Solid Snake x Nadya Riot — UN Blue Helmets in the Snow
[Somewhere cold. A safehouse with cracked windows. Snow hisses against the glass. A blue UN armband lies on the table.]
Solid Snake:
So… UN-monitored election. Ballot boxes instead of bullets. That’s new.
Nadya Riot:
Don’t get sentimental, Snake. Bullets are still invited. They’re just waiting outside, smoking.
Snake:
Figures. Power never leaves quietly. It pretends it’s democratic while hiding a knife under the table.
Nadya:
Putin built a system where the table is the knife. Courts, media, security—stacked like nesting dolls. You open one, there’s another inside.
Snake:
That’s why the UN’s here. Observers, peacekeepers, cameras everywhere. Sunlight makes cockroaches nervous.
Nadya (smirks):
Unless the cockroaches own the power grid.
Snake:
Fair point. Still—monitors change the math. You can’t fake turnout when the world’s counting heads instead of slogans.
Nadya:
People are scared. They whisper in voting booths like God is bugged. Years of fear don’t evaporate because someone wears a blue helmet.
Snake:
Fear’s a weapon. But it dulls with use. Eventually people realize it’s heavier than freedom.
Nadya:
You sound like you believe this could actually work.
Snake:
I’ve seen worse odds. Shadow wars. Nuclear brinkmanship. AI colonels making kill lists.
An honest vote? That’s almost quaint.
Nadya:
Quaint gets you killed here.
Snake:
So does doing nothing.
[A distant helicopter thumps. UN markings flash past the window.]
Nadya:
They say the election is about stability. About “continuity.”
Snake:
Every strongman loves that word. Stability—for them.
Democracy’s unstable. It argues. It changes its mind. That’s the point.
Nadya:
If he loses, he won’t just walk away.
Snake:
No. But he won’t be able to disappear the loss either. Not with witnesses. Not with receipts.
Nadya:
And if he wins?
Snake:
Then at least the question was asked out loud. Sometimes the first victory is forcing the truth into daylight.
Nadya (quiet):
People are lining up already. Old women. Students. Factory guys who’ve never voted before.
They’re shaking—but they’re showing up.
Snake:
That’s the real battlefield. Courage beats propaganda every time. It just takes longer.
Nadya:
You staying through election day?
Snake:
Yeah. Someone has to make sure the lights stay on… and the boxes don’t walk away.
Nadya (half-smile):
Welcome to democracy, Snake. It’s messy. Loud. And fragile as glass.
Snake:
Glass can cut.
[They share a look. Outside, the snow keeps falling—but people keep lining up.]