Disclaimer: I do not own Metal Gear, Metal Gear Solid or Metal Gear Rising. All rights belong to Hideo Kojima and Konami.
Adam and John had just arrived in New York and were now being escorted by an undercover Diamond Foxes soldier, that had been keeping tabs on Jack the Ripper, in a taxi to their safe house apartment that was a good distance away from Central Park. They were sitting in silence and hadn't said a word to each other since they the Diamond Foxes Motherbase.
"Adam." John called out quietly. Adam glanced over at him without turning his head. "What?" He replied making John sigh.
"Look, I'm... I'm sorry for... taking things out of proportion when we left the base. And for blowing up on Meryl and Rogue. It's just..." John apologized before pausing to think of what else to say with a deep sigh.
"You just didn't like what happened between Carla and Meryl." Adam finished for John.
John looked over at Adam and nodded before looking down at his feet in shame. Adam finally looked at John and sighed. "Look, John. I get it. What Meryl did, I don't like it either. How could anyone smack down a friend when they were just trying to help? And to be honest, I probably would have, more than likely, reacted the same way as you did. But here's one thing that you need to understand, John." Adam began to explain as John looked up at him before he continued.
"Next to Rogue, Meryl has a responsibility of looking out for all the soldiers of Diamond Foxes. A big responsibility. That includes you, me, Sunny, Hal, Liza and Carla. That's a lot of pressure to handle, just like someone who is trying to carry the weight of the world on their own. And no one should have to shoulder that on their own, because if they do, they will break down and lash out." Adam explained while John was listening to every word he spoke while making him think.
"You saw that happen already that night during the mission with Meryl and Carla. She had no control over what was happening and when Carla tried to help her and calm her down, she lashed out and struck her down. Meryl was stressed to the point where she left on her own to get her bearings back." Adam continued explaining as John just looked off to the side listening and thinking.
"Now, I'm not defending Meryl, and I am disappointed with what she did, but you don't have the responsibility like she does, John. Neither do I. So, you and I can't even imagine what she was going through that night. She treats us like we're her own children, and where she was in a position where she couldn't help, she lashed at the first person that tried to calm her down. But she still shouldn't have done what she did and she shouldn't have to put so much pressure on her shoulders. She's a hell of a woman and an even better soldier than you and I could ever hope to be, but she's no super hero." Adam continued with a snicker while John chuckled and shook his head lightly.
"Whether you like it or not, John, she needs us as much as we need her. You can be mad at her all you want to, but if we're ever going to get through all this, then we need each other. All of us. So, the both of you are going to have to talk when we get back to base." Adam finished before John looked back at him and eventually nodded his head in understanding.
"But first..." Adam continued. "Let's get Raiden's body back and get rid of The Ripper. Sound good?" He asked making John chuckle and nod his head before they both shook hands.
"Hey, we're here." The undercover DF soldier called back to them as the taxi cab pulled up to the apartment building that was just near Central Park, but was still a good distance away for John and Adam to remain inconspicuous.
They both got out of the taxi and looked up at the apartment building before John looked over at Central Park. "So, we're on the edge of Midtown and this is as close as we could get to the park?" John asked turning to look at the undercover taxi driver.
"We don't want to be too close, John. We can see Central Park from the top of the apartment and we need to stay undercover ourselves or Jack won't show up and the mission is a bust." Adam said to him as he walked up to the front door of the apartment building with John walking behind him. "Wait a moment." The taxi driver called out.
Adam and John turned to look at him as he walked up to them. "Take these. You'll need them if you want to keep an eye on the cyborg." He said to them as he handed them both a pair of miniature drones with cameras attached. "Keep these with you just in case you want to keep your distance." The man said as he adjusted his hat before walking back to the taxi cab and hopped back inside before driving away.
Adam and John looked at the drones in their hands before turning around to walk into the apartment building and asked for the key to their room at the front desk.
They made their way to the top floor of the building and found the door number for their room.
Adam unlocked the door then they both walked in.
The apartment was nice, but it wasn't exactly their style.
They both looked at each other before putting their bags on the couch.
"I feel like we time traveled. This place looks like it's from the 60's or 70's. Hell, it could be pushing the 80's, but I think that would be too kind too that decade. This place looks... ancient." John voiced his thoughts as he and Adam walked around and examined every little crack or gap in their temporary apartment. "I hear you, John, but we can't be picky. We're only here to get this mission done then we're out of here. Hopefully with your dad's body back in the right hands." Adam said as he walked over to one of the windows and looked out to see Central Park in view.
"Plus, I bet the view is even better if we go to the top of the building." He added before looking over at John as he picked up an old book and blew off the dust before going into a coughing fit.
"Yeah... right." John said with a few coughs while putting the book back on the shelf. "I'm... going to head up to the roof and get some air. I'll see you in a bit." He said, walking out the door of the apartment and headed to the roof. Adam shook his head with a smile before looking over at a record player.
"Jesus. John was right. This place IS ancient. I haven't seen a record player since I learned about them in elementary school." He thought with a laugh as he walked over to it and examined it. "Hmm, I forgot how they work. Not that I ever knew how they worked anyway. Maybe this place has some old vinyls hidden around here somewhere?" He wondered as he picked up his bag and decided to pick a room.
He walked down the small hallway that lead to two rooms that were on the left and the right, so he decided to take the left room and opened the door.
The room was small, but Adam was ok with it. He set his bag on a chair that was sitting near a old fashioned desk and sat down on the bed with a sigh. He then looked up at the closet and stood back up to walk over to it.
He opened it up to see it empty, except he saw a small plastic crate that had a collection of vinyls inside it.
"Huh, I guess I picked the right room them." He thought as he kneeled down beside it and decided to look through the collection to see what he would play on the record player until he came across one that, for some reason, stood out to him.
"Ennio Morricone. Why is this one standing out to me?" He thought as he decided to take the vinyl record out of the crate and walked back to the living room.
He walked up to the record player and took the vinyl record out of its case and placed it on the player. Then placed the needle on the record.
Click
He first heard a piano playing for the first 60 seconds of the record, then a woman began to sing that made him freeze.
"Here's to you, Nicola and Bart. Rest forever here in our hearts. The last and final moment is yours. That agony is your-"
Click
Adam shut off the record just as he felt tears building up in his eyes, but he didn't know why. He backed away from the record player and leaned against the back of the couch as he hyperventilated.
He tried to catch his breath and calm down while trying to figure out why this particular song had a quick effect on him, but he couldn't figure it out.
Once he calmed himself down enough, he walked back over to the record player and took the record off the player and put it back in its case before taking it back to the closet in his apartment room.
Walking back into the living room, he saw John walk back into the apartment through the door. "Well, now I feel a little better. But I'm still not sure if-" He began, but stopped when he Adam's eyes slightly red and puffy. "Adam. You alright?" He asked.
Adam, not noticing that he had a few stray tears, quickly wiped them away and nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm alright. I just found a few dusty places in my room. The closet to be specific." He half lied as he wiped the tears away then cleared his throat. "So, you ready to settle yourself in? I already picked a room." He asked John, making the young man nod his head as he walked over to his bag and pick it up as he walked down the hallway. "Which room is yours, Adam?" He called out to him.
"I got the room on the left. Yours is on the right." Adam answered as John opened the door on the right and walked in.
"Alright. This is nice." John said as he set his bag down on the floor and sat down on the bed making dust particles poof out from underneath the mattress.
John narrowed his eyes and coughed. "Keep it together, John. It should only be for a few days and other soldiers have slept in much worse than this." He muttered quietly to himself as he clenched his fists. "But I am SERIOUSLY writing a bad review of this place once this mission is over." He added quietly before standing up to walk back into the living room.
Later that evening...
"Hotdogs! Get your hotdogs here!" A man shouted from the mobile hotdog vendor as Adam and John walked out of their apartment building and decided to take a stroll through the town before the mission officially started, but they had their comms in their ears in case anything happens.
"Want a hotdog, Adam?" John asked as he and Adam walked over to the mobile vendor, but Adam shook his head. "Nah, I'm good. Had a New York City hotdog once years ago. Never touched one again because it made me sick for a week. It has to be grilled or not at all. I won't touch another boiled hotdog again." He explained with a laugh as they walked up to the vendor.
John chuckled and shook his head as he ordered his hotdog as Adam just looked around and took in the sight of the city while also keeping a look out of his surroundings.
John got his hotdog then paid the vendor before he and Adam walked away and continued their stroll. "Hey, Adam, what made you want to get into the military? Or what made you want to serve? I always wondered, but I never had the chance to ask." John asked him as they were walking down the street.
Adam looked at him from the side and shook his head with a smile. "One, don't talk with your mouth full. I know your mom would have at least taught you that." He said with a chuckle as John quickly wiped away the ketchup and mustard that was on the corner of his mouth. "Two, I signed up so I could make some sort of difference in the world. However, the world has been in a state of peace for 20 years. But, now, with everything that's going on now, our enemies are no doubt rearing their heads back before they make a move. All that, and I just wanted to get away from my mom." He admitted explained before looking at John with a shrug.
"Why did you want to get away from your mom? She's not... bad, is she?" John asked him as they turned and walked down an alley before Adam shook his head. "No, no. It's not that she's a bad person, she just wasn't a good mother. She would be there one day, and then gone the next. She's a, or was, a marine and she wanted to serve. So, I was always either at the house by myself, or I was at Sam Fishers place." He said to him, which made John stop in his tracks and stop eating for a moment while looking at Adam in shock.
"You know Sam Fisher? I thought that man was a myth?" He sputtered before he finally swallowed the piece of the hotdog he was chewing. Adam chuckled and nodded his head. "Yeah, I know him. He and his daughter practically raised me. The man is more my parent than my own mother." He admitted as John just stared at him with wide eyes. "Holy shit, dude. That is so-" John began to say, but stopped when a man popped out from behind one of the large dumpsters that was in the alley while pointing a six shooter pistol at them.
"Hands up, fuckers. Give me both of your wallets, right now. And don't try anything stupid, or I will kill you both." The thug said with trembling hands. Adam and John just looked at the man with uncaring stares before looking back at each other.
John shrugged his shoulders and decided to eat the last of his hotdog as Adam turned to look back at the man. "You want us to give you our wallets? Why should we? Are you some important person that we don't know about?" He asked coldly.
"What? What do you mean why should you? I'm the one with the fucking gun! Now, give me your wallets NOW, or I will kill you both! And trust me, I have a VERY good aim! Now, hand them over!" The man shouted at them both as they just stood there.
"A good aim, huh? Dude... how are you gonna kill us if you have the safety still on?" Adam asked.
"What?!"
"The safety on your gun? You haven't turned it off. Even if you are a good aim, you won't be able to kill us with the safety on, let alone shoot us." John said while pointing at the six shooter.
"Bullshit!" The man said.
"Don't believe us? Alright, go ahead. Shoot us... if you can." Adam said as he just planted his feet solidly in the ground and crossed his arms.
"Are you both fucking crazy?! I'm going to kill you both and then take your wallets myself! And I know for a fact that this gun doesn't have a safety on it! You're fucking idiots!" The man shouted as he pointed back and forth between Adam and John.
"Every gun has a safety on it, dipshit, but if you're so sure, then go ahead and let loose." John said with his arms crossed as he just watched the man with a calm look.
"You heard him. Let loose. What are you waiting for... bitch?" Adam antagonized the man.
"I'll show YOU who's a bitch!" The man said as he pulled the pulled the trigger repeatedly on the gun.
But nothing happened.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" He shouted as he looked at six shooter to see that there was indeed a safety on it.
"Oh... fuck..." He said as he looked up and froze when he saw Adam glaring right in front of his face.
"Oh, fuck is right, bitch." Adam said to him before grabbing the mans arm, flipped him over onto his back and disarm him of his pistol then quickly twisted his arm into an awkward position.
CRACK!!!
"ARRRGH!!!" The man shouted as he cradled his arm and crawled as far away from Adam as he could before backing up against Johns feet. "Where do you think you're going, dude?" He asked before grabbing the man and made him stand back up on his feet.
Adam glared as he walked up to him as John held him. "Wait, wait! Please don't hurt me!" The man pleaded. "Why shouldn't we?" Adam asked making the man pause.
"I... I... I..." The man stuttered without coming up with an answer.
Adam nodded his head. "Uh-huh, that's what I thought." He said before grabbing the man at the back of his neck and dragged him out of the alley with John not far behind him. "Let's take a walk up to a New York police station. They can decide what to do with you then." He said as the man whimpered and whined as he was taken to the police station in the Mid Town district.
45 minutes later...
Adam and John walked out of the Mid Town district police station after they took their wanna be mugger and dropped him off.
"Just another normal night in the Big Apple, huh?" John asked him as they walked down the street. Adam just chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah, I guess so." He said as they continued to take in the sights.
"So, you asked me about why I registered for the military, John. Now, I'm going to ask you a question of my own that I've been wondering about for a while now." Adam said to John as they walked down the street.
John turned his head towards Adam with a curious look. "Oh? And what question would that be?" He asked him.
"How did you earn the codename Fox?" Adam asked, which made John stop in his tracks and pause for a moment while he looked at Adam.
"I heard that compared to other codenames, besides Snake, Fox is the most difficult one to earn. The only other soldier that ever earned that name was-"
"Frank Jaeger." They both said, making Adam nod.
"Honestly, Adam... I couldn't even begin to tell you how I earned it. I never once thought that I would." John began. "When I registered for the military, I never once thought that I would be chosen as a candidate for the Nano-Suit Project. Let alone earn the codename Fox when I took the tests." He explained as Adam just listened while they continued walking.
"And my test results, Adam, they told me that if I had I just a few more points, maybe more, I would've either been just as good as Frank Jaeger or better. But I wouldn't have believed that even if it did happen." He continued.
"Why not?" Adam asked.
"Because, even if did earn the codename, there is only one true Fox. One real lieutenant of Big Boss. Gray Fox. Besides my dad, Jaeger is another reason why I registered for the military. So that I could live up to what he stood for and what he believed in." John answered him.
Adam looked at John with a confused look. "And what did he stand for and believe in, John?" He asked.
John stopped, closed his eyes and thought for a moment before he spoke. "We're not tools of the government, or anyone else. Fighting is the only thing I was good at, but, at least I always fought for what I believed in." He answered before opening his eyes and looked at Adam.
"That's... pretty deep, John. Where did you hear that?" Adam asked John, making him shrug his shoulders before he answered. "My dad told me before he disappeared, but it was Snake who told him during the Big Shell incident." He said.
"I guess those words had an important meaning to Snake then. I mean, he and Fox were best buds before they had to fight each other in Zanzibar." Adam wondered before John nodded his head.
They both stood in silence for a moment before John spoke again. "Well, I'm in the mood for a drink. Want to grab a beer before we head back to the apartment?" John then asked, which made Adam give him a deadpan look.
John blinked. "Right. You're right. We're technically on a mission right now. So, maybe not." He said while scratching the back of his head.
"How about we grab a soda then head back to the apartment and call it a night before the mission tomorrow?" Adam asked him, making John nod his head with a smile before they headed to the nearest store.
Later that night...
BZZZT!
"Nomad to Phantom, please respond. I repeat, this is Nomad to Phantom, please respond."
Adamfaintly heard a voice fromtheradioon thenightstand near his bed. He grumbled and looked at the clockas he heard the voice continueto call out to him.
"2:15? God, who is trying to reach me this late?" He mumbled as he stretched before taking the radio and responded. "This is Phantom speaking. Who is this and what do youwant?" He asked in annoyance.
"Phantom, this is Nomad of the Ghost Recon unit." The voice of Nomad responded, making Adam tense and sit up in his bed. "Nomad?" He asked in surprise.
"That's right. I apologize for reaching you this late, but I have an important task I need to ask of you while you're on your mission. This mission comes from a mutual friend of ours. You know him by his actual name, but I know him as Deep Blue." Nomad answered, making Adam think for a moment. "Deep Blue? Why do I recognize that name?" He asked himself before Nomadcontinued.
"Listen, Phantom, I understand that you're currently on another mission, but if you can manage it, then I'm gonna ask you to keep an eye out for anything that could have anything to do with a dangerous project." Nomad explained, making Adamnarrowhis eyes in confusion.
"And what would the name of this project be, Nomad?I can't keep an eye out for it if I don't know the name." He said to the Ghost soldier.
He then heard Nomad sigh deeply before he answered. "For the record, Phantom, I don't want to drag you into this, but our friend says that you're reliable and that I can trust you. And since the old man trusts you, then so will I. The name of the project is Project Olympus. Unfortunately, I don't know what the project is about and neither does Deep Blue, but that's where you come in. Once again, if you can manage to find anything related to that particular project, then I would be grateful. And so will Deep Blue if you can pull it off. However, if you can't, then we'll figure something else out. All we're asking is that you do what can." He says to Adam.
Adam thinks for a momentthen sighs. "I... will do what I possibly can, but I make no promises. That's the best I can do." He answerswhile waiting for Nomad to respond.
"That's all we're asking for, Phantom. Your best is enough, trust me. Take care, kid. And get into contact with one of us when you can." Nomadsaid before cutting off communication.
Adam put the radio back down on the nightstand and lied back down on the bed while thinking about the new mission and the name "Deep Blue".
"Where have I heard that before?" He asked himselfwhile thinking.
And then after a moment, it suddenly clicked.
He shot straight back up with a look of realization.
"Sam..."
Disclaimer: I do not own Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series. All rights belong to Tom Clancy and Ubisoft.