Chapter 8

The elevator doors opened and Snake ran out and put his back against a wall, he peeks around the corner. No guard in sight. He moves slowly, not hoping to get spotted anytime soon. He moved into the lab area and found his items. He got his equipment on and pulled out his tranquilizer gun out. Then a FBI agent sees him, but he doesn't call for reinforcements.

"Come on, follow me."

Snake knows that this is one of the men that the Colonel trusted with helping with. The agent leads Snake to the morgue area.

"Are you positive she's in the morgue?"

"Of course. They're pretty much done looking on the body. You need to hurry though, the coroner may be coming back from her break and I'm sure it won't be long till they found out that you're not in your cell and that something is up. So if I was you I go, now."

Snake follows his advice and went into the morgue; the place is very much like a graveyard to him. He was pleased with the sight of dead bodies. It brings him back to the old times. Old times, that he doesn't even want to think about. He then sees Mei Ling's body on one of the tables and walks up to it. Her body was covered by a sheet and Snake could only see her face. No doubt that this is Mei Ling. Snake got a chair out and sat down.

"So we meet again. If only we met on better terms. I wanted to know if what I was doing was right. The day Otacon and I started Philanthropy, we knew that everyone who joined us would also be putting themselves in danger, too. You supplied us and even, supported us. After the Manhattan Incident, we had to go into hiding. You were one of the people that knew we were hiding. It was only a matter of time before they found you. Do you hate me now? Was it because of me that you were put in danger? Well, it's too late to ask you now. I'm sorry, I wish we could've saved you faster but we were too late. Otacon and I are very sorry. Good bye…Mei Ling."

After saying his final farewells to his friend, Snake got up from the chair and was about to leave until something caught Snake's eye. He looked closely at the small red stuff on the back of her neck and walked towards it slowly. He carefully looked at it and lifted her body to look at her back. He looks at the back and sees a red dragon tattoo.

"A tattoo? Mei Ling with a tattoo? No way!!", his mind yelled.

Snake touched his ear to activate his Codec.

"Otacon, I'm looking at Mei Ling now."

"So, you're done?"

"Not exactly. Do we even know if Mei Ling has a tattoo?"

"Um…I don't think so but, a tattoo? It's not her style. Why?"

"Because I see a red dragon tattoo on her back."

"But we know Mei Ling wouldn't even wear a tattoo. Snake, then that means…"

"She's alive. I knew it! I knew it all along! Those sons of bitches were playing with me. They knew I would give up if they convinced me that Mei Ling was dead and I fell for it. Damn it. This means they still have her."

"Well, first, you need to get out of there. Rendezvous with me at the van in the parking garage of the building. Got it?"

"Got it."

Suddenly, an alarm was heard. Snake knew that they found out that he escaped and he ran out of the room. The agent goes to him.

"You woke up the dogs, now. By the looks of it they're signaling a lockdown and clearing of the areas. Once a lockdown starts it means that no one can get out."

"Got any ideas?"

"The exceptions to getting out of a lockdown is a hazard or fire emergency."

"So, start a fire emergency or something like that and the lockdown is lifted."

"Yeah. They're searching this floor now. I can hold them off for a little while, so if I was you I get to it."

Snake runs through the hallway and sees a fire alarm. He punches the alarm and the fire alarm and lights are activated.

The PA system informs,"Fire emergency detected. Lockdown is lifted. Everyone please evacuate. If you're on another floor then please use the stairs. Have a nice day."

Snake goes to the stairs and sees a lot of people walking down to get out. Once he saw it was clear. He continued to walk down until he heard something on the radio he got.

"Ignore that emergency! It's a false alarm!! Everyone returned to your posts!! He's still here!!"

Snake then sees someone open and Rick Stetler and two police officers saw him. Snake walked up the stairs.

Rick yells through his radio,"I saw him! He's running up the stairwell to the roof! We're pursuing!"

A few floors up, Snake contacted Otacon again.

"Couldn't make it to the garage. Change extraction plans."

"What's your plan?"

"Just wait outside in the van."

Snake rammed into the roof access, and then a SWAT sniper turned and saw him. Snake had a 36% chance to get the sniper before he pulls the trigger. The sniper already had his finger in on the trigger, Snake ran as quickly as he can, the sniper pulled the trigger with his crosshairs aimed at Snake's head. The bullet is fired from the barrel of the rifle, Snake then quickly moved his head a little but that didn't stop the bullet from scratching his cheek. The sniper tried to fire another one but it was too late. The mercenary grabbed the mid barrel of the rifle and elbowed the sniper in his face and tripped him. The sniper hit the floor by the Snake saw the men coming out of the doorway. Already prepared he throws a grenade at them. They saw it coming and confused it for a frag grenade and took cover but then a bright flash explodes from the grenade, the flash blinds them. Snake took this moment to jump off the rooftop and lands on a white van.

"Otacon, drive!!!"

Otacon shifted the van to drive and accelerated out of there. The police saw their van and attempted to pursue but all of their vehicles have signs of sabotage as if someone planned this. They could've had some of their units in the field to find them but they know they're too smart for that.

One hour later…

Horatio walks out of Rick's office, after he chews the whole department's asses for Solid Snake's escape. None of it doesn't matter to him, what concerns Horatio the most was what Solid Snake said to him. Was he telling the truth? Was he really being framed and why did he look at the tattoo of the dead woman? Was she not the person he was looking for? This all concerns him. He looks through World Wide Web on news of the Tanker and Big Shell Incident. He didn't take a single break; he just kept looking for information. Then a FBI agent; same standard issue agent suits, combed brown hair; white skin; looks like he's in his early 30s; walks into the room.

"Yes, Agent Walkman?"

"Um…did you need anything, sir?"

"I'm fine, thank you. Why?"

"My boss needed to know what you're doing."

"Tell your boss, that I've found something that could help us in our investigation. I think we may be pursuing the wrong man."

"But his DNA was all over her body, he had something to do with it."

"So why did he come to the trouble of coming here then, if she was already dead? Not to kill again, I think and second, the surveillance videos spotted him looking at a tattoo; it either tells him that it wasn't the woman he knew or he was enjoying the artwork; either way we're chasing the wrong man. We're looking in the wrong direction and it begins with those two agents but then it stops there. I'm going to look through it again. Besides I'm done with my search. You can use the computer if you want."

"Of course, sir. Of course."

Horatio got up from his desk and went back into the lab. As the agent Walkman sees him go into the lab; he pulls a black cell phone and pressed a series of numbers. He hears the series of beeps until someone answered.

"Yes?"

"It's Walkman. We have a problem here, Patterson. You know Solid Snake turned himself in, right?"

"Yes and that he got out."

"Well, it seems security videos recorded him looking at the body you guys gave and what caught my suspicions is that he was looking at a tattoo on the back of the body. Does the woman, you're interrogating now, have any tattoos?

"I'll have to see myself. Anything else?"

"One more problem, have you ever heard of Horatio Caine?"

Patterson: Heard of him but never met him. Why?

"He's starting to doubt that Snake ever killed the woman and he's looking through her kidnapping again and the two agents."

"This is a major problem, why?"

"I believe it's only a matter of time before he finds out that Snake has been framed for the kidnapping and murder. I can only imagine, what he'll do when he does?"

"Did you tell your boss, yet?"

"Not yet but he'll find out once I tell him."

"Do that and have him call me. We're going to tie up the loose end, and that loose end is Caine."

"What's your plan?"

"You'll find out. Just report to your boss and tell him to call me. He'll know what to do."

"Yes, I will."

Both of them hanged up, Patterson got up from his seat and walks to the torture room where the torturers were still torturing Mei Ling.

"Listen here. It won't matter if you don't talk, we already have hackers trying to breach your system, just make this easier on yourself and cooperate…"

He noticed his boss,"Sir."

"Did she break?"

"Not yet, sir but we're try…", as the other man tries to explain.

"I need to see something. Rip the back of her shirt."

"Yes, sir.", the other man obeyed.

The one man ripped the back of Mei Ling's shirt.

"I don't see what's important. All I see is a clean back."

The words sent a chill up Patterson's spine, the woman that they threw in the harbor had a tattoo, which means that Snake knows that Mei Ling is still alive.

"Sir?"

"Continue the torture. When I come back, I expect results. I don't care if you have to cut her fingers to break her. Just get her cooperate."

"Yes, sir. " He looks at Mei Ling with an evil smile. "Looks like we're going to have more fun with you after all."

Mei Ling could only look in fear. Patterson walks out of the room; the torturer picks up a knife and Mei Ling looks at it figuring what he is going to do next.

End of Chapter 8