7

"You let him go, Scar. Even your men didn't stop him. Why such generosity and mercy for a traitor?"

"I could ask the same to you. Why are you still here, Shalashaska? For all we know, you could've led Snake here by bringing RAY!"

He drew one of his revolvers and aimed it at the commander's head. "You calling me a traitor, boy? You'd do good to learn your place, especially..."

Scar drew his HK-5. "Especially around messangers of the Patriots or the La-li-lu-le-lo. I've heard it before, Shalashaska. I don't need a reminder. What I need is someone who can do their job efficiently! We have three days to complete SIN, and as of now, it's only at 85... It should be finished by now!"

A woman who was polishing a Falcon pistol walked in. She was wearing a black tube top, beige pants, and a brown leather jacket. She had long jet-black hair, and brown eyes. "Try to relax every now and then, Scar. You're waaaaaay too tense."

His hand was in a fist. "I don't need your advice, Satora. Just stay out of my way." Scar slammed his fist into a wall. "Got it?"

"Fine by me... Onto other matters, Scyth wants to see you. He should still be at Heliport 1 on the west side of the southern building." She sighed, signaling toward the door behind her. "He said it was urget, so I suggest you get moving."

"Move!" He pushed her aside and left through the door she was pointing at.

"Hunt Snake and his friends down. I want them dead!"

"Touchy! Since when are you so high-strung?" His revolver was aimed at her forehead. "Ok, ok... No need for violence when it isn't due." She took a deep breath. "What are my orders?"

"All of the boy's men are dead?"

"Yes, well, 'cept for the odd one or two that I couldn't locate at the time."

"Good... I don't have much use for you at the moment, but I might be proven wrong." He withdrew his pistol from her head. "If you want to, hunt down those pests and bring back the woman who was in solitary. We'll need more of her blood to complete the tests."

She moved closer to a white counter and picked up a small vial that was filled with a thick red liquid. "Is her blood really the key? Is that why she was brought here? Because she's needed to complete the project?"

"You don't need to know... As long as her comrades don't realize that he's working as a double agent, the plans should procede just fine. You know of her connection to Solid and Liquid Snake, not to mention ex-president Sears, correct?"

Satora placed the vial back on the counter. "I get the point... Can I go now?" He nodded. "Thanks."

There were only dim lights in the path, along with the light from Snake's USP. Soren's crossbow had a nighvision scope attached to it, but even it didn't hel much. Raiden still carried Rayne on his back, who was now asleep.

"Rayne. Rayne?" Her head tilted slightly. "Must be exhausted..."

Her grip around his neck grew tighter. "I don't regret much...just that I let my guard down...just that I have weaknesses."

"So? What's in the past is in the past. There's no changing that."

Soren stopping moving forward, signaling for everyone to stop moving. He looked through his scope, but still couldn't see anything. Snake's USP light was of no use either.

Rayne's eyes were still closed. "Someone's been following us since we got down here. Can't...you hear the footsteps?"

Snake moved infront of Raiden, loading his pistol. "Raiden, get out of here."

Soren came up beside Snake. "Tha hatch isn't far from here. Keep going and get out of the area!"

Slow footsteps could be heard, as well as a woman who was laughing. "Y'know, it's hard to believe that she's related to you, Snake. Such a weakling from such a strong and powerful man. If only Big Boss could see this...this disapointment! What do you think he would say, hm?"

"Who the hell are you!?"

She grunted. "Hasn't the traitor told you about us? Didn't you explain who we are, Soren? You told him..." She was still out of sight. "So why not tell the others? Or are you playing both sides...?"

Snake tensed, glancing at Soren. His trust in Soren was beginning to fade as the woman's icy words hit him. "Who are you?"

"Since when do you care what I do, Satora?" Soren could see her through the scope, firing a crossbow bolt. Pulling back the strings, he grunted when he heard the metal bolt hit the stone floor/ Firing again, he spoke. "You've never given a damn about what I do. Why start now?"

Satora finally revealed herself to them, laughing. "You've been branded a traitor." She could hear metal being stepped on. "Finally... Soren, I've been given orders to kill you and your men on sight. I don't want to, but orders are orders." She drew both Falcon pistols, firing a few rounds. "But you aren't my top priority..."Her guns were aimed at both Snake and Soren's foreheads. Walking past them with their weapons pointed at her, she withdrew the gun pointed at Soren, and aimed at Raiden, who was halfway up the ladder while carrying Rayne, and fired. "That woman is."

"Raiden, move!"

The bullet nearly hit his hand and Rayne's head. Seconds later, both of them were gone. Satora moaned.

"Soren..." She lowered both guns and began to walk away, fading into the darkness of the tunnel. "I don't want to resort to threats, but I will if I must. Keep those words in mind, will you? Thanks." She was gone.

Soren had gone down the path and started up the ladder. "Snake, coming?"

The former FOXHOUND commando was dwelling on what Satora had said about Rayne and Big Boss having some kind of connection. "What did she mean?" He placed the USP in a holster.

He was a few steps up the ladder. "Snake, move it!"

140.19 to 141.33

"Do you have what you need?"

"No, but she's coming your way, along with the pests. What about Snake's contact?"

"Barely alive. He won't last much longer if he isn't already dead. I haven't checked on him lately. On a different topic... How much more of Erika's blood do you need?"

"A few pints would be nice, but two vials should do. Shalashaska's been on edge lately, as is Scar. They've been going at each other's throats, and it won't end pretty. What about you? Have they figured you out yet?"

"I don't think so. About the blood...where do you want to meet once I have it? Satora, it'll have to be an area with no security cameras. If they discover me now, everything will go wrong."

"We'll worry about that later. I have buisness to attend to. Contact me once you have the prize... Don't fail us now, doctor."

-codec off-

Heliport 1 was one of the few places that was under high guard. Soldiers lined the perimeter of the area, while snipers were positioned on the four corner towers. Two security cameras were positioned on the north and south walls.

"This is just too high of an alert. Scyth, what exactly are you planning? One heliport doesn't need to be this secure. What's going on?"

Scyth didn't even look at his second in command. "So your brother has abandoned our cause and ideals?" He signaled for the chopper above to leave the area. "You there, move out and secure the north building. Do not let anyone without Level A clearance get through to SIN!"

Scar turned to his left, only to see the woman he hated most. "Thought I told you to stay out of my way?"

"I'm not exactly in your way, am I?"

Scar moaned. "I suppose. Anyway, why such high security?"

"Not that I have anything against you being one of us, it's just that you've officially become a nuisance, along with your pathetic brother. You're no longer needed." He drew his HK-5. "Sorry... Nothing personal."

"What the hell!?"

Satora stood behind her commander. "Like he said..." She drew both of her handguns. "You're no longer needed. It can't be help, Scar."

Scar ran, somehow managing to avoid being hit by every single bullet that was fired at him. "Damn!" Running through a door, Satora began to chase after him.

"Stop." He fired at her feet.

"But Scyth... If we let him go, he could end up ru--"

Sxyth's gun was aimed at her. "He won't ruin a thing. Just let him go." He whispered something and turned around, his back facing the black-haired woman. "What about the woman? Where is she?"

"They have her, but they haven't figured out the doctor yet, so...everything should go as planned with her. Why is she so important, anyway?"

Scyth leaned against a wall, his arms crossed. "SIN is a genetic type of Metal Gear. Even the Pentagon doesn't know it exists... Not many people know this, but the Patriots are behind the whole project, they control everything around it too. Even our group. We may have been called by the development team as a form of...security if you like, but we;re just here to make sure that it isn't damaged before its completion. Her genetic code, her DNA is what completes the chain that will activate Metal Gear. This version is practically a living creature."

"How so will it complete this chain, as you call it?"

He sighed, annoyed at her ignorance. "You were originally a part of the development team, and yet, you don't know?" He began laughing. "The whole chain is like a combination of DNA and RNA, formed from Big Boss and his clones."

"Wait, so that means that..."

"Yes... We have samples of Big Boss himself, as well as the three Snakes, as well as that woman. Even she doesn't know of her relation to the old man. She was part of the 'Les Enfants Terribles' project, but was abandoned because of gender issues. They reopened the project about 26 years ago. It took them a whole year, but they had completed it. She was the final and only result of the project. Understand?"

"Yes."