Midnight's Shadow awoke to the feeling of someone gently shaking her. Her groggy mind briefly wondered, "When had I fallen asleep?" Her bright blue eyes blinked open to see Storm Shadow hovering over her, his hands on either side of her shoulders.
"Wake up. Wake up now," he said, sounding slightly impatient.
She reached up a hand to rub her eyes. "What's going on?"
"I'm taking you to meet the Doctor." He pulled away his hands and straightened to his full height. When she didn't move right away, he said, "Get up now."
Thinking it would be best to comply with the white ninja's wishes, Midnight's Shadow straightened up from her cot. Shadow Storm took a few steps back in order to give her room to rise from the cot. When she was on her feet, he stepped up to her, grabbed her arm, and pulled her towards the door. When they emerged from the room, the dark haired woman took a second to examine her surroundings.
It was a plain looking hallway, using the same look as her room: white walls and a metal floor. A few doors were scattered down the hallway and Midnight's Shadow couldn't help but wonder if there were people like her in those rooms. About thirty feet down the hall, it intersected with another passage way. At that junction, there was a doorway. The door was open and she could see right in. A few heavily armored men sat on a few benches in the center of the room. They wore helmets that disguised their features, but Midnight's Shadow could clearly see a symbol stitched into their uniforms. It looked like some sort of snake. In the hands of, what she recognized now to be soldiers, were guns. They ranged in size from a simple hand gun to massive machine guns.
Midnight's Shadow didn't really get a chance to be surprised before Storm Shadow was pulling her down the hallway, away from the soldiers, his iron grip on her arm not letting her get very far away from him. She stumbled along, unable to keep up with his long strides. Storm Shadow seemed to notice this and slowed his pace.
"Who are those men?" she asked, unable to help herself. "The ones in that room at the end of the hallway."
Storm Shadow didn't look at her as he answered. "They work for us. They keep this place safe," was all he said.
Midnight's Shadow's eyes narrowed. She didn't like how vague he was being. She wanted to ask for more details, but thought better of it. Maybe the Doctor would be more willing to answer her questions.
They walked for several minutes. Storm Shadow expertly picked his way through the maze of corridors and through a series of rooms. The dark haired woman tried to remember the path they took, just in case she needed to make an escape. They encountered only a few people as they made their way to where the Doctor was located. All of them were armed men, each one of them dressed in the same uniform as the men she had seen in the room at the end of the hall. She noticed, once again, the snake symbol stitched into every uniform. When they passed close by one of the soldiers, the young woman saw that the snake was actually a cobra.
After the few minutes that it took them to get there, Storm Shadow led them through a door and into what appeared to be a mix between a mad scientist's lab and a doctor's office. In one corner sat a large chair, similar to one you might find in a dentist's office. A few counters were scattered around the walls, with things that you would typically find in a doctor's office: blood pressure pump, stethoscope, clipboards with charts for a patient, and assorted medicines in the cabinets. The rest of the room had tables, each one with some sort of chemistry set on top of it. Some were not being used while others had liquid pouring through their tubes. Some of the strange mixtures even had smoke coming out of them.
Standing by the chair with a medical chart in hand, was what Midnight's Shadow assumed to be the Doctor. He certainly looked like one, with a long white lab coat and a stethoscope around his neck. But she saw that he had some sort of mask on over the lower half of his face. It looked like something that would aid in breathing or something of the like.
Despite herself, Midnight's Shadow started to recoil, taking an involuntary step back upon seeing his appearance. She would have backed herself up against the wall if she could, but Storm Shadow's grip on her arm held her fast.
The Doctor turned to look at the two of them, as if just noticing that they were standing there. "Come, come. I don't have all day. Storm Shadow, put her in the chair," he commanded.
The white ninja did as he was told and began to pull her towards the chair. The dark haired woman dug in her heels and refused to take another step forward. She felt panicked. A voice inside her was screaming: "Get away from him! Stay away!" Fear gripped her as she looked at the Doctor. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
She tried to break from Storm Shadow's grip, but the white ninja was impossibly strong and easily pulled her towards the chair.
"Now, now. Don't worry. I'm here to make you feel better. I am a doctor after all," the Doctor said with what sounded like a smile in his voice.
Deep inside her, Midnight's Shadow knew he was lying. She tried in vain to run away, pushing Storm Shadow away and trying to kick him or claw his arm that was clamped onto her own. This only seemed to make him angry, as the white ninja shoved her roughly into the chair. She immediately tried to rise, but was forced back down. In seconds, restraints were fastened onto her arms, legs, and midsection. She struggled nonetheless, trying to overpower the restraints but to no avail. She couldn't escape.
The Doctor walked forward, setting the medical chart he had been examining on a nearby counter. He leaned over her and gave her a very quizzical look as he looked her up and down. "Storm Shadow tells me that you lost your memory. Is that correct?"
Midnight's Shadow scowled and said nothing. She was inwardly kicking herself for saying anything. She should never have told Storm Shadow she lost her memory. Now she had to deal with this lunatic.
When she didn't answer, the Doctor straightened up and headed over to the counter to start rummaging through the drawers and cabinets, oblivious to his patient's murderous glares directed at him. "Oh, you can go now, Storm Shadow. I'll call you when I need you," he said, almost as an afterthought.
When Midnight's Shadow turned to look at Storm Shadow, she was stunned to see that he was gone. She didn't hear him walking away or even hear the door open and close. "He really is a ninja," she thought to herself.
"Now then," began the Doctor, turning back to her with a syringe in hand. The young woman's blue eyes snapped back over to the Doctor and gave him an icy glare, but once again he didn't seem to notice. "I'm going to give you some of this. It will knock you out for a few hours. Just long enough for me to finish my examination." He lowered the needle towards the inside of her elbow, exactly where the rest of the needle injections had been.
"Keep that thing away from me," she said in a warning tone, her voice like a low growl.
He didn't care though. And why should he listen to her anyways? She was tied up. He could do anything he wanted to her. That last thought caused a shiver to go down her spine.
There was a slight prick as the needle pierced her skin and emptied its contents into her. After a moment, the Doctor drew the needle out, set it on the counter, and turned back to her. "Now, I have other matters to attend to. I'll be back in a little while when this takes effect." He began to walk past her to reach the door and the young woman threw him another murderous glare and this time he noticed. His own gaze hardened into a scowl and he looked at her. Then he went through the door and was gone.
Midnight's Shadow glanced hurriedly around the room. She had to find something that would help her escape. She spied a mobile tray with assorted medical instruments on top of it. The tray was only a few inches away from her chair. Clearly, the Doctor is planning on using them once she was unconscious. All of the tools were used for surgery. What could the Doctor possibly think surgery would do to help her memory? Unless, it was nothing more than a side effect of whatever he had been doing to her. It could have been caused by the injections or possibly whatever the Doctor did after she was unconscious. She didn't want to find out.
She pushed her arms as far through the restraint as she could. Then when she couldn't force it out any farther, she angled her arm and began to reach for the tray. It took a few seconds, but she managed to grip the side of the tray and pull it towards her. When it was closer, she picked a scalpel off of it and began to use it to cut through the restraint. Luckily, the restraints were just tough leather. She could cut through it with enough time. The question is whether she can get out of it before the drug takes effect or the Doctor comes back.
The minutes seemed to drag by as Midnight's Shadow continued to saw through the restraint with the scalpel. She found herself continually watching the door, just waiting for the Doctor or Storm Shadow to come in. But they didn't. It didn't calm her nerves though. Eventually, after who knows how long, the restraint split open just enough that it widened the gap on one side and allowed her to pull her arm out. Hurriedly, she undid the restraints on her other arm, her midsection, and both her legs. Then she leaped to her feet, the scalpel still clutched in her hand. It was the only weapon she had at the moment and she needed something to defend herself in case she ran into any opposition.
Cautiously, the dark haired woman opened the door and peered out. The hall was empty. As quietly as she could, Midnight's Shadow ran down the hallway, the sound of her bare feet padding on the metal floor oddly loud in the silence. She ran for about forty feet until she came to a junction in the hallway. She froze.
She could hear voices coming down the hallway. She braced her back up against the wall, moving as close to the corner as she dared, and peered around the corner. Midnight's Shadow could clearly see two of those soldiers she had seen earlier heading down the hall towards her. Luckily, they were too busy talking amongst themselves to notice her looking around the corner. Midnight's Shadow straightened, gripping the scalpel in her hand determinedly. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself, as she waited for them to get closer.
When their footsteps sounded as if they were just about to turn the corner, the dark haired woman's eyes snapped open and she whirled around the corner. The two men stopped short, grunting in surprise, but they didn't even have a chance to react. Midnight's Shadow arced the scalpel through the air, slicing it cleanly through the first man's throat. With a sickening gurgle, he fell to the ground, crimson blood staining his uniform. The second man tried to bring up his large assault rifle, but didn't get the chance to use it. The young woman grabbed the arm holding the gun, drew it past her, jerking the man forward and so that the gun was no longer pointed at her. Then she brought up her knee, and jabbed him in the ribs several times. When the man doubled over, clutching his chest in pain, Midnight's Shadow swiftly brought up her elbow and rammed it into the back of the man's head with all her might. The man fell like a stone, not making a sound, and did not move again.
She stood there, looking down at the men she had just attacked, frightened by what she had done. Her hands trembled as she saw the blood pouring from the first man's slashed throat. She glanced sickeningly at her hand that still clutched the scalpel and saw that it was now stained red. She felt as if she might retch, but she didn't. She stood several steadying breaths, trying to calm her racing heart. After several long moments, she leaned down and wiped her hand and the scalpel on one of the soldier's uniforms to clean off the blood. Quickly, she sifted through the second man's uniform until she pulled out a hand gun and a comm. System. That would allow her to know when they discovered she was gone and possibly where they soldiers were. The hand that gripped the hand gun was visibly shaking. She had just killed a man. She had killed him without a second thought. Her breathing sounded harsh in the silence, sounding like she was on the brink of screaming. How did she know to do that? It was just instinctual. She did it without thinking. By the time she realized what she had done, the two soldiers were already down. Was she some sort of soldier? A mercenary? An assassin? Was this her job?
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard someone ahead of her down the hallway shout, "Hey, you! Freeze! Stay where you are!"
Midnight's Shadow didn't even think about what she did. She just did it. Gripping the scalpel tightly in her hand, she threw it. It flipped end over end until it buried itself in the soldier's shoulder. He stumbled back, stunned by the force of the blow. He uttered a curse under his breath as he ripped it out of his shoulder, letting it clatter to the ground, and brought up his hand gun. Midnight's Shadow barely had time to roll out of the way and around the corner before the first bullet was fired. She straightened her back against the wall as several bullets hit the wall, just inches from her head. There was a momentary pause and she seized her opportunity. Bringing her newly acquired gun to bear, she whipped around the corner and fired three shots. The first missed but the last two met their marks. The second shot hit the soldier in the shoulder, causing him the stagger back once more. The final bullet hit him right in the center of his chest. The soldier fell backwards, his back smashing into the wall behind him, and sagged slowly to the ground, leaving a long blood line on the surface.
She averted her eyes and quickly began to run down the hall once again. She wasn't entirely sure which way to take. She had never even seen anything that looked like an exit. Then again, this was the first time out of her room. At least, the first time that she could remember. She could hear shouts over the comm. System and adjusted her paths accordingly to avoid any more encounters. She weaved through endless amounts of halls. Every single one seemed to be the same. There didn't seem to be any defining feature that Midnight's Shadow could use to tell any of the halls apart. Nonetheless, she kept running, still searching for an exit.
Suddenly, she heard the pounding of footsteps coming down the adjoining hall just ahead of her. She lengthened her strides as she tried to make it to the end of the hall before the other soldiers. She reached the end of the hall just as three soldiers rounded the corner. Midnight's Shadow launched herself into the air. She flew so high into the air that she surprised herself. Her legs wrapped around the neck of the nearest soldier and pulled him to the ground. He only had time to utter a strangled gasp of surprise before she snapped his neck. The other two soldiers, who were momentarily stunned by her sudden appearance, brought up their guns to point them at her head. They didn't get the chance to pull the trigger. Her leg whirled in a half circle across the metal floor, sweeping their legs out from under them. They both fell onto their backs, losing their grips on their guns as they slid away from them on the floor. Hurriedly, she rose to her feet, kicking her leg out at the nearest soldier as he tried to rise. Her foot connected with his chin, his head snapped back, and fell back to the ground.
The third soldier was one his feet by now, though. He held up his fists, readying himself for her attack. She turned to face the soldier, bringing up her fists as well. Her chest was heaving from the fighting and continuous running through the seemingly endless hallways. Adrenaline was pumping wildly through her veins. She could hear her heart beat in her ears, sounding so loud that the soldier might even hear it.
Then, the soldier leapt on offensive. He charged her, his arm swinging through the air towards her head. She ducked under the attempted blow and executed one of her own, swinging her fist to make contact with his midsection. She issued several punches to his abdomen which caused the soldier to double over in pain. He tried to strike her once again, but she easily sidestepped the attempted blow, landing an effective blow to his windpipe in response. The man instinctually clutched his throat, coughing and gagging. She then brought up her knee and slammed it into his abdomen, bending him double. Then, in one swift movement, Midnight's Shadow brought up her leg and smashed her heel down on the back of the soldiers head. With a grunt of pain, the man fell to the ground and didn't move again.
She stood over the fallen soldiers, her heart beat pounding in her ears and her breathing loud in the silence. Suddenly, she felt someone behind her. Midnight's Shadow whirled around, her fist swinging through the air, but was stopped. Storm Shadow stood just behind her, his hand wrapped around her fist.
"How far did you think you could run?" he asked her. The white ninja glanced behind her to where the three soldiers lay on the ground. He turned his gaze back to the dark haired woman, faint surprise on his features. "So I see you didn't completely lose your memory."
Knowing that her escape was cut off unless she dealt with Storm Shadow, Midnight's Shadow attacked. She jerked away her fist and swung up her leg in a roundhouse kick. But the white ninja was impossibly fast. He brought up his hands, grabbed her leg, and twisted. The dark haired woman lost her footing and fell to the ground, hard. Instinctually, she rolled to the side, narrowly missing a kick from Storm Shadow intended to knock her unconscious. A second later, she was back on her feet, her muscles tensing as she readied herself for whatever Storm Shadow did next.
Suddenly, Midnight's Shadow felt rather groggy. The hallway felt like it was moving under her feet as she stumbled to the side, trying to use the wall to steady herself. She blinked her blue eyes rapidly, as if she could clear her vision by doing so. She heard Storm Shadow laughing and did her best to look up at him, a scowl on her face.
"I see the Doctor's medicine is just starting to take effect," the white ninja smiled as he stood a few steps toward her. "It truly is remarkable how fast its effects take hold."
The entire hall felt as if it was spinning, shifting and changing its form. The dark haired woman leaned heavily up against her shoulder, bracing herself against the wall. She felt herself slowly sagging lower and lower, her legs growing weaker and buckling underneath her. Darkness was creeping into the fringes of her vision. She could feel herself slipping away as she finally fell completely to the ground.
Storm Shadow crouched on the ground in front of her. He reached forward and pulled away the stolen gun and comm. System, tossing it harmlessly away from her.
As Midnight's Shadow finally fell into unconsciousness, her last image was of Storm Shadow smiling at her.