Fan Fiction ❯ Metal Gear Solid: Sovereignty ❯ Infiltration ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Linkin Snake 
Solid Snakes infiltrates the enemy facility, but soon runs into trouble in the form of a New Dominus mercenary.
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 06.10.2005 | Updated On: 06.21.2005 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.0K | Visits: 185 | Status: Completed
Solid Snakes infiltrates the enemy facility, but soon runs into trouble in the form of a New Dominus mercenary.
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 06.10.2005 | Updated On: 06.21.2005 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.0K | Visits: 185 | Status: Completed
Chapter 3: Infiltration
Snake approached the exterior wall, thinking over ideas in his heads of how to scale the ten foot
chain-link wall. He could easily climb over the fence, but thought that would be too easy. With
no security cameras in sight there had to have been another type of security system in place.
Snake scoured the fence for a little while longer before he noticed a fuse box, near the bend of
the fence, damaged beyond repair. Quite possibly the same man who had killed the sentries also
disabled the fuse box.
Snake reached out his hand and grabbed the fence testing it for any trace of electricity. Luckily,
Snake felt nothing but cold metal. A few seconds later Snake was up and over the fence and
inside the enemy territory, the "Sovereign Frontier".
Snake knelt and contacted Otacon via Codec, "Otacon, I'm inside the base. I entered through the
east side fence like you said, and encountered minimal resistance, except for a slight mystery.
Five sentries all killed right in front of me by a mystery shooter. Either he was helping me or had
pretty bad aim, and in this weather I wouldn't blame him."
"Mystery shooter? If it does turn out that he's helping you then I wouldn't be to worried, but then
again friend could become foe in a blink of an eye."
"Thanks for the advice. Mind telling me how to get inside this place?" retorted Snake.
"I looked up the specs on the facility, and there should be a backdoor into the building closest to
you."
To the right of Snake a stationed cargo truck protected him from any patrolling sentries, and
farther to the right about forty feet away was the side of a concrete building. A small alley was
visible between the building and the perimeter fence.
Otacon continued, "Once you're inside you'll be in a stairwell, head downstairs. Once you reach
the basement you'll find an elevator that leads to the first and second floor. Head to the first."
"Any idea what's inside?"
"It was a storage for ammunition and weaponry, you may be able to pick up some supplies."
"I'll see what I can find."
Snake concluded the conversation and resumed his mission. Snake walked to the edge of the
truck, and crouched before he peered round the corner. A group of buildings around the
perimeter took up the surrounding area. In between of the edifices sentries patrolled, a few
Russian tanks were visible, along with military jeeps. At the far side building, a Hind helicopter
was stationed atop the roof.
Suddenly a loud blaring erupted from somewhere in the center of the facility. In another closed
off area, red sirens blinked and alarms kept sounding. Inside the closed off area, the head of an
immense metallic creature was being slowly lowered underground. The large red bulbs in the
face of the machine were lifeless and a dull grey, signaling the machine had been temporarily
deactivated. A few seconds later the machine was completely underground and the alarms
stopped going.
Snake hid behind the truck once more and contacted Otacon, "Otacon, I saw it, it's here."
"Metal Gear." replied Hal, not a description to know the nature of Snake's statement.
"Or something that looks a lot like it. They were bringing it underground, it didn't look
activated." explained Snake.
Several seconds later Otacon finally responded, "There is a large underground holding facility
big enough to house a Metal Gear. Unfortunately, to get there you're gonna have to take the long
way. Not activated? You think they would put Metal Gear on standby in case something should
arise."
"Maybe there's a problem?"
"Could there be something wrong with the Metal Gear itself?" questioned Otacon.
"Isn't that what I'm here to find out?"
Just as Snake ended the conversation he quickly ducked farther behind the truck as a sentry
walked by. The sentry not noticing the intruder, simply turned and continued his patrol. Snake
with the sentry's back turned and no other guards in the immediate area, he had an open chance
to reach his destination. When the sentry was far enough not to hear the operative's footsteps,
Snake began an all-out sprint toward the building and in a few seconds he was safe in the
alleyway.
Immediately afterwards Snake removed his USP pistol from it's holster and released a
suppressed shot at a nearby surveillance camera just before it set it's sights on him. Snake kept
up his gun and began walking toward the door ten yards away. It was then the soldier realized a
sentry was half-asleep leaning on the very door he was trying to gain access through.
Snake crept up to the guard and pressed the barrel of the USP against the sentry's temple.
"Wake up," grumbled Snake.
The sentry opened his eyes and tried to attack Snake with his AN-94, but the increased reflexes
of Snake were greater than the drowsy sentry. Snake took hold of the rifle and tossed it aside.
"Open the door," Snake demanded.
The building being decades old needed no more than a regular key to open the door, much unlike
the high-tech facilities Snake was used to. The sentry unlocked and pushed open the door for
Snake.
"Please don't hurt me, I have a family–" the sentry was quickly interrupted.
"I don't care," Snake pistol-whipped the sentry rendering him unconscious.
The sentry slumped to the ground. Not wanting the body to be seen, Snake dragged the limp
guard into the dimly lit stairwell. Snake gave one last look outside to make sure no one saw him,
and closed the door behind him.
__________________
Colonel Iosif said with a note of fear, "Solid Snake, here? Well, why haven't you killed him
yet?"
"I've already sent one of my men to bring him to me." replied the blonde-haired Gangstein.
"Why not kill him immediately?" questioned the Colonel.
"I have a score to settle with that man, and it must be resolved accordingly."
"Do whatever you'd like, Gangstein, but make sure he doesn't interfere with my plans,"
demanded Colonel Iosif.
Gangstein leaned forward closer to the colonel, "I'll do what I want, Iosif, no matter who it
bothers."
Gangstein rose and left the room along with the other members of New Dominus, who stood in
hallway. Iosif was left alone in the freezing room, the colonel looked at the broken window
behind him, and thought of the his fallen comrade at the snowy bottom.
"Private Keller!" yelled Iosif.
A few seconds later a low-level sentry jogged into the colonel's room. The sentry saluted his CO,
"Sir!"
"Private Keller, retrieve Ludwig's body and fix my window," with those last words Colonel Iosif
exited the room, leaving Keller alone to recover the body of the man, he was just conversing with
only a few minutes ago.
__________________
[North Rivers Research Facility, South Dakota]
First Lieutenant Scott Miller dressed in full military dress stood in a elevator leading into the
depths of a secret military research facility. His usually long, dark hair was shaved down to the
military designated crewcut. Miller's chest was brandished with numerous badges earned in the
heat of war. Although the soldier was only in his late-20s he had been the best the military had
seen in years (even before gene therapy), and that made him the perfect candidate for the
Amethyst project.
Scott Miller knew nothing more about the project than it's name, and he would find soon find out
a lot more. He was forced through hours of special training and tests all for something he knew
nothing about.
The elevator stopped allowing Scott to step out where he was greeted by a army officer carrying a
M4 assault rifle.
"Lieutenant Miller, they're waiting for you," voiced the soldier.
In front of the two was a long corridor leading to a electronically locked door. The hall was lined
with security cameras and sensors, visible and invisible to the naked eye. The officer led Scott
down the hall and saluted the Lieutenant as he walked into the laboratory he had been called to.
Miller had never been in a "laboratory" before, but it was like he had imagined. Men and women
in white jackets read from papers, worked at computers, and ran frantically from terminal to
terminal. In the center of the room was a slightly raised, large platform. At the edge of the
platform Colonel George Andersen, also in army dress uniform, appeared.
"Lieutenant Miller, time is of the essence," said Andersen in the gruff voice of a military veteran.
Miller walked up the small flight of stairs up to the platform. Two computer panels were on both
sides of the platform along with the Colonel and three people unknown to Scott. In the center of
the platform was something Scott had never seen before in his life.
Miller saluted Colonel Andersen who responded, "At ease soldier, we have work to do."
Scott followed the colonel to a circular glass tube in the center of the platform.
"As you know, at 0728 hours our country was attacked by a group of terrorists calling themselves
the Sovereign Kings. Millions dead in a matter of seconds, the worst tragedy in the history of our
nation." Colonel Andersen paused, obviously angry. "The terrorists have issued a number of
demands to us, that we immediately denied. What we must do is attack. A nuclear attack is
impossible, and sending in infantry would be suicide as the terrorists have said they have
capability to launch once again. Whether they do or do not, is a question, but a chance we cannot
take. Do you follow?"
"Yes, sir," replied Miller
"But there is another way to infiltrate these Sovereign Kings. A reconnaissance mission of sorts.
One man will be sent into the enemy territory equipped with the latest in technological warfare.
This. . . machine you and I are looking at is what they call a "powered exoskeleton".
In the circular glass tube stood an exoskeleton, a moderate purple in color, well-developed
muscle definition was carved into the bulletproof metal. A continuous gold light surged through
the suit through clear vein-like openings.
"Powered exoskeleton?" inquired Scott.
"Yes, Dr. Schwartz will explain the rest," said the Colonel as he brought up his hand and pointed
at one of the three.
A balding, older man, walked up to Scott. "Mr. Miller," Dr. Schwartz's age obvious in his voice,
"you have been chosen as the first candidate for the Amethyst project. A multi-ability powered
exoskeleton. An externally equipped skeleton designed to raise the wearer's reflexes, and greatly
increase your skills. You have previously undergone a series of tests and gene therapy, all
necessary for one to use such a machine. The stress on the body of an exoskeleton is too great for
any normal human being."
"Are you sure it's safe?" asked Scott.
"Well, let's hope so. We don't have much time to worry about that now," the doctor's answer did
nothing to squelch Scott's fears. "Helping you will be a team of specialists, including me, to
guide you along the way," said the doctor pointing to the other two people on the platform. "This
lovely young woman is Jessica Langley, she will explain the mission details, and Roman
Zhudriv, a Russian military specialist hired for background information."
Scott greeted the two other members of operation. Jessica Langley wore a rather short dress,
especially for her line of work, leather knee-high boots, the all too familiar white jacket, and a
pair of round glasses over her large brown eyes. Roman Zhudriv looked nothing like a
professional, he wore an old pair of brown shoes, denim overalls and a worn coat.
Colonel Andersen interjected, "Dr. Schwartz, skip the needless explanation and get this boy
suited up."
"Yes, of course," responded Dr. Schwartz.
Colonel Andersen took Scott by the shoulders and stared him straight in the eye. Looking into the
colonel's eyes, Miller could see the pain and wear of an army veteran, years of war, death, and
survival all coming to a head in the small crystal-like orbs. Andersen spoke with a steely
reverence, "This is you chance, son. Make your country proud. Show your patriotism."
"Yes, sir," Miller answered adding punctuation with a final salute.
Scott walked to the doctor, but not before meeting eyes with Jessica once more. Dr. Schwartz and
Scott made their way off the platform, but not before Scott asked a burning question, "This
exoskeleton, does it come in any other color? I'm not a fan of purple."
Schwartz replied, "Not purple, amethyst."
___________________
The former Fox-Hound operative, Solid Snake, continued his descent down the stairs leading to
the cargo elevator. At the bottom of the steps Snake held up his USP as he slowly opened the
unlocked door into the cargo area. Snake pushed open the door leading with his pistol. The
soldier quickly rolled behind a nearby crate to avoid being spotted. Crouching, Snake stuck an
eye out to survey the area and saw nothing. . . but boxes.
The room itself was large, warehouse-like, and the two sidewalls were covered with crates, some
columns reaching three-quarters the way toward the ceiling. At the other end of the room was the
elevator, unguarded. Not only that Snake could see no sentries, no cameras, presumably no
security at all. Of course, to the trained mercenary, it all seemed suspicious, but he had no other
then to continue.
Snake stood, his pistol raised, searching for any signs of life as he made his way to the elevator
50 yards away. After the long walk, just as Snake was going to press the call elevator button. A
loud yell came from the other end of the warehouse.
"SNAKE!!"
Snake quickly spun, his USP ready, finger on the trigger. A large figure stood near the far wall, a
figure who began walking toward Snake.
"SNAKE! Get ready for the fight of your life!"
As soon as the man was close enough Snake recognized a large object held in his gloved hands.
The man just reached six foot seven and his muscles beyond those of mortal capabilities. Over
his pectorals was nothing more than an orange padded vest, matching gloves and combat pants
along with a pair of black boots. What surprised Snake were the rusted chains wrapped along his
entire body leading up to an iron cannonball, in size and likeness of his bald head.
The man took hold of the chain and began swinging it at his side, the speed slowly increasing
with each second. The intruder's voice boomed, "Trammel, remember that Snake. When you're
looking up at me from hell, let name Trammel haunt you for all eternity."
The cockiness and not-so-witty banter only infuriated the operative even more. "Another step and
I fill you with lead," threatened Snake.
"Don't be so naive, you couldn't hit me if you tried."
Snake tried and a stream of bullets went racing toward Trammel, but in a bout of superhuman
strength, the mammoth swung the huge orb knocking away all five slugs. In the same motion as
Trammel, Snake dove behind a nearby crate, out of Trammel's vision.
"Snake!"
At the end of the row was a small opening between two crates, one that Snake squeezed through.
Above Snake the iron orb crashed through the row of crates above Snake's head, but not before
the operative rolled forward out of harm's way. In the center of the room, Trammel struggled to
pull his weapon out of the concrete wall. With the window of opportunity closing, Snake
immediately fired a barrage of bullets heading Trammel's way.
Aaaahhh!
The attacker took hold of the iron chain and whipped all but one of the bullets away. The slug
Trammel missed hit him right above the kneecap and a red liquid stained his pants. The
behemoth fell to one knee, but continued to pull the globe toward him until he grasped it in his
hands. In this short amount of time Snake found himself behind Trammel and before the
mammoth could rise, Snake pressed the pistol to the back of Trammel's head.
"Don't move," demanded the operative. "I have a few questions for you answer."
"A few questions? How stupid do you think I am? I have you right where I want you."
Snake tried to dodge Trammel's next move, but was already in the grasp of the monster.
Trammel wrapped the seemingly never-ending chain around the throat of the legend.
"For a big guy, you move pretty fast," complimented Snake.
The operative was in a sticky situation, something he was used to. With adrenaline flowing,
Snake was waiting for an opportunity to attack.
Trammel displayed his own strength by pulling back on the chain lifting Snake nearly two feet
off the ground, the cold metal pushing against the soldier's trachea , Snake gasped for air.
Snake desperately tried to remove the chain from his neck as Trammel whispered in his ear,
"You feel that, Snake? Feeling the life getting sucked out of you. Why fight, Snake? It's already
over."
Snake's entire life was a battle of good vs. evil, the soldier never quite sure what side he was on.
His life was also a battle of survival, a real dog eat dog world. There had many a opportunity
where he could have just let go and let his life end, but Snake knew that was the coward's way
out. He would fight until the very end for what he believed in, and continued the endless battle
today.
The will to live outweighing the desire to give in, Snake managed to send the back of the heel of
his boot into the injured knee of his attacker. Trammel temporarily loosened his grip on the
soldier giving him a chance to go on the offensive. Snake whipped around his left elbow and
slammed it into Trammel's jaw. Snake was released from Trammel's grasp who stumbled
backward holding his chin.
Snake picked up his USP he had dropped during the struggle, with which he threatened Trammel.
"Let's try this again: Move or die. If you want to live, you're gonna help me out a little,"
demanded Snake, his intense glare never disturbed by blinking.
Trammel spat blood in Snake's general direction, before he answered, "Why must we continue
this cat and mouse, or should I say snake, game? You know you can't beat me," replied
Trammel.
Trammel once again began swinging the ball and chain over his head in a circular motion. In the
same instant Snake pulled the trigger on the pistol until the familiar clicking sounded, indicating an
empty clip. Almost all of the bullets ripped through Trammel's flesh, but the behemoth only flinched
and continued his onslaught. With every swing of his iron orb, the power and momentum increased.
The operative slammed in another clip and continued firing. Trammel's chest filled with bullets and
oozed with blood, but it did almost nothing to slow his advances.
"What the hell are you?" muttered Snake as he was forced to slowly retreat.
As Trammel quickened his pace toward Snake, the agent backed up getting closer to the elevator
doors. With every swing the metal sphere ripped through numerous crates filled with ammunition,
weapons, and medical supplies which poured out onto the floor.
"It's coming, Snake! Get ready!"
In a bout of superhuman strength, Trammel launched the cannonball, aimed at Snake's abdomen.
Trammel threw the orb at such a speed, even though Snake dove out of the way, the speeding ball
still caught him in the at the edge of his chest, badly injuring his ribs. The sickening crack rung in
Snake's ears as he landed with a loud thud, behind one of the few undamaged crates.
Of course, breathing became a nuisance, but it was far too little to impede the seasoned vet. Snake
leaned up against a nearby cargo box, feeling for any physical evidence of broken ribs, but with a
rubber sneaking suit it was almost impossible to tell.
The sound of Trammel's rampage was no longer audible so Snake looked to see where the attacker
stood, but he stood no longer, he lied on the cold, metal floor in a puddle of gore. Snake walked over
to the body, with a degree of difficulty, with his USP ready. The operative searched for a pulse, but
there was none. Snake came to the conclusion that the bullet wounds finally caught up with
Trammel, and fortunately they were fatal.
On his way to the elevator, Snake came upon a pile of AN-94 Russian assault rifles. Snake hung a
rifle over his soldier, before he pocketed a load of ammunition. Snake walked past the open elevator
doors and pressed the button to get to the first floor. The doors closed and Snake began his ascent.
Snake approached the exterior wall, thinking over ideas in his heads of how to scale the ten foot
chain-link wall. He could easily climb over the fence, but thought that would be too easy. With
no security cameras in sight there had to have been another type of security system in place.
Snake scoured the fence for a little while longer before he noticed a fuse box, near the bend of
the fence, damaged beyond repair. Quite possibly the same man who had killed the sentries also
disabled the fuse box.
Snake reached out his hand and grabbed the fence testing it for any trace of electricity. Luckily,
Snake felt nothing but cold metal. A few seconds later Snake was up and over the fence and
inside the enemy territory, the "Sovereign Frontier".
Snake knelt and contacted Otacon via Codec, "Otacon, I'm inside the base. I entered through the
east side fence like you said, and encountered minimal resistance, except for a slight mystery.
Five sentries all killed right in front of me by a mystery shooter. Either he was helping me or had
pretty bad aim, and in this weather I wouldn't blame him."
"Mystery shooter? If it does turn out that he's helping you then I wouldn't be to worried, but then
again friend could become foe in a blink of an eye."
"Thanks for the advice. Mind telling me how to get inside this place?" retorted Snake.
"I looked up the specs on the facility, and there should be a backdoor into the building closest to
you."
To the right of Snake a stationed cargo truck protected him from any patrolling sentries, and
farther to the right about forty feet away was the side of a concrete building. A small alley was
visible between the building and the perimeter fence.
Otacon continued, "Once you're inside you'll be in a stairwell, head downstairs. Once you reach
the basement you'll find an elevator that leads to the first and second floor. Head to the first."
"Any idea what's inside?"
"It was a storage for ammunition and weaponry, you may be able to pick up some supplies."
"I'll see what I can find."
Snake concluded the conversation and resumed his mission. Snake walked to the edge of the
truck, and crouched before he peered round the corner. A group of buildings around the
perimeter took up the surrounding area. In between of the edifices sentries patrolled, a few
Russian tanks were visible, along with military jeeps. At the far side building, a Hind helicopter
was stationed atop the roof.
Suddenly a loud blaring erupted from somewhere in the center of the facility. In another closed
off area, red sirens blinked and alarms kept sounding. Inside the closed off area, the head of an
immense metallic creature was being slowly lowered underground. The large red bulbs in the
face of the machine were lifeless and a dull grey, signaling the machine had been temporarily
deactivated. A few seconds later the machine was completely underground and the alarms
stopped going.
Snake hid behind the truck once more and contacted Otacon, "Otacon, I saw it, it's here."
"Metal Gear." replied Hal, not a description to know the nature of Snake's statement.
"Or something that looks a lot like it. They were bringing it underground, it didn't look
activated." explained Snake.
Several seconds later Otacon finally responded, "There is a large underground holding facility
big enough to house a Metal Gear. Unfortunately, to get there you're gonna have to take the long
way. Not activated? You think they would put Metal Gear on standby in case something should
arise."
"Maybe there's a problem?"
"Could there be something wrong with the Metal Gear itself?" questioned Otacon.
"Isn't that what I'm here to find out?"
Just as Snake ended the conversation he quickly ducked farther behind the truck as a sentry
walked by. The sentry not noticing the intruder, simply turned and continued his patrol. Snake
with the sentry's back turned and no other guards in the immediate area, he had an open chance
to reach his destination. When the sentry was far enough not to hear the operative's footsteps,
Snake began an all-out sprint toward the building and in a few seconds he was safe in the
alleyway.
Immediately afterwards Snake removed his USP pistol from it's holster and released a
suppressed shot at a nearby surveillance camera just before it set it's sights on him. Snake kept
up his gun and began walking toward the door ten yards away. It was then the soldier realized a
sentry was half-asleep leaning on the very door he was trying to gain access through.
Snake crept up to the guard and pressed the barrel of the USP against the sentry's temple.
"Wake up," grumbled Snake.
The sentry opened his eyes and tried to attack Snake with his AN-94, but the increased reflexes
of Snake were greater than the drowsy sentry. Snake took hold of the rifle and tossed it aside.
"Open the door," Snake demanded.
The building being decades old needed no more than a regular key to open the door, much unlike
the high-tech facilities Snake was used to. The sentry unlocked and pushed open the door for
Snake.
"Please don't hurt me, I have a family–" the sentry was quickly interrupted.
"I don't care," Snake pistol-whipped the sentry rendering him unconscious.
The sentry slumped to the ground. Not wanting the body to be seen, Snake dragged the limp
guard into the dimly lit stairwell. Snake gave one last look outside to make sure no one saw him,
and closed the door behind him.
__________________
Colonel Iosif said with a note of fear, "Solid Snake, here? Well, why haven't you killed him
yet?"
"I've already sent one of my men to bring him to me." replied the blonde-haired Gangstein.
"Why not kill him immediately?" questioned the Colonel.
"I have a score to settle with that man, and it must be resolved accordingly."
"Do whatever you'd like, Gangstein, but make sure he doesn't interfere with my plans,"
demanded Colonel Iosif.
Gangstein leaned forward closer to the colonel, "I'll do what I want, Iosif, no matter who it
bothers."
Gangstein rose and left the room along with the other members of New Dominus, who stood in
hallway. Iosif was left alone in the freezing room, the colonel looked at the broken window
behind him, and thought of the his fallen comrade at the snowy bottom.
"Private Keller!" yelled Iosif.
A few seconds later a low-level sentry jogged into the colonel's room. The sentry saluted his CO,
"Sir!"
"Private Keller, retrieve Ludwig's body and fix my window," with those last words Colonel Iosif
exited the room, leaving Keller alone to recover the body of the man, he was just conversing with
only a few minutes ago.
__________________
[North Rivers Research Facility, South Dakota]
First Lieutenant Scott Miller dressed in full military dress stood in a elevator leading into the
depths of a secret military research facility. His usually long, dark hair was shaved down to the
military designated crewcut. Miller's chest was brandished with numerous badges earned in the
heat of war. Although the soldier was only in his late-20s he had been the best the military had
seen in years (even before gene therapy), and that made him the perfect candidate for the
Amethyst project.
Scott Miller knew nothing more about the project than it's name, and he would find soon find out
a lot more. He was forced through hours of special training and tests all for something he knew
nothing about.
The elevator stopped allowing Scott to step out where he was greeted by a army officer carrying a
M4 assault rifle.
"Lieutenant Miller, they're waiting for you," voiced the soldier.
In front of the two was a long corridor leading to a electronically locked door. The hall was lined
with security cameras and sensors, visible and invisible to the naked eye. The officer led Scott
down the hall and saluted the Lieutenant as he walked into the laboratory he had been called to.
Miller had never been in a "laboratory" before, but it was like he had imagined. Men and women
in white jackets read from papers, worked at computers, and ran frantically from terminal to
terminal. In the center of the room was a slightly raised, large platform. At the edge of the
platform Colonel George Andersen, also in army dress uniform, appeared.
"Lieutenant Miller, time is of the essence," said Andersen in the gruff voice of a military veteran.
Miller walked up the small flight of stairs up to the platform. Two computer panels were on both
sides of the platform along with the Colonel and three people unknown to Scott. In the center of
the platform was something Scott had never seen before in his life.
Miller saluted Colonel Andersen who responded, "At ease soldier, we have work to do."
Scott followed the colonel to a circular glass tube in the center of the platform.
"As you know, at 0728 hours our country was attacked by a group of terrorists calling themselves
the Sovereign Kings. Millions dead in a matter of seconds, the worst tragedy in the history of our
nation." Colonel Andersen paused, obviously angry. "The terrorists have issued a number of
demands to us, that we immediately denied. What we must do is attack. A nuclear attack is
impossible, and sending in infantry would be suicide as the terrorists have said they have
capability to launch once again. Whether they do or do not, is a question, but a chance we cannot
take. Do you follow?"
"Yes, sir," replied Miller
"But there is another way to infiltrate these Sovereign Kings. A reconnaissance mission of sorts.
One man will be sent into the enemy territory equipped with the latest in technological warfare.
This. . . machine you and I are looking at is what they call a "powered exoskeleton".
In the circular glass tube stood an exoskeleton, a moderate purple in color, well-developed
muscle definition was carved into the bulletproof metal. A continuous gold light surged through
the suit through clear vein-like openings.
"Powered exoskeleton?" inquired Scott.
"Yes, Dr. Schwartz will explain the rest," said the Colonel as he brought up his hand and pointed
at one of the three.
A balding, older man, walked up to Scott. "Mr. Miller," Dr. Schwartz's age obvious in his voice,
"you have been chosen as the first candidate for the Amethyst project. A multi-ability powered
exoskeleton. An externally equipped skeleton designed to raise the wearer's reflexes, and greatly
increase your skills. You have previously undergone a series of tests and gene therapy, all
necessary for one to use such a machine. The stress on the body of an exoskeleton is too great for
any normal human being."
"Are you sure it's safe?" asked Scott.
"Well, let's hope so. We don't have much time to worry about that now," the doctor's answer did
nothing to squelch Scott's fears. "Helping you will be a team of specialists, including me, to
guide you along the way," said the doctor pointing to the other two people on the platform. "This
lovely young woman is Jessica Langley, she will explain the mission details, and Roman
Zhudriv, a Russian military specialist hired for background information."
Scott greeted the two other members of operation. Jessica Langley wore a rather short dress,
especially for her line of work, leather knee-high boots, the all too familiar white jacket, and a
pair of round glasses over her large brown eyes. Roman Zhudriv looked nothing like a
professional, he wore an old pair of brown shoes, denim overalls and a worn coat.
Colonel Andersen interjected, "Dr. Schwartz, skip the needless explanation and get this boy
suited up."
"Yes, of course," responded Dr. Schwartz.
Colonel Andersen took Scott by the shoulders and stared him straight in the eye. Looking into the
colonel's eyes, Miller could see the pain and wear of an army veteran, years of war, death, and
survival all coming to a head in the small crystal-like orbs. Andersen spoke with a steely
reverence, "This is you chance, son. Make your country proud. Show your patriotism."
"Yes, sir," Miller answered adding punctuation with a final salute.
Scott walked to the doctor, but not before meeting eyes with Jessica once more. Dr. Schwartz and
Scott made their way off the platform, but not before Scott asked a burning question, "This
exoskeleton, does it come in any other color? I'm not a fan of purple."
Schwartz replied, "Not purple, amethyst."
___________________
The former Fox-Hound operative, Solid Snake, continued his descent down the stairs leading to
the cargo elevator. At the bottom of the steps Snake held up his USP as he slowly opened the
unlocked door into the cargo area. Snake pushed open the door leading with his pistol. The
soldier quickly rolled behind a nearby crate to avoid being spotted. Crouching, Snake stuck an
eye out to survey the area and saw nothing. . . but boxes.
The room itself was large, warehouse-like, and the two sidewalls were covered with crates, some
columns reaching three-quarters the way toward the ceiling. At the other end of the room was the
elevator, unguarded. Not only that Snake could see no sentries, no cameras, presumably no
security at all. Of course, to the trained mercenary, it all seemed suspicious, but he had no other
then to continue.
Snake stood, his pistol raised, searching for any signs of life as he made his way to the elevator
50 yards away. After the long walk, just as Snake was going to press the call elevator button. A
loud yell came from the other end of the warehouse.
"SNAKE!!"
Snake quickly spun, his USP ready, finger on the trigger. A large figure stood near the far wall, a
figure who began walking toward Snake.
"SNAKE! Get ready for the fight of your life!"
As soon as the man was close enough Snake recognized a large object held in his gloved hands.
The man just reached six foot seven and his muscles beyond those of mortal capabilities. Over
his pectorals was nothing more than an orange padded vest, matching gloves and combat pants
along with a pair of black boots. What surprised Snake were the rusted chains wrapped along his
entire body leading up to an iron cannonball, in size and likeness of his bald head.
The man took hold of the chain and began swinging it at his side, the speed slowly increasing
with each second. The intruder's voice boomed, "Trammel, remember that Snake. When you're
looking up at me from hell, let name Trammel haunt you for all eternity."
The cockiness and not-so-witty banter only infuriated the operative even more. "Another step and
I fill you with lead," threatened Snake.
"Don't be so naive, you couldn't hit me if you tried."
Snake tried and a stream of bullets went racing toward Trammel, but in a bout of superhuman
strength, the mammoth swung the huge orb knocking away all five slugs. In the same motion as
Trammel, Snake dove behind a nearby crate, out of Trammel's vision.
"Snake!"
At the end of the row was a small opening between two crates, one that Snake squeezed through.
Above Snake the iron orb crashed through the row of crates above Snake's head, but not before
the operative rolled forward out of harm's way. In the center of the room, Trammel struggled to
pull his weapon out of the concrete wall. With the window of opportunity closing, Snake
immediately fired a barrage of bullets heading Trammel's way.
Aaaahhh!
The attacker took hold of the iron chain and whipped all but one of the bullets away. The slug
Trammel missed hit him right above the kneecap and a red liquid stained his pants. The
behemoth fell to one knee, but continued to pull the globe toward him until he grasped it in his
hands. In this short amount of time Snake found himself behind Trammel and before the
mammoth could rise, Snake pressed the pistol to the back of Trammel's head.
"Don't move," demanded the operative. "I have a few questions for you answer."
"A few questions? How stupid do you think I am? I have you right where I want you."
Snake tried to dodge Trammel's next move, but was already in the grasp of the monster.
Trammel wrapped the seemingly never-ending chain around the throat of the legend.
"For a big guy, you move pretty fast," complimented Snake.
The operative was in a sticky situation, something he was used to. With adrenaline flowing,
Snake was waiting for an opportunity to attack.
Trammel displayed his own strength by pulling back on the chain lifting Snake nearly two feet
off the ground, the cold metal pushing against the soldier's trachea , Snake gasped for air.
Snake desperately tried to remove the chain from his neck as Trammel whispered in his ear,
"You feel that, Snake? Feeling the life getting sucked out of you. Why fight, Snake? It's already
over."
Snake's entire life was a battle of good vs. evil, the soldier never quite sure what side he was on.
His life was also a battle of survival, a real dog eat dog world. There had many a opportunity
where he could have just let go and let his life end, but Snake knew that was the coward's way
out. He would fight until the very end for what he believed in, and continued the endless battle
today.
The will to live outweighing the desire to give in, Snake managed to send the back of the heel of
his boot into the injured knee of his attacker. Trammel temporarily loosened his grip on the
soldier giving him a chance to go on the offensive. Snake whipped around his left elbow and
slammed it into Trammel's jaw. Snake was released from Trammel's grasp who stumbled
backward holding his chin.
Snake picked up his USP he had dropped during the struggle, with which he threatened Trammel.
"Let's try this again: Move or die. If you want to live, you're gonna help me out a little,"
demanded Snake, his intense glare never disturbed by blinking.
Trammel spat blood in Snake's general direction, before he answered, "Why must we continue
this cat and mouse, or should I say snake, game? You know you can't beat me," replied
Trammel.
Trammel once again began swinging the ball and chain over his head in a circular motion. In the
same instant Snake pulled the trigger on the pistol until the familiar clicking sounded, indicating an
empty clip. Almost all of the bullets ripped through Trammel's flesh, but the behemoth only flinched
and continued his onslaught. With every swing of his iron orb, the power and momentum increased.
The operative slammed in another clip and continued firing. Trammel's chest filled with bullets and
oozed with blood, but it did almost nothing to slow his advances.
"What the hell are you?" muttered Snake as he was forced to slowly retreat.
As Trammel quickened his pace toward Snake, the agent backed up getting closer to the elevator
doors. With every swing the metal sphere ripped through numerous crates filled with ammunition,
weapons, and medical supplies which poured out onto the floor.
"It's coming, Snake! Get ready!"
In a bout of superhuman strength, Trammel launched the cannonball, aimed at Snake's abdomen.
Trammel threw the orb at such a speed, even though Snake dove out of the way, the speeding ball
still caught him in the at the edge of his chest, badly injuring his ribs. The sickening crack rung in
Snake's ears as he landed with a loud thud, behind one of the few undamaged crates.
Of course, breathing became a nuisance, but it was far too little to impede the seasoned vet. Snake
leaned up against a nearby cargo box, feeling for any physical evidence of broken ribs, but with a
rubber sneaking suit it was almost impossible to tell.
The sound of Trammel's rampage was no longer audible so Snake looked to see where the attacker
stood, but he stood no longer, he lied on the cold, metal floor in a puddle of gore. Snake walked over
to the body, with a degree of difficulty, with his USP ready. The operative searched for a pulse, but
there was none. Snake came to the conclusion that the bullet wounds finally caught up with
Trammel, and fortunately they were fatal.
On his way to the elevator, Snake came upon a pile of AN-94 Russian assault rifles. Snake hung a
rifle over his soldier, before he pocketed a load of ammunition. Snake walked past the open elevator
doors and pressed the button to get to the first floor. The doors closed and Snake began his ascent.