After more than a few hours of getting dragged around the Pit, Midnight's Shadow was finally put into a cell and left alone. The first thing she did after the soldiers left was to make sure that the door was locked. Of course it was. Turning away from the door, the dark haired woman took in her surroundings. She almost laughed at how similar it was to her old cell. There was a bed in one corner of the room with a nightstand sitting next to it. The difference with this room was that there was actual color, instead of the entire room being white. The walls were a shade of beige, much like the halls that wound their way throughout the Pit. The blanket and pillow upon the bed were a bland shade of gray and the linoleum floors were similarly colored.
With nothing left to do, Midnight's Shadow uttered a frustrated sigh and went over to the bed, sitting down upon its edge. She leaned back until her back met the cool surface of the wall. There was nothing left for her to do but wait. Closing her lashes over her bright blue eyes, Midnight's Shadow let her mind wander.
For the past few hours, she had been led all over the Pit by the two soldiers who had been assigned to escort her. First, she had been taken to a doctor, as directed. The doctor addressed her wounds, cleaning and changing the bandages on her wrists. He also took blood samples, perhaps trying to identify any remaining drugs remaining in her system that were put there by the terrorists. Lastly, the doctor tried to determine if she really did have amnesia. Midnight's Shadow almost laughed. There really was no way for him to accurately see if she had no memory. All he had was her word.
When the doctor finished his examination, Midnight's Shadow was once again escorted elsewhere in the deep underground complex. They wound their way through an array of different halls, passing many other soldiers along the way. Midnight's Shadow looked at them, but the passerby only spared her a passing glance or ignored her altogether. The dark haired woman took note that they were all army grunts, dressed in similar shades of green and wearing camo prints clothing. Perhaps it was commonplace for them to see a prisoner being walked down the hall. Midnight's Shadow threw away the thought. This didn't seem like the type of facility where you kept prisoners. It was too secret, too well hidden. No this base was used primarily for other things.
Next, Midnight's Shadow was escorted to an interrogation room. She was sat in a cold metal chair at a table in the middle of the room. The two soldiers took placed on either side of her, a precaution in case she tried to escape. Midnight's Shadow briefly entertained the thought of escaping but quickly decided it would be a futile effort. Between the amount of soldiers walking around the base to the fact that they were so deep underground, Midnight's Shadow saw no possible way that she could make a clean getaway.
After what seemed like an hour of waiting, another soldier entered and began to interrogate her. He asked her all of the same questions that Scarlett had inquired about on the plane. The dark haired woman was patient and tried to be cooperative as she answered any and all of the questions he had to the best of her ability. But she began to get deeply irritated when he began to repeat the questions over and over again. Midnight's Shadow tried to still her annoyance and answer his questions exactly the way she had previously done, but that didn't stop him from asking that same question again later in the interrogation. She understood that they were trying to make sure that her story didn't change anytime she told it, ensuring that she wasn't actually a mole being placed among their ranks. Still, that didn't stop her temper from flaring as the fourth hour of the interrogation rolled around. Needless to say, Midnight's Shadow could no longer contain her deep set irritation and frustration and ended up snapping at the soldier. Apparently displeased with this new attitude, the interrogator wrapped up the interrogation and gave the soldiers leave to take her to her cell. Midnight's Shadow was relieved that it was over. Now she wished that she had voiced her anger earlier in the interrogation.
The dark haired woman sighed and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. She brought up a hand and ran it through her messy black locks, brushed them out of her face. Her brows knitting together, Midnight's Shadow buried her face in her hands. What was she supposed to do now? Just wait for her fate to be determined?
Suddenly, she heard the sound of her cell door being unlocked. She let her hands fall away from her face but kept her elbows resting on her knees. Her bright blue eyes sought out her door just in time to see the handle turn. A moment later, Scarlett entered her cell, closely followed by Snake Eyes. The black clad ninja shut the door securely behind him and went over to a nearby wall. Leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest, Snake Eyes watched her silently. Midnight's Shadow stared at him for a moment before turning her attention to the red haired woman before her.
Scarlett held out her hand and Midnight's Shadow realized for the first time that she was holding something. She quickly realized that it was her tan shoulder bag and her black hooded jacket. "You forgot these on the plane," Scarlett told her.
Midnight's Shadow reached up and took the bag and jacket from the red haired woman. "Thanks," she said gratefully, her voice oddly quiet. Her blue eyes were locked up her newly retrieved belongings. This was all she had left of her old life.
Scarlett crouched down so that she was looking the dark haired woman directly in the eye. "Is everything alright?" she asked, her tone concerned.
Midnight's Shadow thought she sounded genuine, but couldn't be sure. She didn't care what these people said or did. All of it could be lies to gain her trust. For what purpose? She couldn't be sure. Perhaps it was the same reason that those terrorists were holding her captive.
The dark haired woman smiled lightly. "Long day," she responded dryly.
Scarlett nodded knowingly. "Yeah. I heard about the interrogation. I heard it was kind of rough."
"Rough?" Midnight's Shadow looked her squarely in the eye. "It was four hours of asking me the same questions over and over again. Try annoying. Or frustrating. Or infuriating. That might come close to it." She shook her head. "They were questioning me like I was the bad guy."
"It's procedure. We had to determine tha-"
"That I wasn't a mole. I know." Midnight's Shadow took a calming breath. She just felt so irritated anytime she thought about the interrogation. "When can I leave?" Scarlett bit her lower lip. She briefly glanced over her shoulder at Snake Eyes. Midnight's Shadow's gaze shifted between the two of them. "What? What aren't you telling me?"
Scarlett looked back to her, looking her squarely in the eye. "We can't let you leave. Whoever those terrorists were, they aren't going to be happy that they lost you. If we let you go, they will find you again. We won't let that happen," the red head explained.
"So what? Am I just supposed to hide out here for the rest of my life?" Midnight's Shadow asked in an exasperated tone.
The other woman shook her head. "No. With your help, we may be able to track them down and eliminate them. Once that is done, the threat to your safety is gone and you are free to go."
The dark haired woman's eyebrows furrowed. "How am I supposed to help you track down terrorists?" she inquired, disbelief showing through in her expression no matter how hard she tried to hide it.
"Well," Scarlett rose to her feet. She moved over to the bed and took a seat next to Midnight's Shadow. "As far as we know, you are the only one who has come into contact with them, seen some of their members, and the interior of one of their facilities. So, right now, you are the closest thing to an expert as we have."
Midnight's Shadow went slack jawed. She let out a small scoffing laugh. "Me? An expert? You must be joking. I barely know anything about these people."
Scarlett shrugged. "That's better than nothing, which is what we have right now," she told her. Her blue eyes sought her own. "So? Will you help us?"
Midnight's Shadow shook her head in disbelief. She brought up her hand and pinched the bridge of her nose. "It doesn't seem like I have much of a choice. Even if I say no, I still have to be kept here. At least this way it will give me something to do, in addition to potentially speeding up how soon I can leave this place." She let her hand fall down into her lap and looked from Snake Eyes to Scarlett. "So, it looks like I'll help you."
The red head nodded. "Good. That's exactly what I wanted to hear," she said with a small smile.
"I thought as much," Midnight's Shadow commented dryly.
"Now," the other woman began. Midnight's Shadow looked at her once more. "There is one more order of business that we must discuss." Scarlett looked at her sideways, a smile playing on her lips. "How would you like to become one of us?"
Midnight's Shadow's eyebrows raised in undisguised surprise. "Become a part of GI Joe? Seriously?" she asked, her tone incredulous.
"Well, you would have to pass a series of tests first to determine if you are eligible, but yes."
Midnight's Shadow cocked her head slightly to the side, perplexed. "I thought you have to be in the military to be a part of GI Joe," she asked.
Scarlett shook her head, her flaming red hair waving back and forth. "Not necessarily. We have recruited a few talented individuals outside of the military before," she answered.
The dark haired woman's eyes shifted to a certain black clad ninja. Perhaps Scarlett was referring to him. To be honest, Midnight's Shadow couldn't picture Snake Eyes in the military. It didn't seem like they would have allowed him to wear that mask 24/7. But who knows? Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he was a part of the military once. Something dawned on her then. What if something happened while he was in the military- something that would cause him to wear a mask to hide his face?
Midnight's Shadow mentally shook her head as she turned her attention back to Scarlett. It wasn't any of her business. It wasn't as if she was actually going to get an answer to her questions about Snake Eyes.
"So what happens if I pass your tests?" she asked, with no small degree of wariness.
"Then you become one of us. You will be given free rein and allowed to walk around the Pit without an escort, which I'm sure would make you happy," she smiled.
The dark haired woman gave a scoffing laugh. "No kidding."
"You will also be given access to our resources. This would be especially helpful to you. We may be able to discover more about your past and help you regain your old life," Scarlett said.
Midnight's Shadow hesitated. Did she want her old life back? Did she even want to remember it? After seeing what she could do- killing people so easily without a second thought- maybe she didn't want it back. Maybe she didn't want to remember what she was before she lost her memory. But, disregarding her past, maybe it would be a good thing for her to join GI Joe. Like Scarlett said, if she joined up she would be able to walk around the Pit without needing an escort. That alone sounded very appealing. She still wasn't sure how well she could trust these people, but at least if she joined them there would be less eyes on her and it would be easier for her to escape if need be.
Midnight's Shadow sighed, breaking her moment of silence. "When do you want me to take the tests?"
The red head's smile broadened. "We'll come to get you tomorrow morning. It'll give you a chance to rest up."
Midnight's Shadow nodded. Her gaze shifted to Snake Eyes for a moment before returning to Scarlett. She nodded her head in the direction of the black ninja. "So why'd you bring him along. Worried that I would attack you and needed a body guard?"
Scarlett laughed lightly. "In a manner of speaking. Breaker told us about how you took him down. So, thought I should bring someone else along, just to be safe. You know, seeing as how your defensive reflexes are instinctual, if I did anything to make you perceive me as a threat then you would attack me. Obviously, I don't want that."
Midnight's Shadow inwardly cringed. She brought up her arms and crossed them over her chest, hugging herself. "I understand."
Scarlett's features softened. "Sorry."
"No, no," the dark haired woman raised her hands into the air as if to ward away her words. "Really. It's okay. I completely understand why you did it. I'm not offended or anything," she assured the other woman.
The red head relaxed a little. "Okay. Good." She rose to her feet, looking to Snake Eyes. The ninja kicked away from the wall he had been leaning against and headed to the door. Scarlett turned to look back to Midnight's Shadow. "We'll be back in the morning." She turned to head towards the door, but stopped. "Oh! I almost forgot!" She reached into her pants pocket and pulled out her iPod. She extended it to her, offering it. "Thought you could use something to occupy your time," she smiled.
Slowly, Midnight's Shadow reached up her hand and took it from her. "Thanks."
"No problem." Then, without another backwards glance, Scarlett and Snake Eyes left the room, locking the door behind them, leaving Midnight's Shadow in silence.