Chapter Sixteen: People's Will
Snake was alone. His arms at his sides, his stance without flaw, he watched the snow being carried through the fickle wind, trying to peer through it where his predator watched and waited. There was a gun pointed at his head, but for whatever reason, it had not been fired.
"What do you want?" Snake asked, still not moving. The voice in his ear cackled.
"I don't want you, Snake," he said. "Not dead, at least. Go on, take a stab at it! What do YOU think I want?" Nothing came to mind. The only things he ever knew drove people to do what they did were the thirst for their own demise, and other emotional wounds. Snake couldn't think of why anyone who was obviously willing to kill him, wished not to pull the trigger. Their shot was clear. Nothing but snow drifted in the way.
"I don't know."
"Oh?" the man asked. "I have a proposition for you, Snake. There is something in this building that I desire, and only you can hand it to me. Are you in?"
"What is it that you want?" Snake asked. He did not move.
"That friend of yours…Otacon, I believe it is?"
"No," Snake stated without any further hesitation. He would not turn Otacon into anyone no matter the consequences.
"My crosshairs are sitting over your forehead, Solid Snake. Please, don't disappoint me," the voice replied. There was a hiss in Snake's ear and it seemed as if the man's voice was altering…almost mechanically.
"A voice box?" Snake questioned. The man laughed.
"I cannot hide anything from you."
"I want to know who you are," Snake told him.
"You know I can't tell you –," the man started, but Snake began to turn and walk away. A shot rang out, crumbling the roof where he would have stepped only seconds later. "Don't try me, Snake!" In just seconds his voice had intensified, leading Snake as it would anyone, to believe that he was certainly not one to be reckoned with.
"Who are you?" Snake repeated, turning back to face the Spire. The man hesitated for a long while, sitting and staring through his scope. A long while passed as the two waited and watched, each of them thinking…pondering what they could do next. The man did not want to reveal his identity, and Snake did not want to be shot at again. "I can't tell you," he said again and Snake grunted.
"Then I think I'm going to leave."
"Stay right there!" the man cried. Snake looked back at the Spire and grinned.
"Don't you think the people will wonder how secure you are if they hear you talking to yourself?" Snake asked quizzically. He didn't hear an answer from the man on the other end, but as he listened he could hear voices in the background, their cries alarmed and upset.
"What's wrong?!" a voice called out. "Desperado!" called the other. Then, the actions were muffled and the line appeared dead.
"The mystery caller has just checked in," Snake said, hoping that Desperado, who was indeed on the other line, would hear. Then, the line seemed to open up again, as if he had taken his hand off of a microphone. The other voices were gone, and Desperado's, now completely decipherable, whispered to Snake.
"You go back to your friends, but keep in mind – I will always be watching you. Your friend wont be safe until he is in my hands. Good day, Solid Snake." The transmission ended like that, leaving Snake without words on the roof of Hell's Outpost. As he turned to go down the cable at the other end of the roof, he stopped, seeing something red painted on the floor in a messy fashion. It was the blood of Farrell.
Kneeling down, Snake touched it to his gloves and then put his hand into a fist, smearing the blood in his palm. He gripped it tightly, the padding of his gloves beginning to give way under his strength., and threw his hand away, gathering his strength and moving over to the cable. He began to descend without another thought.
Otacon was sitting against the wall, his head in his hands. To his left was Jack, his arms folded and his eyes closed, small trails of tears streaming down his cheeks. As Snake dropped to the floor, he looked up the cable and then pulled upward and to the right until the whole thing came falling down, catching it as it began to dangle below. As he pulled it up, he untied the FAMAS from its end and walked over to Jack, putting it in his hand. "Sorry," Snake said as he walked past the two, his eyes barely open.
"Otacon," Snake said as he turned to the two of them, "how was the trip?" Otacon looked up at him, red rings around his eyes and smudge marks all over his face. He pushed his glasses up on his nose and sniffled a great mess of mucous into his throat. Slowly, he stood, made his way to the shattered wall, and spit it out into the cold air. He turned back to the others and made his way to Snake, no definite rhythm to how he walked.
"I came up with ideas…why we were tipped on this mission," he said, his head still low. "Farrel had a very integral position in this mission. I could tell by how he was acting, how urgent he seemed, and how much he questioned or hushed me when I spoke to you." Snake nodded, taking his place against a wall. Otacon stopped walking, using his hands as visual aid. "I don't know his exact involvement, but I know that he had something very important to do. That's why they took him out of the equation…and I think Jack knows what I'm talking about." Jack looked up and sighed, returning his stare to the shiny floor.
"I…knew him. I'm not here because I wanted action, I'm here on duty – fulfilling my job as an operative of People's Will," Jack paused, giving both Otacon and Snake time to digest the news.
"People's Will was a group of German nationalists who assassinated Alexander II," Otacon commented.
"Not this one," said Jack. "Shortly before the Arsenal incident, People's Will was established as a special operations network designed to expose the truth of the Patriots and eject them from power." Jack pushed away from the wall and started over to the two. "As soon as word circulated through the media, I was contacted by Farrel himself. He said that if I wanted a job, and since I all ready knew of the Patriots, I was welcome on his team. I can't turn down that kind of offer, so I took it."
"So what role did Farrel play in all this?" Snake asked, but when Jack stopped beside Otacon, he looked up.
"He was the commander of People's Will…the co-founder, and was very involved in all of my work. This is my first operation with People's Will, but a lot of big names are in it with me. Some of them are here in Hell's Outpost, even." Otacon nodded.
"Big names?" Snake questioned again. Jack looked at him and smiled.
"I can't tell ya, that'd be disclosing too much information. Who knows? You could be working for the Patriots."
"Heh. I saw a Cypher when I arrived here – ," Snake started, but Jack answered his question before he had the chance to continue.
"That was us. It should still be around somewhere. Farrel thought that we could use it to get confirmation of the involvement of the Patriots in this mission. Ocelot is still with them, and we wouldn't be surprised if the rest of Philosophy was with them."
"I was pretty sure the Patriots had nothing to do with this," Otacon commented. Jack waved him off.
"Yea, I was skeptical myself, but it's somewhat obvious. Ocelot follows that Patriots like glue, and there's no way he could be working with Philosophy if they weren't on his side."
"But…" Otacon started, "the current head of Philosophy is a clone. He could get past a clone easily."
"That clone is only here to ruin me. Snake suggested Ocelot was worried that maybe the Patriots weren't real, but I think that the real reason might be bringing down People's Will. As soon as attention is drawn to me, the Patriots will dig and dig until they know everything about me, and once they find my name under the People's Will roster, they'll make up some bullshit accusing us of this and that, and they'll have everyone involved locked up."
"That's a clever plan," Snake said. "Right now, what we have to do is make sure that the Perfect Cell doesn't make it anywhere near Socrates. As soon as he is stopped, we are in the clear." Jack shook his head.
"No," he said. "We need more help before we can take on Philosophy. Some of my colleagues are on-site. First, we need to make sure that they're all right. They can give us a hand, but only when we know they're alive and well."
"Hmph…so where are they?" Snake asked.
"Two of them are working behind-the-scenes – undercover – one of them is going rogue – stationed outside the base – and another is being held in the hostage room, still. I have the Codec frequencies recorded for two of them, but I joined the team before they could remove my current nanomachines and rewire me with ones suitable for People's Will."
"We both have Codec capabilities. Give us the frequencies and we can get in touch with them," Otacon suggested, but Jack disapproved the idea.
"No," he said. "They wont answer unless it's a familiar frequency. Is there any way to bounce yours off of one of theirs and reach the other with the frequency cloaked?" Otacon looked at him unsure, but then nodded.
"If I can find some equipment around here, then I can take care of it for you," he said and smiled. Snake looked at them both.
"I don't want to leave Otacon," Snake insisted, seeing as Desperado wanted his life, but Otacon shook his head wildly.
"Don't worry, Snake, we'll be fine," he said.
"You should get to the hostage room. Another operative is waiting there for you, along with the architect of Hell's Outpost. He might come in handy," Jack commented. Snake sighed.
"You were briefed much better than me," he said, and he checked his SOCOM's ammo. Then, Jack held up his index finger and ran down the hall, returning with his FAMAS.
"Here ya go, pal," he said, holding it out to Snake who took it, looked over it, and then slung it over his back.
"Thanks," he said as he began to walk down the hall in the opposite direction. Then, he stopped and turned, looking Jack directly in the eyes. "Don't let him out of your sight," he said, grinned, and then went on his way.
1 End Metal Gear Solid: The Compilation
2 PART ONE: PEOPLE'S WILL
…By espresso d gecko
AUTHORS NOTE: Fear not. This is NOT the end of the story, but merely the end of the first section. Possibly tonight, most likely tomorrow night, I will have the first chapter of "Part Two: Raindrops" up. Thank you for reading! And PLEASE review the first part, including anything and everything that may help my writing. Tell me everything you can!! I want the end to be the BEST on this website!! Thanks!!
Snake was alone. His arms at his sides, his stance without flaw, he watched the snow being carried through the fickle wind, trying to peer through it where his predator watched and waited. There was a gun pointed at his head, but for whatever reason, it had not been fired.
"What do you want?" Snake asked, still not moving. The voice in his ear cackled.
"I don't want you, Snake," he said. "Not dead, at least. Go on, take a stab at it! What do YOU think I want?" Nothing came to mind. The only things he ever knew drove people to do what they did were the thirst for their own demise, and other emotional wounds. Snake couldn't think of why anyone who was obviously willing to kill him, wished not to pull the trigger. Their shot was clear. Nothing but snow drifted in the way.
"I don't know."
"Oh?" the man asked. "I have a proposition for you, Snake. There is something in this building that I desire, and only you can hand it to me. Are you in?"
"What is it that you want?" Snake asked. He did not move.
"That friend of yours…Otacon, I believe it is?"
"No," Snake stated without any further hesitation. He would not turn Otacon into anyone no matter the consequences.
"My crosshairs are sitting over your forehead, Solid Snake. Please, don't disappoint me," the voice replied. There was a hiss in Snake's ear and it seemed as if the man's voice was altering…almost mechanically.
"A voice box?" Snake questioned. The man laughed.
"I cannot hide anything from you."
"I want to know who you are," Snake told him.
"You know I can't tell you –," the man started, but Snake began to turn and walk away. A shot rang out, crumbling the roof where he would have stepped only seconds later. "Don't try me, Snake!" In just seconds his voice had intensified, leading Snake as it would anyone, to believe that he was certainly not one to be reckoned with.
"Who are you?" Snake repeated, turning back to face the Spire. The man hesitated for a long while, sitting and staring through his scope. A long while passed as the two waited and watched, each of them thinking…pondering what they could do next. The man did not want to reveal his identity, and Snake did not want to be shot at again. "I can't tell you," he said again and Snake grunted.
"Then I think I'm going to leave."
"Stay right there!" the man cried. Snake looked back at the Spire and grinned.
"Don't you think the people will wonder how secure you are if they hear you talking to yourself?" Snake asked quizzically. He didn't hear an answer from the man on the other end, but as he listened he could hear voices in the background, their cries alarmed and upset.
"What's wrong?!" a voice called out. "Desperado!" called the other. Then, the actions were muffled and the line appeared dead.
"The mystery caller has just checked in," Snake said, hoping that Desperado, who was indeed on the other line, would hear. Then, the line seemed to open up again, as if he had taken his hand off of a microphone. The other voices were gone, and Desperado's, now completely decipherable, whispered to Snake.
"You go back to your friends, but keep in mind – I will always be watching you. Your friend wont be safe until he is in my hands. Good day, Solid Snake." The transmission ended like that, leaving Snake without words on the roof of Hell's Outpost. As he turned to go down the cable at the other end of the roof, he stopped, seeing something red painted on the floor in a messy fashion. It was the blood of Farrell.
Kneeling down, Snake touched it to his gloves and then put his hand into a fist, smearing the blood in his palm. He gripped it tightly, the padding of his gloves beginning to give way under his strength., and threw his hand away, gathering his strength and moving over to the cable. He began to descend without another thought.
Otacon was sitting against the wall, his head in his hands. To his left was Jack, his arms folded and his eyes closed, small trails of tears streaming down his cheeks. As Snake dropped to the floor, he looked up the cable and then pulled upward and to the right until the whole thing came falling down, catching it as it began to dangle below. As he pulled it up, he untied the FAMAS from its end and walked over to Jack, putting it in his hand. "Sorry," Snake said as he walked past the two, his eyes barely open.
"Otacon," Snake said as he turned to the two of them, "how was the trip?" Otacon looked up at him, red rings around his eyes and smudge marks all over his face. He pushed his glasses up on his nose and sniffled a great mess of mucous into his throat. Slowly, he stood, made his way to the shattered wall, and spit it out into the cold air. He turned back to the others and made his way to Snake, no definite rhythm to how he walked.
"I came up with ideas…why we were tipped on this mission," he said, his head still low. "Farrel had a very integral position in this mission. I could tell by how he was acting, how urgent he seemed, and how much he questioned or hushed me when I spoke to you." Snake nodded, taking his place against a wall. Otacon stopped walking, using his hands as visual aid. "I don't know his exact involvement, but I know that he had something very important to do. That's why they took him out of the equation…and I think Jack knows what I'm talking about." Jack looked up and sighed, returning his stare to the shiny floor.
"I…knew him. I'm not here because I wanted action, I'm here on duty – fulfilling my job as an operative of People's Will," Jack paused, giving both Otacon and Snake time to digest the news.
"People's Will was a group of German nationalists who assassinated Alexander II," Otacon commented.
"Not this one," said Jack. "Shortly before the Arsenal incident, People's Will was established as a special operations network designed to expose the truth of the Patriots and eject them from power." Jack pushed away from the wall and started over to the two. "As soon as word circulated through the media, I was contacted by Farrel himself. He said that if I wanted a job, and since I all ready knew of the Patriots, I was welcome on his team. I can't turn down that kind of offer, so I took it."
"So what role did Farrel play in all this?" Snake asked, but when Jack stopped beside Otacon, he looked up.
"He was the commander of People's Will…the co-founder, and was very involved in all of my work. This is my first operation with People's Will, but a lot of big names are in it with me. Some of them are here in Hell's Outpost, even." Otacon nodded.
"Big names?" Snake questioned again. Jack looked at him and smiled.
"I can't tell ya, that'd be disclosing too much information. Who knows? You could be working for the Patriots."
"Heh. I saw a Cypher when I arrived here – ," Snake started, but Jack answered his question before he had the chance to continue.
"That was us. It should still be around somewhere. Farrel thought that we could use it to get confirmation of the involvement of the Patriots in this mission. Ocelot is still with them, and we wouldn't be surprised if the rest of Philosophy was with them."
"I was pretty sure the Patriots had nothing to do with this," Otacon commented. Jack waved him off.
"Yea, I was skeptical myself, but it's somewhat obvious. Ocelot follows that Patriots like glue, and there's no way he could be working with Philosophy if they weren't on his side."
"But…" Otacon started, "the current head of Philosophy is a clone. He could get past a clone easily."
"That clone is only here to ruin me. Snake suggested Ocelot was worried that maybe the Patriots weren't real, but I think that the real reason might be bringing down People's Will. As soon as attention is drawn to me, the Patriots will dig and dig until they know everything about me, and once they find my name under the People's Will roster, they'll make up some bullshit accusing us of this and that, and they'll have everyone involved locked up."
"That's a clever plan," Snake said. "Right now, what we have to do is make sure that the Perfect Cell doesn't make it anywhere near Socrates. As soon as he is stopped, we are in the clear." Jack shook his head.
"No," he said. "We need more help before we can take on Philosophy. Some of my colleagues are on-site. First, we need to make sure that they're all right. They can give us a hand, but only when we know they're alive and well."
"Hmph…so where are they?" Snake asked.
"Two of them are working behind-the-scenes – undercover – one of them is going rogue – stationed outside the base – and another is being held in the hostage room, still. I have the Codec frequencies recorded for two of them, but I joined the team before they could remove my current nanomachines and rewire me with ones suitable for People's Will."
"We both have Codec capabilities. Give us the frequencies and we can get in touch with them," Otacon suggested, but Jack disapproved the idea.
"No," he said. "They wont answer unless it's a familiar frequency. Is there any way to bounce yours off of one of theirs and reach the other with the frequency cloaked?" Otacon looked at him unsure, but then nodded.
"If I can find some equipment around here, then I can take care of it for you," he said and smiled. Snake looked at them both.
"I don't want to leave Otacon," Snake insisted, seeing as Desperado wanted his life, but Otacon shook his head wildly.
"Don't worry, Snake, we'll be fine," he said.
"You should get to the hostage room. Another operative is waiting there for you, along with the architect of Hell's Outpost. He might come in handy," Jack commented. Snake sighed.
"You were briefed much better than me," he said, and he checked his SOCOM's ammo. Then, Jack held up his index finger and ran down the hall, returning with his FAMAS.
"Here ya go, pal," he said, holding it out to Snake who took it, looked over it, and then slung it over his back.
"Thanks," he said as he began to walk down the hall in the opposite direction. Then, he stopped and turned, looking Jack directly in the eyes. "Don't let him out of your sight," he said, grinned, and then went on his way.
1 End Metal Gear Solid: The Compilation
2 PART ONE: PEOPLE'S WILL
…By espresso d gecko
AUTHORS NOTE: Fear not. This is NOT the end of the story, but merely the end of the first section. Possibly tonight, most likely tomorrow night, I will have the first chapter of "Part Two: Raindrops" up. Thank you for reading! And PLEASE review the first part, including anything and everything that may help my writing. Tell me everything you can!! I want the end to be the BEST on this website!! Thanks!!