The new cell, much like the rest of the prison Snake saw, was rather decrepit. It was a small compact box, that made the brig back on Mother Base seem like a luxury suite. The bed was nothing more than stiff cardboard with a raggedy towel as the only form of warmth. There wasn't even a toilet, just a small drain in the corner of the room. He had thought of Alcatraz when Ocelot said this prison was secure, now it seemed like an underestimation.
It was hours after the guards had dropped him off, that he began the plan. He went down to the floor and swallowed the fake death pill. The pill acted quickly as Snake felt every part of his body go stiff. After a few minutes, a patrol walked by, checking all the cells one by one. They stopped at Snake's and opened a small window on the door.
The first guard looked in, and seeing Snake's body called out "Hey! Get up!"
A few seconds would pass before the guard would do it again, and finally a third time. After the third time, they would radio someone, asking the person on the other end "What are the vitals of prisoner 1117-2004?"
Snake heard a very muffled reply on the very end before the cell door slowly opened. Three guards entered, with one walking over to Snake's body. He prodded him for a second, seeing if he would move at all.
"Anything?" a guard asked, sticking back to the door in case something happened.
"Nope, it's like the sensors said, he's dead." The one poking Snake replied.
"You sure? They called him Snake, maybe this is his quirk?" The third asked,
"Really, and what would his quirk be." the one near Snake countered.
"I don't know, it was just a thought."
"A dumb one, 'wow a quirk that can kill myself'. Honestly, how did you even get this job."
The guards picked up Snake's body then, with two holding him by the arms and legs. Carefully they walked over to the prison's morgue, running into Ocelot as planned.
"What happened?" Ocelot asked, playing his part flawlessly.
"We found him dead in his cell sir. Were unsure of the cause."
"Great, the President's going to have our heads for this."
He followed them the rest of the way there, quietly entering the morgue. The guards set Snake down on a gurney, with the mortician getting ready to start. Acting quickly Ocelot tossed a random scalpel across the room, unnoticed by the room's occupants. They turned wondering what the noise was, giving him just enough time to give Snake the revival pill. The effects came in quickly, with Snake regaining the feeling in his arms and legs.
The mortician turned back around then, about to start again. Instead, he jumped back in shock when Snake ripped the scalpel out of his hand. The guards panicked with one reaching for his radio. He screamed in pain as the scalpel Snake took pierced his hand. The other guards meanwhile attempted to subdue Snake. Ocelot playing his part, ran at Snake as well, throwing a small punch. A punch that was conveniently side-stepped and impacted one of the other guards.
Snake meanwhile grabbed the arm of the other guard and swept his legs. With the guard losing his feet, Snake swung him around and threw him at the guard with a scalpel in his hand. Both hit the ground hard in the collision and were knocked out. Ocelot and the last guard standing threw another strike, only for them to miss. Snake getting close enough for Ocelot to hand him a revolver.
Both then stepped back, as they found Snake aiming the revolver at them. They raised their hands in the air, with Snake having them walk to the other end of the wall. He then found the cowering mortician and had him join them. Then he walked behind the guard and choked him out, doing the same to the mortician. With them now unconscious Snake turned back over to Ocelot, the man now approaching a duffle bag that was in the room.
"You have my equipment?" Snake asked.
"Afraid not," Ocelot replied, "but what I do have, is a map of the place."
He pulled out of the duffle bag, a map. It was a crude paper copy of the prison that looked to be decades old, but it worked.
"I'd have brought you your guns, but that would have brought too much suspicion on my part."
"You still haven't explained why you're here," Snake commented as he peeked out the door of the morgue. None of the guards were on alert, yet.
"And I told you, we don't have time," Ocelot replied, hiding the duffle bag back in the corner. Snake looked back over to him as Ocelot passed him the map.
"Now, that person of interest I told you about, should be somewhere on the floor above us. She goes by the name, Nagant."
"Nagant?"
"It's something about her power, or whatever they call it. Once you find her, one of MSF's helicopters will come to pick you up."
"An exfiltration via helicopter in the middle of a prison is going to bring far too much attention for us to escape."
"Right, that's why I said it was going to get complicated. So… I'm gonna need you to shoot me."
"What?"
"Once you shoot at me, and make a noticeable getaway keeping everyone distracted, I'm going to cut the power. That way their radar and any other equipment that might find the helicopter coming, won't until it's too late."
"Well then, assuming I make it out of here, what happens to you?"
"I remain with the HPSC, for now, that is. I'll call you to explain later, but right now we are on borrowed time. Now could you preferably shoot me in-"
Snake fired and the bullet lodged itself in Ocelot's arm.
"Son of a bitch! Ok, that works too." Ocelot replied, before drawing his second revolver and firing into the wall behind Snake. Snake, already knowing guards were going to be swarming the area, ran out the door. The guards weren't far behind as he raced down the hall, taking a quick left. The map said this Nagant should be through the next cell block. Snake leaped out of the way, hiding against the wall as another patrol of guards ran by. They stopped when they met the first patrol.
"Did he go this way?"
"No, we didn't see him run by."
"Damn it, spread out and find him."
Finding he lost them; he stealthily made his way down the hall. He took care to avoid the cameras lining the hall. The entire way Snake observed his surroundings. The prison had no source of natural light, everything was lit up by basic bulbs. If he didn't know any better he'd assume he was underground. And considering the lack of windows everywhere, that might very well be the case.
He ducked behind another wall, watching as the guards walked by him. Just as the last of them was walking away, he grabbed the guard in the far back. The other guards didn't notice as Snake dragged the guard away, pointing the barrel of the revolver at his head. He choked out the guard silently, searching for some form of keycard. Finding it, he peeked around his surroundings.
At the other end of the block, he spotted Nagant's cell. He approached it carefully, his eye searching the area around him for any more security. Finding the area empty for the moment, he used the keycard to open Nagant's cell. Just as a loud mechanical thumping was heard coming down the hall. Snake turned around quickly, spotting what looked like an unmanned weapon. Only it had no AI pod, and it was much smaller. Wasting no time he ducked into Nagant's cell, hiding as the robot began searching the area.
Once inside he spotted Nagant. She was in somewhat decent shape, with an odd purple and pink hairstyle. She simply looked at Snake, seemingly uncaring for the situation going on.
"If you're looking for the exit, this isn't it," Nagant told him, lightly tapping the wall next to her.
"I figured as much." Snake responded, peeking back out the cell door, "Are you Nagant?"
"I am or was. Why?" Nagant seemingly looked away from him as she spoke.
"Well, I was told you were someone with relations to the HPSC," Snake told her. Ocelot never specified what the relation was, other than it being negative.
"I was, so if you're going to kill me, then get it over with. That patrol should be getting back in a few minutes."
"I'm not here to kill you, I'm here to get you out," Snake told her, clearly pointing the revolver away.
"Now why would you do that… actually why would I leave in the first place? For all I care, this is where I belong." That confused Snake a little. What exactly had she done with the HPSC?
"How do you mean?" Snake asked her.
"It's not important, had to do some wet work is all." It clicked in Snake's mind then, the moment she uttered the words.
"Your job was to clean up the messes of the HPSC." Snake deduced. Someone who knew all the dirty deeds of the HPSC. Now he could see Ocelot's reasoning.
"Something like it. You don't seem like a normal prisoner." Nagant inquired.
"I'm not, call me Snake," he told her, quickly checking outside the cell door. The hallway was clear, but he heard the robot coming back.
"Alright, Snake, why the interest in me?" Nagant asked.
"A contact of mine said you were a person of interest."
"Your contact was mistaken. I suggest you get going."
"You're not coming?"
"I told you, this is where I belong."
"Because of your past actions?"
"You got a better reason? Besides, where would I go? The outside is nothing but their playground."
"Then join me." Snake told her, "You seem to believe you have blood on your hands. Well everyone does. You can never wash it off, you can never live down the mistakes you've made, but you can do better."
"And what would joining you entail, bringing down hero society? I've heard that schtick before."
"No, I don't fight to change society or to impress some ideology. What I'm offering, is a chance to do real good. Not the pompous displays the HPSC puts out, but helping people who truly need it."
"And what would that be?" her words were skeptical the entire time. She couldn't find it in herself to believe him.
"Right now? Right now I was fighting a drug cartel in Venezuela. With the support of the HPSC, they managed to seize control of a third of the country. Down there, people need help Nagant, and the HPSC isn't providing it. Will you? It won't wash away the blood, but it helps."
She looked back at him reluctantly. She still couldn't find it in her to believe him, but the offer was enticing. All it took was that little thought, of a younger Nagant from all those years ago. And somehow, she agreed. She stood up from the bed and then, approached Snake.
"Lead the way," she told him. They headed out then, making their way down the vast halls of Tartarus. They had walked for half an hour when the power finally went out. It was near pitch black, but somehow Nagant was able to see. So they swapped roles, with her leading the way with the map. Soon enough they found the emergency elevators, and all the stairs up.
They climbed up quickly, stopping every few moments as guards passed by them. Few noticed and those that did were defeated quietly by Snake. It felt like hours as they climbed, making Snake wonder how tall this place was. He assumed it was underground before, but it seemed like they were miles under. He grabbed a guard that had spotted them with a flashlight as he thought.
What kind of criminals are they keeping in a prison like this, Snake thought. Surely they had to be tough, there couldn't be any other explanation for a prison this secure. He quietly choked the guard out, the other guards not noticing the disappearance of their friend. They continued onward, finally reaching the outside. Snake looked out across the area finding it to be night. He spotted the helicopter then, rapidly approaching them, and the guards didn't notice. They only did when it flew right past them. The guards attempted to stop the helicopter, but it was all in vain.
Moving quickly Snake and Nagant jumped into the helicopter. Morpho seeing they were inside, lifted the helicopter back off the ground, leaving the prison. Small amounts of flak would try to shoot them down, but it would be for naught.
She had never expected this to happen so soon. It was the middle of the night when Ocelot called the President, informing her of the escape. And she was downright furious.
"How? The guards had him under surveillance and monitored all quirk usage, they should have known if he was going to try something." The President surmised, reviewing the footage she had been given before Tartarus lost power.
"I'm not sure entirely mam. I found the guards escorting his corpse to the morgue, only for him to come back to life." Ocelot replied, the sound of him attempting to spin his revolver coming from the other end.
"You mean to tell me Big Boss is somehow immortal, or do you mean to tell me you didn't realize he was faking his death!" The President slammed the tablet in her hands onto the nightstand angrily.
"It wasn't fake mam, we checked his pulse and everything. He was well and truly dead." She could still hear him spinning that revolver as he talked.
"Did you get any information out of him before he escaped?" she demanded.
"No, but the guards discovered something else." Ocelot told her with the sound of him holstering his gun, "another prisoner escaped with him."
"Damn it, who?"
"I don't have all the records myself, but they called her Nagant."
Ocelot had to hold the phone away from him as he heard the President shriek in rage. The guards next to him all turned pale then, realizing that yes, they were screwed. Once she quieted down Ocelot brought it back to his ear.
"I assume that's bad."
"Of course, it's bad Ocelot. She killed the HPSC's last president."
"Well then. I'll see if I can find them." Ocelot hung up, leaving the President to stew in her rage.
"Madam President, how do you respond to claims that there was a prison break in Tartarus?" The first reporter asked. The President had been up since the call from Ocelot arrived and now was rushed off to an interview.
"I can attest to everyone today, there was no breakout. Just a temporary loss of power." She told them, attempting to keep her calm.
"But eyewitnesses say they spotted an unknown helicopter flying into the prison?" The reporter countered, unwilling to let go of the question.
"They were mistaken, they saw some random shape in the dark and assumed it to be a helicopter."
"But what about-" the reporter tried to continue, being interrupted by the President.
"Next question, please. You." The President said, pointing at one of the reporters.
"Madam President, rumors have been circulating about the continued existence of the Ninth Circle Yakuza. What do you make of these claims?" The news reporter asked. The President mentally sighed at this, they had been getting sloppy if they had been noticed so soon.
"The Ninth Circle was stamped out years ago by All Might himself. They are dead, and have been dead for years now." She lied.
"Ok, one more question, what are the HPSC's thoughts on UA gaining international recognition?"
"They are utter nonsense, and simply another scheme created by the Principal."
She called on one final reporter then, a small-time News Team if she was correct. The President didn't remember seeing them at any other news briefings.
"Madam President, what are your reactions to the claims of a civil war going on in Venezuela?"
The President instinctively laughed it off, trying her best to make the claim seem like utter nonsense. The other reporters also had a slight chuckle, believing the smaller news team had been mistaken.
"There is no war in Venezuela. None at all."
There was most definitely war in Venezuela, as Telepathic Ape ducked behind a hill. He was wondering how he went from a soccer game with children, to hiding from a fifty-caliber machine gun. Next to him was a platoon of MSF soldiers, in the midst of the Venezuelan jungle. Without looking over he used his quirk on the enemy on the machine gun, reading the man's mind.
"Ah shit, almost out of ammo. Come on fucker, get out of cover for me." The machine gunner thought, waiting for Ape to move. Ape instead grabbed a grenade and carefully chucked it over the hill. It landed right at the machine gunner's feet unnoticed before exploding. The shrapnel killed him instantly and gave Ape enough to run out to a better spot.
Bullets from the AKs and old M16s flew past him, as the cartel fired away. They impacted the trees and the ground, kicking up dirt. He ducked back down again, taking cover behind a large tree. He looked over and found a target not far ahead, an AK in the enemy's hands. He acted swiftly as he aimed his MRS, shooting him instantly. He found a second one and did the same.
Dozens of men littered the jungles in a cramped firefight. The wet muddy ground made every step miserable as MSF advanced on the cartel's lines. Ape fired and killed a third enemy, before hearing the click of his rifle. His hand reached for another magazine, moving with precise care. The sounds of gunfire continued to echo around him, as he used his quirk again.
"There's a merc behind that tree if we can flank him…" a cartel member thought.
Ape whipped around fast, killing the man who was thinking of the plan. He kept going as he fired into a second and third enemy, both standing near the first man. He ducked back behind the tree again, readying his rifle to kill a fourth when he used his quirk again.
"Shit! We're being encircled, I ain't dying for this!"
Ape peeked around the tree, spotting the enemy who thought that running. Dozens of other men appeared from the trees as well all running off into the jungle behind them. His radio crackled to life as the CO ordered "Everyone take cover! Enemy artillery strike inbound!"
The trees surrounding him exploded into splinters of wood. Large plumes of dirt were kicked into the air, as shells hit the surrounding area. Men around Ape were torn apart as they all took whatever cover they could find. The shells kept coming for a solid five minutes before the area calmed down. He stood up carefully, wary that the strike was over. The other soldiers did the same, before gathering up the wounded.
Ape's CO started giving out orders on the radio "I want gunships to take out those guns. The drone spotted them on the northern ledge, near the jungle's clearing."
"Negative Lieutenant, no gunships are available at the moment. Your best move is to dig in."
"CP there is nowhere to dig in, the entire area's a fucking mud pit."
"I'll see what I can spare, but there's nothing we can do."
The CO angrily turned off the radio, and a drone operator walked up next to him. He held out a controller for the UA drone, displaying its camera feed. This one was sadly an unarmed variant.
"They're packing up the artillery sir. They'll have moved to a new position in a few moments." The operator told him.
"Damn it, I need those guns gone." The CO replied thinking over the situation, "Alright do you have any of those suicide drones still available."
"None, we used the last at the overpass."
"Great," he said sarcastically, "Alright Ape! Eagle! Over here!"
They both ran over to the Lieutenant curious as to what he had to say.
"You call sir?"
"You two, the enemy's guns are being moved. I want you to intercept them and delay for as long as possible," he ordered while showing them the location of the artillery. The drone having not been spotted, showed the cartel rapidly packing up three M114 howitzers.
"Understood sir," Eagle replied, motioning for Ape to then follow him. They trekked onward through the jungle, finding the jungle clearing quickly. The cartel had almost finished packing up when they arrived, the trucks already having two guns ready to go.
"I see a dozen guys over there," Eagle told him, carefully observing the enemy.
"I see fourteen, there are two more in the driver's seats of the trucks," Ape replied, holding up his MRS carefully. The men in front of them weren't all well-armed luckily, only possessing a few rundown AKs. Seeing the final gun almost ready to move, Ape told Eagle "You take the left, I'll take the right."
Then with a silent countdown, they pulled the trigger. The first cartel members died instantly. The others near them ducked behind the trucks in a panic before firing sporadically into the jungle. Their aim was horrible, as Ape fired back at another two men. The bullets punched through them easily, with Ape quickly reloading after the burst. He saw Eagle doing the same, before tossing a grenade at the enemy. A few enemies cried out in pain, but the others fired back.
Eagle cried out "Shit!" as he ducked back down to the ground. Ape looked over to see why, before leaping out of the way. The cartel had angled an M114 downwards, firing it into the jungle near them. The tree crumbled under the force of the shell, splintering off in all directions. Ape grits his teeth as he feels something sticky pool down his leg. He ignored it as best he could, using his quirk on the gun's operator.
"Haha yeah! That got 'em!"
Struggling slightly, Ape fired his rifle at the operator, killing him. The gun's loader ducked behind the M114, quickly inserting another shell. The other cartel members fired back into the jungle attempting to hit him. Moving as carefully as possible, Ape crawled away to a different location. It was in the Knick of time, with the M114 firing into his old position. His leg felt off slightly as he continued to crawl, Ape only stopping as he tossed out another grenade.
On the other side, he saw the cartel had been whittled down, the original fourteen now down to five. He also saw Eagle, reloading another mag into his MRS. Wasting no time, Ape lifted his own MRS up, firing a quick burst into the last cartel members, with Eagle doing the same. They were cut down swiftly, the last of the cartel dying quickly. In pain but victorious, Ape watched as Eagle placed fultons on the M114s, before blacking out.