OTACON

You've probably heard this story before.

A group of terrorists seizes a facility containing one of the world's most powerful weapons and holds the world hostage. During the time it takes to mobilize their plans, the government of some country that thinks they own the world sends in somebody to stop those terrorists. This hero's story is all women, martinis, and glorious gunfights. The dumbed-down version is anyway.

And those who help him? Our part is never glamourized. We just helped. And he would have found some way to do it without us. Forget the supporting characters. Focus on the strong male lead and his love interest. That's sexy.

Without my driving, directions, and knowledge about everything Metal Gear, well, I don't want to think about what would have happened. But as it happened, we destroyed the terrorists and saved the world.

After the dangerous part was over, I felt pretty cool. Riding on a speeding snowmobile, with Solid Snake, the coolest person I've ever met. It was all cool.

Be cool? I was cool.

I started thinking, after we made it to civilization, what would happen? I'd probably go back to engineering. Probably not weapons development, but something equally mundane. Snake would go back his cabin. After a while, he would take Naomi's advice to live his life like he means it. But what would he do? Probably something exciting and fun. Even if he's not risking his life, it seems like excitement always follows that man.

A while later, we arrived at a naval base in the barren tundra of Wherever, Alaska. I was so cold and so thinking and everything looked so the same, I couldn't even guess how far we had gone. I kept thinking Liquid would get up and come after us again.

Snake was taken into a room for debriefing and I was left alone again. This time it was a waiting room, as warm as the lab in Shadow Moses, but just as lonely too.

After a while, Snake came out of the room and debriefed me himself. He must have thought I couldn't handle the intimidation of high-ranking military officers and convinced them to let him talk to me himself. If that was the case, I would be more insulted than pleased.

What he said wasn't important. I'll be sure to leave in the important parts only. I don't think I have to convince anyone I'm not a verbose person.

That day we were given the option of leaving on a helicopter heading to Seattle, but Snake insisted on taking the snowmobile to his cabin. It was somewhere else in Alaska, but it may as well have been right there, it all looks the same.

I tagged along with him. I don't remember who asked who, but again, not important.

"Only life is important."

Is what I learned.

SNAKE

Otacon was quiet for the most part, after we took off in the snowmobile. So was I, I guess, but that's how I am, so it's not worth noting.

Even though I noted that, you shouldn't. It's just part of the training. It's not all physical and technical. When you're in my line of work, you have to learn more than just killing. You have to learn to take note of every detail, no matter how minute. You have to learn languages you didn't know existed. It never ends.

Me and Otacon, we went through a lot. And we only survived because of each other's help. I don't have any illusions.

I couldn't have done it alone.

The entire time on the snowmobile, I ran through a possible plan in my head. In that scenario, me and Otacon were working as a team, completing exotic missions around the world. Not just me operating with his help. A real partnership.

The day before that, I wouldn't have even considered it. I was doing fine brooding in the cabin with my dogs. At least, I thought I was fine. I really wasn't. Naomi helped me see that.

Not just Naomi, Meryl too. Even Mantis, he showed me what I might have become if I didn't change the way I live my life. Just a hate-filled monster out to take the rest of the world down with me. I don't like admitting this, but I wasn't far from that. When I was thrown into Shadow Moses and I started to kill again, it felt so natural.

In my head, I played around with the idea until we got the base.

I stepped inside a room with a big asshole in an officer's uniform. I had been through these things enough times to know what he would say. Don't do this. Don't say that. As if I would. Who exactly would I tell? The media-brainwashed simpletons of the world that I refuse to come in contact with?

After that, I gave the gist of the asshole's lecture to Otacon. I insisted. I wanted to get out there as soon as possible.

I told Otacon I wanted to talk to him and he felt the same. Then I suggested that we go back to my cabin to talk. I knew we both wouldn't let it end this way. Just get to safety, then go our separate ways. An incident involving life and death bonds people together, maybe forever.

We headed out into the snow. It was cold, but quite comfortable.