Snake stepped through the metal door that led to the Nuclear Warhead Storage Building. To his immediate left, he spotted a set of stairs which led to a lookout window. He decided to take a look, hoping to formulate a plan of action for sneaking past the guards that surely patrolled the next room.
It didn't take him long to cover the fifty meters to the window, and from there, he removed his S23A7 digital binoculars from his belt pouch, scanning the area. There were several crates that stacked high, almost scraping the ceiling. There were three patrolling guards, and all seemed to be wearing yellow jumpsuits of sorts. Upon further inspection, Snake learned they were wearing gas masks. That didn't make sense, though. Weren't the containers sealed tight to prevent contamination? A question to ask Nastasha, he decided. Two surveillance cameras...security is pretty tight here.
His mind drifted to Meryl. She must have been worried sick, knowing that a tank was headed to his position. Snake wondered why she hadn't given him a warning, but it didn't matter. The mysterious Deepthroat had done that for him. Nonetheless, he needed to check up on her and see if she had kept out of trouble. Setting the frequency to 140.15, he dialed. A masked face filled the screen, and a gloved hand reached to remove the balaclava, revealing the beautiful face of Meryl Silverburgh.
The moment she saw it was Snake, a broad smile of relief and admiration crossed her face. Before he could even say a single word, Meryl exploded. "You're incredible, Snake!" she praised. "You single-handedly beat a M1 tank!"
Snake couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, no big deal. But I'll bet that VR simulator you trained didn't have any scenarios that put you one-on-one against a tank, did it?"
The smile stayed on Meryl's face, in spite of herself. "No...but there was no scenario where I had to work alone with a special forces soldier against a group of terrorists, either."
Snake became serious again. "In real life, things never go the way you expect them to...especially on a battlefield."
Meryl nodded, then answered the question Snake was about to ask. "I"m further ahead in the Warhead Storage Building. I just checked on Dr. Emmerich. It looked like he was fine, but not for long. Hurry this way, okay?" Snake nodded, Meryl covered her face, and logged off.
The FOX-HOUND operative ran back down the walkway, down the stairs, and forward, heading down a ramp that lead to the Warhead Storage Building's first floor. He lay on his stomach, listening for boots colliding with concrete floor. Snake didn't have to wait long, and eventually, the man's legs came into sight. The Genome stopped, looking for anything unusual, then turned and headed away from Snake, content that all was well.
Snake crawled underneath the ajar door, entering the first floor. Immediately, he received a Codec call from Colonel Campbell. Moving quickly to his left, he slid into a cranny between two boxes before accepting the call.
"Snake, you absolutely must not use any of your weapons in that area," Campbell ordered.
Before Snake could ask him if he had gone off of his rocker, Dr. Naomi inserted herself into the conversation. "I've already programmed the nanomachines so that he won't be able to, Colonel."
Snake's face darkened. "What?! What are you talking about?!" he snarled. Weapons were the only thing that kept him alive within this snowy hellhole. He reached for his SOCOM to test what Naomi said, and found that as soon as he touched the handgun, a sharp jolt of pain shot through his arm. He immediately jerked his hand away, resisting the temptation to curse. She must have programmed them so that when my brain registers that I have the gun in my hand, they tap into my nerve endings and cause pain. She knows I have to stay quiet to stay alive.
"Have you forgotten?" Naomi asked coldly, as if she were a teacher scolding a pupil. "That's where they keep the nuclear warheads. Can't you see them?"
"Yeah..." Snake admitted. "There's lots of boxes piled up here, but are they all warheads?"
Campbell nodded. "Yes," he said. "They're all dismantled warheads."
"They just leave them here?" Snake asked incredulously. "It's just like President Baker said...totally careless."
The Colonel nodded sadly. "They're working on a limited budget. They try to put on a pretty face for the media, but this is the grim reality of it. Nastasha knows more about it than I do."
Naomi added, "All the detonation devices on the warheads have had their detonation devices removed, so there's no fear of the warheads exploding, but if the warheads are broken, they may leak plutonium, and that would be a serious problem."
Snake secretly agreed. If he inhaled any plutonium, he would be dead within a week, in some cases as early as twenty-four hours later. So, using his weapons would be out of the option, then. He needed to live.
"Snake," Campbell reminded the warrior, "never use your weapon on that floor." Base signed out, leaving Snake to assess the situation.
Okay, Snake. Three guards, all special operations trained, fused with the genes of a legendary soldier. Armed with weapons and not afraid to use them, especially considering they have gas masks to protect them from plutonium. You don't have access to weapons; Naomi saw to that. Two surveillance cameras...one on the first floor, hidden in a cranny, and one on the second floor, watching a box. Okay, I think I have a plan.
Let's do this
Snake peeked from out of the cavity, seeing the guard that had walked by him almost directly in front of him, seventy-five meters ahead. Looking to his left, he saw that at the very edge of the building was another box, providing another cranny he could hide in. Checking that the guard was still far enough away that he could make it to the cranny, he slipped out and began to sprint. Due to his ninjitsu training he had received with FOX-HOUND, Snake moved rapidly, but didn't make any noise whatsoever.
The FOX-HOUND operative checked his three o'clock, noticing that the guard had stopped, facing the stairway. He didn't have much time before he was discovered. Snake picked up the pace, giving everything he had into the sprint. As he reached the space, he dove into it, flattening his body against the crate, beginning breathing exercise to calm his heart rate. Snake peeked at his radar, watching the guard approaching him, mind racing for a contingency plan. The blue cone covered the bright centered dot.
The cone didn't turn red.
The crate must have been obstructing the Genome's field of vision. Snake silently thanked whatever deity had decided to spare him, and waited for the sentinel to turn his back. Looking at the stairs, Snake spotted the sentry peeking down. He appeared uninterested, and quickly turned back the way he came. The FOX-HOUND soldier silently dashed up the stairs, and within seconds, he was behind the guard. He cocked his elbow back, violently crashing it on the Genome's skull, rendering him unconscious. Snake propped the guard against a wall, making him look as if he were sleeping on the job. Pressing a button, Snake waited for the elevator to come. Thirty seconds later, he was inside, and headed for the second floor basement of the Nuclear Warhead Storage Building.
Fifteen hours and thirty-two minutes until doomsday.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
I know it's nothing big, but it's something! I'm a bit apprehensive continuing, because my copy of Metal Gear has pooped out on me. I can't provide all the correct dialogue. Lucky that I memorized certain sections...;-) More will follow soon! Sorry for such the long delay between postings, and I'm sorry that this chapter is so short! I will post longer! Up next in Metal Gear Solid: Snake versus the Ninja!