In the darkness of the deciduous forest, illuminated only by the dying flames from Pequod's bombardment, Venom Snake faced off against the "Cupcake Writer" Natsuki. Time seemed to slow down as the two fighters, wielding their weapons, sized each other out.
Venom Snake's one eye darted quickly, observing even the smallest of his opponent's movements. The schoolgirl was holding her heavy submachinegun effortlessly in one hand and her copy of Parfait Girls Vol. 1 in the other. Natsuki wielded the manga like a combat fan, hiding her shoulders and the lower half of her face behind the paperback veil.
However, Natsuki's pink eyes were watching Snake to - with disturbing speed. Her irises seemed to move in ways that normal human eyes shouldn't be able to do. Snake was even worried that the schoolgirl's eyes might pop out all of the sudden! So, Snake raised up his UN-ARC-NL assault rifle and kept his own knife at the ready.
When Snake did this, Natsuki pounced at him. She threw her manga at Snake with a powerful backhand, forcing Snake to block with the flat of his knife. As soon as he knocked the manga out of the way, however, Natsuki had already closed the distance and wielded her heavy submachine gun like a club.
[R2: CQC]
Time seemed to slow down again as Venom Snake's combat instincts took over. He brushed Natsuki's submachine gun aside with his own assault rifle and then promptly followed through. Snake jabbed the buttstock of his gun right into Natsuki's face, repelling her attack.
Natsuki was staggered by the follow-through, so Snake stepped back, pointed his UN-ARC-NL at the Cupcake Writer. He pulled the trigger and unloaded an entire magazine of rubber bullets onto her, causing her to wail in anguish.
"FUCK!" Natsuki cursed furiously.
The Writer flailed about desperately and tried to shove her submachine gun back at Snake to repay the favor.
[R2: CQC]
However, Snake was prepared for her once again. He stowed away his assault rifle and unleashed a left-right hook combo, followed by a powerful low kick that swept Natsuki off of her feet.
Natsuki fell on her back, but she was still undeterred. She kicked up dust to Snake's face and tried to blind him.
However, the unmistakable crack of twin Tornado-6 revolvers broke up the rhythm of combat. Powerful shots whizzed past Natsuki and the Writer rolled away sideways on the ground. She then promptly picked herself back up, snagged her manga from the ground and then dashed at full speed into the forest.
Snake wiped the dust away from his face and then found his companion, Ocelot, approaching him as he reloaded his revolvers.
"You looked like you were in trouble there for a moment, Boss. Schoolgirls are something else, huh? Always a handful."
Venom Snake furrowed his brow and countered,
"I thought keeping people waiting was my gag, Ocelot?"
"The Spider Lady and I had to ditch the jeep. We weren't going to outrun her, so the Spider Lady went out separate ways."
While the two men were talking, a hail of bullets from Natsuki's submachinegun ripped through the forest. Snake and Ocelot were forced to take cover behind trees.
In the midst of the gunfire, Venom Snake scoffed and asked,
"So what's the plan, Ocelot?"
Ocelot finished reloading and twirled his revolvers around whimsically as he explained,
"The Spider Lady is looking for a good sniping space right now, Boss. She's loaded her arrows with poisons that can weaken the Cupcake Writer significantly. With every arrow that hits her, Natsuki will get weaker and weaker until she's nothing more than a regular soldier on the battlefield."
Venom Snake grunted,
"Amy has something like that?"
"She's the daughter of The Fear… not to mention a CIA agent. She landed a few hits while we were fleeing in the jeep. The Natsuki you were fighting just now is somewhere at 30% or less of what she could be. If she was at full strength, even the Boss' CQC would have been overwhelmed with brute power."
Snake groaned and the barrage from Natsuki's SMG finally went silent. The one-eyed veteran mercenary sensed Natsuki's growing further and further.
"Heh, looks like your CQC spooked her, Boss." Ocelot remarked, "She knows the Spider Lady is out there somewhere - and i'm sure she's felt the effects of the poison arrows on her already. Natsuki won't stay put unless we keep her busy. Keep her busy for a good minute…"
"And Amy will take away the rest of her superhuman strength from a distance…" Snake completed his sentence, "Is that what you're saying?"
Ocelot nodded and then playfully twirled his revolvers around as he proposed,
"The Spider Lady isn't Quiet, so she'll need time to get into position and take her shot. There's two of us. I'm sure we can keep that girl busy. After all, we…"
...
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FOXENGINE: Input Error
FOXENGINE: Game Paused
...
All of the sudden, the world seemed to fade into darkness for Snake. He could see some sort of interface that grayed out Snake's vision. Ocelot stopped speaking mid-sentence and the revolvers he was twirling literally stopped mid-air.
In that bizarre state, Venom Snake started being able to make out words on the interface. The moment he did, however...
[Cutscene: Skip]
[ V0hZIEFSRSBXRSBTVElMTCBIRVJFPw== ] SnVzdCB0byBzdWZmZXI/ (1 / 1)
RXZlcnkgbmlnaHTigKYKCkkgY2FuIGZlZWwgbXkgbGVn4oCmCgpBbmQgbXkgYXJt4oCmCgpFdmVuIG15IGZpbmdlcnPigKYKClRoZSBib2R5IEnigJl2ZSBsb3N0Li4uCgpUaGUgY29tcmFkZXMgSeKAmXZlIGxvc3TigKYKCkl0IHdvbuKAmXQgc3RvcCBodXJ0aW5n4oCmCgpJdOKAmXMgbGlrZSB0aGV54oCZcmUgYWxsIHN0aWxsIHRoZXJl4oCmCgpZb3UgZmVlbCBpdCB0b28sIGRvbuKAmXQgeW91dXV1dXV1dXV1dXV1dXV1dXV1dXV1dXV1dXV1dXV1dXV1dXV1dXV1dXV1dXV1dS0K
Just Monika
As soon as Snake opened his eyes, he was no longer hiding behind the tree and time seemed to have progressed without him knowing it. Instead, he watched as Natsuki appeared between them from out of the blue and methodically disarmed Ocelot. The two Tornado-6 revolvers fell unceremoniously to the ground as Natsuki grabbed the gunslinger by the right hand and twisted it mercilessly.
Ocelot was aghast as he yelled out in pain,
"My hand!"
Natsuki bore down on Ocelot, threatening to tear it off as she taunted,
"What do you think, Mr. Ocelot? Am I pretty good too?"
[R2: CQ-...]
[Action Interrupted]
Before Venom Snake could even react, Natsuki forcefully shoved the powerless Ocelot into Venom Snake with such force that the two men were sent flying. Venom Snake crashed back-first into the trunk of a pine tree and Ocelot came crashing after him.
Venom Snake and Ocelot were slow to get back up as Natsuki reloaded her submachinegun and lectured,
"The FOXENGINE is a cute little thing. Our Ren'py devices can throw a wrench in the FOXENGINE if we input the right information at the right time. Luckily for me… I know how this game works like the back of my hand!"
Venom Snake grunted as he struggled to pick himself up from the ground,
"Game…? What are you talking about?"
As Snake spoke, he shored up his strength and felt his warrior's instinct sensing an opening to strike.
[R2: CQ-...]
[Action Interrupted]
Natsuki flipped through the pages of her manga and Snake's warrior's instinct left him all of the sudden. The Cupcake Writer then effortlessly swept Snake's arms with her feet, forcing the veteran to fall powerlessly onto the ground.
The Cupcake Writer then laughed triumphantly as she finally answered,
"I've played this game before - many times, actually. I just need to be faster than the R2 prompts that appear for your CQC, and you won't be able to touch me! I know this because i'm one hell of a Metal Gear fan. I've been waiting for MGSV eagerly since Peace Walker, you know."
"Peace Walker…? That was ten years ago! How did you…?"
Natsuki scoffed and then ran a hand through her short pink hair,
"Ten years? Hah! It's closer to four and a half. September 1, 2015. But you wouldn't know that, would you?"
Venom Snake picked himself up from the floor and grunted,
"You're the one who has it mixed up! It's December 1984."
Natsuki looked down patronizingly on Snake as she lectured,
"It's almost sad seeing you in this position, Venom Snake. The moment you realize that things aren't what they seem - it hits you like a train. My friends and I… even that loner dummy you took hostage… we all felt that pain and horror. We had our reckoning in the Literature Club… and now it's time that you had yours!"
The Cupcake Writer pointed her submachinegun at Snake and lamented,
"The truth is, Snake, the game was ri-"
Before Natsuki could pull the trigger, a crossbow bolt whizzed through the air and struck Natsuki straight in the neck. A loud, audible crack followed as Natsuki's neck violently seemed to snap - and yet, the Cupcake Writer was still standing.
However, five more crossbow bolts struck Natsuki's back and the powerful schoolgirl finally fell face-first onto the woodland path.
Amy emerged from the brush, wielding her "Little Joe" crossbow in her hands. Her red pigtails swayed behind her as she wore a triumphant smile and exclaimed,
"Boss! Boss! Did you see those shots? I got her!"
Ocelot, too, found the time to get up from the ground and groan,
"That's not the way I would have wanted to end it… but whatever works."
Amy helped Venom Snake up from the ground and then happily reported,
"I found this cassette tape lying around one of the decimated Soviet guard posts when i was trying to get a beat on Natsuki. I thought you might want to have it."
The Spider Lady handed Snake a cassette tape with a warm smile.
"... thanks Amy."
"Ahehehe~"
[Cassette Tape Acquired - "We're Not Gonna Take It" - Twisted Sister (1984)]
Snake pocketed the cassette tape and then found the strength to stand up on his own two feet once more. The Spider Lady then faced Snake with a serious expression and firmly urged,
"Boss. Please listen to me. Natsuki is an extremely dangerous Doki… i mean, a dangerous Writer of the Apocalypse. The poison in my bolts can only do so much for a short period of time, but I'm afraid she'll develop an immunity to it before long."
The red-haired girl then clenched her fists and urged wholeheartedly,
"Please, Boss. Let me kill Natsuki - and then let me kill Yuri too. For Diamond Dogs."
Venom Snake, however, looked Amy in the eye and reminded,
"Why are you so obsessed with killing the Writers? We have to figure out who these Writers of the Apocalypse are, Amy. I have a feeling that there's more to this story than it seems… and Natsuki just now… she was talking about…"
This time, however, Amy puffed up her cheeks and insisted,
"No, Boss! Don't listen to what this manga-lover thinks - not after she refused to join the Manga Clu… I mean… not after what she's done."
Venom Snake shot back and forcefully reminded,
"I am Big Boss, Spider Lady - in case you've forgotten. We're doing things my way…"
"But, Boss!"
While Snake and Amy were arguing, Ocelot picked up his revolvers and pointed them at Natsuki, saying,
"She's still moving, Boss. Natsuki's building up an immunity faster than we thought. She's still just as strong as a regular infantryman now, but in a minute or two…"
Venom Snake, however, brushed off Ocelot's warnings and pulled out his AM D114 handgun and pointed it at Natsuki. He calmly approached the downed Writer and demanded,
"Cupcake Writer Natsuki. You're coming with us. Be nice and we'll put you in a nice comfy cell across from your friend Yuri."
"She's not my friend! She's my… she's..." Natsuki piped up furiously, "She's someone I'm ready to lay down my life for!"
When Natsuki said this, she pulled out a peculiar thing from her coat pocket.
It was a protein bar.
"A ration…?" Snake guessed.
"No." Natsuki countered as she tore off the wrapper, "A gift from the former prez!"
Natsuki bit into the protein bar - and her frame started becoming bulkier and inhumanly muscular. She hoisted herself up from the ground and quickly outgrew her tiny stature. In seconds - lorded over Amy, Snake and Ocelot.
"Damn it Monika!" Amy cursed as she tried to shoot at the growing Natsuki with her crossbow.
However, the poison-tipped crossbow bolts bounced off of Natsuki's rippling muscles. Everything from her chest to her arms and legs turned musclebound in seconds. Everything except her head which seemed mostly unchanged.
Despite this, a devious grin formed over the buff Natsuki's lips as she promptly took a fighting stance. She then roared out in a powerful voice,
"SQUARE UP, THOTS."
To Be Continued