Jai rubbed her eyes and blinked hard..."No! No! It can't be!

Jai couldn't believe her eyes! Was it <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> really<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> Snake?! She scrambled out of the YT-2400 and to the frount of the craft...she was a some-what safe distance away.
She called out to him desperatly.
"Snake!!! What are you doing!? Run, Kid! Run! You'll be crushed!"

Snake smiled at Jaina sadly.

"That is my wish.But I still have things I have to do first"

He turned back to the Titan where Liquid was glaring agrily at him through the cockpit's viewports.

"What took you so long,Brother"?

"I was waiting for you to make your first move.You attacked her...I will not let <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> anybody<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> hurt her,even if I have to die doing it"

He backflipped away from the Titan and ran over to Jaina.He crashed into her at full speed right as Liquid fired at her.Snake grabbed her hand and dragged her to cover behind one of the YT-2400's support landing struts.They would be safe form a few moments.

"It's been a long time,friend"

Jai screamed and yelped as she was tackled, but didn't have long too brood before she was being dragged behind a YT-2400...

She panted heavily and puffed a long strand of hair off her face. "Long time? Yeah...I'd say so. Havent seen you since...oh....<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> your funeral!!!!!!<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->"

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> Was Jai upset?....Yeah....you could say that.<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->

She lowered her voice and said in a harsh tone, "Are you crazy!? You could've been killed....but wait a mintue....wait....so....how are you alive?!?" She held her head in her hands, "Sweet and Holy Minions of Xendor, I'm so <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> confused!<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> Snake, <!--EZCODE BOLD START--> what<!--EZCODE BOLD END--> is going on here?"

Snake placed his hands on Jai's shoulders.

"Jaina,listen to me.Liquid is not my clone"

She stopped cold and glared at him.

"He was created in the experiment that made me...I didn't find out untill recently.The explosion at the lab two years ago..it was all a cover so I could fake my death to work undercover at Despayre.I monitered their activities for several months before leaving the planet.I have been in hiding on a planet near New Alliance space when I heard they had employed Liquid as an Intell agent.I have been following him for months up untill now.I saw the whole thing at the spaceport...I am sorry that I did not act untill now."

He smiled sadly.

"When I was undercover on Despayre...I saw you once,you were in the Disrupter Lounge...most likely preparing for a mission.I wanted to tell you...but I could not for fear of blowing my cover.I am sorry"

Jai listened, not believe her ears. Her green eyes lost thier confusion and anger and went soft and she threw her arms arouns Snake's neck.
"If you ever fake your death agian, I'll kill you!", she said as she pulled away and punched his arm. She stopped short as she heard the <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> thump, thump, thump<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> of shoes thudding on the floor somewhere near...

"<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Liquid<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->.", she mouthed silently to Snake..."What are we going to do now, O' Rescuer-of-Mine?", she whispered teaseingly.

Snake steped away from Jai.

"We are almost out of time.It is time I fight Liquid myself.I will stop that thing from moving"!

Snake turns and runs right out from behind the cover of the strut and right in front of Liquid Snake

Liquid smiled grimly,sword in hand.

"There you are brother.Shall we end this"?

Snake pulled out his own vibroblade and settles into a defensive stance.

Jai peered out from under the YT-2400 at the two Snake's....it was almost impossible to tell them apart.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> How do I get myself into these situations?!<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

It was a standoff.Who would make the first move?

"Why don't you attack Snake?..afraid of me hurting your long lost love?" Liquid mocked glancing at Jaina.

Snake stared at him,his mask covering his expression.

"Still mad at me? after all these years"? Liquid said.

Snake continued to stare at him,and said
"You need help Liquid,I can give you that"

Liquid grinned. "Don't pull that crap on me.It didn't work then...and it dosen't work now"

Snake glanced over at Jaina and saw the confusion on her face.

Liquid saw it too.

"Oh yes,Darklighter...Snake and I have met before.We are old friends.Remember when Fearsons told you that he was behind the experiment that spawned us"?

Jaina nodded.

"Well he wasn't telling the whole truth.Fearsons was indeed behind the whole mess,his aim was to create the 'perfect soldier' for his messed up Empire.He ordered a lab be set up on some farr of planet to do so...those expariments made us.Snake and I broke free once the scientists made the 'prototypes',us!.We,together,killed the scientists and escaped.Snake went off and dissapeared for a while and I joined the New Alliance.Don't you see? Snake is a murderer!...do you like him as much now"?

Jaina's green eyes flashed from Liquid to Snake, her look was one pleading, of begging him to say it wasn't true.

Jai had killed...but she was agianst killing if at all possible. In late teens Jai had been a slave to hutts and and killed many people during that time...but once she escaped, she made a vow to the Minions of Xendor that she wouldn't ever kill again, ONLY and a last resort.

As she looked pleadingly at Snake, Liquid let out a low triumphant chuckle, "Yes, Jaina. A murderer...a cold-blooder murderer...not so wonderful anymore, is he?"
Then something inside snapped, adn within half the time it takes to blink your eye, a dagger Jai kept hidden in her boot was to Liquid's neck.
All Liquid could hear or feel was a low growl from behind him and a dagger's blade barely pierceing his skin and a trickle of blood running down his neck.

Liquid smiled at Snake.

"Well,at least she has spirit"

He jerked back and sent a crashing elbow to Jai's ribs,knocking the wind out of her.He sidestepped and placed his leg behind hers and pushd forward,sending Jaina to the ground.He picked her up and placed her in front of him,as a sheild.He placed his vibroblade to her neck.

"Oh how the tables have turned"

Snake stepped forward. "Liquid"!!!!

Liquid smirked.

"Are you ready now brother"?

"Let her go"

"But what do I get in return"?

Snake said nothing.

"Will you die for her brother"?

Snake was silent,as if trying to decide.

"Yes....."

"What did you say"?

"YES!...I will die for her.Just let her go and you can take my life"

"I accept.Her life for yours"

Jaina's eyes went wide.

He pushed Jaina forward and raised his arm-gun.Snake reached out and grabbed Jaina......


And was hit solidly in the chest once by Liquid's arm-gun.