Chapter 7

The two soldiers got to the mess hall. As one sat down the other went to get some food. Snake saw him coming close to him, he was almost on top of Snake and yet he didn't notice him. He went back to the table and they took about two minutes to eat some sort of sandwich, then they got up and left the mess hall. Snake hadn't been seen.

The cardboard box saved me again. Snake was hiding underneath a cardboard box, it was a trick he had used in the past and it still worked. He got up and headed for the mess hall door and peeked out.

The soldiers talking amongst themselves. "Hey, shouldn't there be two guards by the elevator?" One of the soldiers's said as he turned his head to the elevator.

"I think so, should we report in?" The other replied.

"Maybe they went to take a nap." Said one soldier with vehemence.

"Should we wake them up?"

"Yeah." The soldiers laughed a bit and then headed to the left part of the floor. Snake saw there were three doors, on the left part and he assumed that the second door was the dormitory because that was were the soldiers entered. Snake began to move quietly. He got to the first door and checked what it was. Some kind of armory. Snake had no use for more equipment or weapons.

The second door like he suspected was a dormitory, but the third door also said dormitory, Snake then noticed that the second door said "Dormitory M" and the third door "Dormitory F". It was obvious, one for men and the other for women. Snake began opening the third door so he could keep away from the guards, but was interrupted by the CODEC.

"Snake, it's Otacon, where are you now?"

"Huh…Otacon I was just…huh…checking…something." Snake said, thinking that if he had said more Otacon would have started a long conversation about privacy and Snake's perversity.

"The storm's getting pretty bad we may lose contact."

"Well this may take a while." Snake took a brief pause. "If you don't hear from me…"

"I don't like that kind of talk." Otacon interrupted. "I'll wait for you here."

Otacon disconnected. Snake was glad to have Otacon on his side. Suddenly the "Dormitory M" door opened up. Snake silently opened the "Dormitory F" door and stood there overhearing the soldiers.

"I don't understand, they should be here." A soldier seemed more exalted.

"Let's check the floor again."

Snake retreated a bit more into the room and heard someone. As he turned he saw a woman in a lower bunk bed, who was fast asleep. Snake went around the bed to stay away from the soldiers and glanced at the woman. This can't be! His face became cold. Snake got even closer to the woman's head, even closer and then with a swift movement he covered her mouth with his hand. In the other hand his SOCOM was ready. The woman woke up startled and looked straight into Snake's eyes. They knew each other.

The silence was broken. "Naomi!" Snake said.

Raiden walked calmly, not attracting any attention. This place is big. The corridors in this place were all white and with superb lighting. It took him four minutes to get to the place Meryl wanted him. He used the radio that Meryl had already tuned in a special frequency so that they could talk without being overhead.

"I'm here." Raiden said, but he got no response from Meryl "I'm HERE!" Raiden repeated raising his voice a little.

"Alright, can you see anybody inside? Over?" Meryl asked.

Raiden saw that the lights were on, through the crack on the door, inside the office.

"Yes I think so." Raiden replied.

"Then hold that position, he never stays very long, contact me when he leaves. Over."

"Fine. Over and Out." Raiden waited as he hoped that Meryl knew what she was doing.

Meryl waited a couple of seconds after Raiden left the white detention room,before leaving too. She went the opposite way of Raiden towards an elevator. She took a couple of minutes to get there and as she did she saw the two men that were in the room before, walking and talking. She knew Ocelot and these two had something going on. She called the elevator and then entered. She swiflty pushed the "Security Office – Floor 2" button. The elevator took a few seconds and then it stopped. Whilst she walked out and began walking towards the right she glanced left and began to slow down. The left side of the floor was dark the lights were out and as she looked to the ground it seemed like it was red. She couldn't make it out because of the dark and walked a bit more to inspect it.

"I'm here." A voice came up on the radio, but Meryl ignored it. She was staring at the floor. "I'm HERE!" Meryl snapped out of it and answered.

"Alright, can you see anybody inside? Over?" Her mind was right on track again.

"Yes I think so." Raiden replied.

"Then hold that position, he never stays very long, contact me when he leaves. Over."

"Fine. Over and Out."

Meryl ignored the floor and went to the right. She entered a room and inside there was a big desk and some lockers. She went over to the desk stretched out her hand and began searching underneath the desk for something. Here it is. She found some sort of button and pushed it. Behind her the lockers began to move revealing a doorway. She went in and saw what a very wide yellowish corridor. In both sides of the corridor there were rooms, the walls were transparent and each room door had a number. She began to walk towards the end of the corridor. All sorts of scientists were in here, psychologists, medical doctors and so on, all in front of computers, researching and writing. The corridor was very big and very well lit. When she got near the end she entered a door with the number 22. Inside there were large monitors showing several important places, the oval office, secret rooms, and so many other rooms that Meryl didn't have time to bother with. She walked to a computer on the left side of the room. She knew the procedure and she also knew the security codes for almost every room in this facility. After all she had been here for two months. She found the one she wanted, and then waited. I wonder if he knows him.

After a couple of minutes, the radio sprung to life. "He's out of the office." Raiden said.

"Good, I'm shutting down the security systems." Meryl pressed a few keys in the keyboard. "Alright you're good to go." Meryl paused. "By the way what's your name?" She had hesitated making this question before, because of the embarrassing answer she had received a few years ago. "A name means nothing on the battlefield" This time however it was different.

"Raiden."

"Strange codename…" Meryl had gotten a name out of him, a codename, but a name nonetheless. "Hurry up."

Raiden waited for a few minutes before the lights in the office went out and the door began to open. Raiden remained calm and perfectly still against the corridor wall. He turned himself a little bit, just to make sure the person didn't see him. As the person walked by Raiden, he could hear a strange noise in each step the person took. Raiden made no case of it as he was more interested in helping Meryl fast so she could help him find Rose. Once the man was far enough Raiden talked into the radio. "He's out of the office."

"Good, I'm shutting down the security systems." Meryl replied and Raiden could hear her pressing keys on a keyboard. "Alright you're good to go."

Raiden faced the door and began moving.

"By the way what's your name?" Meryl was still on the radio and Raiden didn't know what to make of this question, but found no problem in giving her his codename. Only Rose called him Jack and that was the way he wanted it to be.

"Raiden." He answered.

"Strange codename…" Raiden frowned. This wasn't the first time someone had said that to him. "Hurry up." Meryl said.

The radio became silent and Raiden entered the office. The office was kind of grey in color and there was a desk in the middle of it.

"There's a computer here." Raiden asked through the radio wondering what kind of information Meryl wanted.

"Good, I want you to boot it up." Meryl said through the radio.

Raiden sat at the desk and felt that his soldier uniform was a bit small. He had difficulty sitting down, but once he got it he turned on the computer.

"I want you to search for something in his personal files." Meryl said.

It took a few seconds as Raiden familiarized with the system, but he found the personal folder.

"I've got it, what do you want me to search for?" Raiden asked.

"I want you to search for two keywords." A minor pause. "Metal Gear."

Raiden open his eyes wide and his jaw dropped.