"Gentlemen, by now you know we have found signs of an intruder on this base." The Commander said, boots clicking against the floor as he paced back and forth in front of his lined up troops. Ivan could see and hear them from his cell. "And I must ask you to guard this place with your lives. No matter what you do…" His eyes locked with Ivan's, even from quite some distance away.

"Do not let that worm escape, under ANY circumstances. Am I understood?" Ivan shuddered as the remark was met with salutes and a chorus of assentation. "Good. Now go to your posts." The men scattered, and Ivan retreated to curl up on his bed, hiding his face in his pillow. All he could do was re-play seeing that man's face yesterday over and over again in his mind. The smile, the eyepatch… It had to be him. No doubt about it. The man he had seen was obviously-!

"As for you, maggot," The Colonel sneered, slamming his fist against the bars of Ivan's cell, "I'm going to have to question you to make sure you didn't call one of your dear friends to come and get you."

"B-but I didn't! I swear! How would I have-?"

"Save it for the interrogation, princess." He spat, opening the cell and dragging the boy out by his hair.

Once the plane landed, Katya and Volgin got off quickly, picking up a rental car and making their way to another hotel to drop their stuff off.

"So you know where they're keeping him?"

"Yeah. It's kind of remote, but I can get us there."

"Good, let's go."

Nose bleeding and coughing up blood, Ivan was beaten, tortured, and brutalized until the Commander decided that he didn't know anything. Once he was brought back to his cell, he curled up in bed again and cried into his pillow. Old wounds were opened again, and staining his clothes crimson. He closed his eyes and let his head rest on the pillow.

When he woke, it was to the sound of light tapping on the bars of the cell.

"Kid, come on. Wake up." A gruff voice said in slightly shoddy Russian.

"Wha-? You…" Ivan looked up and saw him. The man who had ruined his life. "What the hell are YOU doing here?!"

"I'm here to bust you out," the man said, looking around and unlocking the cell, opening the door as quietly as possible, "now come on, we don't have much time."

"Tch. As if I'd ever go with the likes of you. I seem to recall you knocking me out and waking up in a locker practically naked!" the man winced at Ivan's remark, obviously hoping he hadn't remembered that.

"Look, I'll apologize later. But do you really want to stay here?" He retorted. Ivan crossed his arms and huffed, sitting on the edge of his bed with as much dignity as he could muster.

"I'm not going anywhere!"

"Fine. Then I'm saving you whether you like it or not." The man pulled out a rag and it was over Ivan's mouth and nose before he could even process what was going on. A familiar chemical smell invaded his senses, and everything went black.

The man once known as Naked Snake draped Ivan over his shoulder and carried him out of the building.

Volgin and Katya crept quietly through the forest, keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of Ivan or his captors. When they reached a squat, concrete building, Katya nodded at Volgin, signaling that this was what they were looking for.

"Okay," Katya whispered, "they should be keeping him in there. Go do your weird… fire… lightning… thing…" Volgin rolled his eyes and nodded, stepping forward and feeling the heat building in his skin. The door was easily kicked down, and when Volgin stood there in the doorway, he ignored the utter chaos. All eyes were on this imposing figure in the doorway, and everything was silent and still.

"Gentlemen, I believe you have something that belongs to me. I'd like it back now, if you don't mind."

Snake ran through the forest, branches scratching his face and twigs snapping under his boots. It was hard to run while carrying someone, even when they were as small as Raikov, but he managed. Once he was confident that he'd lost their pursuers, he set the boy down on the ground and shook him awake.

"Listen, kid. I don't have time to play games. You're going to have to follow me, and keep up, or you're going to get killed. Got it?" Ivan nodded, and decided that for now, staying with this man was his safest option.

"Good. Now let's get moving. I hear them coming." Snake grabbed Raikov's hand and took off; making the boy run faster than he had in a long, long time in order to keep from falling behind. The wind whipped and whistled through his pale blonde hair as they ran, and Raikov desperately gasped for breath. They ran and ran for what seemed like an eternity before they finally reached a Jeep, parked just on the edge of the forest. Snake hopped in the driver's seat and motioned for Raikov to take cover in the back. He handed the boy a gun.

"Can you shoot?"

"I don't know. I've only ever shot a Makarov before…"

"Close enough. Just aim and pull the trigger. You'll figure it out." Snake slammed on the gas, and Raikov hit the seat as the air was knocked out of his lungs for a moment.

"Watch it!"

"Sorry, kid. Didn't have time to call a valet in the middle of the goddamn woods."

Raikov aimed as best he could as they bumped along the road, but they didn't seem to be being followed. Yet.

Volgin stood surrounded by corpses. He continued to tear apart the building looking for Ivan, and every cell held no answers. Ripping another door off its hinges, he found a man sitting inside.

Just… sitting.

In his hand, he held a glass of wine, and he looked at Volgin calmly.

"Where is he?" Volgin growled, clenching his fists at his sides.

"Oh, the boy? He's long gone by now."

"What. Do. You. Mean?"

"Someone already came and got him. I'm afraid it's someone you already know. Oh, what was he called again? Ah yes, I remember now. Snake."

Volgin felt the heat rise in his skin once again, molten lava coursing through his veins, and his entire body felt like it was on fire.

"Where are they? What is he doing with Ivan?"

"Hell if I know," the man sipped his wine, "but this whole ordeal wasn't my idea, anyway. Not in the beginning."

"Then who-?"

"Hello, Colonel."

Oh god, that voice. No, no no no. Please, no. Anything but this.

Volgin turned around.

Fuck.

Ivan, luckily, did not have to shoot the gun once. Nobody appeared to want to chase after a Jeep, especially not on foot. When they were sure there was nobody tailing them, Snake slowed the car to leisurely pace and motioned Raikov to come sit in the passenger seat.

"Sorry."

"Huh?"

"Well I said I'd apologize later, didn't I? For stealing your clothes and everything back in 1964?"

"Oh. Well, I forgive you I guess." Ivan said, looking down at his clasped hands in his lap. They drove in silence for a while and Ivan took a moment to look at his new companion. He hadn't noticed when being captured and stripped all those years ago, but the man was certainly handsome. His one eye was vibrant and blue, and he seemed nice enough, for an American. His Russian was a little rusty, but of course Ivan's English was none too great either. Snake was tall, only about a couple inches taller than Ivan, but definitely more muscular. The man looked over at Ivan and caught him staring, making the boy turn away quickly and blush.

"So, do you know English?" He asked, still in Raikov's native tongue.

"Some… I'm fluent in Russian and French, though. Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you back to my base. Not as a prisoner though. Just to keep you safe. You can leave once you're feeling better. I want to have our medic take a look at you."

"Well, I have someone I need to go home to. He's probably looking for me."

"Your father?"

"…You could say that…"

Volgin was face-to-face with Katya and the barrel of a gun.

"You… All this time, it was you?"

"Sorry. Had to get everything lined up somehow."

"But why?"

"There's a high price on your head with powers like yours, Colonel, and I'm not one to pass up a good opportunity when it comes along. No hard feelings, right?" She smiled, "See, the Commander here wanted revenge on your sweet little Vanya, and I wanted to get the money you're worth. There are some high-paying customers who want your head on a silver platter."

"Then why didn't you just kill me sooner?"

"Well where's the fun in that? If I'd done that, you wouldn't get to die knowing that your precious little pet was probably in the arms of the man who defeated you as we speak. Anyway, I don't have time for this. I've got a flight to catch. Goodbye, Colonel. I'll see you in Hell."

There was a gunshot.

And then, there was nothing at all.

At least the people at the base were friendly. Well, aside from the ones who gave him dirty looks. The Medic seemed to be a nice guy though. Ivan showered when he got there, and then was given a look-over by the Medic.

"Well, nothing's broken. But these burns… The Commander did this to you?"

"Yes…"

"Ok. I'll talk to the Boss about it."

"Boss?"

"Oh yeah, he's not exactly Snake anymore. He's Big Boss."

"Hm. Well, I suppose I could get used to that, though it sounds a little pornographic. Anyway, is that all?"

"Well, I'm going to give you some salve and antibiotics for those burns so they don't get infected, but other than that you don't seem to have received any permanent physical damage. You're good to go, kid!"

"Thank you very much." Ivan said, shaking the man's hand shyly before pulling him into a hug. The Medic hugged back awkwardly, not wanting to hurt the burns on the boy's chest.

"It's nothing. Come to me if you have any other medical issues."

"I will. Bye!"

"Bye."

Ivan walked out of the medical bay and into the bright sun, shielding his eyes from it. He had been given a fresh set of clothes after showering, which were a little big for him, but they would do for now. Big Boss had told Ivan that he could have one of the solo bunks for now, and had told him where it was. Ivan walked to it and opened the door, and found the room to be small and dingy, but nothing he couldn't handle after all he'd been through recently. It was a welcome change of pace not to be watched 24/7, and to be in clean clothes in a clean room. He placed his medicine on the small table beside his bed, and turned on the radio that sat atop it.

As a song began to play, Ivan flopped down onto the bed and closed his eyes. Maybe for the first time in a long time, he would really be able to sleep. And maybe, just maybe, Volgin would be there to retrieve him when he woke…

As he drifted off, a lingering tune and the sound of gunfire haunted his dreams.

Oh let the sun beat down upon my face,

Stars to fill my dream…

I am a traveler of both time and space,

To be where I have been…

TO BE CONTINUED?