DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY TITLE IN THE METAL GEAR FRANCHISE IN WHOLE OR IN PART. ALL CHARACTERS, UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED, BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. THIS FICTION IS IN NO WAY AFFILIATED WITH KONAMI OR ANYONE WITHIN KONAMI. THIS FICTION IS NOT FOR PROFIT OR PERSONAL GAIN, AND MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED IN ANY FORM. THIS IS A FICTION CREATED BY NOTHING MORE BY A SUPPORTER OF THE SERIES (A "FAN FICTION," IF YOU WILL) AND WAS CREATED SIMPLY TO PROMOTE THE METAL GEAR FRANCHISE.
"Just give up, Deonorth," said The Dragon. "I will never surrender, especially not to the likes of you, Dragon." Hatred filled each other's eyes.
This was the clash of the elements.
--
Snake and Raiden both headed forward, trying to close as much distance away from The Polar Bear as possible. "Snake, what was that back there?" Raiden inquired. "Kid, I should be asking you that same question. Why did you have to make him mad? No good would've came from it. Now, if your opponent's power relies on concentration or brute strength, taunting them would be a good idea. Just be careful of who you mock, all right?" Raiden looked downwards. He never liked it when Snake lectured him; he knew he was just trying to make him better than he already was, but enough already. Snake rushed forwards all of a sudden, however, and peeked slightly around the corner of a wall. Raiden followed Snake, but then he saw why Snake was hiding; Troubled Hand and some man were discussing something in a huge main hall. Raiden dove in the opposite wall to Snake and mimicked Snake's act of peeking around the corner.
"But Rattlesnake, are you sure The Wolverine will succeed?" The other man looked at Hand with a smirk. "Of course he will," said the other man, "The Wolverine is more capable than many soldiers out there, despite his blindness. He also knows his weakness, so he should've already prevailed. Don't worry, Hand. I'm sure he --" the man just picked up his radio. "Yeah, what is it?" Another voice came through the radio's speaker. "The Wolverine..." Did he succeed? Of course he did, why am I asking --" "We just found his corpse, boss..." An infuriated expression came across the man's face. "How? Even the great Solid Snake couldn't stand up to the great Wolverine!" The other voice remained silent. "Damn...was it a quick death?" "...It looks like he suffered for a little while before he died; his neck was stabbed in at an angle." The man clenched his fists, his biceps pulsating greatly. "That will be all, Starfish." He crushed the radio within his grasp. Troubled Hand shook his head. "I can't believe just Solid Snake could accomplish that task. ...Look out, he may have an accomplice this time." "But who?" the other man shot back. "Solid Snake always worked alone." Troubled Hand shrugged. "...He's changed since the Big Shell." The other man sighed. "Don't worry, Hand. The Patriots and their unit shall burn beneath our might. But then again, 'he' may show up any time, too." Troubled Hand shook his head solemnly. "If he does...then that means the Patriots have already caught on to our plan and we're fucked." At that point the two trailed off down the hall, into a room at the far north-west side. Jumping out from behind the wall, Snake and Raiden searched the area, weapons drawn an ready. No one else was in the large hall. Not taking any chances, Snake unpinned a chaff grenade and tossed it across the hallway. It exploded into the chaff burst and, as expected, Snake heard many cameras swerving about wildly, electronically confused. "Come on, Raiden, we haven't got much time," said Snake. And Snake and Raiden descended deeper into the hallway, following Hand and this man. But when they entered the room that the two men had entered, both Snake and Raiden looked around. This was a completely bare room.
"Snake, why did they go in here?" Raiden queried. "I dunno..." replied Snake, "it may be a trap --"
"You thought correct," came a melodic voice from above them. Just then, they heard the computer panel in the door behind them explode. "And now I have you right where I want you."
The Starfish – Mending Soldier
(Matt LeBlanc)
"Oh no, not another one," said Raiden grimly. "Yeah, The Wolverine didn't serve much of a threat to you. Something tells me this blondie's your partner. "This blondie's name is Raiden." "Oh yeah, Raiden? Strange name." Raiden shook his head. He got a lot of that in the Big Shell. "But I've heard all about you, Solid Snake, descendant of Big Boss! Bravo, bravo!" The Starfish clapped his hands. "I am The Starfish, the mender of wounds." The Starfish just then dropped from the ceiling onto the floor in front of Snake. "Go on," he said, in a harmless stance, "shoot me." Snake didn't like to hear "mender of wounds" and "shoot me" near each other, but he wasn't going to give up a chance to stop this battle before it starts. So Snake fired a round of the USP into the man's heart. And it went through, dead center. He winded back a bit, obviously hurt by the bullet. But then Snake and Raiden witnessed something amazing happen.
The bullet wound actually sealed itself shut. Where the bleeding, gaping hole in the man's chest was, new flesh had appeared. He may be able to survive a single bullet, but not a barrage of them. Snake again pressed his fire, several bullets piercing him, one even going straight through his brain. But the man simply looked right back at Snake, every one of his wounds closing up. "Are you done?" Snake's head was filled with grim thoughts. Raiden didn't know what effect a tranquilizer round would have on him, but he fired a round of it into The Starfish's head. Strangely enough, the man reacted as normally as someone just hit in the head with a tranquilizer round would be; fall unconscious. While the man was on the ground, Snake filled the man full of holes. But just as Snake and Raiden thought he was dead, he stood up, ripping his shirt off. "Cheap shot," said The Starfish. "You see this?" He pulled out a small device, about the size of a taser. He pushed a button on it, and Raiden gaped at it.
In his hand the man held a spark shooter. It fired a coil of electricity from its tip and buried itself into the wall between Snake and Raiden. "You're both dead." And with that, the three fought.
Snake dove behind The Starfisgh, but he fired a round of the spark shot and it nicked Raiden in the shin. Raiden fired another round at The Starfish, but the round was shot out of flight by a spark. The Starfish jumped up in the air before Snake could fire the USP at him and he attached himself to the upper rafter. He literally had a powerful adhesive to his feet. But how did his feet stay free when he was on the ground...? Almost on cue The Starfish answered Snake's thought. "I made this adhesive; it only responds when it touches certain metals. Like the steel in your gun," and with that, he drop-kicked at Snake's gun. Snake however flung his USP to the side, and Raiden took this time to fire a tranquilizer round at him. He fell fast asleep again, and Snake shook his head. Snake fired the USP at The Starfish's limp form. A bullet hole appeared in his abdomen, and it did not heal up immediately. It stayed like a normal hole until he regained consciousness. That was how to beat him. Snake nodded to Raiden and he fired another tranquilizer round at him. This time sensing the round, The Starfgish ducked, but Snake already had his own M9 at his head and pulled the trigger. The Starfish fell limp again. Snake fired five rounds into his heart, and they did not heal up.
Just before The Starfish had drawn his last breath, he pressed another button on his spark shooter. "Survive the trials..." And with that, The Starfish passed away.
What happened was eight machine guns, four spark spot launchers similar to the miniature one he had, six Stinger missile launchers, and ten hand cannons emerged from the walls. Snake and Raiden gasped.
--
The Dragon threw a flaming sphere at The Polar Bear, which The Polar Bear then formed another ice shield in front of. The Polar Bear manipulated the ice shield to fly into The Dragon. The Dragon shot forth a spiraling blast of flame and it wrapped itself around the ice shield, melting it away in transit.
"Dragon, I WILL kill you!" The Dragon simply smirked, but The Polar Bear materialized a large sword of ice. The Dragon, picking up on what he was going to do, materialized his own sword made of fire. Both of them ripped the swords into their grip and struck at each other, meeting each other's blade, both of them striving to keep their energies into preserving the weapons. The Polar Bear drew back and swung forward toward The Dragon's neck with a vicious slash, but The Dragon blocked the strike and returned his own counter-attack. They both kept up their power within the "blades," neither of them backing down. They finally gave a grand strike to each other, and it went through.
The Polar Bear swung his "blade" to The Dragon's left, The Dragon swinging his fire sword to The Polar Bear's right.
And there they stood, both clutching a relatively deep wound in each other's chests. The Polar Bear sported an unnaturally red scar on his right breast, bleeding profusely, while The Dragon showed a very blue scar on his left breast, bleeding just as bad. Both of them looked into each other's eyes, and The Polar Bear retreated backwards, towards the door Snake and Raiden escaped through. The Dragon did the same, and both of the elemental warriors fled from battle, The Dragon disappearing in the elevator and The Polar Bear through the exit.