Chapter 26

Raiden gave a backwards roll and got up. He was bleeding from the wound that Lyla had given him. His eyes were getting better. He knew Vamp was near so he swirled the HF Blade around him in the hope he would hit him.

"You won't get me like that." Vamp mocked.

Raiden's eyes were getting a lot better. He could see a shape in front of him. It was a human shape.

Vamp.

"Your movement impresses me. But that wound of yours will be your death."

Raiden wondered if his wound gave Vamp an advantage. Raiden saw as Vamp ran towards him. Raiden was ready. Vamp came in full force with his knife. Raiden was able to defend himself with the HF Blade. The clashing of metal between the knife and the blade was loud. Raiden and Vamp were inches away from each other. Vamp kept pushing the knife and Raiden pushed back. Raiden was clenching his teeth, gathering strength in his arms. The wound on his right shoulder however didn't help. The wound was opening more and more as he tried to push Vamp away.

Vamp grinned and Raiden could see that he was holding daggers in his left hand. He was going to use them. Raiden had to back out. Vamp threw the daggers at Raiden's body. Raiden flinched to the left. One of the daggers scraped Raiden's right leg.

Vamp realized that despite the wound Raiden was still very fast. He would have to be even faster.

Raiden was fed up. He wasn't going to defend anymore, this time he was going to attack. He placed himself in the attack position.

Now it's my turn Vamp.

His eyes were as good as ever. He could see Vamp clearly. He waved the sword parallel to the ground. Vamp defended it with his knife. But Raiden quickly rotated in himself to hit him on the other side. Vamp followed. Raiden's wound was bleeding badly, but he wasn't giving up. He kept attacking.

Vamp was amazed at how strong he had become. His attacks were strong as well as fast. But he could still manage to defend himself with his knife, and he could see the wound bleeding even more.

After a few seconds of sword slashing, Vamp saw an opening in one of Raiden's attacks.

Now.

He was able to get a punch near Raiden's bleeding wound.

"AHHHH" Raiden screamed

Vamp took another punch at him, this time to the stomach. Raiden let go of the HF Blade and grabbed the stomach with both hands. He was in incredible pain.

Vamp was almost smiling, he had done it. He was going to kill him.

Raiden fell to his knees in pain.

Damn, I can't do it Rose, I'm sorry.

Raiden could see Vamp getting near him.

Vamp raised his right hand above Raiden's head. The knife shone as it reflected the light coming from the lamp on the ceiling.

"I'll be able to feed myself once more." Vamp opened his mouth and passed his tongue over his teeth. His long canines were waiting for new blood. "Goodbye!" Vamp plunged the knife downwards.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Raiden yelled out.

Otacon could hear someone talking.

"Here you are! You can go Snake, my fight is with this man."

It took a few seconds but he recognized the voice, the man that had killed his sister.

Vamp.

"Raiden what's going on?" Otacon asked

"I've got to go Otacon."

Otacon heard as Raiden turned off the CODEC.

"Damn." Otacon didn't know how to feel. No one had told him that Vamp was still alive. "E.E." Otacon was close to tears. He remembered his last conversation with her sister.

"You don't hate me?"

"Never... I never wanted to get in your way... I never wanted to hurt you... I thought with Arsenal... If I follow in your footsteps... I could be closer... I just wanted you to look at me... look at me... as a woman..."

"E.E... I could never do that..."

"Don't be so honest... It ...hurts..."

"Sorry..."

"Can I... can I ask you one more favor...?"

"Sure."

"Call me... call me "Emma"."

"What?"

"Please call me... Emma."

"Emma!" Otacon was sobbing. Why hadn't anyone told him? After a few minutes he pulled himself together. He reached for his CODEC and tried contacting Snake, he didn't respond, he then tried Raiden, also no response.

Damn you two! Why didn't you tell me?

Otacon took his hands to his eyes, wiping them.

I have to focus.

He looked straight to the computer screen and began searching for Metal Gear. He just hoped Raiden or Snake would kill Vamp.

Snake was puzzled.

"Are you surprised about my codename Snake?"

Snake only knew one man that had the codename "Fox" it was his friend Frank Yeager also known as Gray Fox.

"That's impossible!"

"No it's not." Shadow was judging Snake. He wanted to be sure he could defeat him. "You see, before FOXHOUND was created there was a unit before it called FOX. It was supposed to be a unit with specialized CIA agents that could infiltrate into enemy territories alone. The FOX unit project was suspended in 1970, but before that there were a few missions made. I was their best agent next to him." Shadow paused for a moment.

Snake knew Shadow was talking about Big Boss.

Shadow continued "I was very young but my abilities surpassed my fervent behaviour. Before the FOX's unit suspension I was unofficially given the "Fox" codename. After that the whole organization abandoned me. My ability had weakened me. I was of no more use to the CIA."

Snake watched as Shadow walked around the room talking and looking at him. Snake wasn't sure what this old man was capable of. Snake then heard the CODEC ringing he wondered if it was Raiden or maybe it was Otacon, he had seen Raiden talking to him. He didn't bother answering.

Shadow carried on "In 1971 he founded FOXHOUND, but I wasn't available anymore, so he found another, another substitute for me. Fortunately the Patriots saw my potential and helped me." Shadow began to unbutton his lab coat. "They gave me a new life, a new purpose, the ability to control one of these facilities."

Snake was surprised. That meant there were more places like this.

"From your face I can gather that you didn't know about this. This place used to be a shelter for the former Patriots, a bunker in case the U.S. were attacked. Now this will become one of the Patriots head quarters and like this there are a lot more, spread across this entire nation, the last refuge for us, the people behind the curtains."

Shadow had his lab coat opened up. Beneath it there was a strange looking black suit with small circles on it connected by lines that spread across the body.

Snake had had enough of the conversation. The Patriots were getting on his nerves.

"You're mad. You're a puppet. Just like everyone." Snake wasn't going to waste anymore time listening to him. The thought of Meryl came to his mind.

"Puppet! Me? No I'm no puppet. I'm one of the few they trust."

Snake knew better and decided to get on with it.

"I've come here for him." Snake paused. The thought of seeing Big Boss again was still absurd.

"You won't get near him." Shadow surveyed Snake from top to bottom. "It's amazing you got past Steiner and Lyla." Shadow paused for a second. "You know they were failed experiments, like you." Shadow grinned.

Snake was starting to get aggravated.

"They were victims of a genetic program that I headed. We wanted to create men and women with specific abilities. Steiner and Lyla were the only test subjects. They were a failure."

Snake wondered what he meant by that. Steiner was incredibly strong and Lyla had a power that he didn't even understand.

Shadow continued. "Steiner was created to become the strongest man alive, everything was going right until he got to puberty. Then he became blind. He embraced the darkness, but without his sight he would be killed in a heartbeat on the battlefield. Lyla was a different story. We tried to create a soldier with psychic abilities. Lyla could read minds and move objects with the power of her mind, but after a few years she lost those abilities and gained another, one that would haunt her until now." Shadow looked at Snake.

Snake had no regrets in killing both Steiner and Lyla.

"She could see people's past just by looking at them. Once she even looked herself in the mirror to see her own past, but couldn't, sad really." Shadow stopped talking for a second. Snake didn't seem all that strong to him. "Well Snake, I guess now it's between you and me." Shadow was sure he could beat him.

Snake had been ready since he got there.

"But unlike Steiner and Lyla, I'm not a victim of genetic transformation." Shadow took out the lab coat and threw it to the ground. "This suit helps me in controlling my ability." Shadow clenched his fists and closed his eyes.

Snake didn't know what to make of this. After a few second the circles and lines on Shadow's suit began to glow. He reached for his back and took out some kind of staff about 20 inches long. "I'm ready Snake. Come and face me!" Shadow opened his eyes.