METAL GEAR SOLID: RESURRECTION
by Rookie's Eyes (based off of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake)
Disclaimer: the Metal Gear series and their characters are property of Kojima Productions and Konami
A Thank you to all my readers thus far. I want you all to know that your feedback is being read and considered. I am glad to see that it had been overwhelmingly positive. To tell you the truth my expectations were never so high for my first online fic. Once again, Thank you. And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Chapter 22 In the Scope of The Hunter
"Crap!" Snake and Holly sped straight toward the face of the cliff. The glider collided, Snake and Holly slamming into the sandy stone that comprised the cliff. Snake managed to grip onto a small crack in the stone, but Holly wasn't so fortunate. Snake lunged, catching her just before her fingers went out of reach.
"Aaaah!... Snake, don't let go!" She pleaded.
"Don't worry, Holly," Snake assured, as he lifted her hand to the crack in the cliff, "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."
She slipped her fingers into the cracks, breathing deeply with relief at finally having a safe grip. Snake looked up, "Holly? How well can you climb?"
"Well enough," She replied.
Snake began the climb, ensuring to keep at least two contacts with the cliff face at a time. Twice as he made his way up handholds were dislodged, the stone pieces cascading down, echoing as they contacted the wall. Eventually Snake finally made it to the top of the precipice, swinging his leg over, he climbed the ledge onto stable land. As he reached down for his partner he said, "Holly, grab my hand," after placing her hand in his, Snake hoisted her up.
Wiping the sweat from her brow she asked, "What now, Snake?"
"We've got to find Marv."
"What about Madnar?"
"He's not our priority, but odds are he's being held with Marv anyway. We find Marv, we find Madnar."
As Snake looked around, he saw nothing but the dense foliage that accompanied a rain forest. Not a single road gave away the direction of where to head next. However, taking a closer look, Snake could see the faint tracks of the soldiers as they drove the limp Dr. Madnar away in their jeep. "We need to follow the tracks," He said to Holly, "It's our best bet to finding our missing scientists…"
They two followed the tracks of the kidnappers' jeep. The air was heavy with moisture, and the canopy above prevented most of the sun's rays from reaching the jungle floor, making it so dark that Snake and Holly could barely see. Snake was forced to use the radar as his primary warning for any approaching guards.
For an hour or so the two trekked through the dirt passing the shafts of hundreds of massive tree trunks, whose roots spanned wide around, tripping Snake and Holly in the dark. She tripped those roots for the fourth time, Snake covered her mouth when she was a bout to swear, he had seen a yellow dot on his radar. Snake put a finger to his lips, signaling Holly to be quiet.
Just as he suspected, it was a sentry, patrolling the forest with flashlight in hand. Snake snuck in from behind, but in the shadow he neglected to see the stick beneath his foot, which snapped on contact. He hid behind a tree just in time. The flashlight's ray shined where he stood before, "Who's there?!" The guard demanded. "I've got an M40! I know how to use this thing!"
A sniper rifle, huh? Could be useful. Snake made his way around, as the guard was still watching for movement in his previous location. He crept in behind the soldier, slipping off his bandanna around the sentry's neck, and twisting… hard. The guard struggled and stilled, the limp body collapsing back onto the ground. Holly chose to inspect the contents of the man's uniform. She found a flashlight, a flare, and a sniper rifle, an M40A1 to be precise. Snake pocketed the Flashlight, but with the Uzi, he couldn't carry the rifle. After a bit of persuasion, Holly agreed to carry the Uzi while Snake shouldered the rifle.
They made their way through the flora of the Zanzibar Land forest, Snake hacking at thorns and stalks as Holly followed from behind. After walking for a short while, the two came into a clearing. Grass, bushes, shrubs, and small trees dominated Snake's vision, the only reason they had not lost their way was that the jeep tracks were so well defined against the smooth dirt floor of the rainforest.
Snake heard a beeping in his ear. *Call* It was Colonel Campbell. Snake turned his codec's dial to 'RECEIVE'.
*140.85* "Snake, the C-17's nearly dry…"
"What does that mean? I won't be able to use radar?"
*140.85* "Unfortunately, yes. When we go out of range, the radar will be nothing but static. From now on you're going to have to rely solely on instinct. I hope you haven't become too dependant on that gadget, have you?"
"As helpful as it was, I won't need it to finish my mission. After all, a weapon's only as good as he who wields it, not vice versa."
*140.85* "Good to hear Snake… We're leaving Charlie behind in the chopper for pick up, don't ta-"
POW!!! A gunshot echoed through the forest, "HOLLY!" Snake yelled, "Get down!!" Snake fell to the ground just as a bullet struck a tree to his left, right where his head was only moments before.
"Colonel… I'm gonna need to call you back…" Snake cut transmission, and a voice rang through the forest.
The voice was strong, in a thick South African accent. "HA ha ha! That's right! Crawl on the ground like the snake you are!"
Snake motioned for Holly to stay where she lay, and Snake crawled over to a safer position behind a log. Meanwhile, The voice continued, "Solid Snake! I am The Huntsman! During The Vietnam conflict I was feared as 'Jungle Evil'! I am here for one purpose only; to send you to your ultimate fate! You'll make a fine quarry for my greatest of hunts…" The Huntsman's voice echoed, making it difficult for Snake even to guess at his position. "Are you ready Snake? I've got you in my sights! Let's see how a FOXHOUND agent does against the undisputed master of the jungle ambush! Let the hunt begin!"
Snake crawled across the ground, careful to avoid giving The Huntsman a glimpse of him through the tall grass. He stood when he had gotten a reasonable distance away from where The Huntsman had last seen him, and Snake readied his M40, steadying it on a boulder and bringing his eye to the scope. Scanning the landscape, Snake spotted the man atop a rocky overhang, performing the same ritual as his adversary. The Huntsman wore no armor whatsoever, unlike his predecessors. He wore woodland camouflage from head to toe, with a green Zanzibar Land bandanna. He looked more like the kind of guy dressed for a game hunt than a mercenary.
As Snake aimed to take a shot, The Huntsman spotted him. Instantly, he let off a round, Snake ducked, but the bullet collided with Snake's scope, disintegrating it into shredded metal and glass.
Snake ran for it, with the sniper letting off one round after another in his direction. He ran so quickly he couldn't register his surroundings. His foot tripped over a rope, setting off a bomb at his feet. "Aargh!" Cursing in pain, Snake scrambled back to his feet, ignoring the sharp sting of the burns and shrapnel from the trap.
Snake scrambled behind a tree, readying his rifle as quickly as possible, he aimed in the direction of the sniper nest with nothing but the leftover pieces of the scope for a make-shift iron sight.
The Huntsman had no warning, and when Snake fired, the bullet sped straight toward him. It impacted his rifle, tearing the gun from The Huntsman's grasp. Before Snake could pull off another shot, however, his enemy disappeared behind a veil of bushes nearby.
Wary of every sight and sound, Snake slowly patrolled the clearing, his rifle raised incase of trouble. As he walked, The Huntsman's voice rang once more through the forest, "You're somewhat of an enigma, Snake… Did you know that until today I've never missed a shot… Maybe you really are the second coming of Big Boss. Rest assured that I won't let your reputation get in my way."
"Don't compare me to that traitor! That man is insane!"
"Oh, he's saner than you think. What's there to compare anyway? You ARE Big Boss, even if you don't know it yet…"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Snake asked, but no answer came.
Suddenly the mercenary stepped behind Snake, raising an assault rifle and pulling the trigger. Snake dove, rolling behind a tree to avoid the gunfire. He hadn't counted on the fact of there being another trap. A rope constricted around Snake's legs, raising him heels over head hanging from a tree. Damn!
"You know, I could be cruel and fill you full of lead right there, where you hang," The Huntsman pointed out. "In fact I think I will," The man walked below Snake, pulling out a small pistol.
As the mercenary raised his gun for the kill shot, Snake ripped his combat knife from its sheath, slicing at the rope which bound him to the tree. As he fell, Snake struck the pistol out of The Huntsman's hand, knocking it to the ground. The Huntsman tried to land a punch in Snake's gut, but he countered and landed a round-house kick in the mercenary's face, who crumpled to the ground.
Coughing up blood, the soldier jumped to his feet and ran off, disappearing into the foliage of the forest once more. Snake picked up the pistol, raising the combat knife, resigning himself to using CQC.
Out of the darkness The Huntsman appeared once more. He lunged, brandishing a knife which Snake attempted to dodge. The blade drew blood from Snake's abdomen, and the mercenary brought it down for a vertical slice when his knife met Snake's. The Huntsman broke contact, elbowing Snake in the face. Snake gripped The Huntsman's arm which wielded the knife, and bent it backwards at the elbow and snapping tendons and bone.
"AAAAaaargh! SON OF A BITCH!" He cursed, making one last ditch effort to attack Snake with his remaining fist. Snake clamped and twisted the hand, bringing only more excruciating pain to the soldier. Snake brought the gun to the hunter's chest, firing twice into the soldier's torso.
The Huntsman fell to the ground, heaving for breath. "What a … hunt. I am glad… that I died pursuing prey such as yourself… I was unwise to underestimate you. In battle, you act as if possessed by a demon. You do your title honor."
"What did you mean when you said I'm Big Boss?"
"Haven't you… ever wondered why you look… like your father?" Blood flowed from his mouth, and he only had enough strength to utter one final sentence, "You'll figure… it out… eventually… Go north… There you … will find… Metal Gear D." His body froze.
"Dead,…" Snake raised his voice to Holly, "You can come out now, he's dead."
"Are you okay, Snake?" She asked as she approached, seeing the wound that the soldier had inflicted on Snake's abs.
"Just a scratch," Snake answered. "Better than can be said for him," Snake said, referring to the dead body at their feet.
"How do you do it, Snake?"
"Do what?"
"Kill."
"Unfortunately it's one of those things that gets easier the more you do it…"
She paused for a moment,"Snake… what's your name? What's your real name?"
"A name means nothing on the battlefield."
"Really? How old are you?"
"Old enough to know what death looks like."
"You're not just a killer. You're a hero."
"I'm no hero. Heroes have a noble cause. They fight for the benefit of others. I don't fight for anyone but myself. There's no winning or losing for a mercenary. Our only victory is earning our next paycheck. I've got no purpose in life, no ultimate goal. The only time I feel truly alive is when I'm cheating death on the battlefield."
"Seeing other people die makes you feel alive, huh?"
"No, I'm just an adrenaline junkie. The killing is an unpleasant necessity in the mercenary trade." Snake knelt, searching the body for supplies. Among several bottles of pentazemin Snake found a level six ID card.
Snake dialed *140.85* into his codec, turning the knob to 'SEND'. "Campbell…"
*140.85* "What is it Snake?"
"During our fight, Huntsman said something. He said I AM Big Boss… Any idea what he could mean by that?"
*140.85* "I haven't the foggiest…"
"There's something you don't want me to know, isn't there, Colonel?"
*140.85* "Snake, now isn't the time… I can let you in on the secret but it can't be here. It needs to be in private and in person to best avoid any eavesdroppers."
"Is that so… After the mission then," Snake cut transmission, fed up with his CO.
Snake and Holly found the tire trail once more. After following it for twenty minutes, they came into sight of another compound. It was a cluster of five buildings, four in front with the largest at the back. The largest, Snake presumed, should be housing Metal Gear.
Author's Note: I must admit, next to Black Shadow this would be the Boss that I am most proud of yet. The Huntsman was the best replacement name I could come up with. The original name 'Jungle Evil' sounded too (For lack of a better word) retarded. I would have used Predator like the original game, but I quickly realized that there would have been too much association with that science fiction alien hunter who I am not going to mention.
I've got big plans for the future. Another Chapter up! Enjoy!