Rather important little note: This fic is not a fic at all. It is a conglomeration of small drabbles, pieces of stories that do not belong in any fic. These were all challenges, where a phrase and the word count were given to me, and I wrote something in response to the challenge. I like some of them, so I'm posting them here, in this story thing. New drabbles go into new chapters. None of them go together. They're just here.
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Challenge #19
Phrase: "I triple dog dare you."
Word Count: 833
Rating: PG
Title: Breathing
Author: Rydia Highwind
Disclaimer: Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2 and all characters refered to herein belong to Konami. I claim nothing, I'm simply borrowing.
Summary: Raiden leads Emma through the Big Shell.
Warning: Strange format. I was trying something new. Switching perspective, present tense.
--
Emma Emmerich is sixteen years old. She is a computer genius who wears glasses for show and is deathly afraid of the water. She is also shivering and wet and looks to be on the verge of tears.
Raiden is twenty-three years old, an adept infiltrator and scared of nothing but himself. He doesn't blame her.
Emma is a hostage who has been drugged so that her legs don't work properly. She has had reasons to fear her own death is impending for the entirety of the day in question. She has been pushed around, forced to do things against her will, and locked in a room where she'd have drowned had Raiden not found her. She has had to deal with an estranged brother who likely never expected to see her again and is being harsh with her. She has also had to face her biggest fear compounded by the fact that she would die if she didn't, and she might die if she did.
Raiden is simply following his orders to save Emma, and there was no other way but through the flooded Central Core. There were times when he'd come up for air and she would be gasping and coughing and he never apologized because there was no way for him to do so, even though he felt like he should.
Emma is sitting with her back against the orange wall, her knees tucked up against her chest and under her chin. She is using this break in their expedition to get back to Shell 1 as a small rest while Raiden is off doing whatever it is that he does before dragging her with him into a new room. She knows he tries to walk slow enough for her, but he's jumpy and impatient, and she can understand why. She knows he has probably been running around all day trying to save the hostages and all of that. And she knows who is making him do this and why. She thinks she likes him enough not to tell him.
Raiden is clearing them a path. Emma can't walk very well or very quickly, so it's important that there will be no one around to see them and call for back-up. He thinks killing the guards would be the best and therefore prevent them from waking up later, as they would do if he simply tranquilized them. He uses the M9 anyway because he knows Emma doesn't like to see them dead. He wonders why what she thinks matters as much as it does. He uses the knock-out rounds on the two soldiers and drags their bodies to an inconspicuous corner before heading back to where he left Emma.
Emma is starting to stand up when she sees Raiden coming back around the corner. Her legs aren't tingling any longer and she's getting closer to being able to walk without help, but it still takes her a little extra time to get up. She knows he's in a hurry and appreciates the extra effort. She has to install the virus to attack GW, after all. No one else can do it. Arsenal will be taking off soon. She wonders if the Patriots have tampered with the disc and changed her program. She holds out her hand to signal that she is ready to go, since it's important that they are quiet.
Raiden is holding her hand. It's warmed slightly now that she's out of the frigid ocean water filling the core. Raiden's suit is impervious to the cold, but his face was exposed and he can't imagine what it must have felt like for her, in just a tee-shirt and shorts. He leads her across the horseshoe-shaped walkway and notices she tries not to look at the unconscious guards, even though they're just unconscious. He brings her into the room with the ladder opening up to the bottom of Strut L and stops to open the trapdoor. "The oil fence should be just down here," he says. "Just a little further."
Emma is letting go of his hand. His warmth leaks through his glove like it did against her stomach and chest while they were swimming. It wasn't much comfort, but it was enough to keep her going, listening to his heartbeat and thinking inexplicably of Hal. She hates the way Raiden keeps telling her 'just a little further.' The line is stale now, and she doesn't believe him now. "I've heard that line before," she says indignantly.
Raiden is opening the trapdoor and feeling the rush of the ocean breeze on his face as he does so. He looks down to the water many feet below. There's a ladder, but it'll still be a stretch and he has to admire Emma's resolve. He knows he needs to keep the mood high to keep her from panicking, so he says jokingly, "You know, I could just toss you down."
Emma is smiling. "I triple dog dare you," she says sweetly.
--
Challenge #19
Phrase: "I triple dog dare you."
Word Count: 833
Rating: PG
Title: Breathing
Author: Rydia Highwind
Disclaimer: Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2 and all characters refered to herein belong to Konami. I claim nothing, I'm simply borrowing.
Summary: Raiden leads Emma through the Big Shell.
Warning: Strange format. I was trying something new. Switching perspective, present tense.
--
Emma Emmerich is sixteen years old. She is a computer genius who wears glasses for show and is deathly afraid of the water. She is also shivering and wet and looks to be on the verge of tears.
Raiden is twenty-three years old, an adept infiltrator and scared of nothing but himself. He doesn't blame her.
Emma is a hostage who has been drugged so that her legs don't work properly. She has had reasons to fear her own death is impending for the entirety of the day in question. She has been pushed around, forced to do things against her will, and locked in a room where she'd have drowned had Raiden not found her. She has had to deal with an estranged brother who likely never expected to see her again and is being harsh with her. She has also had to face her biggest fear compounded by the fact that she would die if she didn't, and she might die if she did.
Raiden is simply following his orders to save Emma, and there was no other way but through the flooded Central Core. There were times when he'd come up for air and she would be gasping and coughing and he never apologized because there was no way for him to do so, even though he felt like he should.
Emma is sitting with her back against the orange wall, her knees tucked up against her chest and under her chin. She is using this break in their expedition to get back to Shell 1 as a small rest while Raiden is off doing whatever it is that he does before dragging her with him into a new room. She knows he tries to walk slow enough for her, but he's jumpy and impatient, and she can understand why. She knows he has probably been running around all day trying to save the hostages and all of that. And she knows who is making him do this and why. She thinks she likes him enough not to tell him.
Raiden is clearing them a path. Emma can't walk very well or very quickly, so it's important that there will be no one around to see them and call for back-up. He thinks killing the guards would be the best and therefore prevent them from waking up later, as they would do if he simply tranquilized them. He uses the M9 anyway because he knows Emma doesn't like to see them dead. He wonders why what she thinks matters as much as it does. He uses the knock-out rounds on the two soldiers and drags their bodies to an inconspicuous corner before heading back to where he left Emma.
Emma is starting to stand up when she sees Raiden coming back around the corner. Her legs aren't tingling any longer and she's getting closer to being able to walk without help, but it still takes her a little extra time to get up. She knows he's in a hurry and appreciates the extra effort. She has to install the virus to attack GW, after all. No one else can do it. Arsenal will be taking off soon. She wonders if the Patriots have tampered with the disc and changed her program. She holds out her hand to signal that she is ready to go, since it's important that they are quiet.
Raiden is holding her hand. It's warmed slightly now that she's out of the frigid ocean water filling the core. Raiden's suit is impervious to the cold, but his face was exposed and he can't imagine what it must have felt like for her, in just a tee-shirt and shorts. He leads her across the horseshoe-shaped walkway and notices she tries not to look at the unconscious guards, even though they're just unconscious. He brings her into the room with the ladder opening up to the bottom of Strut L and stops to open the trapdoor. "The oil fence should be just down here," he says. "Just a little further."
Emma is letting go of his hand. His warmth leaks through his glove like it did against her stomach and chest while they were swimming. It wasn't much comfort, but it was enough to keep her going, listening to his heartbeat and thinking inexplicably of Hal. She hates the way Raiden keeps telling her 'just a little further.' The line is stale now, and she doesn't believe him now. "I've heard that line before," she says indignantly.
Raiden is opening the trapdoor and feeling the rush of the ocean breeze on his face as he does so. He looks down to the water many feet below. There's a ladder, but it'll still be a stretch and he has to admire Emma's resolve. He knows he needs to keep the mood high to keep her from panicking, so he says jokingly, "You know, I could just toss you down."
Emma is smiling. "I triple dog dare you," she says sweetly.