Metal Gear Solid: New Prime
I don't own Metal Gear or its characters. They are the property of Hideo Kojima and Konami.
First I would like to apologize to all my reviewers and other readers. I was torn. When I made this chapter, Metal Gear Solid 3 came out. So I thought to myself, "Should I play it to completion before I continue?" So I was going with this plan for a while until I realized that I could change it around a bit so it doesn't contradict any of the MGS3 plot. I just hope that MGS3 didn't reveal anything huge on the Patriots....
Chapter 7: Retribution
Snake slowly strolled towards Otacon, who had been in the very same position for a little over an hour. He was sitting near the window in the waiting room, eyes downcast. His foggy glasses were by his side on a small table. For the past couple of minutes, the two had mulled about in a long trek of awkward silences. They were among the only few in the waiting area, with the minor exception of the nurse behind the counter, who had just been flipping through her magazine. The swipe of the pages, pitter-patter of the raindrops outside and occasional thunder was the only sound that cut through this awkwardness.
Snake stuck out a cup with smoke escaping from the top, "Here."
Hal looked up, and numbly took it from his friends hand.
"Thanks Dave," Hal grumbled.
Hal took a small sip, still brooding over the incident which happened only a little while ago. After hearing of this news, David rushed towards the hospital, leaving a stranded Eddie behind. David sat across from Hal in another chair, thinking of the right thing to say. He had a reasonable amount of experience at this, considering how many a time he was..."required" to console a comrade in need.
"You really cared about her...huh?" Dave asked in his usual raspy tone, knowing full well what his answer was going to be.
"...Yeah, I did," Hal replied, his voice enshrouded with depression with a hint of embarrassment.
"We knew this day would come," Dave said, looking out the window at the heavy rain. "We knew one day, our enemies were going to hit us...hard. You can never fully prepare for this kind of thing, but..."
"I know, I know," Hal cut him off. "It doesn't make it fair, though."
"You're right. It isn't. I don't know what else to tell ya except keep your faith," David replied.
A long, unfamiliar pause came between the two men. Well, unfamiliar up until this whole conversation.
"What did the doctor say?" David asked.
"They said they'll do their best to fix her up," Hal responded.
"What happened? Who did this?"
"I-I don't know. It all happened so fast. We were making small talk until all the sudden somebody just burst through the window," Hal sighed.
"What'd he look like?"
"Its like I said, the person came and left. He was wearing a cloak," Hal said, an edge in his voice.
...Altair...
"Listen, Dave, I appreciate that you're trying to cheer me up but you don't know how it feels..." Hal grumbled the last few words.
David sighed, "I do."
"What?" Hal sat up, "You never told me anything about that," Dave never was the talkative one. Espcially when it came.
"You never asked."
"Dave!"
"Fine, fine," David sighed. Dave looked over toward the nurse, to make sure there was no eavesdropping. "A little while after I left FOXHOUND, I wanted to find a place to get away from the world. A place, that would prove that I'm really human. After killing so many people, that line got blurry, you know?" At Hal's nod, he continued. "I took a cargo train, waiting for the right place to come along...when I met a woman..."
David gazed out the window; a faint smile crossed his face as the memory brushed across his mind. The tone that Dave had used was one that Hal had never known he even had.
"She seemed a little pompous at first...never calling me by my real name...but after I got to know her...there was something deep inside me yelling 'This is destiny'. Back then...I was too confused to know what I wanted. Part of me wanted a normal life, another wanted to go back to FOXHOUND, and another wanted to just get as far away as possible from other people."
...She called me....Blue Eyes...while I called her brat....
"We parted that day...supposedly never to see each other ever again. That seemed inevitable until...I was attacked by hordes of former FOXHOUND soldiers. I don't know why they came after me...maybe the Patriots wanted me out of the picture so I wouldn't turn out like Big Boss. She saved me...and even nursed me back to health. It went on from there..." Dave said, trailing off. He let the innuendo float in the air for that tidbit of the story.
"Da-"
"Mr. Emmerich."
Both men turned, being greeted with the presence of the doctor who had treated Mei Ling. Hal shot up from his seat.
"Yes, Doctor?" Hal said, choking up just a bit.
"It's about the condition of your fri--"
Before the conversation could continue, Snakes heart skipped a beat, as something rolled across the floor at the corner of his eye. Snake, upon impulse launched himself from his seat and grabbed both men as he went falling to the floor.
"Stay down!"
Otacon whimpered as the explosion rang through their ears, and tons of debris flew over their heads.
000000
"That's the signal," Coyote muttered to his comrades. A slight hint of humor buried in his tone, though it fell on deaf ears.
Across the hospital, from atop an apartment building, Coyote and Phantasm watched as a fire broke out from the second floor window. Cerberus sat on the ledge, one leg dangling, watching the ongoing chaos. Rain poured on there heads as they all watched with impassive eyes. Phantasm spat over the ledge, his emotion being very clear to Coyote.
"Don't worry. Charon can force the information out of Mr. Emmerich. Wouldn't be too much, considering how much of a coward he is," Coyote reassured his comrade of years past.
"Who said I was worried?" Phantasm muttered, impassive as ever. "Either way, the new era will come. I just want the day to be even more special."
"Snake--he's armed. USP, to be precise," Cerberus whispered over his shoulder, "It's obvious that Charon struck first, but struck recklessly. Mr. Emmerich almost ended torn apart, had not our colleague Snake gotten into the fray," He inserted rather quickly, gluing his eyes to the window that had a trail of smoke blowing out.
Silence.
"How many days?" Coyote questioned.
"5," Phantasm replied simply. A smile crept up on his face and he smiled a divine smile as the rain poured on his face, "5 long days..."
000000
A giggle can be heard in the distance, as Snake brushed himself off. Snake gripped his USP and brought it to his side. He scanned the hallway in front of him, seeing no traces of life. Snake kneeled, and whispered into the ear of his fallen friend.
"Otacon," Snake began, "Get outta here, keep the doctor safe."
Otacon nodded, "Be careful."
Snake hurried down the hallway, not giving a response to Otacons warning. He had not a moment to worry about his personal safety, bringing down the enemy was his one and only goal. Snake stepped over the debris, and ran around the corner.
"Hiya, Snake," A voice said between giggles.
Snake stopped in his tracks as his eyes fell onto the man responsible for this attack. The man was crouched, with his knuckles planted on the floor in an almost gorilla like fashion. He had shackles that hung from his wrists that didn't seem to bother him at all. He had on a white sneaking suit with black straps wrapped around his arms and legs.
His eyes were slightly graying, and he had almost an enigmatic aura surrounding him, mostly from the wide grin spread across his face. However, the grin wasn't one that would be considered warm, or caring. It was that showed that man was inwardly mocking the man in the sneaking suit. From the expression on his face, it looked as if he hadn't slept for a year. He had long red hair that reached to his shoulders.
"...The hell are you?" Snake muttered; his voice riddled with disgust.
"That anyway to say thank you to someone who just gave you some presents?" His eyes squinted in glee as he rolled some dice across the floor towards Snake. At first, the latter stepped away before the dice got within a certain distance from him, but then paused, staring at the attack with confusion. "Think fast!" The man shouted, and snapped his fingers.
In an instant, the dice exploded right at Snakes feet, sending the long-haired man sailing across the hallway and slamming against the back wall. Snake fell to the ground with a thud, and groaned in pain as his midsection was struck awkwardly. Snake staggered to his feet, not letting the chains of pain weigh his body down.
"My name? Charon!" Charon threw a thumbs up in Snakes direction. Snake furrowed his eyebrows again, and prepared to strike.
Charon charged at Snake at full force, his stride doubling with every step he took and he broke out into a roll. Snake fired several shots at the eccentric bomber but to no avail. Charon finished his pursuit by getting on one knee, revealing a die in the spaces between each of his fingers.
"Bang, bang!" Charon shrieked.
Charon flung all the dice at Snake, each of them posing a very large threat to the mercenaries life. Snake dive rolled behind the corner, and flung his arm over his head shielding himself from the oncoming explosion. Snakes eardrums nearly imploded at the resulting sound, as he cringed at the thought of Charons rotting corpse from the result of his own attack. The explosion was much too large for Charon to have dodged considering that the man was right in front of Snake before launching the attack. Snake jumped off the wall, and he avoided the inferno.
Snake ran down the hallway, wondering how Charon could have even thought of launching an attack like that without so much as a second thought. Snake kept his head low to avoid any other surprise attacks that could be launched from other possible New Prime members in this building.
"Eat this!" Another shriek came.
Suddenly, a single die came speeding into Snakes line of vision, and instinctively, Snake dodged the small object just in time. How was the freak still alive? Was he immortal? Was there more than one of him on this floor? Clones? Twins? Snake shook his head in exasperation at the absurdity of his own thoughts. Nowadays, that is, after Shadow Moses, the surreal and supernatural were common events during his missions. Immortal vampires, telepathic madmen and a woman that can't be hit with a bullet?
Snake immediately leaped forward, as he had already been acquainted with the side effects of these toys that Charon had been toying with. Snake ran out of the blasts reach, staying alive with the skin of his teeth. Snake continued sprinting towards the origin of the attack, wherever that may be. Snake rounded the corner, only to be reacquainted with six more dice. All of them brushed against Snakes skin, not blowing up on contact for some reason. The dice burned into the wall, creating tiny holes.
Snake gazed down the hallway, staring at the man who just launched the failed attack. Charon. Snake felt a tiny hint of smugness rise up his body.
"What happened to your little toys?" Snake pointed the gun straight at Charon, ready for fire.
"Wait for it," Charon grinned. Charon lifted one hand, his fingers spread out towards Snake, palm facing the ground. "Here's the KILL!!!" Charon shrieked as he flipped his hand, and snapped his fingers.
The wall behind him blew up on cue, and Snake was sent flying across the hall, falling face first onto the ground. Snake rolled across the ground once hitting it, and composed himself immediately, although with a few scratches. His shirt was torn on many portions on his back, and his skin was burned quite much. His jeans were intact though, for some...odd reason.
Snake was kneeled on the ground, and sent off several shots at Charon, hoping that his gift would reach the red haired bomber. However, the bullets only pierced through plain air, and into the back wall. Snake sighed, and turned on his cell phone whilst running after Charon.
"Otacon, where are you?" Snake growled into the phone.
"I'm outside, I don't know where the doctor went but it looked like he went home."
"Listen, I want you to get outta here. Use the subway to get back to the apartment," Snake ordered.
"I can't Snake. That place is swarming with cops!"
"Then go to Raidens!" Snake turned off the phone and continued his pursuit, not letting his friend get a word in.
Snake rounded another corner, and noticed a door closing. The nut was using the staircase. Snake immediately ran over to the door, and flung it open, probably tearing it off its hinges. Snake looked up the long flight of stairs, and then looked down over the railing, wondering where the madman went. Up or down.
"Surprise, Snake!" A voice echoed through the staircase.
Snake snapped his head up, and heard the pitter patter of something hitting against the steps. Snake noticed two dice hit the wall right next to him, and they exploding mere feet away from Snakes face. Snake rolled down the stairs, and hit the bottom wall. Snake coughed up a bit blood, and panted in pure exhaustion. Getting hit dead on took the wind right out of him. Snake forced himself up and ran up the stairs.
Snake noticed another door swinging open, and waves of hair disappear behind it. Snake immediately followed suit, and noticed that once he got into the hallway, that Charon had stopped dead in his tracks. He had his back to Snake, and the latter immediately pointed his USP at him.
"So funny," Charon laughed. "So funny...after all this time, the revolution is finally coming...and you won't be there to see it!"
Charon took several dice, and flicked one of them. Snake dodged the first, and noticed another speeding towards his head. Snake leaned away from the second, and heard Charon chuckle. The two dice were grafted into the wall, and exploded upon sight of them. Snake was sent to the ground almost immediately, and he let out a small groan.
Snake stood up, and sent off even more shots at Charon. This time, however, a bullet dug into the shoulder of Charon, and blood trickled down his arm. Charon continued to cackle as his eyes sparkled with delight, a sickening delight. His eyes beamed like the sun, as his laugh reached from ear to ear and his mouth widened to its capacity.
"You're sick..." Snake growled.
Snake let off another shot from the barrel of his gun, and it hit yet another spot on Charons body. His forearm nearly flew off his body as if he were a rag doll. Charon fell to his knees, still cackling as if it were the biggest joke in the world.
"I'll let you in on a little secret, Snake..." Charon giggled again. "I can't feel pain!" Charon cackled again at the, in his opinion, hilarity of the issue, and it almost seemed as if he totally forgot about Snake.
Snake growled and charged at Charon, tackling him to the ground. Charon got to his feet rather quickly, but was greeted with a jab to the face, sending him to the ground once again. Snake grabbed Charons arm, and struck his elbow with his right palm. A few sickening cracks, and Charon had just become left handed. His right arm was bent in the opposite direction, dangling in a disturbing fashion.
Charon sent his knee into the gut of Snake, causing the soldier to stagger away from the former a couple of steps. Charon pulled out a handful of tiny dice grenades, and grinned at Snake in a sadistic manner. Charon gripped them tightly, and Snake could see smoke seething from between his fingers. Snake ripped off his shirt, and charged at Charon. For the first time, in perhaps his entire life, Charons grin was wiped clean off his face. Snake twisted the shirt, which entangled around Charons wrist and gripped the towel tighter, which cause the captured red head to gasp in surprise. However, this change of character was brief, as the gleam in Charons eyes returned.
"You're so stupid!" Charon laughed. "You're DEAD at this distance!"
"So are you. Once you let go, the bombs will explode on contact with anything won't it?" Snake growled. "You've already burned your energy into it..."
Snake sent one punch into Charons stomach. Then another, and another. Soon, Snake had sent a total onslaught on Charons stomach, causing the younger man to cough up blood, and the blows were so extreme, that Snakes fists were implanted onto the abdomen of Charon. Charon couldn't fall to his knees, as the philanthropy member would lift his hand higher, keeping the man on his feet. Snakes punches gradually raised up his body higher and higher, until the punches connected with his face.
"Do you really think this is going to work?" Charon said as blood dripped from his clenched teeth.
"The question is...do you have the stones to try something so crazy...even you won't try?"
Charon kept the insane grin on his face as he pulled out yet another handful of dice. Snake glared at the man, letting him know that he would not back down.
"I thought you'd never ask..." Charon said between his teeth.
The dice slowly rolled off the tips of Charons fingers, as Snakes eyes widened. Snake let go of the torn shirt, and jumped away, leaving the laughing madman to fend for himself. The dice exploded, sending both men sailing across the hallway....
Snake panted as he sat in the middle of the hallway, beads of sweat trickling down his face. He forced himself up, and walked down the hallway, leaving a small trail of blood.
His name was Gregory Cole. Charon Red. Another young man of 21 years. He has the power to force anything he wants to blow up suddenly, at any moment he pleases. He died of SIDS several years before going to the battlefield, however, an unknown scientist brought him back. This miracle came with a curse. Every day, he would have constant visions of death, and what he saw beyond the grave. The hallucinations became so constant and life threatening, that the scientist changed his mental system, and now, he cannot pain but instead, laugh when he should receive pain. The shock of realizing that all these experiments were for nothing, and neither was his constant fighting, sent him over the edge, punishing all those who dare stand in New Primes way.
End of chapter.