Out on the BC Connecting Bridge, Otacon moved back toward the Strut C
entrance as the gruff SEAL sergeant had ordered, helping his companion
along as bullets started flying behind them. Peter Stillman limped beside
him as fast as he could, which was still too slow for Otacon's liking.
Urging the man along, he glanced back toward the SEALs then across to their
female opponent, who stood at the door to the Shell 1 Core holding what was
clearly a deactivated rail gun at her side. Otacon blinked in disbelief as
every bullet the SEALs fired veered away from the woman. Now even more
frightened, he all but shoved Stillman into the sheltered entryway and
slumped in relief against the wall.
"I think we're pretty safe now," he sighed and started digging through his coat pockets. He produced two key cards and held them out to Stillman. "Here..."
The other man took the keys and looked at them. "What are these for?"
"They'll come in handy later," Otacon assured.
"But..."
"They told us to get back to the kitchen and wait," Otacon said, cutting off Stillman's objections. He gestured to the Strut C door. "Go ahead, I'll be right behind you."
Stillman was about to protest again when a high-speed bullet suddenly ricocheted into the entry, burying itself into the wall beside them. Frightened enough now to let the questions wait, Stillman hurried through the door with Otacon close behind. Once safely in the strut, Otacon let Stillman get a few steps ahead of him and activated his stealth camo.
Knowing he couldn't make it past the fighting back to Snake's location, Otacon shifted his mind to the first of his contingency plans and sneaked past Stillman to head straight to Shell 2. He had been monitoring Snake's frequency since he had cut his transmission earlier, but hadn't been able to respond to his lover's worried calls. Even now, he held off activating his own Codec until he was in a secure location. He heard the rookie call Snake and was relieved to hear he was sleeping, however lightly. However, the fourth time he called, he heard Snake mumbling in his sleep and then suddenly cry out Liquid's name in fear. Otacon started in surprise when he heard it and moved faster toward Shell 2. A few minutes later, he stood in Strut G, checking his radar and looking for a safe spot to call Snake. He spotted a small storeroom and ducked inside, kneeling behind a few boxes and activating his Codec.
'Hey, it's me,' he said quietly, seeing Snake was still dozing.
Snake snapped his eyes open, suddenly wide-awake. 'Otacon! Are you okay?'
'Yeah, I'm fine,' Otacon assured. 'There's been a change of plans. I couldn't get to you, so I've moved on to Shell 2.'
'What's going on out there?'
'It was the girl, uh...Fortune.' Otacon shook his head, still amazed at what he had seen. 'It was unbelievable. Bullets really CAN'T hit her. Those SEALs don't stand a chance.' He took a deep breath. 'She was carrying a rail gun.'
'Carrying?!' Snake gaped.
Otacon nodded. 'Yeah, so if she decides to use it...'
'We can say goodbye to the bridge,' Snake muttered and cursed under his breath.
'Maybe not,' Otacon replied. 'She was by the Core, and the SEALs were heading for that secondary bridge.'
'So, how do I get a key now?' Snake sighed.
'The bomb expert they brought along has it,' Otacon explained. 'I was with him when they sent us back to the kitchen. The bomb disposal will still have to happen, and if team Alpha was wiped out, I'm sure Bravo will be too.' He paused, a bit surprised at his own cool reaction to the possibility of at least a dozen more people dying. He sighed and shook his head. 'He'll be in the kitchen. You need to get there and volunteer to help. As long as you tell him you're going to cover Shell 2, he should give you the right card.'
'What if he decides to do it himself?' Snake asked. 'He could be gone by the time I get to Strut C.'
Otacon shook his head. 'He's got a bad leg. He's not going anywhere. I gave him two keys. The level three card has been reprogrammed as all- access. That one's yours.'
'You're good,' Snake smiled. 'I'm impressed.'
'Someone's gotta take care of you,' Otacon chuckled. 'By the way, did you find out his name?'
'Oh, yeah. He called himself Raiden.'
'Raiden?' Otacon mumbled as he set up his laptop. 'That doesn't sound like a FOXHOUND codename.'
Snake nodded in agreement. 'I thought the same thing.'
'I'm looking for his file right now,' Otacon said, fingers flying over the keyboard. He went quiet for a minute, concentrating, then, 'I heard you being a little hard on him about VR training.'
'Well?' Snake replied. He sighed and shrugged. 'Fine, I'll admit that VR missions are a great way to keep your skills sharpened, but it's no way to train a soldier.'
'But it's not his fault he was trained that way,' Otacon said. 'Just go a little easier, all right? Aha, got it! Hmm...'
'Something wrong?'
Otacon shook his head. 'Most of what I can find is what he's already told you about his training. There seem to be huge pieces of data missing, either more highly classified or deliberately deleted.'
'What else does it say?' Snake asked.
'Not much. First name Jack, last name classified, hair blonde, eyes blue, height, weight, et cetera...' Otacon trailed off.
'Something interesting?'
Otacon cleared his throat. 'Seems he's bisexual. Currently involved with a woman named Rosemary, last name also classified. She's the analyst on this mission.' He took his hands off the keyboard with a sigh. 'I'm sure I could find out a few more things if you want.'
'I guess that's not necessary,' Snake shrugged. 'Does it say FOXHOUND?'
'Yeah, but I get the feeling it's just covering something else,' Otacon replied, studying the file. A minute later, he quickly sent the information to Mei Ling and shut down his laptop again. 'Well, you'd better get going. I've got to get to a more secure location to work. I'll see you later.'
'Not too much later,' Snake said with a smile.
'I hope not,' Otacon sighed, standing. He started for the door and paused. 'Oh, Snake, I was monitoring your frequency for a while before I called...you didn't tell me you were having nightmares about Shadow Moses.'
Snake inhaled sharply. 'You mean I really fell asleep?'
'Didn't you mean to?' Otacon asked, confused.
'I was faking it to get rid of the kid for a while,' Snake muttered, rubbing his head. 'I must've hit my head harder than I thought.'
'You hit your head?!' Otacon cried. 'When did that happen?'
Snake shrugged again. 'Vamp slammed it into the wall.'
'Then you shouldn't have been sleeping!' Otacon snapped. 'Snake, if I'd known that, I would've called sooner. Why don't you tell me anything?'
'I didn't want to worry you.'
'Well, you've got me worried now,' Otacon grumbled. 'Are you feeling okay?'
'Slight headache,' Snake admitted, 'but I'll be fine.'
'You probably have a concussion.'
Snake shook his head. 'It wouldn't be the first.'
'That's not something to be proud of,' Otacon sighed. 'Are you sure you'll be okay?'
'Are you safe?' Snake asked.
Otacon looked around quickly and nodded. 'Yeah.'
'Then I'll be fine.'
'You're sweet,' Otacon smiled.
'Keep in touch,' Snake ordered, smiling also.
Snake ended the transmission and got up, stretching, then moved up the stairs with his M9 in hand. He reached the bridge and looked out cautiously, seeing no guards. He was about to start across when a whirring sound caught his ear. Growling, Snake ducked back out of sight and put away his M9, taking out a USP instead.
A second later, a small camera Cypher flew up to cover the bridge. Snake watched its flight pattern on his radar for a minute, waiting until it neared him again. As soon as it was where he wanted it, he jumped out and fired, taking it down in one shot, then hurried across the bridge. He scanned Strut C quickly, but it seemed empty, so he moved on to the kitchen.
Pausing in the door, Snake listened, hearing two voices. He easily identified Raiden's, but didn't recognize the other. He figured, rightly, that it was the bomb expert, but didn't move yet. He wanted to know what Raiden would do.
"Did I tell you you could move?" Raiden demanded suddenly, sounding more than a little high-strung.
Rolling his eyes, Snake entered the kitchen and looked calmly at Raiden. "It's all right. He's not one of the bad guys." His expression turned into a faint glower when Raiden swung the barrel of his gun to point at him. "Don't go pointing that thing everywhere, kid," he growled and turned to study the other man. "What's your name?"
"My name is Peter," he replied, sounding a little nervous. "Peter Stillman."
'Peter Stillman,' Otacon spoke up in Snake's ear. 'He's...'
'I know who he is,' Snake cut in. He searched his memory for a moment, then recited, "Lecturer at NAVSCOLEOD Indian Head...Also a consultant for the NYPD bomb squad."
Stillman didn't look pleased at the recognition. "A poor old man who got dragged along for this picnic," he muttered, limping toward the counter.
"I thought you'd retired," Snake said.
"I did. Can't keep up with everybody, as you can see." Stillman gestured to his right leg with his free hand. "A famous church got wiped off the map thanks to me. With too many lives inside. All I lost was this leg," he concluded, slapping his leg with his cane.
"So you're the bomb disposal guy?" Raiden asked, only to get things clear in his mind.
Snake eyed Raiden with some disbelief. "Kid, this is THE bomb disposal guy. Open any explosives textbook and you'll see his name."
"Heh," Stillman chuckled, almost bitterly. "Just ancient history now."
"Why did they bring you out of retirement then?" Raiden asked, puzzled.
"Because the terrorist group here includes one of my students," Stillman sighed. "The Emperor of Explosives -- Fatman. He built an atomic bomb when he was only ten. I created him in a sense."
"And that's why you're here..." Snake said, eyeing him.
Stillman nodded. "I'm pretty rusty. I was supposed to supervise the bomb disposal -- looks like it was taken care of before I had my turn."
"I wouldn't say that." Snake grinned faintly and looked over his shoulder at Raiden. "There are at least two people here who can claim to be experts at bomb disposal." Raiden glared back at him, sick of having his skills belittled.
"Are you with SEAL team 10?" Stillman asked, studying them. "I didn't see you at the mission briefing."
"Oh, we're with another squad," Snake diverted quickly. "My name is Pliskin, Lieutenant Junior Grade. Honored to meet you, sir." He held out his hand.
Stillman glanced at his outstretched hand briefly, then stared into his face. "Mr. Pliskin, do you have any experience with explosives disposal?"
"Don't worry about me," Snake waved away the question and gestured at Raiden. "And he looks young, but he can do it. We need more manpower."
"I'm ah --" Raiden mumbled, shuffling slightly. He blushed faintly, flattered that Pliskin had, for once, defended him instead of insulting him, but he himself was not confident of his skills in this case.
"What's your name?" Stillman asked, studying him yet again.
"Raiden," he answered, stumbling over his codename.
"That's an odd name," Stillman frowned.
Raiden looked away, wondering why everybody had to say that. "Any other survivors?" he asked, trying to turn the others' attention away from him.
"There was also an engineer with me," Stillman replied, nodding.
"An engineer?" Raiden muttered, confused again.
"A skinny guy," Stillman clarified. "He went in with us..."
Raiden nodded. "Where is he?"
'Are they talking about me?' Otacon asked suddenly, a note of worry in his voice.
'Yeah,' Snake confirmed, his attention on the conversation.
"I haven't seen him since that skirmish," Stillman answered Raiden.
"Was he killed?" Raiden demanded.
Stillman shook his head. "I don't think so. I didn't find his body."
"I see..." Snake mumbled.
'Change the subject,' Otacon ordered, the worry a little more plain now. 'The less said about me, the better.'
Snake rolled his eyes slightly. 'I have to be subtle. I can't just say, "Hey, let's stop talking about the engineer. He doesn't like it."'
'But...'
'Relax. I'll handle it,' Snake assured, turning his mind back to the discussion.
"They told me he was the security systems architect for the Big Shell," Stillman explained.
"Why would they take a civilian along?" Raiden wondered.
"Everything in this structure is computer-controlled," Stillman sighed. "He was supposed to get us past all the security measures."
"I never heard anything about that," Raiden muttered, brow furrowing in confusion.
Stillman shot the kid a look. "He had official orders with him."
"We'll leave that for later," Snake cut in gruffly, veering the discussion away from Otacon. "Right now, we need to figure out how to deal with all the bombs."
'Thanks,' Otacon sighed, relieved.
"But there's no one left from the SEAL's EOD squad," Raiden gasped.
"Yep," Snake confirmed. "So we have to do it ourselves."
"But I've never defused a bomb before..." Raiden mumbled worriedly. Suddenly, he put a hand to his ear, turning away. "Uh, hold on a sec."
Snake grinned at him. "Off to confer with the C.O. again?" He watched with amusement as Raiden apparently fell into a silent argument.
'Sure is taking him a while,' Otacon commented as he monitored Raiden's discussion.
'I think everything takes him a while,' Snake replied wryly.
Otacon chuckled, shaking his head. 'Oh, Snake, be nice.'
"How about it, kid?" Snake called aloud, smirking. "Are the results in yet?"
Not having much choice in the matter, Raiden joined Snake as Stillman explained what they would have to do, but he only half listened to the instructions, distracted by his own thoughts. He wasn't sure what to think of Pliskin earlier. So far, he had been nothing but pushy and arrogant, but just a few minutes ago, he had suddenly defended him. Why?
Raiden looked at Snake again with a new appreciation. He appeared much healthier than the last time he had seen him and now that he thought about it, pretty damn hot. He'd always liked the strong types. The longish brown hair was nice, and his eyes...green. Yes, very nice. He liked his women softer, but his men chiseled, just like Pliskin. In fact, he was perfect, at least his looks. If Stillman wasn't there, he would have propositioned Pliskin right then. He didn't even notice Stillman finished his lecture until Snake turned to him.
"Kid, this place is all yours," Snake told him. "I'll take care of Shell 2."
"Take this," Stillman said, handing Snake one key card and sliding the other across the counter to Raiden.
Raiden picked up his card and studied it. "What's this?"
"Security card issued to Shell personnel," Stillman explained.
'Baby, you're a genius,' Snake smiled, pocketing the level three card. 'I've got the card, and I'm heading your way.' He blinked curiously when Otacon made no reply to his praise. 'Why so quiet?'
'I've changed my mind,' Otacon muttered. 'You don't have to be nice to Raiden.'
'Why the change of heart?' Snake asked, glancing across at Raiden.
'He's attracted to you, Snake.'
Snake sighed, well used to Otacon's fits of jealousy. 'And you know this how?'
'I've got you on radar,' Otacon replied. 'The whole time Stillman was talking, he wasn't paying attention. He was staring at you.'
'How can you tell?'
'Cones of vision, Snake. I could tell where he was looking, and I don't like it at all.'
'I think you're just a little paranoid.'
'I am not!' Otacon cried. 'I know what I saw.'
Snake smiled faintly. 'You're cute when you're jealous.'
'Who's jealous?' Otacon pouted.
Suddenly, Mei Ling's voice cut in, 'Who's in denial now?'
Otacon blinked in surprise. 'Huh?'
'Snake, I think you should listen to Otacon,' Mei Ling continued. 'I saw the radar too.'
'Maybe the kid's suspicious,' Snake suggested with a shrug. 'He's gotta know I've been lying by now.'
"How did you get this?" Raiden asked suddenly, drawing Snake's attention back to the others.
"That engineer I told you about gave it to me," Stillman explained. "He was supposed to program a set of all-access cards once we were on-site. Unfortunately, this card won't get you into every area of this structure."
Snake nodded and put his card away. "We'll have to deal with the remaining security lockouts as they come up."
'At least he will,' Otacon grinned.
"Let's get going," Snake said to Raiden, hiding a smirk. As they started for the door, Stillman moved to follow and Snake turned back. "You stay here."
"No, I'm going," Stillman insisted.
Snake gave him a look. "The two of us can handle it, don't worry."
"But --"
"You'll just slow us down with that leg of yours," Snake said gruffly, glaring. "There's a war going on here. I don't have time to baby sit anymore." Pete glared back, but stayed silent.
'That was a little cold, Snake,' Otacon chided.
'He can take it,' Snake assured. 'He knows I'm right.'
Raiden, hoping to get Snake's approval, stepped up behind him. "Why don't you let us handle the grunt work? You can tell us what to do over the radio, like in the original mission plan." He didn't see Snake roll his eyes and shake his head at him.
"All right," Stillman sighed and lowered himself stiffly onto a stool. "I'll give you instructions from here. I may also need to prepare a backup plan just in case..."
"In case of what?" Raiden asked.
"Good luck to both of you," Stillman said, pointedly ignoring the question. "This is a dangerous one."
"'Who Dares, Wins,'" Snake quoted.
Stillman looked at him, suddenly suspicious. "If anything comes up, let me know. My frequency is 140.25."
"Good luck, kid. I'll see you later." Snake patted Raiden on the back, not noticing the small shiver and smile he earned. He gave them both a small wave and started out the door. "'Semper Fi.'"
"That man's no SEAL," Stillman said once Snake had gone. "I don't even think he's a Navy man."
Raiden gaped, shocked. "What?"
"'Semper Fi'...Marine Corps talk," Stillman said and looked up at Raiden. "Normally, team leaders stay in the CP and give orders with those headphones. And as far as I know, SEALs keep their officers away from the field." Raiden started thinking as Stillman went on. "And -- 'Who Dares, Wins' is a motto of the British Special Air Service."
"Is he one of the terrorists, then?" Raiden demanded, horrified at the possibility.
"No, somehow I don't think so," Stillman replied, staring hard at Raiden. "If there's someone to suspect, I'd put my money on you."
"I'm --" Raiden shifted uncomfortably under Stillman's gaze, looking away.
Stillman sighed and stood up, limping past Raiden. "Just take care of the bombs for now."
"What about you?" Raiden asked, following him as he moved slowly across the room. "They could be back in this area soon."
"I'll hide out in this pantry for a while," Stillman said, stopping before the pantry door. He slid it open and looked inside. Raiden peered over his shoulder, thinking that it looked like the perfect place for a little fun. He sighed, sorry that Pliskin had left so quickly.
"If I lock the door, it should be all right," Stillman continued, checking the door lock. "Plenty of food in there too, so you won't need to worry about me. I'll give you instructions via Codec from here." He entered the pantry and slid the door partly closed. "Good luck -- kid. Bomb disposal is a face-off with your own mortality. Don't let the fear get to you. When you give in to fear, the darkness comes..." He shook his head and slid the door closed, locking it securely.
Sighing again, Raiden leaned back against the pantry door, reflecting. Some of what Stillman had said really didn't make sense to him. And Pliskin...who was he? Marines, British Special Air Service...he'd been around. That, at least, was for certain, and Raiden liked that too. A smile crept across his face and he left the kitchen. He was about to start his mission, but first, he wanted to see if he could catch Pliskin before he got too far away. He hurried to the CD bridge and stopped dead. There was an unconscious guard at his feet and a box sneaking across the bridge.
Alarmed, Raiden pulled his Socom and fired several times. Whoever was in the box set off at a run as pieces of cardboard began to fly off. The box disappeared into Strut D, and Raiden, shaken, lowered his gun and went back. Inside Strut C, Raiden figured there was more than one way to get in touch with someone and called Pliskin via Codec.
'Pliskin, I saw someone wearing a cardboard box just now...?'
Snake blinked, surprised. 'A box? I don't know anything about that. You sure you weren't imagining things?'
'Of course I'm sure,' Raiden snapped. 'Do you think it's one of the members of Dead Cell?'
'How should I know?'
'I don't want to fight someone like that...' Raiden mumbled, a little worriedly.
'Why not?'
Raiden shook his head. 'Because it looked so dumb. Anyone who's willing to be seen like that must be completely insane. I mean, he's a psycho, there's no question about it.'
'Um...uh...yeah...' Snake cut the transmission to Raiden, feeling insulted, and heard chuckling in his ear. 'Otacon, are you laughing at me?'
'I'm sorry, Snake, but he's right,' Otacon replied, still chuckling. 'You and your cardboard boxes...'
Snake frowned, a little hurt. 'What are you telling me?'
'I'm just saying, maybe you shouldn't use the boxes as much as you do, okay? It kinda worries me sometimes. Looks like you scared Raiden too.'
'He didn't have to shoot at me,' Snake mumbled, pouting faintly.
'True,' Otacon allowed, 'but you heard him. He thinks whoever was in that box is a psycho. Psycho equals "bad guy" to him.'
'All right, all RIGHT! I get it already.' Snake sighed and rubbed his forehead. 'So, where are you?'
'Not far. I'll let you know once those bombs are frozen. You don't need to be sidetracked now.'
'I'd feel better knowing where you are,' Snake insisted.
'It won't do you any good to know if I have to move,' Otacon sighed. 'Don't worry. I have some things to take care of, so I'm signing off for a while. Just call me when you're done, and I'll meet you then.'
Snake sighed again, knowing better than to argue. 'Take care of yourself.'
'You too,' Otacon returned quietly and cut the transmission.
As soon as Otacon had signed off, Snake called Mei Ling. 'Hey, you there?'
'What is it, Snake?' Mei Ling asked.
'Can you tell me where Otacon is?'
'You called to ask me that? You should be defusing bombs right now.'
'I just need to know.'
Sighing, Mei Ling went through her radar maps, looking for Otacon. 'He's moving around, Snake. It looks like he's checking out Shell 2.'
'Where is he right now?' Snake asked.
'The lowest floor of Strut I, going up,' Mei Ling replied.
'Thanks,' Snake smiled.
'Anything else before I get back to work?'
'That's all.'
'See you later,' Mei Ling smiled, and cut the transmission.
Feeling better knowing Otacon was safe, Snake started on the bombs. He cleared Strut G and moved counter-clockwise around the rest of the Shell. Raiden was keeping himself busy as well clearing Shell 1 of bombs. However, each time they reported another location to Stillman, the bomb expert became more puzzled and worried.
On his way up to the heliport on Strut E, Raiden had an encounter with Olga Gurlukovich and called 'Pliskin', who explained what he could, having been 'briefed'. Not long after, Stillman called Snake and asked him to look through the bottom of Strut H on a hunch. Snake was nearly there anyway, so he agreed and left Strut I unchecked, reasoning he would get it later. After a minute of search, Snake found what he was looking for. Not liking what he saw one bit, he called Pete.
The bomb expert was talking to Raiden. 'Good work. Only one more left to go...'
'This is Pliskin,' Snake cut in. 'Do you read me, Pete?'
'I'm here,' Stillman confirmed. 'What's up?'
'Raiden, you need to hear this too.'
'I'm listening,' Raiden replied.
'I checked out the bottom of Strut H for you, Pete,' Snake began.
'Wait --' Raiden interrupted, making Snake glower irritably, 'what's this about?'
'I asked Pliskin to look around,' Stillman explained. 'Knowing Fatman, I can't shake the feeling that all the bombs so far were just wrong.'
'So, did you find anything?' Raiden asked Snake.
Snake rolled his eyes and sighed faintly. 'Yeah, a hell of a lot of C4s packed into the bottom of the strut. Pete called it right...'
Regretfully, Snake explained that the sensor didn't detect the C4. Stillman recognized it as a direct challenge from Fatman and knew that if he really wanted to destroy the Big Shell, there must be another bomb in Shell 1, figuring the most likely spot was the bottom of Strut A. He told Snake not to do anything to the bomb yet. He wanted to see it for himself. Snake and Raiden protested, but Stillman silenced them with the truth about the church, his guilt, and his phony injury. He started putting together another sensor and Raiden moved on to his last bomb. Snake defused one of his last two bombs and moved back down to Strut H to meet Stillman.
By the time Raiden froze his last C4, Stillman was in Strut H and studying the bomb. He instructed Raiden to go back to the kitchen, where he's left a new auditory sensor for him. Snake left him with bomb and moved on to look for the C4 in Strut I, his last bomb to freeze. Just before he found the last bomb, Raiden called to say he had found the new sensor. Stillman, who had been staring at the 'scentless' bomb from a distance for the last several minutes, suddenly realized that the timer was not counting down. While he puzzled over this, Snake found his bomb and froze it before Stillman could warn him not to. The scentless bomb activated, giving a four hundred second countdown. He told Raiden to hurry to Strut A and freeze the other one. Raiden calculated he had just over six minutes to get there and started running.
'What about yours, Pete?' Snake asked as Raiden hurried to Strut A.
'I'm not the expert for nothing,' Stillman replied confidently. 'I'm sure Fatman has complicated it somewhat, but with a few minutes to study it, I'm sure it can be defused.'
'You need a hand with anything? I can head back down,' Snake offered.
Pete shook his head. 'Thanks, Pliskin, but that shouldn't be necessary.'
Once the Codec cut, Snake, meaning well, started back to Strut H anyway. Meanwhile, Stillman pulled out his wire cutters and looked once again at the bomb, still apprehensive. Something didn't seem right, but he couldn't figure out what. Shrugging off the lingering questions in his mind, he approached the C4. The counter abruptly jumped to just sixty seconds and counting. Sweat beaded on his forehead. So that was it.
"Touché, Fatman," Stillman mumbled, then called the others. 'Raiden, Pliskin, listen carefully.'
'What is it?' Raiden asked as he rode the elevator down to the Deep Sea Dock.
'I fell for it,' Pete admitted quietly.
Snake froze at the top of the ladder outside Strut H. 'Fell for what?'
'Fatman has my number,' Stillman said. 'A proximity sensor. Microwave.'
'Microwave?' Raiden mumbled, confused.
Stillman nodded, sighing quietly. 'With a seven foot range. It's not a technique I taught him. Neither was that multi-bomb booby trap. Looks like he's far surpassed me as far as explosives technique goes. As for the rest --'
'Pete, get out of there!' Snake growled as he climbed back up the ladder.
'There's less than thirty seconds left,' Pete replied, shaking his head. 'It's too late.'
'No!' Raiden cried.
'Pliskin, get away from Strut H, as fast as you can,' Stillman ordered hurriedly.
'Pete --' Another thought struck Snake and he closed the line to Pete, calling Otacon instead.
'Hey, Snake,' Otacon greeted. 'Done already?'
Snake was already up the ladder and running for the GH bridge. 'Otacon, where are you?'
'Why? What's going on?' Otacon asked worriedly.
'Just stay away from Strut H,' Snake ordered as he raced across the bridge. 'A bomb is gonna go off in just a few seconds!'
'I...I'm on the roof,' Otacon whispered, swallowing hard.
Snake froze, his heart skipping a beat. 'What?!' He turned and ran back as fast as he could. 'I'm coming up to get you! Hang on!'
'Snake, no!' Otacon cried. 'There's not enough time!' The explosion suddenly rocked the structure, knocking him off his feet. When the tremors died down, he stood up, unhurt, and tried contacting Snake. All he got was static. 'Snake!' His own heart skipping with fear, Otacon hurried to the small roof access hatch and climbed down into the strut.
TBC
"I think we're pretty safe now," he sighed and started digging through his coat pockets. He produced two key cards and held them out to Stillman. "Here..."
The other man took the keys and looked at them. "What are these for?"
"They'll come in handy later," Otacon assured.
"But..."
"They told us to get back to the kitchen and wait," Otacon said, cutting off Stillman's objections. He gestured to the Strut C door. "Go ahead, I'll be right behind you."
Stillman was about to protest again when a high-speed bullet suddenly ricocheted into the entry, burying itself into the wall beside them. Frightened enough now to let the questions wait, Stillman hurried through the door with Otacon close behind. Once safely in the strut, Otacon let Stillman get a few steps ahead of him and activated his stealth camo.
Knowing he couldn't make it past the fighting back to Snake's location, Otacon shifted his mind to the first of his contingency plans and sneaked past Stillman to head straight to Shell 2. He had been monitoring Snake's frequency since he had cut his transmission earlier, but hadn't been able to respond to his lover's worried calls. Even now, he held off activating his own Codec until he was in a secure location. He heard the rookie call Snake and was relieved to hear he was sleeping, however lightly. However, the fourth time he called, he heard Snake mumbling in his sleep and then suddenly cry out Liquid's name in fear. Otacon started in surprise when he heard it and moved faster toward Shell 2. A few minutes later, he stood in Strut G, checking his radar and looking for a safe spot to call Snake. He spotted a small storeroom and ducked inside, kneeling behind a few boxes and activating his Codec.
'Hey, it's me,' he said quietly, seeing Snake was still dozing.
Snake snapped his eyes open, suddenly wide-awake. 'Otacon! Are you okay?'
'Yeah, I'm fine,' Otacon assured. 'There's been a change of plans. I couldn't get to you, so I've moved on to Shell 2.'
'What's going on out there?'
'It was the girl, uh...Fortune.' Otacon shook his head, still amazed at what he had seen. 'It was unbelievable. Bullets really CAN'T hit her. Those SEALs don't stand a chance.' He took a deep breath. 'She was carrying a rail gun.'
'Carrying?!' Snake gaped.
Otacon nodded. 'Yeah, so if she decides to use it...'
'We can say goodbye to the bridge,' Snake muttered and cursed under his breath.
'Maybe not,' Otacon replied. 'She was by the Core, and the SEALs were heading for that secondary bridge.'
'So, how do I get a key now?' Snake sighed.
'The bomb expert they brought along has it,' Otacon explained. 'I was with him when they sent us back to the kitchen. The bomb disposal will still have to happen, and if team Alpha was wiped out, I'm sure Bravo will be too.' He paused, a bit surprised at his own cool reaction to the possibility of at least a dozen more people dying. He sighed and shook his head. 'He'll be in the kitchen. You need to get there and volunteer to help. As long as you tell him you're going to cover Shell 2, he should give you the right card.'
'What if he decides to do it himself?' Snake asked. 'He could be gone by the time I get to Strut C.'
Otacon shook his head. 'He's got a bad leg. He's not going anywhere. I gave him two keys. The level three card has been reprogrammed as all- access. That one's yours.'
'You're good,' Snake smiled. 'I'm impressed.'
'Someone's gotta take care of you,' Otacon chuckled. 'By the way, did you find out his name?'
'Oh, yeah. He called himself Raiden.'
'Raiden?' Otacon mumbled as he set up his laptop. 'That doesn't sound like a FOXHOUND codename.'
Snake nodded in agreement. 'I thought the same thing.'
'I'm looking for his file right now,' Otacon said, fingers flying over the keyboard. He went quiet for a minute, concentrating, then, 'I heard you being a little hard on him about VR training.'
'Well?' Snake replied. He sighed and shrugged. 'Fine, I'll admit that VR missions are a great way to keep your skills sharpened, but it's no way to train a soldier.'
'But it's not his fault he was trained that way,' Otacon said. 'Just go a little easier, all right? Aha, got it! Hmm...'
'Something wrong?'
Otacon shook his head. 'Most of what I can find is what he's already told you about his training. There seem to be huge pieces of data missing, either more highly classified or deliberately deleted.'
'What else does it say?' Snake asked.
'Not much. First name Jack, last name classified, hair blonde, eyes blue, height, weight, et cetera...' Otacon trailed off.
'Something interesting?'
Otacon cleared his throat. 'Seems he's bisexual. Currently involved with a woman named Rosemary, last name also classified. She's the analyst on this mission.' He took his hands off the keyboard with a sigh. 'I'm sure I could find out a few more things if you want.'
'I guess that's not necessary,' Snake shrugged. 'Does it say FOXHOUND?'
'Yeah, but I get the feeling it's just covering something else,' Otacon replied, studying the file. A minute later, he quickly sent the information to Mei Ling and shut down his laptop again. 'Well, you'd better get going. I've got to get to a more secure location to work. I'll see you later.'
'Not too much later,' Snake said with a smile.
'I hope not,' Otacon sighed, standing. He started for the door and paused. 'Oh, Snake, I was monitoring your frequency for a while before I called...you didn't tell me you were having nightmares about Shadow Moses.'
Snake inhaled sharply. 'You mean I really fell asleep?'
'Didn't you mean to?' Otacon asked, confused.
'I was faking it to get rid of the kid for a while,' Snake muttered, rubbing his head. 'I must've hit my head harder than I thought.'
'You hit your head?!' Otacon cried. 'When did that happen?'
Snake shrugged again. 'Vamp slammed it into the wall.'
'Then you shouldn't have been sleeping!' Otacon snapped. 'Snake, if I'd known that, I would've called sooner. Why don't you tell me anything?'
'I didn't want to worry you.'
'Well, you've got me worried now,' Otacon grumbled. 'Are you feeling okay?'
'Slight headache,' Snake admitted, 'but I'll be fine.'
'You probably have a concussion.'
Snake shook his head. 'It wouldn't be the first.'
'That's not something to be proud of,' Otacon sighed. 'Are you sure you'll be okay?'
'Are you safe?' Snake asked.
Otacon looked around quickly and nodded. 'Yeah.'
'Then I'll be fine.'
'You're sweet,' Otacon smiled.
'Keep in touch,' Snake ordered, smiling also.
Snake ended the transmission and got up, stretching, then moved up the stairs with his M9 in hand. He reached the bridge and looked out cautiously, seeing no guards. He was about to start across when a whirring sound caught his ear. Growling, Snake ducked back out of sight and put away his M9, taking out a USP instead.
A second later, a small camera Cypher flew up to cover the bridge. Snake watched its flight pattern on his radar for a minute, waiting until it neared him again. As soon as it was where he wanted it, he jumped out and fired, taking it down in one shot, then hurried across the bridge. He scanned Strut C quickly, but it seemed empty, so he moved on to the kitchen.
Pausing in the door, Snake listened, hearing two voices. He easily identified Raiden's, but didn't recognize the other. He figured, rightly, that it was the bomb expert, but didn't move yet. He wanted to know what Raiden would do.
"Did I tell you you could move?" Raiden demanded suddenly, sounding more than a little high-strung.
Rolling his eyes, Snake entered the kitchen and looked calmly at Raiden. "It's all right. He's not one of the bad guys." His expression turned into a faint glower when Raiden swung the barrel of his gun to point at him. "Don't go pointing that thing everywhere, kid," he growled and turned to study the other man. "What's your name?"
"My name is Peter," he replied, sounding a little nervous. "Peter Stillman."
'Peter Stillman,' Otacon spoke up in Snake's ear. 'He's...'
'I know who he is,' Snake cut in. He searched his memory for a moment, then recited, "Lecturer at NAVSCOLEOD Indian Head...Also a consultant for the NYPD bomb squad."
Stillman didn't look pleased at the recognition. "A poor old man who got dragged along for this picnic," he muttered, limping toward the counter.
"I thought you'd retired," Snake said.
"I did. Can't keep up with everybody, as you can see." Stillman gestured to his right leg with his free hand. "A famous church got wiped off the map thanks to me. With too many lives inside. All I lost was this leg," he concluded, slapping his leg with his cane.
"So you're the bomb disposal guy?" Raiden asked, only to get things clear in his mind.
Snake eyed Raiden with some disbelief. "Kid, this is THE bomb disposal guy. Open any explosives textbook and you'll see his name."
"Heh," Stillman chuckled, almost bitterly. "Just ancient history now."
"Why did they bring you out of retirement then?" Raiden asked, puzzled.
"Because the terrorist group here includes one of my students," Stillman sighed. "The Emperor of Explosives -- Fatman. He built an atomic bomb when he was only ten. I created him in a sense."
"And that's why you're here..." Snake said, eyeing him.
Stillman nodded. "I'm pretty rusty. I was supposed to supervise the bomb disposal -- looks like it was taken care of before I had my turn."
"I wouldn't say that." Snake grinned faintly and looked over his shoulder at Raiden. "There are at least two people here who can claim to be experts at bomb disposal." Raiden glared back at him, sick of having his skills belittled.
"Are you with SEAL team 10?" Stillman asked, studying them. "I didn't see you at the mission briefing."
"Oh, we're with another squad," Snake diverted quickly. "My name is Pliskin, Lieutenant Junior Grade. Honored to meet you, sir." He held out his hand.
Stillman glanced at his outstretched hand briefly, then stared into his face. "Mr. Pliskin, do you have any experience with explosives disposal?"
"Don't worry about me," Snake waved away the question and gestured at Raiden. "And he looks young, but he can do it. We need more manpower."
"I'm ah --" Raiden mumbled, shuffling slightly. He blushed faintly, flattered that Pliskin had, for once, defended him instead of insulting him, but he himself was not confident of his skills in this case.
"What's your name?" Stillman asked, studying him yet again.
"Raiden," he answered, stumbling over his codename.
"That's an odd name," Stillman frowned.
Raiden looked away, wondering why everybody had to say that. "Any other survivors?" he asked, trying to turn the others' attention away from him.
"There was also an engineer with me," Stillman replied, nodding.
"An engineer?" Raiden muttered, confused again.
"A skinny guy," Stillman clarified. "He went in with us..."
Raiden nodded. "Where is he?"
'Are they talking about me?' Otacon asked suddenly, a note of worry in his voice.
'Yeah,' Snake confirmed, his attention on the conversation.
"I haven't seen him since that skirmish," Stillman answered Raiden.
"Was he killed?" Raiden demanded.
Stillman shook his head. "I don't think so. I didn't find his body."
"I see..." Snake mumbled.
'Change the subject,' Otacon ordered, the worry a little more plain now. 'The less said about me, the better.'
Snake rolled his eyes slightly. 'I have to be subtle. I can't just say, "Hey, let's stop talking about the engineer. He doesn't like it."'
'But...'
'Relax. I'll handle it,' Snake assured, turning his mind back to the discussion.
"They told me he was the security systems architect for the Big Shell," Stillman explained.
"Why would they take a civilian along?" Raiden wondered.
"Everything in this structure is computer-controlled," Stillman sighed. "He was supposed to get us past all the security measures."
"I never heard anything about that," Raiden muttered, brow furrowing in confusion.
Stillman shot the kid a look. "He had official orders with him."
"We'll leave that for later," Snake cut in gruffly, veering the discussion away from Otacon. "Right now, we need to figure out how to deal with all the bombs."
'Thanks,' Otacon sighed, relieved.
"But there's no one left from the SEAL's EOD squad," Raiden gasped.
"Yep," Snake confirmed. "So we have to do it ourselves."
"But I've never defused a bomb before..." Raiden mumbled worriedly. Suddenly, he put a hand to his ear, turning away. "Uh, hold on a sec."
Snake grinned at him. "Off to confer with the C.O. again?" He watched with amusement as Raiden apparently fell into a silent argument.
'Sure is taking him a while,' Otacon commented as he monitored Raiden's discussion.
'I think everything takes him a while,' Snake replied wryly.
Otacon chuckled, shaking his head. 'Oh, Snake, be nice.'
"How about it, kid?" Snake called aloud, smirking. "Are the results in yet?"
Not having much choice in the matter, Raiden joined Snake as Stillman explained what they would have to do, but he only half listened to the instructions, distracted by his own thoughts. He wasn't sure what to think of Pliskin earlier. So far, he had been nothing but pushy and arrogant, but just a few minutes ago, he had suddenly defended him. Why?
Raiden looked at Snake again with a new appreciation. He appeared much healthier than the last time he had seen him and now that he thought about it, pretty damn hot. He'd always liked the strong types. The longish brown hair was nice, and his eyes...green. Yes, very nice. He liked his women softer, but his men chiseled, just like Pliskin. In fact, he was perfect, at least his looks. If Stillman wasn't there, he would have propositioned Pliskin right then. He didn't even notice Stillman finished his lecture until Snake turned to him.
"Kid, this place is all yours," Snake told him. "I'll take care of Shell 2."
"Take this," Stillman said, handing Snake one key card and sliding the other across the counter to Raiden.
Raiden picked up his card and studied it. "What's this?"
"Security card issued to Shell personnel," Stillman explained.
'Baby, you're a genius,' Snake smiled, pocketing the level three card. 'I've got the card, and I'm heading your way.' He blinked curiously when Otacon made no reply to his praise. 'Why so quiet?'
'I've changed my mind,' Otacon muttered. 'You don't have to be nice to Raiden.'
'Why the change of heart?' Snake asked, glancing across at Raiden.
'He's attracted to you, Snake.'
Snake sighed, well used to Otacon's fits of jealousy. 'And you know this how?'
'I've got you on radar,' Otacon replied. 'The whole time Stillman was talking, he wasn't paying attention. He was staring at you.'
'How can you tell?'
'Cones of vision, Snake. I could tell where he was looking, and I don't like it at all.'
'I think you're just a little paranoid.'
'I am not!' Otacon cried. 'I know what I saw.'
Snake smiled faintly. 'You're cute when you're jealous.'
'Who's jealous?' Otacon pouted.
Suddenly, Mei Ling's voice cut in, 'Who's in denial now?'
Otacon blinked in surprise. 'Huh?'
'Snake, I think you should listen to Otacon,' Mei Ling continued. 'I saw the radar too.'
'Maybe the kid's suspicious,' Snake suggested with a shrug. 'He's gotta know I've been lying by now.'
"How did you get this?" Raiden asked suddenly, drawing Snake's attention back to the others.
"That engineer I told you about gave it to me," Stillman explained. "He was supposed to program a set of all-access cards once we were on-site. Unfortunately, this card won't get you into every area of this structure."
Snake nodded and put his card away. "We'll have to deal with the remaining security lockouts as they come up."
'At least he will,' Otacon grinned.
"Let's get going," Snake said to Raiden, hiding a smirk. As they started for the door, Stillman moved to follow and Snake turned back. "You stay here."
"No, I'm going," Stillman insisted.
Snake gave him a look. "The two of us can handle it, don't worry."
"But --"
"You'll just slow us down with that leg of yours," Snake said gruffly, glaring. "There's a war going on here. I don't have time to baby sit anymore." Pete glared back, but stayed silent.
'That was a little cold, Snake,' Otacon chided.
'He can take it,' Snake assured. 'He knows I'm right.'
Raiden, hoping to get Snake's approval, stepped up behind him. "Why don't you let us handle the grunt work? You can tell us what to do over the radio, like in the original mission plan." He didn't see Snake roll his eyes and shake his head at him.
"All right," Stillman sighed and lowered himself stiffly onto a stool. "I'll give you instructions from here. I may also need to prepare a backup plan just in case..."
"In case of what?" Raiden asked.
"Good luck to both of you," Stillman said, pointedly ignoring the question. "This is a dangerous one."
"'Who Dares, Wins,'" Snake quoted.
Stillman looked at him, suddenly suspicious. "If anything comes up, let me know. My frequency is 140.25."
"Good luck, kid. I'll see you later." Snake patted Raiden on the back, not noticing the small shiver and smile he earned. He gave them both a small wave and started out the door. "'Semper Fi.'"
"That man's no SEAL," Stillman said once Snake had gone. "I don't even think he's a Navy man."
Raiden gaped, shocked. "What?"
"'Semper Fi'...Marine Corps talk," Stillman said and looked up at Raiden. "Normally, team leaders stay in the CP and give orders with those headphones. And as far as I know, SEALs keep their officers away from the field." Raiden started thinking as Stillman went on. "And -- 'Who Dares, Wins' is a motto of the British Special Air Service."
"Is he one of the terrorists, then?" Raiden demanded, horrified at the possibility.
"No, somehow I don't think so," Stillman replied, staring hard at Raiden. "If there's someone to suspect, I'd put my money on you."
"I'm --" Raiden shifted uncomfortably under Stillman's gaze, looking away.
Stillman sighed and stood up, limping past Raiden. "Just take care of the bombs for now."
"What about you?" Raiden asked, following him as he moved slowly across the room. "They could be back in this area soon."
"I'll hide out in this pantry for a while," Stillman said, stopping before the pantry door. He slid it open and looked inside. Raiden peered over his shoulder, thinking that it looked like the perfect place for a little fun. He sighed, sorry that Pliskin had left so quickly.
"If I lock the door, it should be all right," Stillman continued, checking the door lock. "Plenty of food in there too, so you won't need to worry about me. I'll give you instructions via Codec from here." He entered the pantry and slid the door partly closed. "Good luck -- kid. Bomb disposal is a face-off with your own mortality. Don't let the fear get to you. When you give in to fear, the darkness comes..." He shook his head and slid the door closed, locking it securely.
Sighing again, Raiden leaned back against the pantry door, reflecting. Some of what Stillman had said really didn't make sense to him. And Pliskin...who was he? Marines, British Special Air Service...he'd been around. That, at least, was for certain, and Raiden liked that too. A smile crept across his face and he left the kitchen. He was about to start his mission, but first, he wanted to see if he could catch Pliskin before he got too far away. He hurried to the CD bridge and stopped dead. There was an unconscious guard at his feet and a box sneaking across the bridge.
Alarmed, Raiden pulled his Socom and fired several times. Whoever was in the box set off at a run as pieces of cardboard began to fly off. The box disappeared into Strut D, and Raiden, shaken, lowered his gun and went back. Inside Strut C, Raiden figured there was more than one way to get in touch with someone and called Pliskin via Codec.
'Pliskin, I saw someone wearing a cardboard box just now...?'
Snake blinked, surprised. 'A box? I don't know anything about that. You sure you weren't imagining things?'
'Of course I'm sure,' Raiden snapped. 'Do you think it's one of the members of Dead Cell?'
'How should I know?'
'I don't want to fight someone like that...' Raiden mumbled, a little worriedly.
'Why not?'
Raiden shook his head. 'Because it looked so dumb. Anyone who's willing to be seen like that must be completely insane. I mean, he's a psycho, there's no question about it.'
'Um...uh...yeah...' Snake cut the transmission to Raiden, feeling insulted, and heard chuckling in his ear. 'Otacon, are you laughing at me?'
'I'm sorry, Snake, but he's right,' Otacon replied, still chuckling. 'You and your cardboard boxes...'
Snake frowned, a little hurt. 'What are you telling me?'
'I'm just saying, maybe you shouldn't use the boxes as much as you do, okay? It kinda worries me sometimes. Looks like you scared Raiden too.'
'He didn't have to shoot at me,' Snake mumbled, pouting faintly.
'True,' Otacon allowed, 'but you heard him. He thinks whoever was in that box is a psycho. Psycho equals "bad guy" to him.'
'All right, all RIGHT! I get it already.' Snake sighed and rubbed his forehead. 'So, where are you?'
'Not far. I'll let you know once those bombs are frozen. You don't need to be sidetracked now.'
'I'd feel better knowing where you are,' Snake insisted.
'It won't do you any good to know if I have to move,' Otacon sighed. 'Don't worry. I have some things to take care of, so I'm signing off for a while. Just call me when you're done, and I'll meet you then.'
Snake sighed again, knowing better than to argue. 'Take care of yourself.'
'You too,' Otacon returned quietly and cut the transmission.
As soon as Otacon had signed off, Snake called Mei Ling. 'Hey, you there?'
'What is it, Snake?' Mei Ling asked.
'Can you tell me where Otacon is?'
'You called to ask me that? You should be defusing bombs right now.'
'I just need to know.'
Sighing, Mei Ling went through her radar maps, looking for Otacon. 'He's moving around, Snake. It looks like he's checking out Shell 2.'
'Where is he right now?' Snake asked.
'The lowest floor of Strut I, going up,' Mei Ling replied.
'Thanks,' Snake smiled.
'Anything else before I get back to work?'
'That's all.'
'See you later,' Mei Ling smiled, and cut the transmission.
Feeling better knowing Otacon was safe, Snake started on the bombs. He cleared Strut G and moved counter-clockwise around the rest of the Shell. Raiden was keeping himself busy as well clearing Shell 1 of bombs. However, each time they reported another location to Stillman, the bomb expert became more puzzled and worried.
On his way up to the heliport on Strut E, Raiden had an encounter with Olga Gurlukovich and called 'Pliskin', who explained what he could, having been 'briefed'. Not long after, Stillman called Snake and asked him to look through the bottom of Strut H on a hunch. Snake was nearly there anyway, so he agreed and left Strut I unchecked, reasoning he would get it later. After a minute of search, Snake found what he was looking for. Not liking what he saw one bit, he called Pete.
The bomb expert was talking to Raiden. 'Good work. Only one more left to go...'
'This is Pliskin,' Snake cut in. 'Do you read me, Pete?'
'I'm here,' Stillman confirmed. 'What's up?'
'Raiden, you need to hear this too.'
'I'm listening,' Raiden replied.
'I checked out the bottom of Strut H for you, Pete,' Snake began.
'Wait --' Raiden interrupted, making Snake glower irritably, 'what's this about?'
'I asked Pliskin to look around,' Stillman explained. 'Knowing Fatman, I can't shake the feeling that all the bombs so far were just wrong.'
'So, did you find anything?' Raiden asked Snake.
Snake rolled his eyes and sighed faintly. 'Yeah, a hell of a lot of C4s packed into the bottom of the strut. Pete called it right...'
Regretfully, Snake explained that the sensor didn't detect the C4. Stillman recognized it as a direct challenge from Fatman and knew that if he really wanted to destroy the Big Shell, there must be another bomb in Shell 1, figuring the most likely spot was the bottom of Strut A. He told Snake not to do anything to the bomb yet. He wanted to see it for himself. Snake and Raiden protested, but Stillman silenced them with the truth about the church, his guilt, and his phony injury. He started putting together another sensor and Raiden moved on to his last bomb. Snake defused one of his last two bombs and moved back down to Strut H to meet Stillman.
By the time Raiden froze his last C4, Stillman was in Strut H and studying the bomb. He instructed Raiden to go back to the kitchen, where he's left a new auditory sensor for him. Snake left him with bomb and moved on to look for the C4 in Strut I, his last bomb to freeze. Just before he found the last bomb, Raiden called to say he had found the new sensor. Stillman, who had been staring at the 'scentless' bomb from a distance for the last several minutes, suddenly realized that the timer was not counting down. While he puzzled over this, Snake found his bomb and froze it before Stillman could warn him not to. The scentless bomb activated, giving a four hundred second countdown. He told Raiden to hurry to Strut A and freeze the other one. Raiden calculated he had just over six minutes to get there and started running.
'What about yours, Pete?' Snake asked as Raiden hurried to Strut A.
'I'm not the expert for nothing,' Stillman replied confidently. 'I'm sure Fatman has complicated it somewhat, but with a few minutes to study it, I'm sure it can be defused.'
'You need a hand with anything? I can head back down,' Snake offered.
Pete shook his head. 'Thanks, Pliskin, but that shouldn't be necessary.'
Once the Codec cut, Snake, meaning well, started back to Strut H anyway. Meanwhile, Stillman pulled out his wire cutters and looked once again at the bomb, still apprehensive. Something didn't seem right, but he couldn't figure out what. Shrugging off the lingering questions in his mind, he approached the C4. The counter abruptly jumped to just sixty seconds and counting. Sweat beaded on his forehead. So that was it.
"Touché, Fatman," Stillman mumbled, then called the others. 'Raiden, Pliskin, listen carefully.'
'What is it?' Raiden asked as he rode the elevator down to the Deep Sea Dock.
'I fell for it,' Pete admitted quietly.
Snake froze at the top of the ladder outside Strut H. 'Fell for what?'
'Fatman has my number,' Stillman said. 'A proximity sensor. Microwave.'
'Microwave?' Raiden mumbled, confused.
Stillman nodded, sighing quietly. 'With a seven foot range. It's not a technique I taught him. Neither was that multi-bomb booby trap. Looks like he's far surpassed me as far as explosives technique goes. As for the rest --'
'Pete, get out of there!' Snake growled as he climbed back up the ladder.
'There's less than thirty seconds left,' Pete replied, shaking his head. 'It's too late.'
'No!' Raiden cried.
'Pliskin, get away from Strut H, as fast as you can,' Stillman ordered hurriedly.
'Pete --' Another thought struck Snake and he closed the line to Pete, calling Otacon instead.
'Hey, Snake,' Otacon greeted. 'Done already?'
Snake was already up the ladder and running for the GH bridge. 'Otacon, where are you?'
'Why? What's going on?' Otacon asked worriedly.
'Just stay away from Strut H,' Snake ordered as he raced across the bridge. 'A bomb is gonna go off in just a few seconds!'
'I...I'm on the roof,' Otacon whispered, swallowing hard.
Snake froze, his heart skipping a beat. 'What?!' He turned and ran back as fast as he could. 'I'm coming up to get you! Hang on!'
'Snake, no!' Otacon cried. 'There's not enough time!' The explosion suddenly rocked the structure, knocking him off his feet. When the tremors died down, he stood up, unhurt, and tried contacting Snake. All he got was static. 'Snake!' His own heart skipping with fear, Otacon hurried to the small roof access hatch and climbed down into the strut.
TBC