An argument echoed through the empty streets as HK416 started arguing with UMP45 and M16A1.
"What the hell are you kids doing??" Solid Snake snarled.
"Why did we bring these teenagers playing milsim with us?" Raiden added.
"Hey! I ain't a teenager! I'm a state-of-the-art Tactical Doll!" HK416 boasted.
"Then you better start acting like one!" Raiden pointed at HK416. "You're making the other state-of-the-art androids look like a joke with that attitude of yours."
"Ugh!" HK416 walked out.
"Hey, where are you going?" UMP49 shouted.
"I'm gonna do– some recon!" HK416 answered as she hurriedly left.
"I'll accompany her just in case something bad happens." M16A1 stood up and followed HK416.
Faint sounds of their earlier arguing could be heard from them as they walked out of the view.
"Are those two friends or what?" Raiden asked.
"I don't even know…" UMP45 answered with a shrug and a sigh, while UMP9 and SOPMOD chuckled.
"By the way, Where is Sam?" RO asked as all of them went quiet.
"I guess we left him in that carnage." SOPMOD nonchalantly replied.
"I seriously thought he was scouting or something..." Raiden replied.
"I'm not worried about him. He looks capable enough to handle dangerous situations." Solid Snake replied.
"Hey. I think I saw someone heading towards us." AR-15 mentioned as she pointed towards a vague figure headed for them.
"Hey! It's Sam!" UMP9 shouted.
"Hey, guys!" Sam waved at them. "Kept you waiting, huh?"
"…." Solid Snake stares at Sam.
"W-what is it?" Sam asked.
"What's that thing in your back?" Solid Snake asked.
"Oh, this?" He pulls out a broken android body.
"Isn't that Destroyer's body?" M4A1 asked.
"Yeah. I thought we could grab some intel from her." Sam replied.
"Let me take care of it." RO begins hacking into Destroyer's empty neural brain, trying to find any useful information; ICEY returned from her scouting.
"No good. The place where I last saw her is crawling with the same biosignatures as earlier." ICEY lets out a sigh.
"Same goes for me. Can't find any good information at all." RO added.
"Well, I guess it's our turn to scout around." AR-15 said before leaving to do as she said.
SOPMOD followed her.
"We are also gonna do some scouting of our own." UMP45 added as she picked up G-11 who was sleeping nonchalantly on the ground.
"What do we do now?" Raiden asked.
Solid Snake looked as if he was thinking to himself when suddenly–
"Watch out!"
Sam threw a knife at him. But the time he flinched, a zombie who managed to creep behind him was the one who got hit on the head.
"Shit!" Snake cursed as a zombie burst out from one of the buildings near them.
"The hell? How come I didn't detect them with my sensors?" Raiden complained.
"What now, Snake?" Sam asked.
"Let's split up and find her then we get the hell out of here!" Snake jumps towards REX and begins grabbing the undead's attention as the others split up and begin the search.
"Seriously, I don't need your help!" HK416 complained as M16A1 followed her.
"You know I'll be sad if something bad happens to you~" M16A1 teased.
"Ugh– I always hated that part of you." HK416 snarled.
"Cold-hearted as ever, eh?"
"Hmph."
While the two continued walking silently along the line, M16A1 then spotted something glowing from the viewable distance.
"Hey wait!" M16A1 interjected, extending her hand to gesture HK416 to stop… which soon ended with her groping HK416's breasts.
"W-what the hell are you doing?!" HK416 slightly shouted and slapped M16A1's hands away as she furiously flushed.
"Oh sorry! Wait– no! I mean, hide!" M16A1 tugged her and hid behind a car after mentioning it.
Just as HK416 was to complain, she was shut up after taking notice of something.
"You see that?" M16A1 pointed at the glowing entity.
"It's… a glowing girl?" HK416 added. "Is that the one ICEY was talking about?"
"I guess…" They followed the glowing girl as she entered the alley. The glowing girl disappeared the moment they arrived at the spot.
"Safety's off." M16A1 said as she drew her weapon.
"Like you needed to tell me that twice." HK416 replied as she did the same.
They both got into position and surveyed the area.
Three SF dolls appeared at the other side of the alley.
"Don't. Move." M16A1 whispered.
M16A1 intended to ask HK416 what to do before anything else, but she suddenly rushed towards them without any heads-up whatsoever.
She threw one of her empty mags and solidly hit one of the distant SF on the head, incapacitating it in that manner; she jumped towards the SF in the middle and kicked the android, also incapacitating it in one motion. The remaining SF at the side was about to stab her but she was able to block the attempt with her rifle; she pulled out her pistol and shot it in the abdomen and pushed it to the ground and put two rounds in its head. Catching her breath once, she then finished off the two that laid unconscious. All of this was done so fast that M16A1 had no opportunity to even lay a finger to help.
"Temper, temper." M16A1 sighed after saying these and slowly walked towards HK416.
"Hmph. Look around." HK416 replied.
M16A1 looked around and noticed that the road was littered with dead bodies and destroyed androids. They spotted the glowing girl entering another alley and followed her again.
"Wait." M16A1 stopped HK416 and pointed at a faintly visible string.
"It's a booby trap." She whispered and began to slowly move towards the trap.
"Wait– it's just… string?" The baffled M16A1 holds the string up in the air. "Shit!"
It was already too late when they realized that the string was meant to distract them; a man jumped out from the 2nd-floor window and quickly kicked M16A1 away from her comrade, he then grab HK416's rifle the moment she pointed it at him and put her on a chokehold position with a knife aimed at her throat while his handgun is aimed at M16A1.
M16A1 then immediately stood up and point her rifle towards them, the unknown assailant used HK416 as a shield while tightening his grip on her neck.
"Are you one of those Sangvis Ferri dolls?" The assailant calmly asked them.
"No, we're not!" M16A1 replied while keeping her stance.
"Y-yeah. What she said!" HK416 followed.
"This guy reminds me of Snake." M16A1 whispered.
"Who are you kids?" he asked.
"You might need to trust us before we trust our names to you." M16A1 replied.
"Sir John, wait!" a girl from the 2nd-floor building shouted. "I know them!"
"Persicaria!?" M16A1 let out a sigh of relief the moment she saw her.
Upon hearing it, the man released HK416 from his grasp. He was only met with nasty glares from her.
"You know these kids?" He asked Persicaria, ignoring HK416.
"Yes! They are the T-Dolls I was talking about." Persicaria replied.
"Oh right! Girls, this is John!" She introduced.
"That was… some good move you pulled there." M16A1 shook his hand. "Was that a judo?"
"It's Close Quarters Combat, CQC for short," John replied. "It's a system of combined combat techniques which allows rapid alternation between armed and hand-to-hand combat while engaging enemy personnel."
"Okay?..." HK416 weirdly stared at Big Boss as he continued to explain what CQC is.
"I'll need to inform the others that we found you!" M16A1 exclaimed as she tried to stop Big Boss from explaining what CQC is by changing the subject.
She immediately informs them that they have found Persicaria. They also inform them that they found another person alongside her who was on the same page as them.
"Who's the other guy?" Sam asked through the radio.
"He said his name is John." M16A1 replied.
"Hey! Is that who I think it is?!" Sam suddenly was cut off from the call and after a second came back to appear right in front of them in person.
"That was… fast." a startled M16A1 commented.
"Holy good heavens, it is Big Boss." Sam immediately shook his hands.
"Do I know you?" John asked Sam as he shook his hand.
"Definitely not, but I know a lot about you and all your achievements and other stuff! I'm a big fan!" Sam replied.
"Okay…?" 'Big Boss' replied.
"Oh! I want to hear about these achievements he's talking about!" Persicaria blushed as she seemed to admire this man.
"Oh wow, she's somehow head over heels for him…" M16A1 replied.
"I will tell you all about those–" 'Big Boss' brought out his guns. "after we deal with these unwanted hostiles closing in."
Out of nowhere, a large group of zombies has slowly appeared from their front and back. Big Boss fired one shot from his pistol and a distant zombie fell to the ground right after.
"Scheisse! No way out!" HK416 cursed.
"You kids protect her!" Big Boss ordered them as he prepared to fight.
"What do we do now, boss?" Sam asked.
"You, the girl with an eyepatch, help me take out the enemies on the left side! You, the boy with the sword and white-haired girl, cover the right side!
"Don't worry Big boss! I can handle this side on my own!" Sam said. "416, go help them!"
Sam ordered HK416. She quickly changed position. Sam rushed in forward and disappeared into the horde he was fighting.
Big Boss, M16A1, and HK416 stood their ground and fired their guns to eliminate the incoming zombies. Each of them scored well-placed bullets to their opponents' heads. It took them 3 minutes to clear out the place. Big Boss looked behind him and saw Sam kneeling on the ground to catch his breath. He was slightly spluttered in blood and zombie stuff while surrounded by a pile of dead zombies. All of them were beheaded and some missed a limb or two.
"You okay?" Big Boss asked as he helped Sam stand back up.
"I am." Sam replied. "Blegh! It stinks!" He complained as he covered his nose.
"There's running water inside the building if you need it." Big Boss pointed at the building they were once in.
"Gosh, it's hard to move that much when I can't use magic…" Sam said as he rushed himself to the nearest source of water and began rinsing his face with it.
"Magic?! Bullshit!" HK416 bawled.
"Yes, we can! Well, I can confidently say that for myself at least." He said so while drying himself off. "Here let me prove it."
He showcased his open palm and a small fireball spawned from it.
"Mein gott! First, we got teleported into this unknown world, now you're telling us that magic exists?! Can things get any weirder?" HK416 complained.
"Hey hey, don't jinx it~" Sam stared at HK416 with an incrementing smug on his face.
"Grrr!" HK416 spitefully growled at Sam.
"How come you can make a fire if you can't use magic?" M16A1 questioned Sam.
"I can use small magic." Sam answered. "Big magic? Can't without that said magic exploding in my face." he added.
"How come?" M16A1 asked.
"I got into an accident that messed up my mana regulation…" Sam answered.
"Mana?" Big Boss asked.
"Mana is like the energy that enables the use of magic." Sam answered.
After a few minutes, the rest arrived at the meeting point.
"Big… Boss?…" Snake was about to point his guns at him but Raiden stopped him. Snake lets out a big sigh and lowers his weapon.
"He is not the Big Boss that you know." Raiden whispered as he tapped Snake on the back.
"I got lots of people claiming to know me today huh?" Big Boss asked Snake.
"In the near future, I'll be the one you will personally train to use CQC…" Snake shook Big boss' hand.
"H-huh?"
"I'll explain what's going on when we return to base, Big Boss!" Sam told him.
"... Is that so?" Big Boss pulled out his cigar and began looking for his lighter.
"Gah, I think I dropped my lighter."
Though disappointed in himself, Big Boss was about to put his cigar back into his pocket until Snake pulled out a lighter with an open fire.
"Here." Snake lit up Big boss' cigar.
"Thanks."
"So, what now?" Big boss asked.
"I contacted my men that we have successfully located and rescued Persicaria. They'll be waiting at the extraction point at the police station." Sam replied.
"Everyone, trouble!" ICEY spoke through the radio.
"What is it??" Sam asked.
"Enemy androids. Lots of them!" ICEY frantically said. "I'm seeing multiple heavily armed infantry units! They have shields as well!"
"What now?" Snake asked Sam.
"Well, we need to get extracted quickly since they are relocating the base." Sam replied. "Seems like they are being attacked by another warship."
"So we're gonna punch through them and get to the extraction area pronto." Sam added.
Everyone prepared for the big fight, checking their equipment and ammunition while Snake left to get back inside the Metal Gear Rex.
"Here, Big Boss." Sam handed over his firearm to Big Boss alongside his extra ammo clip. " And uh, M16A1, let me borrow that portable cannon of yours."
"Oh? Here you go then." She handed over the rectangular-shaped weapon she has been carrying the whole time.
"Thanks. Raiden, can you still fight?" Sam asked.
"I don't think 'no' is an option." Raiden replied with his grip fixed onto the hilt of his sheathed blade.
"Okay. ICEY, you're coming with us!" Sam leaped up the building followed by Raiden.
"Here's the game plan. Me, Raiden, and ICEY will destroy all armored targets and simultaneously grab the attention of the rest of the enemies. While they're busy focusing on us, you guys pick them off from a safe distance, especially their lightly armored units!" Sam instructed them as he leaped through the buildings.
He aimed at the first heavily armored target he set his sights on.
"Let's go, everyone!" Sam fired his newly acquired cannon towards multiple armored infantry, successfully destroying three of them. The moment the mass majority of the other armored units fixated their attention towards Sam, Raiden, and ICEY dove in towards them, the three of them each dispatched nearby Manticores with consecutive slashes. While this was happening, the rest were taking down lightly armored infantry units with relative ease while Snake provided artillery support against the enemy snipers using Metal Gear Rex. The sound of guns blazing and metals clashing pervade the entire city voided with life. Intelligent life, that is. The combat ensued until they reached the Raccoon City Police Department.
"How much ammo do you all have left?" Big Boss asked everyone.
"Only one mag left…"
"I'm all dried up…"
"No more grenade launcher rounds for me…"
"This will be troublesome…" Big Boss sighed.
"Hey, guys! Looks like the ammunition crates we left when we first came here are still here! Talk about plot convenience!" Sam exclaimed as he opened a crate full of ammunition.
All of them began resupplying their weapons and prepared for the next Sangvis Ferri assault while Sam was busy contacting the rescue team.
"Where's the rescue team?" Big Boss asked Sam as he landed down from the rooftop of the building.
"Seems like they'll be later than anticipated…" Sam scratched his head. "Our base, HMNS Duke of Wilhelm, relocated too early because they got attacked by an unidentified warship, two variable craft already got destroyed while the third one is trying their best to get here… I suggest we barricade ourselves inside the police department while we wait."
They then hauled the crates and brought everything inside the building. After which, they went back to planning on how they would defend the area all while waiting for the rescue to arrive. Sam told Big Boss about everything that happened so far while Raiden told Snake what will be happening in his life later on alongside what happened to him afterward.
"... I see…" Big Boss exhaled the cigar fumes as he showed no signs of confusion from all of the events that happened.
"You're awfully calm about these things you just heard." Raiden said as RO and SOPMOD helped him patch up his severed left arm. "Snake is pretty much weirded out to a point that he wanted to take a punch from me to test if it was all a dream."
"Hey!" Snake retorted as Raiden dryly chuckled.
"Well. It is weird. But after reminiscing about the fact that I had already been up against several enemies with superhuman capabilities and experienced supernatural-like scenarios before, it's safe to assume that just about anything can happen. One can only be ready for them." Big Boss put out the fire of his cigar and set it aside as he inserted bullets into an empty magazine.
"I suppose you're right." Snake scratched his head.
"I guess you can consider HIM as one of those." Raiden replied.
"Who?" Big Boss asked.
"Vamp. He's a vampire, I think?" Raiden replied.
"V-vampire?!" Big Boss got startled and dropped a bullet in the ground.
"Hmm?" Raiden stared at Big Boss. "Something happened?"
"N-nothing…" Big Boss picks up the bullet he dropped. "Vampires ain't real…" He whispered to himself.
"Huh?"
"... Nevermind."
"I wanna hear more about these 'supernatural' enemies you have fought, Sir John!" Persicaria stared at Big Boss with the same unwavering curiosity as earlier.
"I'll… tell you later after we get rescued. We mustn't be indulging in idle chatter at the moment." Big Boss replied.
"Geh, she really is totally head over heels for him!" M16A1 chuckled.
"Here!" SOPMOD tapped Raiden's left shoulder. "All done!" Raiden stretched his left arm and clenched his left fist.
"We tried our best to hook up an SF T-doll's left arm into you but it can only get 50% of full functionality." RO lamented.
"Well, I at least get to have a functioning left arm anyway." Raiden rotated his left hand and loosened his fist. "Many thanks, SOPMOD."
"If you ever lost another part of your cyborg body, just let me know! I mean, most of my parts are salvaged from SF T-dolls that I destroyed!" SOPMOD smiled as she seemingly bragged.
"I'll be in your care then." Raiden said as he initiated a high five towards SOPMOD.
She happily accepted, bringing along a bright smile on her face.
"I thought you had a state-of-the-art cyborg body based on what you told me before. How come you got beaten in a sword fight." Snake asked as he inhaled the fumes of his cigarette.
"I was using a civilian grade cyborg body before I got transported into this world." Raiden's face turned sour. "I was with my family on a vacation in France when we suddenly got attacked by this 'thing' with mechanical cogs and shit like that." He explained. M16A1 stared at HK416 who was about to say something but stopped the moment he heard that his family got caught in an attack. "I hope they are fine."
"Same thing happened to me." Big Boss stepped on his used cigar. "I was in the Second Iraqi–Kurdish War in January 1975 doing mercenary work when we suddenly got attacked by those very same 'things' you just mentioned."
"Hmmm." Snake went quiet and thought to himself.
"Sam, any explanation on what's going on or who the hell are they?" Raiden questioned Sam.
"I'll give you all a grand debriefing only after we return to base." Sam answered as he stretched his arms. "Like Big Boss said, we shouldn't be talking casually right now."
"By the way, where did you park Metal Gear Rex?" Sam asked.
"I parked it beside the left-wing of the building." Snake answered. "Besides, all of its ammunition has run out and the radome is almost busted. Thanks to that, it cuts off the sensory data feed and renders the VR interface inoperative, which ultimately forces me to pilot it myself while the cockpit is open. That, of course, exposes me to enemy fire."
"I hope the enemy won't bother using it." Sam replied.
"I doubt they will bother using a weapon that has no more ammunition, and even if they do, I am pretty sure that you, Raiden, or ICEY can decommission it with ease." Snake replied.
All of them silently waited for either an SF attack or the arrival of the rescue team while G11 comically slept soundly and M16A1 drank something, seeking to pass the time.
"Hey, wait a second!" M4A1 stood up. "M16 nee-san! Where did you get that alcohol and why are you drinking?!" M4A1 pointed at M16A1 and asked.
"I found it in some liquor shop on the way here!" M16A1 answers M4A1 questions and keeps on drinking. "You want some too, Boss? I got some more." M16A1 showed a couple of unopened alcoholic beverages.
"I'll pass. I only drink after a mission has been completed." Big Boss replied.
"How about you Snake?" M16A1 stared at Snake.
"Same goes for me, I only drink after a mission…" Snake replied.
"Is that so?" M16A1 continued drinking.
"You should learn from them, M16 nee-san." M4A1 sighed.
"Huh. That's weird…" M16A1 mumbled.
"Hmm?" M4A1 stares at M16A1.
"I should've felt tipsy from the amount I've drank so far but, I don't feel tipsy at all…" M16A1 stared at the bottle of alcohol she was holding.
"Huh?" M4A1 is a bit confused about what M16A1 was saying. "What do you mean?"
"Back then, I got hit a couple of times but… I don't feel any pain…" M16A1 paused and drank a bit of alcohol before continuing. "I checked my systems if my pain receptors are not working but, my pain receptors are gone from my system!"
"I.. thought it was just me…" M4A1 put her left hand in her right upper arm and pinched it.
The other T-Dolls then attempted to confirm for themselves whether their systems were in working order. All of them came to the horrific conclusion of them having no working pain receptors for their systems.
"I'm pretty sure we have a pain receptor! We just got it checked last… week?… Right?" M16A1 thought to herself out loud..
"Hey, M4A1. Do you remember what we did last week?" M16A1 asked M4A1 with a serious look on her face.
"Of course! We did… huh?" M4 began thinking. "I… can't seem to remember that part…" M4A1 confusedly replied at M16.
"How about you girls? Do you all also remember what you did last week?" M16 asked the rest of the T-Dolls.
"I don't know…"
"Same for me…"
"Me neither…"
"Oi, G11! wake up!" HK416 kicked G11. "Do you remember what you did last week?"
"Eh? Oh. I was… [yawn] sleeping…" G11 finished it off by going right back to sleep.
"How come she remembered what she did last week?!" HK416 questioned the rest.
"Nah. I'm pretty sure that's an easy answer at this point." M16A1 replied.
"Oh, r-right…" HK416 replied and disappointingly stared down.
"I also don't remember what I was doing before I got transported into this world…" Snake added.
"Same goes for me. I don't remember what happened after I fought the world marshal and the desperado and before my family vacation. Hell, I don't even remember what we did on that vacation! Just lucky enough to even remember I had one, I guess." Raiden added.
"I also don't remember what happened on my mercenary missions after my job in Costa Rica…" Big Boss added.
They all tried hard to recall the events before they got teleported into this world. But suddenly, they all fell down and writhe in pain as they slowly glitching out of the fabrics of reality.
"W-what's going on?!" Persicaria shouts in confusion of what is happening to them all. Only she was left standing. She began looking around her, she saw ICEY also confused of what's going on while Sam was deep in thought. Although this was happening, G11 was still sleeping comfortably.
Suddenly, Sam immediately rushed towards the nearest window and looked around.
"What's wrong??" ICEY asked Sam. Without leaving a reply, Sam immediately jumped out of the window and leapt away from the station.
"Why did he leave?!" Persicaria asked ICEY.
"He sensed something… We must be ready for anything until everyone reverts back to normal!" ICEY readied up in case they got attacked.
Exactly after 30 seconds passed, they all stopped glitching out. Persicaria and ICEY helped all of them up.
"W-what the hell happened?!" Big Boss gasped for air as Persicaria helped him sit down. "Where the hell is Sam?!"
"I don't know! He suddenly left…" Persicaria answered. "ICEY said he sensed something outside…"
Several explosions could be heard in the distance. The radio that M16A1 was holding started ringing. It was Sam.
"Can anyone hear me?" Sam asked.
"Yeah!…" M4A1 replied.
"Are you guys alright now?" Sam asked.
"I guess so…"
"You need to get ready! they are coming– I–"
"Shit, he got cut off!" M4A1 turned off the radio. "Everyone get ready!"
Moments later, SF forces could be spotted right outside. They blasted their guns at the station. They retaliated as much as they could while keeping inventory of their remaining ammo. ICEY and Raiden destroyed any SF T-Dolls that climbed on the windows of battered walls of the building. M16A1, M4A1, SOPMOD, AR-15, and RO set up a formation that covered the front and back of the left areas of the building, while UMP45, UMP9, (forcefully woken) G11 and HK416 covered the back and front of the right areas of the building. Big Boss and Snake assisted them all by covering the holes in their defenses while Persicaria hid herself somewhere out of sight.
A stray shell from the enemy exploded near SOPMOD. That obliterated one of her arms off and sent her flying towards the main hall.
"Hey kid! You okay?!" Snake asked SOPMOD without breaking his gaze off the enemies he was shooting.
"Y-yeah!" SOPMOD stood up and went to rip one of the arms of a destroyed SF T-Doll lying near her. She directly attached it to her missing arm without any further tinkering whatsoever. "There! Good as new!"
She picked up her firearm and rushed back to her position.
"We're being overwhelmed here!" HK416 shouted through the radio, hoping to get a response through the static.
"It's no use! They've broken in!" M16A1 shouted through the radio as the SF began entering the building from both sides. A close quarter combat began as M4A1's and HK416's team tried to push them out of the building. Big Boss and Snake both had their CQC skills to show for themselves as they destroyed all SF who approached them. AR-15 went to do the same following quickly from example.
"Could use some work but not bad." Big Boss commented on AR-15's CQC which made her smile a little bit.
HK416 also resorted to relying on hand to hand combat while a half-awake G11 covered her from behind. But then an explosion happened right besides G11 which resulted in losing both of her legs.
"Scheisse!" HK416 pulled G11 towards herself and carried her while she kept firing at the incoming SF, completely oblivious about her lost limbs. The whole building rocks as explosions increase in intensity and frequency. A Manticore then arrived, slamming at the front doors trying to get in. Only partially budging the doors open, it used the little gap opening it had and started firing at them and managed to hit UMP9 and severing her right arm.
"Shit!" UMP45 pulled UMP9 to safety while the Manticore slowly aimed at the two. They were about to get killed when suddenly, Persicaria came out from one of the rooms carrying a rocket launcher and fired it towards the Manticore, successfully destroying it.
"What?"
"Where the hell did you get that?!" UMP45 asked.
"I found some lying around the room I was hiding in." Persicaria replied.
"There's no end to thi–" suddenly everyone falls down the ground and writhe in pain as they glitch out in the same manner as earlier yet again, though this time, it included even the SF T-Dolls.
"S-s-shit! Not ag-gain!" M16A1 tried to stand up but fell to the ground. All hope seemed lost until they heard a very familiar voice.
"This is the Rescue Team, coming in hot!" The rescue team's variable craft has arrived! "I have zero ideas on what's going on in the enemy but we will blast them into smithereens!"
They began raining lead against the immobilized SF units and cleared out the front of the building. One of the variable craft landed in front of the building while the other one went airlifting REX away before immediately leaving the area.
3 soldiers immediately entered the room and took out the rest of disabled SF. 2 medics didn't know what to do on the allied androids and the others glitched out.
"All clear!" One of the soldiers shouted.
"I don't know what to do here!" One of the medics lamented. "I don't know what will happen if I touch them in this state!" he added.
"Where's Captain Shirohime?" One of the soldiers asked anyone who was conscious enough to reply.
But just as mysterious as it came, they all stopped glitching out. The troops immediately helped them board the craft and left the area.
"Wait, where's Sam?" Big Boss calmly asked, while he caught his breath.
"He told us to immediately leave the area if he is not in there!" The pilot replied in attention.
"No! We're not leaving without him! Turn around and let's look around while in the air!" Big Boss ordered them.
"Okay! If we don't find him after 5 minutes, we will have to leave!" the pilot replied.
"Aren't you guys not worried about him?" Persicaria asked the pilot.
"Not really… he is quite capable and-- I'm sure he will be fine!"
"Wait! I think I saw him!" M4A1 pointed down the road.
It was Sam who looked very much injured and limping away from the multiple dead zombies and decommissioned SF T-dolls behind him.
"What's that thing he is carrying?" M4A1 whispered.
"We're gonna land now!" the pilot announced when suddenly, they got fired upon. The pilot skillfully weaved through the gunfire but was unable to land. SF T-Dolls from out of nowhere launched unguided rockets at them.
"Damn it! We can't land with bogeys aimed at us!" the pilot lamented.
"We can't just leave him behind!" Big Boss shouted.
"Wait, look!" M4A1 pointed towards Sam as he started running.
He gathered up all of his remaining strength and leaped towards the craft which was flying low. He only managed to grip the landing gear but slipped moments after. Big Boss, M4A1, and ICEY managed to hold on to his left arm and tug him all the way into the craft.
"Nice… catch!…" Sam gasped for air as he minded the pain he had. There's metal debris lodged into his right abdomen as blood slowly dripped down from his injury.
"Move!"
The 2 medics shoved themselves into the scene and began removing the metal bits carefully. There was a lack of painkillers and morphines in the procedure so Sam gagged himself to prevent himself from screaming in agony. It was very painful but he bore with the whole procedure. They began administering first aid to his injury. He let his mouth go, panted heavily, and finished off with a deep sigh.
"What's that gold cylinder thingy you were holding on to?" M16A1 asked Sam after a while into his treatment.
"Oh, this?" Sam raised the gold cylinder. "It's one of the stolen artifacts…"
Sam reached the gold cylinder to the soldier beside him. That soldier then placed it inside a military safety crate.
"On top of that, it's the strongest and most dangerous artifact…"
Guys, look!" SOPMOD points towards the City as dark clouds formed above the city. Rain and lightning started pouring down the city as they left and returned home.