Once Heiji broke the surface of the water, he began swimming. The water was freezing; it numbed his arms and legs, making the effort far more difficult than it would have been otherwise. But he kept pace alongside Snake up above him, calling out directions and urging him along.

"I-I'm okay. Turn left here and k-keep going straight from there," he called. He could hardly keep his teeth from chattering. "There's a landing and some stairs; they're solid!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something deep in the water. Some type of cloth?