"Naomi... Tell me the truth... How long do I have?" Snake looked into the eyes of the woman who had once betrayed him at Shadow Moses before redeeming herself. She could not bare to return the stare.
"Six months... your body will hold out for six months. A normal person wouldn't even be standing right now."
Snake took a step back, clearly affected by the news of his imminent death. But not for long, he quickly collected himself and stood up straight.
"I still have a job to do." He growled, his voice even more hoarse than usual. Naomi nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Here, take this, it should slow the process." She said, handing him a syringe-like object and some vials of liquid with her free hand. Snake pocketed the equipment and turned away, looking down a desert road, bombed out building to either side. A familiar beeping in his ear chimed suddenly and snake dropped to one knee, pressing a hand to his ear.
"Otacon."
"Snake... no time... explain, there's... wrong... area... jamming..."
"Otacon? Otacon!?" The signal went dead as Snake growled in frustration. Standing up he looked around and found he was no longer in the middle east.
"New York...?"
Snake was baffled by this surprising turn of events. Nothing made sense. This looked like the New York of yesteryear, before the Manhattan incident. Snake found himself opposite Central Park, a group of military surrounding the area. Acting on instinct he pushed his back to a nearby wall and peered out from around the corner, activating his Solid-Eye. The infrared capabilities picked up numerous heat signatures from the other side of the park, muzzle flare, naked flame, explosions, the works.
"Bunch o freaks, I tell you, this city has gone to hell recently. All kindsa theories goin round on the TV man. Alternate dimensions, aliens, demons you name it buddy."
Snake froze pinning himself to the wall and activating his otacamo, blending seamlessly in with the surroundings as a patrol walked passed his position.
"Shut up private. I already got lumbered with perimeter duty without having to listen to you sqwaking in my ear!"
Snake listened intently to the conversation, picking up any information that may be useful. Failing to overhear anything helpful he snuck behind the two soldiers and disappeared into the dense foliage of the trees. Running through the park, he could feel the age creeping up with him, he got winded easily, he was quickly out of breath. Snake growled in frustration at his own failings but pressed on.
Eventually he arrived at the sight of all the commotion. hiding behind a tree he dropped to a knee and used to the zoom function on his Solid-Eye. What he saw astounded him.
A large blue hedgehog, a small large man dressed in overalls and firing balls of flame from his fist, a boy dressed in green and a warrior in what seemed to be an exoskeleton. Many more strange beings were at war with the Army types.
Snake disabled the Solid-eye and stood up. Snake turned his head, hearing a crack from behind him. He turned quickly to see one of the soldiers pointing a gun at his chest.
"FREEZE!" The young man shouted. Snake smiled.
"Can you shoot me rookie?"
