Part One

Chapter Twelve: Snake

Snake had found himself on some obscure planet that he had never traveled to before, due to the tracking device he had slipped on Sniper Wolf, and was subsequently following. It was an odd sort of place. Not a very popular planet, but at least for him the inhabitants were Earthlings…for the most part.

It was known as Big Blue, for all of it was covered in oceanic waters. Cities hung above them, on large platforms elevated above the surface, held by large columns. And of course, there was the infamous F-Zero racetrack that was well-known on the planet. Although the racing was a popular sport in the galaxy, Big Blue's track didn't bring crowds like the others did. It was partially because the audience couldn't watch the race from the ocean. Rather, it was broadcasted to all other planets and systems from a camera that followed the course.

Although Snake knew where the tracking device would take him, he wanted to rest a bit and settle down before jumping into this new mission. Stopping by a local coffee house, he stepped inside the place, which had grey and yellow tiled flooring, and a large bar that encompassed the length of the room.

He sat down at a stool, and a waiter walked up to him to take his order. It was a bald man with a rather bored and apathetic look. No wonder though, as the business seemed slow.

"What would you like sir," the man began.

"Just some coffee," Snake replied, looking down at the menu even though he wouldn't order anything more.

As the waiter turned around, Snake asked him if it was okay to smoke. The bald man gave an expression suggesting that to do so would annoy him, but that the restaurant had no policy against it.

With no obvious reply, Snake lit up and inhaled the smoky carcinogens. He strictly smoked non-filtered, and this might have been why he had such a scruffy voice. That, or it was naturally overtly masculine.

Resting both elbows on the counter in front of him, he looked to the right, then to the left. There was only one other person at the counter. It was a very large man, eating a plate full of various animal proteins stacked and mixed around. From bright and yellow scrambled eggs, to brown and rubbery looking sausage links, there seemed enough to feed three people.

After making the observation, the waiter brought him his coffee. It was dark and strong, just as Snake preferred it. While sipping on it and simultaneously finishing his cigarette, his mind was wondering on all the possible reasons as to what Sniper Wolf, and the rest of the gang, were up to. Mostly, though, he pondered how they could be alive. He didn't know whether he would find this out, as Snake just wanted to get rid of them. Their presence was a sign of some impending problem on a worldly scale, as it had at Shadow Moses.

Once he had emptied the mug, Snake left some bills and coins on the counter, and walked out of the restaurant. While on the street sidewalk, he pulled out a gadget that Otacon had made for him, and turned it on. While he waited for it to be activated, he looked around the area. The buildings on Big Blue were mainly white, grey, and blue tones, with smooth architectural lines. It was pleasant on the eyes, as opposed to most F-Zero racetrack planets that were too industrial and unkempt looking. Such would be the case though, he thought, if Big Blue was as popular as the others.

Bleep…Beep…Bleep!

The equipment was activated, and Snake could now move on towards finding out where Sniper Wolf was.

Looking down at it, his eyes watched a button that would flash faster and more brightly the closer he got. Snake began to find him self walking down several streets. At first, it was just big ones, in the main city area, but then he began to cross down several small and narrow alleys. The alleys were leading him into an industrial and downtrodden area with buildings that were covered in graffiti and were visibly falling apart.

He had to move over several chain link fences, climb some buildings by way of emergency fire ladders, and then walk through completely abandoned structures, before he reached what he assumed to be the destination.

Up ahead he saw what seemed to be just another five story, abandoned warehouse, which was completely run down. But what stopped him from just moving inside of it was what seemed to be a guard. Someone, dressed in blue-grey camouflage, was patrolling the perimeter, with a gun in tow.

Snake snuck behind another building and peeked around the corner. He pulled out his binoculars to get a better look. There was only one person from what he could tell, and this supposed guard would move in and out of the building. Somewhat of a terrible patrol, as if assuming nobody was coming. Lucky for Snake, though.

Once the guard went back inside, Snake pressed the button on his bodysuit at his neck. It would form the suit to the color of his choice, and for this urban environment, asphalt and blue tone would work best.

Snake moved low to the ground and ran forward, towards the door where the guard would eventually come out of. After reaching it, he pressed his body against the wall, closest to the hinge end. He waited there for three minutes, his heart pounding to a small degree, though this soldier was accustomed to such work.

As the door slowly inched open, Snake readied himself, moving his weight to the balls of his feet. The guard pushed it wide open, almost hitting Snake with it, but then moved in the opposite direction down the alley. Whipping himself around the door, Snake hastily, but quietly, moved into the building. The guard was too oblivious and far down the alley to have heard.

Once inside, Snake shut the door and locked it. Although this might alert the attention of others, as the guard would eventually want to go inside, it could buy him time to get further into this building. By now, his gadget, having been turned on silent, was flashing brightly and with very little time between each flicker. He was getting close.

The building's interior was similar to the decrepit and trashy look of the outside. The floor had tiles that were broken up and the beige paint on the walls was chipping all over. It looked like an apartment, guessing from the major staircase and a few remaining small, steel mailbox compartments that hung on the wall. The windows were boarded up, making corners and the upper area of the staircase very dark.

Snake switched his camouflage to black and walked into the shadows. He had fairly good eyesight in the dark, without the use of any technology, and so he moved easily in it. Knowing that the guard outside would either radio in or make a lot of noise trying to get through the door, Snake needed to find a way within this place that would offer good cover. And he did, relatively quickly.

Beneath the staircase, in the dark, he had found a vent that was large enough for him to fit through. It was still screwed in, so he had to vigorously pull it off the wall. After doing so, Snake crawled into the narrow passageway. He brushed against a few cobwebs, and kicked up dust in the air.

Ignoring the fact that this could potentially lead him to sneezing, and thus a give away to his location, he trekked onward. His gadget was flashing ever more quickly, and he knew he had picked the right way.

Eventually, the vent turned upwards and Snake would have to move with more discretion. There was nothing to latch onto, and he had to use all his strength of his arms and feet putting pressure against the metal sides to pull him self up. Nearly falling downwards twice, the vent he was moving upwards through finally hooked to the left. Pulling himself up onto the now flat level of the interior, he heard voices down the vent.

Snake barely recognized one of them. It was Mantis's ear-bleeding shrill voice.

Moving in more slowly, the voices became louder and clearer. Now, Snake could hear the sound of Liquid Snake's ranting and dissatisfied articulation. There seemed to be a serious discussion between him and someone else.

Reaching the end of the vent, and backing up away from the metal grating, so he was sure that nobody could see him, he listened in. Below, in a small and dark room was Liquid pacing around impatiently. Mantis was standing off in the corner, and Ocelot was sitting at a small table with Sniper Wolf across from him. Decoy Octopus was nowhere to be found.

"He's got nearly everyone flocking to Tellius for the opportunity to work under him. All the bounty hunters and mercenaries that catch whiff of the reward are immediately drawn in. It is only a matter of time before the Beast has amassed enough recruits to capture her," Ocelot, the old man, explained to Liquid.

"If that was the case, then where is our prize? We've got one of them, but that Princess is still missing. Who knows where she is now? I suggest that we put more pressure on Ganondorf-"

Ocelot cut off Liquid. "That would not be advisable. You underestimate his powers…"

"I know what that man is capable of. It's not everyday that you see someone crawl out of complete darkness and then transform into a monster of a beast," Liquid snapped back, now walking to the other side of the room.

"It's too bad we can't puppet him as we did with Wolf," the blonde clone remarked.

"He's as every part of the deal as we are, so don't bother complaining about the Beast. Besides, we have Link do we not?" Ocelot threw back.

"If being under Ganondorf's control means we have him, then sure," Liquid spat out. "We ought to get Zelda ourselves if we hope to ensure Ganondorf's part of the deal," he mused.

"I agree with you there, but our resources are limited at the moment. All the finances are going towards the new Metal-"

"Thanks for the obvious update Ocelot," Liquid growled. "But the Metal Gear will prove useless if we don't complete the Phazon experiments. Lady Wolf, I want you to go and speak with Mr. O'Donnell. I've seen the way that scoundrel eyes you. Go tell him that we require 80 more pounds of the Phazon element, or we will make sure his hopes for becoming the 47th Leader of the League will be tarnished. And don't give him any hints as to how," Liquid directed Sniper Wolf.

"Right, sir," she said, getting out of her chair and leaving the room. Snake noted a faint tone of sadness in the way she spoke to Liquid. Quite unlike the childish voice she spoke with towards him during their confrontation at the League.

"Ocelot, regardless of our financial constraints, I still think that if we don't personally nab Zelda, Ganondorf will make off with her and Link. Wouldn't that then complete the Triforce, making him all-powerful as he claimed?" Liquid asked.

"Supposedly…" Ocelot said, putting a hand to his chin.

"The Triforce…?" Snake thought to himself. "What the hell is that? And why are they after Zelda?" It was obvious that they knew she was alive, and that they had specifically targeted the decoy to snuff her out. But would she be safe where Samus was going to leave her? Snake would have to contact the bounty hunter and maybe stop her. Things seemed more perilous for the Princess. And now the truth of Link and his disappearance was made. Samus would also want to hear of that.

"So let's just-" Liquid tried to bring up.

"Silence…" Mantis chimed in.

"What is it?" Liquid asked him.

Mantis didn't reply. Instead, he walked slightly forward, in the direction of the wall that had the vent Snake was hiding behind.

"We aren't the only ones here…" Mantis spoke softly. "Somebody else, somebody familiar…"

Snake's stomach dropped. He had forgotten that Mantis could detect his presence so easily. Up until the mention of the Triforce, Snake had worked hard to keep his mind clear to avoid Mantis finding him, but he ultimately failed. He slowly began to back up in the vent shaft. He had learned enough, and it would be wise to leave. As he moved backwards, he tried to clear his thoughts.

But they kept returning to the fact that Zelda was in trouble, and that this conspiracy between Ganondorf and Wolf was real, and even included this group of sinister characters. Plus, there was the mention of a Metal Gear. Two words that burned through his brain. To face another one would be a painful reminder of this continuous and seemingly never-ending struggle he, Otacon, Mei Ling, and others had to go through.

But what did the Metal Gear have to do with the Phazon? And if there was a connection, what did Ganondorf, the Triforce, and Link and Zelda have to do with this alleged Metal Gear?

And what about the mention of Wolf wanting to be the 47th Leader? If he secured that position for himself, then the Hylian plight would be compromised!

"No, damn it!" Snake muttered to himself, pressing his eyes shut. His mind was flooded with questions, and it would only give himself away more.

He took a deep breath as he slowly lowered himself down the vertical stretch of the passageway.

All these burning questions would have to smolder in the back of his head until he left the area.

Not knowing whether Mantis had indeed found out that he was amongst them, Snake kept moving, now at a quicker pace, through the vent towards the entrance under the staircase. Once he reached it, he pulled himself out and hurriedly stood up.

The guard seemed to be outside still, as there was a faint sound of someone trying to open the door, and cursing in their own inability to do so.

Casually walking up to the door, Snake stood in front of it, leaning his head against the wooden board. He listened in as the soldier outside was grumbling to himself.

Stepping backwards, he reached for the doorknob and unlocked it.

"Huh?" the guard said, stupefied as the door slowly creaked open. Once it drifted completely to the side, Snake and the man was standing in silence, looking at each other.

"Who the-?" the man finally remarked, reaching for his gun. Before he could, Snake dove his right hand into his gear, pulling out his knife. He stepped forward and spun. As he did so, his right arm moved outwards, slashing against the guard's eyes.

"AHHHhhh!" the man yelped, as blood burst from the gaping wound Snake inflicted upon him.

"Oh shit…! God noooo!" he cried, falling to his knees, once he realized that his eyes had been cut into. The guard dropped completely to the floor, with his hands shaking above his torn eyeballs.

Snake, ignoring the man's pain, rushed passed him and ran down the alley. He didn't even bother to change his camouflage, as he was in such a hurry to just get away from the place. As he turned down another alley, it ended with a chain link fence.

But such an obstacle wouldn't stop him. As he ran forward, Snake nearly leapt onto it, then quickly climbed over and jumped down. The alleyway led to a sharp right turn. Snake had to nearly come to a stop to make it, because he was moving so quickly. In doing so, he had pivoted so rapidly, that the tracking device he had fell off of him.

Stopping to turn around and grab it, he looked down at the piece of equipment. The red light was still flashing quickly and brightly. But, that would mean Sniper Wolf was nearby! She had left before him after Liquid had instructed her, so…

Snake, wondering if it was malfunctioning, picked it up and looked it over. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The drop didn't damage it. Deciding to ignore the gadget and just turn it off, Snake put it in a more secure place amongst his gear and turned around.

As he moved at a slower pace, he noticed that there wasn't a sound in the area. Perhaps he had escaped Mantis's detection…

But then, ten yards down another separate alley, Snake heard the faint sound of footsteps. At least, that's what he thought he heard.

Diving behind a dumpster, in the opposite direction of the sound, Snake crouched and listened in. But there was nothing. He took out his binoculars and set it to thermal vision and looked around. Again, nothing.

He waited just a little longer…and then…

Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Snake stood up and began to move forward. He hadn't taken more than three steps when he felt a terrible stinging sensation, and then his leg giving out.

Dropping to the ground, he saw in his left shin the familiar red circular mark of a bullet wound. And the pain was only increasing when he fell. The shrapnel must have penetrated the bone, he thought.

But Snake didn't try to take cover or hide himself for fear of being hit again. No, this was purposely done.

…That damned tracking sensor was right…

"Snake…" a feminine voice said softly to his left.

Turning his head to see the expected figure of a woman, Snake looked on as Sniper Wolf moved towards him.

But that expression, that same sadness seemed to pervade her, just as he had seen back at the building.

"Snake, what you told me was true…this handkerchief…Shadow Moses…I remember it now…" she said, looking down at him.

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Author's Ramblings: SOOOOO, I'm done with Finals and school for three whole months! Now I can devote all my time to writing this baby! Anyway, a lot of things have been explained in regards to the "Wolf/Ganondorf/MGS Bad Guys" conspiracy and I hope you can all follow easily enough. If there is some misunderstanding or confusion, just ask me and I can clear things up. But there are some details that will be laid out later, so I can't give away too much.

I'm happy to see that a lot of new people are reviewing this story too, as it only fans the fires of my interest to write this! And it seems that a lot of you are concerned with Ike's well-being. All I have to say about that is...keep being concerned because I'm not giving away anything yet. :D