When Snake awoke, he was bound.
It was a sudden realisation, overcoming the drugs in his body with a wave of pure instinct. His eyes snapped wide open as he beat against the restraints, snarling and gasping in exertion, before he even realised where he was.
There was someone. A man in the long FOX-HOUND dress coat that he sensed before he even saw.
He knew that face. He saw it every day in the mirror.
"Liquid," he growled.
He waited for an explanation, but Liquid gave none – simply gave him a look which Snake realised to his horror was one of sympathy. Protectiveness.
He swallowed.
"I know that look," he said, starkly. His voice sounded gravellier than usual, older. "Finally starting to treat me like a brother, huh?"
Liquid might have smiled then, a small sad tug at the edges of lips Snake shaved each day.
He felt the spurred heels click into the room before he saw Ocelot.
"Want me to take it off, Boss?" he purred, walking towards Snake, hands extended towards the line of his jaw. Snake snatched his head away like a startled animal.
"No!" barked Liquid. "Remember what happened the last time he lost his face before the reconditioning was complete? You'll put us all in grave danger!" He paused. "Especially with a face like that one. 'The Man Who Makes The Impossible Possible'."
He gave a laugh that shivered with hate.
Snake joined in.
"That's what some people called me."
But Liquid shook his head.
"No-one called you that. Honestly, if I'd had known you would have been this difficult to peel out of your identities I never would have recruited you." And those resentful eyes sparkled. "You've taken quite a shine to this one. Living out your fantasies of conquering your boss, Octopus?"
"...Octopus?" Snake repeated, and then laughed to distract Liquid from noticing his eyes flicking from escape route to escape route - "You brought me here for a talk. You can at least start making sense."
Liquid massaged the bridge of his nose with his fingertips.
"Oh, here we go again," he complained. "You've been like this every time for the past week. You truly are a human chameleon. Blending in with no questions asked."
"It's getting you to stop that's the problem," Ocelot nodded. "Our psychological research went a bit too far."
"Ocelot, get that Dr Naomi to bring a dialysis machine here and start circulating my blood out of him," Liquid snapped. "We've played with him in this state long enough. It's time to return to the real world."