Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Metal Gear character or the Metal Gear franchise. They belong to Hideo Kojima, Kojima Productions and Konami studios.

Author Notes: Finally I update this story, after several months of inactivity. I apologize for the delay. My Internet connection went haywire for some time and I had a bit of writer's block, which kept me from posting new chapters here; I was busy revising my first fic, a crossover between Metal Gear and Evangelion, which actually took some time as well. But still, I managed to complete this chapter and write about the next ones, so I hope you can forgive my tardiness and enjoy this chapter.

Many, many thanks to those of you who reviewed. I'm really glad you liked the first chapter. This one deals with Liquid's doings, as well as continuing with Solid and his side of the mission. There's a lot of action here; I hope that is of your liking.

Reviews will be greatly appreciated.

The Mercenaries

Chapter 2: Survival of the Fittest

Peninsula de Yucatan

8/10/96

2100 Hs.

The rain was really getting in Liquid's nerves. Having spent the past six years in the desert left him unused to rain, and this was a downpour that thoroughly soaked him. It wasn't a combat hindrance to him, as he was an expert in all types of environments and warfare, but that didn't mean that the cursed rain didn't bother him.

Liquid checked his equipment. He always did that before venturing into dangerous grounds. He was carrying a Desert Eagle 50. Caliber, one very powerful handgun, as well as one SOCOM Mk23, a handgun he had come to appreciate during his time as captain of the SAS, and finally a Glock 18, an automatic handgun that allowed him to fire bursts of bullets in a mater of seconds, which in his hands became the messengers of death. He had thought about bringing his McMillan Tac-50, his modified sniper rifle, but finally decided against the idea. He didn't know what kind of things he would have to do to get in the base, and bringing such a large weapon could be more of a hindrance than assistance. Last but not least, he had two knives with him; both made to meet his tastes. They were excellent for CQC - one very useful combat style he had learned in the SAS, a style that his own father had created - and they also worked as throwing daggers.

He was close now. The camp Amur Tiger had set was fairly big - one and a half miles from one end to another, according to the briefing Richard Ames had given him - but it was actually well guarded. Tiger had hired good mercenaries, Liquid thought. They were fairly competent, if they could guard a place this big without any grave surveillance mistakes.

He had finally arrived. The western entrance to the complex. It consisted of one steel gate, surrounded by cameras and surveillance towers. There were several sentries at the sides, and all of them had the others in sight, which made taking them out difficult. The place was very well guarded, Liquid thought.

But that wasn't enough to stop him. He had devised a way to get inside.

A small convoy was coming to the entrance, made of several jeeps and three trucks which Liquid supposed carried supplies. Seeing his chance, Liquid crawled in the shadows, getting closer to the supply trucks. The rain - bothersome as it was - actually helped him to conceal himself better, as the night was dark and the downpour made visibility even worse. Worse for any regular soldier, but not him. He had incredibly tuned senses, and something else that was just priceless in the battlefield. He had instinct. Very few soldiers were actually able to rely on their instinct alone and get to the end of the day. Liquid was one of them. Maybe that was one of the things he got for being a copy of the greatest warrior who ever lived.

Liquid went to the last truck and hid behind some bushes near the road. There was a guard coming this way, intent on checking the truck for any spies. While the idea in itself was good, the guard just came and checked the truck before getting back to the entrance of the base, giving Liquid ample time to get into the truck after he left. The back of the truck was filled with boxes, which served as a perfect hideout for Liquid.

The convoy got the authorization to move and the engines of the jeeps and trucks sprang to life, getting past the entrance to the camp. Liquid couldn't help but feel amazed at the stupidity of the guards that had let him in so easily. There were amateurs even in the best units, he thought. But those thoughts were not important now. The convoy had entered the base, now going for the three grand hangars that Liquid had spotted earlier during his reconnaissance of the camp. He could hear the voices of the guards as they entered the base. The truck stopped at the side of the western hangar, Liquid supposed, as they haven't passed any other structure in their way. And the distance they seemed to have covered - about 450 feet - made his guess look more accurate.

Now the driver had gotten out of the truck, going to the back in order to unpack the boxes which Liquid supposed contained supplies and maybe weapons. But said boxes also served as a hideout for the Snake, and after drawing his CQC knife and his Mk 23 he was ready for action.

The driver got on the back of the truck, ready to lift a heavy box and carry it out. Hidden in a dark corner, Liquid took his chance. He quickly got behind the guard's back and slit his throat with his knife while keeping his other hand over the man's mouth, as to not let him emit any sound. The guard died in his arms. Liquid slowly lowered him to the ground before making a decision.

All the guards had the same uniform. A dark green military camouflage uniform, a hooded green jacket and a balaclava. They also carried an AK-47 assault rifle with them, as well as a sidearm that Liquid recognized as a Glock 17. Luck was on his side as to that handgun, as his own Glock 18 looked almost the same and he didn't want to trade it for any other weapon. So, making his decision, Liquid quickly undressed the guard's corpse and donned the camp's uniform, grabbing the AK as well.

He hid the corpse in one heavy box and then lifted another, getting out of the truck and carrying it to the side of the western hangar, where he could see the other drivers leaving their own packages. One of the closest sentries looked in his direction and Liquid gave him a curt nod. The guard nodded back and looked the other way.

Flawless.

While he could have used more of a solid approach on his infiltration, Liquid was a master at slipping past enemy lines using the most unconventional methods. He could have jumped the fence or killed all the guards at the entrance, but he preferred this. The driver he had killed wouldn't be found in a while, and by that time he would have already completed this mission. And even if he still hadn't done so when someone found the corpse, there was still no way for them to track the kill to him. He would be in other place of the complex by then.

The guards' watch was focused on the supply trucks, leaving him unsupervised. Liquid quickly got into the western hangar, walking trough the grand front door with calmness. He had to appear calm, as no one knew he was a spy after all.

There were some jeeps at the front, but Liquid realized that was a mere façade. The real deal would be in the back, in the big room inside the building. Whatever Amur Tiger had stolen would probably be in the back of the hangars.

Liquid walked trough some corridors keeping his cool façade with ease. Hell, he was even enjoying this game in some level. Moving past some sentries that didn't even suspect him, Liquid got to the centre of the building. And he stopped in surprise.

There was a laboratory in front of him. But, unlike what Liquid was expecting, this was some sort of genetic or biologic laboratory. It almost reminded him of those facilities making research on the Human Genome.

In some underground facility in Langley

8/10/96

2115 Hs.

Richard Ames entered the dark room and took a sit at the side of one big table. Sitting on the other side, a dark skinned man gave him a brief nod as welcome. Both of them sat in silence for some time, Ames not wanting to speak first and the other man taking his time to do so. It was clear which one was in charge between them.

"So, Mister Ames," the dark man spoke at last "How are our Snakes progressing so far?"

"Better than expected," Ames said "So far they performance would put them on par with Big Boss himself, although Liquid's approach is far more unorthodox. Nevertheless, he has infiltrated the complex even faster than Solid did, and we all thought that someone surpassing Solid Snake was simply impossible, not after Outer Heaven last year," Ames fell silent for some time before adding something as an afterthought "No doubt the Les Enfant Terrible project has paid off just fine, Mister Anderson."

"That will be up to me to decide," The dark skinned man, Anderson, said seriously "As you know, the La Li Lu Le Lo are quite interested in seeing the twin Snakes in battle. I take it they don't know about the other's presence in the complex?"

"They don't have a clue," Ames confirmed "We'll see which one of them manages to complete the mission first."

"I would have never thought someone could attempt to match Big Boss," Anderson said thoughtfully, as if recalling past experiences "But that thought was dashed by Solid Snake last year. We'll see if the twin Snakes are worthy of being America's future leaders just as their father was."

Peninsula de Yucatan

8/10/96

2120 Hs.

Inside the Western Hangar

The lab was full of scientists and soldiers guarding the entrances. Liquid observed his surroundings carefully and found that the soldiers inside wore the same uniform he had. That was good, since it took care of some of his problems. Now, what he had to do was find the missing Optic Disc. The more he looked, the more convinced he was that the Disc wasn't here. If Amur Tiger had stolen it right from the CIA and the CIA wanted it back so badly that they didn't even trust FOXHOUND for the mission, then it had to be extremely valuable and its information should be priceless. It took extremely advanced computers to work with such secret material. While the place was outfitted with computers and advanced machinery, Liquid didn't spot any sort of supercomputers or anything like Hood Gene Sequencers, which were necessary for genetic research. That pointed that this floor was merely for minor research and perhaps testing. The Disc should be somewhere else. Liquid was starting to think about looking inside the main hangar when he spotted an elevator.

'So, there are underground levels to this base,' he thought with a smirk. This made things more interesting, as well as giving him an answer to his dilemma. He was sure the Optic Disc was on the lower levels of the complex. He would go underground and look there; should he not find anything he would snatch some scientist and interrogate him until he got his answers.

Liquid walked calmly towards the elevator. There were two guards at the entrance, but he paid no mind to them. While it was possible that he would need clearance to enter, he didn't have the time to stop and try to snatch a card or get a password. He would try to get in normally, and improvise as things went on. Dangerous as that was, it actually made things a lot more interesting.

Luckily enough, the soldiers didn't ask questions. Seeing his uniform, they just let him pass without a word. Liquid entered the elevator with dark thoughts in mind. He had a sneaking suspicion about the guards' lenience: it was likely that there was only one entrance to the underground levels, which made them all the more dangerous. The problem wasn't to get in, but to get out. Many facilities were built that way. Liquid was almost sure this was one of them.

The elevator panel showed it went two levels underground. Liquid was unsure as to which one push; in the end he decided to go to the lowest one. He figured it would be the most secure and therefore most likely to store the Optic Disc. When the doors opened again he was two levels underground.

There was a dark corridor in front of him. Liquid stepped out of the elevator and took a look around. There were no doors at the sides, and only one camera on top of him. Liquid didn't bother hiding, as he was dressed in a guard's uniform after all. Advancing quietly, Liquid finally got to the end of the corridor. There were two paths in front of him. Liquid had come from the east; the corridor continued to the west, ending in another elevator. That elevator probably came from the western hangar. But there was another way. The corridor also went north, covering a few dozens of feet before ending in a closed door.

Liquid smirked. He was sure: this had to be the place where Amur Tiger kept the data stolen from the CIA. Having seen the labs above, he was pretty sure said data had something to do with genetics. Maybe it was a biological weapon, maybe it was gene therapy.

That didn't matter now, though. He had to recover that disc and get out of there as soon as possible. Liquid walked quietly with his gun firmly held in his hands, still playing the role of a sentry. He put his ear against the door and listened carefully. Yes, there were several people at the other side. It was probably another lab, but much more important than the ones in the surface. Liquid readied himself, opened the door and got inside.

'Now that's more like it,' he mused in silence. There was a large room in front of him, outfitted with computers and gene sequencers. Two towers stood in the middle of the room, which Liquid recognized to be Cray Supercomputers. Yes, it was in this place that the main research was performed, and not on the surface. That had to be some minor testing place of some sorts. Still, even though this lab was fairly big, it was far smaller than the hangars above ground. There were only five scientists here, which Liquid assumed to be the chief doctors of the place. And there were three soldiers here, guarding the place in silence.

Liquid's entrance was met with suspicion, even considering his disguise. The mercenary was not surprised.

"Hey you! Who are you?" the guard posted at the door barked, eyeing Liquid with distaste.

"I'm here under orders of Amur Tiger," Liquid said, his voice completely calm. Yet his words were fragile as best. He had gotten inside without really knowing what he would find and his lack of an excuse to be here was the result.

"I didn't receive any reports on a new sentry," the man said sternly. He grunted when he realized that no answer was coming. He addressed Liquid with a harsh tone "What's your name, soldier?"

Liquid kept very quiet. He didn't have a name to say, but that was okay with him. His sharp mind had already made several plans as to what to do now. Three simple soldiers were no match for him.

"I asked you what your name is!"

Liquid stood still. The other two soldiers were closing in, just as he wanted...

Now. The three sentries were standing in front of him, one on his left, one in front of him and one on his right, their guns ready. Liquid moved faster than they could blink. Grabbing the muzzle of the guard on his left, he redirected his gun to the guard in front of him, causing the first guard to kill his comrade unintentionally. At the same time, he used his right leg to trap the third guard's gun under his knee. Not wasting time with needless hesitation, Liquid drew his Desert Eagle and shot him in the head.

The first guard let his AK 47 fall and reached for his Glock 17 pistol, pointing it at Liquid in a flash. Liquid spun and raised his Desert Eagle with lightning like hands, and a shot ran in the lab.

The guard dropped dead in the floor, a bullet hole right between his eyebrows.

One of the scientists ran to a red panel placed in one of the walls, a terrified look on his face. Liquid guessed his intentions and shot him in his back before he could trigger the alarm. The man fell to the ground in agony.

The four remaining scientists backed off, trying to get as far from Liquid as they could. Liquid smirked under his mask. They were terrified of him. Good.

"You can tell me what I want to know," Liquid said slowly, slight mockery in his tone "Or you can join your friend right there on the floor," And with that he pointed to the scientist he had shot before. The aghast looks he received were all the response he needed.

.

.

.

Liquid left the underground lab in silence. He walked back the way he had come, turning to face the western elevator, thinking about what he now knew. The Optic Disc wasn't here, despite appearances. It was in Amur Tiger's possession, which made things easier. Still, having had to do all this for nothing was slightly irksome, much like those scientists had been. Cowardly people. He had done what was necessary to ensure the success of his mission.

Something... something called for him. Liquid turned around swiftly, watching the darkened corridors behind him with sharp eyes. He had felt watched. Something had made him feel watched. And yet, he could sense nothing. Liquid never mistrusted his instincts, but there was no one in the corridor behind him, and he had no time to lose. Shrugging it off, the lethal Snake turned around and walked to the elevator.

He was reaching the elevator when the alarms started to ring. Cursing under his breath, Liquid rushed to call the elevator and get out of the scene. His disguise was good, but it would never withstand a thorough search. He was fervently calling for the elevator when he noticed that it was locked on the surface. Once the alarms rang, the elevator would be called to the surface so that the intruders underground were trapped with no way to escape. It was a smart thing to do, especially considering that the elevator would only get down to get assault teams his way.

Liquid cursed and decided to go for drastic measures. Knowing he had seconds at best, he used all his might into prying the closed door open. And yet he only managed to open a small dent with his fingers before having to let go. Adrenaline surged through his body, as the alarms rang loudly and everything became a blur. He could have sworn he heard footsteps back in the northern corridor; maybe the attack teams were already there. Liquid opened the doors again and used the muzzle of his AK 47 to keep them open; he then used the gun as a lever to create a bigger opening, large enough for him to pass. As soon as he opened the doors he looked upwards. The elevator was descending already. Then he looked downwards and was surprised by what he saw.

There weren't two underground levels as he had thought. Even if the elevator only marked two of them, there was a third basement level. Liquid was seeing that right now; the elevator wires went down several meters, coming to the darkened floor below.

'A secret basement floor...' Liquid's mind mused in an instant. And that instant was all he needed. He made his choice.

Jumping on the wires, Liquid descended through the hole. He prayed that the elevator was heading towards the second underground level, for if it was going to the third he was as good as dead. He moved swiftly and soon he was on the floor, just in front of a door that led him to the third and most secret underground level. The elevator stopped at the second floor, luckily for him. Using his AK 47 as a lever again, Liquid opened the doors and moved forward to the unknown. He had a mission to complete, and something told him that he had just found the right path to take.

Peninsula de Yucatan

8/10/96

2120 Hs.

Inside the Eastern Hangar

"What the hell," Snake muttered "Master... this looks like a genetic laboratory..."

"A genetic laboratory?" Master wondered aloud, stunned "Are you completely sure of that, Snake?"

"No doubt about it," Snake confirmed "It reminds me of FOXHOUND's labs."

"That must be it..." Master muttered under his breath.

"What do you mean?" Snake's sharp senses had picked up on Miller's low tone.

"The data Amur Tiger stole," Miller explained "I'm sure it has something to do with this. Possibly something related with the

Human Genome research... I wouldn't be surprised if human testing was being performed here."

"What the hell is this place..." Snake grunted "And what is that Optic Disc Amur Tiger stole?"

"I don't know, Snake," Master said sincerely "I have no idea of the researches performed by the CIA or the Government. I'll try to find out as much as I can, but as of now you still have a mission to complete. According to our Intel and satellite images, there are lower floors under those hangars. Head to the basement, Snake. It might be the most secure place in there, which makes it the most likely to find the Disc you are looking for. There should be an elevator around there. Find it."

The hangar was occupied by scientists and some soldiers guarding the entry and exit points. The good thing was that the scientists were completely focused on their tasks, which made it easy for Snake to move around, always careful to avoid the center of the big room. He moved swiftly through the shadows and boxes, and finally spotted the elevator Miller had referred to. It was guarded by two soldiers that stood completely still.

In a place like this, even a short fight would get everyone's attention and send the entire base into alert. Snake hid behind several boxes covered in shadows and knocked his right hand against them. That was enough to get one of the sentries' attention. The guard moved to check the source of the sound, and before he knew it he was in a classic chokehold, that kept blood from reaching his brain. He was unconscious in a matter of seconds.

Snake didn't waste time. He hid the body as best as he could and shot his silenced Beretta over the other guard's neck. The man dropped unconscious to the floor. Snake sighed and took his only chance. Stepping out in plain sight, he walked in front of the elevator and called it with the touch of a button. He knew it was all over if one of the scientists raised his head and looked his way...

The elevator doors opened softly and Snake got inside, dragging the last guard's body with him, so that no one would see it lying down in the hangar's floor. The doors closed then, ending the threat of being seen at last. Snake didn't even allow himself a relieved sigh. His mind and body were in constant alert, making plans every second, watching and deciding. His plan was to get in undetected. Should he be discovered, he wouldn't hesitate in fighting and killing. He never hesitated. It was Master himself that had taught that to him.

"I see you are inside the elevator, Snake," Master said "What's your status?"

"Could be better," Snake grunted "I have an unconscious guard next to me and this elevator goes down two levels. I'm not sure where to start."

"Go for the lowest level, Snake," Master advised "Move always with the elevator nearby, and keep a clear escape route. The disc should be there."

The doors opened and Snake got out of the elevator. There was a dark, empty corridor in front of him, guarded only by a camera placed just outside the elevator. Snake walked silently through the empty corridor, using the dim lights to his advantage and deftly avoiding the camera's eyes, using the blind spots to get past. There were two paths in front of him now, one that led to the east - probably to the eastern hangar - and one that led north. Snake decided to go north.

Just when he was about to move out of cover, a guard came out of the north corridor. Strangely enough, the man was carrying a Desert Eagle with his AK 47 on his back. Snake crouched in the shadows and let him pass. It wouldn't do to let himself be seen right in the middle of the enemy's base. The guard left for the eastern corridor. Snake moved in complete silence. He had just walked a couple of feet to the north corridor when the guard turned around in the blink of an eye. Pressing his body against the wall and sticking to the shadows, Snake held his breath and waited; his body felt like a spring, ready to jump into action, and yet he didn't make a sound. Not even the most sensitive of animals could have heard him.

The guard stood there for some time, and finally turned around and left. Snake suppressed a sigh and walked to the end of the corridor. A single door was there; Snake readied his gun and got inside. And he was left completely shocked by what he saw.

"What the hell..."

He had a complete massacre in front of his eyes. Eight bloody corpses, five of them scientists and three guards just like he had dealt with when sneaking in. The sight was horrible, as it was clear that while the guards had been killed in a fight the scientists had been murdered in cold blood, even though it was obvious that they were completely incapable of putting up any kind of resistance.

"Snake, what's wrong!" Master asked quickly, a taint of dread in his voice.

"Master, the scientists... they're all dead."

"What? They are dead?" Master was baffled "Do you think they were executed by Tiger's men?"

"No," Snake shook his head "Whoever did this, it wasn't on Tiger's side. Three guards were killed too, and there are signs that there was a fight here..." Snake's eyes glistened as he recalled the guard he had seen before, the one carrying the Desert Eagle "Master, I think there's another spy here besides me, and looks like he is really good too..."

A small whimper caught Snake's attention. His gun was ready in an instant, pointed at the source by sheer instinct, even before knowing what that source was. And yet Snake was stunned when he saw the cause of the noise. One of the scientists was alive after all, whimpering softly, trying to reach something with his hand, agony written all over his face. Snake ran towards the dying man just before noticing what he was reaching for. And he felt like cursing very loudly then. Because the scientist had shed his last breath in pressing the alarm button on the wall.

"Damn!"

"Snake, get out of there now!" Master said. Even if he didn't consider Snake's opinion of another spy in the complex, now was not the time for the mercenary to look for the Optic Disc "Get to the elevator and leave that floor at once!"

Snake didn't need to hear it twice. Turning around, he left the lab behind him and ran back to where he came from, trying to reach the elevator and escape the floor as soon as possible. But as he came close he saw that the elevator was already descending, carrying reinforcements to subdue the intruder. Snake cursed and turned around. There was only one chance of escape, or else he would be stuck down here and would have to fight his way out. He ran as fast as he could towards the western corridor, seeing now that it led to another elevator. The door was slightly open; Snake rushed towards it. But he knew that path was closed to him a second later, just as the elevator came down too.

This left him with no choice. Snake was completely trapped.

"Snake, with both elevators coming your way, there's no way out for you now..."

"Looks like I'll have to stand my ground and fight," Snake said firmly, displaying that calmness that was deeply printed in his character. Had the situation been less dire, Master would have been impressed at the man's courage when facing a no win situation "I'll retreat to the lab. It's the only place where I'll be able to defend myself."

"Right," Master agreed "Stand your ground and wait for a chance to escape. As soon as you get it, move fast and get out of there!"

Snake quickly retreated back to the labs. There was no way for him to defend himself in the corridors, not when he was to be attacked from both sides. He could hear the attack teams coming his way. He quickly took cover in the center of the room, behind one of the huge Cray Supercomputers, drew his best handgun, his SOCOM Mk 23, and readied himself for a gruelling fight.

The door to the lab opened and five soldiers rushed in, all armed with AK 47's and grenades.

Two of them were dead before even knowing what was wrong. The remaining three quickly returned fire, forcing Snake to take cover behind the huge supercomputer.

"Take positions!" the leader ordered to his subordinates. But there was no place for them to hide behind. They were in the open, and their only advantage was their superior firepower. Behind the supercomputer, Snake smirked. Back on the battlefield. He didn't do this for the money; he did it because he was addicted to the fighting, to the killing. Cheating death on the battlefield; that was the only way he felt truly alive. He poked and fired again, not wasting any time. One of the soldiers fell dead. The remaining two tried to regroup, but there was nowhere to go to. They had rushed into a fight not expecting to find this kind of resistance, and now they were left with no escape route. A precise shot took the leader's life, but Snake was unable to finish the last soldier before the doors opened and five new guards rushed in. Snake knew he was totally outmatched now; two of them had shields, and the remaining four took cover behind them, blindly firing their AK 47's. One of them shouted a warning to his comrades before throwing a grenade at Snake. The mercenary was forced out of cover, trying to put as much distance between the grenade and himself. A loud explosion shook the underground lab, throwing shrapnel and glass everywhere. Snake used the lapse in enemy fire to hide behind the second Cray Supercomputer. Three soldiers came looking for him, trying to overpower him and end the fight quickly with close quarters fighting. But Snake was not to be so easily beaten. He sheathed his Mk 23 and drew his Combat Knife and FiveseveN pistol. The handgun was an experimental prototype: it was made to fire piercing bullets. Even if he liked his SOCOM pistol better, Snake realized there was no better choice against the soldiers with shields.

He didn't give them time to react. There was simply no one faster than Solid Snake when it came down to close quarters combat in the entire world. Snake leapt and used a CQC hold on the nearest soldier, quickly using him as a human shield between him and the remaining two attackers. They hesitated, not wanting to shoot their comrade; that small flicker of doubt was all Snake needed: he quickly fired twice, killing them instantly.

Realizing that their charge was a complete suicide, the leader of the soldiers quickly ordered them to retreat to the door, with the two soldiers with shields serving as cover. But Snake had anticipated that tactic, which was why he had drawn his FiveseveN. Not even the reinforced shields were able to protect the soldiers from his bullets. Using the element of surprise to his advantage, Snake closed in on them while still holding his human shield, opening fire with his special handgun. The two soldiers went down, and Snake made a quick movement, breaking the guard's neck and rushing the leader, that was the only one standing after his attack. The man was so horrified after seeing the carnage his enemy had created that he didn't react in time. He quickly found himself in the floor, victim of an expertly performed takedown. His AK 47 fell to pieces in front of him, no doubt after the intruder had disarmed it. Never before he had thought he would find such a warrior; this foe neared the inhuman in his fighting capacities. He quickly stood up and reached for his knife, but a quick blow to the back of his head kept him from doing anything. Everything went black and he passed out.

Snake stood still for a second, panting. He had done it, he had beaten all the enemy soldiers. Knowing that there was no time to loose, he reached for the lab's door.

"Now's your chance, Snake!" Master said "Get out of there now, before more reinforcements arrive!"

Snake didn't need to hear it twice. He exited the lab and moved swiftly through the darkened corridors. He knew that both elevators would only come down to bring soldiers to this level, but that was fine with him now. He had a plan. He ran like the wind towards the eastern elevator.

The elevator doors opened and five soldiers rushed out, all of them heavily armoured, carrying shields and FP 90 piercing rifles. Their heads were covered by helmets; this was a heavy strike team, one that outmatched anything Snake had faced before on the base. Snake had encountered soldiers like this in Outer Heaven; this kind of assault team was far deadlier than a SWAT unit. The five soldiers moved fast but methodically, marching quickly towards the lab.

Behind them, a shadow disentangled itself from the ceiling. Snake had shot the camera at the elevator doors, and then had put his parkour training to use, placing his hands and feet on the walls, supporting his weight and placing his body against the ceiling. The soldiers had gone right past him without suspecting a thing.

Seeing the soldiers turn to the north and head to the lab, Snake turned around to use the elevator and escape.

SMACK!

A vicious kick caught him by surprise and send him stumbling to the floor. It was in that instant that Snake saw his mistake. There hadn't been five soldiers on the elevator. There had been six.

Rolling swiftly, Snake regained his footing and drew his Combat Knife and FiveseveN, or at least tried to. Because his attacker moved like lightning, overpowering and disarming him with a Krav Maga move. Snake fell to the floor, his back causing a dull thud as it made contact with the ground. Even though he had been stunned by the kick and completely caught by surprise, Snake couldn't help but marvel at the attacker's dexterity. It was one of the fastest foes he had faced. He rolled and attempted to draw his Mk 23 when a harsh voice halted:

"Freeze."

And Snake knew he was beaten.

The strike team had returned, all of them pointing their rifles at Snake, standing at a cautious twenty feet distance. Caught in the open, Snake knew there was no way for him to outmatch them. He threw his MK 23 to the floor in silence. Looking up, Snake glanced at the man that had ambushed him.

He was tall, almost as tall as Snake. Snake guessed he was nearing thirty years old, which made him rather young. Still, a look at his eyes told him that he was facing a hardened veteran; the eyes of a killer, of a man that had seen many wars already was unmistakable to him. The man had dark brown hair and a harsh face that looked vaguely familiar to Snake. He was sure he had never seen this man before, but he reminded him of someone. Dressed in a dark blue shirt and camo pants, the man's body was visible enough to reveal that he was in top physical shape. He carried several guns and a Combat Knife in his right calf.

"The legendary Solid Snake," the man said in a low tone. It was due to his extreme coldness that Snake was kept from gasping in surprise. He couldn't understand how he had been identified since he had worn a balaclava the whole time. The fact that this man knew about him in the present circumstances was unsettling. But Snake didn't have time to ponder about that now "You have performed impressively. To think that you almost made it out of here, not to mention how you have just killed two strike teams all by yourself... you really live up to your legend."

"Who are you?" Snake asked. This man clearly had a tendency to talk; he had revealed many things already, just with a couple of phrases; maybe he would reveal some more.

"Cobra," the man said "My name is Cobra. I am Amur Tiger's bodyguard."

"I never thought I'd ever see a FOXHOUND member need a bodyguard," Snake said simply. Some of the soldiers behind him stiffened at the sound of his voice. The shock of seeing all their comrades dead was taking its toll on them already; having to face the man that had done it was even worse.

Cobra chuckled before making a slight hand gesture. One of the soldiers moved fast and hit the back of Snake's head with the butt of his rifle. Snake stumbled a bit before collapsing. He was Amur Tiger's prisoner now.

Cobra watched Snake's unconscious form with a pensive look on his face "It's a shame we won't get to fight one another any time soon," he muttered "But we'll have a lot of talks in the future. I look forward to that, Solid Snake."

In some underground facility in Langley

8/10/96

2115 Hs.

Sitting in the dark, two men reviewed what had happened so far.

"Liquid is performing impressively. He already has information on the Optic Disc's whereabouts and on top of that he is free from suspicion now; everyone thinks that Solid was the one that killed all the sentries and scientists. He's on his way to Amur Tiger as we speak: that confrontation will be something worth seeing, I'm sure."

"It seems Solid Snake isn't as good as we had previously thought, then."

"I wouldn't say that yet. We are recording all his codec talks with McDonnell Miller. Unlike Liquid, Solid Snake already knows he is not the only spy on the complex. It won't be long before he escapes his cell, and when he does, he is going to be far more careful than Liquid..."

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Author Notes 2: And so does Chapter 2 end. It was a bit complicated to write, specially the parts where Solid and Liquid came close to find one another. To tell you the truth, I was unsure as to how to write about that; I didn't know if switching points of view constantly was better than what I did in the end. I figured writing about each brother's doings separately was easier to understand, so I went through with that.

Next chapter deals with how Liquid approaches his objective, and what happens to Solid now that he is imprisoned. Amur Tiger makes his appearance then, as well as some others characters. I'll try to update as soon as I can. If there's something you'd like to say, leave a review and tell me what you think of this. I take everything into account when writing new chapters.

Many thanks for reading.

Devil Boss