DANGEROUS LIES
BY: KIM FITZSIMMONS

Part One
Gathering Darkness

    Snake Eyes began to advance on the small group of Joes, looking every bit like an Angel of Death. The fires of hell seemed to be burning in those silver eyes, and that enraged gaze was locked squarely on the unconscious figure cradled in Storm Shadow's arms.

    Flint put his hands out in a placating gesture, "Snake Eyes, snap out of it! It's us, your friends!"

    Snake Eyes didn't react, didn't blink, just kept moving relentlessly towards them.

    Lowlight muttered, "He ain't buyin' it."

    Flint swore in frustration before yelling, "Storm Shadow, get Scarlett out of here, we'll hold him off as long as we can!"

    Storm Shadow shook his head, "He'd mow you both down and come after me without missing a step and you know it! Our only chance is to lose him!" With that Storm shadow pulled a smoke grenade out and set it off.

    Almost instantaneously the Joes were swallowed up in a thick curtain of smoke. But Snake Eyes wasn't about to let his targets go so easily He lifted his uzi and fired a few rounds into the smoke and then stood patiently as the smoke cleared, knowing what he would see. Blood was spattered on the floor, indicating the fact that the shots he'd fired had indeed met their intended targets, as he'd known they would.

    He didn't bother to follow the blood trail, he knew where they were going. Right now he would report to Cobra Commander and together they would meet the Joes on their home turf. His eyes narrowed, he would make that woman pay for what she'd done to him.

    At the thought of Scarlett, Snake Eyes felt a surge of heat go through his body and he decided it was from anger. It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that she was beautiful. With the fact that she'd looked like a vulnerable child cradled in the other man's arms.

    Snake Eyes gave his head a shake, he must NEVER forget what the Commander had told him . He must remember that her angelic face held a devil, an evil creature that told pleasure in inflicting pain on others. Whirling on his heel he stalked back to where Cobra Commander would be waiting.

* * * * * * * *

    Inside the chopper, Flint was swearing a blue streak as the bullet wounds in his thigh and shoulder were bandaged. Lowlight watched quietly tended his own wounds in his side and hip, the only indication that there was any pain was when he'd take an extra long drag on his cigarette.

    Flint bellowed, "I don't believe it, even through all that smoke he knew exactly where we were! He tried to kill us!"

    Lowlight was lighting another cigarette and mumbled, "If he wanted to kill us we'd be dead." It was said simply, factually.

    Knowing it was the truth, Flint sighed and shook his head. He looked over at Scarlett who was still unconscious, but totally unharmed. "Looks like he avoided shooting Scarlett." Flint noticed.

    Storm Shadow looked troubled, "Yeah, that's what worries me. You saw the look in his eyes, Flint. Whatever he has planned for Scarlett he thinks a bullet would be to easy on her."

    Flint shook his head again, "Damn."

    Storm Shadow smiled wryly, "My thoughts exactly. Whatever we do, until we snap Snake Eyes out of this we have to keep him away from Scarlett. If he gets his hands on her..." Storm Shadow let his statement drift off, and the other two men knew exactly what he meant.

* * * * * * * *

    Later, Storm Shadow reported to Hawk. "The short story is that thanks to Dr. Mindbender, Snake Eyes is now a member of Cobra. They erased his memory of fighting with us and made him believe that we're the bad guys."

    "Jesus," Hawk whispered, "why do I get the feeling that's the good news? What's the bad news?"

    Storm shadow sat down wearily and rubbed the back of his neck. "Cobra Commander told Snake Eyes that Scarlett was the one that disfigured him, deliberately. You didn't see him, Hawk. He scared me. If he gets hold of her he'll kill her. We can't let that happen. If he killed Scarlett and the brainwashing wore off later, the knowledge he'd killed her would destroy him. Scarlett is his anchor, she balances him. If he lost her... especially at his own hand..."

    Hawk's expression was deadly serious, "I hate to think what he would become if Scarlett died at his own hand. No one would be safe from him...He would become a being more dangerous than any of us could imagine." After a long silence, Hawk asked, "Where is Scarlett now?"

    Storm Shadow replied, "In sickbay. I um, had to knock her out to stop her from going after Snake Eyes at the Cobra fortress. She refused to leave without him."

    Hawk smiled wryly, "That doesn't surprise me. I know how stubborn she can be, especially when it comes to Snake Eyes. I'm sure glad it was you and not me that knocked her out. You're gonna catch Hell for that."

    Storm Shadow managed a slight smile, "I know. She should be awake by now, I'd better go face the music."

* * * * * * * *

    If Storm Shadow was expecting to face Scarlett in a rage, he was to be very surprised. When Lifeline told him Scarlett was in her room he went there and knocked on her door. At the quiet, "Come in." he entered and saw Scarlett standing at the window.

    It was raining outside and Scarlett was staring out the window with unseeing eyes. She had changed clothes. She was now wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a white man's dress shirt that he recognized was one of Snake Eyes'. Her hair was unbound, falling to her hips in a fiery cascade. She stood with her arms folded, rubbing her arms through Snake Eyes' shirt, as if wrapping herself in the man's shirt could compare with being enfolded in the man's strong arms.

    Storm Shadow was shocked to see Scarlett so quiet and pensive. He spoke her name softly, "Scarlett, are you okay?"

    She didn't move, didn't turn to look at him. After a moment of silence, she whispered softly, "How could we leave him there, Tommy? How could we leave him with them?"

    He could hear the quaver in her voice, and he didn't know what to say. "Scarlett, we had to keep you safe. They've brainwashed him, he..he would have hurt you. I couldn't let that happen, for both your sakes."

    When Scarlett finally looked at him, there were tears shimmering in her vivid blue eyes. The tears started to spill down her cheeks and she barely managed to speak, "We have to get him back, we have to."

    Storm Shadow saw the terrible pain in her eyes and stepped forward to hug his friend, deeply disturbed to see this woman with such a strong spirit in such a state. As he felt her weep against his shoulder he said quietly, "We'll get him back, I promise you."

    As he stood there, doing his best to comfort his friend, he felt completely helpless for the first time in his life. He was one of the deadliest, most dangerous people in the world. He could scale walls and dodge bullets. But he had absolutely no idea how to stop a flood of tears.

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Continued in Part Three!
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