Chapter 8
It was a trap.
That was the reason why Fitzroy wanted him to find Chen Lin instead of sending her own men. Comstock's men suspected that the gunsmith was aiding the Vox Populi by supplying the rebels with weapons so a squad of soldiers and a couple of Handymen were stationed there, waiting to ambush anyone who attempted to make contact with Chen Lin.
If it wasn't for Blade Wolf's early warning and Raiden's alertness, they would have been caught off guard. The cyborg ninja was able to guide his charge to an empty clock tower where she picked the lock of the door.
"Wait here," he told her before setting off to eliminate the men.
Activating the Solid Eye, he saw that three men were positioned at different rooftops, giving them a better view of the entrance to Chen Lin's workshop. Several troops of soldiers were patrolling the streets and they were walking in a certain routine that he could easily a way to get past them without being detected. His AI companion had already disabled the enemy's communication so reinforcements weren't going to be a problem anymore.
The cyborg ninja scaled the building where the first sentry was. He then silently approached the soldier from behind and slipped the HF Murasama right between the man's shoulder blades. He slid the blade out and gently laid the body on the rooftop.
[Do you think that Mr. Lin is alright?] Liz asked him over the Codec as he slit the next guard's throat.
"We can only hope so," he replied as he hid the corpse and went off to eliminate the last lookout.
[There is a possibility that Chen Lin is already in police custody.] the UG added, assisting the cyborg in covertly taking out the soldiers. [But with this many soldiers stationed here, they might have left Lin here as bait for the Vox Populi.]
"Either way, we still have to check out the workshop to see if Lin's there or not. If he isn't, there might be a clue that could tell us where he is," Raiden concluded after stealthily reducing a fair number of soldiers, "It's clear on my end."
The young woman and the cyborg ninja heard a loud SHINK and a thud on the Metal Gear's end.
[Clear.] Blade Wolf announced.
THWACK!
"Elizabeth!" [Elizabeth!] the cyborg ninja and the IF Prototype LQ-84i cried out in alarm for it came from the young woman's end.
[You missed one.] Elizabeth simply said, earning a sigh of relief from the cyborg ninja.
Raiden placed the last dead soldier inside a wooden barrel. He knew that these corpses won't remain unnoticed forever but he was hoping that he and his charge would be long gone by the time they were discovered.
[Alert: the next shift of guards is coming to replace the ones stationed here. I will move to intercept them.] Blade Wolf stated before heading out to complete the interception.
"Understood," he said.
[Be careful, Blade Wolf.] the girl told the UG.
"He'll be fine. It's Comstock's men that has to be careful."
[Yeah, I suppose you're right about that.]
"You go on ahead to Lin's workshop. I'll meet you there."
00000
Blade Wolf
Comstock's men, especially the ones that were stationed in Finkton, were no pushovers. With the knowledge of the False Shepard here in Columbia, the more elite forces were now being sent out to deal with the situation. If there were anyone that could handle the current threat, it would be these loyal soldiers. Just to be on the safe side, a Handyman was assigned to this particular squadron.
But it meant little when with the UG known as Blade Wolf.
The commanding officer's cry of alarm was abruptly cut off as Blade Wolf's claws split the man's throat opened. The AI placed his feet on the man's torso and kicked off, propelling himself back while dodging enemy fire.
They may be highly trained soldiers but they lacked the necessary experience to be battle-hardened warriors like Raiden and Jetstream Sam, which was why they weren't on the same level as them.
While in midair, the UG flung six super-heated knives and struck down six more soldiers. Landing on his feet, he immediately went on the move and was practically running circles around the last of the opposition while cutting them down one by one.
Eventually, the last enemy fell to his claws. Blade Wolf surveyed the surrounding area for any more hostiles. Detecting an anomaly on his Soliton Radar, the UG quickly jumped back to avoid the massive object crashing into the place where he was previously standing, causing a huge cloud of dust to form.
He flung several knives into the center of the cloud dust and heard the distinct sound of his knives slicing through metal and a monstrous roar of pain. A big metallic fist emerged from the dust and smashed down towards the AI.
Wolf flipped into the air and kicked the arm away before it could hit him. A second metallic fist came out of the dust to punch the seemingly vulnerable automaton in the air. The UG merely twisted his body in midair, evading the punch. Rearing his claws back, he slashed at the forearm of his opponent, effectively severing the limb.
Using the severed limb as a platform, he jumped off the metal arm as the enraged Handyman shot out from the dust cloud.
"Demon Hound of the False Shepard!" the Columbian cyborg bellowed at the wolf-shaped UG as Wolf crouched down in preparation to strike.
"I am neither a demon nor a hound," Blade Wolf responded evenly before dodging a backhand swipe, "But I am here to aid the so-called 'False Shepard' in his mission."
The sentient Metal Gear leapt at the cyborg while spinning his body like a drill. The Handyman raised his arms to block the attack but he was knocked off his feet and was sent crashing through a building as Blade Wolf skillfully landed on a stack of wooden crates.
"RAAAAH!" the Handyman burst out of the wreckage and charged at the robot as Blade Wolf jumped off the crates, shattering them to pieces from the force of his jump.
"Even if it means that I have to kill you," the Handyman's gargantuan fist was inches away from smashing into Wolf's side while the UG's claws were almost touching the container with the cyborg's still beating heart in it.
00000
The walk from the clock tower to Mr. Lin's workshop was very short and there were hardly anyone left on the streets thanks to a certain cyborg ninja and robot clearing them. The threats that the two did somehow missed were quickly handled with Elizabeth's trusty wrench.
"I'm starting to get really attached to this wrench," the young woman mused as she softly sang a song that she heard in one of the Tears she found.
"It's Friday, Friday. Gotta get down on Fri-"
"Where did you hear that song?" a masculine voice spoke up from behind her, earning a startled cry from the girl.
On reflex, she turned around and tried to smack her would-be assailant with her tool turned weapon.
Raiden caught the wrench before it could hit his chin, stopping the girl's swing. Upon realizing it was her protector, Elizabeth gave the cyborg ninja a sheepish look before lowering her weapon.
"Good reflexes," he complimented. For someone who spent their whole life in a tower, Elizabeth surprisingly fast reflexes. It may not be on the same level as his when he was still human but it's still impressive nonetheless. Maybe he should teach her some CQC? It wouldn't hurt to have her learn a takedown or two.
"That song you were singing earlier, where did you hear that?"
"Oh, that. I heard it through a Tear near the clock tower."
"I really should've expected that by now," Raiden muttered as they entered the workshop.
The first floor of the workshop had a large furnace that made the temperature nearly unbearable if one wasn't used to it or a cyborg ninja that couldn't even feel the heat. There were also several empty crates and barrels stacked in the corner and shelves.
Activating the Solid Eye, Raiden surveyed the upper floor and saw various outlines of equipment but no signs of life besides a rat or two.
"There's no one here," the cyborg stated as he turned off the Solid Eye.
"What should we do now?" Elizabeth asked, leaning against a barrel.
"For starters," he flicked his thumb up, causing his katana to pop out of its sheath with a high-pitched, "Why don't we ask our little guest some questions?"
"What gue-" she began to ask but her question was abruptly cut off when she heard the door click open.
Raiden nearly pulled the HF Muramasa sword out of its sheath before he saw the person entering the building. Sheathing his blade, he examined the new arrival.
It was a middle-aged woman of Asian descent, judging from the squinted eyes. She also appeared to be very distraught as she tried to wipe her red teary eyes. This woman might be a relative of Chen Lin. His wife most likely.
"Sorry for bothering you ma'am," the former Maverick employee spoke in Mandarin as he slightly bowed his head, "But we're looking for your husband, Chen Lin. Fitzroy sent us."
Raiden was proficient in several languages because of his job requiring him to be multilingual. He knew English and Liberian Kreyol since he was from Liberia. Spanish, French and Mandarin were languages that he learned during his time in Foxhound and he was quite proud that his knowledge on these had not diminished a bit.
Except for Russian. He really needs to learn how to communicate in Russian someday.
Mrs. Lin was too distressed to be surprised by him being able to speak her native tongue but she responded to him in kind nonetheless.
"Please, you must help my husband. The police arrested him and took him to the Goodtime Club a few days ago," the woman managed to say before breaking out into sobs.
"I will do my best to bring him back to you," he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Only one who didn't know what Raiden and Mrs. Lin were talking was Elizabeth since she doesn't understand Mandarin so she was a little lost. Although, she was a bit amazed that her companion knew how to speak Chinese.
"C'mon, Liz," Raiden said to her, reverting back to English, "We're going to the Goodtime Club."
"I thought you said you we're not going there," Liz said, following him out the door, "And I didn't know you can speak Chinese."
"Mandarin," he immediately corrected, "Even though a person is Chinese, it doesn't mean that the language they speak is also called Chinese."
"And the Goodtime Club is where they're keeping Chen Lin," he added.
The two exited the workshop and was greeted by the sight of a dead Handyman lying in the middle of the street. It was missing an arm and a leg while the glass sphere where its heart was contained was smashed open, showing the evident cause of death.
Sitting on top of this inert gargantuan beast of man and metal like an actual dog was the automaton named Blade Wolf.
"Whoa," Elizabeth couldn't help but be astounded how something small like Wolf was able to defeat a Handyman with no signs of any damage on its frame.
"There is no need to be flabbergasted, Miss Elizabeth," the UG told her as he lithely leapt off his fallen foe, "I have informed you that I was created to replace human combatants and cyborgs on the battlefield. It would make sense that I am fully capable of combat and I also have experience of facing enemies far larger than myself."
"You heard everything, right?" the cyborg turned to the UG, disregarding the fallen enemy.
"Correct."
"Then let's get going."
00000
It wasn't hard to find the Good Time Club. In fact, it was actually close by Chen Lin's workshop.
The entrance to the club looked like the entrance to any high-class lounge. Despite the difference of time periods, there was not much change to what could be considered elegant when it came to style. The only glaring differences were the automaton welcoming them and the corpse of a man nailed onto the sign.
"Aaah, Raiden, my boy! You know the best kind of interview is one where the applicant doesn't even know he's being evaluated," the voice of Jeremiah Fink greeted them over the PA system, "Hah hah. But I've watched you since the other day at the lottery. You're a brute! And in times like this, I could use a brute!"
"What do you want, Fink?" Raiden glared at one of the cameras he spotted.
"Why labor unrest, Raiden. Heh heh. Now Fitzroy has got the jungle all riled up. A man like me could have use of someone of your…talents."
"You have got to be kidding me," he groaned, pushing the doors open to the lounge, "That son of a bitch wants to hire me."
He would rather chop both of his arms off and fight Comstock's army while holding his sword in his mouth than work for a greedy businessman like Fink.
"I just have to find Chen Lin and leave. Nothing else," he reminded himself, looking down on the stage in the center of the room where tables and chairs surrounding it.
A projector lit up and displayed the face of Jeremiah Fink on the screen.
"Now, now! All I ask is that you finish what you started, Raiden…Wouldn't want to disappoint the other applicants!"
That doesn't sound good.
"Our first candidate is a veteran of Peking," two blue boxes large enough for a grown man to fit in it ascended from hidden trapdoors on the stage, "What's that they say about old soldiers?"
"Frankly, my money's on you…" one of the boxes burst open and a man with heavy cybernetic enhancements jumped out of the confetti, "He's something of an old hand at handling explosives. Lost a limb or two working with them. But it's nothing that modern day technology can't fix"
The man appeared to be morbidly obese at first glance but a closer inspection showed that it was really armor that gave him the facade of being fat. He also looked strangely familiar to the cyborg ninja.
"Fatman?"
Fatman was a member of Dead Cell and a highly trained expert in bomb making. Along with Vamp and Fortune, he was one of the three remaining members of Dead Cell who participated in the armed takeover of the Big Shell offshore cleanup facility in 2009. He was a foe that Raiden had killed years ago.
The cyborg before him now had a surprising similarity to the deceased Emperor of Explosives. He wore armor that looked a lot Fatman's bomb blast suit with a high collar that concealed the lower half of his face.
"I'm gonna blow your skinny ass to smithereens!" the Fatman look-alike exclaimed as he wielded a grenade launcher.
"Next candidate is one foxy young lady! But don't let her good looks distract you or you just might regret it," the second box opened up and out came a voluptuous young woman that somehow made each of her movement seem sensual, "She'll smack your backside so hard that you might not even realize it."
"You ready to have some fun, sugar," the woman smirked seductively at the cyborg ninja as she pulled out what looked like a portable rail gun. Hoisting the rail gun up, she playfully winked at him like they were having a party, not a match to the death.
"Ah ah ah! No touching! Hah! As if that's even possible since Lady Luck seems to have blessed her."
"Fortune?"
The woman looked nothing like seemingly untouchable Dead Cell member because the one he knew was African American while this one was Caucasian. But from what he gathered from Fink's comment of her being "untouchable", he had a feeling that she might share the same ability with the original.
Raiden leapt over the railings and landed in the middle of the stage with the other two "applicants". Slowly and deliberately, he unsheathed the HF Muramasa as its blade crackled with red electricity. Glaring at the other occupants of the stage, he held the sword to his side. The cyborg Fatman matched his stare in kind while the Caucasian Fortune merely blew a kiss in his direction.
"And the last but certainly not the least! You may know him as the White Devil, the Lightning Bolt or maybe even the False Shepard!" Fink announced as spotlights shown down on the three, giving them an almost reverent glow, "Give a round of applause for the one and only, RAIDEEEEEN!"
Without warning, the woman fired her rail gun at the cyborg ninja while the heavy cyborg launched a grenade at him. Raiden leaned to the side, letting the electromagnetically propelled projectile fly past him and blow up a table. Using the flat side of his sword, he swatted the grenade out of the air and redirected its course towards the woman.
The resulting explosion hid the woman from sight as he brought out his Hand Cannon and fired a round into the round cyborg's chest. A smaller explosion occurred where the bullet struck while the bald cyborg was left unaffected, confirming his suspicions.
The Fatman cyborg's bomb blast suit would generate a small explosion upon physical contact so that meant he would have to avoid hitting him directly.
The smoke from the first explosion dispersed to reveal the woman unharmed. Smirking maliciously, she raised her rail gun and began letting loose a salvo of anti-armor rounds.
Stowing the gun in his coat pocket, he somersaulted off the stage as the place where he was previously standing erupted into bursts of splinters. He then had to zip around the room to avoid being blasted by the woman's rail gun.
Quickly halting in his tracks, Raiden rolled to the side as the enemy cyborg crashed into the space in front of him, creating another explosion with his body.
Not only did he used his explosive armor for defense but he also used it for attacking.
"Fighting them both by myself is going to be very difficult."
Numerous knives shot out at the two enemies. The demolitionist cyborg's armor detonated as the knives impacted him in the shoulder while the knives simply bounced of the woman's skin, leaving her undamaged.
It was good thing that he wasn't on his own.
"The woman possesses a magnetic repulsion field over her body," Blade Wolf informed his cyborg companion as he joined the fray, "It cannot sustain too much damage and will have to recharge once it overloads. She is left vulnerable during this state."
"Noted," Raiden acknowledged as he sliced a grenade out of the air.
"What about him?" he gestured towards the explosives wielding cyborg while slicing more grenades in half before they could detonate.
"The head is not very well protected."
"Got it," the cyborg ninja raised his Hand Cannon up and activated Blade Mode.
He may use Blade Mode to increase his reflexes and cutting power but it still possibly to use it with other weapons. Besides, aiming always becomes a lot easier when his perception of time slows down to a crawl.
Lining his sights, he fired the powerful handgun and watched the bullet bury itself inside the enemy's skull. The enemy cyborg fell to the ground dead with his eyes full of shock at his unexpected demise.
Deactivating Blade Mode, Raiden dashed towards the dead cyborg and grabbed him by the lapels of his suit. With his enhanced strength, he flung the corpse at the woman.
The woman was busy shooting at the UG and she was becoming frustrated every time she missed. She almost didn't notice the object heading towards her. Thinking that it was Raiden, she aimed her gun and fired at the corpse of the explosive cyborg. Her eyes widened in shock and panic when she realized too late that it wasn't the cyborg ninja but her still volatile dead companion.
The heavy round hit the Fatman cyborg's body and caused a chain reaction of explosions that consumed both the man and the woman and blasted the UG and cyborg ninja back.
"A warning beforehand would have been well appreciated," Blade Wolf said sourly or at least what passed for sourly for an AI as he shook off some rubble.
"How was I supposed to know that she was going to shoot the guy?" Raiden countered as pushed the remains of a table off of him.
"Congratulations, Raiden! You know, when your name was first passed to me, I wasn't quite sure you were the man for the job, heh heh," Fink said over the PA, "But now, I can say with certainty that I was quite wrong!"
"You were right the first time," the cyborg ninja said as he stood up and sheathed his sword, "I'm not the man for the job."
"Now, now, I know all about your little job for Fitzroy," the businessman said to him in the same way one speaks to a child, "But do you really want to take her offer over mine? Do you know how many people would kill to be Head of Fink Security?"
"No but knowing how many people died for the position isn't going to change my mind."
"You're a tough nut to crack, Raiden. A tough nut!" Fink chuckled, unperturbed by his refusal, "But I promise you this: I will get what I want."
"Then prepare to be disappointed, you bastard."
