Title: Metal Gear Solid: Elements of Destruction- Chapter 22: Darkness at High Noon
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: R for graphic violence (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 22: Darkness at High Noon
Genesis smiled to herself as she headed towards the torture room. If she was going to ensure conception, she'd have to take her brother again. The lady Snake found herself strangely aroused by the thought of raping him. She was going to enjoy this.
She swiped her access card, then punched in her ID number.
"What the…?!" Eve growled.
He was gone.
Genesis turned on her codec to an open frequency.
"They've escaped! Find them!" she ordered. "Do what you want with Jack and Emmerich, but don't harm Solid Snake! I need him alive!"
Eve closed the call.
"I should have known better to underestimate a man of my own blood," she muttered under her breath, "but I'll find you."
***
Anja, Raiden and Snake, with Otacon still in tow, sprinted down the halls to the hangar as warning sirens went off.
"Over there!" the woman shouted above the blaring.
Their destination was just ahead.
So was a woman with a gun, pointed directly at them.
She fired the gun, hitting both of her targets, who fell dead to the ground, blood oozing from the wounds in their heads.
Raiden looked at her, unclear as to why it was Frost had done what she did. Then he turned around to catch a glimpse of the two RNF soldiers she had just killed.
"You'll have to hurry," Frost told them. "Genesis has the entire base looking for you."
Jack knitted his brow. "Why are you doing this?"
She smiled, blue-violet eyes sparkling. "Go on. I'll hold them off."
Snake looked at Raiden, then at the other cybernetically enhanced person. "You know her?"
The blond-haired man nodded. "An old childhood friend."
Frost unstrapped Jack's sword from her back. She held it out to him. "Don't forget this."
He took it, unsheathing the blade as the sound of soldiers' boots could be heard storming their way. Raiden circled the sword around twice, then set himself in the en garde position.
"Get 'Richard' to 'Shadow'. I'll help Frost take care of some of these soldiers. I'll be there as soon as you have him situated."
Snake gave an acknowledging nod, then ran with Otacon into the hangar, followed by Dr. Anja Raznov.
Another group of guards made their way around the corner, assault rifles in hand.
"We've found prisoner Jack," one said into his radio. "He's in front of the hangar."
"Kill him," a woman's voice returned.
That was all the license they needed to begin firing. Jack made a few quick swipes of his High Frequency Blade, deflecting the bullets. He charged them, throwing his nimble body into acrobatics, making it near impossible for the RNF soldiers to follow their target. He spun as a dancer would, slashing three of them at their throats in a kind of morbid ballet.
Frost watched Jack as she provided cover fire. He was indeed skilled with the blade, just as she had remembered. His battle partner looked on with admiration.
Raiden cartwheeled his way through the center of the group, stopping only to swing his blade. He slashed two more men, groin to chest, their insides spilling out. The soldiers watched each other's demise helplessly, as they crumbled into heaps on the floor.
The last of the squadron got himself positioned to shoot. The bullet whizzed past Jack's head and he heard a shriek of agony from behind him.
His heart sank.
Diane was shot.
***
Metal Gear Shadow was an amazing sight to behold. It stood high above them, its sleek black color making it appropriate to its name.
Snake frowned. How ironic. The very thing that he and Otacon had sworn to eradicate was the only thing that would save them all now.
The engineer on his back stared up at it in awe. There had been so many new advancements made since he had designed "Rex". The rail gun was stronger and more streamlined. The legs, better articulated, were perfect for traveling rough terrain. Amphibious like "Ray", it had a long tail to help propel it through the water. "Shadow had a set of wings, resembling the shape of those on a glider.
Snake lowered his friend to the ground. "I'm going back for the kid and see if I can't help him out in the process."
"We'll be waiting," Otacon said.
The mercenary went around the hangar, scanning the area. "There's got to be a gun around here somewhere."
"There's one right over here," a voice said from behind him.
"Genesis!" Snake growled. A gun was aimed at his head.
She smiled icily. "I'm glad to know that you haven't forgotten me, brother."
Snake narrowed his eyes. "I know you won't kill me. You need me."
Genesis laughed, taunting him by pressing the barrel of the gun into the back of his head. "Oh my!" she said. "So sure of yourself, Snake?"
"You're Solid Snake?" asked Anja.
"That's right, doctor," Eve confirmed, "And that's his friend Dr. Hal Emmerich, or should I call you Otacon?"
The engineer, still seated on the floor, swallowed hard. This whole thing had been a setup from the very beginning. He'd screwed up again.
"Now, brother, you can make things easy on us all and just give up. Or, you can make things difficult, forcing me to shoot you," she gestured behind her with a jerk of her head, "or your partner."
Snake had enough. The mentioning of harm to Otacon, whose only crimes were naïveté and caring too much, threw him over the edge. The seasoned warrior dropped quickly into a crouch, sweeping Genesis' legs out from under her, sending the unsuspecting woman's gun flying out of her hand and sliding across the floor.
Being of the same perfect soldier's blood, Eve wasted no time retaliating. She threw her leg up high, bringing it down to wrap around his neck, squeezing hard.
Snake grabbed Genesis' body, rolling with the hold to release himself. She kicked him in the chest, knocking him off balance for a second. He returned the blow with a swing to her jaw.
Genesis Snake got up, blood trickling down the corner of her mouth. She smiled and spat, propelling the shattered remains of her molar into the air.
Eve moved in to attack again. Solid Snake sidestepped her attack, grabbing the woman in a chokehold. She elbowed his sides hard. Snake squeezed tighter. Genesis grabbed a hold of her "brother's" arms, trying desperately to keep him from snapping her neck. She had to think fast. Eve grabbed for her knife and drove it into Dave's thigh. She twisted it to open the wound, then pulled it out.
Solid Snake grunted, winced, then grabbed Eve's wrist to keep her from doing it again. The lady Snake dug her heel into his gaping wound, giving her just enough of a distraction to circle behind him and put the knife at his throat.
"I've grown tired of these games, brother. I'm beginning to think all of this effort isn't worth it."
Solid Snake's muscles twitched, preparing to flee.
Genesis held him tighter, touching the blade to his flesh and drawing a small amount of blood. "Don't move, or I'll kill you," she snarled.
***
Raiden quickly and vengefully disposed of the remaining soldier that had shot Diane, and then hurried back to check on her.
Frost lay on the floor, looking at the ceiling. Her breaths were shallow, blood gurgling with her inhalations. There was a considerably large bullet hole in her chest.
She reached up to him, and he knelt beside her, taking her hands into his.
"Jack…" she managed.
"Shh…" he hushed her. "Just save your strength." Raiden stroked her shimmery blue-black hair.
Frost looked up into his icy blue eyes and he could see the pain and fear written in them. He could see the acknowledgement of her impending death.
"Please, don't go, Diane," he sobbed.
She shook her head. "Don't…cry…for…me… Re…mem…ber, …Diane…died…in…Af…rica…"
Frost heaved, regurgitating all of the blood that had been collecting in her stomach. It left a puddle on the ground, slowly expanding outward. Then, with a final gasp, she died.
Jack's eyes poured, tears falling on the face of his dead friend. She had left him again; one of his only friends.
Something in her pocket was sticking out and Jack retrieved it.
It was the picture of Iroquois that he had brought with him. He closed his eyes, clasping the picture over his heart. His son was gone too. He felt so alone.
"Don't…cry…for…me…" Diane's words echoed in his mind.
Raiden opened his eyes and wiped away his tears. He would respect her dying wishes. He wouldn't cry.
Jack laid the photograph in her hand, then he shut her eyes.
"Goodbye," he whispered.
***
Otacon's mind ran in circles. Who was that woman and why did she call Snake "brother"? He shivered, picturing that scene of her mounted on Dave. The rape imagery was disturbing enough, but this element of information just made it all that more revolting.
"Snake!" Hal cried out.
Genesis laughed, her face contorted into that evil grin. She trailed her tongue along the side of Dave's neck. "Just give in," she purred into his ear. "It's not all bad, is it?"
Hal's rarely seen rage burned as he watched the woman taunt the man he loved. His original impression of the woman, stuck. She was twisted.
Something on the floor by his hand caught his eye. He discarded all fear as he realized he still had a chance to protect Dave and grabbed the object.
Raiden had just come into the doorway of the hangar, when he saw the Socom in Otacon's hands.
Hal pointed the gun directly at Genesis and fired, the recoil throwing back his still weak arms.
Genesis stumbled backwards, releasing her captive, as she clutched her bleeding stomach. A red river poured from her mouth.
Otacon fired again, his anger taking over the usually timid engineer like a demon. He fired again. And again.
Eve wailed as the bullets tore through her flesh. She fell to the floor, all movement ceasing.
Otacon fired one last time before his trembling hands could no longer hold the gun, dropping it with a clatter. He then crawled his way over to Dave.
Hal sat beside him, pulling a bandage from his pouch on his belt. He carefully and tightly dressed the stab wound.
His partner smiled. "I'm impressed."
The engineer blushed, shifting his glasses up his nose. "Yeah? Well, I did learn from the best."
Snake tousled his hair.
"Hey!" Otacon whined indignantly.
The mercenary's leg was fully bandaged. He got up, lifting his partner to his feet. The two limped their way back over to Shadow.
"Thank you for protecting me, Otacon."
Hal blushed again. "Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?"
Dave smiled warmly at him. "Yes, but in the future, do your protecting off of the battlefield. Promise?"
He nodded. "I promise."
"Good."
"Snake, are y-you…" Hal stammered, "that is… um… are you m-mad about what I s-said back in the lab?"
"Of course not!" Dave answered. "What gave you that idea?"
"Well, it's just… well, I'm a man. I thought you might be uncomfortable with that. If you want me to move out, I'll understand."
Snake rolled his eyes, then stopped to face his friend. "Didn't I already tell you that at anytime, anyplace, people could fall in love with each other, and that if you loved them, you have to be able to protect them?"
"Well, yes, but…"
"But what?" Snake said, raising an eyebrow. "Here's a time, here's a place, and here's two people that have gone through many trials together over the past five years. I've protected you, and you've protected me."
"So, does that mean…?" Hal trailed off.
"Look, Otacon. I'm not great with words. Let me sum this up," Snake said, grabbing his partner by the shoulders and pulling his body into his. He leaned in and kissed Hal, eagerly and passionately, catching him off guard.
Raiden and Anja stood wide-eyed, jaws to the floor.
Snake pulled away. "There," he said. "Does that clear things up for you?"
Otacon blushed feverishly, his head nodding almost indiscernibly.
The two continued their limping to Metal Gear.
Jack made his way over to rejoin the group.
Anja looked at her watch. "It's 1200 hours now. We should be able to make it back to New York by 0300."
"What do we do about this place, and what about Dr. Chetnik?" Jack asked.
"His knowledge and intentions are far too dangerous to keep around. After we're clear of the access tunnel, we should destroy this place."
The others nodded their consensus.
"Let's do it," said Snake.
Author's Notes:
The reason I chose this particular title for the chapter is because in typical westerns, a standoff would happen at "high noon". Otacon stands off in a way with Genesis, though only for a split second. A lot of dark things happen in this chapter, so this expresses that aspect of it. Also, in Antarctica in June, it is winter. During the winter, south of the Antarctic circle, the sun does not rise. It is dark at noon.