Kate Moon stood outside the towering entrance of Moon Industries – her father's company. Her head craned back, trying to spy the top of the tower from where she stood. The glass sheened in the light of the sun, nearly blinding her as it glinted off the opaque surface. Before her, massive glass doors waited for her to walk through them – beckoning her to find out what lay beyond.
Behind her, she could hear the car doors of the rental car slamming shut. Four sets of footsteps signaled her team members walking to stand on the sidewalk beside her. Kate could see the shine of Scarlett's fiery red hair out of the corner of her left eye. The other woman looked up at the building as well before shifting her gaze to the woman next to her.
"Ready?" she asked. Midnight's Shadow only nodded in response. "Well," she began, "then let's go." Without waiting for her to make the first move, Scarlett began to walk towards the doors, making sure to weave her way through the wave of pedestrians on the sidewalk.
The dark haired woman nervously tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before following after her. The other three men behind her fell into step behind. The car ride over had needless to say been uncomfortable. Snake Eyes, the ever silent ninja, seemed to be more stoic than usual – if that was even possible. Heavy Duty had driven with Scarlett occupying the front seat. That left Kate, Breaker, and Snake Eyes to share the back seat. When they were entering the vehicle, she had taken note that after she had entered and shifted to the far side, the black clad ninja had hung back, clearly waiting for Breaker to hop in and sit in the middle seat before following him in. Maybe she was reading into it too much. Maybe he simply didn't want to sit in the middle seat. It was possible that it was just that simple. But Kate, continued to think over their interaction late last night the entire car ride over. But what if it wasn't that simple. Maybe he didn't want to be around her right now. Was he mad at her or was he mad at the mention of Storm Shadow? Did he just need time to cool off or was their short lived friendship already over?
Midnight's Shadow was shaken out of her reverie as she bumped into a passing stranger on the pass. She inwardly kicked herself for getting lost in her thoughts and issued them a quick apology before moving on. Scarlett reached the clear doors first and tugged them open for the Alpha Team to file through.
They entered into a massive atrium, the ceilings vaulting up for what seemed like 5 stories. Natural light flooded the space, bathing it in its warmth. Marble floors covered the entirety of the space with a sleek and contemporary feel. A massive fountain sat squarely in the middle of the lobby, surrounded by ferns, tall grasses, flowers, and even a massive tree. The sound of the trickling water helped to give the space a tranquil feel. To Kate's right, there was a waiting area with couches and chairs. To her left, there was a desk with a receptionist working behind it.
The receptionist, a young brunette woman with large black rimmed glasses, glanced up at their entrance into the building. She watched them with a careful eye, seeing them linger in the doorway as they looked around, before firmly asking, "Can I help you?"
Scarlett immediately took charge. She turned in the other woman's direction and strode up to the desk. "Yes, we have an appointment to meet with Mr. LeMonferet," she said with a nice smile.
The receptionist returned her attention to her computer and began rapidly typing. "Name?" she asked in a bored tone.
"I believe the appointment was set under a General Hawk," the red head replied.
The other woman nodded slightly. "Your appointment is not for another 10 minutes and Mr. LeMonferet is in another meeting. You are welcome to wait here for him though." She gestured to the gathering of black leather couches and arm chairs behind her.
Scarlett nodded. "Thank you," she said before turned and walking over to the waiting area. The others followed her and each took their own respective seats.
Kate took a seat on the couch beside Scarlett. Breaker claimed the armchair just to her right while Heavy Duty sunk down into the couch across from them. Her breath catching in her throat, Midnight's Shadow flicked her eyes up to look at Snake Eyes as he walked past her and claimed the arm chair to her left, the farthest seat from her. He sat down in one smooth motion, his visor directed straight ahead looking out the front entrance.
Her eyes flicked downward to look at her hand clasped in her lap. It sure does feel like he's avoiding her.
"So," Scarlett spoke up, her voice in a more hushed tone. Kate's blue gaze drifted to her as everyone else leaned in. "We need to have a game plan here."
There were some looks exchanged between the members of the Alpha Team. Breaker was the first to chime in. He shrugged. "What for?"
The red head's eyes shifted to the Moroccan, a slightly incredulous look on her face as she regarded him. "You want to walk into the lion's den without a plan?" Scarlett leaned forward, her elbows resting casually on her knees. "There is no reason we shouldn't take this guy seriously. We don't know who he is, what his intentions are, or what he knows about Kate. For all we know, he could be involved somehow. He did take over the company right after they disappeared."
Midnight's Shadow pursed her lips. "So, you think he could be involved in what happened to me? To my parents?" she asked, tension clear in her voice.
Scarlett returned her attention to her, her eyes softening a bit. "All I'm saying is that we should be cautious," she stated in a slow even tone. "We should avoid saying your real name to be on the safe side."
"Makes sense to me," Heavy responded.
Kate even saw Snake Eyes nod out of the corner of her eyes. It wasn't like he could say her name anyways.
Suddenly, purposefully footsteps interrupted their conversation, overshadowing the peaceful serenity of the fountain flowing water. The Alpha Team's heads turned in unison. Walking towards them was a tall man, probably in his late 40s to 50s. His hair was dark and streaked with gray that gave him a distinguished look. His suit was impeccable – clearly worth more than any price tag she could imagine. His neatly polished shoes caught the sunlight and glinted as he strode towards them. Crows feet hinted at the corner of his brown eyes as he mouth broke into a wide face-in-front-of-the-press smile. His arm went wide in a welcoming manner.
Once he was within about ten feet of the group he stopped. His outstretched arms dropped to his side but the smile never left. Kate wasn't sure how she felt about this man yet. "You must be the group that General Hawk sent."
Even though Scarlett had been taking the forefront up until now, Heavy Duty was the first to rise from his seat and stride over to the man. He offered his hand which the other man took and gripped firmly. "And you must be Warren LeMonferet." He shook his hand and swiftly dropped it. "A pleasure." Heavy turned and gestured to his comrades, gesturing to them as he introduced them one by one.
"This is Snake Eyes." The ninja nodded in greeting. The CEO seemed to linger on the ninja, probably a bit off put by the mask. His winning smile faded a bit despite himself but in an instant it was up and running again.
"Breaker." The Moroccan rose from his seat and leaned over to offer his hand which Mr. LeMonferet took before he sat back down.
"Scarlett." As Breaker had done, she offered a brief handshake to the other man, offering a "nice to meet you" before sitting once more.
Then it was her turn. Midnight's Shadow tensed, her breath catching in her throat. She started to rise before Heavy said her name, stretching her hand for the customary shake. Warren LeMonferet leaned forward and gripped her hand, his fingers wrapping around her. Something about this felt uncomfortable. She had been avoiding eye contact without realizing, her gaze focused on their hands. If Heavy had said her name yet, she wasn't sure. What she was sure of was that she could hear her nervous heartbeat in her ears.
Her blue eyes shifted up to the CEO. He gaze was upon her and she wasn't sure quite what to make of the expression on his face. He seemed thoughtful, his gaze narrowing as he looked at her. His thin lips parted for a moment before he asked in a wistful tone, "Kate?" Immediately, the whole Alpha Team froze. "Is that you?" he asked again, taking a step forward.
Midnight's Shadow instinctively took a step backwards, his hand still clutching hers. Her eyes widened. Her lips parted to say something in response but nothing would come. What could she say anyways? Merely moments before they were talking about keeping her real identity a secret for her protection. That this man could be a liability – the reason her father disappeared. And now that cover was blown before it even had a chance to protect her.
Sensing the tension in the room, Warren immediately dropped her hand which Kate was thankful for. His gaze cast around to the soldiers in front of him, each one of them ready to do what was necessary should it come down to it. Midnight's Shadow thought for the first time about how many of them had weapons on them, both apparent and hidden. Not that they all needed it. She was positive that more than a few of them didn't even need to draw their weapons.
The CEO fidgeted with his hands in a nervous fashion before knitting them behind his back. "Come. Let us go into my office. But," he pointed a finger at Snake Eyes, "this one can stay behind."
No one relaxed. "He's part of our team," Heavy Duty began. "He comes with us."
Mr. LeMonferet looked at him, his gaze boring into the large man before him. "You'll forgive me if I don't trust someone wearing a ski mask in July. He stays."
There was clear hesitation on Heavy's face. On one hand they needed this meeting, he clearly knew Kate and would be able to help them decipher more information on her background that was vital to her. On the other hand, the fact that he recognized her wasn't exactly the plan and may not be the best thing.
After a moment, Heavy nodded his agreement to his terms. "Then come with me," Warren commanded. With that he turned on his heel and began to stride towards the elevators on the far side of the room with a purpose. The members of the Alpha team slowly began to trail after.
Midnight's Shadow was the last one to pass by Snake Eyes. She felt bad that he wasn't coming and at the same time less safe. Out of the corner of her eye though she saw Heavy clap a hand onto his shoulder and lean down. "I want you to watch the entrance. Anything goes amiss, let us know." The black clad ninja nodded, his shadowed gaze riveted on the glass entrance. With one last clap on his shoulder, Heavy straightened to his full height, cast a glance at Kate, and began to walk after the others.
Kate took a step to walk after them but remained rooted in place just past Snake Eyes' range of vision. She looked over her shoulder at him but he gave no indication he knew she was still there – not acknowledging her. Was he still ignoring her or just really focused on the new task given to him by the team leader? She had to say something right? He was the only one getting left behind. But from the sounds of his new task, it may not be a bad thing.
Midnight's Shadow stood there longer than she should have. By the elevators, she heard Scarlett shout, "Shadow, c'mon!" Kate glanced in their direction. All of them were gathered, waiting for her. Still, Snake Eyes didn't turn. The dark haired woman looked back to the black ninja. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach and her blood began to pump faster through her veins. She steeled herself. "I'm sorry you can't come with," she said a bit more quietly than she intended. Snake didn't turn. "We'll tell you all the details when we get back, alright?" Snake Eyes nodded without looking at her, still locked onto the doors as if something interesting was about to burst through any minute now.
Hurt radiated through her body. He still wouldn't even look at her. She had to say something. She had to mend the bridge somehow, right? She took a deep steadying breath and let it out slowly through her nose. In a quieter voice than before she said, "I still am sorry about last night. I'm not sure what I can do or say to make it better but I am really sorry. I shouldn't keep things from you and I'm not even sure why I did. I was scared I guess. But I'd still really like it if we could be friends." She cast a glance at the others before looking back at him. "We'll talk about it more later, okay?" Before she could see his reaction at her rush of words, she swiftly turned on her heel and began to march towards the elevators and the rest of her waiting team. It was a shame though, because she missing Snake Eyes turning in his seat to watch her walk away.
A/N: Well it certainly has been a long break and I am soooo sorry about that. I won't give any excuses but I'm glad to say that I'm coming out of retirement to begin posting again. It may take me some time to get back into the swing of things and consistently writing, but to be fair I wasn't good about it before. I know it's a short chapter but at least I've gotten something out there!
If anybody wants to send me a PM and remisice, I'd be more than willing. Otherwise, I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has stuck around during the past couple years. And welcome any new followers that joined during the unintentional hiatus. Thank you so much for your dedication and support. I REALLY appreciate it!
Please leave any reviews or messages you can. They are always welcome and appreciated! Hope to hear from you soon!