Raiden flung open the car door, stepping out into the howling wind. Staring up at the building looming before him, he sighed. It was a huge sprawling brick monster, and finding Anna would be no easy task. Night had fallen long ago, and the property was thick with trees; Raiden had his guard up. He searched every shadow and every corner as he approached the fence in front of the building.

He looked around, more than expecting someone to shine a flashlight toward him or point a gun at his face. When neither of these things happened, he scaled the fence easily, landing quietly on the other side. Almost certain he somehow had the wrong building, he walked up to the front door and tried the handle. He was less than surprised to discover it was locked.

Every window appeared to be boarded over, and he saw no signs of life around the property. Rearing back, he took a final look around, and kicked out with his right foot, breaking the door in upon itself with a shower of splinters and dust. With lightning speed he drew his sword, glaring into the darkness. He was greeted with...nothing. Puzzled, he looked around. He peered into the darkness, lowering his weapon as his visor slid in front of his eyes, illuminating the blackness. He saw a long hallway, lined with various doors. At the end of the hallway, a set of double doors and a dull light glowing behind them.

He approached the doors slowly, looking over his shoulder at every creak and groan as the old building settled around him. He pushed the doors open, fully anticipating an ambush. When nothing happened, he let out a chuckle. It was pretty obvious at this point that this was the wrong building. Rolling her eyes, he turned to leave when something to the right caught his eye.

Raidens eyes widened in surprise. It was a cell... Long black bars sectioned it off from the rest of the room. In the dim light, he couldn't barely make out a figure huddled in the corner.

" Raiden?" A barely audible whisper, and a Raiden jumped, raising his weapon. His visor slid back, revealing narrowed eyes full of disbelief. The figure stood, and slowly Raiden approached like a cat coming upon a rat in a cage, sheathing his weapon as he made his way forward.

Slowly Snake slid into view, eyes locked on Raidens. He appears happy to see his old friend, but Raiden doesn't share the same warm feeling.

He approached the cage ruefully, slamming his fist against the bars, putting a fist sized dent into a couple of them.

"Tell me right now, old man, why shouldn't I cut your fucking head off?"

" Raiden..."

"What is wrong with you?! Working against me? After everything I've done for you, you fucking take her from me?" His anger and his voice were raised dangerously, and like a viper striking, he lunged forward. Grabbing Snake through the bars, the bars bending as he forces his way through them.

" Raiden listen to me"

" why?! You took everything from me, why shouldn't I take your life?" He wrapped both of his hands around Snakes throat, lifting him off the ground. He felt the anger coursing through him, he felt himself losing the small amount of control he had somehow kept.

" Because it wasn't me, Raiden."

"You think I'm a moron?"

Snake reached up, grabbing Raidens wrists.

" Raiden I wouldn't do that to you."

" Bullshit!"

" He was mind controlling me, Raiden! What would I want with her?"

Raiden glared, releasing him. He knew Snake was right. He looked down at the ground. He felt lost, confused...and for the first time in a long time, scared. Anna's father was powerful, what if he couldn't get her back? He felt her slipping out of his grasp and felt tears prickling his eyes. He looked at Snake, searching his allies eyes for guidance.

"Well...you didn't come here to stand around, didja?" Snake stood, running a hand down the bars Raiden had bent, a cool smile on his lips.

"What did they do to her?" He asked, voice low.

" I didn't see that, but I saw where they took her. I also heard them talk about training her..."

Raiden looked up, eyes wide.

" For what?"

Snake laughed, an empty, hollow sound." For the military. Her father was an assassin. I assume she will be too"

Raiden sighed, walking towards Snake and wrapping his hands around the bars. He looked up, and saw with a little muscle the bars should pull away from the ceiling.

"Raiden...they've probably already done the operation."

Raiden stopped then, breathless. He looked blankly into Snakes face, studying it.

"Operation..." Raiden felt his heart skip a beat. He hung his head, stomach twisted into knots.

" Raiden, they were talking about mechanically enhancing her..."

Raiden felt himself starting to shake. His knees felt weak, his mind foggy. He missed the feeling he had felt when he was near her. Missed the smell of her, the feel of her skin against his face, the taste of her...

They had only known each other for a short amount of time. Their relationship, if you could call it that, wasn't a long time in the making. It was sudden, and it was raw. He knew, however, that his feelings were real, his sense of longing was eating him alive. He had vowed to keep her safe...and so far he had done nothing but fail her.

His whole life...all her had ever known was pain. He had struggled, fought, stolen...killed...just to live. He was a tiger uncaged. All of the torture he had endured, just to grow up and experience so much pain in the heat of battle. He felt so helpless and unsure, feelings that were new to him.

He hated feeling so weak and so...scared. Fear was weak and being afraid would get you killed... He felt his muscles tense. All he wanted was to save her from a life of madness, like the one he had endured. Her father had turned his own friend against him, and taken her right in front of him. For what? To train her to kill. To give her the same meager existence that Raiden himself had endured.

Eyes narrowing, he clenched his jaw, anger coursing through his veins like poison. He grabbed the bars, snarling, he let out a roar as he pulled back, ripping the door off of Snakes cage in a shower of plaster and dust. With a guttural yell, he tossed it over his shoulder, where it hit the wall behind him with a loud bang that shook the building beneath his feet.

" you're going to show me where they took her."

He wanted to protect her from pain, from harm and from this life. The last thing he wanted was for her to end up like him. Cold, uncaring...a killer.

Snake stepped forward, eyebrows raised. He had seen the power of Anna's father. He had seen what a cyborg with mind control powers and telekinetic abilities could do. He wasn't too much of a man to admit that he was kind of afraid to see what would happen to Raiden when two mentally gifted machines came after him.

"Anna told me her father was dead"

Snake nodded, pulling a cigarette out of his back pocket. "He was. The CIA made him into a cyborg. They somehow managed to salvage the part of his brain that has the powers, the other 70% is pretty much a computer"

"Can they do that to Anna? Will she even be the same person.?"

Snake nodded, his face briefly illuminated as he flicked upon his lighter, touching it to the end of his cigarette. "Her brain is still intact. She didn't blow her brains out like her dad did. They'll use mind control implants controlled by a computer program. "

Raiden chuckled, smiling. " Easy. I'll just rip it out. Then they won't be able to control her"

Snake stepped toward his colleague, shaking his head slowly. "nothing is ever that easy, kid"