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 28 Sins of the Father

1419 Hours, December 24, 1999

"SOLID SNAKE!" a familiar voice echoed from behind.

"Big Boss!?"

Snake turned, only to find Big Boss' voice emanating from an overhead speaker, "Can't you even die right? I'm gonna get rid of you one way or another if it's the last thing I do! You've got two choices; leave now and fight another day, or we can end this right here and right now... Don't make me wait long…"

Snake was running to the blocked exit before Big Boss had even finished his challenge. As quickly as he could muster, he tore away the concrete rubble and twisted metal leftover from Fox's attempt to delay Snake. As Snake dug deeper, he came to a piece too large for him to budge, despite his strength. He reached into his backpack to find some C4, but when he reached behind him his hand groped for nothing but air. Damn! He cursed, remembering that it had been obliterated by Fox's mine. Wait a minute, Snake stood, thinking. He looked back at Metal Gear D, an idea taking form.

Snake negotiated through the minefield. He eventually made his way to the now smoldering wreckage of the tank, heading specifically to the missile module. Snake climbed atop the robot's hull, placing his hands gingerly atop the warhead, twisting it counter-clockwise. After removing the warhead and a sizeable bundle of wiring from the decommissioned tank, Snake walked back through the minefield to the rubble concealing Snake's path to Big Boss.

Snake placed the warhead atop the rubble, unwinding the bundle of wire until he reached the very end. Using the battery from his Mine Detector as the trigger, he pressed the wires to the battery's nodes, the warhead erupting in an instant, detritus flying everywhere. Snake coughed and hacked, inhaling thick clouds of dust. When the haze had cleared, the debris, along with the doors, had been obliterated, and Snake accessed the dark room freely.

Most of the lights were off, but from the few fluorescent lights which hummed above, Snake could make out that he stood in an underground garage, filled with trucks, tanks, and Metal Gear components, and farther back he could see two tunnels, both sloped upward toward the surface.

A beep rang in Snake's ear, *Call* and Snake turned his codec knob to 'RECEIVE'. Holly spoke on the other end, *140.76* "Snake. Did you hear Big Boss a *Static* minute ago?"

"Yeah…"

*140.76* "What're you going- *Static* do?"

"The only thing I can do… I have to take that tyrant down."

*140.76* "Snake…"

"What is it, Holly?"

*140.76* "I- I…- *Static* Good luck Snake."

"Holly, you're breaking up. Quickly, I need to talk to Bennet. Is he there?" Snake asked, and he heard the radio crackle even more as Holly passed it.

*140.76* "Yeah Snake?"

"Guard Holly with your life, understood?"

*140.76* "Yes sir… Wher- *Static* are you Snake?"

"I'm in some sort of underground depot, a junction for sloped roads for vehicle entry to Metal Gear's hangar."

*140.76* "Oh! I know those tunnels! I had t- *Static* transport parts for Metal Gear's const - *Static* a few weeks back. We'll be ther - *Static* soon a - *Static* Snake. "

"Wait! Bennet-" but it was too late, the signal had been lost. After several attempts to reestablish contact, Snake gave up.

Big Boss stood there, his fists clenched in frustration. In the dimly lit room within his own underground base, he stood with nothing to do but to wait. Only a few minutes ago, Fox had sacrificed himself to try and kill Solid Snake, Big Boss' bitterest enemy, and yet his inheritor, My son!

Curse the Patriots! The very organization who Big Boss was sure had played a hand in pitting him against his son in Outer Heaven. It was almost like mockery from fate itself, the fact that he had to commit matricide to defend his life's work and his son must commit to patricide to perform his duty. Naked Snake and his own son, the product of a mad scheme of his former ally. Two terrible beings, two monsters, two deadly snakes, fated to match fang to fang in a showdown that could only result in the death of one of them, or both.

Where had the Snakes lost their way, when had they abandoned their human condition and embraced that of animals? Was there something left of their civilized minds? What had become of them?

But Big Boss knew the answers to those questions. Ideals. Ideals was what had happened between them, what had drove them away, made them walk such opposite paths. They were standing for what they believed in. And even if in the process they lost their very own sanity, then they were also reaching the most pure state of soul man could ever achieve, fighting to the end, loyal even in death, not to any government or country, not to some politicians, but for themselves and that they believed in.

Who would fate choose to continue the legacy? The loser would be liberated from the battlefield, but the winner will remain, and the survivor will live out the rest of his days as a soldier. These were the words that echoed incessantly in Naked Snake's mind, as if he was only just hearing them from his mentor. Words that he has pondered since the day of their utterance echoed even more sharply, Your children, les enfants terribles…. Snake… your son will bring the world to ruin... Your son will save the world. Big Boss was determined to stop Snake from plunging the world into chaos, or die in the attempt. He neither knew nor cared to decipher what the contradictory phrase was referring to, if only because he wished to prevent the former outcome.

He had no other choice, for good or for ill, he had to defend himself or risk losing everything. He would have to be brutal, abandoning all morals and honor to accomplish his mission. After all, the end justifies the means, he reasoned.

Suddenly, far out ahead, at the entrance to the room, a thunderous explosion sounded, rubble and concrete disappearing, leaving a gap so large that you could have driven a tank through. It felt as if all the world held it's breath, fated in the outcome of this final struggle between Naked Snake and Solid Snake.

Snake proceeded to walk through the garage. Suddenly and without warning, all of the lights along the ceiling flickered on, revealing Big Boss standing at the opposite side of the garage, his left hand gripping the light switch. "Big Boss… Still ticking, huh?"

"Unfortunately, Hell had no vacancies." Big Boss answered. The old soldier stood tall and proud with a cigar in his teeth, and he wore an olive green military uniform and a beret with the Zanzibar Land insignia stitched in. His combat boots were worn from his years in the field, and he wore a worn-out graying eye patch over his left eye. The Zanzibar Land insignia was also printed on a black arm-band which Big Boss wore on his right arm. He held his favorite carbine rifle, The Patriot, firmly in his free hand. "Welcome to Zanzibar Land. The years haven't been kind to you, David. You don't look good."

"Funny. I was just thinking the same thing. You look like shit." Big Boss was right, though. Snake had knife wounds on both his arms from Marathon, burns from his run in with the Huntsman, A throwing-star scar on his leg courtesy of Black Shadow, and a more than fair amount of bullet wounds from his other encounters. If he didn't look like shit, he felt like it.

Big Boss ignored the insult, "I had a feeling you'd answer my challenge."

"I didn't come to answer you. I came to stop your insane schemes and end the nightmares I've had since Outer Heaven."

"The nightmares? They never go away. Once you've been on the battlefield, tasted the exhilaration, the tension, it becomes a part of your life, a part of you. Once you've awakened the warrior within it never sleeps again. You crave ever bigger tensions, ever bigger thrills. You are special, David. That craving has been in your blood since birth."

"What do you mean!?"

"Haven't you ever wondered why you look so much like me? Why you never had a mother? Your craving for excitement, for thrills, for war, it's insatiable. It can't be satisfied by power or money or even sex. I know this because I too crave war. I never taught you how to savor tension, I only showed you where to find it. I showed you your reason to live. You and I are much more alike than you care to realize. Did you know my codename during the cold war was 'Naked Snake'? Yours 'Solid Snake', is no coincidence, and your physical prowess is so rare, that another agent of my caliber should not have even been born this century. You and I, we are closer in blood than mentor and student… I am your father!"

"Bullshit!"

"It's true. Your legacy is one of violence. War is interred into your very DNA. Those nightmares you have, they won't go away because their in your genes, but you may be comforted with the thought that they'll end with your life."

"No matter what happens to me, your revolution is still a complete failure."

"…Just because you destroyed Metal Gear doesn't mean I'm done fighting."

"Fighting? What are you really after?"

"I want to make the world one again and restore the era when warrior such as us lived as we should. War used to be about settling differences between opposing factions, and the world needed us, it needed soldiers, then… they desired us. But now with all the liars and hypocrites running the world, war's become a business of money and power. We're losing our place in a world that no longer needs us… that now spurns our very existence. Before World War II there was never anarchy on such a grand scale, but in the aftermath the world was ripped apart in conflicting political interests. After I repair Metal Gear D and launch that weapon, I'll be able to bring fear and order back into this world gone soft. I've realized that in reality the Earth has no boundaries. I will help the world realize this fact that it once knew only a hundred years ago. The only boundary is it's citizens, sealing themselves off from one another because of petty differences. Race, Religion, Politics, History, it makes no difference. People will find any excuse to break away, but with Metal Gear I know I can bring them back together. Conflict shall breed conflict, new enemies shall arise, and our own biosphere shall steadily expand until the world is but a single political entity."

"But as long as there are people with different ideals, there will always be war."

"But, the problem is balance. Too much war, and peace shall be non-existent, eradicating order and Government. However, on the other side is complete peace, in which mercenaries will have no use and the people's patriotism will fail without a common enemy. The perfect balance requires just enough war to hold the people's attention but prevent true anarchy from occurring… You've seen the children here, haven't you? Every one is a war victim of a conflict somewhere in this world, and they'll make fine soldiers in the next war… Start a conflict, fan it's flames, create victims… Then save the victims, train them, and feed them back onto the battlefield. It's a perfectly logical system. In this world of ours, conflict can never end. Neither can a mercenary's purpose, our purpose… Our raison d'etre."

"Your doing this to keep us employed?! Are you insane?"

"On the battlefield you and I are valuable commodities. But back 'home' we're garbage," Big Boss growled, "Nothing but dead weight! If we're lucky we might get the attention of some two-bit journalist from some rag tabloid… Snake, you and I will never have the chance to die peacefully of old age. We are doomed to remain on the battlefield until we die like true dogs of war."

"I've got one fight left in me… I'm going to rid myself of you and of my nightmares!.. Big Boss… I will defeat you!"

"It doesn't matter who wins here. One must die. One must live." He pulled his cigar out from his mouth, dropping it on the floor and smothering it with his foot. There is no such thing as true victory in our legacy. The loser will be liberated from the clutches of war and the survivor will exist to carry on the fight. It is our destiny. The one who survives will inherit the title of Boss. And the one who inherits the title of Boss will face an existence of endless war."

"It doesn't have to be that way, I won't let it! I'm not like you!"

"Very well, Snake. I will release you from your bondage and end your suffering. As your former commander, I'll do you one last favor and put you out of you misery."

Snake took on a defiant look, "Thanks but no thanks. I don't need anymore favors from you!"

"Really?! And just how do you expect to beat me in you condition?" a tone of disbelief clear in Big Boss' voice.

"Never give up! Fight until the very end! Always believe you'll succeed even when the odds are stacked against you! Those are your words!"

Big Boss laughed as if Snake was a child, telling a lie when they knew they were caught, "Even I've made mistakes from time to time." Big Boss held up a small device, Snake recognized it as a detonator. "This base is rigged to explode in ten minutes… If you can beat me in less than ten minutes… you may be able to escape with you life." He raised The Patriot into the air, firing off five rounds in succession. "What a glorious battle this shall be! Two serpents of war, unstoppable forces colliding with immovable fortitude! This will be our final battle… Let's end this once and for all!"

He pressed the detonator's button, and an emotionless voice echoed through the building, "Warning: base detonation has been commenced. Ten minutes to self- destruction. Advise: all personnel are to evacuate to a minimum safe distance of five-point-five kilometers within ten minutes."

Big Boss whipped The Patriot from his side, holding it with only one hand, he pressured the trigger and released a rain of lead in the direction of his adversary. Bullets flashed and ricocheted at his feet as Snake bolted, faster than even Big Boss could've expected. Snake rolled aside behind a crate, and Big Boss pursued, his Patriot poised in his hand to fire at any moment. When Big Boss rounded the crate, Snake was nowhere to be found.

A shadow streaked across the wall to Big Boss' left, and he fired on it, with no success. He followed the direction of the shadow through the rows of tanks. The alarms warning of the base's self-destruct sequence impaired Big Boss' hearing, but, he assumed, it impaired Snake's as well.

This was unlike Snake's usual style… Normally he used anything and everything at his disposal. But now he wasn't using anything at all, he was just running away, avoiding Boss' every move. Unless, Naked Snake thought, he doesn't have anything at his disposal. "What are you going to do, Snake!? You are not even armed! Why don't you come here and face death like a true warrior!"

"Don't lecture me about being a true warrior!"

Footsteps resounded behind the old soldier, and he turned in an instant, spraying lead in the direction of the sound. Bullets holes appeared across the chassis of several vehicles, but there was no bullet ridden body or trail of blood, so it was safe to assume Snake wasn't hit or dead.

This was what he had hoped for. Snake was getting desperate, and in desperation he would be forced to rely on his instincts, Big Boss was sure of it. And then the fight would become really brutal, really spiritual, almost liberating.

As Big Boss made his way around the iron body of an incomplete Goliath tank, something slammed into him, and forced his body into the treads of the tank. It was Snake, who had come out of nowhere and pinned Big Boss. He grabbed The Patriot from Big Boss' grasp, kicking Big Boss away and chucking the gun out of sight.

"You wanna do this the old fashion way, huh?" Big Boss growled through gritted teeth. He cracked his knuckles, pressing his fist into his palm. Snake backed away, watching as Big Boss removed his jacket, followed by his undershirt. When he removed his undershirt, he revealed a well sculpted upper body from years of unrelenting combat. Although his face was old and his hair was grey, his body didn't look a day over thirty-five. The only clue which betrayed his age were the scars from bullet wounds, knives, shrapnel of all types, years of accumulated missions which had left their mark on his body. A single scar stood out from all the rest; a winding, slithering ghost of a cut, almost like a snake, was visible across the old man's abdominals.

Big Boss assumed a CQC ready position, and motioned for Snake to do the same. Reluctantly, he complied, and Big Boss rushed him, fist first. His hand flew toward Snake's face, who swatted the hit away, bringing his own fist to Big Boss' gut. Big Boss intercepted Snake's hand, using Snake's momentum against him and pulling his body. Big Boss brought his hand to his enemy's head, this time striking him straight in the temple.

Snake staggered back, and Big Boss grabbed him by the arm, bringing himself behind his son and pinning his arm to his back. Snake spun, prying his arm free from the old soldier's grasp and gripping Big Boss' own arm, bringing it behind and twisting it behind Big Boss' sternum. Big Boss brought his free arm back, slamming his elbow into Snake's neck, causing sufficient pain to loosen Snake's hold and escape from the pin.

Big Boss hit Snake with a right hook followed by a left, both of which were blocked by his former student. Naked Snake followed with a sweeping kick across the floor, knocking his enemy off of his feet onto his back and disorientating him. "Take this!" Big Boss flung his fist to Snake's chest, who rolled away at the last moment, avoiding the blow. Big Boss' knuckles slammed into the concrete, and he shook his hand to dull the pain.

Snake sprung to his feet, he rushed his enemy, ducking beneath his arms and punching Big Boss in the abdomen. He followed that by pulling Big Boss' legs out from beneath him, and he kneeled over his prostrate adversary, pressing his arm into the mercenary's throat. "Ghah!... Urgh!" Big Boss struggled for breath. Snake finally ceased pressure on the man's throat when he grabbed him by the head, bringing his other fist up in preparation for a powerful blow. Snake punched Big Boss across the skull, his head slamming into the floor with a satisfying thud.

Snake backed off as Big Boss scrambled to his feet, and his mentor was the first to make a move. Big Boss raised his hands in defense, and advanced on Snake. He jabbed at Snake with his right, he made a left hook, both of which were predictably blocked. Big Boss made a round house kick to his enemy's head, knocking away Solid's raised arms. He made another kick at the same target, his foot contacting Solid Snake's face.

As Snake lay on the ground Big Boss loomed over him, kneeling and pinning Snake down with his hand on his neck. Big Boss thrust his hand into Snake's face, slamming his elbow back into Snake's face. Another strike to the face, followed by another. Snake freed his leg, forcing his foot to Big Boss' chest and vaulting his enemy over head.

Snake scrambled to his feet, and Big Boss slammed into a barrel, rupturing the container, it's contents spilling out onto the floor and soaking into Big Boss' uniform. The smell of gasoline perforated the air, and Big Boss came out of a daze to see Snake above him, a lit lighter grasped in his hand.

"I could end this all right now!" Snake threatened.

"Heheheheh!" Big Boss scoffed, "If you had the guts to really do that, it would've happened three years ago! Go ahead! Just try and kill me!"

Snake wanted to drop the lighter more than anything, but Big Boss was right, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Big Boss laughed, "That's right, put the lighter down. This isn't over, Snake. Not yet anyway." Big Boss rose to his feet, leaning against the ruptured barrel for support.

Sweat beaded from Snake's every pore, and his bandana was soaked and ceased to stem the sweat which flowed into his eyes. Snake was exhausted, every muscle in his body ached for rest, but he couldn't end it yet. His chest heaved, his heart beating as rapidly as a gun from the thrill of the battle. Big Boss wasn't faring much better. His scarred body was bruised black and blue. Snake could finally see his mentor weakening, what he made up for in strength he was lacking in stamina, a consequence of old age.

Something black lay on the floor behind Snake, and Big Boss saw it too, The Patriot! Snake had to stop Boss from getting it, despite his weakened condition.

Big Boss lunged, punching Snake in his upper arm. Snake retaliated, nailing a knee into his adversary's gut. The agent swung his fist around for a hut to his adversary's head, and was parried by his enemy's forearm. Big Boss slammed his elbow into Snake's face, taking advantage of the resulting pain to land another hit with his arm to Snake's throat.

Snake sprung back, preparing for a roundhouse kick. Big Boss anticipated Snake's move and jumped, swinging his foot to meet Snake's, their legs colliding at the knee. Barely making contact with the ground, Snake leapt, kicking Boss in the gut as he jumped to retaliate. Snake flipped back, and Boss fell to one knee, the both of them heaving in exhaustion.

Big Boss stood, assuming defensive position, and Snake took the queue for his own preparation. As Snake brought back his fist for a desperate bid for victory, Boss did the same. Their fists flew, the knuckles of one contacting the face of the other with bone-shattering force. A lesser man would have crumbled.

The two staggered backward, dazed from the force of their mutual strikes. Big Boss shook it off first, and with a final burst of adrenaline he landed a left and a right hook across Snake's jaw. Ducking low, Big Boss brought his fist into an uppercut. Snake was tossed backward into a shelf, tools, pipes, treads, aerosol cans, all tumbled to the floor. Damn! He had failed to prevent Big Boss getting The Patriot. He had to figure something out, and fast.

Big Boss swiped The Patriot from the floor, turning to take aim at his son, but Snake was nowhere to be seen. He had disappeared entirely. "Where are you hiding, Coward!?"

"Who's hiding?" Snake's voice answered from afar, "Come and get me! I dare you!"

Big Boss followed the sound behind a tank, his gun at the ready when Snake said, "Behind you!" Big Boss turned to see Snake jab, grapping The Patriot's muzzle and jamming it into Big Boss' gut. "Hurgh!"

"Burn in Hell, Big Boss!"

In the heat of battle, Snake had become a killer wraith. The terrible, frozen look of Snake pierced Big Boss. For the slightest of seconds, for the first time in a long time Big Boss felt something close to fear. Seemingly out of nowhere, Snake pulled out a spray can with a lighter, depressing on the nozzle as he lit the lighter fluid. Fire erupted from the primitive flamethrower, igniting the residual gasoline which was already saturating Big Boss' clothes.

Big Boss was burning to death. It fitted his life somehow, he who had been always loyal to the flames of war. And now that his journey was coming to a close, that very same fire was killing him.

"Snake! This isn't over yet!"

His son had done it; he had bested Big Boss once more. His body was burning, his death was close, but his words would last forever, as timeless as his mentor's last ones had been. "There is no escape from your genes, Snake! I am your father! Like father, like son! You shall be consumed in war just as I was!" He was engulfed by the fire, his only sight the purifying flame. A world of burning pain.

"Damn you!" Snake shouted.

"This…. Isn't….. Over…… Yet……." Big Boss fell prostrate to the floor, writhing as the fire consumed him. His body eventually stilled, his uniform still smoldering on his dead body.

Snake stared, the body of his 'Father' lay burnt at his feet. He didn't know how to feel or what to say. The acrid smell of burnt flesh hung in the air, yet Snake couldn't have cared less. Even with so much bad blood between them, all his hatred was gone. Did he really hate Snake, or maybe… did he truly fear him? As he gazed at the corpse of his former mentor, all he felt was a deep sense of longing, and… even pity.

Big Boss? My father? Snake couldn't believe it, and yet it made sense. Snake was the first FOXHOUND to set any new records since the seventies, when Big Boss had first joined.

Two points of light appeared in his peripheral vision, the headlights of a supply truck coming from the tunnel roadway.

Author's Note: and so the epic battle between Snake and his final antagonist reaches it's conclusion. Whad'ya guys think? As i'm sure you already realized this battle was inspired by the unbelievable conflict between Old Snake and Liquid Ocelot. this is gonna be short and brief (I'll leave the majority of my A.N. in my final update for this fic), but if there was ever a chapter for you to review in all 29 of them, this is it! (Hint hint)

Most of the philosphical thought which Big Boss had before the fight was given to me by Devil Boss, who has been a great help for the choreography of the fight as well, I want to thank him personally for allowing me to utelize his ideas in the making of this most awesome scene. If there are any errors in my fic, please bring them to my attention because it is my intention to make this as accurate as possible.

A massive gigantic collosal mammoth thank you to all who have read my fic thus far, Feedback has been more possitive than I ever could've hoped when i started this fic four months ago. Please keep it up! I promise to make my ending update by the end of next week.