Metal Gear Solid V - The Punished Phantom

The "Heiwa Maru", Red Sea

11:17

Venom laid back on his uneven and stiff cot, gazing at his reflection in a dirty mirror next to his bed. His simple hook prosthetic had been replaced with a more advanced arm colored red and black. Ocelot said that it had been designed by a genius yet obscure designer operating out of Afghanistan, who specialized in a revolutionary new field known as "bionics." However, besides his fancy prosthetic, Snake was not happy with what he saw. He had grown skinny and frail over the last 9 years, and much of his muscle mass was lost due to atrophy. The Doctor back at the hospital assured him it had been maintained through massages and a few other procedures, but some loss had slipped through the cracks.

Venom was snapped out of his revelry when he heard his door swing open with a loud creak. "You're still awake, good. I was hoping to have a one-on-one conversation with you." Ocelot said, as he casually strolled into the room. "How ya' holdin' up?" He inquired. "Not good." Ocelot nodded, as he turned to the door to shut it. "Now, I'm here to explain our current situation, about where we're going, the state of world affairs, more info about Kaz etcetera, etcetera." Venom motioned with his hand to continue on, hoping he would get to the point.

"Now, ever since you've been in a coma, many things have changed in the world. In Afghanistan, the Soviets have taken over large swaths of the countryside from the native Afghans. The old Afghan government was a communist state, essentially a puppet of our friends back in Moscow, but this didn't sit well with traditionalist citizens." Venom rolled his eyes, only to nearly slide off the bed. "This ride so far has been...stimulating. Anyways, have the Soviets been able to get control over the area?" He shook his head. "Well Snake, you have to understand that the Afghans knew that they couldn't take the Soviets head on, as they have better equipment, better soldiers and more manpower, so they simply resorted to guerilla warfare. Plus, in the resulting chaos, the fundamentalists and extremists have begun to seemingly materialize out of thin air, and with funding and supplies from the west...It hasn't been easy for the Soviets."

Snake nodded, as he rose up from his bed. "Now, how does Miller and our chance for revenge factor into this mess?" He asked. "Well, both East and West have begun to resort to PMC's - Private Military Companies - to achieve their goals. Since the West can't get boots on the ground and don't want to entirely rely on the extremists, they've begun to hire merc's, and in the East, the war has been dragging on for years and with no end in sight, this appears to be their only option. The war, while hell for the Afghans and Soviets, has been an absolute goldmine for PF's. Miller was working with the Mujahedeen resistance to help train recruits, but he was captured by Soviet troops. While the Soviets may have better numbers and more advanced equipment, those wily bastards when properly trained are a force to be reckoned with. To my knowledge, they're trying to see if he has any info on the hiding spots of the rebels."

Venom forlornly shook his head as he gazed out the circular window. "Is that all?" Ocelot raised his hand and snapped his fingers. "One last thing Boss...This is important. We have the whereabouts of some survivors from MSF." Snake's head snapped up, as he got out of his cot completely and stood on the floor. "Ocelot, if this is some kind of joke, I swea-" Ocelot stood up and clasped a hand onto his allies shoulder. "Boss, trust me on this. While Chico and Paz are dead and The Medic's whereabouts are unknown, I found out that Morpho survived the crash."

A rare smile spread across Venom's face, along with a mixture of shock and unbridled joy. "Morpho!? Of all the people...It's great to hear he's back with us." Ocelot chuckled and shook his head. "Glad I could help, Snake. However, some other survivors are in Afghanistan - they were working with Miller until he got captured. Afterwards, they spread out across the countryside, some of them even went mad. It's been a hard nine years for 'em." Venom's good mood was dampened significantly, he was still happy to hear that his old friend Morpho had survived, and had returned to him.

"Now, I just have one question for you Ocelot - What's your stake in this?" Venom asked. "I've got my own issues with Cipher. After I learned of the assault on MSF and the Peace Walker incident, I laid low, fearing Zero would come after me next. Eventually, I wanted to strike back at Cipher. While I felt guilt about your "death", I was also hoping on getting my half of The Legacy back. What I would do with it, I didn't know, but I wanted to strike back at Zero."

"Ocelot began moving towards the door, and turned to Venom right before he left. "Now, I know these past couple of days have been stressful for ya', so I want you to get some shut-eye and rest."

Despite what he said, Venom had simply gone back to staring into the mirror, seeing the reflection of the man from 1975.