Forewords
The Christmas/ New Year Specials I've uploaded in the last two years were centered around Fantasy Blitzkrieg. But this year's Special will be based around Metal Slug: Mercenaries instead.
As with the last two Christmas/ New Year Specials, this one will also be taking place before the main story.
Enjoy!
Mercenaries' Holiday - A Merry Metal Slug Christmas
Time: 1000 Hour; 25th of December, 2040.
Location: Red Eagles Squad's Home Base; San Francisco, USA.
"You guys ought to give me a hand, you know that?"
The Red Eagles Squad's engineer - Jenny Wakeman - said to the other Red Eagles member while she was busy replacing the wallpapers in the Home Base with festive-themed ones.
A response came from Jason Wayne - leader of the Red Eagles and also Jenny's boyfriend. "Dear, with such a large room for our Home Base, its faster if we finishes multiple parts at the same time."
Ash Kingslayer - the Red Eagles Squad's CQC specialist - jumped up into the air to put the Christmas star on the Christmas Tree (which was an amazing feat as the tree was three times Ash's own height), before he said. "Speaking of that, has anyone of you seen Mina?"
Jason and Jenny looked at each other for a short while, before replying to Ash, "Went to the supermarket to grab some stuff. Or so she said..."
The trio are interrupted when someone entered through the front door. It was the Red Eagles Squad's pyrotechnics expert - Mina Kabuto - carrying with her two bags full of groceries.
"I got everything we need for Christmas~" Mina announced cheerfully.
Jason, Jenny and Ash looked at the two bags Mina bought with her, and sighed.
"Mina... you overdid it again, just like last year, and the year before that..." Ash told the Japanese girl as he face-palms.
Mina said nothing as she set the two bags down on a table, and then responds, "Ash-kun, you are the one who put the Christmas star on the Christmas Tree with your superhuman jump..."
Hearing that, Ash figuratively zipped his mouth shut in embarrassment.
"And you, Jason... Last Christmas, you trimmed our Christmas Tree with your Vulcan Chop..." Mina continued, directing her speech at the others. "And you, Jenny... Two years before, you got our Christmas Tree by Slug Charging a Walking Machine into the base of a pine tree..."
Now it's Jason and Jenny's turn to feel embarrassed about being told that.
"Yeah, that's a bit overblown in the past years, considering that all the Christmas Trees were decorated by you, and there's nothing related to your expertise in how you do so..." Ash then remarks about the fact.
"Well, in any case..." Jason decided to interrupt, as he kicked the box full of rolls of Christmas wallpapers on the floor, sliding it toward Mina. "Let's get going with the redecorating..."
...
Time: 1500 Hour.
It took the Red Eagles Squad the entire morning and half the afternoon to redecorate their Home Base, which technically would've been just the morning were it not for Jenny accidentally knocking the Christmas Tree over and spilling the ornaments all over the room.
"Next year, we should start the redecorating one week in advance..." Ash remarked as he sat himself down on one of the sofas after all the hard works.
"I agree, buddy..." Jason added, sitting himself next to Ash on the same sofa.
That said, a spare Christmas ornament quietly rolled past the sofas, as if reality itself wanted to mock the Red Eagles men.
"Enough with the redecorating." Jenny told everyone as she walks toward the kitchen. "Mina, you go set up the fireworks, I'll handle the dinner." The Red Eagles Squad's engineer stopped for a short while to address Jason and Ash. "And you two... sit tight."
"As if we would even stand up from this sofa." both Red Eagles men replied before they begin their short nap on the sofa.
...
Time: 1830 Hour.
The Red Eagles gathered around the dining table, making their Christmas wishes before the Christmas dinner.
Jason was the first to make his. "For this year, I wish for better weapons when me and my buddies gets sent on missions."
Jenny was next. "For this year, I wish for a ride better than the Landseek we currently uses."
Then it was Ash's turn. "I wish for a surplus of Repair Buckets..."
Jason and Jenny didn't allow Ash to finish making his wish when they heard what he was wishing for.
"Really?" Jason interrupted.
"You are actually wishing for something for your game?" Jenny added in.
Ash gave the two Red Eagles members the look. "Come on, what's wrong with that?"
Mina proceeds to make her wish without waiting for the others. "For this year, I wish that... the bad guys are easier to defeat."
...
Time: 2200 Hour.
Location: Rooftops, Red Eagles Squad's Home Base; San Francisco, USA.
Two hours after they've had their Christmas dinner, the Red Eagles went to the rooftops of their Home Base, where several firework rockets were lined up neatly.
"I wonder what kind of display we'll get this year?" Jason comments on the firework rockets. "Better not be like last year where one of them exploded instead of taking off."
Mina was in charge of priming the firework rockets. "No premature detonations this year... I hope..." She said while getting the firework rockets ready.
Ash pointed at one of the rockets without saying anything.
Mina wondered why Ash was pointing at that specific rocket until she notices that the ignition wire of that rocket is not connected to the exhaust port of the rocket itself.
"Ottotto..." [Oops...] The Japanese girl said in embarrassment as she hastily reconnects the loose ignition wire. "All clear, then..."
...
Several "ooh" and "ah" are heard as the Red Eagles' firework rockets made a dazzling display of multi-colored lights alongside some other peoples' fireworks on the night sky above the skylines of San Francisco.
"Now that's what I'd say is awesome!" Ash voiced his opinion on the fireworks display while giving Mina a pat on the back.
Mina blushed with the patting without saying a word.
"So, guys..." Jenny interjected as the fireworks displayed continued on the night sky. "Merry Christmas to you all..."
Jason lifted up a camera that is facing inwards as he gathered his friends into a group. "Let's have a Christmas selfie! Merry Christmas to us all!"
The Red Eagles posed at the camera as Jason pressed the "capture image" button on it.
"And a happy new year!"
...
Location: Regular Army Command; Washington DC, USA.
Meanwhile at the Regular Army's command center, two particular soldiers had stayed behind while the rest of the staff members took the whole Christmas day off.
"This sucks..." A muscular Marine complained as he worked on the pile of paperwork. "Its Christmas day, and I still can't get a day off..."
"This is at least better than going on a sortie on Christmas day." A Chinese-American Marine told him as he walked by.
"Ugh, I know..." The muscular Marine expressed his disappointment as he stamped another file and moved it to the "out" stack.
Afterwords
A Christmas special for the Metal Slug universe. That's all I can do about this year, but at least this is a lot better than the 2014 New Year Special I whipped up for Fantasy Blitzkrieg, which I consider as the crappiest thing I've ever written.
Those two Marines in the Regular Army Command are actually Flynn "Mack" Taggart and Leon Chan, and both of them are OCs made by Soldier Of The Future. Thanks, man!
Shout-out index:
"...I wish for a Repair Bucket..." - Jeez, didn't know Ash was into Kantai Collection the whole time...
Wish you a Merry (late) Christmas and a happy year 2016!
That is all. "See you next year!"
