METAL GEAR SOLID

OPERATION NIGHTRIVER

2012 – Somewhere in Guangdong Province, China…

Sil Lum Incarceration Facility stood in the center of the urban sprawl that had become Guangdong's downtown area. It used to be a secondary boarding school, and the Western-style brick and ivy made it look like any 1930s American east coast alma mater. The only major difference the young Chinese woman and her companion could see was that instead of fresh-faced young male patricians, the windows were full of men in bright orange suits, some banging on the glass, others shouting loud enough to be heard all the way to the security checkpoint out front.

The crisp spring rain beat down in a steady rhythm, and she watched the water turn the world into a blur as she saw it through the windshield. They had sat with the engine off for nearly ten minutes at the checkpoint, waiting for the soldiers to look over their papers. In the meantime, the young soldier standing near the truck's window leered at her and loudly whispered lewd comments in Cantonese to his squad mate.

She ignored them.

The Caucasian man driving the truck waited patiently, a cigarette in his mouth and a sour expression on his face. He had greying hair and unsettling blue eyes, and wore a trench coat. In the back of the police van, he heard his two passengers – his partner and the prisoner – talking between the two of them, as they had been the entire journey from the airport.

Finally, one of the guards came alongside the driver's side and spoke with the man. As the guard approached, the man driving the truck thumped on the partition between himself and the passengers in back, and they instantly dummied up.

"Detective Jackson," the soldier said in heavily-accented English. "You clear. Please, pull in."

The detective thanked him in his own broken Mandarin, and then the partition rose and he shifted into gear. The young Chinese girl watched the soldiers looking at her as they walked alongside the truck. One of them made an unseemly gesture and the guard that had told the detective to move forward chastised him.

They pulled up to the roundabout at the front door and the detective and his young female passenger got out. The soldiers leveled their Type 56 rifles at the back door of the van and one of them reached out to open it.

Inside, the half-light of the rainstorm allowed the soldiers to see two men. One wore an orange prison jumpsuit with a black bag over his head and his arms manacled behind his back, chains connecting them to the manacles about his ankles. The other man also wore an American detective's trench coat, but he had long gray hair and round glasses and didn't look at all like the rough street type that American cops always made themselves out to be.

The detective in the back of the truck stood and jostled the prisoner to his feet.

"Uh… come on motherfucker! Get moving!" the detective said, pushing the prisoner down the foot ramp and into the arms of the other guards.

Detective Jackson and the Chinese girl followed the group as they marshaled the prisoner through the front doors and down a long series of hallways, Detective Jackson's partner close behind them. The prisoner stumbled several times as the guards jeered him, barely allowing him to keep his balance. The young soldier kept glancing back at the Chinese girl with questioning looks behind the back of his superior. She continued to look away, and Detective Jackson gave the young soldier an intimidating look that caused him to wither.

They arrived at the lockup area, and the detective with the glasses held back with the other American and the young woman. The guards entered the prisoner in lockup and returned presently. They came with a distinguished-looking Chinese man in a white lab-coat who spoke perfect English, though the rhythm of his words still sounded very Chinese.

"Detective David Jackson? I am Fa Lo, head psychologist here. I see you've brought Dr. Lei with you, but who is your other companion?" he asked, shaking the larger, smoking detective's hand.

"This is Lieutenant Al Merrick, the fellow who helped me crack the case," Jackson said. His voice was low and rasping, menacing even though he did not mean it to be. "I couldn't have caught him if I hadn't had Merrick's help. That man gave us both quite a chase."

Fa Lo nodded.

"We appreciate that you've agreed to extradite him," he said. "That has often been a very touchy subject between our countries."

Detective Jackson held up a dismissive hand.

"It was no trouble," he said. "I'd rather he came over here anyway – the juries in America would have just let him free. After what he's done, I'll enjoy watching your boys work him over."

Fa Lo chuckled as he lead them into one of the offices. It had clearly used to be a dormitory decades before, from the way it was laid out and the position of the bathroom.

"You are indeed the iconic American flatfoot, Detective Jackson," Fa Lo said as he sat down. Two of the soldiers stayed inside the room, guarding the door, their rifles slung. One was the young pervert, who still eyed the woman called Dr. Lei.

"I'd like to discuss the specifics of Li's crimes here and in America," Fa Lo went on. "How did you find him if he used the same random tactics as before?"

Detective Jackson took a long drag on his cigarette and then put it out in the ashtray on the table. He let the smoke flow out for a moment, and then began to speak.

"He stands out in the dark real well because of his white hair," he said, pulling a silenced Beretta out of his trench coat.

"What?" Fa Lo asked, still confused over the statement before he'd even recognized the Beretta.

Detective Jackson shot him in the neck, the tranquilizer dart striking in the jugular vein and the soporific instantly rendering him unconscious. In the same breath, Merrick and Dr. Lei turned. The young soldier saw a look of smug satisfaction on the girl's face as she put a tranquilizer dart in his chest. Merrick did the same thing to the other guard.

The man who had called himself Detective Jackson brought a finger to his ear.

140.96

Raiden, he said. You clear?

The voice that came over still sounded young and overconfident, but not without reason. The kid had proven his mettle a few times.

Give me a couple of seconds… how are you guys?

Targets have been neutralized, we're coming to get you.

Just give me a minute! I'll have myself out.

---

Snake ripped off the trench coat to reveal the new skull suit, pulling out the bandana and tying it around his forehead. He turned the Beretta over in his hand to inspect it, then turned to Otacon and Mei Ling, who were busy dragging the bodies of the two guards into the corner.

"You sure the new action on these works? I don't need to jack it every time I fire anymore?" Snake asked.

"Are you insulting my engineering skills?" Mei Ling demanded, hands on her hips.

Snake gave her a coy smile as Otacon handed him a Type 56 rifle.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Snake said, stowing the Beretta in its holster as he prepped the rifle. They were knockoffs of the AK-47 and functioned in exactly the same manner, though the balance felt very slightly different. Snake slung the rifle and turned to Otacon, who had removed the dart from Fa Lo's neck and arranged him so he was slumped forward.

Snake remembered thinking of Otacon as a shaky, insecure nerd back on Shadow Moses, but he'd become a dependable field operative with Philanthropy. Snake had worried about the variables inherent in forcing Otacon and Mei Ling into a combat zone, but it had been the only recourse, and he could only be relieved it had gone off without any tragedies.

"I think we'll be okay… it's been less than four minutes since he saw our faces, so the memory erasure serum should do its work," Otacon said. "Get Raiden out of lockup and we'll start the diversion."

The door opened and Otacon and Mei Ling froze as Snake brought the rifle to bear in an instant.

Raiden strode into the room as if he owned the place, his HF katana stowed on his back and ready to draw.

"Miss me?" he asked.

Otacon heaved a relieved sigh, Mei Ling slumped against the wall, and Snake frowned as he lowered the rifle.

"You're getting cocky," Snake said, handing the rifle to him.

Raiden held up a hand to decline the rifle as he spoke to Otacon.

"Hey, Hal – tell Snake to chill out. I've known him to get a bit too sure of himself more than once."

"Knock it off, you two! Now look, the command room is on the fifth floor. Once we activate the diversionary tactic, we need to get up there, take out the command staff, and close off the building. After that, we'll only have a few hours to execute the operation. Are you ready?" Otacon asked.

Snake racked the action on his rifle and Raiden drew the HF katana.

"Tell us when," Snake said.

Mei Ling removed a small device from her lab coat, and flipped up the cover on a button.

"Now," she said, and pushed it.

---

The soldiers standing within twenty feet of the truck were burned to the bone, and those within thirty-five feet were so buffeted by the shockwave that they did not rise as the flaming remains of the vehicle slammed back onto the ground. The explosion had lifted the truck ten feet off the ground and blown out most of the front windows of the building. Gasoline burned and smoke choked the front as the klaxons raged.

Snake and Raiden heard the boots of troops rushing past the office, sirens blaring outside as the on-site fire vehicle arrived to extinguish the flames. The four of them emptied into the hallway, Raiden in front and Snake behind him with the rifle, Mei Ling in the center with Otacon covering the rear, aiming his own Type 56 rifle behind them and shuffling carefully backwards, listening for cues from his teammates.

They took the stairs to avoid the possibility of being trapped in the elevator, but met with no enemies until they reached the GHQ office on the fifth floor. An officer opened the door and got a fist in the face as Raiden sidled up to it. Snake leaned the corner, crouching and firing high, shredding two more officers as Raiden charged inside. The last man got a slash where his neck met his shoulder as he tried to pull the pistol at his side.

He stumbled and fell to the ground, bleeding out quickly. Raiden wiped the blade before sheathing it and Otacon and Mei Ling entered the room. Snake marked the look of revulsion on Mei Ling's face at the carnage, but pretended to ignore it. Otacon must've noticed the same thing, hiding his face as he started manipulating the control panels.

"I've locked down the building and released the inmates from their cells," Otacon said. "Every level of the facility has hidden auto-cannons and teargas vents to deter rioting. Those should keep us safe while we run ops from here, but if you guys take too long, they'll almost certainly bomb the place into the ground."

Snake nodded as he scavenged a 9mm Type 92 pistol off one of the officers and a few magazines, loading them into the various pockets of his skull suit. Raiden prudently decided to do the same.

"Are you people going to fill me in now that there's no risk of me being tortured by my captors?" Raiden asked, clearing the action on the pistol before holstering it.

"Get to the elevator and we'll complete your briefing," Otacon said. "Get moving now, they're bound to know what's up soon if they don't already suspect something."

---

Snake and Raiden covered opposite ends of the hallway as they ran, Raiden's HF katana brandished and Snake's rifle at the ready as they checked corners and moved toward the large cargo elevator that had been punched into the building decades after its construction.

It was a cargo elevator large enough to carry truck-sized components from the top floor of the building, where the secret research lab was, to the very depths of the earth, where the PLA was housing its top-secret project… one which walked about on two legs and had the capability to fire a nuclear weapon to any point on the planet.

We're in, but it's a key access, Snake said into the Codec.

Your nanomachines will broadcast the clearance code in a moment, Snake, came Mei Ling's reassuring voice. She sounded perfectly fine despite her disgust a moment ago. Raiden heard it too and felt a small bit of dread. He wondered if her refusal to acknowledge the horror would cause her to crack mid-mission as he knew happened to some people. Snake didn't seem concerned, but then, he never did.

Listen up, Raiden, Otacon said. That intel that the Colonel lost his freedom over lead us here. The People's Liberation Army has been stonewalling UN weapons inspectors since Ocelot sold Rex's data back in 2005. We've always suspected them of starting up some kind of Metal Gear program to rival the American-sponsored RAY program that Japan's SDF recently instituted. With North Korea already beating its chest over possessing Rex data, it was only a matter of time before Beijing decided to do something about it.

All right, so why a prison right in the middle of downtown Guangdong? Raiden asked. Are we looking for somebody with more info on where this Metal Gear program is based?

Actually, Otacon said. If you go about a kilometer below the surface, you'll find it yourself. This cargo elevator will take you both down into the heart of the PLA's secret Metal Gear R&D facility, right here in Canton. And speaking of which…

The elevator shook for a moment, and then the doors closed and it moved downward. Snake nonchalantly shook a cigarette out of his pack and lit up. His calm had a way of infuriating Raiden at some times, and this was one of them.

Hold on, Raiden said. You're saying you've just sent me into the belly of a massive Metal Gear facility with almost no preparation!

There you go worrying again, Snake cut in.

You can do it, Raiden, Mei Ling said. I've seen your Codec monitor from Big Shell… there were a few times I thought you were just as good as Snake.

Those new skull suits are top of the line, Otacon said. Mei Ling has designed them to automatically staunch certain types of wounds for you. Abrasions and deep cuts will vanish on their own, though you'll still need to do some surgical procedures if you get shot – Snake.

I'm sorry, did you say something? Snake asked.

What are we up against here? Raiden asked.

There's been a huge influx of resources to this facility in the last few months, which is what alerted Colonel Campbell to its existence in the first place, Otacon said. Judging from how much they've taken in, they could probably have produced several Metal Gears at various experimental stages. You'll have three principle objectives. The first of course to destroy the facility and any Metal Gear prototypes that reside within. Leave nothing behind that can possibly be reverse-engineered.

Check, Snake said.

Locate the Rex data and any other operational R&D information, and eliminate it, Otacon said. And the final objective is to find the science personnel responsible for the design and production of Metal Gear… and… well, deal with them.

Raiden felt a weight in his heart at this last.

Otacon… he started.

I'm a hypocrite, Otacon said. I know. They've likely been coerced… but there's no expedient way we can recover them from this facility without great risk to ourselves and the continued existence of Philanthropy. I won't sleep easily with it, but I don't see any recourse but to terminate any members of the science staff.

Roger, Snake said.

I'm not killing noncombatants! Raiden said. Mei Ling… are you going to help them do this!

I, don't have a choice, Raiden, she said. He could hear tears in her voice, somewhere behind it, not a part of it, but close. We've never had to kill the staff before… but this facility is too well-guarded and there's too much risk. I don't like it either, but…

You don't have to kill any of the scientists, Snake said.

Raiden felt relief.

Snake… I knew you'd…

I'll neutralize the science staff if it comes down to it, Snake said.

"Damn you, Snake!" Raiden swore, cutting off his Codec and turning to face the man.

"Cool off, kid," Snake said. "We just killed a bunch of soldiers and I didn't see you flinching. Those scientists are knowingly colluding in the spread of the most horrible weapon we've ever made. They're certainly guiltier than that guy in the HQ room you just chopped open with a sword."

"Don't call me kid!" Raiden snarled. "Guilty or not, it isn't for us to decide! They're noncombatants! They can't fight back!"

"Neither can the countless people in North Korea and Japan who might get nuked by the Metal Gear they're creating down here," Snake pointed out. "Asia will be on fire if we don't do something. There's no argument about this. We terminate the science staff, and that's an order. Do you understand?"

Raiden turned away, sheathing his katana violently, his fists clenched. Snake shook his head.

Goddamn kid, Snake thought.

Stupid old man, Raiden thought.

The open walls of the elevator showed the change as they dipped below ground level. The first two levels were regular basement floors, but then they began to become reinforced concrete. Their Soliton radars fizzled and shorted out.

"Damn, that's what I figured might happen… too much harmonic resonance down here… looks like we're sneaking old-style," Snake muttered.

"What kind of resistance are we up against down here?" Raiden asked, deciding to keep his mind on the parts of the mission that he could stomach.

"We might run into a variant on the Arsenal Tengu troops. The PLA is never far behind the rest of the world where flashy toys are concerned," Snake said. "I imagine there'll be surveillance and automated defenses. The Colonel was able to give us a rough sketch of how the interior is laid out, and Otacon and Mei Ling went over it to analyze what areas they thought would be used for what."

"How big is this place?"

"Very big. They need to keep the air circulating at the lowest points or else the carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide settles there and pretty much kills everybody slowly," Snake said. "There's what looked like a very large tank hangar – definitely where they're storing Metal Gear. There's a large research laboratory floor where we're likely to find the staff, and a central core where a nuclear reactor powers the entire operation. There are a few cooling systems scattered throughout that don't make sense as far as what they're located near… we might find the IT server near one of them. And there's something else."

"What's that?" Raiden asked.

"There's a very large pipeline transporting liquid oxygen from a processing center up top to two places – the reactor, and also the hangar. We think that's what might be powering this new prototype," Snake said. "If we bring the reactor offline and remove the nuclear material so that it won't go critical, we can trigger an explosion in the LOX flow and bring the house down without causing another Tselinoyarsk."

Raiden smiled.

"An underground flow… NightRiver," he said.

"Otacon came up with it," Snake shrugged. "I'd just as well call this Operation Batshit, if you asked me to come up with the names."

The elevator suddenly stalled, and Snake and Raiden tensed, drawing their weapons. The lights sputtered.

Otacon? Snake and Raiden asked at the same time.

I'm locked out! Hang on, I'm trying to get past the security, it should only take a second… I don't understand, the signal broadcasting from your nanomachines should've cleared you through their security system…

The elevator disengaged from the cable and Snake and Raiden felt themselves plummet. Snake felt his heels start to float off the floor, his stomach jarring with the sickening, twisting, roller-coaster sensation of falling that had kept him out of the Air Force.

"The roof! Chop out the roof!" Snake shouted.

Raiden leaped up from the floor and in a single arcing cut, sliced a whole in the elevator's roof. Snake jumped off the floor and they both flew out the hole, grabbing onto the cable as the elevator raced downward. A moment later, they both heard a great crash that echoed up and washed over them.

They hung on the cable for a moment, both totally silent lest they give away their position to anybody. After a few seconds, Snake patched into Raiden's frequency.

Do you see that access door over there?

Raiden looked over and saw where the cargo elevator had clearly meant to stop. He looked back up to Snake and nodded.

I can jump over and grab the edge, but I can't make the floor, you'll have to go first and try to clear the area if there are any enemies, Snake said.

Raiden nodded. He could see the irritation Snake felt at admitting he couldn't do something. Back in '09 on Big Shell, he thought Snake might've been able to make the jump, and he thought Snake knew that also.

Roger, Raiden said, and leaped.

He landed into a soundless roll, looking about.

He was in a tight, hexagonal corridor that ran several meters in either direction before turning the corners. He could not hear the sounds of anybody nearby, though there was a hex-shaped door right nearby with no window. It ostensibly slid open automatically, but Raiden was almost right up against it and his presence hadn't triggered it.

Great, we're locked out… he thought. He patched his frequency up to Snake again.

We're clear, hurry!

Snake grunted and, as he'd said, managed to make the ledge. He dragged himself up with no serious difficulty, and had the Type 56 out again.

"We need to figure out where we are," Snake said.

Otacon rang them.

You're still several hundred meters above any of your objectives. Look, I'll broadcast the map to your Codecs… Mei Ling typed up a program for your Soliton radars that'll let you view it and your current position whenever you need to so you don't get lost… though you're on your own for locating enemies. You're in some kind of maintenance corridor, it looks like it might give you access to some of the other personnel transport elevators in the area. The upper levels are all routine maintenance areas, but if you can get lower, to the central levels, you can find the science personnel areas and the central reactor core.

Snake nodded.

All right, I'm showing the map now. I think we'll be able to figure out a route that'll get us lower. What happened just now?

Otacon sighed.

I'm sorry Snake, but somebody must've figured out your nanomachines' broadcast bandwidth and locked you out. Their security core is somewhere at the very bottom of the base and we can't access anything here. I've told your nanos to stop broadcasting an IFF code, so at least the security system can't track your every step and breath now, but it also means all the work Mei Ling and I did to keep the automatic defenses from recognizing you as a threat went to nothing. Be careful.

Raiden nodded.

You did your best, Hal.

Operation NightRiver is underway, Snake said.

---