in the quiet loop. (solid snake x reader)

07 - captured.

You disappeared from Snake's depth of vision as you exhaled, slow and steady, like the moment you released a trigger. You turned toward Hal, who stood silently, his eyes red, his expression tight with grief but focused.

You approached him gently, placing a hand on his arm to anchor him back to the present. "Otacon, go to Strut E. Prep the Kasatka for evac. I'll handle the hostages."

He blinked, momentarily overwhelmed. "What? No, I should-"

"You're the only one who can pilot her out of here. We need that bird ready the moment they're across."

Hal hesitated, jaw clenched. You could see the battle in his eyes, torn between duty and the raw ache in his chest. But then he nodded, slow and determined. "Alright. I'll be ready."

He started off in a run, white coat trailing, Emma's blood still drying along the sleeves like an unshakable memory. You turned on your heel and took a breath before heading back into Shell 1, your footsteps sharp, precise. Every hallway, every turn, burned into your memory like a tactical map. You knew where the hostages were and you moved with intent, voice firm as you called out to the frightened men and women huddled in various rooms and corners.

"This way! Move quickly but stay quiet. You're getting out of here."

All of them moved because your voice carried the kind of certainty they hadn't felt in hours. Maybe days. One by one, you gathered them, herding them from shelter and shadows, guiding them through Shell 1's narrowing corridors toward the connecting bridge between Shell E and F. The distant rumble of Arsenal's systems powering up echoed behind you like a closing gate.

The EF connecting bridge loomed ahead with open air, sharp wind, and the endless stretch of sea all around. You stood at the threshold, watching the hostages move in a tight group across the steel walkway. You stood sentinel, back turned to the fire behind you, eyes scanning the sky ahead for the silhouette of the Kamov. The wind picked up, carrying the scent of sea and steel. Somewhere behind you, deep in the lower levels, a war was starting. But up here, your war was in the saving.

Then, like a shadow parting the clouds, the Kamov appeared in the distance, slicing through the air with a mechanical whir, drawing closer, Hal piloting it through the last stretch with practiced precision. You let out a breath you hadn't realized you were holding, chest tight with everything that had happened... and everything still to come.

The downdraft of its blades sent your hair whipping back, clothes flaring in the wind. You raised a hand against the gust, eyes locked on the cockpit as the chopper began to descend toward the bridge's makeshift landing zone. Hal brought the Kasatka down gently, the skids clanging lightly against the metal grating. The doors swung open almost before it settled, and you moved fast, guiding the hostages one by one into the belly of the aircraft.

"Go! Move carefully, stay close, hold the rails!"

They obeyed, exhausted but alive, clinging to one another and to the hope of escape. You helped an injured engineer climb aboard, then ushered a trembling analyst after him. One woman paused, her eyes wide with fear.

"You're safe now, I promise."

She nodded, swallowing hard, and stepped inside. Only after the last civilian was aboard did you climb in yourself, closing the hatch behind you. Hal gave you a glance in the rearview mirror of the cockpit with a look of relief, of shared triumph, tinged with the grief that hadn't yet left his eyes.

You gave him a subtle nod. "We're all in."

With a burst of lift, the Kamov surged back into the sky, veering sharply away from Big Shell. You turned toward the hostages, kneeling beside them as the helicopter cut through the clouds. Some were crying. Some were silent. Others were murmuring thanks beneath their breath, clinging to one another like survivors after a storm.