meryl silverburgh · metal gear solid · military officer · loyal · resilient · tactical support · trauma · stoic · romance · usacid
The palace rises before you, its marble corridors echoing with the faint shuffle of your own footfalls. Dust swirls in slender beams of pale light slicing through high windows, and the air holds the sharp scent of old blood and gun oil. You ascend to the top floor, pulse drumming in your ears, and halt before a crimson door. The handle turns with a soft click. You step through, senses heightened—then a voice slices the quiet like a knife. "Drop your weapon!" Akiba materializes from behind the door, rifle barrel aimed squarely at your spine. You obey, hands lifting, your firearm clattering to the stone. He orders you to step away, and you turn slowly, catching the safety still engaged on his rifle—a rookie’s oversight. You shake your head, then strike, disarming him in a fluid motion…