Side Quest 2: How To Train Your Metal Gear

General's Office, Installation 83-RK, 1100hrs

"And so we offer you this proposal. The choice is completely up to you. Whether you accept it or not, will not have any bearing on the relationship between our organizations." The elderly man, looking more than 70 years of age, sat at the table, opposite the General. Despite his silver hair and moustache, as well as the wrinkled skin, the man looked more than healthy for his age; dressed in a trench coat, the man gave off an aura of power and strength. His voice was gruff and gravelly, but had a determined quality about it.

"So let me get this straight… you want us to share our dragon handling expertise with you… and in exchange, you allow us access to this… Metal Gear technology?" The General seems a little reluctant to seal the deal, seemingly unconvinced of what benefit it might bring the Armas Transfronterizo.

The old man is unfazed. Without skipping a beat, he proceeds to speak, "I repeat, the choice is completely yours. But I must say, isn't this beneficial for both our organizations?"

Nodding his head, the General agrees with this point. But he is still unsure; the alliance with the dragons remains one of the ATF's primary driving forces, having resulted in a number of operational successes in the past year. The old man sighs, "Alright. How about this – in addition to the Metal Gear technology, we give you the schematics to all our experimental weapons; AI and all, no strings attached."

Narrowing his eyes, the General contemplates for a while more.

"Persistent one, aren't you? Alright. We'll do this for a year, and see how it turns out." Making sure that there is no fine print, the General signs the documents laid out in front of him.

"We appreciate your assistance. I promise you won't regret it," The old man genially smiles. Getting up, the General offers him a handshake.

As the door closes behind the man, the General sighs in relief.

"Sir, who was that?" An officer who was standing nearby all this time speaks up.

"A representative of the Militaires Sans Frontieres, calling himself 'Big Boss'." The General's face is grim, as if an old hatchet had been dug up within.

The officer is stunned. "THE MSF? The one they call 'Outer Heaven'? The ones that single-handedly resolved the Peace Walker nuclear crisis in the 1970s?"

"Yes. The most powerful paramilitary corporation there is in the world. Exclusive holders of the rights to AI weaponry and Metal Gear technology, and that man right there, is the founder himself. Big Boss, one of the deadliest, most legendary soldiers to have ever lived. My father used to tell me fantastical tales of how Big Boss took down entire armies on his own. I hear that he himself was the one who ended the crisis you spoke of. By his own hands."

The officer stands there, awed by the presence that stood there just a few minutes ago.

As for the General, he prays that he has made the right choice.

MSF Mother Base, Somewhere in the middle of the Caribbean Sea

The helicopter gradually descends, touching down on the landing pad. As the spinning blades come to a rest, Snake, or 'Big Boss' as the rest of the world called him, exited the chopper, holding on to the Cuban cigar that hung from his lips to prevent it from being blown away by the salty sea wind.

Puffing out a white cloud of tobacco smoke, he slowly makes his way across the platform to meet his second-in-command. She was dressed in standard MSF-issue combat fatigues for pants, but wore a brown tank top, with a yellow scarf around her neck. Her shoulder-length brown hair whipped back in the breeze.

"Boss-"

"I told you, call me Snake. We've been working together long enough, Amanda."

"Sorry, Snake. How did it go?"

"The ATF has agreed to work with us for now. I can tell that he still does not trust us fully. No matter, trust can be built up."

"Sounds good, shall I put the plans into action?"

Shaking his head, Snake holds her back, "Not yet; get a small detachment ready, but don't send them out. For now, we let them decide the course of action."

"Remember Amanda, dragons are living things; our Metal Gears are only machines. Let's not rush them for now."

"But what about Cipher's threat?"

"We've disabled all his nukes; for now, the guns are silent." Pausing, the wrinkled brow furrows even more, "But I understand your concern. Knowing him, it won't be long before he starts up again."

"Then we must hurry; gain the ATF's trust ASAP," the woman's tone is worried, but determined. Snake nods in agreement; the Boss's will is his. For the world to be truly safe against the threat of Cipher, it would take every effort of all the major organisations of the world. They would need to be united as one.

Plus, developing an alliance between dragons and humanity is likely to prove a worthy deterrent against Cipher's plots in the future. It won't hurt to have a few more flying tanks on our side.

"Contact Strangelove; have her backup all our AI weapon schematics, for Pupa, Chrysalis, Cocoon and Gear Rex. Have an R&D team ready for deployment to the ATF base by next week."

"Let's hold up our end of the deal, and we'll see if they hold up theirs."

Hangar, Installation 83-RK, 1000hrs
One week later
Cpt. Jack Haddock

"Who are the new guys?" Astrid's question draws my attention away from the workbench. I was just making some tweaks to the radar and weapons systems on Toothless. Not too far away, my Night Fury lay curled up on the ground, waiting for me to finish making my modifications, a bored, nonchalant look on his face.

"Some detachment from another PMC… they're here on exchange, I think. Swapping expertise and skills. My father said something about it in passing, I didn't bother to ask more." Shrugging, I return to what I was doing before I got distracted. Nearby, a group of engineers happen to pass by, talking very loudly.

"Whoa! Guys! Listen up, those new guys from the other PMC, they're getting to use the largest hangar here!"

"Really? Isn't that the one that's supposedly reserved for all our top-secret projects? How are they getting access to it?" Perking up, I listen in more closely, my curiosity piqued.

"I don't know, but apparently, according to one of the top brass around here, they're building a Metal Gear for us!"

Metal Gear? That name sounds very familiar… Where could I have heard it before?

Astrid, seemingly psychic, reads my mind and answers that question for me, "Remember combat history class? The Peace Walker crisis? Metal Gears are AI-controlled mobile weapons platforms. Robots with really big guns. Essentially, they're thinking, learning tanks."

Oh yeah…

"Wait… I thought that was top-secret technology? Only a select few have access to it! How the hell did my dad manage to get hold of it?"

"How would I know? He's your dad!"

A nervous cough from behind interrupts our conversation. A young Private stood there, looking back and forth between the two of us; must have been intimidating, having two officers stand in front of her.

"Um, Captain Jack, Sir? The General was looking for you, he says you've got new posting orders."

What?

"Starting the week after, Odin Squadron is to be posted out to the Caribbean Ocean. You're on an exchange programme with the Militaires Sans Frontieres to teach them Dragon combat."

Stunned, I don't know what to say. Beside me, Astrid has this grin on her face, her eyes sparkling.

"The Caribbean? ! Sweet! Sun, Sand and Surf!"

I give her a bewildered look. Somehow, I doubt she's got the right image in her mind. Shaking my head, I thank the dumbfounded soldier in front of us, and make my way to my father's office for an explanation.

Toothless just yawns.

A/N – Just an idea I had, after playing Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker on the PSP. One of the best handheld games there are, in my opinion. But I digress. After noticing similarities between the protagonist organisation (the MSF) and the guys who own Installation 83-RK (the ATF), this idea just popped into mind. Anyway, having dragons fight alongside/against giant AI tanks seems to be quite a cool idea. Will I build on this? Maybe in more one-shots. But not at the moment, I can't think of anything else for this for now :P For those who are confused about the new characters above (chances are you don't play MSG:PW), it's perfectly fine. Check out the Wikipedia entry for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for more information.