Chapter Two: Crisis
All across America, people were driving home from work listening to their radios., kids were watching TV, and in one way or another almost everyone had access to some sort of electronic device that could be used to spread information.
All of them looked at their devices in surprise as they let out a high- pitched burst of static, followed by silence. Then a voice. A voice only a few recognized, but those who did cursed and immediately began calling their superiors, asking for orders.
The voice of Revolver Ocelot.
"Citizens of the United States of America," he said. "My name is Shalashaska. To those who know me, the name your own American government gave to me is… Revolver Ocelot. I am a former member of the Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND, a shadowy, secretive group dedicated to keeping a group of men in power. A group of men who rule this country.
"The Patriots."
Ocelot paused, and across the nation, TVs flickered and came on, showing Ocelot standing in a tiny, spartan room. Behind him lay the Russian nuke.
"I am currently in possession of a Russian nuclear device. My group has taken over the 'Devil's Attic,' formerly a secret railroad built beneath Manhattan by a group of rich Americans at the turn of the century. Your government turned it into a research facility for nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons research. It did not matter to them that any sort of… accident could kill almost every person in the city of New York.
Unless our demands are met, we will detonate this nuclear device, and blow New York City off the map. These demands will be given at a later time. Good night, America." Ocelot smiled, and disappeared.
From Maine to Hawaii, people stared at their computers, TVs, and radios in disbelief. Was this some kind of hoax? Or was it really a crisis?
The people of New York, unlike the rest of the country, barely noticed. They'd been subjected to enough. Over 15,000 New Yorkers killed since 1993 in terrorist attacks. Nothing fazed them anymore. They simply calmly began to head for their homes, ready to evacuate at a moments notice.
The same was not true for the rest of the nation. People began frantically calling government officials, the FBI, local police, their congressman, senators, and governors. Within minutes the phone system the government had set up to take incoming calls had shut down, thanks to an overload of signals coming in.
Inside the Oval Office, Jonathan Matthews sighed. This was it. The Wisemen's Committee had told him this would happen someday, and to be ready for it.
He picked up his phone, the secure phone, and called the Pease Air Force Base. "This is the President," he said. "Get me Destiny on the line. Now."
* * *
Snake heard Ocelot's message as well, and lit a cigarette as soon as Ocelot's voice began to echo through the man-made canyons. Figures, he thought. Take away the power base of the Patriots and the Patriots themselves disappear. Pushing through all the Wall Street types who were making their way down to the subway, Snake made his way toward the Empire State Building.
"Have you found a way in, Otacon?" he said into the Codec.
[Yes. There's a freight elevator in sub-basement level two of the Empire State Building. You can take it all the way down to the Devil's Attic.]
"Freight Elevator? What did I say about former missions?"
[That's the only route I can find that leads to the Devil's attic, Snake. Sorry.]
"It's alright. Did you find out anything about who Liquid and Ocelot are using as troops? Any other terrorists?"
[I can't find anything about who they might be using, or anyone else, like another FOXHOUND squad, who might be among the leaders. You're going in dark, Snake.]
Solid Snake laughed. "The way I like it," he said. "I need a way into the Empire State Building, Otacon. I'm pretty sure there aren't going to be any guided tours today. I need a maintenance door or something with an electronic lock."
[Got it.] There was a pause. [Okay, there's a loading bay on the west side. I've opened the door for you.]
"Good job, Otacon." Snake arrived at the Empire State Building a few minutes later. The streets were empty, deserted. Not even any police, Snake thought. He turned around a corner of the massive skyscraper and found the loading bay, the door wide open. He vaulted up over it and found himself in a large loading area filled with hundreds of crates.
Snake took off his poncho and tossed it to the ground. He froze as loudly echoing footfalls rang throughout the room. Slowly taking out his M9 and checking the clip, he heard someone yell, "is there anybody there?"
Ducking behind one of the crates in the room, Snake peeked around the corner and watched as a uniformed man, ostensibly a guard, stopped in front of the poncho and picked it up. "If you're in here, come out now," the guard called. The uniform he was wearing stunned Snake.
The man was a Genome Soldier.
I thought they were all they dead, Snake thought. The mission had suddenly gotten more complicated. If the Genome Army was here, then it meant at the least, Liquid was alive.
And somehow in another body. Snake knew the Genome Soldiers wouldn't have come out of hiding simply because Ocelot had appeared.
Snake ducked back behind the crate and called Otacon. "We have a problem," he whispered.
[What is it?]
"As far as I can tell, the lower stories of the Empire State Building have been taken over by members of the Genome Army."
[What!?]
"Yes. There's one about ten feet away."
[You know what this means.]
"I do. I'll call later."
Snake leaned around the corner of the crate and took aim with his M9. Relaxing to absorb recoil, he exhaled and pulled the trigger. He quickly reloaded, and watched as the dart plunged itself into the guard's neck.
The Genome Soldier let out a low moan and fell to the ground, unconscious. Loud snores soon followed. Snake quickly checked the body and took one of the rations the guard had on him, along with the grenades he carried. "Five five sixers and pineapples," Snake muttered. "Just like Shadow Moses."
Moving quickly, Snake dragged the man into a dark corner, then made his way to the other side of the room. He found a locked door and said, "Otacon."
[Yes?]
"I need another door opened."
[What's the number on it?]
Snake looked for a moment until he found it. "AX-2934."
[Got it.]
The door slid open silently. [That should take you the whole way down to sub-basement level one. The elevator is on level 2.]
"Thanks, Otacon." Snake walked through the door, and found a long metal staircase descending into darkness. "Here I go," Snake muttered, and starting running down the stairs.
Watching him on one of the many security cameras dotting the lower levels, Ocelot said, "Our boy's arrived. Right on schedule. Just like last time."
All across America, people were driving home from work listening to their radios., kids were watching TV, and in one way or another almost everyone had access to some sort of electronic device that could be used to spread information.
All of them looked at their devices in surprise as they let out a high- pitched burst of static, followed by silence. Then a voice. A voice only a few recognized, but those who did cursed and immediately began calling their superiors, asking for orders.
The voice of Revolver Ocelot.
"Citizens of the United States of America," he said. "My name is Shalashaska. To those who know me, the name your own American government gave to me is… Revolver Ocelot. I am a former member of the Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND, a shadowy, secretive group dedicated to keeping a group of men in power. A group of men who rule this country.
"The Patriots."
Ocelot paused, and across the nation, TVs flickered and came on, showing Ocelot standing in a tiny, spartan room. Behind him lay the Russian nuke.
"I am currently in possession of a Russian nuclear device. My group has taken over the 'Devil's Attic,' formerly a secret railroad built beneath Manhattan by a group of rich Americans at the turn of the century. Your government turned it into a research facility for nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons research. It did not matter to them that any sort of… accident could kill almost every person in the city of New York.
Unless our demands are met, we will detonate this nuclear device, and blow New York City off the map. These demands will be given at a later time. Good night, America." Ocelot smiled, and disappeared.
From Maine to Hawaii, people stared at their computers, TVs, and radios in disbelief. Was this some kind of hoax? Or was it really a crisis?
The people of New York, unlike the rest of the country, barely noticed. They'd been subjected to enough. Over 15,000 New Yorkers killed since 1993 in terrorist attacks. Nothing fazed them anymore. They simply calmly began to head for their homes, ready to evacuate at a moments notice.
The same was not true for the rest of the nation. People began frantically calling government officials, the FBI, local police, their congressman, senators, and governors. Within minutes the phone system the government had set up to take incoming calls had shut down, thanks to an overload of signals coming in.
Inside the Oval Office, Jonathan Matthews sighed. This was it. The Wisemen's Committee had told him this would happen someday, and to be ready for it.
He picked up his phone, the secure phone, and called the Pease Air Force Base. "This is the President," he said. "Get me Destiny on the line. Now."
* * *
Snake heard Ocelot's message as well, and lit a cigarette as soon as Ocelot's voice began to echo through the man-made canyons. Figures, he thought. Take away the power base of the Patriots and the Patriots themselves disappear. Pushing through all the Wall Street types who were making their way down to the subway, Snake made his way toward the Empire State Building.
"Have you found a way in, Otacon?" he said into the Codec.
[Yes. There's a freight elevator in sub-basement level two of the Empire State Building. You can take it all the way down to the Devil's Attic.]
"Freight Elevator? What did I say about former missions?"
[That's the only route I can find that leads to the Devil's attic, Snake. Sorry.]
"It's alright. Did you find out anything about who Liquid and Ocelot are using as troops? Any other terrorists?"
[I can't find anything about who they might be using, or anyone else, like another FOXHOUND squad, who might be among the leaders. You're going in dark, Snake.]
Solid Snake laughed. "The way I like it," he said. "I need a way into the Empire State Building, Otacon. I'm pretty sure there aren't going to be any guided tours today. I need a maintenance door or something with an electronic lock."
[Got it.] There was a pause. [Okay, there's a loading bay on the west side. I've opened the door for you.]
"Good job, Otacon." Snake arrived at the Empire State Building a few minutes later. The streets were empty, deserted. Not even any police, Snake thought. He turned around a corner of the massive skyscraper and found the loading bay, the door wide open. He vaulted up over it and found himself in a large loading area filled with hundreds of crates.
Snake took off his poncho and tossed it to the ground. He froze as loudly echoing footfalls rang throughout the room. Slowly taking out his M9 and checking the clip, he heard someone yell, "is there anybody there?"
Ducking behind one of the crates in the room, Snake peeked around the corner and watched as a uniformed man, ostensibly a guard, stopped in front of the poncho and picked it up. "If you're in here, come out now," the guard called. The uniform he was wearing stunned Snake.
The man was a Genome Soldier.
I thought they were all they dead, Snake thought. The mission had suddenly gotten more complicated. If the Genome Army was here, then it meant at the least, Liquid was alive.
And somehow in another body. Snake knew the Genome Soldiers wouldn't have come out of hiding simply because Ocelot had appeared.
Snake ducked back behind the crate and called Otacon. "We have a problem," he whispered.
[What is it?]
"As far as I can tell, the lower stories of the Empire State Building have been taken over by members of the Genome Army."
[What!?]
"Yes. There's one about ten feet away."
[You know what this means.]
"I do. I'll call later."
Snake leaned around the corner of the crate and took aim with his M9. Relaxing to absorb recoil, he exhaled and pulled the trigger. He quickly reloaded, and watched as the dart plunged itself into the guard's neck.
The Genome Soldier let out a low moan and fell to the ground, unconscious. Loud snores soon followed. Snake quickly checked the body and took one of the rations the guard had on him, along with the grenades he carried. "Five five sixers and pineapples," Snake muttered. "Just like Shadow Moses."
Moving quickly, Snake dragged the man into a dark corner, then made his way to the other side of the room. He found a locked door and said, "Otacon."
[Yes?]
"I need another door opened."
[What's the number on it?]
Snake looked for a moment until he found it. "AX-2934."
[Got it.]
The door slid open silently. [That should take you the whole way down to sub-basement level one. The elevator is on level 2.]
"Thanks, Otacon." Snake walked through the door, and found a long metal staircase descending into darkness. "Here I go," Snake muttered, and starting running down the stairs.
Watching him on one of the many security cameras dotting the lower levels, Ocelot said, "Our boy's arrived. Right on schedule. Just like last time."