Chapter 15
A tall figure wearing what seemed to be an exoskeleton stood before Snake. The suit was colored blue, red and white and it closely resembled the one used by none other than Gray Fox in the Shadow Moses incident. The figure swerved its sword majestically with his right hand.
The slash, which had missed Snake, hit the lower part of the corridor wall and let loose several sea lice, which hurried back into to the wall.
Snake had kept his M4 ready to fire, but his first instinct was not to fire but to find who it was behind the mask was. "Who are you!!?"
The Ninja pointed his sword at Snake. "I'm like you, I have no name." The voice had a strange mechanical accent that Snake thought to have heard before.
"Stop it!!" Snake shook his head and got on both feet. He quickly pressed the trigger of his M4.
Bullets sprayed in the direction of the Ninja, but with incredible maneuvering speed the bullets were deflected by his sword.
Snake only stopped pressing the trigger when the M4 clicked. "Damn!!" The magazine was empty. Snake quickly pressed the button to drop the magazine, but the Ninja was already going for the attack.
Snake reacted by ducking and avoided the blade by just a few inches. He hastily reloaded the M4 and pointed back to the Ninja.
However the Ninja was quick to backspin kick Snake right near the chest area making him lose the grip on the M4.
"Crap!!" Snake cursed as he saw the Ninja swerving the sword again in a vertical slash. Snake only chance was to drop to ground avoiding the blade once more, he then rolled backwards and got up taking his USP from his equipment and pointing it to the menacing Ninja.
"You won't do much damage with that." The Ninja said flipping the sword and holding it upside down in its right hand.
"We'll see…" Snake replied sure of himself.
The Ninja sped towards Snake opening his right arm and holding the sword steady. Snake opened fire as he saw the Ninja getting closer and closer. Without much trouble, once again, the bullets were deflected by the Ninja technique with the sword, however Snake had a plan. He had been advancing towards the Ninja at the same time he did, causing him to attack before time, missing Snake completely and hitting the corridor wall. The impact made a tremendous sound.
This is it…Snake rushed past the Ninja and got a hold of his M4, once turned he saw the Ninja no more. What the he…
"I'm right behind you." A voice came from behind Snake.
Snake whipped around and saw the Ninja, unscathed and proudly holding its sword.
"Remember Snake?" The Ninja said again.
Snake spoke out. "You're no Gray Fox!!" He knew it couldn't be him.
"No, I'm not. But I'm like you…I'm a nomad."
"A nomad!!"
Before Snake could utter another word the Ninja swerved his sword and attacked Snake with full force.
Snake reacted by throwing his M4 in front of the sword hoping it would block the attack. "Huh!!"
The impact noise reverberated through the floor.
"You'll ruin your gun like that." The Ninja spoke out retreating a few steps back.
In fact as Snake inspected the M4 he noticed that the grenade attachment was damaged beyond repair.
"You better give up now Snake and die an honorable death." The Ninja said and got his sword ready to attack again.
"I don't think so…" Snake held his M4 into a ready to fire position. "…Olga."
The Ninja laughed. "So you figured it out didn't you!? I thought by now you would've forgotten our conversation."
Snake hadn't forgotten it. Two years ago on, the place that started all the events that led to the construction of the Big Shell, the tanker 'Discovery' he had met this woman.
The rain was coming down with force as Snake made its way near the outside of the bridge. A Russian soldier wearing a brown combat suit and cap over its head had been talking to someone on the radio.
"Father, I want to stay and fight."The Russian soldier said holding the radio tight to the ear.
Snake had kept hidden, overhearing the conversation that didn't seem to be going well. The roar of a chopper began to close in the area where Snake and the soldier were.
"Damn it!"The soldier spoke out clearly disturbed. A PSS pistol stood in its unwavering hand.
The soldier looked over to the chopper and waved it to go away. As it did the soldier placed the radio on its waist.
Snake quickly leapt out from hiding. "Freeze!" He said while pointing his Beretta M9 tranquilizer to the soldier. "Hands over your head! Now!"
The soldier responded by moving quite slowly, like it had control over the situation.
Snake noticed the clear unshaved underarms and the PSS pistol. "Toss your gun overboard! Slowly."
As the soldier took the gun and tossed overboard Snake noticed the mannerisms and the soldier's chest area, which was being revealed by the heavy rain. "A woman...? Show your face." Snake ordered.
"You men…you're all the same." The voice was clearly but it had a toughness to it. The woman took of her cap and let it go. The wind blew it just a few inches over from Snake's head.
The woman's face was expressionless. Her hair was short and she bore a scar in her left cheek.
"Who are you?" He asked while pointing his M9 tranquilizer gun through the heavy rain.
"We are nomads. Wanderers."Olga moved a little trying to reach for the USP that Snake hadn't seen.
"I said don't move!"
"Americans... so you shoot women too? Olga asked with a slight grin.
"I'm a nomad too."Snake replied.
"I didn't forget!!" Snake said to the Ninja.
"Maybe you should have, because I won't be complacent. However I must thank you, if you hadn't left the briefcase and the transmitting device in Strut I I would never have found you."
Otacon's briefcase…damn it. Snake came to the conclusion that he must've left it inside the computer room of Strut I."So what now!!" Snake replied.
"Now, I'll treat just like you treated my father." Olga spoke.
"What do you mean!!?" Snake asked.
"Don't play stupid." Olga waved her sword and took a few steps forward.
Snake responded by retreating. "I didn't do anything to your father." He replied seeing he had no means of defense. "That was Ocelot."
Olga stopped moving. "Huh…er…maybe that's true, but you're the one to blame. If you hadn't appeared two years ago my father could still be alive." She began advancing again.
"I had nothing to do with it" Snake said taking a few more steps back. Soon he would have to fight back.
"You lie. You're just like..." Olga replied while taking a free hand and holding a very small black gadget with a red button on it.
"Like wha…"
Before Snake could finish his phrase Olga pressed the button and Snake heard several clicking noises beneath him. He looked down and saw nothing.
Olga used her free left hand and placed near her head. After a few seconds her face appeared behind some see through display panel. "Those are claymore mines, invisible to the naked eye. You make any sudden moves and you'll die." Olga's voice was crystal clear.
Snake looked down again and he could only see very small distortions on the ground.
"I told you to give up and die an honorable death. Now you'll die like this." Olga placed her sword in her back.
"I'm not going to stand here and say I don't deserve to die, but I'm not the one you want to kill." Snake couldn't risk firing at Olga and die afterwards. He had to think of something.
"You're just like them…always trying to make up some new truth. The human race is like that you know." Olga moved a few feet away from Snake probably not wanting to die if Snake moved. "Always rationalizing its actions, making up truths so it doesn't have to deal with the real problems."
"I too used to be like that, but not anymore." Snake replied. "Me and Otacon, we saved you!!"
"What!!" Olga's expression became one of fury. "You liar!! You're just trying to live your pitiful life. Taking advantage of other people…"
Snake raised his voice above Olga's "My partner saved you from drowning and then we made sure you got to a hospital." Snake replied. He wasn't pleading for his life, he was simply telling the truth, the 'real' truth.
Olga changed expressions. She stared at the floor for a few seconds. "The hospital…" Olga took her left hand towards her belly. "…You know…I have a scar for each bad thing that happened to my life." She looked Snake straight in the eyes. "Are you really telling the truth?" Olga sounded like she wanted to believe Snake.
"Yes." Snake said and nodded.
"After the tanker incident I and my father's loyal men joined forces with an illegal Russian organization, later I found they were just subsidiaries of the Patriots."
The Patriots…"You know about them?" Snake asked.
Olga seemed depressed. "A hospital ran by the Patriots…it was all that took to change my life completely. I stood there until I gave a birth…then they stole my child from me!!" Olga sounded stricken. Almost oblivious that Snake was there.
"Stole your child…"
Olga sighed and focused. "Yes."
Silence sat in for a few moments before Snake speaking again. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
Olga eyed Snake from top to bottom and with her left hand pressed the red button on the small black device. "You're now safe from those mines."
Snake squinted at the floor before actually moving. He took a few steps forward. "Thanks."
"Don't thank me. I don't trust you, but I believe you….Now you have to leave this place." Olga said as she walked by Snake and headed for the exit of the core section.
"Because of Arsenal?" Snake asked while turning around.
"Humph" She vocalized. "So you know about Arsenal. You and you're partner really are capable, but this is just a feeble attempt of your part to stop a Metal Gear." Olga responded.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't think Arsenal Gear will get away." Olga took a few steps forward.
"How do you know that?" Snake asked trying to get more information.
"Arsenal Gear is just a stage. Just like me, I'm just here for a show." Olga said.
"Show!!" Snake said realizing he had used the same word to express something. "You're working for them aren't you?"
"Aren't we all?" Olga turned again. "They have my child. That's enough reason for me to do this."
"Do what?" Snake asked.
"It's curious that you of all people don't know about the S3 plan, but I have no time to explain everything, let's just say that boy is an integral piece of my role." Olga responded and turned away again.
Snake thought for a second before speaking. "Raiden. What's so important about him?"
Olga stopped again and replied. "He per se is not important it's what he does that is."
"What he does!!? Does this have to do with Emma?" Snake made a new question wondering if Olga would respond.
"The girl, yes…I'm supposed to help the two get to the computer room safely and make sure they introduce the virus inside Arsenal Gear. Once there I have to take the boy aboard Arsenal." Olga answered.
"That doesn't make sense. Why would the Patriots go to so much trouble to get Raiden to do that? You could have done that yourself!" Snake said sensing some other plot was in motion. "And the virus…
Olga interrupted. "I don't know everything, just the basic. Now I have to go. I'll come back and if you step in my way I won't be as thoughtful as I was." She said and began walking away just as Snake heard his headphones coming on.
"This is Raiden, do you read me?"
"Yeah. What's up?" Snake replied while Olga turned around to see to whom Snake was talking.
"We've made it to the lower part of Strut L. We'll have to cross the water from here." Raiden replied.
"Can Emma walk?" Snake asked.
"She's okay. The pontoon bridge doesn't look too sturdy. Emma is going to have to cross it alone."
"Right... the oil fence." Snake said realizing that since the harrier had destroyed the connecting bridge between Shell 1 and 2 Olga got to Shell 1 using the oil fence that connects Strut L to Strut E, this Snake remembered from the schematics he had got from Otacon.
"There's Cyphers and several guards."
"Raiden, you're carrying the PSG-1, aren't you?" Snake asked.
"Yeah." He responded.
"It's time to play sniper." Snake said as he looked at Olga.
Olga heard Snake's part of the conversation with interest.
"Not bad. This spot give me a good view of the targets." Raiden replied.
"You're going to have to cover Emma until she crosses to Strut E. I'll get there and provide support of my own." Snake said.
"Thanks."
"Think you can handle it?" Snake inquired.
"Yeah, I know the drill. I've faced a similar situation in Advanced Mode level 4 VR training with the PSG-1."
"VR...? I guess that's better than nothing. Make sure you don't hit Emma. Right now, with Arsenal's boarding in progress, security should be at a minimum. That doesn't mean its going to be easy. Given the situation, they've probably got Claymores in place to make up for the security shortage. Make sure you use your thermal goggles." Snake knew that the enemies would use the same mines as Olga did.
"Right." Raiden replied.
"Okay. I'm heading for Strut E." Snake said and signed off.
As soon as he finished talking Olga spoke.
"What are you doing!?"
"I'm going to help you and you are going to help me." Snake said bluntly.
"I have to do this alone…"
Snake interrupted. "You won't get anywhere alone that I know. I'll help you."
"I still need to take the boy with me inside Arsenal." Olga replied responding to the fact that Snake knew even less than she did.
"Why?" Snake asked.
"I don't know, but those are my orders." Olga replied.
"What about the virus?"
"Even if it works it will take some time to take effect leaving Solidus enough time to get what he wants!!"
What Solidus wants? Snake thought to himself that if Arsenal wasn't what Solidus had in mind then what was? "Fine, once we get virus inside Arsenal you'll take Raiden with you, but I'll tag along." Snake replied. He wouldn't let Raiden and this whole mystery go down with Arsenal.
"That'll be too dangerous. If the Patriots…" Olga replied.
"I know what you're thinking, but you can't be afraid of them all the time. You're going to follow their orders, but you'll have my help into finding out why you have those orders. Maybe we can even find some way to get your child back." Snake said.
Snake words struck Olga right in the heart. "Very well." She responded. "There's a PSG-1 over by the lockers. Maybe that'll help you." She pointed to place where Snake and Otacon had fought with some soldiers before.
Snake nodded. "Alright, we should get moving." Snake ran for the lockers and as soon as he grabbed the PSG-1 both headed out the core section, but not before Snake threw the M4 to the ground as it would be too much equipment for him to carry.
"Brevity is the soul of wit…" Olga said in Russian and sped off closely followed by Snake.