Continuing the story of Diamond Dog Coatl, as Miller returns from Afghanistan and Coatl reviews the new Mother Base.

"Metal Gear" and all related names and terms are property of Konami.

We are Homo Ludens.

Chapter 2: Diamond Dogs

Lunch time. I'll write what I feel, this can't wait. Miller came back this morning and he's in way worse condition than the Boss, in body and mind.

He's missing his right arm and right leg, and is in no condition to be friendly with anyone. I saw the whole conversation he had with Snake in the chopper.

I wasn't with them, of course. Shortly after joining Diamond Dogs, but before Snake's return, I had R&D install a few small cameras in the Blackfoot – two in the rear, two in the front, to watch the interior from different angles. I wasn't about to lose any opportunity to see what might happen in the chopper, not after the Morpho chopper's crash years ago.

During their ride back to Mother Base, Miller was telling Snake about Cipher, and Diamond Dogs. He lamented all the MSF people who died because of Cipher, and I could literally feel the pain in his voice. It wasn't just the limbs he lost that caused the pain.

Miller was obviously more grief-stricken than Snake. The Boss may have been our supreme leader, but Miller was the businessman who managed it all, and he actually had ties with Cipher! Miller never expected such an assault on his efforts, so it's no wonder that his pain turned to rage.

I think Snake is still shell-shocked from this whole ordeal. He's barely uttered a word except when needed to, and he doesn't express anything close to Miller's emotional level. There isn't going to be a happy reunion here. Nothing can assuage their pain, and for that I feel helpless.

They landed and the medics tried attending to Miller, but not before he swore to Snake about how we were to get our payback, not as MSF, but as Diamond Dogs.

I feel confused. Snake barely registers any feeling, and Miller is suffering for both of them. Snake even asked Miller what should be done at that point. Big Boss, asking a subordinate what to do. That alone makes me scared. I thought that having our two commanders alive together would strengthen morale, but I'm truly scared now.

This was after Miller mentioned how powerful Cipher may have become, but we're still just a new PF, off the grid and doing others' dirty work with no questions asked. As long as we slowly gather more resources, more funds, and more men, Cipher won't know how strong we will have become until it's too late.

Too late for them, that is. Then we need not fear anyone anymore.

Snake was still in good shape after the mission, so Ocelot introduced him to our new base. He had Snake practice some CQC, and gave him a refresher course on the Fulton system MSF used before, and even had him test it on Armadillo and Hedgehog! They told me what a rush it was to be Fultoned, how they were caught by Pequod's chopper and set down on the roof's helipad. Just like before, the new recruits will be brought to one of the helipads, where a "welcoming committee" will escort them to a private interrogation room. For these two, they went straight from the roof and to the R&D office once the Boss assigned them there via iDroid (Everyone's got a small one of their own, with the better ones reserved for the bosses).

(Due to my intense fear of heights, I can never enjoy the rush of Fulton extraction. I feel mortal danger just by scaling the Central Command tower.)

And so, Snake is getting used to being our Boss once more! What was the first order Snake made from R&D?

The cardboard box.

Life on Mother Base is going to be crazier than before, I can feel it. It will start as before, with a single oil rig in the sea.

I won't neglect my part in this. As a member of Support, I assist the Base Expansion team by taking inventory of materials they'll need to expand Mother Base. They request it, and I have it delivered wherever it needs to be. Perhaps the bosses had me in mind when establishing Support – I'm no fighter, but I'm good with taking orders and delivering stuff. This extends to team interaction in delivering goods in-base and in the battlefield.

(It's a lot more than I ever did in MSF.)

By midday, Snake finished touring the Command Center, and was on his way back to Afghanistan. Since we are mercenaries, we need to make our living via mercenary assignments, and Miller already had some missions ready for Boss before the rescue. However, we are quite short on fighters and base staff, so we'll be expecting some new recruits (ha ha) via Fulton delivery system (ha ha ha). We don't expect any enemy soldier to spill the beans about their field operations, since most soldiers aren't told of their army's greater plans.

These recruits are guaranteed to work for us once they know who their Boss will be. If not, well…I suppose we'll blindfold them before putting them back on the field.

Since Snake will be far from us, Support has been assigned to several warehouse areas surrounding the Kabul area, far enough from potential hotzones and enemy bases to avoid hostilities. It's thanks to Intel that Support could establish their supply bases there, at undisclosed locations. If Snake needs supplies, he'll send a message via iDroid to the Support warehouses, and they'll immediately send a box via Fulton.

It's getting late now, and Snake should already be back in Afghanistan. I'll need to hurry with my rounds so I can listen in on his progress.

Well, I couldn't meet him this morning. I only saw the arrival from my office window, and the rest I learned from the men posted below. I still need to know if Snake recognizes me.