Thank you for reading this far this is where something's in the story get set straight and more into Elijah's past is shown. Well without further ado present to you the next Chapter.

ENJOY

Black Pitbull

ELIJAH (GHOST)

Even though his restraints weren't much and merely consisted of highly graded military handcuffs that were attached to steel chains and were being pulled tightly around metal bars, they were certainly doing their job of keeping him locked firmly in place. And thanks to the stack of weights behind him, which would take about three people to lift, he was also suspended five to six inches above the ground.

Luckily for him, he knew exactly how to escape out of these types of cuffs. However, that was the least of his worries at the moment. Thanks to the snarky comment he made, he was able to get an estimate of exactly how many people were inside the room besides 'Ethan' (Christian), 'Mr. Woods" (Bear), the individual attempting to keep to the shadows (Raiden) and the old man who seemed younger than he looked (Old Snake).

When laughter filled the room, Elijah was able to make out six different tones, which lead to a total of six people in all. His little tactic may seem like nothing more than a harmless, rebellious remark, but in all honesty, it was his way of sizing up the situation.

And since the individuals within the room all started to laugh, and no one was suspicious of his statement whatsoever, the tactic was a success. At least now he wouldn't be caught off guard if one of the other two individuals jumped in while he attempted to escape.

"So Ghost, will you join us?" the old man asked in his rough, raspy voice.

The sudden question brought Elijah out of his thoughts, causing the teen to push his complex plan into the far reaches of his mind while he drew up words to answer the question. Of course, his answer was quick and simple but unfortunately, it wasn't the answer the older gentleman was looking for.

He just remained silent as he continued to stare him down. Elijah just stared back, knowing that his captor will continue to ask him the same question until he received the answer he wanted. However, before he could, there was an unexpected knock at the door. Instinctively, Elijah answered and what he heard surprised him. An enraged feminine voice answered from the other side of the door.

When the door opened, three sets of footsteps echoed off the walls within the room as the three newcomers strode inside. When the women were ordered to identify themselves, they each announced their names: Screaming Mantis, Raging Raven and Laughing Octopus. After hearing the names once, Elijah repeated them inside his head. They were quite strange, but they started to sound strangely familiar to him for some odd reason. He felt as if he'd heard those names before, however, he couldn't place when or where he heard them.

"The Beauty and Beast Corps…" the old man stated in a stern, raspy voice.

"Hmpf…. It's nice to see you as well, Solid Snake." The South American (Screaming Mantis) muttered in a monotone voice as she set her eyes on the old man. "Unfortunately for you, we don't have time to catch up."

"We have other matters to attend to." The young Asian (Raging Raven) added in an angered tone.

"Let me guess. You've come to collect you sister?" the old man, Solid Snake, asked. Elijah found it kind of weird that he was being called Solid Snake instead of Old Snake.

"You're correct." Mantis answered in a computerized voice as she turned her sights onto Elijah. "I also need Ghost… after I unlock his and Wolf's memories." She added as she sent a dark look towards Elijah as if he was her archenemy.

Elijah didn't understand it at first, but he had a deep, intense feeling towards the group of women, particularly towards Screaming Mantis. And after a moment of consideration, he found that the feeling was pure rage and hatred. He felt that somehow, someway, the young South American wronged him in the past. He didn't know how or why, but she did.

"Ghost isn't going…" Snake started to say, but was interrupted by Erin. The teen definitely wasn't enjoying the situation. Plus, she was becoming irritated with these people calling her Crying Wolf, or just Wolf in general.

"How do either one of you know Elijah anyway?" Erin asked in a demanding tone. She bravely glared at Snake for a minute before turning towards Mantis, sending her an almost fearful, intimidating glare.

"Don't worry, sis. Once your memories are unlocked, you'll know how we know Ghost." The Scandinavian Blonde (Laughing Octopus) answered with a slight chuckle. "Along with other things, like why you're known as Crying Wolf."

"That's not answering my question!" Erin snapped.

"You want to know?" Snake asked, catching Erin's attention. "Then I'll tell ya. I first encountered Ghost here during a mission I had in Africa. I was sent there to take out a few targets that were known as Drebins."

"Wait a minute. You went after targets named Drebins?" Elijah asked. "How is that even possible? I clearly remember killing someone by that name."

"Well kid, there is more than one person with that name." Snake told him. "They are all named Drebin but are identified by their numbers. For example, one can be identified as Drebin #193 another, Drebin #348. You get the general idea. Anyway, my objective was to enter African airspace and land into African soil, which was relatively easy. The difficult task was prying in on a meeting that a group of Drebins were holding, collect as much information as possible and get out without being detected."

SOLID/OLD SNAKE

After dropping into African territory without being detected, Snake had to find the exact location of where the meeting would be held. He knew it would be either in one of their three major camps: Alpha, Bravo and Charlie, or in one of their sub camps: Delta, Echo and Foxtrot. However, as for the sub camps, he only had to worry about Delta and Foxtrot since Echo was crossed out. Apparently it had been burned to the ground by an unknown assailant that was roaming though the jungles, taking out soldiers in the process.

There was nothing on the assailant, not even a list of suspects. But honestly it could be anyone, especially those who were enemies or threats to the Drebins. Sadly, those who were able to come into contact with the vigilante didn't live long enough to give an accurate description since they were quickly struck down. And when their bodies were found, they would be covered in knife wounds and their dog tags would be missing.

Flashback – Africa (Mission: Infiltrate Drebin Base, Gather Information)

Deep within the heart of one of the many jungles in Africa, Snake was carefully making his way to one of the Drebins major campsites, Charlie. Unfortunately for him, he had to carry out his mission during a heavy summer rainstorm. Thanks to the rain, the dirt roads became muddy and everything else was soaked.

But thanks to his Sneaking (OctoCamo) Suit, he was able to stay dry and warm, not having to worry about the bad weather. Before long, Snake made it to the edge of Camp Charlie. It was quite a challenge to find this camp since the Drebins didn't want to be tracked down by their enemies or the unknown assailant. So keeping the meeting a secret was no doubt a top priority for the group.

Before he arrived at Charlie, or knew that's where he needed to go, he gathered information from child soldiers that were patrolling the area he entered. When he approached the kids, he noticed that they literally looked scared out of their young minds.

It was obvious that they didn't want to be out at night, so they stayed together in at least groups of three. However, three or four child soldiers weren't enough to stop the trained mercenary. While Snake was "chatting" with them, the young soldiers were reluctant to talk and even begged for their lives. But eventually they finally gave up the information Snake wanted and more. That's when he learned about an individual known as the Ghost of Africa, or simply Ghost.

As a result, the Intel he gathered brought him to Charlie. The entire base was sitting in a large sinkhole surrounded by a large metal fence. In Snake opinion, he thought this was a terrible place to set up a major base. Even if they posted group patrols around the area, it wouldn't mean a thing if they were attacked by a sudden aerial assault. Snake hid quietly in the lush vegetation as he watched a small group of six child soldiers, which varied of different ages, walk right pass him.

He noticed the kids were clothed in tattered shirts, pants and shoes and were brandishing AK-47s and MP5s. They were also wearing metal dog tags around their necks. Snake also noticed the boys had scars running up and down their arms. No doubt the cause of the injuries came from knives. All six boys had the look of fear on their faces. They kept looking to the shadows, as if something, or someone, may jump out and attack them at any given moment. And to help calm each other down, some went as far as to holding each others' hands.

Once the group was gone, Snake made his move. Quietly, but quickly, he ascends the fence, drops down to the other side and descends the incline with caution. Upon reaching the bottom, he ducks behind a nearby building, avoiding a spotlight that was heading his way. While he waited for the light to pass by his location, he noticed the name of the organization branded on the brick walls of the buildings. The name of the extremist revolution organization was Nafsi Giza.

Translating the Swahili language to English, the text read: Dark Soul. And just like the many groups before them, this organization was also known for its brutal exploits, ways of entertainment, and its cruel and unusual way of recruiting its soldiers, which were mostly children that ranged from the ages of twelve to seventeen. And just like the Joseph Kony Revolution, they made children the majority of the organization. Their objective was to turn the boys into hardened soldiers while the girls became nothing more than sex/domestic slaves.

Once the spotlight was gone, Snake ran out, heading towards the main building that stood on the other side of the area. The sudden sound of a horn blowing causes Snake to skid to a stop and duck behind a nearby wall. Using the shadows as cover, Snake watched as the child soldiers started to leave in large groups. Some were running as they shouted to their fellow youths in surprisingly jovial tones. Whatever was about to happen, or whatever was happening, certainly excited the soldiers. Allowing his curiosity to get the best of him, Snake started to move around the building. Reaching the area, he found a stack of crates, which provided him with enough cover to spy on the gathering. Peeping over the top crate, Snake found the children surrounding a fence that was attached to a brick building that stood next to it.

The horn was blown for a second time, causing the crowd to cheer with excitement as they raised their weapons into the air. To get a closer look at the situation, Snake used his Solid Eye. The moment he does so, he found a set of metal doors opening. Two larger soldiers walked out, dragging out a younger looking boy with them. The boy looked to be fourteen years of age and had his hands cuffed behind him.

He looked beaten and malnourished and was dressed in ragged clothing with his arms wrapped in dirty gauze. Once in the center of the arena, the two boys dropped him onto his knees and freed him off his restraints. They turned around, walked back into the building and returned with another prisoner in their grasps. This one looked older, probably around seventeen or so.

He too was dragged into the center of the arena, dropped to his knees and freed of his restraints. His arms and upper chest were wrapped in gauze as well. With the two competitors in the ring, the two boys walked back into the building, shutting the metal doors tightly behind them.

The Fourteen and Seventeen year olds slowly got to their feet and faced each other. At that exact moment, the horn was blown for a third time. When knives, such as daggers and machetes, were thrown into the ring, the boys each grabbed one and readied themselves for what was about to happen next.

"This wasn't a game; this was blood sport, plain and simple." Snake thought to himself.

The fourteen year old grabbed the black machete while the older teen grabbed the daggers. As the two started to circle each other, the spectators started to cheer for the bloodshed that was about to take place. The younger teen lunged out first, only to miss and end up getting clipped by his older opponent. Regaining his balance, the younger boy rushed forward as he swung his weapon furiously, successfully slashing his opponent a few times. Before he could get another hit in, the older teen was able to stab him in his side.

The short break from the younger teen's attack allowed the older teen to drive his knife into his arm. He quickly knocked him back, causing him to fall down onto the muddy ground.

The action also causes the younger teen to lose his grip of his weapon. The seventeen year old grabbed the machete and stalked his opponent while he attempted to drag himself away. Sadly his attempt to escape ended when he met the metal fence. Lifting his foot, the older boy kicked his opponent in the stomach, making him flip onto his back. When he looked up, he found the older boy glaring him down as he raised the machete over his head.

At this moment, the crowd was chanting, making their own voices merge with the sound of the thunderclaps from high above. Then without a second thought, the older teen brought the weapon down, striking his opponent. The bloodcurdling scream that came from the younger teen was silenced by the heavy downpour, the deafening thunderclap and the chanting that continued.

Once the task was completed, the older teen stood back up, wiping the blood and rainwater from his face. Seeing that he had won the competition, he pumped his fist into the air, starting another round of cheering. And to prove that the fight was over, the horn was blown once more.

The celebration ended when the victorious child soldier was brought back to his knees by the two older boys from earlier. After replacing the restraints back on, they dragged him back into the building while the crowd dispersed and headed back to their posts.

"These aren't soldiers… they're nothing but animals!" Snake screamed in his head. He could only scowl at the form of entertainment they made for themselves here.

Regardless of what he thought about it, he had a mission to complete. Moving away from the crates, Snake continued to tread through Camp Charlie and came across a lone Gekko. It was lying in pieces, covered by a large tarp. And beside the machine, he spotted the female Drebin kneeling before it as she looked over the dismantled two legged monstrosity.

There were also two domestic slaves standing nearby as one held a box of tools while the other handed them to the female Drebin while she worked. As Snake analyzed the machine himself, he came to the conclusion that it looked as if it took a direct hit from an RPG round. When one of the two assistants looked up and spotted Snake, they stumbled backwards and began to back away. This alerted Drebin #425 of his presence and caused the second assistant to start backing away as well.

Panicking, the Drebin drew her AK-47 from her back. But before she could fire off a single shot, Snake was quick enough to disarm her and pull her into a headlock. With #425 detained, Snake drew his weapon and tranquillized the other two before they could get away. He then directed his attention onto the female Drebin and started questioning her.

And after some "persuasion" he got the Intel he wanted. Seeing that he got all the information out of her, Snake tranquilized her as well and quickly left the area. When he returned to the outskirts of the camp, he froze when he heard someone scream in agony. Acting quickly, Snake lunged off to the side, striking a marksman pose as he held out his M-4 assault rifle, ready to fire a shot at any given moment.

As he looked around, he caught the strong scent of blood in the air. Looking to the ground, he found a dark puddle of liquid at his feet. Dipping his index and middle fingers into the puddle, he used the Solid Eye to analyze the liquid. He found the substance was none other than blood. Looking up, he saw a trail leading from the puddle, marking the path before him.

Following the trail, he stumbled onto a body. Snake cautiously approached the down figure and found it was a child soldier. The young boy was covered in stab wounds, mostly in the torso and chest. His lips were parted, allowing blood to exit the corner of his mouth and trickled down his jaw. His lifeless eyes were glazed over as they stared towards the thunderhead clouds high above.

His hands looked as if they had been clawing at the ground, which would explain the boy's bloody fingertips. Examining the area farther, Snake spotted another body as it laid against a large tree trunk. When he approached that body, he realized that there were two machete blades piercing the chest. Seeing the bodies, Snake realized two things. One, he remembered seeing these boys earlier. They were with the group of six that were patrolling the fence. And two, they were missing their dog tags. He assumed that these two boys were killed by the same individual. It had to be the vigilante known as Ghost.

Suddenly another bloodcurdling scream echoed through the air, catching Snake's attention. Following the sound, Snake found himself standing in a small clearing. He also came face-to-face with a horrific sight. Three more bodies were found strewn about the grassy, muddy ground. One boy was lying up against a tree; another was laying face first in the mud, a few feet away from the first.

He looked like he was reaching for his MP7 that was only a few meters out of his reach. And as for the third, the boy was still alive but just barely. He was dragging himself towards Snake; however, he fell over and died before he could reach him. Snake couldn't imagine how someone could do such a thing, especially to children. Another scream caused Snake to take his eyes off the boy and pull him out of his thoughts. This time around, the chilling sound of a child screaming was just feet away from him.

In the darkness, he spotted a figure standing before a child soldier that was pinned up against a tree. The boy was coughing and gagging off his own blood as it flowed out of his mouth like a makeshift waterfall. He could also see three machete blades protruding from his body. The figure, who doesn't seem to be aware of Snake's presence, lifted his arm into the air, revealing a machete in his grasp. Then without any hesitation, he drove the weapon into the center of the boy's chest, killing him.

"Kufungia!" (Freeze!) Snake yelled.

When that said figure turned to face him, Snake found him staring him down with dark, unremorseful eyes. As the two stared each other down, Snake saw a glint of something metal being thrown in his direction. That was the only warning he received and luckily for him, he was able to dodge the object before it had a chance to strike him. He found another blade being thrown at him the moment his eyes returned onto the figure. Acting quickly, he was successfully able to dodge that one as well.

As he dodged yet another blade, he knew he had to hurry and disarm this individual because there was no way he could continue with this charade all night. After dodging a few more, Snake was finally able to get in close enough to disarm the figure but soon found himself fighting him in hand-to-hand combat. To Snake's surprise, the individual was fairly good, nearly matching his own skills. The fight continued a few minutes more until Snake separated from his opponent.

The reason for him doing so was because Otacon contracted him, warning him that Nafsi Giza reinforcements were heading directly towards him. The sound of an artillery truck could be heard in the distance, confirming the report. As the two continued their little standoff, the figure started to back away, distancing himself farther away from Snake. Just before he disappeared within the shadows, a spark on the ground caught Snake's attention.

That small spark grew into a raging fire, separating Snake from the figure that stood on the other side. The flames illuminated the figure's dark, unremorseful eyes before they disappeared into the shadows. Retreating from the fire, Snake was able to escape the area, just seconds before reinforcements finally arrived. Once he was out of enemy territory, Snake found himself standing near a cliff that overlooked the entire base.

Finally having a moment to catch his breath, Snake recapped on the events that just played out. For one, he saw that the individual knew his way around knives, was very skilled in close-quarters-combat and could literally fight in pit black darkness. It was clear that he could and can kill brutally and without any remorse. There was no doubt in Snake's mind that the individual he encountered was none other than the vigilante. A ghost that kept to the shadows as he struck down his enemies. Well, now he knows how he got the name.

Snake was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of an explosion going off. There he found one of the buildings within the camp burning out of control. A single trail of fire traveled from the building and through the camp, as if it was on a set path, slowly turning the place into a raging inferno. The entire camp was thrown into chaos as the soldiers ran frantically around. Some attempted to extinguish the flames while others looked for a way out.

Snake could only stand there and stare at the burning camp in awe. As he did so, an image of the figure he fought flashed through his mind. Their dark and unremorseful eyes looked as if they were staring dead into his soul as they vanished behind a blaze of flames. The figure was a ghost with a vendetta towards both sides of the war, if the bloody scene was any indication of that.

When the Codec went off, Snake answered the call and heard the voice of Drebin #893. The dark skinned gun launderer gave him as much info as he could on the vigilante. And it seemed that the legend of the Ghost of Africa was a fitting title for the rogue child soldier that held it. And it was at that moment that Snake decided to track down this Ghost before he went on to terminate the other rouge Drebins.

Days passed and with no signs of finding the elusive killer, Snake decided to give up on the search in favor of accomplishing his mission. It wasn't easy sneaking into the meeting, especially since the rouge group strengthened their security with more experienced child soldiers. Snake assumed they heard the news of what happened at Camp Charlie, so the group wasn't taking any chances here.

As Snake listened in on the conversation, he learned that the rogue Drebins were planning on staging a coup d'état and then attacking America during the chaos. Apparently they had more stolen Military technology and one Drebin even commented that he had gotten his hands on a lost Metal Gear Ray unit from an old source… Having heard enough of this, Snake quickly took out the remaining members, completing his mission. But now, he had a new objective: Finding the MGR unit.

Another couple of days passed and Snake had accomplished his task of find the MGR unit. Once in the Sahara Desert, Snake wasted no time activating the self-destruct sequence. The colossal machine exploded into a raging ball of fire, leaving behind nothing more than burnt pieces of scrap metal. With his missions completed, Snake headed out to search for Ghost one final time before leaving. Surprisingly he stumbled across Ghost when he found himself inside a small clearing near a cliff face that overlooked a glorious waterfall.

And with it being pitch black, Snake had to resort to using his Solid Eye's night vision mode. Sadly the tool didn't last long. Ghost was able to blindside Snake, using one of his knives to slice clean through the eye patch. Just as Drebin #893 told him, he used the shadows to catch his enemies off guard.

Once again, Snake found himself fighting against Ghost in close-quarter-combat. But this time around, it shifted from CQC to a game of cat and mouse. Ghost would hide in the shadows, attempting to catch Snake off guard. Unfortunately for Ghost, Snake wasn't one to underestimate. The fight prolonged for hours until Snake caught sight of Ghost, who remained hiding in the shadows, and took aim with his sniper rifle. The bullet exited the barrel at a blinding speed, flying directly towards Ghost. In an instant, the bullet struck Ghost in the chest, the force sending him over the edge of the cliff.

Dawn was slowly approaching as Snake glanced over the edge of the cliff, looking over the area where he shot Ghost into the waterfall. There was no sign of the child soldier as the current of water flowed violently over the falls. The rushing water below was just as rough and choppy, making it harder to see if he even landed in or near the water at all. And thanks to the waves, he couldn't spot his body. Since there wasn't a single piece of plausible evidence, or even a body for that matter, Snake wasn't sure if the boy survived the fall or not. He learned not to conclude anything until he had evidence to prove such. For now, he had no other choice but to leave it alone since he would be departing the continent in a few hours.

Several Months Later…

Ever since his mission in Africa, Snake had been keeping tabs on the local hospitals near the waterfall Ghost had fallen from, as well as the rivers that flowed from the falls. Unfortunately, there hadn't been any reports that matched the description of the individual he encountered that fateful day. That was until information on a mysterious case showed up at a local Angela hospital in Africa caught Snake's attention. A young male about eighteen, possibly nineteen or twenty years old, a soldier of the Nafsi Giza, mysteriously appeared on the front steps of the hospital. The young male's injuries consisted of a serious bullet wound to the chest, along with multiple cuts and bruises. The sources stated that it was a miracle that he was still alive.

Thanks to old American records and identification cards, which were nearly a decade old, they were able to identify the young male. The teen was identified as Elijah Carter, an American native. The medical records confirmed that he was traumatized severely, of course the multiple scars that covered his body proved that fact to be truthful. Not only that, but he also suffered from extreme sociological problems that dealt with human interaction. Snake also learned that they transported him back to the states, to be exact; they sent him back to his home state of Georgia.

Seeing that this individual somewhat fit the characteristics of the very person he was looking for, Snake decided to visit this Elijah Carter. Supposedly, they sent him back to receive therapy and to evaluate the level of education he currently has. Apparently not a single one of his relatives have claimed him ever since he was sent back.

When Snake arrived at the center Elijah was staying in, he entered the teen's room. To his surprise, Elijah didn't speak a single word. He answered no questions that were asked, gave no comments and didn't make a single sound. He just sat there and stared blankly at Snake, the doctor and the nurse that stood before him. Nothing but utter silence. When Snake asked to see Elijah's injuries, he found the dark skinned male had two bullet wounds at the corner of his chest, just between the left lung and his heart. One looked old while the other looked like it was still healing.

After that, Snake left and ended it there. However, since he knew of Ghost's true identity, he decided to keep tabs on the young male. And thanks to the help of an old friend, who lead a group that was known as Soldiers without Borders, he was able to keep an eye on Elijah's every move.

Snake knew almost everything he did and even got a few video surveillance clips of Elijah training himself and his talent of fighting with knives. Then before long, a new threat arose and was known simply as…the OUTBREAK. Because the threat level of this epidemic was elevated, Snake needed all the capable men and women he could find in order to fight it. That also included Elijah or to those who knew him in Africa, Ghost.

Thanks for reading the next chapter is not scheduled to appear anytime soon

Black pitbull