Storm wakes up to discover that Snake is gone "Where's Snake?" she asks in a scratchy voice "He's out looking for Big Mama." Naomi answers, handing her a plate of eggs.
"Big Mama?" "She's the leader of a rebellion. Right now she's in Europe so we are too," Otacon clarifies "Anyway, how are you feeling? Any dizzy spells?" "No." she answers, lost in thought. She looks sadly over to Raiden.
That disgusting 'thing' will pay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later, she's hanging out upstairs with Sunny when the younger girl asks "W-what was your l-life like before you m-met Jack?" "You mean what's my story?" Sunny nods. Storm leans back in her seat and exhales deeply "I've never told anyone, but I suppose it would be good to get it off my chest. So...I'll just start at the beginning I guess." Storm starts, unsure of how to continue.
"I never met my parents because I was raised by the Patriots in an old military base. They said that I came from a great and powerful soldier, and that my destiny was to become even greater than him.
"So as soon as I was able to walk they started training me in every type or form of martial arts, par-cour, weaponry, survival, driving, piloting, acrobatics, gymnastics, stealth, and technology: anything and everything that might ever be useful on the battlefield. They told me in order to fulfill my destiny I would have to train and practice every day.
"They made my life a living hell, and turned me into one of their demons. The first time I ever killed someone, I was only four years old. He was a new recruit who slipped up and revealed information about the Patriots. The info wasn't very vital, But I was scared. I thought it was me or him, so I did as I was told.
"I almost cried as I watched the light fade from his eyes, but at least I had done well. Or at least that's what I thought. Instead of being rewarded, I was beaten for hesitating and letting a tear slip out. That night they made me sleep outside. There were a lot of wild animals out there, so by the time they came for me, I was already soaked in the blood of a wild dog.
"When I turned six they told me they were going to make me stronger, and by letting them do this I would take a huge step towards becoming greater than my father, whoever he was. So they replaced my arms and my eyes with cybernetic parts.
"They couldn't do the whole procedure in one shot though, because I was too young to survive. When I was seven, they replaced my legs and spine too. But before they could complete the process, someone came to my room one night.
"They called my name so I went to the window, but since it was raining that night I couldn't see them. They spoke to me; I'll never forget what they said. The voice was too unique to ever forget.
"'You must leave before you become their slave for life. Right now they cannot control you completely, but it won't be long until your mind and body are not your own. Everything they told you is wrong. They seek to turn you into one of the first of many living weapons to be used to control humanity. You must break free before it's too late,'
"They paused to slip a sword between the bars of my window before saying a few last words 'Destroy the Patriots. Choose your own destiny.' and with that they vanished into the night.
"I thought on their words and how the Patriots had treated me, and it was then that I realized that they treated me worse than a dog. My room was nothing but a prison cell, only a thin mat for a bed, and a toilet in the corner.
"Whenever I made a mistake they would beat me until I fought back, but once I did, they would beat me harder until I was unconscious.
"They would mix toluene into my meals to make my mind easier to manipulate. I was nothing but a weapon, just like the mysterious person told me. But I only realized it at that time because it was all I ever knew.
"So I made up my mind. I used everything they taught me to escape, and since I don't have nanomachines they can't find me or control me. I just wandered for about a year, hiding from the world. But then I found him.
"At the time, I thought I was the only one with cybernetic parts, so when I saw him I decided to follow him and see how he copes. As I gradually learned more and more about him, the more I felt that I was meant to find him. I learned a lot just from watching, and it's kept me alive all these years."
Sunny looks like she's about to cry as she runs to Storm and hugs her tightly. Unaccustomed to kind physical contact, Storm's body tenses up and becomes rigid "It's ok, Sunny. I'm ok now." Storm says softly, awkwardly patting the younger girl's back.
Downstairs, Naomi also looks like she's about to cry, so she turns her back to Otacon and hides her face in her hands.
He looks solemnly towards the stairs, then to Naomi, and let's out a worried sigh. He doesn't want to think about a girl just barely older than Sunny taking so many lives but the thought just won't leave his mind. 'Maybe she was meant to find him. They do share many similarities after all.' he thinks.
Naomi is lost in thought 'You saved her, and somehow our paths met. I'll try to keep her safe in any way that I can.' she promises as she clutches her locket.
"What do you make of this, Naomi?" Otacon asks "hm? Oh, uh. Well, in this day and age you can never be too careful about who you trust. But in this case.........I say we can trust her." she answers.
"How can you be so sure?" he asks "Dr. Emmerich! She may have taken hundreds of lives, but she's still just a girl. A child who lost her way. We can help her, she just needs guidance. Please, we need to trust her."
Otacon smiles "Good. I'm glad we're on the same page then."
