Metal Gear: The New Menace

By: SolidSnake

Chapter 5: Vulcan Raven

"Snake...could it be you?" Meryl was stuttering with shock. "I thought I'd never see you again. Oh, no! Mantis is coming! Help me Sna-" The codec went blank.

"Meryl!" Snake could hear her scream and Mantis take over her mind. He could tell when it would happen, because that eerie music reminiscent of that which was playing in the Commanders Room during Shadow Moses would begin, and Meryl's voice would sound differently. "Meryl! Don't give into him! Fight it!" He realized it was useless to attempt. He walked on.

Snake was walking for a period of time when he came upon a door. Security Level 3 required. He was just about to open the door, when he got a call on the Codec. It was Otacon. "Hey Snake! I just overheard something between two guards!" Snake stopped.

"What is it?"

"What Raiden said about the clones- he's right! There IS clones of most of the FOX-HOUND operatives you met in MGS, as well as some others from what I hear."

"What?? Who ordered this?"

"The previous president, prior to the Big Shell incident."

"Great. Which operatives are back?"

"No specifications. All I know is that they exist and are waiting to kill you. Be careful, Snake."

"I can do that. I'll keep you posted." Snake shut off the Codec and drew his FA-MAS rifle again. He opened the door in front of him. He saw an unwelcome sight.

There on the floor was the shadow of Vulcan Raven. Snake chuckled and put down his FA-MAS. "I remember that from the tanker. It's just the shadow of an Action Figure! Nothing to worry about. Hey, what's this?" He looked down and found a box of 5 grenades, 2 of them shrapnel, 2 stun, and one chaff. "These could be useful." He put them in his Sneaking Suit.

Just as Snake walked past the corner, there were loud gunshots and bullets were coming at Snake. Jumping, he dodged all but one, which slammed violently into his left foot. Sprawling to the floor, he clutched his foot and started to apply a bandage. He heard a voice.

"I told you before. Snakes don't belong in Alaska. I will not let you pass." It was Vulcan Raven.

"HOW?!" Snake shouted. "I killed you!"

A loud, reverborating laugh filled the room. "I am not Vulcan Raven. I am his son. His test-tube son. HIS CLONE!"

Finishing the bandage, he stood up, FA-MAS drawn. "You won't be for long."

"You killed my predecessor, and now I will kill you. A battle to the death."

"Let's go then, if you are so tough. I'll have no trouble with you, just as I had no trouble with Vulcan."

Snake ran around the corner and the clone fired his chaingun after him. Bullets ricocheting all about, Snake put away his FA-MAS and took out a stun grenade. Pulling the pin and throwing the grenade, he knelt down and covered his eyes. "AUGH! My eyes!!" Vulcan let go of his gun to rub his eyes. "I...I cannot see!!" Snake ran over to him, put a grenade next to him, pulled the pin, and ran. Just as the clone was able to see, he looked down and the grenade exploded, violently severing his left leg and half of his left arm. "AAAAARRRGH!" Snake ran behind him and put his last grenade into his bullet reserve. Vulcan whirled himself around and began to shoot, when all at once, his gun flew out of his right hand and his reserve bullets explode, sending shard of shell casing and bullets flying through the room. "NO! My bullets!"

"Not so fast." Snake was standing in front of him, SOCOM pistol drawn. "I think your time is over. Who are the other clones?"

"I'll never tell." Raven's blood loss was getting to him.

Snake was furious. "TELL ME!" He put the pistol right up against the clone's head. "Now!"

"Never." Vulcan started. Snake pushed the gun harder into his head. "OK! I'll talk. There's me, Sniper Vixen, Deco-" Snake noticed a laser dot on Vulcan's forehead. All at once, Snake whirled around, fired a shot in the direction the laser was coming from, and turn back around just to see Vulcan Raven's head cave in from bullet impact.


"Damn!" Snake looked back up to where the sniper shot from, and all he could see was a hole in the glass, and blood dripping from it. "I never was good with interrogations." Searching the clone's body, Snake found a Level 5 security card and exploding ammunition for the SOCOM.

His Codec rang.

"Snake? It's me, Meryl. I don't have much time, because Mantis is coming back."

Snake listened. "What is it, Meryl? How did you survive?"

"They made Decoy Octopus's body resemble mine. They took me back for interrogation, and maybe as another trump card for their demands for Big Boss's body," Meryl replied. "I still love you, Snake. I still.....AAH!" An eerie tune started playing, and Meryl's voice became deeper. "I am here and waiting for you, Snake. I will KILL YOU!"

Snake was nearly heartbroken. He couldn't bear to lose Meryl a second time. He set off to find her.

Otacon called. "Snake, Metal Gear is not active yet. If you get there in time, you may be able to-"

"Otacon. My priorities have changed for now." Snake told him.

"What are you talking about? We're here to destroy Metal Gear!"

"Meryl is alive, and she's guarding Metal Gear with Mantis."

"What? I thought she was dead. And I thought you killed Mantis!!"

"It's a long story. I'll explain later. Right now I have a job to do."

"What's that?"

"Save Meryl. Then take care of that giant bipedal robot."