Author's Note: Damn, man. My comptuer was infected by a trojan virus under the guise of a .torrent file, which activated and installed all kinds of adware and stuff on my computer, did stuff to the core windows program causing some filing system errors and the rare reboot when you click on something. Damn mcaffee that I legally paid for and have updated everyday isn't doing shit for me. What the hell is it good for, if not protecting against viruses? Anyways, sorry to ramble on about my problems. On with the show!
Chapter 15: Fluorescence
Andrea woke up that morning with a headache from the previous night's overload. She struggled to remember what had happened the previous night…
…and realized she was curled up against Lynn's angular back. She jumped back so hard she ejected herself off the bed, and she cringed in pain as the jolt of hitting the floor caused pain to splay up her injured leg.
Lynn woke up from the noise, and sat up, wiping her face with one hand. She looked at Andrea, which jolted the younger girl's mind and made her face flush.
"L-last night, d-did I…" Andrea stuttered, embarrassed.
"You kissed me and passed out," Lynn said matter-of-factly. "I put you on the bed and continued exercising until I also required rest."
Andrea sat there, sprawled on the ground, her face like a cherry as the night's event flashed through her mind.
"I…I'm sorry…." Andrea murmured, looking away. "I d-didn't mean to…"
Lynn stood up and did her daily stretches.
"I know you're mad," Andrea remarked quietly. "I'll…go home, if that's what you really want."
Lynn stopped stretching. The girl was actually offering to leave? Lynn had been telling her to all along, but if she left now…
She would be alone.
"You don't have to go home," Lynn responded. The younger medic girl's face lit up with surprise and a sliver of happiness.
"W-why?" she asked.
"I…don't know," Lynn replied truthfully. "You've displayed excellent skills with what you've learned in the course of one week. Maybe I'll train you some more."
Andrea sat there, too shocked for words.
"W…why?" was all she could manage to repeat.
"Because you're a comrade."
Andrea sat there, tears starting to well in her eyes. She then burst out crying, standing up and hugging Lynn. Lynn's auto-response was to back away, but Andrea still managed to latch onto her. Lynn stood there, the unfamiliar gesture making her a little uncomfortable. She didn't, however, push the girl away.
"I'm so sorry, for everything I've done to you," Andrea sobbed into Lynn's shoulder. "The reason…that I'm with you…is because I know what it's like to be alone too…"
"Stop crying," Lynn said anxiously, still frozen in place.
"You…you weren't the only one…to grow up without p-parents…" Andrea sobbed softly. "T-they abused me and hit me…so I ran away, and I've been alone just like you…"
"Why are you telling me this?" Lynn inquired evenly.
"Because I know how it feels…" Andrea cried. "I didn't mean to burst out, but…seeing you makes me think about my life."
"Parental Abuse…" Lynn muttered. Andrea bent her arm to show a scar in an ugly angle across the middle of her arm.
"W-when I was ten, my father broke my arm because I wasn't doing what he wanted…" Andrea said into Lynn's shoulder. "You know," she said, "you're the first person to ever say something like that to me; say that I was needed."
"That's why you became a medic and studied medicine, so that people needed you," Lynn guessed. Andrea pressed into Lynn's shoulder, gripping tighter.
"I'm sorry…I guess I've always needed to do that…." Andrea trailed off.
Lynn, without even telling herself to, put her arms around the smaller girl, who lit up with surprise.
"W-why are you…" Andrea asked.
"I don't know," Lynn replied solemnly. "Maybe it's because…you've done what no one's done before."
"What…what haven't they done?"
"Try and get close."
Andrea slowly let go, though her tear-streaked face was still firmly imprinted in Lynn's shoulder. She looked up into Lynn's eyes…
Lynn saw the meek young girl look up at her, and saw lean forward towards her, closing her eyes. Lynn knew what the younger girl was going to do, yet didn't move, or stop her.
It lasted five seconds, a continuous kiss. Afterwards, as Andrea pulled away with her face flushed, Lynn was sure that the small girl definitely meant something more than a comrade. Lynn had the urge to protect the girl from whatever life threw at her.
"You said once that you'd protect me," Lynn said. "Maybe…I'll protect you too…"
Andrea wiped the tears out of her eyes.
"A pact," Lynn announced.
"I…love you…." Andrea murmured. She looked shyly at Lynn. "H…how do you f-feel about me?"
"I don't know," Lynn answered. "I've never been in this kind of situation…but you definitely aren't just another person."
"Then…can I stay by your side?" Andrea asked meekly. "To protect you?"
"…Yes," Lynn answered after a minute.
"Neither of us will be lonely any more."
Someone knocked at the door, causing Andrea to jump. A disgruntled Lynn walked over to the door, and unlocked it. She opened it up a little.
Otacon was standing there, crying with a smile on his face.
"T-that…was so romantic…" he said, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Y-you h-eard that?" Andrea exclaimed. She blushed feverishly.
"Can I come in?" Otacon asked politely. Lynn opened the door fully and let the oddball pass. "That was so cute," Otacon remarked as he sat down on the bed. "Were's the second bed? Oh well, doesn't matter." He smiled. "Sorry, I was just walking by, and I couldn't help myself from eavesdropping…anyway, I'm glad that you two are an item. It makes me remember someone I loved…Sniper Wolf."
"Why are you here?" Lynn queried.
"We're about to have a meeting to plan our attack," Otacon answered. "I just wanted to see if you two were a couple, and it looks like you are."
"'Couple?'" Lynn echoed. She did not understand the term.
"As in, she's your girlfriend…" Otacon explained exasperatedly.
"I don't like words that are used to substitute things," Lynn replied simply.
"I-um…."Andrea mumbled. "Do you…really consider me to be your…l-lover?"
"I don't know what to consider a 'lover,'" Lynn answered.
"It's someone you love, loves you back, and are engaged in a relationship with," Otacon explained.
Lynn stayed silent.
"Anyways," Otacon said, "I'm happy that you two are together. Let's go meet up with Snake and Raiden." Otacon walked out the door. Andrea went to follow, but forgot (how, she didn't know) about her bullet wound. Her leg gave out and she fell forward, but Lynn caught her.
Lynn helped her to the other room, Andrea holding on to Lynn's arm. Lynn was remarkably sturdy. Everyone was congregated in Snake's room.
Lynn and Andrea entered, and Snake shut the door behind them, locking it.
"Okay," Jack said, who was sitting on one of the two beds.
"Why are there two beds in this room and not ours?" Andrea inquired. She was ignored.
"Philanthropy is now in session," Otacon announced, sitting down on the other bed. Everyone else gathered on the floor. "As you know," Otacon continued, "I had said we were going to 'borrow' a small jet and fly it to the landing strip at the Northern Canada Forrester Weapons Complex, where we will then enter the facility."
"It's harder than it sounds," Snake put in.
"Where are we going to get this jet?" Jack asked.
"Well, obviously Pearson Airport," Otacon retorted. "And I just so happen to know where the perfect one is."
"Do tell," Snake replied.
"I just so happen to know of a jet that's being stored in a hangar until further notice," Otacon simply answered. "A little virus I put in it helped, of course."
"When did you have time to do that?" Lynn asked.
"Last night, while everyone was asleep, Snake helped me get into a public library, and I hacked into the plane from there."
Lynn had new respect for the man's computer skill.
"I'll delete the virus when we get on board, and we'll be able to fly out the hangar, down the runway, and straight to our destination," Otacon explained.
"Countermeasures will be deployed to shoot us down," Lynn remarked.
"Not with my nifty little worm," Otacon replied happily. "It'll put us on every schedule in every airport."
"When do we go?" Andrea asked meekly.
"Two days from now," Otacon replied. "We need time to get preparations done, and get supplies."
"How?" Lynn spoke up. "There's no where we can purchase the equipment we need illegally."
"Ah," Otacon replied, wagging his finger in the air, "the wonders of the internet."
Lynn fell quiet, puzzled.
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The facility was unlike anything Bonavero had ever seen. The Northern Canada Weapons Complex wasn't just big, it was super-sized. It was easily fifteen football fields long, and equally wide. It stretched a whopping 15 stories in the air, and god knew how many below ground.
Bonavero, in his cuffs, was 'imprisoned' in some living quarters. He wouldn't exactly say he was a prisoner per se, as he wasn't chained to anything this time. He was, though, locked in the massive crew quarter area. All the exits had guards, so there was no way for him to get through, not to mention the security cameras and autoguns that constantly tracked him. He stayed away from the autoguns…those things gave him nightmares.
Ms. Forrester and her group of black-suit clad men had disappeared the moment they had entered the building, and some security escorted him to where he currently stood.
Apparently, there was some big plan that was expected to be put into effect soon, but Bonavero had no idea what. He only knew what he had heard off the guards.
The one thing that the guards had divulged was that Metal Gear Shadow was now operational, though still needing live testing to provide the data needed.
Metal Gear Shadow was definitely in the facility, but Bonavero could only guess where, the place was so huge.
The place had a population of a small city. In some ways, it was a small city, Forrester City. Complete with airport.
Bonavero had seen a few cargo jets and a single unmarked passenger jet in some open hangars as Bonavero's plane had landed. Bonavero could only imagine the wealth it took to build the place.
Bonavero inspected a wall monitor, that was displaying the time, recent news in the facility, and had the company's logo heavily imprinted. It was nothing special, just a ways to communicate throughout the immense complex. Bored, Bonavero wandered around his enclosed area.
He was playing the waiting game.
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"Are your men almost ready to go?" Ocelot demanded through Gagarin's cell phone.
"Just give me two days to get them prepared," Gagarin replied. "Then, we will hit the complex."
"This is the deciding move," Ocelot warned him. "If this ends in failure, the Patriots will have our heads."
"Don't worry," Gagarin reassured him. "All in good time. Two days, that's all I ask for."
"Two days," Ocelot agreed. "No more, understood?"
"Understood."
Author's Note: I know the chapters have been short lately, please bear with. I just started school (Gr. 12) and I work, so my schedule is a little hectic.