Saturday, December 5, 1992, 3:00 PM

Kevin and Snake were lying on the floor next to a large pile of debris where the door used to be.

Kevin slowly got up, rubbing his eyes. "Hey! Lana?! Dr. Right?! Snake?!"

Snake slowly got up and dusted himself off. "That was fun. Wait a minute. Where's everyone else?"

The two entered another room through the new hole in the wall. A door across the room opened, revealing a tall soldier wearing a bandanna and armed with a machine gun.

"What, there are more of you?!" the soldier shouted.

Snake drew his weapon. "There's always more of me. Who are you?"

The soldier grinned and loaded a clip into his weapon. "I am the Machine Gun Kid! No one has ever escaped from here!"

Kevin looked angry. "What did you do with Lana and Dr. Right?"

The Machine Gun Kid laughed. "I'm sure they're enjoying themselves on the rooftop." With that he opened up his weapon on Kevin and Snake.

"Whoa!" Kevin and Snake yelled as they swiftly got out of the line of fire.

Kevin used his Power Pad, while Snake used the traditional jump and scream.

The Machine Gun Kid saw Kevin slide out of the way and rubbed his eyes. "What was that?!"

Snake also looked dumbfounded. "Oh, well, who cares?" he decided. He then fired several rounds towards the Machine Gun Kid, who fell back against the wall.

"You'll pay for that!" the soldier weakly replied as he fired another barrage of shots toward Kevin and Snake.

Kevin took a hit, yelled, and fell to the ground.

"No!" Snake shouted as he turned his attention to his wounded companion.

"And you're next!" the Machine Gun Kid said as he aimed towards Snake and fired his weapon.

Nothing happened. It seemed that his weapon had jammed.

"No, not now!" he yelled.

Snake glared at the Machine Gun Kid with a menacing look in his eyes. Snake dashed towards him and slammed him into the wall. He then proceeded to take his machine gun and repeatedly pound him in the face with it. When it became obvious that he was unconscious, Snake returned to Kevin.

"Ooohhhh...that wasn't good." Kevin groaned as he managed to get up.

"What? You're not bleeding?" Snake asked as he looked over Kevin's uniform.

Kevin removed it, revealing a Kevlar vest secured to the inside.

"Oh, man, you had me going for a minute there." Snake said, relieved that Kevin was all right.

"Behind you!" Kevin yelled.

Snake delivered a powerful backfist to the Machine Gun Kid, who had snuck up behind him with a knife.

"Let's get out of here." Snake told Kevin as he began towards the door the Machine Gun Kid had come through.

"Hold on, this is an elevator!" Kevin said.

"Yeah. Let's head for the rooftop." replied Snake.

The two arrived on the rooftop of Building 1. They exited the elevator and entered a narrow passageway connected to a large room.

As they both entered the room, a guard saw them and quickly began running away.

"Why is he running?" inquired Snake as he holstered his weapon.

Kevin noticed something strange about the ground. As he looked closer, he could see wires running through it. Suddenly he realized what was going on.

"Oh, no!" Kevin shouted as he pulled out his Zapper. He fired a shot at the opposite wall, hitting a switch that the guard was about to pull.

"No!" yelled the guard.

"Freeze!" shouted Snake as he drew his weapon and advanced towards the guard.

The guard looked dumbfounded. "What do you want?"

Kevin approached him. "Where are you holding Lana and Dr. Right?"

"How would I know?" the guard asked, smiling.

Snake thought for a second, then pointed at Kevin's Power Pad. He moved his hand sideways quickly and made a gunpoint with his hand. Kevin nodded.

"What?" asked the guard.

Kevin backed away slightly, then pressed the directional pad, sliding him behind the guard. As the guard turned around to see Kevin standing behind him, he noticed that a gun was in his face.

"Where...are...you...holding...Lana...and...Doctor...Right?" Kevin asked slowly.

The guard was almost in a state of shock. "Uhhhhh...over there in cell 2...Twin Shot guarding them...uhhh...and Pettrovich..." The guard then fainted.

Snake smiled. "Nice work, Kevin. Let's go!"

They proceeded into a medium-sized room with two doors and four walls - not to mention two large guards standing behind two equally large guns.

Snake stared at the two huge guards. "Who...what are you?"

"We are Twin Shot!"

"Boss will be pleased!"

"You're not going any farther!"

"We will stop you!"

Snake and Kevin immediately dove behind a desk to escape the barrage of gunfire from Twin Shot.

"Man, don't we ever get a break?!" shouted Snake.

"Take it easy, Snake." Kevin said. "We need to come up with a plan."

Kevin started to get up, but was interrupted by several shots making it through the desk. Seeing this, he quickly sat down.

"All right, so maybe a tank would be helpful, too." Kevin added.

Snake pulled out a small periscope from his pack and used it to look around the room. It was quickly obliterated by a stream of gunfire.

Snake sat back down. "How about that plan?"

Kevin opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted when he heard a faint voice from behind Twin Shot.

"Lana?" Kevin jumped to his feet, but was pulled back down by Snake.

"What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?!"

"I have to do something!" Kevin told him.

Lana and Dr. Right were in one of the prison cells. Lana was looking through the bars, watching Twin Shot continue to fire rounds at the wall.

"They don't stand a chance against those guys!" cried a panicked Lana.

Dr. Right stood up. "Let's even the odds!"

He placed a gray object on the cell door. An LED displayed numbers counting down from 9.

"Get back!" Dr. Right shouted.

He and Lana ran to the opposite side of the cell.

Suddenly, there was an explosion.

Kevin and Snake were slightly shaken from the blast. They got to their feet and looked around.

"What was that?" Snake asked.

"I don't know, but it knocked one of them out!" exclaimed Kevin.

They both ran towards the guard's weapon, as the other was getting up.

"Don't even think about it!" shouted Snake.

Twin Shot quickly grabbed a pistol from his holster and aimed it at Snake.

Snake grinned. "You asked for it."

A stream of shots came from the gun and found their way towards Twin Shot. After the smoke cleared, Snake and Kevin looked over to see what damage it did.

"Whoa, you got him!" Kevin said.

Snake winced slightly. "Obviously."

Kevin looked towards the shattered door of cell 2. "The cell!"

The two entered the cell, finding Lana and Dr. Right a little shaken from the explosion.

"Dr. Right! How did you destroy that door?!" inquired Snake.

"It was a gray device, with several wires." replied Dr. Right.

"Plastic explosive! Do you have any more?!"

Dr. Right shook his head. "No, just that one."

"Oh, well, at least those guards are taken care of." Snake looked into cell 1, then back at Lana and Dr. Right. "Where's Dr. Pettrovich?!"

"You must mean that other guy that was here?" Lana asked. "They took him out of here right before you two showed up. I heard them say something about Building 2."

Snake fell back against the wall and slid down it.

Kevin looked at Snake. "Where is Building 2?"

"It's about ten kilometers south of here. The perimeter is heavily guarded. I figure they have set up roadblocks by now, since they know we're here."

"This building is still on full alert, too." Kevin added.

"There's gotta be a way in." Lana said.

Snake looked at his backpack, then smiled and turned towards the team. "We're outta here. I've got a plan."

Kevin perked up. "Can we make it?"

"We'll see."

"How does it look, Kevin?" Snake asked as he pulled the last bit of rope from his backpack.

"The guard is still standing,...well,...guard." Kevin replied, his stare at the enemy soldier unwavering.

Snake tied his last piece of rope to the others, which was now about twenty-five feet long. "Good. Now for the hard part. We're gonna have to distract this guy somehow, and get out of here on the double. Anybody not ready?"

"All set over here!" Lana called as she grasped the container of rations. "May I do the honors?"

"All right." Snake said with a smile. "Let's do it!"

Lana extended her arm out of the rooftop window and threw the rations towards the guard as hard as she could. It landed in a patch of dense bushes about thirty feet away from him.

"What?" the guard asked himself. He began to walk towards the source of the sound. His back was now to the team.

Snake smiled. "That's good. Hurry now!"

Kevin tossed the escape rope from the window, which just reached the ground. He stealthily and swiftly slid down it, with the rest of the team following.

A quiet "Rations? What are these doing here?" was heard by Kevin.

"Quick, behind those bushes!" Kevin whispered to the group, seeing that the guard had discovered the disturbance.

The guard returned to his post, oblivious to the fact that the N Team was now making their getaway. They walked several hundred yards before Snake motioned for them to stop.

"That's good enough. We can plan our next move from here."

Snake pulled a map from his backpack and set it flat on the ground. The rest of the team got around it.

Snake pointed to a place marked '1'. "All right, here's Building 1. That's where we are now. We should follow this road south to reach Building 2. But there will be a problem."

"The roadblock?" Lana questioned.

Snake nodded. "Yeah. They've probably got that place locked up tight by now. It's gonna be tough to get around it."

"Could we find a way through it then?" Dr. Right asked.

Kevin pointed at a spot on the map. "What's this?"

Snake looked at cell B5. "That's a loading point. Transport trucks enter and exit there."

Everybody looked at Snake, who was now smiling.

"Yeah. You're right, doctor!" Snake commented.

Everybody laughed except for Snake. He gave the group a confused look.

Snake rolled up the map and put it in his pack. "Anyway, let's head over there now. Time's wasting!"

The team approached Building 1's loading point, which was filled with large military transport vehicles. Only two guards were standing in front of the building's entrance.

"I see two guards, about ten trucks, and not much cover." Snake said, handing his binoculars to Kevin. "What do you think?"

Kevin scanned the area thoroughly with the binoculars. "I think the one on the far right will be best. It's the farthest away from those guards."

"How do we know where it's going, though?" Lana asked.

"Or when?" Dr. Right added.

Snake rubbed his chin. "We can't swipe it. They already know what we look like. They'd get even more suspicious if they found out a truck was missing. Let's just hop aboard."

Dr. Right looked at the guards. "They're not looking toward us now!"

"All right, let's move quietly!" Snake ordered in a whisper.

The team quietly moved towards the truck, and, upon seeing that the driver was not there, jumped inside the back.

"These crates are empty!" Kevin said, suprised.

"The contents must have been unloaded here." Snake answered.

Lana looked out of a small window. "The driver's coming back!"

Snake jumped back slightly. "All right, uh,...hide in the crates!"

Each person climbed into one of the large crates and fastened the top securely.

The driver started the truck and took off, not aware of his cargo.

Snake noticed that the driver was keeping a fairly straight course. "I think we're headed in the right direction!" he whispered to the group.

The truck came to a stop. They heard voices from outside, as the driver had to pass through the roadblock.

"You transported the equipment to Building 1, right?"

"Yeah, it's all taken care of. How's the project going?"

"It's finally completed. But the commander found something that may prove extremely useful to us."

"Is that the remote control thing everyone's been talking about?"

Dr. Right jumped slightly upon hearing this. "They have the warp zone opener!" he whispered.

"Yeah, that thing is supposed to open portals or something."

"Heh. Sure, whatever."

"Take it easy, Rob."

The truck's engine was loud enough to muffle out the sounds of the team's voices.

"Dr. Right, if they really do have the warp zone opener, what does it mean for Videoland?" Kevin asked.

"It's not good. It has the coordinates to my lab, your house, lot of other video worlds, and...Earth. Mr. Snake, exactly how powerful is this Metal Gear?"

Snake was silent for a moment, then responded slowly: "Powerful enough."

The truck stopped outside of Building 2. Several trucks and a few jeeps were parked outside of the entrance. Three guards were around the door. The driver of the truck left, and went inside the building.

"We have to get in there as soon as possible!" Snake exclaimed.

"How are we supposed to get past them?" Lana asked.

Kevin checked the power level of his Power Pad. "I can stun them with my Zapper, but I'll have to use it sparingly after that."

Snake nodded. "Go to it, Kevin."

Kevin slowly moved up to the front of the truck, aimed out the window, and fired the Zapper at the three guards. Each one of them took a hit, and fell down.

Snake looked impressed. "They're not dead, are they?"

Kevin shook his head. "Nah, they'll be up in a few minutes. They won't be happy, though."

"I think we should be entering the building now, don't you?" Dr. Right interrupted.

Kevin nodded. "Yeah, let's go!"

The four proceeded quickly into Building 2, but Kevin seemed like he was distracted by something. Lana walked up next to him.

"What's wrong, Kevin?"

"It seems like a trap." Kevin answered. "I wish I could remember what happens in this part of the game."

Snake looked suprised. "What's this about a game again? This isn't a game, Kevin!"

Kevin looked at Snake. "What are you talking about, Snake? It's - " His voice was muffled by Lana's left hand.

"Don't worry about it, Snake. Let's just get back on track here." Lana gave Kevin a strange look, which he knew meant for him to shut up.

Snake shrugged and continued walking down the corridor. Dr. Right followed him, and Kevin and Lana brought up the rear.

"Kevin, he doesn't know!"

"I'm sorry, Lana. I'll be more careful from now on."

Lana smiled at Kevin, and the two continued on with Dr. Right and Snake.

After a few minutes, they came to a door. Snake was about to open the door with Card # 4, but Kevin stopped him.

"No, wait, I remember now! Get out your grenades! We'll need them!" Kevin shouted.

"Say what? How do you know this?" Snake asked Kevin.

"I remember it from the - I mean, I just do!"

Snake rolled his eyes. "Not with this game thing again."

Kevin stepped back as the door opened. The next thing they saw was a huge tank, the front of which looked like a bulldozer.

"What in the world?!" Snake exclaimed as he caught sight of the huge tank.

Kevin stepped forward with a hand grenade. "I tried to warn you! Let's hurry up and get rid of this thing!"

Snake slowly pulled a grenade out of his pack, while keeping an eye on Kevin. He and Kevin both tossed them at the tank. They ducked the explosion, which seemed to disable the tank.

Kevin looked at the wrecked tank. "Maybe we should use a few more for good measure."

Snake stared menacingly at Kevin. "No, maybe you should tell me what is going on here! Are you working for the enemy?"

Kevin noticed that Snake's hand was on his Beretta.

Kevin put his hands in the air. "Whoa, no need for this! I just figured that something would be behind there!"

Snake kept his hand on his weapon, and his stare on Kevin. "Right. And what is all this about some game? Don't take me for a fool! You know something I don't, and I want answers!"

Lana sighed and looked at Snake. "Well, I guess we might as well tell you.

Lana explained the entire situation to Snake: how they were from Videoland, that Kevin came in through the Ultimate Warp Zone, and that on Kevin's world Metal Gear was just a video game.

Snake looked enraged. "You people must think I'm an idiot! Who else would fall for something like that?"

"Look, that's what happened, and if we don't do something now, all of our worlds will be threatened!" Kevin responded.

"Who are you to give me orders?! It seems like you have been telling us what to do this whole time!" Snake said. He pushed Kevin back.

"Don't push me! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have made it out of that first building!" Kevin shouted. He pushed Snake.

"Yeah? Come on, bigshot!" Snake said to Kevin. He pushed him back into the wall.

Lana and Dr. Right watched Kevin and Snake's argument turn into a real fight.

"Shouldn't we do something, Princess?" Dr. Right asked Lana.

"No, maybe this'll teach them to work together." Lana answered.

Snake threw a punch at Kevin, which he dodged, sending Snake's fist into the wall.

Snake yelled out in pain, which made him even more angry. "Argh!!! Now you're gonna get it!!!" Snake screamed.

Snake rushed directly at Kevin, who was still in front of the wall. Kevin used his Power Pad to slide out of the way, which sent Snake face first into the wall. Snake fell to the ground, obviously in pain.

Kevin picked up Snake's helmet from the ground. Looking at the rank insignia, he seemed suprised. "You know, for a Captain, you're not too bright." he joked.

Snake got up off the ground and dusted himself off. "Ow. Now that really hurts." he said, rubbing his head.

"Here you go." Kevin said as he handed Snake his helmet.

Snake took the helmet and pulled a container of rations out of it. Kevin smiled.

Snake smiled back. "Man, who am I kidding? I would've been toast back there if you hadn't helped."

Kevin and Snake shook hands.

Lana looked very happy. "That was great, Kevin!" She kissed him on the cheek.

Snake looked at Kevin and laughed to himself. A faint "All right" was heard by Kevin and Lana. "Well, now, we have more important things to take care of. I think we should head - " Snake was cut off by his tranceiver.

Kevin pointed at the radio. "Hey, Snake, someone's calling you!"

Snake hit a switch on the device.

Lots of static again. "C-Can anyone hear me? Snake? Anybody? SOS. Repeat - "

Snake hastily picked up the receiver. "Fox! This is Solid Snake! Respond, please! Repeat: This is Solid Snake! Respond, please!"

The voice over the radio grew weaker. "Snake!" Fox coughed. "They got the jump on me. I have terrible news." He coughed again. "Metal Gear is complete now. They also have procured some strange device - "

Dr. Right jumped in. "The warp zone opener!"

Snake nodded and continued listening.

" - that can open some kind of doorway to other worlds. All of the buildings in the - " cough " - compound have been almost completely evacuated."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Fox coughed again. "Pettrovich is in Building 2, but watch out for - "

"What? Watch out for - " Snake commented.

The radio emitted only static.

"That's odd, all of out frequencies are just static now!" Snake said.

"They must be jamming the channels somehow." Dr. Right said.

"Well, let's worry about finding Pettrovich now. Time is running out."

TO BE CONTINUED...