Twenty weeks in, and twenty chapters ahead. So it’s time for an extended chapter, and it’s time for answers. What happened between Mei Ling and Nastasha? What’s with the strange codec calls? Where does Snake lie in terms of fate? What’s going on within the sub, and what’s going to happen once Snake reaches where Vulcan Raven should be? As usual, cast your theories on what’s going on below, and check out the special ‘catchup’ chapter coming later this week.
Disclaimer: This story contains violent scenes that some younger readers may find disturbing. Many chapters contain detailed scenes of gore and peril. If you haven’t played the Metal Gear series, there will be spoilers in this story. If you haven’t read the previous chapters, just click ‘All Chapters’ above.
Below Hell
… [Two Hours Earlier] …
“Mei Ling.”
Nastasha leant through the office door. Mei Ling span round in her desk chair in a bright manner to see who it was. She looked relieved.
“Come in.”
“Thanks. I wish I had my own office alongside my working terminal.”
“I know, but I have to come here to get away from it all.”
Nastasha handed Mei Ling a scrawled note and a tape.
“Latest stats are in. We seem to have lost contact with Snake.”
“I know. I’ve shouted and screamed down the mouthpiece, but he doesn’t respond. I just hear static.”
Mei Ling looked down at the piece of paper. There were no digits printed on the note, and the edges were torn as though in a hurry. Two short sentences were scribbled across the middle of the slip in heavy italics.
‘We’re being watched. When I leave, play the tape.’
Mei Ling looked up at Nastasha in a confused panic. Nastasha looked at Mei Ling with a straight face, avoiding eye contact with the security camera that monitored them from the corner of the room.
“I’ve got to get back to the codec. The Colonel was asking for you to return soon.”
“Ok, thank you…”
The metal submarine door shut behind Nastasha, sealing Mei Ling into the room. She quickly span back round and slid the tape into a nearby machine, rapping her foot on the hollow floor impatiently while it churned away into place. Click. The machine was ready to go. Mei Ling threw on some ear phones and nervously hit the play button with a trembling finger.
“Mei Ling. I was unsure earlier if your suspicions of the Colonel were simply due to the situation that we’re all currently in. So I decided to make a small check on him myself. It felt bad to do it to our own boss, but I felt it was necessary. At least we would all be able to laugh this whole thing off. Cutting a long story short, I’ve been tracking his codec output. It’s odd. The Colonel is transmitting a frequency outwards that isn’t being picked up by anyone. I’ve noticed you walk past my my office window when the broadcasts start, so I can only imagine he broadcasts when you’ve moved away from him. For that reason, you might want to listen to codec frequency one one nine point seven seven. I’ll be back to you in five minutes, He watches the security camera monitors.”
…
… [Present Time] …
“Otacaon, do you know binary?”
“A bit, yes. But I program in higher level language mostly. However, I did learn part binary, base level and ASCII in my earlier years.”
Snake looked at him blankly.
“What?” Otacon asked.
“I got a codec call that read out numbers to me in binary. Do you think it was a coded message?”
“It could have been if it were ASCII. I would imagine if someone was speaking in binary, they may be giving a code for something else. It can’t be the launch code for Metal Gear though. That was never programmed to accept machine code from an external burst transmission or source.”
Snake grumbled and continued forwards. The lift was functioning, and the two were able to easily move into the next room. Otacon mopped his forehead as they left the blast furnace, and reached the larger underground hanger. He looked around in amazement of the size of the building.
“Get in.”
Snake was already tapping the keys at the console to move the sliding floor elevator downwards. Otacon hurried along to ensure he was standing in place. A few beeps later and the floor beneath them rumbled as it slid horizontally downwards into the earth. Snake brought his fists up to cover his face, expecting guards to pour in from above, but no-one came. This was too odd.
His mind flashed back to the bodies littering the hallway up to Otacon’s office. They were slightly out of place. Fate had changed due to his own actions, but it was not gone. He knew it would come back at him, because despite his beliefs on the world, recent events had made him see sense in the term ‘fate’. His place in the world had no obvious meaning, and while the two men sat down on the moving floor, he wondered how alone he really was amongst the darkness of the underground facility. No-one knew him for who he had become. Snake, the legendary soldier, was just a legendary soldier. Nothing more.
He closed his eyes as a raven cawed in the distance, haunting his deepest memories and igniting his own fears for the inevitable future.
…
“Snake”.
“Naomi! What’s going on? I’ve been getting some scared calls from Mei Ling.”
“She’s fine Snake. Everyone here is calm. Can you just be calm with us too?”
Snake was instantly furious. He was being spoken down to, like the pawn that he was in this big setup.
“Why the hell am I going to Metal Gear? I already told you that there is no terrorist threat. They do not have the ability to launch the nuke.”
There was silence on the codec, just as there was before.
“I’ll put Campbell on”.
“Snake.”
“Colonel. What the hell is going on?”
Otacon looked upwards at Snake from the floor. Snake was pacing backwards and forwards on the moving lift.
“Snake… I… I need to… need to”
There was a distorted knocking sound across the line.
“Just continue to Metal Gear. It’s not much further up ahead now.”
David was ready to swear his heart out across the codec. He took a deep breath, and calmed himself.
“Were you broadcasting the binary?” David asked.
“What binary?” Naomi sounded suddenly anxious.
“I received a call with just an automated voice reading me ones and zeros.”
“…”
“Well?”
“No, that’s not important. Just ignore it Snake and keep moving. We’re all fine here, so there’s nothing to worry about. Mei Ling has calmed down and is continuing with her work.”
“Yes Snake. I’m fine now. Just ignore what I said earlier. Nothing is wrong.”
Snake remained silent.
“Are you injured Snake?” Naomi asked
“Are you badly wounded?”
Snake grumbled.
“I was. But Fox helped me.”
“Fox?”
Snake put his right hand over his face and rubbed off the sweat. He scrunched up his face before he decided to reveal his knowledge.
“Yes, your brother.”
“Oh yes, I remember telling you.”
“Did you?”
“Yes. Before you found the scientist. I told you.”
“His name is Otacon by the way, and he’s with me now.” Snake corrected her.
“Good… good. Well, ok. If you’re both well, then we need you to continue towards where Metal Gear REX is being held.”
“Why?”
Snake was angry.
“Because that is your mission.” Naomi clarified.
“This mission ended ages ago. The DARPA Chief is dead. The ArmsTech President is dead. Master Miller is dead. The terrorists do not have the ability to launch a nuclear weapon, let alone man Metal Gear. You injected me with FoxDie, and I still need to continue?”
More silence, then a screech followed by the voice of a screaming woman.
“Anybody out there?! Help! Help me please!! Oh my God he’s… aah!”
Static. Naomi continued. She hadn’t heard the broadcast.
“… Yes.”
Snake was stunned. He was still angry, but suddenly compelled to help whoever just broadcasted the burst transmission.
“And what if I decide not to?” he hesitantly continued.
“Continue to Metal Gear REX, Snake. That is your mission.”
Naomi signed out.
As Snake moved to the second of two lifts with Otacon, they were joined by a swarm of ravens. Otacon cowered in the corner, while David leant on the railings calmly, watching the darkness swallow them up. Vulcan Raven was alive. Despite the stab wound from Snake, the man’s huge body had quickly healed. Muscle and fat had protected his internal organs, and Snake could only imagine how he must have stitched the wound himself. Despite changing fate, Snake assumed Raven would be waiting for him below. Was it Raven’s fate to die where he had died before?
Snake hoped so.
Clunk. The lift reached the bottom.
