CHAPTER SIX: Long Distance
After passing around a couple cups of coffee and relaxing into her favourite armchair, Theresa pulled her legs underneath her body and kept a cup of green tea near her face, letting the steam flicker across it as she observed Snake Eyes's friends. Their leader was a man named Duke with close cut blond hair and blue eyes, he was shorter than the ninja but possessed an impressive figure much like Ripcord who was their best pilot (apparently); he was the original source of the laughter but she hadn't gleamed what made the dark-skinned man laugh so much.
There was Breaker who took a seat in the corner and attempted to establish an internet connection, his sharp inquisitive eyes not leaving his computer screen for one moment although he certainly appreciated the caffeine. Heavy Duty was the second tallest person in the room with a massive chest and arms, making Theresa feel incredibly small.
Duke and Heavy Duty both sat together on one couch, Ripcord was sprawled across the other one, and Snake Eyes was talking to the redhead woman named, ironically, Scarlet. The two of them were talking in low voices in the kitchen and Theresa forced herself to pay more attention to the people around her.
"So you were looking for Snake Eyes then?" she started, snapping her fingers for Taiga.
"Yeah, we hadn't heard from him in a while and his signal disappeared so we thought we'd come find him." Duke explained. "What happened exactly?"
"He fell into my lap, kind of literally. Some other ninja was hunting him and…yeah, I've been looking after him."
"You mean, he let you look after him?" Ripcord wondered, giving the ninja an incredulous look.
"…Yes?"
"He's so proud. Whenever he's been hurt before, it's a trial to get him into the infirmary." Snake Eyes strode over and knocked his fist against Ripcord's head, cozying up against the window and watching Scarlet take a seat closer to Theresa.
"Thanks for looking after him for so long," Scarlet said, a strange, almost official tone in her voice. "But we need to leave soon."
Theresa saw Snake Eyes shift and bit back a smile as Taiga whined, moving over to the ninja and flopping dramatically onto his lap. Snake Eyes sighed and scratched Taiga's back, eventually turning the husky over and scratching his stomach.
"How soon? It'll be dark in a couple more hours and not that I doubt your piloting skills, Ripcord, but can you at least stay the night?"
Scarlet glanced at Duke for an answer. Theresa observed the other woman's face as her mouth into a thin, disapproving frown. Duke's gaze awkwardly flickered to Ripcord who conveniently looked away, then to Snake Eyes who made no real reaction. His eyes finally settled on Theresa and he smiled a little bit at her before shrugging, and agreeing to her request. Theresa leaned back and took a tentative sip of her tea, staring between the two soldiers as they made several nonverbal motions before Scarlet faced forward and crossed her arms over her chest. Duke nudged Ripcord but the pilot was quick in putting his hands up in a "don't ask me" gesture.
Throughout the exchange, Snake Eyes appeared interested in the terrain outside but Theresa caught him looking in on the conversation, she couldn't guess what was on his mind because he was purposely hiding his reactions from Theresa.
Regardless, as the sky turned an inky black and the sun swiftly descended below the horizon, sleeping arrangements had to be made. Theresa was willing to give up her and her brother's room but everyone was content in taking over the couches or in the case of Snake Eyes, the floor itself. Theresa went upstairs to retrieve some blankets and pillows as Taiga burrowed into the ninja's side, jumping in surprise as Scarlet materialized behind her with arms open. Her face was a little more pleasant even though she wasn't exactly smiling, so Theresa handed her the pillows and threw the blankets over her own shoulders.
"Thank you," the redhead said suddenly, the two of them still hidden from the rest of the team.
"I-it's no trouble, you came a long way – "
"I meant Snake Eyes. He…he usually comes to me about these things."
Theresa opened her mouth to say something but stopped when Scarlet looked away, embarrassed. Theresa nodded and started down the stairs first, looking over her shoulder and jerking her head towards the others. Scarlet gave her a curt nod and trailed behind her, tossing the pillows like footballs at her teammates as Theresa daintily passed out blankets.
Once everyone was tucked in and Snake Eyes finally accepted a pillow of his own, Theresa escaped into the kitchen and shut the lights off, preparing two other cups of tea. Retrieving her mug from the little end table, she watched the elements turn red and waited for the sharp whistle of the kettle. Breaker was still awake and had a bunch of pillows bunched up behind him, the light coming from his laptop made his face look too pale. She considered getting him another coffee but decided against it. Once she prepared a small tray with a teapot and two cups, Theresa made eye contact with Scarlet and made a very deliberate trek into her brother's studio. Within moments, Scarlet joined her at Logan's desk and took the offered stool as Theresa balanced herself on the tabletop.
"This ninja then…he's a big deal?" Theresa began cautiously, watching Scarlet gaze into her cup.
"For all I knew, Snake Eyes killed him. I should've known something was up when he didn't start speaking." Scarlet took a sip and released a sigh. "He took on this vow of silence until the day he killed the murderer of his master, and I respect that but – "
"You're upset that he went off without telling you, that you didn't come to same conclusion. And you're a little pissed at me."
Scarlet blinked.
"You're very perceptive, Theresa."
"And you've got good reason. Instead of coming to you, he goes lone wolf and thinks he doesn't need anyone's help. He confides (however vaguely) in someone you don't know and you feel betrayed."
"Snake Eyes mentioned you had a brother." Scarlet said, smiling a little as she thumbed through a sketchbook.
Theresa snorted.
The following morning, Theresa woke up and went downstairs to find all the blankets folded up and the pillows stacked neatly on the couches. Taiga was lying in the centre of the floor whimpering and Theresa kneeled down and stroked his head, frowning when she noticed a mountain of tiny boxes piled in one corner of her kitchen. A letter was taped to the top and she carefully ripped it off and read the note.
Theresa,
Sorry we couldn't stay for breakfast but you have no food! We left some supplies behind, it's not filet mignon but it'll last another couple of months. Thanks for everything.
The Alpha Team.
P.S. We fed Taiga.
P.P.S. Snake Eyes left something extra for you.
Theresa raised an eyebrow and picked up one brown box, turning it over in her hands and shaking it. Shrugging, she opened one end and ended the contents onto the counter.
"Crackers, instant coffee, gum…that's a fork, cheese spread…Yum." She turned around and leaned against the counter to look at Taiga. "I bet your food tastes better."
She examined the pile for the extra thing Snake Eyes left behind just as Taiga got up and padded into the studio, barking impatiently for her to follow. Theresa went straight to the drawing table and moved the sheets around, coming across a series of numbers and a website address she hadn't seen before. She stepped back into the living room and peered at the corner Breaker previously occupied. Another white note was taped to the wall along with a strange black box stuck in the electrical socket.
Theresa,
Your internet is terrible but I've improved it in one spot. Do not remove this device from this spot.
Thank you and you're welcome, Breaker.
Theresa raised an eyebrow and jogged upstairs, retrieving her laptop from under her bed; she grabbed the pile of pillows from the couch and dumped them into the corner, seating herself in the middle and booting up. Taiga shuffled over and collapsed onto the pillows beside her, sighing deeply and shutting his eyes as Theresa got onto the internet. She typed the address into the search bar and was met with a login, she peered at the numbers on the piece of paper and typed them in.
The screen that popped up next was blank and black, Theresa frowned and typed in "Hello?"
She watched the screen blankly for a few minutes and sighed, placing the laptop on the floor and leaving to try out the instant coffee. She returned to her pillowed throne moments later and bit her lip as white script flittered across the screen.
"I see you found my message."
Theresa raised an eyebrow, "Is that you, Hayabusa?"
"Yes. This is a secure line though, there's no need for codenames."
"Cool…but you know I was trying to get on your nerves."
Sorry for the inconsistent updates. Everyone forget that I promised to update every ten days.