The rain pattered down and the flames far off began to spread amid the motorcycle wreckage and the wet muddy ground was interspersed with trees.

Snake stood up from where EVA clutched her bloodstained jumpsuit, smiling as she leaned against a tree and nodded. He unslung his backpack and pulled out bandages, splint and disinfectant to treat his cuts and broken bone.

Snake stretched and flexed his fingers and twisted his arms, clicking his neck from side to side. He chuckled.

"EVA, that revolver isn't even silenced. How about you radio that KGB you secretly work for and dial me up a better companion!"

EVA stared blankly, clutching her wound as she pulled herself up. "I'll follow you… "

Snake rolled his eyes. He retrieved his M191A11 pistol and checked the silencer. He led the way quietly through the trees while EVA bustled her way through a bush.

"Oh!" EVA cried, and Snake spun round.

A reticulated python was winding through the grass and Snake lifted his leg in the air and stomped down. "High Jump Kick!"

Snake took the meat into his backpack. He glanced EVA up and down.

"What's your stamina like?"

"Snake… we need to get to the plane."

Snake shook his head and turned back to the path ahead. He raised his M191A11 pistol and crept slowly forward. The path diverged into a clearing and Snake smacked his forehead.

"Fuck!"

Snake spun on the spot and aimed his pistol at the path they had just passed through. EVA, limping with her revolver at the ready, stared. "What is it?"

Snake crept closer to the path they had just come from. He peeked over and saw a half-dozen soldiers that had just jumped down from near the burning wreck of the motorcycle, and had now just passed the log on which EVA had suffered her injury. Snake held a finger to his lips, pointed at EVA, then at a fallen tree lying horizontal.

"OK," Eva nodded, as Snake frowned and held a finger to his lips again.

Snake, aiming his pistol at the path they had just come from, walked backwards to cover EVA who was limping forward towards the bulk of the fallen tree.

"Snake! They're coming!"

"No shit," Snake muttered.

He crouched down behind the fallen tree and EVA adopted a crouching position. He lay prone and so too, lay flat, did EVA. Snake's breathing was stilled, looking awkwardly at EVA's face which changed little in expression but mouthed soundlessly as the guards' footsteps came nearer. Snake held a finger to his lips, raised his eyebrows threateningly and EVA nodded blandly.

Three sets of footsteps and three guards appeared shortly after; they had passed by the tree trunk entirely, rifles raised as they jumped down a little ledge. Another three sets of footsteps came closer, and another set of three guards walked past; both contingents had not, at large, searched their hiding spot. Snake made a tsk tsk sound and EVA glanced up.

"Is it safe?"

"Shut-up!"

Snake glanced up and gestured that EVA follow. He stood up and crept through the clearing following the guards. He walked through a gap and here was a smaller clearing where the six guards had fanned out. Three patrolled the exit and the other three went west along a twisting pathway.

Snake lay prone in a bush and holstered his M191A11 pistol and took out his MKII tranq pistol. He aimed for the first soldier and fired a headshot; he fell and the second soldier turned, and so he received a headshot, too. The third soldier, upon witnessing his two comrades sleeping walked over and drew back his leg, and received a headshot for good measure. The three soldiers now lay tranq'd and the other three had gone off on their merry way.

Snake rubbed his back as he got to his feet and glanced over his shoulder. "EVA?"

He aimed the MKII as he headed back through the small gap and into the larger clearing. He could not see EVA at the fallen tree and then his stomach clenched and his neck felt clammy to see EVA lying near a thin tree, two stars orbiting her head.

"WTF… "

Snake crept closer and shook EVA awake. The two stars orbiting her head became one. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth as he glanced at the tranq pistol he held, squeezed his eyes tight and shook his head. His breathing became labored as he shook EVA a second time.

"What… " EVA rubbed her head. "Why did you leave me here?"

Snake gazed back at EVA's bland expression and opened the Survival Viewer. Her body became x-rayed through his vision and he saw no injuries and he closed the menu.

"What? What is it?" EVA demanded.

Snake felt a stirring on his neck. He spun with his MKII aimed and his throat felt dry as he trained his gun with his eyes taking everything in slowly. From afar he saw the three other guards appearing from the other side where they had first gone on their merry way scoping the area with their rifles. Snake started to panic.

"Snake!" EVA crouched. "Company!"

Snake gestured EVA over to a clump of bushes and lay prone. She only crouched, her hair lifting against the plants, watching him placidly, her revolver raised. The three guards spread out from afar, but came together as a unit as they walked closer. Snake grit his teeth, glancing everywhere else as the guards came closer and passed by on their way back into the smaller clearing, where he had tranq'd those three guards.

"Whoo," EVA exhaled. "That was close."

Snake was shaking as he stood up to a crouched position. He stayed still and scanned the treetops and behind the fallen tree. He could hear in the clearing the sound of muttering and kicking.

Snake glanced to EVA. She was staring at him with her revolver in one hand and clutching her bloodied jumpsuit with the other. Snake bared his teeth.

"What happened to you?"

"Snake, we need to get to the lake!"

Snake glanced back to the large clearing in which they both were crouched in a bush. He eyed the forest then slowly stood and raised his MKII and gestured EVA to follow. He aimed the pistol while EVA limped through the underbrush to follow.

Snake walked through the little gap and glanced over his shoulder. He was almost face-to-face with EVA who stared up at him. "What are you looking at?"

Snake wiped the sweat off his brow and glanced back to in front of him. He lay prone and crawled through the mud and entered the smaller clearing with his MKII raised. He stood to a crouching position and saw three soldiers with zz over their heads and his throat tightened as he saw three more soldiers with orbiting stars over their heads.

"Snake?" EVA asked. "We need to get moving!"

Snake breathed in and out and glanced this way and that with his pistol raised. His eyes bugged out of his head as he crept closer to one of the soldiers with orbiting stars over his head. He gently waved his hand over the soldier's face who remained unconscious.

"Jee-zus… "

Snake cricked his neck as he glanced up to the treetops and side-eyed thin trees and lifted his head, a pain building in his forehead as he stayed still and squeezed his eyes almost closed and bared his teeth, glancing everywhere.

"Snake, we need to get to the lake!"

"Shut-up, EVA!"

Snake exhaled in one long breath. He moved slightly to the left and the hairs on his neck stood up. He could see the white bark of a tree flecked with brown and that it was not the bark that was white. It was a face.

"Jeezus, god in heaven - "

Snake scrambled back and dropped his pistol. EVA stared at him in wonder.

"Snake, what's the matter?"

Snake curled into a tight ball and squeezed his eyes shut as tears rolled down his cheeks and he took a shuddering breath. He unslung his XM16E1 rifle from his backpack and aimed it past EVA and fired full-auto into the forest.

"Snake! Are we under attack?"

Snake breathed in and out as the magazine ran dry and he chucked aside his rifle. He pulled out his M191A11 and forced himself to make eye contact with the tree. There was no face.

"Snake! The enemy!" EVA hissed.

One of the soldiers had the last of his orbiting stars drop off and stood up. Snake on instinct rose and took hold of the soldier and slammed him into the ground where he lay with three orbiting stars.

The other two soldiers had their orbiting star also dropping off began to rise. Snake grabbed the first soldier of the two in a chokehold with one hand holding the CQC knife to his throat and with the other hand aiming his M191A11 at the other soldier.

"Freeze!" Snake growled.

The soldier jumped in surprise and raised his hands. Snake could see over the soldier's shoulder a thin tree at the edge of the clearing and saw a face staring back. His breath stilled.

Snake threw the soldier he held at knifepoint into the other soldier who had raised his hands. Both fell over with groans and Snake forced himself to walk forward, M191A11 aimed at the thin tree at the edge of the clearing. His mind hurt to look at the face.

"G-get out!"

"Snake! The enemy!"

Snake whirled and one of the soldiers was raising his rifle as the other stepped back for a kick. A revolver fired and the first soldier crumpled as the second kicked Snake into the ground. He was sore but paralysed as his eyes bugged out of his head to glance to the side.

Another revolver fired and the second soldier shouted and then the revolver fired again and the second soldier crumpled. Snake could hear rustling and saw EVA crouched over him. "What are you doing down there?"

Snake told his mind to cooperate. He forced himself up and could not immediately see his fallen M191A11. He snatched EVA's revolver out of her hands and aimed it at the thin tree at the edge of the clearing. He exhaled and his chest hurt.

"Snake, we need to get to the lake!"

Snake's hands shook as he kept the revolver aimed at the thin tree at the edge of the clearing. He fired and watched the bullet richochet off the tree. He raised his voice.

"Fight like a man!"

Snake swallowed and stood up. It hurt to breathe as he crept across the small clearing with the revolver raised. He glanced through the gap and saw the twisting pathway leading round to the larger clearing. He spun and raised his revolver to the small clearing, the exit in sight and then spun again to the twisting pathway leading to the larger clearing.

EVA's stomach rumbled. "Snake, I'm hungry… "

Snake kept his back to the forest wall darting his glance between the small clearing where the exit lay and the twisting pathway. He shakingly raised the revolver with one hand as he fumbled in his backpack for the python meat. His eyes darted everywhere else as he chucked the python meat in EVA's general direction.

"Can I have seconds?"

Snake let his breath out. His gaze snapped to the exit at the other side of the small clearing. He kept his back to the forest wall as he proceeded past a tree and shrub as he inched closer to the exit with a shaking hand aiming his revolver. EVA followed more quickly. He raised his voice which was now stronger.

"Fight, you idiot!"

Snake exhaled and inched closer to the exit. He had reached the other side of the clearing. EVA had caught up to him and glanced at the exit.

"Snake, you'll need to give me a leg up!"

Snake pressed his back to the exit with the revolver raised. He aimed near the thin tree at the other side of the clearing and fired; he aimed at the small gap which led to the larger clearing and fired. Both shots richocheted and disappeared.

"Snake! Are we under attack?"

Snake turned to EVA and helped her gain a foothold. She gasped and pulled herself up. Snake spun with the revolver aimed at either of the branching pathways in the small clearing. His eyes ranged over every surface.

"Snake, take my hand!"

Snake grit his teeth. He felt EVA's hand brush his face. He turned and took her hand and as she pulled him up a shot rang out and she was blasted off her feet.

Snake on instinct threw himself off the ledge landing on his back on the grass; he groaned and forced his finger to clench the revolver's trigger guard and rolled several times seeing red; he rolled to a stop, faced opposite where the thin tree at the edge of the clearing was and readied his other hand to cock the hammer.

"Snake, I'm bleeding!"

He pulled the trigger and the revolver clicked. His breath went out of him all at once as he heard footsteps. He glanced up and saw a face.