Snake Eyes and Midnight's Shadow stood side by side in the training area of the Pit. The black ninja leaned casually against a nearby wall while Midnight's Shadow simply stood with her arms crossed over her chest.

It had been a week and a half since Midnight's Shadow had been brought to the Pit, and already Snake Eyes had seen a noticeable change in her demeanor. At first, she had been rather quiet, withdrawn-perhaps even a little on edge. She preferred to stay within the confines of her room and wouldn't leave unless she was in the company of someone on the Alpha Team. He supposed it made sense. She didn't know anyone else and wasn't entirely sure of herself yet. But, as time passed, Snake Eyes saw her become noticeably more relaxed. Midnight's Shadow began to venture beyond her room and explore the Pit more openly. She talked and joked around with other soldiers that she met. It was a new look for her. When she had first come, she had been rather stoic and not too quick to offer a smile. Now, though, she laughed and smiled in such a way that it was contagious. It was like she was happy.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that she was no longer so on edge about her past. She seemed to release her white knuckle grip on the questions filling her mind, finally feeling content to simply wait for what Breaker's infinity scan would eventually reveal.

So far, Midnight's Shadow hadn't remembered a single thing from her past, but it didn't seem to bother her as much as it used to. Still, that didn't stop the others from trying to help her remember. Scarlett would offer her iPod, suggesting that maybe she would recognize one of the songs. She also aided her in finally getting some clothes of her very own from the requisitions officer, along with an iPod so that she didn't have to keep borrowing Scarlett's. Midnight's Shadow was often seen with the buds in her ears as she listened to an assortment of music, usually when she was in one of the training rooms. Heavy Duty would try to help as best he could. He would teach her about current events and important figures in society that she should know about. The British man also made a point to share movies, TV shows, and games with her-including the assortment of board games sitting on the shelf beneath the TV. From the few times Snake Eyes had watched them, Midnight's Shadow beat Heavy Duty every time in chess. Breaker on the other hand was already playing his role in helping her to regain her memory by running the infinity scan.

Snake Eyes had thought a lot about it recently. They had used an infinity scan to track people down before and it hadn't taken more than a few days. Why was it taking so long to find Midnight's Shadow? Snake Eyes shook himself out of this momentary side thought.

And then there was him. For the past week and a half since she had first asked, Snake Eyes had been helping Midnight's Shadow to overcome her murderous instinct. It wasn't easy. They sparred every day for hours on end. Throughout those hours, the black clad ninja would continue to pummel her with attacks, trying to get her to be more conscious of her own movements. He had seen it when they had first fought the day of her exam. It was like her eyes would glaze over, becoming unfocused. It was as if her mind was taking a backseat as her body took over. For the past week, Midnight's Shadow had been fighting through that.

Snake Eyes couldn't deny that her skill was impressive. She had speed, precision, tenacity, and stamina. Through their hours of training, every time Snake Eyes would knock her down, she would get back up. Even when she looked ready to collapse from exhaustion, she would keep going. Every day, Snake Eyes would have to be the one to stop the fight, otherwise he wasn't sure if she would ever stop.

The dark ninja looked at the woman to his right from the corner of his visor. Midnight's Shadow stood beside him, her bright blue eyes looking out over the shifting crowds of soldiers as they made their way from station to station.

To be perfectly honest, he liked her. The two of them had become friends over the past week and a half and spent much of their time together. Whether it was sparring in the training room or out in the rest of the Pit, playing the next strange game Midnight's Shadow had come up with for them to be able to talk and joke around with each other. Snake Eyes couldn't deny that he was impressed with her. Normally, the new Joes were rather intimidated by him, not knowing quite how to talk with a mute. But she continued to find new ways around that. To the point where she was slowly getting to know him better than anyone else in GI Joe.

"Alright. I got one," Midnight's Shadow spoke up.

Snapping out of his reverie, Snake Eyes turned his head to look at her, letting her know that he was listening.

"I spy with my little eye something…green," she said. Her head swiveled in his direction, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Okay, ninja. Guess."

Snake Eyes looked back out over the area before him, searching for the color green. The main source of green that he could see was from the camouflage on the soldier's uniforms. It probably wasn't it since it was so obvious, but it's best to start somewhere. His masked face turned back to Midnight's Shadow who looked back at him, curious to see if he could guess it. He raised a gloved hand and pointed at the soldiers, Midnight's Shadow following his finger. He drew his hand back, the dark haired woman still watching, and pointed to his suit.

"The camo on the uniforms?" she asked.

Snake Eyes nodded. She always had to say aloud what she thought he was guessing, just to ensure that she had interpreted it correctly.

She shook her head, her long black ponytail swinging from side to side. "Nope. Guess again," she smirked.

The black clad ninja once again turned his head to look out over the training area, searching for another source of green. And he instantly found it. A smile tugged the corner of his mouth up into smile. He raised his hand and pointed to a particular soldier, separate from the rest, who was busying himself with working on one of the vehicles with his back to them. He then retracted his hand, Midnight's Shadow's blue eyes still watching him, and pointed to his back. Snake Eyes set his hand back down in his lap, looking to her to see if he had guessed correctly.

Immediately, a grin appeared on her face. Midnight's Shadow let out a light laugh. "Yup. That's it. I just saw it a minute ago. Poor guy," she smiled.

Snake Eyes glanced over to the soldier, perhaps a mechanic. Plastered onto his back was a green post-it-note that had writing in bold letters saying "kick me." The ninja wondered how long he had been walking around with it on his back. He also couldn't help but wonder if anyone had actually kicked him yet.

"Alright, Snake. It's your turn. Give me a good one," Midnight's Shadow said to him.

Snake Eyes nodded. His eyes scanned the crowds, searching for something that would give her a challenge. After a brief moment, he saw it. He looked back to Midnight's Shadow. Bringing up a hand, he pointed to the red tattoo on the side of his arm.

"Something red?"

Snake Eyes nodded his confirmation.

"Okay then," she sighed, her gaze moving outward towards the rest of the training area. "So Snake Eyes spies with his little eye something red…" She was silent for a long moment, her eyes scanning everything within sight. "Is it…the fire extinguisher?"

The black ninja shook his head.

"Okay…what about the red lights over in urban combat center?"

Once again, he shook his head.

"The belts on those crates over there?"

No.

"The container over in the corner?"

No.

"Oh, you've got be kidding! Those are the only red things in this entire room!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, guys," said a feminine voice.

Both Midnight's Shadow and Snake Eyes looked up just in time to see Scarlett walk up to them. Instantly, it clicked with the dark haired woman's mind. She whirled on Snake Eyes. "You jerk! It was Scarlett, wasn't it?"

Snake Eyes shrugged, feigning innocence.

The red head's blue eyes shifted between the two of them. "Trouble?" she asked, confusion on her face.

Midnight's Shadow let out a short sigh. She cast one last glare at the black ninja before turning to look a Scarlett. Instantly, the scowl on her face was replaced with a smile. "Oh, nothing. So, what's going on?" she asked.

Scarlett cast one last look between the two of them before her gaze landed on Midnight's Shadow and stayed there. Her expression was somber. "Breaker told me to go and find you. He wants us to meet him in the rec room."

The dark haired woman's brows furrowed in confusion, her head cocking slightly to the side. "Did he say why?"

The red head nodded. "The infinity scan is finished."

Heavy Duty, Midnight's Shadow, Scarlett, Breaker, and Snake Eyes all gathered in the rec room. All of them took a seat on the couch while Breaker stood before them. His computer rested upon the coffee table. Snake Eyes cast a look to his left, where Midnight's Shadow sat. Her blue eyes were riveted upon the Moroccan. The black clad ninja could both see and feel the tension in her body. She was clearly apprehensive about the reveal of her past.

"So? Are you going to tell us what you found or just hold us in suspense?" Heavy Duty asked roughly, clearly getting impatient.

Breaker clasped his hands together, looking rather nervous for some reason. His brown eyes locked on the face of Midnight's Shadow. "Well, as you all know I've been running the infinity scan to find Shadow. I just finished today."

The dark haired woman leaned forward in her seat, letting her elbows rest on her knees. "And? What did you find?"

The Moroccan pursed his lips. "Nothing."

Everyone was silent. They looked at each other in confusion. "Nothing?" Scarlett repeated, voicing the confusion that they all felt. "How is that possible?"

Breaker shrugged. "I have no idea. I've run the scan three times now, just to be sure. Each time, the scan could find no trace of her." His brown gaze briefly flicked over to Midnight's Shadow before looking back to Scarlett. "It's like she doesn't exist."

Suddenly, all eyes shifted to Midnight's Shadow for her reaction. The young woman just sat there, very still. Her blue eyes were cast downward. To Snake Eyes, it looked as if some of the light-the momentary hope she had felt moments before-had faded. She just looked weary.

She rose to her feet. "I'm…I'm going to go to my room," she said, her voice oddly quiet.

"Shadow, are you okay?" Scarlett asked gently.

"I just want to be left alone," was all she said in response. Without looking at any of them, Midnight's Shadow strode from the room.

Snake Eyes watched her leave. He was barely listening as Breaker told them how Hawk wanted them to meet him in the command center. As he watched her walk away, he wondered not for the first time about the mystery surrounding Midnight's Shadow.

Midnight's Shadow lay upon the top of her bed. Her boots lay discarded on the ground. Ear buds were placed into her ears as she listened to the music from her iPod. Her hand was held in the air, her fingers wrapped around the black string of her necklace. Ever since she had returned to her room, her thoughts had been riveted upon what Breaker had just revealed moments ago.

She didn't exist? Breaker's scan looked over the entire world and found no trace of her? How did something like that even happen? Even Breaker didn't know. What did that mean for her? She had gotten her hopes up. She was so ready to finally learn about her past. But then, it was all taken away. It was her only hope of finally reclaiming her past. And now it was gone. What was she supposed to do now?

Now that she thought about it, she supposed that all she could do was wait and hope that her memory returned with time. Nothing had come back to her in the past week and a half-not even the little things like favorite songs or movies. She was still a stranger to herself.

Her blue eyes continued to look at the sun and the moon charms as they dangled over her, their silver edges glinting in the light. It was then that the song "You are the Moon" by the Hush Sound came on her iPod. Midnight's Shadow found herself pausing as she listened to the words, her eyes locked upon the moon charm of her necklace.

The song drew her thoughts to her name, the one that Storm Shadow had given her not so very long ago. She began to think about her name. Midnight's Shadow. How had she come up with such a name? Then, all at once, it hit her. It wasn't a name. It was a riddle. What is midnight's shadow?

"The moon," she breathed, the sound of her voice breaking the silence of her room. Her eyes locked upon the moon charm of her necklace, one of the few things that she had from her past.

Suddenly, it hit her like a bolt of lightning. Her eyes went wide. She remembered something. She actually remembered something. Her eyes flicked over to the door to her room. She needed to find the others. She needed to find Breaker. He could help her.

She released her grip on the necklace, letting it fall back to her chest. The dark haired woman sat bolt upright in her bed. She pulled the ear buds from her ears, letting them fall to her bed. She picked up her iPod and set it on her nightstand. Then, swinging her legs over the side of her bed, she leaned down and began to hurriedly pull on her boots. When she had finished, she leapt to feet and sprinted out her door and down the hall.

Before, when she was leaving the rec room, the young woman was sure that she heard something about them going to meet General Hawk in the command center. So that was where she was heading. As she sprinted, she did her best to avoid other Joes that were walking down the hall. Still, some of the other soldiers had to jump out of the way in order to avoid a collision. But, she didn't slow down. She felt an excitement welling up inside her. She had remembered something. She past was within her reach once more.

Within mere minutes, Midnight's Shadow arrived at the command center. She stopped just inside the doorway, her heart beat accelerated and her breathing more rapid from the run. The room was filled with computers, each with its own tech attending to it. In the center of the room, standing around a holographic display, was the Alpha Team. Scarlett, Heavy Duty, Breaker, and Snake Eyes all stood gathered before General Hawk who appeared to be briefing them on something. But they stopped, each of their eyes turning in her direction in undisguised surprise.

"Shadow? Is something wrong?" she asked, her voice worried. The red head was probably taking in the wide eyed look on her face.

"I'm fine," she breathed. Her blue eyes shifted to the Moroccan. "Breaker. I need you to look up a name for me," she requested. Midnight's Shadow began to descend the ramp and move over to join the others.

"Sure." Breaker turned and headed over to a nearby computer, taking a seat in the chair. "What is it?"

"Dr. Edward Moon," she told him.

"Does this mean that you have remembered something?" Hawk asked, placing his hands on his hips.

Midnight's Shadow nodded slightly. "I think so."

Everyone moved around the holographic display, watching as Breaker typed in the name and began to sift through information. Midnight's Shadow glanced to her side where Snake Eyes stood beside her. She offered him a nervous sideways smile. The black clad ninja cocked his head slightly to the side as he looked back at her through his visor. Reaching up a gloved hand, he gently clapped her on the shoulder in a confident gesture. Grateful for the gesture, Midnight's Shadow turned her attention forward once more. A moment later, she felt the ninja's hand remove itself from her shoulder.

As she focused her attention forward once more, an image of a man came onto the display. He appeared to be middle aged. His short crop of hair was black with sprinkles of gray. Large rimmed glasses sat on a hook nose. Wrinkles were present at the edges of his green eyes. All in all, he looked rather average. Midnight's Shadow studied every inch of his face, searching for something recognizable.

"Shadow?" The dark haired woman tore her attention away from the picture to look over at Heavy Duty. "Do you know this guy?"

She nodded. "I believe so."

"Who is he?" Breaker asked, probing further.

"I think he's my dad."