Chapter 3: Crashing the Party
"Wufei, what happened?" Sally asked.
"WHAT ARE THEY GONNA DO TO MY SISTER?!" Milliardo screamed, shaking him.
Noin ran up to her boyfriend and tried to calm him down to the best of her ability. She had little luck, but at least she had managed to get him to stop shaking Wufei.
"Wufei, what do you know?" Heero asked, almost snapping.
"The reason I was late was because I had a security inspection tour at the Presidential Palace. I was the senior Preventer on task so I couldn't skip it. During my inspection, I overheard Sears and Ocelot talking. I didn't think it was much but when I heard 'Metal Gear' I decided to stay and listen."
"AND?!" Both Heero and Milliardo asked with growing impatience, to the amusement of Duo.
"And the two of them said that Relena Peacecraft had become too much of a nuisance and needed to be gotten rid of. Sears told Ocelot to call some guy named 'Vamp.' This Vamp guy is going to kill her after she leaves that party and is far enough away! After Ocelot left, Sears said something about 'Outer Heaven...'
Snake and Otacon took a serious glance at one another. They both nodded, now that everyone was gathered, it was time.
"Guys, there's something we need to tell you about Sears." Otacon said somberly.
The rest looked at him and Snake with curious faces.
"Sears is my brother." Snake said, to the shock of the rest.
"Woah! No way! Your brother?!" Duo asked.
"Well...I suppose. It's pretty hard to explain..."
"Back in After Colony 165 there was a secret United Earth Sphere Alliance project called 'Les Enfantes Terribles.'" Otacon put forth.
"Les Enfantes Terribles?" Duo asked, confused.
"The Terrible Children." Otacon answered. "I'm sure you all know who Big Boss was."
The others nodded their heads.
"The Les Enfantes Terribles project was a cloning project of Big Boss by the Alliance. It created Snake, Liquid, and Sears...who is really Solidus Snake."
Duo was dumbfounded. This just kept getting weirder. 'What have I gotten myself into?' Duo thought to himself.
Heero looked on with determination, seemingly eager to learn more. "So...Sears is Solidus, your brother?"
Snake nodded. "We have the same genes, but other than that, I don't consider him a brother at all."
"But wait." Quatre put in. "Snake, if you were both born at the same time, why does Solidus look so much older than you?"
"He suffers from advanced cellular degeneration." Snake answered him. "Part of the cloning project's after-affects. The aging process can be accelerated."
"Do you know anything about this Vamp guy?" Wufei asked.
"Vamp. He's adept at using knives. He was born in Romania, he lost his family in a church bombing. He was pierced by a crucifix and stuck under rubble for two days, he survived by drinking the blood of his family. He's had a taste for blood ever since. Vamp used to be part of a secret special ops group called Dead Cell. As far as freaks go, he's gotta be at or near the top of anyone's list."
"Right, and now Solidus wants Vamp to get rid of Relena Peacecraft." Otacon said sadly.
It was then that the team got word that their dinner was ready.
"We can discuss this over dinner." Lady Une said.
The discussion did continue.
"So, what are we gonna do?" Sally asked.
"We need to save Relena." Noin put forward.
"I agree." Duo said. "We're gonna have to put the anti-Metal Gear stuff on hold for now."
"We may be able to halt Metal Gear for a while, but Miss Relena is the only one who can convince people to really be at peace."
"Trowa's right." Otacon said. "Saving her is a must. If she dies, no one will be powerful enough to question Solidus' legitimacy, and that is more important than pulling triggers. What we need now is a plan."
"We need to infiltrate that party and get her out of there." Wufei said.
"But how many should go?" Duo asked.
"I think that Solidus' mansion itself is a solo job. Any more than that will be too easy to discover." Trowa quipped.
"Yes. Someone needs to go into that mansion and bring her out before this Vamp can get to her!" Quatre said in a desperate tone.
Milliardo was becoming angry. He wouldn't let Solidus hurt his little sister. No, he had to protect her. His flesh and blood, his baby sister!
Heero thought to himself. He wouldn't let Solidus or his blood-sucking freak of a friend anywhere near his angel. He promised her a long time ago that he would protect her, and that's exactly what he intended to do.
"I'LL GO!" Heero and Milliardo both stood and shouted at the same time. They stared at each other. "YOU?!" They shouted at each other.
"Yuy, you threatened to kill her before! Why should you be trusted to take care of my baby sister?!"
"Me?! It was you Zechs, if you remember correctly, who imprisoned her on Libra and was going to crash it into Earth-her along with it! Who saved her from that, from YOU? ME!" Heero countered.
"Oh god. Here we go..." Noin sighed.
"YOU ABANDONED HER YUY! YOU CALL THAT PROTECTION?!"
"IF YOU WOULD LET ME EXPLAIN I WOULD-!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Snake shouted, quickly silencing both of them. "Cut the bullshit already. I'll do it."
"Snake, you sure?" Lady Une asked him.
"I saved Relena's life once. I can do it again."
"Wait Snake." Duo said. "You saved Relena's life before?"
"Yeah. When the Alliance attacked the Sanc Kingdom in 182 I went there and fought them, and I saved both Milliardo and Relena."
"It is true." Milliardo confirmed. "Besides myself, there's no one I'd rather see do this. I trust you, Snake."
Snake nodded. Heero looked on in disbelief. Snake was always full of surprises, just being there to talk being one of them. "Snake, do you know what Solidus meant by 'Outer Heaven'?"
"Hmm." Snake said, thinking. "After I escaped Alliance custody, I ran around, trying to hide. Eventually I found Big Boss. He promised me that he would keep me hidden forever if I found out more about a thing called 'Outer Heaven' for him. What it really was though was Big Boss trying to use Metal Gear, the TX-55 model to create the nation of Outer Heaven and challenge the Alliance. Is...that what Solidus wants to do...?"
"It must be." Otacon said. "He wants to follow in his 'father's' footsteps."
It all made sense now. Solidus was even madder than they thought. He wanted a new Metal Gear to create Outer Heaven and challenge the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. That must be his objective. It wasn't a misguided effort at public service, it was his own selfish ambition.
"Of course, this is just an educated guess. We're gonna have to find out for sure." Otacon said.
"Right." Snake agreed. "Maybe when I'm at Solidus' house I can upload a Trojan into his computer?"
"Great idea Snake! I'll go work on a program right now!" Otacon said excitedly, taking his food down into the bunker's control center.
"He sounds excited." Duo muttered.
"He loves doing that stuff. It gives him a bit of a thrill." Snake replied with a small chuckle. "Well, I'm done, see you all a little later." Snake said, getting up.
He went back upstairs to his room. Now was the time to mentally prepare himself. In two days, he'd be doing a field op. And while he definitely had his experience, and had worked on keeping himself sharp, this would be the first one in seven years. It was then that Snake discovered that Heero had followed him back to his room. He lit a cigarette.
"Snake, can I ask you something?"
"What? Heero, you impress me, you really do, and it's not often that I say that. Way too much I meet posers who think they're tough, think that war is a game, but just seeing you, I know you have your act together. However, you are on my short list right now with your bitching with Milliardo."
"Thanks, Snake, that means a lot to me coming from you. I apologize it's just that..."
"You care about her a lot. In fact, you love her with every fiber of your being. I know, it's written all over your face. Don't worry, I'll take good care of her." Snake then lifted the cigarette box toward Heero, offering him one.
Heero broke out of his slightly stunned frame of mind and managed a smile with an "I don't smoke."
"Rhm. Everyone's so health-conscious these days."
Heero laughed. "Snake, I need to ask you...do you know anything about the la-li-lu-le-lo?"
For the first time in a while, Snake himself was stunned. In fact, his jaw dropped. This kid knew? He really must have something going for him. Quickly regaining his composure, Snake stood up and looked at him.
"The Patriots..."
Relena sat in her hotel room, pampering herself. She tied her hair into her usual long ponytail and tied it together with a dark blue bow. She took a careful look into her mirror one last time. Blinking a few times, she decided that she looked all right. Why did she always have to make herself look pretty? For...Sears? She would be going to another party...alone. She had refused every man who had wanted to accompany her. How long was she going to be alone? A tear fell down her cheek. No, she couldn't think about him, she'd ruin her makeup! She sighed, exiting her room and going to her car. She arrived at the party around 10 minutes later. Exchanging cordial greetings with some colleagues and a few guests she was introduced to, she strolled to take her assigned seat.
Meanwhile, a helicopter was approaching as close as it could to the President's home. It's pilot was Sally Po, who had come along for two reasons. The first was that she was adept at piloting this model of helicopter, and the second was her medical skills...just in case. Wufei waited at a small airport with a plane he had used to fly them down there. His status was still active in the Preventers, and he had used his rank to divert a few assets for his use.
"All right, Snake, you know the drill here." Otacon said to him over the Codec from the control room in Maine. "Sally, you're getting pretty close, I think you should drop Snake there."
"Roger that. Snake, I'll come back and pick you up when you signal for me."
Snake nodded and got out of the chopper. Sally flew off. He was on the outer grounds of Solidus' property. It was a warm and humid winter night in sub-tropical South Carolina, a drastic change from the cold of Maine, and especially Alaska. Snake began to sweat.
"All right Snake, you have the disc with you?"
"Yeah." Snake affirmed as he took out and lit a cigarette.
"Remember, your first priority is to get Relena out of there. But you won't be able to do that while she's eating in Solidus' main dining room. In the meantime, try and get to his computer and put that disc in. It'll install a Trojan on his hard drive that will let us see what he's up to."
"Solidus is bound to discover it. He'll change his plans."
"I considered that. That's why it will self-delete in three hours. That'll give me enough time to get what we need."
"Self-deleting Trojan, huh? That's a first Otacon."
"New times call for new measures. Anyway, you're gonna have to wait until Relena is alone to talk her into leaving. Maybe a bathroom break or something."
The last comment had Heero and Milliardo glaring. Did he just say Snake was going to be with her in a bathroom? Noin and Duo seemingly read their minds and were laughing lightly. Lady Une angrily told them all to get back to work.
"I know. Hold on. I see the house."
Snake threw the cigarette onto the ground, ran and activated the active camouflage. He climbed up and down the main gate. After running for a little while the stealth camo deactivated. Snake grunted.
"Otacon, we've really gotta find a way to make this thing more stable." He said as he arrived just outside the mansion.
"Sorry, it's still got lots of bugs in it. Anyway Snake, I've sent you a blueprint of the mansion's ground plan on your Codec. The Soliton radar will work in conjunction with your AP sensor to show you the locations of the security detail, and any other human life form if you're curious."
Snake took out his scope and looked around at the patrolling security. "Everything seems to be in order."
"I've given you the modified M9 designed to shoot the tranquilizer darts. We wouldn't want to kill any of the Preventers guarding this thing."
"Better make sure I don't run into Vamp then."
"You better. All right, Snake, here's the deal: you can't afford to raise an alert. So, until you have Relena in tow, no shooting."
"Great. All right. I should be ok."
"If you need me, I'll be available on the Codec. Sally will be there to pick you up when you radio for her, and the crew is working all around. Good luck Snake."
"Roger that, see you in a few."
After hanging up, Snake immediately went to work. Seeing a remote staircase to the mansion's second floor balcony, and after checking to see if it was clear, he walked up them. Solidus' computer would probably be on the top floor, which was still another story up. He saw a double glass door, but a Preventer stood at the other end of the balcony. Waiting behind a dark corner for him to leave, Snake quickly opened the door and closed it behind him. After making his way through a dark hall, he saw a balcony that overlooked the dining room on the first floor, but there were two Preventers walking around it at all times. This wasn't going to work; he'd have to find another way around. He'd have to go back outside and around the balcony. Waiting for the Preventer to make his run near the staircase he had climbed, Snake opened the double doors and closed them. Snake ran to the far side of the balcony and around, where he saw a door at the end, near a corner. Checking the radar, Snake saw that a Preventer was on the way there, he made his way as quickly, but stealthily as he could to the door, opened it, and closed it behind him. He was in some sort of den. He could see that there was a guard on the outside of the door.
Relena went through her meal, listening to various speakers and talking with the colleagues who came her way. The food wasn't too bad, and the wine was on the verge of excellent. Sears had at least shown his guests good hospitality, she thought. It was then that Sears himself went up to address his guests.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for joining me this evening."
By this time, Snake had managed to sneak into the adjoining hallway, facing another direction of the overlooking balcony that he could not get by earlier. Seeing that it was clear, and the fact that Solidus was talking, he snuck up a staircase to the third floor. Snake waited for a Preventer to pass him by and then made his way down the hall. Seeing that a guard was approaching on the radar, Snake went into the nearest room, which was clear. It was obviously the master bedroom of the house. Perhaps he would find Solidus' computer in there. Lo and behold, Snake found a laptop on the dresser. He then heard his Codec ring.
"Snake, wait, that isn't Solidus' computer." Otacon quipped on the other end.
"How could it not be?"
"Well...it is...but that isn't the one I wanted. Solidus takes that computer around with him, he might not be able to upload some of his more...personal stuff on it."
"Well, what computer were you talking about?" He asked, remembering that his techie friend sometimes annoyed him.
"A desktop in his office. It should be down the hall. Wait for your radar to clear up and then go over there."
In a couple of minutes, Snake saw that it was clear to move out. After opening the door and taking a little peak, he closed it. Solidus' office was down the hall and to the left. Shit, the AP sensor was vibrating and a Preventer was approaching quickly. Snake ran into the office and closed the door behind him. He hid behind a couch as the Preventer went inside to investigate. He walked around the room, a mere foot away from Snake. Thankfully, he must have thought it was nothing as he went out and closed the door behind him.
The crew in Maine breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Had that Preventer taken a few more steps it would have been all over, Snake would have been discovered and Relena would surely be dead by tomorrow morning. Even with all of Snake's skill and their planning, a surprisingly large percentage of success still remained luck.
"That was a close call, Snake." Otacon breathed a sigh of relief. "Ok, there's Solidus' computer. Go and put in that disc."
Snake went over to the computer, which sat in front of a set of large glass windows. He could see the dining room from the office, looking toward the entrance, which must mean that Solidus was directly below him, still speaking. Getting back on task, Snake sat down and put the disc Otacon had given him into the CD drive. The program uploaded automatically, in about five seconds the upload was complete. Snake took out the disc.
"The upload is complete, Otacon."
"Yeah, I'm already in. Heero, you take point on this for now. Rip as much information from Solidus' computer as you can. I still have to help Snake complete this mission."
"Hn." Was all Heero said in response. He followed the older man's order, but thought he was out of place. He should be the one to be doing this...saving her. But there was no man he respected more than Snake to do it in his place.
Snake got up and looked out the window again, this time with his scope. After scanning the room for a while, he found himself looking into a pair of big sapphire eyes. The woman had honey blonde hair and was wearing a sky-blue dress made of silk. This was no longer the little girl he had saved in the Sanc Kingdom. She certainly had grown since the last time he saw her...in more ways than one. After moving the scope back up to her face, he called Otacon on the Codec.
"Otacon, I see Relena Peacecraft."
The crew in the control room jumped to attention upon hearing the words. Milliardo began to look very anxious while Heero tried his best to continue his task of getting Solidus' information.
"What's she doing?"
"She's sitting around the left center of the room, her eyes are focusing on the front. Solidus must still be talking."
"Sorry, but you're gonna have to camp out there for a while. You have to wait until she leaves that room."
After waiting for a couple of minutes, never taking his scope off of Relena, Snake saw two figures approach her. He zoomed in, but their faces were concealed. After a minute or so, she got up, walking with the two men to the entrance.
"She's leaving, but she's not alone. There are two men with her." Snake reported.
One of the men turned his face. Before he exited the room.
"Otacon! Relena's left the room, but I saw that Ocelot was with her! The other one must be Solidus!"
"Snake, get over there now! Get down to the first floor and try to find them, quick!"
"I'm on it!"
Milliardo instantly showed worry on his face, Noin tried her best to comfort him. He appreciated the gesture and placed his hand in hers.
Snake raced downstairs to the second floor. Quickly hiding himself, he poured over the radar, looking for the nearest way to get down to the first floor. He could go outside and back down the staircase he had first used, but that would be the main entrance and that was definitely out. He took a look; the only way was to get around that balcony that overlooked the dining room and to the right. What to do? Snake took out an empty gun magazine and waited for the nearest Preventer to come nearby. He threw the magazine, causing the Preventer to go and walk in its direction. Snake then, while the other Preventer was looking toward the way to go outside, quietly walked to the staircase and down to the first floor.
Duo was laughing. "Was Snake always such a quick thinker?"
"Why do you think he's considered a legend?" Otacon answered with a slight smile. Otacon then saw that he had a call from Snake.
"I'm on the first floor."
"Ok, avoid the dining room at all costs, that room should be easy to see on the radar. Go and search for Relena."
"Any leads?"
"No."
Snake grunted and took the nearest hallway on the left when the coast was clear. He saw Solidus' kitchen on the next right. Fancying a look through the kitchen, peering through the busy catering crew, Snake saw into Solidus' living room. There were three figures standing there. After seeing a glint of blonde hair, Snake knew that Relena was in there with Solidus and Ocelot. But how to get through the kitchen? Looking around, he saw a cardboard box lying outside. Snake also saw a pile of boxes toward the end of the kitchen that he could use as a backdrop. Checking to see if the coast was clear, Snake quietly got into the box and crouched, checking the radar again, he snuck through the kitchen inside of it, stopping at the end.
"Now he's sneaking around in a cardboard box?" Duo said with a half comedic, half sarcastic tone.
"He really is something." Lady Une chuckled.
Snake could faintly hear the conversation in the living room, although he was a little late. He looked through the tiny slit in the side of the box. Solidus was in a black suit wearing his velvet black cape.
"Miss Relena, what I'm trying to say is that I believe that you should re-consider and we should bring the bill back up. A new Metal Gear will better preserve peace against any enemy of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation."
"I'm sorry, Mr. President. But my decision is final. I really hadn't planned on talking about this tonight, I had planned on enjoying your hospitality."
"Please, Miss Relena, we are not at work. Call me George. And this discussion can end here. We should not be talking about work anyway. Have I told you that you look lovely this evening?"
Relena blushed slightly. "Thank you Mr. Pre- I mean, George."
Ocelot suddenly felt a sensation in his arm, which had him screaming.
"Mr. Ocelot, are you ok?" Relena asked.
"It's still happening?" Sears asked him with a stern tone. "After that transplant surgery in Lyon?"
"It hasn't been this strong in a while...I don't understand."
Snake looked on in wonder from his box. Flashbacks of the Tanker suddenly flooded his mind. What the hell was going on? Could it really be...Liquid? Banishing the thought, Snake focused on his task, continuing to watch carefully.
"George. May I use your bathroom?"
"Of course, Miss Relena. It's down this hall and to the right." He said pointing with a slight smile.
After a curtsy from Relena and a slight bow from Solidus, Snake watched her leave the room.
"That stubborn girl still refuses to agree." Solidus said angrily when he heard a door close.
Ocelot was still recovering from the recent incident with his arm and just nodded.
"Call Vamp, tell him to proceed as planned. No one can say I didn't give her a last chance." Solidus stormed out of the room, passing Snake's box and through the kitchen.
Ocelot looked back to where Relena had just walked out. "A shame such a lovely girl must meet such an early end." Ocelot shook his head and followed Solidus out.
After watching the kitchen crew go to the oven to take out a newly cooked meal, Snake slowly walked out from under the box, and once he was behind the wall in the living room, threw it away. Walking a bit further away from the kitchen, Snake used the Codec.
"Otacon, did you hear that?"
"Sure did. Snake, now's your chance! Get her out of there!" Otacon said in a stern, but somewhat desperate tone.
Milliardo's feet practically pounded the floor where he sat. Desperately trying to remain calm, he stood up and watched the monitors that Otacon was looking at very closely. Heero's typing became a bit harder.
"Hey Heero, are your hands shaking?" Duo asked in wonder, his eyes bulging.
"Shut up." Heero growled at him.
Duo looked back at Quatre, who had put a hand on his shoulder. Quatre's face told the story; Duo better leave Heero alone to sort his feelings out...and do the work that Otacon assigned him.
Snake checked the radar; no Preventers were in this area. He followed the hallway and saw a life form in a room to the left. That must be the bathroom. He went in front of the door and waited. After hearing a toilet flushing and the sink turn on and off, a door opened.
Relena let out a small yelp, as she was suddenly face to face with a tall, well-built man wearing a blue bandana with blue-green eyes and a mullet. He was not dressed in Preventer's gear. She was puzzled.
"Who are you?" She asked. "Are you a Preventer on security?"
Snake put a finger to his lips. "Miss Peacecraft, you need to come with me." He whispered.
"And why is that? I don't even know who you are and now you ask me to go with you?"
"I'm a friend."
Relena suddenly felt puzzled. Somehow she believed someone had said that to her before, it seemed so familiar. "I gave up that name..."
"Relena, you are in grave danger! You have to believe me! I need to get you out of here before-"
"Before what?" She cut him off. "I have social responsibilities at this party! I can't just skip out I need to-"
A clicking noise came out and then a high-pitched sound. A dart hit Relena in the neck. Her eyes closed and she fell to the ground. All of this in less than a few seconds. Snake grimaced.
"He shot her!" Milliardo and Heero both said at the same time in a high-pitched 'I can't believe it tone.'
The rest of the crew except Otacon had shocked expressions as well, it seemed they couldn't believe it either.
"Otacon. I had to use the tranquilizer to sedate her. She was giving me shit and I couldn't afford to argue with her."
"I understand. Just get out of there now. Speed is of the essence. Although I still recommend avoiding contact with anyone if possible, your weapon is free. Fire at will."
Snake put Relena's unconscious form over his shoulder and proceeded back down the hallway. He checked the radar and went down further and then up a staircase to the second floor. The Codec rang.
"How's everything going? Otacon asked. Is Relena making it hard on you?"
"She's heavier than the last time." Snake answered in response.
Several people in the control room in Maine laughed. Snake really did come up with witty responses at times.
"You're almost there. Just keep following this hallway down and you'll come up to that overlooking balcony again. You can then go out the same way you first came in." Otacon hung up.
Snake moved, but the AP sensor was going off and he saw someone was approaching from behind. Snake pulled out his M9 and shot the oncoming Preventer, the tranquilizer dart hitting him right on the chin. He fell unconscious immediately. Moving slowly, he approached the balcony. Putting Relena down, Snake peered out of the corner and took aim, shooting one Preventer who had his back turned behind the neck. The other approached the sleeping body, where Snake put a dart in his temple. Picking up Relena, Snake quickly made his way back to the hallway and through the double glass doors. The Preventer on watch there went to investigate, Snake responded by putting a tranquilizer dart in his head, right above his left eye. Snake walked down the stairs and ran as fast as he could to put as much distance between himself and Solidus' mansion as possible.
"Sally, I've got Relena. I need pickup now." He said over the Codec.
"Roger that Snake, I'm on my way. Meet you where I dropped you off." She hung up.
In a few minutes, the helicopter landed. Snake got on board and put Relena in a seat, strapping her in.
"You sedated her?" Sally asked, surprised.
"It was the only way." Snake said matter-of-factly.
"I see...I'm gonna get us out of here now." She replied going back to her seat in the cockpit.
Snake sat in the seat next to Relena and lit a cigarette as the helicopter took off. Snake had done it; he had saved Relena Peacecraft again.
A man with long black hair and piercing ice blue eyes looked through a pair of binoculars at the sight. That man carrying Relena Peacecraft...it had to be, even though by common knowledge, it couldn't. Solidus would have to hear of this...interesting development after the party.