Nightlight: Metal Gear Solid
Chapter One: Rapid Deployment
January 31st, 1975, 0600 hrs.
Coastal Waters, Antsiranana, Madagascar
The one nice thing about being so close to the Equator was that even in January the weather was nice and warm, but that fact didn't help much with the churning seas as the heavy rubber Zodiac boat violently bounced toward its destination. The hard winds almost completely masked the whine of the motor, as well as the cursing that followed each time the single occupant was splashed in the face. This was the best possible option for entry though, unless he wanted to swim, which he did not.
A single support helicopter had been allocated for this mission, but word had been received that there was a high probability of air surveillance, meaning that he had been dropped about ten miles out. The sun would be rising soon, and the shadow of land could be seen in the distance, hopefully giving him just enough time to reach the shore and conceal the Zodiac before anyone spotted him. Of course, it was unknown whether or not someone would even be watching for intruders, since the details of this mission were not exactly complete.
Finally reaching his destination after what felt like forever, the lone occupant shut off the motor, allowing the boat to silently coast the rest of the way to the shore, where he jumped out and pulled it out of the water. There were plenty of palm trees around, making it easy to cover the boat after shoving it up against some large rocks, and he was just finishing when the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon. It was a beautiful sight, as was the Madagascar beach where he stood, but there was no time for sightseeing. After all, this was the young man's first solo mission, and he was not about to let the MSF down.
"This is Mongoose." He said after flipping the switch on his radio. "Boss, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear, kid." The gruff voice replied. "How are things on your end?"
It was nice to be able to report that everything had gone smoothly during the initial infiltration, but as with every mission, getting there was the easy part. The dispatch order had come the previous evening, when Mongoose had been summoned up to Mother Base's Command HQ almost immediately after his squad had returned from yet another mission. He had been tired and hungry, but everyone in the MSF knew that when Big Boss called, they answered as quickly as humanly possible.
The briefing had been short; Commander Miller opening up with news that the young man was about to get his long sought-after chance at a solo operation, and then Big Boss informing him that he was going to Madagascar. Apparently another squad had been sent there a few days prior on an Intel gathering assignment, but the next time they made contact, the garbled and static-filled transmission informed them that things had gone bad, and that immediate extraction was needed.
The Operative had also insisted, quite adamantly, that a large force was not dispatched; instead requesting a solo infiltration by Big Boss, himself, so as to not give away the Operative's hiding place, and to ensure the highest chance of the Intel making it back to Mother Base safely. Of course, this was impossible, since the Boss was dealing with some kind of inspection request from an organization called the IAEA, so it was decided that the eager young Soldier now known as Empty Mongoose would be given the job.
The helicopter was dispatched immediately following the briefing, and after a few stops at friendly installations to refuel, the young man and his Zodiac were dumped into the ocean. As for equipment, the young man was given his compact radio, a combat knife, and a set of Tiger Stripe camouflage like some of the American Marines were wearing in Vietnam. The idea was for him to get in, get the Operative and his Intel, and then get out without anyone knowing that he was there in the first place, meaning that any other equipment was strictly OSP.
"The transmission came from a kilometer or two inland." Big Boss's voice continued. "I know you're used to Combat Deployments, but remember that this is a stealth mission. Avoid any contact with civilians, and don't get into any engagements with hostiles unless you've got no choice. Now go bring our man home… make me proud, kid."
"You got it, Boss." Mongoose replied, facing inland toward the jungle. "Commencing operation."
Turning off his radio, the young man had a little trouble containing his excitement as he quietly moved away from the beach. Only a couple years ago, he had been nothing but an angry child soldier, fighting in a war that no one cared about. Being a teenager at the time, he enjoyed being able to vent his anger freely against the enemy, as well as the fear in the eyes of those whose villages his unit had raided. Of course, on one of those raids the young man had tried his luck against a man wearing an eye-patch, only to find himself disarmed and choked out before he even knew what happened.
Mongoose vaguely remembered flying up into the air, before being somehow pulled into a helicopter, and quickly knocked out again. Apparently this had been the way that almost all of the new recruits of Militares Sans Frontieres were brought in, and when the young man found himself standing in front of that same man for a second time, there was no doubt that he would be counted among Big Boss's ranks from then on. Back then all they had was a small facility, where the members of MSF trained on the coast, but now they had a base, and their numbers were increasing every day.
This was one of the main reasons why the young man was working so hard to distinguish himself. Now twenty years old, and having been with MSF for three years, Mongoose didn't want to be just another faceless Soldier like he had been during childhood. When the dream of an Outer Heaven was finally realized, he wanted Big Boss to know that he was someone who could be counted on, and as the young man entered the jungle of northern Madagascar, he knew that this was his chance.
The infiltration point was nowhere near the city of Antsiranana, so it was unlikely that there would be any civilians to worry about, but the thick vegetation and steep terrain made it difficult to see approaching threats that were any farther away than about thirty meters or so. Back at Mother Base he had been shown a map of the region, and even though he had not been allowed to bring it with him, the young man remembered that the source of the transmission was directly south of the infiltration point, so that was the way he went.
"Boss, has there been any further contact with the Operative?" Mongoose asked into the receiver as he started up a rocky hill.
"Afraid not, kid." Big Boss's voice replied. "I hate to send you in blind like this, but just remember your training, and you'll be fine. We're tracking your signal, and it looks like you're less than a kilometer from the transmission point, so I suggest that you go with radio silence until you know your situation better. Boss out."
It was good advice, since he didn't want to risk his signal being stumbled on by the enemy, or someone hearing him talk, so the young man turned off the radio as he continued to climb. This hill was a lot taller than he thought, and the higher he went, the steeper the slope became, almost turning into a perfect drop by the time he reached the summit. Kicking his leg up over the edge, he pulled himself up onto a large plateau where the vegetation was just as thick, but by now he should have been right on top of the transmission point, so Mongoose crouched down as he quietly continued on.
The trees and shrubs provided him with the same amount of concealment as it did for any hostiles that were around, but he still tried to move as slowly and carefully as he could, so not to even disturb the plants that he was pretty much crawling through. A few minutes later the trees gave way to a small clearing, but there wasn't much that he could see without binoculars. The clearing stretched maybe fifty meters across, and there appeared to be a road leading away from it on the far side, where a large jeep sat waiting. There were no people in sight though, leaving the only point of interest being the large wooden shack that sat on the western side.
Staying hidden in the bushes for the next ten minutes, the young man waited and waited, but he still didn't see any signs of life. Apparently there was no one around, at least for now, so he got down on his stomach, and constantly looking around while crawling out of the bushes. There was a heavy wooden door on the front of the shack, but it was most likely locked, so Mongoose crawled around to the back, where he found an empty window frame. A quick check for traps revealed that there was no apparent threat, so he slowly stood up in order to have a look inside.
There was enough light from the rising sun to clearly see the bare wooden interior, but what he saw inside, along with the smell that came with it when he stood all the way up to see better, instantly made him wish that he hadn't. It was a man… an obviously dead man from the way he lay motionless on the floor, staring up at nothing. Mongoose figured that this had to be the Operative who he had been sent in to retrieve, and he had no intention of leaving him there, so he climbed through the window, trying not to make noise when his feet hit the floor.
Now that he was able to get a closer look at the body, he saw that the dead man was completely naked; his hands cuffed behind his back and his ankles bound, while a ripped up uniform with an MSF patch was tossed in the corner. There was an expression of pure agony on the dead man's face, and there were multiple stab wounds all across his torso, although there was surprisingly little blood on the floor. The strange part was that the word DOMINA was carved deeply across the dead man's chest, but this was forgotten when Mongoose noticed the last thing in the room.
It was a radio transmitter, sitting right next to the body, and clearly set to the frequency of Mother Base. There was also a piece of paper taped to it near the receiver, written in elegant female handwriting, and it said almost verbatim what Commander Miller had told him the Operative had said in his final transmission. Did this mean that somebody wanted him to call Mother Base for help before killing him? But that was ridiculous… after all, who in their right mind would want to anger Big Boss, let alone invite him to their location after angering him?
Whatever was going on there, it had to be reported, so the young man was just about to switch on his radio, when a sound reached his ears. It was soft, barely noticeable at first, but becoming clearer as it seemed to get closer. Footsteps?! Yes, someone was definitely outside, moving toward the shack, but by the time he recognized the sound, there was no time to retrieve the body or get back out the window before the knob on the heavy wooden door started to turn.
