took me a while to get off my arse and do this one... and it's really not even all that good. ah well.
Metal Gear Solid and all characters therein are copyright to Konami/KCEJ, not me, blah blah blah. Beretta Cobra is mine, though. you know what else are also good guns? Ruger. now there is some fine German firearms.

La Tanière du Serpent

Chapter Three

"Drop the SOCOM." The woman commanded.

Inwardly impressed at her knowledge of firearms, Snake slowly lowered his arm with the gun. What choice did he have, anyway? She had him caught... he'd get out though. He always did. She didn't want him dead, obviously... if she did, she'd have shot him already.

"Not here. Throw it." She jabbed his back with the muzzle of her gun. One of the cobras at his feet hissed loudly and rose up, hood flaring.

No, he certainly didn't have much choice other than to do what she told him. He grit his teeth... he could try and turn this around on her. He probably could manage that with little to no injury to himself, but... there was the snakes at his feet. If she didn't shoot him, those cobras would get him. They were probably milked of all their venom, as tame as the damn things seemed, but... did he really want to take that chance?

Snake decided no, and reluctantly tossed his beloved SOCOM, watching it skitter across the concrete floor into the shadows, metal scraping. He winced faintly hearing it scrape to a stop, unseen... he hoped the gun wasn't damaged.

Another sharp stab in his back chased off any worries about his gun from his mind. He heard the woman take a step back, felt her eyes sweep up and down him. Her voice, sharp and commanding. "Turn around."

"..." Snake tilted his head, glancing back at her from the corners of his eyes.

"Turn around! Hands up!" She snapped, jabbing the gun's muzzle into the back of his head.

Mouthing an expletive, Snake raised his gloved hands, slowly turning to face her. He felt the snakes move away from his ankles, giving him enough space to move his feet. He met the woman's hard gaze, and again his heart seemed to drop as he found himself staring at her... that young rookie he'd been unable to save, such a short time ago...

"Got any other weapons on you?" The woman growled through her teeth. She was so disturbingly similar... the same shade of red to her messy hair, the same face, the same eyes... almost. Her eyes were a bright, glittering emerald, rather than Meryl's cerulean optics...

"Answer me, asshole." She touched the tip of her index finger against the gun's trigger, still aimed at his face.

"Just the SOCOM." That was a lie, and he knew it- but he had no other firearms on him. Just some explosives and a jackknife. Neither did him much good now. "Who the hell are you?" Snake asked suddenly, expecting to be hit, or worse- if this really was Meryl, somehow...

The woman canted her head to one side, a slow smirking flashing across her lips. "You don't recognize me, do you?"

Snake's breath caught in his throat. It is her... it really is her...

"You will, soon enough..." She leveled the gun, the tip nearly touching his forehead. "This is really a pity... I'd expected more of you." The redhead suddenly withdrew her hand, sliding her handgun back into its holster. "I'd thought you remembered... but I suppose a battle-hardened veteran like you doesn't remember all your victims, hm?"

"Meryl..." Snake finally managed to stop choking on his words long enough to utter that simple statement. He was also mildly relieved to note the cluster of snakes at his feet had slid away from him and regathered around the woman.

"Yeah... Meryl." The woman sneered at him, her eyes glittering in a way not too dissimilar from the snakes writhing and groveling at her ankles. She turned her back to him suddenly, the cobras dispersing into the cover of the warehouse's shadows. "You can call me Beretta Cobra." With those last words, she strolled silently across the concrete floor, soon disappearing from Snake's range of vision.

"Foxhound..." He stated unnecessarily to himself, frozen in place for a moment, waiting for her or the snakes to return. Nothing. Silence. Snapping out of his shock, Snake scrambled over to where he'd thrown his SOCOM.