Shinobi

The humidity is a killer. Heat, I can deal with, but the feel of sweat pouring off my back doesn't help my focus. The air feels not quite as thick as the jungle, but it takes me a moment to steady my breath.
I should have brought a mat. Lying in wait, I'm used to, but the pebbles against my ribs aren't helping my aim.
I see them emerge from the tree line across the ravine. They take their positions, same as I, and target the rebels coming through the pass. I slow my breath, center the sniper in my scope, adjust for wind.
I'm far enough away that I don't have to worry about the noise giving away my position. Even so, as I move my finger from the trigger guard, I find it strange that I'm using non-lethal tranquilizer rounds. Yet I can't complain about their effectiveness as the sniper falls senseless from my first shot. I work the bolt, target the spotter, but he flees before I can properly sight him. As the rebels move through the ravine unscathed, I pack up and start walking.
As I left the Spanish chattering of the rebel group behind, I come to a drainage tunnel embedded in a hill. It's large enough to walk through, and seems to lead from the Villa, where the rebels are headed. Might be an escape route for The General. He'd probably fetch a nice reward if I could catch him. It feels cooler inside, at any rate.
I walked along until I started to lose sight of the light at the exit. A few more tentative steps into the shadows, and I found an underground concrete bunker. The door was a heavy steel slab, but it slid open easily. There was a short hallway inside, but beyond that came the screams. And the sound of metal slamming against metal.
The arcs of electricity coming off of his body illuminated the room like flashes of lightning. He drove his head into the wall again and again, setting sparks off from the friction between the wall and his helmet. I flicked the switch next to the door way, hitting some floodlights. Aside from a labyrinth of steel girders overhead, the place looked empty. And as he turned towards me, the glowing red eye in his faceplate ablaze, I thought I should have kept it that way.
He charged towards me in rapid steps, but stopped a few feet away. His exoskeleton sent out a few faint arcs, lower in intensity than before, and he clutched his sides, doubled over in pain. Then he seemed to swell before my eyes.
"Fox!"
He didn't respond to his name, continuing to hulk out before me. As his breath grew deeper and more ragged, I knew there wasn't a Gray Fox in there, or Frank Jeager. I doubt he was even the ninja anymore. When he finished growing, this hulk-ninja roared and leaped at me. I jumped back, but he snatched my rifle, snapping it in two between his fingers. I barely ducked in time as he followed through with a swipe of his arm, and as he stumbled from the swing, I jumped into the girders above us.
I couldn't see the top, but I kept climbing, hoping for a way out. A glimmer caught my eye, and I saw the high-frequency blade lying on a girder just out of reach. The whole cage shook, and the sword slid closer to the edge as Frank displayed a new ape-like agility to go along with his new hulked out form. I swung from the girder I was hanging on over to the sword and snatched it before it could fall.
The blade felt alive in my hand, vibrating, pulsing with it's own heartbeat, faster than a humming bird. It even gave off it's own sound as I climbed up, seeing Frank settle onto the girder before me. He charged again, letting out another feral scream. I held the sword up and made a quick thrust.
The tip penetrated the glowing eye, shattering it. As it's light faded, his face plate popped open, revealing his scarred features. His body shrank back to it's normal proportions as he fell into the shadows, and the blade slipped from my grasp to follow. Guess it felt my job was done. I still had a climb.
A few minutes later had me reach a circular hatch in the ceiling. I opened it, and clambered out into the blinding sun.

Frank Jeager. The Cyborg Ninja. I always wanted to do his armor, but I just don't have the right build for it. Of course, now that I'm playing Metal Gear Solid 4, it's odd that this particular ninja should come up, especially when Raiden is the current one. Perhaps my subconscious is telling me to take a break from the video games for awhile.