Silent Fury
The sound of rotor blades was the only ambient noise in the back of the helicopter transporting Jonathan and the infamous female sniper, Quiet, back to Mother Base. Jonathan looked down at the unconscious woman, who was laying on the floor of the helicopter with her hands now in proper handcuffs after Pequod, the pilot, provided some. After a few moments to let himself rest after the nerve-wracking encounter between him and her, Jonathan picked up her limp body and placed it upon one of the benches lining the sides of the cabin. Gingerly, he placed her hands over her scant underwear to preserve what little modesty she had left and then draped a blanket over her to keep her warm. He turned to head to the back of the cabin and take a seat, but was interrupted by the sound of someone standing up. Turning round, Jonathan was amazed to see Quiet had recovered. The sniper was knelt down between the two benches, looking up at him with the black marks around her eyes once more. Amazement turned to shock when Jonathan saw her hand phase through the handcuffs, freeing her from their restraint.
Jonathan lurched forward to tackle her, but was swiftly stopped in his tracks as the blanket he'd graciously placed over Quiet was thrown in his face. Stumbling back, Jonathan tore the blanket away and threw it on the ground before glancing round to see where Quiet was now. To his surprise, he found the side door of the helicopter open, indicating that she'd jumped to freedom. Jonathan grabbed hold of a handle beside the door and leaned out to have a look outside. All he could see was the scenery of Afghanistan passing by beneath him. After glancing up to see if she had decided to climb onto the roof of the helicopter, Jonathan pulled the door shut and sat down.
"Shit..." He muttered to himself before tapping his earpiece, his voice emulating Big Boss in case Pequod could hear him. "Ocelot, Quiet's escaped. She made her hand sort of... Pass through the handcuffs somehow and jumped out of the chopper."
"Damn." Ocelot replied sadly. "She was one of a kind. What a waste of effort on your part, Snake."
"Good riddance, I say." Miller growled. "She wasn't going to set a single foot on Mother Base anyway. I would have made sure of that."
Jonathan rolled his eyes and cut the connection. He had no intention of listening to Miller complain when he had a hole in his remaining hand, given to him, with compliments, by Quiet herself. He sat down and let his head rest against the back of the cabin, his eye closing to let him recuperate from what was meant to be a simple assignment. In his experience, none of his assignments had gone smoothly, a concept that seemed to be run of the mill in the line of business he had been forced into. Breathing a deep sigh, Jonathan allowed his senses to slowly shut down and drift into sleep.
"Boss! We have a problem!"
Jonathan's eye flew open and glanced around. The helicopter was no longer over the deserts of Afghanistan, instead it was the blue Indian Ocean where Mother Base was located. Jonathan stood up and carefully made his way to the cockpit, where the only other person on board was Pequod.
"What is it?" He grumbled. Pequod looked up at him before tapping a circular instrument upon the dashboard, which was beeping a loud warning signal.
"We have a bogey on our six." Pequod responded. "It's tailing us."
"Don't lead it back to Mother Base." Miller ordered over the radio installed in the cockpit. "Under no circumstances must they find our location."
"Roger that." Pequod replied obediently before looking back at Jonathan. "I'll do some evasive manoeuvres and shake it off! Brace yourself, Boss!"
Jonathan nodded before rushing to the back of the cabin and taking his seat. He then reached out and grabbed hold of a handle to brace, but stopped when the sound of machine gun fire rattled off the side of the helicopter and shattered the passenger door windows. Jonathan cursed in surprise before peeping out of the window to see a jet fighter thunder past them at high speed. The aircraft then banked right sharply to turn round for another crack at shooting them down. Jonathan grabbed the door and slid it open to keep watch of the fighter, where he was greeted by the sight of a missile igniting and rocketing its way towards them from the aircraft. His attention was dragged away when a louder, more urgent beep began to sound in the cockpit.
"Incoming!" Pequod yelled and flicked a switch which caused a mass of flares to erupt from the right side of the helicopter. Jonathan watched as the missile continued on its course towards them, but suddenly changed direction and slammed into the ocean with a loud explosion. Their pursuer continued to fly towards them, causing Jonathan to take cover as another volley of gunfire clattered against his transport. Once the jet had thundered past them again, Jonathan opened the left side door of the cabin and pulled the door mounted machine gun into position. It was doubtful that he'd be able to shoot down the agile fighter, but it should, in his mind, distract it enough to ensure no more missiles were fired.
As he prepared to open fire, the helicopter lurched violently as Pequod initiated another attempt to elude their pursuer. Jonathan fell back and barely saved himself from falling out of the other side of the helicopter before he was thrown in the opposite direction. He landed heavily against the machine gun, causing him to wheeze as the impact left him breathless. Wearily, he looked up to see the plane roaring towards them as another missile ignited.
"We've got another one!" Jonathan cried out as the instruments detected the incoming munition. Pequod dutifully flicked a switch that caused the left side flares to ignite. Jonathan watched closely, expecting the missile to begin veering off course. His eyes widened when the missile ignored the flares and continued its path towards them.
"It's an LGM!" Pequod shouted urgently. "Hold on!"
Jonathan ignored Pequod's advice and grasped the machine gun. The likelihood that they'd be able to outrun or outwit the missile was nigh impossible, but attempting to shoot down the munition would help their chances slightly. He was about to pull the trigger and begin firing when Jonathan felt something push him aside. He fell towards the cockpit and landed face down into the cold metal of the floor. Rolling over, Jonathan looked at the machine gun to find Quiet manning it. His jaw dropped open as he watched the sniper, eyelids still marked in black, squint slightly before releasing a hail of gunfire that caused the missile to explode. Jonathan shook his head to dispel the surprise and picked himself up. He placed his hand upon Quiet's shoulder, causing her to look at him.
"Thank you!" Jonathan rumbled loudly so he could be heard over the rotor blades. "But we're not done yet!"
Quiet looked at him blankly before nodding in understanding and vacating the machine gun. Jonathan watched her as she retrieved her rifle from the back of the cabin and took up a position to shoot at the plane, which had begun another approach towards them. Realising that she was going to help, Jonathan stepped towards her and grasped the machine gun firmly before opening fire at the fighter. As bullets peppered the sky, the fighter responded by banking left and right erratically to dodge the gunfire. Jonathan muttered expletives under his breath as the plane appeared to be succeeding in evading his attempts to shoot it down. No matter how many bullets he threw at it, the aircraft continued to approach rapidly.
Suddenly, a solitary gunshot emanated from Quiet's rifle. Jonathan flinched and looked at her in surprise. She lowered her rifle and turned to look out of the other side of the helicopter as the fighter flew underneath them. Jonathan looked in the same direction and witnessed their pursuer slowly descend towards the water. Once its right wing glanced off the Indian Ocean, it swiftly flipped over and crashed into the sea in a ball of flame.
Jonathan breathed a huge sigh of relief and sat down, forgetting that Quiet was still present and in possession of a loaded rifle. His gaze slowly settled on the sniper, who had also sat down and was looking at him with the same blank expression. The pair stared at each other silently, gauging how much of a threat they were to one another. Quiet made the first move as she grasped the bolt of the rifle and began to pull it repeatedly, causing the rounds that remained in it to be ejected onto the floor in a symphony of harmless clinking. She then leaned forward and presented her rifle, which Jonathan, after a moment of hesitation, took from her. After putting it beside him, he watched as she phased her hand through the handcuffs once more, returning to her original "restrained" state.
Looking at the handcuffs, Jonathan mulled over why Quiet had saved him and Pequod. His conclusion was that if they'd been shot down, she would be killed too and it was a matter of self-preservation on her part. However, to then put herself back into the handcuffs puzzled him. Why bother if they were completely useless, he wondered. His eyebrow then raised inquisitively as he scanned the sniper from head to toe. She was sat with her hands in her lap, facing forward without complaint or expression.
"Total compliance?" Jonathan thought. "No resistance, yet why pretend to jump out of the helicopter?"
Shaking his head, Jonathan took a deep breath and cleared his throat loudly, causing Quiet to look at him. Beckoning her towards him with his metallic hand, Jonathan watched as she obediently stood up and stepped towards him. Reaching out, Jonathan grasped her hand lightly and used his wounded hand to unlock the handcuffs.
"No point in using them if they don't work." Jonathan rumbled while removing the handcuffs. "Plus, it's the least I can do since you saved us."
Looking up, he could see that Quiet was remaining completely passive, his facial expression still emotionless. However, as she nodded in gratitude and began to sit down again, Jonathan noticed what he thought was a slight smile, but swiftly dismissed it as a mistake on his part.
"We're almost home, Boss."
Jonathan's eyes opened wearily, unaware that he'd fallen asleep for the remainder of the journey to Mother Base. He looked at Quiet to see her still facing forward passively, causing him to breathe a quiet sigh of relief. Standing up, he looked out of the side of the helicopter with the expectation that it would be a quiet landing, followed by a meal and rest. This was shattered upon seeing practically every inhabitant of the offshore platform on high alert, their weapons aimed directly at him. Eyes widening, Jonathan glanced up to see a helicopter, armed with a rotary machine gun that was pointed at them, flanking the transport containing Quiet. Gingerly, he grasped the door handle and slid it open to see Miller waiting for them on one of the landing pads, surrounded by scores of mercenaries.
"She's not setting a foot on this platform!" Miller cried out, causing Quiet to approach the door and peek out due to curiosity. Jonathan placed a hand on her shoulder to grab her attention and shook his head. Quiet stared back at him blankly, causing him to point at her seat forcefully. After a few moments, she obeyed and sat back down. Nervously, Jonathan sat down also, waiting for the helicopter to land before trying to ensure she came to no harm. However, his intention was shattered when Quiet suddenly stood up and leaped from the helicopter. Jonathan lurched forward to try and stop her from doing so, but was too late. He could merely grasp the door handle and watch her free-fall towards Mother Base.
Suddenly, Quiet vanished in front of everyone's eyes in a puff of black smoke. Jonathan's jaw dropped, once again she had fled his captivity, but she was now loose on Mother Base.
"Land this damn thing, now!" He ranted at Pequod. Pequod nodded and began to expedite landing upon the helipad. Before they could touch down, they saw a swirl of smoke materialise behind Miller and his group of soldiers, causing them to turn round and witness Quiet reappear in front of them. The soldiers swiftly surrounded her and cocked their weapons in preparation to fire.
"Hold your fire!" Jonathan ordered, his voice slipping into the tone of Big Boss, as he leaped from the helicopter while it was touching down. Miller looked at him in fury, his face swiftly reddening as he witnessed the fake trying to undermine him.
"She's working with Cipher..." Miller spat, but then hesitated before continuing with an indignant tone. "Boss."
"She saved mine and Pequod's life." Jonathan countered while striding towards Quiet, pushing past the crowd of soldiers in the process.
"Bullshit!" Miller argued. "She was saving herself. Men, open fire!"
The soldiers readied themselves to carry out the order, but found themselves aiming directly at Jonathan. He had firmly placed himself in front of Quiet and was now acting as her willing human shield.
"Quiet will be kept here in a secure location." Jonathan stated bluntly. "She's of more value to us alive than dead."
Miller trembled violently as his blood boiled with rage. The tension mounted rapidly as the disabled mercenary looked fit to explode in a practically psychotic rage, but the moment was broken with the arrival of Ocelot.
"That's enough, Miller!" Ocelot said sternly. "The Boss has spoken."
Miller looked at Ocelot. Even though his eyes were covered by sunglasses, it was obvious that he was glaring at Ocelot with a ferocity that could bore holes through mountains. After a few moments of silence, Miller spat on the ground and pushed aside a soldier violently as he skulked off angrily. Everyone watched quietly before turning their attention back to Quiet, who had made no attempt to flee while they were distracted by Miller. Ocelot took a step towards her, his gaze scanning every inch of her form before speaking.
"Take her to the cell." Ocelot commanded, causing the soldiers to edge towards Quiet. One soldier then began using his gun as a way to signal to Quiet the order to turn around. The sniper stood her ground, ignoring the command the nervous mercenary was giving her.
"Move!" The soldier barked, his tone dripping with fear. Quiet looked into the soldier's eyes with an inquisitive look, but was distracted when Jonathan placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Go." Jonathan ordered softly. "I'll be with you every step of the way."
Quiet gazed into his eye, silently reading her captor's state. After a few moments, she nodded and turned to walk away, Jonathan following her with Ocelot by his side. Glancing at Ocelot, Jonathan noticed that Ocelot was desperate to speak, but was wary of whether Quiet would be able to listen. The group escorted the sniper to a set of stairs that lead down into a large room. In the centre was a massive cage equipped with a bed, toilet and shower. There was no privacy to be given to the occupant. Every move they made inside the cell would be visible for all to see. Jonathan frowned at the state of affairs, while he wished to lock Quiet up, he didn't want to humiliate her by giving her no privacy. However, there was no other accommodation available. He opened the door and turned towards Quiet. The sniper glanced between him and the door he was holding open for her. Assuming that she was asking if this was definitely her new home, Jonathan nodded, causing her to look down and enter the cell. Jonathan shut the door to let Ocelot lock it.
"Will she be safe?" Jonathan asked. "Miller might try something."
"I'll deal with Miller." Ocelot replied. "As long as we get something out of her, he should be able to tolerate her presence."
After sniffing in response, Jonathan turned towards Quiet, who was exploring what little there was inside her cell, and grasped the bars of the cage. She looked over at him and tilted her head inquisitively.
"Do you need anything?" Jonathan asked politely. "Water? Food?"
Quiet shook her head, which Jonathan acknowledged with a nod before walking away with Ocelot up the stairs. As the two exited, a group of guards ventured down to watch and guard their prisoner. Jonathan walked towards the edge of the platform and leaned against the guard rail that separated him from a fall into the Indian Ocean. Ocelot stood beside him, the pair looking at the water surrounding Mother Base in silence.
"You wanted to say something?" Jonathan asked quietly, his tone still emulating the man he resembled, as he looked at Ocelot. "You were practically dying to talk while we were taking Quiet to her cell."
"Yes." Ocelot replied solemnly. "It was very brave of you to stand up to Miller like that."
"I couldn't let him kill her."
"And why is that?" Ocelot probed gently. "Why did you spare her?"
Jonathan tore his gaze away from Ocelot to look out across the water again.
"Call it..." Jonathan began after a few moments of contemplative silence. "Call it being a gentleman."
"Ah... Your nationality to the end, eh?" Ocelot suggested, referencing Jonathan's British heritage, which contrasted with Big Boss' American status.
"Something like that." Jonathan mused. "I couldn't bring myself to kill her in that state. She was... Incapable of fighting back. It just seemed wrong to kill her when she can't defend herself."
"That's very honourable of you."
"You think so?" Jonathan asked with a hint of incredulity. "We right now have a woman with powers beyond that of any human in a cell downstairs. I allowed her to be here."
"And what do you intend to do about that?"
"Protect her." Jonathan stated with a hint of sadness. "I'm the one who saved her from execution. I should be the one to eliminate her when it's necessary."
"Will you actually be able to do that?"
Slowly, Jonathan's gaze settled on Ocelot, his mind ticking over as he considered whether he would be able to execute Quiet.
"We'll see when the time comes." Jonathan answered evasively. "When the time comes."
