Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes - The Novel

Negotiation

March 13th, 1975

"Come on, Paz. Talk!" Chico pleaded as he whipped Paz with his belt.

She refused to speak, causing the young boy to become even more desperate.

"Please, Paz. I'm doing this for you," Chico begged.

"Coward!" Paz snapped at him.

"How can you say that?!" Chico exclaimed, fighting back the tears.

"Traitor!"

"Don't make me mad! You're only making things worse!"

Skull Face gripped Chico's right hand and took the belt away, giving it to a marine to pick up where Chico left off.

"Take him back to his cage," Skull Face ordered another marine.

"What did I do?" asked Chico.

Skull Face slapped Chico cross the face and took his walkman.

"Vigyétek a ketrecébe!" Skull Face ordered again in a tongue the young boy couldn't understand.

But there was no time to think about that as the marine began to "escort" him away.

"Give it back! Give it back!" Chico demanded as he was dragged away.

As soon as he was gone, Skull Face stopped the marine whipping Paz and took the belt back.

"Enough," he said. "She's no good to us dead."

March 14th, 1975

Chico sat in his cage, wondering what happened to Paz. An entire day has passed by since he last saw her and couldn't help but fear that she may have finally been killed. Those fears intensified as he was soon greeted by a devious smirk that lay upon Skull Face's face.

"Can I have it back?" asked Chico.

"We've decided to let her go," said Skull Face.

Chico's eyes widened with surprise. He felt both happiness and regret; happy that they could finally go home and regret over what it cost.

"So... she talked," said Chico, his voice layered with a mix of anger and grief. "Told her she should've just gotten it over with."

"She's going back to your boss," Skull Face continued. "But only her."

"...Huh?"

"Those were the terms. She said to leave you here. I suppose she doesn't much care for you, anymore."

Chico couldn't believe what he was hearing. After everything he went through...

"That... bitch!" Chico angrily slammed his fist against the bars

"Now, you've got quite a problem on your hands," said Skull Face. "When she gets back, what will she say? That you talked? Sold out your comrades? Your... family? You're finished."

"You mean I... I can't go home?" Tears flowed out of Chico's eyes as his last hope was taken away from him.

"There's very little I can do for you. And I still have need of your... services."

"Huh?"

"You're going to call your boss – for help. We'll make a recording, play it across public frequency bands."

"To bring him here...?" Chico wiped the tears from his eyes glared at his captor. "Yeah, right. You expect me to trust you? I'll never help you."

"Perhaps," Skull Face shrugged. "But if you did... I wouldn't mind looking the other way if he did come for you. Take some guards off duty, let you quietly slip away. But... You wouldn't want the girl leaving here alive. She'd have to be eliminated before he came. There's no other way."

Chico didn't know what to say. He had a chance to go home, but that would mean he would have to sacrifice the life of another. The life of someone he loved.

"I'll leave you to think it over," said Skull Face.

Skull Face turned to leave, but not before giving him one final piece of advice.

"Chico. Growing up means choosing how you're going to live your life," Skull Face reminded him.

"Wha-?!" Chico exclaimed. "That's what Snake... who is this guy!?"