"Boss…"

The voice trailed off, like it was never there.

"Boss…"

Snake's eye shot open, the voice, this time, touching his consciousness.

Taking a deep breath, Snake looked towards the man hovering over him. His face was covered with a black mask, but his Boss knew him to be a Diamond Dog without mistake.

"I gave you an anti-venom."

Venom… a word that shot a searing pain through Snake's right arm as he blinked blindly, attempting to remember the events that had happened not shortly before. Where's Quiet?

"Where's Quiet?" This time his thoughts becoming words.

"I…"

The wounded soldier did not need to see the man's expression, the worry in his eyes told him everything. The moment did not last long, as the Diamond Dog quickly changed subjects.

"We've got to go."

Fully conscious, Snake was now aware that they were not alone. Two more men, his men, crouched nearby keeping watch. The dull throbbing in his head was now replaced with the rhythmic beat of helicopter rotors. Snake grunted as the man helped him to his feet, only to push him away before being supported on his shoulder. The soldier accepted his Boss' independence and turned towards his comrades.

"Let's go boys."

No exchange was needed as the three soldiers turned towards the helicopter, leaving Snake to himself. The wind had died down, but the dry air still felt rough on the weary soldiers face. How long since the sandstorm passed? He did not know. Looking around, the Afghan desert was as peaceful as ever. Exhaling a weary breath, nothing caught his attention… except a trail of prints.

Snake blinked in disbelief at the small indentions in the sand, footprints trailing off in the distance. They can't be, the perfect assassin doesn't leave a trace. Snake looked towards the helicopter holding a low hover. His men didn't make these, the prints were too small. Was it possible that she would leave them on purpose? He had to know for sure.

No words were exchanged with his men as Snake began following the path, he knew they would wait for him. The trail was easy to follow, each step an equal distance apart. Only someone with such grace and careful placement could have left them. Each print was left with delicacy, avoiding rocks and small plants that could have obscured them. Snake kept his gaze fixated on the soft trail regardless. With each step, he could picture her leading him up the hillside, or was she simply walking away. Snake had hoped the former, but the end suggested the other as he soon found himself staring off a cliff, looking towards the horizon. No… no… that can't be all. A scan of the area bore no fruit. The prints simply ended, just as easily as they had appeared.

Tilting his head towards the horizon, Snake closed his eye letting the cool breeze dry his sweat. Though he no longer had sight, Snake could have sworn he felt the formation of a tear in his right eye. The moment, however, was broken by the sound of a light tap. Blinking, Snake turned his attention towards a barren tree standing alone atop the ridge. A cassette tape, attached to a thin string, tapped the dry bark whenever the wind picked up. Before it could make contact though, Snake grabbed it, pulling it from its string. There was no note, no message, but he knew it was not there by accident. Slipping it into his cassette player, Snake pulled up his iDroid.

*Click*

"I did not choose to be Quiet. I wanted to express my feeling to you. If only we shared a common tongue."

The message was short, but the words… beautiful. The weary soldier took a deep breath as he closed his eye. Her words continued.

"Vengeance is what drove me to them… the only language left to me, revenge. But the words we shared… no, that was no language at all. That is why… I chose the language of gratitude instead, and go back to silence. I am Quiet… I am… the absence of words."

*Click*

The message had ended, but Snake remained… motionless. He could still hear her voice, the sweet accent of her words ringing in his ears. With a down cast eye, he knew… she was gone. The only thing he regretted the most…

…was not being able to say goodbye.

Chapter I
Just Another Day in a War Without End

Northern Kubal, Afghanistan
Spugmay Keep
1130 Hours

Two Years Later

The midday sun was blistering hot, more so than usual. Snake knew D-Horse was uncomfortable as well, shifting his body underneath him.

"Easy there."

The feeling of his riders hand running down the side of his neck comforted the weary animal. It did not last long as Snake returned his attention to the valley that stretched out in front of him. Just over two years ago Snake remembered looking out at the same view, Ocelot by his side. Rescuing Kaz was the beginning of their operations in Afghanistan, and yet, even after more than two years, they still had work coming in. Skull Face may be gone, but the Soviets still occupied, and the Mujahideen still had a war to fight. War is good for business. Snake knew this better than anyone else.

D-Horse shifted his stance again, bringing Snake back from his thoughts. After another pat on his neck, Snake pulled out his iDroid.

"The target is located in Da Wialo Kallai."

The sound of Kaz's recorded briefing cracked in Snake's ear.

"If our intel is correct, he is scheduled to be executed around 1300 hours. That does not give us a lot of time. Obviously, we can not allow this to happen. This is the first solid lead we have had in a month, and the information dies with him if we allow the Soviets to kill the poor bastard. You know what to do Boss, get our unlucky dog out of there."

Snake looked over the briefing notes. He recognized the picture of the captive as Running Sloth. Why he was assigned that codename Snake would never understand, but he was a damn fine intel agent non-the-less.

Enough wasting time.

Snake closed the iDroid and shifted his focus across the valleys expanse. Da Wialo Kallai shimmered in the distance, as if it was a mirage. The ride would not be long…

1200 Hours

Business as usual within the Soviet outpost. Guards walking around and chatting amongst themselves, sleeping against a wall or a makeshift bed, hopelessly swatting flies away in the desert sun, and other daily tasks. Snake heard everything through the microphone equipped on his in-scope, but none of the conversations caught his attention. A comment about the legendary "Big Boss" would occasionally cause him to crack a smile but it was nothing he hadn't heard before.

Scanning the village, the only thing to catch his attention was a single doored hut, just beyond a small stream. Two guards stood fixed, equal distances from the door, another around the corner. Snake knew that was the place, their behavior was different from the others in the village.

Satisfied with his recon, Snake returned the scope to his belt and searched for a place of entry.

Cutting through the village would be faster, but flanking around to the rear would be safer.

Looking down, his watch read 1218.

I'll go around.

Having made his decision, Snake dropped from the rock he had perched himself on and, after giving a quick glance and nod to D-Horse, began making his way towards the village. The chatter of Soviet soldiers grew louder as he got closer, but like a hunter, Snake kept enough distance to ensure the enemy would not be able to identify him.

Skirting around the village proved to have its benefits. Snake counted at least a dozen more hostile combatants stationed in various positions he could not see with his in-scope. Had he had time, a more thorough recon of the village would have been conducted. No time for that now though.

Approaching the hut, Snake counted two more guards that he had not initially seen. Their attention was on each other though, making idle conversation while one lit himself a cigaret. Snake could smell the smoke as he approached, concealing himself behind a waist-high wall located a short distance from his target. Peaking over the rough concert, careful to avoid causing any disturbance, the hunter watched the group of soldiers. Their dust covered faces told him they must have been standing guard for some time. One even appeared to be holding in a yawn before producing a heavy exhale. All of them, unaware of the venomous eye watching them carefully.

Holding his breath, Snake slowly pulled his AM D114 from its holster, pulling the slide cover back ever so carefully to check his weapon, ensuring that one was in the chamber. The hunter then produced a silencer from a pocket on his left leg, twisting it slowly on the end of the weapon. The air was stiller than usual, and each rotation of the silencer caused a metallic ring in Snake's ears. He was used to this sensation… the calm before the storm, the stillness that accompanied an approaching battle. One wrong move and he knew the whole village would swarm his position like a pack of angry hornets.

Five soldiers, two on the opposite end of the building. Snake thought to himself as he planned his attack. If he could take out the three in the rear, without alerting the two in the front, he knew he could be in-and-out before anyone noticed what had happened. Peering over the crumbling wall again, two of the soldiers continued to talk amongst each other. The third had moved closer to Snakes position, but his attention was taken to the ground, pushing the dusty rocks around with his boot. Now was the time.

A small, round rock proved to be the perfect distraction. A careful toss against a brick wall opposite Snakes position produced a loud enough thud to gain the attention of the three soldiers. With their backs turned to him, the Legendary Soldier exemplified his name. Like a deadly cobra, the snake struck at its prey with great precision. Producing a knife from his back, the predator sunk his teeth into the nearest soldier. The attack was as quick as it was silent, the sharp blade piercing its victim's back. Snake could feel the dull resistance as the razor edge sliced across the man's rib cage. Warm blood spat out, covering the hilt and hand that gripped it.

The victim lunged backward, but before a scream of agony could be produced, a bloodied hand was around his mouth and cheek. Little effort was needed to throw the paralyzed soldier to the ground. In the same motion, Snake came down on one knee, raising the sights of his weapon to his good eye. Time seemed to slow down as his muscles pulled the trigger. This moment was so natural that Snake sometimes believed he was not in control, but rather, a demon of death. The two soldiers a short distance from the predator never had a chance to turn around. One after another, their brains ran out of two .45 caliber holes. One in the back of their head, the other… between their eyes.

Their bodies went limp and crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt around them. The moment was over and the killer had full control of his body again. The air was still silent and calm; Snake knew conflict had been avoided, at least for now. Retrieving his knife, he moved towards the small hut.

The door was already unlocked, and pushed open easily. The creak of the rusty hinges was the only sound made, piercing the still air. The room itself was dark, causing Snake to blink several times before his vision adjusted to the change of light. A figure lay motionless in the corner, his back turned to the man that had just entered. Snake wasted no time crossing the cracked and sand covered floor, now hovering over the figure. Careful not to disturb the prisoner, he grabbed the man's shoulder and rolled him on his back. His face was gray and lips cracked, but he was alive… still alive. Snake was relieved as he hoisted the unlucky dog over his shoulders. Movement outside caught his attention.

Shit…

The door swung open in the opposite room as two soldiers entered the hut. Sensing the approaching danger, Snake felt the demon take over again. The prisoner hit the floor with a thud as the predator lunged towards the surprised men. Using his bionic arm, Snakes first strike was aimed at the closest soldier. Though he could not feel the contact, the sound of a sharp crack let Snake know he had just broken the man's jaw. The soldier went limp, slumped against a wall as the snakes attack was turned toward its next victim. Just as fast as before, a knife found itself within a clenched fist. Snake wasn't sure if it was anger or fear that he saw in the man's eyes, of course it didn't matter as it was soon replaced by a foggy haze, the snake's teeth plunged into his sternum.

The air returned to silence.

The landing zone was not far from where the prisoner had been held. The hills and tree coverage always made for easy extractions, without the risk of being spotted. Snake was counting on this, as he knew the village was still occupied.

Upon arrival, the rescued prisoner was still unconscious; though with the help of the days light, Snake attributed this to the possibility of malnourishment and dehydration. Nothing he could do for him here, especially with him in an unconscious state.

Minutes passed before the sound of rhythmic chopper blades could be heard in the distance. A voice cracked over the radio a few seconds later.

"This is Devil Dog, approaching the LZ."

Snake recognized the voice as the man who had taxied him two years ago. During that time he was known has Pequod, though, Diamond Dogs had seen an upgrade in its hardware since then. Like a wave of water, sand was thrown into the air as the helicopter crested the hill of the designated landing zone. It was of tiltrotor design, resembling the V—22 Osprey being developed in the United States. Though considerably larger than its predecessor, Devil Dog had its advantages. The tiltrotor functionality allowed for faster, more precise landings on almost any terrain. Distance was also less of a concern, the helicopter being able to fly farther and faster than anything Diamond Dogs had used before. Considering Mother Base (and Diamond Dogs in general) had grown exponentially since the Skull Face incident, Snake could understand why Kaz had wanted to upgrade their military hardware.

Snake put his arm up to his face, trying to avoid the kick up of sand, as the helicopter began to descend on his position. Before making contact with the ground, though, a ramp in the rear was lowered.

"On station at LZ, come aboard Boss." Snake's radio cracked.

Adjusting the man on his shoulders, Snake took a step onto the helicopter's ramp. In an instant, the entire atmosphere changed. The harsh Afghan environment soon became the comforting hum of metal and steel, and for that, Snake was grateful. Regardless of design, the helicopter had always been his home away from home, and refuge. Maybe it was disillusioned, but there was a strange sense of somber peace within its steel walls. The calm before the inevitable storm, a feeling he had grown so used to.

Devil Dog was Snakes personal transport helicopter, and was modified to be as such. Whereas the standard version (used by the bulk of Diamond Dogs) was designed to transport up to 24 operatives to Areas of Operation, Devil Dog had a majority of its seating arrangements removed to accommodate its Boss' needs. Near the front of the cabin was a cot and medical equipment, an upgrade Snake had been grateful to have on several occasions. A munitions and weapons rack was housed on the opposite wall providing easier access to weapon variations that did not require a return to Mother Base. Devil Dog was also equipped with long range communication radios. The equipment removed several rows of seating but was beneficial in reducing interference when making contact with Mother Base and did not require a secondary relay point. What was left of the personalized craft was seating for 7 people. Unlike Pequod before, Devil Dog was made up of a crew of 5. Snake had made an effort to learn all their names, or, at least their designated code names. Pequod (keeping his name from before as a form of symbolism) was the pilot, Doc was a combat medic, Wasp was the side door gunman, Wire was the communications operator, and Wrench was the helicopters flight engineer. Snake knew all of them to be good men.

Upon stepping onboard, Doc and Wrench helped haul the rescued prisoner from Snake's shoulders, carrying him towards the medical station.

"Mother Base, this is Devil Dog… we have secured the package and are RTB."

Snake looked towards Wire as he spoke. He was the youngest of the group at the age of 22, only having just been recruited. Had it not been for Ocelots suggestion, he may have not even ended up on The Boss's personal transport. Non-the-less, he was experienced at his job.

Snake regained focus with the jerk of the helicopter as it began ascending. Looking out the rear, the village of Da Wialo Kallai began to grow smaller as Devil Dog scurried away. Snake kept his eye on the ever reducing details of the village until it disappeared, washed away by the warm sands. The Boss remained still, watching the horizon, until the loading bay hatch was fully closed; sealing with a whispered hiss.