Chapter 18

A door slid opened and immediately two men, wearing Gurlukovich's gear, that were sitting by computers rose from their seats and saluted the man that was entering the room. It had an ethereal feel to it. Hexagons would light up with every footstep you took and lines of light went around the room that looked like part of a cylinder.

"What's the situation in the computer room?" The question from Ocelot was crystal clear in tone.

One man dropped his hand from the salute. "Sir, I was about to contact you. We saw through the camera someone dressed like a Ninja spoke to Snake, after that they inserted the program like you said they would." The man spoke out with a Russian accent.

"Good." Ocelot grinned.

"Sir according to what I've seen isn't that disk some kind of virus." The other man that was just a few inches away spoke out.

Ocelot scowled at the man and with a swift movement he reached for both his Colts. The one that was one his waist he took it out with his right hand and pointed to the man in front of him. The other colt that was on the left side of his back he reached with his left hand and pointed to the man beside him without ever taking the gun from behind his back. Two shots broke out. The man in front of him and the man beside fell to the ground.

"You became too smart for your own good." Ocelot holstered both his colts while staring at the blood sipping out from the men's bodies. He sighed and turned to the door, but before he could take another step he felt something, something that seemed to be rising from his right hand straight to his head. "Liquid…Snake's close…dammit!!" Ocelot held on to his hand. It's time… He then reached for one of the dead guard's radio. "Solidus?"

"Yes?" Solidus replied on the other side.

"I've been checking the main frame computer of GW and I found something interesting." Ocelot spoke with a satisfied look on his face.

"What?"

"It's about that boy. It seems he's a vital part of something called the S3 plan…"

"Tell me more." Solidus replied while Ocelot grinned.

Several minutes had passed following Emma's death, but Otacon, Snake and Raiden hadn't budge from where they stood.

"Hal."

Suddenly Otacon, with teary eyes, turned and looked at the parrot that had just uttered his name. Otacon faced his sister, closed her eyes and rested her head safely on the floor. He picked up his glasses and got to his feet. I'll do what you told me…Emma. He got near the birdcage and with care the parrot moved to Otacon's right arm.

"Hal." The bird chirped again with a voice eerily similar to Otacon's sister.

Otacon's eyes filled up again and he stroked the parrot.

All of a sudden a voice came on through what sounded like speakers. "Attention! Arsenal Gear is ready for launch! Evacuate the upper levels immediately!"

"Sounds like they're cutting this area loose!" Snake said.

"What do you mean?" Raiden asked.

Before Snake answered Otacon jumped in. "It means we're gonna sink..." He kept stroking and protecting the parrot.

"We have to get the hostages out!" Snake said.

"What about the Kamov repairs?"

Otacon jumped in again. "Done..." The system that had been malfunctioning and overheating was probably fine by now according to Otacon's calculations.

"We won't be able to get everybody aboard..." Raiden pointed out.

"We'll just have to take as many as we can." Snake replied realistically.

"My sister..." Otacon spoke turning his eyes from the parrot and looking at her sister's motionless body. The understanding sank in that if she went a hostage life would be taken. "...won't be able to come with us."

"We will be commencing the countdown shortly...Personnel in the upper levels head for the evacuation area immediately." The speakers sounded off again.

Otacon put on his glasses and reminisced. "I'm always the survivor..." He mumbled. "...Why, Wolf?" Otacon sat his eyes on the parrot again.

"Otacon, take care of the hostages." Snake said noticing that they had to move fast or his plan would be going down the water, literally.

"What about you guys?" Otacon asked without ever taking his eyes from the beautiful green parrot.

"We got other arrangements..." Snake said while seeing Raiden giving him a funny look. "There's our ride out of here." Snake pointed to the door that stood outside the computer room. "Anyway, we're going to have to sink that thing if the virus doesn't work."

"I should be going with you." Otacon looked at Snake.

Snake walked towards him. "You've got your job, we've got ours."

"You mean I'd only get in your way..." Otacon said lowering his head.

"Wrong." Snake said firmly placing his hands on Otacon's shoulders.

"Only you can save those hostages. Got it?" He shook Otacon to see if he understood that he and only he could help the hostages.

Otacon lifted his head. "Right." He gave a slight nod. "Listen. The two of you won't be able to destroy that thing."

Snake took his hands from Otacon as he started to walk to the exit of the computer room.

"Eliminate the enemy... That's your only option." Otacon said as he picked up the pace.

Snake followed behind and so did Raiden. They took a few seconds to get to the door that led to Arsenal Gear. Snake was keeping an eye out for Olga and he noticed a shadow looming in the ceiling over the door where they were heading. Good.

Otacon got close to the huge door that led to Arsenal.

"Hal..." The parrot spoke again getting Otacon's full attention.

It's her voice. "E.E….?" The pain in Otacon was too big to bear. He launched his forehead to the door in front of him and shouted. "Damn…!!"

"Otacon!" Snake rushed to his side. "Try to get as many hostages out as you can. It's a short flight to the shore, so don't worry about overloading the Kamov." He tried to get Otacon to focus.

Otacon slowly turned away from the door and faced Snake. "Leave it to me." Snake had always been there for him, he was his friend, his friend for life.

From Otacon's face Snake gathered that this was goodbye. They made a few moves that led to a shake of hands and a subsequent friendly embrace. These two men were going their separate ways. Each one had a battle to fight.

The speakers sounded off again. "...I repeat! Personnel in the upper levels... head for the evacuation area immediately!"

As Snake was letting go from the embrace he cleverly inserted the disc with the virus inside Otacon's pocket.

As their eyes met Snake spoke out "I'm counting on you, Otacon."

Otacon turned and walked away. The walk to the elevator was an excruciating one. Otacon just wanted to scream because of what had happened, but he wouldn't and couldn't do it in front of Snake. The parrot kept speaking. "Hal... I miss you..." He walked past two flights of stairs before reaching the sliding door that opened to reveal the elevator. As he entered the parrot spoke again. "I miss you... I miss you..." And as the door slid shut all the feelings came out. Otacon let go of the parrot and his legs caved in. He fell to his knees weeping and sobbing. The parrot flew across the closed room while Otacon shed his last tears. "You and me... we're the same..." He spoke as if Emma was beside him. "Both you and I... We were always alone... always...We only wanted to be loved... we were always waiting…waiting for somebody... somebody who would love us...But we were wrong... You can't wait to be loved. You have to go out and find it. Four years ago... I realized that you can't just wish for a happy family. You have to make it happen..." Flashes of Sniper Wolf touching his face came to his head. "I just wish I knew that sooner. I learned that I could love... as you probably did... Emma..." The grief would have to end here. Otacon had work to do, people he had to save. People that probably had happy families and knew love and those who didn't had the chance to find it, thanks to Otacon.

"You think he's gonna be okay?" Raiden asked Snake as Otacon got up the first flight of stairs disappearing from view.

He turned and faced Raiden. "He's tougher that he looks. Consider it done." He took out the dummy disc from his pocket and handed it to Raiden.

Raiden took it without hesitation and placed it in his equipment. "Now. How do we open this thing?"

Snake blinked his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. "You can come out now!"

Suddenly the Ninja jumped from the ceiling and landed beside Snake.

"A ninja...? What the...?" Raiden had an expression on his face of disbelief. He looked over at Snake as if trying to find what was going on.

Snake however kept silent.

"Arsenal's going to take off." Olga spoke with her voice changed. From Raiden's expression it was obvious he had no idea who it was behind the mask. She took out the High Frequency blade from her back and stretched out her arm in front of Raiden who recoiled.

She took a few steps towards Raiden who looked extremely confused. "We still need you to take care of a few things..." She said. "This time, do not fail us." Olga stroked a pose and got ready to attack.

"Snake! What's this all about!?" Raiden asked.

Snake stood still watching the scene unfold. "Bed time, Raiden." He said.

Raiden's expression changed. His eyes became heavy and hatred appeared. He went for his handgun, but Olga stopped him by putting the blade of her sword near his throat.

"I wouldn't do that!" She said.

"You're changing sides now!?" Raiden inquired again. Trying to understand why Snake had betrayed him.

"Change sides? I don't recall saying I was on yours." Snake replied and crossed his arms.

"Damn it." Raiden said while holding his gun down.

Olga slowly reached with her free hand to the back of her weird headgear and pushed a small button. Raiden's expression changed immediately to amazement. "You!"

"Ready for some shuteye?" Olga spoke out with her normal voice. With a rapid move she took the sword from Raiden's throat turned the blade to her and before Raiden could reach for his gun she struck him. Like Olga had said to Snake, Raiden's nanomachines reacted to Olga's sword, discharging plasma bolts all around his body rendering him unconscious.

"Ungh!" Raiden fell flat on the ground.

The elevator door opened and several men and women stood beside it looking at the inside, a man with a small green parrot on his right hand.

"You!!" Jennifer said as she came in front of the other men and women.

"We need to move." Otacon said while he waved the hostages inside and got out. "We have to make two trips on the elevator."

Several elderly women and men entered first.

"Take the elevator to the first floor and wait there for us." Otacon pointed out that the elevator couldn't carry all of the hostages at once.

The door closed and the elevator went up.

"Is everyone alright?" Otacon asked facing Jennifer.

"Yeah." Jennifer nodded.

"Good." Otacon replied and got by the elevator call button.

"That bird, are you taking him too?" Jennifer asked.

"Yes…it was…my sister's…" Otacon said coldly.

"Wait a second…" Jennifer ran towards the lounge.

Otacon made no case of it and pushed the call button while the other hostages stood there beside him looking exhausted. The click announced that elevator was coming down. "It's coming down." Otacon pointed out the obvious.

Jennifer rushed towards Otacon carrying a small plastic container with a few holes in it. "Here, this way he won't get away." She handed the container to Otacon, who looked at her.

"Thanks." Otacon placed the parrot inside and Jennifer closed it.

"It's no way to treat a parrot…" Jennifer said. "…but it won't be long will it?"

"I hope not." Otacon said hoping the Kamov would start and they would get out of here.

An acute sound was all it took to change the faces on the hostages. The elevator had arrived and soon everyone else got inside. Otacon pushed the first floor and the door closed.

"What now?" Snake asked seeing Olga trying to take her helmet off.

"I'll take him to Arsenal and then find a way to release him." Olga took out her white helmet and threw it to the ground away from the massive door.

"We need to put a stop to their plan." Snake said trying to think of something.

"How!!?" Olga turned to Snake while taking off the amour suit.

Wait a minute…Otacon's devices…"Here." Snake took a small device from one of his vest pockets. "This is something used by my partner to get access to computers wirelessly. If you could get this near one of Arsenal computer we could get a lot of info, maybe even…"

Olga interrupted him understanding what he was saying. "Very well I'll try." Olga took out the upper part of her suit and again threw it away from the door. She placed her sword on the ground. A tight tiger striper patterned suit was underneath.

A roaring machine starting sound reverberated across the room.

"It's starting…The elevator must be coming up soon." Olga said while removing the last piece of the suit from her legs. "A few Arsenal Tengus are coming up to carry him down." Olga said while taking out the last part of her suit.

"Tengus?" Snake knew that the name Tengus was often referred to mythical creatures that inhabited the mountains of Japan and had extremely long noses.

"Yes, they are fierce and extremely agile. They protect the insides of Arsenal." Olga grabbed her sword from the ground. "Here take this. It may be a useful weapon against them." She stretched out her hand to him.

Snake took it. "I don't really…"

Olga broke up Snake's speech as the sound of something moving behind the massive door got her alarmed. "It's coming now. If you don't want the sword, give it to him." Olga jerked her head towards Raiden's unconscious body. "You better hide now."

"Wait I thought I was going with you." Snake said while casting a suspicious eye on Olga.

"It's too dangerous, when I reach Arsenal I'll send the elevator back up." Olga said adjusting her clothes and getting ready to leave.

"I don't like this. You could be setting me up. If you don't send the elevator back up, I'll go down along with this entire facility." Snake said.

"You'll have to trust me." Olga faced the door and got closer to it. Snake's arm gripped around hers.

Olga turned around and their eyes met. They were two soldiers sizing up one another. Trying to figure out what the other one was thinking.

Snake let go of her arm and nodded. "Hurry up." Snake ran to the corner by the stairs and waited as he saw the elevator arriving.

The door screeched as it lifted itself up.

"Take him in." Olga said.

Two men wearing what looked like an all black suit, complete with a mask, carried Raiden's unconscious body inside. The door closed again and it went down.

Snake got out and approached the door. "Damn!!" He was now trusting someone who he knew was working for the Patriots. He was the only one to blame. Snake sighed. He then started taking out his gloves and his vest. If everything went well, in a few moments he would be inside the belly of the beast.