Part 18: Who Did You Think Was In Snake Squad?
Update 16: Who Did You Think Was In Snake Squad?
"Major Hunter, Commander of Snake Squad, March fourth.
We have begun moving into the new base in Bogotá after its capture. Supplies here are still limited but it will make an excellent staging point for securing the rest of South America. Snake Squad is strong and healthy and at full combat readiness. I've pulled in a few more people to help staff the base to act as support for Snake Squad while out in the field. Of note is Ms. Leana Adams who was a doctor before The Fall.
We have been picking up some faint but strange signals to the south of here in the last couple of hours. We're not sure what it is, but it's on our radio frequency. Our best guess is that it is a standard radio device, only too weak for us to pick up anything more then static. The static varies continuously so it doesn't appear to be a random signal that is just idling. Snake Squad has been sent out on a helicopter to investigate. We aren't sure when they'll get close enough to the source to land and investigate on foot, so this might take some time. I will resume recording when we have something further."
"Resuming recording. The helicopter crew reported in saying they've got the best lead they are going to get on the source of the signal. They've given us less then a one mile search radius and that's small enough to get Snake Squad on the ground. I'm on my way to the command room right now, and will switch over to the main systems there to record this as it happens."
Hunter: Snake, can you hear me?
Snake: Major?
Snake: I can hear you.
Snake: Wait, how can you hear him, he's on the codec with me.
Hunter: Uh Snake, we're on the radio. Each of you has a receiver in your helmet, you can all hear me.
Snake: Oh. Sorry Major.
Hunter: Not to worry. I'm here to provide you with intelligence as best we can with the spy satellites.
Snake: You can see us right now?
Hunter: Yes, we can. Although visibility is a little low with all the tree cover.
Snake: Great.
Snake: What's so great about the Major not being able to see us clearly.
Snake: It will make it easier to camouflage myself into the surroundings.
Hunter: Uh, Snake, this is a search mission for right now. Find out what is transmitting to us, and if it's friendly then rescue and evacuate the area.
Snake: And if it's not?
Hunter: Then destroy it. I've got one other thing for you Snake. With me is Ms. Leana Adams, she's a doctor and can help walk you through first aid treatments if you get wounded during the mission.
Leana: Hello Snake.
Snake: A doctor eh? Could be useful.
Snake: You sound pretty cute.
Leana: ah... Thank you Snake, but I think your better concentrate on the mission.
Snake: Right. Let's get moving guys.
Snake: Wait, where's Snake?
Snake: He didn't fall behind already did he?
Snake: Hey, he's over there.
Snake: Quiet down... They'll hear you.
Hunter: Snake, this isn't a sneaking mission.
Snake: It's not?
Hunter: No. You're in an area infested by transgenants, if you see one, shoot it.
Snake: I see something. It's a slime thrower!
Snake: Shoot it!
Snake: I miss my .45 pistol...
Snake: I got a FAMAS
Snake: It's dead. We better hide the body.
Snake: Not a sneaking mission Snake.
Snake: Right, I knew that.
Snake: Leana, can you hear me?
Leana: What is it Snake?
Snake: We just killed a slime thrower.
Leana: Yeah, so?
Snake: Well, I wanted to know... How does it taste?
Leana: What?
Snake: I'm hungry. How does it taste?
Leana: Snake! You had brunch on the helicopter, how can you be thinking about food at a time like this?
Snake: I see something. Another one, up there!
Snake: There's more!
Snake: A lot more.
Snake: Open fire!
Snake: Why are we always killing...Can't love exist on the battlefield?
Snake: No... Don't tell me you picked 'love' to carry into battle?
Snake: What's wrong with that?
Snake: That is so gay.
Snake: Enemy neutralized.
Hunter: Snake, get up to that hill, it should provide you with a good view point to survey your surroundings.
Snake: Right. On my way.
Snake: I see something big down there.
Snake: It's that transgenant that killed a guy in Phoenix Squad.
Snake: Phoenix Squad?
Snake: Wait. I'll call the Major... Major, come in, are you there?
Hunter: We've had an open line since you got off the helicopter Snake.
Snake: Oh, right. I see a Deathbellows below.
Hunter: Right, Deathbellows are a scary and formidable foe, at close range. Their weakness is that they can't move very quickly, and the bees they shoot will disperse after a short range.
Snake: So... Shoot it from way up here?
Hunter: Exactly.
Snake: No sweat.
Snake: Hey, are those cars moving?
Hunter: Snake! Be careful. Those cars are actually transgenants that use cars as a kind of shell. They're metal crabs.
Snake: METAL GEAR?!
Snake: METAL GEAR?!
Snake: METAL GEAR?!
Snake: METAL GEAR?!
Snake: METAL GEAR?!
Snake: METAL GEAR?!
Hunter: What? No! No one said anything about a metal gear!
Snake: Metal Ge-
Hunter: Shut up snake. They're transgenants, just shoot them.
Snake: Snake, look out!
Snake: What the!?
Snake: Major, it just threw lightning at us!
Hunter: We don't know much about this transgenant Snake, you'll just have to deal with it as best you can.
Snake: Fuck.
Snake: Well, now what?
Snake: If there is anything I've learned, it's that when stealth fails violence solves everything.
Snake: See, told you.
Snake: Yeah yeah.
Snake: Hold on a second. Leana, are you still there?
Leana: What is it Snake?
Snake: So these Car Crabs...
Leana: You're not going to ask-
Snake: They're pretty tasty, right?
Leana: They're transgenants, what makes you sound so sure they're tasty?
Snake: Well, they're crabs. All crabs are tasty.
Leana: I don't think that works with transgenants.
Snake: Hey look, down there!
Snake: It's a human.
Snake: And he's wearing a CoE jumpsuit.
Snake: You there, put your hands up!
Dr. Dobbs: Hey! Are you with the CoE!
Snake: We'll be asking the questions around here.
Snake: The CoE?
Dr. Dobbs: I was on my way back from a mission to Antarctica when my 'copter was shot down.
Snake: Antarctica?
Dr. Dobbs: Yes, I was part of Major Custards squad.
Snake: Major Custard?
Snake: Wait, do you mean Lemming Squad?
Dr. Dobbs: Yes, I was with them when everything went wrong.
Snake: Major, we've found-
Hunter: Snake, Radio. I'm listening to everything you and Dr. Dobbs are saying.
Snake: Oh.
Snake: Good job Snake.
Hunter: Alright you two... six... Just secure Dr. Dobbs and get him to the evacuation point.
Snake: Roger.
Leana: You don't really think he's going to try eating the transgenants do you? We don't even know whats causing their mutations.
Hunter: He might, but I wouldn't worry about it so much. There's bigger things to worry about.
Leana: Yeah... How did you get a squad of six of these guys? And how do you get anything done with them?
Hunter: You know... I don't know. And they're all obsessed with this Metal Gear thing too. I think it's what they believe caused Twilight and Nightfall, and they're destined to destroy it over and over again.
Leana: Have you sent them to a psychologist?
Hunter: Where am I going to find one? Besides, they're an effective if slightly distracted combat team. They were highly trained before The Fall, how would I replace them if a doc says they are unfit?
Leana: Good point.
Hunter: Anyway, I've got a report to write up and then question Dr. Dobbs when he gets back to the base.
--Soldiers Logs--
Posted by lilljonas 'Hero'
Personal log of Megan "Hero" Okembo, part 12.
I think I first encountered a crab mango salad at Fringale, the exquisite French-Basque restaurant on 4th St. in San Francisco. Before Nightfall, at a restaurant in LA, I had another delicious crab mango salad, this time with avocado and surrounded by peeled ruby red grapefruit sections. I've been dreaming about it ever since. Scouring the burned out bookshelves and rubble I came up with several recipes and decided to create my own from the ideas of several. It turned out delicous, though my grapefruit sections fell apart completely and ended up being too much of a bother to include with the salad this time. Also, I had a hard time keeping the alien ammunition from stealing my lemons.
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced
1/4 cup of water
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
For the salad:
1 lb of fresh lump car crab meat, picked through to remove the small pieces of shell, cartilage and metallic scraps
1 1/2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp cilantro leaves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons mint leaves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp minced shallot or purple onion
1 medium sized mango, peeled, pitted, and diced (See How to Cut a Mango)
1 firm but ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced
Tabasco sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Optional: ruby red grapefruit sections, peeled
Sauce directions:
Heat the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the mango, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes until the fruit is very tender. Add water, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice. Pour the mixture into a blender and purée until smooth. Chill.
Alternatively, if you are pressed for time, put all of the sauce ingredients into a blender and purée.
Crab salad directions:
In a bowl add the crab meat, 2 tsp of the cilantro, 1 tsp of the mint, the chopped shallot, a Tbsp of lime juice, 2 Tbsp of olive oil, 10 drops of Tabasco sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix carefully with a fork, to avoid breaking up the larger lumps of crab meat. Set aside.
In a separate bowl add the mango, avocado, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 Tbsp of lime juice, the remaining cilantro and mint leaves, 10 drops of Tabasco, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix gently with a spoon, taking care not to mush the avocado pieces.
Using small tureens or desert bowls for individual molds, layer the crab mixture and the mango avocado mixture. It doesn't really matter which you layer first. In the photo above I've layered the mango avocado mixture first. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.
When you are ready to serve, gently remove the salads from the molds onto individual plates. Serve the sauce on the side. Garnish with cilantro leaves. For a tasty added touch if you have them, arrange peeled sections of ruby red grapefruit around the salads. The grapefruit provides a flavorful complement to the crab salad.
Serves 4. One Car Crab contains enough meat for approximately 400 servings.
End of Entry