Title: Metal Gear Solid: Elements of Destruction- Chapter 21: Recovery
Author: The Ice Goddess (FrozenBlueIce)
Fandom: Metal Gear Solid
Feedback: All feedback is welcome, whether it be negative or positive. I'm trying to improve on my writing so, please be honest: frozenblueice@yahoo.com
Pairing: The main pairing of this story is Snake/Otacon, which is obvious to anyone who knows of my fondness for Hal Emmerich, so therefore alright to disclose. There are others, but if I told you what they were, it'd ruin the story.
Series: No. There may be sequels in the future, but right now that is looking unlikely due to time constraints.
Rating: PG (this chapter only)
Disclaimer: All characters appearing in previous Metal Gear Solid video games are the property of Konami Computer Entertainment of Japan, and of their creator, Mr. Hideo Kojima. All new characters are the property of The Ice Goddess. This is a work of fanfiction, and in no way, shape, or form will I receive any monetary compensation for it. It is for entertainment purposes only.
Type: Action/Shounen-ai
Summary: This story takes place one year after the events of "The Big Shell." New information found by Otacon sends Snake back into action. (That's all I'm revealing!)
Chapter 21: Recovery
Otacon slowly awoke, warmth and strength returning to his body. He was still laying on the floor where he had last remembered being, and to his surprise, he was still being cradled in Dave's arms.
"He's coming to. Jack, hand me a syringe from the case labeled 'Adrenal Stimulator- 100 ppm'," Anja instructed, pointing at her bag full of supplies.
Snake looked down at Hal and smiled. "You're going to be alright now," he told him. "Dr. Raznov reversed all damage caused by hypothermia, save for a few patches of freeze-burned skin. Those will heal the same as any sunburn would."
Hal simply nodded. He remained silent, embarrassed for having bared his soul to him. He just relished in the fact that he was lying in Snake's arms.
"Can you sit up?" Dr. Raznov asked him.
Could he? Yes. Did he want to? That was another question all together. If he had it his way, he'd stay there forever, but he knew they had to hurry and get out of Antarctica.
Hal slowly sat himself up. His muscles still ached from all of the shivering his body had done, but it was bearable. He rubbed his shoulder, rolling it around to release the stiffness, then switched sides.
Anja checked his vital signs again: his heart rate, blood pressure, pupil response, and body temperature. They were all back to normal.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" she asked her patient.
Otacon readjusted his glasses on his face, then looked up at the doctor's hand.
"Three," he answered her.
"Good," she stated.
Hal tried to get to his feet, but he fell backwards, crashing into Dave.
"Whoa! Easy!" he steadied his friend. "One step at a time."
Otacon sat back up and took in some deep breaths. He felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
Anja took out her stethoscope to listen to his lungs. They sounded clear, all traces of wheezing gone.
"I want you to sit up for a few minutes before you try that again." the doctor said. "Then we'll see how to go from there."
Otacon nodded in acknowledgement.
Raiden went over to the engineer, crouching beside him. His breath swirled in clouds around him. "I'm glad you're alright. You had us all scared for awhile there."
Hal looked up at Raiden's new mechanical parts. He was intrigued by the technology, but decided to ask later. He shifted his gaze to the floor. "Sorry," he said simply, maintaining his uncharacteristic silence.
"Well the important thing is that you're still here," Jack told him, standing back up. He walked over to the far corner of the lab and activated his codec.
***
Mei Ling's beautifully manicured nails were now bitten down to the quick. She hadn't heard from neither Dave, Hal, nor Jack in the last ten hours. The silence was beginning to eat away at her.
She had been monitoring the radar carefully. Not that it told her much about what was going on, but it did comfort her to be able to see their positions on the map.
Mei was startled as her ear began to ring. Anxiously, she answered the call.
"Jack!" she almost shouted, relieved to hear from him.
"Hi, Princess."
"What's the situation?"
"Things are better than they were," he told her. "We're still trying to get Otacon well enough to follow us out of here."
"Oh, my!" she gasped. "What happened to Otacon?"
"Someone removed his sneaking suit's computer and threw him in a freezer. The hypothermia almost killed him, but fortunately for us, Dr. Raznov is somewhat of an expert in that area."
"Thank God he's alright."
"How are you holding up, Princess?" Jack asked.
"Well, I'm tired. I haven't slept much since you three left Russia. It just seems as if you've been gone forever. It is as they say: 'A watched pot never boils.'" Mei sighed, rubbing her black-ringed, sleep-deprived eyes.
"It'll all be over soon," Raiden assured her. "Dr. Raznov's got a plan to get us all out of here."
"Really?"
He gave a verbal nod. "Mhmmm. I'm gonna pilot Metal Gear back to New York, then we're going to run the self-destruct sequence and destroy it."
"You know how to pilot a Metal Gear?" Mei questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"It's a bit complicated, but I'll explain how later," he replied, fingering his implants in an exploratory manner. He was still not used to the constant blinking of lights in his peripherals.
"I see."
"Oh, and that reminds me. Can you have a boat waiting for us?" Jack asked her.
"Yeah, sure!" she replied. "Just send the coordinates when you're ready to destroy 'Shadow'."
"Will do," he returned. "We should be there within the next twenty-four hours or so. Get back to New York ASAP!"
"I can't wait to see you again," said Mei.
"Me neither." Jack blew her a kiss. "Bye, Princess."
The call ended and Mei Ling got up from where she was sitting. She smiled to herself as she packed up her things.
The woman was trying to be optimistic about their return, considering they'll be in possession of an undetectable, almost indestructible, walking battle tank. She looked forward to picking up where she had left off with Jack.
***
"Alright. I think it's safe to try standing again," said Anja. "Nathair. Could you help him up?"
Snake nodded. He grabbed Hal underneath his arms, then hoisted him slowly to his feet. He then draped his friend's arm over his shoulder.
Otacon wasn't very steady on his feet yet. He shifted some of his weight over to Dave.
"Alright," Anja said. "Let's go."
Otacon put one foot in front of the other, but one wouldn't necessarily call it walking. He was being dragged along more than he was stepping. Snake stopped. This wasn't going to work. Hal was way too weak to continue. He crouched down.
"Put your arms around my neck," he instructed. "I'll carry you."
"Just go on and leave me behind, " Hal said, sitting back down on the floor. "I'm just going to drag you down."
Snake knelt down beside him. "I'm not going to leave you," he told him firmly. "If I do, then I'll have no one to protect me."
Otacon's heart began to pound. Did he mean what he thought he meant? The engineer looked up at the mercenary, eyes glossed over with tears.
Snake grabbed his friend in one of his reassuring hugs. Otacon returned it, squeezing as tight as his sore muscles would let him.
Raiden was confused. "Why would the 'Legendary Solid Snake' need protecting?" he wondered.
The two friends released each other, then Snake gave him a final pat on the shoulder. They nodded in sync, understanding fully what each other meant to say. Then, as Jack had witnessed before, they performed a complicated handshake sequence. It ended with their hands joined, just as their lives had been since their destined encounter at Shadow Moses. Dave and Hal were inseparable.
Snake offered his back once again and Otacon wrapped his arms and legs around him. The mercenary grabbed hold of his cargo and stood up.
"Hang on tight. It's going to be one Hell of a ride."
Author's Notes: This one doesn't need any explaining either.