Part Two
A Mystery

It was several days later as Snake and Meryl made their way into enemy territory. Since they were working for the United Nations, they where given weaponry and equipment. They turned down the clothing though, and used their outfits from their last mission together. They sped through the cold, dark water towards a small island in the Pacific Ocean, called Manhattan, for it’s hilly geography.

“Snake, is there any other reason why you agreed to go on this mission?” Meryl asked at one point. They hadn’t talked much since she arrived at the flat a few days prior, and this was due to Snake shutting her out of everything he did.

“Yeah, because Otacon would have sent me here one way or another. The only reason I came, though, was because you said you would leave me alone. As for the people leaving me alone, only death will bring that much peace. Well, maybe not, since I’ll most likely go to hell.”

“But, Snake, you’re a hero. I’m sure no god would allow a hero to go to hell.”

“Oh, it’s not that I believe you need Jesus to go to heaven, but it’s because of all the people I’ve killed in my life, all the innocent people that where killed as well.” he said with little emotion. “Now, the only reason I fight is to make the world safe again. To stop Metal Gear so the next generation will only have to read about it, not wake up to the fear every day.”

“What about us Snake, why did everything go wrong there?”

“Not to mention the fact that I’m fifthteen years older then you?”

“Besides that, Snake.”

“You wanted me because I was a legend, a hero. Is there any other reason why you stayed with me?”

“Besides the great sex?”

“In a true relationship, there are more things then just sex, Meryl. Those kind of relationships never last. In a true relationship there must be trust, common interest, love.”

“Well, I’d call having great sex for hours a form of love, wouldn’t you?”

“Damn it Meryl, you still haven’t changed!” he yelled in frustration. “You want to know why nothing lasted? Fine, I’ll tell you why! You think everything is just for fun! This isn’t some sheltered live we live in, Meryl! Like I told you after Shadow Moses, we live in the present! Once you accepted to join me and Otacon, you lost your past and knew that there would never be a future! Only the present!”

Meryl hung her head for a while. She would never admit it, but she knew he was right. Even after she left him, her live was never the same. She lived every day knowing that some new Metal Gear could pop up at any second and wipe out the world. And then she heard about the tanker in New York and Snake dying. And then, two years later, she saw on the news about a large structure hitting the bay.

“Where here.” she heard him say a moment later. She looked up and saw a base on top of a cliff, with searchlights shinning down on the ocean below. “Remember what I told you on Shadow Moses. Keep your mind on the mission, unless you want to stay here forever. Also remember that I’m hear to destroy Metal Gear only, no damn rescue mission or anything else. If you get caught, I hope you told them to send in a rescue team, ‘cause I’ll leave you here.” he said as a searchlight shined on them, then shot back to them. An alarm sounded and gunfire started to hit the water around them. “Shit! Meryl, take the boat!” he yelled.

“Right!” she yelled back, taking it. She watched him pull out a PSG1 and start to shoot the guards on the cliff. He then put a bullet in the searchlights on the cliff, causing the area to go dark. “Nice shooting.”

“No, it’s not nice. Now they know we’re coming.” he said.

---

“Sir, a small speed boat is approaching the island. We can have it shot out of the water if you wish sir. I will tell them to fire at will.”

“Did I say to fire?” came a deep, cold reply.

“Well, no, you didn’t sir. But the man on the boat destroyed the searchlights and killed an entire squad of people using a PSG1. We need to destroy him and his partner now.”

“What part of the word ‘no’ do you not understand you stupid jackass?”

“Sir, they can stop this entire operation. I have words from the Patriots themselves to destroy that boat.”

“If you so much as shoot a bullet at that boat, I will get Liquid Ocelot to take, special care of you.” he said, sending a chill down the other person’s back.

“But…but Paul…if he gets on this island, he might destroy Metal Gear and-”

“And what? Stop my plan? No, he can’t. This time, Metal Gear is the perfect machine. Not even my legendary ‘father’ can stop it.” he said, snaring at the word farther as he walked towards the bank of monitors, one showing Snake and Meryl. “Solid Snake…you can’t stop me.”

---

“Meryl, keep an eye on our six.” Snake said, strapping his tactical holster to his thigh before putting his SOCOM in it. He pulled his M4 from and a combat knife.

“I thought you weren’t a big fan of blades.” Meryl said, striping out of a wet suit and changing into her tactical sneaking suit, about as skin tight as the wet suit. “Or at lest that’s what I thought you had said when you were on the Big Shell, granted I wasn’t there.” she said again, grabbing her Desert Eagle and a M4.

“Never hurts to have one.” he said, grabbing various types of grenades and a few blocks of C4.

“True.” she said, doing the same.

“Let’s go.” he said, running up the stairs from the dock. Near the top, he held up his hand, causing her to stop. He crouched down and pulled out a silencer for his SOCOM.

“Where there any survivors?” one of the guards asked.

“No. The bastard got all of them.” the other said.

“Are we to fall back to the wall, or stay out here and look for him?”

“Command is saying to stay out here, but other then that, there is nothing.”

“More of Paul’s madness I guess.” he said, putting his gun over his shoulder.

“Ya. So, you see the ass on that new transfer?”

“No, I was looking at her tits more.” he said as Snake raised his gun and fired a round into his head.

“Ya, those too. Man, and did you see her pussy? Looks like she has a nice one…Tom?” he said, looking at him lying dead on the ground. “Shit!” he yelled, raising his radio as Snake put a round into his head and the same time.

“So…” Snake said, walking over to them to collect ammo. “They know where here, but they are not on a search and destroy mission.”

“Any idea?” Meryl asked, grabbing a clip for her M4. “Wouldn’t you think they would send out a sweeping party or something?”

“I would think that.” he said, looking in deep thought before he tapped his neck. “Otacon…we have a problem. They know we’re here, but they are not on a high enough alert.”

“What?” he said over the CODEC. “Are you sure they know you’re there?”

“Considering I took out a squad and a patch of searchlights with the PSG1, as well as two men I just killed talking about, I’m pretty damn sure.”

“I’ll look into it, but don’t be surprised if I come up empty handed. Just worry about getting inside the base.” he said, cutting the link.

“Looks like we’re on our own for now.” Snake said, looking at Meryl. “We might as well head towards the wall.” he said, starting to walk towards it.

“How the hell are we going to get past it? Scale the damn thing?”

“If that’s the only way, then that’s how we’re going to do it.”