2 weeks. I've spent 2 weeks tinkering with the gateway to get it to work. In the mean time Cherié and Fey have been doing contracts together, i even got Fey a tactical vest and an exoskeleton so now she's fully equipped with everything from a cloak to a DNI. She also grew quick, going from a pup to the size of a german shepard in about a week. She's slowing down in terms of growth but something tells me I'm gonna have to readjust her gear for the 10th time soon. 

So finally i have the gateway working, i've set the coordinates for Japan since from what i can tell from my memories is the most stable destination. It appears Japan regardless of reality or universe seems to have a thinner barrier between it and other worlds, especially at Tokyo, making travel to and from less difficult. I started the gateway and it starts glowing, after 20 seconds the portal is fully formed. I've prepared a second gateway in my inventory so I can link both together to further improve the system in terms of accuracy and power consumption. I ask Cherié who is hugging Fey if she's ready. 

-You ready? 

-Yes sir. 

-good, let's go. 

We all walk through the portal and it feels like we're walking through gel, our vision is surrounded by white before suddenly it fades revealing we're in an alley way in japan. I tell Cherié and Fey to switch on their cloaks and i do the same, we're still wearing full combat gear so it's better if we avoid the streets and travel by rooftop. I check the time to see that the time difference is negligible, probably cause Seraphim tweaked with Earth to match Enigma. 

As we go from rooftop to rooftop Cherié and Fey marvel at the colours and sights of downtown Tokyo at midnight. Eventually we reach my safehouse, a decommissioned CIA safehouse which i have thoroughly scrubbed from their records. The safehouse was originally a listening post monitoring Chinese activity in the area and as a jumping off point for teams heading into either North Korea or mainland China. 

I start setting up the return gateway and before long i managed a stable 2 way portal between earth and Enigma. Afterwards i make a call on my holo-wrist to an old friend. 

Ring Ring

Ring Ring

Ring Ring

-Hello? Who is this? 

-Brooks, its me, Snake. 

-Snake? Where the hell have you been? 

-I'll tell you when we meet, the usual, Auckland. 

-Fine, but you better not leave me hanging. 

I hang up and i decide to see if i can't dig up amy info on Isaac. It doesn't take long before i find a news article about 3 university students from M.I.T disappear in broad daylight, 2 childhood friends David and Isaac and a French Catholic exchange student named Marie. The details of their disappearance are few and far between and the case has long since gone cold. I then check on Isaacs family tree and i find that a member of the current generation is suspiciously lacking in details, all that's there is a name, age, and description. No social media presence and seemingly has fallen off the face of the earth. A Charlotte Wright. I then start digging through the CIA files and hack through their servers to check if she really is Crimson Fox, turns out she is. 

-Well then, that solves that mystery. 

A few days later. Auckland, New Zealand. 

I walk in the usual bar to see Brooks siting there waiting for me. I had Cherié and Fey stand by at a nearby rooftop, thanks to my training they're quite familiar with the environment. 

General Brooks's POV

I sit in my usual seat waiting for Snake, he's usually not late for things like this. Then a man in a yellow hoodie and a black eye mask sits next to me, he's also not usually dressing for the occasion, he usually justs wear his combat outfit but with none of the gear like vests and rigs. He pulls out what appears to be a bottle of mead. I ask him what's this about 

-What's the occasion? 

-Just want to bring you a gift, here, 100% natural mead. 

He calls for 2 glasses from the bartender and pours us both a glass of mead. We both clink our glasses and drink. 

-Holy shit, actual mead, none of that synthetic alcohol crap. 

-Snake, where the hell did you get this? 

-Let's just say i had to work for it. 

-No kidding this is some good shit. So, wanna tell me where the hell you've been these past months? I thought you died back there. 

-Nearly, but i managed to survive. Took me a few months to get back on my feet. 

-No kidding, we received reports of the explosion from all the way from Hawaii. How'd you survive? 

-That's a secret. 

-Oh cmon Snake. 

-You know i gotta keep stuff like that a secret. 

-Haaa.. Fine but ne-

I get a phone call from Crimson Fox. 

-What is it Fox? 

-Sir, we've finally gotten intel on where Nikita got the bomb, it was from a Chinese warlord called the Heavenly Dragon. 

-Copy, I'll meet you later. 

-Roger, over and out. 

I look back at Snake pouring himself another glass of mead and i suddenly get an idea. 

-Hey Snake. 

-Yeah? 

-Want to go after the guy who stole the bomb? 

-You mean... 

-Yup, i just got intel about him. 

-Sign me up, oh and I'm bringing a friend. 

-Fine by me. 

Snake's POV

Brooks tells me that he has intel on who stole the bomb that blew me up and offers me the chance to go after him. Of course i would agree. So we walk out the bar after finishing the mead and i tell Cherié to come down and follow us. Brooks is surprised at her rather diminutive size, i tell him that She's an orphan i picked up and trained. He doesn't question me since he knows the kind of training I've been through. He's also surprised to see Fey though he doesn't seem too weirded out by a White Wolf with a combat vest and military grade exoskeleton. Eventually we reach the supercarrier U.S.S Elliot T Windsor.