Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Metal Gear character or the Metal Gear franchise. They belong to Hideo Kojima, Kojima Productions and Konami studios.
Author Notes: I've got the idea of a Metal Gear fic a while from now. I wanted to write about a space of time that almost no one has written about, and that is the time Snake worked as a mercenary after the fall of Outer Heaven in 1995. That means that this fic takes place after Big Boss's first fall, when Solid Snake became a legend.
Liquid Snake's doings during this time are unknown as well, so I realized that a story between the two brothers could be written without messing with the timeline. So here's the final product.
This is kind of a prologue, so don't expect raging action for now. Still, it does have some classic sneaking in it. Chapter Two is halfway written, so it won't be long before I post that one as well.
Reviews will be greatly appreciated.
The Mercenaries
Chapter 1: Hidden Snakes
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08/08/96
Twin Lakes, Alaska
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Those who walk trough Alaska have a strange feeling, like if they were lost travellers that suddenly find themselves in an unknown world lost in vastness and quietness while hearing the wind roar trough the trees and over the calm, cold waters.
With the ground covered by snow, the sky a light grey and the trees cold and dull, the calmness around Twin Lakes in Alaska was absolute, unaltered.
But not for long. Because a figure could be distinguished now, outlined in the cold wind. It was a sled pulled by six huskies, a Siberian breed of dogs closely related to grey wolves. There was a tall man on the sled, totally masked by thick scarves, winter jackets and a thick hat. Guided by the man, the huskies pulled the sled trough the trees, showing some signs of fatigue already. But they were close to destiny. A house could be seen now, lost in trees and snow.
The man got down of the sled and untied the dogs. The dogs seemed happy, though a bit tired as well. They looked at the man with respect and fondness. The man treated them with care in turn, untying them and scratching their ears while doing so. Taking off his hat and his thick scarf, the man tiredly walked to his small and lonely house placed amongst the trees. He had a young yet hardened stubbled face, with a mane of brown hair and grey blue eyes; deep clear eyes, yet very fast and attentive as well, almost resembling those of an animal.
One big female husky barked loudly. The man turned to look at her in silence, and then turned again to watch the house. The husky barked again while the man walked towards the house, more careful now. The husky kept barking.
"Quiet," the man ordered lowly. He had a harsh grave voice, which compelled to obey without arguments.
The husky complied, lowering her body and keeping her ears backwards.
You could think that the man had left that condition to become an animal, so tense his body was, so full of energy and instinct. He stood next to the back door of the house and opened the least minimum to be able to see something with one of his eyes. He then rushed in with impressive fastness, and yet not making a noise. Rolling aside, the man hid behind a cupboard, part of a modest kitchen. His eyes moved in haste, watching his surroundings with extreme caution. A few moments of silence pass, and then he jumped aside and moved trough one door that led to a small bedroom. There was a nightstand next to the man's bed, in which there was a Mk23 .45 caliber with some clips at the sides. Loading the gun in milliseconds, the man pointed to the door at the other side of the room, which led to a living room. But stealth wasn't needed after all.
There was a man in front of him, in excellent physical condition with blond hair and sunglasses.
"You are a hard man to find, Snake"
"...Master?"
.
They were sitting at one small wooden table in the living room. The blond man, called Master McDonnell Miller was observing the room with interest, a small smile plastered in his lips, while Snake watched him intently. Nevertheless, both men seemed to have an air of confidence, like if they were old friends.
"You have a nice place here, Snake" Master pointed with a smile "Alaska sits you well"
"I bought this house with the money I got from my last mission," Snake grunted with a frown "My last employer wasn't as cheap as FOXHOUND"
"I'm not surprised you got well paid... the legendary Solid Snake. I'm sure anyone would pay a lot for your services"
"Say it to FOXHOUND"
"So you are now a hireling? You fight for the highest bidder?"
"Yeah. I've never liked the CIA's system, it was too... stiff," Snake said while lighting up a cigarette. Extending his hand, he offered the cigs box to Master, who declined with a hand gesture.
"I'm trying to quit," pointed Master.
A brief silence followed while Snake took a drag of his cigarette. Master watched him in silence and then asked:
"Why did you leave FOXHOUND, Snake? We would've been glad to have you in the unit. Campbell was thinking about naming you Commander the day he retires"
"I wanted to get out of there," Snake admitted with a frown after some time in silence "I don't want to follow Big Boss' steps..."
"So that's why you've been trying to abandon the CQC technique..." Master said, thinking aloud.
"I haven't found a replacement so far" Snake admitted with a grunt.
"And why did you decide to come to a place this far? I can tell you it was a hard job to find you"
"Precisely"
Another brief silence followed Snake's words. He was not the kind of men that tended to speak a lot, and Master was one of the very few persons that could ask him so many questions without him getting pissed.
"I see... Have you had any assassinations attempts lately?" Master asked, leaning forwards.
"Two. Near the quarters of FOXHOUND, a couple of guys that survived Outer Heaven and wanted to avenge the death of Big Boss. And a professional killer that thought he could kill me with a knife in a bar"
"And that's why you have sheltered here?" To hide from the assassins after you?"
"From them and the CIA. The closest thing to this house is the Igloo village, with fifteen people. It's unlikely that I'll come across an assassin in the streets"
Snake finished his cigarette and watched Master with calculating eyes.
"Why did you come here, Master? We're far from Langley. How did you find me?"
"Believe me, it wasn't easy. We looked with one of our satellites, and I decided to come because I lived in Alaska for a long time myself"
"I remember. In Fairbanks, nearing Emmonak"
"Exactly" Master said, impressed with Snake's memory. Straightening himself, Master decided to get to the point "Truth is, I came because we have a mission for you, Snake"
"I don't care about the CIA's missions, or FOXHOUND's. I left that behind me"
"You won't be returning to active duty," Master countered calmly. He knew that Snake could be touchy about certain subjects; talking carelessly about the CIA in his presence wasn't a good idea "You said that you are now a mercenary; then we say so be it. The CIA has plenty of money, Snake. And this mission requires a highly trained operative"
"What about FOXHOUND? You could send Gray Fox or some other member of the Unit"
"FOXHOUND is going trough some rough adjustments right now," Master explained, not missing Snake's surprised eyes at the information "Many operatives are leaving the unit after Big Boss' death, and Roy Campbell is trying to rebuild it from zero in order to avoid a close resemblance with Big Boss' time. Gray Fox left the unit a few weeks ago, and as of now no one knows about his whereabouts; our newest agents aren't fit for this mission. It has to be you, Snake"
"FOXHOUND can't deal with this mission, huh?" pointed Snake "It must be one hell of a job"
"Indeed it is. We are very worried," Master said "Will you accept then, Snake? If you do it, the payment is a seven digits number"
Snake sat silent for a while, staring off into space. Master said nothing, as he knew that he had to be patient when dealing with his old friend.
"So what exactly is this wonderful mission?"
Master smiled. Snake asking for details could only mean that he had accepted the job.
"We had a security breach a few days ago. Amur Tiger, one of FOXHOUND's oldest members, defected taking some very valuable information from our labs with himself"
"Tiger? That Russian old guy?"
"The very same," Master confirmed "I've been told that you didn't get to know him that much, Snake. Am I right?"
"Not much," Snake nodded "He used to go in very long missions, and he was never in Headquarters. He didn't look much of a talker anyway"
"That's something he shares with you," Master said with a slight smile. He then procured a few pictures of a man in his sixties wearing only military pants and sporting a large knife at his waist "That's Amur Tiger. He was a member of the KGB in the fifties until being charged with treason in 1962. He apparently disagreed with Kruschev's government and wanted to install Brezhnev in his place along with the extremist faction of the Red Army, but he was discovered and condemned to die in Siberia, which was a common punishment for traitors back then. They left them in the middle of nowhere, almost completely naked and with a knife as their only weapon"
Master pointed the knife Amur Tiger displayed in the pictures.
"No one knows how, but he made it out of Siberia. His file says that he managed to kill an Amur Tiger or Siberian Tiger and used the animal's skin to avoid freezing to death, hence his codename. He then abandoned the USSR and managed to sneak past the Iron Curtain, which is an incredible feat in itself. He has lived in the US since then, cooperating with our intelligence services and the CIA. He joined FOXHOUND in 1983 and became one of the deadliest members of the Unit since then, having always completed every assignment he was given. He was the best of the Unit, save for Big Boss, Gray Fox and then you, Snake"
There was silence after Master's debriefing. Snake stared off into space, his eyes having an off look, as if he were thinking about past things and experiences. Master said nothing, respecting his friend's silence.
"So what does the CIA plan to do now? What do you want me to do?"
"You have to kill Amur Tiger and recover the data he stole"
"Data, huh. So what is that data?" Snake said, used to the CIA secretiveness. He wouldn't be surprised if the 'data' was nothing else than some very dangerous experimental weapon "What did Amur Tiger steal from FOXHOUND and the CIA, and how am I going to do to find it?"
"Concerning the data itself, I know as much as you do, Snake" Master pointed "I know, though, that it is recorded on an optic disc Tiger has. And as how to find it, it shouldn't be hard. Tiger has installed a facility in Yucatán, Mexico. He has hired a small mercenary army, so it is a heavily guarded place, and we know that he has an underground lab in there. And he is using some political contacts with the Mexican government for them to turn a blind eye on him, so we have no political support from there. I'm afraid this is far too dirty of a mission for the CIA to be directly involved, so you'll be on your own, with no backup from our part. The best would be that you assassinate Amur Tiger in silence. You'll have to sneak in that base to find him and get the data. But you don't have to worry Snake, I will be your commanding officer during the entire mission, and I'll guide you via codec to get the optic disc"
"Just like old time," Snake smirked. Being a former member of FOXHOUND got him used to this kind of missions, in which he could not count with anything but himself in the field.
"Precisely," Master confirmed with a slight smile "This time, though, you can bring your own elements to the battlefield; you can bring anything as long as it doesn't belong to the US government"
Snake said nothing, lighting another cigarette.
Two Days Later
08/10/96
Peninsula de Yucatán
2100 Hs.
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The weather was horrible. It wasn't rain, it was an outright downpour. And that was even worse considering the place Snake was in. A small fisher boat that could only hope to keep steady in the agitated seas and get close enough to the shore in order to let Snake swim to the beach.
Snake was smoking a cigarette, wearing a heavy coat as shield against the rain. But in any case, that couldn't have much of a point in a few minutes, due to his infiltration route. Master had said that the rain would help him to conceal himself better, but to Snake that only meant a sure chance of catching a cold in the middle of a mission. The prospect was really unappealing to him.
"Todo listo, señor" the captain of the small ship said in Spanish. Snake turned to look at him in silence, making the man flinch under his intense gaze. But Snake gave him a reassuring nod and threw his cigarette away, the small cylinder shaped object disappearing in the blink of an eye. Snake walked to the side of the ship, looking at the water. At least the rain wasn't as heavy as before.
"Ready to go, Snake?" Master asked trough the codec.
"Yeah"
"If everything goes right, you'll be able to finish this mission before midnight," Maser said gravely "But if anything goes wrong, the US government and the CIA will deny everything about this mission. Don't forget, you are acting as a mercenary and a freelancer. You are no longer involved with us"
The coat flew in the night, Snake readying himself for the mission. He was wearing a dark green camouflage uniform and his trademark bandana. There was a Beretta M9 tranquilizer pistol in his left hip, as well as a SOCOM Mk 23 45. Caliber pistol holstered in his right thigh. There was one last gun tied to his right leg, nearing the ankle. It was the experimental prototype of a pistol made to fire piercing bullets, the FiveSeveN. The last item of Snake's equipment was his CQC knife. Even if Snake did want to leave that combat system behind him, he still hadn't been able to find another way to deal with close encounters with the same degree of speed and dexterity.
"Time to get wet, Snake. May God be with you!"
Snake jumped off the boat and dove into the cold sea. The water was very cold, but Snake found himself comfortable with that. Having lived in Alaska for more than a year did have its perks after all. Snake went to the surface and took a deep breath, trying to get some pointers as to where to swim. He almost couldn't see the boat a few meters at his side, much less the shore. The storm made everything harder. But Snake's senses were incredibly tuned, and it didn't take long for him to learn which way to go. That done, he started swimming.
Any normal person would have drowned in the sea with all the weight Snake was carrying with him. But Snake was not normal in the slightest. He had been training and performing the most demanding physical exercises in the entire world for years, his FOXHOUND training sharpening his body to limits that neared the impossible. FOXHOUND had prepared him to cope with every kind of adverse scenarios, whether those scenarios were enemies, drugs, intelligence, the weather or anything else. So he was now swimming with cold precision, the same way he carried out his missions, advancing fast and steadily, not bothering to feel tired in the slightest. He arrived to the shore in a matter of minutes.
"Snake," Master voice said trough the codec "It's unlikely that the beach will be guarded, but you should proceed with caution anyway"
Snake didn't need Master's warning. Stealth came as an instinct to him. He put on a balaclava - he was a mercenary now, and since he no longer had the CIA's protection he couldn't afford to be recognized - and took out his Beretta M9, attaching a silencer to it. He then moved without making any noise, and so he got to the trees near the beach. There was a small forest in front of him. Hidden in some bushes, Snake took a look at his surroundings. One quick glance was enough to learn that there were no enemies in sight, as well as to see a small path between the trees, and finally all the clearings in the forest. Snake moved quickly trough the trees and bushes, avoiding the pathway and all places where some light was cast on. No one could have noticed he was there at all. The downpour became little else than thin rain.
It didn't take long before Snake sighted a fence that marked the complex's limits. According to the intelligence gathered by the CIA, Amur Tiger installations consisted in a military base with barracks, some hangars and an underground lab. The place wasn't very big, but it wasn't little as well. There was approximately one and a half mile from one point of the camp to the other, the place guarded by armed sentries and several wooden towers. The barracks and hangars were in the middle of the camp.
There was a sentry patrolling near the fence, outside the complex. Snake hid in the shadows, letting the guard walk past him. He then approached the unaware man and put him in a headlock until he passed out. Snake then hid the body in some bushes before regarding the fence in front of him. It was a wooden fence reaching almost twelve feet in height, and it had barbwire at the top. There were trees only on the outside side of the fence; the other side was plain, cleared purposefully to see any spy getting past the camp's boundaries.
"Snake," Master said trough the codec "According to our satellite images, there is an entrance to the camp about 650 feet to the north. It is heavily guarded though. I don't think you'll be able to sneak in easily from there"
"So that leaves jumping this fence or looking for another entrance then," Snake muttered, again hidden in the shadows.
"There are two entrances to the camp, one on the eastern side and the other on the west" Master briefed "The western entrance is exactly at the other side of the base, and is as heavily guarded as the eastern. You'll have to go trough the fence, I'd say"
Snake gave out a small grunt and grabbed the unconscious guard's jacket. His plan was simple: he would climb the fence and use the jacket to create a small space to pass trough the barbwire. But he had to time it right: there were two surveillance towers ahead, one of them sixty feet to the north and the other three hundred feet to the south. Snake watched the guard placed on the northern tower with calm precision.
Now. Climbing the fence like a shadow, Snake used the guard's jacket and got past the barbwire. He then grabbed the jacket as to not leave any trait of his presence and jumped to the ground, landing quietly. He was crouching in the shadows by the time the sentry in the tower looked his way.
"Master, I've infiltrated the complex," Snake said, getting out a pair of binoculars. He could see a little better now, as the rain had finally subsided "There are several barracks and three larger hangars to the north. But there is something else. There's a tower to the northwest, about a mile from here. It's standing on a small hill, and it's surrounded by a tall wall"
"Amur Tiger must be there," Master said thoughtfully "But for now you must focus on the optic disc he stole. The hangars you see aren't really hangars, but concealed labs that go underground. It must be there that Tiger keeps his research facilities, so that's where he'll keep the stolen data. Go to the hangars, Snake"
Snake moved stealthily trough the base, using the shadows as his cover. The hangars were north from his position, the barracks standing in his path. Snake moved swiftly between the structures, expertly avoiding all guards and using all the blind spots in surveillance he could find. He was nearing the hangars now. He moved silently by the side of one of the barracks, taking advantage of the lack of light in there.
But one sentry was coming his way. Snake hid behind some crates and waited for the man to reach his position. He then grabbed the guard and again used a simple headlock to cut all blood from reaching his brain, rendering him unconscious. Snake then hid the body in a dark spot at the side of the crates.
The hangars were displayed in line, from east to west. Snake decided to try with the eastern one first, as it was the closest from were he stood.
Several jeeps were near the entrance, as well as five guards patrolling the place. Snake detected a blind spot in the guards patrol. One of them walked too far away, and his companions wouldn't see him for a few seconds. Knowing that, Snake readied his Beretta M9. The guard drop unconscious to the floor a few seconds later, a tranq. dart in his neck.
The hangar had a grand door, but Snake decided against using that path. It was too exposed. So he opted to use a small door at the side of the structure, a door left unguarded after the sentry being taken out moments before.
Snake picked the lock - luckily it wasn't an electronic door - and entered the building.
A corridor with lockers at the sides was what he found. Snake walked in a few steps, looking for surveillance cameras. There were none.
The sound of footsteps before him alerted Snake of the coming of two sentries. Not hesitating - as doing that would mean death in the battlefield - Snake hid inside one of the lockers. The guards walked past him and got out of the hangar. Snake got out of the locker and moved further into the building. He walked trough the corridor, ignoring the doors at the sides and getting to the main space inside the hangar.
The sight at the end of the corridor stunned him.
"What the hell," Snake muttered "Master... this look like a genetic laboratory..."
Three Days earlier
Somewhere in Iran
08/05/96
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The chopper spread sand everywhere when landing in the desert, near the borders of Iraq. There was only the harsh sun as element of nature there, since the rocks and land around where completely deserted.
Or so it would seem. Because two armed figures appeared from nowhere as soon as a middle aged man came out of the chopper. The two camouflaged soldiers pointed their guns at the intruder, who raised his hands in turn. The man didn't seem fazed by the soldiers' attitude, calmly walking towards them with his hands in the air. He let them revise him for weapons. He had none.
"Identify yourself," one of the soldiers grunted.
"I'm Richard Ames;" the man said clearly, his voice calm "I'm here to see the Jackal"
The soldiers exchanged a look before positioning themselves at the sides of Ames, leading him trough the rocks. Soon, an expertly concealed hideout was revealed to Ames, as the soldiers led him trough a few dirty corridors, taking him deeper into their hideout and not caring about the surprised looks other soldiers in the place had.
They were in front of a wooden door in a matter of seconds. One of the soldiers knocked, getting a muffled 'come in' as a response. That said, the trio passed trough the door, entering a small dirty room with a table and a few chairs as the only furniture.
The soldiers sprang up to attention, saluting the occupant of the room. Ames did nothing.
"At ease," said a calm voice with a strong British accent. The soldiers relaxed, and the man walked to the trio.
He was a tall man with a mane of blonde hair and incredibly blue eyes. He was wearing combat boots, camouflage pants and a sleeveless shirt in his torso. Standing straight, it was clear that this man was in peak physical condition, as he was young but in his prime already. He had a tattoo on his left arm, which resembled the Rod of Asclepius, but with a sword in its place. The man stood in front of the trio and calmly eyed Ames.
"Dismissed" he said curtly to the soldiers. His subordinates left, leaving Ames and the man face to face.
"So, the Jackal was you after all," Ames said then, giving the blonde man a small smile.
"Just another meaningless name," Jackal said with a smirk, his British accent giving his words a tone of sarcasm and confidence. He then sat in one of the chairs facing the door, gesturing Ames to take the chair in front of him. Ames complied eyeing the room. One of the walls had several weapons, from handguns to assault and sniper rifles. One of them caught Ames eyes.
"So, that's your customized McMillan Tac-50, the Mk15," Ames said, eyeing the modern sniper rifle attentively "It was with that rifle that you managed that kill in Beirut?"
"Yes," Jackal said, calmly relaxed in his chair. Yet his eyes followed Ames' every move with almost animal-like attention "From about 2161 meters"
"And you did it without a spotter?" Ames asked, receiving a smirk in response. Shaking his head, Ames smiled "Impressive. You really have inherited your father's genes"
"But the old man is dead," Jackal said coldly, sporting a frown on his face "Killed last year by my dear brother"
"Solid Snake's success surprised many of us," Ames said, receiving a cold look from Jackal "To tell you the truth, no one believed he would succeed, not after Gray Fox's disappearance"
"FOXHOUND seems to be getting rusty," Jackal snarled "If the best operative is caught right after infiltrating enemy territory and a rookie manages to destroy the entire place"
"Solid Snake has long left the rookie state," Ames countered calmly.
Jackal said nothing. There was silence for a few seconds.
"To business then," Ames said, getting a few papers out of his jacket "It seems that your doings as a mercenary had caught the CIA's eye. Since you have established your own death squad here, the CIA thinks that you could do a job for us"
"Assassination?"
"Not only that," Ames responded "This will be a very complex mission, if you take it. But if you do, the reward is a seven digits number"
"The CIA can't deal with someone and they hire some mercenary to do the job?" Jackal snarled "You are no warriors. You, you are politicians"
"I won't deny that," Ames said "But this isn't your average job. A few days ago, one of the last members of FOXHOUND went rogue. He was one of the most experienced members of the unit, having been hired by Big Boss himself about fifteen years ago. His name is Amur Tiger, and he comes from Siberia. Very few men alive would stand a chance against him in combat"
"Looks like you'll have to completely revise your special forces," Jackal said "I've heard of this Amur Tiger before. Wasn't he a supporter of Brezhnev during the Cold War?"
"Yes, he was" Ames said, noticing a cardboard box in the corner of the room. Silently wondering why was that in there, he moved on "But he was captured by the KGB and tortured for weeks. He was finally thrown to Siberia only wearing some pants and with a knife as his only weapon. It was what the KGB did to traitors, in order to let them die from cold and starvation in the middle of nowhere. But he survived and made it to the other side of the Iron Curtain"
"And now he has betrayed the CIA?" Jackal asked with a smirk "It is true what they say about spies, they are only loyal to themselves"
"Jackal," Ames said then "Right now you are amongst the deadliest men and women alive. Word of your killings has made it all over the world, and your fighting skills are on par to the best members of FOXHOUND in the entire history of the unit. You are the most suited man for this task"
"And why don't you use FOXHOUND then?" Jackal asked with a sarcastic tone "I'm sure many of your recruits are dying to do this mission. You could even call Solid Snake himself"
"We do not know the extension of Amur Tiger's betrayal," Ames said "He could have friends in FOXHOUND, and even if that weren't the case the members of FOXHOUND are not the best the Unit has seen. The Unit is going to be completely rebuilt by Roy Campbell in a few months, but this is a more pressing matter. And as for Solid Snake, we weren't able to find him after he retired from duty"
"So I'm your best choice, huh" Jackal said "But you said that there was more to this mission than simple assassination. What is it?"
"I cannot tell you unless you agree to do this," Ames said "I take it you will accept this mission?" receiving a nod in response, Ames moved on "Amur Tiger stole some very valuable data from us during his escape. An optic disk containing very delicate information on one of the CIA's projects. We want you to recover that disk as well"
Jackal eyed some of the pictures on Amur Tiger that Ames had handed him. He said nothing for a while.
"One more thing," Ames said then "We cannot allow Amur Tiger's death be tracked to us, so you'll be using a new codename, one that no one has used before" Jackal raised his head, simply looking at Ames with unblinking eyes "Your codename for this mission will be Liquid Snake"
.
Author Notes 2: that's it with Chapter One. It's basically a prologue: we get a picture of the situation and we learn about the villain. Amur Tiger is not a part of the Metal Gear franchise, though. It's a character I created in order to give the Snakes a worthy opponent.
Some small details: Liquid says that he made a kill from 2161 meters with his rifle. The longest shot record at the time was 2260 meters approximately, so Liquid's kill would rank as the second longest shot in history. Considering his genes as one of Big Boss' clones, it is very likely for someone like Liquid to be adept at almost every kind of weaponry, Sniper fire being one of them.
Solid Snake and Master Miller were friends, Snake saying once that he would share a trench with Master, so I tried to picture that friendship in the casual way they talk to one another.
Chapter 2 will deal with Liquid's side of the story, and to how he gets into this large mission. There is one big question unanswered, and that is why the CIA decided to send the twin snakes on the same mission without telling the other. The answer will come in future chapters.
So, stay tuned and please leave reviews. Tell me what you think of this. Next chapter should be ready in a couple of weeks.
Devil Boss