Metal Gear Solid: The Killer Elite

by O.G. Green

AN: This story takes place after the events of MGS: Peacewalker. With the exception of my own original characters, everything else is the sole intellectual property of Mr. Hideo Kojima and Konami…

"The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic…and a killer." D.H. Lawrence

"He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious."

Sun Tzu

Defense Attache Office Compound

Tan Son Nhut Airfield, South Vietnam

29th April 1975 / 0200 HRS

Captain Roy Campbell looked out at the orderly rows of transport planes and helicopters wondering if it would be enough to evacuate the remaining American forces here in the south. The latest reports that had been given to him all concluded the North Vietnamese Army was continuing its offensive towards Saigon. Hue was overrun on March 25th and Da Nang captured a few days later on the 28th. ARVN forces were in chaos; there were desertions by the generals who fled to Thailand or even the Philippines. Without strong leadership, the rank and file South Vietnamese troops were di-di-mauing faster than a pack of rats off a sinking ship. Defeat was inevitable for the presidency of Nguyen Van Thieu and for American foreign policy in Southeast Asia. It also left a bitter taste in the young officer's mouth.

He sat down in his lawn chair and took a bottle of Kirin from the cooler. The rest of his A-Team was either sleeping on the hangar floor by their rucksacks or playing five-finger fillet with a Randall Model 14 knife. They already had received orders to return home stateside and were as anxious as virgin eighteen-year olds in a whorehouse. Roy thought about the telegram sent to him by an old friend who understood his frustration, his anger at all the wasted lives in a conflict that was rendered meaningless by a pen stroke. It only contained three words: Militaires Sans Frontieres.

Soldiers Without Borders.

It was an offer for a fresh start.

His reverie was interrupted by the team sergeant, Master Sergeant Everett Walker, who strode towards him with a box of Cohibas. Roy smiled at the senior NCO after handing him a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey. Taking a good swallow from the bottle, Master Sergeant Walker sat on a cot next to his commanding officer. He nodded towards the younger man.

"What seems to be the problem, skipper? You look like someone took a dump in your morning coffee. By this time tomorrow, we'll be shit-faced chasing round-eyed tail."

"I want to get back to the world as bad as any other grunt here, Ev. Just have a feeling the shit's going to hit the fan pretty damn quick. Won't really relax until we're wheels up and on our way to Clark AFB. 'Til then, make sure the men keep their weapons loaded and close at hand."

Roy took another swallow from the bottle of Jack Daniels and was lighting his Cohiba when a 122mm Katyusha rocket exploded inside the hangar.

Aeroflot Flight 1138

Ilyushin IL-76TD transport plane

Just outside Tan Son Nhut Airfield

Thirty Minutes Ago…

"… I repeat, Aeroflot 1138, divert to runway two. You will be entering a restricted zone if you continue on your current heading…"

Senior Lieutenant Sergei Gurlukovich switched the radio off. He issued last minute instructions to the pilots and walked back into the cargo area. Among the Spetsnaz troops was a single dark-uniformed figure cleaning a 7.62x54mm Dragunov sniper rifle. He walked towards the other soldier and saluted. The response he received was a single nod of the other officer's head.

"Hauptmann Schwarz, we will be over the drop zone in a few minutes. Once you have accomplished your objective, we will notify our contact in the North Vietnamese Army to commence their assault."

"Very well, Lieutenant. Just make sure your men stay out of my way, ja?"

The East German officer finished cleaning the Dragunov sniper rifle and returned it to its drop container. Then the hauptmann gave a signal to the loadmaster. The interior lights changed to a red hue.

As the plane flew closer to the airfield, bright explosions could be seen on the ground. Hundreds of NVA and VC troops surged forward to the outer perimeter of Tan Son Nhut. Thankfully, the Americans only kept a token squadron or two of F4 Phantoms at this location since the 1973 cease-fire agreement. When Hauptmann Schwarz saw the green light flash twice by the loadmaster, the commando leaped outside into the rushing wind.

Once on the ground, Schwarz took off the helmet and tossed it aside. A feminine head of golden blonde hair could be seen in the moonlight. Schwarz retrieved her Dragunov and other weapons from the drop canister then switched on her radio. She verified that it was tuned to UHF channel 140.48 and that the call was secure.

"SHADOW WOLF to TOP HAT. On-site and moving to contact. ETA is 0200 HRS. Will secure target and signal for assistance, if necessary. Out."

Shadow Wolf moved across the runway as more explosions rocked the airbase. Both the Stasi and the KGB were very interested in interrogating a man who just might know the location of the operative code-named Naked Snake. Captain Roy Campbell, of the U.S. Army's 5th Special Forces Group. With the Dragunov slung across her shoulder, she double-timed to the area where her prey was waiting for a flight home. A feral smile played across her lips.

She took advantage of the chaos by avoiding the MPs as they raced around in their jeeps and armored half-tracks. When Shadow Wolf reached the main radio tower, she placed the shaped charges of Semtex-H on its base. She was about to leave the area when a sentry called out to her. It was his last mistake.

"Who are you?" the MP shouted, "Identify yourself!"

The MP had raised his M-16 assault rifle to cover the intruder. Shadow Wolf kept her eyes on the guard then lunged towards him. Grabbing the barrel, she wrenched the weapon away from the MP then smashed his jaw with a butt-stroke. Before the MP hit the ground, Shadow Wolf struck twice more using the M-16 as a club. When she was done, the MP's face was pulped. Blood dribbled down his face and loose teeth were scattered around him.

Finished wiring more key locations with Semtex-H, Shadow Wolf finally arrived at the hangar where Captain Campbell was located just as the 122mm Katyusha rocket impacted the building. Thrown off her feet into the door of another hangar, she hung onto consciousness for a few more minutes until her eyes rolled into the back of her head and passed out.

End Chapter One