I finished a whole can of whipped cream and not once did i feel guilty or worried about the calories, but had a quarter of a bagel the other day and it’s still haunting me, make it make sense!

I have an autistic son with an unwavering requirement for a double quarter pounder with no cheese and nothing else either - so nothing but bread and meat. I go through drive through every week and 1:3 weeks we'll get cheese or something else added.
For ease of entry, and matching what's on the screen. What should I ask for?

What is the real carb count? Right at the top of the bag it states “stevia blended with other sweeteners.” A portion size of 2 tsp is “zero calories” and it states it is zero carbs. I would like to know what the carb count is for a quarter cup. I’ve contacted the company without success. Can anyone help?

I really hate running. But I forced myself to do it at home because I only had a basic treadmill. I’d go at it for a while, give myself a splint, then stop, and repeat. But I joined a gym recently. I realized I burn 4x the calories just walking on an incline for an hour than running for 20mins and hacking up a lung. Sometimes I split the hour into quarters with a bike and elliptical. I’ve also been incorporating basic weight machines. My gym has a cool machine that mimics sit-ups, and I’ve been using a pull-down bar to target my annoying back fat rolls. I have a goal of losing 20lbs by my wedding day (May 18), and so far I feel like I’m making progress that I can actually stick to. Just wanted to share with my friends here. Y’all are so supportive and I appreciate it.

hese are concepts ideas I had for an Metal Gear (1987) remake which I would dub as Metal Gear Solid 6: Outer Haven. Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1990) would be called Metal Gear Solid 7: Zanzibarland. Both games would be long and give a lot of depth on Solid Snake's past and his relationship with Big Boss, Campbell and Gray Fox. Another game I would push for is Metal Gear Solid: The Philanthropy Chronicles.It would allow players to play as Solid Snake and his supporting cast after the events of Metal Gear Solid 2. Snake’s mission to continue taking out metal gears and track down the Patriots along with Revolver Ocelot. It would lead up to the events of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. I will be working on Metal Gear Solid 7: Zanzibarland concepts soon.
The concept for a Metal Gear Solid 6: Outer Haven (MGS6: OH):
I know its long as Metal Gear (1987) would have to be a game that is remade from the bottom up. A remake of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake would be easier since it was a rock solid game. One wouldn't have to change much from it just expand on the story, elements and characterization it has already. I would love to get feed back from fans here.
Story:
The storytelling aspect is inspired by how MGS (1998) told its story. The game would start with Otacon, a ghost writer that wrote the novel of Snake’s exploits and those that work with Snake during Operation Intrude N313 telling the events of Metal Gear Solid 6: Outer Heaven to journalist they trust. We learn that Snake is paradon for his crimes and is buried as a war hero next to the grave of Big Boss. Given a Medal of Honor award and other awards from other countries for saving the world several times. The world is now knowing about his story and thus even more interested to learn of Snakes exploits during his youth. David Hayter voice being used as a recorded message from a dying Solid Snake giving accounts on what happened in Metal Gear Solid 6 and 7 along with most of his life. Snake hopes that his message and story will inspire others to be better and fight for what is right.
David Hayter wouldn’t voice a young Solid Snake as I feel a voice actor that is younger but can emulate David Hayter mannerism and his voice should do it. A young Solid Snake having a hint of innocence, nativity, vulnerability and self doubt at times.
David Hayter would voice Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid 7: Zanzibarland since Snake is supposed to be older and wiser. David would be able to give us this voice range and kick it out of the park including the duel against the real Big Boss.
Plot:
The year is 1995, the Soviet Union has collapsed and the Cold War is now over. The threat of nuclear war is gone and the world embraces this newfound peace. However, this peace is short-lived as there are those that don’t want it. The world is engulfed with the threat of terrorism and rogue states that want to get their hands on nuclear weapons. The free world is now being threatened once again. The US Government works to combat this threat with its covert U.S. Army unit known as Fox-Hound under the leadership of the legendary war hero known as Big Boss. However, when a government agent goes missing during a mission…The agent last reports a weapon that can shake the foundations of the world known as “Metal Gear”. Big Boss sends in a rookie but talented Fox-Hound agent known as Solid Snake to learn of this new weapon. Will Snake learn the truth about this new weapon or will the world find out what Metal Gear will do if it's unleashed?
Mission:
Like MGS3 there would be a Virtuous Mission in MGS6:OH.

• Solid Snake is sent in by Big Boss to sneak into Mother Boss from MGS5 via Los Angeles Class (Block 3).
• Mother Base is set to be demolished by Outer Heaven forces as they move their forces and operations to mainland Galzburg, South Africa.
• Snake’s mission to find and rescue Gray Fox and any of the kidnapped scientists that work for Dr. Madnar. Find out what Metal Gear is and take them to the extraction point aka an Helicopter Pad not in use by Outer Haven units. Afterward, deploy the fulton recovery device for extraction
• Snake learns Gray Fox is being held in South Africa at the Outer Haven main base along with Dr. Madnar and his top scientist team. His low level assistants were to be executed by Outer Heaven soldiers via demolishing Mother Base. Last, that Metal Gear is also in South Africa and that Outer Haven is planning to use a custom made ICBM nuclear tipped missile potentially on any country that threatens them.
• The mission goes bad when Snake is about to have the scientist air lifted off the ground via fulton recovery devices. The scientists are brutally gunned down by Outer Haven Elite soldiers.
• An enraged Snake takes down the Outer Haven soldiers that approach him using his hybrid but deadly CQC system and tries to air lift himself via fulton recovery device. However, he is ambushed by a masked Venom Snake aka The Masked Phantasm.
• Snake puts up one hell of a fight, hitting Venom several times to where the point where Venom can only praise Snake’s skills. However, he loses when Venom plays mind games with him including stating his full code name and kicks up off the rig.
• Mother Base is destroyed by Venom and his men. Snake is adrift at sea until he is saved by the Los Angeles Class Submarine (Block 3) that helped him infiltrate Mother Base. He is later taken back to the states for a debriefing on what happened while he recovers in a hospital.
• In this mission, Snake only has Big Boss communicating with him and does not get much support. He is given only a trap gun, his CQC knife and basic first aid kits.
• The suit he wears is similar to his sneaking suit from MGS. Only this suit is design to swim on to the Mother Base elevator platform and sneak around on the surface at night

Main Mission:
This is where Snake goes to South Africa and has to get to Outer Haven which is a vastly HUGE heavily defended base. Potentially the best soldiers and mercenaries in the world work and defend the base. It is an official mission sponsored by Fox-Hound, NATO, CIA, NSA, UN and top members of the US Government. This means Solid Snake gets a load of equipment, gadgets and weapons for the mission.

• The briefing section for the main mission would give Escape from New York vibes. Big Boss, Lt. Colonel Roy Campell and other government officials brief Snake on his mission. It is here Snake sees his weapons, equipment and gadgets he will have for Operation:.
• Snake mission is the following: 1. Rescue Gray Fox, Kyle Schidener and Dr. Madnar. 2. Investigate War Crimes committed by Outer Haven. 3. Aid Resistance Fighters in any way possible. 4. Rescue any other hostages on the base. 5. Destroy Metal Gear and Neutralize the threat Outer Haven poses to the world. 6. Terminate the Masked Phantasm (Venom Snake)
• He is air dropped in South Africa by an C-130 gunship (Reference to Metal Gear NES/MGS3) and is ordered to meet with an Resistance fighter before moving into an areas destroyed by Outer Heaven forces via horse back
• This intro game would be similar to Rambo 3 and gives a hint on what Solid Snake will be going up against as travel though the beginning of the game seeing Outer Heaven air force units from a distance bomb villages
• The main mission would be a large map to roam around. The location being Galzburg, South Africa where the main base of Outer Haven is located at.
• When Gray Fox is rescued, he will provide support and be Snake’s mentor.
• Level boss battles will be intense and hard
• Last, Entering Outer Haven HQ will be intense and the final battle as well.

Gameplay would be a mix between MSG 3 and MSG 4 and MSG 5. It takes influence from other games like Red Dead Redemption, Splinter Cell and Grand Theft Auto video games along with new mechanics. The concept is to give the game a war survival horror like vibe if you’re spotted by the enemy or having trouble surviving in the wilderness.
MSG3 gameplay elements

• Like MGS3, you could change your camouflage and blend into the environment, camouflage meter, survive off the wilderness and eat foods.
• Finding food in the wilderness would boost Snake’s stamina and also assist with him getting his LIFE up when he rests. However, they would not boost his LIFE up like military rations or other foods (Three-Five star food) found in the supply depots or mess halls at Outer Haven bases would.
• The first aid system from MGS3 would play a part in the game. Solid Snake would be able to heal his wounds or stop bleeding like Big Boss did in MGS3 many decades ago. So having first aid items will be vital.
• The game would have different rations from different countries that Snake can eat from if he takes it off an Outer Haven soldier or from their supply depots. Military rations help heal Snake LIFE and give a small or moderate boost depending on the quality of the ration. (ex. American Military rations would give a moderate boost to Snake LIFE but would give a small boost to his stamina as he isn’t in favor of the rations taste. Russian rations would only give Snake a Small boost in LIFE and small boost in stamina due to its taste. Call back to MGS3. French Rations would boost Snake’s LIFE and Stamina completely which would be a call back to MSG4.)
• Different foods found on Outer Haven bases can boost Snake’s stamina up and LIFE better than Rations such as the Calorie Mate, Curry, different sodas, snacks, etc. Also, three or five star meals found in Outer Haven mess halls scatter through-out their many sub bases or garrisons. P.S. I want to have a scene where Solid Snake finds a Calorie Mate and speaks to Big Boss about it and the two have an interesting conversation about it. (Lol)
• Snake can sabotage enemy supply deports and armories to reduce the enemies ability in fighting him if spotted.

MGS4 Gameplay elements-

• Over the shoulder gameplay
• First person view and aiming down the sights
• A fluid polished gun gameplay mechanic
• Customizable weapon system, weapon attachment, swapping out and fixing inventory slot for weapons and/or inventory
• Psyche meter, this goes down when Snake is spotted too much and takes too much damage
• Currency system to upgrade weapons and get ammo when Snake runs into Resistance fighters weapon vendors
• Solid Snake having the option to assist resistance fighters or continue with his mission
• Aiding resistance fighters will help Snake during take segments of the game. They will return favors to Snake by giving him rations, weapons, other foods and ammo
• Saving hostages at Outer Haven facilities will also assist Snake and give him items or information
• Polished CQC system
• Being able to pick up ammo and weapons of dead enemy soldiers. No ID tags for the weapon.

MGS 5-

• Polished CQC and fighting system
• Being able to operate vehicles, tanks, apcs and infantry fighting vehicles. However, enemy forces will start to respond more aggressive call in armored units or gunships to Snake out
• Ride horses
• Weather and day changes at random times, Snake can use this for his advantage
• Enemy checkpoints and small bases that Outer Haven use as buffer against intruders and Outer Haven resistance fighters
• Call in support from local Outer Heaven Resistance fighters (only if you assisted them in them battles, gained their respect and they’re nearby to help)
• Gunship helicopter patrols
• Air assault units
• Armored convoy patrol
• Snake can sabotage mini Outer Haven bases, outpost and can knock enemy communications which makes it harder for enemies to call for back up
• Sabotaging Outer Heaven outposts and their infrastructure will cause Outer Heaven to move their forces out to confront the Resistance fighters thus giving Solid Snake a chance to get past them
• Snake can smoke his Lucky Striker cigarettes to bring up his Psyche or allow time to pass by similar to what Venom Snake did with his E-Cigars in MSG5

Splinter cell element-

• The game would allow players/Solid Snake to use stealth mechanics similar to that game to get by or attack Outer Heaven soldiers
• This also means hiding in the shadows and sometimes staying out of the light

Grand Theft Auto elements-

• Like GTA games, if you do too much damage to the police they get more aggressive.
• It would be no different when you fight Outer Haven soldiers as they will start to send in more elite soldiers with better weapons and armor.
• They will also be able to be armored units or mechanized units and gunships would be sent to kill Snake.
• Worse, Air strikes and heavy artillery strikes as well. Some OH units would deploy bi-pedal armor vehicles and jet packs along with guard dogs.
• This would strongly support the stealth element of the game and give it a war horror movie vibe if you get spotted by the enemy. It doesn’t matter how many good weapons you have on you. You will be overwhelmed by Outer Heaven soldiers and will die if you get spotted multiple times.
• This would be similar to what you see in GTA if too many law enforcement agents continue to swarm on you

New Gaming mechanics -

• Non-linear gameplay- meaning random patrols of Outer Soldiers can occur the closer you get to Outer Haven HQ
• Open world map. Goal is to give fans the immersion that the red dead redemption games gave. Basically the Outer Heaven is like a large country in and of itself
• Game would reward you for not being spotted and embracing the stealth elements of the game. This means you will encounter less Outer Heaven patrols in the game and they won’t be heavily geared up when doing them
• If Snake gets spotted too much in the game, Outer Heaven soldiers will be more hype vigilante, heavily armed and geared up. They will change their patrol tactics to make it difficult for Snake to sneak around. Worse double up on patrols or have support from armored units, gunships or unmanned drones.
• Stealth take down system. Snake can perform lethal or non-lethal takedowns rambo style when his enemies get close. The players can make the decision on which take down to use.
• Snake can switch his fighting system from CQC to the various martial arts he knows. If multiple soldiers are near him he can use CQC or use standard martial arts when fighting enemies that can counter his CQC based attacks.
• He can use a CQC take down on enemies not paying attention to him or other forms of melee takedowns.
• This is to showcase how skilled Snake is when it comes to fighting
• Different locations have points that are controlled by the Outer Haven Resistance fighters and Outer Heaven soldiers
• The game will reward players for assisting Outer Heaven resistances and sabotaging Outer Heaven bases
• Liberate occupied villages under Outer Heaven soldiers occupation or avoid them, go though abandoned villages or resistance fighter controlled villages
• The closer you get to Outer Haven, the more patrols and mini bases run by Outer Heaven soldiers you will encounter. This means the game will get very difficult real quick.
• Outer Heaven patrols will be random at time depending on how many times you have raised the alarms or not during your mission
• Caution mode would contribute to this but there will be more patrols if you cause yourself to enter caution phase too much
• The travel to Outer Haven’s main HQ is to parallel MSG3 when Big Boss had to travel to Gronznyj Grad. It short, Snake travels to Outer Haven would be an epic long high adrenaline rush journey to defeat Venom Snake and destroy TX-55 Metal Gear
• South Africa’s map would be vast and large. It is filled with its soft and rough terrain. Snake can use this to his advantage but so can Outer Heaven Soldiers
• Players will have the option to either go to Outer Heaven outpost or avoid them by using the rough terrain to get around the outpost
• Gray Fox will assist Snake in certain parts of the game and provide support either though radio or combat support to take down a level boss.
• At times, Snake and Gray Fox would work together to take down Outer Haven patrols
• The final part of the game involves Solid Snake and Gray Fox having to fight hordes of Elite Outer Heaven soldiers as they fight to stop Venom Snake from using TX-55 to fire a completed experimental long range ICBM nuclear missile on the Patriots
• Last, Solid Snake vs Venom Snake. Venom proclaims that he is Big Boss to Snake after taking off his mask and the two fight. The rest is history.
• The final battle is to parallel the battle between The Boss and Big Boss. Intense gunfight and CQC fight between the two. Snake needs to use an experimental rocket launcher made by Outer Haven to kill Venom Snake
• After beating the game, you can play as Gray Fox and see the story though his eyes and how he is informed by the Real Big Boss to assist Snake and help him take down Venom Snake.
• Being able to blend into the environment Rambo/Navy SEAL tier One style to either get past enemies or take them down one by one
• Snake would have a booby trap system inspire the Rambo movies to help ambush soldiers or distract them while they go to aid wounded soldiers.
• Snake can create ghillie suits to hide from enemy soldiers, covertly sneak past them or use it to ambush them
• Players would have multiple options on how to enter Outer Heaven outpost and the main HQ

Weapons

• The weapons in the game will be from late 60s to mid 90s. Weapons form both Soviet Union, Warsaw Pact, China and NATO countries. This goes from handgun, submachines, assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, and anti tank weapons. Last, grenades and mines.
• Weapons can be customizable for Snake to use if he finds the attachment for the weapons or finds an resistance fighter vendor that is nearby to upgrade his weapons
• Enemies use weapons fitted for the environment that they operate it and it's at random the types they use
• Some weapons will be custom built weapons that don’t exist in the real world to be the spirit of the previous Metal Gear Solid game.
• Some weapons will allow Snake to use his CQC techniques or basic melee attacks with weapons

Snake’s Gadgets/Tools for the main mission where he gets official support

• Snake's suit is a combination of late 80s and 90s US Army Special Forces attire but modified.
• 90s tactical vest. It can be upgraded for Snake to carry more ammo and to take more damage as time goes on
• Custom built MP5SD6 with a folding stock, an Beretta 92FS with an tactical flashlight/laser sighting, also can be fitted with an suppressor and MK.22 Trap gun. The weapons are modded so he can use his CQC skills
• A small pack that allows Snake to carry items. This can be increased by upgrading it in the game
• Motion-sensing radar that allows him to track enemy soldiers, a precursor to Soliton Radar. It acts more like a sonar device then radar
• Mountain climbing equipment
• Combat Scuba gear (can be refilled by going outer heaven supply deports)
• Snake has a advanced long range radio and a wireless headset to communicate with his team
• Wire cutters
• Different camouflages and face paint to wear
• Idroid like device but advanced
• Fox Hound adaptation of INT-SCOPE but more advanced and has the ability for Snake to switch to different fields of view including Night Vision and Thermal Infrared. Last, a camera system for Snake to take pictures
• INT-SCOPE can be used to help Snake what tier Outer Heaven Soldier that he is dealing with and help him plan acquiring and allow him to listen in
• Tactical flashlights
• Tools to create ghillie suits
• CQC knife
• Survival Knife used for melee take downs
• Limited Fox-Hound issued MRE rations to restore life and stamina along with restore psyche
• A blue bandana that Big Boss gives him

Vehicles

• Vehicles found in the game are jeeps, armored tank, tanks, APCs, artillery vehicles and helicopters along with jets from the late 70s to mid 90s
• Unmanned vehicles that didn’t exist in the mid 90s

Theme:

• The end of the 80s going into a new era aka the 90s.
• Desert Storm and the aftermath of the war
• The politics behind America being the only SuperpoweHype-power in the 90s
• Child Soldiers, Solid Snake being one.
• NATO, its organization expanding and the conflicts it was involved in though peacekeeping missions
• The fall of the Soviet Union, end of the Cold War, and Post-Cold War politics/events
• The rise of new technology, internet, movies, music CGI and upcoming digital age in the 90s
• The rise of global terrorism and rogue states
• The threat terrorism and rogue states pose and the fear of them getting their hands on nuclear weapons. A true big fear of the 90s going into the 2000s
• Coming of age soldiesecret agent/legend (Solid Snake)

Movie Influence:

• The Rambo movie series since Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake were heavily influenced by the first three Rambo movies.
• 80s and 90s James Bond movies. Mostly Goldeneye since it follows post-cold war.
• Die Hard movies series, gun battles and intensity between the characters and death defining odds
• Hardboiled (1992), the gun battle that Solid Snake and Gray Fox will have against the swarm of Outer Haven elite soldiers would be heavily influenced off the final gun battle from this movie.
• Running Man, the Boss level villains being similar in design to the villains from the movie, only less colorful, evil like, aggressive and more tactical in fighting.
• Face Off (1997) - action scenes
• Escape from New York, since the first game was influenced by the movie. The main mission where Solid Snake goes to South Africa with official support will give off this type of vibes including the mission briefing he is given as he looks at his equipment.
• The Rock (1996), action scenes and the relationship that Sean Connery as John Patrick Mason and Nicolas Cage as Stanley Goodspeed, FBI. Its similar to the relationship Gray Fox and Solid Snake will have.

Game Music:

• The music for the game would be influenced by the previous MGS games, Rambo movies, Syphon filter and action movies from the 90s. Mixed bag of tones to give different vibes for the game
• The music will be atmospheric in nature as you move around Mother Base and later South Africa
• One set of music to make you feel like a spy, other half giving you the false sense of safety, other places the music will make you feel like your in a warzone and/or being chased
• Real world music from the 80s and 90s that players can listen to when they find a Sony Discman D-145 (1995) laying around or Sony walkmans
• Real world music would 80s - 1995, Rock, Pop, Alternative Rock, R&B, Mainstream hits, Rap, Jaxx and etc. Can listen to game music as well on either device when you the player find them.

Characters:

• David/Solid Snake:
• A child soldier of sorts. He spent his life being fostered by different foster parents (Patriot handlers) until he reached the age of 6. After that, Solid Snake was trained though-out most of his life by his many handlers at an US Army run school.
• In the US Army run school (Patriots involvement), he was made to engage in a mix of U.S. infantry, Airborne infantry, U.S. Army Ranger, Green Beret and Delta Force style harsh training. Add in the school making him learn different languages at a young age.
• On days he didn’t do military training, Snake was made to endure intense academic schooling. It was here Snake was pushed to understand the general knowledge of Science, Math, Reading, English, Writing, Workshop Skills at a High School to College level. In addition, understand how to operate most vehicles as well.
• At age 18, he was later placed in the US Army as a 2LT to a Green Beret Unit. The Patriots and his handlers, changed his age date so that he was capable of joining the unit and being a junior officer. He is second in command of the unit and sent to fight in Desert Storm (1990-1991).
• Solid Snake had a short but very successful career in the US Army through the multiple successful missions he completed in that war.
• His missions involved him destroying multiple SCUD launchers, sabotaging Iraqi supply lines, disputing their communication lines, assassination or capturing of top Iraqi officers, and deep reconnaissance within Iraq. His unit would also take part in aiding in liberating Kuwait.
• He is awarded a Silver Star and promotion to Captain before personally being recruited into Fox-Hound by Big Boss himself.
• Big Boss and Roy Campell were coordinating Fox-Hound operations in Desert Storm which is why they knew of Snake’s exploits and saw him as a candidate for the unit.
• Prime Solid Snake is a force to reckon with and is considered to be the best all around Fox-Hound agent along with being the finest practitioner of CQC next to Big Boss and The Boss.
• Big Boss states to Gray Fox at the end of the game that Snake could defeat The Boss with ease had they had fought in a straight hand to hand duel in the 1960s. In short, this is Big Boss way of humbling Gray Fox and telling him to NOT underestimate Snake for when the time comes for Fox to kill him (Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake events).
• Snake’s CQC is unique and deadly in design due to his expert knowledge of various different martial arts from his youth, his mastery of Close Quarter Battle (CQB) and knowledge of CQC handed down to him by Big Boss. Snake incorporates many different forms of Martial Arts to his style of CQC where he adds in striking (punching and kicking), fake or faints, foot work, clinch, ground fighting and grappling.
• Despite being inexperienced, Snake makes up for this by being sure of his skills and not being afraid to pull the trigger. Snake’s real fear is that he is going up against experienced killers and soldiers by himself who can kill him
• Snake’s relationship with Gray Fox is similar to the relationship to what we saw in MGS2 between Solid Snake and Raiden. Only a young Solid Snake is more badass when compared to a young Raiden
• Snake’s relationship to Roy Campell is similar to what we see in MGS. However, the two become friends quickly due to the experiences they share being involved in Desert Storm.
• Roy Campell encourages Snake not to give up and to be sure of himself. He also calms down an enraged Snake when they learn that Big Boss is behind everything.
• Solid Snake's relationship with Big Boss is similar to The Boss and Naked Snake in MGS3 but a lot longer as Big Boss continues to “support” Solid Snake with his mission.
• Fox-Hound, NATO, CIA, FBI and NSA start to put the pieces together that Big Boss is behind everything. He goes off the air and Venom Snake confronts Solid Snake. Rest is history after that.
  Big Boss:
  
• He is the commander of Fox-Hound and re-organizes the covert special forces unit to combat terrorism and rogue states trying to get their hands on nuclear weapons.
  
• This was a fear in the 90s and Big Boss being a legendary war hero made him the perfect pick to be the leaders of the organization again
  
• Under his leadership, Fox-Hound is successful in taking out world terrorists, international arms dealers, their backs and having them arrest by allied countries
  
• Big Boss and Roy Campell are awarded medals for their efforts
  
• Big Boss holds the simulated rank of a One Star General in within Fox-Hound due to his vast war experience, successful missions and saving the world several times over
  
• We learn of Big Boss past and how he was an top NCO before MGS3 before being given an rank of officer
  
• Big Boss personally trains Solid Snake and passes his legacy down to him after Snake accepts an open challenge to spare him and hits Big Boss multiple times before losing.
  
• This is a tradition Big Boss would offer recruits during his command. The challenge was that he would train any recruit as his solo student if they could hit him in sparring. Only Snake was the only recruit to do so in Fox-Hound.
  
• Big Boss does care for Solid Snake in a bizarre way and doesn’t want to see him killed unless it's by his hands which he is secretly plotting to do.
  
• In the virtuous and main mission, Big Boss provides support to Solid Snake by giving him advice from his war time experience, how to survive in sneaking around Outer Haven and how to survive off the land.
  
• During Boss battles, Big Boss goes off the air, leaving Campell to assist.
  
• Everyone becomes suspicious of Big Boss when they discover his spy plane has disappeared off radar and it is not far from Outer Haven.
  
• Worse, when intelligence agencies learn that Big Boss was sending message to Outer Heaven HQ (Gray Fox) but they are unaware of who
  
• They create an warrant for his arrest and the rest is history after Venom Snake dies
  Roy Campbell :
  
• He isn’t a full bird colonel yet and is an Lt. Colonel. He is second in command of Fox-Hound.
  
• Big Boss trusted Campell because of the events they shared in MSG:PO and the vast amount of experience he has in counter-terrorism missions to black ops in taking out terrorists leaders.
  
• Campbell quickly befriends Solid Snake due to their shared war experiences in Desert Storm.
  
• Campbell is a skilled tactician and strategist, and is heavily supportive of Solid Snake. He gives Snake (Player) hints and clues to move around in the game. In addition, information on weapons and vehicles.
  
• Last, he gives ideas on how to destroy level bosses
  Gray Fox:
  
• He was on a mission to assassinate Venom Snake after Big Boss discovered that Venom wants to use Nuclear Weapons against Patriot run countries that would trigger a nuclear war. Of course, official members of Fox-Hound are unaware of this and believe he is investigating Outer Haven to learn if they’re involved with terrorists.
  
• He fails his mission that Big Boss assigned to him and is captured by Venom Snake after losing a fight against him.
  
• Venom spares his life and threatens that if he escape, he will personally take him out next time.
  
• After being feed by Solid Snake, Gray Fox is ordered by Big Boss in secret to assist Snake in taking out Venom and later assassinate Snake to cover up everything at Outer Heaven.
  
• However, Gray Fox is unable to help Snake take out Venom after being cut off by a swarm of Outer Haven soldiers. He instead sacrifices himself so that Snake can stop Venom from launching nukes from Metal Gear TX-55. Later, fakes his death so he could return to the real Big Boss and help with Zainabarland
  
• After beating the game, you can play as Gray Fox and see the story through his eyes. Learn more about him, his fighting style and how he assists Solid Snake
  
• His fighting is mixed between his fighting style as Null (MGS:PO), CQC concepts Big Boss passed to him, Knife fighting style and pro gun fighting skills.
  

Venom Snake/Big Boss:

• Venom Snake would have a huge makeover since the events of Metal Gear Solid 5. He has been given nanomachines so that he can survive future medical surgery and look more like Big Boss and stand in for him.
• The horn in his head is removed which almost kills him but the nanomachines prevent this and heal him. They also grant him superhuman abilities that turn him into a super-soldier of sorts. His bionic hand is replaced with a more human-like bionic hand.
• The nanomachines are a precursor to what Vamp would have many years later. Only Venom’s nanos won’t bring him back from the dead, just heal him faster. However, the side effects is that the nanos in him are making him mentally unhinged
• He is given a new sneaking suit to help harness his new abilities and provide extra protection for him. Snake would need to use an Anti-Tank rifle or Anti-Tank rocket launcher to take him out.
• He is not the same man he was in MSG5. He is more militant towards the Patriots, ruthless and cold blooded. A pure demon at this point and isn’t afraid to commit war crimes or allow his men to do so.
• Venom’s prime mission is to destroy the Patriots and nations they run via nuclear strike using TX-55 Metal Gear. However, he knows that Outer Haven will be hit by NATO countries.
• This causes a rift between Venom and Big Boss. Venom sees Big Boss as being weak and is not willing to do enough to destroy the Patriots and is not willing to do whatever it takes to do so.
• However, the rift is created by Master Miller who kept his promise to help make the sons of Big Boss and Venom Snake stronger then Big Boss
• The rift gets so bad that Big Boss suspects Venom is not being loyal to him anymore and sends in Gray Fox to find out what Venom is doing leading to Metal Gear (1987) events and to assassinate him. Fox fails and loses to Venom in a fight. Venom shows mercy and has Fox locked at a maximum security brig at the Outer Haven prison site.
• A Venom Snake respects Solid Snake as he sees how skilled he is but he also plays mind games with him by hinting his relationship to Big Boss.
• He now wears a mask when he goes out in battlefields to fight aside his men so as to keep Big Boss identity hidden. He is dubbed the Masked Phantasm by world intelligence agencies. As far as the world is concerned, nobody knows who the Masked Phantasm is. Some people think he is a student of Big Boss due to CQC abilities. Near the end, he takes the mask off to reveal to Solid Snake who he is Big Boss (fake one).
• Last, we will know of the tragic story of Venom Snake and how really wanted to be a doctor after his contract with Militaires Sans Frontières end.
• Sadly, no one will ever know about Venom Snake and the man he was before his tragic events.
• He will apologize via radio to Big Boss asking his forgiveness and informs him that Solid Snake is not a man but a demon of their own making. Last, he correctly predicts that Snake will defeat the Patriots and do what they failed to do right before the Outer Haven based self destructs.

Supporting Characters
Kyle Schneider

• Developer of Outer Haven and help with building the base. Later, becomes the leader of the Outer Haven resistance force in South Africa after learning of Outer Haven’s war crimes in the region.
• He is captured and the resistance fighters try to scramble to rescue him. They agree to help Fox-Hound and Solid Snake in exchange for the safe return of their leader
• Knows where most of the weapons, foods and other important items are on the base will inform Snake on where to find them.
• Also inform Snake of where vital security checkpoints are and more are located at.
• Is caught in the explosion when NATO destroys what is left of Outer Haven. He is saved by the Real Big Boss.
• He will tragically become the Black Ninja and this leads to the event of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake where he will seek revenge against the world for what has happened to him.

Jennifer Schneider

• She is the sister of Kyle Scheider. She took it upon herself to go and rescue her brother despite not being a soldier or warrior.
• She disguises herself as a nurse and sneaks into the base. She assist Snakes with information and where weapons are at.
• The original game doesn't say what happened to her. So I have her help Solid Snake escape and they watch Outer Haven from a distance get destroyed with NATO delivering air strikes on reminding Outer Haven bases
• She is present when Solid Snake is giving a medal for completing the mission by President Bill Clinton
• The two have a brief relationship before he moves to Canada to be an undercover CIA agent
• Snake helps her find a job in America for her helping him and getting her a green card to stay in America

Diane

• A Goth Punk rocker that has a band called Thin Wall. She performed for Outer Haven several times and knows about the base
• She assists Snake with giving information on Outer Haven bases and the main HQ. Also, info on the mercenaries that operate the bases and informs him of the weakness of the Bosses in the game.
• She has a crush on Solid Snake and is in her early 20s.
• She is present for Solid Snake getting a medal for completing the mission

Drago Pettrovich Madnar

• The developer of the first Metal Gear. His project, himself, his scientist and his daughter are taken hostage by Outer Heaven soldiers
• He is being used to complete TX-55 Metal Gear and develop an custom built nuclear tipped ICBM that can be fired from Metal Gear
• Informs Solid Snake on how to take out Metal Gear He is taken off base by Jennifer after Snakes saves him
• He informs the US Government to send Snake his regards fos saving him

Ellen Madnar

• The daughter of Dr. Madnar. She is being used as a tool to force Dr. Madnar on continuing his work on TX-55 Metal Gear
• She is saved by Snake and escorted off the base by Jennifer
• She is present for Snake getting a medal for completing the mission and stands in for her father

Tech (Original)

• Expert in science, engineering and responsible for making all of the gadgets Fox-Hound has
• He is also aware of the weapon systems, gadgets and tools that Outer Heaven Soldiers use
• Son of Donald Anderson
• Gameplay mechanic, he is charge of saving the game for you when you contact him
• Would return in Metal Gear Solid 7: Zanzibar Land and Metal Gear Solid: Philanthropy Chronicles to aid Snake. In Philanthropy Chronicles he aids Snake to atone for the sins of his father. He would go into hiring with Snake’s afterwards which is why there is no mention of him in MGS4
• He would leave Fox-Hound after the Zanzibarland incident and work for the CIA as a gadget builder

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I stared up at the magazine cut out of a Maxim model that was crudely pasted on the underside of the top bunk. Her pert breast shimmied ever so slightly as Pete tossed and turned above.
She was platinum blonde with legs long enough to wrap around me twice. Or so the camera angle made it seem. I felt a stirring below, that yearning for a woman’s touch… which I hadn’t felt in six years, three months, and eleven days.
I rolled to my side, stifling it. It was the wrong time to seek out an orgasm, and I knew after the release I’d just spiral into self-loathing anyway. I focused on a crack in the cinder block until my eyelids became heavy.
Static pushed the thought of women from my mind as I slipped into sleep. The smell of cigars and oil flitted through my mind in a memory. My dad’s repair shop. The one I was meant to take over, before the arrest…
------
“Aaaarrgghh!”
A cry echoing from somewhere deep within the prison startled me awake. My heart thundered in my chest like a rabbit thrashing against its cage.
I rolled over to see Pete crouching low, his face pressed against the bars.
“What’s going on?” I croaked.
“They’re taking Benny.” He whispered.
“Fuck, really?” I pulled myself to the top corner of my mattress, just enough to peer around the edge of the bars.
Two guards wrestled the young latino onto a gurney as a man in a lab coat watched from a distance. He fought against them but it was futile. Once the straps were locked in he screamed once more, pleading for help.
Dozens of eyes watched from dim lit cells, none of which stirring to offer assistance in the slightest. We knew there was no helping him. We knew what happened next…
His cries were muffled as the doctor jammed a syringe into the base of his neck. Benny’s muscles tensed and pulsed in the fit of a seizure, but then lay still. The cell block was silent once more as they wheeled him down the hall and into the catacombs.
I did a cross over myself but didn’t bother to pray. Once they took them, they never came back.
“A damn shame…” I muttered.
“Yeah, he was a good kid…” Pete stood and leapt back onto the top bunk.
A fire burned in my chest. I wanted to say something. To cry out about the injustice of what was happening to us. That committing a crime shouldn’t damn a man to whatever terrible fate they had instore for us below three feet of steel and a quarter mile of dirt.
But I didn’t… What good could it do? Other than drawing attention to me in a very negative way.
Once they took you to the lab, you were never seen again.
All you could do was hope that your number was never called, and that you got out of here before they visited your cell late into the night.
—-----
87…88…89…90…
My chest was on fire as sweat dripped from the tip of my nose. I couldn’t go back to sleep last night. Kept thinking about Benny.
91…92…93…
So began the push-ups. It was the only way to clear my head.
94…95…96…
My therapy.
97…98…99…100.
I rolled to my back, out of breath.
Three years, six months and change.
So much time left to go.
Benny had only been here for a little over a year. It made no sense…
None of us could figure out exactly why they took who they took. There seemed to be no method to the madness.
Just a couple weeks ago they took old man Tom Finch. He’d been here longer than any of us. A lifer on the account of premeditated murder back in the 70s. But they didn’t come for him until he’d served most of his adult life behind bars.
The red beacon suddenly swirled above. A buzzing sound hummed as the cell doors clicked and slid open.
Breakfast.
—----
I pulled my tray along the bar to be loaded with oats, powdered eggs and bread.
Meager rations.
I grabbed a small carton of milk and made my way over to sit with Pete. He was already nibbling on his toast while perusing a crossword puzzle.
We exchanged nods and I went to devouring the entirety of my plate.
Calories build muscle after all.
Which was something Pete had no interest in. He was a bookworm through and through. Rail thin too. When we’d met, I’d assumed it was from the drug problem he’d had on the outside, which ultimately landed him in incarceration. But come to find out it was just his metabolism and general lack of appetite.
“John…” He whispered.
I looked up from my feast.
He was looking to the corner of the cafeteria and I followed his gaze to see two men in lab coats surveying the crowd.
I grunted and squeezed the handle of my fork until my knuckles went white. The impulse of burying it into their throats was almost overwhelming.
“Their activity has been ramping up.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been seeing them much more frequently as of late. They must be close to a breakthrough.”
“Breakthrough of what?” I furrowed my brow.
“Who knows? Whatever it is they are doing down there. They’ve been taking us more often as well.”
Pete sighed at the twist of confusion on my face.
“Think about it… Benny last night, then Tom two weeks before that. Then Eric ten days before that, and Deonte maybe three weeks prior. It’s never been that close together. Until recently, they only came perhaps once every other month. Sometimes only once a season.”
Shit… he was right. I hadn’t realized it before.
“So what does that mean?” I asked, shoving another hunk of egg into my mouth.
“I have no idea. But I’d say our odds of survival have been reduced dramatically.”
—-----
Pete might as well have been an oracle, peering into our grim and desolate future.
Over the next several months we started seeing the lab coats weekly. Sometimes even more often than that.
The prison yard felt empty. Sure there were still plenty of us left, but our population had been noticeably trimmed. One gang in particular only had two members left, which didn’t bode well for them. The others slowly circled them like sharks. I had no affiliation with any of them and kept to myself. But still, I could see their fate a mile away.
Although, despite the business as usual dog eat dog atmosphere, there was an undercurrent of fear rippling through the general pop. You could smell it, like a scent of decay and desperation. Hard faces that had once promised violence, now almost flinched around every corner and jumped at each shadow.
The energy of a couple of hundred men that felt like an animal backed into a corner was palpable.
But what could we do?
I didn’t know but I sure wish someone would tell me… I threw myself into my workouts and Pete hardly ever looked up from a book. Escapism was our only reprieve.
I went to bed with a prayer on my lips, hoping I wouldn’t hear those iron bars moving in the late hours of the night.
—-----
A loud clanking followed by footsteps pulled me from sleep.
I squeezed my eyes tightly shut hoping it was the cell next to mine.
But it wasn’t…
Three guards hovered behind a fourth that was unlocking our cell. The bars clicked and began to slide open.
I jumped to my feet and backed up against the wall. I pulled my fists up into a boxing stance, I wasn’t going to go without a fight. My muscles tensed and flexed like coiled steel.
“In the corner inmate! We’re here for your cellmate.” A short and stocky corrections officer barked with his hand gripping the baton at his waist.
Pete squirmed into a ball at the corner of his mat and looked at me with wide, pleading eyes.
I put my face in the opposite corner as instructed. A mixture of fear and relief roiled in my gut, and I hated myself for it. It made me feel like a coward.
“No, no, no, no, no!” I heard Pete squeal from behind as guards flooded the cell.
I peaked over my shoulder and watched as they pried him from the top bunk. Pete tried to resist, but there was nothing to him. A bag of bones that they easily wrestled down.
That same fire ignited in my chest. Anger washed over me, cleansing away the cowardice. For God’s sake, he was my only friend.
All I could see was red.
I spun around bringing the back of my fist across a guard’s face, shattering the bridge of his nose. Blood spurted from it as he dropped Pete’s legs.
With a giant step forward I brought an uppercut into the portly officer’s abdomen, dropping him like a ton of bricks.
I shoved a third into the corner, pinning him there as I screamed for Pete to run. He scampered out the opening and the last thing I heard were his footfalls as a baton smashed across the back of my skull. Everything went black before I even hit the ground.
—-----
I spent a month in solitary.
The room was so small it should have been inhumane to house a human being inside of it.
Still… I made the best of it with dips, pushups and situps. Countless reps of them. It was all I could do.
Some mornings I’d wake up with horrible migraines. I assumed it was a slight concussion from the impact of the baton.
I only hoped Pete could have somehow made it out. But somewhere deep down I knew that would have been impossible. Hopefully he at least gave them some hell before they took him below.
I stopped praying before bed. It didn’t seem like it did any good.
If there was a God, he didn’t exist inside these walls.
We were abandoned.
The unheard.
—-------
When I finally got back to my cell it had been emptied of everything. Pete’s books, artwork from his niece and even my Maxim cutout.
Just like he’d never existed. My heart sunk at the sight.
Later that day I’d learned from others that he had been captured just moments after escaping the cell.
But our actions weren’t wasted in vain.
We were the first to fight back against the abduction and it sparked something in the others.
They started talks of an uprising a few weeks back. A prison riot.
They even had a guard on the inside. C.O. Matthews. He was a very religious man and was just as horrified by what was happening as we were and had been looking for a way to help.
“It’s going down tonight John, just before lights out. Be ready.” Jerry whispered at the picnic table.
I gave a nod that I understood and headed off for my daily jog around the courts.
It wasn’t about getting out. Getting free. That wasn’t going to happen. It was about sending a message.
I let my mind go blank, filling with static as I enjoyed what could be my last day outside.
—------
The beacon swirled overhead in the common area.
“Inmates to their cells. Lights out.” The intercom buzzed.
There were over fifty men in cell block B, and not a single one of us moved.
The voice on the intercom repeated himself angrily as guards began to shuffle in closer. Nods passed like dominoes from one inmate to the next. We were ready.
“Get to your cell inmate.” a guard growled as he clamped his hands down on my shoulders.
I threw an elbow behind me into his groin, he howled in pain as he hit the floor. The other inmates sprung to their feet and flew off from their leaning places to join in the brawl.
Fists, feet and batons flew wildly across the cell block as we engaged in war with the uniformed officers.
I grappled with one until I was able to submit him in a choke until he went limp in my arms.
I stomped another in the face, spilling blood and brains on the concrete floor.
It had looked like we were winning until they sent the special response team in. We formed a line, many of us battered and bloody, in front of the row of riot shields.
We waited for their charge for what felt like an eternity.
But suddenly they backed out from where they’d come and slid the cell block doors closed.
What the hell…
The red beacon swirled once again overhead as a clicking sounded out behind us.
The rear entrance that the lab coats had always used swung open. I spun around to see…
“Mary, mother of God.” I gasped.
It was Pete…
But there was something horribly wrong with him.
His skin clung loosely to his body and had a terrible jaundice looking hue to it. His eyes almost seemed to glow and his hands… they were impossibly large like contorted branches.
I held my hand up to my mouth in disbelief.
A scientist stepped out from behind him.
“As you can see, we have a few kinks left to iron out, but we are making great progress. Would you all care to see what he can do?” He looked into each of our eyes inquisitively.
“If you don’t, head back to your cells now. You have ten seconds and then I shall release him.”
It was so silent you could hear a pin drop. But a violent and hungry energy filled the room, emanating from what used to be my friend.
Suddenly, over half the remaining inmates bolted for their cells out of fear. Not that I could blame them, my knees wobbled and threatened to buckle just at the sight of him.
But I stood my ground, as did a handful of others.
“Very well then. Specimen 3-1-0, engage.”
A growl reverberated through the cell block.
“Everyone rush him at once! It’s our only shot.” I hollered.
And we did, but it didn’t matter. It happened so fast. It was over before I could even comprehend it.
He moved like an animal, picking each of us apart almost in unison.
I lay on my back, unable to feel my legs as I watched Jerry be disemboweled. He was trying to shove his intestines back inside the tear in his abdomen before the creature came back to finish him off.
I did a cross over myself but didn’t bother to pray.
As Pete stood over me, with dead eyes, I knew there was no God.
He didn’t exist inside these walls.
We were abandoned.
The unheard.

I stared up at the magazine cut out of a Maxim model that was crudely pasted on the underside of the top bunk. Her pert breast shimmied ever so slightly as Pete tossed and turned above.
She was platinum blonde with legs long enough to wrap around me twice. Or so the camera angle made it seem. I felt a stirring below, that yearning for a woman’s touch… which I hadn’t felt in six years, three months, and eleven days.
I rolled to my side, stifling it. It was the wrong time to seek out an orgasm, and I knew after the release I’d just spiral into self-loathing anyway. I focused on a crack in the cinder block until my eyelids became heavy.
Static pushed the thought of women from my mind as I slipped into sleep. The smell of cigars and oil flitted through my mind in a memory. My dad’s repair shop. The one I was meant to take over, before the arrest…
------
“Aaaarrgghh!”
A cry echoing from somewhere deep within the prison startled me awake. My heart thundered in my chest like a rabbit thrashing against its cage.
I rolled over to see Pete crouching low, his face pressed against the bars.
“What’s going on?” I croaked.
“They’re taking Benny.” He whispered.
“Fuck, really?” I pulled myself to the top corner of my mattress, just enough to peer around the edge of the bars.
Two guards wrestled the young latino onto a gurney as a man in a lab coat watched from a distance. He fought against them but it was futile. Once the straps were locked in he screamed once more, pleading for help.
Dozens of eyes watched from dim lit cells, none of which stirring to offer assistance in the slightest. We knew there was no helping him. We knew what happened next…
His cries were muffled as the doctor jammed a syringe into the base of his neck. Benny’s muscles tensed and pulsed in the fit of a seizure, but then lay still. The cell block was silent once more as they wheeled him down the hall and into the catacombs.
I did a cross over myself but didn’t bother to pray. Once they took them, they never came back.
“A damn shame…” I muttered.
“Yeah, he was a good kid…” Pete stood and leapt back onto the top bunk.
A fire burned in my chest. I wanted to say something. To cry out about the injustice of what was happening to us. That committing a crime shouldn’t damn a man to whatever terrible fate they had instore for us below three feet of steel and a quarter mile of dirt.
But I didn’t… What good could it do? Other than drawing attention to me in a very negative way.
Once they took you to the lab, you were never seen again.
All you could do was hope that your number was never called, and that you got out of here before they visited your cell late into the night.
—-----
87…88…89…90…
My chest was on fire as sweat dripped from the tip of my nose. I couldn’t go back to sleep last night. Kept thinking about Benny.
91…92…93…
So began the push-ups. It was the only way to clear my head.
94…95…96…
My therapy.
97…98…99…100.
I rolled to my back, out of breath.
Three years, six months and change.
So much time left to go.
Benny had only been here for a little over a year. It made no sense…
None of us could figure out exactly why they took who they took. There seemed to be no method to the madness.
Just a couple weeks ago they took old man Tom Finch. He’d been here longer than any of us. A lifer on the account of premeditated murder back in the 70s. But they didn’t come for him until he’d served most of his adult life behind bars.
The red beacon suddenly swirled above. A buzzing sound hummed as the cell doors clicked and slid open.
Breakfast.
—----
I pulled my tray along the bar to be loaded with oats, powdered eggs and bread.
Meager rations.
I grabbed a small carton of milk and made my way over to sit with Pete. He was already nibbling on his toast while perusing a crossword puzzle.
We exchanged nods and I went to devouring the entirety of my plate.
Calories build muscle after all.
Which was something Pete had no interest in. He was a bookworm through and through. Rail thin too. When we’d met, I’d assumed it was from the drug problem he’d had on the outside, which ultimately landed him in incarceration. But come to find out it was just his metabolism and general lack of appetite.
“John…” He whispered.
I looked up from my feast.
He was looking to the corner of the cafeteria and I followed his gaze to see two men in lab coats surveying the crowd.
I grunted and squeezed the handle of my fork until my knuckles went white. The impulse of burying it into their throats was almost overwhelming.
“Their activity has been ramping up.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been seeing them much more frequently as of late. They must be close to a breakthrough.”
“Breakthrough of what?” I furrowed my brow.
“Who knows? Whatever it is they are doing down there. They’ve been taking us more often as well.”
Pete sighed at the twist of confusion on my face.
“Think about it… Benny last night, then Tom two weeks before that. Then Eric ten days before that, and Deonte maybe three weeks prior. It’s never been that close together. Until recently, they only came perhaps once every other month. Sometimes only once a season.”
Shit… he was right. I hadn’t realized it before.
“So what does that mean?” I asked, shoving another hunk of egg into my mouth.
“I have no idea. But I’d say our odds of survival have been reduced dramatically.”
—-----
Pete might as well have been an oracle, peering into our grim and desolate future.
Over the next several months we started seeing the lab coats weekly. Sometimes even more often than that.
The prison yard felt empty. Sure there were still plenty of us left, but our population had been noticeably trimmed. One gang in particular only had two members left, which didn’t bode well for them. The others slowly circled them like sharks. I had no affiliation with any of them and kept to myself. But still, I could see their fate a mile away.
Although, despite the business as usual dog eat dog atmosphere, there was an undercurrent of fear rippling through the general pop. You could smell it, like a scent of decay and desperation. Hard faces that had once promised violence, now almost flinched around every corner and jumped at each shadow.
The energy of a couple of hundred men that felt like an animal backed into a corner was palpable.
But what could we do?
I didn’t know but I sure wish someone would tell me… I threw myself into my workouts and Pete hardly ever looked up from a book. Escapism was our only reprieve.
I went to bed with a prayer on my lips, hoping I wouldn’t hear those iron bars moving in the late hours of the night.
—-----
A loud clanking followed by footsteps pulled me from sleep.
I squeezed my eyes tightly shut hoping it was the cell next to mine.
But it wasn’t…
Three guards hovered behind a fourth that was unlocking our cell. The bars clicked and began to slide open.
I jumped to my feet and backed up against the wall. I pulled my fists up into a boxing stance, I wasn’t going to go without a fight. My muscles tensed and flexed like coiled steel.
“In the corner inmate! We’re here for your cellmate.” A short and stocky corrections officer barked with his hand gripping the baton at his waist.
Pete squirmed into a ball at the corner of his mat and looked at me with wide, pleading eyes.
I put my face in the opposite corner as instructed. A mixture of fear and relief roiled in my gut, and I hated myself for it. It made me feel like a coward.
“No, no, no, no, no!” I heard Pete squeal from behind as guards flooded the cell.
I peaked over my shoulder and watched as they pried him from the top bunk. Pete tried to resist, but there was nothing to him. A bag of bones that they easily wrestled down.
That same fire ignited in my chest. Anger washed over me, cleansing away the cowardice. For God’s sake, he was my only friend.
All I could see was red.
I spun around bringing the back of my fist across a guard’s face, shattering the bridge of his nose. Blood spurted from it as he dropped Pete’s legs.
With a giant step forward I brought an uppercut into the portly officer’s abdomen, dropping him like a ton of bricks.
I shoved a third into the corner, pinning him there as I screamed for Pete to run. He scampered out the opening and the last thing I heard were his footfalls as a baton smashed across the back of my skull. Everything went black before I even hit the ground.
—-----
I spent a month in solitary.
The room was so small it should have been inhumane to house a human being inside of it.
Still… I made the best of it with dips, pushups and situps. Countless reps of them. It was all I could do.
Some mornings I’d wake up with horrible migraines. I assumed it was a slight concussion from the impact of the baton.
I only hoped Pete could have somehow made it out. But somewhere deep down I knew that would have been impossible. Hopefully he at least gave them some hell before they took him below.
I stopped praying before bed. It didn’t seem like it did any good.
If there was a God, he didn’t exist inside these walls.
We were abandoned.
The unheard.
—-------
When I finally got back to my cell it had been emptied of everything. Pete’s books, artwork from his niece and even my Maxim cutout.
Just like he’d never existed. My heart sunk at the sight.
Later that day I’d learned from others that he had been captured just moments after escaping the cell.
But our actions weren’t wasted in vain.
We were the first to fight back against the abduction and it sparked something in the others.
They started talks of an uprising a few weeks back. A prison riot.
They even had a guard on the inside. C.O. Matthews. He was a very religious man and was just as horrified by what was happening as we were and had been looking for a way to help.
“It’s going down tonight John, just before lights out. Be ready.” Jerry whispered at the picnic table.
I gave a nod that I understood and headed off for my daily jog around the courts.
It wasn’t about getting out. Getting free. That wasn’t going to happen. It was about sending a message.
I let my mind go blank, filling with static as I enjoyed what could be my last day outside.
—------
The beacon swirled overhead in the common area.
“Inmates to their cells. Lights out.” The intercom buzzed.
There were over fifty men in cell block B, and not a single one of us moved.
The voice on the intercom repeated himself angrily as guards began to shuffle in closer. Nods passed like dominoes from one inmate to the next. We were ready.
“Get to your cell inmate.” a guard growled as he clamped his hands down on my shoulders.
I threw an elbow behind me into his groin, he howled in pain as he hit the floor. The other inmates sprung to their feet and flew off from their leaning places to join in the brawl.
Fists, feet and batons flew wildly across the cell block as we engaged in war with the uniformed officers.
I grappled with one until I was able to submit him in a choke until he went limp in my arms.
I stomped another in the face, spilling blood and brains on the concrete floor.
It had looked like we were winning until they sent the special response team in. We formed a line, many of us battered and bloody, in front of the row of riot shields.
We waited for their charge for what felt like an eternity.
But suddenly they backed out from where they’d come and slid the cell block doors closed.
What the hell…
The red beacon swirled once again overhead as a clicking sounded out behind us.
The rear entrance that the lab coats had always used swung open. I spun around to see…
“Mary, mother of God.” I gasped.
It was Pete…
But there was something horribly wrong with him.
His skin clung loosely to his body and had a terrible jaundice looking hue to it. His eyes almost seemed to glow and his hands… they were impossibly large like contorted branches.
I held my hand up to my mouth in disbelief.
A scientist stepped out from behind him.
“As you can see, we have a few kinks left to iron out, but we are making great progress. Would you all care to see what he can do?” He looked into each of our eyes inquisitively.
“If you don’t, head back to your cells now. You have ten seconds and then I shall release him.”
It was so silent you could hear a pin drop. But a violent and hungry energy filled the room, emanating from what used to be my friend.
Suddenly, over half the remaining inmates bolted for their cells out of fear. Not that I could blame them, my knees wobbled and threatened to buckle just at the sight of him.
But I stood my ground, as did a handful of others.
“Very well then. Specimen 3-1-0, engage.”
A growl reverberated through the cell block.
“Everyone rush him at once! It’s our only shot.” I hollered.
And we did, but it didn’t matter. It happened so fast. It was over before I could even comprehend it.
He moved like an animal, picking each of us apart almost in unison.
I lay on my back, unable to feel my legs as I watched Jerry be disemboweled. He was trying to shove his intestines back inside the tear in his abdomen before the creature came back to finish him off.
I did a cross over myself but didn’t bother to pray.
As Pete stood over me, with dead eyes, I knew there was no God.
He didn’t exist inside these walls.
We were abandoned.
The unheard.