As good an excuse as any.

[youcanthideo]

[This place lacked the metal walls, grating, the arsenal of Shadow Moses. What appearance told him, thoughts in the vicinity would be quick to confirm. He tensed a hand in front of his mask, fingers splayed as he did a psychic sweep.

Nexus. Rooms. Room effects. Trapped. Kitchens. Alternates. Outside. Roof. Snake. Liquid. Big Boss. Raiden. Ocelot.

Comments

[legenderygenes]

[From behind the FOXHOUND member, a familiar soldier lurks nearby. Equipped with a MK23 SOCOM and a chaff grenade at his hip, Solid Snake remains hidden against the wall as he sneaks his way down the narrow corridor. Hopefully Mantis' vision cone won't be able to detect him.]

[youcanthideo]

[There are nearby thoughts in the air. A soldier, patient. Mantis stops moving, a light up-and-down effect from his hovering is all that remains.]

Solid Snake. I am not surprised to find you here. Trapped like the rest of them, a rat lost in a maze?

[legenderygenes]

[The stilling notion of the figure beyond causes Snake to also still his own movements. He falls back against the wall and holds his breath - despite knowing full well that his presence had been sought out.]

....

[He doesn't immediately answer.]

[youcanthideo]

There is no use in hiding, and you know it. It's a useless endeavor to delay the inevitable, don't you think?

[He smoothly turns, looking down the other end of the hall.]

[neurotic_insect]

[He had sensed a disturbance in the force that something had been altered around Nexus before. It was rarely a clear sensation; more than often a vague impression that something was different. Something was...here.]

[Ever cautiously, he reached out into the collected minds in Nexus and sought to discern who had joined the populace. It wasn't hard to separate that mind from the crowd, and he immediately looked up towards the ceiling.]

[Damn and double damn. A third Mantis with naught but a single floor between them.]

[youcanthideo]

[Ah, yes, Mantis could tell there were other psychics around. One was an "alternate", no doubt. He glanced down to the floor, debating whether to venture out and meet this "other Mantis". It had the significant possibility to end rather badly.]

[He casually made his way towards the stairs.]

[neurotic_insect]

[Sensing the newcomers' movements, Dimitri debated whether or not to engage him in conversation. The last two he had met were both all too eager to try and destroy him, so his opinion of the third one was already tainted.]

[Cautiously, he sent out a single thought that would be easy to read, his footsteps taking him slowly away from the stairwell his alternate was walking towards. I mean you no harm.]

[youcanthideo]

[Two words are sent back as Mantis descends the stairwell: You're afraid.]