Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, but the new storylines and ideas are mostly mine. I do have some ideas that I got from other sites, which are going to be showing up in future chapters.

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Chapter 4: Encounter

The Sun was completely down. Night had drawn and Snake was tired, but he could not sleep. He knew that there were only 85 hours left to complete his mission. He continued on his trip by taking a turn and going west. His censor was picking up another life form near by. Snake withdrew his binoculars to take a look around. Another group of 4 enemy sentries were near by. He called the Colonel on his codec.

~Codec Transmission~

Snake: Colonel, I've taken notice that all enemy sentries guard in groups of four.

Colonel: Exactly. This isn't your normal group of sentries Snake. We are dealing with the Patriots here. Instead of having one sentry guard a small area, we a have a group of 4 guarding a bigger area. But each group of 4 does not have contact with the guards. The only contacts they have are with the Patriots themselves.

Snake: Another thing I noticed is, these soldiers aren't Russian. There suits have an American flag patch on them with "La-Le-Li-Lu-Lo" stamped over it. They carry M16 guns making me believe even more that these are not Russians.

Colonel: They must be some sort of brain-washed American soldiers! But there is an advantage to this! There guns do not have input passwords programmed on them. These guns can be used by anyone! Snake, try to get a hold of one and as much ammo as possible. This should help you a lot. You 85 hours to save the world! The clock is ticking Snake!

~Codec Transmission Ends~

Snake knew the sentries were coming, so he took cover behind a small waterfall hanging over a cliff. The guards were walking right by him. His camo and stealth were hiding him so well, that they didn't even notice him. He waited for the last guard to go buy and quickly pulled him back behind the waterfall. The other sentries continued on, not even noticing that there fellow soldier was gone. Snake put his mouth up to the enemy's ear and spoke quietly.

Snake: Tell me what you know!

Sentry: .....

Snake drew his knife and held it to the enemy's throat.

Sentry: I don't know anything!

His voice had no accent and he was clearly an American.

Snake: So you are American. Tell me what you know! This is your last chance!

Sentry: I.I..

With that being said, Snake slit the enemy's throat and blood shot out everywhere. The other three sentries continued on there patrol. Snake took a trail that led him ahead of the other enemies. He set a trap for two of the three soldiers. Both soldiers fell into Snake's trap. The last soldier realized he was all on his own. The soldier was scared and breathing very hard. Snake caught the enemy from behind and held his knife against the soldier's throat.

Snake: Tell me about the Snake Eater.

Sentry: I don't know anything! Please don't kill me!

Snake: Who are you working for?

Sentry: The La-Le-Li-Lu-Lo.

Snake: Damn you! Quit lying to me! This is your last chance to tell me what you know about the Snake Eater! Tell me now or I'll kill you!

Sentry: The Snake Eater is a super soldier that is being trained by the Patriots. They told us something about him being a test. He's going through the S3 program. They said if it's successful, they would put all of us through this program! That's all I know, honestly! Please don't kill me!

Snake: I want to strip down of everything you wear and hand it over to me! I'm going to give you 2 minutes to give all your gear to me and get out of here. If you're still in my site by the time two minutes is up, I'm going to shoot you.

The enemy was moving as fast as he could to take off his uniform. Snake was already holding the soldiers M16 and all the ammo that the soldier had for it. The sentry was still trying to take off his boots when the two minutes were up. Snake shot him right in the heart, and the soldier's lifeless body lay on the ground. He pulled off the enemies gear and prepared to continue hiking. The codec rang.

~Codec Transmission~

Colonel: Good work Snake! I've got some good news for you.

Snake: You always seem to say that, but I every time I hear the news, it seems you've just made things harder.

Colonel: Well, this one will make things easier! I can assure you of that! I've pulled you up on our radars. We have located that you are about 100 miles away from the base!

Snake: 100 miles! Was John Hunter trying to kill me or something?

Colonel: Exactly Snake! I had placed under arrest for attempted man slaughter!

Snake: Well, what's the good news?

Colonel: I have a plane and a care package heading your way that will pick you and drop you within a mile of the base. We have everything fully equipped with stealth, so you don't have to worry about the Patriot's spotting us.

Snake: Good. When should it be here?

Colonel: Around O700 hours.

Snake: That's only a few hours from now. By the time it gets here, I should have about 80 hours to complete this mission. Colonel, what are my mission objectives? You haven't even briefed me yet.

Colonel: You have two mission objectives. First and foremost, I want you to infiltrate the Patriots' secret location and investigate the Snake Eater. You must also make sure that the Patriots' identity stays a secret. And second, try to take out the Snake Eater if all possible!

Snake: Ok. What should I do for now while I wait for the plane?

Colonel: Try to move another mile north. If you make it there before dawn, get some rest. I can tell that you need it! Over and out.

~Codec Transmission Ends~

Snake began heading north. He found a good cave to rest in. As he entered that cave, all he could hear was silence. He headed toward the back of the cave and found a place to rest. Three hours time elapses. It was early in the morning and the birds were chirping. There were about 83 hours left to complete the mission. He still had another half mile to travel until he reached the extraction point, where the airplane would pick him up.

As he exited the cave, he could hear a pack of dogs heading his way. There was no where to hide. Snake ran for his life. He found a path and had lost the dogs. The path took him to a river on top of a water fall. The dogs had found and were coming back. There were about 10 of them. Snake drew out his M16 and began firing at dogs. That didn't seem to scare them, but it seemed to just make them more furious. He was trapped. Could this possibly be the death of the legendary Solid Snake?

Snake began running toward the waterfall. He took a final breath and dove off the cliff landing at the foot of the falls. His head plunged out of the water. It appeared he was perfectly fine and ready to go. His codec rang.

~Codec Transmission~

Scrambled Female Voice: Oh, so close Snake! This will truly be the survival of the Snakest!

Scrambled Male Voice: Snake! You must eat! You must live! Are you hungry for some Snake?

~Codec Transmission Ends~