Sunlight streamed into the room when Raiden opened his eyes. He felt the cool sheets beside him. Somehow, Anna had managed to get up without waking him. Finding her would be a simple task, for as he rose, he could hear the shower running in the bathroom.

He sat, unmoving at the edge of the bed, looking down at the floor, replaying the events of the night over in his head. He had been alone for so long. He had forgotten how it felt to look into accepting, caring eyes, and feel a woman's touch. She hadn't cringed at his touch. She had willingly placed her mouth upon his, even at the obvious absence of skin there. She was the first person in a very long time that had treated him like a human being, not like a monster. She had accepted him.

He looked around the room, drinking in the sights and smells. The room was very open and bright, like her. Pictures dotted the nightstand next to the bed. Anna at the beach. Anna and some friends at the fair, confetti in their hair. Anna at graduation. Near the front, in a small silver frame, a woman with Anna's eyes, short blonde hair, and a caring smile, cradling a bouquet of lillys. Raiden picked the picture up gently, studying it, cupping it in his hands as he studied the woman captured there. He failed to notice Anna emerging from the bathroom behind him.

" that's my mom...I took that picture on Mother's Day. I gave her those flowers."

Raiden turned, slightly ashamed. She stood beside the bed, wearing a black hoodie over a ruffled pink skirt, with thigh high black stockings. Anna smiled back at him, arms wrapped around herself, her eyes sad and distant.

Raiden returned the smile, standing and walking slowly towards her.

" she's beautiful" he ran his fingers across Anna's cheek, desperate for the feel of her skin. " just like you"

She sighed, smiled wider, and took the picture from his outstretched hand. She nodded, and Raiden was startled by a single tear running down her face.

" Yea...she was amazing...I miss her"

Raiden turned away, guilt heavy in his chest " Anna...I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-"

"No, Raiden...it's okay. You didn't know. It's alright"

She sniffles, forcefully wiping the tears from her cheeks.

" She was always there for me. She gave me everything. She gave me this house" she gestured at the room around her. She stared at the picture as she replaced it amongst the others.

Raiden came from behind her, concerned and angry with himself. He hated himself for causing her such painful memories. With a heavy heart, he placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. She placed her hand over his, and he closed the gap between them, one hand around her waist, burying his nose in her slightly damp hair.

" I never knew my father. He died the day I was born. I got my powers from him. She always used to tell me about him...she loved him so much."

Raiden breathed deeply, taking in the scent of her, eyes screwed tightly shut. She continued, and he stayed silent. He was more than willing to be her shoulder to cry on. He caught himself mid thought. He barely knew her, yet he felt so much for her. Was it possible that his feelings were deeper than the lust that had fueled their fire?

"My mom died...two years ago. There was an accident."

Raiden felt her trembling beneath his touch. He felt a tightness in his chest, he wanted to grab her, kiss her, hold her close as she cried. He wanted to take her pain away. Anna shuddered violently, eyes closed, breathing shallow.

" She drowned...They never found her body."

She turned away, looking up at Raiden, as if begging him for help. Asking him with her eyes to take the pain away. He had never felt so helpless in his life. In that moment he decided that he would protect her from harm. She needed him, and, he was beginning to believe he needed her in return. He felt like his life had changed so much in an instant. He was a better person just for knowing her.

Taking her in his arms, he lifted her off her feet, and carried her over to the bed. He layed her down softly, then sat down next to her, his fingers tracing over hers.

" Anna...I am so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up the past...if I had known..."

She shook her head.

"don't worry about it...Raiden, it can't be changed."

He silenced her with a wave of his hand. " Anna...I don't blame you for being upset. I don't judge you"

She blinked, looking at him. He could feel her pain in her gaze, and it burned him deeply. He leaned down, wrapping his arms around her, holding her close to him. He wasn't soft, he wasn't warm flesh, he was hard steel, unmoving and unforgiving, but he cared, and she could feel it in his touch. She leaned into his touch, wishing quietly that she could melt into him.

She swiped at her eyes, slowly pulling away from him. He was secretly sad at the loss of contact. She looked down, at her hand, and was surprised to see a streak of blood across her fingers. She looked around, and noticed Raidens chest was open and blood trickled once again from his wound.

" you're bleeding again."

He glanced down and frowned. "Shit.."

She got up, moving towards her closet, gathering supplies.

" I'm sorry Anna...I got blood on your-"

" Raiden, no! You're hurt."

She rushed back to his side, plopping down onto the bed before him.

She pressed a wad of gauze against his chest, and he could see in her eyes that she was worried for him. He forced a grin for her, trying to cheer her up.

" hey! It's no big deal! I've been in deeper shit than this. This is just a scratch"

A half smile, she looked up at him, eyes wide in confusion.

" What happened..." She asked, her voice shy, as if afraid to ask.

He forced a laugh. " I'm just clumsy"

" Raiden..."

He sighed, rolling his eyes. " yea...I kinda figured you wouldn't buy that"

" what do you do?" She asked, pulling blood soaked gauze out, and replacing it with fresh.

" i...uh" he stuttered, thinking quickly.

She shrugged. " it's okay if you can't tell me...my mom couldn't tell me what my dad did either. She just told me he worked for the government, and it was a secret. Now he's dead..."

The door creaked open then, startling them both. Thinking quickly, Raiden jumped to his feet, snatching his sword, and moved between Anna and the door, shielding her from whatever horror may be about to unleash upon them. He drew his sword in front of him, bracing himself.

"You're wrong there, little girl" a familiar voice rang out, and a figure entered the room, stepping out from the shadows. Raiden felt realization plow into him like a truck.

"Snake?!"

Raiden lowered and nearly dropped his weapon. "Snake? How did you know where I am...why are you here?"

The aging man took a step forward, hand coming up to pull the smoldering cigarette from between his lips, a cloud of smoke escaping. He dropped his gaze, and nodded in the direction of the bed...to Anna.

"For her"

Raiden caught his breath, relaxing his shoulders. He glanced back at Anna. She sat with her head drooping, hands clutched tightly in her lap. Raiden saw now that she was shaking and sobbing.

"My mom told me they'd come for me..."

" Anna..."

Snake appeared at his side and Anna shrank away, a weeping gasp falling from between her lips.

" Snake. What's going on? Do you know her?"

The old man sighed, and Raiden saw something in his eyes. Something he hadn't seen in a long time. Regret. Slowly, he shook his head.

" I know that she's a very powerful weapon..."

Raiden took a step back, eyes narrowing. " Snake...what...but I "

Snake reached down with a speed that shouldn't have been possible from a man his age. He grabbed Anna around the wrist and drug her to her feet, pulling her off the bed. She looked up at Raiden, And he felt his heart break. Tears were streaming down her face, her bottom lip quivered, her hair hanging in her face.

" Raiden, she's more powerful than you could imagine. More powerful than you, even"

Raiden shook his head, throwing his arms up in frustration. "How?! She's barely a hundred pounds!"

Snake laughed, pushing Raiden."Don't be a moron. You know what she's capable of." With two fingers he pushed into Raidens forehead, anger overflowing.
" with her mind! She caused the collapse of a bridge in Manhattan 2 years ago. Hundreds of people drowned. On Mother's Day. She showed us then, how much she's really worth"

Anna collapsed then, but Snake held fast to her wrist. She fell to her knees, wracking sobs trembling from within her, shaking her small frame. " I didn't mean it..." She choked out, her mouth barely forming the words.

Raiden knelt beside her, reaching forward to comfort her, wipe away her tears. He looked up at Snake, disbelief clouding his thoughts, anger blurring his rationality.

Snake reached down, grabbing her around the waist and hauling her to her feet, where he held her.

" Raiden...I'm taking her"

" You may think that..."

Snake pulled Anna towards the door, Raiden grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Look...get the fuck away from her"

Snake shrugged him off, refusing to look Raiden in the face as he reached into his holster, pulling his gun.

" Raiden...back off"

Raiden could feel his hand, which clutched his sword, begin to shake. The world began to slow down around him. He couldn't let this happen. He had vowed to keep her safe. If they wanted her, it would be over his dead body.

Muscles tense, shaking with adrenaline, he raised his sword over his head. The gun pointed ceaselessly at his face. He chuckled. He would have never saw this happening. Raiden had so many memories with Snake, and he never would've seen them in this situation...but he had no choice.

As he prepared himself to strike, Snake blindsided him. Slowly, he turned the gun. Raising the barrel and turning it to point at Anna. Raidens eyes darted from the gun to Anna's weeping, terrified eyes. He stopped, weapon still poised to strike. His eyes shifted from Anna's face, to Snake. He noticed then, his old friend showed no emotion.

"Drop it. I'll shoot her..."

Raiden paused, thinking quickly. Snake cocked the hammer, pressing the gun roughly under Anna's chin, forcing her head back.

" I'll blow her head off..."

Without a second thought, Raiden released his weapon, which fell with a sickening thud to the carpet below.

Raiden stood there, he felt the anger bubbling within him. He felt out of control. Down, but not out. Snake was so old and frail. No match for him, even without his sword.

" fine." He shrugged, crouching. He didn't need his sword to save her. He would use his bare hands.
" No weapons."

He leapt forward, charging the old man. He could feel his anger coming to a head, screaming to burst out of him. He had already lost Rose. He would never let Anna out of his sight.

In a blur, he reached forward to knock the gun out of Snakes hand, and pulled back his other hand, balled into a fist. He punched forward, aiming for the side of Snakes head, intent on rattling him enough to get Anna out of harms way.

A split second before he connected, he felt his feet come out from under him. He let out a yell and he was pulled away, an invisible force dragging him backwards, pulling him into the air by his ankles. His head smacked hard on the floor as he was pulled toward the ceiling, he felt his consciousness slipping away despite the thick carpet that had been a barrier between his skull and the floor.

A figure stepped forth from the shadows, and Anna let out a cry, weak and strangled.

"Dad?"

The figure raised his head, watching as Raiden fought the darkness that swirled around him, blurring his vision and threatening to consume him.

A tall man stepped around Snake, coming forward, his hands clasped behind his back, studying the cyborg with a mismatched gaze. A seam ran diagonally across his face, his skin thick and leathery where it met steel. His hair was dark as night, long and swept back away from his forehead. A scar ran across his forehead and the bridge of his nose, radiating outward, jagged and bone white, like a crack across a window.
One eye, his left, was green, though blank and uncaring. The other was metal upon metal, shining with an eerie blue glow. This man was a cyborg...
He watched Raiden, though he turned his face away from him as he spoke. " Yes Anna. Daddy's here"

" Mom told me you shot yourself"

He laughed, and Raiden felt as if he had been doused in cold water. This man was full of evil, barely human.

Raiden turned his attention to Snake, struggling to free himself from whatever held him. He could feel his brain muddied by the blood pooling in his head.

" Snake...please let her go! Why are you doing this? Help me!"

Anna's father laughed, a smile on his lips.

" Raiden...are you so dense that you have yet to put the pieces together? Where exactly did you think Anna got her powers from?"

He brought his hands out from behind his back, with his left, he pointed from Snake to the door. Without a word, Snake moved towards the door, dragging Anna with him, towards the darkness. Without touching him, he shook Raiden like a rag doll, before tossing him into the corner behind Anna's bed. Raiden felt a hand tightening around his throat, felt fingers from an unseen hand sucking the life from him, the breath from his lungs.

" I don't care how powerful you are...telekinesis, mind control...it doesn't matter. I will find you. And when I do..." His windpipe was closing, and he could no longer speak.

"I truly hope you try. I'll squish you like a bug. Oh...Raiden?" his lips barely moved as he spoke, his voice thick, in a strong Russian accent. "Did you enjoy my daughter?"

Raiden smirked, eyes narrow, hate flowing through him. He felt the pressure loosen just enough to allow him to speak. "Sure did. You should've heard her scream"

The man sighed, turning away. " I did...you left your communication device on...idiot" He pulled a shiny metal object from a pocket in his trench coat, though in the shadows, Raiden couldn't see what it was.

"Say goodbye to her"

He pushed Snake and Anna forward, through the open door. He tossed the object in his hand over his shoulder as he dropped his hostage, Raiden dropping with a grunt onto the hard unforgiving floor.

Raiden pushed himself off the floor, diving for his weapon. Out of the corner of his eye, and he scooped up his sword, he read the lettering on the side of the object Anna's father had tossed at him.

" MKultra"

He realized then what it was. He jumped backwards, spinning as he lifted into the air, he brought his hands up to shield his face and neck as he crashed through the window. He landed in the snow two stories below, In enough time to hear a crushing blast from behind him. Splinters of wood, shards of glass and burning embers rained around him as he glanced around, barely catching a glimpse of a black windowless van speeding away.