"Welcome to another episode! This one is about the past and will kick off the next chapter which will focus on Big Boss's new mission. Please enjoy!"
Chapter 171: Just Like Old Times
Sitting alone in his own personal space, Big Boss was leaning forward smoking a cigar which was given to him by one of the soldiers ordered to keep an eye on him as the mission was being prepped. Wearing tree bark camouflage Big Boss was waiting in the back of a truck waiting to be taken to the mission start point just outside the war zone of the Rhodesion Civil War.
He had one single objective, to locate and extract a named known as the Perfect Soldier and Big Boss knew personally as Null. Big Boss was torn on this mission not only cause he had to turn Null over to Cipher but in doing so he would finally be able to make Outer Heaven into the world he wanted with the funds and new location Cipher would offer him.
Taking a slow inhale of his cigar he slowly lowered it from his mouth and looked at it seeing he was half way done with it, this mission was gonna be hard for him. He honestly didnt want to do it but he had to focus on the future of his world and the men and women who served under him.
"Ten minutes till drop off, better finish off that cigar" The soldier on the other side of the truck stated as he just watched Big Boss's every move and the Legendary Soldier looked up to him before looking back down at his cigar before smoking it again.
"Snake, this is Para Medic. Do you read?" Big Boss's earpiece went off and he just sighed as his silence was disturbed. "Yeah, I read you".
"The mission is to find and extract the man known as The Perfect Soldier, he is a high priority target and must be brought in alive. Anyone else in your way is expendable, with the warlord I told you about looking for him you can expect to meet hostiles as you head deep into the jungle" Para Medic explained the situation.
"Would make things alot easier if you gave me my equipment..." Big Boss replied looking down at himself as he was only equipped with a radio and combat knife just like he was back in Operation Snake Eater.
"We cant risk you making contact with your men on this mission, I'm sorry Snake but we cant allow you to try and leave until you complete the mission. We know your history with Null and we cant have you extract him back to your Outer Heaven" Para Medic firmly stated and Big Boss slowly shook his own head.
"Guess the times really have changed you, what happened to the Para Medic I knew over twenty years ago?"
"People change Snake, thats the way of the world. Please, just do this for us and we will leave you to your own world" Para Medic asked abit more calmly and soon the truck came to a stop and Big Boss felt it slightly turn and reverse back a few feet before stopping again and soon the engine turned off.
"We're here" The soldier in the back of the truck stated as he got up and went to the exit and pulled the cloth to the side showing a vast jungle waiting for Big Boss to enter and all the legendary solider could do was look towards the jungle itself.
"Best get your mission done if you want to head home, old timer" The soldier mocked and Big Boss frowned at the young soldier as he slowly stood up and moved to the exit of the truck and without any words he jumped out of the truck and on to the solid ground of the jungle.
After a few moments the truck's engine started back up and Big Boss slowly looked over his shoulder watching the truck pull off and head back to the main road it traveled on and soon Big Boss turned back to the jungle itself.
"Gotta admit, this is just like old times Snake" Para Medic broke the silence and thats when Big Boss placed his finger on his ear piece.
"Lets get this clear Clark, this is not like old times...those days are dead. Dont speak to me during this mission, let me do my job without your distractions. Quicker I get this done the quicker I can leave" Big Boss responded with a hint of anger and Para Medic let off a little huff of annoyance.
"Fine, just get the mission done Big Boss. You have your orders.." Para Medic ended the call and finally Big Boss was on his own at the entrance of the jungle with the slight sounds of bird coming from the jungle itself.
Looking down to his hip all he saw was his combat knife he was issued and all he could do was sigh as he took it out of its holster, it was the same kind of knife he used back in Operation Snake Eater and deep down he knew this wasnt just a random knife they picked. He knew Para Medic did this properly just to play with his head, but either way it was the only thing he had.
Taking a slow deep breath he looked back to the entrance of the jungle and then rushed forward into the endless green, Big Boss had entered the jungle once again.
Without his idroid Big Boss had to use a paper map which was issued to him in his backpack and he had to focus on the directions he was going in and it was a lot more difficult then before, with the Idroid being very reliable the need for map reading was no longer needed but now Big Boss had to use his own head to know where he was going. However it wasnt his first rodeo so he continued forward following the paths available to him.
Continuing through the vast jungle with the sounds of his own footsteps and along with the sounds of birds he soon came to a small drop and quickly jumped down landing on the ground on one knee and all of a sudden his mind took him back to 1964, where he was once known as Naked Snake.
Big Boss's mind was full of pictures of Operation Snake Eater, blinking a few times Big Boss then slowly stood up looking to his front in the vast jungle and despite wanting to forget the past he couldnt help but remember a few things and as he stood up and walked towards his objective he could hear voices in his head which echoed around him, everything went silent as he continued to walk in the vast forest.
"Boss?..."
"Thats right, its me.."
The voice of his former mentor sped up his heart as it felt so real like she was near him as he walked on, it was painful but Big Boss continued to navigate down his chosen path.
"Your code name for this mission will be Naked Snake, I'll be referring to you as Snake from now on..."
Zero's voice soon followed as rain started to come down from the sky, the slight touch of raindrops didnt bother Big Boss at all as he climbed over a tree log blocking his path.
"Hello Snake, I'm Para Medic its nice to meet you".
The voice of Para Medic sounded so innocent from the woman he knew now, she was kind and almost gently back then but now she was hardened and all business. He couldnt believe that was the same woman from over twenty years ago as he finally climbed over the log and slid down a small hill before continuing on his journey.
"Snake...try to remember some of the basics of CQC.." The Boss's voice echoed once more reminding him if the CQC methods that he and The Boss developed together, to think he had to use the very skills he and his mentor developed just made it more painful to remember.
"That was some fancy shooting, your pretty good."
"Pretty..good?"
He then remembered the time he and Ocelot had their first encounter back when he was sent to rescue Sokolov, Ocelot was a cocky young man back then always loved to show off his skills but they always cost him their battles, regardless of Ocelot being his enemy at the time Big Boss saw a skilled man capable of many things. He was unlike any soldier he faced and thats why back in Operation Snake Eater he refused to kill Ocelot cause he had alot of potential.
It was the very reason he didnt pull the trigger back on the WIG when he completed his mission, he had too much respect for Ocelot.
Soon Big Boss slowly came to a stop as he looked down on the muddy ground of the floor and the reason he stopped was because he spotted a white snake slowly slithering past him, he didnt know why he stopped but this white snake seemed to have attracted him to it and all he did was look at it as it slithered past him and into the grass across from the path he was on. But it was then he heard the voices the Snakes he killed all those years ago.
"...I am The Fear..."
"...I am The Pain..."
"...I am The End..."
"...I am The Fury..."
"...I am The Sorrow...".
The voices of the Cobra Unit echoed in his head and suddenly the sound of lightning echoed from above and all Big Boss did was slowly look up to the trees feeling rain drops falling on to his face then thats when he closed his eyes allowing the cold drops to touch his face as he then heard the voice of The Sorrow once more.
"The spirit of the warrior will always be with you...".
Slowly opening his eye Big Boss then slowly opened his eyes seeing a white petal fall down towards him, his attention was on this single petal as it fell in front of him and thats when he gently raised his hand out allowing the petal to land on his hand in the very same way it did twenty years ago and all he could do was look down at it in his hand before closing his hand.
"Theres only room for one Boss...and one Snake..." The Boss's voice echoed once more as Big Boss then slowly looked down to his feet and laying right there just like she did in their final battle was his mentor, laying right there in her white sneaking suit was The Boss with her eyes closed and her long blonde hair free from her ponytail.
"I raised you...I loved you. I've given you weapons, taught you techniques...knowledge. There is nothing more for me to give you, the only thing left for you to take is my life, by your own hand".
"One must die and one must live...".
Big Boss just looked down at the lifeless body of The Boss and thats when he looked down at himself and saw he was back in the sneaking suit he found at Grozni Grad and in his hand was the Patriot passed down to him, he was about to do the one thing he hesitated to do in her final moments.
"Snake...your a wonderful man...".
Taking one deep breath Big Boss slowly pointed the Patriot back at The Boss aiming right for her heart, deep down he knew what this was all about. It wasnt about remembering the past, it was about accepting what was and pulling the trigger to kill it. To erase what once was from his mind once and for all.
In this final moment of the past Big Boss was about to kill not only The Boss but everything he remembered, he was about to kill Naked Snake in this final moment as well.
This was the moment Snake was dead once and for all, there was only Big Boss and the future. The Past was buried and now forgotten.
Big Boss this time without hesitation pulled the trigger shooting The Boss on the ground and a sudden white flash hit Big Boss's vision before reality came back and it wasnt just a gunshot from the flashback but also a gunshot followed by a few more coming from the far distance of the jungle, the gunshots didnt shake Big Boss but he remembered what he came for and he couldnt just ignore these simple shots.
He took one more look down to the ground seeing The Boss's body was now gone and he was back in his Tree Bark Camo with his knife in hand, he had new energy and felt more whole then he ever did in his life. Taking a sharp breath he gripped his knife tight and then sprinted down the jungle path as fast as he could.
-Mother Base 12:45PM-
Sitting in the confines of a Diamond Dog chopper and sighing in absolute relief Howling Wolf had finally made it back home and away from the battlefield, despite not wanting to go back out in the field a part of him was happy he could still do his job in the field but now he was back and was able to get back to the job he was actually loving.
The chopper soon came to the R&D platform and slowly lowered down to the helipad on the upper level of the platform and as Wolf looked out to the side door he could see Metal Gear Sahlanthropus standing tall looking over Mother Base, as he looked to it he could help but feel something was different about it as he could have sworn it looked abit more damaged then before but he just shook it from his mind as he knew Big Boss ordered nothing was to be done with it as it just stood as a symbol of the crisis they put to an end.
Soon the chopper finally lowered on to the upper level landing pad of the R&D platform and Wolf got up pulling the side door open and he could smell the salt in the air from the ocean, it was a smell he enjoyed and in a way it relaxed him as he jumped out of the chopper still looking up to Sahlanthropus, however his attention came to the scientists and officers standing under the Metal Gear as they finally had the Mammal Pod safe and sound at Outer Heaven.
"Well lets see if it was worth it.." Wolf whispered to himself as he headed for the small steps leading down from the landing pad and on to the main level of the upper level of the R&D Platform.
Among the scientist examining the Mammal Pod was Ocelot with his arms crossed and looking over the inspection of the Pod, it was set up on a small platform just under the feet of Sahlanthropus and the Scientists were looked to open the Pod and extract the data it had.
Moments had past and the scientists with portable computers continued to find a way to unlock the Pod and thats when Ocelot spotted Wolf in the corner of his eye approaching so he turned with his arms still crossed but then he smiled proudly at Wolf. "Wolf, excellent work. Thanks to you we may finally have the answers we need".
"Lets hope so.." Wolf finally came to the side of Ocelot as they looked back to the Pod. "Any progress?".
"The scientists are running codes to make the Pod open, we've been at it for a while but we are getting closer" Ocelot stated and Wolf gave a nod before looking back at him.
"How was Quiet? Did she complete her mission?" Wolf asked and Ocelot nodded. "With excellent results, right now she is just having some alone time in Africa. When's she is ready to come back she will contact me".
"Good, the girl has had it rough she deserves some alone time" Wolf agreed as he looked back to the Pod.
"Also, I took the liberty of setting up a private frequency for you and her. I know you two will miss each other during these three weeks so I have given you a form of contact" Ocelot and Wolf then looked at each other.
"You wont have to worry about anyone listening in, Miller wont even be able to listen last thing we want is for him to find out she can speak" Ocelot added.
"You think he would still want information out of her after all she did?" Wolf questioned and Ocelot shrugged his shoulders. "We need to remember how much Miller hates secrets, plus this secret has gone way too deep. Revealing it now will possibly break complete trust between Big Boss and Miller, we cant afford that right now".
"Alright.." Wolf agreed and then smiled. "Thanks Adam, I appreciate it".
"Dont mention it, your a good kid" Ocelot complimented and suddenly a scientist came up to them catching their attention.
"Commander, we have the codes" The scientist explained to Ocelot and both he and Wolf looked to each other knowing the moment of truth was here, thats when they looked to the scientist again.
"Well done, open it up" Ocelot ordered and the scientist rushed back to his computer while Wolf and Ocelot walked to the platform where the Pod was stationed on, they made their way up the small steps and soon came face to face with the Pod.
"Moment of truth, lets hope this was worth it" Wolf stated looking up at the Pod with Ocelot next to him.
"Here's hoping" Ocelot agreed and soon the scientist programmed the Pod to open and suddenly the outer shell of the Pod let off a bang as its locks disengaged with steam coming from the bottom of the outer shell and thats when the anticipation began to set within Wolf and Ocelot.
They both watched as the outer shell began to lift and as it began to lift the two men were suddenly hit by a foul smell and they both reacted by turning away in opposite directions coughing hard as their arms went to their nose to block the foul smell.
"What the fuck is that!?" Wolf shouted unable to stand the foul smell as he then coughed his lungs up.
"I dont know!" Ocelot coughed up as he tried to come to his senses but the smell was almost unbearable as even the scientists stepped back as the foul smell hit them.
The smoke of the Pod soon faded as the outer shell was soon lifted completely above the Pod as its main core was now exposed, the foul smell was still present but Wolf and Ocelot braved the smell as they slowly turned waving the steam away from them as they came closer to the pod.
Soon Wolf and Ocelot came back to the pod each with their arm under their nose as the steam finally began to clear and all of a sudden they saw one of the most horrifying things they ever saw, Wolf and Ocelot's eyes were looking down to the lower part of the core and the foul smell was forgotten as shock took over them both as they saw the remains of what was once human. Laying on the ground of the pod was a decayed corpse in what looked like scientist clothes. It was something the two never expected.
"My god..." Wolf's arm slowly lowered as he looked down at the corpse while Ocelot lowered down to one knee coughing as he spotted a badge on the coat of the corpse.
"What the fuck happened here.." Ocelot coughed once more as he took the badge and stood back up while Wolf continued to look at the decayed corpse.
"Wolf.." Ocelot called getting his attention and thats when Wolf saw the badge in his hand, it had the picture of a woman with short silver hair and sunglasses on. It was a woman he knew well back in MSF and total shock took over his core as he quickly took the badge looking down at it making sure what he was seeing was real, after a few moments it was confirmed what was on the badge.
It was then Wolf slowly looked up to Ocelot. "Strangelove...".
Ocelot frowned then turned to the soldiers nearby and pointed at them. "Place Huey under arrest and transport him to the main hanger now!". The soldiers quickly took the order and rushed off and thats when Ocelot turned back to Wolf. "I'll get Medical down here and I will inform Miller, stay here and dont move Leon".
Wolf could only nod as he was in shock and thats when Ocelot tapped his shoulder then rushed down the steps to go and fetch Miller and all Wolf could do was look down at the corpse in the Pod, the body of Strangelove now decayed and unrecognizable just seemed to look right at him and he just felt cold looking at the body.
"Strangelove...what the hell happened to you". He could only whisper as he fell to his knees just looking at the body of Strangelove.
"The past can always catch up even if you think you buried it but sometimes you need to relive it in order to really put it down and thats what Big Boss just did and now he is ready to continue with his mission. Wolf and Ocelot have just found the body of Strangelove in the Pod and now a atom bomb has gone off on Mother Base. Lets see how it all unfolds!"
