Greetings loyal fans of We Deserve Freedom! You guys seem to love Snake a lot, and I know a few of the last chapters of WDF have been pretty crazy. Hopefully this one-shot can explain a few things for you.

This one-shot takes place between Chapter 23 and Chapter 24. I wouldn't recommend reading it until after you've read Chapter 27, because otherwise some things may be spoiled for you.

LFLGES soundtrack: "Fight Inside" by Red. I don't know if it's perfect—it gets a little too scream-y for me at times—but I think it's basically pretty good. A nice description of Snake's mind.

Ready to discover exactly what goes through Snake's brain on a daily basis? I had a hard time writing this, but I still loved it. This is my villain, folks. I don't own Lab Rats, but Snake is mine. Enjoy!

* * * Like Father, Like Genetically-Engineered Son * * *

I stared down at the toes of my boots, not daring to lift my gaze. The room was filled with a stiff silence. My report had been given; the first part of my job was done. Now it was time for the second part: taking criticism.

"You let them get away?" he finally said. He didn't turn his chair to face me. The words echoed through the room and entered my ears. I straightened a little, but I didn't lift my eyes.

"Well, technically they didn't get away," I said hastily. "I mean, they did . . . but . . . but not like an escape." I swallowed. It was rare that I stammered over a sentence or a word, but in front of my leader, it was so much easier to accidentally slip up. "They . . . died."

Now he turned to face me. "Look up," he commanded.

I obeyed—it would be treachery not to. The Sovereign's eyes were narrowed and his nostrils flared. Our eyes locked—the eyes that some would call similar. I raised my chin and straightened my shoulders. I would show no cowardice in front of my leader.

"They died," The Sovereign repeated. "Tell me again how they died."

"They blew themselves up with a disintegration bomb," I said. "The little one activated her force field to keep us from attacking, and deactivated it just as the bomb went off. My soldiers and I were blown backwards, but none of us were harmed—"

"I don't care about your soldiers! What about the rebels?"

"I was just getting to that. But really, sir, there's nothing else to tell. There was a pile of ashes where they once stood, and a few of the beams collapsed, having been hit by the force from the bomb. I assure you that no one could have survived that."

"I recall you saying something very similar to that five years ago when your sister was presumed to be dead."

"Well, I, ah . . ." I fumbled. It was true that Scarlet had tricked me that time. Oh, how I loathed to admit that! Before I could defend myself fully, The Sovereign interrupted.

"My daughter has faked her death once before, and I do not doubt that she would do it again! She and Bree's daughter are in cahoots. They've got an intricate plan; I know they do!"

"So you believe they are alive?"

"Snake, I know they are alive. And I want you to find them."

"Me?"

"Of course, you! I trust you more than any of my other soldiers. I know you would never betray me, unlike Scarlet."

I couldn't help but grin. "Thank you, sir."

The Sovereign stood up and walked closer to me. "Travel the world, if you must. Take all the soldiers you need. Search every corner of the globe, but I want them back!"

"And you're sure they're alive?"

"Nearly positive. If they are, you can find them. I know it."

"I am honored, sir, that you would allow me such an . . . such an honor!"

"Of course. I may have a little . . . incentive for them to return home soon, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

The Sovereign walked down the platform and went past me. He continued over to his control console, typing a few things in on the computer. I walked closer, curious about what he was doing.

"Before they escaped, I scanned Scarlet's chip," he said. "It was as I thought: Davenport put a lock on it to keep me out. But he's foolish if he thinks it could stop me. While I couldn't take control of it or reinstall the Triton App, I was able to download all her memory files. If the encryption process is successful, I'll be able to view all her memories, even from the period when her chip was inactive."

Exhilaration swelled through me. "So you mean that you could learn the precise location of the Defiance base . . . and how to get inside?"

"Exactly, my boy. Once these files are deciphered, the Defiance is ours."

"Finally! How long will the decoding take?"

The Sovereign sighed. "Many hours, perhaps a few days. But I have waited nineteen years, and never have I been so close. It turns out the whole time, my daughter was the key we needed. Her betrayal may have worked out to our advantage."

"I can't believe we're so close! Victory is within our grasp."

"Don't become too cocky yet, Snake. It will take time before they fully belong to us." The Sovereign smiled slowly. I could tell he was enjoying this as much as I was. The Defiance had been his enemies even before I was created. "Once they do belong to us, I can make them suffer, as they did to me. They will regret fighting. They will wish they had joined me."

"But of course," I assured him. "It's only fitting. No mercy, right, sir?"

"You are right, Snake. Especially not for these people. The trouble now is to be patient while the files are decoding. But it will be worth it . . . oh, the wait will be worth it."

"Every agonizing second, sir."

The Sovereign turned to me, his expression unreadable. He said curtly, "Do you have anything else to report to me?"

"No sir . . . well . . ."

"Yes?"

"Nothing important. One of the soldiers found this outside the building where the rebels were. It was sitting among the weeds. I think I remember this hanging from the neck of the younger rebel."

I held out the gold chain. Hanging from it was a heart-shaped locket with what looked like initials: JA, EG, and AS. I could only guess that AS was Aspen Summers.

The Sovereign reached out and took it, inspecting it closely. "A mere trinket," he muttered. "Worthless." He tossed it aside to the corner of the room, letting it clatter against the floor. There it lay, and there it would lay, most likely never to be touched again. I knew my father; he would never pick it up.

"That's all," I said.

"Good." The Sovereign pressed a hand to his temple and grimaced slightly.

"Is something wrong, sir?"

"A mere headache. All this nonsense . . . I'm angrier than I appear, Snake! Oh, if Spike was still around, he'd be having a field day."

"Beg pardon?"

The Sovereign smiled nostalgically. "Many years ago—when I still called myself a Davenport—I had a commando app. His name was Spike. Any time I got too angry, he would come out and cause destruction."

"I never knew you had a commando app."

"I deleted him as soon as I learned how. He was a nuisance more than anything. A good and strategical fighter, to be sure, but too bent on utter chaos for my liking. He had no self-control, and it was too dangerous to have him around."

"He sounds a lot like . . ." I trailed off, not even wanting to mention the name that was sitting on the tip of my tongue. It had been so long, and I would rather just forget that part of my childhood.

The Sovereign looked up and me and said, "Here we are, wasting precious time. Go assemble your soldiers. Set out as soon as you can; take any resources you need. And this."

My father picked something up from the desk and placed it into my hand. "What is it?" I asked.

"A simple file," he replied. "If I did it correctly—and of course I did—attaching that flash drive to the back of Scarlet's neck should break down the firewalls . . . and reinstall the Triton App on her chip."

"A flash drive?" I scoffed. "How old school can you get?"

"That's the point," The Sovereign growled. "Donald Davenport insists on using old technology to keep me from re-accessing her chip. But two can play at this game. All you need to do is attach it to her chip and it will download. It may take a while before the Triton App takes over completely, but all you need to do is hold it there for a few seconds. Then your work will be done."

"Would you even need me to take her home, in that case?"

"Not in chains. Within a few hours, she'll be coming with you willingly."

"And the little one?"

"It won't work on Aspen. But it won't have to. I'm sure you can overpower her."

"No problem," I said, stuffing the flash drive into a small pocket on my belt. "Is that all?"

"That is all. Find the soldiers you need and set out on your mission at once. I trust you to make the right decisions." The Sovereign looked me in the eyes and added, "Don't make me regret it."

"I won't," I promised. "Thank you, sir. Farewell."

I turned on my heel and marched out of the room, letting my legs carry me through the mansion. A team, eh? The Sovereign was right; I needed the best soldiers for the job. A small, elite group seemed like a good idea. Powerful soldiers, varied in abilities. I already knew a few that would suit me.

Soldiers moved out of my way as I walked through a door into a room full of computers and bionics working on them. Here was where we processed the information of the internet to make sure no one was putting out unlawful ideas. We wouldn't want the people to be corrupted. I made my way to the end of an aisle and stopped behind a desk.

"JN-90," I said crisply.

She looked at my reflection in her computer screen. Briskly she turned and hopped to her feet, putting two fingers above her eyebrows. "Yes, commander?" she said hastily.

"At ease, soldier," I said, feeling the thrill of power. Even my, ahem, friends would bow to me. "Jenna, I need you for a mission of the utmost importance. A little game of hide-and-seek, if you will."

"I would be honored to go with you," she said with a grin. "What are we doing?"

I glanced around cautiously. "I'll tell you later. Meet me in my training room in one hour. And don't worry about any of the clowns around here. The Sovereign himself put me on this mission and said I could take any soldiers I wanted. You'll be excused from your duties."

"No one's going to miss the clumsy twenty-year-old internet cybersoldier anyway," she said with a sly wink.

"Your brains are always needed here, but now I need them more. My training room, one hour."

"Yes, sir," she said, sitting back down and adjusting her blonde ponytail. She flashed that tiny smile, the one that some might have called flirtatious. I narrowed my eyes a bit. I would express no feelings of what some called "love." It was a useless emotion. Without another word, I turned and marched out of the room, leaving Jenna to her duties.

My next stop was at the bionic academy next door. I left the mansion and marched briskly across the yard. Those in front of me moved out of my way quickly, muttering quiet apologies. I waved them away and continued on my path.

It only took a minute or two to get into the academy and to the room I wanted. The ceiling was high and in the center was a large, slightly raised platform. Around the edges of the room were soldiers training with their abilities. I maneuvered through them and approached the one I wanted.

"Hello, NT-8," I said crisply, sliding onto the bench next to him.

"Oh, hey Snake," he replied with a loose smile—too loose. I frowned a little, and his smile disappeared. Good.

"My father has placed me on a special mission," I said without preamble. "He says that I must recruit soldiers to go with me. Your speed and stealth may be helpful to us."

"Us?" he asked.

"So far it's me and Jenna—JN-90. It will be the three of us and perhaps one more, if I can find the right soldier for the job."

"Jenna?"

"She may not be a good fighter, but she could find a needle in a haystack buried under thirty feet of snow. I need her tracking abilities."

"Makes sense. It's a small team?"

"I believe it's best. This is a mission that will require a lot of searching, and much firepower once we reach our objective."

"What is our objective?"

"Capture my sister and her little friend."

"Ha, sweet!" A small smile slid across NT-8's face. "It'll be nice to see Scarlet again."

I folded my arms across my chest and raised an eyebrow. "She's a Defiance rebel and a fugitive, not to mention an enemy of The Sovereign's Empire. She's your enemy. No ideas, Nathan."

"I know, I know," he sighed, leaning back against the wall. "But she's still pretty cute."

"You're lucky I didn't kill you for saying that."

Nathan rolled his eyes a bit, but I could still see the fear. He was one of the few that could get past my iron fist. He was the son of an aristocrat, like Jenna, and we had known each other for many years. Now he was getting ready to graduate from the bionic academy and become a full-fledged soldier.

In the center of the room, two of the trainees stepped up and turned to face each other. With loud yells, they ran at one another, engaging in a bionic fight. I leaned forward and studied one of the fighters. He was a large young man—about my age—and well-built. He completed his moves without hesitation; there was a cockiness in his bearing.

"Who is that recruit?" I asked Nathan. "I haven't seen him before."

"Oh, that's the new guy," he replied absently. "H-something-or-another. Eighteen, I think. He just transferred here from Texas. He's a good fighter, to be sure. But he's kind of a jerk."

"Aren't we all?"

"Yeah, but . . . I don't know, he's just kind of unnecessarily cruel sometimes."

I smirked. "I like it."

H-18 completed his fight, throwing his opponent mercilessly to the ground. He gave a victory whoop and a few of his friends cheered as the other soldier dragged himself off the platform. "Does anyone else want to try?" H-18 snarled. "I bet none of you wimps can beat me!"

A small smile curved up the corner of my mouth, and I began to stand. Nathan grabbed my arm and hissed, "What are you doing?"

"You're right; he is a jerk. He has too much arrogance, and that's coming from me. Someone needs to put him in his place. Not to worry, NT-8. I know what I'm doing."

I stepped up onto the platform and looked up at H-18. He looked down at me and laughed. "You think you can beat me, ant?" he growled.

"As a matter of fact, I do," I replied evenly. "And you may want to watch it with the name-calling. I happen to be one of your leaders."

"You? You don't even look old enough to be here."

"Oh, I don't study here. I never had to. Perhaps you've heard of me. The name is Snake."

"Ah," H-18 said. From that one word, I knew what his reaction would be. Sometimes people had no respect for my position. H-18 was one of those people. "The son of The Sovereign. Our empire's pampered little prince. You're not a real soldier."

"I'm not? Then you shouldn't be afraid to fight me."

"I'm not afraid, little boy!"

I grinned. "Then let us begin."

H-18 scowled and charged at me. Deftly I leaned backwards, blocking his blows. I watched closely as he threw all his weight towards me. I waited for another punch, and moved to his right as soon as he threw it. I pressed on his shoulder and pushed, watching him fall to the ground as a result of his own momentum.

"I won't be defeated by a doll-sized chump!" H-18 yelled, jumping to his feet.

"Sometimes being short has its advantages," I said smoothly. Oh, how I loved to watch my enemies attempt to fight. It was always fun at the beginning when they thought they could win.

I activated my laser sword and swung it around, creating a blue circle in front of my body. Carefully I walked towards H-18, causing him to step backwards. He finally frowned and took a breath, blowing a massive amount of air at me. I was thrown backwards, falling to the ground. I deactivated my laser sword so it wouldn't injure me. As soon as the wind stopped, I hopped back up to my feet.

When I looked up, I saw H-18 approaching. For a second I stood stock-still. Then I reached up and shot a localized blast wave directly at his face. He went staggering backwards, holding his jaw. I used that to my advantage. I activated my heat vision, shooting two bright lasers at his stomach. He groaned and leaned over. I took advantage of his weak state and sent him crumpling to the ground with a few quick blows.

My enemy stood underneath me, groaning softly. I activated my laser sword and scowled. I dragged my weapon across his cheek. In a real battle I would've cut it much deeper, but since it was a spar, I only pushed it deep enough to cause a painful burn.

The screams that came from his lips were what I loved most about my fights. There was that human emotion that was so easily subdued. Even the strongest could be made weak.

I deactivated my laser sword and walked away. I wouldn't consider helping my opponent up. Would I drag my enemy's dead body out of the battlefield out of courtesy? Certainly not! So why should I do the same with a sparring partner? If he was any kind of soldier, he would get up on his own.

"Was that a good idea?" Nathan asked as I walked off the platform.

"Don't question me," I said sharply. "I know what I'm doing."

H-18 slowly got up and walked off the platform, face lowered in defeat and humiliation. I let him wallow in his misery for a few more minutes before walking over.

"What do you want?" he growled. His hand was pressed against his cheek and I could see the raw flesh he was attempting to sooth. Despite being in obvious pain—it was a second-degree burn, at the least—he could still address me in an unpleasant tone. He even managed to scowl.

If I had any doubts before, they were gone now. I had the perfect team.

"Well . . . H-18, was it?"

"Yeah. What?"

"I have a task of the utmost importance. It involves national security, neutralizing threats, and destroying two girls who have escaped justice for far too long."

The Sovereign was right: my sister was alive. And I was absolutely sure that I would find her . . . and finally give her what she deserved.

Did that help to explain a few things? Such as how The Sovereign knew Aspen and Scarlet were alive, how the Defiance was captured, and what Snake did to Scarlet's chip? Hopefully it made sense.

1. What do you think of all the characters now? H-18, NT-8, and JN-90? Yeah, subtle romance, I know, but trust me, it'll never be explored beyond what happened in this story.

2. What do you think of Snake's personality now? Did this story give you some insight into his mind?

Fun fact: Remember this paragraph?: "'He sounds a lot like . . .' I trailed off, not even wanting to mention the name that was sitting on the tip of my tongue. It had been so long, and I would rather just forget that part of my childhood." That will become monumentally important in the sequel, as well as another one-shot related to WDF called "Warm Blooded." It's something I'm really excited about, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. ;)

So, how'd you guys like it? I'm excited to finally share this with you. Thanks for reading. Reviews are awesome, like always. See y'all later! Bye!