Chapter 7

All of B1 had extremely high ceilings and it was very well illuminated, apart from a few dark corners. The filtration chambers were ahead and they served the purpose to clean up contaminated water. Snake was concentrated on the yellow blur that was getting brighter on his radar. There were a lot of rooms in this place, most of them deserted, Snake even saw several ammo boxes spread around the rooms and a Nikita Missile Launcher. He took a left then a right and finally stopped right in front of a door. The yellow blur came form the other side. Snake opened the slide door and saw an incredible amount of material, which was probably used in the process of filtration, cramped in a very small room. Every inch of the room was occupied and he could only wonder how Fatman got the C4 in there. Snake took a careful look over every piece of material he saw and it didn't take him long to notice a blinking light that could only come from the C4. It seemed like it had been placed, in some irregular fashion, with the rest of the material, but even so Snake was able to freeze it with the coolant spray. As the noise from the spray died out Snake heard what had to be people talking. He hastily checked the radar and saw two guards making a corner and heading his way and he also saw a faint yellow blur coming from, what Snake suspected to be, the filtration chambers. Another C4. Snake found a little dark corner in which he could hide and overhear the guards when they got closer. Snake caught the conversation in the middle.

"…I never saw him before too." One of the guards was saying.

"Why did the fat man have to use him like that?" The other replied.

"I don't know. Anyway when are we getting out of here?" The guards were passing right by Snake with their guns pointed out, probably looking for him.

"They say it'll take a few more hours before we're ready to go."

"Good, I can't wait to leave this place."

"Let's hurry and check the elevator."

The guards kept walking in silence after that. Snake hadn't a lot of time. The guards would soon found the magazine that prevented the elevator from going up. Soon even more guards would arrive.

As Snake left the dark corner his eyes turned again to the radar and the mysterious faint yellow blur that came from within the filtration chambers room. It seemed that there was another C4 in the core. Snake made his way to it and as he got close he noticed something very peculiar happening on the radar. Snake could see a guard and the yellow blur moving at the same time on top of the other. What the hell is this? A malfunction! Snake suspicions would die out soon as he made its way close to the guard and the C4. A hatched door separated the filtration chambers from the rest of the floor, the C4 was on the other side and so was the guard. Snake waited until the guard got far away for him to open the hatch without attracting too much attention. The circular hatch opened quite easily and Snake got inside closing the door behind him. The filtration chamber was very normal looking, although it lacked any kind of decoration. The only thing that was off was panels on the walls that were probably part of the filtration process. On the other side of the room another door stood ajar, the guard was coming back through it, but Snake rushed beside the door ready to ambush him when he entered the room.

As the guard took a few steps inside the filtration chamber his radio echoed.

"We need reinforcements down here! The intruder is still here." The guard was going for his radio when he noticed a shadow by his side. He quickly turned around and pointed his gun at him.

Snake veered away from the gun and grabbed the side of it.

"You're the intruder!" The guard's voice wasn't Russian accented like the other men. He sounded American.

Snake was even faster when he used his left arm and elbowed the guard in the gut area. The guard then let go of the gun and fell to floor holding on to his abdomen.

"Ahhhh…you bastard!" All of a sudden a strange noise erupted from inside the guard. "I need a bathroom quick!" The guard shouted.

Snake used the butt of his M4 and silenced him. Johnny! Snake had the slight impression he knew this man, however it wasn't time to reminisce as the situation had become precarious. The guards were probably coming here and Snake still had no way out of B1. The C4! Snake checked the radar and he knew he couldn't be a malfunction. The C4 was right there in front of him. Snake checked Johnny's body and surprisingly he noticed that he unlike the rest of the soldiers he was carrying a backpack. Snake opened it quietly and steady and to his surprise there it was. Here it is! The C4 was blinking bright green and Snake could only speculate as to why it was there. He sprayed the C4 quickly, and before he finished a voice came on the headphones.

"Pliskin! Are you okay?"

"This isn't a good time Pete." Snake said as the blinking light of the C4 went out.

"I overheard soldiers talking about someone who had caused a mess in Shell 2 core. Was that you?"

"Yes."

"You managed to escape! Who are you, really?"

"Listen Pete this isn't the time for suspicions. I'm trapped inside B1 of the core section…"

"I know and I have to thank you for that."

"What do you mean?"

"If I hadn't overheard the guards talking I would never have found it. It seems that there's a conduct used for taking the contaminated seawater from Strut H to the filtration chambers in the core section. That's when it hit me."

"…" Snake was at a total loss.

"That's one of the key structural points of the Big Shell. If the two points are struck at the same time the Big Shell would collapse."

"So you think Fatman planted a bomb over at Strut H?"

"The bottom of Strut H. And I'm willing to bet anything that he did the same thing in Strut A, where the other key point is."

"Well that's fine, but I still don't have a way out of here."

"Well you can use the conduct that comes from Strut H, its big enough for a man to fit."

"What about the contaminated seawater."

"According to the briefing statement every treatment procedure was stopped when the terrorist landed so you should be safe."

"Where can I access the conduct?"

"There should be panels around the filtration chamber. Open the one marked 'SH' and get to Strut H fast."

"I'm on it. Thanks Pete."

"You're welcome. Also make sure you don't tell Raiden what you're doing. I don't want him worrying about a bomb on Strut A when he still has a few on the other Struts."

"Fine." Snake signed off and began checking the panels of the filtration chamber. However somebody was trying to get inside the filtration chamber. The hatched door that Snake closed was being opened. The other guards! Snake looked over at Johnny and swiftly grabbed is AK 74u and jammed it into the hatch as the guards were giving a final turn. Snake breathed heavily as he heard the guards outside banging on the door. He searched franticly for a panel named SH and he found it not soon enough, but there was a problem. There were no screws and no apparent way of opening it up. Damn?

Snake was running out of time, but before despair came over him the CODEC rang.

"Snake answer me. I think I found a way out of there." Otacon said quickly.

"I already know of a way out of here, but I can't open these damn panels." Snake was trying to pull them open, but he couldn't find any edge to grab.

"Are you inside a filtration chamber Snake?"

"Yeah why?" Snake began to think there was hope.

"Well that's the exit I was going to tell you about."

"Well you're losing qualities Otacon, because Stillman told me about it first. Anyhow I can't seem to open this panel." The noise outside of the hatch door was becoming deafening. The sounds of shotguns being fired at the door and several people turning the hatch made Snake a little bit more nervous.

"What panel is it?" Snake could hear Otacon pushing keys.

"It's named SH." Snake said as he took his hands from it.

"Alright I can open it, hold a few seconds."

Suddenly an explosion was heard and the door became crooked. Grenades! Snake thought. "Hurry up Otacon!"

"Did that do it?" Otacon asked filled with hope on his voice.

The rectangular panel opened up and revealed a big tunnel. Almost two people could fit there and Snake wouldn't have to worry about the dark, a few red lights made sure he could see where he was. "Yes good job!" Snake crawled inside making sure he didn't leave any equipment behind. "Close it Otacon!" Snake said as he noticed that the hatched door was coming of its fringes. As the panel closed again Snake saw only the shadows of the guards crawling in the room.

"Snake are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Snake sighed with relief and noticed that he couldn't hear anything of what was happening outside. "Am I safe here?"

"Sure I overrode the controls so no one but me will be able to open the door. Now you just have to follow that tunnel to Strut H, it isn't very long so you should be fine."

"Alright I need to get going."

"Snake I'll open the panel on Strut H now because we can't make contact when you're deep inside the tunnel. Communications are only up in the extremities."

"Alright I'll see you in a little while." Snake said as he turned off the CODEC. Snake thought it would be wise to call Raiden now and hope he wouldn't contact him when he was inside the tunnel. If he did he would get suspicious and Snake still didn't know a lot about him.

"Raiden! This is Pliskin."

"Raiden here."

"I've disposed of two more C4's." Snake decided not to tell him much. Just enough to reassure him that Snake was there to help him. "There was one I managed to find only because I took a good look and for some reason, there was one planted on an enemy soldier's back..." A few seconds of silence sat in before Snake thought of something. "I have to take care of a few guards here so…I'll see you."

"Good luck Pliskin." Raiden signed off.

Snake had played his game well, now he hoped he would have enough time to get to the bottom of Strut H and hopefully end this bomb hunt. He began crawling for a couple of feet before noticing that the tunnel got smaller. It seemed that the panel led to a reservoir tank and when this tank was full it dropped the water inside the filtration chamber. The real tunnel was right before him, slightly smaller, but still big enough for him and his equipment. Snake got inside and started to make is way to Strut H.

"Alright I'll see you in a little while." Otacon heard as Snake turned off the CODEC.

Right in front stood a small computer terminal. Otacon had been busy the last few minutes trying to find a way out for Snake, but now he had sufficient time to find he files he needed. EE! The first thing on his mind was to find what his sister was doing here. Two years ago it was a tip from Emma Emmerich that sent Snake to the tanker that made the Big Shell necessary. However the last info that Otacon received had led him to believe that both the tanker and the Big Shell are a cover for something else. Something he kept from Snake. He knew only to well that Snake wouldn't have come this far if he knew he wasn't being told the whole story. Otacon also knew that her sister was involved the NSA but since the tanker incident he had received no more news of her. And now the info he had received clearly stated information that her sister was here. It took a while before Otacon found anything even remotely related to Emma's line of work, artificial intelligence, but when he did the sheer amount of information on the computer made Otacon reach for his head. It was enormous amount of research and development in artificial intelligence and complex logic. Hundreds of tests, articles and they all were written by one person, Emma Emmerich. Otacon tried to research deeper, but some of the more important files were heavily encrypted. This may take a while. Otacon sighed as he ran a decryption program and looked for something else, something that frightened him more that his missing sister. A name, in the new info that Otacon received there was information on the terrorist leader of this incursion. Solid Snake. However Otacon knew it couldn't be the real Solid Snake, the info spoke of another name and another person. As Otacon pushed a few more keys details appeared on the screen. Oh no! The info made Otacon worry even more, it seemed that was more to this place than the Metal Gear and his sister disappearance. What will Snake think about this…? Otacon hadn't lied to Snake, but he had indeed kept information from him. He told Snake that the Metal Gear Ray that was stolen form the tanker two years ago was now here he also told him about the terrorist incursion and his sister being involved, but the rest he withheld from him.

Snake must have been crawling for about ten minutes when he saw the opening on the other side of the tunnel. The tunnel was surprisingly clean, but Snake suspected that it wasn't often used. Snake sighed as he thought he had to finish this bomb disposal fast and get to what had brought him here. Metal Gear! It seemed that Dead Cell and the Gurlokovich men, commanded by Olga Gulokovich had complete control over the Big Shell. Their ultimate goal was to retrieve the Metal Gear Ray that had been stolen two years ago. But the situation was worse. They probably had control over the nuclear trigger, which always follows the president inside a black case, and of the president himself.

Snake cleared his head as he saw the opening right before him. It was exactly like the one on the filtration chamber, only the room was smaller. Stairs stood on the wall opposite the tunnel leading up to a hatch. Snake crawled out of the tunnel legs first and when he stepped out he had a frightening vision.