ZEKE battle

Snake stood over the body of Zadornov. This had been his seventh and final escape. Suddenly, an alarm began to ring.

"What's going on?" Snake asked.

"It's ZEKE," Kaz responded. "It's moving!"

"What?"

"I saw someone getting inside. Snake, get here pronto!"

Grabbing the red prosthetic hand, Snake made his way upward. Reaching the upper level, he saw it. Metal Gear ZEKE rising from below on a cargo elevator. While wondering why this is happening, a voice came from it's speakers.

"Took you long enough, Big Boss," a female voice said.

"Paz?" Snake asked.

A metal covering opened on ZEKE's head, revealing Paz in the control seat. How was there a pilot's seat? There wasn't one before, just an AI pod. Strangely enough, Paz was in her underwear.

Reaching for a control terminal, Snake looked up. "Get down there before you hurt somebody."

"Maybe I want to hurt somebody…"

"What's going on?" Kaz asked. "She's not herself."

"Oh I am myself alright." With a flick of a switch, ZEKE walked closer to Snake. "My true self."

Snake had enough. "Kaz, shut that thing down."

Desperately trying to operate the hijacked Metal Gear, Kaz gave up. "I can't! The controls aren't responding!"

"Then how's it moving?"

"I made some modifications. This machine was meant to have a human pilot." Paz brought her finger to her upper lip, adjusting the tobacco leaf.

"Modifications?" If Snake was confused, he was now shocked. "Paz what are you…"

Paz grinned. "Never thought I was into machines, huh?"

"Then…Zadornov's escape…was a diversion!" Kaz leaned back, watching the scene unfold.

Paz…what are you doing?" Snake asked.

"I'm taking it back, plain and simple."

Kaz looked into the screen. "Taking it back? Where?"

Paz wiped the sweat off her forehead. "To our leaders. To Cipher."

That name now resurrected long forgotten memories "Cipher?" Snake asked.

Paz got up, gazing at the Metal Gear's controls. "This weapon is Cipher's creation."

"Paz, get down from there!"

Angrily, Paz grabbed the controls. "Don't call me that! I'm Pacifica Ocean!" ZEKE took a few steps backward. "My name, my age, my mission, Cipher gave them all to me. My life has but one purpose, to carry out Cipher's plan." She spat out the tobacco leaf. Paz looked at it with hatred. "The nasty tobacco, the angel of peace crap, the whole teen with a dream, I am through with it!"

Disheartened, Snake looked at the open cockpit. "Paz, you can't…"

ZEKE reared up and gave a loud roar. "I told you not to call me that! It makes me want to puke. Everything going as we planed. Now the real Peace Walker project is about to begin."

Snake, confused, asked, "The real project?"

Paz shut the cockpit plate. "Once upon a time, there were two young men who idolized a hero called The Boss. One day, they suddenly lost the point of origin - the cipher - that was like a mother to them. Unable to come to terms with their sorrow, they each decided to carry on the will of their hero. But they couldn't agree on what that meant. In the end, they became bitter enemies, and the zero from which they both started was split into two."

Snake tilted his head in confusion. "Huh?" Now he realized who was behind this. "Zero!"

Paz snickered. "And you have been on the wrong path ever since. There's no 'happily ever after' waiting for you in the end, unless…you obey the will of Cipher." She readied the controls. "And you have been on the wrong path ever since. What does an army without borders call home? A state without borders, of course...a world without borders."

Snake asked, "A world without borders?"

Paz smiled. "The Cold War order is about to collapse. The age of electronic intelligence is about to begin. The NSA, OSS, NRO, DIA, et cetera, et cetera... The intelligence community that's long bickered amongst itself will be united in a world governed by electrons. Cipher will gather all information, watching over the world and guiding the will of its people, all while they remain blissfully unaware." Paz looked into her screen, focused on Snake. "There will be no one to oppose them! For the first time, the world will be ruled by a single will! Until the new order is in place, you and your army will be the force that protects it. You will be Cipher's deterrent, pulling the wool over the eyes of the old order with your charisma and military prowess...Accept our offer, and we will allow you to retain control of MSF and Zeke"

Snake almost smiled. Zero was more deranged than he thought before. "That's an offer?"

"The Boss threw down her gun, and with it her life's calling. You - her disciple - have never been able to do that. You are too afraid to let go."

Snake looked up at the cockpit. "I was made to fight. I am a gun."

"Is that so?" Paz snapped. "Then is this a gun, too? You're a lousy liar! Admit it - this thing's a monstrosity, a product of your own fear! But not Cipher! Cipher thought of something different. Cipher's going to control guns."

"Control guns?"

"That's right. Not deter, control. It is the ultimate approach to the illusion of peace."

"Control power? You're gonna be disappointed."

"Then we're done! Thank you for playing! Better luck next time - the offer is rescinded! And now, the ultimatum." Paz pressed several buttons, and an alarm began to ring. "ZEKE is already in nuclear strike mode."
"What?"

"I'm taking the weapon you built and using it to launch a nuclear strike on the east coast of the United States!"

"You're insane! What are you after?"

"But wait, here's your consolation prize: We're about to show the world just how dangerous a gang of outlaws - an army without borders - can be! You and your men will become pariahs, and you'll be wiped off the face of the earth. Rather than heroes, you'll be seen as a well-armed, extremist cult prone to indiscriminate outbursts of nuclear aggression." ZEKE's cockpit began filling with water. Lights were flashing on the controls. "You will give rise to a new world order, an age of deterrence defined by its fear of extremist cult influence. Do you like the picture I'm painting, Big Boss? When all's said and done, peace is nothing but a fantasy! A game's a game! You either win or you lose! All you can do is fight!" Paz brought a breathing device to her mouth, allowing her to breath in launch mode. One last time, she taunted Snake by pointing the peace sign at him. "The peace sign is the "V" of victory! Say peace!"

With that, ZEKE fired a volley of bullets at Snake. He quickly ran to the sides, and reached a nearby compartment. He reached in and pulled out several missile launchers. Snake readied one, and fired. It hit it's mark, but minimal damage was done.

Snake readied another missile, but ZEKE jumped into the air, and landed on another strut. Lightning surrounded it's rail gun.

"Soon you will witness true hell!" Paz bellowed.

The rail gun fired, but Snake managed to get out of the way. Getting near a terminal, Snake triggered a mechanism, and locked onto ZEKE. He fired, and the turrets mounted on a nearby strut fired on ZEKE. The shells did heavy damage to the mech, tearing the rail gun cleanly from it's torso.

"Damn you Snake!"

ZEKE jumped back to the strut Snake was on, it's jetpacks sputtered. Entering a combat position, Paz readied the damaged jetpacks.

Through the speakers, Paz said, "We don't need peace. We need a strong will to lead us!"

The mech accelerated forward, sending Snake headfirst into a terminal. The blow nearly shook him unconscious, but the sight of ZEKE woke him up. Reaching for his RPG, he fired a round at one of the legs. It buckled, severely damaged but not beyond repair. Aiming his last round, Snake fired at the cockpit.

ZEKE staggered backward, it's head on fire. Bits and pieces were falling off. The Metal Gear let out a long, mournful wail as it crashed into a building.

Paz tried to regain control, but ZEKE was just too damaged. "It is no use, Zeke is out of my control. This is where it ends. Listen to me, Big Boss...as long as your army is needed, the world will never know true peace. The peace you will know will be fleeting - illusory, they will use you, disgrace you, and then, finally, discard you like they would a cancer to society. This is the path you have chosen!" The pilot's seat exploded, Paz screamed as she was thrown off. Snake watched in horror as her body fell into the sea.

Heart heavy, Snake walked over to the edge of the strut. "Paz…" Holding a group picture of her, Chico, and Miller, Snake let it fall into the sea.