Chapter 26:
"Isabella found herself in a long, empty corridor. Looking around and seeing no obvious doors, she carefully followed the hallway back as far as it would go. The passageway took her to an open door at the far end; and when Isabella stepped inside the room, her eyes locked onto a familiar black Clad ninja who stood in the room's center, waiting for her.
"Snake Eyes?" Isabella called to him as she slowly walked over to where he stood. Whatever the reason was that told her to do it, when she was close enough to touch him, she reached a hand out and gently placed it on the left side of his masked face.
In response, the Black Clad ninja raised his hand and covered Isabella's.
But the second he touched her, something happened; his form started changing, shifting becoming nothing but a shadowy silhouette.
"Snake…" Isabella breathed out the name a final time before gasping in alarm as a new figure took his place.
His long, black hair hung down his neck, a breathing mask covering most of his face so only his eyes were visible as they burned into Isabella's. And in his black gloved hand, he gripped her hand that was on his cheek firm and tight; before bringing both their arms back down to their sides.
"You…" Isabella whispered out loud in shock.
The Doctor laughed lowly, "Well now, now that we have a moment alone together…"
Shocking Isabella with both his speed and strength, the Doctor dropped Isabella's hand only to take hold of her by the shoulders before roughly swinging her about.
Something hit her in the back of her knees, and Isabella felt herself lose her balance only to fall right into a medical chair. Before she could respond, the Doctor had swiftly secured her in place.
"What?" she spoke, "No!" she cried in protest as the Doctor finished clasping her limbs down. Jerking against them proved to no avail.
Laughing, the Doctor stood towering above her, his little control pad already in his hands now, "Are you ready for this, my dear?" he asked as he began pushing buttons on his device.
Hearing the distinctive sounds of a functioning machine, Isabella raised her head up as far as it would go and saw the Doctor's horrific invention begin to lower towards her once again.
"You monster!" Isabella spat as she eyed it getting closer, its long needles coming out from hiding, ready to finally pierce into her skull.
The Doctor chuckled again, "Which is precisely what you are about to become, my lovely Isabella." He replied coldheartedly, "Oh don't worry though….this'll only hurt a lot."
Isabella was about to shout some more profanity, but before she could, the needles rushed forward and penetrated into her head.
All that came out now was screaming….
Isabella awoke with a sharp cry, her body snapping upright in bed in a panicked state before it was pulled right into something hard, bulky and warm.
At first, the young woman struggled in the new hold she had found herself in but when a well muscled arm secured itself around her lower back, keeping her close while another hand had made its way up to soothingly stroke her hair, Isabella finally glanced down to see she was being held against a broad and black covered chest.
Releasing a shaky breath, Isabella slightly pulled back, only just enough so she could stare up into the hidden face of Snake Eyes who had, at some point, taken a seat next to her on her bed.
Though she couldn't see past his visor, she had a strong hunch he was watching her with the utmost concern.
Clearing her throat before subtly licking her dry lips, Isabella shifted around, bringing her hands up to place them flat against the Ninja's muscled chest only to softly push him away, "I'm ok…." She informed him while casting her eyes downward, away from his unseen gaze, "Just a bad dream." She promised.
Though it seemed like he had hesitated, Snake Eyes released her from his hold.
Bringing her hands up, Isabella ran them back through her hair which by now had fallen completely out of its ponytail and now hung in wild waves down her back; all the while, trying to ignore Snake Eyes' apparent scrutiny.
Scooting around the Ninja, Isabella drooped her legs off the side of the bed and carefully got to her feet. Her head still throbbed a little bit, and there was some soreness throughout her body but other than that, she felt as right as rain.
Still feeling the Black Clad Ninja's eyes follow her every move, Isabella smoothly headed to the bathroom and turned on the sink, letting some cold water run for a bit before taking scoops of it and splashing it on her face.
From the bed, Snake Eyes watched Isabella with an unwavering gaze; his eyes taking in every detail about the woman in front of him. From the tiny tangles in her long hair that always looked silky to the touch, to the distinctive curve in her back as she bent over the sink.
No matter what the conditions were, this woman was constantly a sight to behold. And it seemed that no matter what she does, Snake Eyes would find himself reacting to her almost instantaneously. He just couldn't help himself; this woman had him bewitched every since he first laid eyes upon her.
Snake Eyes felt himself swallow briefly before he silently got to his feet..
The icy chill from the water helped clear Isabella's head, while leaving her feeling much more refreshed. As the water droplets ran down her cheeks and off her chin, Isabella, still slightly bent over the sink, reached out for the small hand towel that sat in the corner of the counter.
Grabbing the soft cotton material, Isabella buried her face in it; drying herself off. Then turning, with her face still hidden, she took a step or two towards the bathroom's exit before she lowered the towel from her face,
"Ok Snake fill me in; what's been…" Isabella's sentence was cut off by the gasp that slipped past her lips as she almost ran face first into Snake Eyes' chest once again as he now stood in the doorway of the bathroom.
Distracted momentarily by the rippling muscles that were well defined in his Black suit, Isabella averted her eyes for a brief second by glancing down at the towel she now held to stomach.
"Umm…so…what's been going o…?" She tried again only to have her words fade into silence as Snake Eyes took a daring step forward; leaving less than half of a foot of space between them.
The sudden racing of her heart told Isabella that the bathroom no longer seemed big enough, for the both of them at least.
"Uh…mmm…" She was stuttering now; unable to focus on anything but the closeness of Snake Eyes' body as she stared at the center of his chest.
This nearness was too much for her; it felt far too…intimate,
Unable to raise her eyes to meet his, Isabella kept her vision locked on his center mass "Snake…do you m…"
Right as she started talking again, the Black Clad Ninja reached a gloved hand out and tenderly touched her cheek before sliding it down to cup her chin.
Isabella felt her body go stiff as her face was lifted up and she found herself staring up at Snake Eyes. Her eyes had widened slightly at the shock of the Ninja's bold move; and she began feeling a blush start to stain her cheeks.
And Snake Eyes, well he was more mesmerized than ever as he stared down into the two pools of shimmering turquoise that were Isabella's eyes.
"God, she is beautiful…" he found himself thinking quietly as his eyes brushed down her face, drinking in the sight of her smooth skin, the rosy blush that only added to her apparent loveliness, her lips; full and inviting.
"And oh so soft…" Snake Eyes added as he unconsciously used his thumb to brush across her mouth; wishing that for once he didn't have his gloves on.
At his touch, Isabella's lips parted slightly and quivered softly.
"What are you doing?' she breathed out; her voice soft as a whisper.
Snake Eyes' response was another half step forward; now there were only a few inches separating them.
For the first time in her life, Isabella felt sure that her heart could not possibly be beating more violently in her chest than it was at this exact moment.
Keeping his hand beneath her chin, Snake Eyes tilted Isabella's face up a bit more to him, and the young woman found her breath suddenly caught in her throat.
Especially when Snake Eyes began leaning his dark head down towards her.
He was so very close now; Isabella could hear his breaths behind his mask, and feel the warmth that was radiating off his body into hers.
And then, their noses touched lightly.
"Snake…" Isabella began in a breathless tone; leaning down a bit further now, the Black Clad Ninja found himself hovering right over Isabella's still quivering lips.
"She's nervous…" he thought to himself; but at the same time, "…she's not pulling away."
Trapped in the moment and unable to stop herself, Isabella's eyes fluttered closed; and the second they did, was the second when she felt Snake Eye's masked lips barely touch her own.
But that moment quickly shattered when Isabella's bedroom door was unexpectedly opened.
Coming back to their senses, Snake Eyes dropped his hand away from Isabella; and in response, the young woman hopped further back into the bathroom while Snake Eyes turned around to meet the intruders.
"Yo, Bella…" voiced Ripcord. "You're awake now, right?"
Isabella was quiet for a registering moment.
"Did that seriously almost happen?" she asked herself in disbelief while raising a hand up to her mouth; letting her fingers lightly touch the place where Snake Eyes had nearly kissed.
The spot was still tingling…
Dropping her hand back to her side, Isabella quickly walked out of the bathroom to see both Ripcord and Breaker in her room; but Snake Eyes had completely disappeared.
"Bella?" Ripcord inquired again; shaking the young woman out of her thoughts,
"Yeah sorry…what was that?" she asked back turning her attention onto her dark skinned friend.
"Well you're awfully jumpy right now…you feeling ok?" he asked.
Isabella waved the comment off with a flick of a hand, "Absolutely…" she answered; though it wasn't her most convincing argument.
"Right, ok, ok…" Ripcord replied; accepting the response, or at least part of it. "So you ready to go?"
Isabella arched a smooth eyebrow up in response, "Go?" she repeated, "Where are we going?"
"To Paris!" Breaker swiftly interjected; his voice alight with a soft excitement.
"Paris?" Isabella was shocked; "And we're leaving now?"
"Yeah we have to...we've managed to track down the Baroness; she's heading back to France because her Husband works in a Particle Accelerator Laboratory. That's where she's going to be taking the warheads!" Breaker exclaimed, filling her in.
"But why would she take the Warheads…" In the middle of her question, Isabella figured the answer out for herself. "Oh my God….she's going to try and weaponize them isn't she?"
"Hence why we gotta leave noooooowww!" Ripcord answered as he made frantic come-on gestures with his hands.
"Damn it!" Isabella swore as she practically ran over to her bag of belongings and pulled out some clean clothes; "I see we're going casual today." She grumbled underneath her breath as her hands pulled out a pair of faded blue jeans, a magenta short sleeved top and a half-black zip up jacket with a pair of black boots.
Ripcord and Breaker were already wearing their Civilian clothes; which means the rest of the team would be as well.
"Why didn't someone tell me any of this?" Isabella asked as she scooped up her things and began leading the way out of her room.
"What, Snake Eyes didn't inform you?" Breaker asked.
Isabella shook her head, "No, he most certainly did not." She answered as she quickened her pace and set off for the Main Hanger.
As she sped along, Ripcord and Breaker fell behind only for a quick second, "Yo, man…" Ripcord mumbled underneath his breath, "If Zen Master wasn't in her room briefing her on our mission…then…"
Breaker shrugged a shoulder, "Who can really say when it comes to those two?"
Ripcord's face broke out into a sheepish grin, "Oh I think I can." He announced with a laugh. "Bow-chika-wow-wow."
Breaker couldn't help but chuckle at that before shaking his head, "Naw, man….I don't think so."
"Well… maybe not yet, but you wait my friend. After all, they're going to be in Paris together...that place isn't known for being the 'City of Love' for nothing…"
Breaker smiled, "Wanna make a bet then?" he asked.
"Hell yeah!" Ripcord announced.
"Ok…you go first then."
"Fine…" Ripcord answered. "…100 bucks says that something is gonna go down IN Paris with those two."
"And 100 bucks says that something will happen AFTER Paris." Said Breaker.
Both grinning, the two men shook hands to seal their agreement. But neither of them could've known that in a way, they would both be right.
