thisavrou_log | [closed] sneaking around in cardboard boxes

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[closed] sneaking around in cardboard boxes

Who: Venom and Solid Snake
When: March 3rd onwards
Where: The Cargo Bay
What: Venom finds himself wandering around in the Cargo Bay just searching.
Warnings: Snakes and family issues.

Venom found himself exploring more of the ship as he was now wandering around the Cargo Bay. It was a large expanse, perfect for storing all of the Moira's supplies and other such equipment. How big was this ship anyway? He went to pull out his phantom cigar but then remembered it had been taken by the Ingress. Damn. No smokes. They had even taken his beloved cardboard box. His precious box.

Snake walked down to the main area where lots of boxes and crates seemed to be stored. Perhaps, food? Supplies? Who knew. All he knew what that he desperately wanted a replacement for his missing box. It was just a cardboard box but so what? He never went into any mission without it. Even Kaz, his best friend, didn't understand Snake's love affair with the cardboard box. It was a Snake thing.

"Huh. Loads of boxes but none of them even look like what I want."

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The cargo bay didn't tend to get that much foot traffic. The only people who usually came here were those who worked here, or newcomers who were trying to get a lay of the land. Snake remained constantly aware of who came and went all the same, though; it was a habit that had been ingrained in him for as long as he could remember.

So as soon as Venom walked inside, Snake knew it. He had been actively avoiding him, not sure how much the man even knew about himself or his situation. There was technically no relation between them, but it was a lot more complicated than that.

Not to mention that the only time they'd ever met, it had been when Snake killed Venom, thinking him to be the real Big Boss. Miller had torn that wound open for him a while back, but he hadn't thought he'd ever be face-to-face with the man himself.

Snake remained where he was, at a long counter sorting through some supplies, and waited for Venom to come to him. Once again, it was good to have some warning, like he had with Big Boss.

"Looking for something more traditional?" Of course he was -- if he had Big Boss' memories, then he had his affinities too. "There are a few hiding around here." Some of which had been stolen away into Snake's room, but that was besides the point.

Snake heard the voice and turned around to face the man. There was something about him that looked familiar and that voice. Was this David? Kaz had told Snake about the other Snake that was around the ship. Solid. This had to be him. There were so many guys that looked like him it made his head spin.

"Got any that can hold two people?" He offered the man a slow smile. What? He might want to invite someone else in one day. Nothing wrong with that. "I liked my old desert box I used to have. Roomy and easy to move around in. I take it you know about the usefulness of cardboard boxes too, right?" Snake wondered how much like himself this man was. This was Eli's brother. He did seem much nicer to talk to and easier to approach. Thank goodness David wasn't going at him with a knife like his brother probably would be right now.

A desert box? Snake didn't know what that was, precisely, but he could assume it had to do with shipping things around in a desert setting. That meant that Venom had probably done a lot of his missions in a desert-like area, although maybe Snake was jumping to too many conclusions.

Why Venom needed a box that could hold two people was a more mysterious question, and Snake frowned to himself as he fought not to consider the possibilities. It was probably something harmless. Probably.

"Yeah. They're an integral part of any mission." Snake abandoned his work and moved out from behind the counter, crossing the cargo bay to where he knew some boxes were stashed. (Because he'd put them there.)

He looked over his shoulder at Venom as he walked. He was younger than Snake remembered him, and the resemblance to Big Boss was really uncanny. Only the shrapnel and scars gave him away. "What should I call you?"

Venom was glad that David understood how integral a box was to any infiltration mission. Being without a box made him feel naked, incomplete. It was good to have another understand him on this without thinking he was completely mad.

"It's nice to have someone understand boxes like me. You can call me Ahab." Snake offered David a nod. Why not? It was the name given to him when he awoke. Besides, if this guy was called Snake too, there were just too many Snakes aboard one ship. Using names was better.

"I'm guessing you're David, right?"

Snake had never felt the need to defend his love for boxes to anyone, even if most people didn't get it. It was oddly nice to encounter someone who understood without any kind of explanation needed. The unfortunate part was that he could assume Venom's affinity for boxes was a result of Big Boss' memories being foisted on him.

Still, if a box was what he wanted right now, a box was what he'd get.

"Ahab, huh? Found your white whale yet?" Snake shot back as he led Venom to a back corner, behind a few tall, metal shelving units, to where he'd stored the boxes.

When asked his name, Snake stopped in his tracks and turned back to Venom, hesitating for a moment before he nodded. "That's me. I usually go by Snake, but if it's easier to call me David, then... I guess you can do that." He didn't look thrilled at the idea. At this rate his real name was going to become common knowledge around here.

So, this brother of Eli had a sense of humour. At least that was something comforting. Better to have a laugh then get the crap kicked out of you, right? Ahab smiled slowly at David's joke.

"Not yet. Plenty of those space whales outside though." He looked around the cargo bay and wondered what secrets he could find in such a room. Following Snake, Ahab took note of what he was looking at.

"I'll call you Snake if that's what you prefer. So many of us around here. Liquid, you and then me. Ahab will suit me." He found it easier to use that name instead of Boss or Snake, since those names were already taken it seemed.

Venom (or Ahab, as he seemed to prefer) was nothing if not easy-going. Snake respected that, given that the rest of his family tended toward the other extreme. Not that Ahab was really his family, but then again, neither were the rest of them.

"Works for me," he said with a shrug. He reached the corner of the room where a sheet had been draped over a pile of something. He bent down to grab the edge of the sheet and then pulled it off, revealing a small collection of boxes. They were all different sizes and colors, but they resembled the ones that they knew from home.

Snake turned back to Ahab and waved with one arm toward the boxes. "Take your pick." It was an act of good will, and maybe in a weird way he was apologizing too, though it wasn't a gesture that Ahab would understand.

So many boxes to choose from. Venom really was spoilt for choice when it came to picking out a cardboard box. If he knew just how many were down in the cargo bay he would have gotten here sooner. His eyes scanned the different types and decided on a brown one that would blend in well with his surroundings.

"Hm. Think I'll pick this one." He picked up the brown box and looked it over. "How did you bring yourself to pick just one box? Or did you take as many as you wanted?"

Venom's choice was a practical one, and Snake tried not to think about the fact that he probably would have picked the same one if it had been up to him. It didn't mean anything.

At the question, Snake shrugged in a casual way before he admitted, "I have a few." More than that, he sometimes switched them out if he found something he liked more. He was still considerate toward his roommates, though.

Now that they were off in a corner of the cargo bay that was relatively private, Snake leaned himself up against the wall and gave Ahab another once-over. "So, how much do you know about me?" he asked, cutting right to the chase.

Venom enjoyed the whole range of cardboard boxes at his disposal. Obviously, he'd had to ask David if he could take another if he ever wanted to swap it out. Also, he'd have to be mindful of Steve and Niko's space, since he was sharing a room with them. So many boxes though. It was heaven. A different kind of heaven. At David's question Venom sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"To be honest not much. I only know of your twin, Liquid, since he spent time at Mother Base. All I know is that you were in England during the time your brother was at our base."

The news about Liquid wasn't anything Snake hadn't heard before, since Miller had briefed him on that back when he'd first arrived. Liquid was the known entity and Snake was the unknown one, so he couldn't be that shocked that everyone wanted to size him up after hearing that he was here.

Ahab didn't have all his facts straight, though; Snake shook his head. "At that point I would have been in the States." It was where he'd spent most of his life, in fact, no matter how much he'd traveled for the sake of a mission. He wasn't surprised that Ahab had been given some faulty information, though.

A pause, and then Snake continued. He wasn't sure why he was telling Ahab all this, except that he probably deserved to know at least a little about him. "I grew up in the military, was trained as soon as I was old enough." Fighting and war was the only life he'd ever known.

Venom frowned at getting some of the facts wrong. He didn't like making mistakes and it seemed that the info he had been given was incorrect. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He could only go on what he had been given, right? Since he was in a nine year coma how was he supposed to know all of this?

"Right. The States." He nodded. "I can understand that. You look like a man who can point a gun and isn't afraid to pull the trigger." He knew that look in his eye. David was just like all the other Snakes. A born killer.

Snake had essentially been born to fill that role, which meant that there had never been any other chance for him in life. It was hard to imagine living like a regular person, going into an office or doing some other menial job. That wasn't him.

"Yeah," he conceded, letting his arms fall to his sides, "but I try to only pull it when I have to." It wasn't someone else who controlled who he pointed his gun at now. That was for him to decide, and him alone. Ahab didn't really have that luxury, not when he'd been manipulated not just into his role, but into his whole identity.

"The same. I never leave for a mission without my WU Tranq piston. Silencing an enemy and putting them to sleep is always the better option. Less blood and less chance of alerting anyone else." Snake knew that stealth was the key to any mission having any chance of decent success.

"You know CQC?" He had to ask, since this guy was son of the real Big Boss.

Well, it looked like they could agree on that, as that was also Snake's preferred method. It was the cleanest way to carry out a mission with the least amount of damage done. Enemy or not, the people he killed were still people, and he'd rather not lose sight of that.

The question caused Snake to shift his weight, but that was the only outward sign of discomfort. "I know it," he admitted. "But I don't really use it anymore." Snake realized that the obvious next question would be why, but he'd leave it to Ahab to decide if he wanted to go there or not.

Venom had guessed that David knew CQC, since he was the son of Big Boss. Venom himself knew it because of Big Boss, so it was only natural that his son would gain his skills too. He wondered why Solid didn't use it though, since it was such a valuable skill to use against the enemy. Silent and deadly without any blood spilled. An easy way to subdue the enemy without alarm.

"Why don't you use it anymore?"

And there it is.

Snake exhales and shakes his head, as if he can brush off the question and pretend that he never heard it. That isn't going to fly, though, so he goes with his usual fallback of being vague. "Let's just say that he and I didn't end up being on the best terms with each other. After our falling out, I decided I didn't want to use it anymore."

Big Boss had created CQC, it was his signature skill set, and so using it would be something like honoring the man. Snake didn't want to do that when Big Boss had betrayed his own unit to try and fulfill his selfish dreams.

Edited 2016-04-27 19:38 (UTC)

Ahab wasn't sure what to think because this did effect him, yet David was from his future. This version anyway and the events that he was describing to Ahab hadn't even happened yet in his timeline. What had gone wrong with Big Boss? The legendary soldier everyone looked up to. Had something bad happened to him and people started turning away from him? Turning away from Ahab? The man who was Big Boss now in his time.

"Maybe because we're all alike? Too many snakes in one room could cause bad things to happen, right?" He couldn't think of any good answers right now.

There's probably no easy response that Ahab could give to any of this, especially with how vague Snake is being about it. There's a danger that comes with anyone from the past knowing too much; that's how he'll justify it, anyway.

"I don't think I'm that much like him," Snake says, almost on instinct, as he shakes his head. But he isn't that thrilled with the direction this conversation is going, which means it's probably time to cut it off. "Anyway, I should get back to work, but help yourself to the boxes." He gestures at them, his movements stiff and awkward.

It's one thing having to face his father. It's something else talking to a man who he didn't even know existed, but who he killed all the same.

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[closed] sneaking around in cardboard boxes

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