Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the MG/MGS Franchise!
Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who subscribed to the story! Before we begin, I KNOW Mother Base started out with square-shaped platforms and didn't upgrade to the hexagon-esque figures until later. I decided, for my own sanity, to have them start out with the hexagonal bases instead of the square. I also decided to add on the Medical Team from the start as well. Those were the only major changes to the original MSF Mother Base I made. Without further delay, here is the next chapter; I hope you enjoy! This chapter's a little choppy, but there's more necessary fluffy development and then I was like "ahhhhhh let's get a move on!" So this chapter covers a few days! But hey! Next chapter we meet Amanda! WOOOOO! :3
R.E.W. 4: Thanks for the review! :D Here is the next chapter, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!
GuestK: Ha! Couldn't be my CO either! I thought that would be a funny jab to throw in there :) I'm glad you're still enjoying it and excited for future chapters! Enjoy! :3
"I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains.
I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways.
I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests.
I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans.
I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard.
And it's a hard, and it's hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall."
-Bob Dylan
November 5, 1974 07:00
The new base almost looked like a joke from first glance. Seagulls…everywhere. Bird crap and rust covered almost every inch of the two platforms they were bargained. Hiding the stench of the birds was the salty ocean breeze. Nonetheless, it was so much cooler than what she was expecting.
The bases were constructed as a hex-type, which gives a lot more surface area than any other types of platforms. Hexagonal structures are some of the strongest out there and would sustain most any damage attempted. A fascinating place to say the least. Nonetheless, there was a lot of cleaning to do on the three primary structures that awaited their assistance. "So, what do you think?" Kaz patted Lydia on the shoulder, whom was admiring the filthy surroundings.
"Besides for the ocean part of it…I think it's a piece of shit…quite literally."
"Well, we can fix that before Snake wants to make his way over. There are plenty cleaning supplies in that command tower." Kaz pointed to the tall tower in the middle of the platform. "Did you happen to find out where the sleeping quarters were?"
"They're below deck." Lydia turned to him. "Looks like we're going to have to invest in some new furniture for us. But as of now, we have cots we can set up."
"I'd say if we get our Mother Base all cleaned up in three days, then we've earned more than just beds!" Kaz tapped her butt with the palm of his left hand before walking to the command tower. Lydia narrowed her eyes as he got farther away. Lydia couldn't help but smile to herself not long after and follow Kaz into the tower.
"So, what are we gonna do? The pilots worked over-night taking supplies to a fro. We should prolly give them a break." Lydia spoke as she caught up with Kaz, whom was looking around for a supply room. The tower was a pretty large area, it reminded her of a hospital with how clean it was on the inside. It was a shame most of the upkeep is going to go to the exterior.
"That sounds like a good idea. I guess we'll round up the other guys and have them start working on the exterior."
"Gotta get down and dirty before everything else." Kaz stopped in his tracks and turned around, facing her with a smile on his face.
"Oh Lydia…are you coming onto me?"
"What?" Lydia raised an eyebrow, backtracking on her words. "Ohhhhh, no I didn't mean it that way. But if you wan't to take it as such, I will not oppose." She poked his chest with her index finger, clicking her tongue against her cheek on impact.
"I'm gonna get nothing done with you following me around." He took her hand and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her back. "What do you say you and I slip away and take up a room of our own for a little while?"
"With the smell of bird feces everywhere? Nah, I'll pass this time." Lydia leaned up and kissed him on the cheek before prying herself away. "I'll go down below and round up the guys, you just get all those cleaning supplies ready, yeah?" Lydia quickly saluted her right hand to her head and jogged off toward the entrance of the building, leaving Kaz star-struck.
Hours later, everyone was still hard at work scrubbing and scraping off any type of unappealing gunk that seemed to be branded onto the platforms. It took a lot of elbow grease, but everyone was able to clean it spit-spot in only a few days! Kaz had found some suitable quarters for him, Lydia and Snake another others. They were located with all the others but on the top floor in one medium-sized building that was planted on the platform directly north from the Command Base. From the size of the buildings, it looks like everyone would be able to get a room fit for two! They could harbor nearly three-hundred soldiers in these buildings if need-be!
Whoever owned this place before had a ton of money put into it, the structure was incredible! Not only that, but they installed some kind of ocean thermal energy conversion system…so all their electricity was converted in from the ocean from some type of turbines! Amazing! There was so much storage space and even places for expansion if they were looking to develop any more platforms in the future. It was an excellent deal so far!
November 8, 1974 19:00
Mother Base had finally received an order of mattresses and metal bed frames by supply-drop for any room that needed them. Finally, the crew can sleep comfortably for a change! Besides the extra various supplies, Mother Base had come together quite nicely. It was clean, smelling loads better and a lovely place to call home. Everyone had gathered into the mess hall to celebrate with some food and beer to bring the cleaning spree to a close!
Lydia stood in front of everyone with a beer in her right hand, holding it up in a toast fashion. "Everyone, I want to thank you for all you hard work these past few days! We're only getting started, but I'm glad we can call this our home. Here's to the future!"
"To the future!" All thirty of them shouted, bringing up their glass bottles.
"Speaking of future!" Kaz stood up from his seat amongst the crowd. "Snake gave me the ok to create different branches within MSF. Starting tomorrow morning, we're going to assign every one of you to a group based on the attributes you're most efficient in. Snake is going to be recruiting as many men as he sees fit, so there will not be a shortage of new faces around here. Be model soldiers and show them how it's done, alright?"
"Yessir!" They raised their beer bottles another time at Kaz's words. As the celebration continued, Lydia had decided to stop drinking and retire outside to meet with the fresh evening air. She made her way to the edge of the platform and sat on the ledge, dangling her feet off the side. Leaning back on her hands, she stared out into the dark depths that were being lit by the plethora of stars that littered the sky. The lights expanded as far as she could see and no doubt continued beyond the horizon. It's strange how something so vast and beautiful as the ocean could potentially be so terrifying and destructive.
They've really come far. MSF was now getting bigger and more confident by the day. Everything that Snake had envisioned was becoming a reality. Lydia had felt proud to be a part of every minute of it. It still comes to her mind what she would be doing if Snake had not found her residency back in Colombia. Would she still be out there making coffee? No doubt!
She wouldn't have met Kaz, Raven, or the other guys either if it wasn't for his arrival. It sure is a small world. She smiled at the recollection. Kaz had crossed her mind. He had seemed happier these past few days, as if something heavy had been taken off of his shoulders. From a business stand-point, this is exactly where he needed to be to make a difference. He was one hell of a guy. "Something on your mind?"
"Heh, think of the devil and he shows up, huh?" Lydia joked as she kept her eyes on the horizon. From her peripherals, Kaz had taken a seat next to her in a familiar fashion to her current position.
"Glad to know you're thinkin' of me." He nudged her. "Anyway, how do you like it?"
"What, the base? I think it's a great start and there's a lot of room for improvement."
"I agree. I'm glad Snake decided to take that job. I can't wait to see what he thinks about the place."
"For sure." Lydia nodded. The silence that was to follow wasn't awkward…it was calming. The sea breeze gently touching their bodies, no cares or worry. This was it, this is where everything would begin. Maybe it was Kaz at her side that made her feel at ease, if that was the case…she wish he would never leave. Her right hand moved on its own, finding its way on top of Kaz's. She could feel his hand tense up the moment she touched him, but soon relaxed. He removed his left hand out from underneath her's and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, bringing her to rest against the side of his body. She comfortably leaned her right cheek on the ball of his shoulder as they stared out into the distance. His left thumb was rubbing against her arm. She felt fuzzy, like her heart was going to melt. Her stomach started to coil the more she sat with him in silence.
"It's getting late, yeah?" Lydia finally spoke. "You wanna be a gentleman and walk me to my room?"
"Didn't I already tell you that 'gentle' was my middle name?" Kaz smiled, slowly dragging his hand down her arm before returning it to his side. Kaz was the first to stand up and help her afterwards. He placed his hand on the small of her back and led her to their quarters on the platform directly north of the command center. Once in the hall, Kaz stopped outside of her room, which was only two doors down from his. "You know, I'm right there if you want to stop by." He nodded his head toward his room.
"Oh, I know. And I'm right here if you need me." Lydia smiled. "Thanks, Kaz." Lydia opened the metal door, then was abruptly stopped when Kaz snatched her hand.
"Lydia…uhh…" Kaz nearly tripped over his words. "Can I…May I come in?" Lydia smiled to herself, feeling her heart flutter with excitement.
"I though you'd never ask."
November 9, 1974: 06:00
Lydia opened her eyes every morning like clockwork. Although, there was something different this time. The warm body of Kazuhira Miller decided to stay the night for the first time since the start of their bedroom escapades. Lydia smiled as her eyes roamed his sleeping face. He was so handsome, what had overcome him to actually stay the entire night? Was it that Snake wasn't present? Or was it something else? The butterflies hatched in Lydia's stomach and started to float around the more she stared at him trying to conspire his motive. I've gotta move. She resisted all urges to touch him and decided to roll out of bed to prevent herself from doing so.
In her new room, there was a small full-service bathroom that came equipped with a stand-in shower. Lydia waltzed into the bathroom, slowly shutting the door behind her making sure not to not wake up Kaz. Her eyes then turned to greet herself in the mirror. Her blonde hair was messy and unbrushed. She had darker circles around her eyes than normal, her skin was paler…something about her didn't feel right…then again she did just wake up. Lydia faced the shower and turned it on, letting the water heat up before stepping in. She let the warm water travel down her body. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed before she heard the door swing open, as if someone was trying to stealthily maneuver in.
Lydia brought her right hand to the edge of the curtain and drew it back just enough to see Kaz attempting to sneak up on her. "Got you, Kaz. You know you can't sneak up on me."
"I've done it before." He grinned. "Mind if I join you?"
"Join me?" Lydia blushed.
"What're you blushing for?"
"The water's just too warm, ok?!" Lydia shut the curtain to shield herself until Kaz broke the barrier and just stepped right in.
"Oh please, the water isn't too warm." Kaz smiled. Lydia looked away from him in embarrassment. Kaz's right hand found its way to the crevice of her neck, gently gliding its way over her scarring.
"Uhhh, thank you, Kaz." Lydia finally sounded out the words she kept in.
"For what?" He asked dumbfounded, keeping his hand on her shoulder.
"You know…you spent the night. It was nice waking up to see you for once." It meant a lot. She wanted to say, but couldn't muster up the courage.
"Now that I can." Kaz grinned, guiding his hand to the back of her neck. He pulled her out of the trickling water and kissed her on the lips.
Within no time, it was the hour to suit up and round up what troops they had for assignments. Lydia and Kaz made it out of their own quarters and met up with the men not long after. They were all standing at attention in an organized fashion, each on eager as to what position they will be holding in their new home. "Good morning, men." Kaz greeted.
"Sir!"
"So serious so early, haha! Can't help that." Kaz shrugged. Out from his breast pocket, Kaz pulled out a folded document and proceeded to fumble with it until the font written on it was readable. Lydia kept her eyes on the men as they waited in anticipation. "As you know…" Kaz cleared his throat. "I will be staying the Commander and Lydia the Sub-C. Snake has yet to tell us what bay he wants either of us to focus on, so you come to us for now if you need help with anything."
"Sir!"
"Without further ado, here are the squad leaders. Congratulations on your promotion. Raven, lead of the medical team. Viper, lead of Research and Development. Komodo Dragon, lead of combat team. We have someone in mind for intelligence work for mission support and staff in the mess hall as well, but we just don't have the man-power just yet to form that group. Here are the rest of your assignments…" As Kaz went on, listing the names to their appropriate group, Lydia thought of Snake. He must've been closing in on the objective area by now…should be there early tomorrow morning. What is the CIA doing over there? Could The Major be behind it? Nevertheless, they would for sure figure it out soon.
November 10, 1974: 09:00.
Paz and Gálvez had arrived on base around 06:00. They were escorted to the living quarters where they would make themselves comfortable before continuing on with their days. The time was nearing 09:00 before Lydia knew it, they were expecting a radio in from Snake any moment now. Kaz and Lydia met up in the Command Tower. They were stationed in a large room on the fifth floor of the building, which they designated to be the room for main operations and intelligence while Snake's on the field. It was very spacious with a large round table in the middle that looked like it was something out of a movie. On the walls were multiple television screens; no doubt they could program them to display something interesting in the future.
Paz had made their acquaintance not too short after their arrival. Lydia looked toward the sliding door and smiled when they made eye-contact. "Good morning, Paz." Lydia greeted.
"Ah, good morning!" She responded. Paz was holding an abundance of large, rolled up documents in her arms. "I brought something!"
"How gracious of you." Kaz butted in, walking past Lydia, holding out his arms to take some of the material she carried. To both of their surprise she waltzed right by him and dropped them all on the table! Lydia felt a laugh rising to her throat as Kaz sighed in defeat.
"I brought maps of the area Snake will be investigating." Paz smiled, holding up a peace sign with her right hand. "I know a lot about the area, so if Snake has any questions about the environment I can tell him exactly what he needs to know!"
"That's amazing Paz!" Lydia complimented. "Glad we brought you along." Lydia walked up to the table and began to unroll the maps. "You know what would be cool tho, Kaz?" Lydia asked while sprawling out the largest map.
"What would that be?"
"If we had live digital maps that could mark objectives and other important objects and transmit that data to anyone that was out on the field."
"Hmmm…" Kaz pondered. "That technology sounds complicated…but I'm pretty sure with enough Intel and R&D skill, we could make something just as good. I'll keep that in mind."
"That would be amazing!" Paz clapped her hands together in a cute fashion.
"Wouldn't it? I'm just a basket full of neat ideas!" Lydia winked at Paz. After rolling out all the maps, Lydia stood up straight and dug in her right pant pocket, pulling out a comms radio, branded with the title of Codec. "We need some kind of speaker." Lydia mentioned, looking around the room. To no avail, there were a few Sony brand speakers sitting in the corner of the room collecting dust!
"Here, I got one." Kaz spoke, making his way to Lydia with a speaker in hand.
"Thank you." Lydia took it from his grasp and placed it on the table, hooking up the codec to the speaker to ensure everyone was capable of hearing Snake when he chimed in. It wasn't until 09:23 when the slight buzzing through the speaker was heard. Snake had made contact! Finally!
"This is Snake, do you read me?"
Lydia leaned forward and pressed the 'talk' button on the Codec. "Loud and clear, Snake."
"I've made it to the coast." Kaz held out his hand for him to take control of the Codec. Lydia passed it over to him, placing the object in his hand. After the exchange, Paz jogged around the room and grabbed a black maker. She made her way back to the table and marked an 'X' on the map where Snake's current location could be. He was in Bosque del Alba near the Caribbean Coast in Costa Rica. There would be a lot of jungle terrain in the area, something Snake was probably a little too familiar with.
"I see some soldiers up ahead." Snake spoke.
"No doubt those are CIA mercs, they're probably all over the place. You've got to get past them undetected. You know the drill, avoid combat whenever possible. Make your way up to the compound. Call us if you need advice." Kaz lowered the codec.
Lydia sighed a few minutes later at the silence to break the anticipation. "This reminds me of when I was back in the States." Lydia dragged her hands down her face. "Déjà vu to the max here. I was part of the intel team on some mission and I was sitting behind a table waiting for Snake's update just like I am now."
"Soon we'll implement some high-tech of our own so we're not going in almost blind." Kaz gloated.
"That sounds good to me." Lydia cracked a smile.
"This is Snake…" Snake spoke over the speaker. "I've made it inside the compound. Security is tight. Making my way to the objective area."
"Stay sharp, Snake. Don't let your age catch up with you now." Lydia joked.
"Hnnnngh." Was the only thing he responded with. Lydia and Paz laughed out loud at his response as Kaz sighed.
About ten minuted had passed until Kaz's shoulders jumped with surprise. Lydia's head turned toward him as he pulled his codec out of his pocket. "Loud and clear. Looks like you found a radio!" Kaz spoke up. "Nice job. Let's switch frequencies from time to time - just to make sure we're no detected. This might be easier than using the codec." Kaz paused for a few moments. "Snake's codec broke in a struggle, but he was able to find a ra-" Kaz was cut off when he suddenly focused onto listening to Snake though his earpiece.
"Kaz, you're leading us blind here. What's happening?" Lydia asked. Kaz held up his hand for her to give him a moment.
"Nice going, Boss." Soon, the color began to drain from Kaz's face. Like he had heard that some childhood pet died. "…Film badges? Like the ones used to measure radiation exposure?" Lydia didn't like where this was going…no one bit.
"Radiation exposure?" Paz questioned. "Why would they need those?"
"Let's hope it's for something else other than what I'm thinking of." Film badges for radiation…could they be building some type of nuclear plant? Or worse…
Kaz only solidified her worries as she saw him clench his right fist with anger. "That would mean…" Kaz gulped. "Holy mother of God."
"Are they seriously thinking of bringing nukes into Costa Rica?" Lydia's hands started to shake. This could potentially be another Cuban Missile Crisis if word got out! What in the hell was the CIA thinking?!
Kaz sighed. "It looks like it. Snake said there was a monitor calling their cargo 'spears'." Spears...another term for nuclear warheads.
"Ahhh fuck me."