Chapter Three: White Devil
The staircase went of forever, or at least that was how it seemed to Snake. His footsteps rang loudly off the metal steps as he rushed down into the darkness. "Have you downloaded the plans of the Empire State Building yet, Otacon?" he asked. "My radar would be nice in this darkness."
[Sorry, Snake. It seems everyone this side of LA is trying to download those plans. I'll have them in a few minutes, I promise.]
"Alright," Snake said. "Have you informed Jack?"
[I think he legally changed his name to Raiden… no one ever said he had all his lights on upstairs.]
Snake chuckled. "That was pretty dumb, but not his fault. So what about him?"
[I tried to contact him… but he's disappeared.]
"What?"
[Well, he wasn't at the address he gave us, and all the secret lines we set up with him have been cut off… and his nanomachines aren't transmitting anymore. It's like he's disappeared off the face of the earth.]
Snake grimaced. "We know what that means," he said.
[I do.]
"I'll see if there's any connection to this," Snake said. "I'm at the bottom of the stairwell. Talk to you soon."
[Copy that.]
Snake slowly made his way down the last few stairs and onto a large landing. It appeared to have been turned into some kind of lounge: there were a few battered couches, a table with some magazines, and a pop machine. Snake noticed something lying on one of the couches. "A pair of NVGs? (Night Vision Goggles) Not bad," he said, putting them around his neck. "No more problems with the dark anymore around here."
The sound of an oncoming subway train made Snake pause. "Otacon," he said, "are there subway stations below the Empire State Building?"
[Yes. There's one on Level One, where you are, and another on sub-basement Level Four.]
"Wonderful," Snake said. "I think hostages are about to enter the equation."
[Great.]
Snake left the landing/lounge and opened another door that opened into the Level One subway station. The area seemed empty, but Snake could see several Genome Soldiers lurking about in the shadows, waiting for something. Off to one side, behind the counter of a Starbucks, was a machine gun emplacement. "Not good," Snake muttered.
[What?]
"Either the Genome Soldiers are going to massacre everyone as they step off the next subway train, or they're going to take them hostage—"
"Who're you!?"
"Damn!" Snake said as he whipped around, pulling out his SOCOM and shooting the Genome Soldier in the head all in half a second, a perfect red hole appearing in his forehead. There was a wet slapping sound as the man's brains spattered onto the floor behind him. The man crumpled, dead.
"I have an unknown hostile in the area! I need backup, now!"
Snake could hear the call come out from one of the Genome Soldiers nearby, and the reaction was immediate. The machine gun swung in Snake's general position, and Soldiers began to scour the area. [Snake, find somewhere to hide!] Otacon yelled. [It's a clearing!]
"I know," Snake said tersely. "This place is too open." Unsnapping the FAMAS off his back, he put the M9 and SOCOM into their respective holsters and darted out of cover, running for what appeared to be a small lavatory nearby.
Bullets ricocheted off the concrete floor all around him. "There he is!" someone yelled. The volume of fire picked up, and Snake grunted as he felt one of the bullets slam into the hard leather and thin layer of kevlar that comprised his combat boots. It made the boots heavy and hard to kick with, but it was better than getting ones foot blown off.
It worked here. The bullet cut through the leather and kevlar and stopped mere millimeters from Snake's calf. Snake sprayed the station area with fire, short staccato bursts that made the Genome Soldiers keep their heads down more than anything. He still heard a man behind him yell, "dammit, my arm!" as one of the bullets from the FAMAS struck him.
[Found a place to hide yet, Snake?]
"Not the time, Otacon," Snake said shortly. "But yes. There's a small lavatory about twenty meters away. I'll be there in moments"
[Good. Be careful, Snake.]
Snake reached the lavatory in moments, ducking in and looking for a place to hide. He noticed it in moments: a small, uncovered ventilation shaft in the floor. Hope it leads me back to the station, he thought, quickly crawling into the shaft as he heard the footsteps of the Genome Soldiers right outside the door.
"Be careful, men! Go!"
The door flew open and a squad of the white-clad terrorists quickly moved in. "Search the room!" the lieutenant ordered. The Soldiers quickly spread out through the room, checking each stall. "He's not here, sir," one of them said. "He has to be here!" The lieutenant cried. His radio crackled. "Report your status, Johnson," a voice ordered. "What's going on down there? Over."
"We have an intruder, sir, but he has eluded us for now," Johnson said. "He killed Nurwitzki and shot Brown in the arm. Over."
"Killed Nurwitzki, you say? We'll send down another two squads. Be careful, Johnson. The meeting is about to begin. Be on your guard. Over and out."
"Understood, sir. Over and out." As the Soldiers began to leave the lav, Johnson turned to one and said, "guard this room. No one goes in out unless he's in our colors or with one of our people."
"Yes, sir," the man said, gripping his assault rifle harder. Snake slowly inched back into the shaft farther, and spent the next several minutes twisting his way through the ventilation system until he could see the station again. "I got away," he whispered to Otacon. "Looks like the next train is going to be coming in in moments," Snake said.
[Be careful, Snake. That was a close one back there.]
"No closer than a hundred others over the years."
[True.]
"Wait. Here comes the train."
The subway train came roaring in, most of it passing by the station until it slowed down, brakes squealing against the tracks as it came to a stop. The doors slid open, and a mass of people began slowly moving out of the train.
And into the guns of the Genome Army.
The machine gun went off, the sound of a giant ripping huge bolts of cloth. People began screaming and running around, as the other soldiers of the Genome Army mowed them down.
Snake was amazed. "This is new," he muttered to Otacon. "They're killing the potential hostages."
[Killing?! How many people do you think are dead, Snake?]
"Over a hundred, at least. More than that wounded."
[But for what purpose?]
"I don't know."
The shooting stopped. The Genome Soldiers began moving through the bodies, occasionally finishing off someone badly injured, other times picking up ones with superficial wounds and taking them hostage. "Not a bad plan," Snake muttered.
[What?]
"They kill some hostages, and keep the wounded ones alive. Immediately you know they mean business and that they have hostages to do it again."
[That's sick.]
"It's also effective. Wait, someone else is coming off the train."
Snake watched as a man of average height, in a black trench coat, and with a shock of hair so blonde it was almost white, step off the train. He let his coat drop to the floor, and beneath it was a sneaking suit Snake recognized as a "Skull Suit."
It can't be, he thought.
"I've given you what you want," the man said. "The government is fully ready to give you the body of Decoy Octopus—its useless to us, anyway—and we're entering high-level negotiations with the Chinese to get their newest Metal Gear."
"How are you going to convince them?" a voice said from the shadows. Snake recognized that voice. But from where?
"We've moved elements of the Pacific Fleet to the Chinese coast. Specifically, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Beijing. If the Chinese don't cooperate, we'll kill about 300 million of them in the course of an hour."
The voice laughed. "The United States of America, shining beacon of liberty, peace, and prosperity, holding a country hostage through nuclear weaponry."
"I note you've done it twice," the man said. "And failed."
"That's beside the point," the voice snapped. Then Snake realized who it was. CO of the Genome Army, Dolphus Raymond. He'd disappeared before Shadow Moses, after the creation of the Next-Generation Special Forces. Campbell had told him about Raymond on the U.S.S. Discovery, en route to Shadow Moses.
"Otacon," Snake said. "Raiden's here."
[What?!]
"He's acting as some sort of liaison between the terrorists and the government." Snake paused. "Or possibly been the terrorists and the la-li- lu-le-lo."
[That name is ridiculous, Snake. Use 'Patriots.']
"I don't think they are Patriots, Otacon. Think of the name. Sounds Native American, doesn't it? Check it out for me."
[Alright, Snake.]
Turning back to watch Raiden, he heard the former FOXHOUND commando say, "don't call me 'Raiden' anymore. It's 'White Devil,' now." The man in the shadows nodded; Snake could see a dim outline of him. "And as for the la-li- lu-le-lo," Raiden said, "I'm not interested in sticking with them." He walked through the corpses over Raymond and shook his hand.
"What the hell—" Snake said. "Otacon, Raiden is joining the terrorists."
[Impossible. Unless… the Patriots want him to join.]
"That's what I'm thinking. Find out what 'la-li-lu-le-lo' means. Now"
[Got it.]
Otacon cut the connection, and Snake started looking for a way out of the ventilation system. It was going to be a long day…
The staircase went of forever, or at least that was how it seemed to Snake. His footsteps rang loudly off the metal steps as he rushed down into the darkness. "Have you downloaded the plans of the Empire State Building yet, Otacon?" he asked. "My radar would be nice in this darkness."
[Sorry, Snake. It seems everyone this side of LA is trying to download those plans. I'll have them in a few minutes, I promise.]
"Alright," Snake said. "Have you informed Jack?"
[I think he legally changed his name to Raiden… no one ever said he had all his lights on upstairs.]
Snake chuckled. "That was pretty dumb, but not his fault. So what about him?"
[I tried to contact him… but he's disappeared.]
"What?"
[Well, he wasn't at the address he gave us, and all the secret lines we set up with him have been cut off… and his nanomachines aren't transmitting anymore. It's like he's disappeared off the face of the earth.]
Snake grimaced. "We know what that means," he said.
[I do.]
"I'll see if there's any connection to this," Snake said. "I'm at the bottom of the stairwell. Talk to you soon."
[Copy that.]
Snake slowly made his way down the last few stairs and onto a large landing. It appeared to have been turned into some kind of lounge: there were a few battered couches, a table with some magazines, and a pop machine. Snake noticed something lying on one of the couches. "A pair of NVGs? (Night Vision Goggles) Not bad," he said, putting them around his neck. "No more problems with the dark anymore around here."
The sound of an oncoming subway train made Snake pause. "Otacon," he said, "are there subway stations below the Empire State Building?"
[Yes. There's one on Level One, where you are, and another on sub-basement Level Four.]
"Wonderful," Snake said. "I think hostages are about to enter the equation."
[Great.]
Snake left the landing/lounge and opened another door that opened into the Level One subway station. The area seemed empty, but Snake could see several Genome Soldiers lurking about in the shadows, waiting for something. Off to one side, behind the counter of a Starbucks, was a machine gun emplacement. "Not good," Snake muttered.
[What?]
"Either the Genome Soldiers are going to massacre everyone as they step off the next subway train, or they're going to take them hostage—"
"Who're you!?"
"Damn!" Snake said as he whipped around, pulling out his SOCOM and shooting the Genome Soldier in the head all in half a second, a perfect red hole appearing in his forehead. There was a wet slapping sound as the man's brains spattered onto the floor behind him. The man crumpled, dead.
"I have an unknown hostile in the area! I need backup, now!"
Snake could hear the call come out from one of the Genome Soldiers nearby, and the reaction was immediate. The machine gun swung in Snake's general position, and Soldiers began to scour the area. [Snake, find somewhere to hide!] Otacon yelled. [It's a clearing!]
"I know," Snake said tersely. "This place is too open." Unsnapping the FAMAS off his back, he put the M9 and SOCOM into their respective holsters and darted out of cover, running for what appeared to be a small lavatory nearby.
Bullets ricocheted off the concrete floor all around him. "There he is!" someone yelled. The volume of fire picked up, and Snake grunted as he felt one of the bullets slam into the hard leather and thin layer of kevlar that comprised his combat boots. It made the boots heavy and hard to kick with, but it was better than getting ones foot blown off.
It worked here. The bullet cut through the leather and kevlar and stopped mere millimeters from Snake's calf. Snake sprayed the station area with fire, short staccato bursts that made the Genome Soldiers keep their heads down more than anything. He still heard a man behind him yell, "dammit, my arm!" as one of the bullets from the FAMAS struck him.
[Found a place to hide yet, Snake?]
"Not the time, Otacon," Snake said shortly. "But yes. There's a small lavatory about twenty meters away. I'll be there in moments"
[Good. Be careful, Snake.]
Snake reached the lavatory in moments, ducking in and looking for a place to hide. He noticed it in moments: a small, uncovered ventilation shaft in the floor. Hope it leads me back to the station, he thought, quickly crawling into the shaft as he heard the footsteps of the Genome Soldiers right outside the door.
"Be careful, men! Go!"
The door flew open and a squad of the white-clad terrorists quickly moved in. "Search the room!" the lieutenant ordered. The Soldiers quickly spread out through the room, checking each stall. "He's not here, sir," one of them said. "He has to be here!" The lieutenant cried. His radio crackled. "Report your status, Johnson," a voice ordered. "What's going on down there? Over."
"We have an intruder, sir, but he has eluded us for now," Johnson said. "He killed Nurwitzki and shot Brown in the arm. Over."
"Killed Nurwitzki, you say? We'll send down another two squads. Be careful, Johnson. The meeting is about to begin. Be on your guard. Over and out."
"Understood, sir. Over and out." As the Soldiers began to leave the lav, Johnson turned to one and said, "guard this room. No one goes in out unless he's in our colors or with one of our people."
"Yes, sir," the man said, gripping his assault rifle harder. Snake slowly inched back into the shaft farther, and spent the next several minutes twisting his way through the ventilation system until he could see the station again. "I got away," he whispered to Otacon. "Looks like the next train is going to be coming in in moments," Snake said.
[Be careful, Snake. That was a close one back there.]
"No closer than a hundred others over the years."
[True.]
"Wait. Here comes the train."
The subway train came roaring in, most of it passing by the station until it slowed down, brakes squealing against the tracks as it came to a stop. The doors slid open, and a mass of people began slowly moving out of the train.
And into the guns of the Genome Army.
The machine gun went off, the sound of a giant ripping huge bolts of cloth. People began screaming and running around, as the other soldiers of the Genome Army mowed them down.
Snake was amazed. "This is new," he muttered to Otacon. "They're killing the potential hostages."
[Killing?! How many people do you think are dead, Snake?]
"Over a hundred, at least. More than that wounded."
[But for what purpose?]
"I don't know."
The shooting stopped. The Genome Soldiers began moving through the bodies, occasionally finishing off someone badly injured, other times picking up ones with superficial wounds and taking them hostage. "Not a bad plan," Snake muttered.
[What?]
"They kill some hostages, and keep the wounded ones alive. Immediately you know they mean business and that they have hostages to do it again."
[That's sick.]
"It's also effective. Wait, someone else is coming off the train."
Snake watched as a man of average height, in a black trench coat, and with a shock of hair so blonde it was almost white, step off the train. He let his coat drop to the floor, and beneath it was a sneaking suit Snake recognized as a "Skull Suit."
It can't be, he thought.
"I've given you what you want," the man said. "The government is fully ready to give you the body of Decoy Octopus—its useless to us, anyway—and we're entering high-level negotiations with the Chinese to get their newest Metal Gear."
"How are you going to convince them?" a voice said from the shadows. Snake recognized that voice. But from where?
"We've moved elements of the Pacific Fleet to the Chinese coast. Specifically, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Beijing. If the Chinese don't cooperate, we'll kill about 300 million of them in the course of an hour."
The voice laughed. "The United States of America, shining beacon of liberty, peace, and prosperity, holding a country hostage through nuclear weaponry."
"I note you've done it twice," the man said. "And failed."
"That's beside the point," the voice snapped. Then Snake realized who it was. CO of the Genome Army, Dolphus Raymond. He'd disappeared before Shadow Moses, after the creation of the Next-Generation Special Forces. Campbell had told him about Raymond on the U.S.S. Discovery, en route to Shadow Moses.
"Otacon," Snake said. "Raiden's here."
[What?!]
"He's acting as some sort of liaison between the terrorists and the government." Snake paused. "Or possibly been the terrorists and the la-li- lu-le-lo."
[That name is ridiculous, Snake. Use 'Patriots.']
"I don't think they are Patriots, Otacon. Think of the name. Sounds Native American, doesn't it? Check it out for me."
[Alright, Snake.]
Turning back to watch Raiden, he heard the former FOXHOUND commando say, "don't call me 'Raiden' anymore. It's 'White Devil,' now." The man in the shadows nodded; Snake could see a dim outline of him. "And as for the la-li- lu-le-lo," Raiden said, "I'm not interested in sticking with them." He walked through the corpses over Raymond and shook his hand.
"What the hell—" Snake said. "Otacon, Raiden is joining the terrorists."
[Impossible. Unless… the Patriots want him to join.]
"That's what I'm thinking. Find out what 'la-li-lu-le-lo' means. Now"
[Got it.]
Otacon cut the connection, and Snake started looking for a way out of the ventilation system. It was going to be a long day…