Chapter Twenty-Eight: Together and Alone
The room they moved into next was cold and dark. The ceiling was low, and water dropped from cracks in the walls, flooding the hall a few inches with a murky sludge. Snake was in the lead, behind Ocelot at least, and he could hear the other sloshing through the disgusting muck as they trudged to something, anything. To all but Ocelot, their destination was unclear. Even Formal, with a fair supply of soldiers walking behind him to use as puppets, was anticipating it. He was rubbing his hands together furiously, trying to escape the bitter cold. In the midnight air, the one thing that could be seen was one's own breath, vanishing as one stepped through it. Ocelot seemed to be growing impatient himself, carrying the Perfect Cell in his left hand and the Hell Cell in his right, both of them safely within their cages.
After a few moments, Ocelot stopped, and noticing the absence of splashing ahead, Snake and the company halted and waited in silence. "Right this way," Snake could hear someone say, their voice quiet and cautious. It was Desperado. 'So,' Snake thought, 'he made it off the snowfield.' He smiled to himself and Ocelot turned, putting his hand on Snake's shoulder, guiding him to the right. The rest were left to follow the sounds they made as they continued. From what Snake could tell, Desperado had joined them, and was walking beside Ocelot only feet ahead.
Slowly, a distant light came into view, its shine coming from a door somewhere on the left side of the hall. Snake could see the water clearer in that light than anywhere, and the terrible green and brown that it consisted of was enough to make anyone get sick. He grabbed his stomach lightly, and went on, trying to avoid looking at the glinting water as he trudged toward it.
Of the splashes made, the most noticeable was that of the Ninja. He was between Farrel and Formal at the end of the line, and surrounded by a horde of soldiers. The motion was obvious: a tripping splash, one with a short splash and then a long one, indicating his weak fault, sending water far across the hall, hitting the heals of every soldier that stood ahead. They complained continuously as they ventured down the path, their guns clenched tightly in their hands.
Snake saw Ocelot and Desperado as they stepped into the light, stopping himself just a few feet away. Desperado was still cuddling his arm, and Ocelot took from him a pair of keys, inserting them into the door from which the light shone. He fumbled with them for countless moments, and Snake began to ponder this odd scene. Ocelot was using a key. Not a key card, but a key. It didn't run on levels of security…the only line of defense was a rusty door that seemed nothing like the rest of the compound. Odd.
"Here we are," Ocelot growled, and the door swung open, the glow illuminating all of the hall. Snake looked back and could see his friends' faces more clearly than he had in the last thirty minutes, and near the end of the line he saw the Ninja…miserable. His head was held low, and Snake got the feeling that he was normal again, not under the control of Ocelot. He was saddened. Even with an inch-thick biomechanical suit separating him from the world, Snake could see him like he was bare. "Are you coming?" Ocelot asked jokingly, and Snake turned away from the company, Ocelot's hand pushing him lightly through the doorway to the other room where Desperado stood, looking at Snake without expression. Not angry. Not thankful. Blank.
As the rest of the company moved into the room with him, Snake looked around, his eyes examining it like one would examine a completely original set of dinosaur bones after joyfully celebrating the find. Only in Snake's case, he had not joyfully celebrated his predicament, but instead cursed it.
The ceiling was tall, like a church, only it was not bent downward. It was a flat ceiling, but it was very high, giving Snake the impression that he had been heading deeper into the earth ever since he passed into the sub- level, having abandoned the first floor of the Spire and the still, lifeless corpse of Little Mary, her single tear now a puddle on the floor, and her hollow heart emptied of its sorrow.
The door slammed behind him.
"Right this way," Ocelot said, "we are nearing the conclusion of today's journey, and the finale of this long an glorious production." Snake was in awe of his elegant speech as he thought of Ocelot's cruelty. He was a man of many talents, but cruelty shone brighter than any, and for him to be evil and educated seemed fairly out of place. Still, Ocelot took the lead, Desperado returning to his side, and they followed closely. They seemed to be in some sort of drainage way, for there were walls to their left and right, and ahead was a short set of stairs leading to whatever was atop those walls.
They went on, traveling up the stairs, and following Ocelot who went along a path that was outlined with small dots of light on either side of their feet. This way, they could see each other, faintly, but they could not make sense of the room's purpose. Until more lights were lit, they would be unsure, and left in the dark as before.
Then, Ocelot stopped and fiddled with something in his pocket until a pair of lights switched on at their feet, illuminating a table turned upright. Strapped to the table was a body. Snake took a few moments to make sense of what he was seeing, sorting through the shadows to focus on what was before him, and when he did realize it he wanted to jump forward. Otacon.
Leather straps bound him to the table, for nothing like metal or steel was necessary. Otacon was dead, there was no need containing him with such restraints. Ocelot examined him, looking over his long white jacket, breathing on his glasses and removing them, cleaning them with his own sleeve before returning them to Otacon's pale face. Snake felt sick, but he felt comforted. He was in the presence of Otacon, his friend, his role model. They were together. Ocelot turned to Snake and the others as they made a line side-by-side, facing him.
He held up his arms and grinned. "I promised you he would be here," he said. "Now, do not fret. I have not lied to you. I will return him to life…but only in a moment. First, I would like to warn you all that if you step forward whether it be now, or in the next five minutes, I would not hesitate to kill you. And if I miss, which is an absurd thought, Desperado will not. Understood?" He waited for an answer, but expecting nothing, he continued. "Then sit tight, little boys and girls. The finale is near."
Ocelot turned back to Otacon, handed the Hell Cell to Desperado who stood beside the table, and moved beside it, turning a squeaky wheel as the table shifted onto its back. Otacon was lying, his face to the ceiling. Slowly, Ocelot moved over him, the operation beginning to seem routine, and pulled forth a scout knife, its edge rigid with shattered steel. Then, he swiped down, splitting Otacon's chest in two, and pulled his body open. Snake cringed and looked away as Mei Ling set her arm on his shoulder.
Then, Ocelot squeezed the cage, and the bottom wall vanished, the Perfect Cell drifting through the air as slow as any could imagine. Snake turned back, his anticipation finally showing through his discerning shell. The light was bright enough to strike something to his left, but none of them had time enough to turn their heads, just as Ocelot had hoped.
It impacted, sending a gold wave over them all, and Snake did but blink, the others shielding their eyes as the Perfect Cell ascended into the cage and the wall returned, safely locking it within. Ocelot and Snake both looked in hope. There was no movement. Otacon was still pale. His eyes were still cloudy, his pupils shrouded. His hand was still. But, Ocelot and Snake both saw the corner of his mouth where his lips met…it was twitching just slightly, and they looked down to his chest as the cut in his shirt began to ripple like wind was traveling over it, and the blood that stained him vanished, along with the gauge in his chest. Suddenly, his eyes grew wide, his body retained color, and his hands flexed. He lifted his head off the table; his glasses sliding down his face and the first thing he saw was Snake. A tear was in the corner of his eye, and when he smiled, it fell down his cheek. Snake failed to realize, but Otacon was not crying at the mere fact of seeing Snake, but seeing Snake cry, seeing Snake smile.
Ocelot lifted something from his pocket, and it quickly caught Snake's eye as a torrent of images flashed through his mind. It happened to everyone. They all saw the images, but they did not seem foreign to Otacon. He saw them and his mouth fell open as they appeared before him like terrible memories. Snake sorted through them, trying to understand, but all he saw was a deep blue sky, and a clutter of thin clouds sketched over it. The red light on the device Ocelot held went out, and the images disappeared. Otacon lifted his head again, looking at Ocelot in horror, but Snake was still lost.
"That is why you are here," he said to Otacon, his voice as deceptive and cruel as ever. "That is why you all are here." Snake looked to the others hoping to see their faces full of confusion, and he did…for the most part. He could sense something…he could sense, like he always did, that the Ninja understood it all. He seemed informed, educated, and intelligent, leaving Snake and the others to play the role of the naïve audience, their minds too shrouded or distracted. Ocelot looked at him, surprised. "You don't understand?" Snake looked at him blankly, and he went on. "Then I'll explain." He started pacing.
"First of all, I would like to inform you of your foolishness. Snake, you and Otacon had set a bug on the RAY I was piloting after retaking control of my body. Ha you continued to trace that bug, or had you not 'misplaced' the tracking device," Ocelot paused, fiddling again with something deep in his pocket, "you would have found…this!" The right side of the room is lit with hundreds of tiny lights, leading the rest of the room in darkness. As they flashed on, memories returned to them all, for standing on their right was a partly disassembled RAY model, mounted to the giant wall, its magnificence restored. Ocelot grinned mischievously as they all stumbled backward in surprise. "Yes, she's a beauty all right."
"After the incident with Arsenal, I was able to pilot her into the mare rural land and sneak her to this compound. That was nearly three months ago. Hell's Outpost was six weeks from completion, and Philosophy had made a deal to be on the site as it was constructed. I made my deal with Farrel and he provided me with this hangar-like room. It was originally created to store devices that would later be used by scientists who would work here. Things like particle accelerators, and other fancy pieces of art, but I felt it was wasteful space, and quickly moved in.
"It wasn't until after my deal with Farrel that the security was upgraded, seeing as our objectives were far more important than previously. Still, the sub-levels could not be equipped with the advanced technologies, because if workers were sent into this area, they would no doubt stumble over RAY, and that could create a problem for us. So, we got by with less than stellar security and used Hell's Outpost as our playground. Once Socrates provided us with the Hell Cell, and kicked the bucket as expected, we would be well on our way to completing the process.
"Snake, you did not understand those images…well, let me go into more detail about those. While Otacon was scavenging the Pentagon for information regarding this mission, he kept in touch with Farrel, designating him an official source of information. As we all know, Farrel was not working at the Pentagon, and certainly would not be considered an official source of information because of that, but we managed to kill two birds with one stone back in D.C.
"You see, Farrel had obtained his device," Ocelot held up the small black object for everyone to observe. "This has no real title, but as a very important piece in the puzzle of the Patriots, I was able to get my hands on it. What it does, in this scenario, is react with your nanomachines to transfer a single image continuously, embedding it in your mind. When Farrel communicated with Otacon here, he was able to link this device through his own nanomachines and play the image through to Otacon even as he sat on the other end of the line. The soldiers on his tail were armed with blanks, given inaccurate information, and could not have killed Otacon no matter their bulk. Once he was on the chopper, the rest was cakewalk.
"He played the image the entire flight, and Otacon watched it all. He took it all in, and of the lot of you, I believe he and myself are the only two, who truly understand. You see, that image was a blueprint. It was a blueprint in construction, and Otacon has finished it. He put together the odds and ends, and knew it all the moment he saw that picture, but he couldn't remember it without another peak, another quick look. Now, as his expression implies, he remembers." Otacon's steel-hard face did not alter, and his disapproving glare led Ocelot to continue, his smile even wider than before.
"'A blueprint of what?' you ponder. As you can see, pieces of RAY appear missing, and the left half of this rooms remains unlit. 'What could it possibly be?' you ask. And I will tell you." He fumbled with something in his pocket and then after a long pause, answered the burning question. "It is CELL!" he roared, and the lights to their left lit the room to the point that all was in their view. As the tiny lights sparked on, Otacon sported a terrified gaze, his mind too knowing of its capabilities. There, mounted to the wall, was a giant walking battle tank.
"What is that?!" Snake cried, and Ocelot grinned widely.
"That, my friend, is Metal Gear CELL," Ocelot smiled, turning to Desperado for approval. Desperado approved, as did the thrilled Farrel, and the anxious mime, Formal. They all examined it, running their eyes over its unparalleled magnitude. To RAY, it seemed almost a half taller, and built into it was a much wider array of weaponry, a MARINES logo still exposed…a memory from RAY's distant past.
"A new prototype. Fully engineered to process in any environment, and able to withstand temperatures ranging from negative 300 degrees Fahrenheit, to positive 3000 degrees Fahrenheit. Equipped with a unique set of nuclear capabilities, it holds three noticeable similarities to the RAY model that stands at your right. First, it inherits the machine gun caddy that was built into the arm of RAY. Second, it holds a series of nuclear devices in its back, all enhanced to produce greater figures of damage and death counts when utilized properly. And three, it has the tail, which I feel makes it all the better." He waited for someone to chuckle, but none did.
"But, there are many additions that make RAY appear weak and small in comparison. You see, built into the shoulders of the units are Random-Mark Machine Guns. These guns, controlled by CELL's over-the-top operating computer, can change targets while firing, without the aid of the pilot. They come in handy when the pilot is busy using CELL's other prominent features.
"Another is the Chest Que. This allows for a large sum of nuclear weapons, ammunition, and fuel, to be housed within the chest of CELL, distributed when necessary, throughout the body and to the respected caddies where the ammunition is fired, the nuclear weapons are launched, and the fuel is burned. It would be nearly impossible for the pilot to expend all of CELL's ammunition and fuel in less than an hour if they spent the entire time burning the fuel and firing the guns.
"Lastly, besides the returning laser, and a few 'surprise-located' turrets and cannons, we come to the truly unique feature of Metal Gear CELL, the very thing that gives it it's name. Those images you have seen, they are images of not just Metal Gear, but more specifically – the Cell Drive."
"Cell Drive?" Snake questioned. "What the hell is that?" Ocelot took the opportunity to explain in more depth.
"The Cell Drive is the centrifuge for Metal Gear CELL's most important specifications. It is also the reason, the TRUE reason, as to why I have gone to such lengths to acquire both the Perfect Cell and the Hell Cell. We all know their capabilities. The Perfect Cell can restore life in an instant, while the Hell Cell steals it. With that in mind, surely you must understand now?" No answer.
"The Cell Drive has two ports in which the Hell Cell and the Perfect Cell can be inserted, and with them loaded into Metal Gear CELL, the changes are unbelievable. The armor is strengthened, and you can see, if the outer layer is penetrated or scarred, the Cell Drive uses energy from the Perfect Cell to 'regenerate' the lost machinery. It is able to do this through a biomechanical interface. One much like the Ninja's suit, which we used as a prototype."
"And the Hell Cell?" Farrel questioned. "What does it do?"
"Ahh," Ocelot began. "With the Hell Cell in place, its energy is siphoned through to each weapons caddy. Everything fired from those caddies is tainted with the essence of the Hell Cell, poisoning them and killing anything they meet in an instant. So if a bullet were to pierce you, or a rocket to explode before you, besides blowing you to smithereens, every little speck of you would be robbed of life. Consider it something of an incentive to NOT screw with me."
"So what next?" Snake asked what everyone was thinking. Otacon produces a weak smile, hearing Snake's familiar voice again. Ocelot looked at him, taking the question to heart, and giving his answer a few moments to develop before answering.
"What next? Why, I'll march CELL right in to the center of D.C. and destroy those damned politicians! With it, I have all that I…want. And you," he paused, pondering their fates. "You will march beside me, beside the future of the world. You will march beside CELL, the ultimate tool of power."
"No," Mei Ling shook her head, her voice feeble and weak. "No. I'm not marching beside you." She stepped forward, ahead of the others, her fists clamped and dangling at her sides. She looked at Ocelot who seemed to be enjoying it, but as Naomi stepped up beside her, his smile melted into a surprised look of disapproval, almost fearful. "No," Naomi said defiantly.
"No," said Jack, stepping forward, even with the others.
"No," Snake said, taking a stance beside Jack who stood on his left. He shrugged off a guard's tight grip and looked to the left, down the line to see the Ninja step forward, his limp no longer evident.
"No," Frank proclaimed, his face bright and smiling beneath the masked that disguised it.
There, they stood, facing Ocelot, and in disbelief, Desperado began to turn his gaze to Farrel and Formal, looking for an explanation, but they had nothing to say. They were as baffled as he. "No," they heard, and Otacon lifted his head, a wide smile on his face. Snake turned his head up to Ocelot and looked him in the eyes, his wide, fear-drowned eyes.
"No…we're not marching by your side, Ocelot. We march together. We're a company. A company alone," Snake stated, firmly. There was not a drop of fear in him, nor was there in any other of the company. "Together and alone."
"Together and alone," Mei Ling mouthed, and Ocelot's fear-stricken expression lasted longer than Snake or Otacon or Mei Ling or Naomi or Jack or Frank could have ever wished. It lingered there, so sweet and beautiful. They would not march beside Ocelot. They would march…
…Together and alone.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Well everyone, this is the second-to-last chapter. Only one to go. ( It truly saddens me to leave this project, but I hope that when it is all over, you see the beauty of life and the powerful binding that is love. Look at Snake, at Naomi, Mei Ling, Jack, Frank, Otacon…look at their courage and their love. Their friendship and compassion. While this is an irrelevant lesson, don't be a follower. Don't do what others do. Be unique. Stay true to yourself. And walk…together and alone.
Please review, and get ready. The final chapter will be here soon. Good day and Good Night.
The room they moved into next was cold and dark. The ceiling was low, and water dropped from cracks in the walls, flooding the hall a few inches with a murky sludge. Snake was in the lead, behind Ocelot at least, and he could hear the other sloshing through the disgusting muck as they trudged to something, anything. To all but Ocelot, their destination was unclear. Even Formal, with a fair supply of soldiers walking behind him to use as puppets, was anticipating it. He was rubbing his hands together furiously, trying to escape the bitter cold. In the midnight air, the one thing that could be seen was one's own breath, vanishing as one stepped through it. Ocelot seemed to be growing impatient himself, carrying the Perfect Cell in his left hand and the Hell Cell in his right, both of them safely within their cages.
After a few moments, Ocelot stopped, and noticing the absence of splashing ahead, Snake and the company halted and waited in silence. "Right this way," Snake could hear someone say, their voice quiet and cautious. It was Desperado. 'So,' Snake thought, 'he made it off the snowfield.' He smiled to himself and Ocelot turned, putting his hand on Snake's shoulder, guiding him to the right. The rest were left to follow the sounds they made as they continued. From what Snake could tell, Desperado had joined them, and was walking beside Ocelot only feet ahead.
Slowly, a distant light came into view, its shine coming from a door somewhere on the left side of the hall. Snake could see the water clearer in that light than anywhere, and the terrible green and brown that it consisted of was enough to make anyone get sick. He grabbed his stomach lightly, and went on, trying to avoid looking at the glinting water as he trudged toward it.
Of the splashes made, the most noticeable was that of the Ninja. He was between Farrel and Formal at the end of the line, and surrounded by a horde of soldiers. The motion was obvious: a tripping splash, one with a short splash and then a long one, indicating his weak fault, sending water far across the hall, hitting the heals of every soldier that stood ahead. They complained continuously as they ventured down the path, their guns clenched tightly in their hands.
Snake saw Ocelot and Desperado as they stepped into the light, stopping himself just a few feet away. Desperado was still cuddling his arm, and Ocelot took from him a pair of keys, inserting them into the door from which the light shone. He fumbled with them for countless moments, and Snake began to ponder this odd scene. Ocelot was using a key. Not a key card, but a key. It didn't run on levels of security…the only line of defense was a rusty door that seemed nothing like the rest of the compound. Odd.
"Here we are," Ocelot growled, and the door swung open, the glow illuminating all of the hall. Snake looked back and could see his friends' faces more clearly than he had in the last thirty minutes, and near the end of the line he saw the Ninja…miserable. His head was held low, and Snake got the feeling that he was normal again, not under the control of Ocelot. He was saddened. Even with an inch-thick biomechanical suit separating him from the world, Snake could see him like he was bare. "Are you coming?" Ocelot asked jokingly, and Snake turned away from the company, Ocelot's hand pushing him lightly through the doorway to the other room where Desperado stood, looking at Snake without expression. Not angry. Not thankful. Blank.
As the rest of the company moved into the room with him, Snake looked around, his eyes examining it like one would examine a completely original set of dinosaur bones after joyfully celebrating the find. Only in Snake's case, he had not joyfully celebrated his predicament, but instead cursed it.
The ceiling was tall, like a church, only it was not bent downward. It was a flat ceiling, but it was very high, giving Snake the impression that he had been heading deeper into the earth ever since he passed into the sub- level, having abandoned the first floor of the Spire and the still, lifeless corpse of Little Mary, her single tear now a puddle on the floor, and her hollow heart emptied of its sorrow.
The door slammed behind him.
"Right this way," Ocelot said, "we are nearing the conclusion of today's journey, and the finale of this long an glorious production." Snake was in awe of his elegant speech as he thought of Ocelot's cruelty. He was a man of many talents, but cruelty shone brighter than any, and for him to be evil and educated seemed fairly out of place. Still, Ocelot took the lead, Desperado returning to his side, and they followed closely. They seemed to be in some sort of drainage way, for there were walls to their left and right, and ahead was a short set of stairs leading to whatever was atop those walls.
They went on, traveling up the stairs, and following Ocelot who went along a path that was outlined with small dots of light on either side of their feet. This way, they could see each other, faintly, but they could not make sense of the room's purpose. Until more lights were lit, they would be unsure, and left in the dark as before.
Then, Ocelot stopped and fiddled with something in his pocket until a pair of lights switched on at their feet, illuminating a table turned upright. Strapped to the table was a body. Snake took a few moments to make sense of what he was seeing, sorting through the shadows to focus on what was before him, and when he did realize it he wanted to jump forward. Otacon.
Leather straps bound him to the table, for nothing like metal or steel was necessary. Otacon was dead, there was no need containing him with such restraints. Ocelot examined him, looking over his long white jacket, breathing on his glasses and removing them, cleaning them with his own sleeve before returning them to Otacon's pale face. Snake felt sick, but he felt comforted. He was in the presence of Otacon, his friend, his role model. They were together. Ocelot turned to Snake and the others as they made a line side-by-side, facing him.
He held up his arms and grinned. "I promised you he would be here," he said. "Now, do not fret. I have not lied to you. I will return him to life…but only in a moment. First, I would like to warn you all that if you step forward whether it be now, or in the next five minutes, I would not hesitate to kill you. And if I miss, which is an absurd thought, Desperado will not. Understood?" He waited for an answer, but expecting nothing, he continued. "Then sit tight, little boys and girls. The finale is near."
Ocelot turned back to Otacon, handed the Hell Cell to Desperado who stood beside the table, and moved beside it, turning a squeaky wheel as the table shifted onto its back. Otacon was lying, his face to the ceiling. Slowly, Ocelot moved over him, the operation beginning to seem routine, and pulled forth a scout knife, its edge rigid with shattered steel. Then, he swiped down, splitting Otacon's chest in two, and pulled his body open. Snake cringed and looked away as Mei Ling set her arm on his shoulder.
Then, Ocelot squeezed the cage, and the bottom wall vanished, the Perfect Cell drifting through the air as slow as any could imagine. Snake turned back, his anticipation finally showing through his discerning shell. The light was bright enough to strike something to his left, but none of them had time enough to turn their heads, just as Ocelot had hoped.
It impacted, sending a gold wave over them all, and Snake did but blink, the others shielding their eyes as the Perfect Cell ascended into the cage and the wall returned, safely locking it within. Ocelot and Snake both looked in hope. There was no movement. Otacon was still pale. His eyes were still cloudy, his pupils shrouded. His hand was still. But, Ocelot and Snake both saw the corner of his mouth where his lips met…it was twitching just slightly, and they looked down to his chest as the cut in his shirt began to ripple like wind was traveling over it, and the blood that stained him vanished, along with the gauge in his chest. Suddenly, his eyes grew wide, his body retained color, and his hands flexed. He lifted his head off the table; his glasses sliding down his face and the first thing he saw was Snake. A tear was in the corner of his eye, and when he smiled, it fell down his cheek. Snake failed to realize, but Otacon was not crying at the mere fact of seeing Snake, but seeing Snake cry, seeing Snake smile.
Ocelot lifted something from his pocket, and it quickly caught Snake's eye as a torrent of images flashed through his mind. It happened to everyone. They all saw the images, but they did not seem foreign to Otacon. He saw them and his mouth fell open as they appeared before him like terrible memories. Snake sorted through them, trying to understand, but all he saw was a deep blue sky, and a clutter of thin clouds sketched over it. The red light on the device Ocelot held went out, and the images disappeared. Otacon lifted his head again, looking at Ocelot in horror, but Snake was still lost.
"That is why you are here," he said to Otacon, his voice as deceptive and cruel as ever. "That is why you all are here." Snake looked to the others hoping to see their faces full of confusion, and he did…for the most part. He could sense something…he could sense, like he always did, that the Ninja understood it all. He seemed informed, educated, and intelligent, leaving Snake and the others to play the role of the naïve audience, their minds too shrouded or distracted. Ocelot looked at him, surprised. "You don't understand?" Snake looked at him blankly, and he went on. "Then I'll explain." He started pacing.
"First of all, I would like to inform you of your foolishness. Snake, you and Otacon had set a bug on the RAY I was piloting after retaking control of my body. Ha you continued to trace that bug, or had you not 'misplaced' the tracking device," Ocelot paused, fiddling again with something deep in his pocket, "you would have found…this!" The right side of the room is lit with hundreds of tiny lights, leading the rest of the room in darkness. As they flashed on, memories returned to them all, for standing on their right was a partly disassembled RAY model, mounted to the giant wall, its magnificence restored. Ocelot grinned mischievously as they all stumbled backward in surprise. "Yes, she's a beauty all right."
"After the incident with Arsenal, I was able to pilot her into the mare rural land and sneak her to this compound. That was nearly three months ago. Hell's Outpost was six weeks from completion, and Philosophy had made a deal to be on the site as it was constructed. I made my deal with Farrel and he provided me with this hangar-like room. It was originally created to store devices that would later be used by scientists who would work here. Things like particle accelerators, and other fancy pieces of art, but I felt it was wasteful space, and quickly moved in.
"It wasn't until after my deal with Farrel that the security was upgraded, seeing as our objectives were far more important than previously. Still, the sub-levels could not be equipped with the advanced technologies, because if workers were sent into this area, they would no doubt stumble over RAY, and that could create a problem for us. So, we got by with less than stellar security and used Hell's Outpost as our playground. Once Socrates provided us with the Hell Cell, and kicked the bucket as expected, we would be well on our way to completing the process.
"Snake, you did not understand those images…well, let me go into more detail about those. While Otacon was scavenging the Pentagon for information regarding this mission, he kept in touch with Farrel, designating him an official source of information. As we all know, Farrel was not working at the Pentagon, and certainly would not be considered an official source of information because of that, but we managed to kill two birds with one stone back in D.C.
"You see, Farrel had obtained his device," Ocelot held up the small black object for everyone to observe. "This has no real title, but as a very important piece in the puzzle of the Patriots, I was able to get my hands on it. What it does, in this scenario, is react with your nanomachines to transfer a single image continuously, embedding it in your mind. When Farrel communicated with Otacon here, he was able to link this device through his own nanomachines and play the image through to Otacon even as he sat on the other end of the line. The soldiers on his tail were armed with blanks, given inaccurate information, and could not have killed Otacon no matter their bulk. Once he was on the chopper, the rest was cakewalk.
"He played the image the entire flight, and Otacon watched it all. He took it all in, and of the lot of you, I believe he and myself are the only two, who truly understand. You see, that image was a blueprint. It was a blueprint in construction, and Otacon has finished it. He put together the odds and ends, and knew it all the moment he saw that picture, but he couldn't remember it without another peak, another quick look. Now, as his expression implies, he remembers." Otacon's steel-hard face did not alter, and his disapproving glare led Ocelot to continue, his smile even wider than before.
"'A blueprint of what?' you ponder. As you can see, pieces of RAY appear missing, and the left half of this rooms remains unlit. 'What could it possibly be?' you ask. And I will tell you." He fumbled with something in his pocket and then after a long pause, answered the burning question. "It is CELL!" he roared, and the lights to their left lit the room to the point that all was in their view. As the tiny lights sparked on, Otacon sported a terrified gaze, his mind too knowing of its capabilities. There, mounted to the wall, was a giant walking battle tank.
"What is that?!" Snake cried, and Ocelot grinned widely.
"That, my friend, is Metal Gear CELL," Ocelot smiled, turning to Desperado for approval. Desperado approved, as did the thrilled Farrel, and the anxious mime, Formal. They all examined it, running their eyes over its unparalleled magnitude. To RAY, it seemed almost a half taller, and built into it was a much wider array of weaponry, a MARINES logo still exposed…a memory from RAY's distant past.
"A new prototype. Fully engineered to process in any environment, and able to withstand temperatures ranging from negative 300 degrees Fahrenheit, to positive 3000 degrees Fahrenheit. Equipped with a unique set of nuclear capabilities, it holds three noticeable similarities to the RAY model that stands at your right. First, it inherits the machine gun caddy that was built into the arm of RAY. Second, it holds a series of nuclear devices in its back, all enhanced to produce greater figures of damage and death counts when utilized properly. And three, it has the tail, which I feel makes it all the better." He waited for someone to chuckle, but none did.
"But, there are many additions that make RAY appear weak and small in comparison. You see, built into the shoulders of the units are Random-Mark Machine Guns. These guns, controlled by CELL's over-the-top operating computer, can change targets while firing, without the aid of the pilot. They come in handy when the pilot is busy using CELL's other prominent features.
"Another is the Chest Que. This allows for a large sum of nuclear weapons, ammunition, and fuel, to be housed within the chest of CELL, distributed when necessary, throughout the body and to the respected caddies where the ammunition is fired, the nuclear weapons are launched, and the fuel is burned. It would be nearly impossible for the pilot to expend all of CELL's ammunition and fuel in less than an hour if they spent the entire time burning the fuel and firing the guns.
"Lastly, besides the returning laser, and a few 'surprise-located' turrets and cannons, we come to the truly unique feature of Metal Gear CELL, the very thing that gives it it's name. Those images you have seen, they are images of not just Metal Gear, but more specifically – the Cell Drive."
"Cell Drive?" Snake questioned. "What the hell is that?" Ocelot took the opportunity to explain in more depth.
"The Cell Drive is the centrifuge for Metal Gear CELL's most important specifications. It is also the reason, the TRUE reason, as to why I have gone to such lengths to acquire both the Perfect Cell and the Hell Cell. We all know their capabilities. The Perfect Cell can restore life in an instant, while the Hell Cell steals it. With that in mind, surely you must understand now?" No answer.
"The Cell Drive has two ports in which the Hell Cell and the Perfect Cell can be inserted, and with them loaded into Metal Gear CELL, the changes are unbelievable. The armor is strengthened, and you can see, if the outer layer is penetrated or scarred, the Cell Drive uses energy from the Perfect Cell to 'regenerate' the lost machinery. It is able to do this through a biomechanical interface. One much like the Ninja's suit, which we used as a prototype."
"And the Hell Cell?" Farrel questioned. "What does it do?"
"Ahh," Ocelot began. "With the Hell Cell in place, its energy is siphoned through to each weapons caddy. Everything fired from those caddies is tainted with the essence of the Hell Cell, poisoning them and killing anything they meet in an instant. So if a bullet were to pierce you, or a rocket to explode before you, besides blowing you to smithereens, every little speck of you would be robbed of life. Consider it something of an incentive to NOT screw with me."
"So what next?" Snake asked what everyone was thinking. Otacon produces a weak smile, hearing Snake's familiar voice again. Ocelot looked at him, taking the question to heart, and giving his answer a few moments to develop before answering.
"What next? Why, I'll march CELL right in to the center of D.C. and destroy those damned politicians! With it, I have all that I…want. And you," he paused, pondering their fates. "You will march beside me, beside the future of the world. You will march beside CELL, the ultimate tool of power."
"No," Mei Ling shook her head, her voice feeble and weak. "No. I'm not marching beside you." She stepped forward, ahead of the others, her fists clamped and dangling at her sides. She looked at Ocelot who seemed to be enjoying it, but as Naomi stepped up beside her, his smile melted into a surprised look of disapproval, almost fearful. "No," Naomi said defiantly.
"No," said Jack, stepping forward, even with the others.
"No," Snake said, taking a stance beside Jack who stood on his left. He shrugged off a guard's tight grip and looked to the left, down the line to see the Ninja step forward, his limp no longer evident.
"No," Frank proclaimed, his face bright and smiling beneath the masked that disguised it.
There, they stood, facing Ocelot, and in disbelief, Desperado began to turn his gaze to Farrel and Formal, looking for an explanation, but they had nothing to say. They were as baffled as he. "No," they heard, and Otacon lifted his head, a wide smile on his face. Snake turned his head up to Ocelot and looked him in the eyes, his wide, fear-drowned eyes.
"No…we're not marching by your side, Ocelot. We march together. We're a company. A company alone," Snake stated, firmly. There was not a drop of fear in him, nor was there in any other of the company. "Together and alone."
"Together and alone," Mei Ling mouthed, and Ocelot's fear-stricken expression lasted longer than Snake or Otacon or Mei Ling or Naomi or Jack or Frank could have ever wished. It lingered there, so sweet and beautiful. They would not march beside Ocelot. They would march…
…Together and alone.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Well everyone, this is the second-to-last chapter. Only one to go. ( It truly saddens me to leave this project, but I hope that when it is all over, you see the beauty of life and the powerful binding that is love. Look at Snake, at Naomi, Mei Ling, Jack, Frank, Otacon…look at their courage and their love. Their friendship and compassion. While this is an irrelevant lesson, don't be a follower. Don't do what others do. Be unique. Stay true to yourself. And walk…together and alone.
Please review, and get ready. The final chapter will be here soon. Good day and Good Night.