CHAPTER TWO – UNLEASHING THE CHAOS

Ethan Rayne making his preparations in the back of the costume shop. He was wearing a dark robe, inscribed with all manner of powerful, dark and magical runes. These runes would soon help in the casting of a particular spell he had in mind. One he had sincerely hoped would affect Ripper's young charges.

Ethan was working inside the back store room of his shop, where no customer was permitted to see. In here he had already set up the alter to the roman god of Janus, the god of chaos and changer of ways and new beginnings. He had various candles upon the said alter and all around the back room, where he was currently in the process of lighting them all.

Most people wouldn't think too much of a simple act of lighting candles, but in this case the candles in question were BLACK candles. Candles normally associated with evil magic and the dark arts.

As the light of the candles began to spread, Ethan took in the view and saw that he now had the correct number of candles, both around the room and both on and around the alter, forming a circle of sort around said alter. Upon the alter was a marble bust of Janus. One side and a woman's face, her features were placid and beautiful while the other side had a man's face both hideous and permanently scarred in a stated of pure evil. Current the face of the woman was towards Ethan even as he knelt down and not only prayed towards Janus, but to cast his spell as well.

As part of his preparations for the spell, Ethan got a ceremonial knife, imbued with runes of dark magic through the silver blade of the knife. He put the blade to the palms of both hands and made a cut in both, offering his blood as part of a sacrifice needed to start powering the spell Ethan had intended to cast his Halloween night.

Ethan, once he pored a few drops of blood onto the alter and into the circle of black candles, knelt before the bust of Janus and began to pray to his chaos god.

"Oh Janus, the world that denies thee, thou doeth inhabit."

"The peace that ignores thee, thou doeth corrupth."

"Chaos. As ever, I am your faithful, degenerate son."

With the final act in casting the spell, Ethan dabs some blood from his bleeding palms onto his eyelids. He then crosses it on to his forehead. He begins to wait.

Ethan doesn't have to wait long before he is heard by his god. The bust of Janus begins to glow a dark, evil and bright green. It began to glow an insane intensity that forces Ethan to look away for a moment. When the glow died down, and Ethan had a chance to look back at the alter, the bust of Janus had the face of the evil and hideous male face looking towards him. And somewhere deep within his corrupted soul, Ethan knew that his prier had been heard by his god.

"Well then old Ripper and his friends. Shall I say, let the games of mayhem now begin!" Ethan stated out loud. He then smirked an evil smirk and began to chuckle to himself.

Somewhere else in Sunnydale, at the exact moment Ethan cast his spell…

It would now be ever remembered by the so called 'Scooby' gang as the night that Chaos came to the town of Sunnydale. Screams could be heard almost everywhere you went on the fateful night. Car alarms rang out in the distance as parked cars were damaged and trashed by the Chaos going on all around them. Panicked kids and their parents who were not wearing any of Ethan's enchanted costumes quickly ran for cover, as despite the so-called 'Sunnydale Syndrome' they realized that something was seriously wrong.

Xander was currently standing alone on the footpath. He was leading his group of kids when the spell took effect. He felt dizzy for a moment before it began to clear. All of a sudden he began to take on a posture that was ramrod straight, which positively screamed military. Xander looked around confused. By it was his body that looked around, not Xander himself as he had now been possessed by the soul and spirit of the famous video game character known only as 'Solid Snake'.

What the hell is going on here? And where the fuck is this? Last thing I knew I was fighting Liquid Snake hand-to-hand on the top of Metal Gear Rex deep in the Nuclear Disposal Facility on Shadow Moses Island in the Alaskan Archipelago and now I'm in some Southern Californian Town? What the Hell? Better check on my equipment, just in case this was another one of Liquid's tricks.

The man known as Solid Snake quickly took an inventory of his current equipment and weaponry. He was reassured to find that he still had his trusty SOCOM with him, along with a few chaff grenades and his combat knife. He also still had his thermal infrared goggles, some left over military rations and his lucky pack of cigarettes!

Well it's better than nothing I suppose. I've gone up against higher and more dangerous odds with little more than this. I just glad the mag in the SOCOM is full. So I have at least some ammo, not that it's a lot – but it's enough until I can do some OSP of more weapons.

Solid Snake's thoughts were interrupted by a thin red headed girl who had come up to him in a slight panic, but was addressing him a weird name that Snake had never heard of before.

"Xander!" Willow exclaimed as Solid Snake turned to this girl and quickly responded

"Meryl? What are you doing here? How did you get away from Liquid? What the Hell?" A very confused Snake asked the red headed girl who was dead set spitting image of the solider known as Meryl Silverburgh.

"Hey! My name's not Meryl mister! It's Willow. Willow Rosenberg! Don't you remember me Xander?" A stunned and confused Willow asked her friend.

"Sorry miss I'm afraid I don't know who or what a "Xander' is. My name is Snake. Solid Snake."

"Xander quit your joking please! This is a serious situation happening here! This is not the time to be fooling around!" Willow scolded.

"I'm sorry again but I don't know why you insist on calling me Xander, but I have no idea what you're talking about." Snake replied with a frown.

"But Xander it's me. It's Willow!" Willow protested. But knew it was hopeless. Something funny was going on, she was sure of it.

"Sorry miss but again I have to say I do not know any Willow either! The only red head I know goes by the name of Meryl Silverburgh." Snake replied, even as he swallowed a small lump at the back of his throat.

If this isn't Meryl, she's probably her twin sister or something. Meryl never mentioned having a sister before! But that still leaves Meryl in the hands of that bastard Liquid! She better be alive by the time I get back or that bastard Liquid Snake better have a damned good life insurance policy. I will make him pay if he even harms a single hair on Meryl's head! Snake thought viciously.

"Xander this is no time for jokes! And I have no idea who this Meryl is, but it isn't anyone you or I know!"

"Sorry miss but I am not really joking." Solid Snake sighed at the antics of this girl.

"You really don't know me? Oh god, you've turned into your costume!" Willow exclaimed.

"Turned into a costume? What the hell are you talking about lady? Are you nuts?" Snake claimed in confused as he eyed this crazy girl warily.

Another thing Meryl forgot to mention to me. That her sister was completely and utterly nuts! Snake mentally thought as he sized up this strange girl talking to him.

"Then I'm guessing that you really don't know me now?" Willow asked haphazardly.

"Sorry, but no. This is the first time we have met I believe and I highly recommend that we find somewhere safe or take some cover, as this place is a bit chaotic at the moment. Then we work out what the hell is going on here." Snake grumbled.

Willow sighed as she realized something fishy was going on. She had dressed up as a ghost and now it appears she truly was a ghost. Xander dressed up as Solid Snake from one of his and Jesses' favourite video games. Could it be now that Xander was now that video game hero? Or did he only think he was?

She then noticed that 'Xander' starting to sneak off, but Willow started to get in his way.

"No wait!" She pleaded even as 'Xander' walked straight through her. This in turn made Solid Snake pause in shock and truly think something strange was going on. He quickly pulled up his SOCOM and aimed it at Willow.

Not that the SOCOM is going to be any good. If I can pass through her without any harm to her, chances are the bullets are going to do the same thing! Still, it's best not to take any chances! Snake thought in surprise and shock.

"What the? How did I manage to walk straight through you? What the hell are you? Is this one of Psycho Mantis's tricks? That can't be! I saw him die!" Solid Snake asked in puzzlement and with a lot of suspicion even as continued to aim his SOCOM at the girl.

"No wait! I mean no harm! Look Snake. It's a bit hard to explain. I dressed up as a ghost tonight and now I guess I'm really a ghost. You are my best friend 'Xander' and he dressed up as Solid Snake and now I guess you really are Solid Snake." Willow explained.

"Are you sure lady, because that explanation sounds absolutely nuts." Snake replied, not believing the insane explanation that the girl had just given him.

"Then how else did you manage to walk through me if I wasn't a ghost?" Willow challenged.

"I'm not sure. You could be another of Psycho Mantis' illusions." Solid Snake answered even as he frowned.

"But didn't you just say you saw this Psycho Mantis die?" Willow asked reasonably.

"Yeah I did. But I could be wrong. I've been known to be wrong a few times before." Snake replied somewhat slowly as he struggled to understand what was going on.

Willow sighed and finally lost her patience. She pointed to a side mirror of a nearby car and said

"If you don't believe me, just look into that side mirror of that car there."

"Why?"

"Please just do it. It may make things a bit clearer to you." Willow sighed as she answered the very suspicious Solid Snake.

"I'll even step back and give you some space, if that's what it takes." Willow said as she stepped back a few yards in an attempt to sooth Snake's suspicions.

"Fine. But this doesn't mean I believe you and your crazy story." Snake grunted in replied even as he did what he was told by this strange girl. Snake took one look in the mirror and got the shock of his life. The face of the man looking back at him was not his own. In fact, the man had different colored eyes and looked to be only 16 or 17 years old.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Snake yelled.

END OF CHAPTER TWO