Hello once again, my readers!
Site's being a bit wonky today, so I'm lucky I've been able to update, especially because school has begun and I can only work on weekends! Anyways, this chapter was a hard one to write because up until the last sentence, I wasn't sure which way I would go with the ending! Luckily, I know now what I'm going to do, and I've worked extra-hard to get this update out a liiiittle early, so i can focus on school during the weeks ahead. We've officially reached the beginning of the end, so hang onto your hats folks!
HUGE thanks to all my reviewers so far, and to everyone who has stuck around and actually given this thing a chance. It means so much to me that so many of you enjoy reading each update, and as we approach the end, I hope you stick around to see what final tricks I have up my sleeve. :)
Don't forget to leave a review at the end, and enjoy the chapter!
*Nintendo owns everything*
Chapter Eleven: Memories
Pain- it was everywhere, streaking across his body in a searing kiss and wrapping him in fiery chains. David was awoken by this extreme pain with a gasp, and a subsequent struggle to refill his lungs with air. As his back arched in a spasm, he found himself unable to move due to two pairs of metal restraints on his ankles and wrists. Both bound him to a metal table that felt unnaturally hot to him, and a harsh white light shone in his face above him, robbing him of his ability to see where he was and what was going on. This was more terrifying than the pain, for he had no idea what was happening to him or where he was being held. For the first time, he was truly lost.
As the searing pain faded into a slow burn, a velvety voice came from somewhere in the room. "Ah lovely, you're awake. It seems as though you respond with ease to my electric treatment. I suppose that means I can experiment a little."
Miles. Images of blood-red eyes flashed through David's head as he choked out, "Sam...What have you done with her?"
"Don't fret, Mr. Kojima, your dear girl is fine. She already had a session with me today, as you well know. Now I believe it's your turn...or at least the good Master thinks so."
"You bast-aaaaahgh!" The electric current sizzled again through his body, and David grit his teeth to keep from biting his tongue from pain.
"Torture is a marvelous thing, Mr. Kojima," the albino continued almost wistfully. "It creates a bond in a way, a bond between the weak and the strong. Here the weak become strong, and the strong are broken to the point where nothing will fix them. Main taught me these things when he took me under his wing, and since then I have become strong from the pain of others. Enjoy yourself, Mr. Kojima. There is no need to fight this until you have learned your lesson."
"Listen, Main isn't who you think he is! He's using you for something he doesn't want anyone else to-aaaaagh!"
The electric currents grew stronger, and the light began to slowly fade from the reporter's vision as pain clouded every part of him. Mile kept the same, dry tone however, oblivious of the struggles taking place. "Ah, so you went into the Master's documents. Tell me, if the patient's beliefs that we all live different lives are true, then who are you?"
"I...I don't know."
"Ach, such a pity. That's the saddest part of this whole fiasco then: everyone knows who they are...except for you."
"Do you really know who you are?"
"Of course: I'm Miles Tibbins, the chef here at the Mansion."
For a second, a feeling of pity swept over David. The man, whoever he had been before, had been brainwashed by Main into blindly following the Master. "No, you're more than that. We all are more than that."
"'We'?" A hacking cough came from Miles, as more pain overwhelmed David with an even stronger force. "There is no 'we'- you are nothing more than a meddlesome reporter who can't keep his nose out of other people's business."
"Open your eyes, Miles! You're sick for a reason, because you're not used to this body! You and the other doctors and nurses take drugs every day to keep you under Main's control! He's using you!"
"Shut up!" Miles screamed in rage as a scream left David, who could no longer contain his reaction to the pain. "You are nothing, David Kojima! NOTHING!"
No, David thought to himself as his body trembled, and then fell slack against his restraints. He closed his eyes, seeking an escape from the pain, and sought out the black void that welcomes him with open arms. Was this death? It didn't feel like he had died, but the pain had gone for now. Who am I? He asked himself, as he let his thoughts float out amid the blackness around him. If I was one of the people here originally, then why don't I remember who I am? I have to be someone- all the patients seem to think I am!
Slowly, he sought out the conversation he had been a part of over the past weeks, letting the voices flow through his mind and wrap him in the darkness.
At one point, David, you were one of us...
You fought for your friends...
Be careful, David...
Honor above all else...
You, David Kojima, are the key...let your instincts guide you...
The last rumble of Gann's words echoed through the mind of the reporter, and suddenly he knew why the answers were so hard to find: he had been seeking them, when the only thing he had to do was let them come to him. The answers always came to him after all, and his instinct had merely nudged him and his curiosity towards them. So now to find the answers, he would have to do one thing...stop searching.
So David relaxed, letting his body take each shock without resistance, and with each burst of electricity, a memory made the door of his past life crumble bit by bit.
A snowy courtyard, where he stood with a gun, as a guard approached from the opposite end...
A room of torture, where he struggled to keep himself from spilling secrets to the enemy...
Machines of terrifying power, rows and rows of them, all gleaming with murderous intent...
A humid jungle, where he hid himself amid the canopy of trees, gun fixed on a soldier below...
Faces, names, stories he hadn't heard in years: Otacon, Meryl, Raiden, Revolver Ocelot, Liquid...the last one was another memory of him fighting the man named Liquid. It was almost as if he was fighting kin...
Other memories of more recent times, of Sam and Gann, of the other patients in various forms fighting a great evil, of himself glowing with a magnificent light as he struck a blow to the evil force...
A mansion, a place that radiated beauty and peace, that looked eerily similar to the Mansion he had been in...
The pieces of his life came together at last, twisting and turning to form a complete puzzle. His mind was restored, with both lives lying side by side in his head- if he could smile, he would.
I know who I am, he thought.
I am David Kojima, fighter soldier and hero.
Yet I once went by another name to my friends, my codename that I always used.
I am Solid Snake.
The pain he had felt moments before was nothing to him now- far worse things had happened to him before this. The metal restraints seemed flimsy, and it only took a tug to snap them from the table. He didn't feel stronger, but he knew that the power and techniques that he had learned as a soldier had returned after being buried for so long inside his head. David wasted no time snapping open his eyes and swinging off the table, escaping the gaze of the blinding white light and throwing himself into darkness. It didn't take long for his eyes to adjust, but he could still make out the sharp, nearly silent intake of breath from Miles...and that was the direction he struck in.
His motions were lightning fast, but Miles was ready for the soldier. The albino weaved to the side and slapped David's fist away, delivering a stinging punch to the side of his opponent's head in the process. The sudden attack spun David around and into a table of tools, sending them clattering to the floor in a clashing of sound. There was no time to catch his breath, for Miles was upon him with another punch to his jaw that made David see stars. The soldier responded with a kick to Miles' stomach, eliciting a gasp that was cut short by David's furious yell as he tackled him at the waist, using his own body weight to drive him to the ground. They landed in a pile of limbs and fists, each grabbing and punching at whatever they could see in the darkness. Somehow, David got the upper hand in the chaos, and delivered a facial blow to the already bleeding Miles. He was about to strike again when he saw his opponent tense, making the blood that sung in his ears order him to pull back. Breathing heavily, David grumbled "Miles, it doesn't have to be like this. Main-"
"Is a good man!" Males spat out a wad of blood and fixed David with angry red eyes. "He took me in when no one else would."
"That life is a lie!" David hit Miles, making him howl in rage. "He brainwashed you! Can't you see that something is wrong? Haven't you wondered why you and Main seem so sick? It's because these bodies are not the ones you are used to!"
"That's crazy!"
"Well we're all crazy then! Yet that doesn't mean we're wrong!" More memories flashed through David's mind, of who Miles was in his past life. "Miles, you don't remember who you were, but you and I were similar. We both were created to be weapons; we both rejected that in order to control our own fate. Maybe you realized that when you stopped taking your drugs originally- maybe that's why you tried to kill Main in the first place, because you didn't want to be held under control again. In the end though, you still fell back under his control...except this time it cost you the lives of your friends."
The albino blinked in surprise, and in his blood-red eyes David saw the flicker of remembrance. He relaxed his grip and let the former cook scramble free, and watched in silence as he let out a shuddering cry and curled up unexpectedly into a ball. "Oh God," he sobbed, "Oh my God, it's my fault they died. I led them to their deaths! Roy, Young Link, Pichu- they're all gone because I was so stupid and so self-absorbed!" He shook his head after a moment, and then looked to David, his face smeared with blood and tears. "I was such a fool."
"No, you did the right thing. Main just got the better of you."
"Main...damn him," he responded in a whisper. "He has to pay."
"That's what I intend on making him do", David replied. "Come with me, Miles. There's still a chance to right your wrongs and avenge your friends, but we have to go right now to stop Main from hurting anyone else."
With shaking shoulders, Miles met the soldier's gaze and silently nodded. "You're right. I may have let my friends down once, but I'm not going to do it again." Shambling to his feet, he stuck out a hand and helped David up. "You know, I remember you now. You always wanted to be called Snake."
"David is my real name. I'm still getting used to these memories, so just call me that for now."
"Alright then, follow me David. Time to get out of here." Miles moved rapidly to the door, opening it and throwing David's vision back into the light of the second floor hall. It was still nighttime outside as they raced to the stairs, and David hesitated before asking, "How long has it been since you found me in the library?"
"An hour at most- it'll be morning in a few hours. I just hope we're not too late to help Sam-er, Samus."
"Better hurry then." Suddenly a strange fact hit David, and he couldn't help but laugh despite the situation.
"What's so funny?"
"I'm not wearing glasses, and yet I can see everything just fine."
"Perhaps it's because you finally know who you are- we don't have time to question it though, unfortunately. Quickly, we're almost there."
The two raced down the stairs and to the oak doors of Main's office, no longer caring about secrecy or stealth as they busted through the unlocked doors...and froze.
Everything was normal in Main's office, but standing in the moonlight that spilled from the windows were four figures, which had been facing the Master's desk until the dramatic entrance. David immediately recognized the pale form of Rosalina, and to his relief saw that she was restraining Sam (who looked at David with a mix of shock and joy). However, he saw that Dr. Isaac Soloro was also there, and was retaining a patient of his own- Zelda, who regarded his arrival with a small smile.
"Ah, David Kojima," Main's cold voice came from the shadowy chair he occupied, "Lovely of you to join us. We've been expecting you."
"You." David wanted to run over and slug Main out of his chair, but he kept himself in check as he moved to the middle of the room, Miles drifting behind him in silence. "The game is up, Main. I read your journal, I know your secrets, and now I know the elaborate lie you've been blinding us with. It's over."
"On the contrary, Mr. Kojima, it's only just begun," came the sly response. "I see though you've uncovered your memories at long last however. Perhaps Samantha here was right after all."
Hearing her name made Sam attempt to struggle free. "Oh I'll show you just how right I was, you son of a bi-"
"Hush!" Rosalina shook the girl she held captive. "Don't bring more punishment to yourself."
Main seemed not to take notice of Sam's outburst, and instead continued onward. "Either way, I still have the advantage- especially now. You see, I've been watching the patients for some time, and I believe I have finally tracked down someone I've been very eager to meet. Isn't that right, Zelda? Or should I say...the Raven?"
Zelda ignored the stares and gasps and merely chuckled. "As I have already told you, I am not the Raven. I merely speak on behalf of the true Raven."
"Lies!" Soloro was red in the face as he glared at his captive patient. "You just don't want to tell us the truth! You have to be the Raven- the Master has seen you acting suspiciously before, especially since David has arrived! Your room was the one right next to his before we moved you- it has to be you!"
"You are a fool, Isaac Soloro. I am nothing more than the main messenger for the Raven. I serve on the Court with others, but I have never taken the name of the Raven while here."
"Then you know who really is the Raven!"
"No, I don't. No one does."
Silence settled in and made itself comfortable, until Main ripped it to shreds with a venom-filled whisper. "Well then, if you refuse to tell us, I'll make you tell me. Miles, take her to the restraint room. I'll deal with her personally."
"No!" The albino snarled at the command. "I'm not obeying you anymore! You're done playing your tricks on me!"
David could feel the hatred and fury radiating from Main's chair, and he spoke up in a cold voice. "Listen to me Main, it's over. You're done controlling people- you've had your fun, but now it's time to face reality. The only thing your thirst for power has given you is a mortal body and the death of your brother, not to mention incredible pain at having two lives clashing inside your head." He didn't know where the words were coming from, but they flowed from his tongue like water. "Let this end now, before anyone else gets hurt. We all trusted you once before, and we all know people make mistakes. Now's your chance to make up for that mistake you made all those years ago. Please Dr. Main...Master Hand...let us go home."
Something about David's words seemed to his Main especially hard, for his voice was nothing more than a whisper as he stuttered "I...I..."
Suddenly, before anyone could react, the sound of a gunshot echoed through the room.
I feel so guilty ending on a cliffhanger like that, but it must be done. :P Plus, up until this chapter, I was unsure how the ending would...well, end. So now that I'm sure, I've given one character a save, and...well, you'll have to see. ^_^
Okay, so since we're nearing the end, I'd like to announce that I'll be doing a Thanks Page after the final chapter of Smashed Minds! I did one originally for my first fic, Stars of Destiny, and I'll be doing it again! It'll include the usernames of everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed SM over the year, along with some people who helped me through the process of crafting this thing. If you already followed/favorited/reviewed, you're already going to be on the list! Anyone who RFFs from now until the final chapter will get put on the list as well, so if you want a bit of credit, leave a review/follow/favorite this bad boy!
With luck I'll have the next chapter out in a month- until then, read on my readers!