Midnight's Shadow finished her small bag of pretzels and began to crumple up the bag, to momentary noise overpowering the TV. Getting up from her seat, she discarded it into the nearest trash can before returning to her seat on the couch. She had removed her boots, which now sat at the base of the couch. She drew her legs up to her chest like a small child, wrapping her arms around her knees. A contented sigh escaped her lips as she looked over to the other three people sharing the couch with her.
They had been sitting here for a good hour, taking a break from previous hours of tests. Inwardly, Midnight's Shadow was glad that Heavy Duty, Scarlett, and Breaker were here. It gave her the chance to get to know them a little better. Maybe it would even help her to trust them a little better- to get a glimpse of their intentions, if there were any ulterior motives behind them. She had felt the hidden agenda when she had been held captive by the terrorists. GI Joe certainly did feel different, and the more she talked with each of them, the more she felt that they really were the good guys. Still, just because they were friendly with her, didn't mean that she would trust them right off the bat. But at least for now, she was more at ease in their presence.
So, for their break, they had sat and talked with one another- just talked. Heavy Duty flipped through the channels on the TV as well, watching the news. The rest of them watched with him. Midnight's Shadow did her best to follow along, but much of what they talked about on the news was things she knew nothing about. She wondered if she had heard about it before she lost her memory or if she simply didn't pay attention to current events. Either way, she was struggling with even watching and understanding the news.
Luckily, Heavy Duty seemed to spot this as well. As they reported on new or continuing topics, the British man would explain it to her. Midnight's Shadow was grateful that he didn't verbally point out that she was struggling. It felt humiliating to be having such trouble with things as menial as picking a snack from a vending machine or following and understanding current events. But, even though he didn't say out loud what he was doing, Scarlett and Breaker seemed to catch on to what he was doing. Each of them were patient with her and answered any questions she had. Due to this, Midnight's Shadow felt herself lowering her defenses. Maybe these people weren't bad after all. They seemed to genuinely want to help her.
Midnight's Shadow's blue gaze looked over to Scarlett and Heavy Duty. "So what's next on the testing agenda?" she asked. Her voice sounded almost bored. To be perfectly honest, she just wanted to get the testing over with- like ripping off a Band-Aid. Midnight's Shadow paused in her thoughts. "Like ripping off a Band-Aid?" Where did that come from? Phrases like that made her wonder if her memory really was returned- albeit extremely slowly. Though, she didn't expect it to return immediately and not all at once.
Scarlett picked up her bottle of water and unscrewed the top with long, pale fingers. "There is only one thing left to test you on," the red head answered. She raised the bottle to her lips and took a long drink.
The dark haired woman tightened her grip around her knees. "What is it?" she asked. She was pretty sure she knew what it was. It was the test she had been dreading, and apparently the one they had saved for last.
Heavy Duty leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest as he did so. He regarded her for a brief moment with a stony expression. "We need to assess your fighting skill," he said.
Midnight's Shadow grimaced. She released her hold around her knees and let her feet return to the ground. "That's what I was afraid of," she sighed.
Scarlett closed her water bottle and set it down upon the coffee table. She looked to the other woman in confusion. "Why?"
"Because…," she bit her lower lip, searching for the words. "I don't want to take that part of the test."
Breaker's jaw went slack while Scarlett and Heavy Duty exchanged a look. "Why not? It isn't as if you won't pass. I saw how you took down those terrorist soldiers," the Moroccan said quickly, obviously just as dumbstruck as his other two comrades.
"That's exactly why I can't take this test." She paused for a moment as an image of the soldiers flashed through her mind. How she had shot them at point blank range. Had their blood splatter onto her. Seeing their eyes open and staring-lifeless, as their life blood seeped from their bodies and into the ground. Her brows furrowed as she tried to force the images from her mind. Midnight's Shadow took a breath before continuing. "As I have told you, when I fight, it's like instinct takes over. I can't control my own body. I just react. It's like I'm an outside observer, watching as I…," she cleared her throat. "If you test me against someone, I could kill them without meaning to. That is the last thing that I want to happen."
Scarlett made a comforting gesture. "I understand why you're worried but don't. We are testing you against one of our best. As good as Breaker said you were when he saw you fight out in the field, ours is better," she smiled.
This piqued a bit of curiosity inside Midnight's Shadow as she looked at the red head sideways. Still, she didn't feel convinced. "Who?"
"Snake Eyes, of course," Heavy spoke up.
Midnight's Shadow should have seen that coming. She recalled how experienced Storm Shadow had been when she had fought him. He was completely out of her league. She couldn't even touch him. It had been like he was toying with her. Snake Eyes was a ninja as well. Midnight's Shadow thought it was safe to assume that he was of the same skill level as Storm Shadow, but still. What if she was wrong?
She sighed, long and slow. "I don't know."
"Trust us. We've been on a team with Snake for years. Not once, have I ever seen anyone- in the field or in the training area- even land a hit on him. The man is untouchable," Scarlett told her, with no small degree of admiration and awe in her voice.
Still, a deep frown remained on the dark haired woman's face. She wasn't entirely convinced.
"Alright." Scarlett stood up suddenly. She strode over until she stood before Midnight's Shadow. She pointed down at the young woman's discarded boots. "Put your boots on. You are going to see for yourself."
Scarlett and Heavy Duty led the way as they moved through the masses, Midnight's Shadow and Breaker following behind. Crowds of soldiers still moving back and forth on errands or moving between stations in the training area. Midnight's Shadow wondered if this was all they had to do when they weren't on missions. Did they just spend all their free time training or did they actually have jobs to do?
Suddenly, Scarlett pulled back until she was walking alongside Midnight's Shadow. The dark haired woman looked sideways at her. The red head pointed through the crowd just ahead of them. Midnight's Shadow looked to where she was pointing to see a group of soldiers ringing a small matted area. Within that area, she could catch glimpses of movement, but nothing else. There were simply too many soldiers gathered around for her to see what they were watching. Lengthening her strides, Midnight's Shadow pushed her way through the crowds to reach the area ahead of them. When they reached it, she had to raise herself slightly onto the tips of her toes and peer over a few of the soldier's shoulders in order to see what lay beyond.
"Want to sit on my shoulders?" she heard Heavy Duty chuckle.
She threw him an irritated look before returning her gaze to what lay beyond the throng of soldiers. As she should have expected, it was Snake Eyes. But he wasn't alone. Another rather young looking soldier stood across from him on the mat. He was breathing hard, his chest heaving. A layer of sweat coated his brow, dripping onto the mat below. He was bent over, his hands resting on his knees as he fought to catch his breath. Snake Eyes, on the other hand, didn't even seem to be affected. His breathing was even and he was standing tall, patiently waiting for the other man to make a move.
Then, all at once, the soldier attacked. He rushed Snake Eyes, determined to catch him off guard. Even Midnight's Shadow knew that was a stupid move. He was moving so fast, that he left himself wide open to a single, well-placed attack from the black clad ninja. And, just as she had predicted, Snake Eyes simply brought up his leg, and with blinding speed kicked the soldier back. The other man stumbled back, but quickly recovered and went on the offensive once again. One thing Midnight's Shadow could give the soldier credit for: he didn't give up easily. Maybe that was an attributing factor to him being recruited by GI Joe.
The soldier and Snake Eyes continued to spar- or at least, if that's what you want to call it. Snake Eyes wasn't even trying. Midnight's Shadow watched the fight for about five minutes. All throughout that time, Snake Eyes did not move an inch from where he had been standing when she first walked up. It was like he was toying with the other man. His attacks would batter him back in rapid and precise strikes. When the soldier needed to recover, he would stand and patiently wait for him to catch his breath. He never made the first move. He only reacted when the soldier attacked. As she watched, she couldn't help but think how he was probably going to be more than a match for her.
She glanced sideways at her companions. She saw Heavy Duty and Breaker laughing quietly as the black ninja toyed with his opponent. Scarlett watched with an aloof sort of expression from beside Midnight's Shadow. The red head looked at the dark haired woman, noticing her gaze. "Something wrong?"
"Well," her dark brows furrowed slightly as a few questions came into the forefront of her mind. Her bright blue gaze shifted to the soldier as the black ninja continued to batter back his opponent, like how a cat plays with a mouse before it eventually finishes it off. "I was kind of wondering," she looked back to Scarlett. "I mean, you're friends with Snake Eyes, right?"
Scarlett nodded. "Of course."
"How do you talk to him? I mean, when you first went off to start prepping the tests, Snake Eyes came to stand with me, like you saw. I didn't know how to talk to him. It's not like we can really have a conversation. It's more of me talking at him while he just stands there and stares at me. How did you become friends with him if you can't even carry on a conversation with him and get to know him?" she asked, her eyes carefully watching the black ninja.
The red head laughed lightly. She reached up a hand and tucked a few strands of flaming red hair behind her ears. "Well, I will admit I found it challenging the same way that you do," she grinned.
"You mean, he was here before you?" she inquired, cocking an elegant black eyebrow.
The other woman nodded. "I was accepted into GI Joe about a year and a half ago. Snake Eyes was here before that."
"So, how did you become friends?"
"Well, it was awkward at first- as you have already noticed. But, he has a way of showing you want he wants to say. It's true that you can't have a normal conversation with him, but yet the more time you spend with him…," Scarlett paused, searching for the words. "You will be able to, sort of, feel what he wants to say or is thinking. It's hard to describe until you get to know him better. My recommendation: spend time with him and you'll begin to see what I mean."
Midnight's Shadow nodded. What does she mean? "Feel what he wants to say?" How would you feel something like that? She isn't a mind reader. What if she never learns how to communicate with the silent ninja? Would she be doomed to more awkward interactions like the one she had earlier that day until she was allowed to leave? It could be months, even years before they found and eradicated the terrorists and she would be allowed to leave. She didn't exactly want to avoid him, but yet she didn't know how to talk with him. According to Scarlett, spending time with Snake Eyes would allow her to be able to communicate with him more easily. But that meant that there would be a lot more awkward social interactions before that actually happened.
As she looked back to the fight, Midnight's Shadow caught a glimpse of the young soldier stumbling into the crowd, his hand clutching his stomach and his other waving in defeat. Another imposing soldier emerged from the crowd. He appeared to be a high ranking officer of some kind. "Alright. As predicted, Snake Eyes wins again," he called out. "Is there anyone else who would like to challenge him?" The officer's eyes skimmed over the crowd looking for anyone to step forward or raise their hands. Snake Eyes' head turned as he examined the crowd as well. Midnight's Shadow thought he looked bored. Or maybe it was confidence. Then again, it could be both. It was probably rare for someone of his skill to find an opponent who could match him.
Suddenly, Midnight's Shadow felt Scarlett grab her wrist to raise her hand into the air. "Right here! We have a newbie who needs to be tested," she called.
The dark haired woman paled as suddenly all eyes turned to her. "Scarlett!" she hissed. "What the hell?!"
The red head smiled mischievously. "You'll be fine. It's like a rite of passage to get your ass kicked by Snake Eyes. And according to Breaker," she briefly glanced at the Moroccan man who was standing next to her before looking back to Midnight's Shadow. "You might just give him a run for his money. Besides, you need to finish your testing anyways. Now," she walked behind the dark haired woman, who stood frozen, her blue eyes wide. She placed her hands onto her shoulders. "Just go out there and do your best."
Then, with a none too gentle push, Scarlett shoved her through the crowd of soldiers to stand before the waiting Snake Eyes.
A/N: Wow. I am on fire! Posted chapter twelve came home and wrote this chapter super fast and now I'm already working on the next one. That will probably be the one I post tomorrow then before I go to work. Yay for fast updates!
As always, please review!