A Snake with a Temper (G.I. Joe Fanfiction)

Chapter 4: A New Enemy

Temper walked through the dark halls of the Pit. An unnerving feeling settled in heart. She came across a woman in a black, floor-length haori with a white, sleeveless haori and a black, Japanese symbol printed on the back. The woman stood with all the grace and poise that Temper was familiar with.

    "Mother," Temper whispered. The woman turned to face her daughter.

    "Take it," her mother said, holding an elegantly sheathed sword.

    "No," Temper replied, knowing what it would mean if she did.

    "Take it, child," the woman insisted.

    "No," Temper repeated. Temper was suddenly against the wall the sheathed sword pressed against her neck.

    "Take it," the woman said forcefully. "This will be a part of you either way."

    "No," Temper choked out. Keeping the sheath pressed against Temper's neck, her mother pulled the sword out and made a slit below Temper's ribcage. The woman reached through the slit and pushed her hand up to Temper's heart. Temper could not even force a scream out as her mother's hand reached between her shuddering lungs and gripped her heart. She didn't pass out from the pain of each artery and vein being yanked out of her heart like she was hoping for. Her mother fully pulled out her heart and she watched the opening of her skin as her mother's hand pulled out a bright red lump.

    "Now you know the pain that you've caused so many," her mother said. Temper's vision became spotty before she fully blacked out.

Temper sat straight up in bed, startling Snake Eyes into the world of consciousness. Pushing the covers off herself frantically and hurtling over Snake Eyes to get to the bathroom. Making her way to the toilet, she quickly bent over and started throwing up. She was vaguely aware of Snake Eyes who was holding her hair up.

When she was done, she sat there for a few minutes while Snake Eyes rubbed small circles on her lower back. Picking herself up from the bathroom floor, she stumbled over to the sink to rinse her mouth and brush her teeth to get rid of the godawful taste. Snake Eyes laid a hand on her upper arm which made her realize just how much her body felt like it was burning up. He pressed his body against her back and put his hands in front of her. Every contact her skin made with his made her skin feel like it was on fire and she gritted her teeth.

What do you need? he signed.

"It's hot," she whimpered. He moved away from her, but it did little to cool her off. She heard the shower running and his hand was on her wrist, pulling her towards the running water. Cold pricks of the icy water penetrated her skin and soaked her clothes. Snake Eyes stood with her and ghosted his hands along her skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake. She doesn't know how long they stood there but she was eventually pulled out by Snake Eyes who towelled her down, undressed her, and then dressed her again. It all seemed to go by so fast that she didn't even realize what happened until she was back in bed. She was on Snake Eyes' side of the bed and breathed in the vague smell he left behind.

Temper watched the clock as the minutes ticked by. She laid wide awake in bed, Snake Eyes sleeping peacefully behind her. Eventually, she got too restless and slipped out of bed.

She took her laptop out of her bag next to the dresser and went to the desk. She decided to check the schedule for the new day and saw she was scheduled to sort recruits.

A notification popped up on the upper right hand of her screen. She had a new email. Who would be emailing at this time of night?

She clicked into the email and immediately noticed there was nothing in the sender's box or the subject line. The content was short and simple, but almost terrified her.