METAL GEAR SOLID: RESURRECTION

by Rookie's Eyes (based off of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake)

Disclaimer: the Metal Gear series and their characters are property of Kojima Productions and Konami

Chapter 20 Old Acquaintances, New Enemies

Forty- Three minutes Earlier…

Snake and Gustava arrived at level B3 quickly. After a moment to check the floor with his radar, Snake signaled the all clear to Gustava. They stepped out of the elevator, into a hallway. Snake followed Gustava into a door on the left. Inside he saw two cell doors, and a computer to the right of the door which controlled electronic cell locks. Snake walked over to the cells, examining the structure of the door. Meanwhile, Gustava sat at the computer, opening up file programs until coming to a virtually blank line of code which read:

'PLEASE ENTER CELL BLOCK LOCK CODE:'

"Damn!", Gustava cursed, "The lock is encoded… You any good at hacking?"

Snake didn't answer; he was kneeling, placing something on the door. "Yeah, but I do my hacking the easy way." He backed away, pressing a button in his hand, setting off the C4 he had just placed on the door. The door fell to the ground 'THUD' and dust filled the room from the residual explosive.

"Simple, yet effective," Gustava commented.

Snake stepped inside to see a startled Dr. Madnar coughing from the dust but otherwise unhurt.

"Good to see you again, Dr. Madnar," Snake greeted.

"The feeling is *Cough* mutual, Snake. Punctual *Cough* as always, I see," Gustava stepped inside, and Madnar's face lit up, "Gustava! I'm so glad to see you unharmed. I had feared they would have captured you by now."

"I hope you don't doubt my abilities as an agent, do you doctor?"

"No, oh heavens no. It's just that even the best get captured eventually." Snake coughed loudly. Catching the gesture, the doctor added, "Well there are always a few exceptions to the rule, of course."

"Thank you doctor," Snake agreed.

"We'd better hurry. Dr. Marv is waiting," Gustava interrupted.

"Marv is still alive, then is he?"

"Yes, and like Gustava said, we've got to get a move on if we want to get to him in time."

Gustava led the way out of the cell block, back into the hallway they had been in earlier, with Madnar following and Snake at the end, wary for any sign of danger. They followed the hallway to an adjacent door on the left, which led them into a dingy tunnel, a stream of run-off water flowing to the left of their pathway. The long stretch of walkway seemed to continue until Snake couldn't see any sign of the end.

They walked for what felt like an eternity in the damp, stale air of the underground passage. The ground was slippery from condensation, and the only sound accompanying their walk was the rush of the water as it passed. Although Snake was faring fine, the doctor was getting increasingly exhausted until finally he spoke, "Snake, I- I can't go on… I must rest for a moment…"

"Gustava?" Snake asked, redirecting the request to her.

"All right…" She said, "We can afford a short break."

They all sat, leaning against the damp walls of the tunnel. When Dr. Madnar regained his breath, he stood, "Please… excuse me. I… have some business to take care of."

Once Madnar had hobbled out of sight, Gustava commented, "How odd…"

"Give the guy a break. He's an old man. He can't help it if he can't handle it as well as we do."

"No, I mean us… A scientist, a former Olympic athlete, and a special forces agent, all trudging together through a sewer… All this joke still needs is the punch-line."

"Fate can have a sense of humor sometimes."

"Fate?.. I don't like to believe in such things… I don't like the idea of my life being set in stone, some otherworldly being making my choices for me as if I am just a character in a story."

"I don't like the idea much myself," Snake agreed.

"Still, that would explain my current situation," Gustava reasoned.

"How?"

"I would imagine my mother felt very much the same as we do; dirty, sweaty, and tired. She used to tell me stories of Poland in World War II, about the Warsaw uprising. My mother spent days in the city sewers fleeing from the Nazis. She told me that when she got out, her clothes were caked black with mud… My mother and I are much alike. We are both stalked by war."

"Why'd you quit skating and join the STB? You'd think an Olympic medalist would be treated well enough, even in the Middle-East."

"It was something about the ice… My parents were murdered when I was sixteen, and after that it just felt… cold," She sat for a long while, then continued, changing the subject. "Are you married, Snake?"

"No, I don't have any family, not anymore anyway. There was a man who said he was my father… There's just something something about people… War is almost… easy for me. But people are so complicated. They rarely speak their true intentions… What about you? Do you have any other family?"

"I'm all alone… It's not even because I like being single either. *Sigh* Perhaps I shall never get the chance."

"What about a relationship?"

"…Once… Just once… I thought about getting married. It was back when I was still skating. I was madly in love… Sometimes… It still stings a bit to think about it. He was a western man, not unlike yourself. His name was Frank Hunter. He was handsome, well-mannered, intelligent, and sometimes even a little bit mysterious… But always afraid. I know I would have thrown it all away for him; Skating, my family, my money… everything. I would have followed that man to the end of the Earth…"

"You would have defected?"

"Yes… But as fate would have it, it was not to be. The west rejected my bid for asylum at the last minute. I lost my right to compete for Poland, I was branded a refusnik… I had no choice but to join the STB. I have no regrets. When I was skating, I knew only the ice. Now I know so much more…"

"What about Frank? Did you ever..?"

"I never saw him again… The Berlin Wall was too high for either of us to scale." Silence pervaded the two, lasting for an uncomfortably long amount of time.

It was only when Madnar returned that the tension was broken, "Sorry for the wait."

Snake muttered to Gustava, "Some bathroom break."

"What was that?" Madnar inquired.

"Oh nothing…" Snake and Gustava rose to their feet, and with Gustava in the lead they began their trek through the tunnel once again. Gradually the smell of the place worsened and by now Snake's BDU's were soaked, like the water that clung to your clothes in a fog.

As Snake thought about their conversation, his thoughts turned to his own past. He decided to break the monotony of their journey by speaking with an old friend. Snake dialed *140.38*, turning the codec's knob to 'SEND'.

*140.38* "Do you realize this is the first time you've called me the entire operation?"

"Good to speak to you too, Master. How do things look on your end?"

"The C-17 is almost out of fuel. I'd give it another hour before we have to head back to base for refueling. While we're gone, you'll still be able to contact us by codec, but you'll no longer have your radar."

"I try not to rely on crutches in a mission, but I have to admit that that gadget was pretty handy. I'll miss using that to check for adversaries in the field."

"I'm proud of you, Snake."

"What is there to be proud of?"

"You've become a better soldier than I could ever hope to become. That is the goal of the teacher; to see their students excel beyond the master's capabilities."

"Don't worry Master, I can teach you a few moves when I get back."

Master Miller laughed, "No, I don't think that will be necessary. Just come in every once and awhile to drill. You could train the new recruits. Who knows, maybe one of them could even surpass you."

"Sounds good," Snake agreed. "But don't count on the results."

Gustava interrupted, "Hey Snake, I can see the end of the tunnel!"

"I'm sure you'd do fine. Good luck Snake," and Master Miller cut transmission.

The trio finally reached the exit to the tunnels. Snake took the lead, slowly opening the door and advancing through the exit. The first thing he saw was the ledge of a cliff, and then he realized that they had finally reached the crevasse, a huge jagged crack forty feet wide and at least a mile long in either direction. It was a massive wound, a scar in the earth. A concrete bridge stretched across the yawning expanse, wide enough for one truck to navigate the bridge at a time. On Snake's side there wasn't much scenery, only four trucks parked nearby.

As Madnar made his way past Snake, Snake raised his arm, stopping Madnar in his tracks. Snake had his suspicions. There were no guards, on this side or the other side of the crevasse. Not only that but the area directly surrounding them was clear of the crates and trash that usually denoted a military installation. Snake motioned for Gustava and Madnar to stay where they were.

Snake turned on his radar to get the general location of the devices. Small yellow pixels showed up on the screen, and Snake crawled near, taking out his knife as he made his way to the first blinking dot. Gingerly, he slid his knife in and out of the sand, wary of any sign of a foreign object. His knife clinked against something metal. Sifting the sand slightly, Snake uncovered a landmine. He removed a small cover from the top of the device, revealing two wires. "Why are they always red and blue?" Snake asked.

He took the knife and cut the red wire. Snake carefully picked up the device, walking over to the edge of the cliff and dropping it down the ridge. It clinked down the cliff's face, but no explosions. "It's the red wire," Snake confirmed. With several landmines to go, Snake repeated the process until he finally cleared a path large enough for the others to navigate.

Leading the other two through the field, the group stopped at the foot of the bridge. Madnar began across the bridge.

Gustava followed, with Snake farthest behind to cover their back. Off in the distance, a boom sounded from somewhere in the sky. Thunder? But the sky was clear. Whistling, ever so faint, became louder, and louder.

Gustava was the first to see it, a missile, speeding straight for Dr. Madnar. She ran screaming, "Madnar! Watch out!" She pushed him out of the way, and the missile made contact with the ground only ten feet away. Gustava was engulfed in fire, and Madnar was launched twenty feet to the other side of the bridge, now cut off from Snake by a fifteen foot gap in the bridge.

"Gustava!"

"SNAAAKEEE!" A voice echoed, and Snake finally saw the silhouette of a Hind D, flying just below the sun.

"What!?"

"What's the matter? Don't remember? It's your old pal, Grey Fox!"

"Grey Fox?"

"This bridge is closed for maintenance. Didn't anyone tell you?", Snake watched as guards surrounded Madnar, picking him up and carrying his limp body to a medical truck. "I'm taking Madnar with me! I was ordered by Big Boss to kill you, but tell you what; for old time's sake I'm going to let you live, but only if you get your sorry carcass out of here! Do you hear me Snake? Get outta here! NOW!.. Think it over, Ha ha ha ha!"

"FOX! FOOOOXX! YOU WON'T GET RID OF ME THAT EASY!!! YOU HERE ME?! YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!"

The helicopter sped away, and the medical truck drove off as well, disappearing into the forest that lined the other side of the crevasse.

"….snaaake…." A weak voice called from the rubble of the bridge.

"Gu- Gustava!?" Snake rushed over to the end of the bridge, searching through the fire and smoke for the source of the pained voice.

"…Snake!..." Finally Snake spotted Gustava's body, spread eagled in a pile of stones and concrete, a large piece pinning her leg. Shrapnel wounds shone as blood soaked through her shirt.

"Gustava!" Snake kneeled, cradling her head in his arms. "It's okay! Everything's going to be fine, do you hear me?!"

"... I can't feel… I can't move my leg…" She cried.

Snake tried to pry the rock from over her leg, but it wouldn't budge. Gustava was passing in and out of consciousness, "Gustava! You've got to stay awake! Stay awake until I can get some help."

"..Don't be… so naive Snake… Snake,.. I need you to take this," She removed a brooch from her shirt, shaped in the ZL insignia of Zanzibar Land. Her breath was quick and shallow, and every heaving gasp for air caused her severe pain.

"Don't talk like that Gustava…" Snake pressed the brooch back into her hand.

"God dammit…", She began to cry, "Listen Snake, you'll need this… very soon… To open my locker, to get the OILIX formula… you… need… to… to..." She struggled to finish her sentence, each labored breath counting down her remaining moments in this world. Her final word left her lips, "… heat…", and her body stilled.

"Heat? Why do I need the brooch Gustava?! Talk to me!", Snake continued, but he knew she was dead, the life had left her eyes. He shut her eyes.

Snake walked back to the end of the bridge, dialing *140.76* into his codec, "Holly…"

*140.76* "Sorry about Gustava, Snake… Really I am."

Snake ignored her condolences, "Do you know any other way I can reach the other side of the Crevasse?"

*140.76* "Um… yeah, Snake. There's a veranda on the twentieth floor of the tower building. They use it for parachute jump training. You could use a hang glider and use that to get over the gap. I have one, meet me at the first floor, I'll be waiting there with the glider. Good-bye Snake, see you soon…"

"Good-bye… Holly."

Author's Note: Oh no's! I killed off a character. You better review my chapter or else, I'll kill off another! Duh duh DUH! Another dramatic update to MGS: Resurrection! And now, an explanation. The reason that I added two chapters in one day is this; The chapter you just read was originally going to be my nineteenth chapter, but then I thought 'Hey, maybe I should show a little more from Fox's perspective', and so I began the other chapter, and now I get to make two chapter updates at once. Consider it a treat for all of you, my readers.

Another chapter up! Up and coming: Chapter 21 The Blades of the Silent Knives