Midnight's Shadow was awakened to the sound of someone knocking on her door. With a tired groan, she rolled onto her ride. Reaching up a hand, she wiped the sleep from her blue eyes and brushed back a mess of black hair that had fallen in front of her face. Raising herself up onto one elbow, Midnight's Shadow looked at the clock sitting on the nightstand. 10:27.
The knocking on the door sounded again. With a sigh, the dark haired woman set aside the shoulder bag that she had been holding during the night. Placing her hands on either side of her, gripping the sides of the bed. Then, with as much strength as her tired body could manage, Midnight's Shadow rose to her feet. She was instantly struck with how sore she was-her entire body aching and hurting. She paused in that thought-tossing it away. No. She wasn't sore. She actually had bruises all over her body-black and blue reminders of her fight with Snake Eyes. The ninja had most definitely been holding back during their fight, but that didn't mean he didn't hit back.
As a third set of knocks sounded on the door, Midnight's Shadow quickly walked to the door, ignoring the aching of the bruises all over her body. Extending her hand, she gripped the handle and tugged open the door. Midnight's Shadow was instantly greeted by the face of Scarlett.
The red head was dressed in camo pants, black tank top, and combat boots. Her long, flaming black hair was drawn up into a neat ponytail behind her head. She looked at the other woman, amusement evident in her blue eyes. "Good night's sleep?" she asked.
Midnight's Shadow leaned against the door frame as she looked at Scarlett. "I'd say, if it's not a drug induced sleep, then it was a good night's sleep," she said dryly in her scratchy morning voice. "So then yes. Yes, I did."
"Wow. You're cheery in the morning," Scarlett observed. "Well, you should be happy because I let you sleep in a few extra hours. I figured you were pretty tired from the eventful few days you've had."
Midnight's Shadow scoffed. "No kidding." Her blue eyes looked squarely into Scarlett's own. "Thanks."
The other woman nodded. "No problem." She gestured to the dark haired woman's clothes. "I guess I should have let you borrow some pajamas or something last night, huh?"
Midnight's Shadow glanced down at her rumpled outfit. She was still wearing the same clothes given to her by Storm Shadow the day he came into her cell to begin the trip to meet the Doctor at the other facility. She looked back up at Scarlett and shrugged. "It doesn't really matter what I sleep in does it? I mean, it's not like I'm awake to care about what I'm wearing and I'm pretty sure no one else is either," she told her, a smirk in her voice. She tilted her head to the side, letting it rest on the door frame, not taking her eyes off the other woman as she did so.
Scarlett laughed lightly. "I guess you're right about that. Nevertheless, you can't wear that one outfit for the rest of your life. Here, follow me." The red head gestured for her to follow and Midnight's Shadow complied, pushing away from her spot against the door frame. She followed her out of her room, shutting the door behind her. Scarlett walked only a couple of feet to her right until she stood before the door to her own room. Turning the handle, the door swung inward and the two women entered, the door shutting behind them.
Scarlett's room looked nearly identical to her own, with the addition of more color. The room still comprised of a bed, nightstand, and dresser. The difference with Scarlett's room was that pictures and frames decorated every available surface and wall-pictures of what Midnight's Shadow could only assume to be friends and family. There was a bookshelf against the wall at the end of the bed filled to maximum capacity with books. But these were no ordinary books that someone would read for pleasure. These books were more like textbooks.
Scarlett moved over to her dresser and began to rummage through her drawers. She would occasionally draw out an article of clothing that appealed to her and set it on the top of the dresser before delving into the drawers once more.
As she did that Midnight's Shadow moved over to the bookshelf to get a better look at its contents. Each book seemed to deal with some complex and advanced subjects. Mathematics, physics, biology, and books on an array of different languages lined the shelves. As she looked at the titles, Midnight's Shadow half wondered to herself if she knew anything about the topics that these books discussed.
The dark haired woman looked sideways at the other woman, who was still busy digging through her dresser. "Are you a genius?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Scarlett laughed. The blue eyes shifted from her work within the dresser to look at Midnight's Shadow. "I don't want to sound self-absorbed by saying yes," she answered rather playfully. She looked back to the dresser as she pulled out another piece of clothing and set it on top of the growing stack.
Midnight's Shadow looked back at the shelf once more. "What a boring answer," she said tauntingly.
The red head let out a scoffing laugh. "Would you like me to change my answer?" she questioned, glancing up from her work briefly.
"No. The moment has passed." The dark haired woman looked over at her. "How many clothes are you giving me?" she asked, remarking at the growing stack of clothing on the surface of the dresser.
Scarlett set one more set of clothing on the top on the stack. "Just this stack. I don't wear a lot of these clothes as much as I used to, so you can have them," she answered, placing her hands on her hips as she admired the pile of clothes she had created.
"Are you sure that we wear the same size?" Midnight's Shadow inquired. Her voice clearly showed that she wasn't entirely sure if she was.
Scarlett tore her gaze away from the stack of clothes to the look at the dark haired woman. Her blue eyes looked her up and down, as if trying to measure her by sight. Finally, she shrugged. "I think we are. But if not, I can get a belt or something. Sorry. We'll get you some clothes when we can. For now, though, you're going to have to deal with wearing hand-me-downs," she answered.
"Oh, joy," responded Midnight's Shadow dryly.
The red head laugh lightly. "Come on. You grab half and I'll grab the other and we'll take it to your room."
Midnight's Shadow complied and grabbed approximately half of the stack of clothes resting upon the top of Scarlett's dresser. The other woman stepped forward then and grabbed the other half. Together, the two of them walked out of her room, into the hallway, and into Midnight's Shadows' room once more. They walked up to the dresser and set down the two piles upon its top.
"There," Scarlett said with no small degree of satisfaction. "Now you have clothes. You can put them away later." Her blue eyes shifted to find Midnight's Shadows' own. "Why don't you go take a shower and get ready. Then I'll take you to get something to eat. Sound good?"
The dark haired woman nodded. She couldn't deny that she was hungry.
"Alright. I'll be in my room. Come get me when you're done." With that, she turned on her heel and strode from the room.
Midnight's Shadow stepped out of the shower. She grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around her damp body. Carefully stepping off of the slippery surface, the dark haired woman exited the shower and walked over to the sink and mirror. Reaching up her hand she wiped away the steam that had accumulated on the surface of the mirror, revealing Midnight's Shadows' face.
She had to say, she could look better. Faint scars, bruises, and scratches laced her pale skin. Midnight's Shadow reached up a hand and pulled back her wet hair, allowing her to better see her face. More than one red scratch marred the skin of her face-more than likely received from the shattering glass of the vehicles on the night of her rescue by GI Joe.
She let her hand fall back to her side, albeit gently. She had to be very careful during her shower due to the fact that she didn't want to get the bandages around her wrists wet. In the end, she failed and water began to seep through the bandages and aggravate her healing wounds. Midnight's Shadow had to grit her teeth to keep from crying out. The pain was so intense that it seemed to flare up her arm in a white hot flame. Even after she exited the shower, the pain was still there. But at least it wasn't as intense as it had been in the shower. Midnight's Shadow didn't think it wise to remove the bandages. Wet or not, they were still protecting her wrists. So, she would let the bandages dry and not remove them, even if that means gritting her teeth anytime the bandage moves against the top of the openings.
Tearing herself away from staring at her appearance in the mirror, Midnight's Shadow went about getting herself ready. Scarlett had left some of her belongings in the bathroom for her to use. Or maybe they were still in here because she didn't need to move them. It wasn't as if there were any other women on the Alpha Team that shared this bathroom. She had it all to herself. Or, at least, until now.
Midnight's Shadow grabbed the hair dryer left by Scarlett on the counter. Plugging in the cord to the outlet, she flipped the switch and began to dry her hair. She ran her fingers through her damp hair as the warm air blew through it. After a few long minutes of drying, Midnight's Shadow turned off the hair dryer. Grabbing a brush, she quickly ran it through her unruly black locks, determined to untangle the knots that had formed. When she had finished, she used the hair tie around her wrist and drew her hair up into a pony tail.
Next, the dark haired woman moved on to getting herself dressed. Unwrapping the towel, she used it to once more dry off her body, soaking up any residual droplets. When she had finished, she simply placed it onto a nearby rack. Midnight's Shadows' blue eyes shifted back to the counter where the new outfit comprised of Scarlett's old clothes sat. She had chosen a pair of jeans, a short sleeved maroon v-neck t-shirt, and a new pair of socks. Her sun and moon necklace sat on top of the small pile. Since she didn't have any other shoes to wear, Midnight's Shadows' black boots sat on the ground, waiting to be put on. She reached down and grabbed the first article of clothing and began to dress herself.
Within the next few minutes, Midnight's Shadow was completely dressed. She looked at herself in the mirror. Reaching up her hands, she tugged down on the hem of her shirt, trying to rid it of any wrinkles. Her attention switching to her hair, she also tucked a few strands of hair behind her ears. Deeming herself appropriate to be seen in public, Midnight's Shadow bent down, scooped up her discarded clothing, and walked out of the bathroom, the door shutting behind her. She proceeded down the hall to her own room and went through the threshold.
She paused as she walked through the doorway. Where was she supposed to put her dirty clothes? It wasn't as if there was a hamper or anything. She glanced around the room briefly before she took a few steps forward and simply tossed her clothes into a heap on the other side of her dresser. Deciding that was good enough, Midnight's Shadow turned and headed out her door. Taking a right, she only had to take a few steps until she stood before Scarlett's room. Raising her hand and balling it into a fist, she knocked twice on the hard surface.
"Come in!" came the response.
Midnight's Shadow gripped the handle, letting the door swing inward. Scarlett was already rising from her seat on her bed, setting a book she had been reading onto the nightstand. She leaned down and began to slip her combat boots back onto her feet. "You clean up good," she observed as she laced up her boots.
The dark haired woman shrugged. "I think I might look better if I wasn't so beat up," she replied.
Scarlett laughed lightly. "Don't worry about it. You'll heal. Besides, you look better than you did," the red head told her. Finishing with her boots, the other woman rose off the edge of her bed to her full height. "Ready?" she asked. Midnight's Shadow nodded. "Then let's go."
The two women walked side by side down the hall, Scarlett guiding them to the cafeteria. They talked-or more like Midnight's Shadow listened while Scarlett talked. She told her about all the things that she could do to occupy her time in the Pit. Midnight's Shadow half-listened. She was more focused on trying to remember the way to the cafeteria so that she didn't need to get directions from someone anytime she wanted to get something to eat.
As they walked, though, the dark haired woman found a question coming into the forefront of her mind. She looked sideways at her red haired companion. "Have you seen Breaker today?" she asked.
Scarlett nodded. "Yep." She looked over at her. "Why?"
"Well, I was wondering if his scan thingy had found anything yet," she answered.
The other woman frowned. "No, not yet. Don't worry. It usually takes a while. There are a lot of faces in the world to go through. We'll find you eventually," she assured her with a small smile.
"I hope so," was all Midnight's Shadow said in response.
"So, are you going to ask Snake Eyes for help with your fighting instinct today?" Scarlett asked.
The dark haired woman shrugged. "I'm not sure."
"Why not?"
"Well, I've been thinking about it. If Snake Eyes helps me somehow, and I am able to prevent myself from harming or killing anyone, what if I lose the ability to fight? Like I have already said, it's instinctual. If Snake Eyes helps me, there is a chance that I would lose it and I would be left defenseless if those terrorists ever found me again," Midnight's Shadow said with no small degree of worry and trepidation in her voice.
Scarlett nodded her understanding. "I get what you're saying, but Shadow. If you don't get help you could hurt someone, maybe even kill them, without meaning to. You've said so yourself."
Midnight's Shadow's lips pursed into a thin line. Her blue eyes focused on the path ahead. "I know I did. I just don't want to have to depend solely on you guys for protection. I mean, you guys aren't going to be here all the time. I want to be able to defend myself."
"I understand, but just talk to Snake first. Who knows? Maybe he knows how to help you without you losing your ability to fight," Scarlett said.
Midnight's Shadows' blue eyes looked downward. "I don't know…"
"Of course you don't." Midnight's Shadow looked up at the red head. "That's why you need to ask him," she finished, a light smile playing on her lips.
"Sure," Midnight's Shadow replied with a roll of her blue eyes. "Whatever you say."
Scarlett and Midnight's Shadow sat across from each other on one of the long tables in the cafeteria. They had just finished eating an early lunch, their trays and trash already taken care of. It was just after eleven and the cafeteria was slowly beginning to fill with hungry Joes.
Scarlett took a sip of her half empty water bottle before setting it back down onto the table, screwing the cap back on with her pale fingers. Her blue eyes flicked back up to Midnight's Shadows' own as she continued in their conversation. "I mean, you must be like a ninja or something. I have never seen some of the moves you did. Not even from Snake Eyes," Scarlett said in awe, referring to the other woman's fight with a certain black clad ninja the previous day. "I really should ask Snake if he thinks you're a ninja. You seem to have a ninja-esque quality about you," she added thoughtfully.
The dark haired woman uttered a scoffing laugh. "Ninja-esque? You're making up words now?"
"Hey, I'm a genius. I can make up a word if I want," Scarlett grinned.
Midnight's Shadow held up her hands in a calming gesture. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I never said that you were a genius. I asked you if you were a genius. It's not the same thing."
The red head crossed her arms over her chest, letting her elbows rest on the table. "Well, I chose to believe that it is the same thing."
Midnight's Shadow sighed and rolled her eyes. "Forget it then. Believe whatever you want."
Scarlett's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she regarded the young woman before her. "You know what I have noticed about you, Shadow?" The dark haired woman returned her gaze to Scarlett. "You don't anger easily. You get irritated and annoyed, but never angry. I find that to be an interesting trait about you."
"I'm glad that you find me so interesting," Midnight's Shadow commented dryly, taking a sip of her own water.
"I'm not the only one," Scarlett said. The young woman was about to ask her what she meant by that but stopped as the red head raised her blue eyes, locking on something. "Hey, Snake," she said.
Midnight's Shadow felt her heart jolt in surprise. She looked up just in time to see the black clad ninja walk up to Scarlett and take a seat next to her. The masked face shifted to her face. Midnight's Shadow froze, that uncomfortable feeling welling up inside her underneath that gaze. She felt an anxiety to know what he was thinking as he looked at her. But there was no way to tell. No facial cues. No body language. Her mind briefly drifted back to when Scarlett said you could sense what he wants to say if you get to know him a little better. But there was no way that she could tell with him. It was like trying to tell what a statue-or perhaps even a snake-was thinking. She mentally shook her head. Snake Eyes was an enigma wrapped up in a mystery.
Then, the intense gaze of the ninja turned away from Midnight's Shadow as Scarlett began to talk to him. As soon as he looked away, she released the breath that she hadn't even realized she had been holding-albeit discreetly. Her brow furrowed. She felt like she had a headache. Reaching up a hand, Midnight's Shadow began to massage her forehead and temple with her fingers. Why did she have a headache?
She began to reach her hand towards her water bottle, but her wrist was suddenly seized by a black gloved hand. Midnight's Shadow visible jumped, her heart jolting at the sudden gesture. Her blue eyes snapped up to look at Snake Eyes, who now held her wrist. What was he doing? Careful to avoid putting pressure on her healing wrists, but still holding her firm nonetheless, the ninja drew her hand towards him palm up. His visor tilted downward as he examined her hand, apparently seeing something that she did not. Her blue eyes flicked rapidly from Snake Eyes to her hand, trying to understand what he was doing. He raised his other hand, drawing his fingers, along her palm, and up to her fingers where he stopped. He held her fingers, tilting them so that he could see them better.
Snake Eyes turned his attention from Midnight's Shadow's hand to look at Scarlett, who seemed to be just as confused as she was. He pointed at the dark haired woman's fingertips. Scarlett's eyes narrowed, scooting closer to better see what the black ninja was indicated. "The hell?" she breathed. She reached out her own hand, gripping Midnight's Shadow's fingers and angling them so that she could see them better.
"What?" the dark haired woman asked, her voice wavering slightly with worry. "What is it?"
"Your fingertips," Scarlett said, not taking her eyes from her hand.
"What about them?"
The red head's blue eyes shifted to look up her, surprise on her features. "You have no fingerprints."
Midnight's Shadow's brows furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?" she asked. She leaned forward, trying to better see her own fingertips.
Scarlett's gaze returned downward. "The bottom of your finger should be slightly rough from the ridges of your fingerprint. But," she ran a pale fingertip over the pad of her finger, "it's smooth. I've heard about this with criminals who don't want to leave behind fingerprints so they burn them off."
"So are you saying that I was a criminal?" Midnight's Shadow asked.
Scarlett's frown deepened. She glanced to her side. "Snake?"
The black clad ninja kept his gaze directed downward. He shook his head, probably meaning that he didn't know.
Midnight's Shadow felt herself droop, the momentary happiness she had obtained from the prospect of a new life with the Joes being driven away. She was a criminal? From what she knew of herself, it rather seemed to fit the bill. She could fight and kill people easily. She was skilled with a gun. And now it was determined that she had no fingerprints? It was clearly the mark of someone who did not want to be found. She caught herself. Perhaps she had burned her prints away so that the terrorists that seemed to developed such an interest in her couldn't find her. But that theory only brought her mind to other questions that had been nagging at her since the beginning. Why were terrorists after her? Who was she before she lost her memory? Why had she lost her memory? Who were these terrorists?
"Shadow," Scarlett said gently, drawing her out of her reverie. "This doesn't mean that you were a criminal."
"But it doesn't mean that I'm not."
The red head nodded. "True, but we'll just have to wait and see what Breaker's scan eventually finds."
A/N: Hooray! Another chapter done! I had to come into town today anyways, so since I had this chapter already done I decided to post it. I hope to have at least one done for Friday. And thank you for all the people reviewing. I'm really glad that you all like it so much! I particularly like hearing your theories on what Midnight's Shadow's past is. It's very entertaining and I would like to tell you this: none of you have guessed it yet. So, please keep guessing. It makes me laugh and actually makes me want to write more and faster to get to the eventual reveal of what her past really is. Luckily for you, I plan on starting the slow reveal of her past within the next two chapters. :)
Once again, thank you for all the reviews! Keep them coming! And welcome to all the new followers and favorites!