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

Chapter 25 Atonement

"Nightmare?... Nightmare, are you there?!" No answer. Ocelot stood at the base of heliport 11-38, where a ZL-M4 Gigant helicopter was refueling for take-off within the next two hours. The Gigant was a massive rotorcraft, with an eight-bladed main rotor and a rotor-span of sixty-four meters, and developed specifically for the transportation of Metal Gear. Ocelot heard nothing but crackling static answering his call on his comrade's end. "Damn!"

Ocelot changed frequencies, and Big Boss' voice greeted him through the radio, *--:--* "What now Adam?"

"Sir, he's made it into the hangar, it's only a matter of time before he reaches you."

*--:--* "What did I tell you?! I am more than capable of handling that amateur!"

"I'm leaving…"

*--:--* "What was that?"

"I'm getting out of here before it gets any worse… and I'm taking Gus-9 with me."

*--:--* "Fine! Run for all I care! Take that piece of junk with you, it's only the prototype after all..."

"Come with me Boss… It's over. We've lost. We can still recoup and try again in Brazil… What about that old facility in Grozyj Grad, we could use that."

*--:--* "And if I leave, what then? Everyone will call me a coward. I will have lost the respect of my men and my people! I will never be able to recover my reputation…"

"Boss! Please reconsider-"

*--:--* "No, I can't..." He sighed, then continued, "You've been loyal to me for twenty years. Although I can't leave, I should at least ensure some one else can carry on the torch… I've already transferred all the funds from my Swiss account…"

"The Philosopher's Legacy!?"

*--:--* "…And more."

"But, sir!"

*--:--* "No buts, Adam. Now get going…"

Big Boss shut off the signal before Ocelot could protest. Ocelot altered the signal and another voice answered, *--:--* "Yes sir, Colonel Ocelot, sir?"

"I want Gustav ready and prepped for transport by 1430, is that clear?"

*--:--* "Uh, certainly sir."

"Good…."

Meanwhile elsewhere in the confines of Zanzibar Land…

Bang! The bullet grazed Snake's shoulder as he rolled, ripping his Berretta from his hip. Snake fired three bullets in succession, piercing the false-Madnar in a small neat cluster; straight in the heart. "Hurgh!"

Madnar staggered back, unable to breath as three crimson spots expanded on the man's white lab coat. Blood trickling from his mouth, the imposter crumpled to the ground, writhing as the world around him went black, and then his body stirred no longer.

Snake kneeled, pressing his finger against the man's neck, checking for any sign of life. Satisfied that his adversary was gone, Snake walked over to the locker door which the poser had claimed contained the formula. He fiddled with the lock, and predictably, it didn't budge. Snake pulled out his knife, but before he slipped the knife into the crack between the door and the hinge, a beeping from his codec interrupted him.

*Call* It was Holly, *140.76* "Snake, don't touch that locker. Bennet just managed to wake Madnar up, and the doctor says that the locker's been booby-trapped."

"What's it rigged with? Explosives?"

Madnar's voice reverberated inside Snake's ear, *140.76* "No, I'm afraid it's much worse than that."

"What could be worse than explosives?"

*140.76* "The case containing the PlayStation disc has been suspended in an acid with very weak surface tension. I'm afraid if you try and force open the locker, it will set off an automatic mechanism which will break the tension and sink the disc, dissolving it and losing us the formula."

"Wait… He said that Gustava had the key. Any ideas, doctor?"

*140.76* "No, I don't recall…"

"Did Marv give Gustava anything? Think Doctor, anything at all."

*140.76* "Well… Oh! Why didn't I think of it before! Gustava's brooch!"

"Gustava's brooch is the key?"

*140.76* "Precisely," Madnar replied.

"Doctor, I'm looking at the lock right now, and the brooch definitely isn't going to work."

*140.76* "I'm sorry Snake. I don't know how to use the brooch…"

Then Snake remembered what Gustava had said, To open my locker, to get the OILIX formula you need to heat… "Madnar! Gustava said I need to heat something to open the locker. Could heat and the brooch somehow unlock it?"

*140.76* "Why that's prepos- Wait! Now I remember! It was an early creation of an associate of mine. A memory alloy which could be altered at certain temperatures, and change back to normal at room temperature! Snake, the brooch must be made of that very same alloy. If you can find a place where you can heat the card, you can open the locker!"

"Thanks, Dr. Madnar." Snake was about to cut transmission when Madnar interrupted.

*140.76* "Wait… Snake… I- I have a confession to make… I wasn't forced to come here as I let you believe back in the prison cell…"

"What do you mean?"

*140.76* "After you rescued my daughter and I from Outer Heaven, things did not go as well as I had hoped for my career. My theories and developments in bipedal robotics were scoffed at. They did not believe that I could construct something as advanced as Metal Gear, and with insufficient funds, I could not disprove them. The scientific community had branded me a madman … I was taunted and Insulted to the point where no one would take me seriously…"

"You joined them to get back at a couple of science geeks!?"

*140.76* "A man called Saladin offered me the funding to prove those close-minded neanderthals wrong, and they would finally recognize my innovation! Big Boss' only requirement before he would pay was that I give him Marv's itinerary. He promised that Marv would leave unharmed once he disclosed the formula!...." Madnar began to sob in grief, "That's when I entered his employ… I took a plane to Egypt, and from there I got to Zanzibar Land by train and began developing Metal Gear D. I should have seen it coming… While I was developing the Gear for missile interception purposes, Saladin had another scientist, Dr. Klijnikov, studying my work, planning modifications so that it would be armed to the teeth for war. He defiled my creation for his outlandish schemes!... It was only until about three weeks ago that I learned Saladin's true identity and about his revisions, and by then it was too late for me to do anything about it… Can you ever forgive me?"

"It's okay, Madnar. Like you said, you didn't know that Big Boss was Saladin… There's no way that you could have guessed his true intentions… As for forgiveness, you don't need mine. Forgiving yourself is all you need to do. It's difficult, but it's the only way you'll be able to live with yourself. "

*140.76* "Have you forgiven yourself, Snake?"

"I'm still working on it…"

*140.76* "Thank you, Snake… Good luck." And with that, the signal ceased.

I need to heat the card… but how do I do it? Then Snake remembered the room he had seen briefly in the first building, a room which was on the barrack floor, the soldier's sauna! If anything was hot enough to change Gustava's brooch, it was the sauna's steam.

Snake dialed Bennet's frequency into his codec, turning the knob to send, "Snake?"

"Bennet, I want you to meet me back up top… We need to use the supply truck one more time to get into Building One…"

Big Boss stood inside a dark hangar, a single light overhead failing to banish the darkness from the hangar. He gazed at the silhouette of the fruit of his labors, Metal Gear. The very thing who's creation he had opposed twenty-five years ago. In his struggles against the Shagohod, the ICBMG, and Peace Walker, never had he imagined he would now hold the power to alter the fate world.

He pulled out a cigar, and lit a match, lighting the Cuban and placing it in his mouth. After taking a long draw, his thoughts turned toward another dark prospect.

For the second time now, he'll be forced to face off with his genetic son, his physical equal and his mental disciple. David doesn't even know his lineage… Would he hate him for disclosing that fact? No matter, the Patriots have held that information from him for too long. Naked Snake exhaled, the puff of smoke dissipating into the air.

A voice shattered Boss' tranquility, "You know that stuff can kill you?" Grey Fox said.

"So you keep reminding me," Big Boss answered.

"… Bad news… Snake has killed Nightmare."

"I know… I've got to be prepared for his arrival."

"You mean we've got to be prepared."

"No,… I want you to go with Adam and Klijnikov."

"I'm not going anywhere… I've still got a debt to pay."

"For what?! Me rescuing you from FRELIMO? Or was it from those half wits on San Hieronymo? You owe me nothing! I could've just as easily shot you where you stood. The only reason I didn't was because you weren't worth the bullet."

"That's not the Snake I know."

"Well, get used to it…"

"What're you going to do?" Fox asked, his knowledge of the two Snake's previous encounter evident in his face.

Big Boss gestured toward the Metal Gear, "Last time I never had the chance to start this thing up… This time I'll be ready."

Big Boss stepped toward the ladder leading up to the docking platform, but Grey Fox stepped in-between, cutting off his path.

"Move!" Big Boss ordered, but his henchman did not comply. "MOVE ASIDE SOLDIER!"

"I can't do that, Commander." Fox said. He hadn't called Boss Commander in years.

Big Boss tried to sock Fox in the stomach, but the thin man was too fast, dodging his fist and drawing his machete. He held the blade to his leader's throat, and the old soldier backed away. "Fox! Don't do this!"

Gunfire erupted behind an armored door at the other end of the hangar, and Grey Fox bolted up the ladder, swiping the machete through the bars when he had gotten high enough so that his boss could not follow. "I've got to do this, Snake. For you…"

"Damn it Fox!"

Fox stood atop the metal monster, opening the cockpit hatch when the armored doors burst open, a figure running through the door, and stopping when he saw the immense robot. Fox shouted, "BOSS GET OUT OF HERE!"

Author's Note: It's been immensely fun working on this project. To change things up, before I show how Snake gets inside the locker, I thought I'd show what Big Boss and Fox were doing before Snake arrived to the Metal Gear hangar. It never made sense to me as to why Boss would allow Fox to pilot the Gear when he himself would know more about it's capabilities. While doing some research, I found that chronologically Snake doesn't find out he's a clone until MG2, so I thought that I would disclose this fact to him in my story. I've always wondered when it happens, cause they never mentioned it in the first two games, then after that Snake just kinda knows.

As for Madnar, although I made Snake's attacker an imposter, I still thought it would be interesting to make Madnar a turncoat. Not only does it conform more closely with the story, but I think it's a better way to explain Madnar's motives for constructing the second gear after the original went so horrendously wrong.

Another Chapter up! Enjoy!