The ancient 4x4 truck rumbled uncomfortably across the desert sands. It had originally been used for deliveries, so there were only seats and safety belts in the front. Otacon drove as best he knew, but it was never going to be an easy journey. He felt like Indiana Jones and Laurence of Arabia rolled into one.
"Anyone want some music?" Otacon called from the front as cheerfully as he could manage. Receiving no reply, he began to fiddle randomly with the switches. A sort of static country music erupted from the front speakers. He quickly gave up, and turned it off again. No one looked up.
Otacon reflected on the hardships of the past week. Snake's capture, VII's appearance, a near-death experience with Raiden, rescuing Mei Ling... He had spent so long fighting the tiredness that he experienced trouble dividing one day from the next; they all seemed to melt into one large, complicated tapestry in his mind. He couldn't even discern how long Snake had been missing, and he was even getting incidents confused in his head due to lack of sleep. Otacon knew little, except from the scraps of information VII revealed to him in riddling talk. What he did know was that they were on the way to save Snake. He hoped that he'd survive long enough to unleash some sort of payback on Vamp, the killer of his sister. How Liquid fit into the equation was beyond him, but he knew that Snake's brother was another vital piece of the puzzle. Most of all, he knew he needed to know more.
There had been little motion from the back, despite the lack of safety belts. A solemn silence hung over them all: Jack was still recovering from his neural shock, Mei Ling was lost in thought, a fearful apprehension limited Rose's words when she was awake, and VII sat brooding in the corner of the van. From time to time he picked up Jack's high frequency blade to study it, but said nothing.
Jack felt Rose's sleeping head on his chest, rising and falling with his slow heartbeat. There had been hours of doubt between them, and they had not yet fully reconciled, the shock of the attack being too big for either of them to cover with words. But her now pulled close to him on the van's cold floor, subconsciously needing protection, told Jack all he needed to know of the way he felt about his fiancée.
There were a copious amount of things that called the necessity of Mei Ling's attention. The events of the past day ran through her mind, as they did Otacon's. A strong connection with a man she didn't know yet felt familiarity to have been severed by death, the same sort of connection she hoped to make with her father. Mei hoped against hope that she could avoid her relationship with her lost parent sharing the same fate.
She had often thought to herself what she would say if she ever met her father. He had abandoned her at an early age, yet she bore him little ill will. Her mother had hardly ever spoken of him, saying that he "left because he had to." Often as a child she'd found her mother crying, sobbing in her room for no apparent reason, and it was not until years later that Mei linked the loss of her mother's husband with her rare fits.
"Pull over, Emmerich."
VII had spoken for the first time in hours. Otacon did as he was told, and brought the car to a halt next to a sand dune, hearing Rose stir. He'd considered asking the masked man for more information, but a steely rattle announced VII was about to speak.
"While I realise time is of the essence," VII said, unmoving. "You all need to be briefed, and we're ahead of schedule." Otacon got out of the van and walked around to the back. He entered, ducking, via the large back doors and sat down hard by Mei Ling. Rose sat up and wiped her eyes, pulling her head swiftly from Jack's body. VII's throat rattled, as unnerving as ever.
"For most of you, this is a rescue mission," VII continued. "And a chance to strike a major blow against the Patriots. The captive here is Solid Snake, who is currently undergoing psycho-torture. For Miss Ling, we hope to find information on her father in exchange for her assistance over codec communication, which you will all be equipped with.
"However, there is a secondary mission, which I have discussed with Dr Emmerich. This involves information gathering on the new Metal Gear prototype."
Otacon shuffled uncomfortably in his chair. VII spoke with no emotion, even in the face of possible annihilation. Otacon had formed Philanthropy as a Metal Gear deterrent, yet his former creation still demanded massive respect. VII offered it none.
"Obviously, only Raiden and I will be going into the field. You three will remain here, out of detecting range, and act as support team. Understood?"
Mei Ling's head rose for the first time. "If you find out about my father, contact me immediately."
VII bowed his head in acceptance. "Now," he began again. "Once Raiden and I have prepared, we can begin."
It took between five and ten minutes for Raiden and VII to get ready for battle. The equipment available to them was limited. VII had been able to salvage some important items from Jack's apartment, such as his HF blade and skull suit, and Mei Ling had provided them with the codec technology that she had held in her briefcase. Beyond that, they had a Berretta and a FAMAS rifle each, and whatever VII had taken from the ninja. He allotted Raiden an optic cable and night-vision goggles, but anything else he'd taken from the train station shootout he kept in the pockets of his trench coat.
"You have an infiltration plan?" Jack asked, sounding sure of himself for the first time in days, as he suited up.
"Of course."
"And...?" Jack enquired confidently, not intimidated by VII's frightening aura.
"And I'll tell you on the way."
"You realise we're not just going to be able to waltz in there and out with Snake? We're taking enough risks as it is, parking in the middle of the desert."
VII's answer was a harsh thrust of air leaving his throat.
"I don't trust you," Raiden said after a while. "I may not know anything about you, but I know this: you need me. Therefore, you need me to be informed. You need me to trust you."
When there was no reply, Jack slammed his fist into the side of the truck that VII was leaning against. "Are you even listening to me?" He moved round and stared into the small eyeholes of the man's mask.
"Hrrm."
"I'm sick of being jerked around. We're working together on this, whether you want to be the boss or not. I'm not being fed horseshit anymore."
VII considered his answer, smiling behind his mask. It was true, he needed Raiden's full co-operation, but he didn't want to reveal things to him that would confuse him. "Hmm. Alright. My name is VII, I'm an amnesiac from Nevada who can't remember anything before a few weeks ago. I'm skilled in several forms of martial arts, and I remember killing twenty-six people to date. I'm into eating food, drinking fluids, and, although I can't be certain, I think that I'm a Rolling Stones fan..."
"Bullshit."
"...And as you can see, I'm developing a sense of humour. What I have no time for is whiny little jackasses who bitch about not knowing as much as they "need" to while trying to keep their personal lives as protected as humanely possible." Jack looked furiously at VII, unwilling to let this go. VII stared right back.
"Fine," Jack answered, finally conceding. "Be a bastard. I've worked with them all my life."
Otacon approached Mei Ling, who was sitting alone in the sun. "Hey," he greeted her softly. Her head didn't rise.
"Are you sure you're up to this?" he asked.
"Yeah," the reply eventually came. "I'm sure."
There were so many things he wanted to tell her. He thought there was more than a friendship towards Mei Ling, but he hadn't even sorted out in his head how he felt. He couldn't bring himself to dump it all on her, not when she'd been through such a difficult time.
"Mei, I was..." he began, feeling foolish. She looked up, blankly.
"I was wondering if... when this is all over," for some reason, as he spoke, he imagined himself as a big, stupid wet towel. "if you'd like to come and stay with Snake and me."
She smiled vaguely, and opened her mouth as if to speak. Otacon's heart slowed as she closed it again and looked down at the sand. They didn't speak again for a long time.
Soon after the confrontation, Jack left VII to talk to Rose. He knew they didn't have enough time to get over what had transpired a few nights ago, but he had to at least leave on good terms. They talked for a long time, Jack confessing what he felt when he was under the Patriots' control; how he'd believed what he had been doing was what he actually wanted. Rose seemed to understand, and held nothing against him, save for the fact that she could see his mission becoming a self-imposed penance.
But it was just so Jack to react like that.
"Live, Jack," she told him before he began his long walk. He ran back, and they shared a passionate kiss. He took a silver dog tag from his neck and put it around hers. It lay glinting on her chest.
"I'll be back for this," he said. "And this." He touched her stomach, and they kissed again. He didn't want to leave her; he would have given anything to stay at her side. All the doubts that the Patriots had placed in his mind had left as though they had never existed, and for the first time in his life, Jack felt contentment was within his grasp. Their tears mixed on each other's faces.
Before long, VII and Raiden were no more than tiny silhouettes against the evening sun; two determined soldiers who had found something to fight for, walking through the desert sand towards their destiny, whether it be victory or death.
Fin.
I do not own the rights to Metal Gear or any of its characters or situations. These are the property of Konami.
