Snake's biggest problem with the Showmaster's facility, was how it was built. Be it incompetence, corruption, or a statement, the Russian military had built this base to be ludicrously large. Every hour that Snake had spent wandering through this base was a testament to that knowledge. Not to mention all the random dead ends, loops, and random intersections that made it a maze. Now, normally he could handle a base like this, he had done so many times before.
But never in any of those times, did he have a hundred kids following him closely. Now he was ducking back into rooms with a massive crowd following his every footstep. It was only by a miracle that they had escaped the base's patrols. Whatever chaos was going on upstairs seemed to have stolen their attention, and for that Snake was grateful. Yet as he kept moving forward through the winding halls of the large base, only one question came to mind. Where is the exit?
Deciding to answer this question, Snake had Nagant stay with the kids in a small office space as he went to find a lone guard. Quietly, he walked through the dark halls, his M4 at the ready. Looking out through the hall's corners, he found two guards slowly inspecting the area. Seeing they were walking towards him, Snake stayed to the side of the wall and pulled out a collapsible cardboard box. It was then the guards began walking by, uncaring for the box on the floor.
"This Big Boss guy… is he as good as they say he is?" one guard asked, unaware they had just passed their target.
"Why wouldn't he be? You don't become a legend over nothing." the second guard replied calmly, as Snake slowly began approaching the two with his cardboard box.
"Well yeah, but he's just one guy. If he's so damn tough, then what's his quirk?" the first guard asked again. At the same time, Snake drew his knife under the box, preparing to strike.
"I don't know, but who cares? Big Boss has probably killed more people than both you and me." the second guard countered, as the two came to a stop at an intersection. They looked around for a few seconds, silently debating what to do.
"And? What's he going to do against my quirk? Good ole Instant Death?"
"Probably shoot you in the skull."
With the opportunity, Snake stabbed his knife into the back of the first guard's skull. It immediately drew the attention of the second guard, so Snake quickly swept his legs. With the second guard falling forward he pulled his knife out of the first guard's falling body. Once the second guard hit the ground Snake held his knife to the back of his throat and quietly restrained the guard's arms.
"Where is the exit?" Snake demanded quietly, carefully pressing the knife into the guard's neck.
"O-oh shit! U-uh-" the guard stuttered out as Snake pushed the knife further.
"Talk."
"I-it's near G room, j-just take a right at this intersection and keep going straight," the guard replied. Satisfied, Snake choked the guard out and hid his body in a nearby room. With the information needed, he snuck back over to Nagant. With the group reassembled he led the way back to the intersection. He would constantly check over his shoulders, ensuring both the kids were still following, and that no guards had appeared behind them. Not far from the main exit, Snake grabbed the stolen radio he still had. He assumed the guards would have changed frequencies by now, but luckily, they hadn't.
"We checked the area, they're not here boss."
"Fucking damn it! You know, I'm getting sick and tired of you dumbasses being unable to do your jobs! So, get your asses in gear and lock down the exits!"
Snake silently swore at the Showmaster's remark. The door to the exit was now becoming visible, with a dozen guards standing at the other end. All but two were armed with AK-74s. The last two, however, manned an AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher, mounted onto a large tripod. Halting the large group of kids, Snake had them hide in a nearby hall. Looking back out, he found the guards carefully watching the area. Nagant soon walked over to him, before carefully looking out as well.
"You have a clean shot?" Snake asked.
"Kind of. I could manage to kill five with one shot, but the others aren't in good positions," she replied, her M110 held at the ready. Snake quietly grumbled in response, before grabbing a flashbang from his belt.
"You take the shot, I'll focus on the others," he stated, with Nagant calmly nodding.
"Just say when," Nagant told him before she brought her gun up and aimed at the wall. With Snake seeing she was ready; he pulled the pin and tossed the flashbang out. It rolled out and landed in front of the AGS-17, right as a guard noticed it. The guard screamed out to warn the others but was too late. The flashbang exploded into a violent light, and Nagant took the shot seconds later.
The bullet ricocheted off the walls, before flying through the guards' skulls. Snake meanwhile ran out into the hallway, firing his M4 at the surviving guards. Of the dozen present, seven remained. They stood about dazed, with a few managing to duck into cover quickly. The others weren't so lucky, as Snake gunned down three. Two fell to the ground bloodless, while the third was torn apart. Now there were four.
Yet, he had missed the crew manning the AGS-17. The duo of guards quickly scrambled into position loading the lox of grenades, as the gunner aimed the launcher. Snake seeing this, jumped out into a nearby hallway. It was almost too late, as the first grenade was shot. It exploded against the wall, launching shrapnel out as it did. It didn't stop though as the gunner adjusted his aim to fire at Nagant. The sniper was quick, however, and ducked back before it was too late.
Now in cover, she quietly thought out her next move. An idea soon came to mind, as Nagant pulled out her Idroid. Switching over to the camera feature, she slowly angled it to look out the hallway. Once the enemy came into view, she pointed her M110 at the wall and ran through a quick calculation. There were two other guards, aside from the AGS-17 crew, but they were behind cover. Quietly adjusting her rifle, she pulled the trigger. The bullet bounced off the walls, before flying through the barrel of the grenade launcher.
In seconds the entire weapon exploded, killing the crew and if the screams were any clue, wounding the last two guards. With them dealt with, Nagant looked over to Snake. Both stood up quietly and assembled the kids. A few steps forward, and Snake opened the exit door.
"Shit," he muttered, looking up at the large rickety fire escape inside the void of a room. The only escape broke every basic safety code Snake could think of. To the point where he couldn't see the top of the fire escape. It could have been worse though as he looked down at the floor and saw the metal stairs extend for miles. They didn't know any other way out, and sure as hell didn't have enough ammo to find a new one. So, moving to the side, he had the kids go first, while he and Nagant ensured the area was secure.
Once half of the kids had made it through, Snake heard the crackle of a radio. Searching for the noise he found it on one of the dead guards. Moving to pick it up, Snake felt his blood run cold.
"Unit thirty-nine, report." the Showmaster ordered, his voice lined with a quiet fury.
"For fucks sake, unit thirty-nine report." the Showmaster ordered again. Snake quickly turned over to Nagant, with the sniper already knowing what he was going to say. She moved the kids to hurry, while Snake scavenged for ammo from the guards.
"Unit thirty-nine, report! Damn it, they're dead, aren't they!? All personnel get to the G Room exit!"
The first of the LATVs drove by Osprey, as he ducked back behind a tree for cover. Bullets tore through its wood, splintering off but missing Osprey. Once it stopped Osprey turned around and fired into the darkness ahead. Unsure of if he hit something, he darted out as a second LATV drove by. He stuck close to it, using the vehicle as cover while a soldier manned the M2. The loud thunk of the fifty-caliber machine gun being fired made it hard to hear.
But the results were easy to see, as exposed guards were cut in half. Their chests were torn open and ripped off their torsos as the gunner fired in periodic bursts. Blood quickly stained the snow below, with both sides still unaware of who was winning. Both the blizzard and the night sky made it impossible to know, as even night vision could see past the raging winds and snow.
As Osprey continued to follow the LATV, others crowded around as well. With the small squad firing out into the surrounding area. He soon found Tucan running up beside him.
"Report!" Osprey asked loudly while ducking back as a bullet ricocheted off the LATV.
"No sign of an entrance yet sir!" Tucan began, the soldier quickly firing his M4 near a large tree. As he did so, the guard standing behind it moved, trying to open fire. He was cut down quickly, not expecting Tucan to fire.
"But Roach and his squad believe they found something!"
"Where?"
"At least nine hundred feet west of here!"
They were close he realized, possibly closer than the others. He moved over to the driver's side of the LATV, before hitting the door twice. The driver looked over at him, quickly seeing he was friendly.
"We got an area of interest nine hundred feet west!" Osprey ordered as both he and Tucan hopped into the vehicle.
"Got it, sir!" was the driver's only reply, before quickly turning the vehicle. It didn't take long to reach Roach, but the area was nothing but a massive firefight. Dozens of guards fired from somewhere out in the forest. Seeing the situation, the gunner fired out into the void, focusing on the muzzle flashes in the darkness. Osprey and Tucan did the same as they hopped out of the vehicle.
Sticking low to the ground, Osprey made his way over to a small hill of snow. Once there he looked out into the dark forest and found a lone muzzle flash coming from out in the open. Seeing his opportunity Osprey fired quickly and watched as an enemy fell dead. He turned his gaze then, finding another guard doing the same. For whatever reason, only half the guards were sticking to cover. The other half stood out in the open, barely reacting to anything. It brought questions to Osprey's mind, but he shoved them aside.
Command did say weird shit was going on at this place, so best to question it for later. Looking out again, he found Roach digging up something in the snow, while Dolphin and Squid provided covering fire. Carefully running up, he slid to a stop next to him.
"Tucan says you found something," he states, with Roach not looking up in response. The soldier continued to dig down, his hands reaching something underneath.
"I was running over to cover when I tripped on something. Not sure what, but I landed on something hard," Roach replied.
"Could be a covered-up tree." Osprey countered but he could see Roach's line of thinking.
"Sure, as hell didn't feel like one. Felt metallic, even heard a hollow thunk." Roach responded before the soldier moved to the side. Looking down, Osprey found a handle on the ground. He couldn't see what it was connected to, but he could logically guess what it was.
"Well, keep digging then," Osprey ordered before he started to help the soldier. Bullets continued to fly by as they did so, with the other soldiers providing cover fire. Minutes passed before the hinges came into view, then the rest of the door. All Osprey could hear was the sound of the LATV's M2 firing, and his loud haggard breath. They'd done it though, and the door was thoroughly dug out.
He inspected it for any sign of a trap, before carefully opening the door. What he saw was a deep pit, with a massive fire escape emerging from the depths. At the top of the fire escape was a ladder, which led up to the door Osprey had opened. Wasting no time, Osprey grabbed his Idroid.
"This is Major Osprey; we've found an entrance." he relayed while switching over to his Idroid's map. It took a second to find himself on the map, but when he did, he placed a beacon on it.
"All units regroup and secure the area at my position," he ordered. With that done he looked back at Roach and readied his M4.
"You, Tucan, Dolphin, and Squid are with me. Clear?"
"Crystal sir."
In a few seconds, the soldiers were assembled, and Osprey entered the facility. One by one they dropped onto the large fire escape, with flashlights illuminating the dark spot. Curious, Osprey dropped a bullet casing out into the deep pit. Seconds would pass, and no noise would be heard. A minute soon came, and still nothing. Then two more. In response, Roach let out a low whistle.
"Hot damn that's deep."
"Don't remind me, let's just keep moving," Tucan replied, a slight hesitance clear in his voice. Roach picked up on this as a small smirk covered his face.
"What, you got a fear of heights?" he jokingly asked.
"More a fear of falling," Tucan replied, the soldier very visibly standing away from the ledges. The answer left Dolphin surprised for a second, the soldier then looking over at Tucan.
"You're a paratrooper, how the hell do you have a fear of falling!?"
"Because normally I have a parachute with me!"
"Both of you shut up. And Tucan, just stay away from the ledge," Osprey ordered, already fed up with the squad. They moved quietly, the squad checking over every inch of the facility as they moved down. Eventually, they would find a walkway leading out to somewhere. Osprey assumed it connected to the rest of the base, and almost moved to inspect it. Then the door opened, and he ducked behind the fire escape's rails.
They provided little protection as the guards entering opened fire. Firing back Osprey shot into the open doorway. In response, the guards ducked back behind the hall's walls.
"Dolphin, grenade!" Osprey ordered. The soldier quickly did as ordered, loading a new round into his under-barreled launcher. With it in place, he waited a few seconds and fired when a guard peeked out of cover. The grenade collided with the guard's chest, and the shrapnel flew into his nearby buddies. Taking a calm breath, Osprey quickly noticed the sound of gunfire hadn't left. Looking around he found no more guards on their level.
But looking down, he saw the lights of muzzle flash and faint screams. Silently he motioned for the squad to keep moving down.
Madam President grumbled as another set of documents passed through her desk. Looking them over quietly she found the papers to be different projects asking for funding. This was becoming annoying, to say the least. Day after day the only news given to her from any number of associates was funding requests. No news on who was killing their reps, no news on the dimensional constant, and most importantly, no news on Big Boss.
That thought alone infuriated her. This never-ending struggle with an organization the public didn't even know about. Sure, heroes had been encountering MSF soldiers more frequently now. Such as a small group of heroes stumbling across the mercs on a "humanitarian" mission out in Brazil, or an anti-piracy battle out in the Indian Ocean. But there was never a sign of Big Boss.
So, the President focused on the paperwork in front of her, hoping it would dull her anger. The first document was one of Syntax Industries' projects, submitted by one of the company's officials. It requested investment funds to be allocated to a new series of support equipment for mutant heroes. It didn't explain anything further, but the President didn't need to read the rest. With not even a thought, the request was denied.
The media was still frothing at the mouth over the debacle in Africa, and Syntax was one of the many companies on the chopping block because of it. To gift them new funding would run counter to the President's message. Although, the project had some merit for later implementation, once the heat had died down. Next up was from Techno and his department. They were asking for a new set of spy satellites to be launched, in the hopes it would give them better surveillance capabilities.
It was an expensive proposal, and ultimately untenable. To go through with the proposal, she would have to enter a long boring conversation with an underpaid JAXA engineer, only to have the launch delayed by weeks, months, or even years. And then realize all the equipment being used was faulty the day after its completion. Honestly, she could understand Techno's request, but who exactly was going to build these? NASA was an underfunded joke, the JAXA couldn't build the number of satellites requested, and Space X was well… Space X.
At this point, the President could see a pattern growing, as more and more projects were denied. To think there used to be a day when all of these could be approved without the public batting an eye. Now she was having to walk on eggshells to appease even the smallest reporter. All these projects, dozens of them, were denied due to either the public or being unable to keep the public from knowing.
Once the last document had been denied, the President stood up. There was a lot more work to be done, but she wasn't doing it without a coffee. With a quick step, she walked over to the door of her office and opened it. Surprisingly, Techno stood on the other side, the usually stoic intelligence agent seemingly run ragged.
"What is it?" the President asked confused.
"We've got a sighting on Big Boss," Techno wheezed out, and it became clear he ran to her office.
"I tried calling an hour ago, but you never answered."
"Damn it. Alright, where is he?" the President asked a new eagerness lacing her voice.
"Siberia, near Kazakhstan. Our programs found him live on some dark web game show. They tracked where the broadcast was coming from and found him there." Techno explained further, stepping to the side as the President began to walk forward. Calmly the President thought for a moment.
"Notify the Russian authorities of his location." she ordered, "Do we have any satellites on him?"
"Negative mam, a blizzard and something else is covering the area."
"Something else?"
"We're not entirely sure yet, but it appears to be an artificial or real forest."
"A billion-dollar satellite and you can't see through some fucking trees. Still, keep them focused on the area. If there's even the chance, they find Big Boss I want them following him."
The two had reached the surveillance room now finding all the agents scrambling about as the live broadcast had been suddenly cut. The screens were stuck on a "we'll be right back" message, with someone in a white and pink suit and top hat in the middle. There was one question on the President's mind, however, what heroes were in the general area? She could choose between several nations' heroes to respond to this before the Russian authorities arrive, therefore keeping the glory.
But who to choose? Slowly the President fell to one conclusion as she turned over to Techno.
"Call the Moscow Wolves, tell them we have an assignment." the President ordered, with Techno calmly nodding in response.
"Right away mam."
"Hmm, the subject's vitals appear to be stable so far." Rabid Lion, a doctor on the medical team, commented while inspecting the MSF's latest prosthetic arm. The soldier it was attached to move about calmly, picking up items as smoothly as if his arm was still there. The prosthetic motion was efficient and natural, with the joints inside it moving like a real arm.
"How are the processors doing?" Devil Crab, an engineer from R&D, asked. Lion looked down at the monitoring tablet he had been given in response.
"Seems to be doing well." Lion replied, "Should be keeping pace with his brain's signals."
"I should hope so, the artificial nerves took a week to design right." Crab muttered although he was pleased with his work. To think what kind of technology this could lead to. He didn't linger on it long, no matter how badly he wanted to. Instead, he focused on having the soldier run through a few more tests just to ensure the arm was in working order. Once it was complete, Crab began to leave. That was until Lion called out to him.
"Oh, before you go, something's been messing with VIC. Think you can help?" Lion asked. Now, VIC was the collective name given to the medical team's predictive virus algorithm. It stood for Viral Intelligence Computer and was a project Dr. Strangelove had created that would map out possible future viruses, and simulations for vaccines to combat them. To do this, the algorithm was designed to learn through changes in the simulations. If one hypothetical vaccine didn't work in the simulation, it checked over its data to see if something was missing.
Then it began asking questions as to what data was missing and slowly tried to solve the problem. Usually, it was able to do this, but sometimes one of the medical staff had to manually input the data.
"I'm not a software engineer, so I might not be much help. But what exactly is the issue?" Crab asked.
"Well, someone left the program on for a week straight and it's been loading slower. The entire thing is backlogged with hypothetical diseases we're still going through." Lion explained.
"Again, not sure what I can do to help. I'll see if I can get someone who can." Crab replied, before quietly leaving the room. Somewhat satisfied by Crab's response, Lion walked over to the main console VIC was situated in. They had turned it off hours ago, but he decided to check in on it. Turning it on, he found the large page of reports he and all the other doctors had scrolled through before.
It would take hours to get through them all, and he was curious as to what diseases the algorithm had simulated at the bottom. But it was still taking forever to load. So, with his check done, he turned it off. Or he tried to. The screen stayed lit, and the program kept running. He hit the off button again, and still nothing. With an annoyed groan, he stood back up. He silently hoped Crab would send someone down because it was sure as hell broken.
