a chance?"
General Hawk lowered his gaze on the boy, the younger man's tone obviously misread by the older gentleman. "This is going to be no easy task, young man. You will probably be pushed physically farther than anything you've been before and you must pass the required ballistics tests, tactician courses, combat simulations and various training course based upon what specialty you would get assigned to. A good guess will be something like close quarter, infiltration or even advance scouting might something good for you." The general suddenly seemed to appear as grave as the dead, making Echo feel uncertain. "Make no mistake; this will not be like anything else that you've endured or experienced before."
Echo felt his eyes drop slightly; so, that was the reason for his tone. "You think I'm going to treat this as a game?"
"This is just a very serious organization, Tobias." Hawk began to speak but he stopped when he saw Echo nodding.
"I understand that, I really do." Echo said, seeing his words assuring the General. "I know that this entire place only accepts the best, so I know every action I'm going to do is going to be under the microscope. I can't relax or loosen up even for moment because if I do and screw up, not only would I be a hindrance and danger to my teammates, I would be an insult to every single teacher that I've ever had, even my new master." Echo smiled softly and gave the much older man a questioning look. "Do you think I'm not aware of the hardships that are laid before me or that I could very well suffer a significant amount of pain and loss?"
General Hawk had the grace to ponder the question and think on his answer before giving it. "I'm just wondering if you really gave it a lot of thought." Hawk said gently. "Many people that have joined have dropped out."
"I did, and I feel that I have to try and move forward somehow and this may be the best choice. I know life sucks, treats us all like crap and we still have to get up and deal with it. I got that realization slapped in face when I was kid and realized just what it meant to be an orphan. No one lets me forget that and I busted my ass to get all that I have now, so I know what hard work is even when no has faith in your skills." Echo sighed and straightened his posture from the slouch he had been about to fall into. "I have thought about the dangers and the losses, but I still want to go through with this. Besides, I'm good at fighting and this will at least put those years of training to good use."
The other men in the room were silent as Echo finished, the young fighter able to sense Snake Eyes shifting his weight as he waited and saw General Hawk rubbing his lips lightly in thought. Most of what the orphan had been out of line in a small way but Echo felt that it was the best way to convey his point across. He was aware the armed forces and their Special Forces sectors were above par of anything that normal civilians could handle, so by proxy the Joes had to be just that more above the bar in terms of training. By his rough amount of knowledge from what Snake Eyes and Sergeant Wayne had said about the unit, there was no one else on earth that should be able to even come close to their standard of skills.
So he was more than aware that he should have been the last person to be even considered for the team. All he had a scary prowess in the martial arts, gymnastics talents and urban combat and defense skills.
Echo also knew what he wasn't; he wasn't a soldier, he wasn't a computer genius, he wasn't a role model civilian and he wasn't the kid of person that landed these kind of positions. For Christ's sake, he was just some orphan kid who failed to make the cut for a state college and a punk with some potentially serious anger problems. Maybe Snake Eyes made the wrong choice in offering him a place in the Joes, but wouldn't doubt his new teacher just yet even though the odds were against them. He would be a respectful student and wait for the outcome of General Hawk's thinking before he would make any rash decisions.
"Tobias, I'm going to agree to let you join us on a probationary status, as a trainee." General Hawk said suddenly, Echo confused by what the older man had meant and since he must have shown his lack of understanding, the General continued. "Your probationary status means that your time here will be with a veteran of GI Joe, to help guide you through the training and to help you achieve the necessary requirements. In all likelihood, this will be a task done by Snake Eyes since he recommended you and you are here to train under him."
Echo nodded, still a little stunned at being accepted into something so big as this operation. It was actually dizzying and making Echo slightly light headed. "Thank you, sir."
General Hawk smiled for the first time and stood up, Echo standing when he saw the older man had outstretched his hand to him. The young man gingerly stood and took the hand tentatively but firmly. "Welcome to GI Joe, Tobias. Snake Eyes will help you get settled and help you get your required uniforms for training. Dismissed, soldier."
Echo's face spread into a rare full smile and he nodded. "Yes, sir." He said with a short bow of his head and looked to Snake Eyes. The silent man sent him a concealed thumb up and tilted his head to the door, the young man understanding.
He released the general's hand and grabbed his bag from underneath his chair, following after his silent master as they exited the room.
Food in the Joe's mess hall was generally pretty good, well balanced and well cooked so that the troops would actually enjoy eating the necessary nutrition need for their every day life. And due to the staggered shifts and routines, there was always a somewhat steady stream of soldiers in the Mess Hall between eleven o'clock and two.
When Echo and Snake Eyes entered the Mess Hall shortly after putting the newcomer's stuff in his room, they arrived to a sparse dining hall with a few soldiers around enjoying some breathing space and a well deserved meal. Most of the food that was left was salads and sandwiches, which Echo was utterly fine with; he was more of a meat and potatoes kind of guy but he really wasn't that picky since choice was never really an option of what there was to eat.
The ninja master gestured for the young man to go and get himself some food, Echo nodding his understanding as he walked over the food that were left out on trays. He greeted the kitchen staff that was still on duty politely and after learning what on the menu, he collected a couple of beef sandwiches and a small helping of salad. He was used to eating small amounts, so this was pretty much perfect for him; a nice balance of proteins, vegetables and starch to reenergize the body and fuel him for…well, whatever these Joes were going to get him to do next. Taking his tray, he turned away from stations of food and scanned the mess hall, quickly finding his darkly dressed teacher sitting alone at a rather large table.
The young man headed over to his teacher, a soldier standing up in his path without noticing the young man and turned right into him. Shifting the tray in his hands so that he had his right hand in the center of the tray, Echo hooked his left foot around his own right foot and pushed his left toes into the ground which caused his leg to straighten. As his leg straightened, his body uncoiled around the older soldier and, with his back to the man, he took a quick side step; bringing his right foot next to his left, he sent the left foot out again. His right foot then swept forward and he continued walking forward, the soldier blinking as he looked back at the orphan who had literally danced around him without half a thought.
He rested his tray down and pulled the chair out, setting himself down as he rolled up his sleeves. Snake Eyes had rolled the bottom of his mask up and was sipping on some water, almost watching as the boy eased into eating. The silent ninja master took out his notepad and while still sipping the bottle of Evian, wrote something out for his student. Echo glanced at the black visor of his new master and looked at the pad of paper when he slid it over to him, his dark emerald scanning over the written words.
I know this may be a little inappropriate to ask you, as we still don't know each other that well, but I was wondering about something that General Hawk said in his office.
You have never tired to find out who your parents are? Why is that?
Echo shrugged as he read the question, resting his beef sandwich down as finished his mouthful. It was a fair enough question and one that he got asked frequently, more so than people would imagine. He wiped the back of his mouth and sighed as he tried to explain the feeling he had in his chest when ever he thought about his parents.
"Master, in all honesty, I don't think I could keep myself in check if I were to ever meet them." He answered truthfully, folding his hand I on the table in front of him. "As I'm sure you heard, I was left outside, in the pouring rain with nothing more than a paper thin blanket on, and only because Father was woken by my weak cries did he find me." Echo closed his eyes and felt his the corners of his lips curl up, whether in a sneer or to snarl, he never knew. "Why should I want to find the people that not only didn't want, but could be bothered to try and treat me like a human?"
Snake Eyes's exposed mouth showed the flexing muscles as he shifted from shock to regret. He drew his pad of paper back and wrote quickly, the young man dropping his gaze as he thought about his feeling towards his parents.
He really couldn't care less if they were still alive and if they were, he hoped that they never tried to track him down as long as he lived. He had nothing to say to them and desired nothing from them, not even to ask them why he had been so callously tossed away by his real family. Did they look into his eyes and see that he was going to grow up into a fighting prodigy? Was he an accident child and the woman's parents force her to give him up? Was he the result of an affair? He didn't care.
It had no bearing on his current life and the likelihood of him ever meeting even on of his parents was stacked so ridiculously in opposition, he could peacefully live his life without the threat of them finding him. And if they did, he had some choice words for his mother, words intending to cut her down to her soul, and a good solid right hook for his father, one he hoped would loosen a few molars or break his jaw.
He heard the pad of paper sliding over to him and glanced over at the written words, his body slouching slightly. His eyes grew in size as he read was written on the paper, glancing up sharply at his teacher and then back to the pad to make sure he hadn't misread.
I'm sorry I brought up such harsh memories.
I was only asking because I was too orphaned at a young age, though I was unfortunate enough to witness their demise.
I can sympathize as to why you might miss them but I can also understand your anger, now hearing your side of things.
"Snakes….I'm sorry." Echo wanted to say more, wishing he had been more considerate, but the mute man shrugged. The young man stared at his food and scoffed lightly, not meeting his teacher's gaze when he looked at the new student. "It's strange, you know? I never really talked about my parents to anyone because I never thought that would accept my reason for not wanting to see them and most of the other orphans were so eager to be adopted but I wasn't."
The young fighter looked at the seasoned ninja soldier and saw the masked face was tiled to the side, Echo shrugged. "They were looking for something that they either lost or dreamed about finally having. I had a family, in the orphanage and in the dojo, so I never really saw the need to try and find a new one that I would have to struggle to fit into."
Echo picked up his sandwich and took another wolfing bit, savoring the slight hints of honey mustard. He sighed slightly and moved his salad around unenthusiastically; he really had to learn to not just open his mouth and say what he wanted. But on the other had, he wasn't one to lie or cheat his words away because of some social inappropriateness. Snake Eyes had asked him a question and he answered his new master with the truth he deserved.
Echo was thinking of saying something else when he heard the doors open up again, his eyes instinctive looking over and he blinked when one of the newcomers called out to his master. "Yo, Snake Eyes! So, this is where you're hiding, huh?"
The man that was speaking was a halfway in the door, apparently calling to some other as to the whereabouts of their ninja companion. He was a fit individual, even if the military uniform made him look very slender, and he had a startling similar appearance to Ian. He shook off the similarity as his master shook his head in what he guessed was amusement and watched as three others came into the room.
One person that caught his attention was the biggest person of the group, his broad shoulders and deep black skin. He had one of the most serious faces on that Echo had ever seen in his short span upon the earth, his deep set eye half lidded in what Echo could have only interrupted as bored. The other two guys that walked with him, including the one that poked his head in, were both shorter than him and slimmer than him. The man with a more pale tone to his skin almost had this lazy look to his face, while his light brown, like a fusion of caramel and dark brown, friend looked a little more playful and cheerful.
The forth person was a very striking redhead, her cool gaze matched by her precise and professional stride, although he could see she wanted to be smiling at something. And because of her looks to his master and to her dark skinned friend, Echo wondered what had happened between the three of them at one point. In comparison to Echo, he had to be a shade shorter than the two guys but he was at least around the same build as them. That made him feel a little more confident about his chances of fitting in the elite military base, even in comparison to the much larger and beefier soldier that accompanied them.
"Hey Snakes, whose your friend?" The one that called out to him was the first one to speak to him and the silent ninja master flashed through some sign language but it wasn't to his new student or the man who had asked him the question. The one who was really paying attention was the redhead, whose eyes followed his fingers every sweep and gesture.
Her green eyes widened and she looked at Echo in surprise and he suddenly felt very small. He was getting that look from everyone who found out that he was the apprentice of Snake Eyes and he was being to feel very worried by that said reaction. Either that meant he was in for a world of pain and exhaustion like no other or they were expecting him to be just as much of a monster of martial art skills as his new master was. She nodded and glanced at her dark skinned friend with a surprised and mystifying grin.
"Apparently, this young man right here is Echo, Snake Eyes's new apprentice." She intoned that this was a special occurrence and Echo really didn't understand why this was so out of the usual.
But the reactions around the table made him realize that this was pretty startling for the members of his master's team and that it wasn't an everyday occurrence. The bigger built man seemed to loose control of his eyes as they grew much larger and he set himself back to size up the younger man, clearly trying to get a gauge of his strength from what he could see. The slimmer black man's jaw dropped down and hung in the wind like a lofty flag on a dull day, unable to lift itself up even if it tried. The pale man also took a moment to looked over Echo but he seemed more impressed than shocked, which was also a little bit more welcoming that the following comments from his companions.
"This boy, seriously, Snakes?" The large man's British accent perked Echo's interests and he made a not of it to ask about it later. "He must be some force if you're taking someone as young as him under your wing."
"Seriously, he must be like the super ninja baby." The skinner black man said, making an exaggerated chopping motion in the air and made an amusing imitation of what he thought was a Kung Fu ki-up. "Boy's gotta be bad as Bruce Lee to be your apprentice, Snakes."
"Well, if he ain't already, Rip, then he's goanna be once Snakes is done with him." The other guy said in admiration, Echo fighting the urge to gulp at the expectations that were piling up. "What's your name anyway, kid?"
"Um, Tobias, but I'm used to being called Echo more so." The quiet young adult said, the vibrant redhead nodding and rested her hand on the skinner black man.
"Well, Echo, my name is Shana O'Hara, or Scarlett as I go by in the field." The woman politely introduced herself.
"Nice to meet you, Ms. O'Hara." Echo respectively greeted, nodding his head to her politely before he looked to the skinny black man as he looked ready to being introducing himself.
"S'actly, that's my girl." The man said with a nudge to Scarlett, who seemed a little embarrassed, and touched, by the attention. The man then stood up a little straighter and held his hand out, pretty much inches from Echo's face. "I'm Wally Weems, but just call me Ripcord, alright?"
Echo nodded with a thick grin, grasping Ripcord's hand shaking firmly. "Nice to meet you, man."
"This hansom devil right here is my brother from another mother, Conrad Hauser but we prefer to call him Duke; you know, sounds a little better." Ripcord said as he patted his friend on the shoulder. The aforementioned Duke scoffed and gave his buddy a shove in the side as the slender black man then gestured to the larger man. "And this is…" He was about to say the man's real name when a particularly dark glare made him reconsider. "…is Heavy Duty! Yeah, Heavy Duty. Man, the weapons that this mean mother can use…"
Echo's laugh escaped him and he nodded to the introducer of the team. "It's nice to meet you all. I look forward to learning from you when I have the chance."
"Yeah, you ever got a question, feel free to ask us, man." Duke offered, pointing back and forth between Ripcord and himself. "Between the two of us, we can guarantee that any and all help is a blessing."
"Cool, thanks."
"Hey, I got a quick question for you, kid." Heavy Duty spoke up, Echo missing how long it had been since the man had spoken. "I know you've gotten the hand to hand combat sorted out, but are you familiar with any weapons?"
Echo furrowed his brow and then quirked a brow in. "I'm going to take a guess and say you're talking about firearms, right?" As the bobble motion of the man's head as he nodded, Echo returned his gesture with the wagging motion of a shake. "No, I've trained with a few martial art weapons but no guns. I guess its something I'm goanna be learning."
The large man was about to continue with something when Echo felt a hand touch his shoulder, the reserved young man's gaze meeting the glossy visor of his new master. Snake Eyes pointed over his shoulder with his thumb and Echo understood, it was tiem for him to finish the grand tour of the base. With a polite goodbye, Echo collected his tray and followed his master from the hall. As they walked out, the quiet young man couldn't help but notice that Scarlett, despite the attention that Ripcord showered her with, casted a longing glance to the masked soldier and his master did all that he could to not look at her.
Echo sighed, feeling that things with the Joes was going to be complicated.
Echo was kneeling on the floor in the training room, hands folded in his lap and his back straight as he slowly let his eyes fall shut. His training gi was the oldest one of three he owned but the red belt he had wrapped around his waist was something he had just received from Master Dogen before he left the Dojo. He said it was the rank that he had earned during his three year education under the elder ninja master, the young man accepting it with shaking hands.
But he wasn't here today to reflect on his achievements with Master Dogen. This was going to be his first lesson with Snake Eyes, his new instructor in the sacred arts of Ninjutsu and his drill sergeant for his military training. The young man took in a breath, filling his lungs fully with air completely and then released it slowly and smoothly.
Now wasn't the time to think, now was the time to focus and center one's self. So the young man cast aside his worries, thoughts, questions and let himself center.
Breathe in slowly, let the air fill you…
Focus the mind…
Breathe out slowly, release the air from you….
Cleanse your mind….
Breathe in….
Concentrate, the mind and body as one…
Breathe out…
Achieve tranquility through movement…
Breathe in…
Mind and body as one…
Breathe out….
The doors to the room opened and Echo slowly opened his eyes, glancing over his shoulder to see his master and the redhead, Scarlett he vaguely recalled being her name, walking in. He turned his head back and bowed, clearing the meditative mantra from his mind as he stood. He straightened his gi and turned to his two seniors, his eager emerald eyes gleaming with a hunger for knowledge.
He bowed formally to his two seniors and when they has risen from their bows, he too straightened up. He then noticed that Snake Eyes was carrying two bokkens and that Scarlett was dressed different from her military outfit; she had a pale blue tank top on and some black tracksuit pants, her bare feet flexing on the bare floor. Echo nodded to her, the woman returning the bow as she pulled her hair into a tight bun on the back of her head. Snake Eyes waited for her to finish before handing a wooden sword to each of them, his hands fluidly moving when his agile digits were free again.
Once he was finished signing, Scarlett vocalized his instructions. "Until you get a firm grasp of sign language I will be assisting Snakes in teaching you, acting as a translator for you two. So this means I will also be helping demonstrating moves as well." She explained and Echo nodded offhandedly, the whole statement making sense to him. After receiving a nod from the ninja master, Scarlett continued with her instructions. "Snakes would like us to start with a sparring match. This is so he can grasp where you are with your swordsmanship and what your comfortable with. Okay?"
"Yeah, that doesn't sound too bad." Echo nodded more assertively, dropping his shoulders back and then set his mind into the state of sparring.
Echo exhaled slowly and shifted his weight as he eyed up his opponent. Scarlett and he took a few steps back and then bowed to their overseeing master, then turning to each other and respectively bowing. For some reason, he wasn't all that surprised that Snake Eyes used this training method and considering that Dogen used it frequently while he studied under him. It was free sparring with weapons, with the objective of bringing the weapon as close to a kill position as possible for the win. It definitely taught you how to handle the weapons quickly and you over came your skittish nature when confronted by a weapon, though it could be overwhelming for those not expecting it.
He did wonder if Dogen had suggested this training to Snake Eyes or if it was just a standard practice of Ninjutsu. Mind you, it was possible that Snake Eyes had trained under Dogen and therefore he had learnt it from the older man via experience. Still, Echo did wish that they had started with something like a staff or even kali sticks just cause of how he felt about the wooden replica in his hands
Traditionally, the bokken, or the katana that it represented, was a weapon that required a startling amount of training to use effective and respectively. It was widely considered the perfect sword, the design of the weapon and serrated edge perfect for nothing but cutting through muscles and bones. It was not a weapon that he really used, often preferring the weapons used in Wushu because he had used them more than the weapons associated with Ninjutsu, because their was little defensive use in it. But Dogen had taught him several weapons over his three year tenure under the wise man and slowly taught him to use offensive weapons defensive.
Regardless, the katana was still a weapon that was still new to Echo and often resorted to using techniques used with the Dao, the Chinese Broadsword.
Echo caught his master raising his hand out of the corner of his green eyes, coiling and preparing his muscles for what Scarlett may come and cleared his mind of such scattered thoughts. With the fall of the hand, the match began.
Scarlett, who he supposed had been looking him over for a weakness, shifted slightly and stepped out to the side, keeping the tip raised to his eyes level. Echo match her movements as they circled each other, the redheaded woman shifting the sword to right side and held by her chest as they began to close the gap. Echo chose to take a different stance, lowering the wooden sword past his right leg and kept the back of the bald facing her.
Her strike was shown before she did it, her shoulders telegraphing her every move as though she had a tickertape above her head. The tip of her sword dipped back slightly, her hands shifting their grip before Scarlett brought the wooden blade around tried to cut down on Echo's shoulder. As his opponent's attack came down, he brought his defense up; swinging the sword up across his body, the back of the wooden blade cracked against the other sword.
Her face pinched into a grimaced as her sword was swatted aside and then fell into a blank surprise as his weapon circled around his head in smooth succession from his block. She then gasped sharply as the young man attacked her left side with an overhead strike and Scarlett heard a loud smash as his sword impacted heavily on the floor, the reserved fighter calmly kneeling following her as she finished backing away.
He stood up and took a step forward at the same time, looking as though he had just floated onto his feet and the young man grunt as Scarlett blocked the cut to her shoulder by blocking her whole right side. Echo stepped back, pushing his left hand against the back of his bokken to reinforce his block and sunk down into his knees as Scarlet's sword slammed into his. The student pushed her back and brought his sword around, letting it swoop above his head before he drove it down in heavy slash; the redhead parried his blow to the side, sweeping up underneath his sword to his exposed ribs.
Echo sucked his breath in as he pivoted around, putting his back against her chest and avoided the swipe to his torso. Dropping his arm down and pulling his elbow to his side, Scarlet swore in her grunt as he trapped her sword and arm. Grabbing her wrist, swinging his wooden sword around until it was under hers and stepping forward, Echo gave a sharp twist with his torso and threw the unsuspecting woman to the floor.
Scarlet's legs and hips hit the ground first and her right arm was suspended in Echo's arm, thus preventing her from attacking with the sword. This, however, also meant that Echo couldn't attack her with his weapon until he released his grip on her or shifted his position to a superior hold. The young man started to shift his position but something collided with the side of his head and he felt himself start to sprawl, taking a roll to the side to go with the force to lessen the damage down. Resting in a kneeling stance with the sword held straight in front of him, he realized that Scarlet had struck him with a kick as she pivoted her hips around and seemed to stand up with a gifted elegance.
Echo stood slowly and shifted his weight as he watched this woman carefully. It was very clear that Snake Eyes either had taken up her teachings or was her most frequent sparring partner; he knew that this also meant that she was intimately familiar with Ninjutsu and probably most of the Japanese sword techniques. He gnawed on his lower lip as he edged closer, letting the sword spin around him, and wondered how he was going to outmaneuver her.
And then, as he swept the sword around him in a flowery set of spins, he had an idea. She was used to fighting against his new master, a master of Japan's elite martial art and weapons…and that had nothing to do with Wushu or the Chinese weapons. Echo felt himself smiling and drew himself into a closer stance, lowering his arms slowly. His foot stance was now much closer, with his front foot raised up onto the balls of his foot, and his sword hand was by his hip with the free hand held at his chest.
The confused look on Scarlet was what he wanted and when she paused, he acted. Pushing with his back foot so he was lunging forward, he used his front foot to rocket forward at the woman. His sword arm had wrapped over to his other side as he made his move forward and then the blade arced out in front of him as his opponent's chest as he flew across the empty space. Scarlet, not excepting such an exuberant and flashy attack from the young Ninjutsu student, quickly brought the sword up to guard against the unorthodox attack and took a few steps back. As his sword collided with hers, Echo let his head and shoulders drop towards the floor, dropping into a roll that kept them close.
Scarlet decided to not let this youngster, whom she had underestimated just now, to gain any more ground on her and brought her sword in on an overhead strike, the wooden sword whooshing through the air. As he came around onto his feet and looked up at his sparring partner, Echo switch his grip from the standard forward grip to a reverse grip. Standing up and sweeping the sword up in front of his body, the young man blocked her strike with little space from his head. Using the energy that had pushed him up from the ground, the young fighter pushed back against his senior's weapon and then pushed her back with a front kick.
His next strike was a diagonal cut from the hip to the shoulder, which she blocked skillfully, and he followed that up with a horizontal cut across the shoulders. That time Scarlet slipped back, trying to put distance between them but Echo had planned for that; his first step forward with a twist in his torso would have meant nothing to the average bystander, but it told Snake Eyes a world of knowledge about his new student.
As he took the second step, young fighter dipped his upper body down and threw himself sideways, putting such a torque in his hips that he spun across to his target. And with his sword held against his chest, the wooden blade looked a suspended fan blade on high speed as it approached Scarlet. The woman targeted side stepped hastily and the twister of force and wood just missed her, the young man snapping his legs out to land in a heavy horse stance. She lunged with a thrust to his stomach and Echo parried it to the side with side of his sword, the young man ducking under her follow up attack. His eyes never left her as he squatted down, rolling forward as she cut down at him and then, when he saw her sweeping at his legs from over his shoulders, he threw himself backwards in a flip.
He landed on one knee and stepped forward with a rising cut, Scarlet pivoting around and bringing her bokken over and down. Echo had but a split second to react and then they both froze.
Both their green eyes were glaring into each others, the wooden swords shaking as they held each other. Scarlett had her sword just above Echo's shoulder; roughly two inches from what would have sliced his arm clean from his body, the redhead had chosen a crule fate for the young fighter before her. The severance of his arm would mean that he could never practice sword work again and that his martial arts would be crippled forever.
Echo's sword was more horizontal, his wooden blade two inches away from his target as well but his was aimed for her neck. It would have been a clean cut and a merciful kill, no suffering involved at all at his hands. While his course was much more severe, it did show that he didn't want to leave his opponents to suffer.
The only thing that stopped their attacks was each other's attack and their crossed swords shaking as they pressed against each other. Scarlett looked like a wave trying to swallow up the young sparrow and Tobias looked like a coiled snake waiting to strike out against his aggressor.
A loud clapping sound echoed across the hall and Echo released his pressure first, trying off to the side as he backpedaled from Scarlett with his bokken resting against the back of his arm. The alluring soldier stumbled forward ever so slightly before she swept her sword around and stepped into a relaxed forward stance, her sword rest before her in a loose but prepared stance.
Snake Eyes approached them, Echo glancing to him and the master lifted his hand. He and Scarlett, almost in perfect synchronization, turned their bodies to the fully covered soldier and bowed respectively to him. Scarlett rose the fastest and Echo saw that it was because his master was signing at fluid pace, one that almost looked a bizarre kata of the deaf. When he was finished, he and Scarlett shared a nod and the fierce redhead turned to him; Echo wondered in the back of his mind just how well Abigail would get along with Shana and was a little worried at the possibilities.
"Snake Eyes is very impressed; you've shown that you are able to utilize your weapons training with your unarmed combat and that you can integrate your other martial arts into your style. You blend aggressive and defensive moves into your tactics and use the more flamboyant moves to catch your opponent off guard." Scarlett translated for Snake Eyes, Echo nodding along with her words as she went. "You are a bit too impulsive with your attacks and while you know the moves, you choose to rely on overwhelming your opponent with flashy advanced moves where basic moves would have also sufficed. Also, you hesitated initially to use unarmed techniques with your sword techniques."
"So it looks like I have a lot to learn." Echo said softly, pausing to reflect on what was said and then smiled at his two seniors. "I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can."
Snake Eye nodded in what Echo guessed to be a contented manner, touching Scarlett after a moment of hesitancy and sent her some quick signals. Scarlett smiled at him and handed him the wooden sword, the ninja master sweeping the sword around him as he moved into a more center position of the room. Echo watched him move briefly and then looked back to the crimson haired woman.
"Snakes is going to show you some sword forms that blend unarmed moves with armed moves and then he's going to go over some new moves specifically taught in Ninjutsu." Scarlett explained, gesturing for the younger man to join his new teacher. "I'll be back in a minute. I just need to take of something."
Echo nodded in understanding, then bowing to her. "Thank you, Scarlett-Sempai."
The older woman blinked and then returned the bow with a warm, although hesitant, smile. "Anytime, Echo-Kohai."
Echo then swept his sword around him and joined his master on the floor, assuming the same stance that his master had taken up.
Scarlett had to catch her breath before she left, watching as Snake Eyes lead the young man through a series of sword katas and the two slowly came into an eerie rhythm. Soon, they both were cutting, kicking, flipping and thrusting in time with each other as though they were a superimposed image of each other. But the redheaded soldier was thinking of something else, something that had really unsettled her while she was sparring her friend's new student.
She was used to the traditions of martial arts and the reasons behind sparring; she had faced many levels of fighters, ranging from the inexperience white belts, who were too nervous to punch, and the seasoned black belts, who often had multiple plans with multiple alternatives incase something went astray. The boy did deserve his black belt in his previous arts and he was clearly well suited for the position of a red belt in Ninjutsu, but it wasn't his skills. She knew that his skills were to be incredible if Snake Eyes wanted to take him under his wing as an apprentice and once the master martial artist was done, Echo would be even more terrifying.
No, it was the look in his eyes. It was the way his deep green eyes had stared deep into her eyes and lunged into her soul, his tightly drawn face cracked with his parted lips. She could tell if it was a smile, a grimace or a concentration because Scarlett had been unable to shake the look that his eyes gave.
She could only remember one time that anyone else's eyes had managed to startle her this much….
Scarlett felt the haze of pain come to her as she regained her grasp on consciousness, her ears ringing as she started to sit up and look around. She hissed as a sharp pain shot up through her leg from her ankle, fairly positive that it was just a rolled joint and not a broken bone. The redhead gazed scoured the remains of the helicopter carefully, trying to piece together what had happened. She remembered something made the tail of the aircraft explode and they had begun spinning down to the ground.
The crimson soldier cough as the smoke of the wreckage washed over her and she tried to remember who was with her in the helicopter. Heavy Duty had been across from her, because Sergeant Stone, who had been sitting to her right, had something funny and the large man had been chuckling deeply to himself. Then the suddenly jerk and they began spiraling downwards, Scarlett remembering being able to see the ground racing up towards her before everything blacked out.
"Freeze!"
Scarlett stopped cold at the voice that cut through the ringing of her ears and she turned to the figures standing in front of her. The military fatigues looked well worn and dirty in the fire light, the symbol of Nigeria's flag emblazed on their shoulders. Their dark brown eyes met her green ones, her emerald eyes nearly glowing in the firelight.
The Joes had been assigned to investigate a weapons shipment into South Africa and they discover that a rogue militia had acquired a massive cache of weapons. They had been ordered to pull out and regroup with the main forces before they decided to do anything direct. Scarlett shifted her weight but one of the man noticed her moving, a sing round shot by her foot.
"Don't move!" He barked to her and she clenched her teeth, lifting her hands slowly in the air.
"Who else is here with you?" The other man asked; Scarlett was about to answer when her eyes caught a flash over silver behind the men, a strange gleam from polished steel hovering in the air behind the soldiers and she vaguely realized it was a blade of some sorts.
The blade, like a disembodied life form, swept around and whipped up in front of one fo the gunmen. The man with an itchy trigger finger suddenly fell to the ground scream, hunched over himself as his partner lurched to his right. However, it was too late and his head snapped back as gunshot rang out and fire flared from a handgun's muzzle.
Scarlett then saw her rescuer, the small firearm, what looked to be a Heckler and Koch USP Tactical, in one hand and what she recognized as a Japanese katana sword in the other. The man's body was covered in a skin tight black material and his face was covered by a ski mask of sorts, even a visor covering his eyes. He swept his sword around him and sheathed it behind him as he looked to Scarlett, her immediately noticing that his visor was crack open and he reached up to rip off the glossy material.
And that was the first time that Scarlett saw the eyes that belong to their most reserved squad member, Snake Eyes. She had heard that there was a new member to the team but this was something else entirely, despite the rumors surrounding the mysterious soldier. Rumors that he was part of an ancient order of ninja warriors, that he was the personal bodyguard and covert operative for General Hawk, that he never spoke a word….
But looking into those eyes, those piecing blue eyes, she what the rumors never justified. He was fighter and nothing else. The adrenaline was fading from his eyes, his breath slowing down and it seemed that what once were bright and electrifying eyes now appeared like a deep dull steel blue. The spirit, the resolution to commit to the act, the inner energy of the warrior; what ever you called it, it had faded from his eyes.
He's free hand pointed to her and shifted his hand up and down, slowly moving to a thumbs up position. She blinked, her mind instinctive noticing the toned and dumb down version of ASL. She nodded and he suddenly swept away, moving like a shadow past her to the large form of Heavy Duty. Her mind suddenly remembered where she was, scouting the area for Sergeant Stone and planning an rendezvous plan to meet up with their main forces….
The redhead shook herself and turned her self away as Snake Eyes moved his student's arms into the correction position, walking smoothly out of the gymnasium. Snake Eyes and Echo, both with those soul piecing and haunting eyes, would haunt her forever with that burning gaze of combat. She felt a shiver come over her, knowing that the only time those eyes blazed like that was when they were immersed in the fight and the world needed them explode with every violent skill they possessed.
Scarlett couldn't help but feel sorrow and pity for the future of both the men that she was walking away from.