(See the end of the chapter for notes .)

Snake extracts the Spider Lady from Iturup Island and considers what to do next.

Chapter Text

Prologue

9:08

Iturup Island, USSR

Russian Settler Village,South-West of Burevestnik Airbase

Pillars of black smoke rose to the heavens from the small Russian village as the rainclouds started to clear. Even though the fierce battle ended minutes ago, the ruins of houses at the edge of the village and the smoldering wreckage of the TT-77 NOSOROG still crackled with flames.

A soot-covered Monika climbed atop the derelict tank and peered into the commander’s hatch. Inside, she saw burning corpses of the tankers and carefully observed them.

Her sharp, green eyes were looking for something among the corpses. Disappointment came not long after.

As Monika hopped off of the tank, Sayori walked over to her with a light blue towel in hand. Sayori was hoping to ask if Monika found what she was looking for, but the dejected look on the riflewoman’s face already gave the answer.

So, instead, Sayori wore a warm smile and gently wiped Monika’s soot-swept face. She then kindly praised,

“Good work today, Moni. We did our best.”

Monika heaved a sigh, turned her eyes up to the clearing skies and commented,

“We came all this way… and Amy managed to slip past us yet again…”

Her green eyes then caught a glimpse of the Blackfoot helicopter in the distance departing from Iturup Island. Sayori looked up to the sky as well and added,

“He’s gonna be our enemy too, huh? The legendary… Big Boss…”

Monika clenched her fist and turned away from the distant helicopter. She then grumbled beneath her breath,

“They’ll be back - the Spider and the Snake. Their mission isn’t done yet, after all - so it’s not over. Not yet. We’ll be ready for them then.”

The riflewoman then heard the rustling of leaves coming from the nearby forest, so she promptly reminded,

“However, those two aren’t the only phantoms who came to this island. Find the boy. He’s still alive.”

Episode 53

Hokkaido Interlude (Part I)

[FORWARD OPERATING BASE] Rest & Relaxation (1 / 1)

The Forward Operating Base in Hokkaido, Japan will be Snake’s Mother Base away from Mother Base during the span of the Kuril Islands Deployment campaign. Here, Snake will be able to replenish his supplies, change his loadout of weapons, rest and take a shower like he would in the Seychelles Mother Base. Snake will also be able to interact with Diamond Dogs soldiers forward-deployed to Hokkaido as well as any notable characters brought into Diamond Dogs’ custody.

Do note, however, that there is a one-hour travel time between the FOB and Iturup Island, so plan your R&R wisely.

☮

10:15

International Waters

Off Hokkaido Island, Nemuro, Japan

Pequod, the dutiful pilot of the Blackfoot helicopter, checked his instruments and gladly announced,

“Entering Japanese airspace. Approaching Forward Operating Base.”

Starring

Punished “Venom” Snake

Venom Snake nodded from where he sat at the very back of the helicopter. The Spider Lady sat opposite of the mercenary commander but she didn’t seem to respond to Pequod’s announcement. As a matter of fact, she barely spoke since they left Iturup Island.

Concerned, Snake reached out to the Spider Lady with his mechanical hand and tapped her shoulder.

“Hey. We’re far away from Iturup Island now. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

Amy “Spider Lady” Bell

The Spider Lady seemed startled by the gesture, so she tried to gather herself,

“Ah-! Y-yes. Yes, of course… we’re out of that hellhole now. Thank goodness.”

While Snake was thinking about what to do, his earpiece chimed with Kaz’s voice,

{(140.85) - “ Boss… the Spider Lady looks like she’s still shaken by the whole ordeal. ”}

Benedict “Kazuhira” Miller

Snake grumbled and noted,

“It might be PTSD, Kaz. A rookie CIA kid wouldn’t have been prepared for what happened in Iturup Island.”

{(140.85) - “ Hmm… that makes sense. You had to deal with a lot of PTSD cases back then - back in your MSF days… before you became ‘Big Boss’. ”}

Revolver “Shalashaska” Ocelot

“I’d rather not talk about it…”

{(140.85) - “ Well, in any case, the Spider Lady is out of Iturup Island. We’ve fulfilled out part of the bargain with the CIA. Once we hand her over to Langley, we might be able to ask for another favor from our American friends. ”}

“That’s true…”

While Snake and Kaz were talking, however, the Spider Lady turned to the mercenary and guessed,

“You’re talking about handing me over to the CIA after we arrive at Hokkaido, aren’t you?”

Guest Starring

Diamond Dogs Soldiers

Snake didn’t reply, but his silence was enough for the Spider Lady to guess what he meant. She then looked into Venom Snake’s one eye and offered,

“W-what if I told you... t-that I can help you fight the Writers of the Apocalypse?”

The mercenary furrowed his brow and grunted with disbelief,

“What? Fight those four girls…?”

JGSDF 84th Infantry “Oshimahana” Btn. (Airborne) Troopers

The Spider Lady nodded and took a deep breath to compose herself. Once she calmed herself down, she continued with a firmer voice,

“I already told you - I’ve seen crazy things in my short time in the CIA. Supernatural anomalies like the Four Writers shouldn’t exist in this world. It’s my duty to help you defeat them.”

Snake shook his head and cautioned,

“That may be true, but you’re just a rookie. You haven’t even completed your survival training yet, so a high-stakes operation might be out of your paygrade.”

Featured Mecha

DDS Heiwa Maru

The Spider Lady sat firmly and countered,

“I’m not just some rookie. As far as I know, I’m the only one who has encountered those girls up close and lived to tell the tale. At the very least - I think I know more about the girls than either the Soviets or the XOF. Even the CIA doesn’t seem to know that they exist! They’re ghosts - phantoms! And I’ve seen them, Big Boss. I can help you defeat them.”

Snake leaned back into his seat and thought about the Spider Lady’s proposition. While he was thinking, his earpiece buzzed again - this time, with Ocelot’s voice.

Chapter Design

Elias_Pedro

{(141.73) - “ She’s got a point boss. The Soviets and the XOF didn’t stand a chance against those… ‘incredibly cute girls’. Having the Spider Lady on our team might give us the upper hand against them. ”}

{(140.85) - “ Ergh… not this again. I don’t agree with you here, Ocelot. Then again, we don’t see eye to eye on many things. ”}

{(141.73) - “ Fortune favors the bold, Miller. ”}

{(140.85) - “ In case you forgot, Ocelot, the last time the CIA got involved in our operations, Skull Face played us like a damn fiddle! ”}

Written By

Elias_Pedro

{(141.73) - “ Don’t worry about that, Miller. I’ll keep an eye on the CIA girl. If she even tries to betray us like Huey did, then I’ll make sure she regrets it. That’s my specialty after all. And remember - thanks to our equipment on the Heiwa Maru - the CIA doesn’t know that we already rescued the Spider Lady. The ball’s in our court.” }

“Ocelot - how do you plan to do that from all the way in the Seychelles?”

{(141.73) - “ Heh. Well, why don’t you open the helicopter door, boss?” }

Snake stood up from his seat and obliged. He slid the helicopter door to the side and looked out through the threshold. Then, he saw the Heiwa Maru - the Diamond Dogs’ whaling-ship-turned-command-boat - just a few nautical miles away. Even from that distance, Snake managed to find the figure of the revolver-toting Ocelot in the citadel of the Heiwa Maru.

Ocelot stepped out of the citadel and then gestured a confident wave to Venom Snake. He then spoke into his radio piece and greeted,

{(141.73) - “ Welcome to Hokkaido, Boss.” }

Created and Directed by

Elias_Pedro

To Be Continued

{Cassette Tape Acquired - "Rasputin" - Boney M. (1978)}