Author's Note: The setting for this one is during Chapter 3.

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Metal Gear EVA #0-2: "First Encounter."

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It had only been several days since Solid Snake had officially begun his mission.

Contact had been relatively minimal thus far. Moving northwest from the shores of Japan, he had quickly found the weapons caches that had been covertly placed a few days ago by American special ops. At the moment, he was armed with a few chaff grenades, some smoke and stun grenades, a Ruger Mk. II tranquilizer, a few rations, medical kits, and a special stun knife (it had a built-in taser).

Also included, thank heavens, were cigarettes.

Snake hadn't actually encountered much of a military presence (his path to Tokyo-3 had been selected such that it would skirt most of the defense positions...but not all of them. Trying to pick the path that would encounter NO security was the surest way of getting spotted: everyone expected it. Besides, why pick the path with no resistance if you could sneak by the resistance?) Though he had run into some missile batteries and stationary mortars, they had been manned by skeleton crews.

Besides, they were expecting gigantic monstrosities; not a lone human operative.

At the moment, Snake was perched on Mt. Mikuni, overlooking Lake Ashi to the east. To the north stood Tokyo-3. At most times, it would look like a gleaming metropolis, a city reaching to the sky.

Now? It had receded into its defensive configuration. All of Tokyo-3's weapons systems were aimed at the northern end of the lake.

Though Snake was unaware of the nomenclature put in place by NERV, he was looking at Shamshel. The Fifth Angel.

...a giant crab.

Huh. Wasn't expecting that, in all honesty.

Still, it was an intimidating sight. As was that of the two mechas fighting it.

Evangelions Unit-00 and Unit-01. One orange, one purple, both humanoid and nimble. Compared to Metal Gear REX's advanced fuel cells, the sight of the power cable (shaped like a gas pump, amusingly enough) sticking out of the back spoke of an inability to last for long. However, the sheer agility with which the two fought was a sight to behold.

Made the Metal Gears he had fought look downright clunky.

*BEEP BEEP*

"Otacon. You getting this?" The camera wired into his suit focused on the battle between the Evangelions and the Angel.

"You bet...amazing..."

"Impressive moves for a mech."

"I'm not so sure they're entirely mechanical...the hydraulics alone...the sheer excess of heat that would result from systems attempting those moves..."

"Biological components?" Not the oddest thing in the post-Impact world. Cybernetics had become a burgeoning field as scientists raced for ways to keep people alive long enough to rebuild following the Impact Wars. Advanced prosthetics, synthetic tissue, artificial organs. The latest technology in the field was a combination of sensors, digital relays, and virtual simulators to replace lost senses such as touch, sight, equilibrium, hearing (they were working on taste, smell, proprioception, and pain). Naturally, there were boundless military applications as well; the NHIS in particular had created entire platoons of soldiers that were enhanced both cybernetically and biologically (often drawing on genetics and biological research that was all the rage in Europe).

"Probably, but I can't imagine why that alone would require such secrecy."

"Depends. If the Evangelions do have biological components...what would they make them from?"

"...good question."

Sudden silence.

Snake stared at the Angel as it lurched, now a corpse with the knife sticking out of the red orb in its body. The one-armed Unit-00 stood back as Unit-01 removed the blade. "Not too shabby."

"I'll process the footage and see what I can make of it."

Snake murmured an acknowledgment as he cut off the Codec. Now...how to approach Tokyo-3...

A sudden tingling.

Snake spun around on a dime, bringing up his Ruger. If he got into a fight, he'd rather tranq them first before shooting to kill. Didn't want to get too much attention just yet after all...

The forest behind him rustled in the wind.

...hmm.

Snake warily kept his tranquilizer up, his stun knife held in a reverse hold by the pistol grip. He was getting closer now to Tokyo-3 proper, and NERV's attention would doubtlessly be on the corpse of the Angel.

...still. There was something out there.

Growling, Snake slowly crept along, suit blending into the foliage as he began his trek down Mt. Mikuni.

Moments after his departure, Rei Ayanami stepped out from behind a cluster of trees. Well...one of the Reis, at least.

She calmly held a hand up to her ear. "He's here."

"Right on schedule."

"It's as you predicted."

"Like clockwork, his kind. Predictable. Makes them easy to deal with, even the dogged ones like him."

"Are you sure you want him to remain undetected?"

"For the time being. He has his own purpose to fulfill...you should be heading back now Kei. Dr. Ikari's attention will not be kept by the giant shellfish for much longer." It was left unsaid that she needed to get back to stabilize her S2 organ.

"I understand." Kei silently cut the link, wondering what purpose this 'Solid Snake' would serve.

Alas. Ocelot had yet to lead her and the other Ree astray.

xxxx

To be continued...

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Author's Note: The next few omakes are about Ocelot being a Magnificently Manipulative Bastard. 8D

For those not in the know (which means you haven't read Nobody Dies yet, which means something's wrong with you), Kei is one of the clones of Rei. She's the designated Evil Genius of the Ree.