Welcome to my first Metal Gear fanfic! Well, it's not exactly a fanfic per se—it's just a novelization of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, the newest MGS game and prologue to The Phantom Pain. Let's just say Raymond Benson and Project Itoh inspired me to do this… I've never written anything related to Metal Gear before, so I hope all goes well.

Warning: Spoilers ahead! Read at your own risk.

Enjoy.

DISCLAIMER: Everything here belongs to Konami and Kojima Productions.

Chapter 1: The Capture

He was breathing heavily as he trudged up the sloping hill, the dirt beneath his small feet threatening to give way with each step. Tiny droplets of rain fell from the dull gray sky, sticking onto his face, hair, and eyelashes. Each time he blinked, more water would cling to his eyelashes and blur his vision. It annoyed him somewhat, but at least it was not pouring. Not yet.

He had gone a long, long way from Santiago de Cuba to this place. He knew very well that he should not even be here. He shuddered when he wondered what his boss would say to him when he returned to the base… Then again, he might not even be able to get out of here.

No, he thought firmly, shaking his head. I will return…along with her. Boss…Amanda…no te preocupes…

With a heavy heart, he remembered that he was supposed to meet with his sister in Havana, more than 500 miles away from his current position. But he had had a plan long before boarding that boat to Havana.

A dangerous plan.

A reckless plan.

He had trekked through the 60-mile mountainous terrain between Santiago and his destination. Even if he wanted to turn back, it was far too late.

I must keep going.

The rain continued to fly into his face. He wiped it away with a dirty hand and hurried onward, careful to stay close to the grass-covered ground. He peered into the distance.

There it was. Those bright lights blatantly told him so.

A U.S. naval base. A prison camp.

He swallowed nervously, his forehead beaded with sweat. With shaking hands, he withdrew something from his pocket—a small audio cassette player called a Walkman. It was the only thing he had brought with him to record his journey. He stared at the lights for a few more seconds before pressing a button.

"I made it ashore."

The fear was evident in his voice. He swallowed again, his forehead beaded with sweat. His forest green eyes darted left and right as he muttered, "I'm in Cuba. Security looks lighter than I thought."

He prayed that he was right about the security.

"…I wonder where Paz is."

He took a couple more steps forward, grimacing at the loud crunching of the dirt beneath his boots. He was surprised to hear the distinct chirping of crickets. It calmed him a little.

"It's dark, but there are soldiers everywhere. Lots of choppers coming and going," he added when the sound of spinning rotor blades entered his ears. "Those lights are so bright."

A helicopter passed overhead, and he flattened himself along the grassy ground to give himself a bit of cover. He glanced to his right and nearly let out a gasp when he spotted a soldier, his rifle positioned in front of his chest.

"…Time to get moving."

He slowly stood up and shuffled down the hill, which, fortunately, was not too steep. He sneaked closer to the camp until he was about fifty feet away from the chain link fence. Thank goodness the grass was a little taller here.

"I got close to the fence to see if I could spot her," he spoke into the Walkman. "They had a guard posted, so I got outta there. Guess security's not so light after all…"

So much for light security.

The crickets continued to chirp as he murmured, "I'm coming, Paz…"

He went onto his stomach and slowly crawled closer to the fence, attempting to mimic the silent maneuvers that his boss was so good at.

"I'm okay…"

Just a few more feet.

"I'm okay," he reassured himself. "I'm… I'm okay—"

There she was.

Forgetting all the concepts of stealth that his boss had taught him, he shot back onto his feet and pounded toward the fence.

"I think I found her!" he practically shouted.

He grunted several times as he closed the distance between himself and the camp.

"It's gotta be Paz!"

A dog barked.

He came to a halt and looked left and right, his heart pounding wildly.

There.

Two soldiers.

"No, no, no—"

He quickly turned and ran in the opposite direction.

"They're looking for me—"

He couldn't get caught now! He was already so far in! If he failed, Paz would never be rescued from this hellhole. Worse yet, she could end up getting killed.

He ran faster than ever, hoping that he would not trip over his own feet. The dirt slid and shifted beneath him, but he was somehow able to keep balance. The dogs sounded even closer now. It would not be for long before he was captured.

No! I can't get myself caught! Paz could die if I do!

He stumbled over a tangled knot of grass and fell forward. Quickly throwing out his hands, he managed to break his fall, but not without hurting his left wrist in the process. He lay motionless on the ground, the grass partially covering his trembling body. The Walkman was still recording.

"Did you hear that?"

He held his breath as the two soldiers from before entered the edge of his field of vision. There were no dogs with them, but their rifles frightened him.

"Like…some sort of thump or somethin'? I could've sworn I did."

They were somewhere to his right, maybe less than ten feet away.

Oh, no…

"Well, whatever it was, I don't see it now. It was probably just some animal that got spooked by the dogs."

A snort. "Yeah, yeah…sure. Let's go back to the post."

By now, his heart was beating so loudly that he thought the soldiers could hear it. But apparently, they did not, for now they were turning around and going back to wherever they were before they began to pursue him.

…They're leaving. Now's my chance!

He stood up.

The soldier pointed.

"Over there!"

He bolted, but the soldier lunged at him far faster than he had anticipated. Suddenly, he found himself pinned to the ground. He kicked at the man that overshadowed him, attempting to free himself.

"Enough," the soldier snapped, effortlessly holding down his limbs. "Quit that struggling."

He continued to kick at him as though he had not heard anything. The soldier just scowled and muttered an oath before grabbing both his wrists with his large, strong hands. A couple of slaps was enough to stop his squirming.

"Got him secured." The soldier peered a little closer at him and confirmed in a rather incredulous voice, "…It's a kid."

"What the hell is a kid doin' here?" asked the other soldier just as disbelievingly.

"No idea," he replied. "But let's take him in, anyway. Nowadays, just about anyone can be a spy."

The companion nodded and agreed, "True that."

Nowhere to run.

No place to hide.

He had no choice but to go with them.

-ooo-

Koi no yokushiryoku
Hora GAME ga hajimaru
Mitsumeaeba wakaru desho?
Hajimari no BERU ga naru

Love deterrence
Look! It's the beginning of the game
Look at these straightforward thoughts
Now I'm overflowing and I start to run

-ooo-

He cried.

"I'm…"

The Walkman was still recording.

"I got caught…" he whispered.

He glanced left and right.

"…I-I'm in a cage," he said with a slight stammer. "They gave me back my recorder… At least whoever finds this will know what happened…"

The other prisoners sat motionlessly in their cages, silent and miserable like lifeless animals.

"They're holding others here, too. But…still no sign of Paz…"

He let out a sharp gasp when he saw two soldiers approaching his cage. Between them, barely conscious, was another person, probably 20 years old or so, bare feet dragging across the rough dirt. Despite that her hair had been all but shaven, he immediately knew it was a girl. The soldiers opened the cage next to his and tossed her in. He tried to hold back his tears when she let out a pained cry.

The door to her cage slammed shut, and the soldiers marched away.

The girl breathed heavily, struggling to stay awake. After what seemed like an eternity, she weakly lifted her head just a little to see who the prisoner next door was.

"…Ch… Chi…co…?"

He was stunned.

"P… Paz…?!"

Ricardo Valenciano Libre felt like sobbing when Pacifica Ocean gave him the faintest of smiles before she slowly closed her sea-blue eyes.

She gratefully breathed, "…Chico…"

…And there you have it. I hope that was all right.

Chapter 2 will be coming…eh, I dunno. Whenever I feel like it, I guess.

REVIEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!