Silence was like the thick heat that seemed to hang in the air. The sun pounded down upon the Mexican region as breezes struggle to enter through the scares trees. Dust sprayed upon the shoes of a well known solider as he crouches behind a small green metallic container one of many lined up to be hauled inside a large cave.
Two small blue eyes pierce through the blue headband out at the poor personal in yellow. The young Mexican workers haul inside boxes of unknown containments.
The long lines of workers carry the boxes as sweat drips down their wet shirts. Loud sounds of commands to move faster are called out.
The soldier's eyes dart back and forth to get the best layout of the area before moving closer. He crawls on his stomach in his desert style cameo and rolls behind another pile of boxes. The last worker is a few steps behind. He falls down as a commander comes by to check on him. The man's eyes look to his right seeing the heat wiggle across the sand. Sweat drips down his face and rolls off his nose. He looks left seeing the large opening of the cave as cool air creeps around his feet. Soon the sun would be setting and the cold darkness would swarm over the land. His heart beats quickly. Shoot! The last person is gone. He should have counted the times he looked left.
A buzzing vibration fills his ears as it beeps. The solider presses a button on his CODEC. His other one was some how affected by another mission and an external one clipped inside his ear had to make do.
"Snake."
Snake whispers, "Yeah Otacon. You sure that the parts were found here?"
"Would I send you out here for nothing Solid?"
Snake grunts. "Sometimes I have been on wild goose chases."
Otacon "Uh yeah, well I'm positive. I unscrambled a message from e-mail from an employed to Liquid. Let's say his new technology is better than Quantum Protection Software that I bought last week. I wonder where he gets it------"
"Otacon! Where is it?"
"Did you follow the instructions to the cave."
Little children laugh in the distance as Solid Snake looks in the direction seeing two young boys dashing in and out of the boxes playing hide-n-seek. The one boy chases the other round the box as one of the workers yells at them in Spanish and smacks the boy on the arm. They both laugh and take off running to more boxes.
"Snake?"
The pure innocence of play. It seems that his sneaking missions are nothing more than adults playing hide and seek and Cowboys-and-Indians but with real guns. If only the world did not have such evil as Metal Gear. It's recurrent head was an incurable disease.
Snake snaps out of his deep thoughts. "Yeah, must be the heat. I haven't had many missions with this weather. I've only been on a few like Shadow Moses. Which I just shutter at saying."
Snake heads out near the cave. "Ok, I'm heading in, what is surveillance like?"
Otacon types on his computer then hits the CODEC button, "It's pretty lax. I'm surprised. I think maybe that if it's in an area with poor workers that they can be more lax. I mean who will miss a few dead migrants so close to Texas? It's a shame really how our society looks down on people and even underestimates them. Sorry, Snake. I should go on a campaign to End Injustice."
"Nah, Otacon. You did not need to apologize. Sometimes……I like to listen to you talk. After all, you and I are on the same page. I can't say the same for who I work for or even truly know on missions. Double agents are never uncommon. Besides, I get to know you better with your stories. I do agree that security is lax for this reason. Well I'm going in."
Otacon rubs his hair. "Ah, thanks Snake. I just want to help out as best I can. If I could have more courage I'd love to be a solider like you."
Cool air rushes against Snake's uniform as he crawls on the ground next to the wall. Workers walk up and down passing him up like local rocks and sand. The last work stands near the rounding corner wiping the sweat off his face. He complains in Spanish. A small device near his waists buzzes and he looks at it. He smacks his forehead and races down the hall as Snake crawls to his knees and looks around. Snake quickly walks like a cat on the sand as he enters the cave. The large area opens revealing a large warehouse. The dim area casts many shadows as very few large lights hang down from the metal encases cavern.
The large crates are being opened up and shown to a head commander in a blue hat, with blue camouflage as the workers in orange keep passing the boxes for the commander to approve.
Snake rolls over to another corner and unfolds a Chill Pepper box and quickly sneaks over to the corner of the room.
Shouts came from the Commander as a woman in black with black fluffy short hair shouts at him as he shouts back. She puts her hands up and backs off huffing. Her feet clank the metallic floor as she hurries down the area and passes Snake's box. Snake sees her ankles and notices a strange symbol. A white snake spitting out water droplets.
She turns to the Commander and tells him. "I'm sick of standing in the shadows! I've done that when I was little and will not any longer. I will be a major part of this unit. Someone hacked all the college accounts and I was denied entrance to them. Yet, ironically my talents would be used here. I will climb the ranks, you'll see! I was somehow brought here a reason. If I find out it's to be used, you'll all pay. I do hope he comes here soon. I have to talk to him."
The Commander watches as she puts her hand on her hips. "Senorita, por favor calm down. I assure you we pulled the best men and woman to be here. I know it's been a year and you haven't met him, but you will. Un momento…."
She turns. " I better." She hisses like a cat. "I'm going outside to meet him. The boxes should all be here for the air transport to take them all to the 'Haven."
"Haven?" Snake's brows raise. He sneaks around her and pulls out a small black box and places it on the wall. He presses a button and turns the dial to "10". Once she walks off into the distance, he does the same to all 3 other sides.
Snake sighs with relief as he then moves out the main hall back the way he came and stops as a man looks around the box. "Caja?" The man asks looking at it, then loosing interest.
Once Snake is several feet away he hits the button. He hears a small rumble and thinks nothing of it. The button flashes in a countdown as he hears some screaming. He turns back seeing the two boys again. He see's a small box ontop of the boy as the other tries to get him.
"Ah man. Someone's got see that." Snake looks the last worker drives off in the car. His A.I Time-Card Stamped and hanging upon the outside wall.
His CODEC buzzes several times as Snake races down and pulls a heavy metal box off of the boy as the other looks around in horror. Snake lifts it off and throws it to the side yelling. "Get out of here." The two look in horror as the explosions take off one at a time rumbling loud shooting sand and dust everywhere. The one boy grabs his younger friend but can't he can't go far. The young boy cries in pain as his foot his broken and his arm is dislocated.
The smoke flies out of the entrance as Snake Grabs both boys around his sides and heads off. He climbs the small hill and drops them off yelling at them to run and replies to Otcaon. "Yeah had a small issue. It's taken care of."
"That's good. So Mission accomplished?"
Snake smirks but then the last explosion shoots rocks flying in the air. They fly upwards like rockets one after another as dust engulfs the area. The ground beneath Snake shakes and he falls down rolling down the hill and landing hard on his left elbow. "Ow!" All around him the rocks fall down. He turns and lifts himself up as a massive piece of rock falls downward next to him. A small crevice opens as he falls in and more rocks pile on him. Snake grunts as he pulls himself out as he sees metal falling down. The patter of rocks and metal continues on falling from the air. Just when he thinks he can be free a rock collides with the back of his head. Blackness darker than the sunset covers his eyes and his strength gives out.
Fifteen minutes later…
Around the decimated side of the building the woman second in command climbs out from the beams of the building. She pulls the Commander with her. He then goes for his neck feeling for a pulse. She doesn't find any. She coughs out some dust as she brushes the dusty black hair of hers. The woman roles over and looks at her leg. A large cut heads up near her knee. She rips off her cameo cover and wraps it around her leg. Distant rumbles of vehicles catch her ears. Static fills her CB as she puts it to her ear. "We'll be there in fifty-seconds." She coughs some more then presses the CB. "Copy. Commander Wilks is dead."
"Affirmative. You move up in the ranks Mara—Commander Mara."
"Thank you sir." Mara walks toward the vehicle. She looks over as she sees two boots poking out of the rubble. "Those don't look like the poor workers we hired."
The silver jeep rolled to a stop as a man wearing a long tan trench coat hops out. He strolls over to Mara and salutes her. He removes a small hair from his blonde forehead. " I'm feeling peckish. What the…." His jaw hangs there seeing the destruction.
"It seems that one worker among the rubble is not from here. I believe this person was caught in the act." She gives a short laugh.
His snarly voice waves through the blowing wind. "Well, we shall see who this saboteur is, shall we?"
He looks at the boots closer. "An apparent army personal. Help me dig this person out."
Mara and a few army men heave large rocks off of his body when he rises to his feet. "Snake. My what an unpleasant surprise. I do say catching animals is getting easier these days."
Mara asks, "Snake? Who is he? Do you know him?"
He smirks. "Oh yes, we go way back together. Shame our goals couldn't be united again."
"Master Commodore Liquid what should be done?"
Liquid presses his fingers near Snake's neck feeling for a pulse. Snake waited a minute as he felt the slightest pulse of life. Liquid notices the large gashe on his head and he moves his hand through his hair. "It appears that another matter is in order. Due to a well known operative, my transportation of destroyed metals will have to wait. I'll get a team down here to recover what we can. As for this bloke, I personally will see to it that it is handled."
"But Commadore--"
He stands smiling. "No buts. I can need you to set up the systems for the grand event." He pats the top of her head. "We wouldn't want any of your gifts to go to waste, know do we?"
"No." He smirks, waiting to see what else she will say. "I'll make our guest comfy, you can see what he knows." Snake rips the CODEC from Snake's ear. "Hello there."
Otacon. "Uh……who is this?"
Snake laughs maliciously. "Don't you know the voice of your operative's nemesis? Tell him goodbye."
"Snake……….snake? Come on. Put Snake on? Hello? Snaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake. Can you hear me?"
Liquid shoves the CODEC into her hands. "Track it. I want to know everyone he works for."
Mara closes her eyes as a green spark travels down her arm into the CODEC. Her eyes are filled with strings of data. "There are several fire walls."
Liquid grunts. "Try harder."
She squeezes her eyebrows closer. "Firewall down."
Red lights flashing as alarms shoot across Otacon's room like wild fire. "Oh no! My firewalls." He types furiously as he can trying to block whatever is knocking down the many walls he has in place. "Firewall down. Firewall down."
"Access allowed."
Hal stares stunned as a green message reads across the screen. "Hal? You are a very special man. We're coming for you." A white snake spitting waters appears, rotates then disappears.
Hal rubs his eyes and looks at his watch. "Was I dreaming?"
Liquid laughs. His men drag Snake by his arms, head hanging down, and place him in the back of the seat. Liquid looks with amusement "You've always enjoyed boxes. Soon you'll be in a black box with a few petty flowers over it."
Chapter 2
Echoes of Liquid's snarly voice fill the head of Snake. "He's been like this for days. If he goes into a coma I can assure you your license for medicine will not be renewed." Faint whispers of medical terms are stated to Liquid. "Really is that so? Get him awake. I do have a schedule to keep."
Some time later Snake lifts his heavy eyes open seeing the blurry mix of white light and ceiling tiles. Beeping drifts in and out of Snake's ears as he turns left and righting seeing the machines. He goes to get up and pulls his arms out of the restraints. Snake pulls out the wires and heads over to the wall where a small mirror hangs. He stares at his face brushing his stubbly face and staring at his blue eyes. The face was shallow to him. It was a pale version of himself. Why was it so meaningless to him? He looked seeing the hospital gown and the strange metallic room. This was no normal hospital.
David wanders down the hall hearing Liquid's voice wondering who this whiney British male voice was attached to what face.
The hall was dark as he wanders near the door's edge. Liquid is facing a few people and placing his finger on a blueprint. A small alarm goes off and Liquid looks at the wall. "Wonderful." He turns seeing Snake in the hall staring blankly at him. "Brother come join us."
Snake raises his brows, "Brother? Do I know you?"
Liquid laughs. "Yes of course. I was discussing our plan care to join?"
Snake enters slowly bumping into the wall as he comes in. He looks at Mara with her short shaggy black hair almost striking imagery of Meryl in depressingly wicked form. He looks at taller man with black hair with a white stripe going down it. He smirks, his eyes teeth white as clouds. Liquid looks at Snake curiously and then shows him the blueprint. "This is the newest piece of M.G It's a shame the first shipment of superior steel and hybrid parts was destroyed."
Snake looks at it. "Looks like a fully-loaded corvette."
"No my dear brother this is no normal car. It is a M.G in disguise. We have to ship it into the country un-detected. Sometimes we have to think small."
Snake smirks. "Hasn't this been done before in corny spy movies?"
All three of them start laughing. Liquid tells him to look closer, "The car isn't the M.G it is what halls the parts. These lovely beauties will race past security. Each part will avoid suspicion. I admit it is a bit slower, but with the flashy cars no U.S. government will think twice about it containing special parts. 7 of these will do several trips starting from Washington, D. C to Florida."
"What about people taking off with the cars?"
"Heh you worry brother." Liquid snaps his fingers. He then pulls out of his pocket a small chip. "If anyone tries to double cross me, they will go up in flames. I do hate to destroy my merchandise, but I will if I must."
Liquid watches Snakes reaction and wonders, "Not even the slightest twinge of doubt is appearing on his face. He's totally unaware of everything." He then turns to Markus Black and Mara. "Watch your words. I don't want anyone to remind anyone of anything special."
Markus smiles and brushes his white streak. "Of course not boss."
Liquid rolls up the map he notices Snake holding onto the doorjamb. "I don't feel so good." Snake rubs his eyes seeing stares as a pounding headache beats at his brain. Snake turns looking at Liquid. "It will pass…..I can deal. What do you want me to do?"
Snake swallows hard. "I know how enthusiastic you are about helping me, but you have to take it easy." Liquid grabs him under his arm and leads him down the hall into the lounge. He sets him down on a stained jungle green couch. The dim lights shine down on the pool table, couch and snack machine. "How about staying here?"
The green lounge's dismal taste wasn't something that Snake was looking forward too being around any longer. "If I could do work here, sure. It's pretty empty."
Snake grabs a sheet of paper off the desk next to the entry to the lounge and a pencil and hands them to Snake. "Think of some ways we can get in. What about the routes of Washington, D.C?"
"I'll try….." He grabs the pencil and watches Liquid as something grabs his gut. Was he supposed to be here? Where was 'here'? He holds the pencil about two minutes as he over hears Mara walking past the door she walks after Liquid. He turns to her. "Keep an eye on him. Do not mention what M.G stands for. He only needs to know the letters. I don't want anything to jog his memory."
She folds her arms. "Of course. You don't think I'm a fool do you?"
He snarls. "Everything on this base can trigger memories. I've tried to have the janitor's remove all insignia except for the ones under my command."
"What's Big Boss's command?"
Liquid smirks. "Who says he's still in charge on this mission?"
Mara's brows fold, "What? Is this some kind of mutiny?"
He laughs. "Of course not. I just think I can handle the Metal Gear's Better than he can. He can have his head in the clouds about his love for solider boys. I've got better plans to deal with. His can wait. This is a special operation that needs to remain unknown to him. Got that?"
She salutes him. "Yes Sir. For the Cause."
"For the Cause." Liquid heads down the half. "Watch Snake."
"What am I ? A babysitter?"
Liquid keeps in step and hums an old tune. He then tells her, "For the meantime. He's a big boy. Just make sure he doesn't get into trouble. If he starts to jog any memories distract him with your female charm."
Mara tisks in repulsion. "Yeah, like I'm some kind of prostitute. I got higher standards than that." She grits her teeth. "Whatever you say." She watched him leave. "What's with this guy? Is this some kind of test that all Commanders go through. I hope he's joking. The guy's not bad looking but I have more important things on my mind than sex with strangers."
Mara heads back into the lounge and noticed Snake was leaning on the doorpost. "Want to play a game of pool?"
Mara blinks.
"What?"
"I just thought that guy named---Liquid I guess
that's what you call him wanted me to test what I know about
getting in undetected. I gave him 20 ways to do it. Now I'm bored.
I'd do some work-outs but I figured I might as well take it easy."
"Sure," She heads over to the table.
Snake goes to the other side and grabs the stick from the wall and hands her one.
Meanwhile in another room, stuffed away in a locker a beeping noise ketches Liquid's ears. He grabs the small device and brings it over to a local computer. "Now this is interesting. If I can get Mainframe to triangulate the signal we can find him sooner than expected."
He plugs the Codec into a computer system and notices the data sprawling on the screen. After fifteen minutes of looking at code he can't quite make out the signature he needs.
Liquid presses a button on the wall. "Mara I'll need your assistance in the Technology Lab. You know what else to do for our guest."
Mara hears the message on the wall and heads over to it. "Got it." Mara pulls a phone out and calls Markus. "Hey Markus can you stop by. We need some entertainment for our guest."
Mara smirks at Snake. "Sorry, sweetcakes I have to go. I owe you another round." She winks and heads out rolling her eyes. She calls Liquid. "Markus is coming. I'm walking down now."
Snake twirls the stick as Markus heads in. He waves. "Hey pal. I thought I'd drop by to see how you are doing."
Mara rushes into the lab. "Yes sir."
Liquid points to the screen. "I'm sure you can make out where he's at."
Mara smirks. "Numbers are child play. I'll find him." She sits down scanning the data. "Hmm…it seems he's initiated some kind of self-destruct for this codec. Not in the sense of decimation but destroying any frequencies that are linked to certain personal."
Liquid leans over Mara and puts his hands on her shoulder. "Find him."
Mara shivers in her soul from Liquid's hands. "There. He's near North Dakota…..some kind of safe house or something. The location isn't residential."
"Excellent," Liquid whispers into her ears, "Just Brill. I do say I admire your skill with computers."
"I can do more than that. I can sense who runs them. I can see the person's bank statement and themselves. Oddly I don't remember why I can do this. I know I used to take apart computers…."
Memories flood Mara's mind of her car pulling up to a compound at night. Rain drizzles down unto her as she knocks mercilessly on the door. "Hello?"
Thunder crackles across the night sky as the door is yanked open pulling her into the dark room. "What's going on?"
A deep scraggily voice replies. "You're just what we need. However, you're not fully developed."
"Huh? How are you? What do you mean?"
"Mara Freedmore welcome to your new life. Your Reconstruction begins in zero hours."
Her vision blurs as she shutters back rubbing her forehead. Liquid sits in a chair next to her. "You've been quiet for fifteen minutes. You zoned out. I hope you're not getting the same headaches as Snake?"
"No. The past is the past and something's try to come back to life. I smother them every night."
"Good. They better not hinder your performance here." He stands and exists the room but stands near the doorjamb. "You're still on duty for babysitting."
Mara stands from her seat still shaken-up. "I'm going." She heads out rubbing her face and thinks." It was only an interview. I'm better and stronger now. Then why am I terrified of remembering it all?"
