A/N: This is my first time ever sharing something I've written. With that in mind please do not leave any rude/hateful comments; however, constructive criticism is welcome. Okay with that out of the way I'd like to give a brief summary of what lies ahead so anyone who reads this can be prepared. This story will be told primarily from Venom Snake's and Quiet's perspective, and will deviate from the cannon story quite a bit in some areas. To make the story more interesting, I will also (try to) be giving Venom and Quiet more of a personality and adding humor (when appropriate). If you haven't figured it out yet by the tags, one of the primary themes in my tale will be the relationship between Snake and Quiet. I hope you give my writing a chance and enjoy! Oh and SPOILERS! (Duh)

Metal Gear Solid V

A Silent Attraction

Chapter 1: Cloaked in Silence

Venom Snake had been riding through the unforgiving terrain of Afghanistan for over eight hours on his way to the Serak Power Plant to make contact with, and possibly extract or kill, Huey Emmerich. He had hoped that his helicopter, the Pequod, could get them in closer, but even under the cover of night, the chance of detection became more likely the closer they flew. An anti-air radar system was keeping them far enough, but heightened patrols and an enemy helicopter made it impossible to continue.

Ultimately it was decided that Snake would have to ride in on horseback from the Wakh Sind Barracks which was as far as the helicopter was able to go. From there the journey should have only lasted four hours, but between dodging enemy patrols and waiting for a sandstorm to pass, it quickly became eight. That was all behind him now, and Snake allowed himself a sigh of relief as he finally neared the ruins of Aabe Shipaf.

The sun had just begun to rise when Venom Snake and his steed, D-Horse, arrived at the ruins. As Snake got closer he felt his lips curl slightly into a smile at the sight of the seemingly abandoned yet beautiful oasis. He didn't know if it was the sight of the lush greenery in the valley bellow or the tranquil yet powerful roar of the distant waterfall, but whatever it was, it brought him a sense of peace. A feeling that was scarce in his line of work.

Snake was so preoccupied with the sight of the ruins that he failed to notice the glint of a scope in the distance. There was a reason that caution was more favorable than peace.

Amidst the noise of the waterfall and calling of birds, Snake heard the crack of gunpowder igniting, and a high caliber round rushing through the air. Even though his guard was down, Venom's reflexes were extremely sharp. Snake ducked and rolled off of his horse barely dodging the bullet that came slashing mere centimeters from his head. Not entirely sure where he was being attacked from, he quickly crawled for cover behind a fallen pillar while his I-droid chimed to life.

"Boss, are you ok? Could it be that sniper? Quiet?!" Kazuhira Miller excitedly asked.

"Quiet, our silent assassin…where's the sniping point?" Ocelot followed

"I'm working on it…what information do we have on her?" Snake questioned while he readied his gear.

Okay, so I have my tranq pistol, an assault rifle, one grenade, and a cardboard box on my horse… who is nowhere to be found, Snake thought. Great.

"We don't have much on her Snake, she's been very careful and doesn't seem to leave anything to go on," Ocelot responded. "Anything you learn about her will be new information to us…good luck Boss."

"Right…give me a second," Snake spoke softly almost in a whisper.

Unfortunately, he was low on ammunition for all his weapons from dealing with the occasional snooping soldier and extracting a few high ranking ones on his way to the ruins. Not to mention the rising sun would certainly make it more difficult to sneak up on her, especially while wearing his black sneaking suit. Dropping in supplies would also give away his position so the only option he could think of would be to get the drop on her. Of course, that requires him to find her first.

Still using his cover, he equipped his high-tech binoculars called the Int-scope and swept the surrounding area for any signs of the enemy sniper. As his scope approached the tallest tower he began to hear a faint humming.

What the hell? Venom wondered as he zeroed in on his target.

As his scope focused between dodging her gaze and the occasional sniper round, he began to make out certain features of her and relayed them back to Kaz and Ocelot.

"She is a Caucasian female, about five-six, wearing a…" Snake began after which there was a lengthy pause followed by a sigh. "She's wearing nothing but a black bikini, boots, fishnet stockings, and a tactical harness, and her weapon of choice appears to be a .308 armor piercing sniper rifle," he concluded quickly.

"Uh, Boss, is the heat getting to you? Because it sounded like you just told us that she's only wearing a bikini…and fishnets…in Afghanistan," Ocelot joked.

"That's affirmative, although I can barely get a look at her before she zeros me in," Snake responded.

"Well, then she's leaving herself wide open Boss, put a bullet in that whore and get to Emmerich. We don't know how long he'll be there!" Miller added, obviously annoyed.

"No!" Shouted Ocelot, "don't kill her Boss, just work your way to her and take her out non-lethally…there's a lot we could learn from her, even if she lives up to her name…bring her in Boss."

"Right I'll decide how to handle her after I figure out how to get to actually get to her" Snake grumbled.

"Just call in a supply drop on her location, the crate should knock her out cold," Ocelot added with an obvious chuckle to his voice.

"And give my enemy supplies?" Snake asked in a sarcastic tone. "I'll figure something else out."

The I-droid was silent as Snake pondered his decision. I could just shoot her…but what if she has information on Skull Face or Cipher? No, I have to bring her in…but how the hell am I supposed to reach her?

Almost thirty minutes went by as Snake tested her firing speed and accuracy. She was one of the best shots he had ever had the miss-pleasure of going against, but he was still able to make out a pattern. The rifle she was using was definitely a bolt action and even though she could rechamber a round quickly there was still a delay between shots. Also, after every fifth shot she had to reload which would give him about a three-second window of movement. Getting to her would be tough, but he had a plan and he smirked to himself as he prepared.

Quiet had been staring at this downed pillar across the ruins for over thirty minutes and was starting to get impatient. Her primary target, Big Boss, had walked right into her hunting grounds. Unfortunately though he hasn't proven to be the challenge that she had been briefed about. Her entire encounter with him has consisted of him peeking around the pillar he was sheltered behind and her firing at him only to miss by mere seconds.

Is he testing me? Quiet thought, or is he just a coward like before.

If not for "the bandaged man" she would have killed the Boss months ago in a hospital in Cyprus but instead she was set on fire and shredded with glass as she fell three stories to her apparent death. Instead of dying; however, she was given a chance to hunt again...to kill…but at a great cost.

Why won't he come out! She screamed in her head as the rage of her past enveloped her there we go…

In one swift motion her opponent dived over the pillar and sprinted behind cover in the valley below. Quiet fired two shots as quickly as she could but they only struck the rocks as the man weaved his way down.

Damn… Quiet thought as she bit her lip and scanned the valley floor with her scope, looking for any signs of movement.

Quite some time passed, then suddenly an explosion to her right quickly caught her attention and she excitedly turned to face the noise, but saw nothing. Just sand and rock settling from the blast.

A distraction…should've figured, Quiet spun back to scope out the valley and his last known location as quickly as she could.

Nothing.

Minutes went by with no movement nor any sounds, just the soothing rhythm of her humming and the low rumble of the waterfall. Her hum helped her set the pace of her shots and kept her head calm and focused…usually. With this fight, however, it seemed that nothing could calm her lust for vengeance, and to complete a very important contract.

A small chattering to her left broke the silent scene, and she spun quickly, turning to face it. After scanning the direction of the noise carefully she determined that it had been caused by a tossed empty magazine.

Another distraction? How many will he make before he makes a move…Quiet thought while she repositioned herself to scan the valley once more.

Just like before there was nothingness. Just the sound of her humming and the occasional call of a crow or goat in the distance. It seemed her briefing was right, the man she was hunting was very skilled in stealth and diversion. Since they had started this little game of cat and mouse she hadn't seen him, or any trace of him for that matter. It was impossible to get to her however so she wasn't worried, just slightly annoyed and bored.

She continued her search of the entire ruins trying to find any hints of her prey. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't find a single trace of him but she had figured out his pattern. She knew that soon he would deploy another distraction so he could attempt to move closer but this time she wouldn't be fooled. Instead of looking at the noise she would try to map its trajectory and find where it was deployed from.

Sure enough she heard a clamor behind her, but this time she stayed focused. She tried to use the sounds echo to pinpoint exactly where it was thrown from but something was wrong. The echo didn't give a hint to any direction. Almost as if he were right behind her.

Shit.

Quiet felt a small prick in the back of her neck before spinning around sharply on her heels, almost toppling over in the process.

There he was…Big Boss…standing a mere three feet from her with his pistol aimed right at her neck. He was a muscular, tall man, standing close to six-three. He had one of his eyes covered with a black eye-patch, but the other was piercing blue. His face was also covered with a beard, scars and he had a small "horn" protruding from his head. He looked very different from the description she had over-heard from Russian soldiers.

Before she could bring up her rifle she heard a click, a silent shot, quickly followed by a sharp prick in her carotid artery and a cool liquid flowing in.

Poison…

Pulling the dart from her neck Quiet kicked her assailant in his stomach and dropped a grenade at his feet before leaping down to the valley below. Once she landed she cloaked herself, then using inhuman abilities, jumped her way to another sniping perch.

Quiet readied herself at her new spot and quickly searched the tall pillar she was previously on but to no avail. The man she was hunting had already disappeared again and left no trace behind him, just rubble from her grenade. The poison was also beginning to take its toll on her body as it was getting heavy and becoming difficult to function.

I just need to find him before I…she trailed off on the thought as she spotted him running across the ruins doing something on a small holographic computer. Quiet quickly fired round after round but the man darted and dove around each of them. Her temper began to rise as she fired harder and faster until she heard a small sound in the wind causing her to look up.

Coming down on top of her was a large green crate and before she had any time to react it came crashing down on top of her. The impact itself had not only dazed her but the crate itself was full of poisonous gas grenades. She tried not to breathe it in but it was too late, all of that added to the poison the Big Boss had previously shot her with, and she could hardly move.

I must get away…must retreat she thought as she used the remainder of her strength to attempt and jump away. Her body had had enough however, and she collapsed in the middle of the ruins. She was sure the poison would take her soon but she wouldn't give Big Boss the satisfaction of killing her.

She would do it.

Using the last bit of her energy she retrieved her Makarov from its holster and slowly moved it to her head. Before she was able to pull the trigger a heavy foot pinned her gun to the ground and strong hands wrestled it from her grip. The sun was in her eyes and she was beginning to lose consciousness but she was able to fight the man for some seconds before finally slipping into the abyss.

"Did you get her?" Snakes I-droid came to life as he removed a pistol from his adversary's hands. "With those abilities of hers…no doubt about it…she has to be one of the Skulls" Miller continued. "Now finish her Boss! She's working for Cipher!"

"Quiet's a valuable source of information, Boss…there's no need to kill her" Ocelot chimed in as the voice of mercy. "Think carefully…this is your decision."

Snake looked down at Quiet while he holstered her pistol, and slung her rifle around his shoulders, "I already made my decision" he said as he lifted her over his shoulder. "I'm not killing her…she's too valuable of an asset to let rot in the desert."

"Boss…you're not thinking of bringing her back here are you?" Miller quickly asked "She works for Cipher! And we don't even know the extent of her abilities!" Anger grew in his voice "she is not setting foot on this base!"

"Good work Boss…I can't believe you took her down alive…now bring her back here…let's find out what she really is" Ocelot retorted with an obvious hint of relief.

Just as quickly as Ocelot ended his response Miller continued. "This is too dangerous! Kill her! Don't bring her to our home!" Anger was apparent in his statement.

"I believe this is the Boss's decision…I'll send the extraction chopper" Ocelot said with a satisfied and relieved tone.

"Boss…I've always got your back, but if you bring her here…I'll just have her killed" Millers statement carried a heavy weight but Snake brushed it aside. Even though Miller was likely serious he knew that he wouldn't disobey a direct order.

"No" Snake began to speak "you won't have her killed. As of this moment she is my prisoner and nobody shall lay a finger on her without clearance from me…are we clear?"

"But Boss" Kazuhira Miller began.

"Miller!" Snake growled into his I-droid as he laid the defeated Quiet into the chopper.

"I'll do what I have to Snake..." After Millers words the coms went silent and Snake boarded the Pequod himself.

As they rose in altitude snake clicked the button that would activate D-Horses Fulton device. A few seconds went by then Snake saw D-Horse rise above a sand covered hill, neighing and kicking his legs slightly but unharmed.

"You worthless ass" snake chuckled quietly, relieved that his buddy was okay.

"D-Horse is a horse Boss…getting animals confused now?" Ocelot laughed through the I-Droid.

Snake didn't give a response but chuckled quietly and shook his head as he laid Quiet down on the seats. He couldn't help but pause a moment and admire her beauty. He had been surrounded by mostly men and while he had enormous amounts of self-control he was still human. Snake quickly banished these thoughts and covered her with a jacket to keep the cold off of her and prevent any unneeded staring from both him and his pilot.

As the Pequod neared peak altitude Snake lit one of his phantom cigars and checked his gear and remaining ammunition. As he cleaned his rifle he took notice of Quiets face. She looked peaceful and could see that her face was very attractive now that he was close enough to get a good look at it. She had long brown hair and pouty lips that were currently slightly twisted into a half smile. Her skin also appeared soft and was very white despite the harsh conditions she had been exposed to. As he watched her sleep he couldn't help but wonder what she could be dreaming of.

This sleep was peaceful. It was the most peaceful sleep Quiet had had in a very long time. Usually her dreams are filled with nightmares and the faces of the men, women, and children she had slaughtered. Other times it was brief glimpses at her childhood she was so desperately trying to forget. Sadly she couldn't determine which was more horrifying. This time was different. She was back home in Russia in a small town she couldn't recall the name to. Her father had left for the market and she was finally able to bathe without him…watching. As she slid off her clothes and climbed into the warm water of the tub she truly felt at ease. She figured this was one of her best memories of her life back home. She had forgotten how this ended.

She had gotten so comfortable that she failed to hear her father come in the front door. Without much warning her father came barging into the bathroom and looked at her in a way that made her both afraid and disgusted.

"You know you're supposed to wait on me before you bathe you little bitch," her father screamed at her before wrapping his hands around her throat.

"No!" Quiet managed to scream "please…don't". She grabbed his arms and tried to pull him off of her but she wasn't a trained assassin anymore. She was just a child at the mercy of her father.

"I'll see to it that you don't forget again," he said in a guttural tone before pushing her under the surface of the bath water.

Quiet kicked and screamed but to no avail. Water began to fill her lungs and breathing had all but stopped. Just as she was sure she was about to die she woke up thrashing and tore the jacket off of her.

As her senses came back to her she realized where she was…In Big Bosses chopper, and looking dead at her was the Big Boss himself…smoking a cigar and in the middle of cleaning his rifle. In one quick motion she phased through the cuffs he had on her and threw the jacket at his face giving her just enough time to open the helicopter door and turn invisible.

As she carefully sat back down in the seats opposite to Big Boss, and she couldn't help but wonder how she was alive. She was sure that the amount of poison she was exposed too would kill her. Even with her abilities. As she pondered it she noticed a box of tranquilizer darts sitting beside the pistol that had just recently been in her face.

Oh she thought he uses a sleeping agent, not poison, but what about trying to smother me with a jacket? Quiet quickly dismissed the accusation. There was no way he had any idea about her condition. So why put a jacket on her?

By this time the Big Boss had gotten up and was vigorously searching outside the opened helicopter door. After some time the man dropped his head and closed the door before sitting himself right across from her. With him this close she noticed a few more details about him that she couldn't see in the fight. He had long brown hair with black roots that he kept up in a loose ponytail. The suit he was wearing appeared to be specifically designed for infiltration and the patch on the shoulder read "Diamond Dogs". The name of his new mercenary group no doubt. He also had apparently replaced his missing arm with a high tech red robotic one instead of keeping the hook. Also, even with his scars and a metal shard protruding from his forehead, he wasn't an unattractive man with a chiseled jawline and masculine features.

It was almost a shame she was going to kill him, just almost.

But he didn't kill me she thought while she lowered her eyes to ponder the question. Why didn't he kill me…unless he wants something from me? I have nothing to give... but I have something to take…your life...Big Boss, Quiet thought relighting her desire to end this man.

Quiets thoughts were broken by the horned man's voice calling someone on his small computer. He had a deep voice that sounded serious but somehow soothing and calm.

He was reporting her escape to somebody. Two somebodies in fact. She couldn't make out any words but could tell their moods by their tone of voice. One of them sounded relieved that she had escaped but the other was saddened. What did they have planned for her?

Those men didn't matter though and the only one that did was sitting right in front of her. A million thoughts crossed her mind and most of them were ways in which she could end it all right then. But what about her? If she killed him now she would be forced to kill the pilot and she hadn't a clue on how to fly this aircraft. Not to mention her death would mean that she would fail her secondary objective.

I don't fail Quiet assured herself but what do I do?

She could always just wait and kill him when they touch down at his base, but she didn't know the size of his forces or their training. She could get gunned down in an instant. She knew she had to come to a conclusion but no matter what she thought up it would ultimately end in her demise or her immediate capture. Perhaps she should have jumped out while she had the chance, but then again…getting caught was part of his plan

With Quiet gone Big Boss wasn't sure if he should consider the mission a success or a failure. It was also depressing to think that after all of his planning and diversion techniques he still lost the prize in the end.

Maybe I should have killed her the thought crossed Snakes mind "No" he said aloud I did the right thing. I can find her again and next time she won't get away.

Suddenly alarms sounded and the comms lit up with voices "confirm, one bogey on our six" said the pilot of the Pequod. "Steady at point four miles…it's tailing us."

"Don't lead it back to Mother Base!" Miller quickly shouted over an open comm.

"Roger…we'll shake it off!" the pilot said as he took evasive maneuvers.

Alarms blazed while the enemy jet unloaded heavy machine gun fire and whipped by the helicopter as Snake opened his mouth to utter one word.

"Shit"

Venom Snake quickly shuffled to the door of the Pequod in an attempt to use its attached Gatling gun. By that time, however, the jet had circled around and was aiming straight for them. Before Snake had a chance to react, the fighter jet launched a missile that would have surely killed them if not for the Pequod's chaffs. As the jet swooped by the chopper, Snake repositioned himself at the opposite door getting ready to return fire with the other Gatling gun.

The jet circled again once more and fired a second missile.

"Another one!" shouted the pilot as he released more chaffs. "Shit…it's an LGL hold on!" the chaffs hadn't worked and the pilot began to weave knocking Snake on his back after being just inches away from grabbing the heavy gun.

Every time Snake attempted to steady himself, the turbulence and shaking of the chopper would throw him back to the floor. Snake had just begun to worry when the free moving Gatling gun snapped into place.

Appearing out of thin air, Quiet had taken hold of the gun. She immediately began firing directly at the incoming missile, leading it perfectly until she shot it just feet away from the Pequod. As the jet passed underneath the helicopter, Snake, who was still a little surprised to see her, motioned for Quiet to retrieve her rifle and assist him with suppressive fire. He figured that regardless of her alliances she wasn't too keen on being shot down either.

As Snake grabbed the Gatling gun, Quiet was wrapping the strap of her rifle around her hand for added stability and took aim at the approaching jet. Snake began unloading at the incoming plane allowing himself a slight smile while empty cases flew all around him. Meanwhile, Quiet looked calm and sat perfectly still as she zeroed in on her target, humming her favorite tune. The enemy jet rolled and spun, perfectly dodging Snake's barrage of machine gun fire, but not Quiet. Even among the raging noise of both the helicopter and Gatling gun fire, a loud crack was heard as Quiet took her shot.

The cabin of the Helicopter had gone completely silent while both Snake and Quiet watched the jet straighten out then fly right underneath revealing that her shot had hit its pilot right in between his eyes. They both turned in time watch the jet collide with the sea destroying it.

Snake almost couldn't believe what he saw. It should have been impossible for someone to pull off that shot especially with the target moving the way it was. He turned his head to meet her eyes that were a dark and deep shade of green. They were beautiful, but seemed so empty. She broke his gaze and he watched her as she sat back in the chair he had first laid her in. With a short sigh she unloaded her rifle and handed to him. As he took the rifle from her hands he eyed the cuffs that were still dangling off one of her wrists, then looked her in her eyes once more. Quiet took the hint as she phased her wrist back into the empty cuff and stared out the front of the chopper with a sigh.

Snake took his seat and could only guess as to why she stayed or better yet why she saved them. She could have easily escaped or even attempted to kill him, but didn't.

What's her angle? Snake thought to himself while he stared at the back of Quiets head. Why save us and risk being tortured or worse...

Why did I save them! Thoughts were rushing through Quiet's mind faster than she could really understand them. I could have infiltrated his base and planned a full attack but that damn jet…she bit her lip until it almost bled.

What will happen to me? I could be beaten, tortured, killed…or worse…Quiet almost threw up at the thought as it brought back bad memories, but managed to calm herself by humming silently.

Almost an hour went by and not a word was spoken by anyone. Finally, Mother Base came into view and Quiet was astounded at how big it was.

Their home base can rival small countries. Quiet began to worry slightly and turned her head to see Big Boss staring at her, studying her. She knew that he could read her face…he knew she was scared. That thought vanished into the back of her mind as her attention was grabbed by two approaching helicopters on the flanks of the Pequod.

She watched as the Big Boss got up to see the commotion and could tell by his face that this kind of welcome wasn't normal. Especially when his men began pointing their weapons at him.

Why would they point their guns at their own Boss? She thought as she watched a red laser home in on the Bosses chest. No…they want me…they want to kill me. With that thought Quiet started to peek around the door to get a better look but was blocked by Big Boss. He's protecting me…probably not much use to him dead.

Snake had figured that Miller would put the base on alert and maybe even station more guards, but having this many men, and a two helicopter escort was overkill. Still Snake understood that Kazuhira was simply a very cautious and paranoid man. He also knew that despite his caution, he still wouldn't dare go against his direct orders.

"Don't worry," Snake said without turning his head to look at her "they won't shoot you…I won't let them."

As the helicopter neared the landing zone Snake saw an entire quadrant of his best men and women assembled to greet them along with Miller and Ocelot. Who's guarding the rest of the base? Snake wondered, trying to not to get annoyed.

"No way she's setting foot on this base!" Miller called out to Snake. "Boss she's with Cipher!"

His words may have been true but Snake had already made his decision. He motioned for Quiet to sit so he could handle the situation accordingly, but before the chopper could even land Quiet jumped out and disappeared mid-air.

As the Pequod got closer to landing, Snake could only watch in minor amusement as Quiet showed off her powers and sized his soldiers up. Snake was also impressed at how well Ocelot had trained them as they were prepared for every trick she had. Using thermals they were able to quickly spot her and circle her.

Snake's helicopter landed just in time for him to walk into Miller's and Ocelot's debate.

As Snake walked closer he could hear them argue.

"Seize her" Ocelot commanded proudly.

"Fire" Miller shouted in dispute.

"Miller! She saved the Boss" Ocelot growled.

"She was just saving herself!" Miller quickly responded "Fire!"

Snake had grown tired of their arguing and decided to step in before anyone makes a bad choice. "Put her in the cell!" he said while lowering the weapon of one of his men. Miller began to object but he simply cut him off. "Keep an eye on her," he told Ocelot, ignoring Miller the best he could.

"Right…take her away!" Ocelot commanded to the obviously confused soldiers. "What are you waiting for? Move!" he shouted at both the men and the captive Quiet.

Before they left Snake placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. He wasn't quite sure of what to make of her, but he wanted her to trust that no harm would befall her if she cooperated. She glanced at his hand, and then his eye for only a second before being escorted toward a cell.

As they walked away Snake heard her begin to silently hum and as she walked she kept her head held high. He was honestly just happy that she was going without incident. His men may be well trained but with abilities like hers he had no doubt that she could kill them easily. As he watched her he felt a presence coming up to his left followed by the smell of an expensive cologne and the sound of crutches. Miller.

"Boss…you are going to regret this," Miller said in a voice of a man who felt betrayed. "That woman…"

"I know", said Snake interrupting Miller. "She knows our location…Either way one of these days we are going to have to kill her, but now is not the time" Snake said in a serious and commanding tone. "When the time comes…I'll pull the trigger"

Miller nodded before turning to walk away, seeming satisfied with Venom's words. Behind him were the remaining men who all went their separate ways back to their posts on Mother Base. While Snake watched them leave, Ocelot placed his hand on Snake's shoulder and smiled.

"So I thought dropping a crate on her head was a bad idea?" Ocelot joked. "I recall you arguing that you wouldn't give your enemy supplies?"

"I didn't" Snake said lighting his cigar in a smiling mouth. "I gave her grenades."

Ocelot let out a small chuckle before patting Snake's shoulder and walking back to his post, twirling his twin revolvers.

End Chapter 1

Disclaimer! All properties of Metal Gear including but not limited to: characters, dialogue, locations and gear belong to Konami and Kojima!