Snake arose from his crouch position on the aft deck of the oil tanker and ran to the starboard side of the ship. He went around a small set of stairs and came to another set of stairs, next to a hatch leading inside the ship. Snake carefully climbed the stairs, halting near the top. He flattened himself against the wall and peeked around the corner. A sentry was posted on this landing. Opting against trying to sneak around him, Snake retraced his steps and tried to enter the door at the base of the steps. Snake grasped the circular handle on the hatch, but it wouldn't move. It was locked. Annoyed, Snake traveled back up the steps, stopping at the top again. The guard started to move toward the steps, then turned to look off of the stern of the boat. Snake seized this opportunity and ran behind him, quickly opening the hatch just before the next staircase toward the fore of the ship. Snake stepped inside and closed the hatch.
It was good to finally get out of the torrential rain. Snake emerged inside a small corridor, with a set of stairs to his right. He looked up the stairs to find the passage blocked by two heavy crates at the top of the stairs. Snake moved down the corridor, water dripping off of him as he moved, coming to a doorway. Snake drew his M9 and flattened against the wall. He peeked around the corner and saw no one, so he continued down his path. At the end of the very short hallway, there was a path to the left and a path to the right. Snake looked right and saw the shadow of a guard staring out of a porthole. His gaze seemed quite focused outside, so Snake tiptoed around him and continued on his way. Snake turned left at the end of the hall to find the hallways were symmetrical. Upon investigation of the port side stairway, Snake found it was clear. He moved up the stars cautiously up to Deck-C. At the top of the stairs, Snake found himself at the beginning of yet another hallway. He flattened and peeked, finding no one patrolling the hallway. However, a security camera was installed at the top of the left wall. Flattening himself against the left wall, Snake shimmied along, passing under the camera and into its blindspot. Snake came to a set of stairs, which he hastily climbed and entered Deck-D. Snake turned around at the top of the stairs, following the path around. There was a door on Snake's right, but he decided against investigating. Instead, he turned left to walk down a passageway and took a right. Snake saw two tall flat dark identical objects on either side of the hall with small packets at the base of each. Just then, Snake's codec chimed, and he answered the call.
"Snake, wait! Don't move!" It was Otacon.
"I see it. Some kind of device on both sides of the hall…infrared sensors?"
"Right. And they're linked to –"
"Let me guess. Semtex."
"Exactly. Plastic explosives. If you trip the sensors…"
"I'll be sleeping with the fishes along with this entire ship."
"That sounds about right."
"Hm, there aren't that many infrared beams…"
"Maybe you could get past those without setting off the explosives. If you need to see where the beams are, you can use the usual method."
"There's a fire extinguisher over there."
"Break it open and try scattering some of the extinguishing chemicals."
With Otacon's warning, Snake proceeded. He moved close to the sensors, careful not to trip them. There was a fire extinguisher on the other side of the beams, but Snake was too worried that the sound may alert nearby guards to his presence. Instead, Snake produced his small package of cigarettes and his lighter. Snake took one of the cigarettes and stuck it between his lips, then put away the rest. He opened his lighter and flicked it on, lighting the cigarette. Snake inhaled, igniting the end. He took a few puffs, then took a deep breath of smoke. Blowing the smoke out slowly along the length of the left sensor, Snake could see the laser beams going from one sensor to the other. There was a notable absence of any lasers near the bottom, though. Snake lay down prone and carefully crawled beneath the lasers. Once on the other side, Snake stood up and put out his cigarette. Moving on, he found the set of stairs leading to the bridge.
Snake climbed the stairs to emerge at the bridge. Pale, dead crewmembers laid strewn about on the floor and control consoles, their necks sliced, blood running down their necks. Aside from the cadavers, the bridge was empty. Still, Snake moved forward cautiously to the center control panel, and looked out the window. He saw two transport helicopters moving toward the ship.
"So it is the Kasatka…Russian choppers!" One of the black helicopters swooped in and hovered over the deck of the ship. A rope dropped from the cargo area, and the three soldiers inside proceeded to fast-rope down to the deck. As soon as each soldier hit the ground, He got clear of the rope and covered his comrades. As soon as each was on the ground, they started to move down the ship. Without a word, each covered his own sector, clearing their route with unrivaled efficiency. As all this was going on, the second Kasatka hovered above the squad, covering them with sharpshooters as they made their way into the ship from the multiple entry points.
Snake turned his mind back to the mission. He moved to the computer and punched a few keys, and the data he was searching for appeared on the monitor. The codec chimed in once more.
"Snake, did you find out where that ship is headed?" Otacon asked.
"I'm looking at it – 35 degrees longitude, latitude around 58."
"More than 500 miles off the coast of the Bermudas, out in the middle of the Atlantic…So the prototype is ready for solo testing – it's basically combat-worthy. That area is outside the Second Fleet's operational range, too. It must be a stand-alone Marine project – which means this prototype Metal Gear must be designed for independent deployment, without any Naval assistance. Anyway, analysis can wait till later. Snake, you need to go down to the holds and locate the actual Metal --" Otacon stopped his sentence short at the sound of a loud metallic clank emanating from outside the room Snake was in.
Snake left the bridge via a door to the left. He found himself outside, in the rain again. He heard the crackle of a radio, and a voice with a thick Russian accent coming through it. Snake ran toward the source of the sound and took cover behind a box.
"…Shalashaska has landed," the Russian voice said, "I'm on my way to the tanker holds. Report your status." This time, a new, feminine, but equally Russian, voice replied into the radio.
"Control room, communications, and engine room are under control. All entry and exit points to the tanker holds secured. Infrared sensors placed and operational." Snake peeked out from behind the box to see someone dressed in a pair of baggy camouflage pants, boots, a sleeveless white and grey horizontally striped shirt, gloves, and a green hat covering her face.
"Good work. Are the explosives in place?" crackled the radio again. The woman switched the radio from her right hand to her left.
"Yes, they're all planted."
"Listen. Once we have what we came for, the tanker will be scuttled."
"And the vehicle's pilot?"
"He's the only one who underwent the VR training. No one else can do it."
"Are you sure you can trust him?"
"Your part in the mission is complete. You are to leave at once."
"No, it's not over yet!" The woman swung her arm in the air violently.
The old man from earlier leaned against a wall as he spoke into the radio.
"I can see the moon, even in this storm, pale as death. I have a bad feeling about this mission...You swore this to me. That you would leave the unit, once the mission was complete. Do not worry. This is a country of 'liberty'."
"No! This is where I belong, with the unit. I have nowhere else to go," She took her pistol out of its holster and stared at it. "Father, I want to stay and fight."
"There is no choice to make here, Olga! Need I remind you that you are carrying my grandchild?" Olga looked down and put her hand on her flat stomach.
"..."
"You will be on the helicopter out of here, now!" Olga put the radio down and looked up.
"Damn it!" A Kasatka appeared in front of Olga, waiting further instructions. She waved it off, ignoring her father's instructions. As soon as the helicopter was out of sight, Snake jumped out from hiding and aimed his M9 at Olga.
"Freeze! Hands over your head! Now!" Olga complied, her handgun hanging idly with her finger in the trigger guard. "Toss your gun overboard. Slowly." Snake motioned his head to the right to indicate the direction. She hesitated for a moment, then threw the weapon into the river. Snake stepped to the right to get a better angle on Olga. "A woman? Show your face."
"You men – You're all the same," she said as she removed your cap. She let go of it, and the wind took it and nearly hit Snake.
"Who are you?"
"We are nomads. Wanderers." Olga slowly tried to move backwards, but Snake stopped her.
"I said don't move!"
"Americans…So you shoot women, too?"
"I'm a nomad, too," Snake shook his head. "What else do you have there?" Snake pointed with his left hand while keeping his M9 aimed at Olga, "Take the knife and toss it." Snake motioned with his head again. Olga reached down with her right hand and unsheathed her large knife, the blade near her pinky. She bent down to set the knife on the ground. "Not there. Toss it overboard." Olga stood up again, with her hand above her head. "Hold that position. Now, turn around."
"You know what you're doing." The ship lurched to the left, throwing Snake off balance for a moment. "It's stopped raining," Olga observed. "Not too shabby, is it? New York, I mean." Just then, Olga spun around one hundred eighty degrees, the handle of the knife coming down pointed directly at Snake. A gunshot rang out, and a bullet was fired at Snake. He jerked to the left, narrowly missing the round. Olga then dropped her knife and drew her secondary pistol while taking cover behind a large crate with a tarp over it. Snake recovered from the shot, and tried to take aim at Olga again, but she was already behind cover. "And that brings our tour to its conclusion!"
"Scout knife with a surprise – you a Spetsnaz?"
"I think you deserve a little credit. No one's ever dodged that shot of mine," Olga said, ignoring Snake's inquiry, "But no one gets lucky twice, either."
The battle ensued just as the downpour began again. Snake ran forward and took cover behind the metal crates stacked in front of him. Olga rushed towards Snake, firing her pistol rapidly as she took cover behind a box. She then ran back behind the tarp-covered crates. "I've been with the unit since I was born. I grew up on the battlefield. Conflict and victory are my parents. The unit is my life, my family. We've shared everything -- all the bad, and all the good. I have no one -- nothing except the unit. Nothing else matters to me," Olga said to Snake as she reloaded her handgun. Olga then pulled the pin on a grenade, and threw the explosive in a large arc, landing it right next to Snake. Snake panicked and dove out from behind the crates to the safety of another stack of conveniently places boxes. As the grenade detonated, Snake safely out of the shrapnel radius, he peeked out from behind the boxes to see Olga behind a crate. She was still looking at where Snake was before he relocated. Snake took aim with his M9, but Olga saw him out of the corner of her eye and fired three shots at him as she sprinted to another piece of cover. Because of her movement, her aim was off, and each round missed Snake. Not taking any chances, Snake slid back behind the box. Olga peeked around the corner of an eight-foot high obelisk and fired four bullets as suppressive fire, then moved back behind the obelisk. Snake seized this opportunity to move to the stack of boxes on the right. Olga peeked out again and fired on the same place. She still thought Snake was in the same position. "Whoever you are, you're not stopping us," Olga taunted as she began to run behind the tarp-covered crates. Snake jumped out from behind his boxes to shoot at Olga as she was running away from Snake. He lined up his shot, but just before he pulled the trigger, a sudden gust of wind pushed Snake's aim to the left, causing him to miss his shot. Snake cursed as he cocked the M9 and got back behind the boxes. Olga reached the safe haven of the tarp-covered boxes, and shot the rear two ropes holding the tarp down. As a result, the harsh wind picked the tarp up and caused it to flap about violently to the left in the wind. Olga hid behind the flapping tarp and fired a volley of bullets toward Snake. They all missed, since she didn't have anything to aim at. Snake took aim with his M9 and shot out the other two tarp lashings, causing it to fly away in the wind. Olga stood out in the open, waiting for Snake. He found this odd, but he took his chance. Just as he jumped out and took aim, Olga turned around and shot the rear corner of a spotlight behind her, causing the spotlight to shine directly in Snake's eyes. He shut his eyes for a moment, then opened them and stared directly into the light. He raised his M9 and fired directly in front of him. The tranquilizer round pierced through the light's glass and shattered the bulb inside. Snake then seeked the cover of the boxes to his right. He rested for a moment to let his eyes revert back to normal. Before he could, though, Olga threw another grenade. "Take this!" Annoyed, Snake dove out of the grenade's range again. "Ahh!" Snake heard the grunt from Olga and leaped out from behind the box he was behind to find Olga fumbling with her pistol's magazine. It had slipped out of her wet hands, and she bent down to pick it up. Snake waited for her to stand back up, his weapon's laser sight pointed exactly where he estimated her neck to be when she stood. Once she picked up her clip, she stood. Snake fired. The tranquilizer round lodged itself directly in Olga's jugular vein. She dropped.
Snake moved forward with his M9 aimed at Olga's limp form, leaning onto the railing. When Snake moved to take the pistol Olga was still holding onto with her right hand, she dropped it, and her body fell to the floor. Snake holstered his M9 and reached down to grab Olga's pistol. He inspected it, releasing the slide lock and stared at it for a few moments.
"Hmm…," His gaze was interrupted by the penetrating humming noise coming from above him. Snake immediately looked up, to find a small unmanned aerial vehicle hovering about him. The UAV had tem small rotors rotating inside a small ring. A tripod was formed with three poles on top of the ring, holding a small camera on top of it. A bolt of lightening struck behind the UAV. The camera focused on Snake, then the small craft sped away. Snake watched the UAV until it was out of sight. "CYPHER?" Snake established a connection with Otacon via the codec.
"Otacon, the ship appears to be under their control," Snake began, "The men have Russian gear, but I haven't been able to find anything else about their origin.
"I know who they are," Otacon said solemnly.
"You do?"
"We've ID'd the old man."
"Who is he?"
"Sergei Gurlukovich."
"Gurlukovixh! One of Ocelot's allies?"
"Yeah… The GRU colnel. He's the one Ocelot was supposed to meet up with after Shadow Moses."
"They're after Metal Gear."
"Everything's changed. This is not going to be as simple as we thought."
"You could say that. I saw a surveillance remote just now; it look like the CYPHER."
"A Marine CYPHER-T?"
"No, Army."
"First the Marines, then the Russians – Now the Army?"
"You're right; this isn't going to be simple."
"Snake – There's something I have to tell you."
"What?"
"We didn't dig up this info – about the new Metal Gear – on our own. Not like usual."
"How
did you find out, then?"
"It was a tip. An anonymous tip."
"Anonymous?
You never trusted those. Why would you start now?"
"I ah –
I have a younger sister. A stepsister. We have different parents. I
only knew her for two years."
"You never mentioned her before. So…?"
"The sender of the tip was 'E.E.'."
"'E.E.'?"
"Her name is Emma, but I always called her 'E.E.'."
"Emma Emmerich?"
"Yeah. It just caught my eye, you know? I figured it was a coincidence, but I couldn't get it out of my mind. There's really no one out there who knows about her."
"When
was the last time you saw her?"
"Over ten years ago."
"You think it's a trap? To lure us out here?"
"I don't know. After I got the tip, I did break into the Pentagon system to get confirmation."
"Okay."
Watch your back, Snake. Maybe I screwed up."
"I've got a light-equipped USP," Snake referred to the pistol he picked up from Olga, "I can take them on now. There's no ammo, but it takes a 9mm, just like the Marine's M9. I'll find those somewhere around here."
"Don't raise too much racket with that thing."
"I hear you." Snake closed the connection and started for the holds.