Fan Fiction ❯ MGS: DOA ❯ Chapter 6

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CHAPTER 6

 

As soon as the door creaked shut, Bayman opened his eyes a bit. Without moving, he saw the wooden walls and watched as Helena paced back and forth. He smiled, “Excellent.” Jumping at his voice, Helena stared at him, “What the…? You just let them carry you in here and you weren't even unconscious? Unbelievable. You are an idiot aren't you?” He simply chuckled as he rose to a seated position. “We're in, aren't we?” His grin fell from his face, “Wait a minute, where's Snake?” She rounded on him again, “He could be dead for all you care! If you'd just kept you're big mouth shut we wouldn't be in this mess.” For a short moment, Bayman actually looked stunned. She turned away and took a deep breath. “I don't know where he is, but he's not here.” He was about to respond, but decided to leave her alone for the moment. Instead, he rose to his feet and looked around. Knocking on the walls here, scuffing the dirt there, then looking through the small barred window in the door. “Well, it wouldn't be so hard to get free if we wanted to. It seems pretty dark out there, we could probably hide in the woods, but that would get us nowhere.” She didn't turn to face him, but retorted, “You don't know the half of it.” “Eh?” She leaned against the wall, “I don't know how we got here because I was blindfolded, but we're in a cave. They took it off when we got in so I could see that much.” “Ah,” he grunted, “that would explain the sound of the waterfall. We're probably behind it. But I don't remember any falls on the map, so I have no idea where we are.”

Helena simply slid into the corner and sighed, putting her hand on her forehead, “I don't suppose you'd like to ask them for some aspirin since you like talking so much…” Suddenly, she jumped up, “What was that?” Looking around, Bayman was clearly confused, “What was what?” “There it is again!” She leaned her ear up to the wall. “I think it's outside. There's something beeping.” Bayman leaned up to the wall as well. “I don't hear a thing.” “It sounds like, I don't know,” she stood up straight, “like a phone or something.” Bayman smacked his head, “Oh for the love of… it's your Codec. Who's the idiot? Me?” He stared at her blank face, “Well, answer it!” “Oh, of course, the little radios that Mei Ling gave us. Now let's see here…” she raised her hand to respond. As she touched just below her ear, her vision suddenly changed to a small screen with a frequency on it and a video of… “Snake! You're alive, thank God!” “Calm down Helena. Are you alone.” He seemed to be a little cramped. “No, but it's only Bayman. Where are you? Are you hurt? Are you-“ “Relax, Helena, relax. I'm fine. I followed our friends here when they brought you two in.” She went from concerned to curious, “But how did you get in? There are guards and Shinobi all over?” He just smiled, “Trade secrets, I'll tell you later. Right now I need to find you. I couldn't just waltz behind your little party so I lost you trying to stay out of sight. These people are ridiculous. I almost got caught a dozen times at least.” “I don't know where we are, Snake, but it's a small wooden building. There can't be very many of those, most of the houses and such are made from shoji.” “All right,” he was being quiet now, “I have to get moving. Stay there and I'll find you, got it? Oh, and tell Bayman hi when he wakes up.” “He's already,” she began, “oh, never mind. Be careful.” “Aren't I always?” He disappeared and Helena could see normally again. “Well?” Bayman was anxious. “What did he say? Where the hell is he?” “I don't know,” she replied quietly, “but he'll be here soon.” “Well, he'd better hurry up if he wants to be of any use. I suppose now he'll have to admit I was right.” He grinned at the thought. Helena looked at him like he was crazy, “What? Don't be ridiculous, you ruined everything.” He didn't stop grinning. “Look, weren't you listening to the ninja in the bushes, when they were mumbling?” he looked out the door again. “They hesitated to show themselves. They were probably going to question us in the woods, then leave. Either that or take us to some stupid outpost. But this way, they had to bring us here so they could keep an eye on us while I, *ahem*, `recovered'. This is where we wanted to be and I got us here.” As he triumphantly turned back to Helena, he fell quiet. She was asleep.

Snake watched the feet pass by again. He had laid there in the dirt for ten minutes now, watching, waiting. “There,” he thought, “that's the hole.” He waited for the feet to pass one more time. “One, two, three, now” He rolled sideways from under the house, crossed the alleyway and was under the next building just as someone came around the corner. Stopping just out of sight, he held his breath. After the guard had passed, he began to breath again, albeit quietly. Shifting around for a better look, he could see the small building made of wood. “I hope this one is it.” He wondered if they were still even in such a building. His soliton radar had been on the fritz ever since entering the cave, and his codec had stopped working soon after his call to Helena. “Here goes nothing.”

Helena opened one eye to Bayman's grumbling. “What is taking them so long? Who do they think we are? Why aren't they coming for us?” “What's wrong Bayman? Not exactly according to plan?” He stalked over to the door and looked out again. “I can't even see a guard. This better not be some kind of joke. If they just put us in some old shack and left us I'm going to-” “You know,' a voice from outside cut him off, “It's a good thing you're such a big mouth or I'd have never found you.” Helena jumped to her feet and rushed to the door, “Snake!” “Stand back for a sec, both of you.” There was a grating of wood and metal and the door swung open. Slipping inside, Snake closed the door behind him.

 

Aside the centermost building, Kage waited outside a small dojo. It sounded as if a small battle were raging inside, which was not far from the truth. There was a moment of silence, then the door opened and the same konuichi who had preceded his visit before came marching out of the building, and as before, he positioned himself in the doorway and waited; the night had become rather cold. “You may enter Kage-san.” Kage bowed and stepped inside, closing the door behind him, then knelt on the floor. The dojo was small and simply furnished. Hayate was kneeling in front of a small shrine. As far as Kage could tell, there were only two things strange in the room. The first was a name on the shrine, Kasumi's name. The second was a small, two-sided hilt on a wakazashi stand. “You have a question, Kage-san?” “No, sir. I am here to report.” Hayate turned to face him. “And yet you look curious, about Ayane-san, neh?” Kage bowed lower, “I did not mean to intrude.” Hayate smiled a bit, it was a rare sight these days. “See that?” He motioned to the hilt. “That belonged to the man who raised her. I told her that if she could take it from me, she could keep it.” He paused for a moment so Kage could look at it. “She will try again when she returns from her mission. Now then, what have you to report.” “Sir, the third member of their party has found his way to the cell.” Hayate, leaned his chin into his hand to think. “What route did he use to find them?” Kage shifted nervously. “That's the strange thing. We weren't even sure he'd followed us until he was nearly there.” At this he bowed again, expecting to be reprimanded. “Interesting, I'd like to speak to them. What did you say she called him?” “His name means `Snake', Hayate-sama.” “Ah, yes. Either bring them here or make sure they find their way.” “Hai, Hayate-sama.” Kage bowed again and backed to the door, where he rose and turned to leave. “One more thing, Kage-san.” He stopped and turned. Hayate got to his feet and walked to the door so he could speak quietly. “Have something done about that shoulder. Your pride comes second to your ability to serve. Have it taken care of.” Kage nodded and left.

 

“So, the question is, now what?” Snake had rigged a clear wire to the large latch outside so it would appear locked, but he could open it from inside. Helena and Bayman had filled him in and vice-versa, but they were no closer to finding anything out. Bayman, shifted his weight, “I had assumed they would bring us to speak to someone important, but there has been no one. There isn't even a guard on this room.” “Not exactly,” Snake told him, “but it wouldn't matter if you got out anyway. It's a good three hundred yards to the only exit and there are plenty of people between here and it.” “Well,” Helena chimed in, “I guess you find a good place to hide and we wait here, then.” “Easier said than done, Helena.” Snake grimaced, “there are plenty of hiding places all right, but they're being systematically checked. I don't think anyone knows for sure that I'm here, but they sure suspect it. I think the best thing would be-” A loud voice outside cut him off. Someone shouted something in Japanese, Snake had remember to activate the translator this time. “You are to move from the door!” Snake had just moved aside when a face appeared in the small window, while Helena and Bayman moved to the far wall. “You will follow me and not cause trouble, or you will wait here for a week. Understood?” Bayman spoke fastest, “Yes, yes, we understand. No more trouble.” “Good.” They heard the sound of the lock being removed and Snake waited for the door to open. “One, more thing,” the voice continued. “That goes for your friend as well, the sneaky one.” If the man outside was amused by their surprise, he didn't show it. “Well,” Snake sighed, “that's that.”

As Hayate waited, his thoughts drifted. Things should have been different. He knew Ryu could make a good leader after him, but he was not Mugen-Tenshin. And Ayane, she was too brash, too emotional. If only his Kasumi had been more patient. So absorbed was his thought that he did not notice the silhouette just outside the door for several minutes. “Come,” he straightened up but remained seated on the small dais. Kage opened the door, and led in the three prisoners, followed by three other Shinobi. Hayate almost smiled, four ninja for three captives. As they were ushered to several spots and told to sit, Hayate eyed Snake, and Snake studied him. `This one,' thought Hayate, `will prove interesting.'