Chapter 10

Otacon stood in the Kamov wondering about what was going on down there. He played back the last CODEC transmission from Snake.

"Ot…con…you…h…r me."

"I'…e g…t.. N…mi …h…m."

Otacon pressed a few keys on the computer

"Otacon, can you hear me." The sound was much clearer. "I've got Naomi with me."

Snake's voice was crystal clear and yet Otacon couldn't believe it.

"Naomi?" Otacon didn't know Naomi very well, but he knew what she had to him before. He had to do something. He couldn't and he wouldn't stay there waiting for Snake and Raiden to show up dead. He checked his computer for the facility's blueprints. There has to be a safer way in.

"Damn." Otacon remembered he didn't have all the blueprints. He had left some back at the hideout.

Otacon froze for a while unclear to what he should do. He remained quiet for a few minutes until an idea came to his mind, it was a bold idea but it was his only chance. Otacon reached for his CODEC "Mei Ling, it's me, I need you to do me a favor."

"Sure what is it?" Mei Ling replied with her sweet voice.

"I need you to go to the computer room. It's in the back of the boat."

Otacon was disobeying Snake's orders. He was letting Mei Ling see their base of operations and although she worked for Philanthropy Snake and Otacon didn't trust anyone else but themselves.

"I'm here, but there's a keypad."

"The code is 9000." Otacon hoped she didn't get the reference.

Otacon heard her pushing the buttons.

"I get it, like 2001, HAL 9000."

"Yeah." Otacon said with a weak funny tone.

"I'm in."

"Good, go to the main computer and send me those blueprints, it's all in plain sight so you shouldn't have a problem." Unlike Snake, Mei Ling knew hey way around computers.

Otacon received the blueprints.

"Is there anything else I can to do to help?"

"No thanks." Otacon didn't want Mei Ling to know the situation they were in.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No…huh…bye." Otacon turned off the CODEC and began worrying of what Mei Ling could be doing to his computer. She didn't know it, but she couldn't leave the ship for three days, that was a security measure that Otacon had placed. However she could do a lot of damage to Snake's and Otacon's operation within that time.

Otacon began investigating the blueprints.

Snake and Naomi crawled for a few minutes, the Soliton radar wasn't working because of the small space. They got to an opening that leads to the shaft well. Snake looked up, but couldn't see the top. However looking down he saw a few entrances, their only chance was to get to the floor below.

"We have to go down." Snake said making an effort to look back to Naomi in the cramped space.

"Alright." Said Naomi breathing heavily.

Snake thought she didn't look very good, she probably hadn't been treating herself very well. Snake began going down the shaft, he tried to find some kind of support but found none. He had to risk it, he had to drop and grab the ledge of the entrance below, and if he fell it was a long drop. He breathed deeply and let himself go. He was able to grab it, but his right hand slipped leaving the left hand had to support his weight. He quickly used his legs to gain some leverage and was able to heave himself into the entrance. Naomi looked down and saw Snake waving his arm down.

"It's your turn Naomi."

Naomi was not very happy about it, but had to do it. She went down easy and Snake got her and helped her into the shaft entrance.

"We're probably a floor down." Snake said with optimism.

They crawled for a few minutes and got to a vent. Snake pushed it hard. It was probably a bathroom, but the lights were off. Snake got out the shaft and probed the walls for a light switch. I can't find it. Snake decided to open the bathroom door and let some light in. It revealed that the bathroom didn't have any light switch. In the dark Snake helped Naomi getting out of the shaft. Snake looked around and grabbed his SOCOM tight. They headed for the bathroom door and exited the bathroom. This Floor was different from the others. It was some kind of recreational room with several sofas, TV's and a little garden. Two doors stood closed opposite the bathroom.

Naomi was incredibly tired and Snake noticed it.

"You better rest."

Naomi lay on the sofa. Snake knew it was dangerous but she had to rest.

"We'll stay here for a minute, then we have to go, we have to catch that elevator and get you out of here." Snake hoped that in the Floor 0 they were still busy.

Raiden was still a bit confused, he thought Vamp had died at the Big Shell and yet Raiden was almost sure it was him running through the corridor.

Raiden ignored the woman and the big black man and followed Vamp. After a few seconds he thought he had lost him, but then he heard.

"Maybe I was mistaken." It was Vamp's characteristic voice, Raiden was sure of it.

Raiden flatten himself to the wall near a corner and peeked out, the man was wearing black equipment no shirt on and his hair was longer, but there was no mistake about it, it was definitely Vamp. Is face was the same, a kind of sick emotion, the bullet hole in the forehead, Raiden remembered.

Vamp began walking away from Raiden.

Raiden began thinking on what he should do, should he go find an elevator and get to Snake? Should he follow Vamp? The thought process was interrupted as Meryl was on the radio.

"Raiden you there?"

Raiden almost forgot about Meryl since he had left the office.

"Did you find him?" Raiden asked, now with his head clear.

"Huh…no…he escaped." Meryl replied with some unease "By the way, who was he, what was his name?"

Raiden wondered why she was asking so many questions, he decided to answer when a figure passed a few feet beside him, he only saw the back, a man with white hair wearing a large brown raincoat, but what felt like a punch in the stomach for Raiden were his boots, cowboy boots with spurs, only one man wore those things.

"Raiden?" Meryl asked through the radio.

Raiden stared as the man walked away

"Ocelot!" Raiden said with incredulity, this had turned into a nightmare, it was Ocelot's office that Meryl wanted Raiden to investigate.

"Did you say Ocelot?"

Raiden had left the radio line open and she heard him.

"How do you know Ocelot?" Meryl asked.

"It's a long sto…"

"Hey you." A soldier interrupted Raiden's conversation. "We need some men, come with us."

A few soldiers were looking at Raiden, there was no way he could take them all on. He had to follow their orders so he turned off the radio and followed them. After a few seconds of running they got to an elevator. They were at least a dozen men with him on the elevator and he didn't even see were they were going.

Once it stopped Raiden saw the gigantic black man and the woman standing beside a few bodies, he was in Floor 0 and that had been Snake's work.

"Thank you Snake." Naomi said with her distinctive accent

"What the hell are you doing in this place?" Snake's question was to the point.

"I told you, genetic reconstruction."

"That's not the whole story." He knew Naomi.

"Alright I'll tell you everything. After Shadow Moses I went into hiding, I travelled the world but never remained in one place for too long. Then one day in Mexico I was picked up by the authorities. I stayed in jail for a few days and then some Secret Service agents brought me back to the U.S. They, of course, questioned me about Shadow Moses and about my work. Soon after that I was brought to this place. That was a year ago." Naomi paused and looked at Snake.

"By the way where are we?"

Snake sat down beside Naomi. "Washington D.C."

Naomi's face was surprised for she was probably brought to this place unknowingly. She continued. "Anyway, they ordered me to continue my research on genetics, and so I did, after a few months they assembled a special scientist team to work on a very special project. I was on the team."

"What was the project?" Snake asked.

"The complete genetic reconstruction of tissue. A bold task if you ask me." Naomi sounded sleepy she was getting tired as she spoke.

"A complete genetic reconstruction of what?" Snake asked not letting Naomi fall asleep.

"The complete genetic reconstruction of a person."

"What person?"

The conversation was interrupted abruptly as the elevator made a sound. It was coming down.

"Hurry, hide behind the sofa." Snake said as he got his SOCOM ready.

Naomi followed his orders and ducked behind the sofa, Snake turned the other sofa and hid behind it, his gun pointed directly to the elevator.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened.