CHAPTER ELEVEN: Chaotic Reunions

Jinx stood at the mouth of a dense forest as her sensei perched atop the edge of a cliff overlooking an old and ruined village. He had been standing there for a while now and she, being the obedient student, waited patiently until he called for her. Or moved. Or did anything, really. About two weeks ago, Snake Eyes had returned to the Arashikage village requesting her assistance in a rescue mission. She assumed one of his teammates had been captured and Jinx was more than happy to accompany Snake Eyes on his assignment, however; he'd been decidedly secretive about the exact mission details.

So far they'd travelled to older Arashikage settlements all over Japan but these weren't anything great; Jinx was technically clan head since her cousin's betrayal, death, and sub-sequential resurrection. She knew about all these places and informed her sensei that any activity would have been reported immediately, not to her necessarily, but the Blind Master certainly. However, Snake Eyes was adamant they still investigate.

Jinx watched at her sensei with a slight frown and edged her way towards him until she was but inches away; she couldn't gauge anything from his body language aside from intense concentration.

"Nothing is here, Master. We must move on." She said quietly, leaning forward to try and catch his attention.

Snake Eyes lifted a hand and rose to his feet, sliding in behind her and guiding her eyes to a mountain in the distance. Jinx cocked her head to one side and blindly reached into her pack for a map, the two of them held an end each and Jinx nodded with a wide-eyed stare.

"My mistake," she conceded, giving her master a nod. "Forgive me."

"No harm done. Let's go."

"Do you remember now?"

The rod bit into her back and a stream of electricity shot up and down her spine in nauseating waves. Theresa threw her head down and grit her teeth together, but a strained scream pried her mouth open regardless. She gasped and shook her head rapidly from side to side, trying to wretch her arms free from the wall where they had been chained. Nothing worked, her body was too weak and her mind was preoccupied with the shocks and hits she was taking. Another blow smashed into her back, making her skin hiss in protest as it burned – perhaps he assumed she hadn't heard him or maybe it pleased him to see her so weak. Theresa had given up acting brave a long time ago.

"I can't! I can't!" she screamed, hot tears streaming down her face.

"Then maybe we should try a different approach."

Theresa heard the rod slam down into a nearby table, felt Storm Shadow lean over her and unhook the heavy chain from the wall. A grim look settled into his face and he refused to meet her gaze as he dragged her down into the hall she'd disappeared into days ago. He drew her up a winding staircase to the top of one of the tubes, kicking open the lid and forcing Theresa to bend over it. She didn't see any harmful fish which lifted her spirits until Storm Shadow pushed her inside; the chains were not nearly heavy enough to drown her but the lid still came down. Tiny fish no bigger than her index finger weaved in between her legs, their cold scaly bodies brushing up against her skin. Theresa jerked in spite of herself, lifting her head and awkwardly clamoured for the sparse air within the container.

She heard something thunk! into the top of the tube and gasped as a flood of water poured into the container, forcing her head underwater. She kicked the glass blindly, the liquid made her eyes sting; she started pounding on the glass with her hands as the fish started nibbling on her ankles and heels with their hot little mouths, going for her hips and collar bone.

I can't breathe.

Was he trying to kill her? If he wanted information, she needed to be alive, right? Or was there still a way to extract the information from her? Had he mined memories from the animals? Was that how he knew about her and her family? About Snake Eyes?

I can't breathe…I can't breathe. God, no, let me out of here, I honestly can't remember!

Maybe she could've surprised the bastard at the cabin. Whip up some traps.

I can't hold it in…

Snake Eyes and Jinx scaled the mountainside without the use of harnesses or safety ropes, carefully maneuvering up the rock to a tiny settlement tucked into a large crevasse near the topmost peak. A thin tower of smoke had twisted up from the mountain, alerting Snake Eyes to the idea someone was using the tiny village. It was old, very old. Abandoned long ago during the peak of the clan wars in Feudal Japan when the Arashikage seized control of the area in the years after a tentative peace was reached. It was later deserted as the modern era crept in, and the Arashikage left in favour of placing their secret villages in the more populated areas; Jinx herself was trained in a dojo in Denver.

But very few people were aware of this particular settlement, it was kept strictly in the family. There was no treasure or anything like that but strategically, it was a massive fortress carved into the mountains with many winding tunnels and secret openings. Unassuming in appearance because the first thing one would see was a derelict village of stone huts, painstakingly cut from the rock. There was little evidence anyone had lived there in a long time but a steady pillar of smoke still rose from one of the farthest huts. Snake Eyes moved inside first, taking in the dusty interior and observing the back wall where a blanket of fine dirt had been seemingly blown back from the wall. Snake Eyes knelt and gently knocked his fist against the wall and an almost pleased aura came off his body.

"Hollow?" Jinx asked, bending down and pressing her ear against the wall. Snake Eyes tapped against the rock again and Jinx heard the soft echoing sound of his knuckles against the stone.

Jinx made to grab a small detonator from her pack but Snake Eyes held up a hand, filtering his fingers along the floor and then tucking them under what was presumably a door. Jinx huffed and squeezed in beside him, the two of them lifting the slab of stone up and quickly rolling inside. It was pitch black darkness for several miles, they two of them sliding along the walls like shadows until the sound of their footsteps echoed on metal flooring versus stone. Heavy boots marched towards them and the ninja went rigidly still as two Cobra soldiers passed them. A dim light was at the end of the corridor, the two soldier were likely checking the secret passageway. Jinx heard the scrapping of Snake Eyes's sword leaving its sheath and watched the soldiers pause and turn to look in the direction of the sound.

Jinx slowly pulled a section of wire from a clasp around one of her wrists and leapt onto the back of one of the soldiers. She twined the wire tightly around his throat, keeping it secure with one of her hands as the other came over his mouth. He reached up and grabbed at her hair and ears but Jinx dug her knees into his sides, pulling tighter and tighter. Snake Eyes had cleanly impaled his own soldier, shoving him soundly into a wall and slitting open his throat with a concealed knife. Jinx felt a twinge of fear come over her as her sensei veered around and inserted the knife into her enemy, feeling him grown limp in her arms.

"I had it under control," she hissed. Snake Eyes made no comment, stripping one of the dead soldiers and inserting himself into the Cobra uniform. Luckily, one of them wore a mask. Jinx reluctantly followed suit, frowning at the size of the uniform before Snake Eyes nudged her head of him. They stood there for a few minutes, pretending they'd gone back and done a check, then marched out into the light.

Someone had certainly been busy, the inner workings of the mountain had been outfitted with metal walls and floors, and running electricity. The middle of the mountain had been hollowed out as a sort of pseudo-Pit jets and tanks were lined up along each wall. Troops of soldiers stalked the main floor, and several patrolled high walkways and stairs. Jinx anxiously led her teacher up the stairs, searching for anything like holding cells or laboratory –

"Hey you!"

Jinx flinched and skidded to a stop, Snake Eyes stiffened behind her. They both turned towards a high ranking Cobra officer, he grimaced and gave a swift nod.

"Yes, you. Come here."

Jinx swallowed the lump in her throat and trudged towards him, giving him a salute and nod.

"Everything clear in the pass?"

"Yes sir," she answered crisply, Snake Eyes nodded beside her. The man gave him a peculiar look.

"Not like I expected anything. Now, Tsukiyama here is supposed to deliver a meal to the Masters –"

"We can do it," Jinx intercepted coolly. "If he's too scared too, of course."

Tsukiyama was barely out of high school and shivering like a leaf in front of a cart of food, he glanced gratefully at Jinx before his face went blank. The man grinned and clapped Jinx on the shoulder, awkwardly moving to take Snake Eyes's shoulder as well and pulling the two of them forward. Once Jinx and Snake Eyes gave a salute and started wheeling away, the soldier punched Tsukiyama in the face.

"At least someone has balls around here."

Jinx and Snake Eyes were guided by an armed detail and left in front of a large laboratory door, a passcode was imputed and the two of them disappeared inside. Jinx slid out of the Cobra colours and moved around to examine a large metal hoop stuck in wall. The area around the hoop was damp with sweat and blood, jagged patterns of blood dotted either side of the hoop and the floor near it. Jinx's eyes flickered towards Snake Eyes as he picked up a metal rod, pressing a small red button and igniting the cattle prong with electricity. He did not look at her.

"There's a trail over here, Master." Jinx said quietly.

Snake Eyes followed the trail, pulling out both swords as they entered a long dark tunnel. He must've seen something because he took off down the hall faster than bullet from a gun. She heard the clanging of metal and drew her sword, rushing after her master and nearly having her head blown up in the process. A spray of bullets fell over the threshold of the hallway and she rolled under the gunfire, throwing a small dagger in the rough direction of the attack. As she got back to her feet, she saw someone fall off a raised platform, dropping a small machine gun that went off again as it hit the floor. Sensing something hurling towards her, Jinx leapt out of the way just as Snake Eyes slid along the floor, his swords crossed over his chest.

"Cousin," Storm Shadow sneered, casually stalking towards them. "I'm surprised to see you, I thought the Arashikage was too busy rearing you for leadership."

"I cannot be leader until you are punished for your crimes, Storm Shadow." She growled angrily in response.

Snake Eyes shook with anger and abruptly turned his attention away from his once best friend, flying at Jinx with a cry and swinging heavily at her head. Jinx blocked his swords and twisted under his arms, sending her foot into his back. He stumbled and whipped around to glare before spinning his blades around in attempts to confuse her, he slashed with his left arm and Jinx blocked, ducking under his right and shoving the hilt of her katana under his chin.

Meanwhile, Snake Eyes swung both of his swords into a tall glass tube where a flood of strange green liquid emptied out onto the floor. Jinx awkwardly dodged another sword swipe, her feet slipping precariously as Snake Eyes stood up with a person in his arms.

"Storm Shadow!" a voice called and Snake Eyes glanced up as the white ninja jumped backwards and scaled the wall. Jinx hurled kunai at him as he disappeared through a small door. She ran at the wall and Snake Eyes gave a loud whistle, Jinx stopped and turned towards him with a surprised look on her face.

"But –"

Snake Eyes shook his head, gesturing for Jinx to move ahead of him and she did, sending her cousin a mean glare before they ran down the hall. Soldiers had filed into the lab by the time the two of them returned and Jinx sheathed her blade in favour of multiple small knives, sending each into the throats of her enemies. The pair crashed through the doors, Jinx kicked the cart ahead of them and knocked over several men, flying past the soldier from earlier and down the secret path.

"What's our escape plan again?" Jinx yelled, staring anxiously at Snake Eyes as they bent and lifted the door up.

On the other side, they piled objects in front of the door and moved into the village, Snake Eyes pulled out what looked like a sleeping bag and carefully laid the person onto it. Taking a closer look, Jinx realized this was not someone she had met before. She gave Snake Eyes a look as he moved the wet hair from the stranger's face, his fingers freezing as her head rolled to one side. He pulled up the bottom of his mask up, startling Jinx as she moved to cover his back in case the soldiers surprised them. Jinx looked over her shoulder as Snake Eyes bent over the woman's mouth, unconsciously touching her own lips and flushing. In the faint moonlight, she had caught a glimpse of the jagged scar that cut diagonally over his mouth.

The woman gasped and coughed, Jinx heard Snake Eyes sigh and then the sound of his mask being pulled back down over his face. The women screamed, blubbering nonsense as she scrambled backwards from the ninja with flailing arms and clumsy feet. She managed to stand up as Snake Eyes rushed forward and caught her in his arms as she swayed, pathetic moans issued from her lips as Snake Eyes attempted to silently soothe her.

Jinx turned and noted her sensei's approach was poor at best, he still wore the Cobra uniform and unless he was willing to break his vow of silence, this woman would not be calm. The woman managed to pry herself out of his grip and collapse into the wall of a nearby house, Snake Eyes quickly shed the Cobra uniform and then started signing rapidly. A look of recognition passed over the woman's face and she sank to the ground with her hands over her face.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," she sobbed. Snake Eyes's shoulders lifted with a sigh and he knelt beside her, carefully grabbing her hands and pulling them away from her face. Even from this distance, Jinx could see dark spots of blackened skin on her face and body, a wicked scar crossed from one side of her face to the other.

Snake Eyes started signing again but Jinx couldn't quite make out what he was saying, whatever it was only seemed to make the woman cry more. Jinx back at the hidden passageway, hoping their enemies would break through and she could hit something. Snake Eyes and the woman were now hugging and he was leading her to the sleeping bag, signing that he'd like her to get inside.

"No, no, no." she stuttered.

"They'll be here shortly, I can't fight and carry you at the same time."

"Then leave me!" she screamed, pushing him away and pacing around. "Just…just go!"

"Theresa, please."

Jinx rolled her eyes and reached into her pack, pulling out a small syringe and walking towards Theresa. She wrapped an arm around the taller woman's waist and stabbed the syringe into her neck. Snake Eyes reached forward to catch Theresa as her knees buckled and she tipped forward, mumbling incoherently before passing out against his shoulder. He looked up at Jinx, blank-faced but oh so expressive at the same time. Jinx shrugged.

"You said it yourself, she needs the sleep anyway."

Jinx stepped around her master and opened the bag for him, he lifted Theresa up and gently placed her inside, pulling straps over her chest and limbs before zipping the bag shut. He and Jinx pulled out their grappling guns and set themselves up to propel down the mountain and into the forest below. Once the ropes were secure, they hooked themselves onto the wire and flew down the mountainside, feeling the wire wiggle as more bodies joined them. Sensing the danger, Snake Eyes wrapped an arm around Theresa and unhooked himself from the wire, disappearing into the forest as Jinx grabbed a knife and severed the wire.

She fell a few feet into the canopy of mercifully soft leaves, joining her master as he slipped Theresa out of the bag. They discarded it and Snake Eyes lifted the unconscious woman onto his back; the ninja then jumped from branch to branch with Jinx occasionally stopping to fend off attack by other ninja dressed in red. The kunoichi flipped backwards onto a branch to avoid a sword, lowering herself before launching herself at a foe, sheathing her blade in his stomach. She jumped off his body, hearing the clatter of swords above her head and remembering that Snake Eyes would be fighting with a handicap.

She jumped back up, dodging a round of gunfire and yelped as someone wrapped an arm around her waist and threw her higher into the branches. She landed rather awkwardly on her feet and peered into the darkness, vague dark shapes now fought with the red ninja. Snake Eyes landed beside her on the branch, adjusting his hold on Theresa and nudging her with his foot as a helicopter roared overhead, its searchlight momentarily blinding them.

"Called in some favours?" Jinx asked, turning with a smile just as Snake Eyes vaulted off the branch and farther away.

Rolling her eyes, Jinx struggled to catch up to him, a part of her still wishing to get in on the action and more or less to go after Storm Shadow. Anything was better than running away.

The helicopter swerved in the air over their heads and a rope ladder that Snake Eyes managed to bypass completely as he flew into the open door with one powerful jump. Jinx grabbed onto the ladder and quickly pulled herself up, and Snake Eyes already had Theresa an examination table with a doctor ready to look after her. He took a seat next to her and Jinx resigned herself to sitting near the pilot.

"Mission successful, returning to base."

Thanks for bearing with my short chapters for so long, I'll aim for 3,000 and higher.

And thanks for reviewing because reviews = motivation :)