A tremendous, musclebound beast stood before Snake, Ocelot and the Spider Lady as it cast its shadow over the three. This creature was close to twice the size of Venom Snake and its strange, relatively smaller head looked down upon her opponents with a rueful sigh,
"I wish it didn't have to come to this, Big Boss - but you leave me no choice. I'm going make you realize just how BIG a mistake you've made! And Amy…"
The giant schoolgirl pointed her muscular hand at the Spider Lady and accused,
"I'm going to make you pay for the shit you did in our world!"
Venom Snake took a step back and cradled his UN-ARC NL assault rifle in his arms as he asked,
"What the hell is this girl talking about?"
Amy shook her head and urged,
"Ignore her, Boss. These Writers - they like to get into your head - and then exploit you. Just like they did just a while ago."
While Amy spoke, the earpieces of the three buzzed with Kaz Miller's voice,
{(140.85) - "Boss - everyone. That creature you're fighting just now. It matches the description of the 'weapons' that the CIA detected being shipped into Iturup Island. My contacts in the CIA said it was a 'tank' - but I didn't realize it was a living thing!"}
Ocelot reloaded his revolves and scoffed,
"It's a tank alright. A single haymaker from this beast can cut a man in half! So, Boss - still think we can take her back alive?"
Venom Snake cocked his rifle and made his determined decision,
"Of course, Ocelot. We've taken down larger enemies - Metal Gears - in the past. We're to bring Natsuki back to Hokkaido - along with Chico the rest of the Writers - if it's the last thing we do! Now, split up! I'll take her on."
[LOADING SCREEN CATEGORY] Loading Screen Description (start page / end page)
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…
Shhh…
Ignore this.
There is nothing here.
Focus on the mission.
Okay?
At Snake's command, Ocelot and Amy darted off into the forest and kept their weapons at the ready. All the while, Venom Snake raised up his fists and squared off against the towering Natsuki. He rolled forward and tackled Natsuki, taking the giant schoolgirl by surprise.
Snake landed on his feet behind Natsuki and began throwing punches, striking Natsuki's back. He threw his punches with every ounce of strength in his being and charged up his mechanical Stun Arm. Then, once the Stun Arm was charged, Snake pulled back and threw a haymaker that drew an annoyed groan from Natsuki.
"Grgh! Damn it!"
Natsuki whirled around and tried to strike Snake with a backhand elbow, but…
[R2: CQC]
Venom Snake's warrior's instinct compelled him to duck beneath Natsuki's elbow. Normally, had Natsuki been a regular soldier, this would have been the perfect opportunity for Snake to grab the arm and throw Natsuki down to the ground.
However, Natsuki's muscle bound arms made Snake rethink his strategy. Instead, he drew his knife and attempted to thrust forward, but…
[R2: CQ-...]
[Action Interrupted]
Venom Snake's warrior's instinct disappeared as quickly as it came and Natsuki was able to slap the knife out of Snake's hands. The knife flew at breakneck speed and tore through the trunk of a number of pine trees.
Natsuki grinned at Snake and taunted,
"Nice knife."
The giantess then promptly kneed Snake below the chin, sending the horned veteran flying upwards. Natsuki then grabbed the helpless Snake by the neck and shouted,
"Don't mess with this cupcake!"
Natsuki threw Snake down to the ground with tremendous force, shattering the armor plates of his Battle Dress. Venom Snake coughed out blood as he laid sprawled out on the ground.
{(140.85) - "Boss? Can you hear me? Boss!? Boss! BOSS!"}
Snake, however, was too dazed to respond. Natsuki looked down on her downed opponent, wondering what to do with him. However, revolver bullets and crossbow bolts struck Natsuki.
Natsuki shrugged off the attacks and gave Snake some parting words,
"You're lucky - Monika and the Prez want you back alive. I'm going to beat the shit out of the liar - then, I'm going to tear Amy in half with my own two hands. Then, I'm going to get Yuri back - and you're going back with us."
With that, Natsuki squatted down, flexing her muscular thunder thighs beneath her skirt and then shot off like a rocket towards Amy and Ocelot.
Venom Snake moaned in pain as he watched Natsuki go after his allies. Then, his earpiece buzzed again,
{(140.85) - "Boss! You're alive! That's a serious injury. You're going to need to treat it with First Aid. Press the ACTION button to apply First Aid, just like always."}
"I… can't move, Kaz. My body… just isn't responding."
{(140.85) - "Grh… that's probably a bone fracture. That leaves me no choice. There's a secret technique that I've been keeping from you, Boss. I didn't think you'd need it, after all. You're the phantom of the real Big Boss, so you may not have seen this while you were still a medic - but I've seen it with my own eyes. If you're his phantom, then you can probably do it too!"}
"Secret technique…? What are you talking about, Kaz?"
{(140.85) - "Survival Viewer."}
"Survival Viewer…"
{(140.85) - "I don't know it very well, but it's the interface that the real Big Boss used during Operation Snake Eater. It helped him treat his wounds - no matter how severe. Well... almost. Anyways, you can use it like the iDroid menu - except you don't have to lift a finger. Time seems to stop while you're in the Survival Viewer too. It's like magic. It just happens!"}
"... fine. What do I do Kaz?"
{(140.85) - "Just say it out loud. 'Survival Viewer'. Then use the interface just like you would in the IDROID menu. With your role as Big Boss' phantom, you should know what to do from there. Also… I have this tape recording that might help you."}
[Cassette Tape Acquired: Para-Medic Diagnosis - Bone Fracture]
[Playing: Para-Medic Diagnosis - Bone Fracture]
TRANSCRIPT
{(145.73) - "I see you've got a bone fracture. You'll suffer broken bones if you jump from too high a place or get hit with a severe blow."}
...
{(145.73) - "When you have a fracture, your maximum LIFE goes down. Fractures will heal little by little over time, but you can heal them right away by going into "CURE" in the Survival Viewer and following the necessary procedure."}
...
{(145.73) - "To treat a bone fracture, first secure the affected area with a fastener and then wrap it in bandages. That should do it."}
[End Tape]
{(140.85) - "Alright, Snake. You've got everything you need. Now go for it!"}
Venom Snake steadied his breath and then grunted,
"Survival Viewer!"
When Snake shouted this, time stopped around him and he saw the interface that Kaz mentioned. Just like Kaz said it was like the iDroid menu - except that he was controlling the interface telepathically.
So, Snake followed the instructions of Para-Medic in the recording and began to treat himself.
[-SURVIVAL VIEWER-]
[Menu: CURE]
[Injury: Bone Fracture]
[Item: SPLINT]
[Item: BANDAGE]
[Treatment Successful]
As soon as Snake finished treating himself in the Survival Viewer, the interface disappeared and his bone fracture magically disappeared. He was able to pick himself up from the ground - albeit painfully - but was soon able to stand on his own two feet.
{(140.85) - "I never get tired of seeing the Survival Viewer in action. It's like a nostalgic memory. Just don't wolf down Arowanas in front of me and we'll be fine."}
"Arowanas…?"
{(140.85) - "Never mind that, Boss. In any case, I doubt that Natsuki will let you off the hook a second time. If she breaks you in half, even the Survival Viewer won't be able to patch you up. You need to find a way to kill her - or to subdue her. But how…?"}
Venom Snake looked around the area around him. He then noticed that Natsuki had left something behind.
{(140.85) - "Is that… Parfait Girls Vol. 1?"}
Snake approached the curious item and corrected,
"No… it's Volume 13. This was the one that Natsuki was wielding a while ago. Maybe she dropped it when she chased off Ocelot and the Spider Lady."
{(140.85) - "The Spider Lady was mentioning something about each Writer having special 'books' with them. Perhaps this is Natsuki's special book. Use your iDroid to analyze it - there could be precious intel there."}
"On it."
Snake opened the Parfait Girls Vol. 13 manga halfway through - depicting a scene of the pink-haired warrior, Strawberry Shortcake, having a quiet moment with the purple-haired mage, Grape Tart. Snake then pulled out his iDroid and let its scanning lasers read through the entire volume.
The innocent-looking manga then seemed to glow, reacting to Snake's iDroid. As it did, the metallic horn jutting out from Venom Snake's head started to ache mildly.
As the iDroid scanned the manga, Venom Snake felt like he was having an otherworldly experience. For a brief moment, he caught glimpses of Natsuki's life - flashing through the eye of Snake's mind like a slideshow.
Then, the scanning ended - and the otherworldly slideshow faded away.
{Intel File Obtained}
Venom Snake pocketed his iDroid and then picked up the manga. A cassette tape slipped out from between the pages.
Snake caught the tape with his mechanical hand.
{Cassette Tape Acquired - "Cat's In The Cradle" - Henry Chapin (1974)}
Snake closed his eye and held the cassette tape in his hand as he muttered beneath his breath,
"This girl… wants a father figure. A proper one."
{(140.85) - "Snake…? What are you talking about?"}
"I know what I need to do to bring Natsuki to Hokkaido with us. I'm going to need your help, Kaz."
{(140.85) - "Of course, Boss. What do you need me to do?"}
"Get me Pequod on the scene - and tell him to get the speakers ready."
{(140.85) - "Right away, Boss… but what are you planning to do with the speakers?"}
"I'm going to give Natsuki a poem she won't forget."
To Be Continued