Author's Note: Seventh Chapter, ladies and gentlemen! This far along and no one seems to want to read…
Chapter 7: Perseverance
Snake woke up that morning, his neck bent at an odd angle. He checked the time on the beaten up clock that hung on the far wall, near the door. Six o'clock, give or take a few minutes. Snake was amazed that his body could wake up so methodically every morning.
Once again, just like Snake had suspected, Andrea had once again unconsciously buried her face in Lynn's shoulder, all drawn in and curled up. Snake found it cute.
Lynn, however, had not moved much, still in the same position she was initially in. She even slept like a soldier. The word Army brat came out of nowhere into Snake's head. Snake pulled out his bag of cigarettes and lit one up.
A few minutes later, Otacon came groggily out of the bedroom. He turned on his computer monitor on his way to the kitchen. Snake stood up, stretching his old, pained limbs, and went off to take a shower.
The bathroom door shut, not loudly, but just enough to cause the petite medic to stir a little. The movement caught Otacon's eye as he set up a coffee maker (that had been generously donated to them by a neighbor) to make some coffee. Otacon stopped for a second, seeing how the younger girl was entwined around the tough chick's arm. He gave a short laugh and resumed with his coffee making.
This time, however, it was Lynn who woke up first. Despite the fact that loss of blood would generally make you sleep a hell of a lot longer than most people, Lynn seemed to wake up instantaneously. She noticed the younger girl wedged into her side, and gave a strong jerk to free her arm. This, of course, caused Andrea to wake up as well, as she collapsed forward. She surveyed the position she was in, and backed away quickly in embarrassment.
"S-sorry," she mumbled, turning a now-familiar shade of red.
"Any of you girls interested in some coffee?" Otacon called from the kitchen.
"Um, thank you," Andrea replied. "So, you said that today…we get our outfits?"
"That's the plan," Otacon answered. "Or, at least for you three. I never go on field missions."
"The information analyst and intelligence," Lynn said. "Important for operations like this."
"That's not all I do, I can hack into any system, as long as it's connected to the internet, from right here in my own--" Otacon looked around with a little disgust "--home."
Minutes passed, and Snake came out of the shower dressed in some of his normal clothes. Though, a muscle shirt and camo pants hardly passed as 'normal' to most people's standards. Andrea was given a steaming cup of coffee, of which she took a small sip of.
"Okay, first thing's first," Otacon said, taking up residence in his chair, "you girls need a change of clothes. You can shower all you want, it's the clothes that smell ripe."
"There's a washer and dryer downstairs, but the coinage is up to you," Snake said.
"I can lend you some clothes while you're waiting," Otacon suggested. "I have all kinds of stuff that's probably small enough for you."
"Lynn, I doubt you know how to use a washer and dryer, so Andrea, it looks like you're on laundry detail," Snake said gruffly.
"O-okay," Andrea replied.
"Come on and I'll lift out the clothes." Otacon left his now-empty mug on the computer desk and trotted into his room. Lynn stood up, and uneasily waned to the side. Andrea was immediately up and under her shoulder. The two followed Otacon into the room. Snake watched them leave and hid his bag of cigarettes somewhere safe.
Otacon lifted out several pieces of clothing and laid them out on his bed.
"Well, that's about it," he said. "I'll leave you two to change." With that, Otacon strode out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
Andrea's face was comparable in color to a red rose when she realized what she and Lynn were going to be changing at the same time--talk about akward. She fumbled through the clothes, trying to find something small enough for her, and finding something that fit her needs, she turned around--
--and saw Lynn methodically taking off her clothes. Andrea quickly turned the other way, but glanced back. She faced away from Lynn, and it took up all her courage to strip herself of her own clothes. She used one of Otacon's shirts to cover herself up while changing, but when she chanced another look back at Lynn, well…apparently discretion meant nothing to Lynn. She was completely naked.
Andrea tried to finish changing and forget Lynn's athletic, well-built body, minus the bullet wound. Even after changing, Andrea didn't turn around again until she was sure Lynn was fully re-clothed. Another glance back confirmed this. Her face was still red as she watched Lynn stumble out into the living room.
Andrea collected both their clothes absent-mindedly, and carried them out into the living room as well.
"The laundry room's on the bottom floor, you shouldn't have any trouble finding it," Otacon said. He handed over some laundry detergent and some fabric softener. He opened the door for her. She then walked down the hallway. She had a chance to look herself over in Otacon's clothes; while they were the smallest she could find, the pants were extremely baggy and the shirt she had on came down three quarters of the way between her hips and her knees. For Lynn, however, the clothes seemed to fit her perfectly.
The image of Lynn changing once again ran through Andrea's mind, and she almost dropped the pile of clothing.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Otacon was checking his Email, Lynn had taken up residence on Snake's couch again, and Snake himself had the opportunity to sit down on it while the younger girl was doing laundry for herself and her companion.
"Has that guy given a reply yet?" Snake asked Otacon, referring to the guy who was supposed to have replied to Otacon's Email.
"No, it doesn't look like it," Otacon said as he leafed through his inbox.
Snake, while not wanting to leave his precious couch, decided to get up and ruffle through the cupboards for something to eat. Finding nothing but a box of plain Raisin Bran, he readied four bowls. He carried two back to Otacon and Lynn; at first Lynn refused but Snake forced it upon her. Snake then fetched his own bowl, leaving the last for Andrea when she came back up.
The morning went by rather quickly, and Andrea had made her second trip downstairs. The girls were now back in their own clothing, and Snake was busy folding up his Sneaking Suit. Lynn had said she knew someone who could clean and repair it for him.
The three set off, Snake and Andrea following behind Lynn. Their first stop was to be the specialist for Snake's suit, in which he would leave the group and wait for his suit back.
"Okay, where is this 'specialist' you said could fix my Sneaking Suit?" Snake asked, his suit secure inside a backpack. All three of them had one.
"A man who used to be under the command of someone my father worked with," Lynn replied. "He's had extensive experience working with top military combat outfits, so yours should be no problem."
"I see," Snake said. "So how far are we--"
Snake was cut short as Lynn abruptly turned and entered what appeared to be a dry-cleaner shop.
"That was fast," Snake remarked. The walk had taken five minutes from Philanthropy HQ.
A rather bored-looking heavily built guy with a crew cut was sitting at the desk, reading a magazine that appeared to be centered around automatic weapons.
"Can I help you?" the man said in a deep, bored voice. His face seemed to lighten up when he saw Lynn. "Oh, the Warrant Officer's daughter," he said with interest. "Haven't seen you in years. Tell me, how is the old guy, anyways?"
"He's in Iraq," Lynn said matter-of-factly. The guy grinned slyly.
"So," the guy said, eyeing the other two, "anything special I can help you with?"
"This man needs his Sneaking Suit repaired and cleaned," Lynn replied.
"Ah, if I'm thinking right, you're Solid Snake, right?" the man said. Snake bristled.
"Am I that popular?" Snake asked.
"Relax," the guy said. "I do a little research of my own." He gestured for the suit, and although suspicious, Snake pulled it out of his pack and handed it over. The guy examined it. "Custom, huh? Nicely done, too." He folded it up and put it on a shelf under the desk. "So, what do you want done, just a clean up and repair?"
"Yeah," Snake replied.
"Stick around for an hour, and I'll have it ready."
"I'd like to pay in advance, because there are other things that need to be done today," Lynn said.
"Don't worry about it," the guy said, pushing away the credit card when Lynn set it down on the table. "I owe Peterson, so this one's on the house. You okay? You look a little pale."
"Bullet wound," Lynn said as if it was nothing. Rather than having some horror-stricken expression on his face, he just sighed and shook his head. "Sloppy, Recruit."
Lynn took the credit card back. Lynn left, Andrea following behind. Snake spotted a chair, and sat down.
"What's with the job?" Snake asked.
"It pays the bills," the guy grunted.
Outside, Lynn walked uneasily forward.
"How long of a walk is it?" Andrea asked gently, ready to stop the heavy girl from falling if she lost balance.
"A three hour walk," Lynn replied.
"I-I think we should take the bus," Andrea suggested. "It'll be faster."
Lynn seemed to have agreed, because they continued and stopped at a bus stop that was frequented by the right line. A small old lady was also there, and was looking at the two girls suspiciously. Andrea nervously avoided her stare. Lynn, though, didn't seem to take notice of the old lady as she used one arm against a post to support herself.
The bus came a few minutes later. Andrea had the sneaking suspicion that Lynn had never used public transportation before, so she hastily dropped in fare for the both of them. The bus driver leaned out to glance at Lynn as she half-fell into an empty seat. Andrea sat beside her.
The long bus ride was filled with uneasy stares from people, so Andrea had looked to the floor for the most part. Lynn had seemed to stare out the window the whole time.
The bus stopped at the closest stop to their destination, and Lynn staggered off. Andrea followed, as the bus driver shut the doors and continued on his route. Lynn rounded a corner, and unsteadily crossed the street to what looked like a gun shop. Lynn went inside, and Andrea was hesitant at first. But she knew she had to go in, so she entered the shop.
It turned out it wasn't just a gun shop, that it sold many things, from uniforms, to helmets, to small arms. All on the legal side, of course.
The shop itself was quite rustic; brown was the natural color scheme of the place. Wood floors, walls, and counters were accented by the dim lighting.
"Can I see some I.D.?" the guy at the counter said, eying Andrea. She got very nervous, as she was only seventeen. The fact that the guy looked aggressive, with his bald head and moustache/beard didn't help. He had a tattoo of a helmet on a pike on his head.
"Is Sergeant O'Brian here?" Lynn asked, stopping at the counter. A look of surprise crossed the man's face.
"Who are you?" he asked, suddenly very serious looking. "Stay where you are," he said, and disappeared behind a set of heavy, dark brown drapes. He reappeared a couple seconds later with an older guy, who was wearing fatigues, and had very short shorn hair. Dog tags dangled down his neck.
"Recruit," the older guy said, setting his hands down on the wooden counter. "What are you doing here?"
"We need some combat uniforms, Sir," Lynn replied evenly. "Eventually some more hardware, but for now just something that's fit for stealth and combat."
"A mission, huh?" the older guy said. "Glad to see you're keeping busy." He jerked his head, motioning for the two girls to come to the back. The bald guy gave the older guy a strange stare.
"By the way, who's your girlfriend?" the old guy called from the back as Lynn parted the curtains. Andrea blushed--why did people keep making that mistake? Was it because Lynn was so…unfeminine?
"Recruit Delintoro, Sir," Lynn replied. "She was also stationed at the base. I was ordered to assist her in finding somewhere that sold medical supplies, and now she refuses to RTB."
"R-RTB?" Andrea asked quietly.
"Return to Base," the older guy explained the acronym. "Anyways," he said to Lynn, "yo wouldn't have her with you without a good reason. And fill me in on why you came to me for a high end stealth uniform."
"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to tell you, Sir."
"Why's that?" the guy asked, stopping in front of a large closet.
"National security," Lynn replied simply. That statement sunk into Andrea's head and made her realize just how big the situation was that she had gotten herself into.
No, I can't back out now, Andrea thought to herself. She had resolved to see whatever happened through to the end, she wasn't about to break that resolve.
"Eighteen and already fighting for national security," the guy muttered to himself. "I take it this isn't a mission you're father's sending you on?"
"No Sir."
"Didn't think so. Anyways, what exactly are you two looking for? What specifics?"
"I require something that suppresses noise during movement, without being too hindering or restrictive. As well, it should have light caliber resistance, and be fairly invisible against most surfaces. Preferably something of high quality."
"You're asking me for something very expensive," the older guy said.
"With all do respect, Sergeant O'Brian, that's exactly what I need."
"I have almost everything ever made, but I have something that's just been designed," the old Sergeant replied. He pulled some keys out of his pocket and opened up the closet doors. A large and expansive room opened before Andrea.
"I hope your little friend here understands that what she sees here does not leave this room," O'Brian said. Andrea suspected that most of the merchandise was Black Market stuff.
"I-I do, Sir," Andrea replied quietly.
"Okay," O'Brian said, and lifted out a dark outfit. "This is fresh from the government's best scientific minds," he said. The suit was black, yet seemed to resonate otherwise. "It has an expensive new polyester that makes it hard to see, especially at night. Standard pockets and storage capacity, with all the specifications you asked for. However--" he pointed to denser, harder sections positioned around the suit "--certain areas of the suit offer stronger defense to projectiles. The chest, groin, outer legs, back, knee, and elbows all have a high-density material that's easily twice the strength of Kevlar. With this, body armor isn't needed. It frees up some weight on you and allows for greater movement. Also, and this is my favourite part, the fabric is light-sensitive and will react if it senses a laser target anywhere on it by sending a slight jolt of electricity into that part of the body." He then lifted out some boots. "These things are no laughing matter either. Made almost entirely out of the same stuff as that suit's armor, they're water resistant, shock-proof, and most importantly, you can stomp this sucker down on hollow metal and it doesn't make a sound." To demonstrate his point, he slammed a boot into the wooden wall, and all that sounded out was a very dull thud.
Andrea looked at Lynn, who was looking at the suit with intensity. While most girls fell in love with cute mini-skirts, it was kind of the same way Lynn felt about the stealth suit.
"Unfortunately though," O'Brian said with a sigh, "this ensemble's going to cost you a large ten grand."
"It fits the requirements," Lynn said simply. "Now we need something for Recruit Delintoro."
"Specifics?" O'Brian asked again.
"She will be needing something that offers similar protection, but more mobile and not that much ammo storage; something tailored to store medical equipment."
"A field medic, huh?" O'Brian said, sizing up the small girl. "She knows some medicine?"
"She has her Medical Certificate," Lynn replied. O'Brian's face lit up with surprise.
"No wonder you're letting her tag along. Usually you're such a loner. I'm glad you have a friend."
"Hardly. Like I said, she refuses to leave."
"Remind you of anyone?" O'Brian said with a smile. "Now, I'm sure I have something to fit those requirements, but the problem is size. I never thought I'd have to outfit a small seventeen year old." He leafed through a rack of uniforms. He pulled out a dark grey one, one that looked like it would fit Andrea. "This might do, but it was a defect that I was supposed to send back. It's not meant to be this small. But nothing should be wrong with it in terms of performance. It's brand new, similar fiber to yours, but a lot lighter and easier to move around in. It's also less protected than yours, it only has armor for the chest." He looked at a small slip of paper attached to it. "This one's quite expensive too, though, it was introduced three years ago. Running price of Seven and a half grand." He pulled out something from a large square chest that lay against the left wall. "Though, I'll throw in a proper supply backpack and similar boots for free." He set all the merchandise on a table.
"I'll be paying with my father's emergency funds," Lynn said, producing the credit card.
"The bill will say you bought a random assortment of display weapons," he said, running through the credit card on his computer, using some strange non-legal device.
It had just then hit Andrea that Lynn just spent seven and a half thousand dollars on her, for just a uniform alone. Andrea silently swore to herself that she would be helpful during their coming mission.
"By the way, are you okay?" O'Brian asked, as he neatly folded up the uniforms and disguised them by putting them in two suitcases.
"Bullet wound," Lynn said for the second time that day.
"Just getting shot wouldn't do that to you of all people," O'Brian replied disbelievingly. "You look like you have cancer or something."
"She lost a lot of blood," Andrea spoke up. "It's a miracle she's walking."
"What happened, bullet hit a vein or something?" O'Brian asked. Andrea nodded.
"See you when you need the rest of your list of things," O'Brian said as the two left the shop.
"H-here," Andrea said, grabbing the two suitcases from Lynn, "let me carry them." Lynn didn't resist as both suitcases dropped into Andrea's hands. They were surprisingly lighter than Andrea had initially thought--most of the weight was from the suitcases themselves. The two walked to the same bus stop, and waited for their bus, this time luckily they were the only ones waiting for it.
It had reached late afternoon by the time they got back to Snake's apartment, and he was already waiting there with his suit all patched up and cleaned. It looked brand new.
"So what do we do for the rest of today?" Andrea asked Lynn gingerly as the suitcases were set down.
"Training you," Lynn replied. "You know absolutely nothing about stealth or sneaking missions. It is therefore my duty to train you."
"I'll do my best," Andrea replied heartedly.
"I'm not sure you can learn the basics in only a few days," Lynn said. "Training will be harsh and exhausting for you. I do not want to hear a single complaint or word of resistance. You will do exactly as I say and obey every order I give you." She looked at Andrea. "Can you grow up and do that?"
"Yes," Andrea replied. She was very serious about doing this.
Lynn slowly got up. "I need to contact a few people, if you're going to be taught in such a short time."
"Y-you mean it's not going to be just you teaching?" Andrea asked, surprised.
"A few people who trained me will try to make something out of you," Lynn replied, picking up the phone.
"Who's she calling?" Otacon asked Andrea silently, gesturing to Lynn.
"T-trainers, for me, I think," she replied. "She says I have a lot to learn."
"Well, do your best," Otacon said before continuing on to do whatever it was he was doing.
Thirty minutes later, Andrea and Lynn had met in a rather expansive gym that appeared as if everyone was just rushed out. The owner had been one of Lynn's trainers.
"I am Lieutenant Irv," the slim-but-heavy-built guy said. "I was a stealth expert while in the army, and my last apprentice was Lynn here. She turned out excellent. Now apparently you have some big 'mission' coming up in the near future, and I've learned in my life not to ask questions. Apparently you need to learn the basics of stealth in a few days, what usually takes a few months for even talented people to learn." He paused and grinned proudly. "Of course, they've never had me as their teacher."
Author's Note: Chapter Seven! The days leading up to the Manhattan Weapons Lab mission are starting to come into focus here. Until next chapter!