p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The comm buzzed out and Snake dropped from the chopper to find his horse - as usual - saddled and ready. It would be morning soon, so he drove his steed on at a gallop through the mountains. His target was a small, unsuspecting ruin of a building, under which the enemy had installed a few crude cells. He knew the place, having been here just a few months before, and had no trouble getting close /The guards here were sparse and vigilant. He should be careful, but his confidence spurred him on. Across the road, into the brush, up the hill. Not a soul saw him. He slipped off the horse when he took him as far as he could go unmarked. Barely crouching, he darted on up, toward the watch tower that was all but unmanned. He hurried along, beyond two small containers and behind a large /This time the guard on the roof had a torch. Snake waited until he had turned to patrol the other side of the building before hurrying on. He lowered himself onto his stomach as he drew near the stairs. They hadn't bothered to cover up the two gaping holes in the concrete, so he could easily hear the prisoners shifting about. He wriggled until he could peer down into the orange /Three people were down there; what looked like a civilian woman, a young soldier, and his target - a gray CIA retiree who had taken it upon himself to do what he thought the youngsters couldn't and infiltrate enemy territory. He would be a valuable asset to their growing garrison./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"A voice in the dark caught him off guard. Snake froze as a beam of light hit him directly in the face from below. There was a cry of surprise and he rolled away just in time to avoid the peal of rifle fire as it burst through the concrete. He got up and made for the stairs, catching a soldier as he came up and using him as a human shield while he took his comrades down. As he entered the cell block, Snake found something he was not expecting; a soldier with a case full of grenades standing at the opposite doorway. the man tossed one as he slammed the door behind himself, and Snake dove away with his shield still in front of him as the remains of the wall in front of him became missiles. The soldier in front of him roared in pain once, and then slumped forward in silence, falling against the rubble of the wall. Ears still, ringing, Snake pulled himself up and over to the cell, relieved to find that his target had had the good sense to get himself and his cellmates under the two beds before the grenade went off. The occupants of the other cell had not been so /He had the door open in a flash, and led them back up the stairway he had used, as the holes had been blown in in the blast. They had barely made it outside, however, when the telling tinkle of a dropped grenade echoed up the stairwell. "GET DOWN!" His target shouted, throwing himself on the woman even as the blast consumed the young officer. Snake was first, so was able to roll almost completely away from the confined explosion. He brought the bomber down from the roof with a headshot, thankful that he had put the grenade box down on the /There was a groan in the midst of the dust. Snake was there in an instant, pulling the middle aged man up. No use. Dead. Another groan and the woman stirred. He practically threw the man aside to pick her /"Can you walk?" He /"Can you shoot?"br /Shake head. "Not very well."br /"Well now you're gonna give me your best." He pushed a handgun and a knife into her hands. "I can't fly you out until we're clear of all this."br /"Ok, come on."br /He pulled her forward, shooting another guard down from the roof before he could even touch the trigger. They crouched behind a truck while Snake reloaded. He barely had the magazine in before the woman gave a cry. He reeled, gun ready, but it was needless. Her knife was embedded in the enemy soldier's throat. He made a gurgling sound, dropped his rifle and fell with a spray of /He dragged her away before anyone else noticed them. The rocky slope was more exposed than he liked, but was still safer than going through the camp. Putting her behind him, he shouldered a silenced rifle and began to edge down towards D-Horse. She proved capable enough of navigating the rocks, despite limping a little, so they were able to go at a reasonable pace, stopping for cover only once as a mortar crashed into the earth with a terrific /Snake jumped up onto his horse, with the woman right behind him. He swung her in front. "Take the reins, I'll cover us!" He ordered, surprised at how quickly she booted D-Horse on. "Head for the other side of that hill! There should be a chopper waiting to meet us!"br /They were halfway across the bridge when a car came screeching out of the camp at them. Snake tore through the driver and gunman and watched as the vehicle swerved and tumbled down into the ravine. It landed on its back, and because there are always some conventions, even in death, a single wheel popped off and rolled away. A stream of smoke rocketed into the sky, followed by the telltale whistle of a falling mortar. The horse was spurred onward, around an outthrust of the hill, as the place they were in a moment before was showered with /There was a whirring, and the wind picked up. A voice came over Snakes comm unit as the helicopter came down to hover over a grassy knoll. Snake jumped from the horse and caught the woman as she also dropped. D-Horses fulton activated, and he neighed in disapproval as he was carried away./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"_/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Early evening, and Pequod announced that they would be descending shortly. The woman was asleep. She had allowed him to handcuff her, but one arm was swollen - possibly broken as she landed on it during the grenade blast, so he had to simply cuff one arm to the seat and hope she didn't intend to assassinate him. One of her trouser legs was shredded, exposing a worrying amount of bloody, burnt flesh. But she didn't complain, simply took the painkiller he have her and proceeded to doze as they tore back to Mother /The landing pad came closer, so he nudged her awake. She stirred, opened her eyes, and moaned as the pain from her injuries welcomed her. Snake hopped out and gently helped her down, half-catching her as her injured leg made it difficult for her to land /Ocelot, Miller, and an ever-growing DD were there to receive them. A small group of recruits watched from further away. As soon as he saw a civilian in place of a CIA veteran, Millers face /"What happened?" He /"A grenade took out our man." Snake explained. "She's the only one that got out in one piece."br /"What use is she?" Miller looked her up and down, searching for a reason not to toss her into the /"She's lethal with a knife." Snake exaggerated. "And she showed good initiative."br /"Can she be trained?" Miller turned to /"It's worth a shot." Ocelot replied. "And if not, there's plenty of work around here. I'm sure we'll find use for her."br /DD, tired of sitting still. Yipped and bounded over to Snake. The woman, who seemed ready to pass out, was roused by the noise and whistled for the pup. He sniffed curiously at her boots, wagging his tail. She reached out an arm as if to pet him. It was clear she couldn't reach, so Ocelot came over and lifted the pup. The woman cooed at DD and received a rain of slobbery kisses. Ocelot handed the dog over, laughing. "Seems she'd make a good pup-sitter at least!"br /"Ocelot, please escort our guest to the infirmary." Miller ordered. "Snake and I need to discuss the issue further."br /Ocelot saluted and helped the woman away./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"_/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Some bruised ribs, a broken arm, second-degree burns, a mild concussion and some minor shrapnel wounds." The doctor mused. "For someone caught by a grenade, I'd say you came off light."br /She smiled weakly as he bound her arm. The drugs he'd given her were beginning to kick in, and the gel he had spread over her burns was wonderfully cool and numbing, so she couldn't help wondering how much pain she would be in without his /The man called Commander Ocelot came in through the curtain, a mass of black and beige draped over one arm. "How is she?"br /"Nothing major." The doctor answered. "A few days rest and she should be up and about, ready for service."br /DD, who had been dozing at the end of the bed, wagged his tail at /"These should fit you." Ocelot said, hanging the clothes over the rail of her bed. "Your boots were still intact, so you can wear them, too."br /"Thank you." She said hoarsely, throat shredded by the dry desert /"I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask for your name, as well." He added. "Miller wants a check done on you ASAP."br /She nodded and told him /"I appreciate the cooperation." He tossed her a dog tag. "But while you're here this is what you'll go by."br /The title was stamped out clearly: VIXEN. She must have made a face, because Ocelot hastily commented: "I know it's not great, but no one else will take it." He shrugged. "Their masculinity's too fragile."br /She hung it around her neck. "It's fine, thank you."br /"You'll be given trial shifts as soon as you leave that bed, so be sure to get plenty of rest." She /"Any questions?"br /She licked her lips, sure she knew the answer already. "When can I go home?"br /He and the doctor exchanged looks. "See I can't quite answer that." Ocelot began. "This is a delicate operation we're running here, and if someone were to talk-"br /"It's ok." She waved the rest of his speech away. "I understand."br /She clearly wasn't in a talking mood, so the doctor gestured for Ocelot to leave, before going around the curtain himself. Ocelot sighed. "Well, I better let you sleep. DD come!"br /The pup whined and laid down /"DD!" Ocelot /"If it's alright." 'Vixen' interrupted. "I'd like to keep him around."br /Ocelot considered them both for a moment. DD stood up, putting himself between the two humans. "Ok then, as long as he's not bothering you." he looked at the pup. "DD, you're on guard duty, ok?"br /The puppy barked, settling back down at 'Vixen's' feet with a triumphant look in his canine /"Which reminds me!" Ocelot went on. "The Boss wanted you to have this."br /He produced the knife Snake had given her. "Given the unpredictable nature of some of our soldiers, I'm inclined to agree with him." He set it on her side table. "Keep it close."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"_/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"After two days she became restless, and insisted to the doctor that she was ready to leave. He agreed, after checking her injuries once more and un wrapping or re-dressing as /"Come back in about a week to get those stitches out, or sooner if they start to feel tight. No heavy lifting with those ribs, and I'll tell Ocelot to go easy on the training, if he decides to try you." He handed her a jar of ointment. "Spread that on your burns after cleaning them, but otherwise let them breathe. And I'll take that cast off in a few weeks."br /It was all simple enough. She nodded along until he left her to get dressed. The uniform was basic but comfortable. She was glad Ocelot had thought to include a belt, as the pants were too loose. The knife, in its sheath, could be hung at her waist. She laced up her boots and tied her hair back in a loose bun before stepping /She opened the curtain to find a soldier waiting for her. "Ma'am, I'm to escort you to the commanders." Of course. She obediently fell into step behind /The 'commanders' (Miller, Snake and Ocelot), were seated around a square table in a dim room. Snake and Miller were smoking. Ocelot was trying - rather unsuccessfully - to teach DD 'drop' with what appeared to be a neglected cigar /The dog scampered over to 'Vixen' as she sat down, brandishing the chewed tin proudly. She clucked at him and gently but firmly removed it from his mouth. She set it on the table out of /"Well Ocelot, I definitely think she should take over from you." Snake /"Very funny." Ocelot retorted, taking his place at the table. He crossed his legs, one ankle on his knee, and gave their new recruit a long look. "I hear you demanded to be let out."br /"Not so much 'demanded' as 'complained until the doctor gave in'." She confirmed, scratching DD behind the /"So you're a journalist?" Miller, still not pleased about her presence cut /"Yessir." She was only half being sarcastic, but Ocelot and Snake smirked at each other /"What were you doing in Afghanistan?" He /"We heard they were building nuclear missiles." She told him. "I picked the short straw and was sent in."br /"'We' being…" He flipped open a file in front of him. "The Irish Times?"br /"Yes, Sir." She said genuinely, understanding that Miller was not fond of /"And why would a paper from such a small country be interested in what's going on in Afghanistan?" He probed. "Last I heard you were having enough trouble in your own country."br /She frowned. "I'm not sure when you last heard about my country, Sir. Especially considering nowadays the Troubles are mostly confined to the North."br /"That's true, but I'm not sure why you wouldn't be interested in affairs closer to home."br /"Close to home occasionally gets boring, Sir. Readers like to hear something new from time to time."br /"And that's why you're interested in the Afghan missiles?"br /"If they exist, Sir." She /Miller opened his mouth to speak further, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. He scowled. "Come in."br /An aging Asian man stepped into the room, his drab uniform marred with smudges of black oil. He wiped his equally filthy hands on his chest before holding one out for the woman to shake, a grin plastered across his /"So they finally managed to dig you up!" He chuckled, clapping her affectionately on the back. Her ribs twinged and she winced, but he didn't seem to notice. Instead he turned to address Snake: "Where was she?"br /The three commanders seemed lost, but the Boss still managed to answer: "Holed up under one of the barracks with almost a dozen others. She's the only one made it out."br /The man let out a loud laugh, planting a meaty hand on her shoulder. "Living up to your name, Houdini!"br /"Houdini?!" Miller choked. "She's the one you sent us after, Sato?"br /"Uh-huh." Sato affirmed. "Finest little sneak I ever trained. Clever enough to sneak around on me, even. She'll be a fine addition to your intel team, Ocelot."br /"If she's half as good as you've told me," The commander responded, gray eyes trained on 'Houdini'. "I'm sure she will."br /"You didn't tell them who you were sending them after?" The woman frowned up at Haruki Sato, her /"I did!" he retorted, /"Sato failed to disclose any details about you, however." Miller interjected. "Only raved on about your skills, and that you would be posing as a CIA agent."br /"Ah," Houdini nudged Sato. "Someone blew my cover not a week in. I had to change my alias."br /Snake snorted. "You're lucky I managed to get you out at all. What with being shoved into a cell with an actual CIA agent."br /"So that's who he was working for."br /Ocelot cocked his head. "You knew he was a spy?"br /Houdini shrugged. "He asked too many questions."br /Miller's fist connected with the tabletop, making them all jump. "For fucksake, Sato, we couldve extracted the wrong agent!"br /"Yes, I apologize." Sato bowed his head. "I bet too much on the belief that she'd be able to make it to the extraction point by herself."br /"I almost did." Houdini said. "I got out yesterday and wasn't half a kilometre away before the dogs caught up to me."br /Sato smirked at Miller. 'I told you we should have arrived yesterday. If Houdini says she'll be at a certain place at a certain time, she will be!"br /Houdini looked from Sato to Miller, who had turned a violent shade of red, and then shot Snake an imploring glance. The Boss cleared his /"Well she's here now and that's what matters." he put in, giving Miller a /Miller didn't stop glaring at Sato, but took a calming breath before saying: "Yes, I suppose so."br /Sato turned away from him. "Indeed. Did you manage to get the documents?"br /Houdini's face fell. "I did. They were in my pack. But that got taken away as soon as they caught me. They're gone."br /"What sort of documents?" Big Boss /"The floor plan of one of their larger facilities. Serak Power Plant" Sato told him. "We believe it's where they're constructing their newest weapon."br /Miller swore. "Metal Gear!"br /Ocelot shifted in its seat. "If they're really building another Metal Gear, you need to tell us where you think they're doing it, Sato."br /"Hmph."Houdini scoffed. "There wouldn't be much point. There's only one way in, and that's through the front door."br /Ocelot crossed his arms. "How do you know that?"br /"I looked at the map, didn't I?"br /"How much do you remember about it?" Asked Snake, leaning /She thought for a moment. "Bits and pieces."br /"We have some aerial photos of the facility in question. Do you think you could add some detail to them."br /Houdini nodded. "I could try. Maybe seeing them will help jog my memory."br /"Ocelot, you help her with that, will you?"br /The young commander saluted his agreement. His eyes were trained on the woman, analyzing and appraising. Houdini had the distinct impression that his disapproval might result in her disappearance. She let him look. Then, removing the dogtag from her neck, she set it on the table in front of /"You misspelled 'HOUDINI'."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"A voice in the dark caught him off guard. Snake froze as a beam of light hit him directly in the face from below. There was a cry of surprise and he rolled away just in time to avoid the peal of rifle fire as it burst through the concrete. He got up and made for the stairs, catching a soldier as he came up and using him as a human shield while he took his comrades down. As he entered the cell block, Snake found something he was not expecting; a soldier with a case full of grenades standing at the opposite doorway. the man tossed one as he slammed the door behind himself, and Snake dove away with his shield still in front of him as the remains of the wall in front of him became missiles. The soldier in front of him roared in pain once, and then slumped forward in silence, falling against the rubble of the wall. Ears still, ringing, Snake pulled himself up and over to the cell, relieved to find that his target had had the good sense to get himself and his cellmates under the two beds before the grenade went off. The occupants of the other cell had not been so /He had the door open in a flash, and led them back up the stairway he had used, as the holes had been blown in in the blast. They had barely made it outside, however, when the telling tinkle of a dropped grenade echoed up the stairwell. "GET DOWN!" His target shouted, throwing himself on the woman even as the blast consumed the young officer. Snake was first, so was able to roll almost completely away from the confined explosion. He brought the bomber down from the roof with a headshot, thankful that he had put the grenade box down on the /There was a groan in the midst of the dust. Snake was there in an instant, pulling the middle aged man up. No use. Dead. Another groan and the woman stirred. He practically threw the man aside to pick her /"Can you walk?" He /"Can you shoot?"br /Shake head. "Not very well."br /"Well now you're gonna give me your best." He pushed a handgun and a knife into her hands. "I can't fly you out until we're clear of all this."br /"Ok, come on."br /He pulled her forward, shooting another guard down from the roof before he could even touch the trigger. They crouched behind a truck while Snake reloaded. He barely had the magazine in before the woman gave a cry. He reeled, gun ready, but it was needless. Her knife was embedded in the enemy soldier's throat. He made a gurgling sound, dropped his rifle and fell with a spray of /He dragged her away before anyone else noticed them. The rocky slope was more exposed than he liked, but was still safer than going through the camp. Putting her behind him, he shouldered a silenced rifle and began to edge down towards D-Horse. She proved capable enough of navigating the rocks, despite limping a little, so they were able to go at a reasonable pace, stopping for cover only once as a mortar crashed into the earth with a terrific /Snake jumped up onto his horse, with the woman right behind him. He swung her in front. "Take the reins, I'll cover us!" He ordered, surprised at how quickly she booted D-Horse on. "Head for the other side of that hill! There should be a chopper waiting to meet us!"br /They were halfway across the bridge when a car came screeching out of the camp at them. Snake tore through the driver and gunman and watched as the vehicle swerved and tumbled down into the ravine. It landed on its back, and because there are always some conventions, even in death, a single wheel popped off and rolled away. A stream of smoke rocketed into the sky, followed by the telltale whistle of a falling mortar. The horse was spurred onward, around an outthrust of the hill, as the place they were in a moment before was showered with /There was a whirring, and the wind picked up. A voice came over Snakes comm unit as the helicopter came down to hover over a grassy knoll. Snake jumped from the horse and caught the woman as she also dropped. D-Horses fulton activated, and he neighed in disapproval as he was carried away./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"_/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Early evening, and Pequod announced that they would be descending shortly. The woman was asleep. She had allowed him to handcuff her, but one arm was swollen - possibly broken as she landed on it during the grenade blast, so he had to simply cuff one arm to the seat and hope she didn't intend to assassinate him. One of her trouser legs was shredded, exposing a worrying amount of bloody, burnt flesh. But she didn't complain, simply took the painkiller he have her and proceeded to doze as they tore back to Mother /The landing pad came closer, so he nudged her awake. She stirred, opened her eyes, and moaned as the pain from her injuries welcomed her. Snake hopped out and gently helped her down, half-catching her as her injured leg made it difficult for her to land /Ocelot, Miller, and an ever-growing DD were there to receive them. A small group of recruits watched from further away. As soon as he saw a civilian in place of a CIA veteran, Millers face /"What happened?" He /"A grenade took out our man." Snake explained. "She's the only one that got out in one piece."br /"What use is she?" Miller looked her up and down, searching for a reason not to toss her into the /"She's lethal with a knife." Snake exaggerated. "And she showed good initiative."br /"Can she be trained?" Miller turned to /"It's worth a shot." Ocelot replied. "And if not, there's plenty of work around here. I'm sure we'll find use for her."br /DD, tired of sitting still. Yipped and bounded over to Snake. The woman, who seemed ready to pass out, was roused by the noise and whistled for the pup. He sniffed curiously at her boots, wagging his tail. She reached out an arm as if to pet him. It was clear she couldn't reach, so Ocelot came over and lifted the pup. The woman cooed at DD and received a rain of slobbery kisses. Ocelot handed the dog over, laughing. "Seems she'd make a good pup-sitter at least!"br /"Ocelot, please escort our guest to the infirmary." Miller ordered. "Snake and I need to discuss the issue further."br /Ocelot saluted and helped the woman away./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"_/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Some bruised ribs, a broken arm, second-degree burns, a mild concussion and some minor shrapnel wounds." The doctor mused. "For someone caught by a grenade, I'd say you came off light."br /She smiled weakly as he bound her arm. The drugs he'd given her were beginning to kick in, and the gel he had spread over her burns was wonderfully cool and numbing, so she couldn't help wondering how much pain she would be in without his /The man called Commander Ocelot came in through the curtain, a mass of black and beige draped over one arm. "How is she?"br /"Nothing major." The doctor answered. "A few days rest and she should be up and about, ready for service."br /DD, who had been dozing at the end of the bed, wagged his tail at /"These should fit you." Ocelot said, hanging the clothes over the rail of her bed. "Your boots were still intact, so you can wear them, too."br /"Thank you." She said hoarsely, throat shredded by the dry desert /"I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask for your name, as well." He added. "Miller wants a check done on you ASAP."br /She nodded and told him /"I appreciate the cooperation." He tossed her a dog tag. "But while you're here this is what you'll go by."br /The title was stamped out clearly: VIXEN. She must have made a face, because Ocelot hastily commented: "I know it's not great, but no one else will take it." He shrugged. "Their masculinity's too fragile."br /She hung it around her neck. "It's fine, thank you."br /"You'll be given trial shifts as soon as you leave that bed, so be sure to get plenty of rest." She /"Any questions?"br /She licked her lips, sure she knew the answer already. "When can I go home?"br /He and the doctor exchanged looks. "See I can't quite answer that." Ocelot began. "This is a delicate operation we're running here, and if someone were to talk-"br /"It's ok." She waved the rest of his speech away. "I understand."br /She clearly wasn't in a talking mood, so the doctor gestured for Ocelot to leave, before going around the curtain himself. Ocelot sighed. "Well, I better let you sleep. DD come!"br /The pup whined and laid down /"DD!" Ocelot /"If it's alright." 'Vixen' interrupted. "I'd like to keep him around."br /Ocelot considered them both for a moment. DD stood up, putting himself between the two humans. "Ok then, as long as he's not bothering you." he looked at the pup. "DD, you're on guard duty, ok?"br /The puppy barked, settling back down at 'Vixen's' feet with a triumphant look in his canine /"Which reminds me!" Ocelot went on. "The Boss wanted you to have this."br /He produced the knife Snake had given her. "Given the unpredictable nature of some of our soldiers, I'm inclined to agree with him." He set it on her side table. "Keep it close."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"_/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13.23px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"After two days she became restless, and insisted to the doctor that she was ready to leave. He agreed, after checking her injuries once more and un wrapping or re-dressing as /"Come back in about a week to get those stitches out, or sooner if they start to feel tight. No heavy lifting with those ribs, and I'll tell Ocelot to go easy on the training, if he decides to try you." He handed her a jar of ointment. "Spread that on your burns after cleaning them, but otherwise let them breathe. And I'll take that cast off in a few weeks."br /It was all simple enough. She nodded along until he left her to get dressed. The uniform was basic but comfortable. She was glad Ocelot had thought to include a belt, as the pants were too loose. The knife, in its sheath, could be hung at her waist. She laced up her boots and tied her hair back in a loose bun before stepping /She opened the curtain to find a soldier waiting for her. "Ma'am, I'm to escort you to the commanders." Of course. She obediently fell into step behind /The 'commanders' (Miller, Snake and Ocelot), were seated around a square table in a dim room. Snake and Miller were smoking. Ocelot was trying - rather unsuccessfully - to teach DD 'drop' with what appeared to be a neglected cigar /The dog scampered over to 'Vixen' as she sat down, brandishing the chewed tin proudly. She clucked at him and gently but firmly removed it from his mouth. She set it on the table out of /"Well Ocelot, I definitely think she should take over from you." Snake /"Very funny." Ocelot retorted, taking his place at the table. He crossed his legs, one ankle on his knee, and gave their new recruit a long look. "I hear you demanded to be let out."br /"Not so much 'demanded' as 'complained until the doctor gave in'." She confirmed, scratching DD behind the /"So you're a journalist?" Miller, still not pleased about her presence cut /"Yessir." She was only half being sarcastic, but Ocelot and Snake smirked at each other /"What were you doing in Afghanistan?" He /"We heard they were building nuclear missiles." She told him. "I picked the short straw and was sent in."br /"'We' being…" He flipped open a file in front of him. "The Irish Times?"br /"Yes, Sir." She said genuinely, understanding that Miller was not fond of /"And why would a paper from such a small country be interested in what's going on in Afghanistan?" He probed. "Last I heard you were having enough trouble in your own country."br /She frowned. "I'm not sure when you last heard about my country, Sir. Especially considering nowadays the Troubles are mostly confined to the North."br /"That's true, but I'm not sure why you wouldn't be interested in affairs closer to home."br /"Close to home occasionally gets boring, Sir. Readers like to hear something new from time to time."br /"And that's why you're interested in the Afghan missiles?"br /"If they exist, Sir." She /Miller opened his mouth to speak further, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. He scowled. "Come in."br /An aging Asian man stepped into the room, his drab uniform marred with smudges of black oil. He wiped his equally filthy hands on his chest before holding one out for the woman to shake, a grin plastered across his /"So they finally managed to dig you up!" He chuckled, clapping her affectionately on the back. Her ribs twinged and she winced, but he didn't seem to notice. Instead he turned to address Snake: "Where was she?"br /The three commanders seemed lost, but the Boss still managed to answer: "Holed up under one of the barracks with almost a dozen others. She's the only one made it out."br /The man let out a loud laugh, planting a meaty hand on her shoulder. "Living up to your name, Houdini!"br /"Houdini?!" Miller choked. "She's the one you sent us after, Sato?"br /"Uh-huh." Sato affirmed. "Finest little sneak I ever trained. Clever enough to sneak around on me, even. She'll be a fine addition to your intel team, Ocelot."br /"If she's half as good as you've told me," The commander responded, gray eyes trained on 'Houdini'. "I'm sure she will."br /"You didn't tell them who you were sending them after?" The woman frowned up at Haruki Sato, her /"I did!" he retorted, /"Sato failed to disclose any details about you, however." Miller interjected. "Only raved on about your skills, and that you would be posing as a CIA agent."br /"Ah," Houdini nudged Sato. "Someone blew my cover not a week in. I had to change my alias."br /Snake snorted. "You're lucky I managed to get you out at all. What with being shoved into a cell with an actual CIA agent."br /"So that's who he was working for."br /Ocelot cocked his head. "You knew he was a spy?"br /Houdini shrugged. "He asked too many questions."br /Miller's fist connected with the tabletop, making them all jump. "For fucksake, Sato, we couldve extracted the wrong agent!"br /"Yes, I apologize." Sato bowed his head. "I bet too much on the belief that she'd be able to make it to the extraction point by herself."br /"I almost did." Houdini said. "I got out yesterday and wasn't half a kilometre away before the dogs caught up to me."br /Sato smirked at Miller. 'I told you we should have arrived yesterday. If Houdini says she'll be at a certain place at a certain time, she will be!"br /Houdini looked from Sato to Miller, who had turned a violent shade of red, and then shot Snake an imploring glance. The Boss cleared his /"Well she's here now and that's what matters." he put in, giving Miller a /Miller didn't stop glaring at Sato, but took a calming breath before saying: "Yes, I suppose so."br /Sato turned away from him. "Indeed. Did you manage to get the documents?"br /Houdini's face fell. "I did. They were in my pack. But that got taken away as soon as they caught me. They're gone."br /"What sort of documents?" Big Boss /"The floor plan of one of their larger facilities. Serak Power Plant" Sato told him. "We believe it's where they're constructing their newest weapon."br /Miller swore. "Metal Gear!"br /Ocelot shifted in its seat. "If they're really building another Metal Gear, you need to tell us where you think they're doing it, Sato."br /"Hmph."Houdini scoffed. "There wouldn't be much point. There's only one way in, and that's through the front door."br /Ocelot crossed his arms. "How do you know that?"br /"I looked at the map, didn't I?"br /"How much do you remember about it?" Asked Snake, leaning /She thought for a moment. "Bits and pieces."br /"We have some aerial photos of the facility in question. Do you think you could add some detail to them."br /Houdini nodded. "I could try. Maybe seeing them will help jog my memory."br /"Ocelot, you help her with that, will you?"br /The young commander saluted his agreement. His eyes were trained on the woman, analyzing and appraising. Houdini had the distinct impression that his disapproval might result in her disappearance. She let him look. Then, removing the dogtag from her neck, she set it on the table in front of /"You misspelled 'HOUDINI'."/p