A/N: Thank you for the nice reviews! I will try and release chapters ASAP, but I am a nursing student, so my time could be taken elsewhere on occasion, and I apologize if I'm late with an upload. I do; however, promise to finish this, as I have been planning this story for a while now. Anyways thanks again for the kind words and I hope that the majority continues to enjoy my writing because I love writing it!
Chapter Two: A Quiet Day at Mother Base
The sound of bone shattering, and an anguished scream echoed throughout the metallic cell as Quiets leg slammed hard against the jaw of a Diamond Dog soldier. For the past ten minutes, three of them had been trying to dress her in a standard orange prisoner's uniform, and one of them had just become a little too grabby. As the kicked man fell to the floor holding his now bloodied face and screaming in pain, Quiet simply lowered her leg and stood perfectly still. The other two soldiers reacted surprisingly quick, with one checking on their fallen comrade, and the other practically pressed the barrel of his rifle to her cheek as he yelled at her in the Russian dialect. Which Quiet understood quite fluently.
"You dumb bitch! We aren't trying to assault you, it's just protocol for all prisoners to wear this!" the soldier spat while glaring at her and readying himself in a defensive posture.
Quiet could tell that he wanted her to react. He was waiting for her to try to assault him, so he could have his reason to shoot her, but he wouldn't get the privilege. While he was screaming in a vain attempt to intimidate her, Quiet was studying him, and already had fifteen different ways to take him down, most of them were lethal. The Russian man was tall, athletic, and to any other person that would be all they could tell about him, but not Quiet. Quiet had noticed his posture, reflexes, and a tattoo on his right arm. It wasn't just an ordinary tattoo, but one of a clock tower, that had a very identifiable symbol within it. A symbol that belongs to one of the most elite class of soldier on the planet. This man was former Spetsnaz…but that meant nothing to Quiet.
In one swift movement, Quiet grabbed and threw the former Spetsnaz soldier over her shoulder while also acquiring his weapon for herself. Before the man had even hit the floor, Quiet pivoted on her heel and turned toward the third soldier. As the barrel of her rifle lined up with the third soldiers temple she heard an unmistakable click, and then the feeling of cool metal being pressed to the back of her head.
How the hell? Quiet thought in confusion. She was always aware of her environment and nobody had ever snuck up on her before yesterday. Not to mention the person who finally got the drop on her was the Big Boss himself. From the feel of the barrel on her head, she could immediately tell it wasn't him, though. This person was using a much larger pistol and was shorter than the Boss.
"Drop the gun and place your hands above your head," The voice had a slight western draw to it and carried the weight of someone who commanded authority. Quiet immediately recognized it as Ocelots.
Quiet slowly placed the gun on the ground, then raised her hands above her head, angry that there are now two people who have successfully taken her by surprise, and even though she knew she could handle the four of them, she actually wasn't intending to kill anyone. At least not before she could figure out a way to kill the Boss and escape. Either that or go with plan two, but the very thought of that formed a pit in her stomach.
"I want the both of you to pick up Unlucky Badger and take him to the med-bay. Then return to your duties," Ocelot said to the still stunned Russian, and other still conscious, but equally astonished soldier.
Unlucky Badger huh? What an ironic and fitting codename, a small smile formed at the corner of Quiet's mouth at the thought. What are the other two's names? Yelling Bear and Useless Cat? Quiet bit her lip to stop herself from smiling more but quickly stiffened up when Ocelot pressed the gun harder on her head.
The soldiers saluted then carried their still unconscious friend out of the cell grumbling to themselves and giving Quiet spiteful looks, to which she ignored.
"Now," said Ocelot "Is there a reason behind all this?"
Quiet motioned at the prisoner's uniform laying nearby on the floor, making sure to avoid moving too quickly.
"Ah I see," Ocelot said softly "you could have just told them you'd rather not wear it? Although talking doesn't seem to be your strong suit, and in truth, we thought you would want less…revealing clothes. That outfit may be comfortable in the heat of Afghanistan, but the nights get cold out here on the platforms," Ocelot lightly grabbed her arm and sat her on her cot facing him.
This was the closest she's seen him since her grand entrance about an hour ago. He wasn't too much taller than her and his build wasn't as muscular as the Boss's, but he still had an intimidating stature none the less. His hair was a light blond and he had a thick mustache that covered his upper lip. Also, everything from his attire to his twin tornado six revolvers screamed wannabe cowboy, but he pulled it off pretty well.
"If you want to continue wearing that I won't stop you, but…" Ocelot twirled his revolver and holstered it, "don't start complaining to anybody if you get cold." Ocelot said with a wide grin which immediately dropped into a scornful scowl. "Also…if you attack one of my men like that again…next time I may pull the trigger," Ocelot remarked holding his frown the entire time. His face then quickly changed, and he shot Quiet a small grin before turning and walking up the stairs out of her cell.
So far Ocelot was one of the only people who was treating her like an actual person instead of a freak, or a non-human like everyone else…although she was sure it was a ruse. Big Boss had also given her a similar respect, although he was more difficult to read, and she couldn't determine if he was genuine or not.
Where is the Big Boss anyways? Quiet began to wonder, I figured he would have come down to check on his prisoner…he probably has more important things to do. With that thought Quiet laid on her bed and looked up at the clouds, pondering how long she may be there.
"So…did she say anything?" Snake asked Ocelot as he came up the stairs from Quiet's cell.
"No, not a word," Ocelot replied, "Maybe she can't talk, or something could be wrong with her vocal cords," Ocelot paused for a moment. "She could be a mute…either way I'll get to the bottom of it"
"You do that, and no…she's not mute," replied Snake. I've heard her humming, and she screamed a little when I snuck up on her in Afghanistan," Snake said rubbing his fingers through his beard, thinking. "I'm also pretty sure she can understand English, and probably other languages just fine…anyways I don't have time to deal with her right now, I need to go get Emmerich before they move him."
Snake began to walk toward the nearby helicopter pad where the Pequod had just touched down but was stopped by Ocelot. "Aren't you forgetting someone," Ocelot asked in a questioning tone.
Before Snake had time to answer Ocelot whistled and from behind one of the buildings came a large grey and white dog with an eyepatch that matched the one Snake wore. The dog/wolf hybrid quickly ran past both Ocelot, and Snake then jumped onto the waiting helicopter. He then let out a confident howl before sitting down to wait for their departure, his bushy tail wagging the entire time.
"That pup you extracted some months back has been training very hard for this day Snake," Ocelot said proudly as he patted Snake's back.
"I wasn't aware that I was a dog sitter," Snake asked Ocelot while staring at his new canine companion.
"You don't need to worry about him Snake. He's been fully trained in stealth and tracking. If anything he will only make your job easier," Ocelot said confidently.
"Right…well I suppose he deserves a shot…besides, the mutt needs to repay me for saving him in Afghanistan…does he have a name?" Snake asked as he made his way to the awaiting helicopter.
"The crew and I have taken to calling him Diamond Dog or D-Dog for short. He's something of a mascot now," Ocelot said proudly.
"How original," Snake quietly commented as he boarded the Pequod.
"You try to think of a better one…anyways good luck Boss, and try to bring Emmerich back alive…he probably has some good Intel on Cipher" Ocelot yelled trying to talk over the sound of the ascending helicopter.
As Snake's helicopter gained altitude he looked out over Mother Base, allowing himself the feeling of pride over what they've accomplished in such little time. He then looked back down at the exposed cell Quiet was being kept in. She was just laying on her cot staring up at the sky or possibly at him. She had been purposely isolated from the other prisoners, and her cell didn't offer much of privacy. As he watched her lay there, Snake began to feel a little bad about her situation. Although he wasn't sure why considering she was trying to kill him less than a few hours ago. None the less he rapidly came up with an idea to make things a little less uncomfortable.
Snake quickly pulled out his I-droid and made a direct call to Ocelot as the Pequod continued to rise in altitude over Mother Base. "Ocelot, there is something I need you to do for me while I'm gone…call it a favor."
"Sure thing Boss, what do you need?" Ocelot asked as he watched Snake's helicopter slowly ascend.
"Quiet seems to like music…will you try to find some old cassette tapes, and a radio to put close to her cell," Snake asked. "Also the calmer she is, the less likely she will be to break another one of my men's jaw."
"Ok, I'll get right on that…any songs in particular? What about the one you said she hums, do you know what it is?" Ocelot questioned Snake as he turned to begin searching the base for whatever music they may have.
Snake was silent for a moment. While he did enjoy listening to music from time to time he had never been one to remember artists or song names, as they were not important. Not to mention that the tune she hums he had never heard before anyway. The only way he knew to describe it was to hum it himself, and so he did. A few minutes went by after he hummed, with no response from Ocelot. Before Snake could say anything else Ocelot chimed back in.
"Sir," his words were spaced between small fits of laughter. "Don't quit your day job," Ocelot finally finished his statement but his laughter could still very well be heard.
"Just do what I asked Ocelot and give her some damn music," Snake said before ending the call and sitting back in his chair, rubbing his forehead, and slightly embarrassed. As he looked up he saw D-Dog staring at him with a slight hint of judgment on his wolfish mug.
"Do you have something to say about my humming mutt?" Snake asked D-dog who quickly looked away and laid down at Snake's feet.
"Yeah…I didn't think so," Snake said with a slight smile as he patted the large dog's head.
"Where are we headed sir," the Pilot asked without turning his head.
"Take us to the Aabe Shipaf ruins…enemy soldiers should still be staying clear of the area out of fear of running into Quiet. Let's use that fear while we can, but stay low to avoid their radar," Snake commanded while still petting his furry friend.
"Alright, sir heading to the Abu Sinpaf…the Eeba Shunpef…the ruins sir," the Pilot responded, obviously embarrassed he couldn't pronounce the words.
Snake silently chuckled at the mispronunciations of his pilot but made no remark to correct him. He didn't want to embarrass him any more than he already was. Besides, his mind was on other things at the moment. He was worried about leaving Quiet on base without him there. He wasn't regretting not killing her, but Miller was mostly right, even if he overreacted about it. She most likely does work for Cipher and her abilities were extraordinary. Sure she came along willingly, and even saved his life, but what if this was all part of her plan? Snake could only hope that whatever she was planning had to involve him, so she wouldn't have a reason to kill anyone.
Still laying on her bed, Quiet was a little confused on what she should do next, as she hadn't really planned this far yet. She had also just watched her primary target, Big Boss, leave for an unpredicted amount of time, and with nothing to do in her ten by twelve cell, she was honestly getting bored. She eventually decided that she could at least analyze her situation properly.
Quiet then sat up and stretched a little before standing up to look around her cell. The entire cell was made up of thick steel bars except the ceiling which was a heavy duty chain-link. The cell was also lowered into a sub-room with nothing in it but a few hardware supplies and various tools. While her cell was inside a room, the room itself didn't have a ceiling so she was exposed to all of the elements and her guards could simply look down to check on her whenever they pleased.
So I don't have any amount of privacy…looks like I'll be showering with my clothes on then. Quiet thought to herself as her lips formed into a half frown. At least I can turn invisible to change or use the bathroom. On the bright side, I could always phase through the bars if I need to escape, but there's really nowhere to go…
Quiet sighed as she sat on her bed and stared at her hands. Living had been very different since she underwent the treatment. Along with her new abilities came unavoidable side effects that every time she thought about them, made her feel less human. As she thought about them she couldn't quite figure out which part was actually the weirdest. Was it the fact that she absorbed water and other nutrients through her skin? Maybe it was because she also breathed through her skin, and because of that, is forced to wear such revealing clothing. She honestly hated being exposed like this to any and everyone who wished to look. That's one of the reasons she took to sniping after the treatment. So that she didn't have to expose herself to anyone.
I wish I could have put on that ridiculous prison suit, Quiet thought as she stared at it, still sitting on her bed. Then again, orange isn't really my color, she told herself in an attempt to cheer up.
Her mind was quickly taken off things when she heard footsteps coming down into the room her cell was in. From around the corner came Ocelot again and this time he had something in his hands.
"Snake asked me to put this in here…he said that it may make you more comfortable," Ocelot said as he placed a small object in the corner of the room on a shelf.
Snake? That must be Big Boss's code name, it's fitting, Quiet thought to herself, trying to see what Ocelot had brought her.
"It's just a radio and a couple of cassette tapes. The Boss said you were humming a lot and that maybe you had a thing for music," Ocelot said as he placed one of the tapes into the old radio. "Snake tried to describe whatever it was that you hummed but I couldn't find anything that matched. Either it doesn't exist or Snake was a whole lot worse at humming that than I originally thought," Ocelot stated.
The tune I hum? Oh…that one. Quiet's heart and mind began to race as old memories began flooding in. That tune is a song mother used to sing to me, before she… Quiet's mind began to blur as her emotions hit its peak. No…that's not important anymore, Quiet fought back repressed memories, and pinched her leg to try to push herself out of her current state of mind.
"Well anyway, I've instructed a guard to change out the tape whenever one plays through. If at any time you want the music to stop just tell one of your guards to turn it off," Ocelot finished with an obviously sly tone, but at least he hadn't noticed Quiet's minor breakdown.
Quiet didn't respond, and tried to focus her mind on the music that was playing. It was Man-eater by Daryl Hall and John Oates. She didn't particularly care for this song but at least it would drown out the silence, and help her take her mind off things. Ocelot stayed for only a moment more before turning to leave.
"I'll have someone bring you lunch in a couple hours," he said as he walked up the stairs.
Food? Quiet thought as she looked up and raised her eyebrow in modest confusion. That's right, they don't know about me yet. Quiet sighed and stood up to stretch her legs. At this rate they will though, and then everyone will be calling me a freak. Maybe even Snake…Quiet was slightly saddened at the thought but she quickly dismissed the feeling, what do I care what he thinks anyway? Quiet straightened up and walked to the edge of her cell to look at the radio Ocelot brought her. Also, why did Snake want me to have this…why would he care if I'm comfortable or not? Quiet couldn't quite wrap her head around it, but whenever she thought about him caring about her, it made her feel a bit warm, and a half smile crept its way onto her face. She quickly shook herself out of it and reminded herself of her mission, I will kill the Big Boss…and anybody that stands in my way.
"Be careful out there Boss," the pilot of the Pequod remarked as Snake and D-Dog hopped out into the ruins of Aabe Shipaf. As the helicopter pulled away Snake stretched and looked around the ruins, checking for any enemy activity, including snipers this time. After clearing the ruins, Snake took a small moment to ready his gear then headed toward the power plant.
From the ruins the trip shouldn't take that long, even on foot, and Snake was hoping his luck would fare better than the last time. As they walked, D-Dog would point out various flowers and herbs that the Diamond Dogs could make use of. He also would alert Snake to any patrol that got close enough for him to be able to smell or hear, making the stealthy approach all that much easier. Snake hadn't had to fire a single shot or had to engage any enemies by the time they reached the power plant.
"If you keep this up I may take you out on more walks later," Snake said as he rubbed the dog's head, and pulled out his Int-Scope to scout the area.
There weren't too many guards, and he spotted only two snipers. He had also just recently upgraded his Int-Scope to detect how skilled someone was by scanning their clearance badges. Every soldier had one of these badges that allowed their commanding officers to keep track of who was good at what. Something that Snake was happy to take advantage of. As Snake scanned every visible soldier, he couldn't find a single one worth extracting. With a sigh, Snake put away his scope and began to make his way into the plant.
As he maneuvered through the landscape, he took note of viable hiding spots and placed weapons in case things went south. He also made sure to attach C4 to their communications so he could cut them off from the outside world, should the need arise. As Snake rounded a corner of the buildings he was immediately spotted by an unmarked soldier rounding the opposite side of the same corner, but D-Dog already had his scent. In one almost instantaneous motion the large canine jumped up and wrapped his jaws around the enemy's throat, pinning him to the ground, but not killing him.
"Good boy D," Snake said, affectionately petting the dog's back. "I'll take him from here buddy."
Snake placed the barrel of his fully loaded assault rifle to the stunned soldiers head as D-Dog released his throat from his maw with a growl.
"There is a scientist here…goes by the name of Huey Emmerich, where is he?" Snake demanded from the man, pressing the barrel of his weapon down on the man's head.
The soldier was silent, and appeared to be in a state of shock. About this time Snake was hit with a putrid odor that made him gag slightly. Apparently D-Dog frightened this soldier so much, that he relieved himself. Snake, who was obviously in a hurry, slapped the man a couple of times before finally being brought back to his senses.
"P-p-please don't kill me," cried the soldier quietly as he realized his situation.
"That depends on how much you tell me," Snake said in a menacing tone still pressing the barrel of his weapon down hard almost to the point of breaking the skin.
"I don't know of any scientists named Emmerich, but maybe one of the men in the hanger do," the soldier said closing his eyes and tensing his body to the pain.
"What hanger…tell me!" Snake demanded while he chambered a round to solidify his seriousness.
"In the back! It's in the back…I don't have clearance to get in, but please don't kill me I told you all I know," the soldiers voice cracked and strained itself as he forced the words out through the fear.
Snake kept staring at the man for a moment, trying to see any hint that he could be lying. He found none. With one quick motion, Snake pulled his gun back, and brought the stock of his weapon down hard on the soldiers head, effectively knocking him out cold. He then picked up his motionless body and carried him to a nearby dumpster to hide him. Along with concealing the body, the dumpster could also mask his stench.
Hanger in the back? It's not on any of our scans…must be important. Snake thought as he checked his surroundings then proceeded to the back of the power plant, telling D-Dog to carefully scout the area. As Snake got closer to the back he could hear various machines, and soldiers' footsteps, coming from behind a massive red gate. Whatever they had back there was important, and Snake had every intention of finding out what it was, along with extracting Emmerich. After looking around the gate for a place of entry Snake finally found a locked door on the right side of the gates. As Snake began to pick the locks his I-Droid activated, and Ocelot began chatting in his earpiece.
"So Emmerich is in there huh? Be careful Boss…you don't know what's down there," Ocelot warned.
"I'll be fine…how's Quiet?" Snake asked.
"She's alright I guess…I haven't heard any gunshots or muffled screams either, so I'm assuming she's still cooperating" Ocelot responded in an almost sarcastic tone. "Why do you care so much Snake?" Ocelot asked in a sly yet questioning tone.
Snake sighed as he unlocked the door before responding. "I meant have you figured anything out about her? Has she talked yet or given any clues on Skull Face's whereabouts?" Snake asked as he silently made his way into the cave hanger.
"Oh…in that case no, we have made no progress, but I'll be taking her food soon. Maybe I'll get something out of her then." Ocelot responded.
"Just do what you have to Ocelot, I've got to…" Snake was cut off by incoming trucks and hid behind one of the guard rails. The trucks passed and Snake was able to finish his statement. "I'm getting Emmerich you do what you have too with Quiet," Snake dropped the transmission and made his way into the hanger. As he went deeper in he began to make out voices, and then a muffled scream. When he reached the interior he saw Emmerich on the ground below a flight of stairs, and at the top of the stairs was…Skull Face. Were Emmerich's life not at risk, or his own, due to the amount of enemy troops, he would take him out right now, but for now he would just have to let it go.
As Snake got even closer he could see the back of the hanger and what was in it astonished him.
A metal gear…Snake's eyes widened as he stared at the hulking mass of weapons, armor, and other machinery. He could tell that it most likely wasn't operational, but the fact that Skull Face had one made the situation so much worse.
I'll have to deal with that later, for now let's get Emmerich. Snake thought as he turned back to see what could be done. Along with the large metal gear there were apparently smaller one-man piloted ones as well. He watched as one easily picked Emmerich up on Skull Face's command, and then bolt out of the hanger, with Skull Face in his jeep behind them.
All of that work to get here, and they move him Snake thought gritting his teeth in anger. Damnit!
Before Snake could make another move Miller chimed onto his earpiece.
"No doubt about it Boss, that man was your extraction target, Emmerich. As far as that weapon system that disappeared into the cave…Emmerich must know what's going on," Miller stated. "We believe he was transported to the Soviets base-camp…Ill mark it on your map. Make your way there Boss…good luck."
Snake pulled up his map on his I-Droid, and looked over the blueprints of the base. It was massive, and it would take too long to pull Emmerich out without risking exposure. As he put the I-Droid away he began to look around the hanger for anything he could use to locate Emmerich faster. After searching for a bit he found some documents on the layout of the Soviet base. Using his I-Droid, Snake quickly flash-scanned the pages having all of the data analyzed at once. In a few seconds the data was displayed on the holographic screen with a detailed view of the base and also a precise location of the lab.
That's where Emmerich will be. Snake thought as he put in the labs location on the I-Droid before snapping a couple of photos of the hanger to keep on file. After which he put his I-Droid away and prepared for a lengthy journey to the Soviet base. You better be worth all of this trouble Emmerich, Snake thought as he made his way out of the hanger.
Quiet had just finished her hundredth sit-up when she heard footsteps coming down to her cell. She wasn't really interested in who it may be so she continued performing exercises. She figured that just because she was a prisoner she shouldn't let herself get lazy. Just then Ocelot came into her cell followed by Miller, who was wearing a face of disgust. Quiet was actually wondering if he knew how to make any positive faces.
"Why are we wasting rations on this, this…thing?" Miller asked Ocelot obviously not caring that Quiet was in the room.
"Because she needs to eat to live Kaz, and last time I checked, dead prisoners aren't worth much," Ocelot immediately responded.
Do these two seriously not care that I am sitting right here? Quiet thought as she now sat on the floor watching Ocelot and Miller argue.
"Prisoners aren't worth anything if they don't talk either Ocelot," Miller spat back, stomping his crutch hard on the ground.
Quiet saw Miller briefly when she "landed", but she was able to take in a little more detail now. Miller was around six feet tall and wore a suit which was covered by a tan trench coat. He was also missing an arm, like Snake, but didn't bother wearing a prosthetic. By the way he walked, Quiet assumed that he was also most likely missing a leg. She could also make out blond hair under his beret, and his eyes were hidden behind dark sun glasses.
"Is there a reason you came down here, Miller?" Ocelot asked with an obvious annoyed sigh.
There was silence for a brief moment before Miller sighed then glared at Quiet.
"I don't know what you're up to, but whenever you try it, I'll put you down…freak," Miller growled at her. He then turned his glare briefly to Ocelot before limping out of the room.
Ocelot shook his head and then turned to Quiet, holding a tray with a couple of dehydrated foods and a glass of water.
"Enjoy what I managed to get you, it's all you'll get until tomorrow," Ocelot said as he slid the tray under the cell then sat the glass of water down through the bars.
Quiet didn't really care how much food they gave her or how often. After all, she only needed water to survive and that was provided to her by her shower. She had been considering different ways to dispose of the food so nobody would suspect her. She considered flushing it, hiding it, or even attempting to eat it. Although she wasn't quite sure that she could still actually eat food anymore and even if she did she wasn't sure if it would hurt her or not. Of course none of that mattered because she decided that she didn't care if they figured her out or not. She also came to the conclusion that she would be unable to dispose of the food anyways because she would most likely be watched. Just like Ocelot was watching her now.
Ocelot hadn't really moved since he sat everything down. He was just leaning against the nearby wall and nonchalantly watching her. "Can you hurry it up please?" Ocelot asked politely, "I need that tray and glass back."
With a very light sigh, Quiet pushed the tray of food back out to Ocelot, but kept the glass of water. She knew she could still technically drink water the old fashioned way. Regardless it still had to be absorbed into her body.
Ocelot looked puzzled for a moment then his face twisted into a half smile. "It's not poison," he said "if we were going to kill you we would just shoot you. Besides, you do need to eat something, I'd hate to tell Snake that his prisoner died of starvation." He then slid the tray back to Quiet and gave her a trusting smile.
I'm not worried about you poisoning me I just don't want it. Now please don't play pass the tray with me and leave? Quiet thought as she sighed and immediately slid the tray back.
Ocelot scratched his moustache then let out a small sigh of his own before picking up the unwanted tray of food. "Okay," he starts "I guess you're just not hungry right now. I'll bring you some more food tomorrow, and I'll have someone come for that glass in an hour." Ocelot narrowed his eyes at Quiet as if he was trying to figure her out, but seemed to give up on the notion as he turned to walk out of her "room".
As Ocelot left, Quiet downed the glass of water and sat perfectly still to allow it to absorb properly. The sensation of feeling water soak into her skin and then disperse itself through her veins was still a cringe-worthy experience, but Quiet knew it was the only way. As the water slowly seeped its way deeper into her body her muscles would contract unnaturally fast to help spread the liquid throughout her body. Not to mention that whenever her muscles were doing this she is completely vulnerable. A feeling she absolutely detested.
Am I even human anymore? Quiet solemnly thought as her muscles relaxed and she placed the empty glass on the outside of the cell.
Out of all the cons of being in this cell the most punishing was actually herself. The lack of privacy, cramped conditions, and being exposed to whatever weather didn't even remotely compare to the dread that was her own mind. Luckily for her she had been provided an escape from it. Quiet unfastened her top, and laid on the bed, on her stomach, with her beautiful yet pale back exposed to whomever wished to look. As the setting sun soaked into her she felt refreshed and a smile spread across her face as her mind blanked out to the sound of music.
Night had just begun to fall as Snake approached the entrance to the Soviet base. As he surveyed the area he spotted a hill just to the side of the entrance that he could use as a good vantage point. Once there he ordered D-dog to stand watch as he pulled out his Int-Scope to scan the sprawling base.
The scope immediately lit up dozens of hostiles including more of those mini-metal gears and even an attack helicopter.
Damn, they have this place locked up tight…maybe they were expecting me? Snake thought to himself as he checked the enemy soldier's ranks and specialties. Most of them were regular cannon fodder that were just stationed here to fill space. Some; however, seemed to show promise. Snake quickly marked the soldiers that deserve extracting then turned his focus to finding a path to Emmerich.
While Snake scanned for the best possible route, Kazuhira called in on his earpiece.
"You're at the Base Camp…the target, Emmerich, should be somewhere there. Keep in mind, that's an enemy stronghold…Stay sharp," Miller concluded then ended transmission.
Just as the transmission ended, Snake put away his scope and carefully made his way down the hill and into the base, telling D-Dog to stay put. Snake weaved his way through the slew of enemy soldiers and skirted around the helicopters search light. Even though he made it look easy, it was still a very difficult and tedious approach.
About halfway through the base, Snake happened upon a man piloted mini-metal gear that had strayed a little too far from the other soldiers. Snake immediately took this opportunity to sneak up behind the man and drag him off the hulking machine to a nearby bush. Once there Snake brandished his combat knife and placed it firmly on the man's throat, drawing a small amount of blood as he did. This soldier was obviously more trained than the one at the power plant. Throughout the entire ordeal he hadn't begged, fainted, nor relieved himself. It didn't matter to Snake however…they always talked in the end.
"Tell me everything you know about those machines," Snake growled in the man's ear, pressing the knife harder against his jugular. The soldier stiffened up but put on a smile before glancing toward the sound of Snake's voice saying "fuck you."
Snake slightly smiled at this man's attitude, he liked a challenge. Usually Snake would toy with stubborn soldiers like this, and watch their mind slowly fall apart, but he didn't have the time right now. Using his robotic hand he grabbed the man's thigh and began to squeeze hard on his femur. Even through the pain, the enemy solider kept a smile, although Snake knew it would soon fade. Slowly Snake felt the bone start to give and crack slightly under his grip to which the soldiers smile quickly faded and he began to let out a tortured scream. Snake quickly covered his mouth and twisted his leg hard, shattering his femur. As tears streamed down the once strong man's face, Snake turned so he could stare him in his eyes.
"I really hate to ask twice, so do yourself a favor, and tell me about those mini-gears," Snake asked, staring into the crying man's very soul. "Before I break the other one."
"Okay…please…I'll tell you everything I know," the soldier said through the tears.
"Good man," Snake said smiling slightly ", but you're not telling me. You're telling Ocelot."
"What? Who?" the soldier asked as Snake fastened a harness to him.
"Try not to scream too loud," Snake said as he pulled a cord, and a large balloon appeared out of the harness. The soldier floated there only for a moment before rocketing up into the air, screaming the entire time.
Snake quickly ran over to the now vacant machine and took several photos before severing a few wires, rendering it inoperable. He wished he could extract it, but the Fulton balloons he was carrying wasn't rated for such a heavy weight. After sabotaging the small metal gear Snake quickly returned to the shadows, and proceeded toward the laboratory building. Even though the base was crawling with enemy soldiers Snake was still able to carefully sneak his way to the side door of the laboratory. After knocking out a guard stationed by the door, Snake carefully made his way inside the building with his pistol drawn, prepared for who knows what inside.
As Snake rounded a corner he was taken by surprise as a woman's voice called out asking, "Who are you? Snake?"
Snake spun around expecting to see a person but instead saw a large machine with a glowing red "eye". As he got closer the machine spoke again saying "It's not you…is it?"
Snake stepped closer, a bit confused that he had been recognized by a machine, and also trying to make out the various pictures and notes that had been taped to it. Before he got any closer he heard another voice call out "Hey." Snake quickly spun to the voices origin, pointing his weapon sharply at its originator. Huey Emmerich.
"It's just a machine," Emmerich said while raising himself up using his robotic leg exoskeleton. "Are you?" Emmerich began.
By this time Snake had holstered his weapon and walked over to Emmerich. It had been a while since he's seen him but he knew this was his target. Even though it had been almost ten years Snake could still recognize the scientist. Emmerich was a small and frail man with shaggy brown hair. He also wore glasses and spoke in a nasally tone. The only thing new about him was his robotic exo legs.
"Dr. Emmerich," Snake said staring hard at the supposed traitor.
"Snake?" Emmerich said in response before having a brown bag shoved over his head. "Hey what gives?!" Emmerich cried out as Snake cut the cords to his exo legs. "Let me go!" Huey cried as Snake hoisted him up onto his shoulders. "No! Give me back my legs!"
Snake ignored his whining as Miller called in his earpiece.
"Right on schedule. Now bring him back to mother base," Miller said. "Ok I'm sending a chopper close by…Get to the LZ with Emmerich," he continued.
As Snake made his way to the door Emmerich spoke up saying "Hold on a second. Let's use the Walker gear I developed to escape. There's a special one here at the lab. Only I can activate it, and I'll tell you how to operate it."
The idea intrigued Snake and he was also pleased to have an official name for these machines instead of just calling them mini-gears. As he turned to inspect the walker Kaz chimed in on his earpiece.
"Ignore Emmerich," he said, "we don't need his wind-up toys."
Why doesn't Miller ever want me to have any fun? Snake thought as he made his way over to the covered walker. Suddenly, as if on cue, Ocelot spoke up in the conversation.
"It is a long way there…why don't you use that walker gear of his?" Ocelot said in contrast.
"No way, we can't trust him," Miller fired back "how do we know his crap will even work?"
"Well its better than carrying the man the whole way," Ocelot responded sounding annoyed. "Boss use the walker gear to escape."
"It's your call, Boss…" Miller said with a large sigh.
Of course during Ocelots and Millers banter Snake had already taken the tarp off of the walker. He was already inspecting the hefty machine, ensuring that there were no bombs or tracking devices that had been planted. Satisfied that the walker was clear, Snake lifted Emmerich and placed him on the machine.
"I'll start it up," Emmerich gasped "get this thing off me!" referring to the bag still on his head.
Snake removed the bag allowing Emmerich to take a much needed gulp of air before turning his attention to the controls. "Okay," he said "here we go." Emmerich began pushing buttons and turning knobs producing a high pitch whine from the walker before starting up. "There single pilot machines Ill..." Emmerich was cut off as Snake slammed the bag back over his head and threw him to the floor. Snake then climbed into the cockpit of the walker and grabbed ahold of the controls.
How hard could it be? Snake thought as he tested certain buttons and levers to see how the machine worked. After quickly figuring out the controls, Snake used the walker to pick up Emmerich before turning to walk his way to the back hangar door.
"I was developing a bipedal weapon for the Soviet Union," Emmerich said as he was carried. "It hasn't been deployed yet, and I was doing the mobility testing here. Once the walker gear is finished they'll have a huge advantage in close combat, and once they add my masterpiece to the equation…this war will be over. The Soviets will win!"
Snake had stopped walking the machine in shock to this revelation. Emmerich was supplying the Soviets with some of the most advanced technology available. As Snakes anger and impatiens grew Miller came back on to Snake's I-Droid earpiece.
"He was developing bipedal weapons for the Soviets?" Miller said in shock. "If that's the case, what's Ciphers interest in it? Boss think back…nine years ago we invited that nuclear inspection team to Mother base. It was a ruse…they turned out to be Ciphers strike force. It was Emmerich who brought them there…he's been underground ever since. Working with Cipher," he concluded.
Snake stared at Emmerich with questioning hatred in his eyes and he was sure that if that bag weren't on Hueys head he would probably piss himself from the glare. As if knowing what Snake was thinking Emmerich spoke back up "I had no idea!" he pleaded. "I thought the inspection was real! I swear it! If anyone's to blame, it's YOU Snake. We should have never had that nuke! That's the reason Mother Base was destroyed!"
It took everything Snake had to fight off the rage building inside him to Emmerich's words. Snake knew he couldn't kill him…at least not yet, but that didn't mean he had to listen to him. Thrusting one of the joysticks forward quickly, Snake bashed Emmerich's head into the metal wall, knocking him out cold. With Emmerich silenced Snake could now focus on escaping the base although he knew that by using the walker, stealth was out of the question. Luckily this walker was equipped with two semi-automatic pistols and a side mounted Gatling gun.
Usually Snake tried not to kill anyone so he could give the illusion that he hadn't even been there at all. However knowing that the whole base was about to be aware of his presence and his anger at a boiling point, he didn't really care right now.
Thrusting the controls forward, Snake rocketed out of the hanger with Emmerich flailing wildly in the walker's arms. As he rounded a corner he was spotted by a dozen guards that he proceeded to mow down with the heavy gun.
Hell yes, Snake thought as hot lead tore into the bodies of countless enemy soldiers, their painful cries echoing across the base. Responding to their cries more and more soldiers swarmed around Snake only to be torn to shreds by the mini-gun. With the majority of the base's guards dead, Snake shot for the exit. Before he made it he heard the unmistakable whir of helicopter blades behind him. Turning quickly, Snake saw the attack helicopter rapidly closing in on him. To Snake's dismay the heavy gun had run out of ammo, forcing him to resort to the duel pistols. Using the built-in advanced targeting system, Snake loosened three rounds toward the helicopter's cockpit. After a few brief moments, the helicopter banked a hard left, right into a building, exploding on impact.
Snake turned with a grin and made his way quickly to the exit, confident that he was home free. As Snake approached the descending Pequod something felt…wrong. Before the helicopter could land there was a huge explosion of dirt and sand that forced the Pequod to retreat.
The noise must have awoken Dr. Emmerich because he had taken off the bag and looked just as stunned as Snake. Because once the sand cleared it revealed a Metal Gear! It looked very different from the one he saw back at the hanger. The most notable differences are that this one actually works, and it looks much, much larger. As the towering metal behemoth stood up it opened its hand to reveal…Skull Face.
"Sahelanthropus," Emmerich said, still stunned "but how?"
"So that's the gear he built for the Soviets," Ocelot said through Snake's earpiece.
"Doctor!" Skull Face called out from the huge machines hand. "You're as useless as I thought!... This is the real Sahelanthropus," Skull Face gloated as he motioned his hands toward the hulking machine. "You and you're friend will die here! Behold! Today is the day weapons learned to walk upright!" With that the Metal Gear turned to place Skull Face in a hovering chopper before turning back to Snake and letting out an ear-wrenching screech.
"Well…shit," Snake said as he stared in minor shock at the behemoth machine.
"Get out of there, Boss!" Miller screamed into the radio. "Emmerich's extraction comes first, and you can't do that if you're dead! Head to the new LZ!"
With that Snake quickly used the walker to sprint underneath the legs of the Metal Gear as fast as he could. He knew that he didn't have the arsenal to take this thing head on so escaping to the Pequod was his best hope. As he ran he activated the emergency Fulton on D-Dog so that he could be extracted. As Snake ran past the fearsome machine it let out a terrifying scream followed by a barrage of high caliber rounds. Luckily for Snake this walker could run fast enough to dodge the incoming hellfire, and quickly made for the nearby mountain near the LZ, so he could give the Metal Gear the slip. As Snake hid behind some large rocks he had to think fast before the Gear found him. He quickly tied the controls of the walker so that it would run straight away from the LZ, and hopefully give them enough time to escape.
Snake hopped off the walker and grabbed Emmerich before pushing a button, sending the walker sprinting out of cover, and away from the landing zone. As the walker ran past the Metal Gear, it let out another deafening screech before turning and firing at it. Using this brief moment the Pequod was able to get close enough for Snake to throw Emmerich in and climb in himself.
As the helicopter climbed in altitude, Sahelanthropus turned and screamed, releasing a volley of missiles. Using the mini-gun Snake shot hard at the incoming warheads, blowing them up only feet from the helicopter. Seemingly frustrated at its thwarted attack the hulking Metal Gear screamed then launched itself up at Snake. Screaming with intense anger and fear, Snake fired the gun directly at the monstrous machine's face. Before the Gear was able to reach the chopper it let out a defeated screech as its head exploded and it fell back down to the desert below.
Breathing heavily, Snake pushed the hot mini-gun away and leaned out to observe the flaming wreckage of the Metal gear.
"An upright bipedal weapon," Emmerich said from behind Snake. "In terms of hominids…it's a Sahelanthropus. How did they complete it without me?"
"We'll hear the rest back at base," Miller cut in using the open radio.
As Snake stared at the broken Metal Gear he let out a sigh before turning to see Emmerich staring at him. With a scowl Snake yanked the bag back over his head and pushed him back into his seat.
"It's a three hour trip back to base," Snake said to Emmerich. "And I don't want to hear a damn word come out of your mouth until we get there."
The ride back to Mother Base was very quiet and gave Snake the bit of down time that he needed. While that mission may have went south, it was still largely a success. He was able to extract the target without any injuries except a mild concussion that Snake would write off on his spill down the stairs at the cave hanger. Snake was also able to retrieve some valuable blueprints, and he even grabbed a poster of some Russian model that was sure to raise morale with the men. Oddly though Snake felt more uneasy about bringing Emmerich to the base than he did bringing Quiet.
As the Pequod landed Snake shook Ocelot's hand before making his way to a nearby portable shower unit, while Emmerich was taken for interrogation. When Snake was finished with his quick shower he made his way to his bunk to get a couple of hours of sleep before going to see how the interrogation was going. As he approached he saw Emmerich get doused with water and make accusations against Miller, whom supposedly had contact with Cipher nine years ago.
"He's the traitor Snake!" Emmerich called out to Snake who had just walked into the observation room behind one way glass. How Huey guessed he was in there was beyond Snake.
With those words Ocelot grabbed another syringe and walked toward Emmerich, smiling a twisted smile.
"What's that?" Emmerich asks "more truth serum?"
"No," Ocelot replied "Stronger truth serum."
Emmerich's face twisted in sly fear before begging, "Please," he pleaded "please keep me here! I need protection!" He said before having a needle plunge into his neck and being injected with more serum. As Emmerich winced in pain he cried out "why?"
With this Kazuhira stood, grabbing his crutch and exclaiming "you're the odd one out."
"Why me?" Emmerich whined, trying to appear a victim.
With a hateful frown, Miller stood in front of Huey before speaking. "We all lost something," Miller said staring down at Emmerich. "Except you."
With that Miller grabbed the controls to Emmerich's repaired exo legs and started bending his leg backwards. He pushed Emmerich over and grinned slightly as he screamed in pain. Slowly small popping sounds came from Emmerich's leg indicating that it was about to break. Right before his tendons tore and his knee shattered, Miller stopped then left the room.
Miller then joined Snake in the observation room, standing beside him. "The truth serum isn't working," Kaz said. "Either some procedure he had done to boost his metabolic enzymes, or he's undergone special gene therapy."
"What's he saying," Snake asked as he watched Ocelot kneel down to Emmerich.
"Same as six hours ago…I had no idea the nuclear inspection nine years ago was a ruse," Miller said. "Cipher forced me to do their research after the attack."
"Do you think he had a hand in it?" Snake asked still watching Ocelot question, Emmerich.
"I do," Miller said confidently. "But there's no proof yet…take a listen to this later," Miller said, handing Snake a cassette tape.
"We need proof before we can pass judgment," said Snake as he took the tape, and looked at Miller. "Keep an eye on him," he said while Miller walked to leave the room. "And don't tell anyone he's here."
Miller paused in this walk before talking. "We'll have him continue his research in there…it's for his own good. The older guys will want his head, and we can't guarantee his safety if we let him out."
"Boss" Snake heard Ocelot say from behind him. Snake turned and walked to Ocelot who had a concerned face.
"He mentioned something interesting," Ocelot said. "The reason why they pulled their plug on the operations in Afghanistan. He said the funding started going to central Africa instead. Cipher, is perusing new research in Africa," Ocelot said with a nod.
"Africa," Snake said nodding and processing all of the recent information. "What research?" Snake asked Ocelot.
Ocelot walked to the two-way mirror, with Snake in tow and stared at Emmerich. "Emmerich doesn't know the details, but one thing he said does make sense," Ocelot started. "That Sahelanthropus alone isn't enough to cause an RMA…he claims that what they're doing in Africa is the missing piece. A weapon to surpass a Metal Gear."
With this Miller turned back around with a concerned look to his face.
"Meaning it's not just another nuke," Snake said to Miller with worry in his words.
"No," Miller said "but we'll stop it regardless." With that Miller turned and left the room followed by Ocelot leaving Snake to stare at Emmerich, still in the interrogation room. "What else do you know you bastard?" With a sigh Snake turned to leave the room. He knew he had to go to Africa but there was one thing he wanted to do first.
Quiet still laid on her stomach with her top undone and completely lost in the music. She had been like this all night, just completely relaxed to whatever song was playing. As she laid there she could feel the morning sun lightly shine across her bare back, bringing her back into reality. Quiet rubbed her eyes, and clasped her top before raising up to stretch. As she stretched out her arms she began to smell a strong smoke. Quickly looking around Quiet noticed a dim glow of a cigar in the corner of the room.
"Sorry," a gruff voice spoke, "I didn't want to wake you."
As Quiet heard the words she was able to identify the speaker immediately. It was Big Boss. This would be the second time he had gotten this close without her knowledge.
"I was just making sure the radio was working fine," Snake said as he stepped out of the shadowed corner toward the radio. "Oh, and I also found something in the ruins that I think belongs to you," he said as he reached into his pocket and produced a small gold ring. Snake eyed the ring over a couple of times before sticking his hand through the cell to give it to Quiet.
Quiet stared at the ring for a moment before realizing what Big Boss had found. He found my ring…I was sure it was gone forever, Quiet thought as she slowly approached Snake. I could take the ring and snap his neck in one motion…It would be over in an instant. But how would I leave? He's also probably guarded…Quiet argued with herself.
Quiet stood at the edge of the cell just inches from the man she was supposed to kill. She was running countless scenarios through her head of how she could do it, but all of them ended in her recapture or death. Frowning slightly to herself she decided that killing him now wouldn't be the best time, or at least, that was what she told herself. She would have to continue waiting, but at least she had the ring back.
Quiet reached out and slowly took the ring from his hand, maintaining eye contact the entire time. Snake didn't blink, nor did he flinch, he simply stared into her eyes with a glare that seemed to go right through her. She felt almost vulnerable to his stare but she didn't let it show. Once Quiet had the ring Snake stared at her for a moment more before putting the cigar back to his lips and turning to leave.
Once he left, Quiet sat silently on her bed staring at the ring Snake had brought her. She was also thinking about Snake himself. Everything she had been briefed on indicated that the Big Boss was a ruthless man who only desired power and would stop at nothing to achieve it. However all she had seen so far was a man who cared deeply about his people, and even though she was his enemy he still has went out of his way to help her. Not sure what to believe about her target anymore, Quiet pulled the ring close to her chest before looking at the ascending helicopter that Snake had just boarded. As she watched his helicopter ascend a slight smile crept across her face before thinking,
Thank you Snake…
End of Chapter Two
A/N: Alright! That's the end of Chapter Two! I really hope you liked it, and I apologize for its ridiculous length. I just couldn't really find a spot where I wanted to separate it into another chapter so I just wrote this huge one. Also I am planning on there being a pretty decent build-up to Snake's and Quiet's relationship so I apologize if it seems like I'm taking too long. Hopefully you guys actually enjoy the build-up, the little action sequences, and hints to Quiet's past. This is really fun so far, and I hope anyone that reads this likes it as much as I do!
Disclaimer! All properties of Metal Gear including but not limited to: characters, dialogue, locations and gear belong to Konami and Kojima!