A/N: After several years I have revived thee! Lmao, I almost forgot the entire plot line haha.

CHAPTER 3: INTO THE AMAZON

"How much field experience do you have in the Amazon?"

Samus looked at Snake through her visor, an eyebrow raised. He was crouched behind a mossy boulder, his head cocked towards her over his shoulder.

"How much field experience do you have?" She retorted with annoyance.

The rain pelted gently through the canopy, sun streaks filtering through the grey abyss off in the distance. She crouched beside him, part of her loathing the staggering height distance. With the power suit she stood overhead of Snake by about three-and-a-half inches. Without it, it could be said they were about eye-level with each other. Even though it was a few inches, it was enough for her to subtly despise being tall.

"Enough." Snake replied now looking at her.

"I'm sure you read my file," She locked eyes with him carefully. "David."

He grunted in response, easing against the boulder.

"Look, Samus, this a joint mission. I know we're not ones to work…"

He struggled to find the word.

"Cooperatively?" Samus guessed, wondering how it felt to feel the rain. She held her hand up, watching as the rain bounced off her metallic suit.

"Yeah," He agreed. "cooperatively. Remember, it's not about us though."

"I know." She nodded. "It's about the Earth as a whole."

"So, I'll ask again, how much field experience do you have in the Amazon?"

"Enough." She responded softly, rising to her feet and scouting ahead.

Snake watched her walk ahead of him. He pressed his fingers to his codec, initiating a call to Otacon.

"Otacon, what can you tell me about Samus?"

"A few things." Otacon replied, his fingers moving deftly over the keys to retrieve her file. "I thought you read her file though, Snake?"

"About that…"

Otacon shook his head and readjusted his glasses.

As the two moved in tow towards an outpost, Snake listened carefully.

"No one really knows her age. What is known is she's a formidable bounty hunter, orphaned—"

"Like Raiden?" Snake interjected.

"Well, no." Otacon corrected. "She isn't a child soldier. Her parents were killed on their home planet K2-L when she was about three or four. Right in front of her. Ridley, the leader of the Space Pirates, brought that about."

Snake was quiet, moving a few paces ahead of Samus as they found cover from the guards stationed at the outpost.

"Her DNA is infused with Chozo, the alien race that raised her after the destruction of her home planet. Not much else is known. She served with the Galactic Federation for a time under Adam Malkovich. Why Snake?"

"Just curious." He responded, ending the call.

Samus looked at him, accessing the codec line installed.

"There's three men stationed by the fire pit about two clicks away." Her voice was all business. "One in the sniper tower, and one more patrolling three clicks from the group."

Snake reached behind his belt, unstrapping an Operator. Five to two.

"Ever use one of these?" He held it out to her, watching as her power suit de-materialized into a dark grey skin suit.

Her blonde hair was pulled back, a few strands falling into her emerald eyes. Her fingers encased the weapon gently.

"Of course. Though yours is an older model." She checked it over, noting it was loaded with tranquilizers and fitted with a durable suppressor. "Why?"

Snake peered over his cover, watching the guards.

"Thought I'd ask. I didn't think an intergalactic bounty hunter would have military training."

"And why's that?" She aimed carefully, held her breath before pulling the trigger.

"I'm not sure." Snake admitted, watching as the guard in the sniper tower fell, knocked out cold.

"Well, think about that for a few, will you?" Samus said coolly, moving quietly towards the group of men stationed in a cluster. Four to two.

The rain felt nice. She moved stealthily forward; the gun raised in sight of each head. Her heart thumped in her chest. It was one thing to blast mindlessly at lifeforms, but humans? Long buried memories about her days in the Galactic Federation crept forth. She stuffed them back down, reaffirming her resolve to help humanity.

Snake followed suit, watching as the bounty hunter eased into a prone silently. Snake crawled beside her, pausing momentarily to line up a shot towards the outlier. He fired quickly, his eyes flickering to the three guards now less than a click away. Three to two.

"About two meters." Samus confirmed quietly.

"Or two yards." Snake nodded, not that the distance was relevant.

Samus slipped into a crouch, carefully closing the distance between her and the remaining three.

"Freeze!" She stated harshly, watching as each one lowered their weapons and stood with their hands up. "On the ground."

Snake rose to his feet, keeping the Operator level with their skulls.

"Where's he hiding?" He asked gruffly.

"There's an intel file over there." One of the guards stammered.

Samus gave Snake a curt nod, watching him saunter to a nearby tent. Her eyes flickered back to the immobilized guards.

"We just missed him." Snake tells her a moment later. "Judging from the intel file, he's headed to the Middle East."

"Damn." Samus hands him back the Operator, reactivating her power suit.

She gave a swift kick to each guard, knocking them out.

They saunter towards their landing zone in quiet.

"Tallon IV has a similar atmosphere." Samus stated after a moment. "It's a lot like the Amazon."

Snake holstered his weapon, keeping in step with her.

"I spent some time there," She continued, images of Space Pirates and phazon coated chambers with Metroids in abundance flickering behind her eyes. "the outer layer always held rain. Many of the lifeforms there were…unique."

Snake folded his arms across his chest, a cigarette between his lips.

"I take it Tallon IV had some unique biomes, eh?"

Samus nodded, watching as their helicopter approached from a distance. Snake takes a long drag off his cigarette, thinking back to his last encounter with Liquid. As the chopper landed, Samus placed a hand on Snake's shoulder.

"Where exactly in the Middle East?" She asked over the whipping winds.

"Afghanistan." He responded. "Ever been in a desert?"

"What part of 'unique biomes' do you not understand?" Samus growled, climbing aboard.

"There's more." Snake stated, awed by how quick her suit de-materialized. Samus crossed her legs. "Metal Gear plans are in the make."

A/N: Hopefully the fourth chapter will be up in about 2 weeks :) I've got a busy work schedule coming up lol