Chapter 10 "Quiet's past, part 3"

"Child, do not worry, you will still have your revenge."

Skull Face caresses what's left of my hair while I lay burnt in the chopper. I was barely awake but in great pain and I could barely breathe. The medical officer put me an oxygen mask. I could not believe what was happening, I had been defeated, I could not kill the target despite my best efforts. Skull Face sits down and keeps looking at me

"I will take you to a special place and cure you my child, yet, make you even better."

I begin to close my eyes, "Remember child, you are the instrument for my revenge..."

"Skull, what have you bought me here?"

"Old man, this woman requires your help, she has been burned inside and out, most of her organs are cooked, but she's still alive."

"Skull Face… the treatment can be a fate worse than death for her"

"Do not question me old man, do as I say!"

"All right Skull…"

"She will become a better soldier than ever; she will carry out my revenge for Big Boss, my last trump card…"

I was in a medically induced coma when I taken into the old man's care, Code Talker. He worked on me in the devil's warehouse where Shabani was going to die later on. He bought a special type of parasite that would fuse with the host and give it enhanced abilities. That day the warehouse was empty, only the old man and a few bodyguards. When he injected the parasite in me, I was rinsed upon my burnt body with clear water so the parasite could grow. As the parasite reached full maturity, it began to take in the water and expand in through my body.

It began to heal, my burnt skin was peeling off and a new skin took place. Then I woke up because the parasite started to expand itself in me through some of my nerve endings, I began to feel extreme pain I never felt before. I clenched my fists and let out a scream so loud that I went mute the next few seconds.

"The parasite is replacing your burnt organs, it will hurt…"

Thinking about it now, I could just imagine it, everything in my body replaced by the root-like pattern of the parasite. The pain gets even more intense and I yell again, struggling on the bed to get out

"Men, hold her down, the treatment is not yet complete" Code Talker orders, two men quickly comply and force me down the bed.

Code Talker began to speak a language I had never heard before and then suddenly the parasite inside grew even more restless, the pain got even worse. Somehow, I started to become invisible then visible again "it's working," says Code Talker taking a closer look at me. "Almost there my dear, almost there…" I could not endure the pain anymore.

"Child, you will be my instrument of revenge…" remembering those words gave me the final strength I needed to endure this hellish treatment, seeing the image of Big Boss, that eyepatch and horn, I grit my teeth and clench my fists in frustration, forgetting for a split second about the pain then suddenly I feel nothing. I quickly force myself off the two men holding me down and knock them down.

Code Talker takes a few steps back with his wheelchair, "it worked…" true indeed, my strength recovered, no, I felt even stronger than before. As I look at him, I notice I'm naked, I grab a nearby sheet to cover myself

"No!" yells the old man trying to grab my sheet, I step back and when I cover myself I feel like I'm going to run out of air.

"No woman, you cannot do that, you will suffocate" I throw the sheet off and cover myself.

"What did you do to me?"

"I saved you, on Skull Face orders…."

Code Talker proceeds to explain to me the details of the treatment. Right now, the parasite has completely fused with my body; I can no longer eat or have digestive functions.

"Only water will be your source of nutrition, water, and sun."

"What can I do about clothes; I can't be naked all the time"

"Wear clothes that expose your skin as much as possible don't cover yourself fully. Here take a look." Code Talker hands me a mirror when I look at myself, I see my body has fully recovered and even gained some muscle mass, then when I look to my face I notice I have long hair, how could this be. The old man proceeds to explain to me that during the treatment, the parasite expanded itself through all my nerve endings and it stimulated hair growth. "You can shave your head for a better exposure of water and sun…"

"No, I like it better like this."

"Good, Skull Face told me that after you awaken up there's a briefing package he left got you in the next room. Here take this" Code Talker hands me some underwear, I put it on in front of him, then I proceed to the next room.

Skull Face left me a folder with documents of targets and his orders, I was to be deployed to Afghanistan and take out some Soviet soldiers and commanders who had been working closely to him. Because of my new abilities, I didn't have to do infiltration missions, taking out the targets from afar was enough for me. Skull Face foresaw this, and left me two sniper guns and a few flashbangs. I look around the place for some other clothes to put on; I find my boots, gloves, and black pantyhose. "This is enough." I did not have to wear the xof uniform. When I look at myself at a bigger mirror, "Hmm, I like this" Code Talker hands me a hairband and I tie my hair. "You look beautiful my dear."

"Thank you Code Talker, my name is ….."

"I will not remember any of this dear, so don't bother with introductions. Skull Face will wipe my memory off very soon so he can make me a target for you. But do not worry about that, I have lived long enough." I say my goodbye to Code Talker and board a chopper that had arrived for me. That day I was quickly deployed to Afghanistan. When I arrived at the research center, I saw Skull Face holding a green vial for me…

"Child, take this, you will now be in silence"

"What is this?"

"That is the English strain parasite, this will help you deliver my revenge to the world should I fail."

I look at the vial as he hands it down to me,

"You cannot speak English child, that's the price you pay for revenge." "Yes, master..." Without a second thought, I consume the parasite and take my vow of silence. After that, whenever I took out targets, I would stand by on Skull Face orders via proxy. I never saw Skull Face again after that.

One day I hear rumors about a one-eyed man causing havoc among the soviet forces, a monster they called him, killing soldiers and making many others disappear. "It has to be him..." my heart knew that Big Boss was still alive, and now I could finally settle the score. So, when I heard he was going to extract Emmerich, Skull Face ordered me to stand by the ruins, he was sure to pass through there. I lay at the top of the ruined arch, rifle ready, to receive my enemy.

As I see him arrive I give him the warning shot, he quickly finds cover. I take a deep breath and begin to hum my favorite song, even though I took a vow of silence I still couldn't help myself but make some noise, as to keep myself calm. Suddenly I feel a huge shadow hovering over me as I look up is a package falling from the sky, by the skin of my teeth I manage to dodge it and get myself off the arch, as I quickly look for another place to settle down and aim, the man is already on the move towards me. I see some darts flying on the side of my head. As I place myself near the waterfall, Big Boss is nowhere to be seen. After a few minutes, I hear water splashes, getting louder by the second, as I turn around I see him running towards me. I get up stand back in time he barely catches me with his right hand, but as I begin to turn invincible he manages to grab me by the shoulder and try to pin me down. I shove him off and as I reach for a flashbang he begins to fire the darts again, one hits my shoulder, but it isn't strong enough to knock me out. As I finally throw the flashbang I jump off, looking for another place. He covers his eyes as the flashbang goes off.

The sun is too hot, I had already been on the arch for many hours and the scorching sun is now starting to affect my skin, I jump to the other side and take in the water from near the waterfall, at that moment another dart hits me, this time in the neck. Now I'm starting to get dizzy and another package is falling from the sky towards my head, I barely manage to dodge it, throwing myself to the ground. But I can still manage this, I take the sniper rifle out and quickly aim it at Big Boss head who was in front of me and spaced out for a split second settling down his binoculars whom thought he had knocked me out, he dodges to the side at the sound of my gunshot, it grazes his shoulder. The man has quick reflexes, I'll give him that, I then begin to run and look for another place where I can kill him without him noticing me. I get the idea, that by placing myself beneath the arch, he could not throw another package at me and he would now have no choice but come at me. As I place myself there and take out the sniper rifle, I see the Boss running towards me, right before squeezing the trigger I pass out from another dart he shot at me this time in my heart.

"I am going to die again…" Thoughts go through my head, I don't know what this man would do to me, so I pick up a gun and make that decision for myself…"

As Big Boss grabs my hands to stop my seppuku moment, he puts the handcuffs in me and carries me to the chopper. I can see him just barely as my eye is squinted so he can think I'm unconscious as he gently puts me on the chopper and takes a good look at my breast, while at the same time avoiding touching them as he grabs me by my sides. I felt kinda blushy when he kept staring them, but as he cover my clothes on I begin suffocating. I quickly snap out of my trance and get them off and take off my handcuffs. He deflects them and I turn invisible, as I stand on the outside door I ponder whether to escape or remain on the chopper. Then I remember what Skull Face told me when he gave me the mission to kill Big Boss:

"Child, the instrument of my revenge, I have given you all the tools you need to take out this nuisance. But, should you fail again, do not come back to XOF, no…. if you fail again you will let yourself be taken by him, and if I die you will unleash the English strain parasite into their mother base."

If I return to xof a failure Skull Face would surely make me into a mindless puppet like the other skull soldiers, if I escape and wander around eventually some soviet soldiers can capture me…

I look at his eye as he looks for me, and my chest feels tightened, somehow, in his eye, even though he was going to take me as his prisoner, there's a part of me that tells me I can trust him. Either way, I was going to die soon, at any moment I could unleash the English parasite, I let myself be taken by him. Therefore, my journey in Diamond Dogs began that day, I sit down and await my fate.