in the quiet loop. (solid snake x reader)

05 - loose ends

Hal broke the moment, glancing back from the cockpit, instructing something. The rotors screamed overhead now, slicing the blue sky wide open as the Kasatka began to lift. In the quiet rush before takeoff, you sat beside Snake, your heart still thudding from the fight, your breath tangled in his silence.

The Kasatka lifted into the sky, slicing through the coastal air with a sharp gust. Wind slammed against the side as Hal guided the helicopter over the skeletal curve of Big Shell's infrastructure, rising above the metallic sprawl of platforms and connecting bridges below. You leaned slightly to look out the side hatch, the sunlight pouring through the clouds, catching on the gleam of the ocean.

Beneath you, the Shell 1-2 connecting bridge stretched out like a narrow thread over the dark waters. You spotted Raiden moving quickly yet cautiously across the bridge. The blinking lights that had lined the handrails were now dark. He'd taken out the Semtex sensors. Snake noticed it too, through the open side of the Kasatka. He raised his hand, just slightly, offering a small wave.

Raiden paused mid-stride, glanced up, and gave a subtle nod back before resuming his approach toward Shell 2.

"Kid's doing fine," Snake murmured beside you.

You watched a moment longer when movement caught your eye just near Strut G. Your narrowed your gaze at the entrance, where a figure stood cloaked in a long coat. Their face was obscured, head dipped, and hidden beneath a dark hood or collar. The fabric of the coat whipped in the coastal breeze, but the figure remained eerily still. You leaned forward slightly, fingers tightening on the edge of the seat.

"Otacon," you called out, not taking your eyes off the figure. "Slow down for a second."

"What is it?" He asked, glancing at the radar.

"There's someone on the ground. Strut G."

Snake moved beside you, squinting out the open hatch. He saw it too, his jaw now tightened ever so slightly. Your eyes locked on the figure by the Strut G entrance, unease twisting in your chest.

Without another word, you shifted to the onboard console. Your fingers flew across the keyboard, pulling up the nearest external feed with the security camera just outside the entrance. The grainy image blinked to life as the man stepped forward into view, still cloaked, but now his voice came through. His face was partially obscured beneath the collar and shadow of his coat, but enough of it showed.

"I'm the boss to surpass Big Boss himself... Solid Snake."

The words hit the cabin like a bullet. Snake froze behind you as you glanced back. He didn't move, but the shift in his posture said everything. His shoulders had gone tense, jaw tight, eyes narrowed into a hardened glare.

"Solidus..." he muttered under his breath, almost like a curse.

Hal looked up from the flight panel. "What did he just say?"

"Otacon," Snake barked suddenly. "Turn us around now. Back to Strut G."

Snake stood beside you, leaning forward as if his presence alone could cut through the monitor.

"No!" He barked, loud enough for the two men on the bridge to hear. "That is not Solid Snake!"

You heard the name before, spoken in whispers, buried in files that only Hal and Snake dared decrypt. He wasn't just some shadow. He was Solidus Snake, the forgotten third. The one who vanished, only to surface now in the eye of the storm.

The Kasatka circled tightly as Hal brought it around Strut G. Below, Solidus was already moving, making his way toward the edge of the connecting bridge, as if he were waiting. Snake's jaw tensed as he grabbed his M4 rifle, shouldering it as he took aim. Down below, as if he could feel the crosshairs brushing across him, the man in the trench coat finally stopped.