Snake-Eyes

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Quote
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Background
A group of LRRP (Long-Range Recon Patrol) of six soldiers entered a valley in South-East Asia on orders, and only three left. Fleeing from a force of regulars from the North, they retreated to the high grounds, to be rescued. There was Stalker, Tommy a Japanese-American and me. I suddenly gave the signal for ‘take cover’, having noticed a point man. Stalker was going to kill him with the use of a silencer, but Tommy stopped him.

Tommy strung up a bow and let loose a steel tipped arrow, it went clean through the enemy, in near silence. After low-crawling through the rift, we cleared out of the valley and Stalker for pick-up. Tommy and I were always close, comfortable with each other. I could listen to Tommy for hours, though sometimes I’d just get lost in thought. Tommy often spoke to me about his Uncle’s business, and how I was welcome to join them in Japan. It sounded fantastical, but I had a family to return to. My talisman, a photo of my twin sister was always with me, tucked into my hat.

Stalker set off the red smoke and a pick-up Huey was incoming. Stalker was the first to board with the commo gear and code books, I covered the tree line. Suddenly though, the sky was filled with red tracer, I felt a sharp pain and then I was out.

I was told what happened later. Stalker ordered Tommy to leave me behind, he thought I was dead. Tommy instead dropped his gear and sprinted to me with the red tracer burning the air. The Huey pilot and gunners then opened fire to provide cover. Tommy picked me up, returning fire as he ran with me, not once getting hit as he dodged bullets. Miraculous everyone said. I wasn’t too surprised.

Tommy used his own forearm bandages tow rap my wounds. Stalker later asked me what the red tattoo was on Tommy’s arm, but I didn’t know at the time. Even if I did, I wouldn’t have said anything. I owed Tommy my life. He even saved the photo of my twin sister, though it had a bullet hole in it. He said I muttered for it before I was out cold, and even in that gun fire he put that photo before his own life.

Not long after that incident, the war was pretty much over and I was being discharged. I knew something was wrong before the plane landed, but I didn’t know what else to do. I wanted, hoping with everything I was that my family would be there to pick me up. I watched as others were picked up by loved ones, and I was alone. After a while, I sat down and waited, and waited.

Four hours later, a man named Hawk arrived and told me of my parents and sister's death in a car accident. I knew it happened, because I saw it, I felt it. That talisman wasn't for me, it was for my sister and I failed in protecting her. I had nowhere to go.

I seemed to have come back to reality before the front gates of Tommy’s ‘family business’. Accepted within the audience chambers, I found out exactly what that business was. The Vice-President in Charge of Finance, the Soft Master was a kind man and friendly. His elder brother the Hard Master was the president and lifetime chairman of the board, was just as kind and considerate, but rarely showed it. Then there was Tommy, the only son of the youngest brother who was now deceased, a Junior Partner with full voting rights which they called Young Master. It was a family of ninjas. The red hexagram from the I-Ching (Ancient Chinese Book of Wisdom), was stamped all over the family household, it was what was tattooed on Tommy’s forearm.

I began training beneath them, the rigorous training, the intense concentration and the danger seemed to fit me well, satisfy something inside me. For two years I trained, my skills and power growing rapidly so that I had taken the notice of the Hard Master. He was the one that knew the truth of how my skills were surpassing even Tommy, but how I would often let him win to protect his pride and honor. He was my brother, not in blood but in combat, friendship and understanding.

There was one skill that I could never surpass Tommy in, and that was archery. Tommy had this ‘Ear that sees’, a sense of hearing that allowed him to target living creatures even behind solid ways. He trained himself hard to become even better at it, using defenseless animals to test himself. The way Tommy killed without compassion and without purpose, bothered me. It was not for food or survival, it was to practice a deadly art so that he could grow to killing even better. This is one thing Tommy and I could not seem to come to terms with in one another.

Another year passed and I earned the right to wear the mark of the family upon my wrist (forearm). I did not realize until too late that I had obtained the Hard Master’s favor beyond even his won nephew. While teaching me the Blind Sword technique, he offered to make me the heir to the family business in favor of Tommy. I denied.

The Hard Master was not unsettled in the least, he continued the lessons. He discussed the technique of Donning the Chameleon’s Mantle, challenging me to guess who he was imitating. I never did guess then that it was me. Suddenly though an arrow shot through the screen door, the screen that blocked the Hard Master from my view, and went half way through the wooden post he had cut through during the Blind Sword demonstration. It was Tommy's arrow.

In his dying breath, the Hard Master said, "My nephew is not to blame. Do not punish him for his road will be hard enough.  He must live with a lie to find the truth." This made no sense to me, but I had to agree, even facing disinheritance, Tommy would not murder the Hard Master. He would also know, I would decline and stand by his side. At least I hoped. Did I ever fully understand him?

The Soft Master apparently saw Tommy fleeing when he responded to the commotion caused by the Hard Master’s assassination. He thought Tommy was running after the assassin, but he believes Tommy is guilty. Not long after, I left as well.

Six years after Hawk had met me in the airport to inform me about my family, I met him again were I had retreated from the world. The community avoided me, telling wild stories about me being a werewolf. I did not mind. I wanted to be left alone. I went into town for a few groceries and my disability checks, and lived as much as possible off the land. I used snares instead of disturbing the wild with gunfire; I lived by my wits, helped wounded animals, and had even saved a wolf. This would not to be the last wolf I saved.

For three years I lived in the High Sierras, in a little cabin up on Iron Knife Ridge, and there was where I found Hawk and Stalker, waiting for me after I returned with some rabbits. Apparently they found the fact I did not use a gun amusing for some reason. The two were putting together a G.I. Joe Team, and wanted to recruit me. I agreed, wanting some purpose to my life again.

Stalker ran the first Hand-to-Hand combat refresher I attended. I remember meeting Scarlett for the first time. The only female, prideful, and hard pressed to prove her worth to a room full of men. She took one soldier down like it was nothing and zoned in on me as her next target. Of course, I threw an awkward punch and let her throw me. I had nothing to prove like she did. Anyway, something about her demeanor, it reminded me of my twin sister. Perhaps her gust for life, her smile, or the fact she took no grief from anyone. I admired her for it too.

She caught me going off post one evening, and we spent some time together. I enjoyed speaking with her; she was easy to talk to. I didn’t remember the last time I spoke so much to someone. I accidentally admitted she reminded me of my sister and she did not look very pleased. I ended up blurting out about my parents and twin sister’s death, and about how I didn’t protect her. That photo should have been a talisman for HER safety, and because of me it was shot.

Soon afterwards, we were in the desert on mission with two helicopters. The rotors were kicking up a lot of dust, Scarlett was with my group. Suddenly, the engine of our helicopter suddenly started to seize, and then stall out. The pilots (stick-jockeys) couldn't save it. Rock ‘N Roll and Grunt were already out the door when the tail rotor stalled and we started to spin. The spin slammed the door shut on Scarlett’s web-gear, trapping her. I couldn’t jump clear with her trapped. I managed to get the door open when we hit the other chopper, the aviation gas lit up and a plume of burning vapor punched right through the plexiglass door window and into my face. Scarlett was knocked out cold.

The pain is nothing I could ever describe. I managed to jump clear of the worse of it when we went down, my face still burning. I had Scarlatti though, in one piece. But my face was ravaged and jaw destroyed. Later, I will find out there was internal damage to my throat as well which would cause me to lose my voice.

For six months after the mission, I was in the hospital and going through plastic surgery. There was no hope though; I would forever look like a monster unless some sort of miracle in plastic surgery happened. I could have retired again, but what would I have done? Who would I be then? I stayed on, but I knew I had to turn my back on Scarlett. Her kindness made it worse I think.

Animated series history here (double check on this)

When Cobra creates a new teleportation device, G.I. Joe Team has to stop them from holding the world at ransom. I went with the team to the Arctic to find radioactive crystals. It was a trap, and the team was about to be caught in it. I closed the emergency doors to protect the other Joes from the radioactive gas, grabbed some crystals in a container, and managed to escape. Wandering through the snow, I freed a wolf from a bear trap. Going through the blurring white, I finally fell. Unknowing to me, a blind hunter found me because of the wolf I saved and tended to me. He cleaned my clothes, and did the best he could. I was surprised I lived.

When I returned to headquarters, I brought the Wolf with me. The container I used though was Cobra, and had a knock out gas in it. When emptied, it activated. The wolf actually helped Scarlett get a wet clothes so she could stay lucid enough to grab the canister and drive off with it. Tossing it over the security gate, it timed out and exploded. That wolf saved my life twice and the lives of my friends, gaining an honorary position on the team. With the three ingredients obtained, we were able to mimic the teleportation device though sadly only managed to transport the stolen great city monuments part way home. Oops?

Yet another weapon created by Destro, the weather was taking a turn for the worse. I ended up caught with Duke this time and tossed in the Arena of Sport with him.