Ah! Welcome back! I'm surprised that you made it this far cause this is now my fifth chapter but I'm glad you stuck around- It just shows that you like, or atleast, appreciate my story and how it's progressing. Anywho, let's drop that sort of greeting and get on with it, eh?

Multiple oncoming events happened at the same time- In the last chapter, Snake managed to survive through his new guild advisor; Olivia's non-stop blabbering about her life and was now on his first few quests for him to, probably, easily complete without a drop of sweat… Or will he? Well? What are you still doing reading this sentence?! Look down! No, not down on your bottoms, ya silly

2:04 PM

The Road of Beginnings, Planeptune, Gamindustri

Despite being in another dimension, world, etc- The weather is quite nice, a breeze flew beside the wind, hitting anyone with the pleasure of good ol' nature's blow right up on their faces, the sun was blocked out by the clouds (Hello again, clouds, haven't seen ya for a while) and made sure none of the blazing heat dawned upon any new adventurers on the dirt road in the middle of the forest called, The Road of Beginnings… Cheesy, I know

Now mind you, this dirt road isn't that special if your wondering… the dirt road received it's name due to being the only road from main city Planeptune to the nearby, or how Neptune would say it; The 'Newbie' Plains. She said that the reason is due to the amount of 'trash mob' monsters that frequently spawns in the area, it's 'low-level' enough that it should be easy picking for a novice adventurer... But Snake isn't really that much of a novice, is he?

On said dirt road, a small band of individuals are travelling towards their intended location; Trees and other forms of vegetation are on the sides of the dirt road, certain passive animals can be seen ranging from birds, raccoons, squirrels, yada yada, that sorta stuff. The group is obviously Snake and the others whom he met, the former being on the front and in charged of navigation towards the plains while the latter appears to be bickering, well, two of them; IF and Neptune, and the two, Compa and Nepgear remain silent- Not really bothered by the situation.

Originally, a few minutes ago, IF was the one taking the lead for the group since she knows the whole nation like the back of her hand before Neptune started to give comments like 'Are we there yet?' or 'My feet hurt' and 'I'm hungry~' then becoming complaints that she would rather play games back at the Basilicom which IF started to slow down to match Neptune's pace as she started calmly lecture Neptune about work

"Bah! Mann~ This totally blows, we could just chillax at my place and have some pudding! Or play some games and stuff!" Neptune complains

"Nep- You know we can't do that since you have your duties as a CPU. Plus, I haven't seen you in the Guild Logs for a week." IF attempts to counter Neptune's complaint

"But it's so boring... And we're only fighting trash mobs... I prefer foiling the domination plans of an evil organization or, whatever. Like last time!"

"Um... Nep-Nep, you were filing a complaint against a game company how you can't take one of the side-characters route from a dating sim... And that was a month ago" Compa pitched into the conversation

"They deserved it!" Neptune exclaims while putting both her hands on her hips with a confident expression "She was best girl! I was mad because she wasn't an available route"

"That doesn't really justify why you kicked down the director's door just to personally slam your complaint on their desk" IF answered

"Pfftt- It's legitally fine! I'm a CPU, I do that sorta stuff all the time" Neptune replied while still acting that she is proud of what she did

"Sounds like an abuse of position if ya ask me..." IF commented with a comic-like sweat drop

"No, it isn't"

"Yes, it is- Nep"

The two continued to 'talk', well, argue about Neptune's current behavior while Compa pitched into the conversation from the time to time- Leaving Nepgear to awkwardly laugh since IF's fact were in fact true. She turned her attention to the front, seeing a certain man's back as he appears to be holding a small device on right hand and his mouth opening and closing like he's talking.

Nepgear was a bit more interested at the device that he is holding than the man himself but still interested in Snake since she only met him and since she's not really part of the other trio's 'conversation', she sped up her pacing, moving closer and closer to the lad's position as he continues to talk to/into the device.

"Yeah, Kaz- I managed to record most of the information and sent it using my IDroid..." Snake paused for a moment as if he's intently listening

"Hmm... Hold on... And... There we go, We got the transfer, Boss- It's a bit slow since some of our equipment is still not functional" Kaz announced on the other side of the IDroid, speaking through Snake's ear piece so no wouldn't be able to hear them in the immediate vicinity

"Hm... Well, we'll have to make do with what we have- Anyway, any news there?"

"Well, most of our staff is taking the R&D team's 'Different Dimension, Different World' theory to heart- And what I've looked over the files I received from your IDroid, I can support that it's true..." suddenly, a chuckle came from Snake, amused since he sided with the R&D team and Kaz knew about this "...Ngh, I still can't believe I lost"

"Hey, don't worry about it- It's not like you placed your bets against most of our guys... right?" silence was his response "...I won't even answer that question" Kaz let out a displeased groan from the other side of the IDroid

"Right- We're also sending out Chico and Amanda to one of the nations, the one called 'Leanbox' specifically" Kaz switched the topic and asked with a still displeased tone

"Huh? Why them? I'm not saying that they lack skill in information gathering and fighting capability but, they're not really apart of the staff in Mother Base. Didn't they just decided to visit us after they left to continue the revolution?"

"Yes, Boss- I could have sent other scouts from the Intel Unit but Chico asked, well, begged me that he wanted to be sent out instead"

"...Is this regarding about the monsters like the ones back home?"

"Mhm, he really wants to see them, Boss- Heck, those pictures that you took on the monster island probably fed his desire to see them up close..."

"Hmm... Then why also bring Amanda to the mix? To help him if it's neeeded, right?"

"Precisely, Boss- Those that Chico trusts the most is either you, me, or Amanda. I trust our men, Boss, don't get me wrong- But there might times that they might rouse suspicion considering the age gap between most of the soldiers here"

"Right... Well, just make sure that they're well-equipped for the job and provide them information if needed- Can't imagine the sandinista rebels that Amanda brought might think if they're leader got captured by a government."

"Yeah, they'll probably try and break out if that's the case-" a knock can be heard from the other side of the IDroid "-Oh, looks like they're here, and in time too. Well, Boss, just call again if you got more information regarding... anything, basically"

Snake peeked behind his shoulder to see one of the girl moving closer to him "-All right Kaz, I'l talk to you later" soon after that, he pressed a button on the side, probably ending the call as he switched the IDroid's function to a holographic map of the area, it shows the area that they are in since Snake already downloaded the maps back at the Guild.

"Um... Mr. Snake?" Nepgear got close enough to Snake that she's walking beside him

"Hm?" The man in question looked away from his holographic map and diverted his attention to lilac-haired girl with an raised eye brow "Do you need something?"

"Ah... Um..." Nepgear paused for a moment 'Goodness! What should I ask, I thought I could talk to him normally, but he's still a bit scary!... M-Maybe what device that he was using...? No, I might come out rude! O-Or, where he's from! Ohh, what should I ask!' she mentally panicked since she has no idea what to talk about and her face is showing it as well

"Um... Nepgear, right?" Snake looked a bit concerned at the girl's behavior before she snapped to his voice

"Y-Yes!" the panicked Nepgear halted her thoughts and perked up, shouting almost

"Hmm..." Big Boss looked behind him to Neptune and IF still arguing with one another, Compa being on the sides as she awkwardly smiles "Your sister sure is something, huh?" He commented on the smaller lilac girl to which Nepgear responded with

"Huh? O-Oh, yes, she quite is..." Nepgear agreed, but not in a negative way, of course

"Most of the leaders I met are quite humble and disciplined- She is a rare find since this is my first time meeting this kind of leader"

"Yes, she really doesn't do a whole lot of work and tends to laze around in the Basilicom..."

"Mhm..."

"B-But! She's quite open-minded, honest, and quite caring. Especially if there's something that is disturbing the peace, she's always there to resolve the issue! In her own way..."

"Huh... Well, she has the qualities to be a great leader except, the fact that she's really 'lazy' and doesn't work, right?"

"Yes... Histoire always get mad at Neptune if she doesn't properly do her duties as a CPU- Mainly about paperwork and public appearance"

"Histoire?" 'History? In French?' Snake thought as the name confused him a bit 'Never expected French language to be here...'

"Oh, She helps us in managing the Nation- Sometimes, she takes full charge of Planeptune when my sister takes her laziness to... um... a higher level"

"Ah, so this 'Histoire' person is like your sister's second-in-command then?"

"Um... I suppose so"

"Then, what about you?"

"Me?" Nepgear responded, mildly confused

"You said something when you first introduced yourself to me, I think it was..." Snake trailed off, attempting to grasp the certain word he's looking for

"A CPU Candidate?" Nepgear answered for him instead

"Ah, yeah- That one. What is that supposed to be?" Snake asked, thinking that since they're still a bit far from the hunting grounds

"Oh!" The said CPU candidate's expression lit up by the question "A CPU Candidate is the next CPU whenever the current CPU decides to retire from her position- When it comes to strength, there's a slightly wide gap between us..." she looked a bit sadden at her own explanation

Snake noticed the sudden despair written on her face and raised a brow to this 'This kid sure is prone to being pessimistic' he thought, considering the lack of motivation and ecstatic-ness from her sister counterpart.

"Hey, don't worry- With extensive training for both the body and the mind, I'm sure you'll reach your sister's prowess in due time" Snake said with a small smile to emphasis his word of encouragement

Nepgear looked at Big Boss, staring at him almost before responding "Y-Yeah... Maybe you're right..." she also displayed her own small smile, cheered up a bit.

"No problem" Snake replied as he turned his head over to the IDroid he held up with his right hand, pressing a button on the side as it displayed the holographic map from before 'Oh- We're almost there, just a few more minutes'

The one-eyed man looked over to the side with his only functioning blue-colored eye to notice Nepgear eyeing intensely on his IDroid.

"Erm... Something wrong?" Snake's tone indicated that he was confused with the sudden stare from the girl

"O-Oh! I'm so sorry!" The big sister(?) of the two Nep's apologized and bowed her head slightly, realizing what she was unconsciously doing a moment ago

"Ah, it's fine..." Boss reassured her, he wasn't offended or anything like that= Merely confused. So he looked at his IDroid again and asked "Are you interested in these sort of stuff?"

"Huh-uh, I'm just fascinated at the device you're holding..." She referred to the IDroid- It wasn't like she never saw holograms before, she saw plenty. But, having an item which project certain things such as maps that can be held by hand too, of course it would intrigue her!

"Oh, this?" Snake held up the item in question, in which she nodded- He flashed a smile as he began to explain the functions of the IDroid, but not the parts used in the machine... Cause, who knows? As a mercenary, anyone could be an ally or an enemy, depending on the circumstances and payment... And goals too

Nepgear was listening in a focused manner- Almost like a disciplined student listening and taking notes from her teacher, except, she isn't really taking notes... Maybe mental ones

While the two of them talked with the trio still on keeping their bickering (Well, two of them) even how much time has passed, in the deeper section of the forest- Under a layer of shade and heavy vegetation lays a individual camouflaged into the background, wearing a beret on their head, the color however, is unidentifiable.

They held up a pair of binoculars up to their eyes, looking through the lenses and observing over a group, or more or less, a particular individual in the group... Zooming on to a certain one-eyed man, a smirk appeared on the hidden figure's face.

"Found you"

[...]

Meanwhile...

Somewhere in the Gamindustri Ocean, Mother Base

Ah... The R&D Platform, a place where 'recruited' and volunteered individuals who have a knack in the field of science- And where adult nerds geek out about Sci-Fi stuff apparently, Not that's a bad thing or anything...- are able to research and develop, hence the title, or improve certain items to make it available for the entire MSF crew.

Looking inside the building and passing through the walls with my author powers, why am I narrating like this all of a sudden you ask? Cause I bloody can and no one can stop me (Maybe Neptune, she's the master of 4th wall breaking after all). We stop at a medium-sized room and there's a wall in the middle with glass fused with said wall to see the other side.

On the more populated side of the wall is equipped with monitoring and researching equipment (I'm not that smart with science-sy stuff, okay?!) that are being used by individuals donning lab coats with the MSF insignia on the right shoulder and a 'R&D' patch on the left shoulder, some of them even have that spiky hair-do or googles to make the whole 'mad scientist' vibe, you know?

On the other side, however, is the more dangerous area- Well, not really, but you get the point - harboring the mysterious crystal that is held in the middle with claws and cables. The light that emits from it, is still the same as before; Bright as a fucking candle, but not too bright that it'll blind you just by looking at it.

A few scientists with hazmat suits are inspecting the crystal, one is using a stick device that connects with the equipment on the other room to monitor the strange radiation levels it impulses from time to time, one is holding a clipboard to record... something. And another is checking the systems in the heat temperatures of the room and keep it to a reasonable level so they don't get boiled like chicken soup or freeze into an ice-block.

All is going well in all honesty, they haven't gotten any sort of progress done since they just started to examine the crystal, nobody has died, nobody has grown a second limb from the potential radiation so all's good. While the team of scientists continue on with their research, two individuals were supervising the operation- One is our cowardly disabled friend, Huey and the other is our very 'friendly' local lesbian, Dr. StrangeLove.

"Hmm... This is a hard nut to crack..." Huey commented while he focused on the crystal on the other side of the glass

"Hard nut to crack?" clearly didn't get the phrase and raised a brow at this

"O-Oh! It was just something I heard from Miller" He nervously answered followed with a small chuckle

"Ah... Then explain to me to how is this 'Hard to crack'?" She asked with a interested tone

Huey turned his head and looked at Strangelove, he could see that her skin is pale as ever, as well as wearing her usual clothing; A tuxedo vest accompanied with a tie and neat black pants, which was a odd choice of clothing since she is a researcher as well. Her modified(?) sunglasses tend to protect her due to her eyes being sensitive to light. She has short white hair and a hairstyle similar to Leon from Resident Evil (I don't know how to explain hairstyles! I ain't a barber!)

The man on the wheelchair adjusted his regular glasses with his index and middle finger, very anime-like before explaining something "Well, this is the first we ever had to deal with something like this- Considering that we just brought it in this morning so we didn't have that much time to examine it"

"Did you ask the other members that are specialized in this sort of field?" Strangelove said as she pointed her thumb towards the crystal

"We did- They assumed that we probably discovered a new type of ore since, like them, don't know much about it." Huey replied professionally

"I see..."

"Of course, we still need to continue on examining it since it's properties don't even appear or relate on the elements of the periodic table, not even a single connection could be made so this could be a huge discovery and breakthrough in Science if we could figure it out!" Huey explained excitedly, although he isn't specialized in this field, it's always exciting to make new discoveries.

Doctor Strangelove remained silent, ignoring Huey's childish excitement and crossed her arms as she begins to think 'This seems to be too much of a coincidence, you can't just find a random crystal in a cave where Peace Sentinel and MSF already checked out, hell, even the CIA knew that place and didn't find anything other than Iron and Copper' her suspicion on the sudden appearance of the crystal lingered before her chain of thoughts were broken by Huey

"Say, why are you here? You were never really interested in anything else other than the AI Mammal Pod" Huey asked, he really was wondering why Strangelove was here, she didn't show much interest in anything else than her 'Precious' AI Pod and her 'special bonding' with other women...

"I heard about from several sources about the R&D's team's theory about us being in a 'Different Dimension' and after going outside to prove it, I suppose I can support it as well."

"And how is that being relevant to you being here?"

"Because, after Snake brought in the crystal- That strange light incident happen and knocked us all out, then it brought us here- Away from the Caribbean Ocean, away from any of the countries, away from Earth, so of course I'd be interested towards the suspect" The sunglasses-lesbian explained

"A-Ah, of course..." Huey said nervously, who WOULDN'T be interested if something brought you away from your dimension into another? He felt a bit silly after asking that question

"..."

"..."

Both remained silent...

...

Meanwhile in Huey's mind...

'This is SO awkward...' Huey thought, 'Come on, Emmerich! Think! Talk to her!' His right side brain proposed

'What should I say?!' the left side of his brain responded

'I don't know! Just ask her about... Anything!' the right side of the brain said

'O-okay' the left side nervously responded

"S-So... n-nice weather we're having..." Emmerich said, stuttering on the way

"Hm?" Strangelove raised a brow in confusion due to the sudden question before looking around the room...

There's no windows...

"...How can we see the weather if there's no windows?"

'YOU IDIOT!' the right side shouted at his accomplice

'You said I could ask anything!' the left side shouted back

'YEAH! BUT THAT QUESTION DIDN'T MADE ANY SORT OF SENSE WHATSOEVER!"

'I'm sorry! I don't work well under-pressure!'

'YOU'RE A SCIENTIST WHO WORKED ON METAL GEAR WITH A BUNCH OF PEOPLE WATCHING, HOW DID YOU NOT GET PRESSURED BY THEM!?'

'Don't judge me! She's a special case..." the left side whispered the last part

"Uh... U-Um..." The poor man kept stuttering, having no excuse to his absurd question

Dr. Strangelove watched the man stutter as he seems to be looking down with a bit of red on his cheeks, no doubt embarrassed- She let out a small giggle at this, in which Huey noticed with widened eyes

"Well, I'l just take my leave- I still have other duties attend to, so goodbye for now" She announced before heading towards the door, opening it by pressing the button on the side and going through it, making her out of sight once the door closes, leaving the shocked Huey in the room with the other members of the research team.

'Did she...?' the left side asked before the right side interfered

'giggle at us? Yes, I think so.' the right side calmly finished

'...Mission accomplished?' the left side asked

'Heh' the right side just shrugged

While Huey was still in his shock state, he didn't hear the sudden applause from the other members of the team, cheering for him, heck, even the guys with the hazmat suits joined in with the clapping since all of them knew that Huey liked the lesbian, romantically of course, and she was DIFFICULT to impress by the guys. It was kinda obvious just by reading his actions and face.

The applause eventually died down before all of them returned to continue on their work- At this time, Huey managed to recover from his shocked state then his gaze went from looking at the crystal then back at the door, a smile appeared on his face before continuing with his work.

[...]

Author's Notes

Hello again, Mill here- I just wanted to say thank you for all those who followed and favorited from Chapter 1 to Chapter 5, I know it's not that big of a deal but to me, it is. Now, regarding the updates of chapters, i'l be able to squeeze in a big singular chapter or two medium-sized chapters thanks to the one week break I got from school.

By the way, sorry if this chapter is relatively short than the others, I'l do my best to make it longer but with the limited time I have makes it rather difficult.

Now, to answer some of your reviews (Yummy)

Smashgunner - Thank you, good sir, Amanda and Chico will be in the next chapter since this one is a bit rushed.

Meanjojo - Thanks- And yes, I'm still working on that Command and Conquer x RWBY thing but I think I'l be able to publish at a later date.

kerrowe - I explained the generator thing cause in the Phantom Pain, I saw each platform had atleast one generator to power that particular platform and since in Peace Walker they didn't let you walk on Mother Base so I just assumed this was the same.

Oh, and I wonder indeed... Hehehe...

flitterflux - Yes, they'l appear later in the story, not in the near future but somewhere in the future. Their roles, however... I'l think about it

Kushalala - Yeah, Neptune tends to do that- And regarding about Ocelot... I'l just leave you to guess *wink*

blacksoul123 - No promises, my friend- But i'l do my best, don't worry!

Anyway, now that's done. I shall see you lads on the next one. May the Emperor's Light guide your way, cause if you don't...

I'l stab you, you bloody heretic...

- Fiction Militia