Metal Gear Geass: The Phantom Dogs

by Enriks-Da-Writer

Venom Snake has completed his mission and has died in Outer Heaven at the hands of Solid Snake. He thought that was the end for the Phantom. So when he wakes up in a new world along with Outer Heaven and with some old friends, he finds that his mission as Big Boss's Phantom has begun anew. This time, they will not be scattered to the heartless seas. This time, they will thrive.

6. 05: Illusions and New Arrivals

METAL GEAR GEASS: THE PHANTOM DOGS

Date Started: 2023-08-07 A.D. | Date Finished: 2023-09-08 A.D. | Date Last Edited: 2023-09-08 A.D.

A/N: Well, it's been ages since I've properly written a new chapter for The Phantom Dogs, innit? I really have nothing better to say in my defense. I just got lazy and stagnated in my absence. Then there was something else that drove me away from writing for a while. I bounced back from it now, and I can write again.

I'll not take up too much of your time reading my A/N's. Enjoy the chapter. With this title, I think you guys know who's going to show up in the story. This also allows me to create some original chapters as well.

---

[Stage 05: Illusions and New Arrivals]

[Kyoto House]

"So, Outer Heaven's actions are causing quite the stir on a worldwide scale," an aged voice spoke, summarizing recent events but at the same time understating them. The speaker, a bald and aged Japanese man with tanned skin wearing traditional Japanese clothing for men, was seated in a seiza position along with his peers. This was Kirihara Taizo, founder of Kirihara Industries and the current head of the Numbers Autonomous Council's Area 11 Branch. Officially, the NAC was a semi-independent group established by the Holy Britannian Empire for the conquered nations to have some say on how their people are governed and treated, with the Area 11 branch being no different. It is one of the younger branches, having just joined the fold six years ago after Japan's surrender during the Second Pacific War.

Unofficially, the Area 11 branch of the NAC served as a front for Kyoto House, its six heads providing funds to numerous rebel movements across Japan. The amount of funding any rebel movement would receive is directly proportional to their performance in their clashes with Britannian forces and their performance in maintaining order in a relative sense of the word.

"Indeed," Munakata Tousai spoke next. Compared to Kirihara, Munakata still had hair in the form of a thick, gray beard and flat top. His attire was more modern, consisting of a three-piece suit with the outer coat being light brown and the inner jacket being dark gray. "These mercenaries came out of nowhere, like shinobi striking from the darkness."

"It makes one wonder just where they had come from," Osakabe Tatsunori mused. He had a darker tan compared to Kirihara, and had a relatively younger face. Much like Munakata, Osakabe wore more modern clothing. "It's not like they had just come out of thin air!"

"No, they do not," Kubouin Hidenobu, another member of Kyoto House, agreed. "Unfortunately, my own informants within Japan are unable to find any evidence of their activities prior to the Lake Kawaguchi Incident. It's rather concerning that a group such as this could remain hidden from Japan for so long."

"Perhaps they are from the other superpowers?" Osakabe theorized out loud.

"It's a possibility, given the Britannian features of that soldier that manhandled Cornelia," Munakata replied. That little incident was spreading like wildfire in underground rebel movements within Japan as well as their sympathizers. A complete unknown somehow managing to strip Cornelia from her title as the Goddess of Victory.

"Hmm, that actually reminds me," Kirihara spoke up, gaining the attention of his peers. "While my own set of informants within Japan were unable to come up with something, some of our sympathizers have received some information. Apparently, it came straight from Prince Schneizel himself."

"The Hollow Prince himself?"

Now that grabbed their attention. Schneizel el Britannia was considered among many in the world as the Hollow Prince, the name stemming from his unfeeling nature when it came to waging wars or running the Britannian Empire in his father's stead. His supposedly uncaring attitude also bleeds into how he approaches his foes in warfare. Rarely does any adversary gain the attention of the Second Prince of Britannia but should it happen, it never ends well for the party involved.

"And, what did he say?" The youngest member of Kyoto House spoke up. Sumeragi Kaguya, the current head of the Sumeragi Clan, was a startling contrast compared to the rest of the heads present. A young girl, barely into her teens, and dressed in a traditional kimono meant for women. Long, raven black hair flows down to her knees, with verdant green eyes to complete her look. From the outside perspective, she was a fish out of water with how much she contrasts with the others present.

"It appears that this Big Boss was once part of a Britannian black operations unit known as the FOX Unit," Kirihara told them. "A few decades ago, he was involved in a multitude of missions for the Crown."

"Why would a Britannian black operative betray the Empire?" Munakata wondered, finding the details all too convenient to be hearing of it now.

"Greed is the apparent motive," came the answer, equally skeptical of the timing. "A large sum of money was stolen from the Britannian Crown and was used to start up his Outer Heaven plot."

"An independent nation," Sumeragi mused, finding the idea rather novel in the context of today's world. "And I suppose I am not incorrect when I say that this is having the Empire rather ruffled up as of late?"

"You land on proper footing, Sumeragi," Kirihara answered. "Right now, the Britannians are increasing security and cracking down harder on insurrections that are sprouting up worldwide. And at the center of these insurrections..."

He presented to them identical folders. Each head grabbed one folder and looked through their contents. Numerous pictures and documents detailing various uprisings against the Britannians. Despite all the differing images, one detail stood out to the gathered heads of Kyoto. On all of the numerous shots of either soldiers up close or of different armored vehicles be they land-based or air-based, a single emblem was a constant of them all.

The Winged Skull.

Outer Heaven.

"They've been taking contracts from numerous clients," Kirihara explained. "They have the numbers, the resources, and the means to conduct numerous operations worldwide as though they themselves were a superpower."

"But how?" Osakabe questioned, finding the details all too convenient like Munakata. "How were these mercenaries able to remain hidden for so long without detection? Any of us here, the Britannians, the Europeans, and the Chinese would've noticed them a long time ago!"

"It doesn't matter, ultimately," Sumeragi spoke, to their indignation. "The means of their remaining hidden until now are not important. What we should be asking is 'How should we proceed forward with this?'"

While the others sent glares at her, Kirihara read between the lines.

"You wish to make use of their services," a hardened smile was on his lips. Sumeragi sent a soft smile in response, all but confirming it.

"Ridiculous," Munakata brushed the idea off. "Even if we wanted to, we have no means of communicating with them."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that."

The sudden introduction of a new voice startled them. Where were the guards?!

"If you're wondering about your protection detail, don't worry," the unseen speaker continued. "They're simply taking a well-earned rest." The tone of his voice sent shivers down their spine but all of Kyoto held firm, even in spite of the hidden meanings of the unseen man's words.

"And who, exactly, are you?" Kirihara spoke in a tone that entertained nothing.

To their surprise once again, someone appeared right before them from thin air. Standing before them now was a blonde Britannian man dressed up like a man from the frontier days of what would eventually become the Holy Britannian Empire during their exile into the American continents. Upon closer inspection, he looked like a romanticized version of a gunslinger from that era.

"Who are you?!" Osakabe was quick to rise on his feet, incensed at the obvious intrusion to their sanctuary.

"Relax," the Britannian told him. "I was just passing by when I couldn't help but overhear your conversation about Outer Heaven."

"And what do you plan on doing with that information?" Kirihara was calm in his questioning, although he was surprised at the fact that someone had gotten the drop on them.

"You can think of me as the messenger," the Britannian told them. "Outer Heaven's been curious as to when Kyoto would approach us."

"You're with Outer Heaven? Truly?" Sumeragi's curiosity was piqued. She had pegged him for an eccentric assassin sent by the Britannians. She, and no doubt the others present, did not expect this man to be a member of Outer Heaven.

"For the time being, you can call me Adam," the Britannian – Adam, Sumeragi corrected – introduced himself. "We've had our eye on Japan for some time. Of course, with the amount of heat being brought about by the likes of the Britannians such as Lady Cornelia, the Japan Liberation Front, and, more recently, the Black Knights, we thought it was ideal that we approach Kyoto first before we take any further action here."

That grabbed their attention. For an independent party to approach them was nothing new, but the fact that it was Outer Heaven doing so was what made it more significant, especially considering their own capabilities.

"Why should we accept your gesture?" Osakabe asked him.

"You can fool yourself and those around you, but you can't fool me," Adam retorted. "We know you've been supplying the different rebel groups in Japan, using the NAC as a cover. Despite what they call you, especially Kirihara as 'Kirihara the Traitor,' I know you all want to see a Japan free from Britannia's hold," He shook his head, finding some humor in all of this.

"Think of it this way: Should you have need of something that the Black Knights can't be caught doing, you can call upon Outer Heaven. The Brits won't suspect that you would be hiring us at all," the gunslinger offered.

The heads of Kyoto looked to one another, While each of them would love to see Japan free from Britannia's grip, there were too many unknowns when it came to Outer Heaven.

"Give us a few days to think this over, Adam," Kirihara spoke. "We cannot afford charging in blindly like a drunken fool."

Adam simply nodded, understanding the logic in the older man's words. Reaching behind him, he pulls out small, block-like device and hands it over to them.

"Well, when you've made your decision, you can contact us using this," he told them. "I know you'll make the right decision."

Kirihara did not doubt that. Neither did Kaguya, if her own expression was any indication. Eventually, Kyoto and Outer Heaven will meet on more proper and formal ground. Until then, they had a lot to plan for.

With his business done, Adam disappears before their eyes, seemingly fading away from existence. It was as though he had never left. The only evidence of his ever being there was the device he had left them.

---

[Ashford Academy | Milly Ashford]

Millicent Ashford, otherwise known as Milly Ashford, was taking a stroll through her grandfather's academy. There was no specific reason as to why she was doing this, she had just decided to go on a stroll for today. Of course, were it any other student unassociated with the Student Council, they would have gotten into trouble with the faculty. Not her, both due to her direct relation with the superintendent as his granddaughter and for her own merits that allowed her behavior to be overlooked so long as they did not go too far. Of course, given her own personality, what she considers to be 'too far' is different from the norm.

It was moments such as this that made her smile. Freedom, that was what she yearned for and envied her peers for having. Between her mother's countless attempts in negotiating with the Asplund family and her own obligations as the Heiress of the Ashford family, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

As she walked down the main pathway leading up to the school's main building, her ears picked up the sound of dirt being displaced. It was rather faint and most people would not have been able to pick up on the sound, but Milly had grown up around Britannian nobility and had thus developed a higher degree of hearing compared to most.

She heard someone's footsteps. Too light for it to be either student or faculty. A visitor, perhaps, but Milly was unsure of this. Judging by the direction of the footsteps, it was someone outside of the gate. Curious, she silently makes her way over to the gate. When she had reached the gate, she was surprised at what she found.

A young man, around her age, was having some trouble walking. He was clad in a straitjacket, albeit with the restraints removed, allowing him freedom of movement especially with his arms. As she got a closer look, she notes that he has the same height and build as Lelouch, although there were contrasts such as the young man's hair being like silvery platinum as opposed to the Ice Prince of Ashford's own night black hair as well as the young man's eyes being more of a warm blue compared to the royal purple of Lelouch's own eyes.

He had some papers in his hand and he was alternating between looking at said papers and at the road in front of him. So far, he did not notice Milly, who was just a few feet away from him and watching from behind the main gate.

"Can I help you?"

"GAH!"

Milly had to suppress a giggle at that. She always loved to get the jump on others. In a strictly friendly manner, of course. She would never do something inherently malicious to anyone.

Once the young man regained his bearings, he quickly turned to face Milly with a less than amused smile.

"Geez lady, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" He asked, some tension in his expression.

"Not really," she replied with a smile of her own, this one being more catlike in nature. "I am curious, however, since it's not every day that someone in a straitjacket is moving freely in town."

"Yeah, I noticed," he nodded, remembering the stares from people as he passed them by. Sue him, the straitjacket was all that could fit him and they did not have the time to make him new clothes.

"Exactly what were you looking for, anyway?" Milly was curious, her eyes on the stack of papers held in the man's hand. He followed her gaze and simply gave her his answer.

"I'm looking for Ashford Academy," he said, to her surprise. "I was told I can have better education here compared to what I got back... home, I guess."

"Were you just released from an asylum?"

"You could say that," he answered her. Milly began to discretely scrutinize him. Despite his appearance as a loon given the straitjacket, he does not appear to be a threat. The last thing she wants was to put Lelouch and Nunnally in any danger. After a minute of looking him over, she held out her hand through the bars of the gate.

"Alright, lemme see those papers," she spoke, her tone a little firmer than before. Seeing no reason to object, the young man handed her the papers, allowing for her to read through the contents.

"Oh dear, this is worrying," she thought as she silently read the papers. This young man, Rai, had a rather severe case of amnesia. Aside from his own name, no memory of any kind can be recalled by him prior to his awakening just a week ago. According to Rai's doctor, one Doctor Adams, he has trouble with dealing with his amnesia due to the rather isolated locale of the asylum. Rai himself had proposed that he would have better luck if he can be in an environment where it is more populated and in an urban area. Something about different kinds of stimuli provoking strong memories and whatnot. She found that admirable that he would go to such lengths to recover his past.

Sifting through the other pages, she found that he had filled out an online application form for Ashford Academy and had printed the results which she was reading through right now. His entrance exam results are promising but she was not sure if he can still be enrolled due to how far into the semester it already is in Ashford. Perhaps she can persuade her grandfather to allow Rai into the school.

"Well, you're in luck," Milly said, prompting a raised eyebrow from Rai. "You're looking at Ashford Academy. And luckier still, you're talking to the granddaughter of the dean."

To say he was surprised was an understatement. "R-Really? Just like that?"

"Hold it, buster," Milly raised a hand to stop him from getting too excited. "While you did fill out the application form for enrollment, it's rather late into the semester. As a regular student, you can't be enrolled."

"I... I understand," Rai said, feeling a little down at his own luck.

"But, I can convince my grandfather to give you a special entrance exam. If you pass, you can join our Academy," Milly said, placing down her terms.

"Okay," Rai nodded, a soft smile on his lips. "Any hints for me as to what the test is?"

Milly shook her head to his disappointment. "Right now, I can't be sure of what kind of test you'll be given. However, I'm sure the entrance exam will be tailored to the results on your application form say."

Rai nodded. So far, so good, he mused. There was one issue, however.

"Uhm... I suppose I can come in now?" He asked, referring to the still closed main gate. Milly blinked before a soft giggle came from her lips.

"Oh, whoops. Sorry about that."

After letting him through the gate, albeit with a somewhat awkward explanation to the guards stationed there, Milly had Rai follow her through the halls of the Academy. Like before, people were looking at him.

"Who's that with Milly?"

"Doesn't look like a student."

"That straitjacket... You think he's from an asylum?"

"God, I hope not. We're already letting an Eleven here. The last thing we need is a loon, too."

"He does look rather charming, though."

"You mean like Lelouch?"

"Yeah, but he's warmer, I suppose."

He heard the whispers. No doubt Milly heard them, too. Still, both of them walked straight ahead to the dean's office. As they got closer, Rai took note of the surrounding areas. From the windows, he could see one particular building standing out in the field: The Student Council Clubhouse. That was where two VIPs were located. For the time being, he is to observe them.

"Well, Boss, Big Sis... I'm glad you freed me from that Hell," Rai thought as he followed Milly towards her grandfather's office. "You won't regret it, I swear."

---

[Approximately three weeks ago | En route to Narita | Flaming Buffalo]

The Blackfoot silently flew through the night, heading towards the Narita Mountains. According to their intel, Narita was the suspected stronghold of the Japan Liberation Front. Prior to the invasion and prior to Britannian occupation, the mines within Narita were bountiful with Sakuradite, leading to numerous Japanese and foreign companies alike to mine as much of the wonder mineral as they could. Eventually, the well had gone dry, so to speak, forcing the Japanese and their foreign partners to look for greener pastures. All that was left of Narita were the abandoned mineshafts and facilities.

It was perfect for a hidden hideout, especially for a rebel army such as the JLF.

However, that was not Flaming Buffalo's mission right now. Her orders were to investigate a completely different matter entirely.

"While the rest of the world is focused on Kawaguchi and the hijackers, you and your team are to be heading to the Narita Mountains."

She remembers Commander Ocelot briefing her and her squad on the mission.

"We were able to recover data from Prince Clovis's personal G-One Mobile Base, since His Late Highness is no longer using it and it was collecting dust anyway. Among the data, we found something rather interesting."

She remembers that vicious smirk in Ocelot's lips when he said this. She shuddered at the memory. She had not witnessed it herself or experienced it for that matter, but she had heard from other soldiers of Commander Ocelot's inclination towards torture. Much like the animal that is his codename's namesake, he was said to toy with his captives, fishing out information from them in some rather painful and unsightly manners.

She really hoped she would never see that kind of smirk ever again from him.

"His Late Highness had a division of scientists operating under the name of Code-R. They were researching a means of achieving immortality."

That bombshell threw her and her squad off. While they were no stranger to insanity back in their Earth, immortality was something none of them had ever encountered. There were those that claim to have such properties, yes, but it was often just individuals that have taken up measures to ensure their survival as long as possible.

True immortality, as far as any of them were concerned, was an impossibility.

"Code-R has multiple bases spread throughout Japan, two of which stand out. One is within the Kamine Island Group, an isolated collection of islands just on the borders of Japan's northern waters. The other is more convenient for us and your current target. The second base is hidden somewhere in Narita. Rather clever of the Brits, hiding a top secret R-and-D base right under the noses of Japan's largest rebel movement. We want you and your squad to raid the place, preferably unseen, and grab as much valuable data as you can. The more you can grab the better. If it gets too hot, though, then you best exfil ASAP. The last thing we need right now is to bury promising soldiers."

["Approaching target destination,"] the pilot of the Blackfoot reported, breaking Buffalo out of her thoughts.

Glancing out her seat's window, she can make out the mountainous region of Narita. They were flying low and fast to avoid detection from either the Britannians or from the JLF. This was a stealth operation, after all.

"Alright, ladies, prep your gear and make final checks," Flaming Buffalo ordered, her tone sparing no room for argument, as she checked over her gear that she brought for the mission.

She was currently wearing an updated version of the Sneaking Suit. Though similar in appearance to the Diamond Dog's variation of the suit, it has been upgraded with the technology found in 2014 A.D., namely the Octo-Camo system used by Solid Snake during the Guns of the Patriots Incident. All other members of the squad also had the same type of Sneaking Suit, complete with head-covering masks that are also equipped with Octo-Camo technology.

She brought with her a G44 bullpup assault rifle, outfitted with a dot scope with a 4X magnifier, a sound suppressor rated for 7.62×45mm Blackout rounds, and a vertical foregrip meant for stability. The assault rifle was loaded with a 30-round magazine loaded with 7.62mm Blackout subsonic rounds, with her rig carrying nine more magazines. In the event she needs to pacify a crowd in a less-than-lethal fashion, she also brought sleeping gas grenades, ten in total.

Her sidearm, a Windurger Number 2 Silent Pistol, was secured in her holster. Her squad also carried the Wu. S. Pistol as their sidearms for the mission. Much like Big Boss's personal Wu. S. Pistol, they all had the same type of customization added to them.

"Locked and loaded, ma'am," Singing Hawk, the youngest, reported to her. She was the dedicated sniper and marksman of the squad. As such, she carried the Broughton M-2000D bolt-action sniper rifle. It was not as extensively customized as Quiet's own Renov, but it was still a fine weapon in its own right. Singing Hawk had loaded the rifle with one 10-round magazine of 8.6×45mm Blackout subsonic rounds with nine magazines in reserves. She also packed ten spare rounds of specialized tranquilizer rounds in case she needs to bag a target to be brought back to Mother Base.

"Gear's in optimal condition, Buffalo," Tiger Bunny, her 2IC, sounded off. Her weapon of choice was an odd one for a stealth operation: An MG44 squad automatic weapon. The machine gun counterpart of the G44 assault rifle, it sports a longer barrel that was thicker to accommodate heavier volumes of fire and to aid in accuracy over loner distances. Surprisingly, instead of a bipod that most machine guns are known for, Bunny had instead mounted a DGL103 underbarrel grenade launcher. The UBGL itself was loaded with a 40×46mm high explosive rounds with nine extra HE shells in reserve. The MG44 itself was loaded with a 60-round casket magazine loaded with 7.62×45mm Blackout full metal jacket ammunition, with Bunny's rig carrying nine more magazines in reserve. Like with the other weapons present, the MG44 was equipped with a sound suppressor.

"Ready to rock and roll, boss," Blood Shrike, the fourth and last member of her squad, eagerly said. Her loadout was similar to Flaming Buffalo's own loadout, although Shrike's rifle was the G44C, the shortest possible version of the G44, with the same type of attachments, designed mostly for close quarters battle with some doable performance at medium ranges. Much like Bunny, Shrike opted to load her G44C with a 60-round casket mag, with four extra mags in reserve.

Buffalo nodded at this.

"Alright, girls, listen up," she began, taking out her iDroid and displaying a holographic map of the region. "We'll be dropping off near one of the rivers and slowly making our way to the suspected enemy base. Keep your heads on a swivel, avoid detection by either Code-R's personnel or the JLF's own soldiers, and leave no traces."

Her squad nodded at her orders. They knew the stakes and what was expected of them. They were some of the best that Diamond Dogs had to offer. They were not going to tarnish that reputation. Not now, not ever.

"We'll use the rocks along the river as cover and stabilizers. If you see anyone, do not engage and avoid detection. Report in if any anomaly occurs during the operation."

"Anomalies, ma'am?" Hawk asked, rather curious as to what can be considered an anomaly for this mission.

"If what we read through Code-R's files are any sign, be prepared for anything unnatural," Buffalo told her. By now, they were getting close to their drop-off point. The UH-66 Blackfoot swerved into position, hovering over the drop-off point. Flaming Buffalo grasped the handle of the door on her side and strongly opened it.

Wordlessly, she and her squad rappelled down from the helicopter and touched down on the side of the stream. Once the last squadmate was on the ground, they all detached themselves from the rappels.

["Good luck, team."] The pilot of the Blackfoot said before bugging out of the AO, heading back the way it came. While Outer Heaven's stealth technology was greatly improved compared to what they had during their days as Diamond Dogs and even during Ocelot's stint as Outer Heaven's CEO during the Guns of the Patriots Incident, they still had not perfected a truly silent aircraft. As such, they would rather not risk flying through the shorter route through the mountains as that might get them spotted, especially with the x factor of the nearby town.

The last thing they need was a civvie spotting them and blabbing their mouth off.

"Alright, move out. Remember: Heads on a swivel and watch your six."

They nodded at her words, silently trekking through the forests that covered the mountainous region. With it being midnight, the darkness provided near perfect cover for them. With the noise-canceling properties of their Sneaking Suits, they were able to move at a relatively fast pace through the trees. Of course, it was not completely perfect, given that their gear was still making some minor noises with each movement they make.

"Hold it, ma'am," Singing Hawk spoke, barely a whisper and yet they all heard her regardless. They stopped just as she brought up her rifle.

"JLF patrol. Counting at least four, probably more," she relayed what she saw through the scope.

"Hmm, any route we can take to avoid them?"

"Stick to the underpass on the left. They won't see you while you pass under them."

Normally, in regular fatigues, such tactics would have been reckless. With Octo-Camo, they can easily slither through unseen.

Buffalo and Bunny of the squad went prone, silently stalking through the grass. The Octo-Camo was doing its job, discretely shifting colors to matching its immediate surroundings.

Hawk and Shrike themselves stuck to the jungles, keeping overwatch from their vantage point.

The JLF soldiers passed both pairs by, unknowing of the infiltrators in their midst. Even still, Buffalo and her squad remained on high alert. Even if the Octo-Camo provided near perfect stealth, there was always that room for error.

As soon as Buffalo and Bunny had made good distance away from the JLF patrol, they got up to a low crouch posture and continued their trek from their. Following behind by a good 200 meters were Hawk and Shrike, the former keeping overwatch with her rifle and the latter providing close quarters support with her CQBR.

This went on for over three hours, the squad having to slip by JLF patrols every few minutes. While they can take each patrol down, they knew that doing so would cause problems, especially if they were to do radio checks every now and then.

Eventually, they found their target. Hidden deep within an artificially made cave was the entrance to the Code-R base located in Narita.

"Think we should knock?" Bunny quipped, readying a breaching charge, a savage smirk under her mask.

"Tempting," Shrike said. "But I think it's best we use something less... extravagant for the time being."

Emphasizing her point, she brought up a chaff grenade. Thanks to advancements brought about by the Kojima Drives, these chaff grenades were able to scramble all electronics at a much greater distance than before.

"Easy, girls," Buffalo spoke up, grabbing their attention. Fishing out a fiber optic cable from one of her rear packs, she connects one end to her iDroid and directs the other end to look over the corner of the alcove.

The camera feed revealed a large metal door, big enough for a Knightmare to pass through. There were multiple security cameras, covering the blindspots of one another. Judging by the type of lock equipped on the large door, they would require an electronic key of some sort. To its left was a door meant for site personnel entry, an easier point of entry, albeit one that would normally require an inputted code. Good thing Shrike brought breaching charges.

"Chaff?"

"Chaff," Buffalo nodded at Shrike's question. Pulling the pin out, the fourth squad member rolls the grenade from the corner. A few seconds later, the grenade went off, scrambling the electronics within 200 meters. This disabled the cameras overseeing the entrance of the base.

"Alright, go!"

As one, they swiftly entered the alcove and got to work. Heading straight for the smaller door, the squad spreads out in a protective circle, weapons pointed outwards as Bunny plants a small breaching charge on the door handle.

"Alright, get clear!" She relayed to them, clacker in hand. Once they were at the minimum safe distance, Shrike triggers the breaching charge.

Compared to regular explosives, breaching charges are relatively quieter than most, allowing for somewhat stealthier entries.

The breaching charge blew off the handle, allowing for entry into the base without needing to punch in a code into the still malfunctioning keypad.

"They're probably working to fix the issue now," Hawk mused.

"We'll head for the security rooms first, then," Shrike said, G44C at the ready. "Neutralize the guards overseeing the cams and claw out their eyes."

"Sounds like a plan. Problem is, however, that we don't have a clue where that is," Bunny spoke up, eyeing the signs. None of the names held any clue as to where the security rooms were.

"Then we'll find the directory," Shrike replied, also eyeing the signs. Judging by the names plastered on the signs, they would need to head straight ahead to the lobby area.

"We're gonna have to head closer to the lobby. It's risky, but we might get some answers there."

"Our comms are secured, so there's no worry of getting scrambled by the chaffs," Hawk said. "I think it's best we split up into pairs to cover more ground."

Buffalo thought it over. Shrike was correct about it being risky, however, and they were unsure of the level of security within the base. Given that the late Prince Clovis had Code-R be top secret in Japan, it would stand to reason that he would want some competent security protecting each location under Code-R's reach.

Fat lot of good that did him, given the Shinjuku disaster.

"Keep comm chatter to a minimum and avoid as much combat as possible. Only shoot if it's a last resort," Flaming Buffalo ordered, her squadmates nodding in agreement.

Flaming Buffalo and Tiger Bunny went down the right hallway that leads into the laboratories while Singing Hawk and Blood Shrike went down the center hallway that leads into the lobby room.

---

[Flaming Buffalo and Tiger Bunny]

"Think the newbies can handle themselves?" Bunny asked as she and her squad leader hid in a nearby janitor's closet, hearing the footsteps of alert security teams and jittery lab personnel pass them by. It was amazing how many government and non-government installations had so many places to hide in plain sight. They even had a ton of cardboard boxes just lying around.

"I know they can," Buffalo replied as the last of the footsteps became distant. Once she was sure there were no more complications outside, she and Bunny came out of their hiding spot and ventured closer to the labs.

She quickly ducked back into the alcove leading to the closet when she saw another security team coming near them.

"Damn, Brits really want this place secured," Bunny remarked quietly, MG44 at ready in case this new team spotted them.

Buffalo nodded, keeping silent. Once the newest security team passed by, they emerged from their hiding spot once again and proceeded deeper into the laboratory, mindful of the security cameras. The chaff might have scrambled Code-R's electronics, but they'd rather play it safe for the time being.

As they headed deeper, they noticed that the hallway they were traversing got wider and taller, most likely to accommodate any transported cargo that would come in from adjacent hallways. Thankfully, the hallway was not empty. Stacks of cargo provided adequate cover for them to slip past any security. As expected of a hidden base meant for off-the-book activities, the area was crawling with security personnel, each of them heavily armed with customized Britannian assault rifles and body armor.

Clovis did have a knack for gaudy designs.

A quick check in her iDroid told her what she needed to know. The chaffs were still scrambling enemy electronics and comms but it was not going to last much longer. A second chaff might do it, however.

Bunny saw what her leader was thinking of and readied a sleeping gas grenade. Buffalo smiled under her mask.

They always were synced together.

In unison, they pulled the pins and threw their respective grenades. One chaff grenade landed on the opposite end of the hallway, while one sleeping gas grenade landed in the middle of one group. Both had grabbed the attention of the Code-R security detail posted here.

"Shit, grenade!" The warning came a second too late as both grenades went off, one unleashing a cloud of aluminum foil strips and sending out a silent scrambling system that knocked out any equipment not used by Outer Heaven and the other grenade unleashing a cloud of dark blue gas, knocking out two squads' worth of soldiers and taking them out of the fight.

Not giving the Brits any time to react, Flaming Buffalo and Tiger Bunny emerged from cover and began firing. Mindful to aim at center mass, their guns knocked the Britannian soldiers down. Their armor may have saved them from being wounded or worse, but the force behind each round that slammed into their armor plates more than knocked the wind out of them, leaving most of the Britannians vulnerable to being gassed again, taking them out of the fight.

Some Britannians were far enough from the effects of the sleeping gas and were able to retaliate.

"Bastards!"

These Brits were rather quick on the draw, immediately firing back. Compared to firearms used by other standing armies in this world, Britannian small arms operate on the principles of coilgun technology, albeit a form that is geared towards deliberate military affairs rather than being mere gimmicks. Each Britannian assault rifle, the L10 Sabre, fired 4.85×45mm Bradford Automatic Rifle rounds from 60-round cassette magazines, their forms surprisingly compact as a result. Due to their coilgun technology, the L10 Sabres have no need for much propellant like standard firearms, the propellant simply serving as catalysts for the rest of the mechanism to propel each individual round forward. As a result, none of the rifles used by the Brits generate any meaningful recoil.

Something that Code-R's security personnel took full advantage of. Firing longer bursts of fire than either Buffalo or Bunny could do without suffering from too much recoil, the two Outer Heaven soldiers found themselves suppressed by their adversaries.

"Dammit!" Bunny cursed as she ducked into cover again. "I'll give the Brits this: They know how to fight back!"

"Less talking, more shooting!" Buffalo shot back, blind-firing her G44 over cover. Her inaccurate hail of fire did nail some hostiles, but the majority had been more or less untouched. Clicking her tongue in frustration, Buffalo jams one hand into her pouch, bringing out another sleeping gas grenade.

"You're not gonna get them all," Bunny said, peeking out of cover and laying down suppressive fire, forcing a good chunk of Britannians to take cover, allowing the two Outer Heaven soldiers some breathing room.

"Shoot the nade, then!" Buffalo said sharply, throwing the grenade in a high angle. Though surprised, Bunny quickly obeyed her squad leader's order, firing a burst into the grenade just as it was above the heads of the Britannians that did not dive for cover.

Once the bullets pierced through, the pressurized gasses caused the container to explode, spraying some shrapnel in addition to delivering a more volatile sleeping gas explosion, quickly blanketing the exposed Britannians.

"Fu-!" None of them had time to react as the gas did its job, causing them to fall over, forcefully asleep from the contents within the gas itself.

With the remaining Britannians still in cover, it was relatively easier to subdue them and knock them out.

With the threat handled, Flaming Buffalo and Tiger Bunny went towards the opposite end of the hall where a majority of the Britannians were guarding. Bunny hissed all of the sudden, clutching her thigh, surprising Buffalo.

"Argh, dammit! Of course they got a lucky shot it!" The squad 2IC hissed. Contrary to popular belief, being shot in the leg was not as nonlethal as media made it out to be. Being relatively more compact than the torso, the nerves and bones were a lot closer to one another. A stray bullet can easily implode a person's leg.

"Alright, get down. I'm gonna look you over," Buffalo ordered and her 2IC complied. Flaming Buffalo looked over her subordinate's condition, analyzing the thigh.

"The bullet went through. Thankfully, it missed anything vital," she noted to her 2IC, grabbing the first aid kit. Each squad member had brought one in the event they either need to patch themselves up or their teammates out in the field. Wasting no time, Buffalo began to treat the wound.

She was no Big Boss, but she was a damn good field medic.

"Y'know," Bunny spoke up, distracting herself from the slight pains caused by Buffalo's ministering over her wound. "Never thought that... NGH! The first time someone'd be touching... NGH! My thigh... would be out in the field."

"Save the flirting for when we get back," Buffalo sternly told her.

"Aye-aye, Captain!" Bunny gave a small salute, making Buffalo roll her eyes in response.

"I wonder, though... How are the rookies faring?"

---

[Singing Hawk and Blood Shrike | Lobby Area]

"Well, this is just peachy," Hawk muttered to herself, behind cover and using her second sidearm, a MACHT 37K sub machine gun, to gun down some of the security personnel stationed in the main lobby area.

"Less bitching, more fighting!" Shrike replied, sending down volleys of suppressive fire, making the Brits duck down in order to avoid getting hit.

Rolling her eyes in response, Hawk lobbed a sleeping gas grenade into a group of Britannians. They dove for cover but the grenade was not meant to explode and send shrapnel, it was to explode and unleash a cloud of gas designed to knock people out should they inhale it.

Given the relatively small size of the lobby, the gas grenade had knocked out a majority of the hostiles within the area. Those that were left were easy pickings to Hawk's and Shrike's tranquilizer pistols.

With the immediate hostiles dealt with, the two rookie Outer Heaven soldiers headed for the reception desk. Taking point, Shrike readies her G44C and stands guard as Hawk uses her iDroid to hack into the system.

"Let's see what we're working with."

She looks over the information on the iDroid's holographic screen, mentally discarding the ones that were of no use. What she needs was information regarding the layout of the base as well as information regarding Code-R's progress into immortality.

The last thing Outer Heaven needs to deal with is a true immortal being standing against them.

Once the iDroid was finished copying the information, Hawk sighed in frustration.

"No good?" Shrike said, noting her comrade's annoyance.

"We got the layout of the base, but not where Code-R's progress is being documented," Hawk replied, heading down the hallway leading to the lab.

"Come on. With access to the majority of the base's systems, I can remotely disable the security measures indefinitely."

"Sweet!" Shrike followed close behind. "We'll just need to link up with Buffalo and Bunny, then."

"Yep, let's get this over with."

---

[Unknown | Unknown]

Where... Was he still here?

The darkness... The water...

He was not sure how long he was under here?

Days... Weeks... Months... Years...

It was a miracle he had not gone insane yet.

Perhaps he did and he was convincing himself otherwise.

What time was it?

Where was he?

Where... Where... Where... Where... Where...

---

[Flaming Buffalo, Tiger Bunny, Singing Hawk, and Blood Shrike | Code-R Base Designation: November-Michael, Laboratory Section]

After regrouping by the entrance to the laboratories, Flaming Buffalo and Tiger Bunny were both filled in on what intel Singing Hawk was able to copy from the Britannian mainframe. With the security systems under their control, they can bypass a majority of previously locked off areas without much issue. This gives them greater mobility within the laboratories.

They were faced with a reinforced door, no doubt meant to deter any unauthorized personnel from just waltzing into the labs.

"Alright, stay close and check your corners, ladies," Buffalo ordered, loading a fresh magazine into her assault rifle. "While Hawk wasn't able to get Code-R's vital intel from the mainframe, she was able to narrow down where we're most likely to get the intel."

The iDroid's holographic screen highlighted the predicted route they are to take. "This route provides us the most optimized path to our target and to our exfil area. Expect light security and a lot of noncombatants in the area."

"Lemme guess, they don't want a bunch of guns ruining their research?" Shrike rhetorically asked, earning nods from her squad. "Typical eggheads," she grunted, prepping a breaching charge. Planting the charge onto the doorway, she begins setting up the accompanying breaching charges. Once she was done, she takes position to the immediate right of the door, her squad leader taking the immediate left.

"Four, three, two, one... Breach!"

Clamping the clacker, Shrike detonates the breaching charges, blowing the door inwards and allowing the Outer Heaven soldiers entry.

Flaming Buffalo went in first, assault rifle ready and sweeping her immediate vicinity, followed by Tiger Bunny, her machine gun on ready and mimicking her squad leader's actions. Singing Hawk and Blood Shrike came in last, the pair's compact automatics also sweeping their vicinity.

With no immediate threat found, the Outer Heaven soldiers quickly proceeded deeper into the laboratory.

Compared to before, the hallways of the laboratories were immaculate. Far too immaculate.

"Something's not right, ma'am," Hawk said, already fishing out something from her Sneaking Suit. Solid-Eye in hand, she quickly dons the device over her left eye. "Beginning scan. This might take a while."

The other three held in place as the youngest squad member scanned the area. Hawk scrutinized the area before her, looking for anything that was not supposed to be seen.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance when she found them.

"Bad news: The place is rigged to sound the alarm if anyone without proper clearance and ID passes through. The vents are too tight to use as passageways."

Hawk's findings made Buffalo click her own tongue in frustration.

"Can you hack into the system?"

"Code-R made the lab's own system separate from the main area. It's a no go, ma'am."

"Any alternative routes we can take to avoid detection?"

Hawk scanned again. All around her, excluding the area she and her squad were in as well as the entrance, the entire place was airtight in its security.

"Negative, ma'am. Looks like we're going in loud."

"I was afraid of that," Buffalo replied with a sigh, having checked the area with her own Solid-Eye. She did not need to glance at Bunny to know that she was eager to make some noise. Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Weighing in the options in her head, she makes her decision.

"Anyone comes at us guns blazing, shoot to kill. Anyone that surrenders or is unarmed, restrain them. Got it?"

"Roger!"

"Great, the one time we didn't pack Stealth Camo," Shrike groused.

"Guess that's one extra lesson for you to learn, Shrike," Buffalo spoke as they all stepped into the detection radius of the scanners.

"Always bring the right gear for the job."

The alarm was shrill, echoing through the laboratory's halls and bleeding out into the main facilities of Code-R's Narita Base.

"Weapons free, let's go!" Buffalo barked out, G44 locked and loaded. Wordlessly, they followed their leader deeper into the laboratory, weapons at ready.

---

"What are these idiots doing?! Can't they see the alarm's been tripped?!" Samuel Adams, the director of the Narita Base, exclaimed in equal parts disbelief and indignation.

It was supposed to be a typical night in the facility. Run some tests, get results, and bugger on out of there before either the JLF or even Britannia's own Area Security caught wind of their actions in this area.

Now everything's gone to Hell in a handbasket! Unknown soldiers have begun assaulting their base and somehow, despite the mere fact that it was only FOUR unknown hostiles, they have managed to eliminate a good chunk of the main facility's security personnel as well as began to carve up the lab's own security personnel. What is worse is that these intruders were taking out security cameras either before they can be caught or after they concluded their many, many firefights with the security personnel as if to taunt him.

Damn Clovis to Hell and back! That spoiled brat just had to cut off the funding for the armed forces and it bit him in the arse just as it is biting him in the arse!

He couldn't even afford to call for outside help as that will grab Princess Cornelia's attention and she is not as open-minded as Clovis was, relatively speaking.

As Director Adams was having a panic attack, he was unable to see something happening in one of the other cameras.

Specifically, he failed to see what was going on in Subject R-41's containment cell. Within the glass tube, the silhouette of a hand pressed up against it.

---

Flaming Buffalo and her squad exchanged fire with a Britannian security group. These ones were more armored than the ones in the main facility.

"Looks like we're getting close," Tiger Bunny mused, firing burst after burst at the Britannians, forcing them to duck behind cover.

"How so?" Singing Hawk asked. She threw a flashbang down the hall. Once it went off, she and Blood Shrike peeked out of cover to gun down the disoriented Britannians.

"The more goons we see, the closer we are to our goal," the 2IC answered, diving behind cover to reload her MG while the younger squadmates took her place in providing suppressing fire. "They wouldn't send in the heavies unless we're near someplace we shouldn't be." Quickly, she grabbed her secondary weapon, a Broughton S1000 shotgun, and blasted a Britannian soldier that her juniors had missed.

"Missed a spot, kids."

"Real funny."

Flaming Buffalo rolled her eyes but kept up the advance now that the security team was dealt with. Her squadmates followed her lead, alert of any hidden threats and surprises just waiting for them. By now, they had made decent progress into the laboratory and have encountered increased hostilities from the Britannians, mostly in the form of their heavily armed security although the occasional laboratory personnel did try to take them on and had been dealt with accordingly.

They were also taking out the security cameras as they went, making sure that only the bare minimum of their actions were caught. Erasing all the footage will require access from the mainframe within the laboratory, however.

Hawk peered into one room and found a few desks with computers on them.

"Found something. Gonna hack into these and see what we got."

"Roger. Providing overwatch," Shrike replied, doing exactly that. Her squad leader and the squad 2IC did the same, keeping a watchful eye on things.

It was uneventful, the hacking, with Hawk quickly extracting whatever data was on these computers. She will let Outer Heaven's higher-ups deal with sifting through the data. For now, she and her squad will comb through as much of the laboratory as possible before bugging out.

She did glance at some of the data as she extracted them, however. One that stood out was a Specimen R-41 held in captivity in Room Gamma-3. Pulling up the downloaded file again, she was disappointed in what she wrote. It only revealed the designation of the specimen and his location. If she were to get more information, she and the others will have to get to Gamma-3 pronto.

"I found something, Ma'am," she spoke up as she emerged from the room. "Looks like the Brits had something anomalous in the lab. They just refer to it as Specimen R-Forty-One. Judging by the data, it's humanoid."

Buffalo narrowed her eyes upon receiving the information. It looks like the Brits were looking into making some super soldiers with whatever immortality Clovis had been searching for prior to his untimely demise. Either that, or it is another unfortunate soul being subjected to something cruel.

"Room?"

"Gamma-Three, Ma'am," Hawk answered immediately, knowing what was going down. The others did, too, checking their weapons and readying up for one last attack before they exfil from the A.O.

"Alright then... Squad, move out!"

---

[Specimen R-41]

Flashes.

He was seeing this again.

He hated this sight. This vision. This memory.

He hated it. He hated it so much.

He saw himself standing over a sea of corpses in some suburban town in the countryside. A plethora of weapons were with these corpses. Repurposed farming tools made the majority, with a few firearms thrown into the mix.

He did not know them, but somehow he knew their deaths were because of him.

He froze when he saw the next few faces, their bodies isolated from the rest. He recognized them.

Mother.

Sister.

Mother.

Sister.

Why?

Their dead eyes looked right at him. Judging him.

He screamed, with none but corpses to hear his despair.

---

[Flaming Buffalo, Tiger Bunny, Singing Hawk, and Blood Shrike]

They made it to the entrance to Room Gamma-3. They had quickly dealt with whatever resistance was left in this laboratory. Time was of the essence. If the Brits were smart, they would figure it out by now to remove Specimen R-41 or, if they could not safely remove him, terminate him to prevent him from falling into enemy hands.

"Planting charges," Blood Shrike relayed to her squadmates, planting three breaching charges on the reinforced doors. Once the charges were firmly planted, she takes position on the adjacent wall with Tiger Bunny behind her. Across them were Flaming Buffalo and Singing Hawk, also in position.

"Three... two... one... Breaching!"

Clacker pressed down, the charges went off, knocking the door of its hinges. Acting quickly, the squad enters the large room one by one, weapons at ready.

The laboratory personnel in the room held their hands up, quickly registering the danger presented by Outer Heaven's soldiers. There were only eight scientists in the room.

"Down on the ground if you value your lives!" Flaming Buffalo barked out, her voice firm and harsh. The scientists flinched but complied, afraid of getting shot.

"Bunny, Shrike, restrain them. Hawk, grab whatever data you can from the terminals."

Her squadmates nodded and quickly went to work on their assigned tasks. Buffalo gazed upon the large glass tube in the center of the room. She can barely make out the silhouette of a person within the tube. A surge of anger threatened to make her do something drastic but she managed to keep her cool.

She inspected the restrained scientists, analyzing them for any clues. Any one of them could have the means of accessing the restraints of the tube without harming Specimen R-41. But at the same time, none of them could have access.

"You can't do this!" One exclaimed.

"We just did," she coldly replied. "Right now, we're in control. Code-R and its secrets will be ours soon enough. And right now, we need that containment tube open."

"How'd you thugs even find this place?! We covered our tracks perfectly!"

"Nobody's perfect," Bunny shot back, in the process of lining up the scientists up against the wall. "You can thank His Late Highness for this blunder."

"Dammit all, they'll kill us by the end of the night!"

"Us? No, we're not mindless thugs," Bunny retorted. "Besides, if you cooperate, we might be more merciful with you lot. And like the boss said: We need that tube open."

One scientist muttered something under his breath. Something Bunny noticed rather easily.

"Got something to say, jackass?"

The scientist said nothing at first, cowed by how sudden and close Bunny was. Then, after a few seconds, spoke softly.

"I can open the container."

Bunny had a vicious smile under her mask. Patting the scientist on his shoulder, she spoke up. "Well, about goddamn time we had some cooperation here. Alright, pal, open her up and we might let you go."

"Not like we have much of a choice," the scientist said bitterly, although the bitterness was not directed at her or the other Outer Heaven soldiers strangely enough. Bunny paid it no mind, undoing his restraints and leading him to the main terminal that was just before the containment tube.

Once in front of the terminal, the scientist began to input some commands. All the while, Bunny loomed over his shoulder to make sure no funny business was committed.

"Ma'am," Hawk spoke up. "We got enough data from here and about Code-R in general."

"Good," Buffalo nodded, a soft smile under her mask. "We'll just release Specimen R-Forty-One and we'll exfil ASAP."

"And these guys?"

Buffalo looked over the frightened scientists. She was no fool. When this all settles down, they will be silenced with extreme prejudice. But at the same time, if they took them back to Mother Base, they might sabotage Outer Heaven from within unless they can truly convert them over to their side.

"That's not for us to decide," she spoke, colder than what she intended.

By now the scientist had inputted the final commands to unlock the containment tube. The thick green liquid began to drain from the tube, slowly revealing the appearance of Specimen R-41.

Buffalo looked at the person inside the now clear containment tube. A young man, probably a highschooler in terms of physical age, with pale malnourished skin and a thin build. Silvery white hair covered the top of his head.

He was also naked, his body pierced by numerous wires and tubes, no doubt kept there to monitor his vitals and feed him the bare minimal nutrients to keep him alive.

It was sickening that someone as young as this being subjected to inhumane experiments. By some miracle, Flaming Buffalo remained calm enough not to just execute the restrained scientists.

As soon as the last of the liquid was drained, the young man fell forwards, pressing against the front of the containment tube. The sudden movement dislodged whatever wires and tubes were stuck in his body. The glass tube was then lifted up, freeing him from his prison.

Acting quickly, Buffalo moved to catch him before he made any hard impact with the floor. Carrying him bridal style, Buffalo turns to address her team.

"Package secured. Let's head back."

"We'll need to give Sleeping Beauty some clothes, though."

Tiger Bunny's words registered in Flaming Buffalo's mind. The kid was shivering, even when he was unconscious. He will need something to cover him up adequately.

"We stripped him of his straitjacket prior to testing," one of the scientists said, gesturing with his head to the nearby lockers.

"Which one?"

"The one with his specimen tag."

"Bunny, get it open. After he's clothed, we're getting out of here."

---

[Three days later | Early morning | Outer Heaven Medical Platform 01 | Flaming Buffalo]

In the end, she decided to take those eight scientists with her back to Mother Base. Whether it was to prevent them from squealing too soon or to spare them from being silenced, she did not know.

What she did know is that ever since she had come back to Mother Base, she watched over Specimen R-41 like a hawk. She did not know why, but she felt this urge to protect this young man. Perhaps it was her big sister instincts and mother hen tendencies kicking in.

Her squad always did joke that her true callsign was most definitely Mother Hen. That got a smile out of her every now and then. But not now, not when she is looking over the still unconscious young man currently confined to a hospital bed.

She has done countless rescue operations before. Each rescue had always been impersonal, Buffalo never truly feeling anything other than indifference from her actions. So why did this rescue feel so different?

Buffalo ran a hand through her hair, trying to find the answer. Her own silver hair, kept short and barely reaching her shoulders. A soft chuckle escaped her lips.

"What am I even doing?" She asked herself in a low voice, as though she did not want to disturb the comatose young man before her. "So he's got the same shade of hair as you... That's no good reason... You can't just..."

She trailed off, glancing towards one of the windows, the view of the open ocean greeting her tired eyes.

Her thoughts were broken by the sound of the automated door opening. She immediately straightened up when she realized who had entered the room.

"Any changes?" Venom Snake questioned. It was directed at her.

"He's still sleeping," she answered. "The doctors said whatever it was that happened to him under Code-R's care, it's keeping him under."

"Did you find out why he was kept in that facility?"

"Turns out he was the second primary specimen for Code-R," Buffalo answered her commander. "The other one had escaped during the Shinjuku Massacre and none of them had any luck in finding her."

"I see..." Venom Snake locked onto the still asleep youth. To be confined to such a state, unknowing of the world around him... His hand unconsciously clenched.

Buffalo said nothing. She was not one of the older soldiers that served under Big Boss during either the San Heironymo Incident or the Peace Walker Incident, but she knew of the attempt on Big Boss's life during the Ground Zeroes Incident that sent him into a coma that lasted for nine years. In a way, Venom Snake can relate to what this young man was going through.

Not a word was spoken between them. Perhaps there was no need for it.

Venom Snake got closer to the hospital bed. He took in the young man's features. By his own estimates, he was around the same age as Lelouch vi Britannia.

"Got an idea in mind, Boss?" Buffalo asked absentmindedly.

"We'll wait until he wakes up," he replied, facing her. "For now, he'll stay with us."

Venom Snake was about to say more when he heard soft gasping. It was not coming from Flaming Buffalo. Her eyes were widening as she looked at the hospital bed.

He looked back.

The boy was waking up.

---

[Unknown]

Everything was so blurry. Everywhere he looked, everything was rendered in fuzzy shapes. He can barely make out any sound reaching his ears. He can slowly feel the sensation of something soft wrapped around him. Where was he? What was this place?

His head was ringing. It was grating on him, having to deal with the noise. He wanted it to shut up.

Two different shapes approached him. One was broad, olive colored, and with a red arm. The other was slim by contrast and only clad in dark colors with no colored arm.

One of them, he was not sure which, made some noise. He could not understand it.

Were they speaking to him? The ringing was still there in his head, but it was slowly getting weaker.

Slowly but surely, he began to regain his senses.

"...re yo... ight?" A gruff voice reached his ears. His head was still ringing, but not as much as before.

"Are you alright?" The voice asked again. He shook his head, trying to shake away the blurriness of his eyes. Slowly, he could see things clearly again.

Before him, he could see a tall and aged man, dressed up in clothes a soldier would wear, colored in olive drab. The man before him had an eyepatch over his right eye, a metal horn sticking out at an angle, and a bright red mechanical arm.

"I..." He tried to speak but he could not find his voice. The other person, a woman with silvery white hair and blue eyes, clad in a form fitting black bodysuit, approached the horned man.

"His throat's a little banged up. No doubt whatever Code-R planned for him."

"He can still speak," the woman said to the horned man. "He just needs time to recover."

The horned man made a noncommittal hum in response, clearly thinking something over. After a moment, he nodded to himself and turned to the woman.

"Seeing as you rescued him, he'll be under your care for the time being, Buffalo."

The woman, Buffalo, saluted the horned man.

"Roger that, Boss. I'll be sure he's safe."

Buffalo? Boss? Where... Where was he?

The horned man, Boss, placed a hand on his chest, softly pressing him down back into the bed.

"Get some rest kid," he told him. "You don't have the strength to move much right now."

He could not find any argument against that. And even if he did, what would that achieve? He was in an unknown place, surrounded by strange people. He was not sure if he could do anything against them.

As he drifted back to sleep, he could hear one last exchanged between Boss and Buffalo.

"By the way, does he have a name?"

"The records simply called him Specimen R-Forty-One. It sounds too much like a machine. Something less than human.."

"What do you suggest, then?"

"... I substituted the numbers with letters. Rai is what I came up with."

"Rai... The Japanese word for 'trust' and 'lightning.' Perfect."

And with that, Rai fell asleep completely.

---

[Cornelia li Britannia | Area 11 Palatial Estate]

Cornelia woke up once more in her private bedchamber, feeling vengeful. Ever since her defeat at Kawaguchi, her thoughts were plagued with many things. Guilford's comatose condition, Euphie's near-death experience, Zero and his band of idealistic goons...

Boss.

She snarled at that last thought. A mere cripple besting her? Unacceptable. Her pride would not allow this slight to go unanswered. And yet, no matter how far across Area 11 she looked, no matter how many men she sent, she could never find a hint of this Boss and his whereabouts. She hated this.

He was taunting the Empire. He was taunting her. He was taunting Lady Marianne's very memory by sullying her with his hands.

Her eyes darted to her nightstand where something that was not hers lied. The Boss's bandana, something she had managed to grab on to during her fistfight with that cripple. Ever since she had woken up, she had kept the piece of cloth as a trophy.

A hollow trophy. A trophy that mocked her every waking moment ever since she woke up from the Lake Kawaguchi Disaster.

Was this what Schneizel felt? Every trophy he had claimed from worthy opponents and not once did her older half-brother ever felt any emotion towards them. All he had felt, whenever she or their other siblings would visit, was cold indifference.

Her own trophy was no different, except instead of indifference, she felt hatred.

She gritted her teeth.

Taking the bandana in one hand, she began to clench hard on it. She hated what this bandana meant. She hated who it once belonged to. She hated Outer Heaven with a burning passion!

Come hell or high water, with God Almighty Himself as her witness, she will slay that horned demon! She will reclaim her throne as Britannia's Goddess of Victory! She will avenge everyone that fell to the Boss! She will burn this land if she had to, she demands that Boss be brought before her on his knees as she slays him!

On her word and pride as Cornelia li Britannia, she will prevail!

---

[One week later | Rai |Outer Heaven | Mother Base Primary Platform]

It was incredible what Outer Heaven can achieve when not mired down by bureaucracy and external politics. What would have taken other nations months to heal him, it took Outer Heaven just under a week's time. Their nanotechnology, whatever that meant, had done wonders in revitalizing him. He no longer felt sluggish in his movements, nor did he struggle with breathing or speaking.

He felt like a new man!

"Rai!" A woman's voice broke him out of his thoughts. He turned his head to face the speaker, seeing her approach him at a brisk pace. Clad in her olive drab fatigues, the woman with silver hair and blue eyes like him approached.

"Big Sis!" A wide smile came upon his face when he recognized her. Big Sis shook her head.

"Hey now, what'd I tell you about calling me that out in public?" She spoke in a faux-stern tone as she got close to him. She was a few inches taller than him, allowing her an easier time in ruffling the top of his head.

"Well if you keep doing that, I'll keep calling you Big Sis," Rai answered cheekily. Big Sis rolled her eyes in response before walking alongside him.

"Anyways… what'd you think of Mother Base so far?" She asked a minute or so later into their walk. She nodded to her fellow soldiers who were out on patrol duty. Even in an isolated area like Mother Base, they knew better than to just relax. Anything can happen out here.

"It's… daunting, to tell you the truth," Rai confessed, remembering how the sheer size and reach of Mother Base overwhelmed him the first time he was released from the medical wards. It was both amazing and terrifying that a private army can get this massive without anyone else noticing. Still, Big Sis and the Boss reassured him that they have no sinister motives for the world.

They simply fought for whoever could pay for their services. Within reason, of course. There were certain lines Outer Heaven will not cross if they could help it.

In short, they were mercenaries with some morals. He was not sure on how to feel about that. Still, Big Sis rescued him from that never ending nightmare. He owed her that much.

"You'll get used to it," Big Sis told him as she took the lead. "Come on, the Boss wants to see us."

"What? Why?" Rai was confused. While he occasionally crossed paths with the Boss, not once did he called him over to his command center, which was in one of the highest levels in the main platform of Mother Base.

"I'm not sure. It might have something to do with Britannia and Code-R."

That caused his face to darken. A few days after he had woken up, the Boss had personally informed him of what Britannia, specifically Code-R, had done to him while he was captured.

He hated them for what they did to him. He may not remember much but he remembers the pain and sorrow while he was under Code-R's care. Perhaps it was wrong, but he wanted to pay that pain and sorrow back with interest.

Wordlessly, he followed behind Big Sis, wondering what the Boss wanted him for.

---

[Cornelia li Britannia | Area 11 Viceroy Palatial Estate]

The sandbag went flying after that last hit. It smashed onto the floor, spilling its contents onto the floor. A few other sandbags, equally destroyed, surrounded it. Their destroyer was one Cornelia li Britannia, clad in a simple shirt and exercise pants, with her hair tied up into a bun. She breathed hard and low, sweat pouring down her face.

"Not good enough… It's still not enough!" She exclaimed, fury in her veins. She needed more power in her strikes. She needed to get stronger.

She needed to defeat him.

The one man that had humiliated her twice and lived to spite her and her honor. Every day he lives, he taunts her.

As she attaches a new sandbag, her mind drifts to Guilford. His condition was getting better but not by much. He was still very much comatose.

It was not just him.

Wilson, Campbell, Brown, Lewis, Hughes…

Many more of her soldiers lost their lives in a single attack. Saitama was where things went wrong. She tried to find what could have been but how could she? How could she have predicted that someone besides Zero would make an attempt on her life? Her pride? No matter how she tried to go about it, she could not prevent what had happened.

And then Kawaguchi happened. The culprit of the strike behind her revealed himself. A man with so many disabilities that it should have been clear that she was the superior fighter. And yet he defeated her so effortlessly. He toyed with her as they fought, she knew. He took advantage of her emotions and played her like a damn fiddle.

She roared out and sent out another punch. The sandbag did not move.

"What?" Her eyes slowly widened. Even her own training instruments rebel against her.

She struck once more. No response. She tried again from another angle. Still, no response. Again and again and again. No responses from any punch. Before she knew it, she had exhausted her energy and she fell to her knees, breathing heavily. When had she gotten so tired? Why was everything suddenly so blurry?

Footsteps. She heard footsteps.

As quick as she could in her tired state, she turned to where the sound was coming from. Her eyes widened, pupils dilated in horror.

He was here. Right in front of her! He was here! With a wordless roar, she swung her fist. To her shock, it went right past him, as though he was never there.

Like a true Phantom.

He swung a kick out and she felt it connect to her side, sending her down to the floor in a pathetic heap.

She gritted her teeth, straining herself to get up.

He was right there!

He was… gone?!

Cornelia shot around, trying to find where the Phantom went. Her vision began to slowly recover and she saw the truth.

The Phantom had not been there. A hallucination, fueled by her wounded pride and her desire to avenge herself and her fallen soldiers.

Cornelia trudged towards the nearest wall and sat up against it.

She felt so tired.

Her eyes glanced over to her wardrobe. The bandana was still there, its tails fluttering in the wind as though to mock her. Try as she might, she could not find the energy to get up.

Cornelia closed her eyes, deciding to retire early for today.

---

[Australia | Nighttime]

Somewhere deep into the Australian Outback, the entire atmosphere was calm. The local fauna and flora were undisturbed by the matters of the outside world. Despite Australia's potential to be a highly developed nation, the superpowers left the landmass be. The continent had little to no stores of Sakuradite, meaning that none of the superpowers have any obligation to take and hold it from their rivals. While the continent has large stores of oil and other crude materials, the relatively isolated nature of Australia means that more readily available stores from neighboring, allied, or conquered nations were the ones that the superpowers and minor powers would come to them instead of the Oceanian region.

It was, for lack of a better term, abandoned by the rest of the world.

It was this abandonment that allowed for something to occur, far from prying eyes.

Within less than a second a large tear began to occur in reality. If one were to witness this tear occur, the best they could describe it would be that the tear resemble an aurora borealis clearing up the sky and revealing the stars far above the planet.

It was through this tear that something massive came through.

A large, humanoid machine came crashing onto the land, scaring off the wildlife with its explosive entrance. The impact forced the machine to its knees, sparks flying from numerous gashes across its frame. A few moments of silenced passed by before the machine stood to its full height.

Its appearance was sharp-looking and angular, its torso resembling a formula race car in general shape, colored dull white with dull golden accents. In each hand were large bore autocannons of different designs, the right hand autocannon rectangular and boxy and the left hand autocannon resembling a traditional assault rifle scaled up for usage by the machine. In addition, each arm were equipped with flat, sharp-looking structures that resonated with some sort of energy. On its back were a large artillery cannon and a multi-cell missile launcher. Extending from the machine's shoulders were angular structures, its insides hosting hundreds of pod-like objects.

Its left shoulder held an emblem, that of a three-legged raven descending upon smoldering embers.

The humanoid machine began to scan the environment, its head unit lit up with a foreboding orange glow.

It was about to move when a thunderous crash made it stop. Looking upwards, it saw something else emerging from the tear.

A second humanoid machine, pearl white with deep pink accents, landed more gracefully than first machine, using its boosters to soften its landing point just a few meters ahead of the first machine.

It was of a similar build to the first machine, but with the noticeable difference that it was smoother and circular compared to the sleek and angular appearance of the first. It was, for lack of a better term, more beautiful than the first machine. In its hands were two different weapons, the right hand weapon being a thin and rectangular linear rifle and the right hand weapon being a slightly shorter and less rectangular rifle. On its back were an oval-like container and a wing-like assembly.

On its left shoulder was a silhouette of a beautiful woman with purplish-pink hair ornamented with three large flowers, its background being that of a sole cherry blossom petal.

["Well,"] a woman's voice came from the second machine. ["That could've gone better."]

The first machine said nothing. It continued to scan the surrounding area, checking the atmosphere and the general area both machines have landed in. Once it was finished with its scans, it sent its findings to the second machine.

The woman within was astonished.

["You… You're sure? There's no Kojima Particle contamination here?"]

Instead of responding verbally, the sharp-looking and angular machine nodded.

The woman was surprised. Last she or he had checked, the entire surface was covered in the stuff. For her student to not find a single trace of Kojima Particles besides the ones being emitted by either Ciliegio or Yatagarasu…

She was at a loss for words.

Deciding to do a scan herself, she found the same results a moment later.

["Try and check for comms. I want to know where the hell Line Ark sent us."]

Her student did as he was told. After a few minutes of collecting as much intel as he could, he sent what he found to her. She took time to go over the information he had gathered.

Britannia? Europia United? Chinese Federation?

What the hell was going on?

["Well, shit… Looks like we're stranded, Kiddo."]

Yatagarasu simply shrugged in response. He never was all that bothered by much in the world. It should not surprise her that a tear in reality, space, and time itself would not bother him much.

["First order of business is finding somewhere else to lie low. This place isn't exactly providing us much cover."]

As usual, her student wordlessly took action by activating the boosters of Yatagarasu, taking flight and heading off in a seemingly random direction, heading north-east of her current position and their landing zone. In her cockpit, Serene Haze smiled softly.

Leave it to her surrogate son to take off and take point. Firing up Ciliegio's own set of boosters, she followed him through the skies of the Australian continent.

---

[Estación Atalaya, People's Republic of Solís | Around the same time]

"¡General! ¡General!" ("General! General!") A soldier came barging through into the main room of the command center of Estación Atalaya, drawing the attention of the inhabitants within.

The general's appearance was unorthodox and something nobody would expect a general to be wearing, especially in the presence of his men. A white T-shirt, a black zip-up leather jacket, black fingerless gloves, stone washed denim jeans, and two chest-high holsters. Around his neck was a crucifix, a religious symbol that is very dominant in the Christian faith, a religion that is dominant in Spain, Portugal, and in their former colonies.

All in all, he looked more like a rough biker gang leader than an actual general of an actual army.

"¿Tiene algo para nosotros, soldado?" ("You have something for us, soldier?")The general asked, nonchalant about the soldier's intrusion.

"Sí, Señor General," ("Yes, Sir General,") he answered. "Los agentes de inteligencia pudieron localizar a otro." ("The intelligence agents were able to locate another one.")

The general hummed.

"Entonces, al igual que nosotros, hay otros varados en este nuevo mundo… ¿Están con Outer Heaven?" ("So, much like us, there are others stranded in this new world… Are they with Outer Heaven?")

"Sin confirmar, Señor General," ("Unconfirmed, Sir General,") the soldier responded. "Todavía estamos averiguando si están aliados o no con esos mercenarios." ("We are still figuring it out whether or not they are in league with those mercenaries.")

The general nodded at the report. "Dígales a nuestros agentes que controlen la situación lo mejor que puedan. Quizás sean nuestros aliados en nuestra eventual guerra con Britannia." ("Tell our agents to monitor the situation as best as they can. Perhaps they will be our allies in our eventual war with Britannia.")

"¡De inmediato, Señor General!" ("At once, Sir General!") The soldier saluted the general before taking his leave.

Once the soldier left the command center, the general's visage broke into an eager smile.

"You got yourself a plan, son?" Another man's voice asked him. This man was older than the general with his silvery gray hair, wearing a tropical themed shirt and light brown khaki pants.

"Right now?" The general answered with a question of his own. "We bide our time and build our army. Though we're able to get all of Solís under control and with the Black Hand joining our forces thanks to Gabriella, we still lack the numbers to fight Britannia."

"So we're letting our mercenary pals over yonder do the heavy lifting for us?"

"Yep. Judging by their resumé, they have a good track record in kicking Britannian ass."

"Hah! Shoulda known yah learned some things from me!" The old man slapped the general on the shoulder.

The general simply rolled his eyes in good nature. He spoke the truth, however. As powerful as his own soldiers have gotten individually, they lack the means to truly wage open war with Britannia. The Britannians have been making rather aggressive overtures into their territory. Undoubtedly, they wanted Project Illapa and the Bavarium stored within the islands. It was only thanks to 'freak weather accidents' that the Britannians have not made much meaningful progress into their nation.

Now, with the entrance of Outer Heaven into the global stage, things were only going to get more chaotic.

And Ricardo 'Rico' Rodriguez would not have it any other way.

---

[END]

A/N: Christ, it's been more than a year since the last update with this story. I am so sorry it took me this long to update The Phantom Dogs, guys. It has been a long year for me. Some personal drama between myself and a former friend caused me to lose my touch as a writer for a while. I was able to bounce back, thankfully.

I am not sure if I'm satisfied with how this chapter ended up but hopefully this will sate the curiosities of my readers.

And, at last, after more than a year of hiatus, I make good on my claims. The other crossover elements hinted at in Stage 00 have started arriving! The first two extra crossover elements are Just Cause and Armored Core, ladies and gentlemen.

I am taking a big risk, I know, by adding extra settings into the mix, but I want to make these ideas work. And the inclusion of Armored Core characters is a decision I made on this day for a few reasons.

1.) It's to give Outer Heaven a reason to pursue better bipedal weapons technology. And, outside stealing more Knightmare Frames, what better incentive is there than by having two large bipedal death machines proving the concept to be more than just viable. It can outright obliterate anything stacked against it.

2.) This is also to light a fire under Britannia's collective asses to get their asses in gear and catch up before they get wiped out. Plus, who doesn't like seeing giant robots wipe the floor with entire armies and coming out relatively untouched?

As for Just Cause, I just like the games and what they allow players like me to do. Because I'm fairly certain I ain't the only one with power fantasies of toppling bullshit government regimes in fashions so goddamn explosive it makes the Michael Bay movies seem like mere firecrackers in comparison.

The other crossover elements will show up later on, don't worry. You guys will be seeing the likes of Cipher and Monarch blazing through the skies and raining hell upon everyone that's tagged as a hostile.

Moving back to the Code Geass side of things, we also have the appearance of Rai, the protagonist of the PS2/PSP game Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion – Lost Colors. I won't spoil how Rai will handle things, but I can assure you it will be handled with the usual Metal Gear flair.

Convoluted, dramatic, and with enough philosophical and political narratives to think about by the end of the journey.

And that's all I have for you guys this time around. Hopefully the next chapter doesn't get delayed as long as this one.

I really should update DOOM: Puer Infernalis V2 as well, huh?

Later! See you around! Live a great life!