CHAPTER 14:

A PARTING OF THE WAYS

On Ocelot's directions, they soon found Meryl, locked in a cell, alive and, to a degree, well. Meanwhile, Snake got a call not just from Campbell, but from Jim Houseman, the Secretary of Defence. Upon learning that Metal Gear REX was still operable, with only the radome badly damaged, it seemed that Houseman had decided to let Snake, as well as the FoxHOUND survivors, live. He did demand the optical data of the test launch, though.

With Liquid dead, along with Mantis and his mind control, most of the surviving Genome Soldiers had surrendered. Naomi had turned out not to have included Snake on the FoxDIE list, along with Griffin and Wolf, despite orders from Houseman. It seemed that she had been dissuaded from taking her revenge. Ocelot gave one last vaccine dose to Raven. Finally, as they emerged into the snowscape, they met Emmerich, who needed some help freeing the remaining Shadow Moses staff, who had been imprisoned in an outlying building.

Harry was struck by the beautiful winter landscape. Sure, it was a bit bleak, but now that the storm had passed, literally and metaphorically, and the sun was just beginning to rise…it was beautiful. Not as beautiful as the woman standing by his side, who he knew was beginning to think she would never see another dawn, never mind one as beautiful as this.

As Snake and Meryl helped Emmerich, Ocelot and the other FoxHOUND operatives stood to one side. "Warms the cockles of your heart, doesn't it?" Ocelot asked.

"I didn't know you had a heart to warm, General Ivan," Raven said.

"I don't. As far as you guys are concerned, I turned on Liquid to save my own skin," Ocelot said. "And then, I fled into the Alaskan wilderness when I got back to shore. When we next meet, we'll probably be enemies. Enemies against the same foe, but enemies all the same."

"Do you mean the Patriots?" Wolf…no, it was Yasmin now, and perhaps forever, asked.

"Yes. The Patriots think I am their man. I am loyal to the Patriots, just not to them. Not to the machines Major Zero had Strangelove cook up. But to Big Boss, and to EVA. The Boss…my mother…she once told Big Boss that she is loyal to the end, to her purpose. It eventually cost her her life, and her reputation. I'm going down the same path."

Harry was struck by something he hadn't realised. As he looked at Ocelot, for a moment, he saw Snape in his place. A vile, unpleasant man, who was nonetheless willing to do anything to accomplish a higher goal, even if it cost him his reputation, and his life. "Are you doing it out of love?" Harry asked. "You remind me of someone who did the same thing out of love."

Ocelot merely chuckled, sounding almost like a disdainful scoff. "There're secrets I would take with me to my grave. Though my parents will probably spill, 'Master of Death'. Remember, you three, we'll probably be enemies when we next meet."

"Probably?" Yasmin asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ocelot chuckled, before he did a distinctive salute with both his hands, one he had done when he was young, in the GRU. "We'll meet again," he said, before turning and walking away.

The Codec chirruped, on both Yasmin and Harry, and they found themselves talking to Colonel Campbell. Griffin, Wolf, are you there? he asked.

I can hear you, Yasmin said.

So can I, Harry added.

Good. I'm surprised, but the Secretary of Defence is keeping his word about the pardons to you two, along with Raven. President Sears knew little about this operation, and when he did learn, he's applied pressure on Houseman to ensure he keeps his side of the bargain. Houseman looked set to send bombers over to Shadow Moses to cover it up if Metal Gear was no longer operating. Even so, with Baker and Anderson dead, it'll be some time yet before the United States considers using Metal Gear in earnest. The fallout from this will be happening for a long time yet. Griffin…thank you for doing what you could. I only just received word that you were Nemo. I thought it might be you, but…thank you, Campbell said. Snake was angry at me, but…he understood why I could only give him so much information, thanks to you. I hated keeping him in the dark. But Houseman had Meryl's safety over my head.

Yasmin nodded. Yes. I am sorry I had to shoot her, but…that was what I needed to do. Griffin healed her. What will become of us?

The surviving members of FoxHOUND will be brought briefly into custody, but Sears has assured me that your release is a fait accompli, albeit with a dishonourable discharge. You stopped Liquid Snake from unleashing a new nuclear weapon, after all. But you won't be welcome in America for a while, Wolf.

Fine by me. I'm not fond of this country myself. And I don't care what they think of my honour, Campbell. As far as I am concerned, there is precious little honour in the world.

You'll get no argument from me. FoxHOUND will be disbanded, perhaps for good, in light of what happened here. Griffin…there's something I need you to tell Meryl, in case Snake can't pluck up the courage to.

Harry sighed. What is it?

Meryl's not my niece. She's my daughter. After a moment, Campbell elaborated. I…had an affair with my sister in law. I didn't know about Meryl being my daughter until my sister in law sent me a letter, shortly after my brother died. I was going to tell Meryl after this operation was over, but…

You're afraid, Yasmin chuckled. Men.

Campbell promptly changed the subject. Leaving that aside, we have an insurance policy. Mei Ling, who has been working with our comms and data, has a hard copy back-up of the mission data. That being said, there'll be elements who'll have a price on your head, unofficially.

Don't worry, Harry sent back. I have places we can hide out until the worst of it dies down. What about Naomi?

Naomi…will be arrested on charges of treason for modifying FoxDIE against orders, by not including you and Wolf, Campbell said, along with releasing Gray Fox. I think we can muddy the waters somewhat, though. She's talking to Snake now, though. They're talking things out.

I think they need to get stuff off their chests, Harry said. Anyway, without Naomi releasing Gray Fox, we might never have stopped Metal Gear, or Liquid. The first time Jaeger died, it was after piloting Metal Gear. The second time he died, it was saving the world from it.

I don't think the brass will take that into consideration. But I will. I think Naomi's still a good person in the end.

So do I. Life just dealt her a bad hand. Just like it did to us all. It's not always what you get, but what you do with it, Campbell. Wolf and I, we've had bad hands, but we did our best. I think after this, most of the ghosts from our past will be exorcised, or at least silenced. You said FoxHOUND was being disbanded, after all. I think this means we will be more free to choose how our life will go. I think Snake's managed to exorcise some of the ghosts haunting him, too. Anyway, I can Apparate the key players to where you'll pick us up.

Fox Island, Campbell said. There're choppers on the way for the civilians. But for the survivors of FoxHOUND, Snake, Meryl, and Emmerich…well, we need to make sure there's no assassins. Houseman is a sore loser, even when he's won. And to him, Snake is an embarrassment, a dirty little secret. He gave me some spiel about Les Enfants Terrible. By the way, where's Ocelot?

He's already gone, slipped away like the slippery little customer he is, Harry said. Snake's got the test data, though I think he's tempted to destroy it. He's had too much history with Metal Gear. I can't say I blame him. Having something like REX in the arsenal of the US doesn't fill me with confidence.

I can't blame you. And something tells me that something is going to leak anyway about this going on while Sears was signing START III. It's going to be a shitstorm. I don't have to tell you to lay low afterwards, Campbell said.

I'm the Boy Who Lived. Even if I wanted to, I'm not sure I could lay low…

As he trudged through the snow, looking for his ticket off the frozen shithole of an island, Ocelot spoke over an encrypted satellite phone to a very special man indeed. President George Sears, otherwise known as Solidus Snake, the secret third child of Les Enfants Terrible.

"And FoxHOUND?" Sears asked.

"Liquid, Octopus, and Mantis are dead," Ocelot rasped. "Thanks to the vaccine, I am fine, along with the others."

"I don't like leaving loose ends, but it means that Metal Gear REX has been recovered and is salvageable. Hopefully, this situation is as well, and the Patriots won't make a move. What of my other brother, Silverburgh, and Emmerich?"

"Still alive. The Hunter woman excluded Solid Snake from the FoxDIE program."

"Hmm. And the test data?"

"I copied it behind Liquid's back," Ocelot said. "Houseman thinks he's getting the only copy. Unfortunately, the original data was wiped from the computers."

"And your cover is intact?"

Ocelot decided to lie, he had plenty of practice. "My cover's intact, don't worry. Well, save for the DARPA Chief, but I killed him."

"And Liquid is dead?"

"Yes, killed by Wolf. Even so, it would appear that the inferior one was the one who prevailed." And good riddance, Ocelot thought privately to himself. Liquid was a waste of the genetic potential within him, an issue-ridden mess who had the skill and ability, but whose inferiority complexes, dating back long before Shadow Moses, held him back. Even if Liquid knew that he was supposedly the superior product of Les Enfants Terrible, the truth was that he was too shackled by his past.

Solid Snake did have issues. He did have shackles tying him to the past. But there was something he had Liquid never did: even if it was buried down deep, Snake wanted to help people. He was a killer, but he tried to do good in the world. In a way, Ocelot thought Solid Snake more of a successor to Big Boss than Liquid ever could be.

Of course, so too was Harry. Harry was no relation to Big Boss or the Snakes, but Ocelot could see much of their fire in him. Ocelot actually thought highly of Harry. Even buried in cynicism, Harry was easily the most idealistic of them all, and through him, more people came out of Shadow Moses alive than there would have been.

Even so, Ocelot knew that they'd be enemies, enemies approaching the same goal from different ends: the destruction of the Patriots. And where Ocelot was going, he couldn't ask Harry, or the others, to follow.

He was broken out of his reverie when Sears said, "And that shows the danger of meddling with the balance of genes. Wouldn't you agree, Ocelot?"

"I do, sir. It takes a well-balanced individual such as yourself to rule the world."

"Do they know?"

Once more, Ocelot lied. "No, nobody knows that you're the third child of Les Enfants Terrible, Solidus Snake. And if they did know, who would believe them? What should I do about Hunter?"

"Keep an eye on her."

"Very well, I'll keep her under surveillance," Ocelot said.

"You've done well, Ocelot. I'll see you later."

"Yes, thank you. Goodbye, Mr President," Ocelot said, before hanging up. He scoffed as he continued walking.

You fool, Ocelot thought. You're just as bad as Liquid, intending to cause chaos while liberating America, and the world, from the Patriots. I've been playing this game far longer than you have, Sears. And we have some fine pieces on the game board. Solid Snake, the dependable if reluctant pawn of FoxHOUND. And Harry Potter, the ultimate quixotic wild card. Between them and their allies, I think the Patriots are in real trouble. I'd better contact EVA, see if she's willing to help them. My path and hers are separate, but maybe her path can be with them…

On Fox Island (after a few Apparations), Meryl, Emmerich, Snake, Harry, Yasmin and Raven waited for their extraction chopper. Meryl looked somewhat pensive, even upset, considering what she had just learned about her parentage (Snake having plucked up the courage to do what Campbell couldn't). Then, Harry said, to lighten the mood, "You know, it could be worse, Meryl."

"What?"

"You could've had Ocelot as a father," Harry said.

Meryl grimaced. "Oh, I did NOT need a mental image of my mother in bed with Ocelot!"

"It probably wouldn't have happened, anyway," Harry said. "Ocelot loved only Big Boss. I think that's who he loved."

"Okay, I did NOT need a mental image of Big Boss in bed with Ocelot!" Meryl snapped. "Please don't say these things!"

"Just trying to lighten the mood," Harry said. "Are you okay, Meryl?"

"I've been better. And…you were right. I'm sorry I called you a traitor."

"I was a traitor…just to Liquid and his perverted ideals," Harry said, hugging Yasmin closer. "The problem was, it also meant hurting someone dear to me."

"I'm fine, Harry," Yasmin said quietly. "I mean…I was angry, angry beyond belief with what you did…but…I forgive you. But will there ever be a place for Saladin's ideals? For soldiers to be no longer prey to the whim of politicians?"

"I don't know," Harry admitted. "And that's not the point. I prefer the Boss' ideal, of a world united, not by war, or by control, but by people just trying to be a bit nicer to each other. The barriers of race and language broken down, and with them, many of the causes for conflict. I mean, it may never be achieved, but as long as the world is improved one day at a time, where it's a little bit better…it's worth it. One less child crying in grief because her parents were killed in war. One less hospital hit by a stray bomb. A life lived better because someone cared. I think that's what should be called Outer Heaven: the concept of lives lived without pain or fear or want. Not some PMC or ideal for soldiers. That's what we should fight for. A heaven in this life, not the next. Maybe that's what I needed to find. Or rather, rediscover. I wanted to fight for that ideal all along. I just lost my faith."

"You're not the only one," Snake said quietly. "Until today…I have to admit, I fought only for myself, for survival. I lied to Big Boss in Zanzibar Land, when I said I fought to end the nightmares I had suffered. I only felt truly alive when I stared death in the face. Maybe it's written into my genes, being the son of Big Boss and all."

"What about now, Snake?" Meryl asked. "What do your genes tell you now?"

"Maybe I should start living for someone else. Maybe someone like you." Snake shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe that's the real way to live. It's about time I found out for myself."

"Probably the best way to do it, Snake," Harry said.

"…David. My real name is David," Snake admitted.

"Hello Dave, my name is Hal," Emmerich said. And after a moment, Snake, along with everyone else, began to laugh. The laughter felt good, cathartic, after the events earlier. In the cold February morning, they laughed, even as the chopper coming to take them from this place arrived, blowing up a blizzard as it came in to land.

It seemed like a fresh start for them all. A start that might have them still involved in battles, but of their own choosing. Now, at least, they had something to fight for…

CHAPTER 14 ANNOTATIONS:

The penultimate chapter of Broken Tools! Now, all that's left is the epilogue, setting things up for the sequel. Well, if I decide to write one. Which I probably will, just not for a long time. I've got too many other stories on my plate, after all.

No numbered annotations this time.